MMA Live Recaps UFC 97 and Discusses Chuck Liddell's Pending Retirement

UFC Fight Night Free on Spike TV Tonight!

Figured I might as well do a little MMA promoting. There will be some free UFC fights on Spike TV tonight starting at 8pm. The 2 hour event will be followed by the new season of The Ultimate Fighter. You can also check out UFC President Dana White's video blog from the event HERE.


The Ultimate Fighting® Championship® is proud to announce its first-ever event in Nashville, Tennessee. Music City has never seen hard-hitting action like this as many of the rising stars in the sport of mixed martial arts will be featured in a LIVE nationwide event on Spike TV Wednesday, April 1 at 9:00p.m. ET/PT for UFC® Fight Night™ from the Sommet Center.

Weekend MMA Post

There some interesting stuff going on this weekend. Just a few videos for you.

ESPN'S MMA Live Previews UFC 96, Reviews WEC 39


UFC 96: Jackson vs Jardin Preview


UFC Video Game Preview: Jardin vs Jackson


Pro Picks: Jackson vs Jardine - Sherdog
Performity's Picks for UFC 96 - MMAJunkie

MMA Live Recaps UFC 95 and Previews WEC 39

MMA Live Talks Strikeforce Expansion and Reviews UFC Fight Night 17

A little late with this episode of MMA Live but here you go anyway.

UFC 94: St. Pierre vs Penn II...everything you could possibly want

UFC® lightweight champion BJ Penn looks to be the first fighter in history to hold two UFC® championships at the same time when he faces Georges St-Pierre for the UFC® welterweight championship at UFC® 94: ST-PIERRE VS. PENN 2, live on from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 31, 2009.

Live on Pay-Per-View at 7pm PT/10pm ET

ESPN MMA Live UFC 94 Preview


UFC Prime Time - Episode 1 (Part 1)

UFC Prime Time - Episode 1 (Part 2)


UFC Prime Time - Episode 2 (Part 1)

UFC Prime Time - Episode 2 (Part 2)


UFC Prime Time - Episode 3 (Part 1)

UFC Prime Time - Episode 3 (Part 2)


Links:
UFC 94 Official Site
UFC 94 Breakdown: The Main Card - Sherdog.com
Performify's Picks for "UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn II" - MMAJunkie.com
RANDY COUTURE'S TAKE ON UFC 94 GSP VS. PENN 2 - MMAWeekly.com

Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog

Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog - 1/25/09
Taped on Sunday, Jan. 25th, from San Diego at the WEC event on Versus


Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog - 1/27/09
Taped on Monday and Tuesday


Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog - 1/28/09
Taped on Tuesday from Las Vegas. CNBC Interview, Meeting with Spike regarding UFC Prime Time Episode 3.


Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog - 1/28/09
Taped on 1/28/09 in Las Vegas


Dana White's UFC 94 Video Blog - Bonus Footage

ESPN's MMA Live Recaps UFC 93, Breaks Down Affliction, Plans for UFC 94

MMA Live recaps UFC 93 and previews Affliction's Day of Reckoning, WEC 38 and UFC 94.

ESPN's MMA Live Episode 35: 2008 Awards

ESPN's MMA Live team talks about the top stories of 2008 along with handing out a series of awards. The team also starts the analysis of UFC 93 in Ireland

ESPN's MMA Live Episode 34 : UFC 92 Recap

Here are the rest of the Dana White video blogs leading up to the UFC 92 event last weekend. Also here's the MMA Live episode recapping all that happened.

ESPN's MMA Live Episode 34


Dana White's Video Blog - 12/25/08


Dana White's Video Blog - 12/26/08


Dana White's Video Blog - 12/27/08



Related Links:
MMA Live & More UFC 92 Stuff
MMA Live Episode 32 & UFC 92
ESPN's MMA Live - Episode 31
ESPN's MMA Live Episode 30: WEC 37 and UFC Fight for the Troops

MMA Live & More UFC 92 Stuff

Another episode of ESPN.com's MMA Live was posted today. Also, UFC President, Dana White, has continued his tradition of keeping a video blog in the days leading up to a UFC fight card. I actually really enjoy Dana White's video blog because you get to see a lot of the backstage stuff of him running the UFC and hanging out with various fighters in a much different atmosphere than the Octagon.

ESPN's MMA Live Episode 33: UFC 92 Preview

ESPN's MMA Live previews Saturday night's UFC 92 featuring Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir, and Wanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson.

Dana's UFC Video Blog - 12/22/2008


Dana's UFC Video Blog - 12/23/2008

MMA Live Episode 32 & UFC 92

Big MMA related post today. There's been lots of videos going up the last few days so figured I'd aggregate them all in one post.

ESPN's MMA Live Episode 32
MMA Live recaps 'TUF 8' finale, begins its comprehensive preview of UFC 92 and discusses Bobby Lashley's MMA future.

UFC 92 Video Interview with Rashad Evans


UFC 92 Video Interview with Forrest Griffin


ESPN.com UFC 92 Video Interview with Wanderlei Silva

ESPN.com UFC 92 Video Interview with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Frank Mir UFC 92 Interview


Antonio Nogueira UFC 92 Interview


Frank Mir - Preparing to fight

ESPN's MMA Live - Episode 31

The latest episode of ESPN's MMA Live features Miguel Torres, a recap of UFC Fight for the Troops and a preview of Adrenaline MMA 2...


Related Links:
ESPN's MMA Live Episode 30: WEC 37 and UFC Fight for the Troops
MMA Live & Some Guy Getting Body Slammed

ESPN's MMA Live Episode 30: WEC 37 and UFC Fight for the Troops

ESPN's MMA Live takes a look at Wednesday's WEC 37 and previews next Wednesday's UFC Fight for the Troops.

WEC 37 Torres vs Tapia Live & Free on Versus Tonight

There's another World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) event going on today. The event will air live at 8pm EST/5pm PST on Versus. The headlining fight is between Miguel Angel Torres & Manny Tapia for the 135lb Bantamweight title. The WEC is owned by Zuffa, the same parent company of the UFC.


Pretty Cool Video of Miguel Torres showing how he got his submission win over Chase Beebe to win the WEC title



Links:
WEC 37 official weigh-in results
WEC 'Torres vs. Tapia' Play-by-Play
WEC 37 Breakdown
Torres, Tapia on Target for WEC 37
Miguel Torres truly the people's champion
Manny Tapia headlines a changing WEC
Gracie Legacy Lives on in Torres

MMA Live & Some Guy Getting Body Slammed

MMA still hasn't really broken through to get any mainstream TV coverage but at least ESPN is catching on and has created a web video series entitled "MMA Live." I've posted one of their videos before and I used to follow their podcasts pretty regularly. It's a good general summary of what's going on in the world of MMA with some good insight from actual fighters like Frank Mir and Kenny Florian.

ESPN's MMA Live discusses Jon Fitch's 24-hour UFC whirlwind, Affliction and Golden Boy's partnership and head-to-head events, the UFC's march on Germany, and more... [via MMA Insider]

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In a somewhat related video, some guy involved in a fight in the crowd at UFC 91 gets body slammed by a cop. Proof once again that just because you wear an Affliction or a TapouT shirt it doesn't mean you actually know how to fight whatsoever.

A Little UFC 91 Hype

This Saturday is UFC 91 featuring the main event fight of Randy Couture vs Brock Lesnar. In a nutshell, Randy Couture is probably the most famous and most beloved mixed martial arts fighter of all time. He was the first inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame and has fought the who's who list of MMA legends. Brock Lesnar is a former WWE wrestler who was an NCAA National Champion wrestler in college. After passing up a major contract extension with the WWE he tried to realize his dream of playing pro football (after not having played since high school). He tried out with the Minnesota Vikings and made the practice squad. Apparently during the try out Lesnar showed off his elite level athleticism by running at 4.7 second 40 yard dash and recording a 35 inch vertical jump while weighing in at 295 pounds.

Go behind the scenes as 3-time UFC® Heavyweight Champ Randy "The Natural" Couture and wrestling powerhouse Brock Lesnar prepare for the biggest fight in mixed martial arts history! Can the legend prevail? Or will a new hero rise? [UFC Channel]

Brock Lesnar All Access Part 1

Brock Lesnar All Access Part 2

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Update - Dana White's UFC 91 Video Blog
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We Could All Learn Something from Evan Tanner

While I'm the first to admit that I'm a big fan of all things mixed martial arts I try not to post too many things relating to the sport on this site. I realize most people don't care much about MMA, but I think Evan Tanner was an inspiration to many and had lots to teach the world about being yourself and following your dreams.

Last week when I found out the news that 37 year old former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner was found dead, I was shocked. Evan Tanner wasn't the biggest name in the UFC or the best fighter but he was a very interesting and original person that had lots to share with the world.

Many referred to him as a "journeyman" and mmajunkie.com described him this way:

At one point in his life, he led a nomadic existence, bumping from one odd job to another, everything from bouncer to contractor. However, living life to the fullest was a constant. Whether surfing, sailing, four-wheeling or overindulging, Tanner's life rarely moved in slow motion

During his travels Tanner created a blog on his website and later blogged for SpikeTV where he wrote about everything from fighting to life and spirituality. As news of his death spread I began to notice people posting their favorite excerpts from his postings all over the internet. Here are some of those:

And to think, there are still places in the world where man has not been, where he has left no footprints, where the mysteries stand secure, untouched by human eyes. I want to go to these places, the quiet, timeless, ageless places, and sit, letting silence and solitude be my teachers.

It is a shame that in this society we've been taught to judge a man's worth by what he owns instead of who he is. Everything is surface, and so few look beyond it. A man will sell his soul, he will lie, cheat and steal, for money. If he has it, he can buy respect. Wear the right clothes, drive the right car, have the right friends, that's all that matters. Our lives are consumed in a selfish, self absorbed quest for possessions, the latest and the best in a never-ending cycle until the day we die. We forget what it means to be truly human. We forget the things that really matter. We lose the magic of what life should be.

I won't live by rules that make no sense to me.

I will do nothing lightly. When I walk, I will walk heavily. When I fight, I will fight with conviction. When I speak, I will speak strongly. When I feel, I will feel everything. When I love, I will love with everything.

There was a time when I was younger that I didn't know any better than to be a liar, a cheater, and a thief. I have since learned to despise those things. I have had great friendships. I have had great loves. I have been a lover, I have been a son, a brother, and a friend. And I was once a world champion.

Believe in yourself. Believe in your own potential for greatness. Believe that you can change the world. It is something that is within each of us. Believe in the power of one.

MMAWeekly.com Photo Tribute




Take the time to remember and appreciate everything that's truly important in life (family, friends, loved ones). Live your life how you want, not how you think you should. Believe in the power of one.

Weekend Preview - UFC 88

It's that time again all, another UFC event awaits us this Saturday night. The UFC's most recognizable and marketable fighter, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell will be making his return to The Octagon after being out for months due to a severe hamstring injury. Liddell will be facing rising lightheavyweight contender "Sugar" Rashad Evans this Saturday night at the UFC's first event in Atlanta.


WEIGH IN RESULTS
Main Card Bouts:
-Chuck Liddell (204) vs. Rashad Evans (205)
-Rich Franklin (204.5) vs. Matt Hamill (205)
-Dan Henderson (185) vs. Rousimar Palhares (184.5)
-Nate Marquardt (185) vs. Martin Kampmann (184.5)

Preliminary Bouts:
-Kurt Pellegrino (156) vs. Thiago Tavares (155)
-Mike Patt (205.25) vs. Tim Boetsch (205.25)
-Dong Hyun Kim (170) vs. Matt Brown (170)
-Jason Lambert (185) vs. Jason MacDonald (185)
-Roan Carneiro (170) vs. Ryo Chonan (170)

Cancelled Due to Injury:
-Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Fight By Fight Info & Picks: mmaweekly.com, sherdog.com & mmajunkie.com

Live Fight Results can be Found at: mmaweekly.com, sherdog.com & mmajunkie.com
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Since we are on the subject of the UFC, I wanted to post this video from ESPN. It was just announced a few days ago Randy Couture would be returning to the UFC after a year of holding out. Couture will be facing man-gorilla Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Title on November 15th. UFC President Dana White says this fight will be the largest in UFC history and will have 1,000,000 pay-per-view buys & with mainstream TV coverage starting this early for the fight it's definitely possible.