Big enough for Time magazine to write an article about it! Well maybe not the print version of Time, but online the story was given a decent amount of attention with an article posted on their website today. It’s great that MMA is getting mainstream media attention these days, but as usual these writers uneducated in the sport continue to revert back to the old “no holds barred” descriptions of mixed martial arts of old. Case in point, the first two sentences from the article:

“Ultimate fighting, a blood sport for the video game generation, has been one of the most sensational successes of 21st century athletics. The spectacle of fighters kicking, punching, stomping, elbowing and suffocating each other into unconsciousness has successfully pulled fans away from boxing. Its champions have become household names.

Regardless of this editorial disservice, the article does finish on a more reasonable note:

“Now that facade is beginning to crumble. Liddell, who was recognizable enough to have an episode of HBO’s Entourage focused on him, has lost two fights. Ortiz has been in an ongoing feud with White about contractual issues. (”Until Dana White is ready to fight me on a professional basis,” said Ortiz at one point, “I strongly urge him to keep his mouth shut.”) And now comes Couture’s outbursts about money and White’s counterattack. “At the end of the day we treat our fighters right,” says White. “The whole thing makes no sense. I felt like I got kicked in the throat.” This is one no-holds-barred battle that Ultimate Fighting doesn’t want.

Source: Time.com

I know most of you like to look at scantly clad women so in the past I’ve posted a few photos of ring card girls here and there.

However, instead of throwing you just a couple of pics, check out this link:

http://www.themmalist.com/search.php?mc=Girls%20of%20MMA

There is a Ring Card Girls and MMA Models  section with a handful of websites linking directly to photos of the girls. 

The TapOut girls might be my favorite, I just wish they had larger images.

In was announced today that UFC fighter Din Thomas has been arrested for running unlicensed, unsanctioned mixed martial arts events in Florida.

Thomas, 31, faces a felony prohibited competitions charge after police got a tip Oct. 19 about the matches at a facility he uses in St. Lucie West.

Here is a link to the article that appeared in a Florida newspaper today.

As a side note, as usual small town newspapers try to paint MMA in a bad light. An excerpt:

“Thomas is well known in the world of ultimate fighting, commonly known as mixed martial arts, a brutal combination of boxing, kickboxing and wrestling in a boxing ring or cage. The fighting is so intense that most fights are limited to three five-minute rounds.”

Today at 4pm PT ESPN’s news magazine show E:60 will air a segment dedicated to mixed martial arts. I checked out the ESPN website in hopes of viewing a preview of today’s show but to no avail. I caught the show’s preview on TV the other day. It will be interesting to see what kind of picture the network paints of MMA. It looks like they will be interviewing some IFL fighters and showing a lot of their training.

Are we seeing MMA’s very first soap opera episode?

First Randy announces his resignation from the UFC. Next, Dana White responds. Randy then responds to Dana’s response. And for good measure Randy’s wife Kim separately throws in her two cents. One would think it’s over, but far from it we are. The dust has not settled and the UFC is back on the offense. This time UFC wonder-duo Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta will try to save face by addressing the press regarding Couture’s most recent statements. If history follows suit, later this week we should have Randy responding to the UFC’s response to his response which was made after Dana’s response to Randy’s resignation announcement.

The press conference will be streamed live on UFC.com at 1pm PT/ 4pm ET.

While the main event at UFC 78 sucks, the website doesn’t. I give credit to the web designers over at UFC.  Just when it looked like their event websites were going to become cookie-cutter they have raised the bar with the new UFC 78 website.

And what makes this site different? An interactive Fight Poll. While previous fight polls have been “all or nothing” where you simply voted on one aspect (who will win), the UFC 78 fight poll allows user to measure the fighters on different aspects such as “Who has more heart?, Who has better stand-up?, and Who is in better condition?” Additionally you can use the interactive slider to assign a percentage to your choice. Check it out.