Wednesday 1 December 2010
State of the Strikeforce Welterweights
Nick Diaz is one of Strikeforce's most recognizable fighters, and he's the unquestioned star of the welterweight division. But does Strikeforce have anyone to challenge him at 170 pounds?That's one of the big questions for Strikeforce in 2011. Some people think Diaz is one of the truly elite welterweights in all of MMA, while others think it's impossible to say that because he hasn't really been tested in Strikeforce. Actually, both might be right.
So can someone test Diaz in the next year? We take a look at the state of the Strikeforce welterweight division below.
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Tuesday 30 November 2010
As MLS Expansion Draft Nears, FanHouse Unveils the Unprotected Best XI
Filed under: MLS, Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Seattle Sounders FC, Toronto FC, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
The Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps will look to find that diamond in the rough (like 2010 Best XI honoree Sébastien Le Toux, selected by the Philadelphia Union one year ago) when the MLS expansion draft kicks off at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday.The league's existing sixteen teams each were required to submit a roster of eleven protected players on Monday -- names that the Whitecaps and Timbers can't touch. While the top talent is off limits, there still are a number of high-quality players left available for the two expansion clubs.
With that in mind, FanHouse presents its Expansion Draft Best XI:
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Sylt 2010
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UFC 123: Phil Davis Submits Tim Boetsch
y night at UFC 123 why he's one of the most promising young light heavyweights in mixed martial arts, submitting Tim Boetsch with a very impressive kimura from the top for a second-round victory that improved Davis's record to 8-0.Davis came out throwing a lot of kicks in the early going, landing some but also throwing a couple of them too slowly and allowing Boetsch to catch them. About halfway through the first round Davis, an NCAA champion wrestler at Penn State, went for a takedown and got on top of Boetsch, completely controlling him. It was a round that very easily could have gone 10-8 for Davis.
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Kenny Florian talks upcomming Evan Dunham Fight, Says Dunham is Still Undefeated - Kenny Florian
Kenny Florian spoke with MMAWeekly.com about his UFC Fight for the Troops match up with Evan Dunham.GT Vodka Chevrolet Landon Cassill Zaxby s Ford Morgan Shepherd Victory in Jesus Chevrolet
Reporter on Derek Anderson Tirade: 'I Tried to Be Diplomatic'
Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, NFL Quarterbacks
A day after Derek Anderson made a bad "Monday Night Football" game memorable by snapping at a reporter for asking why Anderson and teammate Deuce Lutui were caught laughing late in a blowout loss to the 49ers, the reporter has defended asking the question.Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic touched on the question and the controversy surrounding it Tuesday. There have been differences of opinion as to whether Somers was just doing his job appropriately or stepped over the line in trying to get an answer out of Anderson.
"As most ardent Cardinals fans know, Anderson became angry after the game after I asked him several times about the conversation with Lutui and its context. I tried to be diplomatic and professional, but I guess that's for others to judge. Anderson obviously didn't think so. Some wanted Anderson roasted over spit. Others think I badgered him. I hope I was somewhere between those two extremes, but as I said, that's for others to judge.
"I take no satisfaction in what happened, but I felt the questions were justified. The Cardinals were losing their sixth consecutive game. Their starting quarterback and right guard were smiling on the sidelines. Readers wanted to know why, especially since many of them think this team is not playing as hard as it should."
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Kelly, Barboza undercard winners at UFC 123
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Paul Kelly provided fireworks at UFC 123 with a TKO of T.J. O'Brien. The two made the first round a slugfest. Kelly continually moved forward and pressed the pace. Both landed punishing blows, with O'Brien favoring his knees, while Kelly landed hook after hook.
Kelly (pictured on top) came out swinging in the second round, and crumbed O'Brien with an onslaught of punches. He could not finish him off, so he stood up and invited O'Brien to do the same. O'Brien took advantage by taking Kelly down and landing right in full-mount. Kelly appeared to be in trouble until he reversed position and stretched Kelly out in a crucifix position, landing punch after punch with O'Brien helpless to block them. The fight was finally stopped at 3:16 in the second round.
Barboza whips Lullo's legs for win
Edson Barboza (7-0) used two rounds of hard kicks to the leg of Mike Lullo (8-2) in both men's UFC debut to get a ref stoppage at :26 of the third round.
Lullo, a wrestler, tried to counter the constant low kicks that he had no answer for by moving in for takedowns, but when he would get in, Barboza (pictured on right) was able to throw him hard to the mat. While on the mat, Lullo had his best success, scoring with punches while tying Barboza up from the bottom. But Barboza was always able to get up.
By the latter stages of the second round, Barboza's kicks were putting Lullo down and he was struggling just to get his feet, and having trouble moving. He was just about finished at the end of the second round, and when round three opened with the same low kicks, with him going down two more times before the fight was stopped.
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Mount Baker Opening Day 2010: Generous Party Favors
Mt Baker, WA (November 20, 2010) -- Opening day is more than just a chance to strap in and stretch the winter legs. It’s the time of year when all the mountain folks emerge from their summer-of-working-to-fund-another-winter and leave the 9-to-5ers behind to bitch about the cold weather. It’s kind of like a high school reunion that only features the people you liked, and the opportunity to slash a bit of pow and jib some low tide features are the party favors.
As we made our way to Mt Baker’s much-anticipated opener, snow fell at sea level, maybe keeping some of the I-5 traffic at bay. When they began loading lifts at 9am sharp, it was apparent that Baker was serving up generous party favors: cold, knee-deep powder over a shallow-but-consolidated base provided more face shots than core shots, and clearing skies meant the sidecountry was firing on day one. And the usual faces emerged one by one, smiling to welcome another season to the Pacific Northwest.
Here’s to the Mt Baker class of 2011—see you in the lift line early and often.
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Kerry Collins Could Start at Quarterback for Titans vs. Jaguars
Filed under: Titans, AFC South
Kerry Collins could be healthy enough to start Sunday.Collins, the Tennessee Titans quarterback who has missed the past two games with a calf injury, was the backup in a loss to Houston Sunday and Titans coach Jeff Fisher said Monday Collins is a possibility to start Sunday against Jacksonville.
"Kerry will be day-to-day," Fisher said. "We'll have a better idea late in the week; if he can start I will let you know."
Collins was healthy enough against Houston to backup rookie Rusty Smith, who made his first NFL start in the 20-0 loss. Vince Young, the Titans' starter much of the first 10 weeks of the season, was placed on injured reserve last week with a thumb injury.
Collins worked on a very limited basis in practice Friday and also warmed up Sunday.
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What you need to know from this week on "The Ultimate Fighter"
This week's episode of "The Ultimate Fighter" has two fights, a coaching legend and an incredibly kind compliment just for you. Read on for spoilers and a recap of this week's episode.
Stupid prank of the week: Sevak Magakian rigged the kitchen faucets so that they would spray on Michael Johnson, who promptly blamed it on on Alex "Bruce LeRoy" Caceres. Seriously, guys, these pranks are getting weaker by the episode.
Fight One of the Week: Kyle Watson (Team GSP) vs. Aaron Wilkinson (Team Koscheck)
Round 1: Watson started with a quick takedown and instantly moved to side control. He continued to work to control Wilkinson on the ground, and despite a few bursts of movement, Watson owned the Team Koscheck fighter. With more than a minute left in the round, Watson methodically took Wilkinson's back and sunk in a rear naked choke. As his coaches yelled, "Don't tap!" Wilkinson was forced to tap, making Watson a semi-finalist.
"Rear naked choke! Another one. How many rear naked chokes has my team ... I mean, I can't believe it!" Koscheck said after the bout.
Legendary coach cameo of the week: Freddie Roach stopped by Team GSP's training -- the same Freddie Roach who trains Manny Pacquaio. The fighters are all blown away just to be able to talk to Roach, much less train with him. Roach dropped an astounding compliment about Johnson:
"Michael Johnson has great speed. Reminds me of Pacquaio, a little bit," Roach said.
Neutral corners of the week: Roach worked with both Johnson and Caceres to get them ready to fight each other. GSP decided to not corner either fighter, so we're due for another eerily quiet bout.
Not-so-neutral coach of the week: Though GSP is not cornering either fighter, Koscheck is clearly behind Alex Caceres. He cheers on "Bruce LeRoy" throughout the weigh-ins, and claims that GSP fought for this match-up to get rid of the fighter he thinks is the weaker link. GSP stays silent and smiles as Kos jabbers on. Kos even offers to help out Caceres, but stops short at wearing a red jersey.
Watson corners Johnson, while Jeff Lentz corners Caceres.
Fight Two of the Week: Michael Johnson (Team GSP) vs. Alex Caceres (Team GSP)
Round 1: Johnson starts with a quick takedown, but doesn't keep Caceres down for long. When the two pop back up, Johnson controls the stand-up and knocks Caceres' mouthguard out. When he reaches down to pick it up, Johnson appears annoyed, and Caceres responds with, "C'mon, dog." The action restarts, and Johnson continues to control, Caceres has great movement throughout the bout. Still, in-between rounds, Koscheck yells, "You won that round, Alex." Jonathan Brookins tells Caceres the same thing.
Round 2: Caceres starts the round smiling and then promptly gets taken down. Johnson works side control and then ground and pound until Caceres works to his base and then stands up. Caceres briefly gains control on the ground, but doesn't do much with it, and after a short time standing, Johnson takes top position again. Caceres regains standing position for a bit, until Johnson takes him down one more time to end the bout.
The judges scored it 20-18, 20-18 and 20-18 for Michael Johnson, earning him a spot in the semifinals.
Koscheck and GSP head into White's office to talk about semifinal match-ups, and much to Dana's surprise, they come to a consensus quickly, picking these semifinals:
Jonathan Brookins vs. Kyle Watson and Michael Johnson vs. Nam Phan
These first of these fights will air next week. Tune in.
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Matt Hughes: UFC 123 Pre-Fight Presser Comments - UFC 123
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Monday 29 November 2010
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Hold Tight Clear Out
Hold Tight Henry is cleaning out his hard drive and made a montage of these forgotten clips.
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Welcome to UFC's post-merger world: Harris cut with 3-1 record
Mixed martial arts, in particular the UFC, has cultivated an amazingly passionate fanbase. Boxing and its fans treat card-filling fighters like throwaways with little interest. Meanwhile, because of the coverage from sites like MMAJunkie, FanHouse, Bloody Elbow and MMAWeekly, hardcore mixed martial arts fans often view the guys in match No. 9 with a reverence just short of the attention given to main eventers.
Which bring us to the latest cut made by the UFC. Gerald Harris, a cast member from Season 7 of "The Ultimate Fighter," was given his walking papers after losing to Maiquel Falcao at UFC 123.
Upon hearing of the Harris cut, the MMA community erupted. Keep in mind, Harris (17-3, 3-1 UFC) is well-liked by many bloggers and fans for appearing on lots of podcasts and being active on Twitter. Now some are using the Harris firing to question Dana White's motives and business acumen. From SB Nation:
Gerald Harris was cut after going 3-1 in the top MMA organization in the world. Cutting someone because of "boring" performance (which is subjective) is not the way a so-called sport works. I would wager that if Harris had been choked out in the 1st round, he would still have a job. This whole thing seems like a "I put you on the main card and this is how you repay me? With a boring fight?" type personnel move. Doesn't seem like the right way to run a business. Now, in the big picture, the Harris cut seems insignificant, but moves like these add up over time.
S.C. Michaelson says emotion is playing a role in the UFC's roster moves.
The Harris cut for a "boring" fight also ties into my other point of vindictive booking. Let me state outright vindictive booking has no place in any sport. The NFL or NBA schedulers don't make matchups trying to obtain a certain outcome. It seems like the UFC is doing this more and more.
That's an interesting view. On the flip side, many fans trash the heck out of cards any time there are slow fights. It seems like White is simply giving the casual fans what they want -- action fighters. The UFC's head honcho says he's operating like the major sports:
"It's exactly the way it works. You want to stay at the top of the food chain, you deal with it. If you don't, you won't. You know how many guys get cut by the NFL and Major League Baseball every day? It's crazy, staggering. Same thing here, no difference."
He wants action in the Octagon. If that message hasn't been sent by the recent cuts, maybe all fighters on the roster need to read this Dana White doozy (also from MMA Fighting via SB Nation):
"This isn’t the [expletive] Ultimate Staring Competition, it’s the Ultimate Fighting Championship."
Harris seems like a nice guy and he was entertaining in his previous fights, but with dozens of fighters being added to the roster from the 135- and 145-pound divisions there isn't much margin for error.
Because of a clock error in the first round, Harris got new life in the Falcao bout. He did little with the opportunity in the final two rounds. Falcao certainly took a lot of starch out of him and he probably didn't have a whole lot left in the gas tank.
On the positive side, these roster trimmings will have more fighters going for broke knowing their jobs are far from safe.
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B.J. Penn KOs Matt Hughes at UFC 123
In the third fight between two of the sport's all-time greats, B.J. Penn knocked out Matt Hughes with a quick, brutal display of precision striking at UFC 123.The whole fight lasted just 21 seconds, and delivered Penn one of the most spectacular wins of his MMA career. Penn had lost two straight lightweight title fights this year and seemed to be on the downside of his career, but he bounced back in a big way by beating Hughes.
Penn got things started with a 1-2 combination, and when Hughes threw a kick, Penn caught it and nailed Hughes again. They briefly stepped back, and then Penn nailed Hughes with an overhand right, knocking Hughes flat on his back. Penn landed four more punches on the ground and Hughes wasn't defending himself, and the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
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Gesias "JZ" Calvacante talks Josh Thompson Fight and Japanese MMA - JZ Calvacante
The Fight Nerd caught up Gesias "JZ" Calvacante from American Top Team recently at the MMA World Expo to talk about his controversial loss to Josh Thompson in Strikeforce, and if he agreed with the decision. We also ask JZ about Japanese MMA and why it seems to be not as popular as it was a few years ago, and get his thoughts on Shinya Aoki, and why JZ has not fought in every other company but not the UFC yet.Michael Curtis Waltrip Scott Alan Wimmer Jonathan Edward Wood Christopher Beltram Hernandez Yeley
Edson Barboza Refuses to Believe His Own Hype - UFC 123
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UFC 122 weigh-in: Return to Germany marks another chapter in bold international plans
The last time Spike television and the UFC decided to show UFC 120 on a tape-delayed basis in the United States, many fans were irked. The frustration was inflamed when ESPN decided to reveal the results on the bottomline newswire/scoreboard before the show hit U.S. television sets
Get used to it folks. It's going to be the same tomorrow for UFC 122 in Germany and commonplace in 2011 when the promotion looks to double the amount of international events we saw this year.
"I think definitely in the next few years that there's a real prospect that we're going to be running more and more events that you might not see live on U.S. television, or even close to live," Marshall Zelaznik told USA Today.
The UFC's managing director of international development added that the promotion is planning for up to eight shows around the world in 2011.
"I think that we can really see ourselves hitting our stride in the next five years internationally, that we can see our percentages (of UFC's) overall revenue increasing twofold," Zelaznik said. "If we effectively double what we're doing now internationally over the next five years, it's going to be a massive number for the company overall."
The plan for the first quarter of next year calls for shows in Sydney, Abu Dhabi and possibly Dublin. Further down the road, UFC officials expect an event in Scandinavia and possibly Italy. UFC eventually could find itself running parallel circuits around the world.
Zelaznik (pictured on the far right) said UFC 122 is within 1,000 of a sellout of 9,400.
UFC 122 weigh-in (Courtesy Bloody Elbow):
Spike television
Nate Marquardt (186) v. Yushin Okami (185)
Jorge Rivera (185) v. Alessio Sakara (186)
Dennis Siver (155) v. Andre Winner (155)
Amir Sadollah (170) v. Peter Sobotta (169)
Krzysztof Soszynski (206) v. Goran Reljic (205)
Preliminary card:
Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira (204) v. Vladimir Matyushenko (205)
Pascal Krauss (170) v. Mark Scanlon (170)
Duane Ludwig (170) v. Nick Osipczak (171)
Rob Kimmons (184) v. Kyle Noke (185)
Seth Petruzelli (205) v. Karlos Vemola (205)
Kris McCray (171) v. Carlos Eduardo Rocha (170)
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Tyson Griffin 'on Verge of Tears' Following Controversial Decision Loss - UFC 123
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Sunday 28 November 2010
Hallman quickly TKOs Parisyan to end the UFC 123 undercard
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Dennis Hallman made quick work of Karo Parisyan to finish off the undercard at UFC 123 on Saturday. Hallman knocked Parisyan down with a left and then a right, then finished with six unanswered punches. The fight was called at 1:47 of the first round.
This was Parisyan's first bout back since leaving the UFC on bad terms last year. He was welcomed back but didn't give a particularly inspiring performance. MMA veteran Hallman improved his record to 66-13-2. Parisyan's is now 26-6.
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Spotter's Stand: Carl Edwards Has Offseason Momentum in His Back Pocket
Filed under: Carl Edwards, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCAR
He may have won the two races that dole out the least amount of recognition of the entire season, but Carl Edwards doesn't much care. "For our team, to finish like this and to be on the upswing that we are, this is as good as it gets," Edwards said after winning Sunday at Homestead, his second in a row.
Of course, Edwards was overshadowed by an incredibly dramatic championship fight that he watched from the outside looking in Sunday, largely in his rear-view mirror.
Jimmie Johnson overcame Denny Hamlin and held off Kevin Harvick to win the 2010 title, and proceeded to spin through a burnout as Edwards celebrated with his traditional backflip.
"I tell you, it's a lot more frustrating to not be in victory lane and watching somebody out there doing their donuts and all that stuff," Edwards said.
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My First Fight: Yves Edwards
Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive
The internet will tell you that Yves Edwards' first fight was against a guy named Todd Justice at the World Pankration Championships on Oct. 26, 1997."That's not right," Edwards says. "I fought a few weeks, maybe a month before that, in the same building. I fought this guy, I don't remember his name, Kelly something."
It hardly needs to be said, but they did things differently at "pankration" events in Dallas, Texas back in 1997. For one thing, there were the weight classes. They existed, in a way, but they didn't exactly work in Edwards' favor.
"There were no weigh-ins whatsoever. I showed up and the guy I was supposed to fight was probably about 185 [pounds] or 190. He was huge. I was probably about 160. It was just kind of like, okay. Here we go."
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As MLS Expansion Draft Nears, FanHouse Unveils the Unprotected Best XI
Filed under: MLS, Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Seattle Sounders FC, Toronto FC, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
The Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps will look to find that diamond in the rough (like 2010 Best XI honoree Sébastien Le Toux, selected by the Philadelphia Union one year ago) when the MLS expansion draft kicks off at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday.The league's existing sixteen teams each were required to submit a roster of eleven protected players on Monday -- names that the Whitecaps and Timbers can't touch. While the top talent is off limits, there still are a number of high-quality players left available for the two expansion clubs.
With that in mind, FanHouse presents its Expansion Draft Best XI:
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Where the Wild Bunch Roam
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UFC 123: Maiquel Falcao Beats Gerald Harris in Unimpressive Fashion
Brazilian newcomer Maiquel Falcao didn't do anything to endear himself to the UFC fans on Saturday at UFC 123, beating Gerald Harris by unanimous decision but doing it in fairly dull fashion, and doing it after a fight that included a dirty tactic of holding onto a choke after the bell rang.The judges scored the fight for Falcao 29-27, 29-28 and 29-28, improving Falcao's professional record to 26-3. Harris, who had been on a tear this year, fell to 17-3.
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Quinton "Rampage" Jackson: UFC 123 Pre-Fight Presser Comments - UFC 123
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson spoke with the media about his UFC 123 main event bout against Lyoto Machida.Franck Lagorce Jan Lammers Pedro Lamy Chico Landi Hermann Lang
UFC 123 Press Conference Video
UFC President Dana White and four former UFC champions will meet the press on Wednesday at the UFC 123 pre-fight press conference, and we'll stream it live right here at MMAFighting.com.Former light heavyweight champions Lyoto Machida and Rampage Jackson meet in the main event, while former two-division champion BJ Penn moves back up to welterweight and tries to bounce back from back-to-back losses and win his rubber match with Matt Hughes. They'll all have plenty to say.
The press conference begins at 1PM ET and the video is below.
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No Trophy for Nebraska as Feud With Big 12 Conference Furthered
The ongoing, albeit subtle in a way, feud between the Big 12 and soon-to-be-departed Nebraska added another layer Friday. The Huskers blew away Colorado, 45-17, to win the Big 12 North, though the team was not presented the trophy by a conference representative as is usually the custom. To hear it from many Cornhuskers fans, the Big 12 is just blatantly slapping Nebraska in the face because commissioner Dan Beebe and the conference are bitter Nebraska is leaving next season for the Big Ten. Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne got a different story.
"They didn't think it would be safe to send somebody up," Osborne said, referencing "nasty" e-mails the Big 12 said it had received from Huskers fans. "That's the word I got."
Bo Pelini's Huskers moved to 10-2 (6-2 in Big 12) after dominating also-departing Colorado (which will be in the Pac-12 next year). Nebraska will likely face the winner of the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game next Saturday -- though it's possible Texas A&M could sneak in there, the Aggies are a longshot to win the tiebreaker, which is the team with the highest spot in the BCS rankings.
In fairness to the Big 12, the trophy could still be delivered quite soon.
Chuck Liddell's next challenge: Marriage
UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell is still undecided on the future of his fighting life, but he has made a major commitment in his personal life. Liddell recently proposed to his girlfriend Heidi Northcott.
According to People Magazine, Liddell popped the question after the two went on a helicopter ride of the Grand Canyon. On Twitter, they responded to congratulations messages from baseball player Brad Penny and Liddell's "Dancing with the Stars" castmate, Karina Smirnoff.
The pair have not shied away from headlines. They starred in a viral advertisement that showed Liddell and Northcott working out in the nude. Before his bout with Rich Franklin at UFC 115, Liddell credited Northcott for helping him refocus on training and fighting. He went on to get knocked out in that bout.
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Ask Nicolas M�ller: The Answers
You may remember our Nicolas Müller interview in Issue #8.1, and the subsequent Ask Nico contest. Well, Nico's a busy dude launching his new Atreebutes clothing line and all, but he found time to answer your questions. We appreciate everyone's questions, but we had to pick a winner. So, without further adieu, Chuck will be receiving a prize package from Burton Snowboards, including a backpack, t-shirt and hat, and an iFreq hat and a gun show tank top for his question on style, with reference to one of our favorite quotes to ever appear in frequency TSJ from the late Craig Kelly’s interview in Issue #2.2. Chuck, check your email, and read on for Nico's answers.
Style
Craig Kelly once described his freeriding style as a ball rolling down the terrain, naturally following the flow of the hill and spinning off the drops the way it would naturally spin. How do you envision your runs before you drop in? In other words, how would you describe your style?
- Chuck via frqncy.com
Dear Chuck! I love that description of Craig about his riding style. I would describe my style more like I am skateboarding down the hill while surfing frozen waves. Looking out for transitions, banks and drops to get technical on. Also I get to go bigger and faster opposed to on the concrete plus I can always set a sharp bottom turn.
Beyond the Contest Arena
What up Nico. I always love it when pro snowboarders decide to leave the game of contests and the "spotlight" to achieve more personal goals in snowboarding and in life. In my mind, you are that pioneer. I was curious what your game plan after snowboarding was? And how do you keep yourself stoked on snowboarding during the summer months?
- Adam via frqncy.com
Dear Adam, thank you for those nice words. After a while in the circus, you may realize that the most important ranking list to be on top is your own. I love snowboarding and every part of it. I had a blast at contests but at the moment I feel like I want to ride into the silence. I have just settled down in Grischa, southeastern Switzerland. When I am at home there’s so much that I want to do. In a while I am gonna go shred with kids, like as a mentor. Which makes me think of being a parent one day… till then, I wanna keep telling my story as a snowboarder though. But I am telling you it will be the simple life.
In the summer it is off my mind a lot, but then after a while I start day-dreaming about it again.
And the next thing you know you are at a premiere of a film broin’ out and the snow is fallin’ again. To keep the stoke I got one word…Skateboarding!
Nicolas, I've always been a huge fan of your riding and was interested to read how you stepped back from the contest venue to focus on freeriding. What do you think the next step will be? How will you keep finding new inspiration when you've ridden so much terrain around the world?
- Daniel via frqncy.com
Hey Daniel, yeah, so after a good while the whole contest thing changed for me. I wasn’t as hungry anymore and I just didn’t really care anymore. Showing up and people would be more hyped then yourself, I simply had to realize that I needed to step away from it. I had my time on the podium at Air & Style, X-Trail and all those events and all of a sudden I felt like I wanted to make room for the next rippers. And that simply because I wasn’t hungry anymore like when I was new to it. And I moved on and found more time to just snowboard, more time to find inspiration on the mountain. And we all know it, once we get out there…there’s infinite potential. All you need is to free your mind.
Advice for Beginners
Hey Nico. What is your best advice to a novice snowboarder who is absolutely hooked?
- Jonathan via frqncy.com
Yo Jonathan, welcome to planet snowboard hehe…that’s easy, step on it as much as you can. Try it all in every direction, go with what gives you the most pleasure and take those turns on the road of progression. And you’ll never have to ask for directions anymore. You know it!
I was wondering if you have ever taught a snowboard lesson? Either to friends or professionally. If you were to teach, what would be the three things you would say?
- Marcello via frqncy.com
Hey Marcello, yes I think I did. Not professionally, but for friends for sure. If it’s your first day I would have to say a bunch of things like how to post up and to react. But I would have to see how the first attempts looked. And if somebody can already ride a bit it’s easy. I’d say the three words: let’s go riding. That’s how I learned as well, by observing and studying others; learning by doing and going riding with advanced shredders.
Breathe
What do you enjoy most about your Breathe Foundation? Where do you see the foundation going in the future? Are you planning to do conservation in the Northern Hemisphere? How do you choose projects? Where do you feel the need for conservation is the most in the world? Thank you for your time. I find your foundation very proactive and inspiring; a great way to conserve the environment and connect the community through environment, education and fun.
- Phillipe via frqncy.com
Hey Phillipe, the thing I enjoy most about the Breathe Foundation is that it is about something bigger then a sport, an economic niche or human pleasure. I see the foundation as a platform for events and good information to elevate higher consciousness. As of now I am very busy being a pro snowboarder so I can only support our general manager Drew Stevenson, former TTR CEO and founder of Method Mag, however I can. The focus is on connecting and confronting western people with old culture and traditions, sustainable ways of living and purely providing the chance of a moment to just breathe in this hectic world. Thanks a lot and keep spreading the knowledge in your community. I just heard this phrase I want to share with you: “Love is the only emotion that increases intelligence…” I thought that’s pretty cool, right?
Creativity
With such creativity on the snow, do you express yourself in any other art form such as painting, music, or photography?
- Chau B via email
Ciao Chau B. It is so important to live out creativity right? I love anything that involves a creative aspect of us. For a while snowboarding, skating and other sports were my only expressions of it. There was a time I took a lot of photos on the road. I love photography, but sometimes I’d rather soak up the moment like that. I have recently started to paint and fell in love with it. And now that I have my house I’ve set up turntables and I am stacking up on vinyl. Fredi K now teaches me some techniques on the 1s and 2s! Yeahh.
Another thing that I can spend unlimited time on is working on and around my house. Just makin’ it the way I want to. It feels so good. And last but not least cooking…oh my God there’s so much flavor out there. And it just grows for us…out of pure love.
Thanks to the sun (:
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Saturday 27 November 2010
Kingpin Expand: Michael Juras
MPORA has a quick clip of Michael Juras, one of my favorites out of Europe right now. Maybe Tony Hawk will put him on Birdhouse. Found at MPORA among other skateboarding videos.
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TUF vets Sadollah and Soszynski outclass opponents at UFC 122
Amir Sadollah just entered his 30's but he's far from a finished product in MMA. The Virginian spent most of his 20's learning the discipline of muay thai and working as a full-time medical tech. He went for broke on Season 7 of "The Ultimate Fighter" and is now a full-time MMA fighter. You can see his game coming together. Sadollah outhustled a skilled youngster in Peter Sobotta. By the end of the fight, the German could barely lift his hands as Sadollah scored a unanimous decision victory, 30-27 on all three cards.
Sadollah (4-2, 4-2 UFC) pushed the pace from the opening bell. He let loose with well placed kick-punch combinations. As the fight moved into the second, Sadollah's work with leg kicks started to take its toll. Sobotta (8-4, 0-3 UFC) tried to match the output but never landed anything significant. He had very little left in the final round.
The champ from TUF 7 got his career back on track with the win. A loss may have put Sadollah's gig with the promotion in jeopardy.
Soszynski knocks around Reljic for fifth UFC win
Krzysztof Soszynski is a big dude to take head on. Goran Reljic tried to match the Polish muscle man on the feet but wilted in the final round. Over three hard rounds, Soszynski took some damage but was able to get the nod on all the scorecards, 30-27.
Reljic, a student of Croatian legend Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, tried to work his kicking game in the early going but Soszynski was able to time the attempts and fire back with some nasty counter shots. Reljic got the message early when he ate some big shots from the former heavyweight. The Croatian actually changed his gameplan and tried to work for takedowns. He got Soszynski (22-10, 5-2 UFC) on his back with 1:20 left in the first but did little damage on the ground.
The second was highlighted mostly by clinch work along the cage. The bigger, stronger Soszysnki wore down Reljic with some good knees. The fight hit the deck early in the third with Soszysnki working hip control. He pounded away with some huge shots as Reljic tried to scramble but wasn't able to rise to his for 90 seconds. Back on the feet, Soszynski tried for a thai clinch and Reljic just flopped to his back where he took more punches and hammer fists.
Reljic (8-3, 1-3 UFC) opened his UFC career with a dynamic knockout win over Wilson Gouveia at UFC 84. He battled injuries for the rest of 2008 and 2009. This year hasn't been kind. He's lost three straight decisions and is probably done with the promotion.
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First time climbing at Froggatt Edge
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Tennessee Defense Sparks Preseason NIT Championship Win Over Villanova
Filed under: Tennessee, Villanova
The Tennessee Volunteers used tenacious defense to control Friday's 78-68 win over Villanova and become the 2010 Preseason NIT champions.
Both teams came into the game with unblemished records and were ranked in the top 25, Tennessee at No. 24, Villanova at No. 7. The Volunteers improved to 5-0 on the season and beat Villanova for the first time ever. The Wildcats fell to 5-1.
This game might not have been pretty for either team, but toughness played a big part in offensive struggles at both ends of the court. In fact, at some points during the game, play was somewhat ugly. and Villanova were really struggling out there, battling hard against stout defenses, and really wanting to win this contest.
The championship game of this preseason tournament had all of the feel of a March basketball game. Players left nothing out on the court and it was just as likely to see bodies diving on the ground as it was to see them flying above the rim.
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US National Team Defender Jay DeMerit to Join Vancouver Whitecaps
Filed under: MLS, U.S. Men's National Team, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
The Vancouver Whitecaps, set to make the jump from second division play to Major League Soccer in 2011, will announce the addition of U.S. national team veteran Jay DeMerit on Thursday morning.The DeMerit-to-Vancouver rumors started nearly two months ago, when speculation about the 30-year-old's flagging career shifted from England and Germany toward MLS.
He was released from his contract with England's Watford prior to the World Cup, and despite a solid performance in South Africa, DeMerit was unable to find a club.
He has not played a game since the World Cup.
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Maine Red Claws Waive Magnum Rolle Due to Knee Injury
Filed under: NBA D-League, Maine Red Claws
The NBA Development League's Maine Red Claws announced today that they have waived NBA call-up candidate Magnum Rolle due to a knee injury which will sideline the 6-foot-11 big man "indefinitely."Rolle, the 51st pick in this year's NBA Draft, was acquired by the Red Claws with the third pick in this month's D-League Draft after performing very well for the Indiana Pacers during the Orlando Pro Summer League. In five games, Rolle averaged 13.4 points, seven rebounds and two blocks while shooting 57 percent from the field in five starts as a rookie out of Louisiana Tech.
The Bahamian's performance in Orlando earned him a spot with the Pacers this preseason, but unfortunately became a victim of circumstance as Indiana decided that it simply couldn't eat Solomon Jones guaranteed contract and therefore had no decision but to waive Rolle's non-guaranteed deal.
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The Aquatic View: A Discussion (With Bonus Review of Sherwood Scuba Rona Mask)
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One Final Go-Round for PGA Tour 2010
Filed under: British Open, PGA, US Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Champions Tour, European Tour
The PGA Tour season ended Sunday -- 45 weeks and 46 tournaments after it began the first week of January.
There were 39 different winners. Ninety players earned more than $1 million each. Jim Furyk topped the tour in wins -- three -- including the Tour Championship. Matt Kuchar, with only one victory but 11 top 10s, claimed the money title with $4,910,477.
Europe beat the U.S. to win the Ryder Cup. Tiger Woods went oh-for-2010, the first winless season of his pro career. Vijay Singh, ranked among the world's top 20 players since 1997, finished this year 86th.
England's Lee Westwood, despite only one 2010 win worldwide and still without a major championship, took over the world No. 1 ranking, bumping Tiger from top the spot after 281 consecutive weeks.
Matt Every was suspended for three months of the season after a marijuana possession arrest in his hotel room in Silvis, Ill., while at the John Deere.
John Daly wasn't arrested.
Dustin Johnson missed a chance to win the PGA Championship because of a two-stroke penalty incurred on the 72nd hole for grounding his club in a bunker that he didn't know was a bunker -- because he didn't bother to read the local rules sheet.
Fred Couples turned 50 and went to the Champions Tour.
Paul Goydos (first round of the John Deere) and Stuart Appleby (final round, Greenbrier) shot 59s.
John Daly didn't get divorced.
Phil Mickelson won the Masters for his fourth career major, but other than announcing he was going vegetarian, didn't do anything interesting the rest of the year.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy became the season's youngest winner -- 20 year, 11 months, 28 days -- at Quail Hollow.
Rocco Mediate was the oldest -- 37 years, 10 months -- winning the Frys.com.
John Daly didn't trash a hotel room.
And you thought the year was boring.
Actually, there were more memorable moments than the statistics might suggest:
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Sunday Montage
Buffalo's Sunday Boardshop goes international in their latest montage.
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McMurphy's Picks: No Apologies, Just More Winners
Filed under: Arizona State, Colorado, Kansas State, Nebraska, North Texas, UCLA
Everybody's really, really sorry this week.Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is sorry he screamed at quarterback Taylor Martinez (but only after the school's chancellor voiced his displeasure after TV cameras picked up Pelini's F-bomb tirade that made even Joe Pesci blush).
Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini is sorry he attacked a reporter, snapping off parts of the reporter's camera after losing at Texas A&M.
Both Bo and Carl Pelini are also sorry they didn't know there was a video of Pelini's Sean Penn paparazzi impersonation, because then they wouldn't have been caught in a lie when discussing the incident the first time. Only after a video surfaced that was more detailed than the Zapruder film did the Pelini's offer their heartfelt apologies.
In Orlando, Fla., 200 University of Central Florida students are so sorry they cheated on their mid-terms. Well, they really weren't that sorry until they got caught by their professor and were nearly expelled from school.
Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor is sorry he tweeted that Kirk Herbstreit "is a fake Buckeye. Fake as hell." Actually, I take that back, I don't think Pryor ever said he was sorry. Good for him.
And I'll bet you are sorry you didn't take the advice in last week's picks as "Cover Me" and I went 4-0 on our best bets and am now up an imaginary $900 on the season.
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