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Last-Minute Jon Jones Video Hype: ‘Man on the Moon’

(Props: Neon Bar Fights via MiddleEasy)
Not only does UFC light-heavyweight contender Jon Jones have a lot of hype, his hype has a lot of hype. By that I mean, Jones’s lofty reputation has become a major talking point in itself. Ryan Bader wants t…

(Props: Neon Bar Fights via MiddleEasy)

Not only does UFC light-heavyweight contender Jon Jones have a lot of hype, his hype has a lot of hype. By that I mean, Jones’s lofty reputation has become a major talking point in itself. Ryan Bader wants to end that hype at UFC 126; Jones wants to transcend it. On Sunday morning, Bones could be living with his first real defeat, while keyboard warriors claim he was never that great in the first place.

That’s because hype is fragile. Legacy, on the other hand, can never be taken away — and if Jones slashes through Bader tomorrow night, he’ll be one step closer to securing his own. What really makes Jon Jones interesting is that his journey in the sport is just beginning. His pro debut was in April 2008, less than three years ago. The path in front of him is limitless.

Anyway, check out this highlight reel, because it’s honestly one of the best we’ve ever seen.

UFC Hands Over Production Duties to Absolute Moron

(Vidprops: YouTube.com/UFC)
Fresh off the heels of their translator debacle, the folks at Zuffa have put someone with no experience and arguably no talent at the helm of their production: you. Last night via Twitter, Dana White announced the launc…

(Vidprops: YouTube.com/UFC)

Fresh off the heels of their translator debacle, the folks at Zuffa have put someone with no experience and arguably no talent at the helm of their production: you. Last night via Twitter, Dana White announced the launch of the all-new UFC.tv, a wholly interactive alternative to the standard pay-per-view experience.

Online viewers are able to switch between six live camera angles at any time, which will prove pivotal should Anderson Silva decide to unveil his latest dance moves once again. Advanced features like picture-in-picture and the option to watch up to four angles at once let you customize how the action is presented. Beyond the ability to listen en Español, those who grow tired of hearing Goldie and Rogan’s banter can change the sound over to either fighter’s corner. Similar to the “mic’d up” feature used sparingly in early UFC events, you’ll get to listen first-hand to the pearls of wisdom coming from coaches and cornermen, which is actually a pretty cool feature so long as it isn’t Nam Phan dispensing the advice.

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort: Staredown of the Year Candidate

(Oh, I’d say it’s beyond ‘real’ at this point. Props: SurferKenTV3 and Biggie Smalls)
In case you missed it at Wednesday’s press conference, here’s video of the rather intense staredown between UFC 126 main eventers Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfor…

(Oh, I’d say it’s beyond ‘real’ at this point. Props: SurferKenTV3 and Biggie Smalls)

In case you missed it at Wednesday’s press conference, here’s video of the rather intense staredown between UFC 126 main eventers Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. Silva claims there’s nothing personal about Saturday’s match with "The Phenom," although Silva was reportedly upset that Belfort accepted the fight in the first place, considering they were former training partners. Weigh-ins for UFC 126 go down tonight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, so brace yourself for more uncomfortable closeness between the two Brazilian stars.

After the jump: Belfort tells his hero Ariel Helwani that Anderson’s attitude is just giving him more motivation for the fight.

Tim Kennedy’s Opponent Switched Again, Will Now Face Melvin Manhoef in Columbus

(Melvin Manhoef highlight reel, via StillW1ll)
After his decision loss to Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in August, Strikeforce middleweight contender Tim Kennedy has had quite an adventure finding his next opponent. First, everybody in the worl…

(Melvin Manhoef highlight reel, via StillW1ll)

After his decision loss to Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in August, Strikeforce middleweight contender Tim Kennedy has had quite an adventure finding his next opponent. First, everybody in the world was ducking him. Then, he was slated to have a tie-breaker match with Jason "Mayhem" Miller. Then, Strikeforce decided to nix that idea and put Kennedy up against exciting prospect Luke Rockhold, who has been inactive for a year due to a shoulder injury. Well, that’s off now too. Due to a reported leg injury suffered in training, Rockhold has been forced to withdraw from his meeting with Kennedy at Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson (March 5th; Columbus, OH). Replacing him? None other than balls-to-the-wall striker Melvin Manhoef.

Manhoef has one of the most impressive finishing percentages in MMA, with 23 of his 24 career victories coming by way of KO/TKO. However, he’s lost four of his last six fights — three by way of submission, and one by Hail Mary KO at the hands of Robbie Lawler. Manhoef last competed at Dream.15 in July, when he lost to Tatsuya Mizuno by kimura. Kennedy’s keys to victory are very simple: Slow the pace down, check (or dodge) Melvin’s brutal leg kicks, and get the fight to the ground as soon as possible. Let’s hope this is the last opponent swap for Kennedy, because we’re actually kind of psyched to see this one go down.

New York Tells UFC to Go F*ck Themselves, Basically

("This one. Right up your ass.")
Despite a high-profile appearance at Madison Square Garden last month in which the UFC announced its intentions to bring MMA to New York State — as well as a reported $75,000 in palm-grease to An…

("This one. Right up your ass.")

Despite a high-profile appearance at Madison Square Garden last month in which the UFC announced its intentions to bring MMA to New York State — as well as a reported $75,000 in palm-grease to Andrew Cuomo’s gubernatorial campaign — MMA Payout broke the news last night that Governor Cuomo neglected to include a provision in the state’s 2011-2012 budget that would sanction MMA in New York. In fact, Cuomo’s Executive Budget actually proposes eliminating the chairperson of the state athletic commission altogether. So not only is the Governor not backing MMA as Zuffa had hoped, he doesn’t seem to have a high opinion of combat sports in general.

At this point, the MMA ban in New York can still be lifted through the more traditional route of a legislative bill — of which there are currently two in the assembly and one in the senate, all awaiting review — but we saw how well that worked last time. Making MMA part of the state budget was supposed to be the easy way in, and it just ain’t happening. If I were Dana White, I’d be furious right now. Money has been donated. Big press conferences have been held. And now, the current timetable of MMA regulation in New York is: Who freakin’ knows?

Fight of the Day: James Irvin vs. Mike Crisman

(Props: Co0lie5terFunKzit. Wow, seriously? That’s your YouTube user name?) CagePotato reader ‘destinationblood’ sent us this footage of last weekend’s James Irvin vs. Mike Crisman fight at Gladiator Challenge so that we could see for ourselve…

(Props: Co0lie5terFunKzit. Wow, seriously? That’s your YouTube user name?)

CagePotato reader ‘destinationblood’ sent us this footage of last weekend’s James Irvin vs. Mike Crisman fight at Gladiator Challenge so that we could see for ourselves what all the fuss was about. And despite the shaky, long-distance quality of the video, two things are clear:

1) Crisman knocks Irvin onto his ass with a left hook, right off the bell. (So yes, "The Fresh One," you were right.)

2) That controversial knee that came in the finishing sequence (skip to about 2:03) was freakin’ brutal, and it did look rather questionable. Did celebrity referee Ken Shamrock actually make the right call?

Irvin and Crisman are slated to have their rematch in May. Fun fact: This is Irvin’s ninth-consecutive fight that has ended in the first round.