TUF 11 Episode 5: Team Liddell Regains Control..!

JOSH BRYANT STEP's IN with KRIS MCCRAY

The fighters trade a few shots to start, and McCray flies in with a knee. Bryant avoids much damage and clinches briefly. Neither fighter has an advantage, and Bryant breaks away.

On the restart, McCray lands a few solid punches and finished with a kick to the body. Another knee finds the mark, and the pair moves back into the clinch. McCray tries to drop for a takedown, but he can't elevate. A second effort a trip earns the desired result, and McCray takes mount. Bryant rolls, and McCray takes the back, even as his opponent stands. Bryant tries to slide out the back and nearly leaves an arm in, but he eventually works to his feet.

Both fighters trade uppercuts from a collar tie, though McCray continues to mix in knees. McCray tries again for a takedown, and he eventually gets it to the floor, though only briefly. Bryant continues to scramble free in each situation, though McCray keeps the pressure on consistently.

The action isn't high-paced, but McCray is controlling the majority of it. Bryant spins to top momentarily, but McCray again reverses and lands a right hand to the jaw. The pace continues to slow in the final minute. McCray throws some tired punches to the gut, but both fighters look tired. Bryant looks for a single in the closing seconds, but it's obvious McCray has taken the round.

As round two opens, it's obvious McCray has a bit less pep in his step. Nevertheless, Bryant has yet to really open up. A jab changes that, and right hand follows. Bryant lands an uppercut in the clinch, then a knee. McCray looks stunned by the blows, though he answers with a kick to the gut.

The two clinch, and Bryant lands a left that knocks McCray's mouthpiece out, then another stiff hook. Hackleman goes crazy in the corner yelling for more. McCray does answer with a nice knee in the clinch, but Bryant takes him down and works to the back. McCray on his knees, and Bryant grabs a crucifix. He rolls to the side, and the pair return to their feet.

Bryant again lands a solid shot with his hands then moves to the clinch. From there, he elevates McCray and slams him to the floor. Both fighters tiring on the floor, but Bryant working more. McCray digs deep and drags Bryant down and sets up in his guard.

McCray throws a few punches to the body and head on the ground, but there's not a ton of zip on the shots. Bryant works an open guard underneath, and he looks for an armbar with seconds left. His legs slip off, and the round comes to an end. It appears the fight is destined for a third round, though Hackleman seems to think Bryant may have won.

McCray collapses in his corner, while Hackleman keeps Bryant moving. NSAC executive director Keith Kizer quickly signals that the two will indeed head to sudden victory.

As the third opens, McCray looks exhausted. Still, he does press forward ad engage a clinch. Bryant spins off and pushes his opponent into the cage before dropping for a single leg takedown. McCray locks in a kimura grip briefly to defend, but Bryant eventually works him to his knees.

McCray pops back to his feet, but Bryant lands a few uppercuts inside. Bryant again looks for a takedown, but both fighters push to a stalemate. There's very little action at the halfway point of the frame. Both fighters look tired, though Bryant sneaks in an occasional punch to score points.

Referee Herb Dean call for a restart with a little more than a minute, and Bryant again lands a few heavy punches the stun McCray. The fight moves into a clinch and onto the floor, and Bryant is in top position. He look for a rear-naked choke with just seconds remaining. It appears tight, but McCray fights until the final bell. Nevertheless, the result seems apparent.

The scores are read, and Bryant is awarded the unanimous decision.

Josh Bryant def. Kris McCray via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

McCray collapses on the floor after the decision is read. Tavares and McCray help him to the locker room, and Ortiz is beside himself at the results.

Things are heating up and Team Liddell is looking strong! Tito, the little B!tch that abuses women needs to get his ass in the octagon with Liddell and take a beating like he gave Jenna.

and remember...You Can't Win, Until You Step In.

Douche Bag Tito Ortiz Arrested on Domestic Violence Charge - Assaulted Wife!

She was high on drugs and must have fallen. Yeah Right Tito..... All Men say that when charged and arrested!

That's Ultimate Fighting Championship star Tito Ortiz claims his gal pal, porn diva Jenna Jameson, hurt her arm - not domestic violence.

Ortiz, 35, was arrested Monday after the couple got into an argument and Jameson called the cops. Ortiz was charged with felony domestic violence, but his lawyer said he's innocent.

"Tito Ortiz never laid a hand on Jenna. Never," said attorney Chip Matthews during a press conference in North Hollywood.

Ortiz said James, who is the mother of his 13-month-old twin boys, was high on Oxycontin and has been addicted to the prescription pain killers for more than a year.

"My parents have gone through addiction and I'm not going to let my family go through that," he said.

Matthews said Jameson, 36, suffered an "emotional breakdown" because of her addiction.

"Unfortunately when there's drug use, a lot of times people want to play the victim," he said. "Tito tried to help her."

Jameson, 36, shot back saying "he's just trying to save his career."

The 5-foot-7, 110 lbs. former XXX-rated actress tried to play down the incident, calling it an "altercation."

"He never beat me," she said. "If he beat me, I'd be dead."

Jameson's father, Lawrence Massoli, an ex-Las Vegas cop, was home during the argument and called 911.

Matthews said Massoli supports the 6-foot-3, 210 lb. mixed martial arts fighter - and is "on his side." Ortiz teared up and abruptly left the press conference when Matthews talked about the couple's future.

"They have two children together and they plan to spend their lives together," Matthews said.

STEP IN doesn't support Domestic Violence, Men who Abuse Women or Children or DRUGS!

and remember....You Can't Win, Until You STEP IN.

Jose Aldo Gets a Leg Up on Uriah Faber

Despite an anticlimactic ending, it was a spectacular night of fights at WEC 48 on Saturday.

Featherweight champion Jose Aldo punished Urijah Faber’s left leg for 25 brutal minutes in the evening’s main event, earning the striker a lopsided unanimous decision victory in front of the former king’s hometown of Sacramento.

Unfortunately for Faber, the fight was taken out from underneath him – literally.

Aldo landed a few devastating kicks to Faber’s lead leg in the scrap’s early rounds and continued pounding away throughout the contest. Although he fought valiantly, the result was a runaway win for the Brazilian.

“I trained a lot of defensive leg kicks, but he’s really effective with them,” a battered Faber said after the loss, “He took my legs away from me. I was losing mobility.”

Aldo may have stolen Faber’s agility, but he didn’t take “The California Kid’s” heart, as the WEC’s poster boy found a way to soldier through and take Aldo the distance.

“We were planning for it to be a tough fight,” Aldo said through manager and translator Ed Soares, “I know the crowd here is for Uirjah, but I hold Sacramento close to my heart. It’s the first place I fought (for the WEC), and I hope they can adopt me … in my home away from home.”

The (49-45, 49-45 and 50-45) unanimous decision win bumped Aldo’s record to a dominant 17-1. The only thing that didn’t go right for Aldo was that fact he wasn’t able to finish his foe off, something he had done in his last six devastating victories.

Faber’s standing as one of the world’s best mixed martial artists is certainly not in jeopardy, however Aldo’s reign atop the WEC’s featherweight division appears to be only beginning.

Another impressive fight which could have been the main card was the bout between Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung. This was a battle of heart and striking between these two featherweights, best fight I’ve seen a long time.

Garcia defeated Jung via controversial split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28).

and remember.... You Can't Win, Until You Step In.

TUF 11 Episode 4: Yager Shows His Skills, Still Disliked by Other Fighters!

There are two bouts in this episode, which means less time in the house and more time for the reason I watch, the fights. In keeping with the title of tonight's episode Yager, who ended last weeks episode cheering for the other team is confronted by Nick Ring. Yager does not seem to care because has started his own team, “The Minority Report,” which consist of Tavares, Kyle Noke and Kris McCray. Anyone remember Sam Hogar TUF 1, Well Yager then gets accused of being a thief by Kyacey Uscola, and blah bleep blah, but I am still watching because there are two fights coming up.

The first STEP IN bout is between Rich Attonito (Team Liddell) and Kyacey Uscola (Team Punishment). Liddell had to miss Attonito’s bout, so Jake Shields was there to corner Attonito. The fight starts and Attonito drops Uscola and starts to take control looking for the finish, Uscola hangs on and shortly after Attonito brutally drops Uscola on his head, Uscola uses a Kimura to reverse and take top. With Uskola in top position Attonito attempts to get up and Uskola fires off what looked to me like a knee to the chest and an illegal knee to the face (which really looked like it just grazed him). Attonito is unable to continue and Ref Josh Rosenthal stops the fight ruling Attonito winner due to disqualification of Uscola. It is unfortunate because Uscola who had weathered the early storm looked as if he was turning the fight around. Ortiz gets angry and busts down a door. Later at the house we find out that Attonito broke his hand during the fight and may be out of the competition.

With Liddell still in control he picks the next bout, Charles Blanchard vs. Jamie Yager and they STEP IN for the face-off and Yager looks to be twice the size of Blanchard. I am really not sure why Liddell made this pick unless he was just sacrificing Blanchard. Liddell tells Blanchard to use his wrestling. Ortiz tells Yager to win so that he can shut everyone up. The Yager vs Blanchard fight begins Blanchard shoots in for a takedown, but Yager works his way out of it and quickly back to his feet. Yager then connects with a hard right hook dropping Blanchard to the mat at which point he turtles shows no heart and is pounded till the ref stops the fight. It seemed all to easy for Yager who is starting to look like the one who has got a good shot at making it to the finals.

Team Ortiz is now in control and will pick the match-up during next weeks episode. The episode ends with no hint of when Ortiz will be leaving as coach and replaced by Franklin.

and remember...You Can't Win, Until You STEP IN. Enter the Premier Lifestyle Spotlight!

UFC PRES CLARIFIES MIXING WEC & UFC LIGHTWEIGHTS

There has long been speculation about World Extreme Cage (WEC) fighting being gobbled up by its big brother, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A recent interview UFC president Dana White did with USA Today’s Sergio Non, talking about melding the WEC’s lightweight fighters into the UFC’s 155-pound division, only added fuel to the fire.

Not so fast.

As often happens, more was read into White’s comment than he actually stated.

Asked about the overlap of the lightweight division between the UFC and WEC, White told Non, “I actually think it's kind of cool. I think eventually what we do is, we're going to continue to add to lighter weights, and you'll end up seeing these (WEC) guys go into the UFC, the 155 pounders.”

White clarified his comments on Tuesday afternoon, saying, “What I said was, as we add more weight divisions to the WEC that 55-pound weight division would probably make sense just to put it into the UFC,” before adding that there is no time line for such a move to take place.

WEC officials and White have mentioned several times that there is the intention to expand WEC’s lighter weight offerings to include a 125-pound flyweight division, but the focus has been on keeping the current roster of fighters busy before making that move.

WEC’s weight classes currently include lightweight (146-155 pounds), featherweight (136-145 pounds), and bantamweight (under 135 pounds).

and remember....You Can't Win, Until You STEP IN. Enter the Premier Lifestyle Spotlight!

"Mayhem" Miller Post-Fight Brawl, Embarrasses the MMA Industry

What’s going on with certain fighters within the MMA? Will we all soon learn that Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is staged like Wrestling? Has Dana White become the 21st century Vince McMahon? The last two weeks within the sport tends to demonstrate one of many issues; poor sportsmanship, “fixed” matches and/or staged post fight interviews. What will happen next………???

During UFC 112 Anderson Silva demonstrated no respect for Maia, showing off and using poor judgment with old boxing antics! Last night’s Strikeforce CBS Special delivered another display of disrespect to the sport; Jason “Mayhem” Miller’s interruption of Shields-Henderson post fight main event interview erupted into a wild brawl in the cage. Mayhem got in Shields' face, then Shields pushed him, so Diaz jumped in beat the hell out of Mayhem while Gus Johnson, after bizarrely trying to excuse the spectacle as a minor "boys will be boys" moment, nearly had an aneurysm screaming "Gentleman, please! We are on national television!"

As a student of Mixed Martial Arts, a devoted fan of UFC and other affiliations, I’m seriously rethinking my loyalty to the sport. What drove me to the sport, respect, structure, discipline and true sportsmanship have all but disappeared within the last 8 days! For us diehard fans, we all need to collectively take a stance against any claim of “sports entertainment,” I for one want the unity of sportsmanship and competitiveness from the fighters! If I wanted mediocre sports entertainment I would watch wrestling any night of the week or head to a local video store and rent the terrible boxing match of Holyfield and Tyson; you know the one where Tyson bites a piece of Holyfield’s ear off?….

I state with conviction, I better soon see MMA events go back to what built the sports or I will retreat to watching CNN news and find out which big name celebrity has their spouse cheating on them for my sports entertainment fix!

P.S. Jason “Mayhem” Miller, I did have respect for you as a fighter and how you carried yourself, even though you had entertainer personality. You had a huge following and people adored you for your MTV “Bully Beatdown” fulfillment. Now, you’re just some silly ass, red hair dyed has been fighter that got BEATDOWN on national television for acting a fool! I bet you feel like the Jimmy Heart of the MMA World?

and remember... You Can't Win, Until You Step In. Enter the Premier Lifestyle Spotlight!

Strikeforce Nashville Results

Two of the three Strikeforce champions on the Strikeforce Nashville main card successfully defended their titles in five-round bouts on April 17 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. while the third one, Mousasi, was dethroned by King Mo. The main card aired nationwide on CBS while seven undercard bouts were only enjoyed by a local Nashville audience (see complete results below!).

Jake Shields def. Dan Henderson via unanimous decision after they STEP'D IN (middleweight title bout)

The defending Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Shields caught a few heavy punches from Henderson in the first round that made him not only stumble but also seemed to take their toll on him as the first round came to an end. Miraculously, he was able to bounce back and survive the first round on sheer will while Henderson used him as punching bag. In round two, however, Shields completely turned the tables on Hendo by pinning him on his back while dishing out some ground-and-pound. Shields continued to dominate Hendo in this fashion on the ground for four out of five rounds while Hendo was rather helplessly trapped and barely able to defend against Shields steady barrage of fists. Nevermind the fact that Shields was unable to finish the former UFC and Pride champion with a submission-- he clearly proved that he deserves to keep his belt by rendering Hendo ineffective and powerless.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller instigated a 30-person brawl when he entered the cage during Shield's post-fight interview and demanded a re-match. Shields was clearly not in the mood to let anyone steal his thunder and shoved Miller which resulted in a chain reaction of violence by everyone inside the cage on national TV. The ramifications of this unprofessional conduct will most likely be felt for years to come in a so-called ripple effect that might un-do years of mainstreaming progress for mixed martial arts as an accepted and respected sport. (See their post-brawl video below!)

Gilbert Melendez def. Shinya Aoki via unanimous decision (lightweight title bout)

Reigning Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Melendez proved to be a brilliant strategist in his five-round title defense against Japanese DREAM Champion Aoki, who is well known for his extraordinary and brutal submission skills. As powerful striker Melendez kept a healthy distance from Aoki and avoided being pulled down to the ground most of the time. Even when he did get down on the mat it was only to inflict more damage to Aoki by dishing out a vicious dose of ground-and pound. Aoki, on the other hand, was not able to score any points but did manage to leave his calling card with an eye poke in round one. As last resort, Aoki complained about a few alleged violations of MMA rules by Shields which ultimately, did not help his case in the least. Shields completely outscored and dominated Aoki for the entire fight and sent him back to Japan with his tail between his legs.

King Mo Lawal def. Gregard Mousasi via unanimous decision (light heavyweight title bout)

Defending Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Mousasi seemed rather lethargic throughout all five rounds of his title defense against challenger Lawal. Lawal kept scoring points with very effective takedowns and ensuing ground-and-pound while Mousasi was helplessly pinned on his back most of the time. Even in stand-up Mousasi was doing little to impress which resulted in Lawal's win via unanimous decision when the bout went to the judges' scorecards after five long and utterly boring rounds.

Complete fight results (in chronological order):

Non televised bouts:

Cody Floyd def. Thomas Campbell by KO in round 3 (no time announced).

Dustin Ortiz def. Justin Pennington by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:27 in round 1.

Zach Underwood def. Hunter Worsham by unanimous decision (no score read).

Cale Yarbrough def. Josh Schockman by TKO (strikes) in round 2.

Jason Miller def. Tim Stout by TKO (strikes) at 3:09 in round 1.

Andrew Uhrich def. Dustin West by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:36 in round 1.

Ovince St. Preux def. Chris Hawk by KO at 0:47 in round 1.

Main Card:

King Mo Lawal def. Gregard Mousasi via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45) and becomes the new Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion.

Gilbert Melendez def. Shinya Aoki via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) and retains title.

Jake Shields def. Dan Henderson via unanimous decision and retains title.

and remember.... You Can't Win, Until You Step In. Enter the Premier Lifestyle Spotlight!

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11: Episode 3 Rundown!

Episode three of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11, featuring coaches Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz, gets underway and right off the bat there is a group meeting to announce that Chris Camozzi is getting kicked off the show.

Unfortunately he fractured his jaw in his elimination bout and UFC President Dana White will not permit him to continue.

Now Team Ortiz is in the position of having to fill a pretty big hole in his line up and has four names of eliminated fighters to choose from as possible replacements.

In their first training session since winning the opening fight, Team Liddell is in good spirits as they sweat their way through another workout. So far the team has been receptive to his coaching style and personality.

Trainer John Hackleman makes note of how cohesive their group is.

Back at the house, Charles Blanchard is giving a back massage but gets way too throaty in his play-by-play. Apparently some of the other contestants aren't digging the man-to-man contact either and start voicing their displeasure.

The next day Seth Baczynski gets called back to replace Camozzi because he "showed a lot of heart" in his elimination loss.

Coach Liddell steps up and makes his next pick: Brad Tavares vs. James Hammertree. Following the fight announcement things get a little rough in the cage between Nick Ring and Jamie Yager. It seems Yager was running his mouth and Ring took exception to it.

Ortiz tries his rah-rah team spirit speech but it doesn't look like it's getting through.

Both Hammertree and Tavares make weight without exception and both teams are predicting a knockout. Hammertree's style is described as "Fighting like someone is holding his family hostage."

We get a pre-fight look at Brad Tavares and both Hackleman and striking coach Howard Davis like his stand-up (sans inactive jab) and career potential.

Hammertree's preview reveals a five-second knockout on his resume and wants to put Tavares out on his feet -- but has no problem paying homage to his coach with a takedown and ground-and-pound.

Wow, fight is starting very early. Only scheduled for two rounds I have to assume this things goes to sudden victory.

Elimination bout #2: Brad Tavares (4-0) Step's In vs. James Hammertree (5-1)

Round 1: Inside kick and high kick graze for Tavares. Hammertree eats a stiff jab who then shoots and drives Tavares to the cage. Hammertree struggles for the takedown, gets reversed and ends up kissing the canvas. Tavares on top looking for the choke but Hammertree powers out and gets top position. Tavares works back to his feet and Hammertree wrestles him down but once again loses position. Tavares riding him like a pony and gets turned around. Hammertree on top but doesn't do a whole lot as they wiggle their way in and out of dominant positions.

Round 2: Hammertree bumrushes him to the cage, tries for the takedown and ends up in guard. Some wacky wrestling on display here. He powers up after escaping an armlock and eats a knee but Tavares falls down and Hammertree takes his back. Tavares gets to his feet and eats a knee. Hammertree drags him back down. Tito very vocal with his instructions. Chuck barely audible. Hammertree warned for spine strikes. Tavares working a Kimura but has no leverage and gives it up for guard. Action slowing down as Hammertree lays in guard with intermittent punches.

Round 3: Hammertree swings for the fences and throws an airball. Tavares with a nice jab. Hammertree has seen enough on the feet and takes him down. Tavares is gassed. Hammertree to mount but voila, Tavares reverses. Hammertree has enough juice to stay out of danger even though Tavares has a good hold on his arm. Unfortunately they don't do much for the last minute or so and just struggle for position until time expires.

Brad Tavares defeats James Hammertree via unanimous decision.

Following the very close decision, Ortiz tries to find an explanation for his second straight loss. Chuck is fired up.

Stay tuned next week as Coach Ortiz looks to rebound while trying to keep his team from imploding, an in-cage controversy sends both coaches into a rage and two fights on one show! Let's Get It On!

and remember....You Can't Win, Until You STEP IN.

Have Brazilian Fans Now Turned on Silva?

Anderson Silva has a lot of people angry after UFC 112. Dana White's No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter chided, clowned and mocked his opponent Demian Maia but never put away his overmatched countryman. We know there’re plenty of American Mixed Martial Arts fans but Fighter's Only Magazine is claiming that more than a few Brazilians think Silva crossed even more severe lines in his homeland.

Silva could be seen gesturing and talking to Maia at different points in the fight. He often pointed to the ground and when Maia went to his back, Silva yelled at him. What was he saying?

Silva allegedly stated in Portuguese, "Bate na minha cara playboy." This is apparently translated into English as "Come on, hit me in the face playboy."

"Playboy" is actually is a tremendous insult in Brazil because of the class divisions in the country between rich and poor. In Brazil, playboys are hedonistic rich people that are pampered and care nothing for poor people and know nothing about actual life.

Is that an accurate interpretation? Would that be an insult here?

Update: FO is now saying the playboy statement came from Silva's corner.

Silva also allegedly mocked Maia about his jiu-jitsu background.

Silva also is said to have stated "Cade o Jiu-Jitsu?" or in English, "Where is your Jiu-Jitsu?"

When Maia could not get Silva to the floor, Silva is said to have shouted "Get up off your ass and get hit some more."

It doesn't sound like a big deal to me. If this was a basketball or football game, there wouldn’t be a problem. Almost everything is fair game in the U.S. In Brazil, it may be a different story. You would like to think the lack of action for a third time in four fights would simply be enough to have Brazilians about embarrassed about their guy. We'll find out in the coming days.

and remember.... You Can't Win, Until You Step In.

UFC 112 - Hughes Battles Another Gracie for Win!....

Aging Gracies' keep hitting the Octagon in search of Matt Hughes, and they keep leaving bruised, beaten and exhausted. Renzo Gracie came out of semi-retirement to face the former UFC welterweight champ. He dropped from 210 to 170 pounds to meet Hughes at welterweight. The weight drop and his age proved to be too much to overcome. Gracie was competitive early but because he didn't check leg kicks, his front leg was destroyed by the middle of the third round. It was part exhaustion, part pain as Hughes dropped Gracie to get another UFC win via TKO at 4:40 of the third round.

The win was the 17th UFC victory in Hughes' career, setting a UFC record he had shared with Chuck Liddell. Hughes continues to be victorious when he Steps In to the octagon.

"I was actually pretty happy with my performance," said Hughes. "I knew Renzo came in throwing wide, looping, slow punches. I tried to stay on the outside. I definitely wanted to stand versus going to the ground. You're fighting a Gracie. I got to put the odds on my side."

Gracie comes from the famous fighting and teaching family out of Brazil. His cousin Royce was the winner of UFC 1 and 2 often fighting against much bigger opponents. The family's jiu-jitsu was revolutionary at the time and has now become a staple of any mixed martial artists' game. Royce attempted a comeback at age 41 in 2006 at UFC 60 against Hughes. The UFC 170-pound champ at the time, Hughes destroyed a very old looking Gracie inside of one round. His cousin Renzo fared much better for a while but faded badly in this fight.

Hughes (44-7, 16-5 UFC) fought cautiously early choosing to fight from a distance landing the occasional leg kick. Gracie developed a limp as his front leg was battered in the second. In the final round, he had no answer for the kicks, his hands dropped and Hughes starting landing heavy shots. Thing approached embarrassing down the stretch as Gracie got knocked down several times on leg kicks. On each occasion, he laid for a prolonged amount of time, once even asking Hughes to give him a hand up. Hughes, 36, obliged and did help him up one time. It actually appeared Gracie was going to quit on the floor with 50 seconds left in the fight.

Gracie said he would definitely be back. The UFC may be better served using the 43-year-old as a spokesperson and ambassador for the sport.

Shout Out: Steve Cofield

and remember.... You Can't Win, Until You Step In.

Edgar Stuns Penn, Silva by Decision and Hughes TKOs Gracie

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is here to entertain you – or at least himself. Sorry to those who read our blog, but Silva doesn’t deserve any ink, text or retention of the belt. When you disrespect the opposing fighter, the sport and disappoint the fans; you’re simply a piece of sh!t… Enough said about the man who thinks he can showboat! News Flash, Silva will never amount to the fighter that Sugar Ray Leonard did.

Edgar scores massive upset over Penn

Massive underdog Edgar spoiled Penn's plan of leaving the lightweight division behind in search of greener pastures at 170 pounds with one of the biggest upsets in UFC history according to most bookmakers.

"The Answer," largely considered a natural featherweight, had one chance to win the fight according to most observers. Edgar needed to stick and move and use his hand speed and defensive footwork to avoid Penn's power while not falling prey to "The Prodigy's" next-level jiu-jitsu.

Mission accomplished.

With Penn sporting a knee brace that left questions regarding his fitness heading into the fight, the former champion looked uninterested in working the fight to the ground. In fact, the two times the fight did hit the floor, albeit momentarily, were at Edgar's choosing. Penn countered well on the feet and seemed to be landing the more powerful shots in the early stages of the fight. But Penn's nemesis, conditioning, looked to play a role in the final three rounds while Edgar only improved as time went on.

The action stayed tight throughout, and scoring the fight at timed seemed reminiscent of the challenges presented by Lyoto Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's October 2009 bout. But in the end, though all three judges delivered different scores, they reached one conclusion: Edgar has unseated one of the world's top pound-for-pound fighters.

One judge even believed Edgar has taken all five rounds. Penn didn't argue.

"This is it," Edgar said following the win. "B.J. is the greatest lightweight ever, and I just beat him. I just hope I can be half the champion that he was."

Elated at his impressive performance, Edgar even had time to work in a quick joke directed at all those who believed he might be better suited in the WEC.

"The belt doesn't fit," Edgar said with the title draped over his shoulder. "Maybe I am a 145-pounder."

Edgar (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) ran his current win streak to four fights following his lone career blemish to in an April 2008 bout with Gray Maynard. Meanwhile, Penn (15-6-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) fights for 25 minutes for just the third time in his career and loses for only the second time in the lightweight division.

After slow start, Hughes overwhelms Gracie

It took a little bit longer than the first time, but Matt Hughes proved he's still a Gracie killer. After a slow start in his bout with Renzo Gracie, Hughes turned up the intensity in the third round and earned a TKO victory every bit as one-sided as his 2006 win over Royce Gracie.

Despite the extensive grappling backgrounds of both fighters, the fight took place entirely on the feet. While neither landed very often with their hands, Hughes laid the groundwork for his eventual win with low kicks that battered Gracie's left leg. Gracie didn't check a single attack, and the damage began to add up.

The second round saw just a bit more action than the first, but the end came clearly in the third. A low kick dropped a wounded Gracie, and Hughes was forced to help him to his feet. Gracie was dropped again by subsequent blows, and he was slow to recover each time. Sensing the finish, Hughes continued to damage the leg, but he also unloaded with his hands. Gracie ate a few jabs, and a straight right sent him to the canvas, forcing referee Herb Dean to end the fight with just 20 seconds left in the contest.

Following the stoppage, Hughes said Gracie's ground skills dictated a standup affair.

"I'm fighting a Gracie," Hughes said. "Somebody like Renzo, I've got to put the odds on my side."

Meanwhile, Gracie – his voice shaking and needing assistance to remain on his feet – admitted that overcoming a two-year layoff at 43 years old proved difficult.

"It wasn't an easy task," Gracie said.

And when event emcee Joe Rogan asked is perhaps a warm-up fight would have been a better choice in his return, Gracie shunned the idea.

"What kind of fighter would I be if I did that?" Gracie asked.

The loss for Gracie (13-7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) means the family that started the modern era of mixed martial arts is now winless in its past four UFC outings. The last Gracie to claim victory in the octagon is Royce at UFC 4 in December 1994.

Meanwhile, Hughes (44-7 MMA, 17-5 UFC) adds another win to his Hall of Fame-worthy credentials.

Shout Out: MMAJunkie

and remember.... You Can't Win, Until You STEP IN.

TUF 11 - Week 2 and First Bout Bewteen Noke and McKinney

TUF 11 last night was somewhat exciting and somewhat disheartening. I would have preferred to see more initial interaction with Dana White and each team; Dana should define expectations early on so each fighter raises their intensity level. Oddly enough a cameraman panned and caught a shot of the wall in the house that has Dana White’s famous quote written on it, “So you want to be a f_*_*_g fighter?” Time will tell who’s there to fight and who wants TV time!

The episode definitely provided some reality TV humor with the three fighters (Jamie Yager, Kris McCray and Brad Travers - the brown guys as they referred to themselves) setting off air horns at 3:00 am in the house. I actually thought the first bout would be outside the octagon with Jamie Yager mouthing off with two fighters who came to the comics rooms to address their antics! Subsequently, the next morning Jamie didn’t have enough heated conversation, so he elected to make fun of Kyacey Uscola and his sleeping apparel in front of the other fighters.

Earl prediction, Jamie Yager becomes the target of all TUF fighters. Even the collective housing arrangements of Tito’s (pass me plenty of tissue) or Chuck “Iceman” team could really ignite the fire between those who really dislike Jamie. At first glance, the other 13 fighters are serious and want this experience to be positive; they really want that UFC contract while Jamie is all about the good time!

I was confused by Dana White’s opinion of Chuck Liddell’s strategic selections; I’m sure Chuck did his homework and knew why each person was selected. I’m pulling for Chuck’s team; I seriously have never seen the flair or likeability of Tito Ortiz. I give Tito his respect, but his mouth makes him vulnerable and his recent article about being a great poker player only detracts from the fact that his focus is now outside the cage! Unofficially, Dana believes Tito’s team looks stronger, is that on paper, physical appearance or has Dana based his decision on the fighters fights to get into the TUF house? The jury is still out on who has the better team…

When Kyle Noke and Clayton McKinney Stepped In to the octagon it was less than exciting; I expected more from both fighters. Come on, it’s the first fight, don’t you want to make a lastly impression so the other fighters have concern when matched against you for the rest of the competition? Prior to the fight there was apprehension by McKinney’s regarding his left shoulder: Tito wasn’t as concerned and made that clear. McKinney’s fight prior to landing a bed in the TUF house had some turbulent results, one being slammed to the mat which caused bruising and soreness. It was obvious from the start of the fight that McKinney wanted the fight to stay upright, some leg kicking and jabs took time off the clock, but then Noke left his back exposed and McKinney and McKinney attempted to capitalize. Shortly there after the fight was on the mat and McKinney showed signs of fear with his injury, Noke was able to stay in guard and after two attempts final secures the Triangle to get a TAP by McKinney.

McKinney storms off pissed at his loss. Tito beckons back the fighter to give him two minutes of instruction on how to break a triangle should he ever be caught in one again. McKinney’s pride is in the way, but he follows Tito’s instructions and so the first bout is behind us with Team Liddell controlling the fight selections. This season will be very interesting, I’ve always craved the Liddell vs Ortiz match ups and I believe the little verb shots that each will take at one another are a key reason to tune in each week!

Your Teams for TUF 11 are below:

Tito Ortiz’s Team / Team Punishment –
1. Nick Ring (Tito says he is very poised and knew what he was doing in his fight).
2. Kyacey Uscola
3. Kris McCray
4. Jamie Yager
5. James Hammortree
6. Clayton McKinney
7. Chris Camozzi

Chuck Liddell’s Team -
1. Kyle Noke (Liddell says his fight record speaks for itself, 10-0, and that he shows great composure)
2. Rich Attonito
3. Charles Blanchard
4. Josh Bryant
5. Brad Tavares
6. Court McGee
7. Joe Henle

Usually I would go on record picking the winner; consequently, I’m convinced TUF 11 will have a sleeper who will emerge around week 5. Nonetheless, I’ve become partial to Kyle Noke as those Australians are tough sons of a b!tches… And he was a body guard for the Crocodile Hunter… Steve Irwin!

There would be nothing better than seeing Kyle Noke wearing a STEP IN t-shirt!!!!

Looking forward to next weeks show on Spike TV at 10:00 pm.

Team Liddell 1-0-0
Team Punishment 0-1-0

And remember…..You Can’t Win, Until You STEP IN.

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 11: Episode 2 Recap and Discussion

Episode 2 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 11 featuring Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz is set to go down tonight (April 7) at 10:00 p.m. ET on Spike TV.

14 fighters have earned their way into the house and now "The Iceman" and "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" must make their picks. Also, tonight's first preliminary bout takes place when two fighters STEP IN side the Octagon.

A Must See Tonight!

and remember.....You Can't Win, Until You Step In.

Best Wishes Tiger Woods on the 2010 Masters...

Step In Gear wishes Tiger Woods much success in the Masters Tournament.

Tiger needs to put his personal life aside for 10 days and go out on Augusta and play like he has 4 times before; 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005. Tiger has accomplished plenty to warrant the respect he deserves during his return to the PGA, 71 tour Victories, 3rd all-time and 38 European wins, again 3rd all-time.

I respect Tiger for the athlete he has, is and will continue to be; no one should judge him for the choices he's made in his personal life. Unfortunately, professional athletes have to have their personal lives scrutinized by the media because their considered celebrities or role models; that's bull $hit!! Who judges the media? We all know they have made plenty of mistakes while reporting news, so why not scrutinized them? Simple, we don't give two squats what the media does because they're not important to us. We, the fans, care more about who we pay money to watch perform week in and week out!

I will Step down from my soap box and let Tiger's performance speak for itself....pending no serious distractions while on the links.

Good Luck Tiger.... Hit'em straight and ignore the idiots this week!

and remember... You Can't Win, Until You Step In.

"Overwhelming demand" prompts UFC to release additional UFC 112 tickets

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's Middle East debut is poised for great success.

UFC officials today announced – while citing "overwhelming demand" – that additional tickets have been released for Saturday's "UFC 112: Invincible" event after a seating reconfiguration.

The April 10 show takes place at Concert Arena (at the Ferrari World theme park on Yas Island) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and airs live and via delay on pay-per-view.

The event will be the UFC's first to take place in an open-air venue; the show is being held in a tented venue. Tickets range from $107 to $1,007, and as of noon ET today, were available in a variety of seating sections at www.boxofficeme.com.

"The response to UFC 112 from fans across the region has been hugely positive," stated John Lickr, managing director of Flash Entertainment, an Abu Dhabi government-owned company that purchased 10 percent of the UFC earlier this year. "We hope that by introducing more tickets to the marketplace, we will be able to satisfy demand for this historic event."

UFC 112 features two title fights – middleweight champ Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia and lightweight title-holder B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar – and a welterweight bout between Renzo Gracie and Matt Hughes.

The full card includes:

MAIN CARD

* Champ Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia (for middleweight title)
* Champ B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar (for lightweight title)
* Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie
* Rafael dos Anjos vs. Terry Etim
* Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Phil Davis vs. Alexander Gustafsson
* John Gunderson vs. Paul Taylor
* Nick Osipczak vs. Rick Story
* Brad Blackburn vs. DaMarques Johnson
* Paul Kelly vs. Matt Veach
* Mostapha Al Turk vs. Jon Madsen

Shout out: mmajunkie.com

and remember......You Can't Win, Until You Step In.

Roy Nelson Talks James Toney, Struve Fight, More

Fresh off his first round knock out of Stefan Struve last night at UFC Fight Night 21 on Spike TV, Roy “Big Country” Nelson spoke with the media about the bout as well as a potential fight with James Toney and more:

On Fighting James Toney: "Maybe it's a sign, and that's why the lights went out. It's like James Toney: 'Lights Out.' "James Toney, it's one of those fights I'd actually like to see," Nelson said. "I don't mind beating up on YouTube guys. I'm cool with that. But for the most part, it's not really a fight I want to see because I want to fight the best in the world. James Toney just because everybody likes to talk about James Toney. I think that would be a good pay-per-view fight."

Did The Power Outage Change Anything?: "Mentally, it didn't change anything," Nelson said. "If anything, you get cold pretty fast, especially with the lights off, and especially when they're like, 'Yeah, you've just got to run to the locker room barefoot,' and the cement's cold. So it's hard to get back up to a sweat. It was kind of a cold start, but at the same time, it is what it is."

On Struve's Height: "It wasn't the height; it was actually the length – just trying to judge my distance with his," Nelson said. "I think that was the hardest point. It's just hard to gauge. He has some long arms. Compared to where my arms are, I think he had like 10 or 11 inches on me. That's almost a whole foot."

How Did he Think The Fight Went?: "On a personal note, I think it was actually alright," Nelson said. "But I went back in the locker room with my coaches, and it was everything that we did not work on. So I'm happy with the performance, but the things that we’ve been working on for the past two months weren’t even there. I'll save my ninja techniques for later."

Like him or not, Roy Nelson proved he belongs among the best in the UFC; his performance throughout The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights demonstrated that. I look for more out of Roy “Big Country” Nelson in 2010.

Shout out: MMAJunkie.com

and remember....You Can't Win, Until You Step In.

StepInGear.com is now live and ready for your MMA Apparel needs!