What a titanic card this is going to be. If you're not literally wetting yourself with pleasure at the very idea of this fight card then I'm afraid I need to inform your parents that you've died inside and are now in a persistent vegetative state. I know that half of Americans will want to pull the plug, while the other half will believe that you have a right to life, no matter how empty, pointless and unthinking it might be.

Indeed, an all-heavyweight card is absurdly exciting. I haven't been this eager since I discovered internet pornography. This promises to truly be an epic moment in UFC history... which means that according to Murphy's Law (or Godwin's Law, or whatever law you want to use) that it will fall flat on its face and suck. Insert head exploding gif here.

Preliminary Card

Facebook Fights

Mike Brown (25-8) vs Daniel Pineda (17-7)

MMAPlayground.com: Brown 1,108 (69%)/-180 vs Pineda 507 (31%)/+170

I know everybody thinks Mike Brown is going to win. But then again everybody thought that old lion Miguel Torres was going to win, too. Let's face facts. You're living in the past, man. Whatever you think about the quality of competition Pineda has faced lately, he has two first-round victories in the UFC, while Brown's claim to fame in recent times is beating Nam Phan. This is going to go down something like this: Pineda is going to light Brown up on the feet in the first, take him down in the second, and then get the "uncle" tap.

Pineda by submission round 2

Kyle Kingsbury (11-3) vs Glover Teixeira (17-2)

MMAPlayground.com: Teixeira 904 (55%)/-100 vs Kingsbury 751 (45%)/-125

This is a hard fight to call. I'm loathe to buy into the Teixeira hype, mainly because the last time I did that with a Brazilian fighter, he got choked out by Gabriel Gonzaga in the first round. But Teixeira seems to come with more grappling bona fides and even bigger knockout power. Kingsbury was badly outgunned against Fabio Maldonado but managed to win by picking the judge's favourite weapon: takedowns. That option likely won't be available to Kyle this time. Leaving the edge with the rookie.

Teixeira by KO round 2

Jacob Volkmann (14-2) vs Paul Sass (12-0)

MMAPlayground.com: Volkmann 982 (59%)/-105 vs Sass 691 (41%)/-125

Man, who did Volkmann piss off to be on a Facebook card after a five-fight win streak? Oh yeah, Dana White. And Barack Obama. And all the fans for his stupid jokes and lay and pray. Don't get me wrong, he's a good lay and pray fighter and he'll win by that method. I think Paul Sass is a great fighter and submission specialist, but there's just no way 41 per cent of people should have confidence he will find a way to sub Volkmann. That's silly.

Volkmann by boring decision

FX Fights

Dan Hardy (23-10) vs "Bang" Ludwig (21-12)

MMAPlayground.com: Hardy 1033 (58%)/-100 vs Ludwig 739 (42%)/-130

I don't hate Dan Hardy by any stretch of the imagination and a part of me actually feels sorry for him, but I can't see how he gets the win here. Ludwig is a veteran and just happens to be a world Muay Thai Champion. Amir Sadollah learned that to his chagrin, as did Josh Neer before doing the sensible thing and submitting him. If Dan Hardy had any other weapon in his arsenal but kickboxing I might give the nod to the Englishman. But he doesn't.

Ludwig by kickboxing clinic decision

Jason Miller (27-8) vs CB Dollaway (11-4)

MMAPlayground.com: Miller 1,300 (72%)/-255 vs Dollaway 501 (28%)/+235

Boy is Miller taking a step down in competition. Not that he doesn't deserve it after displaying all the stamina of an infant girl in his last bout against Michael "Spits" Bisping. I know everybody thinks Miller is going to win here, but I don't see it. His return to prime time showed an ability only to survive a beating for two rounds and the punching power of Jake Shields. Speaking of which, Miller hasn't had a legit win since before he met Shields three years ago. The last time he fought and won against a fighter who isn't Sakuraba was in 2007 against Tim Kennedy. Dollaway, meanwhile, while no world beater, has fought UFC talent the entire time. Interestingly, both fighters' last win was Sept. 25, 2010.

Dollaway by decision

Edson Barboza (10-0) vs Jamie Varner (19-6-1)

MMAPlayground.com: Barboza 1,422 (92%)/-640 vs Varner 126 (8%)/+600

They're taking the very talented Barboza along very slowly, especially for a fighter with a 10-0 record, giving him a man who hasn't fought in the pro league since UFC 68. I realize Varner is replacing the injured Evan Dunham, but he's a can in comparison. Varner's most impressive win in recent memory is over Drew Fickett at XFC, which isn't saying much. He has a storied history against Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson, but while those two have advanced their careers in the UFC, Jamie has stumbled. Barboza will lay a smackdown on Varner that should make his return to the UFC brief.

Barboza by decision

Diego Brandao (14-7) Darren Elkins (13-2)

MMAPlayground.com: Brandao 1,357 (81%)/-410 vs Elkins 317 (19%)/+370

I think the Brandao hype train is a little excessive to be honest. I mean, I'm surprised 81 per cent think he'll win, especially when this is Elkins' fight to lose. He should have this one in the bag. I say he should, but that doesn't mean I'm picking him. Brandao has a certain element of unpredictability that he demonstrated time and again during the Ultimate Fighter reality series. And despite his poor record, it seems clear he's found a groove in recent fights, albeit against mainly nobodies. I see Diego throwing wildly the whole fight, getting taken down, and going back and forth until he clips Elkins.

Brandao by TKO round 3

Pay-per-view Fights

Stefan Struve (23-5) vs Lavar Johnson (17-5)

MMAPlayground.com: Johnson 645 (53%)/-100 vs Struve 566 (47%)/-130

I'm taking Johnson in this fight for the same reason I would have taken Mark Hunt. Struve, while a decent fighter, is a slow starter. Johnson, meanwhile, has cardio for one round and throws every punch into that effort. It's simple math, really. Either Johnson gets the KO in round 1, or Struve gets the submission in round 2. You pick.

Johnson by KO round 1

Stipe Miocic (8-0) vs Shane del Rosario

MMAPlayground.com: del Rosario 759 (51%)/-120 vs Miocic 737 (49%)/-120

No surprise this is the hot bout. Miocic is taking a step up in competition here against the undefeated Strikeforce fighter, but Shane hasn't fought in over a year. It will be a question of ring rust and cardio and who can break the stalemate on the feet. Stipe has good wrestling and power, but Shane is no slouch in those departments either. If I have to pick someone it's del Rosario, who I think has demonstrated his jujitsu game is a dangerous addition to the heavyweight division in the UFC.

del Rosario by submission Round 2

Roy Nelson (16-7) vs Dave Herman (21-3)

MMAPlayground.com: Nelson 1,280 (83%)/-255 vs Herman 268 (17%)/+235

Finally, a can for Big Country to crush. After Peewee's last mediocre performance, I don't see how Nelson can lose this. He can land the big shots, take Herman down, and pound him out. This fight shouldn't last long, even if Herman plays keepaway tag for a while.

Nelson by KO round 1

Cain Velasquez (9-1) vs Antonio Silva (16-3)

MMAPlayground.com: Velasquez 1,461 (90%)/-620 vs Silva 154 (10%)/+580

While Big Foot is no can, he's well out of the league of the former Heavyweight champion of the UFC. Velasquez can win this on the feet, on the ground, and anywhere else it goes (outer space?). Cain will probably want to shoot in immediately, take Silva down, ground and pound, and finish him up with a flurry of punches. Silva's jujitsu won't be a match for Velasquez's base and punching power.

Velasquez by KO round 1

Junior dos Santos (14-1) vs Frank Mir (16-5)

MMAPlayground.com: dos Santos 1,499 (88%)/-440 vs Mir 207 (12%)/+400

The worst mistake anyone can make is underestimating Frank Mir, as he has proven time and again that he's got the resiliency, ingenuity, and elite level grappling to pull out the big wins. Having said that, Junior is on another level. As far above as Jon Jones is from the rest of the Light Heavyweight division, it's hard to imagine a contender for this belt that could give Junior even the slightest run for his money. Added to this fact is that Junior hits like a brick shithouse on the end of a giant swing and Mir's chin gets suspiciously rocked in every fight. It won't be a close match.

dos Santos by KO round 2

Are you surprised I have finishes in all the heavyweight fights? Don't be. This will be a short night with that much power inside the cage.

Betting lines

I don't know what the real betting lines are but if they follow playground there are some obvious steals:

Frank Mir at +400 is worth a few bucks, especially given his propensity for upsets.

CB Dollaway at +235 is attractive, since Miller looked horrible in his last fight.

Darren Elkins at +370 is a steal. He's probably going to win.

Daniel Pineda at +170 is worth a token copper.

Photo credit: Robin Merrill

Roger Huerta is the latest fighter to be announced for ONE Fighting Championship: 'Destiny of Warriors' which is taking place in Kuala Lumpur on June 23rd. His opponent is yet to be confirmed but it will represent a return to action for "El Matador" after suffering a rib injury in the third round of his fight against War Machine last November.

Huerta, who is based in Phuket, was one of the fastest rising stars in the UFC but decided to leave in return for a lucrative Bellator contract. He has faced the likes of Kenny Florian, Gray Maynard and Eddie Alvarez in his career but has struggled recently with three straight losses.

He's also starred in the movie Tekken and was the first mixed martial artist to ever be featured on the front cover of Sports Illustrated. Huerta's celebrity status is such that when he was caught on camera chasing someone who he had just seen assaulting a woman, it was headline news in the US.

Potential opponents include Eduard Folayang, Ole Laursen, Zorobabel Moreira and Shinya Aoki and Huerta can also fight at welterweight which would open up the possibility of match ups with Fabricio Monteiro, Yuya Shirai and even Phil Baroni.

Continue reading this post »

Maniacs,

Please vote below for the winner -

1) In reference to Jason McDonald's MMA future/status after the loss to Tom Lawlor :

He is the TUF killer anyway.
Tell that to Nate Quarry and Kalib Starnes

by Jesse Holland on May 16, 2012 7:35 AM PDT up reply actions

I told Nate but as soon as Starnes saw me he took off

by Swedish Chef smerdy herdy verdy on May 16, 2012 7:39 AM PDT up reply actions

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2) In regards to Rousey - Tate :

"Getting beat so bad that it gives you an orgasm doesn’t make sense unless your talking about beaten the pussy up. So unless rousey put Tate’s clit in a darce choke, I don’t see how that happens."

by xMMAxTYSONxMMA

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3) In reference to the upcoming Mir - JDS match :

Also to sub someone, you need to take them down.
And i’d wager my bank account that if he gassed himself out on the cage tryin to get cro cop and roy nelson down that he cant do it to Junior. What mir needs to do is sign on to fight schaub so they can double KO each other and try to hang on to their departing souls.

by NNR (formerly NameNotRequired) on Apr 24, 2012 2:29 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4) In reference to Jones' car accident with a pole :

"Does this mean I’m better than Jones? Cause I beat my pole all the time."

by Jestermarcus

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5) In reference to Lesnar being worthy of the HOF in MMA :

I’d have to agree He had a huge impact on the sport. If I can say Ortiz and Penn are HOF’ers, I can say Lesnar as well.

by UFChamp on May 22, 2012 9:09 PM PDT reply actions

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Anybody else having issues accessing the site? I think I have a few fights in (like Mir RD1 Sub), but I can't seem to load PG to make the remainder of my picks. This happened earlier this week and I figured it would be cleared up by now. I don't know what gives.

Jay...do you still have the e-mail of the dude you on PG? Can you shoot him an e-mail to figure out WTF is going on?

I am sure with the long weekend, many of us in the US will not be making picks after today. Damn, how many words do I need to get this to be approved??

Ok, its Friday, Memorial Day weekend for those in the United States. A time to reflect on those lost in the line of battle. I once visited the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial on this weekend. I would recommend that experience to anyone who is proud of our forefathers and what our country was founded upon, not what it has become. Ok, enpough words, finally...

HAPPY FRIDAY MANIACS!!!

via the305.com

Photo via UFC.com

DEEP middleweight champion Riki Fukuda has only fought twice since signing for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) back in 2010, but he has already attracted plenty of controversy.

His decision loss to Nick Ring in his debut is widely regarded as being one of the worst decisions ever and UFC President Dana White took the unusual step of awarding both fighters win bonuses.

The former pro wrestler didn't fight again for almost a year after being forced to withdraw from one contest due to a car crash but after three rounds against Steve Cantwell at UFC 144, the judges did the right thing, for once, awarding Fukuda a much-deserved win.

Fight number three in the UFC will be against Constantinos Philippou at UFC 148 next month and Fukuda took time out from training for that to talk exclusively to MMAmania.com.

Take a look.

Continue reading this post »

Click the Picture to Enlarge

Continue reading this post »

Hey, I'm a little hammered

And things are hazy

So post shit you think is awesome

And we'll post some more, maybe...

words here words here more words here

still more words and more then some more yup yup yup racking up that word count

It's that time of the week!

Post pictures of girls, funny gifs, pictures you thought were really cool, etc.

Let it rip, Maniacs!

via i.imgur.com

via i.imgur.com

via i.imgur.com

via i.imgur.com

via i.imgur.com

via i.imgur.com

Happy Memorial Day Maniacs! Welcome to the UFC 146: "Dos Santos vs. Beer Mir" edition of MMAmania presents "Beermania."

The plan is to rate and review two different styles of beer prior to each UFC pay-per-view (PPV) fight card, with one brand representing each of the two main event fighters.

Unfortunately, I was unable to sample any beers from Francis Mir's home state of Nevada, so I have decided to go with two easily accessible American Amber Ales. Today, I will be sampling New Belgium Brewing's Fat Tire out of Colorado and Bell's Brewing Amber Ale from Michigan. Also, I will be including my awesome London Broil Recipe, just in time for this weekend's barbecues.

Here's how it works.

When reviewing a beer, there are typically five categories of concern: Appearance (A), Smell (S), Taste (T), Mouthfeel (M), and Drinkability (D). After a brief description for each category, based on my tasting notes, I will assign a letter grade to each beer.

With any luck, I can convince some you to try out a beer you normally wouldn't have sampled at the local watering hole -- or keep you from making a huge mistake when ordering on the fly.

Follow me after the jump to get started.

Continue reading this post »

On fight night, mixed martial arts (MMA) records mean little.

Histories and past performances are mere abstract constructs that exist only in the mists of time. What is concrete -- and the only thing that matters -- is the physical being and his or her ability and/or desire once the cage door closes.

This is who will emerge from the corner and walk to the center of the Octagon, possessing the power and willingness to end a fight with one strike or submission.

For this reason, the traditional open media workouts are always a source of keen interest for me. These sessions can tell much about a fighter's physical condition, as well as his training focus, skill level and attitude. It's all these clues that indicate what will manifest on fight night, offering a more concrete factor in fight prediction than what he did in the cage six fights ago.

Unfortunately, fighters often don't go full-tilt at these sessions, perhaps because of the constraints of the format, their desire to conserve energy, or to mask their fight strategy from their opponents. But, it is still exciting to see what can be gleaned about their fight strategy and physical condition from this pre-fight tipping of the hand.

Accordingly, let's examine the open media workout videos of Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir from their recent sweat sessions at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dos Santos will put his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight belt on the line this weekend (Sat., May 26, 2012) in the UFC 146 main event for the first time ever against a very dangerous former two-time division in Mir.

Let's go to the video tape and see where the two are at just days before their Memorial Day weekend mash up:

Continue reading this post »

via cdn0.sbnation.com

If you listened to Ariel Helwani's MMA Hour on Monday you heard the alacritous ravings of a one Bob "The Beast" Sapp, former K-1 kickboxing legend, former PRIDE fighting demolition man, former martial artist with a conscience and self-respect. If you haven't heard this weird and wonderful podcast yet, go and listen to it now.

After hearing a half hour of Sapp's booming, mocking voice and bizarre, fake laughter, a number of things appear clear, even if just as many remain as murky as Bob's speech. Firstly, the man is a professional diver. Second, the man has found a way to cheat the system that, quite simply, is paying him good money. And in the end, Sapp was fairly clear that's all he cared about.

To Helwani's credit, he actually went after his guest for diving, questioned his courage, his heart, and his integrity. But Sapp was unequivocal on one point: he may be well past his prime, ready to pack it in and find a new career, and completely unable, even unwilling, to stand and bang with many fighters considered cans even in minor league promotions. But Sapp is going to get paid well to do it.

The Beast said he makes between $30,000 and $40,000 per appearance to get into the cage and pretend to fight, and for whatever reason unknown to humanity, promoters seem willing to pony up the dough for these fake matches. Rather than fade into obscurity with chronic debilitating brain and body injuries, and medical expenses that he can't afford, Sapp seems determined to build a nest egg on his brand name for as long as he possibly can.

And although the shtick is annoying and even tiresome to listen to on the MMA Hour, it seems clear that he has found a way to get promoters to buy into his gimmick. When Helwani asked why he didn't simply go into professional wrestling where everybody knows it's fake, Sapp shrugged the question off, explaining a rather contrived definition of what a mixed martial artist actually is.

Mixed, he said stood for the combination of techniques used. Martial, for fighting. And arts, implying entertainment. And Bob has become a purely entertainment fighter. All 12 seconds per appearance of it. Or at least that's what Helwani said. Sapp insisted he lasts about 20 seconds.

Although throwing fights rankles any pure fan of MMA, it's interesting that Sapp has admitted his reasons for doing it. He's getting paid very generously to play a role that few, if any, MMA fighters get to play after their career is done. If you look at Mirko Cro Cop, whom Sapp fought and lost to in a 2003 K-1 match, the Crotian fighter is now retired. His last fight done in K-1, leaving him to seek out a new life outside of combat sports.

Sapp referred to Ray Sefo, the brilliant Kiwi K-1 kickboxer in the same boat as Cro Cop, also in his twilight years, going back into retirement to eke out a living as a trainer. Maybe Sefo and Cro Cop can do well with their skills, but Bob Sapp is right about one thing. Sefo and Cro Cop won't be making Bob Sapp money to turtle into a ball after 20 seconds and wait for the referee to step in, and all for $30,000 a pop.

Here's how Sapp explained his reasoning for refusing to fight honourably:

I will receive no damage to my body that will be long lasting for a small insignificant amount of cash. I think we’ve seen that now with examples with the NFL and the fact that some of these guys are coming back and saying, "Hey we want some money, we have brain damage." I’m getting paid well underneath what a professional boxer would, or Manny Pacquiao. So I will, in no means ever, will I sustain long-lasting damage for a small paycheck. Never will that happen, never will "The Beast" ever have that happen.

Despite the disturbingly candid admission he's throwing fights for a pay cheque and refuses to take damage, asking the referee to stop the fight after the first sign of a scratch, Sapp is selling his short-term reputation for long-term fiscal stability. Well, let's be frank, he's selling his long-term reputation as well, but he was never the Georges St-Pierre of MMA, so history will likely not care whether he defeated Kiyoshi Tamura at Pride 21 any more than he threw a fight Mariusz Pudzianowski in Poland.

If you listened to the whole MMA Hour, you know that Helwani also interviewed undefeated Strikeforce-cum-UFC fighter Shane del Rosario, who confessed a car crash has left him pretty strapped for cash. It was an injury that had him wondering if choosing a fighting career was the right move. Similarly, Bob Sapp is one serious injury away from draining his bank account on a hospital bill. Is it, therefore, really a travesty that he's doing the circus rounds, taking paycheques from eager promoters and gullible fans?

Now I'm not so sure it is. Sapp said he's just doing it for the money now, to get a pay cheque while he's still able, and insure against long-term medical detriments from a life-time of combat sports. Is that so wrong? Well, that depends. What's your reputation worth to you?