That moment when you’re eyeing down a ten point buck, then shit yourself in excitement. (What? The joke was there and I took it. I regret nothing.)

Ever since Tim Sylvia decided to retire from mixed martial arts competition due to…erm…let’s call them “health problems,” the world has waited on baited breath to see what the former UFC heavyweight champion’s next project would be. Triathlons? Hot dog eating competitions? Or would he, as we suspected, return to the quiet life of an Illinois police officer, only to be forced back into competition to avenge his brother’s death/take down a ruthless drug lord? The possibilities were literally endless.

Well, as it turns out, the answer is a bit simpler than we might have predicted, but arguably just as glorious. That’s because Sylvia will stepping away from the octagon and into the forest to host a hunting show, Hit Squad Outdoors with Tim Sylvia, and wouldn’t you know it, we’ve managed to get our hands on the glorious trailer.

(You think that’s impressive? You should see how Hughes handles a rhino.)

Fact: Matt Hughes loves hunting. Loves it. And whether you stand on the “hunting is for sociopaths” or the “guns are the only thing keeping giant underground worms from invading the earth” side of the issue, you gotta respect the former welterweight champion’s dedication to slaying every beast this earth has to offer, except for the most dangerous game, that is. In either case, Hughes recently partook in a South African hunting expedition with his son Joey, and the results look like what you would expect an Oregon Trail novice to haul in on his first Buffalo hunt. A lot of things were killed is what we’re saying. But before you jump on Hughes for blatantly wasting such delicious Zebra meat or being an ignorant redneck (we’re looking at you, Dan Hardy), know that the meat from animals hunted in African safaris is often donated to local villages in need, and the hefty licensing fees guys like Hughes have to pay to legally hunt such game help fund the nation’s conservation efforts. In other words: Fuck yeah guns!!

-J. Jones

(Molon Labe)

By Jason Moles

(First off, let me just tell you that I fought the urge to use a “Business as usual” headline. You’re welcome.)

News trickled down last week that Zuffa has instituted a sponsorship ban on all firearm, ammo, hunting, and knife companies. Essentially, no more Matt Hughes. Starting January 23rd, Ammo To Go and The Gun Store, among others, will no longer be able to sponsor fighters. When contacted by CagePotato in hopes to better understand the reasoning behind the less than popular decision, the UFC said only that “These are rules set in place by Fox” — who declined to comment.

Not satisfied with that answer, I called up the man himself. And by “called up,” I mean tweeted. And by “the man himself,” I meant Dana White – not Sheik Tahnoon. His answer only raised more questions, primarily why doesn’t the UFC President know that some of his fighters will soon receive one less paycheck courtesy of FOX? Talk about bad timing, too. Wasn’t it just a week ago that Lorenzo Fertita was touting to ESPN the significant amount of money to be made in sponsorships?

(Nah, he’s just sleepin’.) 

Well, at least he attained the proper tags. None other than former UFC welterweight champion and avid hunting afficionado Matt Hughes tweeted this picture early today, which was taken on a recent hunting trip he made to the Midwest. After more than a few of his followers had something to say about it, Matt responded with the following tweet:

(Video courtesy of YouTube/federalpremiumammo)

Well, it looks like Brock Lesnar has recovered from his latest diverticulitis flare-up. The former WWE and UFC heavyweight champion’s sponsor Federal Premium Ammo released the video above of Lesnar out killing vicious prairie dogs with high-powered rifles while laughing like a maniac and chewing on Jack’s Links jerky. So much for his illness making him a kinder, gentler Brock who eats healthier.

("Just a backpack full of shit I killed. No big deal." PicProps: Sherdog)

In the immediate aftermath of Brock Lesnar’s soul-shattering beatdown at the hands of Cain Velasquez at UFC 121, Dana White went on TV and wagered that Lesnar might call off much of his previously scheduled vacation time in favor of getting back in the cage. That’s just the kind of no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners SOB that Brock Lesnar is, Our Fearless Leader told us, sounding certain the big guy would want to wash the taste of defeat out of his mouth as soon as possible.

Instead … cue the crickets … because aside from some pics of him posing alongside a freshly smote whitetail, we haven’t heard boo from Brock since then. What with the UFC’s 2011 cards already filling up into March and the heavyweight division devolving into chaos around our very ears, our pals at MMA Fighting.com got a little antsy and decided to start asking the tough questions. Turns out Big DW hasn’t heard from Lesnar lately.

(Tim Sylvia flashes gang sign to warn the other bear cubs at what’s comin’.)

This pic of Big Tim posing with his most recent “kill” has caused a little stir among the forums — some hating him even more, some saying ‘so what?’, and the rest using this to lift Fedor to some loftier humane level. Somehow Fedor has been pulled into this, I guess due to his possible fight with Sylvia this summer. Now trust me, I relish mocking The Maine-iac almost as much as I relish binge drinking, but we also have to remember that Fedor enjoys occasionally munching on Fido. You’ll recall when it first hit the news a couple of years ago on Fedor’s trip to South Korea — and it’s a dish he still partakes in.

Apparently, Korean dog soup (“posintang”) is good for improving your stamina. And it’s finger-lickin’ good as a bonus:

“It’s unique. It tastes different from other meats,” Emelianenko was quoted by Yonhap News Agency.

No word if Big Tim ate the bear, but we hear bear meat is nature’s Metamucil. If dog soup’s more your thing, go here for the full recipe. It only requires 100g of boiled dog. I’ve often wondered what my dog, Max, would taste like between two slabs of rye, but I’ll take Fedor’s word for it and stick with caffeine for my stamina.

(Props BloodyElbow)