Sunday, July 5 3:43 pm PT: If you thought that having a perennially elite lightweight like Joachim Hansen, and a former ADCC champion like Jon Olav Einemo would enamor Norway with MMA, you thought wrong.
It seems every few months, the Norwegian media finds some sort of story on MMA. At best, they depict outstanding competitors like Hansen and Einemo as questionably legitimate athletes fighting for acceptance in an underground sport. At worst, MMA is decried as an anti-social pseudo-sport that is somehow at odds with the country's rich social welfare.
This eyeroll-inducing tale falls into that latter category. After all, Norway is one of the few remaining countries in the world in which professional boxing is still banned. The others include Iceland, Iran, Cuba and North Korea.
Sunday, July 5 1:00 pm PT: Spike TV will kickoff UFC 100 week tonight at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) with the debut episode of “UFC’s Ultimate 100: Greatest Fights.”
Sunday’s episode will be the first of five, which count down the top 100 bouts in UFC history with select highlights from each fight. New volumes will air July 6-8, and will conclude with the final chapter directly before Saturday’s live pay-per-view.
Here’s a deserving beatdown that is likely to fall just short of centennial mention by the UFC.
If you have been watching the sport for more than five years, surely you have reenacted this scene on an unfortunate pillow or two. I know I sure have. 16 punches and 10 elbows from Smith made a bloody mess of his opponent, a self-proclaimed “ninja” from Arlington, Texas. You may have been left off Spike’s list, Mr. Smith, but cheers to you for making grown men everywhere throw haymakers at fine bedding in your honor.
Sunday, July 5 12:00 am PT: So apparently Zuffa (UFC’s parent entity) has thrown down the gauntlet to each and every fighter who has designs on fighting for the undisputed heavyweight mixed martial arts promotion.
According to agent Ken Pavia -- as well as a handful of other reliable sources – the UFC has made it clear that anyone who signs on to be part of the EA Sports MMA game that is in development and due out in 2010, will be banned from the Octagon.
I have to say, I was completely shocked when I read… the reaction to this.
