10. Worst Kept Secret:
Allistair Overeem used “something” to get that swollen?  No way.  I would like to “inject” that he got so big due to all the horse meat he likes to eat.   No doping there.

9.  Thinking Out Loud:
So this whole Overeem drug test thing has me wondering how long Josh Barnett will last if Dana White actually brings him back into the UFC.

8. Worst Kept Secret #2:
Overeem failed his random drug test but Roy Nelson passed his.  “Big Country” used the #nodoubts hashtag when boasting about passing on Twitter.  Hey Roy, there was no doubt you’d pass, but after seeing that beard we also don’t doubt you’re NOT using Just for Men.

7. There’s No MMA In NY But…:
There might be K1.  The struggling kickboxing organization says it will hold the finals of the World Grand Prix in New York City next December.  We’ll believe it when it happens.  Oh dear Santa Claus I know you’re not real, but I’m asking you anyway:  make this happen!  And while you’re at it, see if you can get the sport regulated in the Empire State already.

6. When Do You Move To SpikeTV Again?:
We’ve seen some really good fights during season six of the Bellator Fighting Championships.  I think my favor… oh wait there’s a “Martin” marathon on MTV2.

5.  Worst Kept Secret #3:
There’s widespread doping in mixed martial arts?  Naw, only a few people have been caught so it’s not that big of a problem.  By the way, I’m offering a special online program to earn an authentic BJJ black belt with traceable lineage to Helio Gracie himself.   I’m offering this special deal for a steal, just give me your credit card number and we’ll start your lessons.

4. Sorry Zoila, But Not Really:
The best female MMA fighter not named Rousey is returning to the Bellator cage.  Megumi Fujii is going to face Jessica Aguilar May 18th at Bellator 69.  Keepin’ real here, Fujii is the #2 p4p female(I know Zoila Gurgel notched a W against her but let’s not argue about that farce of a decision here) and even better she may partake in the 125 pound women’s tournament.   It’s ‘bout time Bjorn rolled out another women’s tourney, what the heck took so long.

3. Worst Kept Secret #4:
Miesha Tate’s ass.  It was never the first, second or third thing that popped up when doing a google image search with her name.  Plus, the media did a great job of keeping the booty pics out of their preview stories for the fight with Rousey.

2.  F5 Disaster Hits Miami:
I aint talkin’ ‘bout no tornado son, Brock Lesnar dropped an F5 finishing move on John Cena during “Monday Night Raw.”  Awesome!  All you Brock haters can suck it because I know you’re totally going to watch WWE now that Lesnar is back in pro wrestling.  Lesnar will be champ again and I’m willing to bet BJJ World Champion Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros will be ringside as his manager.  Death Clutch lives!

1. Worst Kept Secret #5:
Why Anderson Silva, those English courses you’ve been taking are really paying off.  You sound great in your Fox commercial.    You almost sound like a different man.  I expect to see you in some American Burger King commercials now that you’ve crossed the language barrier.

Don Abato is 14 years old and shares his thoughts from his bedroom computer.  He relishes the anonymity of the internet and enjoys arguing about MMA’s superiority to wing chun.  Once summer hits he’s totally starting Overeem’s training routine so he can start the new school year lookin’ all buff.   

There is finally an official date for the long-awaited rematch between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva. And it’s going down in Brazil.

The UFC will return to Brazil for an epic sporting event as legendary fighters collide on the biggest fight card in UFC history at UFC 147 at Joao Havelange Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on June 23, 2012. The largest crowd ever is expected for the highly anticipated rematch between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and American contender Chael Sonnen, a grudge match two years in the making. The event also features a live finale of The Ultimate Fighter Brasil™, the showdown between two Brazilians and icons of the sport – coaches Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva.

From the beginning of the negotiations for the UFC’s next event in the country, the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo both emerged as strong options to host the event. Engenhao, home to football club Botafogo and future venue for the 2016 Olympics, has hosted many legendary sports and entertainment events since its opening in 2007. The event marks the first time for a UFC event in a soccer stadium and the organization expects a record audience. The mark to beat is UFC 129, held in April of 2011 at Rogers Centre in Canada, which had a record attendance of 55,000 fans.

“This will be the biggest sporting event of the year” said UFC President Dana White. “Bigger than the NFL, the NBA, you name it – UFC 147 will be the biggest. The whole world wants to see this fight between Silva and Sonnen. We are broadcast in over 150 countries in 22 languages in half a billion homes. Wherever those fans are, they are going to be watching this fight.”

The rivalry between Anderson Silva (29-4-0) and Chael Sonnen (28-11-1) has produced the biggest grudge match in UFC history. The two bitter rivals first faced each other in August of 2010 at UFC 117 in Oakland, California. The battle featured arguably the biggest come-from-behind win ever; as Silva, who was being dominated from the beginning of the fight, submitted his American rival with a triangle choke in the last round. It was the seventh of nine title defenses for the Brazilian champion.

In what has been one of the long-awaited rematches in UFC history, Brazilian fans will also get a chance to witness Vitor Belfort (21-9-0) and Wanderlei Silva (34-11-1) square off in the Octagon®. In their first meeting in 1998 in São Paulo, Belfort knocked out Silva 44 seconds into their fight. Since then, MMA fans have eagerly waited for over 10 years to witness the rematch between two legends of the sport. Belfort is coming off of a win over American fighter Anthony Johnson in UFC Rio (UFC 142), while Wanderlei dramatically knocked out opponent Cung Le at UFC 139.

The Chicago Bulls’ championship run in the 90s is one of the most impressive accomplishments in all of sports.   Chicago is certainly proud of those teams.  Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva both have enjoyed hall of fame careers in mixed martial arts.   The two Silvas had chance to meet greatness… sort of.  We snapped this pic of “The Spider” and “The Axe Murderer” with the six Larry O’brien NBA championship trophies Michael Jordan & company won.  OK, it’s not really Anderson and Wandy, but their action figures instead.  However we thought MMA/UFC fans who also enjoy the NBA would appreciate the novelty of this picture.

As Chicago sports fans the crew at Chicago’s MMA are happy to see the Bulls and “The Association” put the lockout in the rearview mirror and move ahead with the 2012 season.   Let’s beat the Heat!

“Our goal in developing this fine art line is not to feature fighters in the cage, but rather ‘Beyond the Cage,’ giving fans a rare look into the lives of these world class athletes,” said company spokesman Jerry G. “This artwork captures the true essence of these elite fighters…a glimpse into their personal lives, their training lives, and their hearts.”

In an effort to preserve the history of mixed martial arts and offer its fans a new level of collectible merchandise, Beyond the Cage spent countless hours creating what is believed to be the best artwork on the market.

In addition, Beyond the Cage has traveled all over the world to personally present the artwork to the fighters and have them approve and sign many of the pieces bearing their images.

The artwork has been produced in very limited editions utilizing only the highest quality materials, inclusive of museum grade paper, metal and acrylic. A glimpse of the fighters who have signed art for Beyond the Cage reads as a who’s who of MMA royalty: UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva, “Ultimate Fighter” winner and former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah “The California Kid” Faber and MMA legend Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva to name a few.

Standing out as a pioneer in MMA merchandising, Beyond the Cage is the first company to not only offer a high quality fine art line focused on MMA, but also the first to have a Notary Public present at most autograph signings to witness the authenticity of the fighter’s signature. This element truly solidifies the rarity and uniqueness of the artwork.

“We believe the Beyond the Cage MMA Fine Art Line is the ‘Crown Jewel’ of consumer products for the sport,” said Jerry. “Beyond the Cage is proud to have its artwork hang in many of the homes and gyms of these warriors. MMA fans can now own something truly unique and rare.”

Beyond the Cage accomplished its goal of bringing fine art to the MMA marketplace by working side by side with the world’s premier MMA photographer, Eric Williams. A commercially successful photographer, Williams and Beyond the Cage had the same vision of MMA as fine art and joined forces to make this a reality for the world.

“The fan base, and the emotional attachment fans have to the fighters, is unmatched in any other sport,” commented Jerry. “We at Beyond the Cage have the same passion for the sport as the fans. We love MMA, we love the fighters, respect their talents, and appreciate their heroic efforts.”

Bring up the name Steven Seagal to fighters and the responses will vary. Some of the best fighters in the world give him props, and thank him for what he has taught them. Some turn him away from their dressing rooms just hours before they fight. Now, one fighter has come out and said what he thinks rather plainly — that Seagal is a fraud.

UFC fighter Nam Phan laid it out to MMAmania’s Brian Hemminger.

“I think that guy’s a freaking fraud man. What the heck is that? Oh God that guy pisses me off! That’s my opinion. Did he teach martial arts at all? Even if he weight lifts or does sports, plays football or something, if a guy comes in a couple hours before your game or your match, you know it doesn’t make a difference. This guy is saying, “I came into the back room and I taught him to kick and that made all the difference,” as if Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva didn’t know how to do a front kick before meeting him.

“I remember watching Lyoto fighting Randy Couture and he knocks Randy Couture out with a front kick and he goes, ‘I’d like to thank Steven Seagal and my dad.’ I was like, if I was Lyoto’s dad, I’d freakin’ slap him. Like, what the heck dude, ‘I taught you karate since you were a little freakin’ kid. I raised you, I fed you, I gave you clothes on your back and you thank this guy before me?! I should disown you!”

The problem with what Phan is saying is that Seagal is a respected martial artist and teacher. He was the first foreigner to operate an Aikido Dojo in Japan, and he’s a 7th-dan black belt in Aikido.

While that doesn’t make Seagal the be all, end all when it comes to martial arts, you’d have to be a major loon to suggest he’s not knowledgeable or experienced.  Plus, if Machida and Anderson Silva give him props, isn’t that enough? Could their be an ulterior motive for their praise of Seagal? Like money? Then we’d really have a story.

Phan isn’t the only one with strong thoughts about Seagal. MMA legend Bas Rutten thinks Seagal is crazy. When he heard that Seagal was taking credit for teaching the kick that knocked out Vitor Belfort, he thought it was a skit. “He taught him a front kick to the face? He invented that? Nobody else knows this kick yet? What planet does he live on?” said Rutten.

Jon Jones recently turned Seagal away from his dressing room before his UFC 135 fight with Quinton “Rampage”Jackson. Seagal told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani that he thought Jones “wasn’t himself” during that bout. That could be because he wanted to pop into Jones’ dressing room right before the fight and Jones said no.

“I didn’t think that would be a good idea,” Jones said. “My training staff works very hard on me and I’m their prodigy and I don’t want to disrespect them by welcoming someone else’s master into our room, into our house, into my family.”

So it’s still a mixed bag on Seagal. A current champ — Silva and a former champ –Machida swear by the man. Others? Not so much. I think most fans just consider it all kind of weird.

Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva are arguably the top two MMA fighters in the world at this time. Dana White has stated that he thinks Silva is the greatest MMA fighter of all-time. I wonder what GSP thinks about that. Would he agree? Do fans agree?

Let’s take a look at their accomplishments.

Silva: Former Cage Rage and Shooto middleweight champion. Current UFC middleweight champ, a title which he has defended 9 times. 14-0 in UFC fights.

GSP: Former TKO Canadian welterweight champ. Current UFC welterweight champion. Won the title, lost it, won the interim title and then reclaimed the belt. Has defended it 6 times since then, and will fight Nick Diaz at UFC 137. 16-2 in the UFC.

Silva notable victories: Sonnen, Belfort, Maia, Griffin, Henderson, Franklin (2x), Marquardt, Sakaurai, Newton, Horn and Leben.

GSP notable victories: Shields, Koscheck, Serra, Fitch, Hughes (2x), Penn (2x), Sherk, Trigg, Mayhem Miller, Hieron, Parisyan.

It could be argued that GSP has beaten more legends, but Silva certainly scores wins in more impressive fashion. There can be no doubt that Silva thrills fans on a higher level.

How about endorsements? Silva just scored a Burger King deal. St. Pierre totally has him here. GSP has Under Armour, Affliction and of course, GSP’s workout DVDs, “Rush Fit”. That doesn’t matter in the cage, but popularity/likability plays into how fans pick their favorites.

Both are outstanding champions. GSP is more popular here in North America, and Silva more in South America. Right now the edge might go to Silva. But what about if GSP beats Diaz at UFC 137? That would make it a much tougher call, but then we will probably get the GSP vs. Silva superfight.

What say you?

When executed properly, flying knees are fight changers. Your opponent is left wobbly and dazed, and you’re right in front of him to finish the fight — if it isn’t already over. Here are some of the best flying knees in MMA history.

Jon Jones vs. Shogun Rua

Kid Yamamoto vs. Kazuyuki Miyata

Alistair Overeem vs. Kazuyuki Fujita

Valentijn Overeem vs. Kazuo Takahashi

Robbie Lawler vs. Joey Villasenor

Patricky Pitbull vs. Toby Imada

JZ Cavalcante vs. Hiroyuki Takaya

Anderson Silva vs. Carlos Newton

Karl Amoussou vs. Kazuhiro Hamanaka

Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fioravanti

Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes

Spencer Fisher vs. Matt Wiman

James Irvin vs. Terry Martin

Yves Edwards vs. Edson Berto

Nick Pace vs. Collin Tebo

Joachim Hansen vs. Caol Uno

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda

Fredson Paixao vs. Pablo Garza

Jose Aldo vs. Cub Swanson

Thiago Tavares vs. Tyson Griffin

Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Riggs

BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk

Patricio Pitbull vs. Gleristone Santos

Ricardo Lamas vs. Bendy Casimir

LC Davis vs. Rafael Dias

Tip of the hat to Damn Severn and The UG. Click the link to see more there.