Brock Lesnar set the MMA world on fire with his post fight antics at UFC 100. Love or hate his behavior, Lesnar’s personality is a huge win for the UFC. Nothing is better for ratings than a good villain. This is not revolutionary analysis, but the knee-jerk response that he ticked off Bud Light and was not a gentleman to Frank Mir is short sighted and thin-skinned.

Bud Light can handle hurt feelings and witnessing the birth of a UFC cash cow is good for all involved. And, always expecting fighters who talk trash for weeks leading up to fight night, to instantly ‘hug it out’ the moment they end a brutal war appears disingenuous. Brock’s actions after the fight showed his pre-fight words to be that much more honest and true.

The UFC certainly allows just about any kind of language to hype a fight in the lead up - heck, BJ Penn said he wanted to kill GSP before their match. Now, we all know that is just BJ being BJ and the UFC encourages the selling of a fight, but if the pre-fight talk is honest and not just hype, as I believe it was from Lesnar, I find it completely human to still hold a little, if not a lot of animosity for one’s opponent after the final bell. Not every fighter is as holy as Roger Huerta and Leonard Garcia doing the kneel and pray thing after pounding each other. It often makes for nice announcer talk about how honorable this sport is, and it is, but turning off the kill switch against your opponent cannot be expected in every case and this is what we saw in Brock … a guy who does not turn off the kill switch on a dime.

Going forward, look to football’s Terrell Owens as the Brock Lesnar blueprint. Why do the sports networks schedule TO’s team for Sunday Night and Monday Night national broadcasts so often? Like America at large cares about his current team, the Buffalo Bills? It’s all about TO. Fans love to hate TO which means eyeballs = nielsen ratings = ad revenue. The UFC’s Brock Lesnar will lap TO in this category and take the world of “player hating” to new levels.

UFC President Dana White may have scolded Lesnar for being unprofessional (uhhh … Paging Loretta Hunt), but he knows this monster is a pot of gold and will likely re-write Pay Per View records in the years to come, thus the post-fight lecture about good behavior rings a bit hollow.

I found it refreshing to realize that Lesnar’s pre and post fight feelings were consistent and genuine. He was just being honest. I will take that any day over trumped up pre-fight hostility for theater sake yielding suspect hugs and back slaps after the blood.
—-

Here is Mike Straka and the gang from Fox Fight Game talking about Brock Lesnar

Brooklyn’s Phillipe Nover lost his second consecutive fight at UFC 98 to Kyle Bradley in controversial fashion. Nover believes it was an early stoppage and is adamant about a re-match.

Nonetheless, I found the Carnarsie Kid in good spirits last week after he logged a serious workout at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. No, he has not moved gym’s but noted it was helpful to spar with the talent at 4055 W. Sunset Rd. in Las Vegas. Listen to our chat below.

I am out in the 110 degree Las Vegas heat to take in the festivities and hit the local gyms for interviews. The billboards are up, UFC Fan Expo will be huge, and the local hype is in full force. As with every UFC event, some questions get answered while new ones are generated. As the big night approaches, here are a few of the larger pre-fight questions buzzing through the media and MMA fans at large.

*Can Lesnar impose his massive size on the more well rounded tool kit of Frank Mir?

*Can Thiago Alves find an opening in GSP’s defense?

*Will Bisbing have enough power to hang with Henderson?

*Will Henderson have enough stamina for Bisbing?

*Is Mac Danzig in need of a win to save his UFC job?

The Fox Fight Game panel recently talked about the two biggest fights on the card. Take a look.

UFC 100 is now hours away … It has been a long time in the making - the biggest MMA event in history, arguably. Will Saturday night be the tipping point for this sport?

Let’s face it, the UFC is responsible for the growth of Mixed Martial Arts the past five years. Love or hate the UFC, Saturday will be a crowning achievement, a milestone, a big ‘I told you so’ to all the early detractors. Congratulations to Frank & Lorenzo Ferttita, Dana White and all the folks that believed when profits were scarce, broadcast options were nil, and Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar had yet to engage in the fight that saved MMA.

To all fans: enjoy Saturday night and take a minute to reflect how far this sport has come and yet how far it still has to go.

Oh - I am picking Lesnar, GSP, and Bisbing in the marquee bouts. And Jimmy Miller will hand Mac Danzig his third loss in a row.

Click through for a good full size pic of the UFC 100 billboard in Times Square.

The MMA world at large has UFC 100 on the brain right now, however fans in the Northeast also have one eye looking ahead to UFC 101 on August 8. Dana White and crew will be heading to Philadelphia for the first time. One of the ‘fight of the night’ candidates will be the 155lb clash between New Jersey’s Kurt Pellegrino and and Iowa’s Josh Neer. TriStaterFighter.com contributer Dan Holzhauer filed this report.

-By Dan Holzhauer

The MMA paths of New Jersey native Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino and Iowa’s Josh “The Dentist” Neer have crossed many times. Finally, they will collide on August 8th at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. The road to UFC 101 has been long, but both fighters expect an exciting performance, and a bonus check, as a reward for their performances.

“My gameplan is to grind you out for 15 minutes,” says Pellegrino leading up to this matchup. “I want to see who can get me tired.” But stamina may not be an issue for either Neer or Pellegrino. Of their 49 combined professional fights, just ten have gone to a decision.

Both fighters began their journey to the UFC in 2002. Pellegrino took his first pro fight in August of 2002 in the then-upstart WEC promotion where he won a unanimous decision over future ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ winner Mac Danzig. Josh Neer started his career as an amateur at the Toad Holler Fight Club, a famous showcase for young Midwestern MMA fighters in Des Moines, Iowa that no longer exists. Neer was a staple of the Toad Holler shows, chasing down every opportunity to fight.

(Click “Read More” to go to full article)

Berlin, N.J – July 1, 2009 – New Breed Fighters (NBF) and Caffeine Culture Inc., announce a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) event for fighters committed to NBF to be held at the Resorts Casino Hotel on Saturday, December 12, 2009 providing the MMA community and fan base with another opportunity to become “ONE STEP CLOSER.”

New Breed Fighters will provide a select group of loyal fighters and teams with the opportunity to make their long anticipated debut on NBF’s professional show on December 12th 2009.

New Breed Fighters was formed in 2007 to professionally promote amateur mixed martial artists in an environment that lends to the maximization of a fighter’s development. Providing the ultimate opportunity to prepare for what the future holds, while creating a dynamic event for the fans to enjoy.

MMA is the fastest-growing sport and New Breed Fighters has amassed a huge following in the region including fighters, their teams and a wide-range of fans.

Click through to read the complete press release.

Jim Miller from Sparta, New Jersey lost his last fight to Gray Maynard. He does not plan on a repeat result at UFC 100 against Maynard’s XTreme Couture teammate, Mac Danzig. He recently sat down with yours truly and the Fox Fight Game panel to talk about the big fight.