?Rampage? Jackson unhappy with pay, wants to fight outside the UFC

From the department of biting the hand that feeds you, Quinton Jackson complained on Twitter about the UFC and said his next fight in the UFC will be his last.

"I feel sorry for my next opponent, no matter who or what it is," Jackson wrote via Twitter. "I will fight whoever they put in front of me ? I always have ? but it will be my last fight in the UFC.  I have other things on my mind. I didn't say I would be done fighting; I just said I'm not fighting for the UFC (u fight cheap)."

Jackson's most recent salary information was from UFC 96 in 2009, where he made $325,000. It doesn't count locker room bonuses, sponsorship money or a cut of the pay-per-view. As a headliner, it's likely Jackson's contract calls for pay-per-view money.

To review, the UFC stood by Jackson as he went on a hit-and-run driving rampage, as he took a break from fighting to film "The A-Team" plus do all the publicity required for the movie, during the many times he treated media like a punching bag, and when he insulted their own color commentator and another fighter working as an analyst.

Before UFC 144, the UFC's doctor sent him to an age specialist, who gave him testosterone therapy and helped make him healthy enough to fight and enjoy himself more in the bedroom.

There are fighters who have a legitimate reason to be unhappy with their pay and treatment by the UFC. Jackson is not one of them.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/rampage-jackson-unhappy-pay-wants-fight-outside-ufc-170057099.html

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

?Rampage? Jackson unhappy with pay, wants to fight outside the UFC

From the department of biting the hand that feeds you, Quinton Jackson complained on Twitter about the UFC and said his next fight in the UFC will be his last.

"I feel sorry for my next opponent, no matter who or what it is," Jackson wrote via Twitter. "I will fight whoever they put in front of me ? I always have ? but it will be my last fight in the UFC.  I have other things on my mind. I didn't say I would be done fighting; I just said I'm not fighting for the UFC (u fight cheap)."

Jackson's most recent salary information was from UFC 96 in 2009, where he made $325,000. It doesn't count locker room bonuses, sponsorship money or a cut of the pay-per-view. As a headliner, it's likely Jackson's contract calls for pay-per-view money.

To review, the UFC stood by Jackson as he went on a hit-and-run driving rampage, as he took a break from fighting to film "The A-Team" plus do all the publicity required for the movie, during the many times he treated media like a punching bag, and when he insulted their own color commentator and another fighter working as an analyst.

Before UFC 144, the UFC's doctor sent him to an age specialist, who gave him testosterone therapy and helped make him healthy enough to fight and enjoy himself more in the bedroom.

There are fighters who have a legitimate reason to be unhappy with their pay and treatment by the UFC. Jackson is not one of them.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/rampage-jackson-unhappy-pay-wants-fight-outside-ufc-170057099.html

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe

The more you climb, the better you?ll climb

I have had a few days away from climbing - in fact, my last session was 3 weekends ago at Froggatt - and so I got back to the gym this week. My local gym has an auto-belay setup so I was able to do some indoor routes without company. And I struggled! Struggled to get [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rock-climbing-blog/~3/m7EzE0aQ8xw/philsheard

Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen 

UFC on FX 2, Strikeforce picks: Flyweight favorites are huge and Tate?s an underdog

MMA fans will be inundated with great fights this weekend and the show stealer could be a fight between two females.

The final note on the two big cards is the Miesha Tate-Ronda Rousey fight tomorrow night in Columbus, Oh. Or should it be called the Ronda Rousey fight? When was the last time a champion was such a huge underdog like Tate?

Rousey, a former Olympian in Judo, is getting a title shot after just four pro mixed martial arts bouts. The 24-year-old fighter has also never fought down at 135 pounds. With all that, amazingly she's a minus-300 favorite to take the Strikeforce title from Tate.

Kevin Iole, Frank Trigg and myself broke down the UFC and Strikeforce fights on "The MMA Insiders" show in Las Vegas.

UFC on FX 2 betting odds:

Thiago Alves (-120) vs. Martin Kampmann (+100)
Joseph Benavidez (-850) vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani (+575)
Demetrious Johnson (-290) vs. Ian McCall (+245)
James Te Huna (-320) vs. Aaron Rosa (+260)
Anthony Waldburger (-140) vs. Jake Hecht (+120)
Kyle Noke (-270) vs. Andrew Craig (+230)
Court McGee (-130) vs. Constantinos Philippou (+110)
Anthony Perosh (+130) vs. Nick Penner (-150)
Mackens Semerzier (-155) vs. Daniel Pineda (+135)
Cole Miller (-485) vs. Steven Siler (+385)
Shawn Jordan (-210) vs. Oli Thompson (+175)

Strikeforce betting odds:

Miesha Tate (+260) vs. Ronda Rousey (-320)
KJ Noons (+155) vs. Josh Thomson (-175)
Ronaldo Souza (-600) vs. Bristol Marunde (+450)
Sarah Kaufman (-510) vs. Alexis Davis (+405)
Scott Smith (+145) vs. Lumumba Sayers (-165)
Pat Healy (+160) vs. Caros Fodor (-185)
Paul Daley (-360) vs. Kazuo Misaki (+300)
Roger Bowling (-550) vs. Brandon Saling (+425)
Conor Heun (-290) vs. Ryan Couture (+245)

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-fx-2-strikeforce-picks-flyweight-favorites-huge-210039203.html

Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe

MMA Marketplace: Chael Sonnen makes a convincing Uncle Sam

Cbael Sonnen has called out Anderson Silva after fights, in interviews, on Twitter, and now, on a shirt. The good news is that if you are on Team Chael, you can own the shirt, too.

If Uncle Sam needs a replacement, Uncle Chael will inspire millions to follow his lead. The shirts costs $29.99 at MMA Warehouse.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/mma-marketplace-chael-sonnen-makes-convincing-uncle-sam-140818291.html

José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez

?Super Fight League? premieres with theme song that will stick in your head

India jumped into the world of MMA with the start of Super Fight League, a new promotion that debuted in Mumbai over the weekend. James Thompson submitted Bob Sapp at 1:52 because Sapp sustained a leg injury.

The real star of the show was SFL's theme song, which should shoot to the top of the charts immediately. It somehow combines the guitar riffs of an 80s movie montage song with the rapping skill of Snow. Basically, it's amazing.

"Boom, pow, punch kick WOW!" will be playing in your head for the rest of the day. You're welcome.

Thanks, Bloody Elbow.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/super-fight-league-premieres-theme-song-stick-head-134700911.html

Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo 

Bjorn Rebney?s top five fights for Bellator?s upcoming season

Bellator's spring season starts on Friday with a featherweight championship bout between Joe Warren and Pat Curran plus four featherweight tourney bouts. Cagewriter caught up with Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney and found out which fights he's most looking forward to this season. Here they are, in no particular order, complete with Rebney's comments.

-- Joe Warren vs. Pat Curran on March 9 for the Bellator featherweight title: "Joe has so much at stake, and Pat has built such a resume fighting under our banner," Rebney said.

-- Ben Askren vs. Douglas Lima on April 6 for Bellator welterweight title: "It's kind of an old-school MMA match-up. You know exactly what Ben's going to try to do. It reminds me of the old days when you thought, I know. He's going to try to take him down and submit him. Ben's going to try to put him on his back, and Lima's going to try to stand and knock him out. He just made a couple folks' top 10, of which he is deserving."

-- Eddie Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki on April 2o: "For obvious reasons. I'm a huge fan of Ed, and he's just jumping out of the frying pan into the fire with that one."

-- Megumi Fujii vs. Jessica Aguilar, which sources close to the bout say is May 18: "It's No. 1 vs. No. 2, and it's two wickedly talented women who rely on no spin, no promotion. They're just two women who fight at the highest level in the world and they're going to get to face each other."

-- Giva Santana vs. Bruno Santos on March 16 in the middleweight tournament: "Being a southern California guy, Giva Santana is a guy I followed for a while. He's an old-school guy who has deserved a shot on a big stage but because he's perceived as being one dimensional, because everything ends via armbar, he hasn't been given that shot. Him and his Santos fight. I never pick a guy because I always want everyone to have an equal shot but I look at a guy like that, and he really is reminiscent of the old-school guys. He's got a discipline that he relies on and believes it heart and soul, and it almost has a spiritual connection to it. His fight in the first round of the tournament because he's a terrific human being. This is his opportunity."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/bjorn-rebney-top-five-fights-bellator-upcoming-season-171217392.html

Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi 

Report: Bellator heavyweight fighting for life

Bellator heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov is reportedly on artificial life support after being stabbed in Sofia, Bulgaria over the weekend. Reports say he was attacked by a group of men with bats. Bellator doesn't have all of the details from the incident yet, but they are asking for prayers. From MMA Junkie:

"Right now, we do not have all of the details, but our thoughts and prayers are with Blagoi and his family," Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said.

Ivanov beat Zak Jensen and William Penn in 2011 Bellator bouts that earned him a shot in their heavyweight tournament, but he had to withdraw due to an injury. His most recent fight was a TKO of Ricco Rodriguez on Christmas Eve.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/report-bellator-heavyweight-fighting-life-132214394.html

Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio