Fight Video: UFC Cuts Toughest-Fighter Miguel Torres

According to recent UFC news, one of the toughest guys to ever fight inside a cage, Miguel Torres, may soon be riding off into the proverbial sunset of a long mma career—a career which evolved inside tiny blood-splattered barrooms in northwestern Indiana.

After a long and successful ride, which began in the late 90's, the former WEC bantamweight champion Torres has been officially cut by the UFC and is now headed to the more-shallow, less lucrative minor-league promotional waters of Titan FC.

In a 2008 interview for the fightmagazine.com publication, Torres told how he was merely a scrawny 17-year-old college student from Perdue University—a kid from East Chicago, Indiana, who began fighting as a hobby to help pay for his school-tuition.

 Appearing in small 'Fight Clubs' which were attended by only a few fellow students, by the time Torres was 18 he had become somewhat of a hometown hero. Especially after competing and winning fights against much larger men in tough-man brawls located at Finke's Sports Bar in Highland Indiana.

Now, aged 31 and a MMA veteran with 45 professional fights to his credit, 40 of them wins,  along with his 2008, WEC 32, title-belt-accomplishment, the tough-as-nails Torres is today a pugilistic success story.

Among other things, the former 135-pound king owns and runs a successful gym, Torres Martial Arts Academy, in Hammond, and seems to be taking his next step in full-stride, without any regrets.

 Torres wrote on his website recently:

To all my fans, family, friends, and supporters,

Published August 22, 2012 | By Miguel_Torres

I am writing this letter to inform you that as a result of my last loss, I was cut from the UFC. My next fight will be in Hammond, Indiana for Titan Fighting Championship on November the 2nd. I am excited to continue fighting, to regain my focus and to get back to what made me a champion. A special thank you to my manager, Glenn Robinson, my trainer, Firas Zahabi, my training partners, and all the staff at the UFC. I have dedicated my whole life to mixed martial arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. From teaching, to training, and fighting from the lowest to the highest levels, my passion in life is to be the best that I can be. Until November 2nd…

Miguel Angel Torres

Follow me on twitter @cagestokerblog - or subscribe here on Facebook.
 ~

UFC Vs. PED: Swept Under The Rug - Shane Carwin On Steroids

"These types of steroids are for horses and cows, not for young people and humans!"

If you've never heard the above quote—from Assistant U.S. District Attorney Donna Dobbins, or the steroid-busting story that accompanied it—don't be alarmed, as it was quickly swept under the rug faster than you can say the word 'corruption.'

Shane Bannister Carwin, age 37, from Greeley, Colorado, had burst onto the mixed martial arts scene back in May of 2008. And, like some Brama-Bull that had been let-loose inside an octagon-shaped-china-shop, Carwin—who had virtually zero prior mma experience, quickly destroyed such notables as Christian Wellisch, Neil Wain, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Frank Mir, all within the first-round and all with one-punch destruction.

Suddenly, at UFC 116, on July 3, 2010, Carwin—who looked like the poster boy for PED's—found himself in a title-shot opportunity with former WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar who was champion at the time. And although he was doing well in the match-up and beating Lesnar virtually senseless in the first round, instead of mercilessly stopping the contest, the referee in charge, Josh Rosenthall, let the beating go on.

In the second round however, whether it was due to steroids, or just plain fatigue, Carwin emerged like a rag-doll on roller skates—beaten by his own heavily muscular body, and perhaps also an undisciplined lack of conditioning.

Nonetheless, Lesnar threw Carwin to the mat and sunk in an old time wrestling choke, and it was all over..Carwin tapped. The fight with Lesnar was in July 2010, and in August the scandal happened.

Silence for months...soon followed.

Then, out of nowhere, recently, at UFC 131 on June 11, 2011, a thinner, less muscular Carwin emerged, this time he was seemingly devoid of PED's, and as a result, he was severely beaten by current UFC heavyweight champ, Junior Dos Santos.

Two whole years have passed now since the scandal that never was happened. And, it seems, nowadays, that UFC president Dana White would like us to forget and forgive Carwin for cheating and breaking the rules back in the summer of 2010.

On Thursday July 12th 2012, Dana White announced that Carwin and fellow heavyweight, Roy Nelson will appear as the next Coaches for the 16th season of 'The Ultimate Fighter;' and will then fight each-other at a later date

Unlike other sports—where Athletes are using PED's—combat sports is different in that fighters aren't merely hitting an inanimate object—such as a stitched-up piece of cork and horse-hide—their target is a real one. It's a delicate human skull with a brain inside. Under those terms, someone may be killed very easily.

And what exactly can Carwin offer to young men of "The Ultimate Fighter?"

The proper way to use a syringe perhaps?

Stay tuned.

"Human nature dictates that there will always be cheaters. That's inevitable. Where there's money involved and glory, there are going to be people that cheat, and there will always be ways to cheat. "
-David Millar

UFC: Trainer Firas Zahabi Weighs-In on St-Pierre, Penn Vs. MacDonald

Although nothing has yet been carved in stone, the 22-year-old beast, Canadian-cagefighter Rory MacDonald, and 33-year-old Hawaiian pound-for-pound legend B.J. Penn, have now verbally agreed to meet sometime in the coming months.

MacDonald, originally from the western-province of British Columbia, is currently training here on Canada's east coast at one of the world's premier mixed-martial-arts centers, Tristar Gym, which is run by famed trainer Firas Zahabi, who's also, notably, the mentor of UFC welterweight-superstar, and Montreal native, Georges St-Pierre.

Zahabi, recently weighed-in on a few topics concerning MacDonald vs. Penn, and also reiterated some previous statements regarding MacDonald vs. St-Pierre:

"It's the UFC, I think they want to see that Penn vs. MacDonald fight. And when the UFC offers you a fight like that, I think it's because the fans want to see it. And us, we never say no to a fight the fans want to see, and I know B.J. Penn loves to give the fans what they want. In the end, I just thinks it's a matchup everyone wants to see," stated Zahabi.

 "BJ is a big name for Rory to fight," Zahabi continued, "It puts you on the map. ... It's great for Rory. No matter what happens, he'll have his name out there more than ever."

The elite fight-trainer also told MMAjunkie.com Radio that—even though both MacDonald and St-Pierre are friends and training partners, who are competing for the same prize—the UFC welterweight championship—there will absolutely-never be a conflict of interest, so to speak, where they will need to square-off and fight each other: 

"We're not going to make a problem out of it before it becomes a problem. But, if it ever comes to that point, we'll sit down and discuss who's going to shift weight or not. But there are a lot of fights before there's that bottleneck. ... I don't think we're there. I think we're a long way from there," Zahabi said.

He, Zahabi, also said that he feels personally, that it may be too soon to worry about a potential Rashad Evans and Jon Jones type scenario. But if the question of fighting each-other is ever asked of the two, from UFC President Dana White, the answer from all three people involved in the match would be a resounding No:

"Definitely the two aren't going to fight," Zahabi said. "We've agreed on that several times. We work together too often. I work with the two guys religiously, constantly over the years, so I could never condone that. You spend too much time with each other, and you're not going to be punching each other in the face."

As for the big-boss-man White? ..well, he's already thrown in his two-cents worth on the subject:

"I guarantee you if Rory looks looks at GSP's fucking-bank-account, he'll want to beat the fucking shit out of him," White said.

*As for my opinion, I like to use the example of Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes—who trained together for years and loved each other like brothers, but managed to put all that nonsense aside in order to pass the torch, so to speak, from the old to the new.

~ Follow me on Twitter @cagestokerblog

UFC Prediction: Jon Jones Vs. Dan Henderson

UFC President Dana White officially confirmed last night—via Twitter—that the man who holds the crown and seems unbeatable at 205 pounds, Champion Jon 'Bones' Jones, will indeed, be tested next by the aging, mixed-martial-arts pioneer, Dan Henderson.

The fight, Jones's first title-defense in Las Vegas, will be held on September 1, 2012, in the main event of UFC 151.

Born Jonathan Dwight Jones on July 19, 1987, this cagefighter known as ' Bones,' at just 24-years-old, is now a virtually-undefeated human-wrecking-ball.

I used the words 'virtually undefeated' for a reason. The only 'chink' in the seemingly-impenetrable-armor of the young gladiator being a 2009 disqualification loss to Matt Hamill. Other than that, Jones's rise to the UFC light-heavyweight summit has been nothing short of immaculate.

Personally speaking, as a writer who was around during that time period, I have compared Jones to a young Muhammad Ali. Especially after his demolition style victories over former title-holders such as Mauricio Shogun Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and most recently, Rashad Evans.

At  41-years-old, Henderson (29-8) deserves a ton of respect for his accomplishments over the years.

However, the once decorated-collegiate-wrestler, nowadays, is a mostly one-dimensional fighter. One who has not yet held a UFC title belt. It seems that "Hendo," although successful in recent years, has basically been a one-trick-pony of late.

A wrestler by trade, Henderson, as strange as it seems, chooses most-times to only use his highly-broadcasted, yet fully-loaded, right-hand-bomb, and nothing else.

 The old adage: 'If it ain't broke don't fix it,?' comes to mind.

Also, depending on who you ask, Henderson's previous wins, over a highly-overrated minor-league Russian Sambo-King named  Fedor Emelianenko—along with other victories, most of which took place years-ago in Japan, are nowhere near as relevant today as they were back then. 

Henderson, who has also recently admitted to steroid-usage, has last fought at UFC 139, struggling against a fighter whom Jones had little trouble with, 'Shogun' Rua.

You see where I'm headed here. Don't go out and bet the farm on the H-Bomb. As it may just become a 'dud' or an obsolete-weapon in Henderson's next war. Stay Tuned.  

 -- "A rooster crows only when it sees the light. Put him in the dark and he'll never crow. I have seen the light and I'm crowing." Muhammad Ali

UFC Video: Ronda Rousey gets Rowdy at The California State Assembly

Ronda Rousey is now a world-champion cagefighter and she looks extremely sexy. So who cares if she isn't exactly the world's most articulate female public speaker?

Rousey, in addition to those attributes mentioned above, is also not afraid to speak her mind. So it's easy to see why the UFC are sending her out to do their dirty work. After all, what better PR person could a company such as Zuffa ask for?

Sexy Rowdy-Rousey recently went before the The California State Assembly to testify against a new bill which is before the house and seeking to be passed. The proposed bill, which is shown below, on paper at least, seems like a good one.

Additionally, you can be sure that if Dana White and company—who for the most part are no better than any of the other sleaze-ball-fight-promoters we've known throughout history, such as Don King and Bob Arum—are against it, then it's a sure sign to us fans that we should clearly be in favor of it.

Nonetheless, Rousey works for Zuffa/UFC now..and she obviously knows on which side her bread is being buttered.

Stay tuned.

The bill,  AB 2100, reads as follows: "This bill would require a promoter to provide specified written and sworn statements regarding his or her financial interests to the commission before the promoter can receive compensation from a boxing or mixed martial arts contest."

"By requiring a statement to be made under penalty of perjury, the bill would expand that crime and would thereby impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also require the commission to revoke or refuse to renew the license of a mixed martial arts promoter who enters into a coercive contract, as defined, with a mixed martial arts fighter, who has been convicted of a felony or a gross misdemeanor, or who has been subject to specified law enforcement actions, investigations, or allegations."

"This bill would require the commission to establish a professional code of conduct for licensees."

"This bill would also extend the scope of the Boxers’ Pension Plan to include professional mixed martial arts fighters and would rename the fund as the Boxers’ and Mixed Martial Arts Fighters’ Pension Fund. By providing for new moneys to be deposited in a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation."

"The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement."

"This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason."

UFC NEWS: George St. Pierre: I'm Moving to 185 to Avoid Fighting Rory MacDonald

According to the latest news from the cut-throat world of mixed martial arts, former UFC welterweight champion, and the king of the 170 pounders, Georges St-Pierre, is not keen on facing his newest training-partner, the young phenom, Rory 'Ares' MacDonald.

GSP will be at cageside in Atlanta this Saturday for the UFC 145 event and to root for MacDonald, a 22-year-old top-prospect who's also Canadian, who's facing his next test in Che Mills, a debuting British cagefighter.

"I know one day he [MacDonald] is going to be a UFC world champion. I'm not interested in fighting him. There are a lot of welterweights out there. I don't think I need to fight MacDonald right now," said St. Pierre with an uncertain tone, knowing full well that President  Dana White pulls the strings.

Speaking of White, the next thing St. Pierre said was interesting, in that he sounded as if he would need to 'get the hell outta Dodge' so to speak, if he was ever forced by White to fight MacDonald:

"In two years we may fight, who knows? I may go to middleweight. Who knows what's going to happen? stated the former champ.

Could it be that MacDonald poses more of a threat than Nick Diaz or Carlos Condit--the latter being a New-Mexican native, and fellow Greg Jackson camp training partner of St. Pierre?

"I have a hard time fighting guys I like" GSP said. "When I fought Jake Shields, I had a hard time fighting him. So fighting a friend? I can't do it. Right now, there are so many guys right now, it's not an issue."

We all know how boss White feels about the whole idea of Friends refusing to fight Friends. So I'm sure if MacDonald continues his winning ways, you can bet that another Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch type scenario may soon arise. Nothing good ever comes from that. 

The great boxer Larry Holmes once faced his close friend and sparring partner Muhammad Ali.

Holmes defeated Ali On October 2, 1980, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

After the fight Holmes went to Ali's room:

 "Are you O.K., champ?" Holmes asked. "I didn't want to hurt you." 

"Then why did you? Ali asked, laughing softly."

Stay tuned.
 ~~  
"Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? How I wish, how I wish you were." - Pink Floyd

Does UFC's Brad Pickett Resemble 'Mickey' from 'Snatch'?

Despite the resemblance to the Brad Pitt character Micky O'Neil from the popular movie "Snatch," Brad Pickett says that his underground-fighter-persona and fighting-nick-name are a tribute to his grandfather and not from the film.

Although 'One Punch Mickey' is fictional, and 'One Punch Pickett' is very much real, it would still be extremely easy to compare the two,..and maybe even get them confused. 

Pickett—although he's not a Gypsey bare-knuckle-champion..and his Trilby hat is not made from the finest black-polyester—does indeed hail from the same neck of the woods as the 'Pikey,' and he's also 'as hard as a coffin nail.'  

Last Saturday night, at UFC ON FUEL TV 2, the 33-year-old Londoner, Pickett, had what was perhaps his greatest performance thus far. 

Pickett won a second consecutive $50,000 "Fight of the Night" bonus en-route to finishing-off the hard-charging Damacio Page with a rear-naked choke.

The former Cage Rage British Featherweight champion and Ultimate Challenge MMA Featherweight Champion Pickett has not yet allowed money and fame to go to his head.

Pickett—if you add-in his WEC bonuses—has earned a 'submission of the night' bonus and three F-O-T-N bonuses, and raised the eyebrows of his boss, President Dana White when he spoke of how little he actually spends on 'living the life.'

At his post-fight press-conference, Pickett, who's not-unlike Mickey from the movie, was told he needs to go shopping for a new 'Caravan,' and maybe a 'pair of them shoes:'

"I try to be sensible with my money," said Pickett  

"To be honest, I sacrifice so much for this sport. I've been here such a long time, and any money I've ever earned in this sport, I always put it back into myself in my training," he continued.

"I don't have a car. I don't have a house. But now, eventually, now I've paid my dues, and I'm starting to reap some of the benefits. Now I can use some of that to get my own house."

This admission from Pickett then caused the bossman, White, to immediately chime in:

"Holy-Shit !," White orated. "How much are you spending on training? How much was your last bonus? ..Listen, go out there and buy yourself a car. You've got enough money. Buy a car."

Pickett then clarified his meaning:

"This sport is a winning business," he said. "Obviously, you need to be in exciting fights. I won 'Fight of the Night' in my last fight, but I was on the losing end, so I'm happy to be in the 'Fight of the Night' on the winning end. "

" Fight of the Night' is great to get, but at the end of the day, you can't just be winning all the time and be a boring fighter, and you can't just be the most exciting fighter in the world who loses. You need to be able to balance the boat. I'm just happy to get back on the winning track," Pickett said. 

"I'm in the UFC to try and do something with myself. I'm not happy just being here." 

~~