UFC Fight Night: Nogueria vs. Nelson Primer - Ryan LaFlare

UFC

Odds are if there's a UFC going down on the other side of Earth, Long Island native Ryan LaFlare might be fighting in it. And hey, on April 11 there's a UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, so guess who's on the card? UCL veteran and former ROC champ LaFlare once again gets to fly far from home for a chance to step into the Octagon, and his opponent is inexplicably John Howard, who himself lives in Boston but for some reason this bout that would have great appeal in the Northeast must happen in the Middle East.

Dead Serious MMA - 3.29.14

NEW JERSEY

Saturday night saw some quality amateur MMA go down in North Jersey, courtesy of promoter Frankie Perez's Dead Serious MMA and 24 fighters who pretty much left it all in the cage. With three championship belts on the line, sanctioning by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, and Frankie Perez Jr. playing the role of DJ (the same Frankie Perez Jr. who will be scrapping for a belt at the next Ring of Combat), it was a high-stakes, well-run, family affair. Highlights of the night included:

In Case You Missed It... Eddie Bravo vs. Royler Gracie II

AWESOME

An event featuring just grappling isn't for everyone, but to those who've spent a significant time on the mat, a rematch between 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu founder Eddie Bravo and the legendary Royler Gracie is probably one of the most compelling pairings in submission wrestling world today. And yes, they had their rematch yesterday, and yes, it was 20 minutes of coolness.

Sunday Link Dump - 3.30.14

NEW YORK

We've got a nice little stretch of downtime this weekend and next, with no UFCs, just some Bellators and other odds and ends shows. So what should you do to get your MMA fix? Catch up on your reading, of course, and to get you started, here are a few links to things that are relevant to your interests.

Dead Serious MMA: Nate Fultz vs. Hillel Dombroff

via IFTTT

Dead Serious MMA: Mike Trizano vs. Gio Sanfratello

via IFTTT

Dead Serious MMA: Vic Anteqieta vs. Jake Freidland

via IFTTT

Dead Serious MMA: Javier Colon vs. Bryan Santay

via IFTTT

What Are You Doing Tonight?

AWESOME

I'm going to be cageside for the Dead Serious amateur MMA show in North Bergen, N.J., but in case you're home and hankering for some action, and you don't want to wait for the top fights on the World Series of Fighting card on NBCSports, then you might want to check out Metamoris 3.

See Cris Cyborg Lose a Muay Thai Bout

MUAY THAI

She may be one of the baddest female MMA fighters on the planet, and the last legitimate opponent to Ronda Rousey, but Cris Cyborg isn't invincible. Last night, she took on a vastly more experienced kickboxer at Lion Fight 14 for a championship belt in Muay Thai, and though Cyborg fought valiantly, she pretty much got her ass kicked.

Observations From My Couch: Bellator 114

BELLATOR

• Bubba Jenkins needs to adopt a pseudonym and a disguise for a while. There's way to much hype attached to him that he's not living up to, and he needs a ton more fights before he gets good.
• I could have sworn Will Martinez looked like he was nursing some sort of leg injury, especially in the third round. Do anyone else see that?
• It doesn't matter if Daniel Weichel wins the featherweight tournament - he'd get slaughtered by the other 145 pounders who currently reside at or near the top.

GLORY Fighter Mark Miller Needs Help

AWESOME

GLORY fighter Mark Miller is in dire medical straits. But his sponsor, HeadBlade, is stepping up to help. Here's Liverkick.com with some details:

HeadBlade, one of Mark’s sponsors has recognized how tough this HeadBlade user has been over the years and now they are looking to give back to Miller with your help. HeadBlade will be running a special, two-week long campaign to help raise money for Mark where using the coupon code “FightShark” at checkout will get you a 10% discount off of their entire stock, with a portion of the proceeds going to help Mark with his medical bills. So if you are sporting a freshly-shaved head, want to, or know someone that does head over to http://www.HeadBlade.com and enter the code “FightShark” at checkout to receive an instant 10% discount and to help out the storied Kickboxer.

VICTORY 5: The Next Big Must-See MMA Event in NYC

NEW YORK

The next big must-see MMA event in New York City is without a doubt Victory Combat Sports' April 25 installment, which promises to once again fill the Armory on Lexington Avenue with thrilling, high-quality violence.

VICTORY 5 will have lightweight champ Marcus Surin defending his belt, while Golden MMA welterweight champ Bernardo Cano will attempt to be a cross-promotional title holder when he takes on Rob Ovalle for the VCS 170-pound strap.

April 25 will also see the opening rounds of featherweight and lightweight four-man tournaments.

Thus far, VCS has done a spectacular job putting forth a quality product, and VICTORY 5 should be no different. You can bet that I'll be cageside for this one.

Sherdog Gives CFFC Some Much Deserved Love

NEW JERSEY

Local promotions come and go, so one true benchmark of success is longevity - a trait the New Jersey-based Cage Fury Fighting Championship definitely has (their first show was back in 2006). But another sign that they're doing something right is the number of talented fighters who use the organization as a stepping stone to the "big show", and in that regard, CFFC is kicking ass.

Veteran Sherdog scribe Lutfi Sariahmed, whose beat is the New Jersey circuit, goes into a bit of detail about CFFC and that latter gauge of success in this piece. It's for sure some well-deserved acknowledgment of the product CFFC is churning out. Give it a read.

Throwback Thursday: Greg Soto vs. Andrew Montanez

NEW JERSEY

February 18, 2006. That's the date this pic was taken, a pic that has future UFC fighter Greg Soto taking on Andrew Montanez in a cage erected in Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Can you guess what makes what's going on in it so momentous? If you said that it's the first ever amateur MMA event in New Jersey, well, wow, you got that one correct and I'm pretty damn impressed.

Constitutional Insurgency: Inside Zuffa's Other Battle for MMA in New York

NEW YORK

Wars nowadays are rarely fought with two armies advancing upon each other, guns and cannons firing into the approaching massed ranks while generals stand upon hilltops to watch their marching wooden pieces fall. No, conflicts are instead contested on different fronts, with different tactics and kinds of soldiers, soldiers waging battles quite unlike what’s transpiring on that very open and bloody field.

In the First Boer War, it was Dutch settlers-turned-guerrillas, skirmishing against British rule, while in the Second World War, French and Polish resistance fighters made life rough for occupying Germans. More recently, the opening phase of Operation Enduring Freedom saw small groups of U.S. Special Forces unite Afghanistan tribesman to topple the Taliban government.

And in New York, while a very public and political war is being waged by lobbyists and legislators in Albany to change the law banning professional mixed martial arts – a law in place since 1997 – a squad of irregulars (a.k.a., lawyers) are emerging from the brush to attack and raid and set fire to the very Constitutionality the law was presumed to have been constructed upon.

On Tuesday I saw that side of the war up close, and amidst the flying bullets and sudden charges with fixed bayonets, I was able to stick my head up and survey the melee.

From what I could see, it’s going pretty damn well for those who want pro MMA in New York.

Even More Fighting in Central Park

NEW YORK

The most notable thing about this video of Sunday's sparring session in Central Park is not that it was somewhat chilly out and yet Will Cavali wore a short-sleeve shirt. No, what's notable is that there's someone out there with the nickname "Blackie Chan".

Badass New York MMA Video

NEW YORK

Columbia School of Journalism students are the best, especially when they choose MMA in New York as a topic for their projects and dive head-first into the realm of Big Apple fistfights with their cameras at the ready. Here's one such example, courtesy of Gretchen Malalad. She went to a recent UCL and a NYFE, and captured a good bit of stuff. Enjoy!

More Fighting in Central Park

NEW YORK

This is New York City, so it's no thing to walk through Central Park and see some dudes fighting. What would be odd and out of the ordinary is to see fights in Central Park that aren't to the death, but that's a story for another day.

Here's Wing Chun Man Shawn Obasi taking on MUSU's Will Cavali. Enjoy.

Flashback: The Underground Combat League - 12.11.11

NEW YORK

From 2003 to 2012, the only consistent option for watching MMA fights up close and personal in New York City was the Underground Combat League. At the UCL, aspiring fighters took on fakes and wannabes, thugs squared up against martial artists, and about an equal number of the truly talented battled it out with stone-cold psychopaths and villains. The rules were nebulous. Safety precautions were nonexistent. And to know of an upcoming event was to be part of an extremely selective circle of people.

Yeah, it was awesome.

Oh, This? It's Just Some Sunday Sparring in Central Park

NEW YORK

For some, Sunday means a Bloody Mary or Mimosa with brunch, grocery shopping and vegging out in front of the TV. But for others, it means some Wing Chun vs. Tae Kwon Do sparring in Central Park.

Observations From My Couch: UFC Fight Night "Shogun vs. Henderson 2"

UFC

• Hans Stringer, Kenny Robertson, Michel Prazeres... remember the good old days when you'd watch a UFC and recognize the fighters in the cage?
• Is it me or has the badass, ultra-dangerous Scott Jorgensen fallen off the face of the Earth and now we have this version that kind of sucks?
• Steven Siler got hosed pretty bad with that stoppage. Like, super-duper bad.

This is What Happens When Patricky Pitbull Fights the Best

BELLATOR

Patricky Pitbull is making his way through yet another lightweight tournament, and he literally punched his ticket to the semifinals on Friday night by knocking Dave Rickels out in sudden and violent fashion. Okay, cool, Pitbull is tough. Now let's not forget what happens when he faces the absolute upper echelon of fighters in the organization's 155-pound weight class...

Sunday Link Dump - 3.23.14

NEW YORK

There's some pretty crucial stuff going down with the Zuffa vs. New York lawsuit lately. The discovery phase is in full swing, witnesses are giving depositions, duels with swords and pistols every other day - it's exciting!

Anyway, today's link dump is a mixed bag of stuff that's very relevant to Northeast MMA. Read it and learn something.

• Nevada is still looking for a replacement for Keith Kizer on the athletic commission, and New Jersey's commissioner, Aaron Davis, made the short list of candidates. Well, scratch his name off. He's staying right here.
• Marcus Surin is Victory Combat Sports' welterweight champ. Here's a little something about him.
• Take a walk down memory lane and recall the momentous occasion when New York State finally admitted that amateur MMA is legal.

New York State Senate Bill Tackles Amateur MMA... Sort Of

NEW YORK

Amateur MMA competitions are turning into big business in New York State, with 2013 seeing close to 50 such events happening compared to 24 the year before (and seven the year before that). However, thanks to how the combative sports law is written, amateur MMA - while legal - is completely unregulated by the State. If State Senator Timothy Kennedy (63rd District) has his way, that won't be for long.

The bill Senator Kennedy has introduced is S06795, and it proposes the regulation of amateur martial arts (not just MMA). Here are the salient points of the proposed legislation:

Flashback: Chris Weidman Day

NEW YORK

What do you get if you win the UFC middleweight belt in dramatic fashion? If you're Long Island native Chris Weidman, you get a day named after you by local politicians. Here's a look back at Chris Weidman Day, which was made official on July 17, 2013. Note Weidman's teammate Al Iaquinta, who's stuck wearing a suit and tie.

Flashback: Bellator 95

BELLATOR

It's always a joy when Bellator comes to Atlantic City - if for no other reason than it gives a bunch of local fighters an opportunity to fight on television. Anyway, here's a flashback to their April 4, 2013 show, which took place at the Revel Casino.

Did Invicta FC Have a Four-Woman Tournament That We Didn't Know About?

AWESOME


This tournament has it all: Wanderlei Silva-like striking, great guard work, a knockout, someone shouting "Worldstar! Worldstar!" What more can you ask for?

The Manup Standup vs. UFC Saga Continues

UFC

When last we left Novell Bell, The Black Taoist and Manup Standup, home to our favorite kung fu fighters, were embroiled in a trademark dispute with the UFC over the use of the shape of the octagon in Novell's logo. Videos were posted, impassioned pleas for justice were made - the whole shebang.

Well, the saga continues. Now Novell is trying to rustle up some cash to pay for a trademark attorney to represent him. Which is smart, because a lawyer is the only thing that can really halt the UFC's efforts to remove the trademark on Novell's Urban Bagua logo (videos won't do much in terms of forcing Zuffa's attorney's to change course).

UFC Fight Night 38 Primer: Dan Henderson's KO of Fedor

UFC

UFC Fight Night 38: Shogun vs. Henderson 2 is on Sunday, so to get you excited for Dan Henderson's return to the cage for this rematch, here's a video clip of his epic destruction of the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce.

If you'll recall, Fedor was one of the most feared fighters on the planet for a very long time - and with good reason, as he was absolutely killing everyone he faced. But by July, 2011, the Russian's aura of invincibility had faded (he's just gotten old, which happens), so when he faced "Hendo", he was a shadow of his former self.

Oh well. Such is life in the fight game.

Throwback Thursday: Frankie Edgar vs. Eric Uresk

NEW YORK

Picture if you will an underground fight show in a rundown boxing gym in the South Bronx, the venue packed with fans screaming like banshees while two very tough dudes battle it out in the ring. What I'm describing could be any number of underground fights, but in this instance, the scene is July 10, 2007, at the very Underground Combat League where Frankie Edgar made his MMA debut against Eric Uresk.

All you need to know when you watch the video after the jump is that Frankie was the underdog going into this fight and that headbutts were legal. Enjoy.

Best. UFC Poster. Ever.

UFC

Really, isn't it cool?

Flashback: Bellator 74

BELLATOR

Bellator has been a great platform for local fighters to make a name for themselves. Case in point: Lyman Good, who was their inaugural welterweight champ. Here's a flashback to Bellator 74, when Good returned after a layoff to beat a Brit judoka named Jim Wallhead.

More NYFE 2 Vids and Pics

NEW YORK

The NYFE 2: "Ides of March" show on Saturday kicked ass and got a bit of well-deserved press. However, I'm not done writing about it - or at least, I'm not done posting video and pics.

Already, one NYFE alum is moving on to the bigger leagues. I'm talking about Felipe Carlos, of course, who's slated to fight at the next Ring of Combat pro show in New Jersey in May.

Big Dan Miragliotta is Building an Ark - Should We Worry?

NEW JERSEY

I don't know about you, but when someone starts building an ark, I have the urge to check up on the weather forecast.

Such is the case with "Big" Dan Miragliotta, who can often be seen refereeing bouts in the UFC, Bellator and in smaller shows around the country, but who lately has been building something wooden and capable of holding two of every animal.

After the jump, check out the pics of his handiwork (and yes, I'm pretty sure that's Russell Crowe with him in some of the photos).

Ring of Combat 48 Card Shaping Up Nicely

NEW JERSEY

Ring of Combat 48 isn't until May 16, so a million things can happen between now and then that could change the card, but there is a preliminary version up, and it looks awesome.

The first thing that sticks out in terms of tantalizing match-ups is the pairing of Chris Wade and Frankie Perez. Wade is the current 155-pound champ, Perez is undefeated, and together they make for a bout that's going to have their respective extremely-sizable cheering sections going wild.

Flashback: Cage Fury Fighting Championship 16

NEW JERSEY

I'm not going to lie - I've covered so many shows in my 13 years of reporting on the sport that sometimes I have to get creative just to stay interested. Yes, sitting cageside is always awesome, but do a million stories from that vantage point and you become stale and complacent. Which is why this flashback to Cage Fury Fighting Championship 16, which took place in Atlantic City on August 25, 2012, is a good one. For this CFFC, I followed around a NJSACB inspector. The perspective was enlightening.

Long Island-Based UFC Fighter Database is Noble But Sad

UFC

Generally, when you look for a fighter database to use as a reference tool, you want something with depth, i.e., a lot of fighter entries. That's why mixedmartialarts.com and Sherdog have good ones, and even Wikipedia is servicable. But Newsday put together a database of all Long Island-based fighters who've made it to the UFC, and while the cause behind it is noble - celebrating the hometown heroes who made it to the big leagues - there's something fundamentally sad about the whole thing.

There are only 13 entries.

Sure, our sport is just 20 years old, and the pool of talent as a whole is still relatively small. But 13.... damn.

Anyway, check it out. It worth looking at to remind you who those lone 13 guys are.

UFC Fight Night 38 Primer: Gian Villante

UFC

There's a UFC this Sunday night (!), and headlining the card is a rematch between Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Dan Henderson - two guys who probably don't have much fight left in them, but so what, right? Anyway, since the event takes place in Brazil, the undercard is of course stocked with a ton of Brazilians. But tucked away in there somewhere is Long Island native - and former Ring of Combat champ - Gian Villante. Hooray!

In case you don't remember, throughout 2009 and 2010, Villante was widely considered to be the next superstar coming out of the Northeast. And though his friend and training partner Chris Weidman ended up being "that guy", Villante remains one tough S.O.B. capable of thrilling us.

Below is probably one of the worst videos ever of Villante fighting in ROC. Still, it's better than nothing. Enjoy!

New York Fight Exchange 2: Mess with the Bull, Get the Horns

NEW YORK

If you mess with the bull, you get the horns. This was the lesson learned by Jonathan Lopez, who took a fight on short notice to challenge New York Fight Exchange welterweight champ Jerome "The Bull" Mickle at Saturday night's NYFE 2: "Ides of March" show.

Observations From My Couch: UFC 171

UFC

• I'm not going to come out and say Bubba McDaniels sucks, because that would be cruel to a fighter who's dedicated so much to the sport. But he sucks.
• Dennis Bermudez is now far more successful than Diego Brandao, who beat him to become the winner of TUF 14. Think about that.
• Kelvin Gastelum won. To those of you who had the TUF winner losing within two Octagon appearances in the "The Ultimate Fighter Stinks" pool, sorry. He's definitely beating the odds.
• Look at Ovince St. Preux slowly creeping up the rankings. What a sly dog.
• Hector Lombard is a great two-round fighter. That third round is a tough one, though.
• Add Jake Shields to the list of fighters who are faded and should retire soon.
• Oh God, please, no more fights for Diego Sanchez. He's going to die out there.
• Tough break for Carlos Condit, but I'm still not sold on Tyron Woodley.
• Johny Hendricks versus Robbie Lawler is the closet an MMA bout has come to re-enacting the fight scene in a '70s kung fu flick. They literally stood in front of each other throwing strikes while blocking and parrying. It was ridiculously awesome.

Flashback: The UFC 159 Herald Square Takeover

UFC

Everyone loves it when the circus comes to town, and for MMA fans, that circus is the UFC. Thanks to archaic New York State law, obviously the closest the UFC can come to staging fights is to have them in nearby New Jersey, but that doesn't mean all the media and fan stuff can't happen here! Take a trip down memory lane for UFC 159, and the Herald Square takeover they did.

Results: New York Fight Exchange 2 "Ides of March" - 3.15.14

NEW YORK

• Rob Diggle def. Uniah Banks via Submission (Heelhook) at 1:16, R1
• Elija Punzone def. Eric D'Arce via Split Decision
• Alfred Jones def. Rich Pabon via Unanimous Decision
• Kenny Sweeney def. Matt Shamloo via TKO (doc stoppage - broken nose) at 1:26, R2
• Pat Carroll def. Ahmed Aboras via TKO (Punches) at 2:59, R1
• Omowale Adewale def. Nick Olson via Technical Majority Decision (after duel shin injuries)
• Rick Schaffer def. Juan Rosario via TKO (knee injury) at 1:12, R3
• Pedro Villa def. Will Joya via TKO (Punches) at 1:49, R3

NYFE Featherweight Title

• Rob Scotti def. Felipe Carlos via Technical Submission (Heelhook) at 1:15, R2

NYFE Welterweight Title

• Jerome Mickle def. Jonathan Lopez via TKO (Punches) at 1:34, R2

For fight videos, go here.

Kung Fu Dude to UFC: "Stop the Bullying!"

UFC

The saga of the angry kung fu dudes continues.

Because of the UFC's efforts to force Novell Bell to cease using an octagonal shape in his logo, others from within New York City's traditional martial arts community have stepped forward and made videos that take the number one MMA promotion in the world to task. Here's one from a Tai Chi guy:

Live Coverage of Tonight's NYFE 2 "Ides of March" Show

NEW YORK

The MMA Journalist will be cageside for tonight's NYFE 2 "Ides of March" show, so if you want live updates and pics, follow me on Twitter. Otherwise, you can just wait for the postfight write-up to be posted here. It is literally up to you.

NYFE 2 "Ides of March": Eric D'Arce on Life of a Fighter's Podcast

NEW YORK

The website Life of a Fighter had up-and-coming New York bantamweight Eric D'Arce on their podcast this week, and since D'Arce is a tough guy with a lot of promise who's fighting at the NYFE show tonight, it behooves you to check it out.

More UFC 171 Preview Vids

UFC

UFC 171 graces our televisions tomorrow night, and though I'll be cageside at the NYFE show in Queens doing my thing there, I most definitely will come home afterwards and watch all the Octagon action (which you will have already seen by that time - don't spoil it for me, please).

In the spirit of the UFC fun we'll have at various times tomorrow night, here are a bunch of preview videos for the event.

Manup Standup vs. the UFC?

UFC

Okay, now this video makes sense.

It seems New York City-based underground fight league Manup Standup is having a bit of a dust-up with the folks at the UFC. Novell Bell, MUSU's promoter, trademarked a logo for his organization that includes an octagonal shape - and as everyone knows, the UFC owns all things with eight sides (including stop signs and this Chuck Norris flick from the '80s).

Here's Bell's logo:

New York State Senate Still Likes MMA

NEW YORK

It literally means almost nothing, but it's a good gesture nonetheless. The New York State Senate, which every years takes a pair of scissors and a marker to the governor's annual budget proposal and cuts and adds what they think is important, has opted to include MMA in their suggested edits this year.

The entirety of the reference to the sport is: "Part VV: The Senate advances language to allow mixed martial arts in the state of New York."

That's it. And like I said, it doesn't mean much, especially since for the past few years the MMA bill has been breezing through the Senate. But hey, it's the thought that counts - right?

Throwback Thursday: Bob Reilly's "The Case Against Ultimate Fighting in New York" Memo

NEW YORK

For a few years, the battle for lifting the ban on pro MMA in New York invariably involved dealing with the anti-MMA vitriol spouted by Assemblyman Bob Reilly (who has since retired). No one against the sport was as vocal as Assemblyman Reilly, and because any MMA bill on its way to the Assembly floor had to first get past the subcommittee he sat on, we were constantly subjected to his cries of excessive violence and the decay of society.

In the 2009 legislative session, Assemblyman Reilly circulated a memo titled "The Case Against Ultimate Fighting in New York", delivering it to his fellow legislators to help sway their opinions on the matter.

Of course, since the email addresses of all New York State legislators are readily available on their webpages, there was nothing stopping a concerned citizen from drafting a memo of their own and sending it out to the Assembly.

Which is what I did. You can read my memo below.

Throwback Thursday: Christian Montes vs. Joe Lauzon

NEW YORK

Photo courtesy of Full Contact Fighter - I think. God, it was so long ago that I can't even remember.

One of my first longer features for Full Contact Fighter was "A Tale of Three Fighters", a 2003 story which involved me interviewing three fighters who were at three very different points in their careers, the interviews happening both before and after a fight they had coming up. Nick Strehle was the rookie, and he was stepping into the ring at a BAMA Fight Night; Ricco Rodriguez was the UFC champ, and he was to defend his belt against Tim Sylvia. Playing the role of journeyman was Christian Montes, who was slated to compete at a Reality Fighting.

Back then, you could almost divide up the New York City MMA scene into cliques, with the Team Renzo guys dominating a big portion of the cafeteria, the Matt Serra/Ray Longo guys hanging out by the gym teacher, the Tiger Schulmann crew hitting on the lunch lady, and the various other smaller groups trying to eat their mac & cheese and drink their chocolate milk in relative solitude. But smoking cigarettes behind the janitor's shed were the Jeet Kune Do dudes - the original martial arts cross-trainers - who were learning jiu-jitsu techniques along with boxing and stick fighting and whatever else looked cool.

Christian was part of the JKD clique (he was Straight Blast Gym - pretty much the same thing).

Anyway, Christian won his Reality Fighting bout, which made for a happy ending to my article (especially considering that Rodriguez got KO'd by Sylvia). Below is the fight Christian took afterwards, a Mass Destruction match-up against some youngster named Joe Lauzon. Enjoy.

NYFE 2 "Ides of March" Preview, Part 3

NEW YORK

We're just a couple days away from the NYFE event now, which is good because I'm running out of relevant videos to post. Anyway, Saturday's card will see Jerome Mickle - who owns a shiny UCL belt to go with his NYFE welterweight championship strap - take on... well, someone. I think it's Jonathan Lopez now, but at various times it was other people who for one reason or another had to drop out. But that's okay! Because a fight's a fight!

And for your viewing pleasure, Jerome's last fight is after the jump!

UFC 171 Preview Stuff: Robbie Lawler in Action

UFC

Thanks to champ Georges St. Pierre hitting the road and leaving a cloud of dust in his wake, there's now a vacant UFC belt - and on Saturday at UFC 171, Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks are going to slug it out to determine who deserves the right to wear it.

Fun fact: I was cageside for Lawler's first UFC appearance, which was at UFC 37. He was a beast then, and he's a beast now. (If you want to read something I wrote about that experience, go here.)

Anyway, the UFC was kind enough to post some vids of Lawler training, so watch and enjoy.

NYFE 2 "Ides of March" Preview, Part 2

NEW YORK

Another day passes, and another day we're closer to the New York Fight Exchange's next show. As I said yesterday, doing a preview for Saturday night's event at the Amazura Concert Hall in Jamaica, Queens, could be problematic given the amount of changes an amateur fight card undergoes up until fight time. But the NYFE event is a big, important one in the New York MMA scene, so it deserves some sort of coverage.

Here, then, are more videos of some of the fighters on the card in action. Enjoy!