Tony Hawk Foundation No Longer Supporting Pre-Fab Parks

The Tony Hawk Foundation announced today that they will no longer give grants to park projects made from wood, steel, polymer structures, or precast concrete featuring steel transition plates. This means only high quality concrete parks will be supported by the Tony Hawk Foundation. Get your grant applications in before the February 1, 2012 deadline.

no prefab parks

Source: http://theskateboardmag.com/blogs/templeton-elliott/2011/12/15/tony-hawk-foundation-no-longer-supporting-pre-fab-parks/

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

?Ninja? Parts Ways With UDL And Brother, ?Shogun? Rua

Something was noticeably missing on Saturday night when Mauricio Rua took the octagon to meet Brandon Vera at UFC on Fox 4, his brother, Murilo Rua. “Ninja” had been in the corner of his younger brother for every fight of “Shogun’s” career, when fans were puzzled by his absence, the Curitiba native took to twitter [...]

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/29807/ninja-parts-ways-with-udl-and-brother-shogun-rua/

Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade 

UFC on FOX 4 Preview: The Undercard Breakdown

Thanks to years of research, countless probability models and a complex set of algorithms, I have developed a system that can predict the winner of an MMA bout with a stunning fifteen-percent level of accuracy.  I know, I know, it's a breakthrough that will most certainly make me rich.  But until the oddsmakers in Las Vegas make me an offer that I find acceptable, you all get to benefit from this nigh-infallible prognosticative method.  First up on the fortune telling schedule: the UFC on FOX 4 undercard!

  • Cole Miller vs. Nam Phan ? American Top Team featherweight mean-mugger Miller had a rough time against "The Ultimate Fighter ? Season 14" exponent Steven Siler back in March, but he's still a skilled and dangerous jiu-jitsu specialist capable of using his lanky limbs to tie people in knots.  TUF 12 veteran Phan, on the other hand, may be a jiu-jitsu black belt, but as we saw in his bout against Jimy Hettes at UFC 141, the Vietnamese warrior is very open to getting dominated on the ground.  The only gray area here is whether or not Miller can get Phan down.  If he can, expect Phan to survive to the final bell but lose via clear-cut decision.

 

  • Phil Davis vs. Wagner Prado ?Light-heavyweight Davis is to wrestling what Steven Seagal is to yellow-tinted sunglasses ? which is to say, Davis is a bad, bad dude who can control almost anyone.   Prado is making his Octagon debut at UFC on FOX 4, and though he trains with the Nogueira brothers and is supposedly some kind of ace striker, he's going to get handled by the Division I All-American wrestler in a big way.  Takedowns, pins, tech falls ? Davis is going to do it all, and earn the unanimous decision win in the process.

 

  • Josh Grispi vs. Rani Yahya ? Two years ago, New Englander Grispi was one of the most promising up-and-coming featherweights in the WEC, and it seemed as if he was destined to battle champ Jose Aldo for the UFC's 145-pound division belt.  But the hype train got derailed in a big way ? first by Louisiana-based fighter Dustin Poirier's knuckle sandwiches at UFC 125, then by George Roop's body-blow KO at the TUF 13 Finale.  Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and 2007 grappling champ Yahya isn't that dangerous on the feet, just on the ground, so Grispi just might have the skills to get the "W".  This one is also going to decision, with Grispi taking it by virtue of being on top more than being on the bottom.

 

  • Phil De Fries vs. Oli Thompson ? In his UFC debut back at UFC on Fuel TV: "Sanchez vs. Ellenberger", Brit heavyweight De Fries got chewed up and spit out in a mere 43 seconds against Stipe Miocic.  However,Brit strongman Thompson faired only slightly better against Shawn Jordan at UFC on FX: "Alves vs. Kampmann", getting TKO'd in the second round, so the question here is who can pull it together more effectively for their second UFC appearance.  My algorithms are telling me it's going to be De Fries via TKO, but really, it's six of one and half a dozen of the other. 

 

  • Manny Gamburyan vs. Michihiro Omigawa ? Omigawa hails from Japan, sports a pretty decent judo background, and racked up some decent wins fighting in organizations like DEEP and Sengoku.  Unfortunately, in six UFC appearances he has won a grand total of once.  Yes, he's tough as nails and extremely hard to finish, but he lacks that special quality (which we'll simply call "ability to win").  Armenian fireplug Gamburyan is cut from a similar cloth; after taking second place in the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter, he's fought in the UFC seven times and tasted victory twice.  He, too, is tough and lacks ability to win, but he's also been plagued by injuries.  For that, I see Omigawa winning either by decision or by Gamburyan's limbs inadvertently falling off and him not being able to continue.

 

  • John Moraga vs. Ulysses Gomez ? Hey, it's two Octagon newcomers, making their UFC debut in a bout that will be broadcast on either Facebook, MySpace, Friendster or maybe even LinkedIn.  Who knows.  Either way, both men have worked their way up the regional circuits ? Moraga through Arizona's Rage in the Cage and Gomez through California's Tachi Palace Fights.  Because Octagon jitters are going to be hanging over these men like an oppressive fog of lethargy, my algorithms are literally shrugging at me.  I guess I'll pick Gomez, but that's solely because I think I'd have more fun checking out a TPF show than a RITC show.  Arizona's got a problem with ants, you know.  They're everywhere.

 

Who you trying to get crazy with, ese?  Don't you know I'm loco?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fox-4-preview-undercard-breakdown-195725630--mma.html

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott

Shogun, BJ Penn, Joe Lauzon: The Morning News Roundup ? 8.5.12

Man, what a show last night, huh?  After a string of events that had me questioning whether I should bother paying my cable bill, UFC on FOX 4 knocks it out of the park.  The UFC's resident karate man earned himself a shot at the light-heavyweight belt, Joe Lauzon did what Joe Lauzon does, and Mike Swick returned after a lengthy layoff to rack up a win via knockout.  All your morning news pertains to info gleaned from the post-fight presser, so let's get right to it.

  • UFC president Dana White didn't have nice things to say about Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at the post-fight press conference.  Well, he didn't exactly say anything that bad, but, you know, you kind of don't want your boss talking about you like this.

 

  • Rory MacDonald is injured and out of his UFC 152 fight with B.J. Penn.  Oh noes!

 

  • For putting on yet another exciting fight and finishing opponent Jamie Varner, UFC lightweight Joe Lauzon pocketed a cool 100 grand in bonus money last night.  For all you bean counters out there, that's $50,000 for Submission of the Night and $50,000 for Fight of the Night.  That's going to make for a pretty decent barbecue at Chez Lauzon in Massachusetts.

 

  • Mike Swick took home the Knockout of the Night bonus for sending DaMarques Johnson into La-La Land.  Nice comeback, no?

 

  • Brandon Vera's got nothing to be ashamed about.  He was the heavy underdog going into his fight with Shogun, and fought his heart out.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/shogun-bj-penn-joe-lauzon-morning-news-roundup-140152712--mma.html

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe

UFC on FOX 4, Roy Nelson, Chris Weidman: The Morning News Roundup ? 7.30.12

It's fight week, that precious time in the news cycle when the public relations drones at the UFC and FOX do their best to spawn storylines that will rope in viewers while media members of various degrees of accumen regurgitate or attempt spins on what they perceive the real stories to be.  Yes, it's a kind of dance, but the music is lovely, and at the end of it everyone gets to keep a goody bag of memories, plus whatever silverware they can steal.  With UFC on FOX 4 slated for Saturday, the week will be spent dwelling on all things related to said show, and is that such a bad thing?  We're going to get to see some perennial favorites in action, so I'd say no, it's not bad at all.  Just be prepared to see at least one item about UFC on FOX 4 every day.  I'm certainly prepared.

  • A one-hour special called "UFC's Road to the Octagon", which hypes the UFC on FOX 4 main card, began airing yesterday on FOX.  It will be shown again (and again, and again) on the different FOX-owned networks between now and Saturday night, but since such factors as where you live and whether you have cable, satellite dish or a coat hanger antenna on your TV make it impossible for me to tell you specifically when you can watch it, I'll just say check your local listings.   

 

  • Roy Nelson, who won "The Ultimate Fighter - Season 10" (the season with Kimbo Slice) and has been struggling to find a place in the UFC's heavyweight division ever since, has been tapped to coach the upcoming sixteenth season of the beloved (heh-heh) reality TV show opposite Shane Carwin.  Nelson's also begun his campaign of irreverent hype by releasing the names of people the UFC has forbidden him from using as coaches on the show.  As usual, MMAFighting ace reporter Ariel Helwani has the sweetness:   

Former Strikeforce fighter turned Bellator and TNA Wrestling star Muhammed Lawal, pro wrestling legend Kurt Angle and Victor Conte, the founder of BALCO Laboratories, are "non-UFC allowed," according to Nelson.  Nelson's manager Mike Kogan confirmed to MMAFighting.com that the UFC will not allow the trio to appear on the show.

 

  • Chris Weidman is riding high off his dominant destruction of the usually deadly Mark Munoz, so why not capitalize on that momentum by hounding UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva for a shot at the belt?  Actually, when Silva's manager Jorge Guimaraes calls you an "amateur", I guess you're not really hounding, you're just defending yourself.  Am I right?  Anyway, here's Weidman defending himself, courtesy of MMAWeekly:

"I read them and it's kind of crazy.  The managers they have no right to start putting down professional athletes.  He put me, and (Alan) Belcher, and (Tim) Boetsch down and he's trying to draw attention away from the fact that I'm the No. 1 contender, and then called us amateurs, and we're all top ten fighters," Weidman told MMAWeekly.com when reached for comment.

 

Yeah, tell 'em, Chris.

That's all for now.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fox-4-roy-nelson-chris-weidman-morning-125617117--mma.html

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

Nick Diaz, Anderson Silva, Travis Browne and Invicta FC: The Morning News Roundup ? 7.27.12

Howdy. I'm Jim Genia. You might recognize me from such great literary works as "I, Armbar" and "Tito Ortiz's Head: Friend or Foe?" While Maggie Hendricks is covering some sort of athletic event called the "Olympics", I'll be filling in here at Cagewriter.  Yes, it's a temp job, but please think of me as that really cool substitute teacher you had in high school, the one who said nothing when you disrupted class and set fire to the lab, yet did not hesitate to plant drugs in your locker and call the police.  Heh.  Anyway, here's some news to start your day:

  • Cesar Gracie, coach to the ultra-talented UFC top welterweight contender Nick Diaz, tweeted that there will be an announcement on Graciefighter regarding Diaz's career today at 4:00 p.m. (PST).  If you'll recall, Nick Diaz... yeesh.  The big question mark these past few months has been whether Diaz has truly retired or if he'll get in the cage once more.  Therefore, we can expect Gracie's announcement to be one of the following: "Nick Diaz is not going to fight again", "Nick Diaz is going to fight again", and "Can someone tell Nick Diaz to call home?  No one's heard from him in a while and everyone's pretty worried about him."  Stay tuned!

 

  • According to ESPN, UFC middleweight champ and untouchable superstar Anderson Silva wants to fight UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre next.

Of much more interest to Silva are the blockbuster fights that can earn him big money as he nears the end of his career. St-Pierre v Silva undoubtedly would make the biggest Pay-Per-View in UFC history, but while Guimaraes says Silva wants the fight, he admits it has not been offered.

Of course Silva would like St. Pierre in a big-money superfight next.  Who would you rather fight?  A welterweight champ whose knee could explode at any time, or UFC light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones, who sports an eleven-foot reach and has murdered everyone put in front of him?  Silva is no dummy.

  • Just yesterday Travis Browne was sad.  Ben Rothwell, who was to be his opponent at next week's UFC on FOX 4, fell prey to the injury bug, and Browne was without a dance partner.  He was subsequently booted from the card.  But it's a new day, and with this new day comes the news (courtesy of the good folks at MMAJunkie) that Browne will now headline UFC on FX 5 in October, facing off against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.  Hooray!  If you'll recall, Browne is big and dangerous and beats people silly - and being big and dangerous and beating people silly is good for main events.

 

  • There may be no offerings from the UFC, Strikeforce or Bellator this weekend, but that doesn't mean there isn't a way to get your MMA fix.  Invicta Fighting Championships, the all-female MMA promotion, will be having their second installment in Kansas City, KS, and the event will be broadcast for free on their website.  Here's a video promo courtesy of MMAFighting.  There are some extremely skilled and capable female MMA fighters out there, and a bunch of them are on Saturday night's card.

That's all for now.  Now excuse me while I go plant drugs in your locker.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/morning-news-roundup-7-27-12-140334867--mma.html

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro AkiyamaÂ