Click read more see the pictures but its not for the fate of heart.

Before

After

The UFC absorbed the Welterweight, Middleweight and Light Heavyweight classes of the WEC in February of 2009. Since that happen the WEC has put on 9 shows and the titles of their 3 weight classes were on the line 8 times. The champ was only successful in defending their title 3 times, so the title changed hands 5 times or 62.5% of the time. To take that one step further the WEC since its beginning has held 64 title fights with 34 different champs leaving the cage or 53% of the time a new champ is crowned. Compare this to the UFC who has held 99 title fights with only 40 different champs holding the belt, that’s only a 40% turnover.

With that kind of turnaround in their champs the WEC keeps things very competitive and that is what sets them apart from the others. Lookout though as the three weight classes all have recently crowned new champs. These champs will look to defend their titles and defy the odds.

Research was done using Wikipedia, please let me know if you find any errors. (wikipedia doesn’t fact check)

Main Event:
Brian Bowles over Dominick Cruz

Main Card:
Miguel Torresover Joseph Benavidez
Javier Vazquezover Jens Pulver
Deividas Taurosevicius over L.C. Davis
Karen Darabedyan over Bart Palaszewski

Preliminary Card:
Scott Jorgensen over Chad George
Chad Mendes over Erik Koch
Anthony Pettis over Danny Castillo
Leonard Garcia over George Roop
Ricardo Lamas over Bendy Casimir
Fredson Paixao over Courtney Buck

After watching the video between White and Toney with Ariel Helwani I think the “who’s better Boxer or MMA” is the only angle that doesn’t make this signing a freak show. Put to does this you after to pick the correct opponents in there with Toney. Put him in there against a well rounded fighter that could stand some with Toney but also could take the fight to the ground. If we as fans are going to watch Toney inside the cage we want to know there is a good possibility the fight hits the mat. Lets see how he does with that and go from there, just because he signed a Multi-fight deal doesn’t mean he can’t be one and done in the UFC.

The long rumored Middleweight title fight between current Strikeforce champ Jake Shields and the former Pride Middleweight champ/UFC veteran Dan Henderson was confirmed by Shields today. This will be Shields first title defence since winning the vacant Middleweight title over Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller in November of last year. Shields is currently riding a 13 fight win streak but this could  possibly the toughest fight in his professional MMA career. Henderson will look to make a big splash in his Strikeforce debut by winning a title, something he was unable to do while in the UFC. The fight will serve as the nights main event but the night will be full of main events.

Another fight talked about for a while was the Light Heavyweight showdown between current champ Gegard Mousasi and raising star ’King’ Mo Lawal was finally confirmed by MMA Weekly today. Considering the trash talking had been going since Lawal beat Mike Whitehead in December and both fighters wanted the fight it seemed only a matter of when rather then if. This fight holds some mysterywith it as both fighters are highly touted but relatively new to the US MMA scene. Lawal only has 6 professional fights under his belt and Mousasi (28-2-1) will be a big step up in his level on competition. Mousasi is currently riding an impressive 15 fight winning streak dating all the way back to 2006 when he was fighting in Pride. Since coming to Strikeforce Mousasi had beaten Renato “Babalu” Sobral for the Light Heavyweight title and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

The last title fight confirmed came out of left field and to me is the most anticipatedfight of the night by far. Since Strikeforce began co-promoting with dream the talk of Gilbert Melendez fighting the Dream Lightweight champ Shinya Aoki has been swirling. There is no need for swirling talk anymore as we are going to get to see the fight happen in just over a month. Aoki (23-4) is the Dream Lightweight champ and a submission expect who is known for wearing his colorful grappling pants. Aoki has never fought in the US and has only fought inside a cage one other time as Japan usually uses the boxing style roped ring. One of the original poster boys for Strikeforce, Melendez is a former WEC champ and two time Strikeforce Lightweight champ. After defeating Josh Thomson to reclaim the belt Melendez had talked about wanting to fight Aoki over a possible third fight with Thomson. Both Josh Gross and Sherdog has confirmed the fight which will be under Strikeforce rule thus only Melendez’s belt will be on the line. There supposedly is a if needed proposal that calls for a rematch of the bout to take place in Dream’s ring under their varied regulations at a later date. Would be pretty for either fighter to hold both belts at the same time.

Hard to imagine a night with three title fights being on free tv but here it is. This should be a massive night for MMA fans and more importantly to CBS and Strikeforce massive ratings. I have the date cirled on the calander and cleared the day as this will be one awesome night of fights.

Current Strikeforce fight card [April 17th, 2010]

[185lbs.] Jake Shields vs Dan Henderson (Strikeforce Middleweight Title Fight)

[205lbs.] Gegard Mousasi vs ‘King’ Mo Lawal (Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Title Fight)

[155lbs.] Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki (Strikeforce Lightweight Title Fight)

[265lbs] Herschel Walker vs. TBA

MARKHAM, Ontario, Canada, March 1, 2010 – Individual, high-resolution images of the Round 5 Ultimate Collector Series 2 are now available, revealing the look and detail and unique packaging of figurines of six UFC standouts.  Collectibles featuring the likenesses of UFC stars Randy “The Natural” Couture, Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz, B.J. “The Prodigy” Penn, Forrest Griffin, Michael “The Count” Bisping and Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson are due at retail throughout North America in April.

Ultimate Collector Series 1, which includes figures of Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, George “Rush” St. Pierre, “Suga” Rashad Evans, Kenny “KenFlo” Florian, Clay “The Carpenter” Guida and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, is now available at retail across North America.  In the U.S., the figurines can be found at Kmart, Target and Toys “R” Us, and in Canada at Walmart, Toys “R” Us and Zellers.  A full list can be found at www.Round5MMA.com.

About Round 5
Round 5 (www.Round5MMA.com), headquartered in Markham, Ontario, Canada, is the MMA industry’s fastest growing worldwide collectible figure company. Committed to developing intricately detailed figures, Round 5 strives to remain true to the sport of MMA and its personalities.

I really like these Round 5 figures yet haven’t seen one in person yet. What do you guys think of the Round 5 figures and also what do you think of the 6 being released in Series 2? The Michael Bisping one makes me laugh as it doesn’t look like him at all and the figure as this smirk. Might have to go out and get me a few of these when they are released in April….

Click HERE to purchase the products

(in kit or separately)

~ You can also get these products inside our online store.

CKfighter is the creator of http://reviews.unfilteredmma.com/
Where you can find deals and user reviews on the most popular MMA gear and products.

Hayabusa Mizuchi Fight Shorts

Per Manufacture-

•Designed with Mechanical PolyDirectional^TM stretch fabric.

•Innovative tie system with indestructible webbing for a distinct customized fit.

•Pro Performance stretch panel and split side seams for unrestricted range of motion.

•Contains Hayabusa’s exclusive Guardlock^TM inner grip waistband system.

•Reinforced T3 stitching for ultimate strength and durability.

•Extraordinary High-IQ^TM odor inhibiting effects.

•Fiber-fused printing technology for lasting style

First Impression- When I first pulled these shorts out of the plastic bag that they came in I could tell that they were going to be a great pair of shorts. The material felt a little heavier then other shorts I have used but seemed to be very durable. All the logos and graphics looked great.

Front - Back

Construction- These shorts are very well constructed. There were only a couple loose threads but everything was either double or triple stitched where it needed to be. These shorts are made out of polyester here is the break down. 90% Mechanical Polyester 10% Performance Polyester. These shorts are manufactured in Taiwan.

Fit- These shorts have an excellent fit. They have a an elastic waistband that works well and and allows them to be very adjustable. They have a very unique closure system. It is hard to describe so I have taken plenty of pictures. The Velcro part is fairly standard but the drawstring part is not like any other pair of shorts out there. It goes through and eyelet of one side of the shorts and then pulls them tight with the other side of the drawstring. Either way keeps the shorts very snug around my waist, and if that wasn’t enough they have a rubber strip going around the inside of the waistband which keeps the shorts from shifting around your waist. Keep in mind that these shorts are a little longer then most shorts falling right at mid to bottom of the knee. They do have a split seam which is also a little longer and have a stretch panel in the inside of the legs.

Closed - Open

Stand up- These shorts work great for the stand up. I had no problems with any sort of technique and they felt very comfortable. My only issue is that they did feel a little heavy but seem like they are going to be very durable. The stretch panel and split seam allowed plenty of range of motion and they did not shift around my waist due to the guardlock waist band system.

Ground- On the ground this pair of shorts does a good job. I did not have any problems with preforming any sort of technique. They did not shift around my waist at all. They only issue that I did have with them is that when I had someone in my guard I found that  the legs of these shorts would bunch up. Not a big deal but still something to mention. Otherwise these shorts felt great.

Front - Back

Pros-

Great Fit

Closure System

Quality of Logos

Cons-

Material Feels a Little Heavy

Bunch Up When On Ground

Overall- These are an excellent pair of shorts. With a great closure system and unrestricted movement I can definitely recommend these shorts. You can pick them up at http://www.hayabusafightwear.com/ for around $70.

Written by: Jeff Sims (MMA Gear Advice)

**Disclaimer** I received these at no cost for the purpose of review

The Hero series will include the following shirts:

Soldier: “This we’ll defend”

Ace: “Honor, Courage, Commitment”

Fighter: “First in, last out”

Officer: “To protect and serve”

In recognition and honor of their service, a $5 donation from every shirt sale will go to a charity of your designation (listed below).

Make A Wish– All his life, Christopher James Greicius dreamed of becoming a police officer. But he couldn’t know that his wish would be the inspiration for the largest wish-granting organization in the world.

Ronald McDonald House — The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. We believe that when you change a child’s life, you change a family’s, which can change a community, and ultimately the world.

Toys For Tots — The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens.

Fisher House — The Fisher House program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America’s military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

RESULTS

MAIN CARD
SARAH KAUFMAN VS TAKAYO HASHI - [WOMEN'S 135 LBS CHAMPIONSHIP]

Last fight of the night andbonus its a title fight and5 rounds too! Round one ~ The first womens 135lbs title fight is under way and Kaufman lands and nice right. Kaufman lands another shit that knocks done Hashi, she gets back up but Kaufman puts her against the fence. Kaufman landing alot of punchs on Hashi andiswalking her around the ring. Missed high kick by Hashi, big right by Kaufman drops Hashi again but she gets up again. Leg kick by Kaufman followed by a left hook and the round comes to an end. Kaufman dominated that round.

Round two starts with Hashi throwing a left leg kick. Kaufman lands a few jabs, catchs Hashi leg and she goes down but gets right back up. Kaufman lands a right hand along with a jab and leg kick to Hashi. Action slow here in the middle of the round and the fans get restless. Kaufman sneaks in a jab, lands a right leg kick as the fans really start to boo. Left by Kaufman, missed hook but right lands right before the horn. Rather boring fight mainly due to Hashi retreating alot. Give that round to Kaufman too

Round three starts with Hashi throwing a right leg kick and finally showing a little life. Doubled up left jabs by Kaufman and Hashi is again backing up a lot making it hard for Kaufman to land anything. Fight is slowing down again as Kaufman is trying to hit Hashi but she is always moving back. Big right lands by Kaufman, another double up on the jab followed by a right and Hashi goes down. Quickly back up though andas the round closes Hashi trys for a takedown. Close round but Kaufmanwins the round.

Round four now and Kaufman connects with a left hook but Hashi is again backing up. The clinch and Kaufman has Hashi up against the cage they reverse a few times and the ref breaks them up. Kaufman throwing a lot of punches but not landing much, Hashi attempts takedown that Kaufman stuffs. Kaufman has her up against the fence  but the break and Hashi goes for another takedown that gets stuffed. Hard to think but the title fight is the mostly boring fight of the night so far. The round ends with both fighters trying to steal the round with a flurry of punches. Kaufman again

Fifth andfinal round – Hashi comes out with a few punches and they are finally trading punches. Hashi goes for the takedown and Kaufman again stuffs it as the crowd is more concerned with Gilbert Melendez leaving then the fight. Hashi goes for the takedown andKaufman gets top control does a little bit but not much as they stand up. Kaufman catches a Hashi kick and punches her down but she pokes Hashi in the eye accidentally. Round ends and the place starts to clear out already Sarah Kaufman wins by Unanimous Decision 50-45, 50-45, 50-45 

TREVOR PRANGLEY VS KARL AMOUSSOU [185lbs.]

Here we go with round one as the fighters touch gloves. Nothing happening early but finally Prangley throws a punch that lands and follows it with another punch that Karl counters. Fans boo as there is more dancing the fighting. Prangley gets the takedown on Karl and is in half guard trying to land some elbows. Ref stands them up because Prangley just didn’t do much while down there. Karl misses with a left high kick, Prangley lands a knee but gets hit with a right that stuns him. Prangley comes back with some nice punches but pokes Karl in the eye and the fight stops, doctor steps in to look and Karls eye is closed so the doctor stops the fight. Fight ends in a Doctor stoppage and the fight is called a technical draw

LUKE ROCKHOLD VS PAUL BRADLEY [185lbs.]

Heavy fan base here for Rockhold, Round one starts with Rockhold missing a high kick. Bradley looks big , gets hits and goes down and Rockhold is on top but Bradley kicks out. back up now and Bradley lands a right but Rockhold counters with his own right that put Bradley on his back. They get back up and Rockhold lands another shot plus two knees up against the cage that drops Bradley and the ref jumps in to stop the fight. Luke Rockhold wins by 1st rd. TKO

JAMES TERRY VS TAREC SAFFIEDINE [170lbs.] 

Round one begins with a flurry be both fighters. Tarec is pressing the action early but both are finding their range. Terry lands a right and Tarec comes back with a nice combo, Terry goes for a takedown that Tarec stuffs. Back to the center on the ring now as Tarec lands another nice right hand then a nice high kick to terry’s head. Tarec continues to push the action landing the better shots but Terry shoot and gets a takedown. Tarec quickly back up andagain putting a lot of pressure on terry, round ends and have to give it to Tarec.

Round two starts and Terry looking to be more active here with a lot of arm movement. Tarec lands a straight left jab, Terry goes for a takedown which Tarec stuffs and barely misses a big right elbow. Tarec with a kick that back up Terry and Tarec is out working terry again this round. Inside kick by Tarec, uppercut and Terry get out of there but Tarec is right back in his face. Uppercut lands by Terry but does nothing, Tarec missing a big right and Terry goes for the takedown by Tarec keeps it on his feet. Another Takedown attempt (sloppy) stuffed andthe round comes to an end. Think Tarec is up two rounds to zero.

Round Three starts with a high leg kick by Tarec followed by a nice right hand. Terry Shoots and gets the takedown but Tarec get right up, and Terry has him up against the cage. Fighters break and Terry is cut under the left eye. Nice right knee by Tarec but Terry is a gamer and continues forward. Flying knee by Tarec misses but lands a right and some nice leg kick to the knee. Terry goes for another takedown attempt but nothing, try another and gets reversed. Tarec in full mount as the bell sounds to endthe fight. Gave that round to Tarec too, lets see what the judges think. Tarec Saffiedine wins by Unanimous Decision 30-27, 30-27, 20-27

RAUL CASTILLO VS YANCY MEDEIROS [185lbs.]

Round one begins with Castillo looking very defensive on his feet. Not a lot of action until Castillo gets in close and get the takedown but Medeiros get back up. Castillo has him up against the cage working for a takedown but is unable andthey break. Castillo is clearly wanting the fight to go to the ground but Medeiros is doing a good job staying on his feet. Castillo is controlling this fight up against the cage  but Medeiros will not go down. They break and Medeiros lands some nice shots and Castillo is wobbled and shots for a sloppy takedownas the roundcomes to a close. Close round hard to say

Round two now Medeiros is stalking castillo down they clinch and Medeiros land a knee then a combo that hurts Castillo. Castillo is getting picked apart right now and Medeiros is landing a lot of punches anddoesn’t fear Castillo’s stand up. Nice jab by Castillo as he continues to walk him down, lands a nice leg kick and Castillo gets out of there. Fans boo as castillo really isn’t doing much this round except movingaround the ring staying away from the big punch. Castillo shoots but Medeiros is ready and stuffs it, another takedown attempt and another stuff. Round and and clearly goes to Medeiros 

Final round and Castillo needs to get the fight to the ground. Castillo just can’t hang with Medeiros stand up and goes for another takedown, they scramble and Castillo has Medeiros against the fence. Castillo is trying so hard for this takedown but getting nowhere and the ref separates them. A nice left by Medeiros, another nice punch and Castillo is hurt. Medeiros lands a nice knee and the wakes up Castillo who fights back with several punches and a knee that hust Medeiros but fight is stop due to low blow. Fight resumes and Medeiros hurts Castillo again, he goes down but gets back up. Last ten seconds and the fighters stand toe to toe and the round ends. Have to give that one to Medeiros too. Yancy Medeiros wins by Unanimous Decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

The undercard fights were awesome and very exciting. Was great to see one side on the Civic Center going for one fighter while the other side is going with the other fighter. Crowd has been great and there is a lot of fighters here tonight including Gilbert Melendez, Frank Shamrock, Cain Velasquez and the Diaz brothers.

UNDERCARD
ERIC LAWSON VS WAYNE PHILLIIPS [185lbs.]

Final undercard bout ~ Lawson gets Philiips up against the cage working for a takedown and doing a little dirty boxing. They break and Lawson lands some shots and Philiips get in a good knee. Lawson gets a takedown, lands a few and they stand back up. In the clinch again and lawson get another takedown, goes for a RNC and Philiips gets out and now has top control. Philiips now going for a RNC and it looks deep but Lawson fighting to get out. Lawson gets out but Philiips sneaks in a slick Arm bar and Lawson has to tap. Wayne Philiips wins by 1st rd. Submission (Arm Bar)

CHRIS STEWART VS SAMUEL BRACAMNONTE [185lbs.] Amateur Fight

Last Amateur fight & both are making their debuts – Round one starts with fighters touching gloves and getting into the clinch. finally Bracamnonte gets the takedown and not doing to much as Stewart gets back up and is trying for the takedownwhich he finally gets as the roundends. Close round had to tell not much damage done by either.

Round Two starts and again they go directly into the clinch, Bracamnonte working for the takedown and gets it this time. Landing some elbows on Stewart but mainly working his position. Fight get back up and quickly Bracamnonte gets a nice throw (takedown) andthe round endswithhim on top. Have to give the round to Bracamnonte.

Round Three starts just like the other two but Bracamnonte get full mount and starts landing some good shots. Stewart gives up his back and takes some more punishment, ref comes in and the fight ends. Bracamonte wins by 3rd rd. TKO

TRISTAN ARENAL VS GEORGE MILLER [155lbs.] Amateur Fight

Round one starts and Arenal is beating miller to the punch with several shots. Arenal gets the fight to the ground and goes for a RNC and then an arm Bar. Miller gets outs andis now in top positions the round ends. Very action packed round with Arenal getting the better in that round.

Round Two now and the two are throwing some feeler jabs until Arenal lands a big shot, then another and another as Miller is hurt. Arenal lands one more and down goes Miller and the fight is over. Tristan Arenal wins by 2nd rd. TKO

JESSE TOBAR VS JOHNSON NGUYEN [145lbs.] Amateur Fight

Round one starts and fighter come together and Nguyen gets a bull rush takedown. Nguyen get side control but Tobar get up and slam him. Standing now an they are throwing hard shots at each other. Nguyen gets another takedown and goes for a rear naked choke but nothing. Roundends with the fighters in the clinch. Have to go with Nguyen in that round.

Round two starts and Tobar throws a sloppy kick but gets a takedown when Nguyen comes in. Tobor take his back and sinks in a rear naked choke, but Nguyen is holding him off but its too deep and he is forced to tap. Tobar wins by 2nd rd. Submission (RNC)

RENEE ROBINSON VS LILIA SALAS [145lbs.] Amateur Fight

Both fighters are making their Amatuer Debut: Round One starts they come together and Robinson strikes first with a right to Salas face. She then  takes Salas done sicking in a rear naked coke but Salas gets out but is still in trouble. Robinson is controling salas on the ground and starts raining down some hard shot that forces the ref to step in and stop the fight. Renee Robinson wins by 1st rd. TKO

STEVE DICKIE VS ALAN LUMMEL [265lb.] Amateur Fight

Round One starts and they throw a few punches then come together, Dickie land a nice standing elbow that hurts Lummel. Dickie charges landing a right then a right kick and Lummel is in big trouble. another shot by Dickie and Lummel is down, ref steps and the fight is over. Dickie wins by 1sr rd. TKO

RONALD CARILLO VS ANTHONY DE LOS SANTOS [135lbs.] Amateur Fight

Round one and Carillo comes out kicking, De Los Santos starts to kick back and we have a kickboxing match. Carillolocks in a standing choke  that De Los Santos gets out of, round ends with Carilloon top. Action packed round by the two but Carillo wins that round. Round two starts and Carillo comes out kicking but the come together and Carillo gets top position. Carillo gets full mount and De Los Santos gives his back up. Carillo sinks in a nice Arm bar as De Los Santos try to escape. Carillo Wins via 2nd rd submission (Arm Bar)