Sakuraba's Ear Takes a Beating at Dynamite 2010

Filed under: DREAM

Japanese mixed martial arts legend Kazushi Sakuraba suffered one of the ugliest losses in MMA history at Dynamite 2010, as a bloody tear of his cauliflower ear caused his welterweight title fight with Marius Zaromskis to be called to a halt.

Like many MMA veterans, Sakuraba's ears tell the story of his long career, but he had never had anything happen to those ears like what happened against Zaromskis: Early in the fight a Zaromskis punch caused Sakuraba's ear to burst open, with blood spewing forth. The referee called the fight to a stop and asked the ringside doctor to examine the ear, but it was determined that Sakuraba was good to continue.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/12/31/sakurabas-ear-takes-a-beating-at-dynamite-2010/

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Anorexic Model Isabelle Caro Dies at 28

It was hard to shake the haunting image of model Isabelle Caro in the controversial 2007 anti-anorexia campaign, in which a nude Caro was rumored to weigh only 68 pounds at the time.

Now, sadly, while that shocking photo lives on, Caro does not. It was reported on Wednesday by People that the model/actress passed away at the age of 28 after battling the disease since she was 13 years old.

While the news of her death was only announced this week, Caro's acting coach Daniele Dubreuil-Prevot, revealed she had actually died on Nov. 17, after just having returned from a shoot in Tokyo. Dubreuil-Prevot said that Caro "had been sick for a long time." 

Caro's famous image for the "No Anorexia" campaign (which was done by Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani) was displayed on billboards and newspapers and garnered a lot of heat from the fashion industry.

PopEater.com reports that at that time designer Giorgio Armani, speaking out against the connection between eating disorders and the fashion industry, argued that, "even people who take no notice of fashion get anorexic."

Still, others had a profound reaction and connection to Caro, including Jessica Simpson, who had her on her VH1 self-esteem reality show The Price of Beauty. Caro spoke openly about her battle with anorexia and body image, a moment that brought Simpson, and undoubtedly countless viewers, to tears.

Leave your condolences for Isabelle Caro and her friends and family below.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/anorexic-model-isabelle-caro-dies-28-0/1-a-310195

Coco Lee Connie Nielsen Cristina Dumitru

St Pierre vs Koscheck Fight UFC 124 Preview Show - UFC 124

St Pierre vs Koscheck Fight UFC 124 Preview Show Video by UFC 124

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-124/st-pierre-vs-koscheck-fight-ufc-124-preview-show-video_8110458e5.html

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A cold but rewarding start to the day... Saturday 17 July 2010

Source: http://nedsurfshots.blogspot.com/2010/07/cold-but-rewarding-start-to-day.html

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It's Britney Spears' Birthday! A Look At What's Next For Her

Spears, who turns 29 on Thursday (December 2), hints about new tracks.
By Jocelyn Vena

Britney Spears
Photo: Fame Pictures

Britney Spears remained relatively low-key in 2010. She was too busy recording her new album, a follow-up to 2008's Circus, to do much more than make an appearance on an episode of "Glee" dedicated to her.

As 2010 comes to a close, and Spears blows out another candle on her birthday cake — she turns 29 on Thursday (December 2) — fans are readying to hear some new jams from the pop princess.

In November, Spears' manager, Adam Leber, revealed that she would be recording a track with "... Baby One More Time" mastermind Max Martin, as well as fellow superproducer Dr. Luke, calling the tune a likely "smash." He also shared that the album would sound "progressive" and that ''it'll be a departure from what you've heard" in the past.

In mid-November, she tweeted about the Martin/Luke track, writing, "Just finished recording a monster with @TheDoctorLuke and #MaxMartin. Get ready..."

And Dr. Luke, while not specifying that he's referring to Britney, in a not-so-subtle hint tweeted last week, "Time to get this song out the door and out to mix.. I think you know what artist i'm talking Bout... Right???"

While not much has been confirmed about the album or when it might be released, several producers have talked about working on songs for the singer. "We can start one way and end up a totally different way. I really don't know," Danja said earlier this year. "I'm definitely gonna do my part and try to make it hard-hitting, up-tempo, high-energy. That's what I think we need, and that's what I'm gonna shoot for."

Send birthday wishes to Britney in the comments section below!

Related Photos

• The Evolution Of: Britney Spears

Related Artists

• Britney Spears

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653374/20101201/spears_britney.jhtml

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Japan's Christmas gift for MMA fans: 'The Reem' vs. Duffee

If the fight stinks, at least the postfight posedown will thrill the fans at Dynamite!! 2010. Japanese promoters have delivered an opponent for Alistair Overeem on their year-end MMA card, it's fellow muscleman Todd Duffee. What a holiday gift to close out the year.

Duffee has been in limbo since his mysterious axing from the UFC back in September. The 6-foot-3, 252-pounder was considered one of the UFC's best heavyweight prospects. After putting a first-round beatdown on Mike Russow, Duffee gassed and was shocked via knockout in the third. Four months later, he was cut by the UFC with a 1-1 record.

FanHouse confirmed Thursday morning that the 25-year-old will face Overeem on Jan. 31 in Saitama, Japan (HDNet).

HeadKickLegend reports that Duffee will be paid $60,000 to show and an additional bonus if he pulls the upset. HKL also says Bobby Lashley turned down an Overeem fight over financial concerns.

Overeem, the Strikeforce heavyweight champ, is riding an eight-fight win streak that dates to 2007. His last MMA fight was a walkover in May against Brett Rogers in St. Louis.

On New Year's Eve, he'll be just 20 days removed from fighting three times in one night at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010.

This is MMA fight No. 45 for Overeem and only Duffee's eighth. Is it too soon?

The youngster has everything to gain. Hopefully, he's corrected some of his gas-tank issues because Overeem can go hard for 15 minutes and has huge knockout power.

Duffee will also have to deal with a long trip to Japan. Let's hope he has only good things to say about DREAM's promoters on the way to the fight.  

Tip via Bloody Elbow

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Japan-s-Christmas-gift-for-MMA-fans-The-Reem-?urn=mma-299903

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Boobie Prize Supplies!

Boobie Prize Supplies!, originally uploaded by Karyn Bosnak.

Source: http://www.prettyinthecity.com/blog/2010/12/10/boobie-prize-supplies.html

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T-shirt says it all as Duffee arrives in Japan for Dynamite!! 2010

Eliminate that blank spot next to Alistair Overeem's name on the Dynamite!! 2010 fight list. Todd Duffee is in Japan, took this photo and is ready to take on one of the hottest fighters in MMA.

Duffee, once considered a top prospect at heavyweight with the UFC, is looking to rebuild his reputation after getting booted from the promotion over personality issues. Duffee (6-1) recorded a seven-second KO in his UFC debut, but then suffered an upset loss at the hands of Mike Russow in May at UFC 114. 

We're glad to see Duffee steered clear of the Japanese cross-dressing routine during Wednesday's press proceedings. The message on the T-shirt is a nice touch. 

That "chick" Shinya Aoki is fighting is K-1 MAX Japan Tournament Champion Yuichiro Nagashima. As if the get-up isn't weird enough, the fight will be waged under mixed rules according to MMAjunkie:

In addition to the heavyweight bout, DREAM officials clarified the "special rules" for Aoki vs. Nagashima. One three-minute kickboxing round will be followed by a five-minute MMA round. Open-finger gloves will be used, and if a winner hasn't been determined by knockout or submission, the fight will be declared a draw.

Bob Sapp is also on the card fighting with special rules: 

Officials also clarified the rules for a Bob Sapp vs. Shinichi Suzukawa special-rules fight. The fight will be held under MMA rules, but the fighters won't wear gloves. Closed-fist strikes are not allowed, though palm strikes are. 

Dynamite 2010!! card (HDNet Friday 4 a.m. ET/1 a.m. PT):
Satoshi Ishii vs. Jerome Le Banner
Sergei Kharitonov vs. Tatsuya Mizuno
Alistair Overeem vs. Todd Duffee
Bob Sapp vs. Shinichi Suzukawa
Bibiano Fernandes vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Marius Zaromskis vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Shinya Aoki vs. Yuichiro Nagashim
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Josh Thomson
Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Caol Uno
Akiyo Nishiura vs. Tetsuya Yamato
Kyotaro Fujimoto vs. Gegard Mousasi
Hideo Tokoro vs. Kazuhisa Watanabe
Jason High vs. Hayato Sakurai
Hiroshi Izumi vs. Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa
Katsuaki Furuki vs. Andy Ologun

As always with Japanese fight cards, Cagewriter will have live coverage of Dynamite!! 2010 on Friday morning beginning around 4:30 a.m. ET. Much of the coverage will be on Twitter. You can follow us @stevecofield and @maggiehendricks.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/T-shirt-says-it-all-as-Duffee-arrives-in-Japan-f?urn=mma-301373

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WEC 53: Donald Cerrone Submits Chris Horodecki

by Michael David SmithDonald Cerrone showed off a great display of fighting from his back Thursday at WEC 53, spending most of the second round controlling Chris Horodecki from the bottom before eventually getting him to tap out to a triangle choke.

Cerrone thanked his coach afterward.

"Thanks to Greg Jackson," Cerrone said. "Always pushing, always giving us words of wisdom to keep us motivated. I've got to give it all to Greg Jackson."

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/12/16/wec-53-donald-cerrone-submits-chris-horodecki/

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Photos | 2010 American Music Awards Presenter, Nominee And Performer Highlights

2010 American Music Awards Presenter, Nominee And Performer Highlights

Related Artists

• Eminem
• Drake
• Lady Gaga
• Katy Perry
• Ke$ha

Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1649801

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Micha? Jura? Part

Micha? Jura? is one of my favorite Euro skaters right now. This new part is pretty rad, so enjoy.. Via: Le Site Du Skateboard.

Photos | MTV Buzzworthy Blog: Zombie Pop Stars

MTV Buzzworthy Blog: Zombie Pop Stars

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• Ke$ha
• Lady Gaga
• Justin Bieber
• Katy Perry
• Kanye West

Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1650759

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Scary moment on WEC 53 preliminary card

Eddie Wineland and Ken Stone had a frightening moment during the preliminary card at WEC 53. From Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole, who was cageside:

Stone pulled guard and Wineland walked him across the cage and backed him to the fence. Then, he did a Rampage Japan-style slam and Stone was out cold immediately. Down for 5-10 minutes and then out on a stretcher.

Stone was taken from the arena in a stretcher, but he did not sustain any serious injuries, and was moving and breathing without trouble. 

Otherwise, the WEC 53 undercard was called by several on-site media the most exciting undercard they've seen. Only two fights went to the judges cards. 

Complete undercard results:

Renan Barao def. Chris Cariaso via submission via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:47

Yuri Alcantara def. Ricardo Lamas via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 3:26

Danny Castillo def. Will Kerr via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 1:25

Eddie Wineland def. Ken Stone via knockout (slam) - Round 1, 2:11

Brad Pickett def. Ivan Menjivar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Shane Roller def. Jamie Varner via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:55

Danny Downes def. Tiequan Zhang via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Scary-moment-on-WEC-53-preliminary-card?urn=mma-297105

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Meltzer says UFC is having difficulty with Lesnar's future

Maybe there was something to that little exchange between the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar following his fight at UFC 121. The rumors are swirling around Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight champ and WWE star.

Some say the UFC wants Lesnar to take part as a coach on Season 13 of "The Ultimate Fighter." Others say Lesnar doesn't want to be involved with very much involving MMA right now. This report was written after listening to Pro Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer:

Lesnar reportedly hasn't talked with anyone from UFC or answered their phone calls since losing the UFC Heavyweight Title to Cain Velasquez last month. Sources also say that Lesnar hasn't began to prepare for his next UFC fight and hasn't trained since losing to Velasquez.

It's said that Lesnar has lost some interest in MMA and has been been re-considering his future in the sport after his loss to Velasquez and the beating he took in the win against Shane Carwin before that.

Lesnar reportedly has only one fight left on his contract. Could it be that the Wrestlemania appearance, which he could make upwards of $2 million for, is the hold up? Is Lesnar really thinking about bailing on MMA after just one bad loss?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Meltzer-says-UFC-is-having-difficulty-with-Lesna?urn=mma-300989

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Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Taylor Swift Top Charitable Celebs List

DoSomething.org announces its 2010 'Celebs Gone Good' roundup.
By Terri Schwartz

Lady Gaga
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/ WireImage

MTV News already recognized Lady Gaga as being the most important Woman of the Year (and our most fashionable), but we weren't the only ones taking notice: DoSomething.org listed their top 20 most charitable celebrities of 2010, and unsurprisingly, Gaga took the #1 spot.

DoSomething helps young people develop causes they care about, and the organization said Gaga represented that spirit this year more than any other artist. From calling for an end to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (which was recently repealed) to hosting a "Hands Up for Marriage Equality" event, Gaga focused on helping others.

Fellow pop star Alicia Keys was #2 on the "Celebs Gone Good" list. As the founder of Keep a Child Alive, Keys worked harder than ever to provide AIDS treatment worldwide and raised $1.1 million with her Digital Death Campaign, thanks to the help of celebrities such as Gaga, Kim Kardashian, Usher and Justin Timberlake.

Coming after Keys on the list was America's newest sweetheart Taylor Swift, who earned her spot by donating $500,000 to relief efforts after Nashville flooded earlier this year, as well as by joining Scholastic's READ NOW program to promote literacy.

Rounding out the top five were Ashton Kutcher and his wife, Demi Moore, who launched the DNA Foundation to help stop child sex trafficking and met with world leaders to end slavery worldwide, and Ellen DeGeneres, who teamed up with the Trevor Project to combat bullying and raised more than $150,000 for LGBT people struggling with mental-health issues.

Nick Jonas came onto the list at #6 thanks to his becoming the National Chair for "Walk to Cure Diabetes" as well as his portion of the Jonas Brothers' Change for the Children Foundation.

Matt Damon placed #7 for his Water.org organization, while Leonardo DiCaprio was #8 for donating $1 million to the tiger-preservation foundation Save Tigers Now.

Oprah was #9, and Justin Bieber snuck into 10th place after dedicating a music video to children battling illness worldwide and donating $150,000 to a Buffalo, New York, hospital. He also worked with Pencils of Promise to build schools and increase education opportunities for less-fortunate children, and dedicated $1 of every concert ticket sold to the organization.

Shakira, Betty White, Eva Longoria, Sophia Bush, Alyssa Milano, Sandra Bullock, Wyclef Jean, Prince William, Stephen Colbert and AnnaLynne McCord were the other 10 celebrities recognized for their charitable efforts this year.

After debuting his recent buzz cut and his own charitable efforts, it looks like "Charlie St. Cloud" star Zac Efron might be making a run to place on next year's list.

Who do you think was the most charitable celeb in 2010? Tell us in the comments below!

Related Artists

• Lady Gaga
• Alicia Keys
• Taylor Swift

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654900/20101223/lady_gaga.jhtml

Sunny Mabrey Susan Ward Susie Castillo

Brooks Schuping Throwaway Part

theProgram Zine has a sick Brooks Schuping Throwaway Part. No direct link, so just find it and enjoy it.

Flip and TX Part Ways

Just got this e-mail from Flip. "Flip Skateboards would like to let you know that they have a mutual parting of ways with Rodrigo TX. Everyone at Flip would like to thank Rodrigo for all the good times and wish him all the best for the future."

Source: http://theskateboardmag.com/blogs/templeton-elliott/2010/12/30/flip-and-tx-part-ways/

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GSP won't close the door on another Koscheck fight

He never wanted to hear about him again. That's what Georges St. Pierre said before his UFC 124 match against Josh Koscheck. After Koscheck, stood in front of him for 20-plus minutes with a broken orbital bone, St. Pierre admitted he may have to fight him again down the road.

"I've said in an interview before the fight, he's gonna be done and we're never going to fight each other again," St. Pierre said as he smiled during the UFC 124 postfight press conference.

"He's very tough and the performance he did tonight, he's a top welterweight. Maybe I talk too fast. Maybe in a few years, maybe he's going to come back." 

Don't scoff. It could happen.

Koscheck (15-5, 13-5 UFC) isn't going anywhere. His only losses in the UFC have come against St. Pierre (twice), Thiago Alves and two upsets at the hands of Paulo Thiago and Drew Fickett. The 33-year-old will be a mainstay in the UFC's top five at 170 pounds.

The question comes with St. Pierre and his willingness to eventually leave the division.

GSP said he weighs 190-192 between fights and that's not big enough to fight 185 pounds. He wants to get to 200 pounds before considering a fight with UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva. St. Pierre also said if he moves to 185, the switch will be permanent. He has no interest in bouncing between weight divisions.

If he doesn't move to middleweight or gets destroyed by Silva down the road, one has to wonder what the UFC will do if Koscheck is the No. 1 contender again around say, UFC 159.

Sounds like St. Pierre may not like Koscheck as person, but he knows that he's a necessary evil.   

"At the end of the night, it's only a fight," St. Pierre said of all prefight trash talk by Koscheck. "I need Josh Koscheck to do what I do for a living. If Josh Koscheck would not have been there tonight. I would not be able to make money and you guys would not have a good night of entertaining. We need good guy, we need bad guy. It's nothing personal at the end of the day, it's a business."

Koscheck may be a dick as Dana White calls him, but he is good for the sport. He also showed amazing heart, fighting with a broken orbital for 20-plus minutes.

What happens if Koscheck doesn't suffer the gruesome injury in the first round? What if he actually tried to use his wrestling and score some takedowns? Koscheck was the first guy in a long time that St. Pierre had trouble taking down and settling on the ground. If Koscheck rolls through Alves, B.J. Penn, Carlos Condit and Jake Shields, he won't deserve a third crack at GSP? We'll see.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/GSP-won-t-close-the-door-on-another-Koscheck-fig?urn=mma-295409

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Junk food lover GSP explains the secret to his success

Georges St. Pierre let the cat out of the bag. Why is he so good? Cheeseburgers and nifty footwork.

GSP joined Andrew Krystal on Toronto's The Fan 590 to talk about his victory over Josh Koscheck. The UFC welterweight champ said analysts are concentrating too much on the work he did with his jab, saying his real secret is unique footwork.

He also talked about the only area where he splurges. St. Pierre said he loves taking his buddies out to nice restaurants. When he's solo, the champ eats like the rest of us. Right before this interview, he hit Burger King for a cheeseburger and fries.

Listen here for the entire 15-minute interview.

Tip via Sports Radio Interviews

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Junk-food-lover-GSP-explains-the-secret-to-his-s?urn=mma-297731

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Surf Artist - Dominique Amendola

Introducing French artist (now living in India, which is a new location for COTW's artist base); Dominique Amendola. Dominique paints a vast array of subject matter, but her 'surf art' is particularly interesting and something 'new'… She takes famous paintings from great artists (e.g. Van Gogh) and gives them a surfing twist! She calls this the "Amadeus series" and she tells us there are more on the way, so watch this space…

www.clubofthewaves.com/surf-artist/dominique-amendola.php

Artist's rendition of The Great Wave off Kanagawa

www.dominiqueamendola.com/collections/amadeus-series

Dana White Expects to Know 'Ultimate Fighter' Coaches on Friday

by Michael David SmithIn the week and a half since the Finale of The Ultimate Fighter Season 12, speculation has run rampant about who the coaches will be for the show's 13th season, which will begin taping in early 2011. UFC President Dana White said on Wednesday that he's about 48 hours away from knowing the coaches' identities.

"We should have it done by Friday," White said at a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, where he announced that the UFC would host a fight card in Brazil in August.

So who are the likely choices?

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/12/15/dana-white-expects-to-know-ultimate-fighter-coaches-on-friday/

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Photography Workshop with Aaron Chang

Aaron Chang will lead a specially designed workshop focused on action surf photography during October 2010 in Todos Santos, Baja, Mexico. Click here for more information here…

If you didn't know… As senior photographer for Surfing magazine Aaron Chang has photographed some of the biggest names in the sport and traveled to more than 50 countries shooting cover stories for the magazine. Aaron has over 100 covers to his credit. In the commercial photography realm Aaron's photographic skills have landed him work with clients like Levi's, Macy's, Nike, Billabong, Yamaha, Polaris, ESPN and Sanuk. Chang also works with and supports the Surfrider Foundation and SurfAid International.

Photo: Waimea Bay, Hawaii by Aaron Chang

Mongonex

The final DVS InNOventors commercial describes Mongonex, a product designed to help mongo pushers push properly.

Source: http://theskateboardmag.com/blogs/templeton-elliott/2010/12/28/mongonex/

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My favorite fight of 2010: Edson Barboza vs. Mike Lullo

My top fight of the year will not show up on any top ten lists. It didn't show up on any of our "You Choose" polls, and since it aired after the main event of UFC 123, it's not even one that many MMA fans saw.

But the fight that stood out the most to me in 2010 was Edson Barboza's win over Mike Lullo, because it was the first time I saw my cousin fight in the Octagon. Though Mikey, errr, Lullo lost, I've never been so proud.

Mikey called me on Nov. 10 to share the good news. He was replacing the injured Darren Elkins at UFC 123, a card that, coincidentally, I was planning to cover in person. I was floored. After Mikey's last fight, a third-round submission of Tyler Combs, I thought that he was ready for the next level but had no idea that the next level would come so quickly.

I was nervous before weigh-ins, since I hadn't talked to Mikey yet that day. An interview with the UFC's Marc Ratner distracted me, but as soon as that was over, I couldn't calm down until I saw him on the scale. I was so anxious that I didn't even notice that internet sensation Antoine Dodson was sitting in front of me. When I finally heard Joe Rogan say the name "Mike Lulll-ooooo," I had tears in my eyes.

Mikey is my cousin on my mother's side, and Lullo is a family name we take pride in. There have been Lullos who served in wars and built businesses from the ground up. My grandfather (Mikey's great uncle) John Lullo Sr., was a prizefighter in the 1920s. Seeing the name Lullo on the screen above the UFC weigh-ins took my breath away.

Though my Cagewriter duties kept me busy, I was able to hang out with Mikey the night before the fights. We went to dinner and watched "Couples Retreat," a truly terrible movie, the night before the fight, and I watched a calmness come over my cousin. Usually, he's like a ball bouncing around a pinball machine, but he had finally relaxed. He was ready to fight.

He had the third fight in on the UFC 123 undercard, and I'll be honest. I had a hard time concentrating on the first two bouts: Tyson Griffin's questionable (to put it mildly) decision loss to Nik Lentz, and Paul Kelly's TKO of T.J. O'Brien. I just wanted to see Mikey.

As I was sitting on press row, I had to stay professional and abide by the rule of no partisan cheering. I could hear my relatives. A bus full of Mikey's friends and family had driven in from suburban Chicago that afternoon, and they were not quiet. As much as I wanted to join them in yelling "MIKEY!" I sat quietly in my seat. Dave Meltzer kindly agreed to write up the fight story so I could concentrate on watching my cousin fight.

Mikey started off strong, but I grew concerned when he couldn't get a takedown. He is a submission wiz, but even when he was in the right position to get a gogoplata, he couldn't finish. I became more concerned when Barboza started to use whipping kicks to batter Mikey's legs, shuddering every time I heard the loud smack from the kicks.

But he kept standing. I could tell he was in pain, and though the MMA journalist in me thought, "He needs to keep going and make a good impression," the protective cousin in me just wanted it to end. How much more could he take? 

After the end of the second round, I thought the fight was going to be stopped. Mikey was limping badly, but when the horn sounded, he returned to the center of the cage, ready for more. Barboza knocked his legs out from underneath him a few times, and finally, the fight was stopped. Mikey had lost his debut in the UFC, and had to be carried out by his cornermen. 

After the Fight

I had to shake that off. Karo Parisyan and Dennis Hallman would soon be walking out for their fight, and I had to file Meltzer's story about Mikey's loss. In retrospect, having work to focus on helped me to keep it together. 

There was an intermission a few fights later, and I accompanied a fellow reporter to Mikey's prep room. He greeted me with a huge smile, saying, "Hi cuz!" Though his knee was wrapped up and covered in ice and his face was bruised, he assured me that he was OK. 

I hugged him and said again and again how proud I was of him. Though I tried my damnedest to hold them in, my tears flowed. Staying professional didn't matter any more. My cousin had just taken a fight on 10 days notice, just a month removed from his last fight, and had showed he was as tough as nails. Pride wasn't a strong enough word to cover what I felt. 

After I saw him, I updated our family that he was doing OK, and returned to my job. Writing fight reports and briefs from the press conference was much easier after seeing Mikey smile and say, "I'm fine." The night went on. Phil Davis invented a new submission, B.J. Penn knocked out Matt Hughes, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson won a close decision over Lyoto Machida.

When I finally finished my work, I had no interest in going to post-fight parties. I just wanted to see my family, so I headed to fight hotel. A large group of loved ones were gathered, and had plenty of questions for me. "Who won Fight of the Night? Why did Tyson Griffin lose? When is the UFC coming to Chicago?" I answered them best that I could, and heard from Mikey that there was no structural damage on his knee. Phew.

Scanning the restaurant, I noticed that Barboza and his family and friends were sitting just a table away. I smiled. Mikey noticed where I was looking and said, "Oh yeah! We talked. We took a picture together. Nice guy."

Call me sentimental, but Barboza and Lullo gave me my favorite fight of the year. If you ever are lucky enough to see a beloved family member get in the Octagon, it will be your favorite, too. 

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/My-favorite-fight-of-2010-Edson-Barboza-vs-Mik?urn=mma-299500

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Thiago Alves calls out Jake Shields wants to fight him - UFC 124

Thiago Alves calls out Jake Shields wants to fight him Video by UFC 124

Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-124/thiago-alves-calls-out-jake-shields-wants-to-fight-him-video_2e7ef0191.html

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Cerrone punches his ticket to the UFC with win over Horodecki

Donald Cerrone has been one of the mainstays in the WEC, but with the merger of the promotion into the UFC, nothing was guaranteed. Cerrone was likely to get the invite to the big promotion but certainly didn't have room to jerk around and lose to Chris Horodecki.

He didn't. Early in the second round, Cerrone hit the deck and transitioned to a triangle choke. The veteran stayed patient with Horodecki and eventually locked on the submission hold where it was unbearable for the 23-year-old to continue at 2:43 of the second round.

Cerrone will now go from being a big fish in a little pond to a small fish in the biggest MMA pond in the sport. The 155-pound division in the UFC is extremely deep. The lanky lightweight should provide some great matchup opportunities for UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. 

"The Cowboy" called out Cole Miller following the fight. Miller has a win over Cerrone's teammate Leonard Garcia.

Horodecki was very much in the fight in the first round. In spite of giving away a lot in the reach department, Horodecki was having success getting inside and landing combinations to the head and body. There were several trips to the floor, and Cerrone looked like the slicker fighter in the grappling department. Cerrone won the first round, but it was competitive.

For some reason between rounds, Horodecki's trainer Shawn Tompkins asked the fighter to grapple and get it to the ground in the second.

Horodecki listened and got it down but was almost immediately in danger, in the grips of Cerrone's long legs.

Cerrone (13-3, 6-3 WEC) moves over to UFC with the potential of being a Chris Lytle-type. The MMA veteran has won seven postfight honors during his time with UFC.

Cerrone, 27, has the same exciting, go-for-broke approach, that'll make him a big hit with his new fans over in the UFC.

Horodecki (16-3, 2-2 UFC) may have cost himself a gig with the UFC. That said, he's a young dude who probably deserves at least one more fight with Zuffa. 

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Cerrone-punches-his-ticket-to-the-UFC-with-win-o?urn=mma-297121

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ION plans on airing the 'Ultimate Fighting Challenge'

As Cofield mentioned earlier today, the preliminary fights for UFC 125 will air on ION, a cable network that seems to be fond of infomercials, "The Ghost Whisperer" and "Without a Trace." Also, according to my Comcast menu, they're airing "Ultimate Fighting Challenge," which will be sandwiched between "Timecop" and "Space Cowboys."

Yikes. Who wants to be the one to tell them that they actually signed a deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship? 

The move is curious, because in the UFC and WEC's past television partnerships, the brands made sense together. Spike is focused on the male demographic, while Versus already had a full slate of sports programming.

ION, on the other hand, "focuses on general entertainment for adults 25-54." Its programming screams, "We don't want to offend anyone!" How will the average Jennifer Love Hewitt fan react when she tunes to ION, hoping for "Ghost Whisperer," and happens upon a slugfest between Marcus Davis and Jeremy Stephens?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/ION-plans-on-airing-the-Ultimate-Fighting-Chall?urn=mma-301139

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UFC 124 Post-fight press conference: Who's next for GSP?

-- For the first time, the UFC allowed the fans to vote for the Fight of the Night, and that $100,000 bonus was given to Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck by the fans. Mark Bocek and Jim Miller split the Submission of the Night bonus, each taking home an extra $50,000. Bocek's was for a triangle choke of Dustin Hazelett, while Miller won his bonus for slapping a kneebar on Charles Oliveira. Mac Danzig was awarded the $100,000 Knockout of the Night bonus for his quick KO of Joe Stevenson.

-- Dana White said he believed it was the Pierson/Riddle fight should have won the fight of the night, and the UFC will take care of those fighters. He also said that the fans blew their chance by voting in GSP/Koscheck, so they won't get another chance to vote in FOTN. Later, White told GSP that he owed Pierson, his training partner, $100,000 dollars.

-- Montreal delivered again, with 23,152 fans packing into the Bell Centre, bringing in one of the largest North American gates ever of $4.58 million. This was the fourth UFC event in Montreal.

-- The biggest winner of the night may have been Mike Dolce, the man behind the Dolce Diet, for helping Thiago Alves move past his weight problems. Alves said that getting on the Dolce Diet was not just a change in his diet, but a change in lifestyle, and that made the difference in how he fought against John Howard.

-- When asked about a possible GSP-Anderson Silva super fight, White was non-committal, saying "We'll see what happens." GSP said that he needs to check it out, because if he were to move up, he needs to gain muscle and stay up at middleweight. He pointed out how the weight class movement affected the timing of Roy Jones, Jr., and he doesn't want to move back and forth between weight classes.

-- GSP seemed open to fighting Jake Shields. "I like watching him fight, he's very meticulous, he beat up everyone at 170 and 185, I think he's amazing," GSP said about Shields. "He's probably the number one contender right now for my title."

-- GSP spoke about his post-fight embrace with Koscheck, saying that Kos apologized and said the trash was to hype up a fight. GSP thanked him for coming and fighting in Montreal. "In the end, we need a good guy, we need a bad guy, and it's a business," GSP said.

-- Jim Miller is often not regarded as one of the UFC's best lightweights, despite the fact that's he only lost to Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, two men fighting for the lightweight title. He said it does bother him, because he believes he is the No. 3 guy.

"It does eat at me a little bit. It does bother me," he said. He hopes to get another chance at Edgar and Maynard. "I want revenge. I want to beat those guys. Even though Frankie and I are friends, it was fun when we fought the last time. It will be fun the second time."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-124-Post-fight-press-conference-Who-s-next-?urn=mma-294726

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Pettis steals UFC title shot: Henderson shocked by fifth round cage walking kick

If anyone thought the UFC would have trouble promoting a WEC-UFC lightweight title unification bout, think again. Anthony Pettis pulled the upset on former WEC champ Ben Henderson by using one of the craziest moves in MMA history.

Pettis landed a wacky head kick after he ran up the side of the cage. A stunned Henderson hit the deck with less than 90 seconds left in the fight. In a back and forth five rounder, that was pretty even inside the final two minutes, the stunning kick locked up the win for Pettis.

He took the title and earned himself a shot against the UFC lightweight champ with a unanimous decision win 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46. Cagewriter scored it 48-47 for Pettis.

Frank Edgar, the current UFC 155-pound champ defends his title on Jan. 1 against Gray Maynard. Pettis gets the winner some time in 2011. That kick will be the centerpiece of the UFC's highlight reel heading into the title showdown.

"We practice that all the time in the cage," Pettis told WEC announcer Craig Hummer. " (Pettis' trainer) Duke Roufus says just have fun in the cage. I got 10 more of them kicks coming. How do you like that to end the WEC?"

Pettis (13-1, 6-1 WEC) goes down as the final lightweight champ in WEC history. Zuffa's smaller promotion is being folded into the much more popular UFC. Many of the fighters from the WEC's 135, 145 and 155 pound weight classes will be brought on board. UFC actually started mixing in some of the WEC's roster on two cards earlier this month. 

Henderson (12-2, 5-2 WEC) will be one of those guys. He was likely a good five minutes away from getting his shot at Edgar or Maynard. Henderson was the better grappler in the fight but had trouble finding his range on the feet. It was an even fight entering the final round. Pettis was effective most of the fight on the counter-strike and really got hot in the fifth.  

Pettis blasted Henderson on a combination with 3:50 left. He also landed a brutal knee as Henderson charged in for a takedown with 2:53 left. Henderson scored a takedown with 2:20 left and got Pettis' back but he got a little impatient going for the choke and he allowed his opponent to escape with 1:28 left. The fighters circled for a while and then Pettis attempted his running kick with 1:04 left. He nailed Henderson, who fell to his back. Pettis got off 41 unanswered punches and hammer fists, while Henderson clutched at his leg on the ground. The kick and final minute sealed the victory.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Pettis-steals-UFC-title-shot-Henderson-shocked-?urn=mma-297147

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The more you climb, the better you?ll climb

I have had a few days away from climbing - in fact, my last session was 3 weekends ago at Froggatt - and so I got back to the gym this week. My local gym has an auto-belay setup so I was able to do some indoor routes without company. And I struggled! Struggled to get [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rock-climbing-blog/~3/187_JCTDoUI/philsheard

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UFC 125 Predictions

Filed under: UFC

The UFC tries to make its annual New Year's show one of the biggest fight cards of the year, but for the second straight year, the New Year's card has taken some big hits because of injuries, and UFC 125 is an average pay-per-view, not a great one.

What: UFC 125: Resolution

When: Saturday, the pay-per-view starts at 10 PM ET

Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas

Predictions on the five pay-per-view fights are below.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/12/29/ufc-125-predictions/

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Nick Diaz Signs New Multi-Year Contract With Strikeforce

Filed under: Strikeforce, News

You can officially stop wondering whether Nick Diaz will leave Strikeforce in the near future to re-sign with the UFC.

Strikeforce announced Tuesday afternoon that they had signed their welterweight champion to a new mutli-year agreement. Exact terms of the agreement were not announced.

"I'm looking forward to continuing my career with Strikeforce," Diaz stated in a press release. "When I first got here, there weren't a lot of great 170 pound fighters for me to fight, but that's definitely changed. There's a lot of really good fighters in the division now and I'm ready to fight anyone who thinks they can beat me."

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/12/28/nick-diaz-signs-new-multi-year-contract-with-strikeforce/

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Alistair Overeem's Pre-Fight Interview K-1 World GP - Alistair Overeem

Alistair Overeem's Pre-Fight interview for FieLDS K-1 WORLD GP 2010 FINAL (2010 Dec,11 / Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, JAPAN) . http://www.k-1.co.jp/12?11?FieLDS K-1 WORLD GP 2010 FINAL????????????????????????????????????????

Source: http://mmalice.com/alistair-overeem/alistair-overeems-pre-fight-interview-k-1-world-gp-video_52953e1cb.html

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South

Source: http://nedsurfshots.blogspot.com/2010/09/south.html

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Springtime Gold

Source: http://nedsurfshots.blogspot.com/2010/11/springtime-gold.html

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Alistair Overeem Wants Dynamite!! Fight to Be for Dream Belt

Filed under: DREAM, interview, Japan, Videos

TOKYO, Japan -- MMA Fighting was on location to witness Strikeforce heavyweight champion and K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 champion Alistair Overeem put on a show at his Dynamite!! 2010 media workout under the watchful eye of two-time K-1 MAX Champion Masato at Kazushi Sakuraba's Laughter7 Dojo in Ota-ku, Tokyo on Tuesday.

Although his opponent for New Year's Eve has not yet been made official due to visa issues, Todd Duffee has arrived in Japan and is expected to take on the recently crowned K-1 king for the DREAM heavyweight belt on Dec. 31st.

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/12/28/alistair-overeem-wants-dynamite-fight-to-be-for-dream-belt/

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Surf Artist - Dominique Amendola

Introducing French artist (now living in India, which is a new location for COTW's artist base); Dominique Amendola. Dominique paints a vast array of subject matter, but her 'surf art' is particularly interesting and something 'new'… She takes famous paintings from great artists (e.g. Van Gogh) and gives them a surfing twist! She calls this the "Amadeus series" and she tells us there are more on the way, so watch this space…

www.clubofthewaves.com/surf-artist/dominique-amendola.php

Artist's rendition of The Great Wave off Kanagawa

www.dominiqueamendola.com/collections/amadeus-series

Bocek shreds Hazelett on the ground for first round win at UFC 124

The first fight on UFC.com’s televised prelims figured to be a grapple-fest with Mark Bocek and Dustin Hazelett trading takedowns and submissions attempts. It was a grapple-fest, but it was completely one-sided.

Bocek smoked Hazelett, a fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, as he pulled off a beautiful triangle choke at 2:33 of the first round in Montreal.

Update - Bocek split Submission of the Night honors with Jim Miller and received a $50,000 bonus. 

The usually reserved Bocek (9-3, 5-3 UFC) was boisterous after the win, calling out fellow jiu-jitsu master George Sotiropoulos. Bocek, a Canadian wants to face Sotiropoulos in Toronto at the end of April.

"I've been quiet for a long time. I have the best jiu-jitsu in the lightweight division," Bocek told UFC analyst Joe Rogan. "I'll prove it to everybody."

Sotiropoulos is regarded as a top seven fighter in the UFC’s lightweight division, so it was pretty bold for Bocek to call him out. He earned the right tonight with the submission he pulled off.

Hazelett, coming down from welterweight, figured to be the stronger fighter but he never got a shot to take advantage of strength or his 6-foot-1 frame. Just seven seconds into the fight, Bocek shot for a single-leg takedown. Hazelett went down quickly and was on his back just 15 seconds into the fight.

Hazelett tried to stay busy from the bottom but Bocek made it impossible. He quickly worked to improve his position. Bocek got to side control with 3:56 left in the round. He eventually moved to mount where he jumped on the opportunity to lock on a triangle choke. Bocek quickly spun to his back where he softened Hazelett with some elbows and then put his right arm across his face. Hazelett had to tap at 2:33 of the first.

Miller beats up Doerksen in bloody fight

Dan Miller and Joe Doerksen are both excellent ground fighters and that's where they waged war for 15 minutes. Doerksen appeared to be in the bad position on the bottom, but he did solid damage. Miller did just a little bit more while maintaining top control for over 12 minutes. Miller took a split decision, 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 in fight No. 2 on UFC.com's broadcast. 

UFC 124 undercard (Courtesy MMAjunkie): 

John Makdessi def. Pat Audinwood via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).
Ricardo Almeida def. T.J. Grant via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Sean Pierson def. Matt Riddle via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Rafael Natal and Jesse Bongfeldt fight to a majority draw (28-28, 28-28, 29-28 Natal).

Scoring of the Bongfeldt-Natal fight was initially announced as 30-30 on all three cards. Copies of the official cards were distributed and showed the actual score with judges Sal D'amoto and Tony Weeks calling the fight a 28-28 draw, while judge John Woodburn gave the fight to Natal, 29-28. 

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Bocek-shreds-Hazelett-on-the-ground-for-first-ro?urn=mma-294702

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Sam Mulholland Welcome Video

Blue Tile welcomes Sam Mulholland with this artsy video.

Bellator signs deal with MTV2 for fourth season and beyond

Bellator has signed a three-year deal with MTV2 to air the promotions' fights live, starting with the fourth season in March 2011. The tournament-based promotion, with champions like Ben Askren, will air on MTV2, a station once known for music programming but has grown to air sports-ish programming like "Bully Beatdown," a show hosted by Strikeforce's Jason "Mayhem" Miller, and "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory," which follows professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek.

From the Bellator press release:

MTV2, which features the highest concentration of M12-24 and M12-34 in television, will telecast two of these LIVE tournaments per year, plus a collection of special feature events. The first tournament will premiere in March 2011.  
 
"MTV2 is the perfect home for the intense mixed martial arts action of Bellator," Eric Conte, SVP, Programming and Production, MTV2. "MMA is at the top of our audience's wish list, and partnering with Bellator to bring live events and specials to MTV2 made complete sense since our viewers are so hungry to see more MMA on-air."

The key word in that is live. Bellator was with Fox Sports Net for their last two seasons, and they were often pre-empted by other local programming. In Chicago, Bellator's hometown, the fights rarely aired live, and sometimes were started after midnight. By the time the fights aired, the results were widely known.

Bellator recognized that and made a change. They also appear to be going after a younger demographic, as most MMA promotions covet the 18-49 year-old male demographic.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Bellator-signs-deal-with-MTV2-for-fourth-season-?urn=mma-295838

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Scope This 2 HD leftovers

Blooka has some HD leftovers from Scope This 2.

Junk food lover GSP explains the secret to his success

Georges St. Pierre let the cat out of the bag. Why is he so good? Cheeseburgers and nifty footwork.

GSP joined Andrew Krystal on Toronto's The Fan 590 to talk about his victory over Josh Koscheck. The UFC welterweight champ said analysts are concentrating too much on the work he did with his jab, saying his real secret is unique footwork.

He also talked about the only area where he splurges. St. Pierre said he loves taking his buddies out to nice restaurants. When he's solo, the champ eats like the rest of us. Right before this interview, he hit Burger King for a cheeseburger and fries.

Listen here for the entire 15-minute interview.

Tip via Sports Radio Interviews

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Junk-food-lover-GSP-explains-the-secret-to-his-s?urn=mma-297731

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Tito Ortiz confirms fight with lil nog; speaks on Dana White's comments on UFC cut - Tito Ortiz

Fight Hub TV's cameras caught up with former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz as we asked him how he felt with Dana White's recent comments on Ortiz being possibly cut if he loses his next UFC match. Ortiz counters that even if he is cut, he will continue to fight and addresses that he will fight little Nog.

Source: http://mmalice.com/tito-ortiz/tito-ortiz-confirms-fight-with-lil-nog-speaks-on-dana-whites-comments-on-ufc-cut-video_e823cdac0.html

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Thailand sport climbing: can you help?

Since an old friend told me about his climbing trips to Thailand it’s been one of my boxes-to-tick. Climbing by the beach and then relaxing in the blue seas sounds too good to be true. I’m about to find out - I’ve decided to do it later this year… Photo kindly shared by HalonaCoast on Flickr I’m [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rock-climbing-blog/~3/iPU5xKUsvQk/philsheard

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Best of Street League

Street League just finished off their Best Of... Videos for each rider with Chris Cole, Nyjah Huston, and Shane O'neill. Check out Best Of.. videos for all your favorite Street League guys.

Source: http://theskateboardmag.com/blogs/templeton-elliott/2010/12/28/best-of-street-league/

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Triple Crown of Surfing Art

Surf comps over the past few years have been increasingly using surf art in their contest marketing materials, Billabong, Roxy and Vans seem to particularly like surf art (good on 'em!). The Triple Crown of Surfing has used surf art for years, with this years umbrella event artwork done by artist Chris Lundy (below), and below that are this years six competition posters…

What is the Triple Crown of Surfing?

If you weren't aware, there is a surfing event going on in Hawaii called the Triple Crown of Surfing, one the most prestigious of all surfing contests. The event spans 6 surfing comps with a holding period from November 12th through to December 20th. Right now is the Pipeline Masters (awesome!). The best Hawaiian local surfers take on the professional surfers from around the globe, in arguably the best waves on the planet.

www.triplecrownofsurfing.com

Todd Duffee's New Year's Gamble

Filed under: Japan

For a certain kind of MMA fighter, New Year's Eve in Japan represents a simple math problem. It's about risk versus reward, money versus pain and embarrassment, and, more often than not, overflowing optimism versus some very long odds.

Mostly though, it's about money.

That might not be the only reason Todd Duffee reportedly agreed to end a tumultuous 2010 with a fight against Alistair Overeem on this year's Dynamite!! New Year's Eve show, but it's definitely one of the reasons.

By all indications, Duffee stands to make a nice chunk of change (somewhere in the neighborhood of $60,000, according to various internet reports) for shipping off to Tokyo at the last minute. For a guy who hasn't fought since being released from the UFC following his first career loss to Mike Russow in May, the chance to end the year with some money in his pocket must seem like a difficult offer to refuse. But does that necessarily mean it's a good idea?

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/12/28/todd-duffees-new-years-gamble/

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UFC 124 winner Pierson dumped by Toronto Police Department

Sean Pierson has had two lifelong dreams come true recently. He won his UFC debut over Matt Riddle, and he was hired by the Toronto Police Department. Unfortunately, his persona as a fighter has prevented him from being a cop.

Pierson has been dismissed by the Toronto Police. It cited concerns about his one-time nickname of "Pimp Daddy," and the time and effort that Pierson needs to commit to fighting.

Pierson said that the nickname was something that he used when he was 23. He is now 34, has been married for nine years, and has a 2-year-old son. 

[Related: NHL team's fake police chase]

Just after returning home to Toronto after winning a unanimous decision at UFC 124, Pierson was supposed to start work with the police force. Instead, he was told to turn in his uniform and stay away until the police force investigates his situation. A police rep said that all officers must clear secondary employment.

“I can appreciate the position they’re in with what I do,” said Pierson. “I don’t look at mixed martial arts as a negative, but I think the mainstream still looks at us as a bit of a black eye.”

MMA hasn't had an easy time becoming accepted in Toronto, which also may explain the TPD's reluctance to allow Pierson to fight while serving and protecting. Despite the overwhelming popularity of MMA in Canada, the sport was only legalized in Ontario in August. Some news outlets are still not warm to the sport. The UFC will host its first event in Toronto on April 30, 2011.

[Related: Brawl breaks out at Hulk Hogan's wedding]

Given the long layoff that can happen between fights, it's not odd for a fighter to have another job. Pierson is far from the only civil servant who moonlights as a fighter. Welterweight Chris Lytle is a firefighter in Indianapolis, while fellow welterweight Paulo Thiago serves on Brasilia, Brazil police department's special forces. Unfortunately, the Toronto Police Department wasn't able to see the positives of having a well-trained mixed martial artist on its side and look past any stereotypes about the sport.

Other popular stories on the Yahoo! network:
• Racist Facebook rant gets youth coach in trouble
• The fastest cars in the U.S.
• Michael Vick's first commercial since prison

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-124-winner-Pierson-dumped-by-Toronto-Police-?urn=mma-296415

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