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

Jorge Rivera goes out a winner in retirement fight at UFC on FX 1

He doesn't rank up there with the likes of Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, but Jorge Rivera certainly did his part as one of the building blocks for the UFC.

A long-time card filler since 2003, Rivera announced earlier in the day that he was retiring following his fight tonight. He seized the opportunity to shine in his final trip to the Octagon by wearing down and eventually punching out Eric Schafer at the 1:31 mark of the second round of the final fight on the FUEL TV portion of the UFC on FX 1 card.

"I want to thank Zuffa. I want to thank Dana White, the Fertitta brothers, Burt Watson, whose voice I'm going to miss dearly in the back," Rivera told UFC play-by-play announcer Jon Anik.

Rivera then turned his attention to thanking his family and training partners. That's when he got a bit emotional.

It was nice to see the near 40-year-old make it to the cage tonight for his 15th career fight with the promotion. He nearly retired back in 2009 after the tragic passing of his daughter Jessica.

Rivera (19-9) turned pro back in 2001. He finishes with an 8-7 record in the UFC. He rose near the top of the division facing former UFC middleweight champ Rich Franklin at UFC 50. He also lost to current contender Michael Bisping. He had to overcome some rough times in his personal life when Jessica, 17, passed away after a fatal reaction to birth control medication.

"I'm grateful I fought here in front of a lot of people. It's been a real nice trip. It's been real good to me," said Rivera.

Rivera's seen the sport come a long way. In 2003, UFC pay-per-views had trouble eclipsing 50,000 buys. Tonight, between FUEL TV and FX, all 11 fights are being televised to a nationwide audience.

The victory was typical Rivera. He never panics in the cage, so even when he was getting dominated in the grappling game, Rivera stayed composed in the first round. Schafer, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, had top control for much of the opening round, but never threatened with a submission.

Schafer (12-7-2, 3-6 UFC) is a new entry to the middleweight division. His stamina was an issue in his UFC debut fight at 185 pounds against Aaron Simpson and it happened again tonight.

"He's a strong guy. I was watching him in the back. He had a real tough [weight] cut, so I knew the longer the fight would go, he would have a harder time. And I could feel him breathing harder and harder," said Rivera.

Rivera escaped one final takedown attempt with 4:10 left in the second. With Schafer on his hands and knees, Rivera stunned him with a right uppercut. He eventually faded to the cage where he ate 23 unanswered shots. After several requests from referee Herb Dean to defend himself, Schafer didn't respond and the fight was stopped.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/jorge-rivera-goes-winner-retirement-fight-ufc-fx-020509572.html

Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade 

Sonnen vs. Bisping is for title shot, but Chael says Silva will never fight him

Dana White released his first video blog for the card on FX today. One interesting scene includes the UFC president dealing with the withdrawal of Mark Munoz from the UFC on Fox 2 card. White is getting ready to release news of the new Chael Sonnen-Michael Bising fight and says the winner will get a title shot against the currently sidelined UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva.

White must know something Sonnen doesn't because the outspoken contender sounds pretty sure he'll never face Silva.

"I'm not going to fight Anderson either way. They can say whatever they want. Anderson is never going to do that fight," Sonnen told "The MMA Insiders" show last week on Las Vegas' ESPN1100/98.9 FM. "I hope he's healthy and has a good life, but I'm not buying into this mythical world that Anderson is going to some day sign a contract to fight me."

During today's UFC on Fox 2 conference call, Sonnen reiterated his theory and said Silva turned down the fight to their boss' face.

"He even said no to (UFC executive) Lorenzo Fertitta's face. Face-to-face, not over the phone ? Lorenzo brought him out, sat him down, and said, 'This is the fight we want.' And Anderson said no," said Sonnen.

Sonnen knows management isn't pleased and questions the severity of Silva's back and shoulder injuries.

"They're not happy about it. The message to Anderson was this ' Chael is the opponent for you. You can fight him or you can't fight nobody. He elected to fight nobody,'" said Sonnen. "Dan Henderson said it perfectly, if the right opponent comes up, all of Anderson's injuries will go away."

Silva's next opponent will be known next Saturday night. A date and location is completely up in the air until Silva announces when he can officially return.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/sonnen-vs-bisping-title-shot-chael-says-silva-231128840.html

Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade 

UFC 142: Yahoo! Sports and Heavy present Fight Day live

UFC 142 pre-show Fight Day Live is back on Saturday, January 14, at 6pm ET/ 3pm PT. Hosts Dave Farra and Megan Olivi will guide you through the full fight card and all of the biggest news in the UFC.

HeavyMMA Editor Matt Brown will host an expert roundtable that will analyze and break down the entire night's fighting action. UFC heavyweight Frank Mir will be live on set for a one-on-one interview as well as an inside look into Anthony Johnson's training camp.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-142-yahoo-sports-heavy-present-fight-day-035210472.html

Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander

Chris Weidman: From parents? basement to network TV

CHICAGO -- Ten months ago, Chris Weidman was living in his parents' basement with his wife and daughter. After winning three straight fights in the UFC, he will challenge Demian Maia on the UFC's second show on network television.

At Wednesday's open workouts for UFC on Fox 2, Weidman said he has not had time to sit back and think about all he's accomplished in such a short time.

"I really haven't set back to think about it all in a 10-month period. It started getting tough. Any amount of money at that point was going to get me to come," Weidman said.

When he took the fight with Alessio Sakara last March, he was on the verge of signing with Bellator. He even had dinner reservations to celebrate the signing, but gave himself more time to consider the contract. Waiting opened the door for the UFC to sign him.

By July, he had a decision over Sakara and a submission of Jesse Bongfeldt, and a new home for his wife and now two-year-old daughter Cassidy.

Weidman's spot on the card this weekend was just as surprising. When Mark Munoz was injured last week, the UFC had to scramble to create a card that would make people tune in to Fox. Michael Bisping was given the spot against Chael Sonnen, leaving a hole on the card to fight Maia. Weidman, who beat Tom Lawlor in November, was called.

"At the time, I was surprised, because I thought I was going to fight April 22. But I had a funny feeling that something was going to end up happening.

The bout against Maia was too good to pass up, even on 10 days notice.

"At first it was that I'm not going to fight him this week. I'm going to fight him eventually. March, April. Once I talked to my coach and decided that, they came back and said he doesn't want to leave this card. I got so excited to fight Maia at that point, I didn't care where or when."

His first concern was weight. Weidman said he was around 217 lbs. last week. Though he says that his weight is fine now, he had to turn down the comfort food his wife was cooking.

"First thing was my weight. My wife was making sloppy joes, and I was like, 'No more sloppy joes for me!' I headed to the gym, ate a spoonful of peanut butter, and that's it for me."

Beating Maia, an accomplished grappler, would push Weidman ever closer to a title shot. Though fighters taking bouts on short notice are often in a no-lose situation, Weidman sees this bout as a must-win.

"I don't see it [as no-lose]. I see it as I have to win this fight. If I win this fight, it puts me on a list of contenders, and closer to getting that belt."

His intention is not to just fight for the UFC middleweight belt, but also to fight in his home state of New York. Currently, MMA is illegal in New York.

"My main goal is obviously to not only get the belt, but fight at Madison Square Garden in New York. It would be a dream come true. They have to legalize it, but at the right time so I can be fighting on it for the belt."

Weidman hopes the shows on Fox will help change perceptions on fighters.

"We're 100 percent athletes. Just turn on the TV and watch us. Come meet us. We're not those guys 10 years ago who were perceived as brutal. We're athletes. Good guys. Trying to make a living for our families."

Long Island's Weidman hopes to start New York on its winning ways. As a New York Giants fan, Weidman wants to see his team win the Super Bowl.

"I like Tom Brady, he's a pretty good guy, but we're coming after him."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/chris-weidman-parents-basement-network-tv-000322783.html

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves 

Dana White talks after UFC 137 "I Will Never Trust Nick Diaz Again" - Dana White

Nick Diaz was a no-show at the UFC 137 press conference in Las Vegas - just like he was a no-show at the press conference in Toronto the day before. Dana White decided enough is enough and axed him from the card, giving Carlos Condit the title shot in his place. In this interview with MMA:30's Dave Farra; Dana White talks about the trust lost, why he thinks he'll never heard from Diaz again, and touches on Overreem vs. Lesnar and the UFC's return to Japan. See more videos at MMA30.com

Source: http://mmalice.com/dana-white/dana-white-talks-after-ufc-137-i-will-never-trust-nick-diaz-again-video_43e266c70.html

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves 

Erick Silva DQ puts need for instant replay front and center

Erick Silva rode a roller coaster of emotions at UFC 142. After taking out Carlo Prater in 29 seconds, Silva celebrated with the loud, Brazilian crowd. He was brought down to reality when he was informed by referee Mario Yamasaki that the blows Silva used to knock out Prater were deemed illegal. Though a replay showed that the blows hit the sides of Prater's head, not the restricted area on the the back of the head, Silva had been disqualified.

The UFC confirmed that Silva did receive his win bonus and it's unlikely that this loss will stunt his career's trajectory, but it didn't need to be a loss. Yamasaki admitted when talking to UFC commentator Joe Rogan that he had to make the decision in the moment.

"I have to decide right there and then. There's nothing I can do," Yamasaki said.

In that moment, there was nothing Yamasaki could do. Instant replay does not have a place in MMA. Though he watched the replay on a giant screen just moments after the fight ended, the bout was decided.

With the technology already in place for referees to use instant replay, there is no good reason for MMA not to use it. Instant replay is used in other major sports. Though it isn't always perfect, it gives referees confidence on making calls.

Like in other sports, strict parameters of when it should be used would need to be put in place. For example, it does not make sense to use instant replay to decide if a fighter was truly knocked out or not because of the difficulties in restarting a stopped bout. But in the case of a disqualification, instant replay can and should be used.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/erick-silva-dq-puts-instant-replay-front-center-163905590.html

Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo