Thursday, 27 June 2013

Count Stephen Thompson among those who think Chris Weidman can beat Anderson Silva (Yahoo! Sports)

Thompson has trained with both fighters and helped Weidman prepare for the UFC middleweight beltholder.

The Jones family jewelry box includes a Super Bowl ring and UFC championship belt (Photo)

Plenty of families have jewelry that is special to them. I have a pearl and sapphire ring that belonged to my grandmother that means the world to me. However, when you're a member of the Jones family, that jewelry is just a bit different.

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has a gold-encrusted belt for being the champ. His brother Arthur is a member of the Super Bowl-winning Baltimore Ravens, and he received his ring earlier this month. Jon displayed the two pieces together on his Instagram account. Jon's younger brother, Chandler, is a member of the New England Patriots, so there's a good chance this jewelry collection could grow soon.



Second quarter report card: Who had the best upset, knockout, fight and more?

The second quarter of the year is coming to an end, so it's a good time to look back at the last three months. There weren't as many events in the last three months of 2013 as there were the first three, but there were still plenty of memorable performances. Who stood out? See the first quarter awards here.

Biggest upset: In "The Ultimate Fighter" finale, Cat Zingano pulled out a win over former Strikeforce bantamweight champion Miesha Tate. Stipe Miocic's opponent at UFC 161 changed late in the game, but he still came up with the win over Roy Nelson. Speaking of late replacements, James Krause wasn't even in the UFC until weeks before his fight -- and submission win -- Sam Stout at UFC 161. But the biggest upset was definitely in the final of TUF. Uriah Hall destroyed every opponent during his run on "The Ultimate Fighter." However, Kelvin Gastelum was the winner, coming up with a decision win over Hall at the TUF finale.

Best knockout: There were many fine candidates from this quarter for best knockout. You could go with Josh Thomson taking out the previously unknockout-able Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 7, or from the same card, Yoel Romero's flying knee to Clifford Starks. Just last week, there was Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal's one punch knockout of Seth Petruzell in Bellator. The one that stood out the most, though, was Vitor Belfort's spinning heel hook to Luke Rockhold's face at UFC on FX 8.

Best submission: Glover Teixeira's submission of James Te Huna at UFC 160 was fast and fierce. Pat Curran's technical submission from a guillotine of Shabhulat Shamhalaev at Bellator stood out, too. But nothing was slicker and sweeter than Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza's arm triangle of Chris Camozzi at UFC on FX 8.

Best rising star: Teixeira's win over Te Huna, as well as his earlier win over Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, put him near the top of UFC light heavyweights. It's odd to think of someone who has been fighting for eight years as a rising star, but Matt Brown's dismantling of Jordan Mein did wonders for his standing among welterweights. The winner is Sara McMann, the Olympic silver medal winning wrestler has just seven pro bouts under her belt. Still, she made a huge debut in the UFC with a TKO of Sheila Gaff.

Best fight: The result was eventually overturned because of Healy's positive drug test, but that didn't take away the fun of Pat Healy's bout with Jim Miller at UFC 159. Krause and Stout's UFC 161 bout was fantastic before it ended in a submission with mere seconds left. The one that sticks out more than any other, though, is Junior dos Santos and Mark Hunt's bout at UFC 160. They both withstood ridiculously hard hits before JDS used a spinning hook kick to take Hunt out.

Agree? Disagree? Speak up on Facebook or Twitter.



Wednesday, 26 June 2013

Young female Muay Thai fighter takes out boy (Video)

This kiddie Muay Thai bout comes to us from Thailand, and it features a mixed-gender match-up. It appears the young man -- and the crowd -- thinks he's going to get an easy win. What he -- and the crowd -- did not count on was this young lady coming ready for a fight. After she gets in several punches, taking the fight as seriously as anyone should take a fight, he retires.

Kudos to the young lady. She worked hard, went about her business, and got the win. It's a safe bet this is the last time the young man doesn't take a fight seriously -- no matter the opponent.

Thanks, Deadspin.



How Chris Weidman could beat Anderson Silva (Yahoo! Sports)

'Spider' hasn't lost in over seven years, but many believe Weidman's tool set may end the GOAT's reign.

Can MMA help veterans with PTSD? (Video)

Veterans like Brian Stann and Tim Kennedy have found a home in MMA, and it turns out they're not the only ones. HBO's "Real Sports" took a look at how wounded veterans use MMA to deal with their traumatic injuries. For one veteran, the camaraderie of the gym does more to help him deal with his PTSD than "sitting around talking about his feelings."



Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Miesha Tate to pose nude in ESPN the Magazine

UFC bantamweight Miesha Tate is joining the ranks of MMA fighters who have posed nude in ESPN the Magazine's Body Issue. The magazine announced today that Tate will appear in the yearly issue that shows off athletes' bodies. It will hit newsstands on July 12.

Tate's opposing coach on the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter," UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, was on last season's cover. Both women appearing in the magazine will give them one more thing to trash talk about as they film the TUF that will air in September.

UFC president Dana White said the filming is filled with their squabbles every day.

"It's going exactly the way you thought it would be going: bad," White said. "Dead serious. Miesha and Ronda hate each other. It's literally crazy drama every day. It's irritating."

Other fighters who have been in the Body Issue include Jon Jones and Gina Carano.