Bloody Elbow

How's Taste My Tweet Tweet? Mixed Martial Arts on Twitter for the 4th Week of November

2009-11-25T15:30:23Z

Promoted to the front page from the FanPosts by Luke Thomas.

A few updates on what's been going on in the MMA Twittersphere.

WAR MACHINE

"WM will always HATE everyone. I DGAF about anything but my VERY FEW friends. NOTHING matters to me. DGAF real talk. Will kill.No regrets... F*CK! I can't wait till' I f*cking DIE! ...But before I die I'm gonna take ALOT of people out first....trust that... I'm gonna make a list and check that shit way more than TWICE!... What makes you think you're safe when I HATE myself? ...When I am ready to die I will kill many and I will then kill myself and I will tape it. It will be rad..." -War Machine

"I'm pretty sure none of you know me well enough to give me a f*cking lecture so don't.The ones that do know me wouldn't bother cuz the <3 me" -War Machine, hmm..

"Attention: NO ONE work with me cuz @WarMachineGay says "I'm a violent, misogynist who belongs in a prison or a grave." HAHAHAHA!" -War Machine, already has twitter accounts dedicated to hating him.

"Those who have no haters have no great qualities or impressive skills." -Miguel Torres, those that have too much haters, change their name to War Machine.

"Can I beat Machida?? lol..ummm...prolly not! He's 2 weight classes above me and better than me...I'd shoot that fool,,=p " -War Machine

"Everybody ask @anngaff why there's a purchase order for "Erotic Wrestling" on our tv....go ahead." -Jason High, Maybe she wants to see a movie starring War Machine.

"Thanks to whatever dick head told on my drunken Tweets the other night!! Now I have to go meet 2 FBI agents in 20 minutes!!! HAHAHAAHAH! ...You Haters! Jeeze isn't my life interesting...I'm gonna meet these 2 dudes and then gym it. If I'm not Tweeting in 3 hrs I'm in jail...=( lol... The War Machine is back from FBI meetings, gym workouts and tanning! HAHAHAAHA! My HATERS will stop at no ends to fuck with me...funny... The FBI enjoyed my company and were actually big UFC fans and want to thank whichever hater it was for the opportunity to be able to meet me" -War Machine, got in to trouble for his Murder-Suicide tweets. (Maybe that's why he now has his tweets protected)

WEC 44

"Congrats to @shaneroller. What a great fight! That @EckoMMA gear looked good too!!! Awesome #submission by roller." -Jake Rosholt

"mccullah lost but watch they will give it to him, karen never got hit.....you watch and see... 30 27 mcculloh , what the hell, did you hear that? ...must have been cecil, @dannyboydownes says" -Alan Belcher

"Aldo looked great at #WEC44 Look forward to climb that ladder!" -Mark Hominick, who also won his fight.

"Aldo is the man!!! looking good #WEC44" -Alan Belcher

"thanx to everyone who tuned in! the fights were awesome. we have a new featherwieght champion jose aldo!!!" -Brittney Palmer, WEC Octagon Girl

"Congrats to Jose Aldo (WEC) on his win over the warrior Mike Brown!" -Renzo Gracie

UFC 106

"UFC 106 will end the year with a bang! This Saturday on PPV. We will give you people your money's worth." -Tito Ortiz, has a calendar that only runs until November..

"Karo parisyan just walked passed me @ airport as if he doesn't know me...So lame!! Yes I'm calling u out cool guy !!!" -Arianny Celeste

"Karo Parisyan has fucked over the UFC, the fans and his opponent again!!! He will not be fighting saturday or ever again in the UFC!! ...Pulled out of the fight the day before weigh ins again with a laundry list of excuses!!! Let the press ask karo why! Let him explain." -Dana White

"I guess Karma really is a B****!!!! ...I don't know the reason,maybe he didn't pass pee test? Find out and let me know! :)" -Arianny Celeste, Lesson #42: If you don't say Hi to Arianny in the Airport, she can magically make you pull out of your fight.

"Chillin at the UFC 106 Press Conference!!! Forrest is about to shock the World again!!! http://yfrog.com/4i1x4j" -Tim Credeur, you do know when a favorite wins, it's not a surprise right?

"To all my fans thanks for all DA support this is the last twitter till after my fight. U all are with me when I fight love u guys" -Kendall Grove

"In fact I think Karo is a great fighter, he is always exciting and I wish him the best! That's the last u will hear of that lil incident. :)" -Arianny Celeste, no! i'm still convinced you caused this!

"Loosing sucks ass. It's a very humbling experience. All you can do is use the experience to make yourself better... Thanks again to all the fans out there for all the support. You guys rock!" -Jake Rosholt, was looking good, until Grove caught him in a submission.

"Pulling for my boy ben saunders for KO of the night" -Todd Duffee

"To all my Twitter friends. Thank you for all the support. I'm happy u all enjoyed the show, I put it all on the line for you. much more to come in the future. Best believe! =)" -Ben Saunders

"Thank u to those who supported me. I had the best training camp I ever have had. I don't know why I wasn't able to perform. Ben is a great Guy and put an ass whooping on me. All I can do is go back home and digest this and try to come back - hopefully better. Thank u all" -Marcus Davis, got knocked out for the first time in his career.

"Hey twitter heads!!! How did you guys like that shit??? Voice your word to Dana I want GSP!!! ...Looks like hardy vs GSP is a done deal! Gay if u ask me but my goal now is to fight any 1 who steps up to fight!! Maybe 12 fights n 2010?" -Josh Koscheck

"Nice win for Koschek last night. Johnson has a lot of potential.." -Pat Miletich

"Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt Josh Koscheck finishes Anthony Johnson in round 2 UFC 106! http://twitpic.com/qgz5k" -Dave Camarillo

"I have goosebumps! This is gonna be good!! http://pic.gd/c5bb30" -Arianny Celeste

"Congrats to my boys! Kendall Grove, George S., Ben Saunders!!!! Baroni lost but fuck it he will be back!!!" -War Machine, of course he will! he's the BEST EVA! (under two minutes, or money back guaranteed)

"U haters can suck my d*ck! Haha love this Twitter shit talking. A faker never gets up and doesn't fight after that a eye poker... I know what's up 2 the real mother fuckers out there true KOS fans! 1st off it was a eye poke on the ground not the knee... But what the fuck do I care!!! 140k in fight of the night and tapout of the night!! so keep hate'n. Xoxo" -Josh Koscheck

"http://twitpic.com/qltgp Phil baroni sent me this and said "welcome back to the ufc" phil is tough as nails!" -Dana White

"Here's the @JoshKoshcheck thumb in motion: http://bit.ly/7kdjQG" -Joe Rogan

"@joerogandotnet ya f*ck them joe. lol :) love Joe Rogan can't wait to train with you some day." -Josh Koscheck

"@JoshKoscheck I would be honored. Awesome fight, man! Congrats!!" -Joe Rogan

"Tough fight I give Tito the second though! ...Congrats to Forrest i thought Tito looked slow maybe a lil over trained for this fight! Good job Forrest!" -Jamie Varner

"Fought my ass off and got robbed. Thanks to my fans for the support!! I will be back!! ...The wounds hurt but my heart hurts worse. I fought my ass off and thought I won. Lets do the best out of 3? Its on!!!!" -Tito Ortiz, I thought you said, "I'm 100%, I'm in the best shape of my life"?

ROYCE GRACIE & EDDIE BRAVO

"Picture of me and Royce fucking around in Vegas for the UFC" -Eddie Bravo, chokes out Royce Gracie.

"Royce and me at the UFC weigh ins" -Eddie Bravo

"Me and Royce raiding Rogan's mini bar" -Eddie Bravo

"Royce and I smoking weed in my hotel room in vegas" -Eddie Bravo, smokes out Royce Gracie

"Royce is up $57 on the slots and the night is young as fuck!" -Eddie Bravo

"Royce a little tipsy making his move" -Eddie Bravo

"http://twitpic.com/qq3x8 - Been working on my flexibility..." -Mike Swick, shows Eddie, that he's not the only one with ~~dolls~~ action figures.

JAB JAB!

"My dental cleaning biz is taking off! http://twitvid.com/F55A5" -Gator, Mayhem's Dog

"US airways fucked me over once again. Fuck US airways. Gator cannot fly...I am tweeting from an airplane. We have a black president- it's the future already, where the fuck is my jetpack and food in capsules?" -Mayhem Miller, no, cause in the future, dogs are dentists, oh wait..

"You think your life is hard, I have to suffer THIS embarassment! http://twitpic.com/qjktd" -Gator, Mayhem's Dog

"i should be owned by a middle eastern sheik" -Todd Duffee, what?

"@RenzoGracieBJJ what language was that? It almost looks like portuguese" -Rolles Gracie, takes a jab at Renzo's Portugese, (Renzo deleted the tweet shortly after)

"How r u going to bust my balls about twittering @danawhite when u r busy twittering yourself jackass" -Chuck Liddell

"Kos is like a piece of s**** that just won't flush." -Dan Hardy

TWAINING

"Just scheduled my next bout, stay tuned." -Ricardo Almeida, Hughes please.

"I have 2 workouts today time to get back in shape" -Chuck Liddell, training for a UFC return?

"Looks like I am not fighting until AFTER Feb. I would expect to see Nog vs Cain" -Shane Carwin, so does this mean Lesnar vs Carwin will push through?

"Nick Diaz on the nunchucks...http://bit.ly/7gvGGP" -Nate Diaz

"I will be fighting Josh Thompson Dec.19th its official...." -Gilbert Melendez

"RABJJ MMA training @RenzoGracieBJJ @FrankieEdgar, IgorGracie, RafaelSapo, DanteRivera http://yfrog.com/3gshzj http://yfrog.com/1exnoj" -Ricardo Almeida

"Rolling Etiquette 101: The smell of your clothing should not remind anyone of your favorite feline! Wash your gi/rashguard after every use... Rolling Etiquette 101: If u train in the morning please be kind to ur partner & brush your teeth b4 class. No one likes a yuck mouth! ...Rolling Etiquette 101: A 5 o'clock shadow = a cheese grater on your trainer partners face." -Renzo Gracie

"On the road w/my boys Efrain, Semir, and Mark heading down to get some work in w/bj...yeah THAT bj...I'm excited like a lil girl... Yeah that bj, hehe...I'll try and bring my 'a' game but that's still like a 'c' to him, hehe... just got done with 4 rounds w/bj, yeah that bj, will post blog and video blog tonite on smoothben.com...make sure you guys sign-up..." -Benson Henderson

THE MIGUEL TORRES SYSTEM

"The MIGUEL system, are you ready for this? It will change your life...
M- Mingle in the crowd. Make intriguing conversation, be sociable, and funny.
I- Identify your target. While engaging in conversation, scope out your female of choice.
G- Gather intelligence. When you engage your target, find out who they are with and why they are out.
U- Utilize your surrounding. If you are at a club, buy a drink or get out there and dance with target.
E- Eliminate the competition. Undermine anyone that trys to get in your way. So what do you do sir, well...I am a professional cage fighter.
L- Let the good times role. Need I any further explanation. Have fun, and use wisely. The MIGUEL system. Video to come soon." -Miguel Torres

LETS GET ALAN BELCHER SOME FOLLOWERS!

"#blackthoughts , hey can i get some new followers. pllllleeeease!!! ... #whitethoughts i need some more followers. please follow... Thanks for the RTs guys, thanks for the help getting me more followers. although it seems like i lost some today. 500 yesterday and 10 today..." -Alan Belcher, reallyyyy wants those followers.

"@alanbelcherufc is a spammer.. :P" -Anton Tabuena

"FU,stop following me if you want to dis me like that, I just like communicating with fans" -Alan Belcher, oh wait I think I pissed him off.

"you are a f(^(*ing tool, i hate you, die :) lol RT @antontabuena hahaha. Relax dude, I wasn't dissing you. It was a joke. I thought the smiley made that obvious. Haha. :)" -Alan Belcher, (don't superman punch me)

TWITPICS, TWITVIDS & RANDOM TWEETS

"Check out @msun184 gettin ready to put an ass whoopin on somebody. http://twitvid.com/CE5CD" -Jason High

"@vitorbelfort davi my baby with hes friend Eduardo rideing a harley davison http://twitvid.com/AB10D ... we about to go back to rio start to woork hard http://twitvid.com/42632 ... making number 2 if you know what i meen its crazy in The hallway of The resort club med http://twitvid.com/77FD7" -Vitor Belfort, videotaping a guy pooping. whut?

"Couple Saturday training vids for ya..... http://twitvid.com/CF190 ... Oops, here's the other one.... http://twitvid.com/C7E24" -Jason High, practicing how not to get zaromskis'd

"My serious face." -Miguel Torres

"Face Off" -Miguel Torres, oh okay, now i know why you needed that serious face

"I was framed." -Miguel Torres, it's probably cause you beat Tabasco.

"New Dellagrotte Karate T shirt... http://yfrog.com/4g4zfj" -Marcus Davis, Dude! what does my shirt say? Sweet! Dude, what does mine say?

"I had a bad dream,this is what it looked like. >:O" -Arianny Celeste, I know guys have wet dreams with the exact scenario.

"A berry special 3abbit had this waiting for me in vegas,just my style :)" -Arianny Celeste, has a fancy LV birthday cake

"Filming for Thq new UFC video game.. :)" -Arianny Celeste

"Supporting collegiate wrestling. With @markmunoz @kingmo_gdp and Randy couture. http://yfrog.com/4i9dlj" -Urijah Faber

"This pic apparently never made it out Sat night. Octagon hoodlums ;) #fb http://twitpic.com/qnolk" -Logan Stanton

Also, If you have a twitter account, don't forget to follow:

The Official BloodyElbow Twitter Account, Luke Thomas, Kid Nate, Brent Brookhouse, Mike Fagan, Chris Nelson, Leland Roling, and some guy named Anton Tabuena

note: War Machine blocked me (for saying something like "I hope you're okay, no more murder-suicide tweets") and also protected his tweets a few days later, so I'd have to find another way to add his tweets on the next few How's Taste My Tweet Tweet's

The MMA Hour w/ Kerry Vera, F. Edgar and Cung Le: - Frankie discussed his change of opponent for...

2009-11-25T16:23:49Z

The MMA Hour w/ Kerry Vera, F. Edgar and Cung Le:

- Frankie discussed his change of opponent for 12/5 and MTV's "True Life" show.
- Cung talked about Anthony Johnson continuing to fight at 170 and some of the criticism he's received from his fellow fighters as of late.
- Kerry talked about her newfound fame and plans for the future in the sport.

HT: MMA.Fanhouse
The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale coverage
Strikeforce: Evolution coverage

UFC 107 Preview: Who Can Stop BJ Penn?

2009-11-25T15:41:37Z

via Sherdog.com

View full size photo »

Over at Sherdog.com, Jason Probst does some handicapping and takes a look at the UFC lightweight division after an assumed win over Sanchez:

Who’ll turn the trick? If one cross-compared the skill sets of all five UFC champions, Penn rates the best from a pound-for-pound perspective. He has proven a solid striker with subtle stand-up defense and a granite chin, and he gives opponents fits in a tie-up, whether he defends a takedown or attempts one. He has also proven incredibly dominant from top position, and once he obtains it, the fight essentially ends. There are better wrestlers (Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre) and strikers (Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and St. Pierre), but Penn has proven more dangerous from more ranges and positions than any of them.

The big challenge for Penn remains himself and staying motivated to defend his crown. Forever in search of greater tests, his lightweight reign could become an amazing one, given the depth of the division and high-energy foes. Aggressive scrappers like Sanchez, Gray Maynard, Frankie Edgar and Tyson Griffin comprise the top tier of deserving challengers. It provides a full cupboard for the Hilo, Hawaii, native and could serve up a memorable reign if he brings his "A" game for the next few years.

If Penn loses his 155-pound crown, it will be to an opponent pitching a perfect game -- likely a great wrestler with good stand-up and the tenaciousness to wear down Penn, a la St. Pierre.

All of these questions are important given that the math portends a change of hands in title holders quicker than we imagine:

Yet for the seeming convergence of dominant champions, a UFC title itself has not proven a long-running job description in the past. With the average UFC championship reign at just 1.38 defenses, being "top dog" in a given division rarely lends itself to a lengthy streak of defenses. A breakdown of the math follows:

Lightweight: 3 reigns, 4 defenses, 1.33 defenses per reign
Welterweight: 8 reigns, 14 defenses, 1.75 defenses per reign
Middleweight: 5 reigns, 8 defenses, 1.6 defenses per reign
Light Heavyweight: 10 reigns, 15 defenses, 1.5 defenses per reign
Heavyweight: 14 reigns, 10 defenses, 0.71 defenses per reign.

For tabulation purposes, a scheduled bout does not count as a successful defense if a challenger misses weight or the match takes place between an interim titleholder and champion.

That’s why the current crop of champions is different. If you lined up all five, it would be a tough call to guess how many defenses each would make during their current reigns. Outside of light heavyweight titleholder Lyoto Machida, none of them have a challenger who registers less than 3-to-1 to dethrone them, and each has a good shot at making a lengthy run. UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva currently holds the promotional record for consecutive title defense with five, along with Tito Ortiz.

There are many who complain that the champions of these divisions cannot be touched by the challengers, so what is the point?

I don't so much mind it, truthfully. Given how often titles change hands, at least statistically speaking, it's nice to see a division cleaned out top to bottom, if a champion can produce such an outcome. Count me in as one who is all in favor of eras, reigns and streaks. It makes the business of ending them far more interesting.

UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva Shaping Up

2009-11-25T13:59:46Z

According to Dana White on MMAJunkie radio, he's still working on UFC 108 but here's how the New Year's card is looking so far:

Main Card Bouts:
Rashad Evans (13-1-1) vs. Thiago Silva (14-1)

Tyson Griffin (14-2) vs. Jim Miller (15-2)

Carlos Condit (24-5) vs. Paul Daley (22-8-2)

Gabe Gonzaga (15-4) vs. Junior Dos Santos (10-1)

Preliminary Bouts:
Joe Lauzon (18-4) vs. Sam Stout (20-5-1)

Cole Miller (15-4) VS. Dan Lauzon (12-2)

Martin Kampmann (15-3) vs. Rory Markham (16-5)

Sean Sherk (33-4-1) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (9-2)

Mike Pyle (19-6-1) vs. Jake Ellenberger (21-5)

Mark Munoz (6-1) vs. Ryan Jensen (14-5)

Dean Lister talks about his upcoming fight against Thales Leites "I don't have a strategy; I just...

2009-11-25T14:07:43Z

Dean Lister talks about his upcoming fight against Thales Leites

"I don't have a strategy; I just want to have an exciting fight."

HT: fightersko.com
MFC 23: Unstoppable coverage

UFC 107 Preview: Ben Henderson Goes Four Rounds Against BJ Penn

2009-11-25T02:13:06Z

So day one just ended down here in costa Mesa, CA...went pretty well, right when we got to the RVCA facility jumped right in and did four mma rounds with BJ, so I found out right away what I personally wanted to know, which is, 'is BJ really that hard to take-down???', the answer is without a doubt, yes he is...like I said we did 4 rounds, I was doing my best Diego sanchez impression, hehe, but I didn't get killed nearly as bad as I thought I was going to, so that's a big plus, I am a little out of shape and going four was pretty good I thought on my part, especially considering the competition doesn't get much tougher in the whole world...

For the 2nd practice of the day we just did some stand-up sparring situations then ended practice with some bag and mitt work...of course BJ's trainers are world class, he himself is all-world class so it was just really an honor and privledge for me to be able to work with them and kinda see how THE world champ does things...I'm excited for the rest of the 8-9 days I'm down here, hopefully some of his all-world classness rubs off on me and I'll be able to learn a lot from BJ, Shane, Rob (Emerson, who I forgot to mention was down here as well...he's a beast), and all of BJ's trainers...tomorrow morning is grappling, so I'm of course really looking forward to being choked out by BJ a bunch of times...

HT: smoothben.com
-- image via Sherdog.com

Ben and Efrain after sparring:

SRC vs DREAM for NYE in Japan Now Official: Rumored fights include: - Satoshi Ishii vs....

2009-11-25T07:21:55Z

SRC vs DREAM for NYE in Japan Now Official:

Rumored fights include:
- Satoshi Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
- Masato vs. Andy Souwer (K-1)
- Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
- Hiroya vs. Japan Masaaki Noiri
- Katsuki Ishida vs. Shota Shimada
- Tsukasa Fuji vs. Ryuya Kusakabe

This Fan Shot was promoted to the front page by Nick Thomas.
HT: nightmareofbattle.com

Dana White's UFC 106 Video Blog: Episode 4

2009-11-24T23:09:45Z

Starting Over From Scratch: Rewriting the Judging Criteria in the Unified Rules

2009-11-24T21:00:13Z

Of all the problems with judging in MMA, the most glaring and easily fixable is the letter of the judging criteria in the Unified Rules. Try to explain what is written to a new or casual fan. I dare you.

"Well, see, there's five criteria. Striking, grappling, fighting area control, aggression, and defense. Judges need to look at those criteria in that order. BUT if a round spends more time on the ground, grappling takes precedence to striking. What constitutes effective grappling? Lemme see here...'successful execution of takedowns and reversals.' Blah blah blah..."

Tweaking and clarifying the judging criteria is an exercise in futility. So, I went ahead and rewrote the rules. (They're after the break.) Here's what I've done:

1. Removed fighting area control, aggression, and defense from the criteria - I'd like to quote this bit from Bad Left Hook in regards to "ring generalship" in boxing:

This is for the boxer who was able to force the other fighter into fighting their fight. This is sort of a BS catch-all, like when people talk about 'intangibles' in other sports. There really isn't a good way of measuring ring generalship, so a lot of folks just ignore it. Unfortunately, I feel like some judges use this as an excuse to score a round a certain way when there really isn't a defensible way of scoring the round the way they score it.

In my opinion, all three of these points are unnecessary and superfluous. If a fighter is striking or grappling effectively, there's a good chance they're also controlling the fighting area, fighting aggressively, and/or preventing their opponent from doing the same.

In addition, what does it matter if I'm coming forward or moving backwards, if I'm hitting you with clean and damaging strikes? It can actually create an interesting contradiction, with Lyoto Machida being a prime example. A judge may view him lacking aggression, constantly moving away from his opponent. But you can turn it around and argue that he's controlling the fighting area, making his opponent chase him around the cage.

2. Consolidated effective striking and grappling into effective offense - Most fans of MMA agree that the ultimate goal of a fighter is to finish the fight. That necessitates that we should reward fighters only for actions that directly lead to a stoppage. Grappling advances have been removed as effective offense (but not removed from the criteria, more on that in a bit). Instead, we only look at two things: clean strikes and threatening submission attempts (defined in the rewritten rules). Takedowns and guard passing are tools for putting yourself in position to deliver effective offense, but they are only a means to an end.

3. Introduced positional control - Positional control only comes into play if a fighter exhibited dominant grappling position (defined in the rules as maintaining "side control, back control, or mount") for the majority of the round. In addition, a fighter may only win the round via positional control if neither fighter separates him or herself from the other with regards to effective offense. I inserted this clause into the rules as I believe there is some value in being able to hold down an opponent for an extended period of time.

4. Clarified the ten-point must system - Not too many changes. I've liberalized the scoring, and provided examples of the qualities associated with each scoring option.

By streamlining the entire criteria to just look at "effective offense," we've made a judge's job that much easier. They no longer must try to balance five separate criteria, each vague in their own right. And for the fighters, we've made their job simpler (or at least, clearer): attack your opponent and avoid being attacked. It's the absolute essence of MMA, and now it is reflected in its bylaws.

I also made a slight change to rules regarding the actual judges as well.

Finally, I want to point out that this is a first draft. I believe it is superior to the current judging criteria, but there are still points that could be clarified further. I'm sure there are also potential holes that haven't crossed my mind.

On to the rules...

13:46-24A.13 Judging

(a) All bouts will be evaluated by three or five judges.

(b) When applicable, judging stations should be equipped with television monitors. Judges are permitted to watch the monitors during the bout. Between round replays will not be shown to officials for the purpose of judging.

(c) The 10-Point Must System will be the standard system of scoring a bout. Under the 10-Point Must Scoring System, 10 points must be awarded to the winner of the round and nine points or less must be awarded to the loser, except for an even round, which is scored (10-10).

(d) Judges shall evaluate mixed martial arts contests by effective offense and, in lieu of a distinction in effective offense, positional control.

(e) Effective offense includes clean, effective strikes and threatening submission attempts. A threatening submission attempt is any grappling hold in which the threatened fighter must use counter grappling measures to prevent being submitted.

(f) Positional control should only be utilized in the absence of separation in effective offense and when more than half the round was contested with at least one fighter on the ground. A fighter may be given a round for positional control if he or she maintained dominant position (defined as side control, back control, or mount) for a majority of the round.

(g) The following objective scoring criteria shall be utilized by the judges when scoring a round;

(1) A 10-10 round is awarded when neither fighter has done enough to separate his or her performance from his or her opponent. If a judge does not feel confident scoring a round for either contestant, a judge should score the round 10-10.

(2) A 10-9 round is any round in which a fighter demonstrates a basic, but clear level of superiority. A 10-9 round may be characterized by a greater amount of effective strikes landed, a knockdown, or threatening submission attempts.

(3) A 10-8 round is any round in which a fighter demonstrates a significant level of superiority. The round winner will typically have put himself in position to finish the bout during the round. A 10-8 round may be characterized by multiple knockdowns, a knockdown followed by effective ground strikes, multiple near submissions, or a lopsided amount of effective strikes landed.

(4) A 10-7 round is any round in which a fighter put himself in position to finish the bout multiple times.

(5) A 10-6 round is any round in which a fighter was in position to finish the bout for a majority of the round and the round loser had limited to no offensive outbursts.

(h) For the purposes of grappling, the guard (defined as a grappling position in which a grounded fighter, on his back, has both legs in between in between his and his opponent's hips) should be considered a neutral position. A fighter striking from his or her opponent's guard should be given more credit than a fighter striking from his or her back.

Sports Business Journal: MMA Fans Skew Young, Wealthy

2009-11-24T19:00:14Z

Sports Business Daily reports on an extensive survey done by Scarborough Sports Marketing (subscription required and recommended):

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is attracting young, wealthy, high-tech consumers, according to Scarborough Sports Marketing's first-ever look at the sport. MMA fans are defined as those adults who watched the sport on broadcast or cable TV during the past year. The six-month survey of 221,000 adults ages 18+ in 81 top U.S. markets, including every big-league city, found that MMA fans are 15% more likely than the average American adult to have a household income of at least $75,000 and 10% more likely to own a second home. MMA fans also are above the national average for current ownership of high-tech household items such as HDTVs, VOD service, video game systems and broadband Internet.

This is one of those small bits of news many fans skim over each day without a second thought, but this kind of study will do wonders for the pockets of fighters. The widespread conception of MMA fans is that they're a cross section of poor white trash and meatheads. This is nowhere near the truth. My experience in law firms alone showed me that in almost every white collar office there are a number of "closet" MMA fans who love the UFC but just don't talk about it unless they're sure someone else likes it.

This survey is a nice feather in the cap for fighter representatives. I believe Georges St. Pierre's sponsorship with Underarmor was just the first crack in the dam; mainstream sponsors are on their way.

Wanderlei Silva's next opponent is Michael Bisping According to...

2009-11-24T19:35:55Z

Wanderlei Silva's next opponent is Michael Bisping

According to fightersonlymagazine.co.uk

"Verbal agreements for the clash have been given, although Fighters Only understands that bout agreements are not yet drawn up. The fight will not be official until these are signed and returned by both men."

UFC 110 coverage

Roger Huerta Is Shopping for a New Deal

2009-11-24T18:00:18Z

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Roger Huerta is now officially a free agent. Following the final fight on his UFC deal Roger has entered into the period where he is able to negotiate with any promotion while the UFC retains the right to match any offer made. Sherdog.com was able to catch up with Roger Huerta and Jeff Clark of his management team and get a few statements out of them:

When asked if he and the fighter had started negotiations with the UFC, Strikeforce, and other promotions, Clark answered that, "we’ve had a lot of interest from different parties." Clark would not elaborate further.

...

"I recently saw, actually, that fight with Fedor (Emelianenko) vs. (Brett) Rogers and the show looked amazing," said Huerta, who is 6-2 in the UFC. "The fights looked great. There’s a lot of great fights in that show."

Huerta, who was the first mixed martial artist to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2007, believes he’d fare well in Strikeforce’s 155-pound ranks.

"It would be up to them," said Huerta, "but I’d definitely like to fight a top-caliber fighter like (Shinya) Aoki, (interim champion Gilbert) Melendez, or (champion Josh) Thomson. Obviously, I’d have to earn my stripes in that organization, if I went there, but any of those fights would be amazing."

Strikeforce and Bellator both have to be very interested in signing the lightweight star. The real question is: how much defense is the UFC going to play in matching any offers that come in to Huerta?

A lot of people assumed that making the fight with Maynard was a similar move to the Andrei Arlovski / Jake O'Brien fight where a "star" on his way out was given a fight which even if he won would end up looking ugly. Instead we got some of the usual Huerta drama and he left the promotion with a split decision loss. No matter how clear it was that Roger lost that fight, one judge scoring it for him really improves his marketability. Rather than being bounced from the UFC in embarrassing fashion, he now "lost a hotly contested split decision."

This is going to be a very interesting situation to watch develop.

Quote of the Day: Houston Alexander Says "I Got Kevin 'Kimbo Slice' Ferguson on Spike TV"

2009-11-24T16:29:49Z

"Yeah, Kevin Ferguson. On December 5th. The fight was presented to us and we didn't even hesitate.

... My hand is healed from the Sherman Pendergarst fight. We sparred on Sunday and it was 6 guys. We went 11 - 3 minute rounds. I'm practicing boxing, takedown defense, it's just crazy.

...I plan to peak at the time of the fight and work out the morning of the fight to get my blood flowing.

...Before a fight, I don't get nervous, I get anxious. I listen to Rage Against the Machine. I just want to get in there and start fighting. I'm really excited."

-- Houston Alexander confirms his fight against Kimbo Slice on 92.3 FM Todd N Tyler's. (audio)

The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale coverage

HT: hdnetfights.com

Set your calenders for May 1st - which is currently the same day as UFC 113: Shogun vs. Machida in...

2009-11-24T17:38:15Z

Set your calenders for May 1st - which is currently the same day as UFC 113: Shogun vs. Machida in Montreal.

Pacquiao vs Mayweather in negotiations for May 2010:

"Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer, promoters respectively of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr, are under way with negotiations to seal the superfight between boxing's pound-for-pound kings. With May 1 2010 the projected date of the contest, most likely in Las Vegas. Judging by the history of such affairs, it will take weeks to iron out."

HT: telegraph.co.uk

Will Kerry Vera Become the Gina Carano of 135 Pounds?

2009-11-24T16:00:38Z

While UFC 106 was the focal point of mixed martial arts action this weekend, Strikeforce did manage to promote a smaller event at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas on Friday night that featured Missouri wrestling standout Tyron Woodley, Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, Team Punishment-product Aaron Rosa, and a laundry list of local talent hoping to make their impression on Scott Coker for future shows. While Tyron Woodley easily coasted to a submission victory over Rudy Bears in the main event, the women's 135 lbs. match-up between Kim "Sugar Free" Couture and Kerry Vera was a bout that gave a relatively unknown fighter in women's MMA a chance to shine.

Vera's extensive background in Taekwondo, boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai gave her the abilities to make a smooth transition to MMA, a move that was spawned by her determination to find new challenges. Her husband, current UFC fighter Brandon Vera, is also in her corner with an impressive background in the sport, but she also trains with Lloyd Irvin in her ground game along with honing her boxing at City Boxing in the past.

So, what's with all the hype? Why would someone try to compare her to Gina Carano? Carano's rise to the top not only focused on her skills in the cage, but it also relied on her good looks and ability to win. Vera, while still green with only two professional fights, could become that type of fighter. Like Carano, she comes from a background in fighting and is a natural athlete, and those attributes will only further the talk that she could become a legitimate threat in Strikeforce's 135 lb. weight division.

Strikeforce did the perfect job in piggy-backing UFC 105's advertising for Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera by pitting Randy's former wife against Brandon's wife only a week later. While it probably didn't add insane numbers to the broadcast, those who did tune in were treated to one of the most lopsided beatdowns we've seen all year in any striking war.

Vera's quick hands, speedy footwork, and ability to intelligently mix strikes completely crushed a slow, plodding Couture who showed nearly no improvement in her striking. Couture's gameplan, like her ex-husband's, was to nullify Vera's speed and clinch for takedowns, but Vera's Muay Thai experience and strength easily allowed her to do damage while defending and moving away from those situations. Mauro Ranallo tried to sell us on the fact that Couture wasn't involved in the fight for her name, but that's a hard fact to swallow after such a lopsided knockout victory for Kerry Vera.

While challenging Vera in the cage will be one of the major selling points for her in the future, Coker will more than likely try to get her involved in media appearances as another woman who is attractive, but has the ability to fight. It isn't a bad move either. Carano, Cyborg, and Coenen all sit toward the top of the heap in the 145 lb. women's division, but Strikeforce has yet to truly develop their 135 lb. weight class. Vera is a perfect entry into the mix, and she would also be a perfect combatant in the rumored 135 lb. tournament to determine an eventual champion. And as the broadcast team mentioned following her win over Couture, a bout with Sarah Kaufman would be pure fireworks. Make it happen, Strikeforce.

A Shortage of Contenders for Lyoto Machida's UFC Light Heavyweight Title

2009-11-24T15:50:02Z

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Sergio Non breaks down the division:

• Because Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva lost so convincingly to Machida already, the winner of their UFC 108 showdown will still need another victory over a big name to regain credibility.

• The same holds true for Randy Couture, whose decision victory over Brandon Vera at UFC 105 was too close for comfort.

• The enormously talented Jon Jones lacks a major win and will still lack one even if he beats Matt Hamill on Dec. 5.

• (Quinton "Rampage") Jackson quit MMA to make movies.

• Keith Jardine, Tito Ortiz,Vera and Cane, have to restart after losing their last fights.

• Anderson Silva has no interest in facing Machida because of their friendship.

Non makes a strong case for Antonio Rogerio "Little Nog" Nogueira to be deserving of an immediate title shot against Machida. It's hard to argue with that should Mauricio "Shogun" Rua take the belt in his May rematch with Machida, but it will be hard to get Nogueira to fight his friend Lyoto Machida.

Meanwhile, Thiago Silva makes a counter-case to Ariel Helwani arguing that he will earn a title shot with a win over Rashad Evans at UFC 108. I could see Dana White echoing Silva on this, if only to hype up what is otherwise a lackluster headliner for UFC 108. Perhaps the winner of Evans/Silva could face Nogueira in a true #1 contenders match next spring.

K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final Preview Videos

2009-11-24T14:06:33Z

The first two videos are out:

Offensive Speed: Ruslan Karaev vs. Badr Hari

Cunning Abandon: Errol Zimmerman vs. Remy Bonjasky

Live on HDNet Sat. Dec. 5th at 3:00 AM EST. Full card after the jump.

Be sure and check out our sister SBN site Head Kick Legend's coverage of K1.

HT: k-1.co.jp/en

Dan Hardy: "Josh Koscheck is a turd that won't flush away" HT: fightmagazine.com UFC 109...

2009-11-24T14:20:09Z

Dan Hardy: "Josh Koscheck is a turd that won't flush away"

HT: fightmagazine.com
UFC 109 coverage

Megumi Fujii improved to 19-0 on Monday with a first round armbar win over "Windy" Tomomi Sunaba at...

2009-11-24T13:06:34Z

Megumi Fujii improved to 19-0 on Monday with a first round armbar win over "Windy" Tomomi Sunaba at "Revolutionary Exchanges."

Thanks to MMA Berlin for uploading the video. They've got their own unbeaten fighter (Alexandra Sanchez, 2-0) facing Tomoko Morii in JEWELS on December 12th.

Quote of the Day: Brock Lesnar Was Performing at 60% of His Potential

2009-11-24T01:00:16Z

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White revealed that doctors told Lesnar, he's been dealing with the condition for over a year and that he's only been operating at 60-percent of his potential:

"That's a lot [expletive] scary. He's at 60-percent of his potential? What's going to happen when he comes back? How much faster can you beat people? Hopefully we can get though this."

Dana White, striking fear into the hearts of heavyweights everywhere. Brock Lesnar will return, and when he does, this ordeal will probably make him an even bigger star than before.

Things look dark now, but Spring and Summer will probably be huge for the UFC. I fully expect the return of Brock Lesnar and a reconciliation with Quinton Jackson to lift the company out of its current short-term slump.