Trial Begins for Man Accused of Manslaughter in Death of Tapout's 'Mask'

Filed under: Fighting, News

Opening statements began on Tuesday in the vehicular manslaughter trial of Jeffrey David Kirby, the driver of a Porsche that allegedly crashed into the Ferrari of Tapout co-founder Charles "Mask" Lewis in an accident that killed Lewis.

Kirby was arrested shortly after the March 11, 2009 crash in Newport Beach, California, registering a .13 blood/alcohol level, well above the legal limit.

According to the Orange County Register, prosecutor Jason Baez told jurors in his opening statement that skid marks show that Kirby was driving at speeds over 100 mph when he lost control of his car and crashed into Lewis.

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Ski/Snowshoe!?! What's Next - Ski/Rocket Pack?

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Chuck Liddell's next challenge: Marriage

UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell is still undecided on the future of his fighting life, but he has made a major commitment in his personal life. Liddell recently proposed to his girlfriend Heidi Northcott.

According to People Magazine, Liddell popped the question after the two went on a helicopter ride of the Grand Canyon. On Twitter, they responded to congratulations messages from baseball player Brad Penny and Liddell's "Dancing with the Stars" castmate, Karina Smirnoff.

The pair have not shied away from headlines. They starred in a viral advertisement that showed Liddell and Northcott working out in the nude. Before his bout with Rich Franklin at UFC 115, Liddell credited Northcott for helping him refocus on training and fighting. He went on to get knocked out in that bout.

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UFC 123 weigh-in: Jackson hoping Machida doesn't make it a boring fight

UFC 123 weigh-in (Courtesy MMAjunkie):

PAY-PER-VIEW
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (205) vs. Lyoto Machida (205)
Matt Hughes (169) vs. B.J. Penn (169)
Tim Boetsch (205) vs. Phil Davis (205)
Joe Lauzon (155) vs. George Sotiropoulos (155)
Maiquel Falcao (185) vs. Gerald Harris (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
Matt Brown (170) vs. Brian Foster (170)
Mark Munoz (185) vs. Aaron Simpson (185.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
Dennis Hallman (170) vs. Karo Parisyan (170)
Edson Barboza (155) vs. Mike Lullo (155)
Paul Kelly (155) vs. T.J. O'Brien (155)
Nik Lentz (155) vs. Tyson Griffin (155)

 

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Couture didn't like 'Rampage' decision at UFC 123; Judges still an issue

Randy Couture has seen a lot of fighting over the years and while the scoring system has improved, the 13-year veteran of mixed martial arts feels like the quality of MMA judges is still a work in progress. He thought the Quinton "Rampage" Jackson split decision win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 123 was a prime example.

"They see some superficial things like Rampage moving forward the whole time in that fight and they attribute that to him winning those rounds," Couture told Paul Howard of ESPNRadio1100 in Las Vegas. "And technically that's not what was happening. It sucks to be a fighter and have that happen to you."

UFC president Dana White came out strongly in support of Jackson in that fight. Couture disagreed. 

"I think it's a huge issue. It's a lot different than judging boxing and unfortunately a lot of judges transferred over," Couture said. "They don't understand a lot of the intricacies of our sport. Who's controlling the tempo of the fight. Who's actually technically scoring."

Veteran judge Cecil Peoples was mentioned as an example. Peoples has been on what seemed to be the wrong side of several close decisions over the last few years. He also exacerbated fans' angst when he decided to make a statement about not scoring leg kicks following the UFC 104 Machida-Mauricio Rua fight. 

"Unfortunately guys like Peoples, and some of these guys have been around for a long time, (you'd) think they'd have figured it out by now," Couture said. "I think there has to be some sort of education or certification program for these judges to get them up to speed on the criteria and what they're looking at to the judge these fights."

There are some schools popping up, but more for the guys in the cage or ring.

Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole has a feature on veteran ref Herb Dean, who has opened his own MMA Referee School in Pasadena, Ca.

The judges for these major fights could also get a little help from the promotions. We've said it for years that it's time to make all main events five round, regardless of whether there's a title on the line. If they're not for a title, most main events have title implications. Why not give the fighters a better chance to state their case for a win and the judges more material to work with?  

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Scuba Diver Girls Visit Matana Beach Resort on Kadavu, Fiji

We arrived at Matana Beach Resort on the island of Kadavu (pronounced Kan-da-vu) after a short speed boat ride from the Vunisea airport. Kadavu is Fiji’s 4th largest island and is located approximately 100km south of Suva on Viti Levu.� There are many beautiful reefs off the island including the famous Great Astrolabe Reef at [...]

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Chuck Liddell's next challenge: Marriage

UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell is still undecided on the future of his fighting life, but he has made a major commitment in his personal life. Liddell recently proposed to his girlfriend Heidi Northcott.

According to People Magazine, Liddell popped the question after the two went on a helicopter ride of the Grand Canyon. On Twitter, they responded to congratulations messages from baseball player Brad Penny and Liddell's "Dancing with the Stars" castmate, Karina Smirnoff.

The pair have not shied away from headlines. They starred in a viral advertisement that showed Liddell and Northcott working out in the nude. Before his bout with Rich Franklin at UFC 115, Liddell credited Northcott for helping him refocus on training and fighting. He went on to get knocked out in that bout.

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Davis invents his own submission to take out Boetsch at UFC 123

Phil Davis looks more impressive every time he hits the Octagon. The former Penn State wrestler had only three fights under his belt in the UFC, but made Tim Boetsch look like the guy with little experience.

Davis absolutely dominated the grappling game against the former Div. 1 wrestler at Lock Haven. Then he worked some submission magic. With Boetsch pinned against the cage, Davis switched from a conventional arm lock and cranked his opponent's arm behind his back. The pain was too much to take for Boetsch, who tapped at 2:55 of the second round.

UPDATE: Davis' "Mr. Wonderful" submission nabbed him the submission of the night award and an $80,000 bonus.

Davis, 26, is a perfect 8-0 in MMA. He's beginning to move into top prospect status at light heavyweight along with Jon Jones and Ryan Bader. This was a return fight for Boetsch in the UFC, after four straight wins with smaller promotions. 

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Valentijn Overeem Injured, Off Dec. 4 ?Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu?

Valentijn Overeem, older brother of Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem, has been forced off next week's "Strikeforce: Henderson vs Babalu" card.

Strikeforce is currently looking for a substitute and has not scrapped Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva from the card.

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The take off

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Dean Potter Interview (video)

Dean Potter en la librer�a Desnivel/Dean Potter at the bookstore Vertical.�Thanks @desnivelados For more on Dean visit prana.com/ambassadors/dean-potter

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UFC 123: Maiquel Falcao Beats Gerald Harris in Unimpressive Fashion

by Michael David SmithBrazilian newcomer Maiquel Falcao didn't do anything to endear himself to the UFC fans on Saturday at UFC 123, beating Gerald Harris by unanimous decision but doing it in fairly dull fashion, and doing it after a fight that included a dirty tactic of holding onto a choke after the bell rang.

The judges scored the fight for Falcao 29-27, 29-28 and 29-28, improving Falcao's professional record to 26-3. Harris, who had been on a tear this year, fell to 17-3.

 

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Burton Snowboards

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Parisyan always thought White would let him fight again

Karo Parisyan has had a lot of low points over the years, but he was at rock bottom the Friday before UFC 106. Because of struggles with an anxiety disorder and injuries, the veteran fighter had to drop out of his bout against Dustin Hazelett. Dana White lost his cool, going ballistic on Twitter.

Karo Parisyan has [expletive] over the UFC, the fans and his opponent again!!! He will not be fighting saturday or ever again in the UFC!!

Parisyan has worked way back into the good graces of the promotion and the UFC president. He returns to the Octagon this weekend at UFC 123 against Dennis Hallman.

The Armenian had been fighting for White since 2003, so he never lost hope.

"I never thought the door was closed," Parisyan told The Canadian Press. "I knew that I would fight again, I just knew it. I know Dana White. I know how he thinks, I know how he works. And when somebody says something like that, I know that in the heat of the moment he got pissed and he just said that. I knew I would eventually make my way back to the UFC because I didn't kill nobody."

In addition to bailing from a fight at UFC 88 because of his mental struggles, he was also fined $32,000 and suspended for nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after a positive test for pain killers at UFC 94.

"Anxiety led to that going even more crazy," Parisyan said. "It was just whole combination of things, man. I've never been 100 per cent walking in the cage. The best I've been was maybe 70 per cent and I wasn't even 10 per cent for that (UFC 88) fight."

Optimism was about all Parisyan had after what were two difficult years. He was also confident that he could talk White into giving him another shot.

"Dana's got a heart, man. He has a heart. And he does care about his fighters. He does care about people," Parisyan said. "Sure, if you need money, you talk to him, you tell him. Dana never says no that much, unless it's something outrageous. He'll work with you."

Now the pressure is really on for Parisyan. He’s only fought once in 22 months and the NSAC fine buried him in debt. At least this is a start. It’d be nice to see Parisyan reach his potential. This was a guy who was on the verge of a UFC welterweight title shot back in 2005. His career is now a fight-by-fight proposition.

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South

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The Aquatic View: A Discussion (With Bonus Review of Sherwood Scuba Rona Mask)

Masks: Windows Into Another (damp) World! Divers dive for different reasons, but ultimately everybody from the lay snorkeler through to the hardcore tec diver is in the water for one thing: to experience the aquatic environment. Some people want to explore the wrecks of great vessels from our past, whereas others enjoy looking at shallow [...]

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WEC 52 post-fight notes: Bonuses, baby food and cutting weight

-- The WEC gave out $10,000 bonuses. Fight of the Night went to Mackens Semerzier and Cub Swanson (pictured above), Submission of the Night to Urijah Faber and Erik Koch will take the Knockout of the Night bonus back to Milwaukee.

-- Chad Mendes said that Javier Vazquez's mind games went beyond trash talk. Vazquez sent baby food, stuffed animals and toys to his hotel room in Las Vegas, but Mendes enjoyed every minute of it.

-- In his first bout at bantamweight, Faber said the weight cut was easier than he expected, but a clean diet helped him hit 135 lbs. He said cutting down was fun, which is not something that many fighters will call weight-cutting. He came into the fight around 149.5 lbs.

-- Faber also said that he had no idea that Takeya Mizugaki was choked out. Because of the position he was in, he didn't know and couldn't see that his opponent was unconscious. WEC GM Reed Harris pointed out that Faber went above and beyond in sportsmanship after the fight was stopped by staying prone underneath Mizugaki so that medical staff could tend to him.

-- Though Faber is old friends with Scott Jorgensen, he said that he wouldn't be against fighting Jorgensen for a belt, should Jorgensen win at WEC 53. He said he would rather fight Dominick Cruz, but is rooting for Jorgensen to win that title bout.

-- "I think flyweight is a necessity for me. I have to eat a lot and work hard to get to this weight," Demetrious Johnson said. Though he has done well at 135, Johnson's size would be better suited to flyweight (125 lbs.) He said he'll fight wherever he is asked to, but he would like flyweight better.

-- Wins from Faber, Mendes and Joseph Benavidez meant that Team Alpha Male had a clean sweep at 52. Faber called the evening a "proud papa moment," as he helped both Benavidez and Mendes get into MMA.

-- When asked about future career plans, Mendes said that he wants to have his own hunting, fishing and outdoors show. Since the fights aired on Versus, the home of many such programming, Mendes will get his wish.

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Eye Poke Steals the Show at Strikeforce Challengers

by Michael David SmithJustin Wilcox, Ovince St. Preux and Liz Carmouche all had the biggest wins of their MMA careers at Friday night's Strikeforce Challengers event on Showtime. So it's a shame that an accidental eye poke ending a fight in just six seconds is what everyone will be talking about.

But that's exactly what happened on Friday night: The fight between Dream welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis and Waachiim Spiritwolf was over as soon as it started when Zaromskis charged across the cage at the opening bell, went for a flying knee and accidentally poked Spiritwolf in the eye, causing an injury that led the ringside doctor to call off the fight. The official ending was a no contest, six seconds into the first round, in one of the fastest, strangest endings to a fight in MMA history.

 

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Burton Snowboards

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Jake Breed's Autumn Montage

Jake Breed's new autumn montage is quite well made and features a frontside noseslide on a handrail which always makes me happy.

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BJ Penn Says Matt Hughes is His Favorite Rivalry - UFC 123

BJ Penn spoke with MMAWeekly.com about his UFC 123 match up with Matt Hughes for the third time, says it's his favorite rivalry

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Rampage Jackson Beats Lyoto Machida in Stunning Decision at UFC 123

by Michael David SmithIn an exciting battle of former light heavyweight champions that ended up with a shocking split decision, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson defeated Lyoto Machida in the main event at UFC 123.

I scored the fight for Machida 29-28 and was sure Machida would win the decision, and I was stunned that two judges gave the fight to Rampage, 29-28. One judge gave it to Machida, 29-28.

 

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Sticking With Paper

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Russia plans five new international resorts by 2020

Russia is planning to spend $15 billion developing five new ski resorts in the country?s south eastern Caucasus mountain range, which divide Europe from Asia and include the highest peaks on the European continent. The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the new resorts would be built under a public-private partnership. He hopes that building the [...]

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Walk on.

Late Fall Hiking in the Canadian Rockies Today is November 9, 2010. In our last blog post, we said that upon returning from northeast Italy and the French island of Corsica, we?d offer you whatever practical info we could about climbing the via ferrata in the Dolomiti and hiking the GR20. Well, we?re back?early. After [...]

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Mystery Welcomes Sascha Daley

Mystery Welcomes Sascha Daley with a gnarly HD welcome video.

Read More

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The Reem Episode 10 Big In Japan - Alistair Overeem

The Reem Episode 10 Big In Japan Video by Alistair Overeem

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The Tatshenshini-Alsek: Ice Age Jackpot

The Tatshenshini-Alsek ranks among the world’s top five wilderness river trips. It’s a scenic rival of Grand Canyon and it bisects North America’s most pristine wildlife region—A Jack London land of wolves and wolverines, moose and mountain goats and Dall sheep, and one of the world’s biggest population of grizzly bears. Giant peaks 15,000 feet [...]

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Who will coach the next 'Ultimate Fighter'? We have suggestions

After his fast beatdown of Takeya Mizugaki on Thursday night, Urijah Faber brought up the idea of coaching on "The Ultimate Fighter." Wanderlei Silva and Alan Belcher have both asked for the chance to coach on the show then fight each other. Why not grant these fighters their wish?

Faber/winner of Dominick Cruz and Scott Jorgensen: A lighter-weight season of "The Ultimate Fighter" would introduce the casual UFC fan to this group of small but talented fighters. Starting off with Faber makes sense, as he is an already well-known fighter and can bring fellow WEC veterans and Team Alpha Male members Joseph Benavidez and Chad Mendes with him. With Cruz, the UFC would get an already brewing rivalry, and with Jorgensen, Faber would face off with a fighter he helped get in the business. 

This season would then lead to the bantamweight title bout. Faber already said he's up for it, but no moves can be made until after the Jorgensen/Cruz bout happens in December. 

Wanderlei Silva/Alan Belcher: Silva is an MMA legend and has a world of experience to share with a new crop of fighters. He is also one of MMA's most entertaining and likable personalities. (Follow him on Twitter for proof.) Belcher is an exciting, young fighter who would match up well with Silva in the cage. He would also tap into the coaching think tank at Roufusport, currently one of the hottest camps in MMA. 

Winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard/Winner of Ben Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis: This season could build heat for the undisputed UFC lightweight title. No matter how the bouts shake out, you have four exciting, skilled fighters from great camps. Who doesn't want advice from Renzo Gracie, should Edgar win? Or learn to kick from Duke Roufus, should Pettis win?

Cain Velasquez/Junior dos Santos: This season could serve as a pre-cursor to their UFC heavyweight championship. They would both bring in excellent coaches and teach their fighters well, but neither seem comfortable in the spotlight.

Who would you like to coach the next season? 

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Sakara off UFC 122, Ludwig opens with win over Osipczak

Alessio Sakara was a fight day casualty today in Germany at UFC 122. An undisclosed illness (described as flu-like symptoms) forced the promotion to scrap the Sakara-Jorge Rivera fight, which was slated to be the co-main event.

Duane "Bang" Ludwig was the beneficiary. His fight against against Nick Osipczak was moved to the main card. They engaged in a back and forth battle. Osipczak did more damage in the first and Ludwig was overwhelming in the third. The issue arose with the second. It was razor thin. Ludwig (pictured) got the nod on 2-of-3 judges' cards and walked away with a split decision win on the first televised fight at UFC 122.

If anyone deserved a break it was Ludwig (20-11, 3-2 UFC). A 72-match veteran of the fight game, he'd experienced heartbreak after heartbreak with the UFC. He made a stupid mistake at UFC 108 and got armbarred by Jim Miller. Then at UFC on Versus 1 this March, he suffered fluke injury in the first round when he tried to brace his fall on a takedown, Ludwig suffered a dislocated ankle.

Today in Oberhausen, he fought hard when it counted most. The third round proved that he belonged in the UFC. 

Vemola looks awesome at light heavyweight

Seth Petruzelli has been in there with some pretty impressive fighters, that includes battling giants in the 230-260 pound range during Season 2 of "The Ultimate Fighter." So it was a bit shocking to see Karlos Vemola repeatedly slamming "The Silverback" on his head during their undercard bout. 

From the opening seconds, Vemola wanted no part of the standup game so charged forward to play to his strength as a former amateur wrestler. He scored two huge takedowns. His strength was overwhelming. Petruzelli got to his feet but couldn't keep Vemola away. It went down a third time with 2:17 left in the first and that's where the Czech landed a huge right that may have broken Petruzelli's nose. He rolled to his side and covered up. Referee Leon Roberts jumped in to save Petruzelli at 3:46 of the first.

Vemola (7-1, 1-1 UFC) debuted in the UFC at heavyweight and lost to the much bigger Jon Madsen at UFC 118. He's a physical specimen but was simply too small to compete with the big boys at only 220 pounds. In his first fight down at 205, his stamina was solid. Vemola needs a lot of work on the feet but his wrestling and strength may good enough to compete at a high level in the light heavyweight division. Keep in mind, he's only 25 years old.   

A nasty kneebar from Rocha sends TUF 11 runner-up McCray packing 

With the addition of the WEC fighters at 135 and 145 pounds, the UFC roster is deeper than ever. That's also means the competition to stay on the roster is tougher than ever. Today at UFC 122, the runner-up from TUF 11, Kris McCray may have blown his shot with the promotion.

McCray, a good wrestler, played with fire by going to the ground with Brazilian jiu-jitsu whiz Carlos Eduardo Rocha. Rocha made him pay. The 29-year-old took advantage of a McCray mistake and slapped on a kneebar. McCray's left leg was hyperextended badly. He had no choice but tap at  2:21 of the first round. That makes it 10-0 with nine victories by submission for Rocha.

UFC 122 undercard: 

Carlos Eduardo Rocha def. Kris McCray via submission (kneebar) - Round 1, 2:21.
Karlos Vemola def. Seth Petruzelli via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:46.
Kyle Noke def. Rob Kimmons via submission (rear naked choke) - Round 2, 1:33.
Pascal Krauss def. Mark Scanlon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Vladimir Matyushenko def. Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:20

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A Molokini Snorkel Tour Offers an Unforgettable Underwater Experience

Approximately three miles off the coast of Maui sits an extinct, but no less impressive, volcanic crater known as Molokini. This underwater volcano is now home to a plethora of sea life, as it has been converted to Hawaii’s only Island Marine Sanctuary. Molokini Crater snorkeling offers some of the best underwater viewing around Maui, [...]

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UFC 123 Results: Brian Foster Submits Matt Brown

by Michael David SmithBrian Foster beat Matt Brown with a guillotine choke in the second round of an action-packed fight at UFC 123 on Saturday night.

"I'm ecstatic," Foster said afterward, grinning from ear to ear after improving to 15-5 in his MMA career with his second consecutive win inside the Octagon. Brown fell to 11-10 with the loss, and he could get dropped from the UFC after this loss.

 

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Suffolk Park Final Designs

After some process drama, the two new Suffolk skatepark designs are here from Spohn Ranch. Suffolk was working with a small budget and wanted two parks. Originally one was going to be a bowl, but budget and site constraints kept that from happening. Personally I am stoked on these parks. No fences, no monitors or passes. No giant vert walls. Just fun stuff to skate. I'd like to see other cities building more smaller parks instead of one giant park. What do you guys think?

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Anzac Monday 2010

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Bouldering Burbage photos

Finally a little sun! Yesterday I went climbing in Burbage (specifically Burbage south boulders) in the Peak District near Sheffield. I’m really glad I’ve got these boulders within 15 minutes of my home.
Although in a climbing wall / gym I’m happy on 6a/6b the techniques on grit boulders are a different world: lots of smearing [...]

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UFC 123 Preview Show - UFC 123

The Fight Network takes a closer look at UFC 123 in Michigan featuring Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida and B.J. Penn vs. Matt Hughes.

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Exclusive pictures from UFC 123

Check out exclusive pictures by Tracy Lee from the UFC's return to Michigan at UFC 123. See a poignant post-fight shot of Matt Hughes and BJ Penn, George Sotiropoulos submitting Joe Lauzon, and Phil Davis' new submission. 

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B.J. Penn: I Know I'll Be UFC Lightweight Champion Again

by Michael David SmithB.J. Penn is generally recognized as the best lightweight in MMA history, but after losing two straight fights to lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, he's now moving up to welterweight to face Matt Hughes at UFC 123. Penn apparently doesn't see it as a permanent move.

In an interview on SportsCenter Wednesday morning, Penn said that he doesn't view his two losses to Edgar this year as a sign that he's no longer competitive in the lightweight division. Instead, he thinks he's going to win his welterweight rubber match with Hughes and then move back down to be the best lightweight again.

 

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UFC 123 Predictions

by Michael David SmithFor the first time since Dan Severn beat Ken Shamrock at UFC 9, the Octagon is back in the Detroit area, with four former UFC champions in the main event and co-main event at UFC 123 on Saturday night.

What: UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida

Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan

When: Saturday, the undercard begins at 7:30 PM ET, the Spike TV card begins at 9 and the pay-per-view starts at 10.

Predictions on the five pay-per-view fights below.

 

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Is That A Saw In Your Pocket....

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Triple Crown Bouldering Series 2010: The Stone Fort

It’s that time of the year again! Will you be in Little Rock City, Tennessee on December 4th? Who will reign this year with�Kate Reese McGinnis out? Will Alex Johnson move up from last years second place finish or will … Continue reading →

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Scuba Diver Girls dive ?Boomers? La Jolla, California

Scuba Diver Girls head out with SDGs Stephanie and Margo for fun at “Boomers” in La Jolla California. Amazing kelp forest, critters, and lots of fun, with incredible visibility. Copyright information for text and images is provided when available. To the best of our knowledge, no copyrighted material exists on this site without permission or [...]

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Lentz wins a close split decision to kick off UFC 123

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Nick Lentz started out UFC 123 with controversy, beating Tyson Griffin in a split decision, 29-28, 27-30 and 29-28 at the Palace of Auburn Hills in suburban Detroit on Saturday.

Griffin and Lentz switched control often in the first round, with Lentz striking first with a takedown, and then Griffin reversing position and driving Lentz in the fence for much of the round. They then exchanged blows during the final minute of the round, with Lentz getting the better of striking. Griffin finished the round with an ineffective slam of Lentz.

Their stand-up drew boos from the crowd in suburban Detroit early in the second round, but that seemed to spur them on. They started to exchange more punches and kicks, until Griffin took down Lentz with about a minute and a half left in the round. Griffin tried for ground and pound but had trouble getting anything going.

Griffin wobbled Lentz to start the third and final round, and followed that up with several unanswered punches. Lentz tried for a takedown to stop the onslaught, but Griffin ended up on top. With a profusely bleeding face, Lentz was able to reverse position with a slam of Griffin. He tried for a chicken wing submission, but Griffin somehow got out of it and remained in control for the rest of the round.

The result elicited loud boos from the crowd, who were surprised that Griffin did not win. His record falls to 14-5 while Lentz's improves to 21-4.

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Video: Todd and Brendan Wells Kayaking the White Salmon

Dan Patrinellis posted this video on Professor Paddle today�taken by Todd and Brendan Wells when they were�kayaking�the Green Truss section of the White Salmon recently.� I don’t know those guys, but Dan says in the post that the guy in the blue Agent is only 17, pretty�impressive! They both also have whitewater blogs with some [...]

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Ninja Skilz: Yoga & Slackline With The Yogaslackers

? *** 2010 schedule more or less *** workshop schedule 11/12 & 14 ~ AcroYoga Flow & Fly @ EvenFlow Yoga, Long Branch, NJ 11/13 ~ Detox series and keynote presentation @ Yoga for Unity Conference, Princeton NJ�(DONATION BASED TO … Continue reading →

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Rampage Jackson Beats Lyoto Machida in Stunning Decision at UFC 123

by Michael David SmithIn an exciting battle of former light heavyweight champions that ended up with a shocking split decision, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson defeated Lyoto Machida in the main event at UFC 123.

I scored the fight for Machida 29-28 and was sure Machida would win the decision, and I was stunned that two judges gave the fight to Rampage, 29-28. One judge gave it to Machida, 29-28.

 

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UFC 123 Weigh-In Video

by Michael David SmithAll 22 fighters stepping into the Octagon at UFC 123 will first step on the scale Friday at the UFC 123 weigh-in, and you can watch the video live right here at MMAFighting.com.

In the main event, former light heavyweight champions Lyoto Machida and Rampage Jackson will both have to make 206 pounds. In the co-main event, we'll get a look at a bigger B.J. Penn, as the former lightweight champion moves back up to welterweight for a rubber match with Matt Hughes.

The weigh-in starts at 4PM ET and the video is below.

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More Coverage: UFC 123 Fight Card | UFC 123 Photos | UFC 123 Results

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Sandbox's Shine On: The Full Movie

Unlike many of the free internet releases going on these days, this movie first appeared in DVD form in the ancient year of 2009. Hit play to watch "Shine On" last year's release from Kevin Sansalone, Clayton Larsen and the Sandbox Crew, in it's entirety. As they describe it: "An HD snowboard film about questionable people doing questionable things."

Sandbox - Shine On (2009) from Mike M on Vimeo.

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Munoz shows off well-rounded game in outlasting Simpson at UFC 123

Mark Munoz had a daunting puzzle to solve at UFC 123. He was basically facing a carbon copy of himself in Aaron Simpson. So it was no surprise to see the former NCAA wrestlers nullify each other on the grappling front. Munoz showed off a more impressive arsenal in the striking game and a little more in the stamina department in the final round to take a unanimous decision, 29-28 on all cards.

Munoz, an NCAA champ out of Oklahoma State, was a half-second behind in the first round. He got tagged on the feet and kept getting his leg kicks caught. In the second, Munoz did more with his stand up work, including a beautiful swinging elbow that landed coming out of a clinch, and he really nailed Simpson with a head kick.

Simpson, an two-time All-American at Arizona State, has struggled in recent fights with his conditioning. He thought he had solved those woes by a paying closer attention to his diet before the fight. Simpson looked better but he was definitely the less fresh fighter in the final round.

He scored a takedown just 25 seconds into the third but then got easily reversed by Munoz. With hip control, Munoz got off some excellent punches to the head. The rest of the round was spent primarily in clinch position along the cage. They slugged away at each other, but it was Munoz who landed the heavier shots.

Munoz (9-2, 4-2 UFC) is now 4-1 down at middleweight with his only loss coming against future title challenger Yushin Okami. After a 3-0 start wth the promotion, Simpson (7-2, 3-2 UFC) has dropped two straight. 

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Lyoto Machida Talks Rampage at UFC 123 Workouts - UFC 123

Lyoto Machida spoke with the media at the UFC 123 open media workouts about his fight with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

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Suffolk Park Final Designs

After some process drama, the two new Suffolk skatepark designs are here from Spohn Ranch. Suffolk was working with a small budget and wanted two parks. Originally one was going to be a bowl, but budget and site constraints kept that from happening. Personally I am stoked on these parks. No fences, no monitors or passes. No giant vert walls. Just fun stuff to skate. I'd like to see other cities building more smaller parks instead of one giant park. What do you guys think?

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Denver's New Mexico Montages

The Denver Shop has a park and a street montage from a recent trip to New Mexico.

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UFC 123 Rampage vs Machida Weigh-In Highlights - UFC 123

UFC 123 Rampage vs Machida Weigh-In Highlights Video by UFC 123

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Munoz shows off well-rounded game in outlasting Simpson at UFC 123

Mark Munoz had a daunting puzzle to solve at UFC 123. He was basically facing a carbon copy of himself in Aaron Simpson. So it was no surprise to see the former NCAA wrestlers nullify each other on the grappling front. Munoz showed off a more impressive arsenal in the striking game and a little more in the stamina department in the final round to take a unanimous decision, 29-28 on all cards.

Munoz, an NCAA champ out of Oklahoma State, was a half-second behind in the first round. He got tagged on the feet and kept getting his leg kicks caught. In the second, Munoz did more with his stand up work, including a beautiful swinging elbow that landed coming out of a clinch, and he really nailed Simpson with a head kick.

Simpson, an two-time All-American at Arizona State, has struggled in recent fights with his conditioning. He thought he had solved those woes by a paying closer attention to his diet before the fight. Simpson looked better but he was definitely the less fresh fighter in the final round.

He scored a takedown just 25 seconds into the third but then got easily reversed by Munoz. With hip control, Munoz got off some excellent punches to the head. The rest of the round was spent primarily in clinch position along the cage. They slugged away at each other, but it was Munoz who landed the heavier shots.

Munoz (9-2, 4-2 UFC) is now 4-1 down at middleweight with his only loss coming against future title challenger Yushin Okami. After a 3-0 start wth the promotion, Simpson (7-2, 3-2 UFC) has dropped two straight. 

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Mike Vick probably put a smile on Dana White's face

The man is from Boston but allow Dana White a chance to gloat a bit today. The Patriots fan declared last August that he was also an Eagles fan. White knows that statement might earn him a scowl from an old lady and make several New Englanders throwing snowballs at his house, but the UFC president likes to back the underdog. It was last year, before the NFL season began, White stated he was a backer of Michael Vick.

"I hope Michael Vick wins the Super Bowl, makes $3 billion and is the greatest comeback story in the history of sports, man," White told Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole. "When are they going to stop crucifying this [expletive] guy?"

After spending 19 months in prison on dog fighting charges, Vick has been back in the NFL for 21 games. He's started less than half and put up solid numbers. Last night in a win over the Washington Redskins, he broke through with an all-time performance. Vick passed for 333 yards, ran for 80 and produced six touchdowns.  

"I think the guy has taken it on the chin like a man. You haven’t seen him bitch about it. … He walks out of bankruptcy court this morning, because he has to pay creditors back $20 [expletive] million and he walks out smiling and he’s going to play tonight," White said in August of 2009.

A month later in Dallas at UFC 103, White reiterated his stance, telling radio personality "Big" Dick Hunter that he'd never seen anything like the Vick saga (0:25 mark - NSFW).

White's pretty consistent in his support for athletes who get slaughtered by the media. In Dec. of 2009, at the UFC 107 postfight press conference, he donned a Tiger Woods hat saying he was sick of watching the golfer's troubles played out publicly.  

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Omatic Snowboards

www.omaticsnowboards.com

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UFC 123: Dennis Hallman Credits Celiac Discovery for UFC Rebirth - UFC 123

UFC 123: Dennis Hallman Credits Celiac Discovery for UFC Rebirth Video by UFC 123

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Guide To Wetsuits

Exposure Protection I love being a dive instructor, I love diving even more, and I absolutely adore diving in tropical water! Diving in a sea with an average temperature of around thirty-one degrees Celsius is the perfect way to enjoy an undersea safari! In Thailand, where I?m based, the water temperature doesn?t even change with [...]

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What you need to know from this week on "The Ultimate Fighter"

This week's episode of "The Ultimate Fighter" has two fights, a coaching legend and an incredibly kind compliment just for you. Read on for spoilers and a recap of this week's episode.

Stupid prank of the week: Sevak Magakian rigged the kitchen faucets so that they would spray on Michael Johnson, who promptly blamed it on on Alex "Bruce LeRoy" Caceres. Seriously, guys, these pranks are getting weaker by the episode.

Fight One of the Week: Kyle Watson (Team GSP) vs. Aaron Wilkinson (Team Koscheck) 

Round 1: Watson started with a quick takedown and instantly moved to side control. He continued to work to control Wilkinson on the ground, and despite a few bursts of movement, Watson owned the Team Koscheck fighter. With more than a minute left in the round, Watson methodically took Wilkinson's back and sunk in a rear naked choke. As his coaches yelled, "Don't tap!" Wilkinson was forced to tap, making Watson a semi-finalist.

"Rear naked choke! Another one. How many rear naked chokes has my team ... I mean, I can't believe it!" Koscheck said after the bout.

Legendary coach cameo of the week: Freddie Roach stopped by Team GSP's training -- the same Freddie Roach who trains Manny Pacquaio. The fighters are all blown away just to be able to talk to Roach, much less train with him. Roach dropped an astounding compliment about Johnson:

"Michael Johnson has great speed. Reminds me of Pacquaio, a little bit," Roach said.

Neutral corners of the week: Roach worked with both Johnson and Caceres to get them ready to fight each other. GSP decided to not corner either fighter, so we're due for another eerily quiet bout.

Not-so-neutral coach of the week: Though GSP is not cornering either fighter, Koscheck is clearly behind Alex Caceres. He cheers on "Bruce LeRoy" throughout the weigh-ins, and claims that GSP fought for this match-up to get rid of the fighter he thinks is the weaker link. GSP stays silent and smiles as Kos jabbers on. Kos even offers to help out Caceres, but stops short at wearing a red jersey.

Watson corners Johnson, while Jeff Lentz corners Caceres.

Fight Two of the Week: Michael Johnson (Team GSP) vs. Alex Caceres (Team GSP) 

Round 1: Johnson starts with a quick takedown, but doesn't keep Caceres down for long. When the two pop back up, Johnson controls the stand-up and knocks Caceres' mouthguard out. When he reaches down to pick it up, Johnson appears annoyed, and Caceres responds with, "C'mon, dog." The action restarts, and Johnson continues to control, Caceres has great movement throughout the bout. Still, in-between rounds, Koscheck yells, "You won that round, Alex." Jonathan Brookins tells Caceres the same thing.

Round 2: Caceres starts the round smiling and then promptly gets taken down. Johnson works side control and then ground and pound until Caceres works to his base and then stands up. Caceres briefly gains control on the ground, but doesn't do much with it, and after a short time standing, Johnson takes top position again. Caceres regains standing position for a bit, until Johnson takes him down one more time to end the bout.

The judges scored it 20-18, 20-18 and 20-18 for Michael Johnson, earning him a spot in the semifinals.

Koscheck and GSP head into White's office to talk about semifinal match-ups, and much to Dana's surprise, they come to a consensus quickly, picking these semifinals:

Jonathan Brookins vs. Kyle Watson and Michael Johnson vs. Nam Phan

These first of these fights will air next week. Tune in.

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The Tatshenshini-Alsek: Ice Age Jackpot

The Tatshenshini-Alsek ranks among the world’s top five wilderness river trips. It’s a scenic rival of Grand Canyon and it bisects North America’s most pristine wildlife region—A Jack London land of wolves and wolverines, moose and mountain goats and Dall sheep, and one of the world’s biggest population of grizzly bears. Giant peaks 15,000 feet [...]

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Sunday 30 May 2010

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Faber debuts with a bang at bantamweight, puts Mizugaki to sleep

There were no stamina or motivational issues tonight for Urijah Faber. In his first fight down at 135 pounds, Urijah Faber sent a nasty message to the rest of the division. He seized an opening, jumped on Takeyu Mizugaki's back and put him to sleep. The Japanese fighter refused to tap to a rear-naked choke and was left in a zombie-like state by the time referee Josh Rosenthal waved off the fight. Faber wins the main event in Las Vegas at the 4:50 mark of the first round at WEC 52. 

Following the quick win, Faber (23-4, 9-3 WEC) was fired up. He sent a clear message to the current champ Dominick Cruz.

"I wanted to finish. I'm a finisher, I think that's what this division needs," Faber told Versus' Craig Hummer.

Update: Faber won submission of the night and a $10,000 bonus. 

Update II: Faber told the media that he's going to split his bonus money with teammate Joe Benavidez, who also scored a submission finish in his victory over Waggney Fabiano. 

Cruz, the WEC bantamweight champ has a seven-fight win streak, but five of those victories have come by decision. Who handed the 25-year-old his only loss? Faber did back in 2007 at 145 pounds. Cruz will defend the WEC belt one more time in December against Scott Jorgensen. If he does so successfully, it would be a natural for Faber and Cruz to meet in the first UFC bantamweight title fight sometime in 2011. 

"We're going to the UFC after this. It's been an awesome run with the WEC," Faber said. "It's time to step it up and get my belt in the UFC."

Faber was the biggest star in the WEC for years. Sporting a three-year unbeaten from 2005-2008, he carried the promotion. Then fighters got a little bigger at 145 pounds and Faber found it difficult to compete. At 5-foot-6, he's a natural down at 135. 

"I've been in title contention for like six years now. When I first started fighting there was no 135-pound weight class. So it's not like I had the choice. I was just the best guy at 145," Faber said. "So now it's my time to shine down here. I'm at my most competitive weight. It's my time. It's a new era baby!"

This was an impressive win considering the caliber of competition. Mizugaki (13-5-2, 2-3 WEC) has faced the best of the best in the WEC, that includes going the distance with former 135 champ Miguel Torres. He's a tough cookie and wasn't about to tap. 

"The Japanese have that fighting spirit," Faber said. "This guy is known as a guy who goes to the very end. I knew I'd have to do something drastic and put him out and I did."

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