Novembro teve sons muito bons.

No dia 07/11, no Souza Lima Moema, rolou um trio com os amigos Abner Paul e Robson Passos Dias que ficou na minha mente. Um clima realmente especial; quem esteve por lá e ouviu pode dizer. O repertório foi de standarts. E é nessas ocasiões que temos a prova de que tanto faz o que se toca, sejam standarts ou composições próprias… É a interação, a disposição em ouvir o outro, a capacidade de tocar na forma dos temas e a sintonia de cada um com a música que fazem a coisa acontecer.

O workshop que fiz em Tatuí foi muito legal também, rolou no dia 06/11. Senti que foi uma oportunidade para todos (incluo-me, obviamente) de entrar em contato com idéias diferentes e de, principalmente, tocar juntos. Sons rolaram sem quaisquer pré-orientações, pré-combinados ou preconceitos. Toquei com vários músicos de lá, a sala estava cheia de gente boa e interessada. Foi uma tarde bem intensa de papos e sons. Agradeço ao amigo Sérgio Frigério que fez o contato, ao Júnior e todos do Conservatório e a quem participou. Façamos mais!

No dia 14/11 toquei no Matic, na Teodoro Sampaio, com Bruno Migotto (baixo), Bruno Tessele (bateria) e Wagner Vasconcelos (bateria). Essa é a formação do meu disco novo, que já está na fase de masterização. Foi muito legal, tocar com duas bateras é algo que recomendo. Tocamos músicas que estarão no disco como “Aos Poucos” (do Bruno Migotto), “Ananda Moy Ma”, “Samba dos Excluídos”, “Deixem o Coltrane em Paz”, “Chica Hermosa” e um blues que não entrou no disco. Tivemos canjas dos amigos bateristas Cuca Teixeira e Turquinho Filho.

No dia 12/11 rolou um Jazz nos Fundos com Arismar do Espírito Santo, Vinícius Dorin e Celso de Almeida. Essas reuniões são maravilhosas e climas mui locos rolaram. Curti muitas coisas e quero ouvir a gravação. Algumas das pessoas que estiveram por lá e realmente ouviram o som fizeram questão de entrar em contato depois – muito gentis.

Falando em Arismar, na quarta-feira retrasada gravamos mais três faixas do disco no qual ele toca batera. No baixo está o Thiago Espírito Santo e na guitarra este que vos escreve. É um disco de trio. Essa sessão foi muito, muito legal e energética. Não falo mais nada: aguardemos el lançamento!
E ontem, 26/11, rolou uma jornada dupla: toquei no Programa Michel Leme & Convidados com a cantora Grazi Medori juntamente com o Chico Medori (bateria), Yuri Salvanini (piano) e Karlaum (baixo). Tocamos clássicos da música brasileira e um “Summertime” tanbien. Fazia um tempão que eu não me encontrava com o Chico e o Karlaum e nos divertimos muito. A Grazi mandou muito bem e foi um clima muito legal.

Logo depois do programa, fui correndo em meio à chuva e ao relaxante trânsito de nossa São Paulo para o Clube Onne, onde toquei com os amigos Pepe Rodriguez (piano), Thiago Alves (baixo)e Serginho Machado (bateria). Tocamos standarts muito bonitos como “My Foolish Heart” e outros (não menos bonitos) superconhecidos e tocados por aí como “Song for my Father”, “All Blues”, “Well You needn’t”, “Fotografia” e “Footprints”. Climas variadíssimos, situações além de descrições e muita alegria por estar ali tocando são as coisas que me vêm à mente no momento. Em Dezembro ainda tem mais uma dessas no Clube Onne, aguarde notícias.

Vejam as fotos do evento no Club Onne!!

I don’t know if the UFC is putting on the best cards any more.  Frankly, I don’t know if they are even putting on the 2nd best cards right now.  The next few UFC events are mediocre at best.  Granted, it is not all the UFC’s fault.  Injuries have caused them to change their plans on several cards.  Initally UFC 106, 107, and 108 were going to be mega cards.  Now, I don’t know if I will purchase them.

UFC 106 was scheduled to feature a heavyweight title fight between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin, but Lesnar’s prolonged illness forced that to be scrapped.  Now the main event is a re-match of a fight between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin.  While both have large fan bases neither has won a significant fight for a while.  This fight was a solid co-main event, but not a good main event.  The card took another hit when the Ricardo Almeida withdrew from his bout with Jon Fitch.  The UFC’s answer…replace it with a fight between Phil Baroni and Amir Sadollah.  Neither guy has shown the skill to be even a mid-level fighter.  Meanwhile a few solid fights remain on the undercard.  Poor decision making by UFC.

UFC 107 was expected to feature a main event of TUF 10 coaches Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans.  That would be a big draw.  However, Jackson elected to play B.A. Baracus in the new A-Team movie rather than fighting Evans.  Not the UFC’s fault.  Their answer…Diego Sanchez vs. B.J. Penn.  I like this fight.  It is main event worthy.  However, the card lacks support.  The Fitch vs. Alves fight was booked for a few days until Alves was forced off with injury.  The Buentello vs. Duffee fight excited me, but Duffee was forced off with injury and replaced by Stefan Struve. I like the Mir vs. Kongo and Florian vs. Guida match ups though.  UFC 107 is worth my money, but I still question the UFC’s replacements.  I don’t get replacing Alves with Mike Pierce.

UFC 108 has been hurt big time.  This was originally going to be AndersonS ilva vs. Vitor Belfort, however Silva will not be recovered from elbow surgery in time.  Then this was supposed to be where Carwin vs. Lesnar was moved, but again the fight has been pushed back.  The UFC did good and found a heavyweight clash with title implications between Cain Velasquez and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.  However, serious staph infection has forced Nogueira out of the bout.  Three solid main events down, so what does the UFC do?  Make Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva the main event.  I mean come on.  I like the fight, but not as a main event.  Silva is good and exciting, but is he ready for main events?  This again was a good co-main event, but as the main event I may not order it.  The rest of the card is better than avergae.  Tyson Griffin vs. Jim Miller, Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga, Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout, Carlos Condit vs. Paul Daley. However, the card lacks a main event.

The common denominator right now is a lack of main events.  Losing Henderson and Rampage hurt the UFC.  Injuries to champion St. Pierre, Silva, Machida and Lesnar really hurt.  Several main events are on the docket though.  You’ve got Silva vs. Belfort, Lesnar vs. Carwin, Shogun vs. Machida II, St. Pierre vs. Hardy.  Perhaps November-January will stink for the UFC and traditionally big cards like their New Year’s and Super Bowl cards will be less than stellar.  However, with all these fights coming up maybe March-June will be good months. 

The bottom line is Strikeforce is ebating the UFC.  Strikeforce consistenly is putting on better cards.  Would you rather watch Fedor vs. Rogers or Ortiz vs. Griffin?  The crappy buys UFC 106 will get will answer that one.  Even Strikeforce’s Dec. 19th card is better on paper than anything the UFC has coming up.  Sorry UFC, move over Strikeforce and even WEC are putting on better cards than you.  I think they are seeing that the falure to purchase EliteXC was a mistake. 

The solution?  Better matchmaking.  Some managment changes.  Sign Henderson back.  Find better main events.  Stop making fair co-main event fights main events. WEC merger.  A big name signing.  Stop putting fights like Baroni-Sadollah on the main card. 

I have always been a huge UFC guy.  I root for the UFC to do well.  However, I think the UFC is in serious trouble and they may be uprooted as the premeire MMA organization in 2010.

Thiago Alves

   Após várias informações conflitantes sobre a luta agendada para o UFC-107, Thiago Alves vai se retirar do duelo contra o seu colega “top contender” Jon Fitch. O próprio Alves não tinha certeza de sua condição. Ele rompeu um ligamento cruzado posterior, um dos quatro principais ligamentos que estabilizam a articulação do joelho, enquanto treinava para o duelo. Não querendo deixar passar a oportunidade de lutar contra Fitch, queria tentar lutar mesmo no prejuízo em dezembro.
   Alves tentou fazer com que a luta fosse transferida para uma data posterior, mas todos os “cardfight” já estavam reservados. A lesão levaria pelo menos três a quatro semanas para curar totalmente, deixando Alves sem tempo para se preparar para um lutador do mesmo calibre de Fitch.
Ambos os lutadores vem se preparando para conquistar o título dos meio-médios do UFC, tendo como atual defensor Georges St. Pierre, número um do atual ranking, e estavam imaginando esta luta como um trampolim de volta à disputa do título.
Fitch (19-3) é atualmente o número dois na divisão dos meio-médios, enquanto Alves (16-6) é o quarto.

   Abaixo os Cards confirmados e em negociação:

Card Principal:
B.J. Penn (c) vs. Diego Sanchez — UFC lightweight title
Cheick Kongo vs. Frank Mir
Jon Fitch vs. A confirmar
Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida
Paul Buentello vs. Todd Duffee

Card Preliminar:
Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia
Shane Nelson vs. Matt Wiman
Ricardo Funch vs. Johny Hendricks
Lucio Linhares vs. Rousimar Palhares
Edgar Garcia vs. DaMarques Johnson
Kevin Burns vs. T.J. Grant

Fonte: fanhouse website

Kurt Pellegrino has been forced to withdraw from a lightweight bout with Frankie Edgar at the Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale on December 5th due to a back injury. Pellegrino will only be out about 3 weeks, but the injury has forced him off the card. A replacement is expected for Edgar.

Thiago Alves also confirmed the rumor hat he suffered a torn PCL and will be forced out of his UFC 107 re-match with Jon Fitch. The injury will not keep Alves sidelined for long as he expects to be ready to go again by the begining of the year. Fitch is also expected to get a replacement.

A string of injuries has caused UFC brass a headache in scrambling for replacements. Most notablly UFC 106 was destroyed by the Lesnar injury and the UFC idea for a replacement bout was a welterweight clash between Anthony Johnson and Josh Koscheck. The Koscheck vs. Johnson fight would have been a great replacement for the Almeida vs. Fitch fight, but not a good co-main event. Translation…UFC 106 sucks.

A ditadura estética que se formou a partir da década de 90 trouxe para a cena gay os homens bombados, de músculos definidos e depiladíssimos. Principalmente nos clubes de cultura barbie e nos lugares praianos.

Basta dar uma voltinha pela Farme de Amoedo ou curtir uma baladinha na The Week para comprovar este fato mais do que irrefutável. Possuir um pelinho cá ou uma gordurinha acolá se tornou um verdadeiro crime na comunidade gay. Frequentar academia virou uma obrigação e arrancar os pêlos indesejáveis se tornou uma verdadeira obsessão.

Aqui no Rio, a norma que não muda nunca é : malhar pesado para o verão e para o Carnaval. Exibir os músculos depilados em Ipanema ou em cima de um carro alegórico na Marquês de Sapucaí é o que há. Seu valor se mede pelos músculos.

Eu acho isso um saco! O gay tem feito desaparecer o que tem de mais interessante que é justamente as características naturais e particulares de cada tipo de corpo e, de uns tempos para cá,  tem se esforçado (literalmente) para formar um tedioso exército de clones anabolizados e depilados. Se tornaram todos iguais, quase sem identidade, seguindo o mesmo modelo estético…Que graça tem nisso?

 Mas ao que tudo indica, parece que (finalmente!) esta ditadura está com os dias contados. Não sei o que está acontecendo (talvez os homens estejam fartos desta monotonia estética), mas venho percebendo que as ceras de depilação estão saindo de cena, ainda que timidamente.  

Os corpos peludos estão saindo do armário, começando pela comunidade gay européia, como pode ser percebido nas últimas edições das principais revistas gays do velho mundo.

Conforme adiantado pelo Marcelo Cia no XXY, este mês a revista inglesa Attitude e a francesa Têtu falam exatamente deste tema. A primeira traz na capa o queridinho dos ursos europeus: o  jogador gay-friendly de rugby Ben Cohen, com seu body todo parrudinho e peludo. Veja abaixo:

E a segunda traz uma matéria falando da nova tendência estética dos gays, apontando para o fim da era dos depilados. Aqui no Brasil, a revista TPM ataca de Thiago Alvez (abaixo), jogador de volêi que também assume seus pêlos e uma barriguinha natural bastante sexy.

Será que a moda pega?

Aproveitando o assunto, que tal votar na enquete?

Ahnnn, me bloqueia?

(via TPM)

Raging Wolf Productions is proud to present Raging Wolf V – Mayhem in the Mist. This professional and amateur MMA event will take place starting at 5:30 PM October 10 at the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel Event Center in Niagara Falls, NY. There will be fourteen bouts in total; five pro events of three, five-minute rounds each, and nine amateur bouts of three, three-minute rounds.

Visit BattlePass.com to buy tickets for this event. Prices range from $50 to $125.

Promoter Jennifer Houle says fans can expect a great show with some star power. “Our events are not just fights, but a full on show.  We pride ourselves on giving the consumer the ultimate experience when they enter the room.  We use one of the nations premier matchmakers, Paul Andres, who puts together some of the best fights on the East coast.  You can expect to see numerous local and national celebrity attendees as well,” she explains.

UFC fighters Thiago “The Pitbull” Alves and Jonny “Bones” Jones will be signing autographs and taking “fist-pose” pictures from gates until showtime.  Don’t miss your chance to meet some of the biggest names in UFC!

BUT, ISN’T MMA ILLEGAL IN NEW YORK?
According to Houle, “This fight is sanctioned by the Seneca Nation Athletic Commission and is the first ever MMA event held in the Seneca Niagara Casino.  Even though MMA is still illegal in the state of NY, we hold our fights on the sovereign territory of the Seneca Nation… a resolution was passed back in August 2008 allowing combatative sports on their land.”

RISING STARS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
The main event features former WEC fighter Kyle Jensen squaring off against former UFC fighter Yves Edwards.  The co-main event features female fighters Molly Helsel of Oceanside, CA and Alexis Davis of Port Colborne Ontario, Canada.  These two women will be competing for the first ever Raging Wolf flyweight title belt.

LOCAL GYMS REPRESENTED:
ATT, Victory MMA, Dayboll Jui Jitsu, Buffalo BJJ

CONNECT WITH THESE PROMOTERS ON THE WEB:
Facebook

MySpace

RagingWolf.com

Want to highight your event on the BattleBuzz Blog and the BattlePass Network of Partner sites?List your MMA event on BattlePass.com today – it’s free, and it’s powerful.

Thiago Alves: Beware of the new ‘Pitbull’ on Dec. 5: “

Props: Tatame.com

Quoteworthy:

“You’re gonna see a different Pitbull. You didn’t see my wrestling and my ground game, because I didn’t have an opportunity to use it, and I feel that my career started after this last fight… I grew up a lot as a person and as a fighter, I’m recharged and I’ll get what I want, the belt. I’ll fight at December 5. I have an opponent, but I can’t say yet.”

Former number one welterweight contender Thiago Alves talks about his rebirth as a complete fighter following his five-round unanimous decision loss to 170-pound kingpin Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100. “The Pitbull” will have to get back in line and work his way up the welterweight ladder for another crack at the unstoppable Canadian. Who’s next? Rumor mill has him facing fellow Brazilian Paulo Thiago at the TUF 10 Finale on Dec. 5, but perhaps you want to play matchmaker in the comments section below — Jon Fitch, Marcus Davis, Dan Hardy … what showdown do you want to see?

“

Diego Sanchez, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and Shane Carwin are currently number one contenders in their respective weight classes. Who are the next title shots going to after these guys and in the other divisions?

Lightweight

Diego Sanchez currently is set to take on B.J. Penn at UFC 107 on December 12th. After Sanchez the division is a little bit jumbled. The list of those standing in line would have to be Gray Maynard, Frank Edgar, and Tyson Griffin. Those would be the obvious next in line guys. Frank Edgar is set to face Kurt Pellegrino at TUF 10 Finale, which does not seem like a number one contender bout though the winner of that bout will be right a top the divison. Following those guys you have guys like Florian, Guida, Jim Miller, Joe Stevenson, Sean Sherk and even Nate Diaz rounding out the top 10. It would really make sense to have Tyson Griffin and Gray Maynard fight for the number one contender spot. The problem is Griffin and Maynard are teammates, however they are not as adamant about not fighting one another as the AKA welterweights or the Blackhouse Light Heavyweights (Machida and Anderson Silva). The other problem with either Griffin or Maynard is that neither are a marquee name. I would say Maynard has a slight edge of Griffin to get the shot. So out of the before mentioned guys Maynard is probably next in line, but he may need one more win to get the title shot. I do not see any contenders dropping down from 170 lbs though Koscheck has threatened a drop but, not rule out a big name signing. Takanori Gomi or Gilbert Melendez possibly. They may still need a fight to get a title shot, but that would help. For nwo we will go with Mayanrd as next in line.

Welterweight

Georges St. Pierre is currently sidelined with a groin injury, but he will be ready to go again in February. The problem is that a number one contender is not waiting nor does there seem to be a number one contender match in waiting. Mike Swick and Martin Kampmann were supposed to fight for the title shot, but Swick was forced out. Swick is now ready to go and he could fight before the year is over for the number one contender spot or since Kampmann lost to Daley at UFC 103 Swick could just inherit the number one contender status and fight St. Pierre in February. I wouldn’t mind that. However, others a top the divison are Thiago Alves, Jon Fitch, Carlos Condit, Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, and even newcomer Paul Daley. Fitch is set to welcome Almeida to the division in November. Alves is rumored to be taking on Paulo Thiago in December. Condit is 1-1 in the UFC and needs a big win before he is in the mix. Koscheck is calling for Hughes and the winner of that one could get in line behind Swick. My guess is Swick gets the shot in February or fights Daley in England this November for the shot.

Middleweight

A week ago the division was jumbled. Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt both had a case for the title shot. People had discussed Georges St. Pierre moving up to fight Anderson Silva. Yushin Okami is still in the mix. However, Vitor Belfort is the new number one contender at middleweight and the greatest threat to Anderson Silva yet. In fact, I think there is an easy scenario at middleweight. Line up Vitor Belfort and have him fight Anderson in December or January and around the same time pit Dan Henderson against Nate Marquardt and the winner of that one will get the next crack at the belt. I do not know Henderson’s contract status currently or if he is keen on the Marquardt fight, but that makes most sense….really.

Light Heavyweight

Machida is the king of the division. He is set to take on “Shogun” in October, but after that what happens. UFC 107 was suppsoed to feature a number one contender bout between Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson, but Rampage’s involvement with the new A-Team movie has put that fight on hold until March 2010 or even later. I see two options. The winner of the Brandon Vera vs. Randy Couture fight at UFC 105 or the winner of the Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Luis Cane fight at UFC 106. If Machida were to lose to Shogun we could see Anderson Silva get that fight. I think Tito Ortiz has the marketability to get a shot, but he would have to win against Coleman and probably win one more. So…there is no clear contender in line now though 3-4 guys could earn that shot with a win in their next fight.

Heavyweight

Shane Carwin is next up for Lesnar. For the first time in a long time there are several potential contenders to the heavyweight crown. After Carwin gets his crack it is unclear who is next. Cain velasquez was going to take on Carwin in a number one contender match, before UFC brass decided to just give the title shot to Carwin. Therefore it would seem logical that the UFC gave the next shot to the winner of the Velasquez vs. Rothwell fight. Plus, Velasquez has a big win over Cheick Kongo to his credit. Also, some could make a case for Anotnio Rodrigo Nogueira who is coming off of an impressive win over Randy Couture at UFC 102. However, I think Nog would need one more win and a re-match with Mir would be ideal. Mir is rumored to be fighting Kongo in December, but I think it would be better if that idea was scrapped that the UFC matched Mir vs. Nogueira and Kongo vs. Dos Santos. The winner of those fights would be high up the contender list. However, I do not know if any of those guys would leap from Cain Velasquez should he get past Rothwell at UFC 104.

UFC Welterweight Rankings

Well, what can I say? Some amazing things have happened in the world of mixed martial arts.

Brock Lesnar pulverized Frank Mir to retain the UFC Heavyweight title. Seriously, who out there even posses a serious threat for Brock? None that I can think of. So, look for Brock to keep that belt for a while.

George “Rush” St. Pierre aka GSP completely destroyed Thiago Alves… which I predicted he would. So, what is left for him? Maybe a superfight with Anderson Silva sometime in the near future if both fighters keep their streaks going.

Dan Henderson knocked Michael Bisping out cold then added one more for good measure. Coming from a very strong wrestling background, I expected Henderson to submit Bisping, but Henderson outstruck the striker and no one will complain about a sweet KO.

Old school taught new school a lesson in pain as Mark Coleman beat up Stephan Bonnar. Surprisingly, I didn’t think Coleman had it in him, but you can’t trade youth for experience I guess.

In the WEC, we witnessed a 17-fight win streak come to an abrupt end as Miguel Angel Torres (who hadn’t lost a fight in 5 years) got kTFO in the first round by still undefeated (8-0) and new Bantamweight champion, Brian Bowles. Check out the fight here.

UFC 100 quickly, because it was a longer time ago – disappointed imo. Mainly because it was fairly predictable in that Lesnar simply repeatedly punched Mir and showed that he’s not going to lose to a cheap submission again, GSP vs. Alves was more or less one way traffic as expected, Henderson – Bisping was briefly entertaining, but we really don’t need to see Hendo lose to Anderson Silva again in the future, Fitch’s fight was automatic, and only Akiyama/Belcher looked to be close (and imo Belcher won the fight). We should all take a minute to laugh at Stephan Bonnar for losing to someone old enough to be my grandfather, but the card just seemed to be a case of failing to live up to very high expectations.

Then we had the whole Fedor to UFC cocktease bullshit, the deal that was reportedly offered by Zuffa was insane, and M-1 are daft to turn it down, and equally crazy if they think that they can actually build up a decent promotion based around Fedor and, er, er, help please?

UFC 101 – Penn/Florian was pretty sucky, KenFlo never really threatened to do anything, Penn didn’t gas, did enough to win all of the first three rounds and finished nicely in the fourth. Silva/Griffin was awesome, mainly because Silva just owned from the minute he stepped into the arena. Sadollah/Hendricks was finished way too early, and as a result we managed to see Aaron Riley be simply too big for Shane Nelson, who needs to get himself to the WEC ASAP. I thought Kendall Grove did enough to win the second round against Ricardo Almeida, but still lost the fight, and if Pellegrino/Neer had been aborted after 30 seconds I don’t think anyone would have cared. An undercard bout between some Australian and some other guy was entertaining enough I guess.

UFC has a few problems in creating meaningful competitive fights right now. Lesnar is well above anyone else at heavyweight, and apart from Big Nog if he can bounce back against Couture in a few weeks, or Carwin/Velasquez down the road, there’s nobody that can really challenge. GSP and Anderson Silva are streets ahead of anyone at 170 and 185 respectively, and Penn looks to be too good for anyone at 155 as well. There could be some decent action at 205, but I don’t know who can obviously beat Machida right now. At least there there is a lot of competition between good fighters who could legitimately have a shot. I don’t know what they can do about it, other than have Silva move to 205 permanently (which isn’t going to happen, and he wouldn’t fight Lyoto anyway), and we don’t need to see GSP fight Silva either. If they can’t get Fedor despite throwing everything at him, I don’t see what’ll happen. Still, I’m excited about 102, the main event does nothing for me, but Jardine/Thiago Silva should be fun, I do like Jardine’s fights even though he somewhat sucks when fighting top-5 calibre at the weight, Maia/Marquardt should be awesome, and hopefully Brandon Vera will get owned again.

Quite a lot of beers to mention, not done any festivals of late, there’s some coming up in October, including Sheffield and one at my local. Without further ado:

177 – Three B’s Bobbins Bitter (3.8%) – 6.5, full flavoured, slightly dry and fruity

178 – TSA Ben Nevis (4.0%) – 7, full, slightly fruity and malty

179 – Holden’s Lambswool (4.5%) – 6.5, not bad, has an odd slightly malty taste

180 – Cottage Box Tunnel (4.3%) – 6, slightly malty, unchallenging bland ale

181 – Cottage Metropolitan (4.7%) – 7, well balanced, touches of fruit and malt

182 – Boggart Bog Eyed (4.0%) – 6.5, bit dry and hoppy, better than other beers they make.

183 – Phoenix St George’s Flag (4.3%) – 7, moderately dry, hoppy and refreshing

184 – Betwixt Skyline (3.5%) – 5, mundane, dull and heavy

185 – Derventio Et Tu Brutus (4.5%) – 6, unimaginative and slightly heavy

186 – Three Rivers Old Disreputable (5.2%) – 7.5, dark, sweet and liquoricey, almost like a dark mild

187 – Rudgate Brandt (3.9%) – 6.5, decent if a touch too malty

188 – Wentworth Small Copper (4.1%) – 6.5, tastes full to start, but weak aftertaste, ok, rich enough

189 – Phoenix Hopsack (3.8%) – 7.5, very drinkable, dry hoppy ale

190 – Slaters Howzat (3.8%) – 6.5, dark, malty and earthy, a bit better than similar beers

191 – Slaters Top Totty (4.0%) – 8, light ale, well balanced and drinkable

192 – Ossett Pale Ale (3.6%) – 7.5, pleasant light and hoppy session ale

193 – Cairngorm Nessie’s Monster Mash (4.4%) – 7, decent darker ale, bit malty and treacley, overrated

194 – Acorn Ginger Nuts (4.2%) – 7, decent lighter ale, ginger noticable but not dominant

195 – Lancaster Amber (3.7%) – 6, slightly dark amber ale, ok but not spectacular

196 – Northumberland Northumbria Ale (4.5%) – 6.5, slightly tangy golden ale on the hoppy side

197 – Springhead Liberty (3.8%) – 6.5, standard pale ale

198 – The Brew Co Dev Cat Brewers Gold (3.8%) – 6.5, light hoppy session ale with dry aftertaste

199 – Victoria Bitter (4.8%) – 7, an almost lager-bitter hybrid that’s on the malty side

200 – Thornbridge Lord Marples (4.0%) – 6, rather malty and a bit heavy

201 – Rudgate Flaxen Dane (4.2%) – 7.5, mildly hoppy, slight dry finish

202 – Northumberland Jolly Rogers (4.0%) – 5, darkish ale with awful aftertaste

Barnett Tests positive for steroids. Affliction folds. Mayweather’s comments about boxing and mma; Cro Cop Back in UFC, after possible deal with Dream, Next fight possibly vs. Dos Santos; Frank Trigg comes back to ufc, next fight vs. Josh Koscheck.

UFC 100 Review:

Light Heavyweight bout: Mark Coleman vs. Stephan Bonnar Main card

Middleweight bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher

Welterweight bout: Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago

Middleweight bout: Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping

Welterweight Championship bout: Georges St-Pierre (c) vs. Thiago Alves

Heavyweight Championship unification bout: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir

UFC 101 Prelim Card:

Middleweight bout: Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara

Main card

Lightweight bout: Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino

Middleweight bout: Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida

Welterweight bout: Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks

Light Heavyweight bout: Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin

Lightweight Championship bout: B.J. Penn (c) vs. Kenny Florian

Pound For Pound Rankings – Top 50

UFC 100 toimus küll juba üle nädala tagasi, kuid on selge, et suurima naudingu Dan Hendersoni kõrval võttis Brock Lesnar. Mitte tingimata selle pärast, et ta kaitses tiitlit, seda harjub ta varem v hiljem tegema. Kuid eelkõige selle pärast, et ta pildil näha oleva eelmise kaotuse Frank Mirile läbi jalaluku, suutis sel korral kuhjaga heastada Miri täiega tümitades. Mir tunnistas ise ka, et lasi Lesnaril võtta olulise kontrolli ja sellise suurusega vastase puhul on see andestamatu. Küsimus jääb, et kas tal oli ka varianti seda kontrolli mitte anda. Palun ärge tehke sellest Mir vs Lesnar triloogiat, ma ei jaksa Miri mugisemist rohkem kuulata. Rohkem tegusid, vähem ärplemist. Või rohkem neid kümneid erinevaid BJJ võtteid, mida tal pidi varuks olema, kui võitlus maha läheb. See kamm, mis pärast võitlust lahti läks, oli muidugi täiesti tsirkuse moodi, aga kes Lesnari minevikku teab, siis polnud selles üleliia palju imelikku. Samas aga vaikiti kõigis MMA saadetes täiesti maha see, et miks ta prõksuma hakkas üldse. No ma ütlen selle välja, rahvale ei paistnud meeldivat tema võit ja vastava tooniga rahva ohkimine kiskus ikka täiesti käest ära. Ma saan aru, et Mixed Martial Arts maailm on sümpaatne ja seal paistab enamasti välja respekt ja viisakus, aga mida sa ohid võitja peale, kes tegi oma töö ära korralikult ja oli emotsionaalselt rahul sellega, et mugiseja nimega Mir kotti sai? Mõttetu publik. Ausalt öeldes oli näpu näitamine ainus asi, mis omale ka seda vaadates pähe tuli. “Keep booing, I like it!” vastas Lesnar publikule. Just täpselt seda minagi. Ma tõesti ei saa aru, miks see maha vaikiti ja kõik räägivad ainult sellest, kuidas MMA mainele kahju tehti ja nüüd on raskem mainstream publikut saada. Jutuks hea küll.

Teine ekstra õnnelik mees on muidugi Hendo, kelle Ultimate Fighter 9 hooaeg ei õnnestunud eriti. Ja seetõttu Ameerika publik eriti õnnelik oli, kui UK oma mees Bisping tubli töö ära tegi, et Hendo paremat kätt lihtsal moel rõõmustada. Isegi nii hästi, et seda sai 2 korda järjest kasutada, sellest hoolimata, et Bisping esimesest löögist tõenäoliselt paar südamelööki vahele jättis ja siis teises ilmas tarkadega vesteldes maha kukkus ning uuest löögist juba vaevalt midagi teadis. Küll aga teadis oma lööki tehes Hendo väga hästi, et see paneb mehe suu tõesti kinni ja tõenäoliselt tekitab ka kerge (v raske) ajukahjustuse. Oli see sportlik? Esmapilgul küll mitte, sest kuigi on olnud juhuseid, kus lõpetamata jäänud kustutamine tähendab kaotatud võitlust, sest nokki löödu suudab toibuda, siis antud juhul Hendo ise teatas õnnelikult, et ta teadis täpselt mida tegi. Noh, mis siis ikka Hendo, Palju Õnne. Sa meeldid mulle ka ja anna ikka takka, kui mees juba teadvuseta.

The UFC paid out $2,190,00 in disclosed saleraries and bonuses for Saturday’s UFC 100 show, with the victorious Brock Lesnar, Georges St. Pierre, and Dan Henderson taking home just over half of the total. Lesnar and St. Pierre also earn a percentage of the pay-per-view revenue, which isn’t reflected in the list below; according to MMA Junkie, Lesnar will make about $3 million from the fight even before the majority of his sponsorship money is tallied. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. The salary figures are below:

- Brock Lesnar: $400,000 (no win bonus)

- Georges St. Pierre: $400,000 (includes $200,000 win bonus)

- Dan Henderson: $350,000 (includes $150,000 win bonus, $100,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)

- Yoshihiro Akiyama: $160,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus, $100,000 Fight of the Night Bonus)

- Michael Bisping: $150,000

- Alan Belcher: $119,000 (includes $100,000 Fight of the Night Bonus)

- Tom Lawlor: $116,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus, $100,000 Submission of the Night bonus)

- Mark Coleman: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus)

- Jon Fitch: $90,000 (includes $45,000 win bonus)

- Thiago Alves: $60,000

- Dong Hyun Kim: $58,000 (includes $29,000 win bonus)

- Frank Mir: $45,000

- Stephan Bonnar: $25,000

- Jim Miller: $22,000 (includes $11,000 win bonus)

- Mac Danzig: $20,000

- Jon Jones: $18,000 (includes $9,000 win bonus)

- C.B. Dollaway: $14,000

- Jake O’Brien: $13,000

- Shannon Gugerty: $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus)

- Paulo Thiago: $8,000

- Matt Grice: $7,000

- T.J. Grant: $5,000

- Cagepotatoe

Georges St. Pierre is so respected by his “peers” that they even turn out to help him celebrate their own failures. Details are available on GSP’s latest Yardbarker blog -

The next day I went at a pool party at Rehab with all my friends who came to support me. We had a booth (cabana) and it was great spot in the place. I drank so much that I forgot my whole name. It was very cool because at one time, Thiago Alves showed up with his entourage and came in my booth (cabana) and drinking with me and congratulate me for the fight. I thought he was a class act and that prove that he was a real professional athlete and a real good person and a gentleman. I really appreciated it, he’s a great fighter and also a great gentleman, and we had a good time drinking together.

Now that’s respect. Not to mention awesome. It’s just like the promotional video they shot, but instead of wanting to fight, they wanted to cheer each other on at the ice luge. After they got done doing body shots (presumably) another of GSP’s chief rivals stopped by to celebrate.

John Fitch showed up as well, and we celebrate together our victories.

This is a great story.It speaks volumes about the character of GSP, Alves and Fitch. You can bet Frank Mir didn’t share a Coors Light with Brock Lesnar on Sunday afternoon. I doubt Michael Bisping bought Dan Henderson a pint the next day – and that’s assuming Bisping knew where he was.

Of course, contenders weren’t the only visitors…

Shonie Carter came a little bit later with a gold speedo and a hat and a cane dressed like a pimp with his cane.

Read the entire entry to see just how smashed the Welterweight champ got Sunday and about his final preparations for the fight.

The blog comes via… two basketball bloggers? This story just keeps getting weirder. Oh, they’re Canadians. I get it. So yeah, via @jeskeets and @TasMelas.

My pick Results for UFC 100: 7/11 (64%)

My Money Picks for UFC 100: 0/1

Favorites Record (by internet odds): 7/1 (there were 3 fights I didnt catch the odds to)

My Picks Totals (since UFC 97): 31/45 (69%)

My Money Picks Total (since UFC 97): 9/13 (69%)

Favorites Record Since UFC 97: 29/43 (67%)

Brock Lesnar beat Frank Mir for the UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Title

Lesnar wins by technical knockout at 01:58 in Round 2

Lesnar: BU-240 (71%), SB-215 (68%)    (07/06/09)

                 PO+130 (43%)

Mir: BU+190 (34%), SB+175 (36%)     (07/06/09)

          PO-150 (60%)

  Ok, I admit I over-estimated Mir.  I don’t think I really underestimated Lesnar though.  I knew that Lesnar has the ability to smash pretty much anyone.  But, I did think Mir was going to be able to neutralize Lesnars size and brute force with technique and MMA know-how.  I was wrong.

When Lesnar was laying on top of Mir in the first round with Mir in a half head lock smashing Mir’s face I thought, this isn’t good.  When the round ended and half of Mirs face was already smashed up, and Mir could do absolutely nothing with the huge mass of meat that is Lesnar, I knew then that Lesnar was going to finish the fight in the second round.

Lesnar proved that he is the undisputed Heavyweight champ, and that anyone that gets trapped under his insanely huge body mass is as good as dead.  I would really like to see Lesnar against the winner of Carwin or Velasques, but I can say one thing it will be a while before I go against Lesnar.

Georges St.Pierre beats Thiago Alves by Unanimous Decision

St.Pierre wins by unanimous decision after 5 Rounds. 

Judges scores: 45-50, 44-50, 45-50

St.Pierre: BU-300 (75%), SB-285 (74%)     (07/06/09)

                     PO-300 (75%)

Alves: BU+220 (31%), SB+225 (31%)     (07/06/09)

              PO+220 (31%)

St.Pierre is in the process of building his legacy as possible the best Welterweight champ ever.  St.Pierre has two wins over Matt Hughes who probably still in some eyes is the best Welterweight champ ever.  But, it’s now impossible to ignore the level of competition that St.Pierre has beaten, and the relative ease that he has done it with.

Alves seemed to be a very game opponent.  He’s big, made weight, and seemed to be well conditioned even in the later rounds against St.Pierre.  And yet, St.Pierre pretty much walked right through Alves.  The fight was extremely one-sided.  Pierre is simply at a level never seen before in the Welterweight division, and probably all of MMA.

I get excited at the possibility of a St.Pierre/Silva fight.  But, a lot needs to happen before that would become a reality.  Silva undoubtedly needs to beat Forrest Griffin (Silvas next opponent).  Also, St.Pierre needs to recover from a groin injury suffered during the Alves fight.  But, if the UFC can get the match made and done right, then it would probably be the best matchup in the history of MMA.  At least in the regards that the two pound for pound best fighters in MMA history would be fighting one another, for the title of best MMA fighter ever!  How cool would that be?

Lastly, I have to mention I got this one right, St.Pierre did win by unanimous decision just like I thought he would.

John Fitch     vs     Paulo Thiago

Fitch wins by unanimous decision after 3 Rounds

Fitch: BU-450 (82%), SB-365 (78%)     (07/06/09)

             PO-350 (78%)

Thiago: BU+325 (24%), SB+285 (26%)          (07/06/09)

                 PO+310 (24%)

 Well, Fitch took this one by purely out grappling Thiago.  Ultimately it was really impressive to see how good Fitch’s jiu-jitsu is.  Fitch handled Thiago (a specialist on the mat) with composure and confidence.  Although Fitch did not submit Thiago it was still a quality performance.  Fitch wouldn’t knock Thiago out as I though he might, but he did win as I figured he would.

Dan “Hendo” Henderson     vs     Michael “The Count” Bisping

Henderson wins by knockout at 03:20 in Round 2

Henderson: BU-225 (69%), SB-225 (69%)      (07/06/09)   

                        PO+165 (38%)

Bisping: BU+175 (36%), SB+185 (35%)     (07/06/09)

                 PO-185 (65%)

  I have to admit despite picking Bisping to win, I’m not really dissappointed with Henderson knocking Bisping out.  I don’t really care for Bispings personality. 

 I think that if Bisping was able to avoid the big shot he would have won the fight based on points.  I also think that my odds may still have been pretty reasonable.  How many times does Henderson catch Bisping if they fought a lot.  I think Bisping would avoid the big shot more often than getting hit with it.  It just so happens that this time he got caught with it, and I mean he took the full fist straight on the chin.

Henderson did show me one thing though, he still has plenty of power in those hands. 

Yoshihiro Akiyama     vs     Alan “The Talent” Belcher

Akiyama wins by split decision after 3 Rounds

Akiyama: BU-300 (75%), SB-340 (77%)     (07/06/09)

                      PO-150 (60%)

Belcher: BU+220 (31%), SB+260 (28%)     (07/06/09)

                  PO+150 (40%)

 This was a very entertaining fight, and it would actually be awarded fight of the night honors.  The fight was a back and forth battle, with Akiyama taking the split decision.  The fight statistics show however that Akiyama did out strike, and out wrestle Belcher. 

I think that Belcher definately won some fans with his performance, and despite the loss I don’t forsee the UFC cutting him.  Belcher showed that he is still improving as a fighter. 

I thought there was a possibility that  Akiyama would submit Belcher, but really I thought Akiyama would get the decision.  I also had mentioned that it could be a split decision, but I figured on a unanimous one.  I wasn’t too far off.

Mark “The Hammer” Coleman   vs   Stephan ” American Psycho” Bonnar

Coleman wins by unanimous decision after 3 Rounds

Coleman: BU+250 (29%), SB+250 (29%)     (07/06/09)

                     PO+560 (18%)

Bonnar: BU-350 (78%), SB-325 (76%)     (07/06/09)

                  PO-550 (85%)

 The old man did it.  Coleman definately proved me wrong.  I thought he would never win another fight in the UFC again.  I truly thought that the talent level of the UFC had passed the aging Coleman by.  I would like to think that Bonnar was out of shape, or took Coleman too lightly.  But, Bonnar didn’t appear to be out of shape at the weigh-ins, and I don’t think Bonnar is the type of guy to take anyone too lightly.

All and all it was a good win for Coleman, and once again I’m not too disappointed with getting this one wrong.  It was kind of a nice surprise to see he could still hang with the young guys.  Congrats Coleman.

Jon “Bones” Jones     vs     Jake “Irish” O’Brien

Jones wins by submission (guillotine) at 02:43 in Round 2

Jones: BU-450 (82%), SB-500 (83%)     (07/06/09)

              PO-410 (80%)

O’Brien: BU+325 (24%), SB+300 (25%)     (07/06/09)

                PO+325 (24%)

 Jones did what everyone thought he was going to do, win.  Jones just keeps moving up the board, its exciting to think of where this kids potential will end.  This win doesn’t surprise anyone I don’t think, but it does give Jones more experience and more confidence.  I can’t help but feel that the UFC is grooming this kid.  I would really like to see him fight on regular tv for free, get this kid some exposure.  Jones didn’t deliver the first round knockout like I predicted though.

Dong “Stun Gun” Hyun Kim     vs     TJ Grant

Kim wins by unanimous decision after 3 Rounds

Hyun Kim: BU, SB

                       PO-300 (75%)

Grant: BU, SB

              PO+220 (31%)

  Well, I thought Kim would be able to finish Grant off in the first round.  Instead Kim would leave with a decision victory.

Mac Danzig     vs     Jim Miller

Miller wins by unanimous decision after 3 Rounds

Danzig: BU+160 (38%), SB+160 (38%)     (07/06/09)

               PO+160 (38%)

Miller: BU-200 (67%), SB-200 (67%)     (07/06/09)

               PO-200 (67%)

 I did not see this fight, but I heard it was pretty good.  Danzig got bloodied up, but kept fighting hard.  I read that it was a pretty good grappling match.  I think that Miller was too strong and athletic for Danzig.  Danzig is not a bad fighter, in fact he is a very technical fighter.  I think Danzig just lacks the quickness and talent to be really successful at this level.

I hit the nail on the head with this prediction.  I predicted Miller would win by unanimous decision, and that there would be some impressive grappling.  I was right on both counts.

CB “The Doberman” Dollaway     vs     Tom “Filthy” Lawlor

Lawlor wins by submission (guillotine) at 0:55 in Round 1

Dolloway: BU, SB

                     PO-120 (55%)

Lawlor: BU, SB

                PO+110 (48%)

 I guess by the way it sounds, Dolloway went in for a takedown and Lawlor locked in a guillotine right away.  That was pretty much the whole fight. 

I knew that Lawlor had a good chance of winning as evidenced by my winning percentage I gave him.  Lawlor is a very good fighter, probably better than people give him credit for.  Dolloway is also a very good fighter, but he also seems to be one of those guys that will never reach his full potential.  He just can’t seem to put it all together.

I would like to see Lawlor fight again, perhaps in a main event, or co-main event on a fight night.  I think Lawlor is still getting better as a fighter, and I think he could be right around the top of the division some day.

Matt “The Real One” Grice     vs     Sannon Gugerty

Gugerty wins by submission (guillotine) at 02:36 in Round 1

Grice: BU, SB

              PO+160 (38%)

Gugerty: BU, SB

                 PO-180 (64%)

I predicted a second round submission win for Gugerty, but he decided to just finish it in the first round.  Assuming Grice doesn’t have any more fights on his contract, I don’t anticipate seeing any more of Grice in the UFC.  Gugerty was able to get a much needed victory, and we will see him again.