Duane Ludwig via TheFightNerd.com Sometimes a tightly contested mixed martial arts matchup can resemble art — beneath the outward brutal, raw nature of the sport is a ballet of sorts.  Renzo Gracie describes it best when he talks of Jiu Jitsu and MMA in those terms. But MMA has also inspired other...

Yesterday being the 35th anniversary of his historic bout with Muhammad Ali that inspired the Rocky movie franchise, “The Bayonne Bleeder” Chuck Wepner found himself fielding a few calls from media over the past few days.  So by the time I got to him the other day, I expected he’d...

One of the best things about MMA is the sport’s connection to the fans.  The big events like UFC 111 in Newark involve more than just the standout card on Saturday, March 27 at the Prudential Center.  Tickets to the fights have been sold out for weeks, but there are a variety of activities that...

Here’s some great news for MMA fans.  Mike Straka, who as host of “FOX Fight Game” was one of the first “mainstream” reporters to embrace the sport, has joined HDNet and will preside over “Fighting Words with Mike Straka,” a 30-minute interview-format program. ...

One way to gauge if an entertainment entity has moved beyond its core fans to a larger, mainstream audience is to look at the products it licenses outside of the industry.  The broader and more complex the production and distribution chain, the less likely it is that a “niche” industry will...

There are certain kinds of products in which the official league or team license is essential.  Trading cards, jerseys and collectible figurines, for example, feel cheap without the official logos and marks.  For novelty items like bottle openers and coffee mugs, it might not make that much of a difference. So...

Mixed Martial Arts has exploded with popularity over the past five years and one of the more popular names in the UFC today is Brock Lesnar.  The WWE superstar turned MMA fighter is at the top of the totem pole as he holds the heavyweight belt.  Dana White recently announced Lesnar’s next challenge...

This past Saturday, Anderson Silva amazed millions as he easily defeated the light heavyweight Forrest Griffin.  With a first round knock out, Silva has most definitely secured a spot in the highly talented Light-Heavyweight division.  Silva has set a record for having 10 consecutive wins (8 in the...

UFC 100 brought absolutely everything that was expected.  From the great Dan Henderson to Georges St-Pierre to the main event featuring Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, UFC 100 had an action packed card.  There were 11 bouts featured on Saturday night, but I’m going to start off with what I see as the...

As Jose Canseco’s career is as rock bottom as it gets, he really is looking for a new nitch and for some reason, I don’t think it’s in MMA.  Two nights ago Canseco’s MMA debut took place in Yokohama, Japan against super heavyweight Hong Man Choi.  When I first watched the video of this fight,...