Canada loves Couture so much, it made him into a truck

Yahoo! Sports' newest blog Eh Game spotted one particular downer to Randy Couture's retirement. It'll mean an end to his relationship with the Canadian National Lacrosse League team the Edmonton Rush.

But don't freak out Rush fans you'll still have a piece of Couture in 2011.

Eh Game's Andrew McKay says Rush owner Bruce Urban doesn't want to let go of Couture, so at the Capital Monster Truck Show in July at Rexall Place, Couture will be a truck. That is cool.

It's also a big positive for MMA. We've been searching for a good story involving a monster truck. The last time a big rig and fighter were mentioned in the same sentence came after Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's binge on energy drink.

Couture and his chain of gyms, Xtreme Couture, have worked together with the Rush since 2009. During his recent fights, Couture wore the Rush logo on his shorts while the lacrosse players wore the gym's logo on their uniforms. Couture, with that Rush logo in place, is expected to close out his career tomorrow night at UFC 129 against Lyoto Machida.

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Canada-loves-Couture-so-much-it-made-him-into-a?urn=mma-wp1707

Mixed Martial Arts News Josh Barnett Ricco Rodriguez Tim Sylvia

UFC 130, May 28

UFC 130
Saturday May 28
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, NV
Airing on PPV

MAIN CARD (PPV)

* Frankie Edgar (#1 Ranked Lightweight) vs. Gray Maynard (#2 Ranked Lightweight) for UFC Lightweight Championship
* Quinton Jackson (#4 Ranked Light Heavyweight) vs. Matt Hamill
* Jorge Santiago (#8 Ranked Middleweight) vs. Brian Stann
* Frank Mir (#7-tie Ranked Heavyweight) vs. Roy Nelson (#10 Ranked Heavyweight)
* Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike)

* Thiago Alves (#6 Ranked Welterweight) vs. Rick Story
* Miguel Torres (#5 Ranked Bantamweight) vs. Demetrious Johnson (#7 Ranked Bantamweight)

PRELIMINARY CARD (unaired)

* Michael McDonald vs. Chris Cariaso
* Kendall Grove vs. Tim Boetsch
* Renan Barao vs. Cole Escovedo
* Cody McKenzie vs. Bart Palaszewski

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Upcoming_Events_42/article_7938.shtml

Luiz Buscapé Firmino Spencer Fisher Jon Fitch Kenny Florian

Welterweight Jake Ellenberger: UFC 129 Pre-fight Interview - UFC 129

*** Watch Complete 1/2hr HD Episodes on http://www.MMAheat.com ***MMA H.E.A.T.'s Karyn Bryant spends a few minutes with UFC welterweight Jake Ellenberger after his photo shoot and scanning session with Round 5, and gets his thoughts on the UFC 129 fight he took against Canadian Sean Pierson on short notice. Jake talks about how the fight materialized, what shape he was in when he got the call and how he feels to be one of the American "bad guys" on a card that features several Canadians, and which will also be the first UFC show in Ontario. Jake also fills us in on his training partner Jason Brilz' preparation for his fight with Vladimir Matyushenko.Be sure to visit http://www.MMAheat.com for more interviews and archived episodes of our 1/2 hour TV show. Nós falamos Português! * We're on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MMAheat * Follow MMAheat on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MMAheat * Follow Karyn on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KarynBryant

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-129/welterweight-jake-ellenberger-ufc-129-pre-fight-interview-video_93d0a5aea.html

Yoshihiro Takayama Daiju Takase Oleg Taktarov Akitoshi Tamura

The view from two MMA judges’ seats

MMA fans disagree on nearly everything, from the best pound-for-pound fighter to the best promotion to even the prettiest ring card girl. However, there is one area that MMA fans, media, promoters and fighters do agree on -- the state of MMA judging is nothing short of sorry. Martin Kampmann, Nam Phan and Riki Fukuda were recent victims of egregiously bad judging, but rarely does a card go by that doesn't have at least one judges' decision that leaves the MMA world confused.

Two judges spoke up recently about their job, and how they arrive at decisions. Chuck Wolfe, who surprised Bellator fans by scoring Joe Warren 30-27 in a win over Marcus Galvao, despite the damage that Galvao inflicted on Warren during the second round. Wolfe defended his call:

"He had three rounds to take Warren out if he really wanted to beat him -- he had three rounds to dominate Warren, as well as Warren had three rounds to dominate him," Wolfe said. "It's up to the fighter. ... Don't leave it in the hands of the judges, especially when it's a close fight."

Yes, that's a judge saying, "Don't leave it in my hands." Wolfe mentions his credentials, but then essentially says, "Don't make me do the job." Imagine being at work and telling that to your boss. How long would it be before you cleaned out your desk?

Jeff Blatnick, an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling and an early player in building the UFC, now serves as a well-respected MMA judge. He allowed reporter Jim Genia to shadow him through a regional MMA event in New Jersey, explaining some of the nuances to judging that fans can't see from their seat in the stands or through their television screen.

"If a fighter winces from a landed punch, that means it scored," he says.  "If I hear the whoosh of a foot dragging on a takedown, it's a legitimate attempt at a takedown."

Blatnick acknowledges that there will be subjectivity among judges, because a judges has to compare apples and oranges. Does a takedown matter more than three elbows? How does a leg kick stack up next to a jab?

Judging is a problem in MMA, but one that is to be expected in a sport that has grown so much in a short time. Judges with backgrounds in wrestling or boxing or jiu-jitsu are having to learn the value of the other disciplines. What's clear is the need for ongoing education for current and new judges. Some states, like New Jersey and Ohio, already have stringent requirements for judges. Other states need to catch up.

The good news is that MMA recognizes the problem exists, which is the first step in fixing any debacle. Recently retired UFC vet Ricardo Almeida plans to go into judging, hopefully starting a trend for former fighters.

Education and more qualified judges will help, but something that any fan of a judged sport need to realize is that subjectivity will always creep into the judges' minds. Their decisions will forever be one more area of disagreement for MMA fans.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/The-view-from-two-MMA-judges-seats?urn=mma-wp1450

Wu Haotian Rani Yahya Kenichi Yamamoto Norifumi Kid Yamamoto

Bellator 42 Predictions

by Michael David SmithFor the second consecutive Saturday night, Bellator has the mixed martial arts spotlight to itself, as Bellator 42 is the weekend's only major MMA card. The big question facing Bellator is whether the match-ups they've put together will result in the kind of exciting card that will get fans buzzing, and create a little momentum for the promotion heading into the home stretch of its fourth season.

Bellator 42 took a hit when Paul Buentello suffered an injury and had to pull out of his fight with Bellator heavyweight champion Cole Konrad, so whatever attention this card can garner will come from the semifinals of the light heavyweight tournament, and the promotional debut of Ronnie Mann.

Here are the basics on Saturday night's card:

What: Bellator 42

Where: Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma

When: Saturday, the MTV2 broadcast starts at 9 PM ET.

Predictions on the three main card fights below.

 

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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/04/23/bellator-42-predictions/

Luiz Buscapé Firmino Spencer Fisher Jon Fitch Kenny Florian

You fancy, huh? Jon Jones hangs with rapper Drake at UFC 129

Superstar rapper Drake is among the 55,000 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto for UFC 129. The creator of hits such as "Forever" and "Fancy" got to meet UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones as both took in the landmark card.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/You-fancy-huh-Jon-Jones-hangs-with-rapper-Drak?urn=mma-wp1840

Patrick The Predator Côté Randy The Natural Couture Dan Cramer Alberto Crane

Zuffa CEO Lorenzo Fertitta steps in to help negotiate Emelianenko vs. Henderson in Strikeforce

Since the proposition of a match-up pitting living legends Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson against one another, the fans and media alike have taking the story and ran with it. While Fedor may be arguably in the “twilight” of his career, he still manages to entice fans both with his aura and fighting ability, which [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/04/29/lorenzo-fertitta-steps-in-to-negotiate-emelianenko-vs-henderson

Gilbert Yvel Ishkhan Zakharian Roman Zentsov Nobuhiko Takada

Jason "Mayhem" Miller meets Aaron Simpson in UFC return at UFC 132

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

LogoUFC_150_901.jpg

It didn't take long for the UFC to book Jason "Mayhem" Miller in a fight. Just a day after Miller's signing with the UFC was reported, the organization has announced that he will make his first appearance in the Octagon in over six years at UFC 132 in July.

UFC officials announced on Saturday that Miller will meet Aaron Simpson at the event in a middleweight matchup, Miller's first UFC fight since a loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 52 in his only previous UFC appearance.

The host of MTV's "Bully Beatdown," Miller has put together a record of 12-3 with one no contest in 16 fights since the loss to St. Pierre in 2005, with wins over Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy and Kazushi Sakuraba in that stretch. He has won two straight fights, but hasn't fought since the Sakuraba win last September.

Simpson is coming off a decision win over Mario Miranda at the end of March at UFC Fight Night 24. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak to Chris Leben and Mark Munoz in 2010.

UFC 132 takes place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, headlined by the UFC Bantamweight Championship bout between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

Penick's Analysis: This is a good fight for Miller's first fight back in the UFC. Simpson's a tough opponent, but Miller has a lot of experience against a lot of very high level opponents. Miller will come in as the favorite in this one, but it will be a good fight for both. It may or may not get televised, but considering the troubles he was having securing a fight in Strikeforce before his contract expired the simple fact that he's got a fight set is probably a relief.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9147.shtml

Rob Broughton Mike Brown Junie Browning Paul Buentello