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Michigan Friday: News and Notes

Mar 5, 2010
  • A former Quality Control assistant under RR gets a job at App. State , Bob McLain: McClain comes to Appalachian from Tulsa, where he served as the Golden Hurricane’s tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator for one year. Prior to his year at Tulsa, he spent one season in special teams and offensive quality control at Michigan, his second stint under head coach Rich Rodriguez. He previously served under Rodriguez for six years at West Virginia (2000-05), the final three as an offensive graduate assistant working primarily with the Mountaineers’ offensive line and tight ends. At WVU, he helped lead the Mountaineers to three Big East championships and four bowl appearances . Funny, no word in the press release about watching off season practices?
  • Michigan has invited DaSean Martin to Junior Day . Martin is a 5'10", 190 lbs. running back and defensive back out of Las Vegas. The article talks about how much he loves USC, so it doesn't look good for him coming to A2 anytime soon.
  • Former Michigan Basketball Star Daniel Horton gets cut by a French team. He was averaging three points a game in 10 games. (HT: mgoblog)
  • Speaking of former Wolverine Basketball stars: Maceo Baston signs with Ukraine's No. 1 team. He will be a teammate of former UConn star Khalid El-Amin.
  • Former Wolverine Toney Clemons is getting some run in the Denver Press as they await his first year of eligibility for Colorado this Fall.
  • There are big wins and big loses in recruiting every year. This year, Michigan will need to focus on defensive nose tackle, offensive line, and inside linebacker as some of their major needs in the 2011 class. What is unfortunate for the Wolverines is that there is a highly rated in-state prospect at the inside LB position, Lawrence Thomas. The unfortunate part? He goes to an ABM high school. ABM = Anywhere But Michigan. So Lawrence announced his top 10 and Michigan isn't in it. Nice job Detroit Renaissance coaches! Way to limit one of your high profile players' options. Recruiting is a dirty business.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski rematch possible for TUF 11 Finale

Mar 5, 2010

*Please visit FiveKnuckles.com for more mixed martial arts media*

A light-heavyweight rematch between Stephan Bonnar (11-7) and Krzysztof Soszynski (19-9-1) is in the works for The Ultimate Fighter season 11 finale on June 19 in Las Vegas, NV, according to a report from MMAmania.com.

Bonnar and Soszynski will look to finish what they started after their first bout ended controversially at UFC 110 last month. Following two close rounds, which many fans thought they split, Soszynski was awarded the third-round TKO win after an inadvertent headbutt opened up a deep gash on Bonnar's forehead, which prompted a stoppage.

Bonnar has openly voiced his displeased with referee John Sharp for missing the inadvertent headbutt, and is currently appealing the loss in hopes that the decision is reversed to a technical draw or a no contest.

The loss was Bonnar's third straight - previous losses have been to Jon Jones and Mark Coleman. However, he is not in danger of being cut from the UFC, as company president Dana White has often said that Bonnar and Forrest Griffin would be with the UFC forever.

Bonnar and Griffin gained that comfy job security with the UFC after their exciting fight in the light-heavyweight finals of The Ultimate Fighter season 1, that garnered national acclaim and is highly regarded among fans as one of the most memorable fights in the history of MMA. The fight was also credited by White as the "most important fight in UFC history."

Bonnar has put together an even 5-5 record in 10 fights with the UFC, scoring notable Octagon wins over the likes of James Irvin, Keith Jardine and Eric Schafer; while suffering notable UFC losses to Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin (x2).

Prior to the win over Bonnar, Soszynski was handed his first UFC loss, when he was defeated by Brandon Vera at UFC 102 in August. Prior to the loss, he had won six straight fights, including wins in his first three bouts in the UFC, over Shane Primm, Brian Stann and Andre Gusmao. Two of his three Octagon wins have earned him "Submission of the Night" honors.

(Photo Courtesy of Tracy Lee)

The Post-Combine, Pre Free Agency First Round Mock Draft

Mar 3, 2010

First Round

1. STL QB SAM BRADFORD – THEY WILL EITHER TRADE OUT OF THIS PICK OR TAKE BRADFORD. ALTHOUGH, CLAUSEN PORJECTS AS THE BETTER NFL QUARTERBACK

2. DET DT NDAMUKONG SUH – NO FUC*ING BRAINER!

3. TB DT GERALD McCOY – NO FUC*ING BRAINER!

4. WSH OT RUSSELL OKUNG – CHRIS SAMUELS’ RETIREMENT SET SHANNY’S REBUILDING PLAN BACK A BIT. THE UPGRADE BY TAKING OKUNG IS GREATER THAN THE UPGRADE BY TAKING A QB TO REPLACE JASON CAMPBELL. ASSUMING THEY HAVE CAMPBELL, THEY WILL TAKE OKUNG.

5. KC S/CB ERIC BERRY – NO FUC*ING BRAINER! ARGUABLY THE BEST OVERALL, NFL READY PROSPECT IN THIS YEAR'S CLASS, THE CHIEFS ARE THRILLED HE IS AVAILABLE AT No. 5. AN INSTANT STARTER ON MOST NFL TEAMS. PROBABLY AN ALL-PRO FOR YEARS TO COME. **POSSIBLE DESTINATION FOR TRADE-UP TARGETING CLAUSEN??

6. SEA QB JIMMY CLAUSEN – CALLED A MIX BETWEEN DREW BREES AND PHILIP RIVERS BY ONE ANALYST, CLAUSEN IS REGARDED BY MANY AS THE MOST NFL READY QUARTERBACK TO COME ALONG IN YEARS, POSSIBLY SINCE PEYTON MANNING. PETE CARROLL LOST A HARD-FOUGHT, THREE YEAR LONG RECRUITING BATTLE TO CHARLIE WEIS FOR THE RIGHT TO COACH AND DEVELOP THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE, WHOSE OLDER BROTHERS RICK AND CASEY BOTH PLAYED DIV. I COLLEGE FOOTBALL. NOW, AFTER HE SPENT THREE YEARS UNDER WEIS, CARROLL IS SITTING IN A POSITION TO TAKE THE JUNIOR QUARTERBACK AND REBUILD THE SEAHAWKS AROUND HIM. **LOOK FOR SEATTLE TO MOVE DOWN, ESPECIALLY IF BOTH QB’S ARE GONE.

7. CLEV RB C.J. SPILLER – SPILLER IS A BIT UNDERSIZED, BUT HAS SHOWN THE ABILITY TO RUN BETWEEN THE TACKLES VERY EFFECTIVELY. HIS 4.28 40-YARD DASH AT THE COMBINE SOLIDIFIED WHAT MANY THOUGHT: SPILLER IS 2010’S TOP BACK. AFTER RELEASING JAMAL LEWIS, HOLMGREN IS POISED TO REUNITE THE CLEMSON PRODUCT WITH HIS FORMER TIGER TEAMMATE. **LOOK FOR CLEVELAND TO POSSIBLY MOVE UP, TARGETING CLAUSEN/BRADFORD.

8. OAK OT BRUCE CAMPBELL – WORKOUT WARRIOR. 6’5” 315 LBS. AND SHREDDED (FOR A BIG MAN)! THAT BEING SAID, I CAN’T FIND ANYONE, ANYWHERE THAT’S THINKS THE GAME FILM MATCHES HIS MEASUREABLES! THAT BEING SAID, AL DAVIS WILL TAKE HIM AND ALLOW THE MORE NFL-READY TACKLE PROSPECTS TO SLIDE DOWN A SLOT! THANKS AL!

9. BUFF OT BYRAN BULAGA – ALTHOUGH I THINK HE PROJECTS BETTER AS A RIGHT TACKLE ON A LONG-TERM BASIS, BULAGA WILL BE AN INSTANT STARTER AND ENORMOUS UPGRADE FOR AN UP-AND-COMING BUFFALO BILLS LINE. I THINK THAT OKUNG AND ANTHONY DAVIS WILL BE BETTER LEFT TACKLES IN THE FUTURE, BULAGA IS VERY NFL-READY, AS MOST KIRK-FERENTZ COACHED LINEMEN ARE. THE BILLS ARE THRILLED HE’S HERE AND BRING SOME ATTITUDE AND STABILTY TO THE TRENCHES. **LOOK FOR BULAGA TO BE A POSSIBLE TARGET OF THE CHIEFS AT No. 5 AS PIOLI AND FERENTZ ARE FRIENDS AND FORMER CO-CORKERS. IF BULAGE AND ANTHONY DAVIS ARE GONE HERE, THE BILLS COULD GO WITH DAN WILLIAMS, NT, AND GET THEIR 3-4 ANCHOR.

10. JAX CB JOE HADEN – A PLAYER CAN IMPRESS ON AND OFF THE FIELD FOR THREE TO FOUR YEARS AND SHOW OUTSTANDING MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ABILITY BOTH IN PERSON AND ON FILM. EVERY YEAR, ONE OF THOSE PLAYERS DOESN’T TEST WELL IN HIS UNDERWEAR, WITH NO PADS ON, NOT PERFORMING ANYTHING THAT IS WIDELY USED ON A FOOTBALL FIELD, AND FALLS IN THE DRAFT. THIS YEAR ITS JOE HADEN. WATCH HIS FILM. IN BUFFALO, WE SAW A LOT OF HIM THESE LAST FEW YEARS ON CBS AND ALL HE DID WAS SHUT DOWN THE OPPOSITION'S BEST PERIMETER WEAPON. HE PLAYS FASTER THAN HIS OFFICIAL 4.57, AND IF HE TESTS BETTER AT HIS PRO DAY, HE MAY MOVE BACK UP THE BOARD. HE DOES, HOWEVER, RUN THE RISK OF RUNNING A SLOWER TIME AND FURTHER DAMAGING HIS STOCK. WHEREVER HE IS TAKEN, HE WILL BE A PLAYMAKER AND WILL BECOME A PRO-BOWL CALIBER CORNER. **I HOPE THEY TAKE TEBOW HERE!!!! HAHAHA

11. DEN NT DAN WILLIAMS – WILLIAMS IS A MONSTER IN THE MIDDLE OF A 3-4 SCHEME. NOT ONLY DOES HE HAVE THE SIZE, AT 6’2” 327 LBS, BUT HE CARRIES HIS WEIGHT IN HIS TRUNK. WILLIAMS IS THE KIND OF PLAYER THAT CAN ANCHOR YOUR DEFENCE FOR 15 YEARS AND THE LIKES OF BUFFALO, CLEVELAND AND KANSAS CITY MAY ONE DAY REGRET PASSING ON HIM. DENVER GETS A POTENTIAL STEAL AT #11 AND SPRINTS TO THE PODIUM TO GET HIM!

12. MIA LB ROLANDO McCLAIN – THE ‘FINS HAVE A HOLE ON THEIR LINEBACKING CORE WITH THE RELEASE OF JOEY PORTER. McCLAIN HAS TONS OF EXPERIENCE IN A 3-4 AND HAS THE ABILITY TO PLAIN BOTH INSIDE AND OUT. INSIDE MAY BE HIS BEST POSITION, AS HE DIDN’T APPEAR TO BE TERRIBLY FLUID THROUGH HIS LOWER BODY BUT HAS RAY LEWIS TYPE OF INSTINCTS! **HADEN COULD ALSO BE A CONSIDERATION HERE, IF HE’S STILL ON THE BOARD. I KNOW MIAMI TOOK DEDENSIVE BACKS WITH HIS FIRST TWO SELECTIONS LAST YEAR BUT HE CONTINUES TO THINK THAT’S THE AREA IN NEED OF AN UPGRADE.

13. SF OT ANTHONY DAVIS – DAVIS PROJECTS AS THE BEST LONG-TERM LEFT TACKLE (SAVE OKUNG) IN THIS YEAR’S CLASS, ALTHOUGH HE MAY NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME AT RIGHT TACKLE UNTIL HE UNSEATS JOE STALEY. THE NINERS ALREADY HAVE AL DAVIS’S THANK-YOU CARD!

14. SEA OT TRENT WILLIAMS – ANOTHER THANK YOU CARD, THIS TIME FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, IS ON ITS WAY TO AL DAVIS! SEAHAWKS FANS ARE THRILLED WILLIAMS IS THERE, WALTER JONES’ REPLACEMENT IN NOW ON-BOARD.

15. NYG DE DERRICK MORGAN – MORGAN IS AN OUTSTANDING ATHLETE WITH EXCELLENT VERSITILITY. HE COULD CERTAINLY BE SELECTED HIGHER THAN THIS, CONSIDERING HIS ABILITY TO PLAY END IN BOTH 4-3 AND 3-4 ALIGNMENTS. HE HAS SPEED (4.70), STRENGTH AND SIZE (6’4” 270 LBS). I THINK THE GIANTS WILL THAKE THE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER AVAILABLE AND MORGAN IS JUST THAT, WITH McCLAIN OFF THE BOARD. **IF MCCLAIN IS THERE, THE GIANTS WILL RUN TO THE PODIUM, IN HOPES OF REPLACING ANTONIO PIERCE.

16. TENN DE/OLB JASON PIERRE-PAUL – BIGGEST BUST POTENTIAL IN THIS YEARS DRAFT (SAVE BRADFORD, ESPECIALLY IF HE GOES FIRST OVERALL). DON’T LIKE HIM; DON’T LIKE THE TITANS – PERFECT MATCH!

17. SF CB KYLE WILSON – WILSON OFFERS THE BEST COMBINATION OF SPEED/COVERAGE ABILITY/RETURN ABILITY IN THIS YEARS CLASS. HE WILL STEP INTO A PLAYMAKING ROLE AS SOON AS HE ARRIVES IN THE BAY, AND WILL HOPEFULLY BE EVERYTHING THEY HOPED TO GET OUT OF ‘PLAYMAKER’ NATE CLEMENTS.

18. PITT OT/G MIKE IUPATI – OVER 6’5” AND 331 LBS, IUPATI IS A NASTY PLAYER. HE BRINGS MENTAL AND PHYSICAL TOUGHNESS AND A BLUE-COLLAR MENTALITY. HE’S A PERFECT FIT IN THE STEEL CITY BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE LOCKER ROOM TO PREVENT HIM FROM TURNING INTO RICHIE INCOGNITO.

19. ATL S EARL THOMAS – WHILE TAYLOR MAYS HAS BETTER MEASUREABLES (SIZE, SPEED, THE “EYEBALL” TEST), EARL THOMAS WAS MORE CONSISTANTLY MAKING GAME CHANGING PLAYS ON THE FOOTBALL. HE HAS GOOD SPEED (4.48) AND OUTSTANDING INSTINCTS. THE FALCONS NEED ALL THE DEFENSIVE HELP THEY CAN GET AND THOMAS AT #19 IS EXCEPTIONAL VALUE.

20. HOU S TAYLOR MAYS – SCOUTS HAD MAYS ALL OVER THE BOARD ON HIS 40-YARD DASH (4.24-4.41). EITHER WAY, THAT’S FREAKISH SPEED FOR A MAN 6’3” 234 LBS! MAYS IS AN OUTSTANDING ATHLETE WHO TOO OFTEN LOOKS FOR THE BIG HIT. THE TROJANS DEFENCE LOST 5-6 PLAYERS TO THE NFL LAST YEAR (MAYS PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE LEFT THEN TOO) AND CARROLL ASKED MAYS TO PLAY OUT OF POSITION TOO FREQUENTLY. MAYES IS AN OUTSTANDING LEADER IN THE LOCKER ROOM AND WILL PATROLE THE TEXANS SECONDARY, STRIKING FEAR INTO THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS RECIEVERS.

21. CINN WR DEZ BRYANT – THE MOST TALENTED ALL-AROUND RECEIVING PROSPECT SINCE CALVIN JOHNSON, BRYANT CAN’T SEEM TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE. THERE HAVE BEEN RUMORS CIRCULATION THAT HE “ROLLS” 15-20 PEOPLE DEEP AND SOMETIMES REFERS TO HIMSELF IN THE THIRD-PERSON – BUYER BEWARE, OBVIOUSLY!

22. NE OLB BRANDON GRAHAM – ALL GRAHAM DOES IS PLAY IN THE OPPONENTS BACKFIELD. AFTER AN OUTSTANDING SENIOR BOWL WEEK, HIS STOCK HAS CONTINUED TO CLIMB. A TEAM LIKE THE STEELERS MAY TARGET HIM AT #18, BUT THE PATS ARE HAPPY HE’S AVAILABLE FOR THEM HERE AT #22.

23. GB OT CHARLES BROWN – NEED MEETS VALUE HERE FOR THE PACKERS. TED THOMPSON KNOWS THERE ARE ‘SEXIER’ PICKS OUT THERE, BUT WATCHING REPLAYS OF AARON RODGERS KILLED IN THE NFC PLAYOFFS HAUNT HIS DREAMS! THOMPSON QUIETS THE LAMBS BY TAKING THE FORMER TROJAN WITH TONS OF POTENTIAL.

24. PHILLY DE CAROLS DUNLAP – DUNLAP HAS TOP-10 PRODUCTION, GAME FILM AND MEASUREABLES. HE’S AVAILABLE FOR THE EAGLES AT #24 BECAUSE OF THE QUESTION MARKS SURROUNDING HIS MATURITY AND UNWILLINGNESS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. HE COULD END UP BEING REGGIE WHITE, BUT I DOUBT IT. ANOTHER BUYER BEWARE!

25. BAL OLB RICKY SAPP – SAPP PLAYED DE IN A 4-3 AT CLEMSON, BUT AFTER RUNNING A PAIR OF SUB-4.70’S AND IMPRESSING DURING POSITION-SPECIFIC DRILLS IN INDY, SAPP HAS MANY 3-4 COORDINATORS SALIVATING OVER HIS POTENTION. SAPP REMINDS ME OF ROBERT AYERS,

26. AZ OLB SERGIO KINDLE – KEN WISENHUNT IS THRILLED KINDLE IS AVAILABLE FOR HIM AFTER LOSING DANSBY TO FREE-AGANCY. KINDLE WILL CONTRIBUT IMMEDIATELY FOR THE CARDS, WHO MAY ALSO CONSIDER SAPP IF HE IS STILL ON THE BOARD.

27. DAL G/C MAURKICE POUNCEY – POUNCEY HAS BEEN COMPARD TO NICK MANGOLD BECAUSE OF HIS VERSITILITY AND ATHLETICISM. IF THOSE COMPARISONS HOLD TRUE, DALLAS WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A DOMINANT LINE FOR YEARS TO COME, ALLOWING THEM TO UTILIZE ALL THREE OF THOSE RUNNING BACKS.

28. SD RB RYAN MATTHEWS – REPLACING L.T. IS GOING TO BE TOUGH ENOUGH, BUT HAVING TO REPLACE SPROLES PRODUCTION DURING THE SAME OFFSEASON WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR AJ SMITH. MATTHEWS IS A WELL ROUNDED BACK WHO HAS THE ABILITY TO BE ON THE FIELD ALL THREE DOWNS, ASSUMING HE CAN FAMILIARIZE HIMSELF WITH NFL-CALIBER BLITZ SCHEMES/PACKAGES.

29. NYJ LB SEAN WEATHERSPOON – AT 6’1” 240 LBS, HAS THE ABILITY TO PLAY INSIDE/OUTSIDE IN A 4-3 OR INSIDE IN A 3-4. REX RYAN WILL KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY USE THIS DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKER. THE JETS COULD ALSO LOOK TO UOGRADE AT DE, WHERE THE STARTERS ARE GETTING OLD!

30. MINN DT BRIAN PRICE – THE VIKINGS KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF STOPPING THE RUN. WITH SUSPENSIONS HANGING OF THE WILLIAMS WALL (POTENTIALLY) AND PAT WILLIAMS CONSIDERING RETIREMENT, CHILLY TAKES A PLAYER THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO PENETRATE AND COLLAPSE THE POCKET AS WELL AS GERALD McCOY.

31. IND CB KAREEM JACKSON – THE COLTS NEED HELP ALL OVER THE FIELD DEFENSIVELY, PARTICULARLY IN THE SECONDARY, WHICH COULD NOT PREVENT DREW BREES FROM COMPLETING PASSES. JACKSON IS REGARDED AS A VERY INSTINCTIVE PLAYER, WITH SPEED AND STRENGTH ENOUGH TO MATCH UP WITH SOME OF THE NFL’S TOP PERIMETER THREATS.

32. NO OLB JERRY HUGHES – WIDELY REGARDED AS AN ELVIS DUMERVIL-TYPE. STRONG, COMPACT AND FAST WITH AN OUTSTANDING FIRST STEP, THE SAINTS NEED TO PRESSURE THE QUARTERBACK, AND WITH SUSPENSIONS LOOMING OVER SMITH/GRANT, HUGHES MAY FIND HIMSELF IN THE BAYOU!

Rob Emerson vs. Nik Lentz likely for UFC Fight Night 21

Mar 1, 2010

*Please visit FiveKnuckles.com for more mixed martial arts media*

A lightweight bout between Rob Emerson and Nik Lentz has reportedly been verbally agreed upon for the UFC Fight Night 21 event on March 31 at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The bout between Lentz and Emerson will likely appear on the event's unaired preliminary card. With the addition of the bout to UFC Fight Night 21's prelims, the event now has a staggering seven bouts on the preliminary portion of the event.

Emerson (9-8) is coming off of an impressive unanimous decision win over Phillipe Nover at UFC 109 on Feb. 6. Prior to the win, he lost back-to-back fights against Kurt Pellegrino and Rafael dos Anjos. The Ultimate Fighter 5 cast member has put together a 3-2 (1 NC) record with the UFC, scoring other Octagon wins over Keita Nakamura and Manny Gamburyan.

Emerson, who recently was training with UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn, has fought for an array of other notable organizations throughout his seven-year career, such as King of the Cage, Total Combat, Deep, Shooto and Pancrese.

Lentz (17-3-2) is currently on a 10-fight winning streak, which includes a draw with WEC veteran Kyle Jensen, as well as wins over Dan Loman, UFC veteran Drew Fickett and Rafaello Oliveira in his UFC debut in September at UFC 103. The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy product most recently fought to a draw with Thiago Tavares at UFC Fight Night 20 in January.

Lentz has been competing professionally since August 2005, while fighting for notable promotions such as Extreme Fighting Xtreme, Xtreme Fighting Organization, Extreme Challenge and Extreme Beatdown.

The Spike TV televised UFC Fight Night 21 event is the third UFC event in the month of March, and will also serve as a lead-in for the debut episode of The Ultimate Fighter 11.

The event is headlined by a very interesting lightweight match up between former title contender Kenny Florian and former Pride champion Takanori Gomi. In addition, TUF 10 winner Roy Nelson will take on rising prospect Stefan Struve in a heavyweight bout set as the night's co-featured bout.

Rafaello Oliveira steps in to face Andre Winner at UFC Fight Night 21

Feb 27, 2010

*Please visit FiveKnuckles.com for more mixed martial arts media*

AMA Fight Club's Rafaello Oliveira will make his third appearance in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 21 in March, as he will fill in for the injured Cole Miller to face Andre Winner on the preliminary portion of the card. News of the change was first reported by MMAWeekly.com.

Miller is reportedly dealing with an undisclosed injury and there is no timetable yet for his possible return.

Miller was looking to build off a first round submission victory over Dan Lauzon at UFC 108 on January 2. The performance earned Miller "Submission of the Night" honors and moved him to 3-1 in his last four bouts, with his lone loss over that stretch coming in his previous bout against TUF 8 champion Efrain Escudero at UFC 103 in September.

Oliveira (10-2) is 4-1 in his last five bouts, most recently scoring a unanimous decision win over John Gunderson at UFC 108 in January. His lone loss over that span came in his previous bout, which was his UFC debut, against Nik Lentz at UFC 103 this past September.

Oliveira has been competing professionally for five-years, competing for other notable promotions such as Arena Fight, Rumble on the Rock and Xtreme Fighting Championships. He has finished seven of his 10 career wins with his only other career loss coming against Strikeforce lightweight contender Lyle Beerbohm at an ShoXC event in October 2008.

Winner (10-3-1) picked up his first UFC win in his last bout by scoring a brutal first-round knockout over Roli Delgado at UFC 105 in November. The win snapped a three-fight winless streak, which included a loss in his official UFC debut against Ross Pearson in the lightweight final of The Ultimate Fighter reality series at TUF 9 finale in June.

UFC Fight Night 21 takes place on March 31 at the Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the event will serve as the lead-in on Spike TV for the debut episode of The Ultimate Fighter 11.

The event is headlined by a very interesting lightweight match up between former title contender Kenny Florian and former Pride champion Takanori Gomi. In addition, TUF 10 winner Roy Nelson will take on rising prospect Stefan Struve in a heavyweight bout set as the night's co-feature.

Tulsa vs. East Carolina: Free College Basketball Pick: February 27th 2010

Feb 27, 2010

Tulsa vs. East Carolina
Free Pick: Tulsa -9.5 (February 27th 2010 – Steve Merril)
Want more free college basketball picks? Visit Handicappers Picks

Tulsa is in a funk right now; the Golden Hurricane have lost four straight games and five of their last six overall. However, all five of those losses have come against very good teams in UTEP (twice), Memphis, Marshall, and Duke. There’s no shame in losing to any one of those teams, so the recent bad run by Tulsa isn’t as bad as it seems.

Tonight, Tulsa takes a huge step down in class as they travel to East Carolina and take on a team that is simply playing out the string. The Pirates are a dismal 9-18 on the season, and considering they are facing a desperate Tulsa team in dire need of a win, they can expect to be on the losing end once again. East Carolina has been repeatedly waxed by good teams this season. In fact, of their 18 losses, 12 of them have come by double digits.

Despite Tulsa laying over East Carolina in terms of talent, we cannot make them a Best Bet tonight for a couple of reasons. First, and foremost, they are a fragile team right now. Tulsa was the preseason conference favorite, and since they’ve underperformed, there’s concern that their psyche is shattered. They could very well name the score here, but if they are not fully focused and fail to bring their ‘A’ game, they’ll be hard-pressed to win by double digits. Secondly, Tulsa is just 4-7 on the road this year with all four wins coming by 7 points or less. Those two reasons are enough to downgrade Tulsa to Free Play status even though they are the superior team in this game.

Related posts:

  1. Free College Basketball Pick: Kentucky vs. South Carolina: January 26th 2010
  2. Free College Basketball Pick: North Carolina vs. Maryland: February 7th 2010
  3. Free College Basketball Pick: LSU vs. Auburn: February 27th 2010

Tulsa vs. East Carolina: Free College Basketball Pick: February 27th 2010

Feb 27, 2010

Tulsa vs. East Carolina
Free Pick: Tulsa -9.5 (February 27th 2010 – Steve Merril)
Want more free college basketball picks? Visit Handicappers Picks

Tulsa is in a funk right now; the Golden Hurricane have lost four straight games and five of their last six overall. However, all five of those losses have come against very good teams in UTEP (twice), Memphis, Marshall, and Duke. There’s no shame in losing to any one of those teams, so the recent bad run by Tulsa isn’t as bad as it seems.

Tonight, Tulsa takes a huge step down in class as they travel to East Carolina and take on a team that is simply playing out the string. The Pirates are a dismal 9-18 on the season, and considering they are facing a desperate Tulsa team in dire need of a win, they can expect to be on the losing end once again. East Carolina has been repeatedly waxed by good teams this season. In fact, of their 18 losses, 12 of them have come by double digits.

Despite Tulsa laying over East Carolina in terms of talent, we cannot make them a Best Bet tonight for a couple of reasons. First, and foremost, they are a fragile team right now. Tulsa was the preseason conference favorite, and since they’ve underperformed, there’s concern that their psyche is shattered. They could very well name the score here, but if they are not fully focused and fail to bring their ‘A’ game, they’ll be hard-pressed to win by double digits. Secondly, Tulsa is just 4-7 on the road this year with all four wins coming by 7 points or less. Those two reasons are enough to downgrade Tulsa to Free Play status even though they are the superior team in this game.

Related posts:

  1. Free College Basketball Pick: Kentucky vs. South Carolina: January 26th 2010
  2. Free College Basketball Pick: North Carolina vs. Maryland: February 7th 2010
  3. Free College Basketball Pick: LSU vs. Auburn: February 27th 2010

Free College Basketball Pick: LSU vs. Auburn: February 27th 2010

Feb 27, 2010

LSU vs. Auburn
Free Pick: Auburn -8.5 (February 27th 2010 – Rob Vinciletti)
Want more free college basketball picks? Visit Handicappers Picks

On Saturday the free play is on Auburn. Game 622 at 7:00 eastern. The Tigers are 21-3 vs teams who average 65 or less with several big covers. When they play losing teams they have won 19 of 22 and have cashed 6 of the last 7 Saturday games. Tonight they catch an LSU team that wont remind anyone of the days when Shaq played there. LSU is 1-12 in the conference this year with their lone win coming on Thursday night at home vs Arkansas. Look for them to regress back to normal tonight as they are 0-10 on the road losing by an average 18 points per game. When they have home loss revenge they are 0-4 and have failed 3 times vs the spread. They lost and failed to cover every time this year on the road in this range as a dog. Take Auburn tonight. On the Saturday card I have the WAC Goy with a huge Power angle that has cashed 21 of 22 times. I also have a Triple angle NCAAB Total, The Big DOG 90% TV game and a Last Home game System Side. We went 5-1 Last Saturday and much like Last weeks big play I expect this WAC GOY game to win with no problem. NBA will be on the late report. For the free play take Auburn. RV

Related posts:

  1. Tulsa vs. East Carolina: Free College Basketball Pick: February 27th 2010
  2. Free College Basketball Pick: Miami Ohio vs. Bowling Green: February 14th 2010
  3. Free College Basketball Pick: Boise State vs. New Mexico State: February 27th 2010

Aaron Riley vs. Joe Brammer set for UFC 114

Feb 26, 2010

*Please visit FiveKnuckles.com for more mixed martial arts media*

A lightweight bout between veteran Aaron Riley and UFC sophomore Joe Brammer is in the works for the un-aired preliminary portion of the UFC 114 card in May. News of the bout was first reported by MMAjunkie.com, which reports that both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout.

Though not officially announced, UFC 114 is expected to take place on May 29 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event will likely be headlined by a light-heavyweight bout between former UFC 205-pound champions and bitter rivals, Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Riley (28-12-1) is 1-2 in his last three bouts, most recently suffering a second-round TKO (Doctor Stoppage) loss against TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson at UFC 105 in November. He holds a sub-par 2-4 record with the UFC, picking up Octagon wins over Shane Nelson and Jorge Gurgel; while suffering other UFC losses to the aforementioned Nelson, Robbie Lawler and Spencer Fisher.

The well-traveled Riley has fought all over the world, throughout his 12-year career, for other notable promotions such as HOOKnSHOOT, Rage in the Cage, IFL, Shooto, Pride, Bodog Fight and Ultimate Warrior Challenge. He holds notable career wins over the likes of Steve Claveau, Steve Berger, Alexandre Barros and Michihiro Omigawa.

Brammer (7-1-1) suffered his first career loss in his last fight, losing to submission wizard Mark Bocek in his UFC debut at December's TUF 10 finale. Prior to the loss, he had gone unbeaten in the first eight bouts of his career.

Brammer has fought the majority of his four-year career for two promotions, Midwest Cage Championship and Glory Fighting Championships, fighting four of his 9 career fights with the latter promotion. He has scored stoppages in six of his seven career wins, including five by submission, and holds a notable career win over veteran Chris Mickle.

PODCAST: Discussion of the Ins and Outs of the Winter Olympics.

Feb 25, 2010

Your life has been void of the JoeSportsFan Show for two weeks, so we decided to bring it back strong this week.

The Winter Olympics are the topic du’jour, so we decided to conduct an internal round table – you know, without the distractions of our regular glory-starved guests.

JoeSportsFan Show

Don’t fret though, kids.  We brought the heat…and even managed to slip in a listener favorite, “Thoughts from the Message Board”.  This time, Yahoo!’s Fourth Place Medal provided our inspiration.

This time, the digital jamboree produced the following topics: the USA/Canada hockey game, the best sport play nicknames, abolishing one Olympic “sport”, favorite message board Olympics chatter, and anticipation of upcoming sports seasons/events.

Enjoy.

As always, we recommend subscribing to the iTunes feed (because it sounds much more tech savvy), but feel free to download the individual mp3 version or play it here by using the snazzy embedded music player.

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