Effective Fight Picture Tip #28: A little blood goes a long way.

Remember a few weeks ago when we told you that Bellator was holding open tryouts in Florida, and pro fighters could go possibly snag a slot on a Bellator card? No? Well, we did. We left it right here on the front page for you, and we don’t want to hear any more about it.

As Bellator’s own website points out, many of their tournament fighters have been guys from tough local scenes that put together a couple of wins and got promoted to the brackets: Kenny Foster, Tyler Stinson, Anthony Lapsley, and Jose Vega among them.

Well, the open tryouts went down June 18th, just like we told you, and MMAJunkie reports that there was one winner out of a field of sixty. While we cannot confirm that Florida ATT prospect Ailton Barbosa fought and defeated 59 men in open combat, we kind of want to believe it. Barbosa is a grappling ace, judging by all of his Facebook pictures of him in his pajamas, so we assume that he subbed most of them, probably with sweet flying guillotines and cool stuff like that.

We’re also told that he went on to kill a raging bull barehanded with a single strike, then flew away under his own power. That’s right, people: Ailton Barbosa has the deadly knowledge of Dim Mak. And he can fly.

Our condolences to the family of whoever he fights at Bellator 50 in September.

[RX]

(Careful, Gegard. If he bites you, you become one of them. Photo courtesy of Esther Lin/Strikeforce)

According to a new report, former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi could meet Mike Kyle at the promotion’s September 10th card (venue TBA).

The two fighters were originally scheduled to meet at the ‘Diaz vs. Daley’ card in April, but Kyle was forced to withdraw due to a broken hand; Mousasi wound up fighting to a disappointing draw against late-replacement Keith Jardine. The “Armenian Assassin” is already slated to defend his DREAM light-heavyweight belt against Hiroshi Izumi in Tokyo on July 16th.

How ’bout we keep this fight-picking train rolling, eh? I’ve just come into the possession of a Blu-ray copy of UFC Ultimate Royce Gracie — which hit stores last month — and I figured one of you jokers might wants it. Hit us with the synopsis, Amazon:

This comprehensive Blu-ray collection captures the jiu-jitsu master at his best with nearly six hours of content, including interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and of course, his classic fights against Ken Shamrock, Kimo Leopoldo, and Kazushi Sakuraba.

But you can’t win if you don’t play. This Sunday night, UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Story goes down at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, featuring Marquardt’s debut at 170 and a heavyweight clash between Pat Barry and Cheick Kongo. Submit your predictions for these two fights in the comments section below, including the winner’s name, the method of victory, and the time/round of stoppage, if any. Your entry should be in this format:

(Photo courtesy of Round 5/Facebook)

I know we’ve been hard on Round 5 in the past, but it looks like the Markham, Ontario-based MMA action figure manufacturer has stepped up its game. The Rebecca Black Octagon Girl figure is a near perfect match and should be a hot seller when it hits store shelves in the fall. I know what Ben’s getting for Christmas.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/Stemerm1)

Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni went down 4 years ago.

Why it matters:

• Frank Shamrock became Strikeforce’s inaugural middleweight champion after he defeated Phil Baroni at the EliteXC co-promoted event held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California by choking “The New York Badass” unconscious with a rear-naked choke. Shamrock was criticized for “kicking” Baroni off of him after the bout. He explained the incident at the post-fight press conference. “He was heavy on top of me… he was squishing the life out of me… he was laying on my leg and on my chest… that’s it. And I thought it looked better on camera.” Shamrock would lose the strap one fight later to Cung Le.

• Following the bout California State Athletic Commission test results revealed that Baroni tested positive for Boldenone and Stanozolol steroid metabolites. He was fined $2,500 and suspended for a year from competing in California — a suspension that would be observed by every member agency in the Association of Boxing Commissions. Baroni denied any wrongdoing and appealed the decision and on October 31, 2007 Baroni’s suspension was reduced to 6 months without a even a shred of evidence presented that exonerated him.

• Murilo Rua defeated Joey Vilasenor to become the first EliteXC middleweight champion. He would lose it in his next fight with Robbie Lawler.

• Carter Williams was found by the CSAC to have tested positive for cocaine. As a result he was fined $1,000 and suspended for six months.

(They’re even better when you add motion and sound. Props: UFC.com)

As you’re well aware, CagePotato is a passionate supporter of professional hot chicks. But instead of throwing another photo gallery at you this week, we thought we’d switch it up and pay tribute to the best MMA ring girl videos we’ve ever come across. If we’ve left out one of your favorites, please post a link in the comments section. Enjoy…

#11: Rachelle Leah Gets Surprised in Her Hotel Room

Gratuitous semi-nudity is the best kind of semi-nudity. Damn, nice abs.

#10: Ali Sonoma and Arianny Celeste Shoot for Muscle Pharm

Ali Sonoma is another UFC Octagon Girl Hall of Famer, and she’s never looked better than in this clip. When you see the photographer start to drone on and on, just skip to 2:37 for more Ali.

(Clash of styles = boring fight)

Fabricio Werdum has finally responded to Alistair Overeem’s claims that he should be ashamed of his performance on Saturday night in their Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix quarterfinal match-up. According to Vai Cavalo, Overeem didn’t beat him; he lost the bout on his own by not listening to his corner and instead attempting time and time again to coax “The Demolition Man” into his guard.

“I don’t believe he won, I lost to myself. I could’ve won. The feeling I’m having now is worse than if he has smashed me up and if he was way better than me on the three rounds, winning with a large advantage,” he told TATAME today. “The guys is good, alright, so I’d have to keep my head down and train more. But it wasn’t like that and that made me choked. It was a [mediocre] bout, the fans expected much more, but he didn’t want to the ground at any cost.”

For George Sotiropulos, the past four months since his disappointing UFC 127 loss to Dennis Siver have been about finding a balance in his life between training and all of the extrinsic factors that prevented him from focusing fully on it. According to G-Sots, who has been noticeably absent from the limelight since the fight, he has set the wheels of change in motion to ensure that he isn’t being stretched too thin and that he continues to improve as a fighter and as a person.

We caught up with the UFC lightweight contender recently and spoke with him at length about the fight with Siver, the factors that he feels contributed to the first “real” loss on his record and the steps he’s taken to make sure he makes the best of the learning experience to ensure that he doesn’t make the same mistakes twice inside and outside of the Octagon.

Check out the extensive interview after the jump.

If you missed Keyboard Warriors Monday, hey thanks. Nice to know someone actually appreciates all I do to entertain you jerkfaces. For the rest of you: hey guess what i did?

Yup, prepare yourselves for KBW #3! In the aftermath of the weekend’s Strikeforce action, Dana takes the time to address the heavyweights, evaluate their performances, and fill them in on his short terms plans. And his long term plans. Say what you will, but Big Daddy White dreams big, son.

If you are interested in 100% made up conversations between characters that are mostly fabrications, come on in and enjoy. Feel free to comment your little hands off. If you don’t like comedy … well, i’ve got nothing for you.

Why do you keep coming here again?

As always, thanks to Christopher and those jokers at WithLeather.

[RX]

(Rick Story slugs Thiago Alves at UFC 130, en route to his sixth consecutive UFC victory.)

Due to his wrestling prowess and tremendous momentum in the welterweight division, oddsmakers have pegged Rick Story as the betting favorite to defeat Nate Marquardt in the main event of their UFC Live 4 main event this Sunday. Right now, The Horror is being offered in the -124 to -145 range, depending on where you look, compared to +115 for Marquardt.

That might sound surprising at first, considering Nate’s legacy as a top contender in the middleweight division. Then again, Marquardt will be making his debut in a new weight class, which always raises questions. More importantly, Story has the same grinding style that Marquardt has struggled with in the past. As Rick explained to Sherdog, he’ll be following the Chael Sonnen playbook:

(M-Bone is Dougie’ing in his grave right now. Props: Ariel Helwani)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

- Team Gina Carano Updates Strikeforce on Health Condition via Vague Email (5thRound)

- Pete Sell Returns to Competition After Two-Year Absence, Wins Ring of Combat Welterweight Title (TheFightNerd)

- The New CEO of ProElite Explains to Us How the Company Plans to Be the Number Two MMA Organization in the World (MiddleEasy)

- Werdum and Gloom: The Politics of Pulling Guard (NBC Sports MMA)

- Chad Griggs vs. Daniel Cormier Could Be ‘Logical Next Step’ for Strikeforce (MMA Fighting)

- Ring Girls Round-Up: Ashleigh Marley (LowKick)

- 28 Reasons We’d Love to Have Dana White’s Job (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- ‘UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2′ Conference Call Highlights (Five Ounces of Pain)

- UFC 133: Jorge Rivera Is Too Old to Keep Getting Punched in the Head (MMA Mania)

- Fedor Emelianenko: ‘Two Mistakes In A Row Cannot Be Coincidence’ (MMA Convert)

(RIP Evan Tanner.)

Well, it wasn’t the most MMA history-steeped day, but there were a few noteworthy events that took place on this day in MMA.

The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale went down 3 years ago.

Evan Tanner Post Fight Interview
Tags: Evan Tanner Post Fight Interview

Why it Matters:

The event marked the final fight of former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner before his untimely death in the Paolo Verde, California desert. In spite of a close split-decision loss to Kendall Grove on the card, Tanner would give perhaps his last and most harrowing interview that provided an eerie foreboding soundbite that fans will forever make wonder if it was in reference to his career or his troubled life. “I’m feeling off, flat, can’t move. Maybe it’s…you know…Maybe my day is done.”

The event also saw the first TUF winner with no professional fighting experience crowned. Amir Sadollah, who has since racked up a respectable 5-2 record in the Octagon defeated the more seasoned former Arizona State wrestling standout CB Dollaway by first round submission.

One of the night’s winners, Diego Sanchez, would make an ill-fated decision he may now regret in retrospective. Following his win over Luigi Florvanti, Diego announced that he would be dropping to light weight to take a run at a title in the lighter class. After racking up a pair of wins over Joe Stevenson and CLay Guida, “The Nightmare,” as he was known back then, lost via decisive fifth-round TKO stoppage to then-lightweight champion BJ Penn at UFC 107. After a one-year stint as a lightweight, the TUF 1 middleweight winner decided to move back up to welterweight where he has since compiled a 2-1 record with a loss to John Hathaway and a pair of wins over Martin Kampmann and Paulo Thiago.

(June 26th will be the perfect day to test out our controversial Caine-Hackman-Marquardt Theory.)

Between the suggestions that Spike TV intentionally buried TUF 13 with its earlier time-slot, Dana White’s complaints about the show’s forcibly-shortened season, and the recent reports that the UFC has been negotiating for a new cable parter (or even a channel of its own), we knew that the relationship between the UFC and Spike wasn’t rock-solid these days. But now we’re entering hateful ex-girlfriend territory. From SBNation (via Fightlinker):

Spike TV announced today a 10-hour marathon on Sunday, June 26th, featuring fight cards with UFC middleweight turned welterweight Nate Marquardt. However, the event runs directly parallel to the Marquardt-headlined live event on Versus, UFC on Versus 4…The event culminates with a re-broadcast of UFC Fight Night 22, which was headlined by Nate Marquardt vs. Rousimar Palhares…

Coincidentally, this marathon directly overlaps with a live Marquardt-headlined UFC event on the Versus channel, UFC on Versus 4 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. Marquardt faces Rick Story in the main event as part of his welterweight debut…

(The exact moment Tito’s fighting career jumped the shark.)

It’s amazing that with the UFC’s longtime policy of cutting fighters who lose three fights in a row, that Tito Ortiz, who is 0-3-1 in his past four fights hasn’t been fired yet. One would assume that “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” was being kept around because of his past merits and pay-per-view sales, but apparently his job isn’t as secure as we assumed.

According to Ortiz, the UFC was ready to let him go after his UFC 121 loss to Matt Hamill, but instead urged the former UFC light heavyweight champion to follow in the footsteps of longtime nemesis Chuck Liddell and retire to save them the trouble of sending him to the unemployment line. Tito says he basically begged Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta for one more kick at the cat and they begrudgingly agreed, throwing him in against a young lion in Ryan Bader at UFC 132.

“Dana White and Joe Silva [the UFC's matchmaker] told me they wanted me to retire, but I knew I still had the fight inside me.  I pretty much begged for my job, to show how much I want to fight, but I still have it in my heart to compete, to fight,” he told the UK Telegraph. I told them I want to still fight against the top guys, I want to put on a show. I’ve just turned 36, but when they put me against the top guys, I think I can still compete.”

(Video courtesy of YouTube/TapouTNews)

TapouT’s Mike Straka recently caught up with Frankie Edgar to see how the UFC lightweight champ’s back rehab is coming along and an interesting nugget came out of the conversation. Apparently Edgar’s New Jersey-based boxing trainer Mark Henry was calling for the towel to be thrown in during the trouncing Edgar took in his January 1 UFC  125 bout with Gray Maynard.

Edgar said that Henry’s emotions got the best of him, and he mistakenly says it wouldn’t have mattered had he thrown in the towel as it isn’t a recognized gesture in the UFC. I guess “The Answer” never saw Royce Gracie’s corner throw in the towel prior to the start of his bout with Harold Howard at UFC 3.

Technically, the towel throw is a foul that is usually punishable by the opposing fighter being awarded the win due to disqualification.

Here’s the list of fouls under UFC rules:

1. Butting with the head.
2. Eye gouging of any kind.
3. Biting.
4. Hair pulling.
5. Fish hooking.
6. Groin attacks of any kind.
7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent.
8. Small joint manipulation.
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head.
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
13. Grabbing the clavicle.
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
16. Stomping a grounded opponent.
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
21. Spitting at an opponent.
22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
23. Holding the ropes or the fence.
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
30. Interference by the corner.
31. Throwing in the towel during competition.

In other words, Edgar lucked out that Henry didn’t have a towel, or he may have lost his belt. Instead, he roared back to eke out a draw against Maynard and ensured a rematch.

The transcript of the interview is after the jump for those who can’t watch the video.

(Props: Ariel Helwani)

“You know what, it was not the most exciting, but in terms of from where I was at, it was perfect. Basically, I put him on ground, and after I started feeling him out, feeling his energy underneath me, I knew that he had a lot of umph, he had a lot of guts, he had a lot of gusto, so any opening, any transition, any big movement, it was going to be met by a lot of explosive force.

We could then end up in some scrambles, spend energy I don’t want to, it’s unnecessary, so instead, get him bucking, get him using that energy. And I have quite heavy hips, which is a very common staple of catch-as-catch-can [wrestling], wearing people out — not just with strikes or submissions or holds — but with your overall body positioning.

Props to TheGarv for digging up these ’70s/’80s-era photos of UFC president Dana White. Obviously the money shot is that pic in the top right, in which a young DW does his best to smile through the pain of a Prince Valiant haircut and some obvious facial trauma. “Damn you, hair,” we imagine Young Dana saying. “I wish you would disappear…forever!” And now you know the rest of the story.

Previously: Even as a Baby, Brock Lesnar Would Swallow You Without Chewing

(Yeah, we know that’s a different Diaz, but that doesn’t make the message any less valid. Props: jaylibbb)

After suffering back-to-back decision defeats in his last two fights against Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald, Nate Diaz will be dropping back to his original home at lightweight, according to UFC.com. Diaz’s return opponent will be Japanese MMA icon Takanori Gomi at UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage, September 24th in Denver. Gomi is coming off a submission loss to Clay Guida at UFC 125 in January, and has gone 1-2 overall in his current stint with the UFC.

Nate’s brother Nick previously faced Gomi at PRIDE 33 in one of the greatest bouts in MMA history; Diaz wore Gomi down in a gritty slugfest before tapping him in round 2 via gogoplata. The win was overturned and ruled a no-contest when Diaz tested positive for marijuana in a post-fight drug test. But come on, bro, we all saw what happened.

Genghis Con continues his campaign to make you like Mondays, as the second episode of his web-doc Miami Hustle dropped right on schedule. This episode follows decorated Cuban wrestler Alexis Vila as he prepares for his ninth pro MMA fight at flyweight. The episode starts with the final stages of sweating just before weigh-ins, and ends with his fight with OKC-based Lewis McKenzie at MFA New Generation 4 in February. Vila is an impressive talent, and don’t be surprised if you hear his name pop up when people start talking about the UFC’s plans at 125 pounds.

As with pretty much everything Genghis Con does, this is completely worth the time to sit down and watch. The two-man film crew managed to catch some funny stuff, not the least of which is Vila’s girlfriend stunningly bad timing to start with “I need to lose some weight…” Considering that she’s talking to a wrestler — an Olympic wrestler at that — and a pro fighter who’d just weighed in hours before, she’s not going to get much sympathy about how hard it is to shed ten pounds.

Also keep an eye out for Bellator’s Zombifier-in-Chief Hector Lombard, as he comes to watch Vila fight and gift Jorge Masvidal with a big knife, and JZ Cavalcante and Jorge Santiago ditching training to go surfing. Slackers.

You can catch Miami Hustle Monday nights here at 8pm ET, but seeing as how you can barely remember where you left your phone and what pants you’re wearing, we’ll go ahead and remind you next week.

[RX]

(History has proven that it’s tough to look good when your opponent wants a jiu-jitsu match, no matter how good you are.)

Alistair Overeem was on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani today and the Strikeforce heavyweight champion addressed the glut of MMA fans and analysts who disagree with him winning his heavyweight grand prix quarterfinal bout with Fabrico Werdum Saturday night. According to “The Demolition Man,” just because Werdum connected with more shots in the bout, doesn’t mean he won the fight, like many claim.

“I won the fight but I was not satisfied. I didn’t get a KO. I worked hard and when I look at the fight, I did dominate him. I stuck to the game plan but you have to give credit to Fabricio; he was prepared. He was not going to get suckered into my game, which is the stand-up and he got me out of my game. His takedowns were not successful, but I think he trained hard for this fight. He really wanted to win,” he explained. “I felt his power and he was there to win. I’m not impressed with his striking. He does not hit hard. He was using his strikes to set up his takedowns, but there was no damage. I was annoyed. When you look at a fight, who’s more dominant? You can see who’s more dominant.”

(An artist’s rendering of how Bob Reilly depicted New York would look if MMA was legalized)

Well, supporters put up a valiant fight, but in the end New York State once again cock-blocked the bill to legalize MMA again for another year.

The sad thing is, that bill S1707A never really had a fighting chance once it hit the Ways & Means Committee, where it would stall as the current Senate’s session ended Monday. Last week the Committee’s chairman, Denny Farrell, D-Manhattan, told Politics on the Hudson that he was “looking at” the bill, but admitted he was not a mixed-martial arts fan.

“I don’t think very much of the sport,” Farrell said. “Next we’ll give them clubs with spikes on the end; that will be good.”

(Props: GracieAcademy via BloodyElbow)

In a way, it’s perfectly fitting that this video would come out the same day that Ryan Dunn died. Dunn was perhaps best known from that infamous scene in Jackass: The Movie in which he stuffed a toy car up his ass then went to the doctor complaining of a stomach ache. (Is it ironic that his tragic passing was car-related? I still don’t know what the word “ironic” means.)

Assuming there’s YouTube in the afterlife, I think Dunn would appreciate this prank. Instructional video star Rener Gracie dresses his associate Brian Ortega up as Bubba the Grappling Dummy, then films the reaction of people who are asked to retrieve him from Rener’s office at the Gracie Academy. Personally, my favorite reaction is the dude at 2:55 who gets his balls grabbed (“God damn you. You suck!”), and Grand Master Rorion at 5:07, who manages to keep control of the situation. Good times. RIP, Ryan.

(Props: MMATrailers6)

Okay, so it’s not the next UFC event on the docket — that would be this Sunday’s UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Story show — but we might as well start getting hyped for the next pay-per-view card. UFC 132 goes down July 2nd in Las Vegas, featuring a bantamweight title fight, a fan-friendly matchup of sluggers, and Tito Ortiz‘s ongoing quest for redemption. The extended video preview does a decent job of explaining why you should care, but as is usually the case with these things, the hype is based on a series of well-worn fight cliches. Lets run ‘em down…

“I’m not the same fighter I was then. Things are just different. It’s not the same anymore.” (Dominick Cruz)
When Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber first met in March 2007, the California Kid was the WEC’s reigning featherweight champ and the promotion’s first home-grown star. Cruz was a promising contender, but he was still a little green, and wound up getting choked out in under two minutes.

Cruz hasn’t lost a fight since, and now the roles are reversed; he’s the reigning champion (now at 135 pounds), looking to stave off a title challenge by his old rival. Admittedly, Cruz is a much better fighter in 2011 than he was four years ago. His footwork has developed into a dynamic, utterly unique style of controlled chaos; his integration of boxing and wrestling has become seamless, and maddening for his opponents.

The reason that “I’m not the same fighter” is a lame cliche, even when Cruz says it, is that it implies your opponent is the same fighter. Which he’s not, obviously.

(Time sure does fly…)

WEC 49 went down 1 year ago.

Why it matters:

Josh Grispi earned the next shot at WEC featherweight champ Jose Aldo with his win over LC Davis at this show held in Edmonton, Alberta. Because of an injury, Aldo had to pull out of their planned UFC 125 bout. Rather than wait for his shot, Grispi took a fight with Dustin Poirier on the January card and lost via unanimous decision. As a result, another fighter who impressed on the UFC 49 card earned the next shot at Aldo.

Mark Hominick was en route to a unanimous decision loss to fellow Canadian Yves Jabouin in Edmonton, but pulled out one of the most impressive come from behind wins in WEC history.

Stunned and dropped by a stiff right hand, Hominick weathered the ensuing ground and pound onslaught, swept Jabouin and forced a TKO stoppage via punishment from the mount.

A quick first round TKO win over teammate George Roop in his next bout earned him a shot at Aldo at UFC 129 this past April. Although he couldn’t finish the Aldo, Hominick showed the heart of a champion by fighting through a massive, disgusting hematoma to give Aldo the fight of his life and finishing the last round in dominating fashion.

THE REEM EPISODE 4: COUNTING DOWN from THE REEM on Vimeo.

While everyone was busy on Internet message boards and comment sections furiously typing in caps locks with extra exclamation points how overrated and shitty of a fighter Alistair Overeem is because he didn’t walk through Fabricio Werdum as expected, The Reem Season 2, Episode 3 was quietly released to the masses.

If you’re curious, this is how we look without a shirt. Just take our word for it. PicProps: FiveKnuckles

We had a bit of a “WTF?” moment as we perused the card for this weekend’s Strikeforce Challengers card, and not because we fell for “Fedor is on the card!!” again. No, we were a little confused to see that an intriguing welterweight matchup between world-tourist Jason High and KOTC-standout Quinn Mulhern was relegated to the preliminaries of a Challengers card, which is sort of like Cam Newton and A.J. Green playing catch in the parking lot outside a Kansas City Command game. (To our international readers: sorry, we hope you followed that.)

Well, someone obviously heard that we were confused. After middleweights Antwain Britt and Danillo Villefort both suffered injuries, their fight was scratched and High-Mulhern was promoted to the main card. We didn’t realize we had that much pull, but it’s good to know for future reference.

Damn, Heun’s getting all misty-eyed. VidProps: Strikeforce

Conor Heun and Magno Almeida were on the HDNet undercard card, and they turned in a three round scrap highlighted by some aggressive (and effective) ground work. Both fighters attempted subs early and often, including an omoplata attempt and a toe hold in the first round. Sure, a guillotine is nice, but we’ll take the exotic submissions every time.

Almeida lost a unanimous decision, but he at least left Heun with something to think about, as one of Almeida’s twenty seven arm bar attempts (disclaimer: no, we didn’t count them) left Heun with a serious lack of functionality in his right arm for the next month or so.

Heun got back into the win column after two losses in a row (to KJ Noons and Jorge Gurgel), so he’s understandably stoked about the win. On the other hand, his arm is seriously effed up, so there’s all kinds of emotions and hormones and stuff going on in Huen’s brain; give him a pass if he seems a little emotional in that video.

Yes, “all kinds of emotions and hormones and stuff” is technical language.

(Steroids: You’re doing it wrong. Bizarre photo-illustration via SportsNickel)

Last Wednesday, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval signed a bill that will provide more funds for out-of-competition steroid testing of MMA fighters, boxers, and kickboxers. The money will come from an existing ticket fee, and will pay for random drug screenings at any time, including training periods. The new law goes into effect July 1st.

Currently, the Nevada State Athletic Commission gets $1 per ticket sold for large MMA/boxing events, and 50 cents for smaller events that gross less than $500,000. Some of that money will now be diverted to year-round testing of performance enhancing drugs, both at a professional and amateur level.

It’s not the first time that Nevada has tried to do this. MMAFighting passes along some history:

(Book cover via Victory Belt)

Out of nearly 100 entries in last week’s fight-picking contest, only one reader had the foresight to suggest that Alistair Overeem would dominate Fabricio Werdum but not finish him. That man was Potato Nation Hall of Famer Viva Hate. His predictions were:

- Alistair Overeem def. Fabricio Werdum by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27 — two scores correct)
- Josh Barnett def. Brett Rogers by TKO, 2:58 of round 2 (winner/round correct)

VH, please send your current address to contest@cagepotato.com and we’ll send you a copy of Anderson Silva’s MMA Instruction Manual: The Muay Thai Clinch, Takedowns, Takedown Defense, and Ground Fighting.

Honorable mention goes out to…

With all of the hype that UFC 134 has been riding, one had to assume that tickets would sell pretty quickly. According to MMAjunkie.com, tickets to the event sold out in only 74 minutes yesterday afternoon. The arena where UFC 134 will take place, the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, can accommodate nearly 17,000 fans. In addition to UFC 134, Dana White has announced that the UFC plans on booking multiple events in Brazil next year.

UFC 134 marks the UFC’s first visit to Brazil in over a decade, and first visit to Rio de Janiero. The last event to take place in Brazil, UFC Ultimate Brazil (October 1998 in Sao Paulo), saw Frank Shamrock defend his middleweight title against John Lober and Vitor Belfort punch out Wanderlei Silva. The event also saw Pat Miletich defeat Mikey Burnett to become the organization’s inaugural welterweight champion.

The official fight card for UFC 134 after the jump: