Strikeforce: ?Rockhold vs. Kennedy? Recap: Rockhold Retains Title, Marquardt Impressive in Return

Strikeforce returned to action tonight with a pair of title fights on their Showtime aired card. In the main event, Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold retained his title by defeating Tim Kennedy in a five round war. In the co-main event, Tyron Woodley gave it all he had but it was not enough to make up for the experience and skill of the newly crowned Strikeforce welterweight champion Nate Marquardt. Elsewhere on the card, both Roger Gracie and Lorenz Larkin were both successful in their middleweight debuts.

MMAFrenzy.com

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/29435/strikeforce-rockhold-vs-kennedy-recap-rockhold-retains-title-marquardt-impressive-in-return/

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

California State Athletic Commission facing major financial difficulties

Things are not going well for the California State Athletic Commission. It is having severe financial troubles, and recently censured George Dodd, its executive director, for not telling the board just how bad the money situation is.

MMA Fighting is reporting the group that oversees MMA events is already under water, and could run a deficit of $700,000 by the time the year is over.

"Without the ability to pay for even basic services, the Commission will have no choice but to cease operation immediately and cancel or postpone indefinitely all Commission regulated events," Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) director Denise Brown wrote in a recent letter to CSAC's executive director George Dodd.

Zuffa has three events scheduled for California in the next two months. UFC on Fuel 4 will be in San Jose, UFC on Fox 4 will take place in Los Angeles, and Strikeforce's championship bout between Ronda Rousey and Sarah Kaufman is set for San Diego. None of these events are expected to be affected, but California is a go-to state for Zuffa. California hosted four UFC and Strikeforce events in 2011.

Considering the state's financial problems, it's not a surprise to see the CSAC stumble. California is projecting a deficit of $4 billion and has been running in the red for four years. Its financial problems are so well-known there is a Wikipedia entry devoted to California's budget crisis.

But where the true problem lies for the CSAC is how to dig out of its hole. Without money, it can't run high-grossing events, but without high-grossing events, it can't earn money.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/california-state-athletic-commission-facing-major-financial-difficulties-214419182--mma.html

Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè  Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott

Anderson Silva, Chad Mendes and Cung Le: Three stars from UFC 148

UFC 148 ended with another great performance by the world's greatest fighter. Before that, the exciting performances were few and far between. Read on for Cagewriter's Three Stars, and tell us yours in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

No. 1 star -- Anderson Silva: The UFC middleweight champ did two things right to hold onto his belt. First, he kept Chael Sonnen from taking advantage of his top position in the first round. Sonnen was in full mount near the end of the round, and Silva was able to keep Sonnen from taking advantage right then. Secondly, he took advantage when Sonnen made a mistake in the second round, using a precise knee and relentless striking to end the fight.

No. 2 star -- Chad Mendes: After a preliminary card filled with not-so-thrilling decisions, Mendes delivered with a knockout of Cody McKenzie in less than a minute. It was exactly what the card needed.

No. 3 star -- Cung Le: At 40, Le had starred in movies and earned big wins in Strikeforce, but no UFC wins. He fixed that on Saturday night, outkicking Patrick Cote on the way to a  decision win.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/anderson-silva-chad-mendes-cung-le-three-stars-121710060--mma.html

Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger 

House Of Vans Coat Drive

This Saturday, December 17th is the second annual House Of Vans Coat Drive from 1-6PM at the House Of Vans in Brooklyn. There will be a best trick contest for cash and sneakers and live performances from DJ PF Cuttin and McRad. Admission to the event is a new or slightly used coat to be donated to NYCares. be sure to RSVP here.

Source: http://theskateboardmag.com/blogs/templeton-elliott/2011/12/16/house-of-vans-coat-drive/

Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger 

Charges against Octagon Girl Arianny Celeste dropped

Charges against UFC Octagon Girl Arianny Celeste were dropped. She had been charged with domestic abuse stemming from an incident with her then-boyfriend on Memorial Day weekend.

The Las Vegas district attorney's office found there was not enough evidence to warrant a move forward, according to MMA Junkie. Her arrest came the night before UFC 146, forcing her to miss the preliminary card and part of the main card. Celeste did show up for her duties for the  final bouts.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/charges-against-octagon-girl-arianny-celeste-dropped-213506492--mma.html

Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio