frank's Site

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MostlySkateboarding/~3/GQpHuVDXV1o/foreigners-in-barcelona.html

ufc chuck liddell mma xtreme sports mixed martial arts

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MostlySkateboarding/~3/77GWTpbSvMQ/milchqoo-throwaway-montage.html

chuck liddell mma xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc

Frank Mir might be reading too much into some of the reaction from his fight at UFC 119. The powers that be weren't too pleased with his "deliberate" fighting style against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. There was even a little mix up about Mir possibly getting cut by the UFC. Did he take it to heart too much? Hardy to say but by the looks of his actions around his hometown of Las Vegas, Mir looking at a future as a daredevil.

Last week, he was rappelling down the side of the 55-story Rio Hotel to benefit the Special Olympics (ESPNRadio1100's Marc Moore pictured rappelling).

This weekend, the former UFC heavyweight champ will be attacked by a K-9 police dog at the Orleans Hotel & Casino. His wife, Jennifer tweeted this photo of Mir practicing with the pup.

Let's dispel two rumors right now. Just because Junior Seau accidently drove himself off a cliff, Mir is not up for the slot on Versus' "Sports Jobs" and no, that's not Dana White's dog. 

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Mir-trying-out-the-daredevil-thing-around-Las-Ve?urn=mma-278213

chuck liddell mma xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc

Brock Lesnar is finally feeling comfortable as a mixed martial artist. That's right, the UFC heavyweight champ who's rolled to 5-1 record with zero experience in the cage before 2007, is finding his groove. He's a calmer fighter now who's not afraid to admit his weaknesses and ask for help.

After watching Lesnar take a first round beating from Shane Carwin, it was clear that Lesnar has big holes in his striking game. He got the win at UFC 116 and learne some important lessons.

"I think it’s just a confidence thing,” Lesnar told the Boston Herald. "You bang around in the gym and you’ve got 18, 20 ounce gloves on and you can take a punch in the gym, but up until the Carwin fight . . . there was always some question mark in my mind, I guess."

The former NCAA wrestling champ just isn't completely comfortable with his standup yet. Facing a cardio machine with good striking skills in Cain Velasquez this Saturday, Lesnar knew he had some work to do. He brought fellow UFC heavyweight Pat Barry to his camp in Minnesota and also worked with boxing training Peter Welch again.

"I never learned just the basics in boxing," Lesnar told the Boston Herald. "I wanted to go get a grassroots boxing coach to get my feet underneath me, to try to combine my wrestling positions and mold into a boxing stance, and just lower myself and learn to punch from my feet to my hands. And so he’s been a huge help - just being able to understand the fundamentals of punching."

It's going to come slowly. Even the best athletes in the world can't learn everything in just a few years. Heck, even the top MMA fighters are closing holes and adding to their games each day.

The Lesnar camp is wise to concentrate on certain areas in each matchup. For Frank Mir, it was more drilling on submission defense and ground positioning. Against Carwin, Lesnar worked on his conditioning and a specific submission. For Velasquez, it's boxing defense and being leaner. Lesnar is carrying a little less mass across his shoulders now.

Update: One of Lesnar's pro wrestling buddies, announcer Jim Ross has heard that the champ is already at 265 pounds. Keep in mind, Lesnar also called himself a 270-pound fighter during Countdown to UFC 121.

"... I see this as good for Lesnar fans because already being at the required fighting weight will prevent Brock from having to tweak his diet or training regime prior to the fight in Anaheim. Even though Lesnar will fight lighter than he originally fought in UFC, the former WWE Champion, NCAA All American and National Champion is still beastly strong which could be an key factor in his next encounter in the Octagon. Point is that Lesnar has lost no strength with his lesser weight plus Brock's cardio, one would assume, will be enhanced by not having to carry so much mass in what is expected to be an extremely competitive fight. If Velásquez's camp thinks that Lesnar is going to 'gas' after a round or two then they need to re-evaluate their strategy because that isn't happening. Brock only took two weeks off after defeating then undefeated Shane Carwin and went right back to serious training mode for the Velásquez fight."

It's that kind of flexibility and drive to get better that could make Lesnar tough to beat down the road. Someone better get him soon.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Lesnar-new-and-improved-on-many-levels?urn=mma-277950

mixed martial arts ufc chuck liddell mma xtreme sports

A UFC Hall-of-Famer, an elite welterweight and a drunk Muay Thai aficionado all stop by during this week's episode of "The Ultimate Fighter." All that, and weak pranks, too! Read on for spoilers and a recap of TUF.

Contemplative moment of the week: Koscheck is frustrated with his winless team, and you can't blame him. He's a fighter who is where he is because he took advantage of being on "The Ultimate Fighter," then moved to the elite of the UFC's welterweight division because he found a good team at American Kickboxing Academy. In both scenarios, he has been utterly coachable, listening to everything his coaches -- from Chuck Liddell to Bob Cook -- had to say. To light a fire under his fighters, he brings Jon Fitch in to work with his team.

Weak prank of the week: Alex "Bruce LeeRoy" Caceres continued pranking people, this time by putting bleach in Nam Pham's fabric softener, which Michael Johnson used. Is that even considered a prank, or just vandalism?

Crazy coach of the week: Koscheck is not the only one who brought in a new trainer this week. GSP brought in Muay Thai expert and "uh, what you call him, a free thinker" Jean Charles Skabowsky. Coach John Danaher told the team, "This is either going to be the best experience of your life or the worst." Skabowsky showed up wearing just Muay Thai shorts and beat the hell out of Team GSP while drunk. No, really.

Death threat of the week: Cody McKenzie, a Team GSP member, talked some smack to Koscheck as he walked out of practice. After Koscheck yelled, "You're not in Alaska any more!" McKenzie replied, "No, because if it was, I'd drown you." I'd need to check through the unified rules again, but I'm pretty sure drowning is not permissible in the Octagon.

Hall-of-Famer Cameo of the week: Yes, Fitch and the drunken Skabowsky were impressive, but Chuck Liddell trumped them all. The Iceman (and Koscheck's coach when he was on TUF) stopped in not long after he was knocked out by Rich Franklin at UFC 115. Still sporting a black eye from the fight, Liddell spends a few minutes talking with the fighters, telling them, "Don't forget to enjoy what you do. This is a hell of a lot better than a real job." He also says that it's hard to walk away from, saying that he was having fun even when he lost to Franklin.

Trash talk guessing game of the week -- Guess which fighter said:

1. I don't look like a martial artist or a fighter whatsoever. 

2. I'm scared. That's the main feeling that's going through me.

3. A switch flips, and it's like, showtime.

4. I think to myself, maybe I should have listened to my Dad and become a businessman. 

Bad attempt at humor for the week: Koscheck continued to try to get under GSP's skin, saying before the weigh-in,"If you kiss me now, I'll leave MMA," and other similarly dumb things. GSP says in the interview that it does bother him, but he doesn't let it show when sitting with his team. 

Fight of the Week -- Spencer Paige vs. Nam Phan:

Round one: Sparring with the drunken Skabowsky paid off, because Paige landed kicks left and right, knocking Phan to the ground on a few leg kicks. Phan kept up with Paige by moving forward and matching each kick with a punch. With a minute and a half left in the round, Phan knocked Paige to the ground and followed up with ground and pound, then tried to finish him with a kimura. Paige didn't tap, and the round ended.

Round two: Phan started the round aggressively, landing strikes and shaking off a Paige takedown attempt. Paige jumped around the cage to avoid Phan's strikes. Phan wins, giving Team Kos their first win.

After the fight, Paige said that he hurt his hand somewhere in the fight. That explained why he was acting so oddly in the second round.

Team Kos acted completely gracefully in victory ... No, wait. They didn't. Koscheck pointed out to GSP how much fun the first win was. Then, they pounded on the wall of Paige's locker room. Classy. 

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/What-you-need-to-know-from-episode-5-of-The-Ult?urn=mma-276789

mma xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc chuck liddell

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MostlySkateboarding/~3/QUCvDMJjwxc/nik-stipanovic-in-fulfill-ook.html

ufc chuck liddell mma xtreme sports mixed martial arts

Source: http://nedsurfshots.blogspot.com/2010/07/17-july-2010.html

mma xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc chuck liddell

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rock-climbing-blog/~3/hOSsO_V8trg/philsheard

mixed martial arts ufc chuck liddell mma xtreme sports

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rock-climbing-blog/~3/m7EzE0aQ8xw/philsheard

mixed martial arts ufc chuck liddell mma xtreme sports

There's a lot of impressive physiques in mixed martial arts, none more so than Cheick Kongo. Kongo says he doesn't use performance enhancing drugs and never will. He can't say the same about his compadres. Kongo is part of a growing group of fighters going public with claims that the sport has an issue with steroid use. 

"50 percent [of MMA fighters take steroids], if not more.... What can I say, other than we need to stay away from all of that. It's not easy to put things into perspective, especially if you believe that you have a disadvantage from the get go," Kongo told Riddum.com.

The Frenchman is absolutely shredded, so there be no purpose for him to use steroids, right? That's not entirely true. He's a 230-pound heavyweight in a world of 265 pounders. Kongo says there's a ton of pressure to keep up with the Joneses in all weight classes.

"For some athletes, it's hard to hold up physically and mentally- the pressure, the obligation to stay on top - everything pushes you to take steroids," said Kongo.

Kongo (15-6-2, 8-4-1 UFC) fought to a draw this weekend at UFC 120 against the 6-foot-7, 251-pound Travis Browne. He was clearly at a power disadvantage but he won't change his mind about turning to drugs for help.

"For me, PEDs aren't the solution," said Kongo. "Taking PEDs jeopardizes your health and it's cheating. I am a fighter; I owe my victories to my hard work, my training, the fact that I push myself beyond the limit, the sacrifices I make to a life almost entirely dedicated to sports. Nothing else. Stay away from the needles. You can succeed without them."

Kongo joins Dennis Hallman, who told Inside MMA on HDNet that he also thought 50 percent of the game was using. After his fight at UFC 117, Hallman apologized for making the statement. His post-comment behavior was similar to Josh Koscheck, who at the start of taping for Season 12 of "The Ultimate Fighter" suggested that he and GSP should be blood tested like Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley were before their fight. Kos quickly rescinded his request and apologized for thinly-veiled claims that St. Pierre was using.

For fans of the major sports, this sounds eerily similar to the 2005 claims made by Jose Canseco that 85 percent of baseball was using. In MMA, is this a case of "Where there's smoke there's fire?" or are Hallman, Koscheck, B.J. Penn and Kongo full of it?

Hopefully, this is all a minor story soon when cheaper ways of blood testing come along. Then extensive testing should be made mandatory for all major cards in the U.S. Until then, the sport has a pretty good-sized image issue to deal with unless it can get its own athletes to stop speaking their mind. 

Tip via MMAMania

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Kongo-is-the-latest-fighter-to-claim-rampant-ste?urn=mma-278014

ufc chuck liddell mma xtreme sports mixed martial arts

Josh Koscheck has brought in plenty of familiar names to assist his team on Season 12 of "The Ultimate Fighter" while Georges St. Pierre has surprised us each week. Wednesday night's episode took the cake when GSP introduced something called Jean Charles Skarbowsky. He was touted as a master of Muay Thai. But things got weird when St. Pierre, almost sounding fearful that Skarbowsky may go all Mel Gibson on one of the cast members, warned everyone about being respectful. From there, it only got more odd as they were told that Skarbowsky is drunk most of the time and only sleeps three hours a day.

At least he looked the part. Skarbowsky was sporting a good-sized beer belly, scrawny arms and was in need of some manscaping.

Skarbowsky was a topic during UFC.com's "TUF 12: The Aftermath". GSP confirmed that the drinking story was true (11:00 mark). Apparently Scarbowsky took a 14-hour flight from France to Las Vegas, got off the plane, went partying at The Rehab pool party at The Hard Rock and then came into the gym to work with the young guys.  

"He reeked of vodka. I guess he mixes it with a little cranberry. I'm guessing it was a lot of vodka and a very little amount of cranberry," joked TUF 12 fighter Spencer Paige.

But Paige said working with JCS was no joke.

"From him, I got an insight into elite talent," said Paige. 

With a little research, you'll find that he's a legitimate high-level Muay Thai fighter. Scarbowsky has over 100 pro fights with 80-plus wins. Good thing for Koscheck that Scarbowsky may have been battling a hangover when the UFC fighter tried to bust his chops. Kos could've learned the hard way to not judge a book by its cover.

In this video, a much-thinner and younger Scarbowsky is shown laying the lumber. Check out the 1:25 mark when he front kicks a dude into the ropes. GSP said he brought in Skarbowsky to teach his team about attitude and efficiency.   

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Who-was-the-drunken-French-kickboxing-savant-on-?urn=mma-276996

xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc chuck liddell mma

The sport was a virtual non-entity in the early 2000's in the U.K. Without high school wrestling and little jiu-jitsu taught around England, the country didn't look like much of a candidate become a pipeline for MMA prospects. Then came Michael Bisping's 2006 appearance on Season 3 of "The Ultimate Fighter" followed by the UFC's return to the U.K. with live events and now you have a region that could have a British-born champ sometime in the near future. This weekend UFC 120 features Bisping in the main event and unbeaten 22-year-old John Hathaway on the televised portion of the card. Kurt Warburton is hoping he can be the next Brit who makes a big splash.

His story is a little different than Hathaway and Bisping. A former pipe-fitter, Warburton only picked up fighting five years ago. But he's a fast learner. Working out of the same gym as Bisping, The Wolfslair, Warburton comes highly recommended.

"The guy's got incredible standup, he's incredibly fit and ridiculously strong for a lightweight. He's almost damn near impossible to take down and then once you do he gets up almost immediately," Bisping told Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press.

The UFC must think highly of him as well or the promotion is trying to get Spencer Fisher (24-6) back on the winning track after two straight losses. That's right Fisher, with 13 UFC fights under his belt, draws Warburton on the card in London.

"At first I was a big shocked, because I didn't think I'd get the opportunity to fight someone with such a big name for my first fight," said Warburton. "There's ups and downs with that. The upside is if I do beat him, or when I do beat him, there's going to be a lot of talk about it. Obviously it's going to be hard. He's more experienced than me, he's had some great wars so hopefully I can put up a good fight and maybe get fight of the night (bonus) or something."

In his talks with the Canadian Press, Warburton spoke with humility. He opened up a little more with British-based Fighter's Only Magazine about what he thinks is a lack of respect on the part of Fisher.

"... but I think he is underestimating me and he is going to get a shock," said Warburton. ”He’s got a lot more experience but there’s a lot more pressure on him as well. I have seen in some interviews where he is saying I am slow and he is just going to finish me, and he is looking beyond me. So, let him think that. I am not just turning up for him to walk all over me. He’s not taking me seriously but I think after a few minutes in the ring with me, I think he start taking me serious."

Warburton's dedication to an MMA career is serious. With the help of three sponsors, he was able to quit his gig as a gas pipe-fitter. He lives at the Wolfslair from Mon-Thurs, 140 miles away from his hometown of Bishop Auckland, so he's clearly got his wife in his corner.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Another-British-prospect-arrives-with-Warburton-?urn=mma-276803

mixed martial arts ufc chuck liddell mma xtreme sports

After UFC 100, Brock Lesnar was labeled an unstoppable force. Following a rough performance at UFC 116 against Shane Carwin, that kind of talk has died down. Was Lesnar overrated or is Carwin just that good? The next guy to put Lesnar's reputation to the test is Cain Velasquez. He's getting a lot of respect from bettors and fight insiders. Is he big enough to lock horns with Lesnar? Or will he wear out the monster?

Damon Martin from MMAWeekly and Larry Pepe from ProMMARadio joined me on RawVegas.tv to breakdown the big fights in Anaheim this weekend. 

UFC 121 odds (Courtesy Lagasse Stadium Las Vegas): 

Cain Velasquez (+120) vs. Brock Lesnar (-150) -- UFC heavyweight title
Martin Kampmann (+210) vs. Jake Shields (-270)
Tito Ortiz (+130) vs. Matt Hamill (-160)
Paulo Thiago (-110) vs. Diego Sanchez (-120)
Tom Lawlor (Even) vs. Patrick Cote (-130)
Paul Taylor (+200) vs. Sam Stout (-250)
Matt Schaub (+170) vs. Gabe Gonzaga (-200)
Ryan Jensen (+190) vs. Court McGee (-240)
Mike Guymon (+140) vs. Daniel Roberts (-170)
Chris Camozzi (Even) vs. Dongi Yang (-130)
Gilbert Yvel (+150) vs. Jon Madsen (-180)

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-121-picks-Vegas-style-Velasquez-looks-to-r?urn=mma-278680

xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc chuck liddell mma

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/10/22/bobby-voelker-tkos-roger-bowling-at-strikeforce-challengers/

chuck liddell mma xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc

Over the last few years, Randy Couture's relationship with the UFC has been a wild ride, to say the least. From late 2007 into 2008, he sat idle for 15 months as he battled with Dana White and the UFC over a new contract. Couture returned and has been part of some major fights to help MMA explode into the mainstream. But there are still some remnants lingering from the squabble. This week probably opened some old wounds as EA Sports released its MMA game featuring Couture alongside Fedor Emelianenko on the cover. The 15-month holdout allowed Couture to sign on as part of EA's efforts to produce a rival product to the UFC's game with THQ.

On Tuesday, Couture joined Fedor and several fighters from the Strikeforce roster in Los Angeles to promote the release. 

"It’s been delicate for sure," Couture [told the L.A. Times]. "I try and be as considerate as I can be of the position that I’m in and the position the UFC’s in. They have their own game. We managed to work around it. We try and be sensitive and not be too in-their-face about our position and where we’re at with this game."

The L.A. collaboration between the former UFC champ and Fedor must have fight fans thinking of what could've been. Couture, 47, doesn't have much time left and is now openly talking about retirement. He could walk away from the sport without ever having gotten a shot at Fedor in a much-coveted superfight.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do," Couture told John Jay O'Regan from Fighter's Only Magazine. Couture said he'll be part of "The Expendables" sequel. That begins shooting in March.

"I don't know what's going to happen on the fight front," said Couture. "I've had my wars. I can still fight but I'm not sure I want to make another run at the title. I enjoy the sport, I enjoy the fighting but it's probably time to move on."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Talking-retirement-Couture-walks-fine-line-with?urn=mma-278849

xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc chuck liddell mma

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MostlySkateboarding/~3/ccgSPh_Fhgs/mostly-lines-one-push.html

xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc chuck liddell mma

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/10/23/ufc-121-jake-shields-beats-martin-kampmann-by-split-decision/

chuck liddell mma xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/10/21/ben-askren-beats-lyman-good-for-bellator-welterweight-title/

ufc chuck liddell mma xtreme sports mixed martial arts

Source: http://nedsurfshots.blogspot.com/2010/05/sunday-2-may-2010.html

chuck liddell mma xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc

Frank Mir might be reading too much into some of the reaction from his fight at UFC 119. The powers that be weren't too pleased with his "deliberate" fighting style against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. There was even a little mix up about Mir possibly getting cut by the UFC. Did he take it to heart too much? Hardy to say but by the looks of his actions around his hometown of Las Vegas, Mir looking at a future as a daredevil.

Last week, he was rappelling down the side of the 55-story Rio Hotel to benefit the Special Olympics (ESPNRadio1100's Marc Moore pictured rappelling).

This weekend, the former UFC heavyweight champ will be attacked by a K-9 police dog at the Orleans Hotel & Casino. His wife, Jennifer tweeted this photo of Mir practicing with the pup.

Let's dispel two rumors right now. Just because Junior Seau accidently drove himself off a cliff, Mir is not up for the slot on Versus' "Sports Jobs" and no, that's not Dana White's dog. 

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Mir-trying-out-the-daredevil-thing-around-Las-Ve?urn=mma-278213

xtreme sports mixed martial arts ufc chuck liddell mma