DREAM

I am starting to think I should be eating horse meat. It is, of course, the most important part of Alistair Overeem’s diet.

In case you have not noticed, “The Demolition Man” is one big, bad, behemoth of a man. Next to Reem, young prospect Todd Duffee looked like he needed to drop a weight class.

Believe me; at 6’3” and 253 pounds, Duffee does not.

Overeem also showed us why a 6-1 relative rookie should not take fights with elite veterans on short notice.

Nineteen seconds after the bell rings, your lights are out. You are left dangling over the bottom rope.

Being a “veteran” of two fights in the UFC (getting knocked out in the second bout) does not mean you should hop into the ring with one of the best heavyweight fighters on the planet, let alone decide to stand there and trade with him.

Todd Duffee has a bright future ahead of him. Duffee is only 25 and will continue to improve. Duffee has quality boxing skills with massive power in both hands. With formidable wrestling skills, Duffee has good top control and powerful ground-and-pound.

Even with all of this going for the youthful Todd Duffee, it was clear he was too wet behind the ears for an opponent like Alistair Overeem. Duffee’s eyes showed the look of a young man knowing he was in over his head.

Duffee’s nervous energy clearly got the better of him, and Overeem wasted no time, laying vicious knees into the gut of Todd Duffee.

With his hands momentarily dropped, Duffee received a right hook to the temple, quickly followed by a monstrous left hook to the mouth, culminating in Duffee being draped over the bottom rope like a rug on a line.

With the knockout, Alistair Overeem became the DREAM Interim Heavyweight Champion. Being the one knocked out, Todd Duffee will go home with a bruised ego and a desire to raid the Excedrin bottle.

Still, I believe Duffee will lick his wounds and learn from this. No matter what, this was a no-lose situation for the Xtreme Couture prospect, and one he can certainly gain from. At this point, Todd Duffee has nowhere to go but up.

With the sport of MMA being as popular as it is today, it’s hard to imagine fighters still being screwed over by promoters.

Sadly, the sport still has a long ways to go before fighters outside of the UFC are taken care of financially after a fight.

Fresh off an exciting three round affair with Josh Thomson at this past weekend’s Strikeforce event, Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante recently appeared on TapouT Radio to discuss the bout.

Prior to signing with Strikeforce, Cavalcante fought for the Japanese based DREAM promotion. "JZ" compiled a 1-2-1 record under DREAM with a recent victory over Katsunori Kikuno at DREAM 15.

When asked if Cavalcante is able to return to DREAM or if he was exclusively part of the Strikeforce roster, “JZ” shared some unfortunate news about not being paid yet from the Japanese promotion for his fight with Kikuno back in July.

“I would like to fight in both [DREAM and Strikeforce] but DREAM didn’t pay me for my last fight with Kikuno,” Cavalcante said. “They are struggling, I don’t know what they are thinking but they didn’t pay me yet.”

DREAM’s financial situation has been out in the open for awhile.

It’s no secret that the Japanese based promotion is struggling with their finances but to not pay their athletes—the very same athletes who put their health at risk to keep your promotion alive—is completely unacceptable.

“JZ” isn’t the only fighter that DREAM hasn’t paid; in fact, Ralek Gracie still hasn’t received payments from the FEG-backed organization for his fight with Kazushi Sakuraba in May.

Cavalcante also alluded to other competitors who have received late payments.

“It happens to a lot of guys. It happened to Bibiano [Fernandes] who is a friend of mine but finally he got paid,” Cavalcante said. “It happened before with [Ronaldo] “Jacare” [Souza]. It’s sad because DREAM is a nice event in Japan so I would like to fight for both DREAM and Strikeforce. My crowd is over there [in Japan], my legacy is over there so I would like to keep fighting back and forth [between the two promotions] unfortunately it’s not going good.”

Despite the money issues, Cavalcante still wants to compete for DREAM. A majority of Cavalcante’s MMA career has been spent competing in Japan. He would like nothing more than to be able to fight both in Japan and in North America for Strikeforce.

But until he receives a check for his July decision victory over Kikuno, “JZ” is not going to fight in DREAM anytime soon.

DREAM isn’t even professional enough to give an explanation as to why they haven’t been able to pay Cavalcante. They won’t even return phone calls from Cavalcante’s manager.

“I’m not done with them but I’m not going to fight for them until they pay me, you know? Or until they come out with something to explain because they don’t even answer my manager,” Cavalcante said.

“My manager tried to call them and they don’t even answer. They didn’t come out with an explanation so I feel disrespected [by] them. I’m not looking to fight [in DREAM] for awhile.”

Ironically, fighters are often told that they can make more money competing in Japan than they can here in the states. Well, with DREAM that certainly isn’t true because clearly they aren’t able to pay their fighters on time.

Not only are they not on time with payments but they are several months late. In Japan, they are contracted to pay fighters within a month’s time after a fight. But it has now been three months since “JZ” last competed in DREAM and five months for Ralek Gracie.

“In Japan they usually pay you in one month. They have a month to pay, that’s in the contract,” Cavalcante said.

“In Strikeforce they pay you right after the event because the commission asks for the checks and everything to be paid to the commission so they pay the fighters right after the fight. So I already have my check for my fight [with Josh Thomson]. It’s really good [fighting in the U.S], you fought and you want to have your money.”

Fighters have bills to pay and families to provide for. They spend months pushing themselves to their mental and physical limits in training.

Denying these great athletes compensation for the show they put on to entertain your crowd is horrible and—to a certain extent—evil.

If DREAM continues on this path, it won’t be long before they are out of business. Hopefully, the promotion is able to turn things around because as Cavalcante said they are an entertaining show.

They always deliver with great fights and they keep that Japanese style that PRIDE excelled in alive.

But they need to get their financial situation under control and pay their fighters.

Mitch Ciccarelli is the sexiest columnist in MMA today. He is a staff writer for Heavy MMA and a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also a future United States Airman and a Jedi master. Mitch Ciccarelli uses the force every day. Do you? Follow him on twitter @mitchciccarelli

According to recent reports, The Fight & Entertainment Group (FEG), the minds behind PRIDE Fighting Championships, Sengoku, and DREAM, have been put in a bit of a financial predicament.

MMA Junkie reports that the compny's assets and liabilities are under review as an internal review has been conducted by PUJI Capital, an investment bank in Shanghai that has funded the operations of FEG.

To briefly summarize why they've struggled financially, income has decreased in a multitude of ways while expenses have increased, and thus it's been difficult for the company to pay its fighters for their performances in the cage.

The general consensus is that should PUJI be unable to raise the $230 million necessary to keep the company alive at least through 2011, the FEG could crumble before our very eyes.

What this would mean is that with the FEG on the verge of collapsing, K-1 and DREAM would also fold, while World Victory Road, the company responsible for the Sengoku Raiden Championship, and others could pick up the pieces.

Who's to say the UFC would be an exception?

Think about it for a second, in hypothetical terms:

Let's pretend you're Dana White, the man who not only picked the UFC back up when there was debate over MMA as a sport, but also turned it into the first thing people talk about when they think of MMA.

You're the reason why people unfamiliar with the sport of Mixed Martial Arts see the sport and automatically think UFC, and your company is a global phenomenon.

Abu Dhabi, Ireland, England, Texas, California, Canada, Massachusetts, Nevada, Australia—any place in the modern era that gives even a blunt penny's worth a damn about a big-fight atmosphere—you've been there and you've made yourself an impact by putting on a hell of a show.

After making such an impact in all those places, you figure still that global expansion is the way to keep the company and the sport growing, and obviously you know about PRIDE, and you know about DREAM.

Most of all, you not only know that FEG needs a bankroll on your level in order to even survive the next year, but you also remember that the crowds in Japan are some of the most reverent crowds in all of MMA.

So the question is, if you're Dana White or one of the Fertita Brothers, and you're aware of what might happen if that nine-figure amount isn't raised by PUJI by the end of the first quarter of 2011, why wouldn't you want to jump on it?

I mean, Dana white has talked about expanding outside of the U.S. to other countries, and he's already making progress with it, what with all the events he's had in the UK, plus UFC 99 in Germany, UFC 110 in Australia, and UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, not to mention the events he's had in Canada.

Of course, the UFC has not lost its feel for its American crowds either, considering that some of its most memorable events were held in Las Vegas or California.

Plus the company has had two events in Texas, its has made its mark in Memphis, touched on Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

So why not try to make Japan a regular spot for the UFC's most solid action?

The UFC has not been to the Land of the Rising Sun since the third Saturday in December of 1997, so this would actually be a return to Japan for them.

Obviously, a place like this where guys like Yoshihiro Akiyama and Yushin Okami first started off their careers would be a great area in which to expand the UFC's territory. I'm sure the fights Joe Silva could come up with for an event in Japan would make the event a must-see in UFC history.

One other reason White might consider jumping on a situation like this should FEG's troubles worsen is the K-1 and DREAM rosters.

Yeah, on the surface, it may seem like their only big name is Shinya Aoki, as everyone else is either not as established as Aoki or they're on loan to DREAM from Strikeforce, but that's not necessarily a flaw.

The UFC doesn't just take guys who have built a reputation as a big deal in other organizations like PRIDE, Affliction, and Strikeforce.

The organization realizes like we do that as talented as the top five guys in a division are, it's usually the new face we know nothing about that winds up making the biggest impact.

Sure, Aoki is one of the three best lightweights in the world right now, and the UFC would capitalize on this as much as they did on Shogun, Anderson Silva, or Rampage Jackson, but Aoki isn't all of DREAM.

There's also guys like Melvin Manhoef, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and others in DREAM now that could make waves in the UFC if White wants them.

As for the Featherweights and would've-been Bantamweights, including DREAM's Featherweight Champion Bibiano Fernandes, the WEC could have a field day with some of these guys if Reed Harris could sign a former DREAM Featherweight or Bantamweight.

Case in point: Bellator's Joe Warren, who will fight at DREAM 16 regardless of whether or not he beats Joe Soto for the Bellator Featherweight Title tomorrow night.

As for K-1, the UFC would have a good time with some of the guys from lightweight and up, because K-1 fighters usually have some pretty sick standup skills and thus would only need to incorporate some more of the ground game for MMA.

Keep in mind, while you rarely ever see wrestlers and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu aces in K-1, they do make their way to the K-1 ring and actually don't do too badly.

The other incorporation the new fighters would need, is the use of the cage in their game plan. But some fighters may not be very acquainted to the cage, so that may take time.

The bottom line here is that should FEG have to fold by the end of Dynamite! 2010, K-1 and DREAM go down with it, and thus both promotions' fighters are on the market for any organization in the world.

Unquestionably, some of these guys have left no doubt that they are the best on the Japanese circuit, and they've proven themselves to be among the best fighters in the world.

That is what you're looking for, right Dana?

You are looking for the best fights in MMA featuring the best fighters in MMA, yes?

Some of those talents you can find in DREAM, but let's not jump the gun here.

DREAM hasn't folded, nor has the FEG made it public that their last show will be the next Dynamite! show.

The FEG is still with Strikeforce, and is still holding some of that tough, top-tier talent that could leave the fans of the sport talking for a long, long time.

Don't call it a run until we get past DREAM 16, because by then the FEG could be on its way to showing hope for a run in 2011.

Should it not, however, Dana White had better pick some of these guys up, and fast.

Some of these guys are still young, and there's no telling how big they might become if they signed with MMA's biggest organization.

If FEG folds and Dana misses out, however, he could be missing out on a talent that could have been one of his future UFC Champions.

After much criticism from fans and some members the media following the loss to Gilbert Melendez, one Shinya Aoki seems to be almost disqualified out of the top 10.

“Before the Melendez fight, on Twitter, we said that Aoki wasn’t in our top four," Steve Cofield of Yahoo Sports wrote.

“Now we’re not even sure if Aoki deserves to be in the top eight,” Cofield wrote following the Melendez loss.

Even UFC President Dana White said how Shinya Aoki isn’t top 10.

“I’m interested in anybody perceives to be one of the best in the world unless it’s like some of you guys that have some of those goofy rankings that are full of s***, other than that I’m not looking for Aoki right now,” Dana White said. 

“He’s not top 10, you guys are f***ing nuts,” White finished.

No offense to Dana White or Steve Cofield, but I respectfully disagree with their opinions on Aoki.

Aoki’s wins speak for themselves as he has defeated the likes of Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez, Tatsuya Kawajiri, former K-1 Hero's champ Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante, former DREAM lightweight champion Joachim Hansen (twice), former Sengoku lightweight champion Mizuto Hirota, former top 5 ranked lightweight Vitor Ribeiro, and UFC veteran Caol Uno.

Also, Aoki defeated Akira Kikuchi twice, who is the last person to defeat former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields.

In my opinion there is also a bit of a double standard when it comes to Shinya Aoki because Demian Maia was ranked in the top 10 even before defeating Chael Sonnen and nobody contested Maia’s ranking and it still is rare you’d hear anyone debate that Maia isn’t top 10.  Aoki has more top 10 wins than Maia, and both fighters are primarily grapplers, but Maia is top 10 and Aoki isn’t?

Now to play devil’s advocate a little bit here, Aoki was ranked #1 or #2 by many sites before he fought Melendez, so I understand why many felt Aoki was overrated. However, B.J. Penn was ranked as the #1 lightweight and now that he’s lost to Edgar twice. Both times Edgar shut down Penn’s best offense. Still, there isn’t really a giant parade of fans and critics saying how Penn was overrated. Penn is given the respect as a great fighter as he deserves.

I understand White’s frustration and anger at the DREAM lightweight champion as Aoki said, “Hey Dana White who purchased Pride FC listen! The top of MMA is Japan,” following his win over Hirota. However, Aoki is still a top 10 fighter and has the wins to back it up.

Some people will say what if Aoki goes to the UFC and then list opponents who can beat him. However, the same can be said about those same opponents if they fought him in DREAM. 

Hypothetical matches don’t disqualify fighters from the top 10 rankings, and if they really did, there wouldn’t be a fighter alive that is exempt from being disqualified from the list.

In the past three years Aoki has had 3 top 10 wins and 2 wins in the top 5 of the lightweight division (Eddie Alvarez, and "JZ" Cavalcante were ranked top 5 after becoming Hero’s champ).

I’m not saying Aoki is the best fighter in the world and I fully acknowledge how one-dimensional he is. As far as dominating UFC fighters go, I don’t honestly know how he’d do because he hasn’t been there. 

What I do know is that Aoki is certainly top 10 if not top 5 based on what he's done so far in the lightweight division. On top of that, Aoki has the one of the best styles of grappling in the sport.

Six months of mixed martial arts action across the globe is officially in the books. Without further ado, here is the first-half hardware (continued).

Breakout Fighter: Marlon Sandro

 

Sandro has quietly thrown himself into the discussion of the best fighters in the world that mainstream MMA fans have no clue about.

 

One could easily argue that he is the No. 2-ranked featherweight in the world behind his Nova Uniao teammate and current WEC champion Jose Aldo. That distinction would certainly not be a stretch by any means.

 

Nevertheless, because of his impressive 2010 campaign, he is starting to build some steam on the periphery.

 

In March, he took all of nine seconds to dispose of Tomonari Kanomata with a devastating uppercut at the World Victory Road: SRC 12 event in Tokyo.

 

He followed it up with a 38-second pasting of the highly regarded Masanori Kanehara at the SRC 13 event in June.

The weapon of choice for the damaging final blow was once again a stiff right uppercut. Kanehara had to be removed from the ring on a stretcher.

 

The latter victory also crowned Sandro the new WVR Featherweight Champion.

 

Both highlight reel finishes were honorable mentions in the Best Knockout category in Part One of our first half awards.

 

Did I mention Sandro is a jiu-jitsu-based fighter first and foremost?

 

Honorable mention (in no particular order): Ben Askren, Alexander Shlemenko, Maximo Blanco, Frankie Edgar, Muhammad Lawal, Scott Jorgensen, Evan Dunham, John Hathaway, Pat Curran.

 

 

Best Comeback: Robbie Lawler over Melvin Manhoef

 

It did not take long for the viewing audience to figure out that Lawler had absolutely nothing to offer the Dutch kickboxer at the Strikeforce: Miami event this past January.

 

Instead of using his hands to set up a level change and dump Manhoef on his back, where he is notoriously clueless, Lawler was content to fight fire with fire. Big mistake. For a while, anyways.

 

For the better part of three minutes Lawler was brutalized by inside and outside leg kicks. Manhoef had him on his heels and was in full stalk mode.

It looked as if it would only be a matter of time before Manhoef would tie a ribbon on his night with one of his trademark flurries.

 

To his credit, Lawler tried mightily to maneuver as best he could, but it appeared as if he was walking on broken glass.

 

What started the final sequence was a golden opportunity that reared its head in the form of an overly aggressive Manhoef dropping his hands while trying to close distance.

 

Lawler recognized it immediately and reacted. He timed an overhand right perfectly that struck Manhoef clean and dropped him to the canvas. For good measure Lawler chased him and landed a huge left hand that put Manhoef out for good.

 

It was an absurd, gutsy, come-from-behind victory.

 

Honorable mention: Aaron Simpson over Tom Lawlor (UFC Fight Night 20), Mike Russow over Todd Duffee (UFC 114), Carlos Condit over Rory MacDonald (UFC 115), Jake Shields over Dan Henderson (Strikeforce: Nashville), Mark Munoz over Kendall Grove (UFC 112), Joe Warren over Patricio Freire (Bellator 23).

 

 

Best Event: WEC 48

 

The world’s most consistent producer of exciting, action-packed events is World Extreme Cagefighting.

 

It was no shock they pulled out all the stops for their WEC 48: "Aldo vs. Faber" event that took place in Sacramento, Calif., at the ARCO Arena. It was the first-ever pay-per-view broadcast for the organization.

 

The entire fight card was stacked from top to bottom, littered with a number of former champions and two current champions with their belts on the line.

 

The night kicked off in a major way with two preliminary fights shown for free on Spike TV as a lead-in.

 

In the first bout Anthony Pettis locked in a beautiful second round triangle choke on Alex Karalexis.

 

Then came the Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung fight. Enough said. It was our choice for the best fight so far in 2010.

 

The main card commenced with an impressive showing by Scott Jorgensen, who earned a unanimous decision over Antonio Banuelos. At the time, many thought it had earned him a title shot in his next bout, but that turned out not to be the case.

 

In the second main-card bout, Shane Roller put on a clinic with his grappling prowess and recorded a first round submission over Anthony Njokuani.

 

Heavily-favored former champion Mike Brown’s stunning first round knockout loss to Manny Gamburyan kept the night rolling along smoothly.

It left many wondering just how much longer Brown will be in the upper echelon as the wear and tear of the sport appears to be finally catching up with him. This finish garnered an honorable mention from us for the biggest upset.

 

The two title fights were icing on the cake. Ben Henderson made quick work of challenger Donald Cerrone with a first round guillotine in a rematch of their five round war at WEC 43.

 

In the main event Brazilian world beater Jose Aldo did what he always does —demonstrate how big the gap is between himself and the rest of the upper echelon in his division.  

 

Hometown boy Urijah Faber was thoroughly outclassed because of the superior technical striking, speed, and movement of Aldo.

For five rounds, he chipped away at Faber’s base until the latter could barely walk from the cumulative damage of the kicks he had sustained.

 

By night’s end, incredibly, only one out of the 11 total bouts (Takeya Mizugaki vs. Rani Yahya) was not shown on either the Spike TV or PPV broadcast.

 

One successful pay-per-view showing is now in the books, and hopefully many more will follow for the UFC’s sister promotion.

 

Honorable mention: WEC 47, WEC 49, UFC 115, Strikeforce: Miami.

 

 

*** If you missed Part 1 click here for the link. ***

 

*** If you missed Part 2 click here for the link. ***

 

____________

 

Derek Bolender is a lead staff writer for BleacherReport.com. Follow both him (@DerekBolender) and B/R MMA (@BleacherRprtMMA) on Twitter.

Six months of mixed martial arts action across the globe is officially in the books. Without further ado, here is the first half hardware (continued).

 

Best Submission: Fabricio Werdum’s triangle armbar on Fedor Emelianenko

 

For those who felt Fedor was invincible, this result had to be quite astounding.

 

More shocking than the actual result was how the fight transpired. Nobody in their right mind could have predicted the ease at which Werdum was able to pull off the unthinkable.

 

After a brief exchange on their feet, Werdum fell onto his back. It was not clear whether he was briefly stunned, simply lost his balance, or fell backwards on purpose in an effort to play possum and entice Fedor into his guard.

 

From there it was rather elementary as the usually cerebral Fedor made crucial positioning errors. His poor submission defense coupled with his careless over-aggression turned out to be a detrimental combination.

 

Werdum locked in the arm in triangle choke and Fedor was eventually forced to tap. It was a beautiful display of technical skill from the jiu-jitsu world champion.

 

It took a mere 69 seconds for “The Last Emperor” to taste defeat for the first time in nearly a decade.

 

Furthermore, it will go down as one of the biggest upsets of all-time, likely just below Matt Serra’s stunning victory over the heavily favored Georges St. Pierre at UFC 69.

 

Honorable mention (in no particular order): Shuichiro Katsumura’s brabo choke on Masakatsu Ueda (Shooto: The Way of Shooto 2), Cole Miller’s modified kimura on Dan Lauzon (UFC 108), Scott Jorgensen’s guillotine choke on Chad George (WEC 47).

 

Worst Decision: Frankie Edgar over B. J. Penn

This bit of judging blasphemy did not get nearly enough criticism due to the overshadowing “spectacle” put on by Anderson Silva in the main event of UFC 112.

 

Throughout the fight it was clear that Edgar was the quicker fighter and appeared to be more active with his constant movement.

 

That is fine and dandy until you truly examine the nature of the altercations. Penn’s counter left hook and jab were both landing clean and clearly inflicting more damage.

Edgar was no doubt the aggressor, but his punches lacked the authority needed to win exchanges and rack up points. He was simply taking more damage.

 

When the 25 minutes of action was completed the judge’s scorecards read as follows: 50-45, 48-47, and 49-46. All were in favor of Edgar, who won the unanimous decision and was subsequently crowned the new lightweight champion.

 

For reference, on fight night I scored the bout 49-47 Penn. I gave the first three rounds to Penn, the fourth round a 10-10, and the final round to Edgar.

My scoring was echoed by the folks at FightMetric, among many others. At the very least it should have been scored a draw.

 

Moving forward, this fight will likely be referenced quite often by advocates of cage-side television monitors for judges. To this day, the television audience at home still has the best vantage point.

 

Conversely, the actual paid judges have to look through a fence and around posts and cameramen. They also do not have the benefit of multiple angles or replays.

 

Lost in the dysfunction were the belt Penn had to give up and the hit his legacy was forced to endure. It was his first loss at 155 pounds in roughly 8 and a half years.

 

The good news is that he will have an immediate chance to right the wrong. A rematch is scheduled for August at the UFC 118 event in Boston.

 

Honorable mention: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira over Jason Brilz (UFC 114), Joe Warren over Patricio Freire (Bellator 23), Jamie Varner split draws Kamal Shalorus (WEC 49), Leonard Garcia over Chan Sung Jung (WEC 48), Pat Curran over Toby Imada (Bellator 21).

 

 

Biggest Upset: Fabricio Werdum over Fedor Emelianenko

 

See above. You get the picture. It was kind of a big deal.

 

Honorable mention: Manny Gamburyan over Mike Brown (WEC 48), Frankie Edgar over B.J. Penn (UFC 112), Pat Curran over Roger Huerta (Bellator 17).

 

 

*** Part 3 of 3 will feature the Breakout Fighter, Best Comeback, and Best Event. ***

 

*** If you missed Part 1 click here for the link. ***

 

____________

 

Derek Bolender is a lead staff writer for BleacherReport.com. Follow both him (@DerekBolender) and B/R MMA (@BleacherRprtMMA) on Twitter.

Bleacher Report was fortunate enough to get a golden pass into the mecca of gaming that is the E3 Gaming Expo. All of the familiar titles were there: Sonic, Mario, Assassins Creed, Call of Duty, and much more. At the expo you can’t help but focus on two letters that are synonymous with sports, entertainment, and quality. Those two letters are EA.  

EA has become the primary name in sports gaming with titles such as FIFA, NCAA Football, and the ever popular Madden series. Now EA takes the first chair in tackling the sport of Mixed Martial Arts in their new franchise affectionately named EA Sports MMA. This game includes current Strikeforce as well as some fighters from the Japanese Dream promotion.  

Fans will be happy that the controller mechanics for this game are very similar to the Fight Night controls using both analog sticks for movement as well as striking. Fans can also switch to normal button controls if they do not enjoy the Fight Night type controls.  

With the controller in hand you notice that this game is as calculated and exact as the sport that we all know and love. Striking can be crisp and quick, or wild and looping depending on the player's preference. The strikes are also based on the actual fighter you are playing with rather than general templates which makes the experience even more realistic.

Grappling and takedowns are surprisingly real in EA Sports MMA. Successful takedowns must be set up in a smart fashion unless you want to be easily reversed by your opponent. Once the fight hits the ground it becomes rather dynamic with the fighter in top position pressing the advance button and the fighter on the bottom trying to successfully time a reversal.  

The submission system for this popular title is unique to say the least.  Unlike most games EA Sports MMA stresses finesse over rapid button mashing to successfully tap out your opponent. Just as in real MMA competition if you exert too much energy attempting a submission you lose stamina leaving yourself more open to be knocked out or submitted yourself.  

With all of these positive and challenging aspects in EA’s first MMA title it was no surprise that stars gravitated to the EA Sports MMA booth. Bleacher Report had the pleasure to interview commentators Stephen Quadros as well as Pat Miletich after they got done duking it out in the digital cage.  

Dan Henderson was also in attendance playing against game developers, fans, and former UFC champion Pat Miletich. Fabricio Werdum was also present doing some digital break downs of Fedor before he shocked the world on June 26.
    
King Mo was the feature attraction as usual when he agreed to face off against an EA developer live online. “Mayhem” Miller and Mauro Renallo called the game action via satellite feed showing fans all the excitement to be had with EA Sports MMA online.

E3 was fun, as always, but also an important step for MMA by having Strikeforce compete head to head with the UFC on our favorite consoles. The game is set to release on October 22, 2010 and certainly is one title that should be on your shelf because it delivers exactly what fans want--a realistic MMA title that is fun to play over and over again.

Second from left ,was a young man, boyish in his looks and not very photgenic,  at the least , a kid himself, doing something either he loved or had to do, it matters no more.

That was a long long time ago and a very different life for many who, if had half a brain will call the greatest mixed marts arts athelete to ever grace our prescence, and yes I did say the best, better than Gracie, Lesnar, Rutten,Couture, Silva, St.Pieere,Penn and all the other countless MMA athtletes I have grown to love over the last 25 years.

As much as i called it a while back in one of my articles that the great Fedor Emilanenko would lose within the next two years I never thought that it would happen so fast.

As for sheer human born stenghth, I was just sure he would power out of that pictue perfect triangle choke but as the seconds turned into seemingly hours it was like watching the Diamondbacks beat Rivera, Douglas lay waste to Tyson, N.C State beat Phi-Slamma-JAMMA, IT WAS ,WELL UNEXPECTED!

So let the Fedor hating begin and end here. There will be no hating on this 37 year old man's heart, Fedor had the single best run in all of MMA and to that my friend I salute you.

You will fight again but I fear that you have been fighting on borrowed time for a while, unwilling to adapt to a sport that is in itself an ever evolving myriad of names, winners,losers people who fight once and realize that they are not made for the sport, and to the new breed of super heavyweights, no Fedor my main man I would like you to put the gloves down for now , call it a day, love your wife a little more, hold your girls a little tighter, not to tight,HAHA.

TAKE SOME TIME OFF! go back to the weights, the famous mountain runs that you practically invented for everyone else could use your idea to use high altitude training.

And if in a year or so you get that itch back and would like to try it again your spirit,your blood, your faith in all that is good will shine again the true MMA world would accept you with broken arms.

Even a dummy could see that the pressure was getting to you, a little sadness you could call it, not the that the blank stare hasn't always been there but it was a darker stare, like you had been on the job to long and needed a retreat.

Your face can never lie to a die hard fan, so as i sat in that jail cell trying to convince all the kids that you were the Brock Lesnar of MMA for ten plus years and then watching my first real Fedor loss with the same kids for the first time it meant so much more to me that I ate my crow, listened about Carwin, and Lesnar, and Velaquez, and then out of sight of the new breed, chuckled just a bit smiled, and continued with my fried chicken.

You have never played the fool and have shone as much class as anyone fighter I haver witnessed, genetically blessed with strength and yet eqaualized with metabolim problems, MAYBE THAT LITTLE BEER GUT IS WHY YOU HAVE BEEN MY FAVORITE FIGHTER SINCE I FIRST SAW YOU DEMOLISH SEMMY SCHILT...............GOD SPEED YOU EMPORER!