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      Danzig vs. Cerrone now set for UFC 131

      March 15, 2011 /

      HeavyMMA.com is reporting that a lightweight bout between Donald Cerrone and Mac Danzig is officially set for UFC 131 this June in Vancouver.

      A lightweight tilt between WEC veteran Donald Cerrone and former “Ultimate Fighter” winner Mac Danzig is official for UFC 131.
      The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced the booking earlier today.

      Danzig, who struggled to live up to expectations after winning season six of “The Ultimate Fighter,” found redemption in two of his last three bouts, earning a unanimous decision victory over Justin Buchholz at UFC 109 and knocking out Joe Stevenson at UFC 124.

      His last defeat was a controversial one, coming against Matt Wiman at UFC 115.

      Read the full article.

      External Sports, UFC, WEC

      NFLPA tells players to boycott 2011 NFL Draft

      March 14, 2011 /

      Imagine you’re one of the very few athletes blessed with enough talent to be considered a top NFL prospect. You’ve earned the opportunity to hear your name called by the commissioner, to walk on stage at Radio City Music Hall in New York and to snap a photo holding that #1 jersey for your new team.

      You’ve earned the opportunity to enjoy that experience. But because of an ongoing labor dispute, it’s highly likely that you’ll be stripped of that opportunity now.

      According to ESPN.com, the NFLPA is in the process of blocking prospects from attending next month’s draft in New York. So instead of a prospect standing on stage at Radio City Music Hall enjoying the moment with his family, he’ll be elsewhere because the owners and players can’t figure out how to best divvy up the fans’ money. Apparently the Players Association is considering showing the players on another competing network to do post-pick interviews, but it won’t be the same experience.

      It’s easy to see where the NFLPA is coming from here. It’s in the middle of a financial battle and doesn’t want to take a brief timeout so that the draft (a production put on by the league) can go on as usual. The NFLPA is trying to prove that the league is nothing without the players, so why have this year’s prospects attend the draft so that the NFL can once again profit? (Plus, the NFL has already told prospects that it won’t pay players a fee in an attempt to have them present this year, so the league isn’t make the NFLPA’s decision any easier.)

      That said, I feel bad for the prospects. They’ve worked hard to reach this point and now because of the labor dispute, they’ve been dealt a rough hand. If they skip the draft, then they’ll never get that moment back. If they go, then they’ll always be known as the players that defied the union. (How bad would they get it from veteran players if that happened?)

      Either way, a sacrifice will be made on behalf of the 2011 NFL Draft class but oh, well. There’s always a price to be paid in situations like this and the top prospects from this year’s class are finding that out the hard way.

      External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Turn of events? Judge Nelson will oversee players’ case against NFL, not Judge Doty.

      March 14, 2011 /
      Domonique Foxworth (L) of the Baltimore Ravens and Kevin Mawai (C), former player for the Tennessee Titans and current NFL Players Association president, depart with NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith (2nd R) after a day of negotiations with football team owners as they seek an agreement as a deadline looms for a player lockout, in Washington, March 3, 2011. Man at far right is unidentified. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS)

      Since the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement last Friday, I’ve become awfully bitter when it comes to the NFL and NFLPA. So when I read, “Judge Nelson and not Judge Doty will be overseeing the Brady v. NFL case,” I can’t help but laugh.

      The only reason the players went through Minnesota to file their claim was because it was Judge David S. Doty’s district. As the media has made everyone aware of, Judge Doty has been player-friendly when it comes to cases against the league. So when the players decertified last Friday, they thought they would have an advantage in court because Doty would be overseeing their case. But now that Judge Susan Richard Nelson is in charge, things may have shifted.

      In other words, the players may not have an advantage now.

      When the dust settles on this labor dispute, here’s hoping that neither side wins. Obviously I want there to be football next fall, but it would be nice if the greedy players and the even greedier owners didn’t walk away feeling like they won anything. Seeing as how they don’t care about the fans, I think that’s fair. The NFL spent a decade building its popularity and taking the fans’ money at every turn, now it’s become a victim of its own success. The players and owners can’t figure out a way to share $9 billion and the fans are left hanging because of it. So let both sides lose something in this war.

      The owners thought they had a huge trump card when it came to the TV revenue. Then Judge Doty ruled that they couldn’t use that money to financially support a lockout and the owners took one to the gut. Now the players, who thought they had a trump card of their own in Judge Doty when they decided to reject the owners’ proposal last Friday and decertify, just took one on the chin themselves by getting Judge Nelson to oversee their case.

      Thus far, neither side is winning and I love it.

      External Sports, NFL

      In a pool that rewards upsets? Try these on for size…

      March 14, 2011 /
      North Carolina Tar Heels forward Harrison Barnes (L) and Clemson Tigers guard Tanner Smith (R) fight for a loose ball during their NCAA men’s basketball game at the 2011 ACC Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina March 12, 2011. REUTERS/Chris Keane (UNITED STATES)

      I outlined all of my picks in my annual “Need help with your March Madness bracket?” column, but I know that there are more than a few of you out there in pools that emphasize picking upsets by rewarding points based on seed, and that can change things rather significantly.

      In addition to the upsets I’ve already outlined — Marquette, Richmond, Old Dominion, Utah St. and Michigan St. — here are a few more to consider:

      1. In addition to Old Dominion, pick #9-seeds Tennessee and Illinois. All of the 8/9 games are toss-ups, so we might as well go for that extra point. The only #8-seed that I like a lot is George Mason, so stick with the Patriots.

      2. Take all four #12-seeds. I already have Richmond and Utah St. advancing, but there’s a good chance that West Virginia (vs. Clemson?) and Arizona (vs. Memphis) fall as well. ESPN’s Giant Killers blog thinks Memphis has a good shot to upset Arizona, and the Mountaineers are only a 2.4-point Sagarin favorite over Clemson, so it’s not worth taking the favorite.

      3. Take Belmont over Wisconsin. I really wanted to make this pick in my official bracket, but the Badgers’ advantage is just outside the 3+ margin needed for confident (~80%) pick. The Bruins are #18 in Pomeroy Pythagorean rating and #27 in Sagarin rating so they are much better than their seed would indicate.

      4. In addition to the Spartans, take #10-seeds Florida St. and Penn St. The only #7-seed I really like to advance is Washington, which is this year’s metrics darling. The Seminoles and Nittany Lions are in pick’em games, so we might as well go with the underdogs.

      5. In addition to Marquette, take #11-seeds Gonzaga and Missouri.       Again, these two teams are slight underdogs, but represent a 5-point bonus, so it’s better to take the bigger seed.

      Complete list of first round upsets: Clemson (assuming they beat UAB), Marquette, Tennessee, Memphis, Missouri, Penn St., Illinois, Richmond, Florida St., Old Dominion, Utah St., Belmont, Gonzaga, Michigan St.

      In the second round, I’d take Washington over UNC, Georgetown over Purdue, Belmont over Utah St., Gonzaga over BYU and Michigan St. over Florida.

      In the Sweet Sixteen, I’d pick Washington over Syracuse, Texas over Duke, Georgetown over Notre Dame and Michigan St. over Gonzaga. Those would be the final upsets that I’d pick in this format. I still think we have a great chance to see three or four #1 seeds in the tournament…but anything can happen. (See how I covered myself there?)

      College Basketball, External Sports, March Madness

      The purchase of Strikeforce a major landmark in MMA history

      March 14, 2011 /

      As HeavyMMA.com points out, Zuffa’s purchase of Strikeforce moves us one step closer to seeing the best fighters in the world competing against each other.

      There are seminal moments is everyone’s life where they remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when something historic happened.

      Saturday morning, I was sitting at the desk in my office, working on a piece for UFC 128 when the news broke that Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, had purchased Strikeforce.

      Think I’m over-extending by calling this move historic? Think again.

      While UFC President Dana White repeatedly told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani “it’s business as usual” in the video interview that broke the news to the masses, the truth is that this deal dramatically changes the landscape of mixed martial arts moving forward. The two premier organizations in MMA may continue to run as separate and distinct entities for now, but the business of mixed martial arts has forever been changed by this announcement.

      Read the full article.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

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