HeavyMMA.com recaps media day for UFC 119:

UFC 119 is just around the corner, and today main event fighters Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Frank Mir will sat down with the media to discuss their upcoming heavyweight clash. Check out the recap of today’s call.

1:05: Mir says his opinion of Cro Cop is the same now as it always has been. He believes that his striking is very dangerous, but is not very concerned with his submission game. Also includes that Mirko would prefer to keep the fight standing.

1:07: Mir is then asked about where he would be most comfortable. Mir says he is comfortable anywhere the fight may go.

1:09: Filipovic says that he doesn’t want short preparation to be an excuse. He also claims that he is completely prepared.

1:10: Mir is asked about his increase in size. The former champion says that he is continuing to do the same things he has been doing and is anywhere between 250 and 255 pounds.

1:11: The UFC is traveling to Indiana and will be experiencing a new market, to which Mir says he is honored to be a part of. Cro Cop addresses how this is the first main event he has been in for the UFC, saying that he is excited for the opportunity.

Read the full article here.

As E. Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com writes, it’s much more difficult for a fighter to finish a bout than you might think.

If you want to see every fight finished, go play Mortal Kombat.

The glorious game of my teen years, Mortal Kombat stood a beaten opponent in front of you, wobbling back and forth, offering visual and auditory encouragement to “Finish Him!”

If you knew the right controller combinations, your merciless martial artist could end the beating in impressive fashion. If you were like me, you tried to do something cool and ended up just punching the guy in the face, a move that should have been accompanied by the sound of Pacman dying to add to your embarrassment.
As much as some fans think of mixed martial arts as the closest we’re ever going to legally come to witnessing Mortal Kombat in real life, the cries of “finish him” that rain down during every fight can’t be satisfied with a button-mashing chain of commands.

Read the entire article here.

E. Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com discusses BJ Penn’s legacy following UFC 118.

Heading into his second meeting with Frankie Edgar, fans and critics anticipated a more focused, more aggressive B.J. Penn to step into the cage. They believed their first fight was perfect storm of Edgar fighting a strategic battle on a night that Penn looked off, and that the man widely considered the greatest lightweight of all-time would show the skills that earned him that distinction in the first place.

Nothing changed.

Penn looked very much like the fighter who stood across from Edgar in Abu Dhabi; glossed over and searching for answers, Penn was once again beaten to the punch, taken down and dominated en route to his second consecutive lose to the new ruler of the lightweight division.

Read the full article here.

E. Spencer Kyte breaks down 10 things that HeavyMMA.com learned from Strikeforce Houston.

Down with the King
Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante ended “King Mo” Lawal’s reign, delivering on the promise that was seemingly washed away when he failed to prepare and lost to Mike Kyle last year.

Always viewed as a dangerous striker, “Feijao” backed up the description, catching Lawal with power early in the third round. He credited the loss to Kyle with helping him refocuses and take his preparation more seriously, and it showed, as he handed the previously unbeaten champion the first loss of his career.

Increased Possibilities
The changing of the guard at the top of the 205-pound division will actually allow Strikeforce greater movement in matchmaking. Unlike Lawal who had expressed no interest in fighting friend and occasional training partner Renato “Babalu” Sobral, “Feijao” has no such allegiances.

As much as Mike Kyle wouldn’t be a title contender anywhere else, he holds a win over the new champ and a rematch is an easy pairing. Others like Dan Henderson and Gegard Mousasi could be considered as well.
Lawal is still a charismatic option on any future event, and being bumped back in the pecking order makes it easier to utilize him against the middle tier talent the division holds. While no one will probably officially agree, this result works out well for the San Jose-based outfit.

Read the full article here.

Nate Lawson of HeavyMMA.com details the issues Thiago Alves has had with his weight class.

Thiago Alves has had a rough go as of late.

His fight with Jon Fitch had been pushed back several times due to injury and a career-threatening diagnosis earlier this year.

And when he finally had the opportunity to fight Fitch this past weekend at UFC 117, the oversized welterweight failed to make weight and elected to take the 20% cash penalty off of his guaranteed money to avoid cutting the final half-pound necessary to avoid consequences.

Alves was adamant leading up to the fight about how he would have no problem making weight. Members of his team were stating that he would be fine and Alves himself posted a picture on Twitter with a comment suggesting that the weight cut was not going to be a problem.

However, it was still hardly a shocker when Alves hit the scales overweight, electing to take the fine as opposed to attempt and lose the measly half-pound.

Read the entire article here.