Now that Cesar Gracie and Carlos Condit have said their peace, the Condit-Diaz ruckus appears to have finally hit a lull. With that said, it’s almost required I mention there are quality fights on Wednesday for the first time in a long time. Catch up on the latest from UFC on Fuel TV and the rest of the MMA world with the Morning Report.
5 MUST-READ STORIES TO START YOUR DAY
Cesar Gracie: Nick Diaz was surprised he tested positive. Gracie spoke publicly for the first time since Diaz’s failed drug test on The MMA Hour.
Carlos Condit wanted Nick Diaz rematch all along. Condit denies he only accepted a rematch with Nick Diaz after discovering Diaz’s failed drug test.
T.J. Dillashaw vs. Walel Watson dissection. Dallas Winston analyzes UFC on Fuel TV’s featured bantamweight tilt.
Mike Kyle reportedly withdraws from March 3 bout against Gegard Mousasi. For the second time in as many tries, Kyle vs. Mousasi has reportedly been cancelled.
War Machine sentencing hearing: complete transcript. Bloody Elbow has a full transcript of War Machine’s controversial hearing, including Judge Valerie Adair’s unprompted accusations of steroid abuse.
MEDIA STEW
An extended look at next weekend’s lightweight championship.
UFC on Fuel TV’s Dave Herman finishes Michal Kita in the most ridiculous way.
Joe Lauzon films the UFC Primetime crew for his first UFC 144 video blog.
Chael Sonnen predicts the winner of Diego Sanchez vs. Jake Ellenberger.
Royler Gracie and C.M. Punk break down the legendary triangle choke Royce Gracie tapped Dan Severn with at UFC 4.
Another reason to love Jared Shaw.
Dave Herman shows off his new half-hipster, half-hobo look while sharing a laugh with Stefan Struve. (via @NimaSafapour)
Marcus Aurelio sure was happy after his 25 second knockout at BFL 13. (HT: MiddleEasy)
my friend Greggie texted me this pic. me at 17, first cauliflower ear 🙂 #oldschool twitter.com/bjpenndotcom/s…
— BJ PENN (@bjpenndotcom) February 14, 2012
In case you’re wondering, he did this all day long.
Time for a healthy post-gym snack WITH MY SWORD!!!!!!!! twitter.com/amirMMA/status…
— Amir Sadollah (@amirMMA) February 14, 2012
In a zombie apocalypse, I’m sticking with Tim Kennedy.
#ThatAnnoyingFeeling When you realize that you will never be able to fix all the mistakes they make in @WalkingDead_AMC #JustGiveMeAGun
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) February 13, 2012
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Monday, Feb. 13, 2012):
– UFC on Fox 3: Alan Belcher (17-6) vs. Rousimar Palhares (14-3)
– UFC on Fuel TV 1: John Albert (7-1) vs. Ivan Menjivar (23-8) promoted to main card
– UFC on Fuel TV 3: Mike Easton (12-1) vs. Yves Jabouin (17-7)
– Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey: Mike Kyle reportedly (19-8-1) out with injury against Gegard Mousasi (32-3-2)
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s FPOTD belongs to BE reader Benjamin Cole: Predicting A Collegiate Wrestler’s Development.
We’ve all heard Joe Rogan say it over and over (and over) again: Wrestling is the best base for MMA. By the sheer numbers of top level fighters that were previously top level wrestlers, this seems to be the case. As professional MMA is becoming a more attractive option for top collegiate wrestlers, I think we can see trend of how these All-Americans develop into mixed martial artists.
Generally speaking (of course, there’s always outliers), we’re seeing wrestlers go down one of two paths of development as fighters, and which path they choose can be predicted by looking at their wrestling style. Top level wrestlers, at least for the first several years into fighting, tend to develop either their striking, throwing powerful punches that knockout their foe, or their jiu jitsu, using their already strong takedowns to submit opponents. “Duh,” you might be thinking. Of course fighters develop striking or jiu jitsu. The key is, though, that I think whichever path the wrestler chooses depends on their wrestling style. The best way to explain my point is with real examples. A few videos after the jump…
Found something entertaining, brutal, or bizarre you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Send it to @shaunalshatti and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s post.