Buzz builds for guest Octagon Girl at Brazil event

With Ultimate Fight Night 24 in the books, it's time to concentrate on the important things in life - who will be the guest Octagon Girl in Brazil?

Cage Potato stumbled across this interesting candidate. For those who like images of the beaches in Rio de Janeiro and the skimpy bathing suits comes Juliana Salimeni.

She popped in a recent Sherdog photoshoot of the TUF 13 set in Las Vegas. Apparently, she's a pretty popular television personality in Brazil. The UFC may need a teeny-bit more fabric for the Octagon girl uniform shorts. As long as she stays away from the N.Y. Jets and Joy Behar, Ms. Salimeni (NSFW) should be fine. Let's root for her to make it to the August UFC event in Brazil.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Buzz-builds-for-guest-Octagon-Girl-at-Brazil-eve?urn=mma-wp723

Ao Hailin Shinya Aoki Andrei Arlovski Ricardo Arona

UFC 128 VIDEO: Jon Jones destroys Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to capture UFC Light Heavyweight Title

UFC_128_poster_80_2.jpg

If you missed last night's main event between Jon Jones and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, check out ESPN's highlights from the fight below. Jones demolished Rua in the third round to capture the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship and become the youngest champion in UFC history.






App Users Click Here For Video:http://sports.espn.go.com/videohub/video/video?id=6239207

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_8813.shtml

Mikey Burnett Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante

UFC 128 Confidence Picks and Betting Game Results

By Rich Hansen, MMA Torch Columnist:

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What an interesting night this was in the MMA Torch Betting and Confidence Pick games. Yet another event where several players went 11-1, including one player who missed only on his 1-point pick, only to be snuffed out by a perfect 12-0, 78 point entry. Everyone in the Confidence Pick game did extremely well, with the worst entry still scoring a respectable 53 points. And overall, no one went worse than 8-4.

Yet despite that, the MMA Torch community doesn?t know how to bet. You, me, everyone, we suck at betting. Don't believe me, just check out the Championship match between Nick Center and Tyson ?Kubi? Kubas...

BETTING CONTEST RESULTS

Wow. Nick Center and Kubi both lost $1000. That's right, both our esteemed champion and his challenger laid down goose eggs. It was a display of unbelievable futility. Both guys fared worse against each other in the betting contest than they would have in the Octagon against Jon Jones last night.

Nick Center: $0

$500 on Shogun for $0

$300 on Pellegrino for $0

$200 on Marshall for $0

Kubi: $0

$400 on Shalorus for $0

$300 on Pellegrino for $0

$300 on Philippou for $0

So, how to proceed? Immediate rematch for Kubi; like Maynard earned in his draw with Maynard? NO! Maynard earned a rematch due to putting on an all-time fight.

So, Center holds onto the title and faces the winner of the betting pool? NO! This isn't a democracy. I am stripping Center of the title because I can. The best performance in the Pool is automatically being declared the new champion. And that person is?

Daniel Moore: $2300.37

$500 on Pyle for $1250

$200 parlay on Jones, Pyle, and J Miller for $1050.37

Daniel Moore is the new betting Champion. He will defend his title against the second best performer in the betting pool...

Danny Mellor: $1880.03

$500 on Jones for $770.27

$200 on Pyle for $500

$100 on Barboza for $130.77

$200 parlay on Marquardt, J Miller, and Schaub for $478.99

Congratulations for Dan and Danny for their solid performances. Please, for the love of God, the whole world will be watching you on April 30. No goose-eggs, please.

CONFIDENCE GAME RESULTS

Now that I have gotten the talk of massive futility behind us, let's examine how well the MMA Torch community did on this event. Of course, I will overlook the fact that the favorites at UFC 128 did extremely well, because that couldn't have any effect on our ability to pick winners, now could it? Nah!

Anyhoooo, We had a Three-Way Dance for the title between Champion "Skarz" and challengers Tony Schuck and Daniel Moore.

Skarz: 71 points (missed on Almeida for 6, and Shogun for 1)

Tony Schuck: 65 points (missed on Pellegrino for 6, Almeida for 4, Shalorus for 2, and Shogun for 1)

Daniel Moore: 75 points (missed on Pellegrino for 3)

Congratulations to Daniel Moore for becoming a dual champion. Sometime greatnes is thrust upon you.

CONFIDENCE GAME POOL
The UFC 128 Confidence Game had 32 players making picks. Here is the breakdown on how we picked...

Benavidez 32, Loveland 0

Faber 31, Wineland 1

Barboza 31, Njokuani 1

Marquardt 29, Dan Miller 3

Schaub 29, CroCop 3

Catone 28, Philippou 4

Jim Miller 28, Shalorus 4

Koch 24, Assuncao 8

Jones 19, Shogun 13

Tibau 16, Pellegrino 15

Cane 13, Marshall 19

Pyle 13, Almeida 19

So, only two fighters that were not picked by a majority of us won their fights at UFC 128. Not too shabby, people. That said, here are the results of the pool. Facing off against Daniel Moore at UFC 129 will be longtime contributor Shaun godric Louis, who went an astounding 12-0. Way to go man!

Shaun Godric Louis: 78

Todd Daigle: 77

Evan Ottem, Danny Mellor, Michael Roberts: 75

Clay Burley: 73

Jamie Penick: 72

Cambo ?Rambo? Nelson: 71

Dionicio Ortiz, Matt Pelkey: 70

clarkiefromcanada, Rich Hansen, Lane Bradford: 69, DUDE

Kort: 68

Eren ?The Turk? Kozalak, Simon, Michael Wallen: 67

Josh Woods: 66

Casey Vaccaro: 62

Jonah Goodman: 61

Kenton McNany, Jason Binder: 60

Corry Porter: 59

Avery ?Odin? Clarke: 57

Anthony Sinnot, Brian Fuller: 56

Chris Moore: 55

Bram Craig: 53


BETTING CONTEST POOL:

Daniel Moore: $2300.37

$500 on Pyle for $1250

$200 parlay on Jones, Pyle, and J Miller for $1050.37

Danny Mellor: $1880.03

$500 on Jones for $770.27

$200 on Pyle for $500

$100 on Barboza for $130.77

$200 parlay on Marquardt, J Miller, and Schaub for $478.99

Todd Daigle: $1805.37

$500 on Jones for $770.27

$300 on Tibau for $500

$100 on Pyle for $250

$100 parlay on J Miller, Jones, Schaub for $285.10

clarkiefromcanada: $1675.86

$500 on Jones for $770.27

$200 on Schaub for $271.43

$100 on J Miller for $136.36

$200 parlay on Jones, Benavidez, Schaub for $497.79

Evan Ottem: $1653.79

$300 on Marquardt for $388.24

$250 on Jones for $385.14

$250 on Schaub for $339.29

$200 parlay on Marquardt, Jones, Schaub for $541.13

Chris Moore: $1356.54

$300 on Faber for $360

$200 on J Miller for $272.73

$200 on Benavidez for $238.10

$100 on Pyle for $250

$100 on Schaub for $135.71

Josh Woods: $1323.47

$400 on Jones for $616.22

$200 on Koch for $317.65

$200 parlay on Faber, J Miller, Benavidez for $389.61

Corry Porter: $1198.24

$500 on Jones for $770.27

$200 parlay on Faber, J Miller, Barboza for $427.97

Eren ?The Turk? Kozalak: $1003.08

$500 on Faber for $480

$400 on Barboza for $523.08

Jamie Penick: $1000

$400 on Pyle for $1000

Clay Burley: $1000

$400 on Pyle for $1000

Michael Wallen: $974.77

$400 on Tibay for $666.67

$200 on Jones for $308.11

Craig Bull: $899.68

$500 on Jones for $770.27

$100 on Marquardt for $129.41

Kort: $819.75

$300 on Catone for $450

$200 parlay on Faber, Benavidez, Marquardt for $369.75

Simon: $793.28

$200 on Cane for $314.29

$200 parlay on J Miller, Schaub, Marquardt for $793.28

Shaun Godric Louis: $750

$300 on Pyle for $750

OK, time out here. Shaun went 12-0 on his picks, but managed to bet $700 on losers. What did we learn here today? Bet on guys you pick to win!!! Continuing with our results now...

Rich Hansen: $625

$250 on Pyle for $625

Cambo "Rambo" Nelson (esteemed 9-time champion): $501.78

$200 parlay on Faber, Schaub, Jones for $501.78

Dionicio Ortiz: $500

$200 on Pyle for $500

Iceman: $500

$200 on Pyle for $500

Christopher Wallner: $478.99

$200 parlay on J Miller, Schaub, Marquardt for $478.99

Anthony Sinnot: $475.65

$250 on Schaub for $339.29

$100 on J Miller for $136.36

Forrest Mize: $418.15

$200 parlay on Jones, Schaub for $418.15

Kenton McNany: $389.61

$200 parlay on J Miller, Benavidez, Faber for $389.61

Casey Vaccaro: $308.11

$200 on Jones for $308.11

Skarz: $157.14

$100 on Koch for $157.14

Brian Fuller: $154.05

$100 on Jones for $154.05

Connor Thomas: $0

Trey Witzell: $0

Matt Pelkey: $0

rock0126: $0

Bram Craig: $0

Tony Schuck: $0

Connor Thomas: $0

Avery "Odin" Clarke: $0


Performer of the Night: Well, let's see here. Daniel Moore won the Confidence Picks title and won the Betting Game title. Yeah, you got this one, dawwwwg.

Goat of the Night: To the 13 people who submitted incorrect entries, costing me an extra 5 hours of work (on a volunteer basis), you?re the goats. C'mon people, it ain't all that difficult!

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/prediction_and_betting_contests/article_8812.shtml

Yoshihiro Takayama Daiju Takase Oleg Taktarov Akitoshi Tamura

The completely confusing UFC lightweight title picture

Joe Silva is the UFC matchmaker, the man who is in charge of deciding fights, title shots and the like. He is also a man whose job I don't want, as it's his job to sort out the ridiculously confusing lightweight title picture.

Ready for the confusion? OK. Start with the fact that the title will already be tested on May 30. Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard have a rematch scheduled that should finally decide who is the better fighter among the two.

It's a title shot that was promised to WEC champ Anthony Pettis. Before Maynard and Edgar fought to a draw in January, Pettis was told that if he won the WEC belt in his last fight for the promotion, he would get a chance to unify the championships. A wrench was thrown into that plan because of the Edgar/Maynard draw, and now Pettis will fight Clay Guida in June for his first UFC bout.

And what of Jim Miller? He won his seventh straight bout on Saturday with a TKO of Kamal Shalorus. Four of those seven wins have been by stoppage. That resume reads like that of a title contender, but Miller has flown under the radar.

To make things even more confusing, consider what will happen if in the future, the UFC absorbs Strikeforce's roster of lightweights. Would Gilbert Melendez -- or whoever holds the belt at that point -- get an immediate title shot?

It's enough to make you dizzy. But if you had Joe Silva's job, how would you map out the UFC lightweight title? Does Pettis, Miller or someone else get a title shot next? Tell us in the comments or on Facebook.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/The-completely-confusing-UFC-lightweight-title-p?urn=mma-wp488

Brock Lesnar Frank Shamrock Tito Ortiz Randy Couture

UFC Board Short Collection

With the warmer weather right around the corner, the UFC Spring/Summer 2011 apparel collection has added a few more ways to show your appreciation for MMA whether pounding it out inside the gym or hitting the waves while on the beach with the new UFC Boardshort collection. Part of the freshly updated UFC Active Sports [...]

Source: http://fighterxfashion.com/ufc-board-short-collection/

Logan The Pink Pounder Clark Steve The Snake Claveau Rich No Love Clementi Mark The Hammer Coleman

Coker interview: Strikeforce boss uncertain about Daley, Fedor and Barnett in the UFC

Scott Coker, the other guy in the UFC's purchase of Strikeforce, sat down for a lengthy interview with HDNet's Bas Rutten. Coker was grilled on many of the hot button issues that last Monday's  conference call never hit on.

Rutten asked the Strikeforce CEO if he thinks fans will ever see Josh Barnett, Paul Daley or Fedor Emelianenko in the UFC. Coker said he didn't know (11:35 mark), but added that he hoped all three continued to fight with Strikeforce.

Other interesting points included:

Coker confirmed that the deal between Zuffa and SVSE came together quickly. He only informed Showtime of the sale one day before the news leaked on Mar. 12.

He denied the rumors that Josh Barnett will be removed from the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix and replaced by Shane Carwin.

The Strikeforce boss joked about his first meetings with the UFC brass talking about Zuffa's 25-person marketing and P.R. staff. He brought along his two employees in those positions (4:40 mark).

Coker is excited about the new resources behind Strikeforce and growth possibilities which include a goal of pay-per-view by the end of 2011.

Surprisingly, even with a roster of 150-plus fighters, Coker says "business as usual" also includes signing new fighters in the future (9:00 mark).

Read into it anyway you'd like - Coker was asked if the purchase by UFC was a good or bad day, he answered by it's a reality (9:30 mark).

Showtime got the call the day before the news leaked 11 days ago, but Coker still hasn't had a chance to speak with M-1 promotions, Fedor's management team (13:25 mark).

Hopefully, Coker is involved in the MMA business at the highest level for years to come. He's definitely an asset, who puts the fans first. He did an amazing job turning a regional promotion, which held its first big fight in Apr. of 2009, into something worth buying for an estimated $40 million less than two years later.

Tip via MMAConvert

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Coker-interview-Strikeforce-boss-uncertain-abou?urn=mma-wp506

José Aldo John Alessio Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida

Strikeforce champ Dan Henderson returns in the fall

Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson will enjoy some much needed time off. After debuting in the San Jose based organization in April of last year in disappointing fashion against then middleweight champion Jake Shields, the Team Quest co-owner has since rattled off a two-fight win streak inside the cage. In that stretch, Henderson dropped [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/03/24/strikeforce-champ-dan-henderson-returns-in-the-fall

Evan Tanner Peni Taufa ao Thiago Tavares Paul Taylor

Under Armour x Georges St-Pierre (GSP) T-shirt

Serving as the face of MMA in the Under Armour “Protect This House” marketing campaign, Georges St-Pierre has partnered up with the performance sportswear giant on a special edition signature tee, hitting the scene right in time for his upcoming title defense against Jake Shields at UFC 129. A truly personalized signature style, including GSP’s [...]

Source: http://fighterxfashion.com/under-armour-x-georges-st-pierre-gsp-t-shirt/

Kenichi Yamamoto Norifumi Kid Yamamoto Ryushi Yanagisawa Yoshiaki Yatsu

Who Was Backstage At iMPACT! Last Night?, Young/Robbie

– After taping the Apr. 7 episode of iMPACT! yesterday in Orlando, Florida, TNA tapes the Apr. 14 episode today. It is the “go home show” for TNA Lockdown. – The latest episode of TNA Xplosion features Eric Young vs. Robbie E (with Cookie). – Northeast based independent wrestler Slyck Wagner Brown worked a dark match at last night’s iMPACT! taping at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. He lost to Amazing Red. Wrestling News

Source: http://www.ifight365.com/2011/03/who-was-backstage-at-impact-last-night-youngrobbie/

Don Frye Tony Fryklund Kazuyuki Fujita Masakatsu Funaki