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A UFC Featherweight Is Looking to Send You to a UFC Event

The UFC featherweight division is one of the most exciting weight classes in the UFC with some incredible fighters that are lethal, from the newcomers all the way to that Brazilian wrecking ball Jose Aldo.There is one fighter that is dying to hook you …

There is one fighter that is dying to hook you up with a great prize, and we believe it will be worth sticking around till the end of the article to see what’s in store. All settled in? Good, let’s play a game to get the festivities started and learn the identity of the fighter that is going to be hooking YOU up.

This man is an alumni of season eight of the Ultimate Fighter and was a semi-finalist on the show on which he let Uncle Dana know he would fight Big Nog.

Still need more clues? Alright, this fighter is one of the few fighters to have fought in three different weight classes under the Zuffa banner.

Well it seems you need a little more help, this one will give it away, this man recently beat down Japan’s top featherweight, stopped The Fluke and put a Korean Zombie to sleep.

Yes, that’s right. It’s “Roop there it is” UFC featherweight contender George Roop.

Roop is having a relaunch extravaganza for his YouTube, Facebook Fan page, and Twitter; he also wants to play a game, and no not a Saw game kiddos but a good ol’ fashion “who can make the best video” kind of contest.

Oh the prize for the winner you say. Well, I’ll give you a small hint: It is a UFC prize package.

The rules are simply, you must make a video and post it on YouTube (1-2 minutes) that could include: singing, dancing, skits, and parody. Keep it tasteful, and clean boys and girls. No nudity and/or drugs.

The video must include tags of George Roop on Facebook, @georgeroop on Twitter, and the title of the video has to be “Roop There It Is”. And don’t forget the tags: Twitter, contest, UFC. Another thing is the twitter handle @georgeroop must be present throughout the video.

It’s easy right? Once you create your masterpiece, that we hope turns out better than the Dragonball action movie, make sure that your entry is posted on Twitter and tag @georgeroop and follow him as well, he is Chuck Norris approved.

The winner will be chosen by creativity, number of views, and making sure the @georgeroop is visible throughout the video.

Oh that is right your probability dying to know what the prize is well are you ready?

The grand prize winner will win not one, but two UFC tickets to an event of George Roop’s choosing. It is a very sweet deal right? We can’t wait to see what the Hurtsbad’s staff comes up with for a video, especially Todd Jackson.

The contest began July 6 and will go on until Saturday, September 1,1 so get to channeling your inner Michael Bay or Quentin Tarantino.

Don’t forget to follow @georgeroop and post your videos for a chance to score some tickets and maybe become the next Justin Bieber or Rebecca Black. Also, follow Luta Elite MMA (@mercedes2269) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LutaEliteMma) the masterminds behind it all.

Follow us on Twitter @HurtsBad MMA & Like our Facebook Fanpage

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MMA in Mexico Making Heads Turn with Amazing KO at Amateur Event

MMA in Mexico hasn’t really taken off as it has in its neighbors on the North. Mexico for the longest time has been a country that has been dominated by boxing as the main form of combat sports, but Mexico Fighter is looking to change all that with a l…

Gustavo Pohls, promoter for Mexico Fighter, along with Total Gym Mexico in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, put forward their first amateur event in form of Chapo Challenger I. Needless to say, the event was a success as fighters from Total Gym Mexico and Fight Club Guaymas locked horns in fights that showed great promise for the future contenders of the sports.

There was a total of nine fights ranging from Bantamweights to Heavyweights and the fights kept the Hermosillo crowd on their feet.

There were two fights that really stole the show. The fight of the night was a 130 lbs. matchup between Saul “Superman” Bizarro from Guaymas, Son against Total Gym Mexico fighter Oscar “Pacquaio” Cota. The two engaged in a great fight that was considered Fight of the Night, where Bizarro showed a wide array of kicks and crisp boxing to outwork Cota.

The fight that is currently circling some of the major MMA websites was the fight between Hermosillo’s own Daniel Almada taking on Guaymas’ Estevan Santillanez. The fight was not amazing as the aforementioned fight. However, the reason was the way the fight ended that’s making headlines.

The fight lasted less than 15 seconds as Almada did the incredible by throwing a jumping spinning back kick that landed flush on Santillanez’s jaw putting him to sleep. Needless to say it’s a kick that would make Jean-Claude Van Damme proud. You can take a look at the KO here.

Mexico Fighter is going in the right direction to bring MMA into Mexico where it really hasn’t had the the same effects as other countries like the U.K. and Canada, but with promotions like Mexico Fighter, MMA in Mexico is taking a step in the right direction.

Mexico Fighter will put forward their fourth pro event on July 14 in Hermosillo, Sonora, as Middleweight Champion Ivan “Chapo” Guillen takes on long time veteran Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch.

Also in action will be TUF alumni Javier “Chunty Boy” Torres taking on Hermosillo’s Guillermo Smith, and Bellator veteran Kobe “The Stunna” Ortiz takes on the dangerous Brazilian, Mateus Gurila.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. Follow us on Twitter @HurtsBad

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MMA in Mexico: What Needs to Happen to Gain Momentum

Mexico is one of the top fighting countries in the Americas and has produced countless boxing world champions from Ricardo “El Finito” Lopez to the great Julio Cesar Chavez. You can go have a drink at a bar in Mexico and start a co…

Unfortunately the same cannot be said about MMA, as the MMA community in Mexico is minuscule, and, due to misunderstanding of the ground game, many people simply don’t care for it.

There are many factors that explain why MMA isn’t as popular in Mexico as in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. When ZUFFA bought the UFC they planned on expanding into the Mexican market, and it seemed a sure thing as Mexico loves boxing.

The main factor is the lack of popularity of wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Hurtsbad MMA had the opportunity to travel to Mexico and visit many of the BJJ schools in Mexico, and, to be frank, there aren’t many.

There are only a handful of schools located in the largest cities.

Also, wrestling is not a sport widely available to young kids. Many schools don’t have the resources to have a program or they give preference to other sports such as soccer and baseball.

Wrestling and BJJ are a fundamental part of the game. Lack of exposure to grappling sports hinders people’s appreciation of the ground and confuses the willingness to go to the mat for the lack of warrior spirit. Mexican fanatics love fighters who are warriors and will stand and bang staying in the pocket with their opponents.

It is hard for a first-time Mexican viewer to stay entertained by a dominant performance like one Georges St. Pierre might put forward. Yet they may really relate to Jose Aldo knocking people out.

Mexico has to be educated in the art of ground fighting to appreciate all the fights not just the stand up wars that are rare from card to card.

Another huge factor is that Mexico has yet to produce a native son that has reached the upper ranks of the UFC or any top promotion. People may argue that fighters like Cain Velasquez, Miguel Angel Torres, Dom Cruz and Nick Diaz fit the bill, but that is simply not the case.

Even though these fighter are some of the best in their division, they are still Mexican-American fighters. Mexican fans rally unconditionally around their native born-and-raised fighters and not Mexican-Americans.

Most Mexicans would much rather see Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fight a B-level fighter than watch Cain Velasquez against a top-10 opponent—sad truth, but a truth just the same south of the border.

When it’s all said and done, the UFC will bring MMA to Mexico, but they are going to have to plan a card that will be sure to deliver stand-up wars like Barboza vs. Etim to keep the interest of the fans.

It easy to say Jon Fitch won’t be near that card.

As they formulate more events people will eventually begin to want to learn more, and schools will gain traction.

Eventually, a star will emerge and take the MMA world by storm, and what seemed to be a boxing community in Mexico will quickly turn into an MMA community. When that time comes the warrior will be a son of Mexico who will have Mexico’s full support—just like Saul Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

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Chael Sonnen: The Most Interesting Man in the World, a Title Well Earned

Now you may begin to think why make an article about the Dos-equis man? But no, the person we are talking about is none other than the one and only Chael P. Sonnen. A man who is the self-proclaimed “The True Middleweight Champ”. So…

Before the Nate Marquardt fight not many fans knew who Chael Sonnen was. Most people know him either as the man who lost to Paulo Filho with controversy or whether he tapped or not, or maybe when he screamed in pain during his light-heavyweight fight with Babalu Sobral when he was caught in a heel-hook.

A bunch of pro-wrestling level trash talk, an incredible beat down of Anderson Silva, and a loss in the same fight via triangle armbar is what he is best known for. The majority of the MMA world knows who Sonnen is, as a fighter and MMA personality.

After that fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 117, Sonnen had some lows as he was caught with elevated levels of testosterone and was found guilty of money laundering in a real estate contract. Those were some dark times for the UFC middleweight.

Many believed he would no longer return to MMA as his contract was on freeze and he had no possible date to renew his license. That cost him a spot as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter against Michael Bisping. Sadly, we were all deprived of some great TV right there.

After appealing his case it came to light that Sonnen was on TRT or Testosterone Replacement Therapy, which is common among older athletes and it is used by many MMA fighters such as Dan Henderson,Nate Marquardt, and some speculations of use surrounded Randy Couture.

To this day many refer to Chael as a doper yet the fact is he has a medical condition and it is treated by such medication that elevates his level of testosterone. The CSAC held up the suspension and Sonnen was left to serve a six month suspension instead of 12.

The smart and witty man that Sonnen is he took on a persona that would make Ric Flair proud as he returned to the spot light when the UFC announced his return to the Octagon against Brain Stann. Sonnen went back to his hilarious routine of taking shots at Anderson Silva and the Nogueira brothers with some funny but harsh words. We all know the quote about the Nogueira brothers and the bus.

He did take a different approach leading to the Stann fights as he didn’t talk bad at all about him like he had about Silva as Sonnen said he respected the American hero.

He went on to defeat Brain Stann in the second round via submission and went on to set a challenge to Anderson Silva in a loser leaves town fight. Unfortunately, Silva has felt so disrespected that he doesn’t believe Sonnen deserves a rematch. He has been rehabbing a shoulder injury he sustained during the Yushin Okami fight training camp. Instead of Silva Sonnen will lock horns on Fox against Mark Munoz for the right to fight Anderson in the summer.

This entire chain of events and Sonnen’s popularity have come from one thing and that is his trash talk. Chael Sonnen took a persona that many would say is better suited for the WWE as Sonnen makes extravagant remarks that offend some people.

This is really a genius plan on behalf of Mr. Sonnen as he gets people interested by his actions and remarks taking the position of the bad guy. That is not a bad approach as Sonnen is in the entertainment business he knows whether people hate him or love him they will watch, and the more people watch the more he gets paid.

It takes real talent to do what Chael does, he could probably make a living as a comedian and you have to admit he gives some of the best interviews in MMA at the moment. UFC commentator Joe Rogan has been quoted as calling Sonnen “The heavyweight trash talking champion of the world”

Chael has taken trash talking to another level, people have taken notice on both ends of the spectrum as many believe is bad for the sport and others enjoy it. Other fighters are taking notice, such as female fighter Ronda Rousey who took a similar approach and now is facing Miesha Tate in a title fight.

Chael Sonnen in reality is a good person who made some mistakes in life but is truly a nice guy. Something that is not talked about was after his UFC 136 win he took a lucky 12 year old fan and not only did he give him an autograph but took him to the post fight photo shoot, the locker rooms where fighters prepare, and made sure he got autographs from the fighters in the VIP section.

Sonnen is also a wrestling coach in Oregon and helps out kids in the wrestling program as he prepares future champions.

At the end of the day, Chael realized that his time table to compete at the highest level was short. Somehow being a nice guy you get over looked especially if you win most of your fights by decision just ask Jon Fitch.

Sonnen took a creative approach to getting ahead and staying relevant in a sport where you can hit rock bottom really fast such as Roger Huerta has lately. At the end, Sonnen may talk plenty of trash but he can back it up and that is why he is where he is at.

He is positioned himself in a high profile Number 1 contender fight on Fox, has his own segment on UFC on Fuel TV, and has earned the name as the Most Interesting Man in the World. He may not be like by many when he fights, but when he does fight people watch. That is a recipe for success on many levels.

Chael Sonnen: He doesn’t always talk trash, but when he does, he owns you.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. Follow us on Twitter @HurtsBad

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Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson and Other MMA Fights We Need to See in 2012

The past year has left us with some great fights to remember. 2011 gave us instant classics such as Shogun vs. Henderson, Edgar vs. Maynard 2 and 3 and Alvarez vs. Chandler.Now those fights are behind us. It is time to look into the New Year and hopefu…

The past year has left us with some great fights to remember. 2011 gave us instant classics such as Shogun vs. Henderson, Edgar vs. Maynard 2 and 3 and Alvarez vs. Chandler.

Now those fights are behind us. It is time to look into the New Year and hopefully see some great matchups that will have the potential of besting some of the fights in previous years. Let’s get started.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Edgar/Ben Henderson Winner

There is no doubt that Gilbert Melendez is one of the top lightweights in the world. He has shown it by tearing through the Strikeforce lightweight division.

Strikeforce even brought Dream imports in Ishida, Aoki and Kawajiri—all who failed to stop Melendez.

Melendez has been hinting he wants to join the ranks of the UFC and challenge for the title to establish himself as the No. 1 lightweight. He has literary cleared out his division and is a large fish in a very small pond.

ZUFFA will have to bring him over to challenge the winner of Feb. 25 showdown between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson.

Nick Diaz already made the jump to the UFC. Melendez should also be in there fighting the best in the world—not only to establish an undisputed champion, but to also give the fans a super fight of champions.

We were already deprived of this matter this year. Injury forced GSP to pull out of his fight with Diaz, so why not make it up to the fans and make this fight happen? Fireworks are sure to be the result.

It could possibly be a showdown for the summer—perfect for 4th of July weekend. This could have fight of the year written all over it. Regardless of who is the UFC champ at the time, they both bring it.

Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson

Dan Henderson is at a career high at the moment at the tender age of 41. That’s after capturing the Strikeforce light-heavyweight title from Feijao and beating two fellow Pride legends in Fedor and Shogun.

Jon Jones is also enjoying the same momentum as Henderson, but he is only 24 years old. He has had a phenomenal year 2011. He captured the title from the aforementioned Shogun Rua and defended it twice against Rampage and Lyoto Machida.

If Rashad wins his fight this month, he might get the first crack. I say let Henderson fight. His time in the sport is diminishing and the bout might never come to fruition if he fights another opponent or Jones falls to Evans.

This is an interesting fight for one reason: Henderson’s patented H-Bomb. He has shown in his recent outings that the only fighter who can survive it, barely, is Shogun.

Everyone has a puncher’s chance and that rings true for Dan Henderson. Should he land on Jones, it quite possible he going to sleep. Machida proved Jones’ chin can be checked.

Henderson poses the biggest threat at the moment to Jones. Rashad will probably come up short against Jones as his chin won’t last when he tries to close the distance. Henderson, on the other hand, can take a punch to give a punch.

This fight could serve as the old lion taking on the young one. It would be interesting to see how Jones will react if Henderson lands a punch on him.

Miguel Torres vs. Loser of Faber/Cruz

Another fight that would be great for fans in 2012 is between former bantamweight kingpin and the loser of the upcoming Faber vs. Cruz title fight.

Torres had a scare in 2011 when he was cut from the UFC, due to a tweet on rape vans. Now, after some apologizing, donations, and counseling, he is back.

A fight with either man will help put Torres back on the map. A win would put him in position for a shot at the title.

This will also lead to two mega fights we have been hoping for. A showdown with Faber and Cruz has been discussed quite a bit.

A win for Torres can lead to both dream fights happening. Torres also is one of the few bantamweights in the UFC that can give Dominick Cruz a run for his money.

It would be nice if Cruz beats Faber. A Torres and Faber fight, with a Torres win, would warrant a title. Cruz could defend his belt against Renan Pegado, if he wins his fight in February.

At the end of the day, the bantamweight division needs more exposure. It will get it with the new The Ultimate Fighter, which has Cruz and Faber as coaches.

Fights between the three biggest stars will help establish the division and will show people just how great this UFC division really is.

We can safely assume Joe Silva will put forward some incredible fights in 2012 for the fans to enjoy. Let’s hope that the fights discussed become a reality. They need to happen in MMA this year.

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Jose Aldo and the Weight of the UFC Belt, Is It Changing His Fighting Style?

Jose Aldo is a name that strikes terror into the hearts of many featherweights in the world. He is the No.1 ranked featherweight in the world, with a record of 20-1 (12 KOs), and is the former and last WEC champion as well as the current UFC Featherwei…

Aldo burst on the scene on June 1, 2008, where he ran through Alexandre Franca Nogueira, a top prospect in the WEC who was debuting at the time. Aldo’s beatdown led to Nogueira’s release from the WEC and the climb of Aldo continued. Aldo went on a five-fight winning streak, with all fights ending in brutal fashion before challenging the champion at the time, Mike Thomas Brown.

As a fighter with nothing to lose, Aldo went into the fight as a slight underdog against the champ who had beaten Faber twice and arm-triangled Leonard Garcia. Aldo went on to dominate the powerful wrestler as Aldo used his stand-up and Jiu-Jitsu game to take Brown’s back and finish him via strikes in the second round. He retained the belt during the remaining lifespan of the WEC.

Before the WEC was merged with the UFC, Aldo successfully defended his belt against Faber and Manny Gamburyan. In the Faber fight Aldo worked a game plan to take Faber’s legs out, and it worked incredibly for him as Faber could barely walk after the fourth round.

Aldo seemed hesitant to finish Faber as he could have on several occasions in the final two frames of their fight. He silenced critics about not finishing Faber by turning the lights off of Manny Gamburyan in the second round, thus ending his reign in the WEC and beginning a new run in the UFC.

Aldo was off for a while after the Gamburyan fight with back problems which postponed a fight with Josh Grispi for his first UFC title defense. Number one contenders aren’t always guaranteed in this sport as Grispi was bested on New Year’s in 2011 by Dustin Poirier.

This opened the door for Mark Hominick who, with a victory over George Roop, was given the chance to fight for the belt.

On April 30, 2011 in front of 55,000 fans in Toronto, Canada, Jose Aldo was set to make his UFC debut as he defended his UFC belt in his opponent’s backyard. Many fans were expecting to see Aldo make short work of Hominick as Aldo was touted as a top pound-for-pound fighter.

Instead we saw Aldo dominate his opponent with great Muay Thai mixing in his take-downs with precision that would make GSP proud. Aldo’s cardio betrayed him as he was completely dominated by Hominick when he was put on his back in the fifth round. Aldo had done enough to win but he revealed a kink in his armor.

Aldo had another defense in 2011; this time was against two-time lightweight contender Kenny Florian who made the drop for a chance to finally wear UFC gold. Aldo again fought a conservative fight as he bested Florian by decision and sent him back to lightweight.

Jose Aldo is an amazing fighter with some of the best stand-up in the game, good wrestling and a good ground game. He is a BJJ black belt and trains with the Nova Uniao team in Brazil where great fighters like Marlo Sandro, Diego Nunes, Eduardo Dantes, among others are his training partners.

The scariest attribute Jose Aldo had was that go-for-broke killer instinct he showed in his fights in the WEC. Who can forget that eight-second KO of Cub Swanson with a double flying knee.

Since he has entered the UFC, Aldo has been fighting more conservative and is fighting to win. There is nothing wrong with that approach as welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has employed a similar tactic.

The downfall is fans love fighters who go out and finish fights. GSP has received plenty of criticism along with fighters like Jon Fitch for playing it safe, so to speak. This hurts Aldo’s marketability as he isn’t as popular as the Canadian superstar.

Aldo is being introduced to the casual fans in the UFC, and performances like the one against Mark Hominick won’t reassure his new audiences of why he is considered a Top 5 pound-for-pound fighter.

Aldo has a tall task in front of him come January 14, 2012, as he will headline UFC 142 in his native Brazil against Team Alpha Male’s Chad Mendes, who is a man who can very well dethrone Aldo and probably make the Brazilian’s riot with an Aldo loss.

Aldo will have to put on a vintage performance and finish Mendes off in front of his countrymen to establish his supremacy over the division and take a role similar to Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre and Jon Jones as an unbeatable force in his respected division.

Mendes will be his toughest test to date as he is a powerful wrestler with good top control. Nonetheless, Aldo has the skills to end this fight within three rounds and end it in devastating fashion. One can only hope that his fear of losing the belt does not interfere with his ability to finish the fight.

This article originally featured at Hurtsbad MMA. Follow us on Twitter @HurtsBad

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