MORTAL KOMBAT, THE MMA EDITION

Mortal Kombat is soon to get a reboot for PS3/XBOX and was just released for the iPhone. It’s one of the most popular video games of all-time. But you ain’t seen nuthin’ until you see the MMA version of Mortal Kombat. The Four-armed, half-dragon, half-wrestler Brock Lesnar, the Shaolin fighting monk Randy Couture, even Chicago’s very own Mike Russow. They are all here.

Check out more MMA vids at lookoutawhale’s You Tube channel!

BELLATOR SIGNS RON SPARKS

Bellator Fighting Championships today announced the signing of fast-rising heavyweight knockout artist Ron “The Monster” Sparks to an exclusive long-term promotional agreement. The hard-hitting Sparks earned his spot on the Bellator roster with a devastating 50 second knockout of the previously undefeated Greg Maynard during Bellator 30 in September of this year. Sparks will take part in Bellator’s next heavyweight tournament, slated to take place in 2011.

The 6’4”, 265 lbs. Louisville native owns a flawless 6-0 professional record with an astounding 83 knockout percentage (five TKO or KOs and one decision.) Wasting no time in the cage, all five of Sparks’ combined KOs amount to a total time of just three minutes and 14 seconds.

“I want to be like Mike Tyson was in the 1980′s,” said Sparks. “I’m coming in there to knock you out, and that’s just the way I’m going to come. I’m coming in there to rip your head off. I want to catch them on the chin and be done with them.”

“With his devastating knockout power, natural strength and athleticism, Ron Sparks is a guy who deserves to compete at the next level of competition. I’m glad to say he will be doing that under the Bellator banner,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.

The massive heavyweight found interest in martial arts early in life when at the age of seven his father, a Vietnam veteran who taught martial arts in the military, showed him a Bruce Lee film.

“I was Bruce Lee in my backyard after that. I wanted to be him,” said Sparks. “From that point on I was just obsessed with anything combat sports related kickboxing, judo, Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, boxing – you name it, Bruce Lee is the reason I’m fighting today.”

Before going pro in 2006, Sparks amassed an unblemished amateur MMA record of 5-0 but found it frustratingly hard to find fights, with many of his opponents backing out at the last minute after seeing the 265 plus pound Sparks. This has also happened in his professional career.

“I’ve had so many opponents pull out of fights with me in the past. I guess a lot of guys don’t want to lose to me or they feel like I’m that big of a threat,” Said Sparks. “It’s frustrating because I have to train almost 9 weeks sometimes for fights these guys just to pull out.”

Looking toward the next level of his career, the 36 year old is eager to bring his tenacity to the Bellator cage.

“When that bell rings and I come out, people are going to be like, “This guy is for real,” because when I come across that cage, I’m going to be throwing hell for a good fifteen minutes,” said Sparks. “I want the Bellator Heavyweight Title, and I’ll be ready to go through hell to get it.”

STRIKEFORCE ANNOUNCES BEST OF 2010 WINNERS

Strikeforce announced the winners in the voting for their Best of 2010.

BEST KNOCKOUT:

Paul Daley KOs Scott Smith

2:09 of Round 1

December 4, 2010 at Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu

BEST SUBMISSION:

Fabricio Werdum submits Fedor Emelianenko

1:09 of Round 1

June 26, 2010 at Strikeforce & M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum

RISING STAR:

Tyron Woodley

BEST UPSET:

Fabricio Werdum submits Fedor Emelianenko

1:09 of Round 1

June 26, 2010 at Strikeforce & M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum

BEST FEMALE FIGHTER:

Cris “Cyborg” Santos

BEST MALE FIGHTER:

Nick Diaz

BEST FIGHT 2010:

Nick Diaz vs. KJ Noons

October 9, 2010 at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Noons II

ROBBIE LAWLER SIGNS NEW STRIKEFORCE DEAL

The man that had 2 of the most brutal knockouts of 2010 has inked a new deal to remain with Strikeforce.

One day after re-signing its world welterweight champion, Nick Diaz, to a new multi-fight deal, STRIKEFORCE announced Wednesday that exciting, hard-hitting former two-time world middleweight champion “Ruthless’’ Robbie Lawler had also signed a new, multi-year agreement with the San Jose, Calif.-based world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion.

One of the most lethal punchers in his weight class, Lawler (18-6, 1 NC) will challenge STRIKEFORCE middleweight belt-holder “Jacare” Souza (13-2, 1 NC) in one half of a STRIKEFORCE World Championship Doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 29, at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). Diaz (23-7, 1 NC) will defend his title against Brazilian powerhouse Evangelista Cyborg (18-13) in the other.

Lawler, a 5-foot-11, 28-year-old southpaw fan favorite from Granite City, Ill., is coming off one of the most devastating MMA knockouts of 2010 – a brutal, single-punch, 50-second annihilation of Matt “The Law’’ Lindland last Dec. 4 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Fifteen of Lawler’s 18 career victories have come via knockout or TKO.

“STRIKEFORCE has treated me good and I am happy to re-sign with them,” Lawler said. “They have given me an opportunity to fight for the title and I’m looking forward to that and to fighting any and all of the top 185-pounders.’’

Since September 2006, Lawler has gone 7-2-1 with one No Contest. Three starts ago, the athletic, aggressive crowd-pleaser registered a dramatic, come-from-behind first-round (3:33) KO over highly regarded Melvin Manhoef on Jan. 30, 2010.

Lawler, who turned pro at 19, fought Scott “Hands Of Steel’’ Smith during the first-ever primetime network telecast of MMA on May 31, 2008, on The CBS Television Network.

In other featured fights on the stacked Jan. 29 SHOWTIME televised card, football legend and MMA upstart, the incredible Herschel Walker (1-0) will return to the cage to face Scott Carson (4-1) in a heavyweight bout and undefeated Roger Gracie (3-0), will battle former South African national wrestling champion and MMA star Trevor Prangley (23-6-1) at light heavyweight (205 pounds).

GET WELL SOON, JEFF CURRAN

Best wishes for a quick recovery to Jeff Curran. That’s Curran right before his recent surgery, going to have his arm repaired after aggravating an old injury during his fight against David Love at XFO 37. That fight was one of the best local fights of the year, and you can watch it below.

Curran told MMA Weekly, “They found out through neurological tests that my ulna nerve is pinched at my elbow joint, and it’s also hung up in the plate that I have, so that’s what’s causing this numbness. They have to go in and re-position this nerve, which is the thickness of a pin that runs up your arm, and they’re going to remove this plate and shave my bone down, stitch me up and hope for the best.”

Curran hopes to get back into the UFC soon, which would be great for him. Not so much for the local fans that loved seeing him fight at XFO 37. He hopes to be back training by June. Hopefully he’ll fight a few more times locally before heading back to the big show. Here’s the Love fight from XFO 37.

photo cred: Suckerpunch on Facebook
vid cred: Jens Pulver on Alienware

HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT TO TRAIN BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU? LIKE, REALLY BAD?

More and more of those virtual animated cartoons are popping up on the web lampooning a host of topics, and some creative mind has brilliantly produced a short taking shots at a certain stereotype of MMA fan.  Those who really train will find this video particularly hilarious, especially the part at the end which brilliantly concludes what is essentially a commentary on some of the “tough guys” interested in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

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RICH FRANKLIN: BEHIND THE LENS

Rich Franklin is on the cover of the latest Fight! Magazine. Here is the “Behind the Lens” photo shoot video. Up next for Franklin is a bout with Forrest Griffin at UFC 126.

AMERICAN PREDATOR FC: ULTIMATE BATTLEGROUND

Body Lock and American Predator Fighting Championship present “Ultimate Battleground” at the Melrose Park Civic Center in Lemont on February 19th, 2011.

LIL EVIL IS BACK AT XFO 38

Jens Pulver makes his XFO debut and his debut as a member of Team Curran. Joey “The Real” Diehl makes his pro debut. And Michele “Diablita” Gutierrez will do battle. I wouldn’t wait too long if you want to get tickets to this.

NICK DIAZ, JACARE DEFEND TITLES ON JANUARY 29

STRIKEFORCE World Welterweight (170 pounds) Champion Nick Diaz (23-7, 1 NC) will make his second title defense when he faces Brazilian powerhouse Evangelista Cyborg (18-13) in main event action and STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight (185 pounds) Champion “Jacare” Souza (13-2, 1 NC) will put his belt on the line for the first time when he squares off with power-punching knockout artist “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (18-6, 1 NC) in the co-main event of a stacked Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card at HP Pavilion in San Jose, live on SHOWTIME.

In other featured televised fights on SHOWTIME, football legend and MMA upstart, the incredible Herschel Walker (1-0) will return to the cage to face Scott Carson (4-1) in a heavyweight bout. The latest prospect from MMA’s first family, undefeated Roger Gracie (3-0), will battle former South African national wrestling champion and MMA star Trevor Prangley (23-6-1) at light heavyweight (205 pounds).

The 27-year-old Diaz, of Stockton, Calif. has been unstoppable of late, winning his last eight fights. In his last effort, the 6-foot-1 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and potent striker settled a three-year old score with arch-nemesis KJ Noons, out-striking Noons en route to a five-round unanimous decision at HP Pavilion last Oct. 9.

Five months prior to the victory over Noons, the no-nonsense Diaz, one of MMA’s most intriguing figures, ventured to Saitama, Japan, to face top-ranked rival Hayato “Mach” Sakurai in a DREAM promoted affair. To the surprise of many, the southpaw Diaz made quick work of Sakurai, submitting the Japanese fighter with an armbar at the 3:54 mark of the first round.

Like Diaz, Cyborg, the husband of STRIKEFORCE Women’s Middleweight (145 pounds) Champion Cris Cyborg, possesses tremendous striking abilities, having KO’d 11 of his 18 victims. In his last outing, the 5-foot-10 Cyborg, who hails from Rondonopolis, Brazil, scored a first round TKO (punches) over highly-touted Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis at STRIKEFORCE: Live at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles last June 16.

Prior to defeating Zaromskis, Cyborg scored a first round-TKO on Daniel Zarate with a head kick and flurry of punches in Curitiba, Brazil on Dec. 12, 2009.

Souza, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, captured the vacant STRIKEFORCE middleweight crown last Aug. 21 when he earned a hard-fought unanimous decision over American military hero Tim Kennedy at Toyota Center in Houston, Tex. A slick submission specialist who has tapped out 10 of his 13 victims, the 6-foot Souza surprisingly opted to stand and exchange punches and kicks with his opponent for five rounds rather than take the fight to the mat.

A resident of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Souza, who celebrated his 31st birthday on Dec. 7, earned a crack at the middleweight title by winning his first two STRIKEFORCE starts. In his STRIKEFORCE debut on Dec. 19, 2009, he submitted 1996 Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt Lindland with an arm triangle choke at the 4:18 mark of the first round. Last May 15, Souza earned a unanimous decision over Joey Villasenor at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

Souza’s only defeats came in his first career match in 2003 and to former STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi at the DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand-Prix Final in Saitama, Japan, in 2008. The showdown with Mousasi came shortly after Souza had claimed victory earlier on the same night over Zelg Galesic with an armbar submission in the first round of a quarterfinal round tournament bout.

Over the course of the 2008 DREAM tournament series, Souza also triumphed over Ian Murphy with a first-round (3:38) rear naked choke and over superstar Jason “Mayhem” Miller via unanimous decision.

The 28-year-old Lawler’s title shot will take place less than two months after the former Pat Miletich protégé decimated Lindland with a single punch just 50 seconds into their matchup at Scottrade Center on Dec. 4.

One of the hardest punchers in his weight class, the 5-foot-11 Lawler is a two-time 185-pound world champion who has earned 15 of his 18 career victories via knockout or TKO.

Last Jan. 30, Lawler produced a dramatic, come-from-behind, first-round (3:33) knockout over highly regarded, fellow striking machine Melvin Manhoef at Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.

After turning pro at age 19 in April 2001, Lawler, who was born in San Diego, Calif., relocated at an early age with his family to Bettendorf, Iowa. He fought for years out of the Miletich Fighting Systems headquarters in nearby Davenport and eventually relocated to Granite City, Ill. His UFC bout with Aaron Riley on May 10, 2002, became the first MMA bout to air on network television (FOX Sports Network).

Lawler took on Scott “Hands Of Steel’’ Smith during the first-ever, live primetime network telecast of MMA on May 31, 2008, on The CBS Television Network. After the bout was ruled a no contest due to an accidental thumb to Smith’s eye, Lawler dominated Smith in their live CBS primetime-televised rematch on July 26, 2009, scoring an impressive second-round TKO.

The matchup between Walker and Carson was originally scheduled for Dec. 4, but was postponed after Walker sustained a cut above his eye during a training session.

Healthy, eager and ready to go, the 48-year-old Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time NFL Pro Bowl competitor, is undefeated at 1-0 in his latest athletic endeavor – MMA. A 1999 College Hall of Fame inductee who was also selected to Sports Illustrated’s NCAA All-Century Team that year, the 6-foot-1, 220 pound Walker of Atlanta already holds a fifth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and boasts additional training in the combat disciplines of Muay Thai and Kenpo.

On Jan. 30, Walker made an impressive professional MMA debut, scoring a third round TKO (punches) over 26-year-old Greg Nagy at Sunrise, Fla.’s BankAtlantic Center. Walker has been training in San Jose, Calif. with Team AKA, one of the most prominent MMA fight camps in the world that is also the home of former STRIKEFORCE world champions Cung Le and Josh Thomson.

The 6-foot-2-inch Carson, a resident of Gardena, Calif., turned pro in September 1999 and won his initial four starts through June 2001. He is a WEC veteran who scored a first-round submission victory over Bryson Haubrick at the inaugural WEC event on June 30, 2001.

After being sidelined with a back injury and due to several scheduled fights falling out, Carson, a former longtime training partner of MMA legend Chuck Liddell, was finally able to fill his desire to get back in the cage last June 12 in Los Angeles. A member of Reign Training Center in Lake Forest, he got knocked out in the first round by undefeated Lorenz Martin (3-0 going in, 5-0 now).

The 29-year-old, 6-foot-4 Gracie, the winner of the coveted ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, holds a second degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Carlos Gracie, Jr. He made history by submitting all eight of his opponents during the tournament, a feat that had never previously been achieved.

Not surprisingly, Gracie’s highly advanced submission skills have been his key to success in all three of his MMA starts. Last May 15, he made his STRIKEFORCE debut, submitting former UFC Heavyweight Champion and former NCAA National Wresting Champion Kevin “The Monster” Randleman with a rear naked choke in the second round (4:10) at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

A native of Brazil, Gracie resides in West London, England, where he owns and operates The Roger Gracie Academy.

One of the most feared and dangerous fighters in the light heavyweight division, Prangley has proven he is capable of defeating anyone on any given night. Since his pro debut in January 2001, the 6-foot Prangley has fought some of the world’s toughest opponents, including former STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight Champion “Babalu” Sobral, Jorge Santiago (his last loss) and Chael Sonnen. Prangley’s most significant victory may have come against Sonnen.

Prangley has competed in five STRIKEFORCE events, including Four Men Enter, One Man Survives, the first sanctioned MMA tournament in the state of California on November 16, 2007. During the second STRIKEFORCE event at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Sept. 20, 2008, Prangley was victorious over Anthony “A Train” Ruiz by way of unanimous decision.

After winning a national wrestling championship in his native South Africa, Prangley left his homeland for The United States in search of the highest caliber wrestling training, and later established himself as a force in the sport of MMA. He is a member of Team AKA in San Jose.

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