(Guy on the Right just got some competition. Props: Facebook.com/BigfootSilva)

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…

- Gus Johnson Signs With Fox but Stays With Showtime for MMA and Boxing (MMA Fighting)

- Maiquel Falcao Cut From UFC for ‘Legal Problems’ (5thRound)

- Dana White Stresses Personal Finance Management At 2011 Fighter Summit (MMA Convert)

- Jonathan Brookins out, Danny Downes in Against Jeremy Stephens at TUF 13 Finale (Five Ounces of Pain)

- Anthony Johnson Responds to Ben Askren Calling him a ‘Coward’ (MiddleEasy)

- Director Kahleem Poole-Tejada Talks About ‘New York MMA’ documentary (TheFightNerd)

- Exclusive Interview: Ninja Rua Expects a War Against Tom Watson at BAMMA 6 (LowKick)

- Management Break-Up Splits Jon Jones, Rashad Evans (NBC Sports MMA)

- Anderson Silva and the 10 Best Southpaws in MMA (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

(Video courtesy of YouTube/Us)

Prior to the UFC revealing that the Japanese standout would be squaring off with middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC Rio in August, our Japanese correspondent Stewart Fulton visited Yushin Okami to interview him and take in a training session at Real Japan Wrestling  gym in Tokyo.

Okami touched on a number of topics including the fact that he has been preparing for an inevitable showdown with Anderson, his training with Team Quest, Xtreme Couture and Yoshihiro Akiyama and his thoughts on a GSP-Silva super fight.

(We looked and looked, but all we could find was this photo of Jim Belushi. Pic: The Fab Life)

At this rate, we’ll never be rid of this goddamn vampire. We’d hoped for a quick and quiet departure from MMA for Steven Seagal – kind of a one-off creep-and-lurk session at UFC 126 – but now that his second straight appearance in the corner of a Black House fighter has ended in a second straight front kick knockout, we don’t see that happening. While it is still totally unclear if Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva are just fucking with us (and by extension, with him) by professing their allegiances to Seagal, this week Out for Justice himself stopped by Sherdog Radio to assure us all that this shit is deadly serious.

As part of a nearly 20-minute interview, Seagal broke down Lyoto Machida’s jumping KO of Randy Couture at last weekend’s UFC 129. You know, as much as he could without giving away all the secrets of his deadly arts. He also promised to keep working with Black House fighters on new, top-secret techniques. Worst of all, it appears he’s begun referring to Machida and Silva as “his guys.” The quotes are after the jump.

(Weirdest part is, the Portuguese language doesn’t even have a phrase that means “dress shoes.”)

Just one of the many, many problems inherent in ranking MMA’s top “pound-for-pound” fighters – aside from the obvious fact these lists are 100 percent fantasy-based and therefore flatly ridiculous to begin with — is that a lot of people can’t even agree what the phrase “pound-for-pound” actually means. Does it simply provide a method for comparing the best fighters in the world across different classes? Does it purport to measure a fighter’s dominance relative to his size? Does it envision a bizzaro world where everyone is the same height and weight? And if so, does a 135-pound Fedor Emelianenko still have that ribbon of fat around his gut? Fuck if we know.

Fact is, pound-for-pound lists are really just a study in speculative fiction. Rather than trying to rank a bunch of fighters who will never actually fight we’d probably be better off writing a sprawling, dystopian novel presupposing that the Nazis won WWII, Custer didn’t die at the Little Bighorn and that during the summer of 1985 a 27-year-old Dan Severn accidentally stepped on a butterfly during his morning jog through Ann Arbor, setting off a chain reaction that caused Jon Jones never to be born at all. I guess what we’re trying to say is, things are about to get real theoretical up in this bitch. Like, comically subjective and shit.

Still, even if we can’t claim to know exactly what these rankings are trying to achieve, we do know one thing: Our carefully cultivated demographic information tells us you motherfuckers loves you some lists. And in that, we must oblige …

(Le playing a mime in Spike Lee’s version of Les Miserables.)

Cung Le was asked about his fighting future this weekend by ESPN’s Chuck Mindenhall while in Toronto for Saturday night’s UFC 129 event and the former Strikeforce middleweight champion whose focus has been on acting as of late  would not commit to whether or not he will compete again.

“I’m doing well right now being in the films,” Le said. “A lot of people are telling me, ‘you should just retire, you’re not going to fight.’ Other people are saying ‘you got to fight.’ You can’t make everybody happy.”

(Video courtesy of YouTube/EddieBravo)

Now, we aren’t sure if it’s because he paid a visit to his buddy Matt Lindland’s shed before shooting this impromptu “interview” or because he was playing a few rounds of  ”puff, puff, give” with Eddie Bravo, but Chael Sonnen seems a lot more relaxed and squinty-eyed in the latest edition of Mastering the System.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/ESPN)

For all of us who thought Georges St-Pierre might be in a bit of trouble if and when he decides to move up to middleweight, check this video out.

St-Pierre appeared on the latest edition of ESPN’s Sport Science to have the force of his punches, kicks and takedowns measured and the results were astounding.

(Leg kicks, why have you forsaken me? / Photo courtesy of allelbows.com)

Today, as you know, is Easter — a day in which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, three days after his crucifixion. To commemorate the holiday, we’d like to take this time to remember notable resurrections in the sport of mixed martial arts. (Because we’re respectful like that.) There’s nothing more incredible than watching a dude get the living crap beaten out of him for minutes at a time, and then somehow, miraculously, finding the strength to knock his opponent dead before the last bell. So without further ado, here are 11 of our favorite “Back From the Dead” MMA fights of all time…

(Video courtesy of YouTube/knuklo)

Anderson Silva has been chomping at the bit for a rematch with Yushin Okami since losing to the durable Japanese fighter by disqualification due to an illegal upkick in 2006. Now that the UFC middleweight champion has a date for his second meeting with “Thunder” at UFC Rio in August, he has revealed that he thinks Okami faked injury to get out of their Rumble on the Rock 8 bout.

“I was a little surprised with his reaction to that,” Silva told the LA Times this week. “Do I think he could have continued? I do think he could have continued. But he had the rules in his favor. I did an illegal kick and he chose that it was better not to continue.”

(Maia’s ever-improving boxing has made him a more dangerous fighter.)

One of mixed martial arts’ best jiu-jitsu players, Demian Maia’s stock rose immensely when the then-undefeated Brazilian fighter quickly subbed Chael Sonnen at UFC 95. Since then he has only lost twice, and although he may not get a chance to avenge his 21-scond KO loss to Nate Marquardt since “The Great” announced recently that he will be dropping down to welterweight, there isn’t a day that goes by that Maia doesn’t think about a second meeting with UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.

The next rung up the title contention ladder for the 32-year-old, who has steadily improved his stand-up skills for each fight, is a June 11 meeting with scrappy former Division I wrestling champion Mark Muñoz at UFC 131 in Vancouver. We caught up with Maia yesterday and spoke with the humble middleweight about a number of topics, including his upcoming bout with “The Filipino Wrecking Machine,” his title aspirations and whether or not he would fight a friend if push came to shove.

Check out what Demian had to say after the jump.

(“Bones is like a brother to me —  dangerous brother with crazy elbows and knees.”)

If you were holding your breath for an eventual Anderson Silva-Jon Jones showdown, you might want to stop before you pass out because it isn’t going to happen.

In a recent interview with the Brazilian website esportes.r7, “The Spider” said that he wouldn’t fight Jones and all but refuted the recent claim by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira that Silva would likely jump up to 205 after his fight with Yushin Okami in Rio in August.

“No way. [Jones] is in another weight class,” Silva explained. “We’re friends and we will not face each other.”

(Video courtesy of YouTube/00Alistair00)

If you haven’t heard the news, Anderson Silva has a new documentary called, “Like Water,” which set for release later this month at the Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan. The name of the film is taken from a famous Bruce Lee quote as an homage to the world’s most famous martial artist who was a huge influence to The Spider’s MMA career.

The synopsis of the movie is after the jump.

(We may never get to see if Chael’s armbar defense has improved since last time they met.)

Ever since Chael Sonnen faltered two minutes shy of snatching the UFC middleweight strap from Anderson Silva at UFC 117, fans and pundits alike have been clamoring for a rematch between the pair.

The immediate redo promised by UFC president Dana White was originally delayed due to Silva needing time to recover from a rib injury his camp revealed he went into the August 7 fight with.

Then Sonnen threw another wrench in the UFC’s plans by testing positive for high levels of synthetic testosterone, but after having his suspension halved for pleading ignorance and confusion about the rules and procedures of the California State Athletic Commission, it seemed like the much anticipated bout would finally happen.

Does this look like the face of a man who would coast for five rounds to an unspectacular win?

Even before the UFC’s return to Rio de Janeiro has a Wikipedia page, Anderson Silva is rumored to have his opponent in place. Tatame is reporting that, according to Black House teammate Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva will be fighting Yushin Okami at UFC Rio. The fight will extend Anderson Silva’s title defense record to nine straight.

Yushin Okami is riding a three fight win streak, with his most recent victory being an unspectacular decision over Nate Marquardt back at UFC 122. Fortunately, there are two things that will hopefully keep this one from getting unspeakably boring quickly. For one, Anderson Silva is fighting in his home country for the first time since 2003. Also of note, Yushin Okami is the last person to defeat gain a victory over Anderson Silva. In 2006, the two fought at Rumble on the Rock 8. In the opening round, Anderson Silva knocked out Okami with an illegal upkick. Because Okami was unable to continue, he was awarded a disqualification victory.

GIF of the upkick, courtesy of themmanews.com, after the jump.

By Cage Potato Japanese Correspondent, Stewart Fulton

(“Thunder” is currently in holding pattern awaiting word of his next opponent.)

We visited Yushin Okami at RJW (Real Japan Wrestling, part of the Wajutsu Keishukai network) where he trains several days a week to interview him and watch him take the MMA class with some of the resident professional and amateur fighters.

RJW is located in a very unlikely spot – a residential area of Tokyo on a converted floor of a condominium, rather hard to find for anyone unfamiliar with Tokyo or the Japanese language.

A foam matted area and a marked wrestling-matted area with padded walls is about all there is. No heavy bags; no fancy equipment. Just the smell of old sweat barely masked by disinfectant. The cleaning of the mats is done by all of those who train that day after practice, and this is the norm for all martial arts dojos of any discipline across Japan.

Okami was happy to have the opportunity to speak to the international media. His English is almost non-existent, and he is much less known in his own country than abroad, making it a rare occasion for him to speak publicly to the international audience.

He was very adamant about his position in terms of a title shot against Anderson Silva, confident that he will take the middleweight belt and completely uninterested in the talk of a GSP versus Silva match up. In fact, he expressed his disdain at the notion of anyone switching weight class and getting an automatic title shot.

Check out what the perennial UFC number one middleweight contender had to say after the jump.

(Awwwwww! Props: Chad S., Facebook.com/CagePotato)

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…

- UFC 128: Is Jon Jones a Dream Come True for Dana White and the UFC? (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- ‘UFC Primetime’ Returns for St. Pierre vs. Shields (MMA-Scraps)

- Frank Shamrock: I Did Not Offer to Take a Dive Against Kimbo Slice (MMA Fighting)

- Crazy Talk? Dan Henderson Could Give Jon Jones a Fight (MMA Convert)

- Exclusive Interview: Brian Ebersole Talks About Eating Marijuana Cookies and Being ‘The White Anderson Silva’ (MiddleEasy)

- Kendall Grove Facing Tim Boetsch at UFC 130 (Five Ounces of Pain)

- Anderson Silva Says Jon Jones’ Performance Was “Amazing”; Not Ruling out a Return to 205 (LowKick)

- Dana White “Worried” for UFC Champ Jon Jones (5thRound)

- Five Lessons: UFC 128 (Versus MMA Beat)

- Guida (#6) vs. Pettis (#9) Headlines Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale (Fight Magazine)

Aside from being the decisionest decisioner who ever decisioned, UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch also holds the record for the most total strikes landed in the Octagon — a staggering 1973, according to the new UFC Official Records page on FightMetric.com. Georges St. Pierre is a close second to Fitch with 1924 total strikes, but comes in first on the “Significant Strikes Landed” leaderboard with 892; Jon Fitch isn’t even in the top ten on that one.

Also surprising: Because of their multiple title fights and frequent decisions, Frank Edgar and Sean Sherk have average fight times of over 15 minutes. Plus, Anderson Silva is just one knockdown away from catching Chuck Liddell’s record of 14 KDs, Cheick Kongo has the fifth-best takedown accuracy in the UFC, and the hardest-to-hit fighter in UFC history isn’t Lyoto Machida or Georges St. Pierre — it’s TUF 4 vet Pete Spratt, who only ate 0.89 shots per minute during his 3-4 stint in the Octagon. (Yes, GSP is currently in second place on that list too.) Check out a few more notable FightMetric charts after the jump, and see the rest right here.

(The sad part is, they both think they’re the cute one.)

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…

- UFC 129 Moved Up One Hour to 9 p.m. ET; Change to All PPV Start Times Being Considered (MMA Fighting)

- Exclusive Interview With UFC Fight Night 24′s Phil ‘Mr. Wonderful’ Davis (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- Chad Ochocinco Continues to Call Out Anderson Silva (Versus MMA Beat)

- Strikeforce ‘Feijao vs. Henderson’ Ratings Down 44% From ‘Fedor vs. Silva’, Bellator Delivers Target Demos In MTV2 Debut (MMA Convert)

- A Memo to Strikeforce: Fighters Need To Fight (Five Ounces of Pain)

- UFC Inks Four-Year Broadcast Deal with Rogers Sportsnet in Canada (5thRound)

- Brendan Schaub: I’m Two Fights Away From a Title Shot (LowKick)

- Don Frye and Shark Fights Have Parted Ways (MiddleEasy)

- Watch the Wrestling Chops of this 8-Year-Old and Hope the Parents are Enrolling Him in MMA in the Near Future (MMA-Scraps)

- FIGHT! Ranking: Hendo Is #2, M-1 Global Champs Hold Ground, Bellator Welterweights Pick Each Other Off (FightMagazine)

Winning — it feels good, man. Lots more fighters enjoying the moment, after the jump.

(“I am on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen.” Pic: ESPN)

During the four years, four months and 16 days that Anderson Silva has had the middleweight title on lockdown, the UFC’s light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions have combined to produce 10 different champions. Think of it this way: Silva won the title by pulverizing Rich Franklin at freakin’ UFC 64, the same event where Sean Sherk defeated Kenny Florian to become the first lightweight champion since 2003. It was also just a few months after Michael Bisping defeated Josh Haynes to win season three of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Kinda seems like a lot has happened since then, huh?

Well, not at middleweight. Middleweight has been a rock – an unchanging, unshakable rock that sometimes seems so maddeningly bored with its own immovability that it just sits there and stares at its opponents for five tedious rounds. Silva’s dominance has been so thorough that it alone kind of makes ranking MMA’s top five 185-pounders an exercise in futility. Half the guys in the Top 10 have already been defeated by the current champ and lot of the other guys either don’t seem worthy or fight in other organizations. Still, we ranked ’em. Why? Because they were there, son, because they were there …

We considered saying unkind words about Silva’s personality, but we’re convinced he’s a ninja terminator unit.

Okay, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way: this Anderson Silva highlight vid/mini biopic/letter to the haters is incredibly well-done, and seven months old. We checked out the maker’s YouTube channel, to discover that, at least according to his profile, dude hasn’t logged on to his account since October. Apparently, when you make a video that is this full of badassery, that matches up this well with turn of the millennium Nas, you smash your graphics tablet and drop kick your computer out the window.

At any rate, we here at Potato HQ have poured out our fair share of HaterAde for the Spider, so this goes all to all the fans with Silva at #1 overall. If artnomad ever comes out of retirement, we’ll let you know.

(Image courtesy of MMAViewers.com)

By CagePotato contributor Jason Moles

Never before in the history of MMA has there been a more heavily anticipated fight than the one we may see in the not-too-distant future between UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva and welterweight champ Georges “Rush” St. Pierre. This is the Ali vs. Frazier of our sport.

UFC President Dana White has said that should St. Pierre beat welterweight contender Jake Shields at UFC 129, he would put the two fighters in the Octagon to let them answer the question talking heads have debated for so long: Who is the pound-for-pound best mixed martial artist in the world?

Nevertheless, one has to wonder how likely it is that the super fight actually comes to fruition. Some would argue that there is too much money to be made for this not to happen. Yeah, go tell that to Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Others would have you believe that if the fans want something, Uncle Dana gives it to them — like another fight on the free prelims after a thousand or so RT’s. We here at CagePotato don’t enjoy raining on your parade, but we do enjoy poking holes in your sails if it will keep you from inevitable heartbreak. With all of this in mind, know that for every reason this fight could and should happen, there are three more for why it cannot. Below is a quick rundown on the obstacles and potential problems facing the fight of the decade.

Vicious upkick KO – Watch more Funny Videos

This went down last Sunday at ProFC Union Nation Cup 13 in the Ukraine. Byakhtiyar Abbasov tries to set up a leg-lock off a scramble, and Igor Sliusarchuk axe-kicks him in the jaw not once, but twice. Even while unconscious, Abbasov refuses to let go of that mouthpiece. Sliusarchuck now joins the MMA Upkick Hall of Fame, alongside Renzo Gracie, Gegard Mousasi, and Anderson Silva.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/Kimura.se)

Our friends at Kimura.se caught up with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira recently and among other things, asked the former PRIDE and UFC interim heavyweight champion his thoughts on the potential superfight between his student, friend and training partner, UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Not surprisingly, Big Nog’ picked his homeboy to win the fight, but he was very complimentary of GSP, calling the French-Canadian the best wrestler in the sport.

Interview starts @ 8:30, but why hurry past Arianny’s cleavage?

With Anderson’s Seagal-inspired KO of Vitor Belfort last week, we are officially halfway toward the long awaited GSP-Silva super fight. Only Jake Shields stands in the way of this epic battle, and since we don’t even want to think about him fucking this up for us, let’s get ahead of ourselves and listen in on renowned boxing trainer Freddie Roach as he chats with Joe Rogan about GSP’s progression in boxing and his take on the potential match-up between GSP and Silva.

(Two very different ends of the agony/compensation spectrum. Images courtesy of MMAFighting.com)

The UFC shelled out over $1.6 million in disclosed salaries and bonuses to the fighters who competed at UFC 126, and damn, some of these dudes are making bank. Good to see it. The numbers are below, courtesy of MMAJunkie. Keep in mind that these salary totals don’t include additional income from sponsorships, undisclosed "locker room" bonuses, and (potentially, for some headliners) percentages of the pay-per-view revenue, or deductions for taxes, licensing fees, and insurance.

Anderson Silva: $275,000 (includes $75,000 Knockout of the Night bonus; no disclosed win bonus)
def. Vitor Belfort: $275,000

Forrest Griffin: $275,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus)
def. Rich Franklin: $75,000

Jon Jones: $215,000 (includes $70,000 win bonus, $75,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
def. Ryan Bader: $20,000

("I’ve killed more than 350 people in five different states. I’ve got to warn you though, some of the details are a little bit hazy." PicProps: MMA Mania)

As several astute MMA writers reminded us last week, UFC 126 was initially supposed to be Chael Sonnen’s second chance to not totally blow it against Anderson Silva. Then Sonnen’s life took a dramatic zag when we discovered his piss was pure testosterone and he was forced to turn stoolie to avoid jail time on a federal mortgage fraud beef. His UFC contract duly frozen, we haven’t heard much at all from the now former realtor as he prepares for sentencing. After Silva’s Seagal-inspired win over Vitor Belfort on Saturday night though, old school wrestler-turned-fighter-turned-commentator-turned-actor Paul Lazenby (official MMA record 1-6, according to the Dog) reached out to Sonnen for comment. Turns out, dude didn’t have anything nice to say at all.

"Thank you, Anderson, for revealing yet another weakness for me to exploit in our rematch,” Sonnen said, or emailed as it seems. “Beating that poor punching bag doesn’t impress Uncle Chael, guy. You tipped your hand like a chump poker player at a $5 table in Atlantic City. You may have beaten Vitor, but in the process, you LOST your edge. By beating that husk, you gave me the last page of your playbook. Revel in your time, (because) it ENDS the night you face me. I will mow you down like autumn wheat, AGAIN."

Yeah, at this point, Sonnen’s patter is starting to feel pretty desperate. He’s like a serial killer who just keeps confessing to made-up crimes because the thing that scares him most is that people will lose interest in him. Also, we already know that his opinions are as malleable as a Roman gladiator’s sexuality, but referring to Belfort as “that poor punching bag” and “that husk” constitutes a 180-degree turnabout from what he said about “The Phenom” almost a year ago to the day.

 
(Video courtesy YouTube/MMAHeat)

When Anderson Silva mentioned in his post-UFC 126 fight interview that Steven Seagal taught him the front kick that he knocked Vitor Belfort out with Saturday night most of the MMA community were willing to give the Hard to Kill, Out for Justice Lawman the benefit of the doubt, but when the Marked for Death, Above the Law Glimmer Man told reporters that he invented the textbook front kick, we weren’t the only ones who called bullshit.

Here’s what Seagal had to say to MMA Heat’s Karyn Bryant about Silva’s win:

"I couldn’t have been happier, because right before he walked out I said to him, ‘Stay away from him for the first, you know, two, three minutes, just kind of get him frustrated and fake low and come high and do that kick I’ve been teaching you and kick him in the head or the face. He did exactly what I said and exactly what I wanted to happen and I was very, very proud of him…I was raised in Japan under some of the greatest karate masters and jiu-jitsu masters to live in our time and I learned that kick 40 years ago or 30 years….35…I don’t know — a long, long time ago and I worked for the last 35 years or so to perfect it."

(Above: "…and I’m gonna wear one of those stupid jester-hats in the Octagon. And you’re not going to do a damn thing about it." 
Below: Jon Jones knows that the best way to deal with a bully is to ignore him, Michihiro Omigawa does that ridiculous duck-face thing, and Miguel Torres and Antonio Banuelos face off for the unofficial Mexican Bantamweight Championship. All photos courtesy of the UFC 126: Weigh In Pics gallery on CombatLifestyle.com)
  

Fuck football. Unless you were cursed enough to grow up in Green Bay, or you’re a supporter of dudes who get accused of rape a lot, you know as well as I do that this weekend belongs to cage-fighting. And if you don’t, you can piss off right now. Seriously. The rest of us will wait. 

Now then. Tonight’s ultra-stacked lineup features the longest-reigning champion in UFC history defending his middleweight title for the eighth time against a power-punching dynamo who used to be a UFC champion himself, seven years and one weight-class ago. Supporting the main event will be a scrap between two Octagon icons and former belt-holders (Franklin vs. Griffin), a fight that could produce the future of the 205-pound division (Jones vs. Bader), Miguel Torres’s breathtaking mullet, and the UFC debuts of some exciting imported talent from Japan.

Live UFC 126 results will be stacking up after the jump, beginning with a quick recap of the Yamamoto/Johnson Facebook match at 8:25 p.m. ET, leading into the Spike TV prelims broadcast at 9 p.m., and finally the pay-per-view broadcast at 10 p.m. So we’ve got a long night of fighting in front of us — but hey, nobody ever said being an MMA fan would be easy.

(VidProps: ESPN)

If you’re not already pumped for UFC 126, there isn’t much we (or modern medicine) can do for you at this point. The card is stacked, the matchups are stellar and the UFC middleweight champion showed up at the weigh-in looking like he just stepped out of the orgy scene in “Eyes Wide Shut” and damn near started a brawl. What more do you want? Fine, we’ve got a couple more tidbits for you, but after this we’re done until tonight’s live blog and tomorrow’s aftermath retrospectives.

First, some interesting stuff came out of ESPN’s MMA Live weigh-in special (video at top) on Friday. Most notably, Franklin McNeil makes the wild, barely attributable claim that estranged trainer Shawn Tompkins has been leaking secrets to Anderson Silva’s camp since splitting with Vitor Belfort a couple weeks ago. Basically McNeil quotes “several” anonymous sources telling him hazy things about Tompkins “being in contact with Team Silva” and he “assumes” that it means Tompkins is stabbing Vitor in the back. Dude, and people call us rumor mongers? He also refers to Shawn Tompkins as “Thompson” at least once here, but that’s really beside the point.

Also, we’ve got quotes from Jon Jones that make him sound either totally prepared for Ryan Bader, or not prepared at all. It’s all after the jump …