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
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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