Worst BJJ Injury Ever?

We dare you to look. But not if you’re eating, or easily freaked out. Miguel Torres recently tweeted this pic of an injury from someone at his school. You’ve heard of tap or snap? This is why:

UFC 132 Predictions

UFC 132 is set to take place on Saturday, July 2nd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The main event is a rematch between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

Cruz and Faber faced each other in 2007 for the WEC Featherweight belt. Cruz took the loss – his only to date – when he was submitted by guillotine choke in the first round. Cruz went on to win his next 8 bouts, including 3 WEC/UFC Bantamweight Championship matches. Faber is 7-3 since his first match-up against Cruz, with all 3 losses for the WEC Featherweight Championship. Faber’s third featherweight championship loss was his last in the 145lbs division and he is now 2-0 since moving down to 135lbs.

Here are my predictions for all five, main card, fights.

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber

Cruz and Faber is not only a great rematch for UFC fans, but it’s an intense grudge match. Cruz and Faber have publically admitted that they don’t care for each other, which makes this bout even more exciting.

Even though Faber hasn’t faired well in championship bouts recently, he is still a force in the cage. Faber has the ability to end a fight in numerous ways. His cardio is always excellent and he is never lacking confidence. Faber might even have the mental edge in this bout, due to his previous victory over Cruz. However, Cruz has evolved greatly since his last match with Faber. Cruz has out worked all of his opponents and kept himself out of danger with his in & out style. I see Cruz continuing his winning ways to retain his belt by decision.

Pick – Dominick Cruz

Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben

Silva vs. Leben is the kind of stand-up war that fans dream about. These two guys have combined for 36 knockout victories in their careers. There is a chance that this fight could end early in the first round, with either guy getting their hand raised. Leben is coming off a bad loss to Brian Stann and Silva has been out of action since February 2010. Silva did have a decision win against Michael Bisping in his last bout, but he lost 5 of 6 before that match. Can Leben rebound from his last loss? Will Silva be rusty after being out for over a year? All I know is that this is going to be a war and it should excite fans from start to finish. I’m having a hard time picking the winner, but I see Leben coming away with the victory, as long as he stays away from Silva’s knees.

Pick – Chris Leben

Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader

Ortiz has not won a fight since 2006 and some wonder why he is still in the UFC. The answer, he has name recognition and he can still hang with most guys in the division. Ortiz now has the opportunity to keep his job when he faces a young, tough fighter in Bader. Bader is 12-1, with his one loss to Jon Jones, and has progressed as a fighter since his stay in the Ultimate Fighter house. I see Bader using his power, wrestling and youth to carry him to a unanimous decision victory over Ortiz.

Pick – Ryan Bader

Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Condit and Kim are both coming off huge wins. Condit knocked Dan Hardy out last October and Kim beat Nate Diaz by unanimous decision in January. Kim is looking to once again beat a top level guy on his way up the welterweight ladder. Meanwhile, Condit is looking to cement himself as the top contender for the welterweight championship. Kim will try to take Condit down and wear him out for the victory, but I don’t see that happening. Condit should be able to utilize his stand-up and ground game to pick up the victory by submission.

Pick – Carlos Condit

Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman

Wiman is coming off three straight wins, including a very impressive victory over Cole Miller in January. The problem is that Wiman is going up against a dangerous striker in Siver. Wiman will try to take Siver down, but ask George Sotiropoulos how well that worked for him. I see Siver keeping the fight standing and finish Wiman by TKO.

Pick – Dennis Siver

by Tim Stroud

Reddington’s Pro Debut Must Wait

Perhaps we should add gymnastics to the many disciplines of mixed martial arts, at least for promoters and matchmakers, who can never rest until the event actually starts.

We saw the chain of changes made in just one of the fights on the recent UFC Live card. Anthony Johnson was supposed to fight Nate Marquardt but had to pull out. Enter Rick Story, who stepped up to take the bout on short notice after defeating Thiago Alves. But then Marquardt was not medically approved to fight, so Charlie Brenneman takes the fight on the shortest of notice. He comes in and beats Story, which makes quite an amazing story.

This is even more common at the regional level of fighting. Greg Reddington is a 135-pounder that trains and teaches at Patriot Boxing in Elmhurst. He has fought locally at Mayhem Promotions’ ‘Disorderly Conduct’, TFC and the Lock Down at Lowell. He was all set to make his pro debut at XFO 40 this past weekend.

But just a week before the event, his opponent pulled out of the fight. The promoters had a small window to find a replacement to take on Reddington, and they were able to accomplish that. Reddington’s debut was back on. But then came more bad news. Reddington’s new opponent suffered a TKO loss in his last bout. He was placed on medical suspension by the athletic commission, which isn’t necessarily a big deal. Usually a fighter will just need some sort of medical clearance from a doctor before the commission will clear him to fight again, assuming he did not suffer a major injury.

“He didn’t do the required things after that kind of loss and we both paid the price,” said Reddington.

So now Reddington says he has been told that August 20th is the new date of his pro debut. Hopefully.

Ken Shamrock vs. James Toney Presser

Here’s some video from the Ken Shamrock vs. James Toney presser.

Some thoughts: What happened to Ken Shamrock’s physique? He looks like he might weigh less than 200. And it seems that James Toney’s grappling still needs some improvement as he couldn’t break free from his handlers when they were “holding him back”.

Pat Curran’s Peruvian Necktie

The weight cut to 145 did not sap any of Pat Curran’s speed or power in his first round fight of the Bellator featherweight tourney. Curran controlled the fight from start to finish, and he made the crowd jump out of their seats not once, but twice.

The first highlight came when he floored Luis Palomino with a right-hand that was reminiscent of his KO against Mike Ricci here in Chicago. Then comes Curran works a sub chain and ends up submitting the Peruvian with a Peruvian Necktie.

UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Story Predictions

by Tim Stroud

UFC Live on Versus 4 is set to take place on Sunday, June 26^th at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The original main event was supposed to pair Anthony Johnson against Nate Marquardt, in Marquardt’s welterweight debut. Once Johnson pulled out of the main event, with a rotator cuff injury, rising prospect, Rick Story, took his spot against Marquardt.

Here are my predictions for all four fights that will be aired on Versus.

Nate Marquardt vs. Rick Story

Marquardt was one of the best middleweight fighters in the UFC, but after two title eliminator matches against Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami, he decided to test the waters in the welterweight division. Marquardt was given a tough test with the dangerous Anthony Johnson, but Johnson was injured and Rick Story replaced him. Story is coming off of his biggest win of his career in defeating Thiago Alves at UFC 130. Story is taking this fight on short notice and is going against a very well-rounded opponent. Story will have to use his wrestling to takedown and frustrate Marquardt for a decision. However, I see Marquardt using his size, strength and experience to beat Story by submission.

Pick – Nate Marquardt

Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry

This fight has the potential for a slugfest. Kongo is known for his heavy hands and Barry has the best leg kicks in the business. Both of these guys are in need of a win and they will come out looking for a stoppage. I see this fight staying on the feet for some time, where either guy has a chance to finish the other. I see Barry slowing Kongo’s attack with his monstrous leg kicks. Once Kongo realizes that his stand-up is being neutralized, he will start taking Barry down to control the fight. Even though this fight could end early, I see it going the distance with Kongo getting the victory.

Pick – Cheick Kongo

John Howard vs. Matt Brown

Martin Kampmann was originally slated to face Howard, but after an injury, Matt Brown was moved from his fight against Rich Attonito to square off against Howard. Brown is the type of fighter that will go right at you and give you a war. Out of Brown’s eleven wins, none have gone to a decision. Brown has his hands full with Howard. Howard is a tough guy to stop and he has a never say quit attitude. Both guys are on losing streaks and they are fighting to keep their jobs with the UFC. I see this being a war and the possible fight of the night in favor of Howard.

Pick – John Howard

Matt Mitrione vs. Christian Morecraft

Mitrione is 4-0, with 3 wins by KO/TKO, in his short time with the UFC. Morecraft has a 7-1 record and he has shown the ability to get a knockout or submission. I see Morecraft testing his ability to stand with Mitrione, but will eventually try to take him down to work the ground & pound. However, Mitrione will be too quick and keep himself on his feet. I see Mitrione using his speed, leg kicks and power to get a KO/TKO on Morecraft in the second round.

Pick – Matt Mitrione

Tim Stroud is a Kentucky-based writer. Follow him on Twitter @TheEntityMMA

James Toney vs. Ken Shamrock? Believe It!

I may be one of the few remaining fight fans that still wants to see Ken Shamrock fight, and win. Looks like I’m going to be getting what I want.

MMA Fighting (through BJPenn.com) reports that Shamrock and Toney have agreed to fight an MMA match, possibly taking place in September.

Toney’s trainer was quoted as saying that Toney will not replicate the mistakes he made against Randy Couture, and that he has promised to work hard in training.

Here’s how I see it going: Shamrock jabs twice, shoots, takes him down and leg locks him into submission.

In the cage interviews, Toney says — like he did after the Couture fight — that there is nothing wrong with his ground game and he’ll be back for more money. Or MMA. Or Both.

Ken starts calling out people including his brother Frank, Brock Lesnar and Tito Ortiz. Sportsbooks set odds and take wagers on which will come first: A Ken vs. Frank fight or Frank getting his braces removed. Degenerate gamblers go insane from confusion trying to make a choice.

Sounds like fun. right?

Kaos in Kankakee 9 Results

Kaos in Kankakee 9 went down Saturday, and here are the results.

125 — T.J. Nester def. Matt Barr
170 — Jason Summers def. Daryl
Denton
HVY — Joe Krischokas def. Evan Eckhoff
185 — Jesse Houseman def. Brian
Forker
135 — Jason Cross def. AJ Masters
155 — Brandon Degroot def. Josh Vaugh
135 — Gary Griswold def. Baron Cutwiler
145 — Blake Olsen def. Kory Eckhoff
205 — Bill Johnson def. Lenin Carpenter
145 — Alonzo Fuller def. Nick Hasik by
decision
155 — Camren Bilyard def. Brian Titus
170 — Calvin Zirkle def. Billy Mathiers
185 — Seth Radke def. Mike Suprenant

h/t: Kankakee Daily Journal

UFC 132 Preview Video

UFC 132 takes place on July 2nd, and it features a phenomenal card. It has a title fight, former champs, legends, contenders, punishing strikers and more. The undercard is amazing. Here’s a look at the preview video.

Get Yourself Some Chuck Norris Action Jeans

We’re hoping that our friends at MMA Warehouse can get their hands on some shipments of these. I’m pretty sure they would sell like hotcakes!

Even if these jeans are no longer in production they will still beat you down and head kick you into unconsciousness.

h/t: Topless Robot

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