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MMA Video: ‘The Bruce Lee Story: As Told by You’ Episode 1

The first episode of a 14-part, online miniseries brought to us by the Canadian Mixed Martial Arts toy company Round 5 titled, The Bruce Lee Story: As Told by You, aired today on the collectbrucelee.com website.The series focuses on today&rsq…

The first episode of a 14-part, online miniseries brought to us by the Canadian Mixed Martial Arts toy company Round 5 titled, The Bruce Lee Story: As Told by You, aired today on the collectbrucelee.com website.

The series focuses on today’s MMA fighters’ thoughts on Bruce Lee and what he’s done for and means to the sport of mixed martial arts in a live, interview-style setting.

Today’s episode featured former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres.

“Bruce Lee is a legend,” said Mir.

He went on to say, “For a guy who passed away at 32 years of age to have such an impact still, 40 years later—every martial artist in some way has some kind of influence in their life [because of him]. I don’t know what more you could say about a human being.”

Torres admits to idolizing Lee to the point that he emulated his every move.

“I wanted to emulate him, in everything I did. And my pursuit of martial arts is because of Bruce Lee,” said Torres.

He also said, “Now that I’m actually a mixed martial artist and I fight for a living, I look at him as the first true mixed martial artist.

“He was an innovator. Before he died he was actually grappling with Gene LeBell and he was learning wrestling.”

It’s about time Lee is gaining the proper notoriety for his pioneering philosophy and technique that has become the foundation of MMA.

Of course, Lee has always been credited for being the godfather of mixed martial arts amongst martial artists, knowledgeable fans and certain members of the media, but it’s only now that he’s being brought to the forefront of the MMA community.

This is truly a great thing for Damon Lau and the folks at Round 5 to present to the MMA world.

If Lee were alive today, I think he would be very proud at what he’s helped to create.

Some have wondered how he would compare to today’s fighters.

Frank Mir said, “The fact that he was so innovative back…you know, 40 years ago, who knows what we’d be seeing now.

“Basically, you have certain people out there with a mindset that are really just [so] ahead of the curve that, sometimes we ourselves don’t understand.”

The lack of understanding—what he knows that the rest of us don’t—is what has helped to make Lee a legend, even before his untimely death.

During today’s episode, the question was asked, “If Bruce Lee were alive today, what would you tell him?”

“I wouldn’t speak at all,” said Mir. “I’d just want to hear him talk.”

Torres said he would simply say, “Thank you. Thank you for starting all of this. Everything he did put me in the mindset I’m at right now.”

What would you ask Bruce Lee if he were alive today?

Make sure to watch Episode 2, which airs on May 31, 2011 on collectbrucelee.com, and check back with Bleacher Report MMA for coverage on the rest of the series.

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UFC 130: Is Brian Stann Facing Lesser Competition Against Jorge Santiago?

UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill is only four days away as it is scheduled to take place on May 28, 2011, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday night. With the originally scheduled rubber match between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edg…

UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill is only four days away as it is scheduled to take place on May 28, 2011, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday night.

With the originally scheduled rubber match between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard canceled due to injuries sustained by both fighters during training, the co-main event between Quinton Jackson and Matt Hamill has been pushed up to the main event, which still leaves us with a very impressive undercard.

One of the more controversial undercard fights and one of my personal favorite matchups is Brian Stann vs. former UFC fighter, Jorge Santiago.

Stann, the former U.S. Marine Captain whose military actions have been noted by President Bush, is coming off of a huge KO victory over UFC middleweight, Chris Leben.

While many big names were being thrown around as possible next opponents for Stann, one of which was Wanderlei Silva, the UFC matchmaker, Joe Silva and UFC President, Dana White chose an unlikely opponent to face Stann at UFC 130.

Enter former Strikeforce middleweight champ, former Sengoku middleweight champ, Sherdog’s Fight of the Year winner and American Top Team disciple and BJJ black belt, Jorge Santiago.

Some fans and fighters feel that with this being Santiago’s first fight in the UFC, Stann should have been given the opportunity to face a better-known opponent from the UFC’s crème de la crème middleweight fighters.

Tim Kennedy, former U.S. Army Ranger and Special Forces sniper turned MMA fighter, who also fights for Strikeforce, verbally expressed his disdain for the choice of Stann’s UFC 130 opponent to Bloody Elbow in an exclusive interview.

“And then we’ll take Brian Stann, a Silver Medal recipient, a war hero, a Marine captain. He’s had like 10 fights under the Zuffa banner between the WEC and the UFC but he’s fighting a newcomer to the promotion in Jorge Santiago. It doesn’t make any sense. Let’s reward the guys who deserve rewarding,” Kennedy said.

“The one’s that fight fair, the one’s that work hard, the one’s that do the right thing and punish the guys that say the wrong things, who do the wrong things, that fight unfairly,” he said.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but perhaps Kennedy’s idea of Stann having an unfair matchup with Santiago because he’s a “newcomer” in the UFC is a bit unfair itself.

In fact, Santiago has fought before in the UFC, three times in 2006, going 1-for-3 in his fights, losing to Chris Leben and Alan Belcher.

Since losing to Belcher, Santiago has not only won, but finished 11 of his 12 fights and avenged his only loss during that time, winning by decision against Mamed Khalidov.

Santiago is also accustomed to fighting in and winning MMA tournaments, where contestants fight multiple opponents in the same day.

I think it’s safe to say that his cardio is up to par and it could play an important role in his fight with Stann.

Boasting a professional record of 23-8 with 31 professional fights, Santiago is by no means a “newcomer,” neither to the UFC or MMA.

However, five of his losses have come by KO or TKO and it’s no secret that Stann has knockout power, seeing as he crippled the “Crippler” at UFC 125: Resolution.

With Santiago, being the more experienced fighter and finishing all but one of his last 12 fights, and Stann, being hungry and coming off of a KO win, this bout has Fight of the Night or Knockout of the Night written all over it; it could even be a potential Submission of the Night candidate.

However you see this matchup, come fight night these two athletes are coming not just to fight, but to win.

The UFC will begin at its new time of 9 P.M. EST/6 P.M. PT.

The new time change began at UFC 129 and will continue indefinitely.

Check back with BleacheRreport.com/MMA for UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill fight card news and updates.

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Strikeforce and Rockstar Ring Girl Kelli Hutcherson’s Rise to the Top

Zuffa LLC and the Ultimate Fighting Championship have been on a warpath lately, devouring their competition with the acquisition of Strikeforce and merger of the WEC. Now the UFC is officially the world’s largest MMA promotion as well. Dominant Strikeforce fighters are signing with UFC, leaving behind fighters who just can’t hang with the big boys.

There is however, one major advantage that Strikeforce has over the UFC.

Her name is Kelli Hutcherson.

The exquisitely beautiful, extremely down to earth, newly crowned Miss Strikeforce 2011, and Maxim 2011 Hot 100 Lister has only been modeling for about a year and has already taken the world by storm.

Kelli got her start as a Rockstar Energy Drink model and has since worked for Metal Mulisha, Muscle Milk, Spike TV, Strikeforce and, most recently, Maxim Magazine.

Born and raised in Southern California, Kelli perfectly defines the ideal West Coast woman.

Just as Rachelle Leah, arguably the most famous ring girl in MMA history, moved on to bigger and better things—like posing for Playboy—Kelli Hutcherson is sure to follow suit.

Recently, the main focus has been on UFC starlets and ring girls, Arianny Celeste with her recent Playboy photo shoot and recent newcomer, Brittney Palmer.

Both Arianny and Brittney were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in my book of the hottest ring girls, until now.

The 22-year-old Hutcherson has without a doubt, become my No. 1 favorite ring girl in all of MMA.

That’s not to say that the other girls aren’t amazing; quite the contrary.

They also both have posed for Maxim, but Kelli’s shoot definitely takes the cake.

Kelli is a natural beauty who looks her best with little make-up. She has a body that Michael Angelo would be jealous of; even though she admits that she doesn’t work out, claiming her perfect figure is purely a result of good genetics.

Her invitingly warm smile and dazzling charm are enough to make fans feel all warm and fuzzy from only a glance at the TV screen.

Sorry guys, she is taken. Her boyfriend is pro surfer, Ricky Whitlock.

With the best Strikeforce fighters moving to the big stage in the UFC, will we see the best ring girls following suit?

Of course, I would love to see Kelli blowing me kisses from ringside at a UFC event. Who wouldn’t?

Kelli is already a fan favorite and is gaining more and more notoriety. She is quickly becoming known by many people, both inside and outside the octagon.

With her classy style, perfectly toned body and her “go with the flow” attitude, the sky is the limit for Kelli.

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MMA Video: The 10 Worst Injuries in Fight Sports

DISCLAIMER: The content of these videos is violent and may be considered disturbing to some. Please watch at your own discretion. Throughout the history of Fightsports, there have been devastating injuries and sometimes, death. In this Bleacher Report …

DISCLAIMER: The content of these videos is violent and may be considered disturbing to some. Please watch at your own discretion.

Throughout the history of Fightsports, there have been devastating injuries and sometimes, death.

In this Bleacher Report video slideshow, we will review 10 of the worst injuries sustained not only in MMA, but in the entire world of combat sports.

As stated above, some of these videos are not for the faint-hearted.

Enjoy!

Begin Slideshow

MMA Godfather Bruce Lee’s 15 Best Videos on the Net

The sport of Mixed Martial Arts as we know it today has become the fastest growing sport in the world in just less than two decades. It spans across 130 countries, and you’re almost certain to find a fight on television any time of the day or nig…

Where did this evolving new sport come from, and who do we credit for bringing it to us?

The answer to that question varies, as many people have played an integral role in its development over the years. However, there is one man who is unarguably considered the pioneer of the concept of MMA; the godfather, if you will.

Bruce Lee was known by many people as many different things. He was a loving husband, a father of two children, an actor, but first and foremost, he was a martial artist.

Lee was born the fourth of five children in Chinatown, San Francisco in 1940 and returned with his family to Hong Kong when he was three years old.

At the age of 13, Lee began training in the form of Wing Chun Kung Fu under master Yip Man at the request of his parents and after being bullied by several gang members.

Yip man regularly encouraged his students to fight each other in competition rather than engage in gang fights outside of the school. Being as that Lee’s mother was half German, many of the students refused to train with him, leaving Lee no choice but to test his skills on the streets of Hong Kong.

After severely beating the son of a Triad gang member, Lee’s father thought it best for him to leave Hong Kong and pursue an education in the U.S.

Lee eventually married and had two children, Brandon and Shannon Lee.

In 1967, Lee developed a martial arts style of his own and called it, Jeet Kune Do or “Way of the Intercepting Fist,” after allowing a fight with Wong Jack Man, to last too long. Lee felt he had failed to properly use his Wing Chun techniques to finish the fight quickly.

The emphasis of Jeet Kune Do, also known as “JKD” was practicality, flexibility, speed and efficiency and was often referred to as “the style of no style” by Lee.

JKD dispels the impractical forms and movements of traditional martial arts and instead combines an array of different martial arts to create one unique system; much like today’s MMA.

In this Bleacher Report video slideshow, we will feature the 15 best videos of Bruce Lee online so you can see for yourself why he’s considered by most to be the “Godfather of MMA.”

Begin Slideshow

Strikeforce: Could a Win Rank Alistair Overeem as MMA’s No. 1 Heavyweight?

With the quarterfinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Gran Prix: Overeem vs. Werdum set to kick off in one month on June 18, 2011, many fans—along with members of the media—are wondering if a win over Fabricio Werdum will catapult Alistair …

With the quarterfinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Gran Prix: Overeem vs. Werdum set to kick off in one month on June 18, 2011, many fans—along with members of the media—are wondering if a win over Fabricio Werdum will catapult Alistair Overeem into the No. 1 MMA heavyweight slot.

Since 2007, Overeem has gone undefeated in his last 10 fights, with one being a no-contest due to an unintentional groin strike against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.

He is set to face Werdum in a highly anticipated rematch. Overeem lost to Werdum via kimura submission in 2006.

Both fighters have come a long way since their last fight. Werdum made history in his last bout by being the first man to officially defeat—and the only one to submit—the Russian legend, Fedor Emelianenko last year in December of 2010.

Overeem defeated Todd Duffee by KO only a few months prior to Werdum defeating Emelianenko. So, it’s only natural that these two meet once again, and this time to possibly be named the No. 1 heavyweight in MMA.

Should Overeem defeat Werdum, the only way to determine if he is worthy of being called the No. 1 heavyweight in MMA is if he fights the current and undefeated UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez.

I placed Overeem at No. 2 on my top 10 heavyweights in MMA, only topped by Velasquez.

Here’s a very interesting fact that some of you may not know; Overeem has more wins by submission than he does by KO or decision. In fact, he has a remarkable 19 submission victories out of 46 matches.

Because he is such a powerful and dominant striker, many people discount Overeem’s underrated ground game.

A fight between Overeem and Velasquez could quite possibly turn out to be fight of the decade.

Unfortunately, that is most-likely a good ways off, if it ever happens.

The stars would have to align just right and there are too many variables involved.

Overeem would first have to defeat Werdum. The winner of Henderson vs. Fedor would stay in the Strikeforce heavyweight mix. If Werdum beats Overeem, he will definitely drop in rank.

If Overeem takes on and defeats all comers and if no one gets injured, he could then consider making the jump to the UFC, which would make sense.

Then, there’s JDS vs. Carwin. Should one of them defeat Velasquez, that would bring a whole new set of variables to the mix, and we can’t count Brock Lesnar out just yet.

Of course, anything could change at any given moment, but for now the No. 1 heavyweight in all of MMA is the UFC’s Cain Velasquez.

While Overeem has certainly put in his dues and holds an impressive record of wins over many of the sport’s A-list fighters, until he fights the top five UFC heavyweights, we may never truly know.

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