Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Archlord Episode 3: MMORPG of the Month!
Fellow gamers, the time is finally upon us, take arms and prepare for battle as you struggle for supremacy in the ultimate PvP experience, with one defining prize...
Face up to the definitive challenge and conquer the mystical world of Chantra!
Choose from three immense races. The majestic Humans, the towering Orcs or seductive Moon Elves. Each will offer unique skills and abilities to overpower opponents on your route to the pinnacle of MMO Gaming!
Explore the mystical word of Chantra inspired by five elements - fire, spirit, earth, water and air.Discover a multitude of diverse landscapes, fearsome monsters, formidable spells, potions, weapons and armour, all at your disposal.
But beware! Chantra is a fearsome land with enemies far and wide, and allies hard to uncover. ArchLord will call upon your mighty skills for survival, friendship and ambition for success in this treacherous and challenging landscape. As progress is made throughout ArchLord, I call upon you to be wise, and seek many allies whilst preparations lay in wait for TOTAL DOMINANCE!
Key Features:
Free To Play - ArchLord requires no monthly subscription cost! Buy the box and play for life.
There can be only one ArchLord! - Do you have what it takes to become the mighty ArchLord? Work with your guild as you embark on an epic voyage to be crowned the single ruling ArchLord.
Immortalise Yourself in History! - Immortalise yourself in history and with it leave behind your legacy as you fight in your epic struggle to become the all-ruling ArchLord!
Three Playable Races - Take your pick from three powerful races including Humans, Orcs and the enchanting Moon Elves.
Advanced PvP Systems - One of the most advanced PvP systems ever seen including full-blown castle sieges and epic guild-on-guild battles incorporating hundreds of players.
Amazing In-Game Visuals - The mystical world of Chantra is fantastically realised with astounding character detail and gorgeous landscapesArchlord: Episode 3 trailer #1
Download Archlord: Episode 3 now!
Prototype
- Fast and deadly combat: Shape-shift your body to the situation at hand ... from claws to blades to hammers to whips, as you choose the right weapon for the situation. Change to shield or armor for defense or use advanced sensory powers (thermal vision, infected vision) to track your enemies.
- Over-the-top locomotion: Seamlessly and fluidly bound from building to building, run up walls, bounce off cars and everything in your path. Adaptive parkour lets you move freely through the open-world environments of New York City.
- Unique disguising abilities: Consume anyone at anytime, take on their appearance and assume their memories and special abilities.
- Deep conspiracy-driven storyline: Wake up with no memory of the past ... just mysterious powers and a link to a town in Idaho. Delve into the mysteries of your origin, the true nature of your power and your part in a conspiracy 40 years in the making.
Prototype - Trailer #1
Terminator Salvation [2009]
Set in post-apocalyptic 2018, John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.
Bloggin` Things: 8.5/10
Terminator Salvation [4 Minute trailer]
The Hangover [2009]
Angelenos Doug Billings and Tracy Garner are about to get married. Two days before the wedding, the four men in the wedding party - Doug, Doug's two best buddies Phil Wenneck and Stu Price, and Tracy's brother Alan Garner - hop into Tracy's father's beloved Mercedes convertible for a 24-hour stag party to Las Vegas. Phil, a married high school teacher, has the same maturity level as his students when he's with his pals. Stu, a dentist, is worried about everything, especially what his controlling girlfriend Melissa thinks. Because she disapproves of traditional male bonding rituals, Phil has to lie to her about the stag, he telling her that they are going on a wine tasting tour in the Napa Valley. Regardless, he intends on eventually marrying her, against the advice and wishes of his friends. And Alan seems to be unaware of what are considered the social graces of the western world. The morning after their arrival in Las Vegas, they awaken in their hotel suite each with the worst hangover. None remembers what happened in the past twelve or so hours. The suite is in shambles. And certain things are in the suite that shouldn't be, and certain things that should be in the suite are missing. Probably the most important in the latter category is Doug. As Phil, Stu and Alan try to find Doug using only what little pieces of information they have at hand, they go on a journey of discovery of how certain things got into the suite and what happened to the missing items. However they are on a race for time as if they can't find Doug in the next few hours, they are going to have to explain to Tracy why they are not yet back in Los Angeles. And even worse, they may not find Doug at all before the wedding.
The Hangover - Restricted Trailer
There's no slowing down for the LSU Tigers' Trindon Holliday this summer
Now things really speed up for Trindon Holliday. And that's saying plenty.
Next week he's off to Eugene, Ore., to compete in the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. From there, if he runs fast enough at Hayward Field, there will be a spot for him on the Team USA squad in August at the IAAF World Championships.
And some time after that he'll have to decide -- quickly -- if he wants to turn pro and make a living on the track, or head back to LSU for another football season and maybe one last indoor track season.
"Right now it's something to think about, " Holliday said. "I'm just going to take it day by day, and after the USA Trials I'll make a decision about what I'm going to do."
All that barely left him time to celebrate becoming the fastest man in Division I track, and one of the fastest in the world. That's the crown Holliday gets to wear after dusting the field in a time of 10.00 seconds in the 100 meters at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships last week, his time tying for the second-fastest run by an American this year (behind Mike Rodgers' 9.94) and good enough, at long last, for him to become an NCAA champion.
"It was a neat feeling, after chasing that dream for three years, " Holliday said. "It was just an emotional high. It was everything I imagined it would be. Since I was young I dreamed of being a national champion in something, and I felt pretty good about myself."
He should, because everyone knows that track and field is where Holliday is going to earn his money as a professional athlete.
Sure, he has created a handful of highlights as a specialty receiver and running back at LSU, who takes handoffs and zips around the corner on reverses and is a touchdown waiting to happen as a kick and punt returner. Three times, he has been SEC Special Teams Player of the Week.
But even Coach Les Miles acknowledges where the future lies for the 5-foot-5, 164-pound speedster. Miles this spring freed Holliday, a scholarship football player, to emphasize track, and to not worry so much about spring football practice.
There's no debating the result.
"I had done about five days of practice in the spring, but they weren't letting me do much contact because they knew I had track, " Holliday said. "It allowed me to go out there and do some of those things, (then) to go back to the track and run a fast time.
"This is the first year that I can actually say I was injury-free, and I felt pretty good throughout the (track) season."
Good enough to become the national champion, a perch he had approached twice before.
Last year Holliday finished third in the 100, and in 2007 he was the national runner-up. And he advanced to the semifinals of the 100 at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.
He was a step or two away from making Team USA for the Summer Games in Beijing, perhaps less than that of being a member of the 400-meter relay team.
But the American sprinters were embarrassed, as were the world's other 100-meter sprinters, by Jamaican world record holder Usain Bolt, who ran away from the field en route to becoming the fastest man in history. And the relay team imploded, failing even to get the baton around the track.
Holliday, meanwhile, avoided the stain of either of those results. He was playing football for the Tigers, and later capping his collegiate outdoor career with the prize he most coveted.
"We didn't win the team championship but I accomplished a big goal that I'd been trying to accomplish in three years, " he said.
But he barely has had time to savor it.
The USA outdoor championships beckon and after that, possibly a run at the World Championships. And after that, the decision of whether to join the track circuit or remain a Tiger.
"(The Trials) will be a big factor in determining what I do, " he said. "It'll determine where I see myself and where I go from there."
Whatever decision he makes, he'll have to do it fast. But then, with Holliday, we hardly can expect it any other way.
Top 25 Intel: No. 12 LSU
To find the last time LSU's defense struggled as it did last year, you have to go back to 1998. At the time, Nick Saban was crossing his arms in East Lansing, Les Miles was busy in Dallas trying to groom an heir to Jay Novacek and Gerry DiNardo was stalking the sideline in Tiger Stadium. That season, LSU waltzed into the opener ranked seventh but finished 4-7. Rough year.
But it was a great year for John Chavis.
The Tennessee Volunteers' defensive coordinator at the time, Chavis turned the Florida State war chant into a whisper when his defense led the Vols to a 23-16 win in the first BCS title game. Fast-forward 11 years, and all LSU and Les Miles are asking is for Chavis, the Tigers' new defensive coordinator, to do it again. Say what you want about the history of the program, Tigers fans, but it's fair to say expectations have changed some in Baton Rouge since '98.
Last season, those expectations weren't met. The LSU defense, which had finished first or second in scoring defense in the SEC for the three years prior, gave up 24.2 points a contest, ranking ninth in the league in that department.
"We're not SEC-ready yet," Chavis cautioned this week. He continues to settle into his new surroundings after a brilliant 14-year run in Knoxville. "Right now, the biggest goal for us as a staff is to reinstill that sense of relentlessness that you have to play with to be successful in this league."
Whether because of a talent drain -- LSU lost nine defenders to the NFL from 2006 to 2008 -- or just a season when it didn't come together, which Miles has explained in many ways, LSU fell off hard last year.
So Miles took advantage of the fact that a new administration was heading into Tennessee and got Chavis to come south. "Year in and year out, his defenses at Tennessee have been among the best, not only in our conference, but nationwide," Miles affirmed at the arrival.
Alvarez earns belt, but unlikely to face Cavalcante
Eddie Alvarez has better things to do than ponder a JZ Cavalcante fight, like polish his title belt.
Bellator wrapped its first season Friday by awarding title belts to lightweight Eddie Alvarez -- who defeated an outmatched Toby Imada -- and middleweight judo animal Hector Lombard, who used Jared Hess' head as a percussion instrument. Lombard is quickly becoming a fighter who might pose some very intriguing challenges for the physically diplomatic Anderson Silva.
Alvarez, meanwhile, doesn't appear to pose any sort of problem to JZ Cavalcante. Despite buzz that the fighters had been scheduled for a Dream event in September, Alvarez's manager, Monte Cox, has shot down claims, confirming with ESPN.com that Alvarez has no plans beyond Bellator at present. The fighter has an exclusive contract with the promotion and plans to take the next three months off.
"I think he will fight for Dream again," Cox said, "but it will have to be worked out with Bellator."
Tim Sylvia KO’ed by Ray Mercer! Pulled from ‘Trilogy’ Card
The main event at MMA’s Adrenaline III ‘Bragging Rights’ last Saturday night (June 13) wasn’t without drama. Tim Sylvia was matched up against former WBO World heavyweight boxing champion, and Olympic Gold Medalist, Ray Mercer.
The bout was originally meant to be a boxing match, however the athletic commission changed it’s mind at the last minute and declared the fight illegal. The fight still went ahead as Mercer agreed to fight Sylvia under MMA Rules with a verbal agreement between the two to stand and ‘box’.
Sylvia was quick to break their agreement coming out throwing a leg kick, they measured each other up then Mercer threw with a big right that made Sylvia stop dead for a split second, then fall like a tree! The fight was over in 9 seconds.
Sylvia was supposed to face Paul Buentello on the upcoming Trilogy card however Affliction VP Tom Atencio announced yesterday essentially that he could not take the risk.
In a Interview days before the fight, Sylvia’s former teammate Jens Pulver spoke about boxing being a totally different game to MMA, the threat that Mercer still posed, and that Tim may have got himself into trouble by taking this fight. Pulver’s words proved to be prophetic, I have included this interview below the fight.
Tim Sylvia vs Ray Mercer:
Jens Pulver Interview:
Promo video:
Pre-fight press Conference:
UFC 2009 Undisputed
- Authentic UFC personalities: Explore a deep roster of more than 80 top names in UFC competition across five weight classes and enter the Octagon surrounded by the sport's popular commentators, announcers, referees, trainers, Octagon girls, and more.
- Photorealistic models and effects: Experience the world of UFC as it appears on television with photorealistic fighters who breathe, sweat, and move like their real-life counterparts. View amazing ripple effects across the faces and bodies of your fighters from the impact of devastating punches and kicks.
- Revolutionary ultimate fighting control: Gain the upper hand in matchups with a brand new fighting game engine designed specifically for next-generation systems. The emphasis on innovative, responsive, and easy-to-play controls give you unparalleled command of your fighters in the Octagon.
- Fighting disciplines: Take down opponents and get the submission with a variety of mixed martial arts disciplines, including Judo, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Kickboxing, Boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
- Create-A-Fighter: Jumpstart the career of your future champion by customizing your fighter's physical appearance, learning new fighting techniques to use in the Octagon, and managing the training process through attributes such as strength and cardiovascular health.
- Career Mode: Develop attributes, perfect moves and fight for entry into the UFC Hall of Fame.
LSU rallies to topple Texas in 11th in Game 1 of CWS finals
OMAHA, Neb. -- LSU short-circuited Texas' power surge Monday night.
Freshman Mikie Mahtook singled in the winning run in the top of the 11th inning after DJ LeMahieu tied the game in the ninth, and LSU survived Texas' five home runs to beat the Longhorns 7-6 in Game 1 of the College World Series finals.
"I've been fortunate to be around some kids who have played some great games through the years, and I savor all the victories, but this one was really sweet," LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. "On the biggest stage, with their backs against the wall, to come up with that kind of an effort is one for the ages."
LSU (55-16) would win its sixth national title with a victory over the Longhorns (49-15-1) on Tuesday night.
LeMahieu walked leading off the 11th against Brandon Workman (3-4), stole second with two outs and took third when catcher Cameron Rupp's throw went into center field.
Mahtook delivered after struggling his first four at-bats. He required intravenous fluids to treat cramps in the sixth inning, and he struck out three times and hit into a double play. He punched a single into right field in the 10th before facing Workman in the 11th.
"My first three at-bats, it wasn't like I just struck out. It was three terrible at-bats. I was chasing balls in the dirt," Mahtook said. "I stayed back on a change-up and bounced into a double play. When I got into the dugout, guys were telling me to make sure I keep my head straight. Jared Mitchell told me I was going to come back up again with a big at-bat, and you're going to come through for us. That helped me out a lot."
-- Fast Facts
• LSU scored two runs on a DJ LeMahieu double in the ninth to force extra innings, then beat Texas 7-6 when Mikie Mahtook singled in the winning run in the 11th.
• The game was the longest by innings and time in the seven-year history of the CWS finals.
• This was the first game Texas lost in 40 games this season when it led heading into the ninth.
• LSU has won nine times this season when it trailed in the seventh inning or later.
• The teams combined for a CWS-record seven solo home runs.
• Texas ace Chance Ruffin tied a season-high with 10 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings, while LSU starter Louis Coleman struggled and gave up five homers in six innings.
• LSU's last six runs were scored with two outs.
• The Tigers improved to 44-6 when they score first.
-- End Fast Facts
Matty Ott (4-2) struck out Brandon Loy and Tim Maitland and got Connor Rowe to ground out to finish off Texas, which had walkoff wins in two of its first three CWS games.
"It has to happen some time. We can't have all the glorious game-ending victories," said Russell Moldenhauer, who hit two of Texas' homers. "We've got to throw that aside and come back with the same feeling we had at the beginning of this game."
The Tigers, who won their 14th straight, came back from deficits of 3-1 and 6-4. LeMahieu hit the tying, two-out double in the top of the ninth off Austin Dicharry. LeMahieu and Ryan Schimpf also homered for the Tigers.
Texas, trying to become the first No. 1 national seed since Miami in 1999 to win the championship, continued its show of power. The Longhorns came to Omaha with 39 homers in 61 games, but have 11 in four games here.
Texas is better known for playing small ball: The Longhorns are only the fifth team to record more than 100 sacrifice bunts in a season.
But the wind has been blowing out at hitter-friendly Rosenblatt Stadium.
All three of Moldenhauer's homers this season have come in the CWS. He was one of three Longhorns to go deep in the fourth inning, and he broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth with his opposite-field shot to left.
Travis Tucker and Kevin Keyes also homered in the fourth, and Rowe did it in the seventh.
"How do I explain it? We're not playing at Disch-Falk. That field just swallows the ball," Moldenhauer said of Texas' home stadium. "We're at a little bit smaller ballpark, and that has helped out the offense."
Over a span of 6 1/3 innings, from their previous game against Arizona State to Monday's matchup with LSU, seven of the Longhorns' 11 hits were home runs.
Texas is the first team since LSU in 1998 to homer three times in an inning at the CWS. All five Texas homers were solo shots off LSU starter Louis Coleman.
"It was great to see the rest of the team pick up Coleman," Mainieri said. "He felt he let his team down. The balls were flying out of the ballpark. I'm not saying they were cheap. But if you got the ball up in the air today, it had a chance to go out."
In the LSU ninth, Sean Ochinko singled off Austin Wood and Derek Helenihi was walked by Taylor Jungmann. Dicharry came on and struck out Tyler Hanover before LeMahieu doubled into the left-field corner to tie it.
LSU's bullpen held the Longhorns hitless over the last five innings. Ott worked the last three, striking out three.
Texas coach Augie Garrido said his players only need to look back at last year's finals to see it's possible to come back after losing Game 1.
"Georgia wiped out Fresno State in the first game last year and was ahead in the second game," Garrido said. "Fresno came back and waltzed off with the national championship on the third day."
Monday, June 22, 2009
Hackleman, White War over Liddell’s Future
Chuck Liddell’s recently updated Wikipedia biography refers to him as a “former” mixed martial artist.
Not so fast Wiki.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of Liddell’s retirement following his first-round technical knockout loss against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 97 last month have been greatly exaggerated. That’s according to the man who arguably knows “The Iceman” better than anyone, his longtime trainer John Hackleman.
Hackleman said the 39-year-old superstar is mulling his career options, hasn’t made any decision and is in no hurry to do so.
Liddell’s coach and confidante of 17 years also had some choice words for UFC President Dana White, calling him “rude” and “selfish” for saying Liddell, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, will never again fight in the promotion.
At the post-fight press conference following UFC 97 in Montreal, White said he would not allow Liddell, the promotion’s poster boy as recently as two years ago, to step into the Octagon again due to concerns about his physical well-being.
“Obviously, John Hackleman didn’t pay his house off yet. John Hackleman needs some money, because anybody who claims they care about Chuck Liddell even a little bit would not be making these f--king statements,” White told Sherdog.com Thursday.
However, Hackleman said he and Liddell are in no hurry to discuss the pivotal decision just yet.
“Nothing has been decided yet,” Hackleman said from his MMA training facility, The Pit, in Arroyo Grande, Calif. “We made a deal. We’re gonna go, probably this summer, to Hawaii and we’re gonna sit on the beach and see if we can decide then. If not, there’s no rush. He’s not under a time crunch. He’ll decide when he wants to decide. And nobody else is gonna tell him.
“Chuck just loves to fight,” Hackleman continued. “And if there could be another fight –- if he wants one –- and he’s under contract (to the UFC), then we’ll see what happens. If he has to go somewhere else to fight, we’ll see what happens there. If we go sit on the beach and Chuck says, ‘F--k it, I’m tired of this s--t, let’s retire,’ then he’ll just come teach here” at the Pit.
“Whatever happens,” added Hackleman, “Chuck is set. Doesn’t need the money.”
Liddell’s loss to Rua was his fourth defeat in his last five fights dating back to May 2007, when he lost the light heavyweight crown to Quinton Jackson. Two of those four defeats were TKOs, care of Jackson and Rua, while a third was a devastating knockout by current UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
Prior to his recent losses, Liddell had won seven consecutive fights, all by TKO, establishing his reputation as one of the most feared strikers in the sport.
White, who managed Liddell earlier in his career and remains close friends with the fighter, said even though Liddell remains a huge draw, he was concerned that the fighter could endanger his health by stepping into the Octagon again. More recently, White ratcheted up the rhetoric, and was quoted as saying there would be “a war” if Liddell didn’t retire gracefully.
reason why Liddell should quit.
“He got caught by a couple of great fighters, but I don’t see Shannon Ritch [who has 64 career losses] beating up on him, so I don’t think losing to the top of the top in and of itself warrants the outcries of retirement,” Hackleman said.
“If Chuck was getting the s--t beat out of him by a bunch of nobodies and getting knocked unconscious all over the place, I would try to influence him to retire,” he continued. “But since I don’t see that –- Rashad was the only time I’ve seen him actually knocked unconscious –- if he really wants to still fight, and I think it’s in his heart, I don’t think anyone, including Dana, should take his livelihood and his love away.”
Hackleman said other name fighters have suffered more losses and have been beat up more than Liddell, and they’ve yet to hang up their gloves.
“I’m not going to name names, but they are still up in the top of the game and no one is calling for their retirement,” he said. “Chuck’s wits are about him. He’s not punchy. So it’s up to him. Whatever is in his heart.”
He noted that another senior MMA superstar, Randy Couture, was considered done after being KO’d by Liddell in their light heavyweight rubber match at UFC 57 in 2006 and retired. A year later, Couture came out of retirement, went up a weight class and for the third time in his career became UFC heavyweight champion by defeating Tim Sylvia at UFC 68.
So, has Liddell considered moving up to heavyweight?
“Never been discussed,” Hackleman said. “But nothing is completely off the table.”
Hackleman said another option for Liddell could be to fight an opponent not as top tier as his last few adversaries.
“To be honest, even if Chuck wasn’t fighting the top of the top, he’d still be a big draw and boxers end their careers that way and there’s no reason MMA fighters can’t,” he said, noting that like every fighter, Liddell wants to go out a winner.
Hackleman believes that White said he doesn’t want Liddell to fight again in the UFC out of genuine concerns for Liddell’s well-being.
Even so, Hackleman said, “to take someone’s love away from them is rude and kind of selfish and kind of just controlling. You’re the main man in the UFC and you can dictate to people what they’re gonna do for the rest of their lives. It would be like if he (White) threw a bad show, and we said, ‘OK, you can’t promote anymore.’
“Dana is Dana and he’s got the two rich brothers backing him up and he’s got all the money in the world,” continued Hackleman, referring to billionaires Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who share 90 percent of the Las Vegas-based UFC’s parent company. “I think he says that out of concern for Chuck, but he wants to be the bully, the big shot, ‘there will be a war.’ F--k. You don’t have to say that. But it’s Dana’s playground and he can take his ball and say, ‘You can’t play anymore.’ Could he talk that way if he didn’t have what he had behind him?”
White reiterated his concern for Liddell’s physical well-being.
“This is a guy who I love and care about extremely,” he said. “He comes to my house for Christmas. We go on vacations together. We’ve been together for years. Getting knocked out consecutively is not good for your health. You can ask any doctor that. You don’t have to be a f--king rocket scientist to figure that one out.”
White said he and Liddell “had a deal” after the Evans fight that if Liddell did not beat Rua in spectacular fashion, Liddell would retire.
“He said, ‘I f--king promise,’” White said.
White stressed that because Liddell remains one of the biggest draws in the sport despite his recent losses, the UFC could still “make a s--tload of money” off of him.
“But I don’t want that f--king money,” White said. “I’m not gonna see my friend go out and do that again. When have you ever seen a f--king promoter who can make money with a guy ask him to retire?”
White said Liddell has accomplished all that any fighter could hope to accomplish.
“One of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts,” White said. “The most famous fighter in mixed martial arts. He’s been a world champion. He’s beat all the top names. He’s helped build this organization and he’s helped build the sport of mixed martial arts. He has nothing to prove. Fighting isn’t a young man’s sport. (Michael) Jordan turned 40. It happens to the best of us. Chuck’s had his day.”
Even so, the UFC president said Liddell will remain employed by the promotion for life.
“He’s going to be with the UFC forever,” White said. “I’m thinking of him doing regulatory stuff with Marc Ratner,” the promotion’s vice president for regulatory affairs. “Chuck Liddell is going to make a lot more money and he’s going to have a lot of fun.”
White said he would never let Liddell fight for another promotion.
“F--king right I wouldn’t,” said White, though he later added, “at the end of the day, if that’s what he wanted to do, I mean, what am I going to do? I’m not his f--king father. I can’t tell him, ‘No, you f--king can’t.’”
The UFC president said Hackleman is frustrated because “he’s never been a decision-maker in Chuck’s career. I can tell you this: He didn’t make Chuck Liddell. Chuck Liddell made John Hackleman.
“How many great, talented guys do you see coming out of John Hackleman’s place?” White asked. “He’s no Greg Jackson. He’s no Mark DellaGrotte. He’s no American Top Team. He’s not one of the great camps. Chuck Liddell made him.”
UFC 100
UFC 100 Fight Card
Date: Jul 11, 2009
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center
Broadcast: Pay per view
MAIN CARD
* Champ Brock Lesnar vs. interim champ Frank Mir (heavyweight title unification)
* Champ Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves (for welterweight title)
* Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago
* Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson
* Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Stephan Bonnar vs. Mark Coleman* Jon Jones vs. Jake O’Brien
* Dong Hyun Kim vs. TJ Grant
* Mac Danzig vs. Jim Miller
* C.B. Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor
* Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty
Sanchez Pockets $90K at TUF 9 Finale
Lightweight contender Diego Sanchez banked an event-high $90,000 -- including a $45,000 win bonus -- after his memorable three-round scrap with Clay Guida at “The Ultimate Fighter 9” Finale on Saturday in Las Vegas, according to figures released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.Sanchez inched his name to the front of the line of potential contenders for the UFC lightweight crown, as he eked out a split decision against the indomitable Guida. He nearly finished the energetic Chicagoan twice in the first round but let the opportunities slip by. Guida’s three-fight winning streak grinded to a halt in defeat, but he brought home $23,000 for his efforts.
Meanwhile, former UFC lightweight title challenger Joe Stevenson followed Sanchez on the show’s payout list, as he pocketed $70,000 -- $35,000 win bonus included -- in wake of his unanimous decision victory over Nate Diaz. The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for the 27-year-old father of four.
Welterweight James Wilks and lightweight Ross Pearson, the two latest additions to the list of “The Ultimate Fighter” winners, earned $16,000 -- $8,000 bonuses included -- in their respective finals.
‘The Ultimate Fighter 9’ Finale Payouts
Diego Sanchez -- $90,000 ($45,000 win bonus)
Joe Stevenson -- $70,000 ($35,000 win bonus)
Chris Lytle -- $36,000 ($18,000 win bonus)
Melvin Guillard -- $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus)
Clay Guida -- $23,000
Nate Diaz -- $20,000
Brad Blackburn -- $18,000 ($9,000 win bonus)
Gleison Tibau -- $17,000
James Wilks -- $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Ross Pearson -- $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Nick Osipczak -- $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Jason Dent -- $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus)
Tomasz Drwal -- $15,600 ($7,000 win bonus)
Kevin Burns -- $9,000
Damarques Johnson -- $8,000
Andre Winner -- $8,000
Cameron Dollar -- $8,000
Mike Ciesnolevicz -- $6,400
Edgar Garcia -- $5,000
Note: These numbers, sent to Sherdog.com by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, represent disclosed pay only. A portion of Ciesnolevicz’s pay went to his opponent, Drwal, because of his failure to meet the 206-pound threshold for light heavyweights.
Does MMA need a super heavy class?
Deduct a few organs, some body fat and a knee pad or two, and there probably will be upwards of 400 pounds of solid muscle occupying the ring during the Fight Force International "Ultimate Chaos" pay-per-view event from Biloxi, Miss., on Saturday. Clearly, Bobby Lashley and Bob Sapp like to lift weights.
Sapp usually enters the ring at 350 pounds; Lashely, over 265. Those are numbers that fit well with the world of engorged performers in professional wrestling, strongman competitions or hot dog-eating contests. Rarely outside of Japan do martial artists require a reinforced scale. Super heavyweights -- athletes heavier than 265 pounds -- are a legitimate party under MMA's Unified Rules, but the UFC does not recognize them.
That means they barely exist.
In the days leading up to their bout, it's predictable that both Sapp and Lashley will be the focus of derision. The fight really has no consequences beyond weekend bragging rights, and it's doubtful that Lashley's pro wrestling fans will order the bout in any significant numbers. Brock Lesnar is a huge star in UFC, but his fighting debut in K-1 Dynamite! -- exclamation point theirs -- sank like a rock. One could make the case that any male combatant who can't make the 265-pound weight limit is subject to more condescension than female fighters.
"No gas, no skills," they say. In Sapp's case, they're usually proven right. Preoccupied with his massive celebrity in Japan, Sapp did not train consistently, and his mammoth 375-pound frame required so much oxygen that spectators would complain of feeling winded. If he can't overwhelm opponents in the first 60 seconds, he's likely to teeter. As the unofficial mascot of the division, he's not exactly leading by example.
The irony is that some of the sport's most effective athletes fit into Sapp's weight category, but sport logic dictates they skip a few meals and come in under the 265-pound limit to maximize their chances -- and profits. Lesnar is a silverback gorilla, often climbing into the cage at 280 pounds. Former UFC champion Tim Sylvia has seen the wrong side of 300 pounds. Mark Hunt is shaped like a bell but poses a threat to anyone standing. And Semmy Schilt is probably the biggest nightmare outside of Lesnar at that weight.
Is it time to consider paying attention to the class? With a little organization, why not?
The biggest problem to date with the division has been the diluted athleticism. Any big man who moves fast, has good reflexes and hits hard should draw a good salary in the NFL, but plenty of guys -- such as Sapp or Lesnar -- wind up flirting with that option yet lack a required component. Now that mixed martial arts' salary structure is improving, we're already seeing football hopefuls adapting their physical skills for fighting. Next season's "The Ultimate Fighter" is reputed to have four ex-league players on the roster. Wes Shivers was once 290 pounds; Marcus Jones has seen 260.
Clearly, a field is opening up. Paving road for super heavies also would alleviate a growing problem in the sport's heavyweight division -- a serious weight disparity that becomes problematic when the big man has skills equal to the smaller man's.
Lesnar is due credit for defeating Randy Couture, but he weighed nearly 280 pounds to Couture's 220 on fight night. Couture is a strong, capable athlete, but depositing a 60-pound block on your opponent's chest is not necessarily a triumph of the highest order.
The super heavyweight era already exists; it's just being shoehorned into another division. With the advent of physical mismatches and a deepening talent pool, it may be time to consider lightening the load a little.
Add Ross Pearson to "The Ultimate Fighter" pantheon.
The 24-year-old Englishman edged one-time FX3 champion Andre Winner by unanimous decision in "The Ultimate Fighter 9" lightweight tournament final. All three judges scored it 29-28 in Pearson's favor.
The two Team UK stablemates spent much of their time in the cage in the clinch. Effective from distance, Pearson (9-3) had trouble keeping Winner at arm's length but fought well in the trenches nonetheless.
All square after two rounds, Pearson maintained a frenetic pace and slowly wore down Winner with well-timed punches, takedown attempts and strikes against the cage. He finished strong, as he landed a knee and elbow in tight that opened a cut under Winner's left eye and had the Team Rough House product on one knee at the end of Round 3.
The 24-year-old Pearson has posted eight wins in nine fights. Winner (9-3-1), reality television's resident thumbsucker and a training partner of UFC welterweight contender Dan Hardy, has not tasted victory since November 2007.
"He's a tough fighter," Pearson said, blood trickling from a small cut on his forehead. "I've trained with him. You could have put anyone in front of me and I would have trained for them. It was a tough fight.Clay Guida made Diego Sanchez earn his lightweight stripes.
Clay Guida made Diego Sanchez earn his lightweight stripes.
In what was easily one of the year's most competitive fights, Sanchez notched a split decision against the shaggy Chicagoan in the featured bout at "The Ultimate Fighter 9" finale on Saturday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Two of the three judges sided with Sanchez by 29-27 and 29-28 scores; a third scored it 29-28 for Guida.
Believed to be on a short list of potential contenders for the UFC lightweight crown, Sanchez (21-2) roared out of the gates. He wobbled Guida with wicked, compact uppercuts against the cage and quickly established a foothold in the bout. Later, Sanchez dropped Guida with a head kick that would have left lesser men unconscious. Guida, however, refused to go away.
"You can't hurt this guy," Guida said. "I come for days."
Guida bounced off the stool for Round 2 and employed a strategy that was far more effective. He took down Sanchez early and worked ground-and-pound from the top. Guida ate some elbows to the top of his head for his troubles, but he kept Sanchez pinned to the mat for much of the round.
Round 3 was almost too close to call. They traded briefly before Guida ended up in top position after a scramble. Sanchez worked for a kimura and an armbar from the bottom, but the blood flowing from Guida's nose, mouth and head made it virtually impossible to secure anything of consequence against the former Strikeforce lightweight champion. They finished in a stalemate.
"The weight cut was a little tough on me," Sanchez said following his second UFC appearance at 155 pounds. "The guy has a tremendous chin. There's a reason he's never been knocked out. He's an animal. That's what the UFC is all about, bringing battles like this to the Octagon."
Sanchez has put together an impressive string of four consecutive wins since his split decision loss to welterweight stalwart Jon Fitch at UFC 76. Guida (25-10), meanwhile, saw his three-fight winning streak come to an end.
"He's a stud," said Guida, his trademark locks drenched in blood. "I took him down. He cut me up. I think it was a really close fight."
