The GDP Award: Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone: MMAFighting
“Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone entered the UFC in early 2011 and promptly won four fights in the span of eight months. In those four fights, he hit the UFC bonus trifecta, earning post-fight awards for Fight of the Night, Submission of the Night, and Knockout of the Night. That’s $215,000 in bonus checks alone for the “Cowboy,” and his year isn’t done yet.”
All I Want for Christmas: Six Fighter Letters to Santa: CagePotato
“With Christmas around the corner, we figured it would be a good time to share some of the letters we got our hands on from fighters to Santa. From Wanderlei to Alistair, Nick to Chael, it’s interesting to hear what these guys want from St. Nick this holiday season.”
Meet the Flyweights: Interview with debuting UFC 125-pounder Ian McCall: MMAMania
Ian McCall: “It seems like jail and rehab will teach you how to do it. It’s just the kind of thing where you grow out of it. I just finally one day was like, ‘Okay, I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough fun. I’ve partied enough in my life. This is kind of over with,’ and from there, that was before me and my wife got together and she got pregnant and it was the kind of thing where I did it on my own and we and my wife reconnected because we’d dated on and off for five years and one day we started hanging out again and surprise, now I’ve got two dogs and a baby and a wife (laughs).”
Top 10 Biggest MMA Upsets in 2011: TheFightNerd
“Everyone loves to see the underdog win, especially because they never expect it. In MMA, unpredictability is a constant variable that truly makes it one of the most exciting sports out there. Sometimes, it’s not even the underdog, but rather the fighter that most thought had zero chance at all to win, let alone survive the fight.”
Nick Diaz: Fight to the Finish Line-The latest highlight by LayzieTheSavage: MiddleEasy
“LayzieTheSavage just dropped his latest quake-inducing Nick Diaz highlight: Fight to the Finish Line. It’s the spiritual sequel to Hey Nick, Nice Shot and it was a long time coming. Finally, it’s here to reduce us to tears of rawesomeness.”
Photo Gallery: Satoshi Ishii trains at Black House for the fight with Fedor Emelianenko: LowKick
“In less than two weeks, 2008 Beijing Olympic Gold Medalist in Judo, Satoshi Ishii, will step inside the ring at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, for the biggest fight of his young Mixed Martial Arts career, against “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko. Ishii will be the eighth Japanese fighter to square off against Emelianenko, looking to become the first to defeat him.”
Ross Pearson out to send a message at UFC 141: FiveOuncesofPain
“I’m looking to make a statement to say, ‘I’m here in this division and I’m coming for a title shot’. I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself to put on a big performance,” Pearson told ESPN’s web site recently.
“I’d fight any of the guys in the division now and I feel I could beat any of them. Training at Alliance, I’m feeling unstoppable. I’m training with the best of the best and I’m doing awesome with them all. It shows how fast I’m getting better.”
Wanderlei Silva Talks TUF Brazil: MMAConvert
Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit Dead Even Heading Into UFC 143: 5thRound
“Diaz and Condit are both pegged at -115. Although their 170-pound scrap is a pick ‘em, the sportsbooks still need to pocket some guaranteed money and have tacked on 15 percent juice.”
GSP picked one of the most overhyped for 2011: MMAPayout
“Despite being on this list, GSP is still a draw that the UFC will miss due to his injury. While Matt Serra may have changed GSP’s style forever, he is still a fan draw and is one of the few UFC stars that can carry a PPV card.
“The last two big PPV buys for the UFC had GSP at the top of the card. It will be interesting to see how GSP comes back from his knee injury and how the division will look like when he is due back in late 2012.”
Randy Couture: Yeah, Title IX has really crippled wrestling programs badly: FightOpinion
“There are two groups of people who would like to see some very different visions for the future of fighting. One is hoping for a renaissance of Catch-as-Catch-Can… and the other has a more futuristic view of where the fight business should be heading.”
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