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Updated with winners (Sunday April 20th)
I’d like to personally thank everyone for participating in the contest.  We had a great turnout, and I’d like to do it again for UFC 84 if we can get the sponsors back on board.  A HUGE thanks goes out to BetUS.com who put up the prize money for […]

One of the classic symptoms of an aged, or aging, fighter is seeing openings and being unable to take advantage of them.

It’s no different than a running back who once could burst through a
hole for a 15-yard gain when he ran a 4.4 40, but who now runs a 4.65
and can’t hit it quick enough to get more than three yards before the
pile collapses upon him.

And what Matt Hughes was describing as a problem in his loss to Georges
St. Pierre in December sounded suspiciously like a man losing the
battle with time. But the two-time former UFC welterweight champion, who saved the UFC
yet again when he agreed on short notice to fight Thiago Alves in the
main event of UFC 85 in London on June 7, insists he’s far from through.

ESPN’s “E:60” program will feature Gina Carano, one of MMA’s most
recognizable female fighters, this coming Tuesday, May 13. The program
airs at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Carano, who moonlights as “Crush” on NBC’s “American Gladiators,” next
fights May 31 at “EliteXC: PRIMETIME,” the first-ever live MMA event to
air on major U.S. network television.

There, Carano meets HOOKnSHOOT champion Kaitlin Young. It will be the
lone female bout on the “CBS ELITEXC Saturday Night Fights” card, which
takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Submissions for the upcoming edition of “The Sunday Junkie” are due by Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.

Want to comment on Affliction’s debut show, the upcoming Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver WEC main event, Wednesday’s two-fight episode of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Jamie Varner’s guest column on MMA regulation in Arizona, or another topic?

Send your submission of no more than 150 words with your full name (or MMAjunkie.com screen name) and hometown to sundayjunkie AT mmajunkie.com. For sample entries, check out our May 4 edition.

Less than three weeks ago, Matt Serra was in the highest profile fight
of his career and one of the most successful events in Ultimate
Fighting Championship history.

Serra is already back in the ring, and in a fight. But this time it’s the political ring. And when it comes to long-term historical impact, he hopes this battle
will make his April 19 loss to Georges St. Pierre pale in comparison.

Fighters Serra and Matt Hamill, along with UFC vice-president of
regulatory affairs Marc Ratner and others associated with the
promotion, spent several days earlier this week in Albany, N.Y.,
working on gathering political support to legalize mixed martial arts
in New York State and put it under the regulatory authority of the
state athletic commission.

Well rested from what will end up being an eight-month break from
competition, UFC lightweight contender Roger Huerta is poised for his
return to the organization and an upcoming August fight.

Huerta discussed his past success and future plans, which include
training time with Georges St. Pierre and Nate Marquardt, while a
recent guest on TAGG Radio, a content partner site
of MMAjunkie.com.

Huerta, who most recently defeated Clay Guida with a come-from-behind
victory at The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale, next meets Kenny Florian at
UFC 87.