WEC 48: Aldo VS. Faber DVD review–Korean Zombie’s WEC debut

aldofaber

If you haven’t watched World Extreme Cagefighting’s debut pay-per-view Aldo VS. Faber, you owe it to yourself to spend your money right now on one of the best MMA DVDs this year.

It’s worth every penny.

WEC has presented some of the most competitive lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight fights in all of MMA. This PPV not only showed how tight the competition is in WEC, but also that you should always expect the unexpected to happen in the cage. WEC 48 included not only sudden knockouts, it also included long competitive three round fights, sneaky submission victories early in the first round and a fight people to this day are still talking about.

WEC 48 was cleverly disguised as a Ultimate Fighting Championship PPV to help boost the buy rates and allow for footage of the event to be shown on Spike TV. The DVD cover only has the WEC logo in the background while UFC is listed as presenting the event. The event  really gives you that UFC feel thanks to having Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg doing the commentary for the event and Dana White giving his two cents on the main events.

By far the fight of the PPV was Leonard Garcia VS. Chan Sung Jung, who is also known as The Korean Zombie. The bout was far from a technical masterpiece, as it was mainly two guys swinging wildly and beating each other for three straight rounds. It was unreal to see Jung take the abuse he was taking and fight on even though he got rocked. Garcia was the same as well, one time smiling when Jung clocked him to the ground. The end is highly controversial, but either way these guys gave everything they had and easily rose both their stocks in WEC for future fights and a future rematch.

In their 2009 Fight of the Year rematch, lightweight champion Ben Henderson shocked Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone with a quick guillotine in the first title defence on the card. Although not as exciting as their first fight, Henderson answered a lot of questions by clearly showing that he was the better man that night.

The main event featured the shocking demise of the hometown hero “The California Kid” Urijah Faber as defending featherweight champion Jose Aldo destroyed Faber’s vertical base for five straight rounds. Faber never gave up during the entire fight and showed that he has a lot of heart. Aldo proved that he is the better fighter and looks unstoppable in his weight class.

For fans that have already seen the Aldo VS. Faber PPV the only new footage you’ll get is a behind the scenes featurette and the featurettes that aired on Spike TV. The behind the scenes footage is pretty much focused on Aldo and Faber leading up to the fight and how they were preparing right before they stepped through the curtain.

WEC 48 will not leave you disappointed. The DVD is filled with dramatic battles and finishes that you’ll want to watch over and over again. While there are standouts like the Korean Zombie fight, the entire card is solid from start to finish.

UFC Presents: WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting): Aldo VS. Faber

Image Entertainment

Released on July 20, 2010

$14.98

Click here to order the DVD

WEC 48 Bouts

Jose Aldo VS. Urijah Faber

Ben Henderson VS. Donald Cerrone

Mike Brown VS. Manny Gamburyan

Anthony Njokuani VS. Shane Roller

Leonard Garcia VS. Chan Sung Jung

Alex Karalexis VS. Anthony Pettis

Brad Pickett VS. Demetrious Johnson

Chad Mendes VS. Anthony Morrison

Takeya Mizugaki VS. Rani Yahya

Brandon Visher VS. Tyler Toner

Ringside Report Radio UFC 116 preview now online

Listen here to the July 2, 2010 episode of Ringside Report Radio hosted by Dave Simon and Kevin “Big Tuna” McKough and featuring Julie V.

This episode was dedicated to UFC 116. Your hosts discussed the economics of the event and how this weekend could be the most financially rewarding of 2010 for the UFC. They also discussed fans booing Brock Lesnar at the weigh-ins and the champion’s return to action after diverticulitis.

Dave, Kevin and Julie gave a full preview and predictions for each and every fight on the UFC 116 card from the first preliminary bout to the main event of Lesnar v. Carwin.

All this and much more MMA on this episode of Ringside Report Radio.

 

due to a technical glitch the first 3 minutes of the show have gone missing

Lyoto Machida Karate-Do book review

Live alone, die alone, fight alone—words Lyoto Machida received from his father to help toughen him and mold him into the evasive fighter he is today. 

Machida’s fighting style is considered unorthodox, cowardly, explosive and downright bizarre. Regardless of what is said about him, he is a feared fighter—he won 18 straight mixed martial arts fights, the Ultimate Fighting Championship Light Heavyweight Title and up until UFC 113 in Montreal he was undefeated in MMA.

In his MMA techniques guide, Machida Karate-Do, Machida relives his origin into MMA with the aid of bestselling author Erich Krauss writing the introduction. Machida explains that at the age of 11, he knew that he wanted to be a fighter and wanted the type of karate training his father could give him. Machida’s desire to better himself saw him try his hand at sumo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and training with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

The techniques guide is broken down to seven different sections; striking attacks, intercepting attacks, the clinch, attacking the guard, attacks from dominant control, guard and escape. All sections contain fabulous photography that shows each technique step-by-step all with Lyoto explaining his technique in each frame. The techniques are performed by Lyoto to his brother Chinzo. Showing the positioning of the fighters from in front of them and behind them helps give the reader an easier comprehension of executing the techniques properly.

The short introduction and the lack of a conclusion are the only disappointments to a massive in-depth dream book for fans of Machida. His technical notes on certain attacks and defenses are unique and informative insight on Machida’s techniques. With more than a thousand step-by-step photos, one could spend hours just focusing on one section alone.

Mastering the skills in the book might not make you the next Machida, but it will definitely give you a better self-defense and counter attack. For those that prefer watching MMA techniques, the four disc DVD set Machida-Do Karate for Mixed Martial Arts has also been released by Victory Belt Publishing.

Machida Karate-Do Mixed Martial Arts Techniques

Lyoto Machida, Glen Cordoza, Erich Krauss

Victory Belt Publishing

Distributed by Tuttle Publishing

$34.95

276 pp.

Click here to order the book

Top 10 pound-for-pound MMA ranking

Ringside Report Radio hosts Dave Simon, Kevin “Big Tuna” McKough and Ringside Report. NET writer Julie V, came together on Friday June 4, 2010 to determine Ringside Report’s first ever Top 10 pound-for-pound MMA ranking system and list. The three hosts/judges each came to the show with their own top 10 lists and after a debate reached the following consensus.

Top 10 P4P MMA. June 2010

1. Anderson Silva

2. Georges St-Pierre

3. Fedor Emelianenko

4. Brock Lesnar

5. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

6. Jose Aldo

7. B.J. Penn

8. Benson Henderson

9. Lyoto Machida

10. Rashad Evans

Honourable mentions to: Frankie Edgar, Jon Fitch, Jon Jones, Shane Carwin, Jake Shields and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.

Click Here to listen to the Ringside Report Radio Top 10 P4P episode

Dave, Kevin and Julie also agreed on the following criteria to determine who is worthy of pound-for-pound status:

Win/Loss Record

Quality of opponents and quality wins

Fight Finishing

Win Streak

To let you debate among your friends we will also include Dave, Kevin and Julie’s individual lists.

Dave Simon’s Top 10 P4P

1. Anderson Silva. 2. GSP. 3. Brock Lesnar 4. Fedor Emelianenko 5. Shogun 6. Jose Aldo 7. B.J. Penn 8. Benson Henderson 9. Lyoto Machida 10. Rashad Evans

Kevin “Big Tuna” McKough’s Top 10 P4P

1. GSP 2. Brock Lesnar 3. Fedor 4. Anderson Silva 5. Benson Henderson 6. Shogun 7. Jose Aldo 8. Lyoto Machida 9. B.J. Penn 10. Rashad Evans

Julie V’s Top 10 P4P

1. Anderson Silva 2. Fedor 3. GSP 4. Jose Aldo 5. Shogun 6. B.J. Penn 7. Lyoto Machida 8. Rashad Evans 9. Jake Shields 10. Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos

E-mail your comments, suggestions, hate and love to Dave Simon at  dave@ringsidereport.net  or Kevin “Big Tuna” McKough at  kevin@ringsidereport.net  or Julie V at info@metricjulie.com . We will provide an updated and unbiased list with listener and e-mail feedback in the next 6-12 weeks.

-Ringside Report Staff-

Ringside Report Radio June 2 now online

Listen here to the June 2, 2010 episode of Ringside Report Radio hosted by Dave Simon and Kevin “Big Tuna” McKough.

In this episode, Dave and Kevin gave a full re-cap of UFC 114 including Rashad Evans’ victory over “Rampage” Jackson, Michael Bisping’s strong performance and the controversial decision between Jason Brilz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Dave and Kevin talked about Dana White’s recent comments regarding the media and pound-for-pound rankings. This prompted the creation of the first ever Ringside Report.NET Top 10 Pound-for-Pound list which will be unveiled on Friday June 4.

All this and much more MMA and Pro Wrestling on this episode of Ringside Report Radio.

Ringside Report Radio UFC 113 preview and predictions now online

Listen here to the May 7, 2010 edition of Ringside Report Radio hosted by Dave Simon and Kevin “Big Tuna” McKough with weekly contributor and writer for ringsidereport.net Julie V.

Jonathan Chaimberg a strength and conditioning coach to GSP and many other fighters including Jonathan Goulet. Chaimberg appeared on the program to talk about Goulet’s fight at UFC 113, GSP being named as one of the coaches for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter and the rest of the UFC 113 card.

Big Tuna was on the search for Dana White, as the UFC president was tweeting away tickets for the show and had to be found somewhere in Montreal.

Dave and Julie gave a full preview for UFC 113 and gave their predictions for the third annual card from the Ultimate Fighting Championship in our hometown of Montreal.

MMA Unscripted: Behind the Scenes of America’s Hottest Sport review

Behind the Scenes of America's Hottest Sport

Watching Wanderlei Silva in “KILL mode”, beating Forrest Griffin in the UFC: Undisputed video game, are two of many adventures documented by mixed martial arts magazine MMA Worldwide in MMA: Unscripted: Behind the Scenes of America’s Hottest Sport

MMA Worldwide is much more than just a magazine spawned from the creative minds of the Pittman family, the concept has become a way of life—the family went all over the U.S. West Coast gyms profiling MMA fighters for a television show that eventually was picked up by HDNet. Rob McCullough, Ricco Rodriguez, the Gracie family and many more were given exposure when MMA was not even considered a sport by the mainstream population.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck the MMA Worldwide crew when the host of the show, Bobby Pittman Jr., suddenly fell ill during one of the filming sessions. Doctors diagnosed the illness as transverse myelitis, a disease very much like multiple sclerosis. The season was put on hold as Bobby was only given three months to live. While he still battles with the illness today, after five days of rehab Bobby courageously went back to work and the show kept on going.

MMA: Unscripted: Behind the Scenes of America’s Hottest Sport is a very short read; this magazine mainly consists of pages that are mainly pictures and all the text is done in one big indent kind of like a kid’s book. The pictures are high quality, although some of the action shots look a little blurry. This best of MMA Worldwide magazine is pretty much a mere taste of what MMA Worldwide has accomplished and has to offer. Numerous times throughout they mention how there is so much more to be seen at www.mmaworldwide.com.

Cross-training with Peter Graham, goofing around with Frank Trigg and showing different fighting techniques with Erik Paulson are exciting, funny and at times gruesome photos. The lack of quotes from the fighters in the magazine is disappointing. The mentioning of Strikeforce and Bellator is a nice break from the almost constant Ultimate Fighting Championship coverage by MMA Worldwide. Besides the excellent photography, the best part of this magazine is there is no limit to the amount of coverage on well-known and unknown foreign fighters MMA Worldwide will cover.

MMA: Unscripted: Behind the Scenes of America’s Hottest Sport.

Concept by Robert Pittman

112 pp.

Triumph Books

Feb, 2010

http://www.triumphbooks.com/products/mma_unscripted/1572436129.php

Jon Fitch versus Thiago Alves at UFC 115 in Vancouver

fitch v. alves

Top UFC welterweight contenders Thiago Alves(16-6) and Jon Fitch (22-3) are expected to fight following an early morning tweet by UFC president Dana White. “ALVES vs FITCH in vancouver!!!!!,” White tweeted. Alves and Fitch were supposed to battle as part of a triple main-event for UFC 111 but Alves was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an irregular CT scan. After minor brain surgery, Alves told his fans that he was ready to return to action as soon as UFC 114 on May 29. Fitch defeated Ben Saunders via decision after three rounds at UFC 11.

Fitch and Alves are now expected to meet on June 12 at the UFC’s first event in Vancouver, British Columbia. The bout between Fitch and Alves could serve to determine a number one contender for UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre who has defeated both men via unanimous decision. Fitch’s teammate at the American Kickboxing Academy, Josh Koscheck (14-4), will be fighting Paul Daley (23-8) at UFC 113 in Montreal on May 8. The Koscheck-Daley bout that also been talked about to determine a new challenger for the champion.  Koscheck has been defeated by St-Pierre, making Daley the only man of the four possible contenders to have never faced GSP. Daley’s Team Rough House training partner Dan Hardy lost to St-Pierre on March 27, 2010.

UFC 115 has no official fights announced by the UFC but White’s tweet is as close to official as it gets without a full press release. The main event is still under question as Chuck Liddell (21-7) is slated to appear with an undetermined opponent. Liddell was supposed to fight Tito Ortiz (15-7-1) for the third time at the conclusion of their coaching stints on this season of The Ultimate Fighter. However, there have been many rumours speculating Tito Ortiz being replaced by Rich Franklin (25-5) at some point during the season. Dana White, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz are all denying any change in the plans and claim Liddell and Ortiz will fight as planned on June 12 in Vancouver. Rich Franklin and Randy Couture (18-10) have been rumoured as replacements for Ortiz against “The Ice Man” at UFC 115.

Hardy won't tap, GSP still wins. Carwin KO's Mir at UFC 111

gsp with belt

Georges “Rush” St-Pierre scored his 20th professional victory by defeating Dan Hardy in the main event of UFC 111 tonight in Newark, New Jersey. St-Pierre defeated Dan Hardy via unanimous decision in another dominant performance for the Québecois mixed-martial-artist. GSP almost finished the fight in the first and fourth rounds with arm-bars but the valiant Hardy refused to tap out.  St-Pierre used his superior wrestling ability to overpower Hardy and make his fourth consecutive successful defence of the UFC welterweight title. GSP told Joe Rogan that he was “very sorry,” for not finishing the fight and congratulated Dan Hardy for a courageous performance.  Hardy told Rogan “I don’t know the meaning of tap,” when asked about the near-fight finish arm-bars.

Shane Carwin delivered the knockout of the night with huge uppercuts that dropped Frank Mir. Carwin continued the assault with huge right hands on the ground that knocked Mir unconscious long before referee Dan Miragliotta intervened to stop the bout. UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar entered the ocatagon after the fight and called Carwin’s interim title a “make believe belt,” they are expected to collide on July 3.

Kurt Pellegrino and Fabricio Camoes had an exciting fight that displayed both competitors tremendous grappling abilities. Pellegrino did not disappoint his home-state New Jersey crowd and finished Camoes in the second round with a rear-naked choke.

Jim Miller won a unanimous decision over Mark Bocek (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a very close fight that could have easily gone the other way. Jon Fitch beat Ben Saunders, using his wrestling to control the action and cruise to a unanimous decision victory. Saunders had stepped in on Thursday after Thiago Alves was unable to pass pre-fight medical exams.

Nate Diaz took care of Rory Markham in a bout that was officially in the middleweight division after Markham failed to cut to 170lbs. Diaz was able to land more strikes on Markham and finished him with some ground and pound. Ricardo Almeida and Matt Brown battled through the first round but Almeida was able to expertly apply a rear-naked choke to force the second round submission.

Main Card Results

Georges St-Pierre def. Dan Hardy via unanimous decision (50-43, 50-44, 50-45) to retain his UFC welterweight championship

Shane Carwin def. Frank Mir via TKO (strikes) after 3:48 in Round 1 to win the UFC interim heavyweight championship

Kurt Pellegrino def. Fabricio Camoes via submission (rear-naked choke) after 4:20 in Round 2

Jon Fitch def. Ben Saunders via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Jim Miller def. Mark Bocek via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Televised Preliminary Results

Ricardo Almeida def. Matt Brown via submission (rear-naked choke) after 3:30 in Round 2

Nate Diaz def. Rory Markham via TKO (strikes) after 2:47 in Round 1

Preliminary Results

Matthew Riddle def. Greg Soto via disqualification (illegal upkick) at 1:30 in Round 1

Jared Hamman def. Rodney Wallace via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Rousimar Palhares def. Tomasz Drwal via submission (heel hook) after 0:45 in round 1

The Kimbo Slice show is coming to Montreal

ufc 113

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Canada will get their first dose of the Kimbo Slice phenomenon on Saturday, May 8th, when the Ultimate Fighter alumnus looks to make it 2-0 in the Octagon on the UFC 113: Machida vs Shogun 2 card at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Slice (4-1), fresh off his three round unanimous decision victory over Houston Alexander at the TUF10 finale last December, will be in with a familiar foe on May 8th, as he takes on his Ultimate Fighter castmate, Matt Mitrione in a heavyweight bout made official today. 

Mitrione (1-0), an NFL veteran, made his proper mixed martial arts debut on the TUF10 finale card and showed impressive poise and power as he knocked out Marcus Jones in the second round, and he hopes to make another statement when he squares off with Kimbo this spring.

(UFC press release)

Gameplay details announced for UFC Undisputed 2010

ufc undisputed 2010

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. - February 8, 2010 - THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) and Zuffa, LLC today announced the first gameplay details surrounding UFC® Undisputed 2010, the follow-up to the critically and commercially acclaimed debut videogame based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship®.  Poised to deliver intelligent and intuitive combat, increased fighter customization, robust career progression, challenging new gameplay modes and explosive online offerings, UFC Undisputed 2010 is currently in development for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system.  Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system versions are scheduled for release on May 25, 2010, while the PSP system version is scheduled for release later this year.

In addition, current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar will be featured on the cover of UFC Undisputed 2010.  A mixed martial artist, as well as a former professional and amateur wrestler, Lesnar made his UFC debut during UFC 81: Breaking Point against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir.  He went on win the UFC Heavyweight Championship by defeating Randy Couture at UFC 91: Couture vs. Lesnar, held on November 15, 2008, and has retained the Championship since that time.  Lesnar is tentatively slated to return to the Octagon in 2010.

UFC Undisputed 2010 will deliver the most advanced and superior virtual MMA action based on the world’s most prominent and respected organization in mixed martial arts, Ultimate Fighting Championship,” said Brian Coleman, Vice President of Global Brand Management, THQ.  “Through enriched gameplay and extensive new options, players will understand and appreciate what it takes to be a real UFC fighter.”

“Brock Lesnar’s intensity and relentless commitment to the sport of mixed martial arts, as well as to the UFC, make him a perfect candidate to be the cover athlete for UFC Undisputed 2010,” said Dana White, President, UFC.  “You want to be a fighter?  Videogamers and fight fans around the world need to step up to Brock’s level when they enter the virtual Octagon in UFC Undisputed 2010!”

UFC Undisputed 2010 is the only mixed martial arts (MMA) videogame this year that will deliver the action, intensity and prestige of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.  Players will navigate an unparalleled roster of more than 100 prolific UFC fighters, each fully rendered to convey a photorealistic appearance.  Prominent UFC personalities, including commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, veteran voice of the Octagon Bruce Buffer, the Octagon Girls, referees, trainers and more, will return to showcase an authentic and memorable UFC videogame experience.

Enhanced combat will offer players a new Sway System with full upper body and head movement that allows for the dodging of attacks.  On the ground, a new Posture System will enable players to deliver stronger, fight-ending strikes from every position.  In addition, players will manage Octagon control with new strikes, submissions, transitions and cage positions, as well as experience added realism with the introduction of Southpaw stance.  Players will also enjoy customizable freedom with created fighters by combining moves from numerous MMA disciplines, including new moves taken from Sambo, Karate and Greco-Roman Wrestling, to become true mixed martial artists.

UFC Undisputed 2010 will encourage online camaraderie like never before, as players will have the ability to form fight camps and leagues, train like real-life UFC fighters and go online to compete against other camps in the virtual UFC world.  Career Mode will also return, including a new “Game Is Watching You” system that will track every action and use this information to dictate in-game commentary, opponent intelligence and overall career progression.  In addition, players will enhance their Career Mode experience through online co-op sparring sessions with their respective fight camps and form unique personalities for created fighters to increase their cred, popularity and sponsorships based on interactions during weigh-ins and interviews.

UFC Undisputed 2010 will also introduce players to three new gameplay modes.  Title Mode will enable players to fight through one of UFC’s five official weight classes to earn and defend a championship belt.  In Title Defense Mode, players will see a fighter’s condition remain persistent but offer milestone challenges built in along the way.  In addition, the game’s Tournament Mode will allow players to explore up to 16-player individual and team tournaments within one system.  The mode will be compatible with both UFC and created fighters, as well as deliver two unique gameplay styles.  Arcade-style play will offer the ability to repeat a fighter’s appearance, while simulation play will limit fighter representation to one appearance.

(THQ-UFC Press Release)

"Randy Couture: Becoming the Natural" Book Review

Randy Couture is a Greco-Roman wrestler and professional mixed martial arts fighter. A member of the UFC Hall of Fame, he is the only athlete to have held championship titles in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions of the UFC. He lives in Las Vegas with his wife and stepson


Battling as the underdog in an Ultimate Fighting Championship match or in amateur wrestling has always put a smile on Randy “The Natural” Couture’s face—he thrived even in grueling military training.
At 45 years old the man, also known as “Captain America,” was UFC Heavyweight champion. He has been defying the odds by beating 20-something-year-old fighters and long-time favourites ever since he broke into UFC at age 33. Couture is one of the fighters responsible for bringing mixed martial arts out of the taboo sport category and into the pop culture level—his natural charisma and ability to beat the odds over and over has made him the poster boy for MMA.
In his latest memoirs, Becoming The Natural: My Life In and Out of the Cage, Couture brings you into his world of MMA and how he was first introduced to the sport. Couture goes into great detail on how he had a tough time growing up with his mom switching husbands every so often. The lack of a father figure weighed on Couture a lot in his youthful rebellious years, which led him to be a college dropout at 19 with a wife and a kid.
Couture went to the army to support his family and kept up with the amateur wrestling training that he got while in school. Couture trained constantly in order to become a multi-time wrestling world champion. Three years in a row he came up just a little short in his bid to become an Olympian.
Entering the cage, or octagon, was a big step for Couture. “What the hell am I doing?” was one his first thoughts going out to compete against someone who could punch him in the face. Couture, never one to shy away from a fight, excelled and racked up impressive victories, using his Greco-Roman wrestling skills to defeat kickboxer Mo Smith for his first UFC title win.
Couture soon found out that the business side of UFC could be difficult to handle. Current UFC boss Dana White, during contract negotiations with Couture, was “so irrational and emotional, screaming and yelling and cussing.” White ended up going behind Couture’s managers’ backs, telling Couture that they were nothing but “hair fags.” Couture did find some common ground with White during the taping of The Ultimate Fighter’s first season.
“He invited me and [Chuck] Liddell to his house to watch a boxing match, and his office was plastered with UFC posters and memorabilia. It was obvious that this was more than just a job for him. I think that was something that we both saw in each other that changed our relationship. We had been adversaries throughout the years of contract negotiations, but this was the first time we were ever on the same side.”
The book wraps up as of July 2008, with his last contract dispute undecided. Since then, Couture has signed back with UFC for UFC 91, where he lost his UFC title to the 265-pound Brock Lesnar, Couture has never received a rematch.
Couture’s passion to push new limits makes this book difficult to put down. Couture’s life is filled with drama, either on the mat, with his friends, or in his home. Couture’s open honesty when it comes to cheating on his two ex-wives is disheartening, but as with the other brutally honest statements made throughout the book, they show that he has come to terms with his mistakes. MMA journalist and ghostwriter Loretta Hunt does an excellent job bringing out Couture’s personal side.
MMA fans will love how much detail goes into some of Couture’s biggest fights. From his three bouts with Liddell, his upset win of the UFC lightheavyweight championship against Tito Ortiz and his battles with “The Phenom” Viktor Belfort, are all must-reads for fans wanting to know what goes through the mind of one of the greatest clinch and ground-and-pound fighters.

Becoming the Natural
Randy Couture and Loretta Hunt
Simon Spotlight

Karo Parisyan pulls out of UFC 106

karo_parisyan_prev

Karo “The Heat” Parisyan has pulled out of his fight against Dustin “McLovin” Hazelett just over 48 hours prkaro_parisyan_previor to their date at UFC 106. UFC President Dana White posted the following message on his twitter page confirming the news: “Karo Parisyan has fucked over the UFC, the fans and his opponent again!!! He will not be fighting saturday or ever again in the UFC!!” White followed up with a post 13 minutes later to further explain the situation: “Pulled out of the fight the day before weigh ins again with a laundry list of excuses!!! Let the press ask karo why! Let him explain.” The UFC will be holding a press conference for UFC 106 at 4pm ET today.

Karo Parisyan is coming off a suspension after testing positive for banned painkillers after his split-decision victory over Dong-Hyun Kim at UFC 94, the decision was later overturned to a no contest. Dustin Hazelett has not fought since a November 15, 2008 submission victory over Tamdam McCrory at UFC 91. Hazelett was booked to fight Ben Saunders at UFC 96 but he had to pull out due to injury. At this time Hazelett has no opponent for UFC 106 but UFC President Dana White confirmed via his twitter account that “McLovin” will get paid: “Dustin will be paid his full purse to show and win. Its not his fault.”