Saturday MMA Review: 8/15

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

– At last weekend’s UFC 101 show, Anderson Silva got his balls back with a stunning knockout of Forrest Griffin and BJ Penn taught Kenny Florian a very painful lesson.

– Brian Bowles scored the upset of the year with his shocking first-round KO of WEC bantamweight ruler Miguel Torres. Unfortunately, Bowles got paid peanuts for the win, and broke his hand in the process.

– Inspired by Nick Diaz’s marijuana-related screwjob of Strikeforce, we counted down the 10 most cursed MMA events of all time.

– The UFC has recently been stockpiling crusty old-timers, including Vladimir Matyushenko and Phil Baroni. Can a “Veterans” season of The Ultimate Fighter be far behind?

– We took a look at some classic MMA moments, crudely recreated in MS Paint.

– Notorious MMA steroid abuser Josh Barnett sold his last shred of dignity in a freaky pro-wrestling bout in Japan.

– Hit up CagePotato.com starting tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET for our liveblog of “Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg.” Get familiar with the card by reading our interview with Cris Cyborg, some last-minute betting advice, as well as our always provocative “Ben vs. Ben” debate.

Follow the Scores Report editors on Twitter @clevelandteams and @bullzeyedotcom.

Saturday MMA Review: 8/8

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

– Russian heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko told the UFC to get stuffed, and signed with rival MMA promotion Strikeforce. As you can imagine, Dana White wasn’t too happy about this.

– James Irvin officially became the most cursed MMA fighter in history.

– Josh Barnett’s latest steroid bust, which single-handedly destroyed Affliction’s MMA promotion, actually saved the sport of mixed martial arts.

– Speaking of ‘roids, BJ Penn is pretty sure that Georges St. Pierre uses them, because how else would you explain his physique? You know, other than genetics and hard work…

– Sengoku’s featherweight grand prix finals turned into a clusterbang of injuries and racism.

– Former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski may have attempted suicide after two straight knockout losses.

– Busty French-Canadian ring girl Edith Labelle exited the UFC under mysterious circumstances. Rumor has it, she was too drunk to work UFC 100 last month.

– Swing by CagePotato.com Saturday night starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT for our liveblog of the UFC 101 pay-per-view broadcast. You can get familiar with the card by reading this debate on the major topics of the event, and our always-helpful gambling advice. And remember: This ain’t Las Vegas, and it ain’t New Jersey. This is Philly.

Saturday MMA Review: 8/1

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

– In a press conference held Friday, UFC boss Dana White announced the returns of Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort, and promised to be close on another deal that will “change the UFC forever.”

– Unfortunately, getting Russian legend Fedor Emelianenko into the UFC remains a pipe-dream — and it will remain that way as long as Fedor has morons like Jerry Millen in his camp.

– Josh Barnett insists that he’s innocent of his latest steroid charge. His urine, however, is telling a different story.

– Speaking of ‘roids, we ran down every single steroid bust in MMA history, from Tim Sylvia’s ill-fated attempt to lose his gut to Kevin Randleman’s infamous “dead human or live animal” incident.

– Strikeforce’s August 15th show continues to undergo major changes, with Renato Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi brought over from Affliction’s canceled “Trilogy” card, Jay Hieron coming in to replace Joe Riggs, and Mitsuhiro Ishida replacing injured lightweight champ Josh Thomson. Luckily, Gina Carano is still looking quite healthy.

– Also in the wake of Affliction’s collapse, the UFC swooped in to rescue Ben Rothwell, Paul Daley, and Joe Lauzon’s little brother.

– Kenny Florian talked to us about his gameplan for BJ Penn, and set the record straight on that text message he may or may not have sent Penn that may or may not have accused Georges St. Pierre of greasing.

Saturday MMA Review: 7/25

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

In a week that left every MMA fan with a massive hangover…

– Affliction heavyweight Josh Barnett pissed dirty in a random drug test, and was yanked from next Saturday’s “Trilogy” Card. After a futile search for a replacement opponent, Affliction decided it would be easier for everybody if they just went back to selling t-shirts.

– Lithuanian underdog Marius Zaromskis won DREAM’s welterweight grand prix by knocking out Hayato Sakurai and Jason High on the same night.

– Strikeforce’s formerly-epic “Carano vs. Cyborg” card lost two title fights, one due to an infected hand and the other due to an unfortunate drug reaction.

– Instead of the title shot he was promised, UFC middleweight star Dan Henderson has to fight Rich Franklin again, just eight months after he beat him the first time.

– UFC old-schooler Kimo Leopoldo was discovered not dead of a heart attack. He was, and still is, 41.

– We wondered what the future holds for the UFC’s fallen U.K. poster boy Michael Bisping.

– In a sport full of turmoil and constant surprises, we can always count on Gina Carano to look hot in public.

Affliction: Trilogy? Try Affliction: Out-of-Business

Pay-Per View events for Mixed-Martial Arts have always tried to have catchy names, including Affliction: Trilogy, which was set to take place on Aug. 1. Well, after a whirlwind 48 hours, here is a better name for the promotion: Affliction: Out-of-Business.

Yahoo! Sports MMA writer Kevin Iole, who has been covering MMA for years, first reported that Affliction main-event fighter Josh Barnett tested positive for steroids just days ago. Then today, he reported that not only would the fight promotion cancel its third MMA event, but also that it will now cease to exist as a fight promotion.

That is quite a drastic turnaround in less than a week.

Just last weekend fans were clamoring for the main-event of Affliction, which was schedule to be Barnett vs. Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor is considered one of the best fighters in the world, and was really all Affliction had going for it in promoting Pay-Per View events.

Before discussing the importance of this closing and the impact it could have on MMA and mostly, the UFC, here is a quick timeline of Affliction’s demise:

Read the rest of this entry »

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