Morning Report: Invicta FC 2 Review, UFC on FOX 4 Preparation

It wasn’t really the loudest of weekends. There was no UFC, no Strikeforce, no ONE FC, no Bellator. Sure, there was Invicta FC 2 and that was plenty exciting, but there were virtually no major fight announcements or news to track….

Richard Wolowicz, Getty Images

It wasn’t really the loudest of weekends. There was no UFC, no Strikeforce, no ONE FC, no Bellator. Sure, there was Invicta FC 2 and that was plenty exciting, but there were virtually no major fight announcements or news to track. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t catch up on Invicta if you missed it. There’s great action throughout the card and controversy in the main event. It’s hard to go wrong there.

Of course, we can’t neglect to mention what’s ahead: UFC on FOX 4. I’d be lying if I said the buzz was huge, but I’d also be lying if I said there was no discussion about the event. In fact, there was television programming on FOX on Sunday to promote the event. They should’ve been there for UFC 148, but better late than never, right?

Be sure to catch up on all the news from the weekend, video from Invicta FC 2, the ‘Road to the Octagon’ preview of this weekend’s event and so much more in this Monday edition of The Morning Report.

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FIVE MUST-READ STORIES

Chris Weidman has strong words for Anderson Silva. Namely, if you’re not going to fight Jon Jones, fight me. Kid’s got a point, no?

Invicta FC 2 videos, results and recap. We get it. There was no UFC or Strikeforce this past weekend. You decided to get out of town. No problem, but don’t miss good MMA if you don’t have to. Catch up on everything that you missed from videos to results to recaps.

2012 judo Olympic highlights. Don’t think the people over at Bloody Elbow aren’t collecting highlights from this Olympic cycle’s judo competitions. They are and have them presented to you in easily digestible fashion.

Bigfoot Silva pleased with fight with Travis Browne. Sure, he’s coming off of a loss to Cain Velasquez, but Silva knows he isn’t fighting nobodies. Hence, his enthusiasm over his next opponent.

Nick Diaz wants Anderson Silva. And not even for a title. Just Anderson, whenever he can get him and completely at middleweight if the pound-for-pound great doesn’t wish to cut weight.

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MEDIA STEW

BJ Penn begins his video blogs as his bout with Rory McDonald at UFC 152 gets closer and closer.

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Did you miss the ‘Road to the Octagon’ on FOX on Sunday night? You know, the program where Shogun reveals his mother wanted him to retire from the sport after his fight with Dan Henderson at UFC 139? No? Well, fix that:

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Consider this: Olympic trials with Kurt Angle. Sound ludicrous? It’s not. Let College Humor take you home:

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As Rousey’s star and fame grow in the sport of mixed martial arts, more and more programming is trying to show you her life behind the scenes. To her credit, ‘All Access’ by Showtime is a decent attempt. You should watch it:

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KENFLO’S GOT SHTICK

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KNAPP IS A HAPPY CAMPER

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SPARRING WORSE THAN WEDDINGS?

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JOSH ‘EL COCHINO’ BARNETT

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MIESHA TATE TALKS FEMALE ANATOMY

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

– XFN 8: Anthony Johnson vs. Jake Rosholt

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FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today’s FanPost of the Day comes courtesy ‘fightmedicine’ who believes Shogun’s ACL surgery is going to greatly impact his future in MMA:

In regard to Shogun’s upcoming fight against Vera. Shogun has had not only one ACL surgery, but also a second one which makes the chance of it failing even greater. In addition, he likely will never reach the same level of strength he had before his surgeries. Back in Pride, Shogun was known for his devastating kicking power. Unfortunately, we will never have the Shogun from Pride fighting in the UFC, but so far the Shogun we have seen has done pretty well. Even recently, ESPN’s Sport Science measured his kicks at an amazing 2749 pounds of force! Brandon Vera, however, is known for his striking ability, and ACL surgery can limit your ability to move laterally out of the way of oncoming kicks. As these guys get older, they can’t rely on strength and speed anymore and must use their technique, which usually means more of a ground game. On his feet, Shogun’s clock is ticking thanks to his injuries and surgeries. For Shogun’s sake, let’s hope his knees outlast his UFC career.

I hope to start some quality discussions where fans, fighters, and doctors can come together to make the sport safer and people can make better decisions with better knowledge.