(“Who says you can’t face-mask? Well the commissioner is an idiot.”)
If there is an MMA fighter who is qualified to give us some analysis on Sunday’s Super Bowl XLV match-ups, it’s Matt Mitrione.
A standout defensive tackle at Purdue University, Mitrione made the New York Giants as a walk-on. He spent four years in the NFL with the Giants and the Minnesota Vikings before trading in his gridiron aspirations for his dream to one day fight in the Octagon, which he again made a reality through determination and hard work in spite of the odds stacked against him.
Although the brunt of his time these days is split between his new gym in Indianapolis and at home with his family, ‘Meathead’ still follows the sport that he first fell in love with as a boy.
In this exclusive video breakdown he did for us through his main sponsor, our friends at Hayabusa, Mitrione details which team he thinks will take the trophy on Sunday.
Check it out after the jump.
(“Who says you can’t face-mask? Well the commissioner is an idiot.”)
If there is an MMA fighter who is qualified to give us some analysis on Sunday’s Super Bowl XLV match-ups, it’s Matt Mitrione.
A standout defensive tackle at Purdue University, Mitrione made the New York Giants as a walk-on. He spent four years in the NFL with the Giants and the Minnesota Vikings before trading in his gridiron aspirations for his dream to one day fight in the Octagon, which he again made a reality through determination and hard work in spite of the odds stacked against him.
Although the brunt of his time these days is split between his new gym in Indianapolis and at home with his family, ‘Meathead’ still follows the sport that he first fell in love with as a boy.
In this exclusive video breakdown he did for us through his main sponsor, our friends at Hayabusa, Mitrione details which team he thinks will take the trophy on Sunday.
Mixed martial arts has been around long before the UFC. However, the organization has helped cultivate the sport into a world wide spectacle that continues to seek recognition. The NFL, by comparison, is still a much more lucrative and viable spo…
Mixed martial arts has been around long before the UFC. However, the organization has helped cultivate the sport into a world wide spectacle that continues to seek recognition. The NFL, by comparison, is still a much more lucrative and viable sport that is accepted on all corners of the earth while MMA still seeks social […]
Well, it’s not just the random out of shape dude at the bar who does play-by-play during UFC pay-per-views that could have been a contender anymore. Pseudo-celebrities are getting in on the action too, and we’re not talking about Steven Seagal or Wesley Snipes.
While making an appearance on the Dan Patrick radio show this week University of Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke was asked by the host who would win in a fight between him and longtime nemesis and recently-named Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer.
Well, it’s not just the random out of shape dude at the bar who does play-by-play during UFC pay-per-views that could have been a contender anymore. Pseudo-celebrities are getting in on the action too, and we’re not talking about Steven Seagal or Wesley Snipes.
While making an appearance on the Dan Patrick radio show this week University of Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke was asked by the host who would win in a fight between him and longtime nemesis and recently-named Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer.
“Ummm….you know what, he may be sneakier than I am,” Hoke replied with a chuckle.
He then made the dubious claim that if the sport was around back in the mid seventies when he graduated high school, he probably would have become a fighter — you know, like it’s that easy.
“Believe me, when I was coming out of high school, if they’d have had MMA, I may have gone that route [instead of college],” Hoke said.
If that assertion wasn’t bad enough, he went on to say that he wouldn’t be afraid to fight anyone in the Octagon.
“I don’t know why you would be,” Hoke stated, matter-of-factly.
Let’s but him in a cage with Cris Cyborg and we’ll see if he changes his tune when the fight ends a few seconds later.
Frankie Edgar seems to have “The Answer” for everything these days.The UFC lightweight champion was invited by NFL head coach Rex Ryan to help motivate the 2-3 New York Jets on Sunday evening, UFC officials told MMAFighting.com.When the season began, m…
Frankie Edgar seems to have “The Answer” for everything these days.
The UFC lightweight champion was invited by NFL head coach Rex Ryan to help motivate the 2-3 New York Jets on Sunday evening, UFC officials told MMAFighting.com.
When the season began, many had the Jets as not only favorites to win the AFC East division, but there was a general consensus that the team could be a Super Bowl contender.
After a 2-0 start, the contender talk crumbled in a matter of weeks with the Jets losing three straight to the Patriots, Ravens and Raiders.
Ryan, a big fan of MMA, decided to make a call and bring in a guy with a lot of knowledge about fighting with your back against the ropes.
Edgar rose to stardom in 2010 after taking back-to-back decision wins over MMA legend BJ Penn, but his true coming out party was in his UFC 125 bout with rival Gray Maynard.
After being dropped several times in the first round, Edgar made a Rocky-like comeback and battled his way back into the bout that ended in a draw. The rematch, which took place in October, was like watching a re-run of the UFC 125 bout.
Edgar was dropped several times in the first round, and he survived the initial onslaught and battled his way back into the fight. The only difference this time around was that judges didn’t have to render a decision.
Edgar dropped Maynard in the fourth round and followed up with a barrage of punches that forced the referee to step in and call a halt to the action.
After Edgar’s pep talk, the Jets went on to defeat the Miami Dolphins at home on Monday, 24-6.
This wasn’t the first time Ryan sought Edgar’s help to come in and say a few words to his team. In November 2010, Edgar’s pregame speech helped the Jets win a tough outing against the Houston Texans.
“The guy is barely taller than this podium, and this guy, he beats BJ Penn in a UFC Championship bout,” Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez said.
“Everybody counted him out. They wanted a rematch, and then he went back and beat him even worse. Talk about a guy who’s mentally tough, physically tough. He came in and spoke to the team last night. Perfect timing,” he said.
“Just talking about never giving up, being counted out, playing until the end, fighting and believing in yourself, believing in your team and the people around you.
“Those were the only people telling him he could win the fight. Everybody else counted him out…Perfect timing for Rex to bring somebody in like that and give us a little extra inspiration. So, it was great for Frankie to come in,” Sanchez said.
(Photos courtesy of DayLife via worldfightfan)
No, that’s not just some drunken Cheesehead with a green mohawk — it’s none other than UFC Hall of Famer/VP of Business Development Chuck Liddell, who rushed the field following&nbs…
No, that’s not just some drunken Cheesehead with a green mohawk — it’s none other than UFC Hall of Famer/VP of Business DevelopmentChuck Liddell, who rushed the field following Super Bowl XLV last night in order to fist-pose with victorious Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and whoop it up with a dumbfounded Clay Matthews. More pics of Chuck’s Super Bowl adventure can be found here. If you’re a fan of the Pack, feel free to gloat in the comments section.
In 2004, Brock Lesnar tried out for the Minnesota Vikings. Although he was cut from the team prior to the regular season, Lesnar was invited to play in NFL Europe. Lesnar, a notoriously family-oriented person, declined the invitation. On The Ultimate F…
In 2004, Brock Lesnar tried out for the Minnesota Vikings. Although he was cut from the team prior to the regular season, Lesnar was invited to play in NFL Europe. Lesnar, a notoriously family-oriented person, declined the invitation. On The Ultimate Fighter 10, multiple former NFL players tried to earn their spot in the UFC. […]
