Coming off his fourth career MMA win in his Legacy Fighting Champion debut, Robert Drysdale returns to action November 16th in the LFC 15 main event. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with a long list of accolades will take on Chris Reed, who will be making his promotional debut.
Former TUF season 8 runner-up and current M-1 Global Light Heavyweight champion Vinny Magalhaes was dismissed from the UFC before he could prove that he had great potential. The multiple World Jiu Jitsu Champion and ADCC gold medalist has gone 7-1 since his departure from the UFC and acquired the M-1 Global light heavyweight title in his 4 fight run with the Russian organization. Unfortunately the honeymoon with M-1 Global has ended and Magalhaes has been attempting to wait out his employers, so he can get out of his contract, and continue his career under a new banner.
It’s odd how quickly the sport of MMA has changed, and how perceptions have shifted so dramatically. I got in on the ground floor of this crazy train, having seen an ad for UFC 1 in one of several karate publications I read as a young martial artist. I had entered the world of karate as a boy, partially to be more like my older brother, but primarily because I always wanted to kick people’s asses. Mike Tyson having begun to fade into “Bolivian” at the time, guys like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal were the new bad asses of our era, and if you wanted to lay an ass kicking on schoolyard thugs, you needed a black belt ASAP.
As the trainer, manager, and godfather of the “Scrap Pack”, Cesar Gracie is never one to hold back his opinion. In this interview, Cesar delves deeper into the controversial decision Nick Diaz suffered against Carlos Condit. Gracie also gives his thoughts on how judging can destroy the sport of MMA, as well as, offering his opinion on how it can be fixed and whether or not we will ever see Nick Diaz on reality TV.
Roy Nelson got back on the winning track at UFC 137, defeating the legendary Mirko Cro Crop. At UFC 143, Big Country will welcome BJJ Black Belt Fabricio Werdum back into the UFC.
While it’s never great to see a fighter get injured prior to a fight, sometimes, the shuffling that ensues can only lead to someone getting the opportunity of a lifetime, which is what is happening to UFC Middleweight, Chris Weidman.
After a short-lived retirement from MMA and one fight outside the UFC, Gabriel Gonzaga returned to the Octagon as a later replacement at last week’s UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes. The veteran was released from the promotion back in October of 2010 following a unanimous decision loss to Brendan Schaub at UFC 121. Filling in for the injured Rob Broughton, “Napao” made short work of newcomer Ednaldo Oliveira to earn his first UFC win since August of 2009 when he defeated Chris Tuchscherer.
Talk to people in the Wilkes-Barre area what they consider the biggest export from the city would be and many would say former alternative band Breaking Benjamin. Talk to MMA fans in the area and they might give you a different answer. Hailing from Kingston, Pennyslvania and training out of Swoyersville, Jimy “The Kid” Hettes left his mark on the regional circuit, taking out all fighters that stood in his path, earning himself two championships and a UFC contract.
