Junior dos Santos shares his thoughts on Frank Mir, why he sings, Chael Sonnen and more

UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos stopped by on Thursday to answer your questions. He shared his thoughts on his UFC 146 opponent Frank Mir, Jon Jones, music, Chael Sonnen, and much more.

On where Mir is most dangerous, but not the most dangerous in the UFC:

His biggest threat is if he can use his jiu-jitsu to take me to me to the ground. That's his big strength. I think he's good. Maybe among the best ground games in the heavyweight division, but there are plenty others in the other division that are better.

On Mir's trash talk:

I don't really like that style. When you prefer talk rather than fighting, it's not good. I'd rather let my fighting do the talking.

On Saturday's Strikeforce grand prix fighter Josh Barnett:

He's very experienced and has a great ground game. As far as whether I want to fight him, it's not up to me. If the UFC wants to make Josh Barnett my next opponent, then so be it. I think the fight with Daniel Cormier is an exciting matchup and I'm looking forward to it.

On the possibility of fighting UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones:

No, I don't think so. Jon Jones is a cool guy. Extremely talented. If one day he wants to fight as a heavyweight, then I'm sure he'd have a fight or two before he gets a shot at the title.

Mir's last win was against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a good friend of dos Santos. Will that play into this fight psychologically?

I'm a positive person and a confident fighter. What happened between them is just part of the sport. It's just a natural part of our sport. In my opinion, Big Nog was winning that fight and just made a mistake. Frank Mir took advantage of that as good fighter would do. It won't impact what I do.

On sticking with "Gonna Fly Now," a.k.a. the Rocky song, as his walkout song:

For sure I'll be walking out to the rocky song. It motivates me a lot so I agree with Christian. Back story: Dana White didn't want me to come out to that song and said it's overused. I told him 'Man, my hands shake when I hear that song'. When he heard how powerful it was for me, he told me I could keep it as my walkout song.

On what he thinks of Mir's chin:

Everybody's chin is their weak spot. If you land a shot on somebody's chin, they're down. Fight over. So yeah, that's where I'm going to try to hit him. And that's where I'm going to be hitting him.

On his love of singing:

I don't need karaoke. I sing a cappella. I like singing. I sing in the shower and all the time. When we're happy people, music's just part of our day.

On his prediction for Silva/Sonnen II:

I've got to take Anderson. Sonnen-Silva I, Sonnen was caught taking performance-enhancers and Anderson had broken ribs. It wasn't a fair fight. This time he'll beat him easily.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/junior-dos-santos-shares-thoughts-frank-mir-why-145910707.html

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz

Wardrobe malfunction marks beginning of Karl Amoussou?s Bellator win

In the first minute of Karl Amoussou's fight with David Rickels, a wardrobe malfunction happened that could have derailed the whole night. Rickels threw an inadvertent kick to Amoussou's groin that snapped the strap that held up Amoussou's protective cup.

This caused a delay in the Bellator welterweight tournament semifinal in Louisiana. Referee Jason Herzog informed the state commission officials on what happened, then asked, "Can someone go to the back and see if he can borrow a cup?"

Now, fighters are usually generous people. They'll share training time, clothes and equipment. But a cup?

Luckily, the Bellator cut man figured out a solution. As shown above, he used athletic tape to secure Amoussou's cup, and all was well in the cage. Amoussou went onto win a very close decision over Rickels and will now face Bryan Baker in the welterweight tournament final.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/wardrobe-malfunction-marks-beginning-karl-amoussou-bellator-win-014938276.html

Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana 

Fedor Emelianenko would like you to picture yourself in the latest Mercedes (VIDEO)

MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko will reportedly retire after fighting Pedro Rizzo on June 21. If he gets bored, he can continue his acting career. Check out how the man can sell a car in this Russian Mercedes-Benz ad.

(Gymnastics fans will also recognize Alexei Nemov, who won four gold medals for Russia in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.)

Will you buy a Mercedes from a tuxedoed Fedor? Or would you rather see him keep fighting? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/fedor-emelianenko-picture-yourself-latest-mercedes-video-183920359.html

Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida 

UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones arrested for DUI

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was arrested early Saturday morning for a DUI after getting into an accident in Broome County in New York state. The accident was first reported by TMZ who said Jones crashed his Bentley into a pole and was arrested at the scene. Ariel Helwani reports Jones walked away from the accident uninjured.

Malki Kawa, Jones' manager, released a statement on the arrest.

"I can confirm that Jon Jones was arrested early this morning on suspicion of DUI. While the facts of this situation are still being gathered and situated, First Round Management fully supports Jon and we are asking for fans and media to respect the privacy of Jon and his family during this time."

Jones recently defended his championship with a five-round decision win over Rashad Evans. He is scheduled to fight Dan Henderson in September.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-light-heavyweight-champ-jon-jones-arrested-dui-184604133.html

Yoshihiro Akiyama  Gilbert Aldana  José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander

UFC 146 picks cover the biggest UFC card ever

UFC 146's all-heavyweight main card is this Saturday. To prime you for the the fights, read the picks from Kevin Iole, a selection of Cagereaders who posted their picks on the Cagewriter Facebook page and me. Don't agree with the picks? Speak your mind in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Champion Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir for the UFC heavyweight title

Kevin Iole: Junior dos Santos KO1 Frank Mir ? This could just as easily be Mir by first-round submission, but since all fights begin on the feet, I will go with dos Santos by KO.

Maggie Hendricks: JDS KO1 Mir ? Mir's only hope is to get this fight to the ground to avoid Junior's powerful stand-up. But as Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez learned, getting JDS to the ground is not an easy feat, and Mir won't succeed.

Cagereader's take: Frank Mir is an outstanding, decorated mixed martial artist. He can be dangerous on his feet and clearly on the ground as well if you look at his past submissions. His best bet is to figure out how he can get Junior dos Santos to the mat. The unfortunate part for Mir is that dos Santos possesses some of the best standup in the heavyweight division and I think Mir will struggle with those heavy-hitting fists Junior is going to throw. I love them both as fighters but my guess is dos Santos will win this one and retain his belt via TKO. ? Roberto Garza

Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva

Iole: Cain Velasquez TKO2 Antonio Silva ? I think Velasquez is the best heavyweight in the world and will prove it against Big Foot. Velasquez is a better version of Daniel Cormier and Cormier had his way with Silva.

Hendricks: Velasquez TKO1 Silva ? Velasquez has had to deal with competitors bigger than him since he was was Division I wrestler at Arizona State. He's learned how to use his speed, takedowns and striking to handle the size disadvantage, and he'll do it again on Saturday.

Cagereader's take: Cain Velasquez by TKO. Cain will rebound nicely in this bout. We'll see him return to his stalking/aggressive fight style which will eventually lead to some ground and pound against Silva. Silva is a top heavyweight but he's not very quick. He won't have a quick enough reaction to keep Cain away. ? Eddie Ledezma

Dave Herman vs. Roy Nelson

Iole: Roy Nelson W3 Dave Herman ? Nelson has the power to take Herman out, but most likely, Herman survives but takes a beating.

Hendricks: Nelson W3 Dave Herman ? Not to just copy Kev, but I don't see a way this fight will end early. This fight will be the bout it IS OK to blink while it's happening.

Cagereader's take: Roy Nelson will win against Herman. He is all wrong for Herman. Iron chin, BJJ blackbelt, better striking. Standup or ground game, Nelson is clearly better. ? Daniel Natividad

Stipe Miocic vs. Shane del Rosario

Iole: Shane del Rosario W3 Stipe Miocic ? This is more of a hunch because I don't know which del Rosario will show up. He's been off for a year since an auto accident. Del Rosario is a budding star and if he's healthy, I like him to make a statement against Miocic.

Hendricks: Miocic W3 del Rosario ? My heart says del Rosario because after the year he's had, he deserves a win. He was in a car accident with a drunk driver and even contemplated retirement during his trip back to the cage. However, Miocic's wrestling and striking will be too much.

Cagereader's take: I pick Miocic to win by decision. Del Rosario is the better and more experienced striker, but Miocic's wrestling ability will carry him to a decision victory. Miocic is confident in his hands, but he will eventually resort back to his bread and butter once he realizes the gap in striking ability between him and Del Rosario. Del Rosario has lacked in the takedown defense department before, and I expect him to have similar issues against the former NCAA Division I wrestler. Once on the mat, Miocic will land consistently from the top position, controlling the action and landing often enough to earn a decision win. ? Robert MacDonald

Stefan Struve vs. Lavar Johnson

Iole: Struve SUB2 Johnson ? Struve is susceptible to good strikers, but Johnson has a great vulnerability on the ground. I think Johnson has his moments, but look for Struve to take advantage of a mistake and end it with a submission.

Hendricks: Johnson KO2 Struve ? Though Struve does have a dangerous ground game, he opens himself up to getting punched in the face too often. Johnson is really, really good at punching people in the face.

Cagereader's take: Johnson ? I wanted to see Mark Hunt in this fight, but I actually see it going remarkably similar to how I would predict that one. Johnson has the style to wade in, get close, and do damage. That's enough to beat Struve. Struve's best option will be to pull guard and see if he can slap on a sub with his long limbs. I doubt he gets that chance, though. ? John Wilcox

Thank you to everyone who submitted picks.

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Dwyane Wade and LeBron James playing their best as Heat roll into Eastern finals
? Jason Cole: Saints QB Drew Brees' contract efforts could be aided by language in CBA
? Dan Wetzel podcast: Football coaches recast as 'Deadliest Catch' skippers

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ufc-146-picks-cover-biggest-ufc-card-ever-135306408.html

Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade 

Police blotter: More on Jon Jones and Arianny Celeste?s arrests

Checking in on the legal issues of a few members of the UFC:

-- Jon Jones pled guilty to DWI in Binghamton, N.Y. on Tuesday. His driving privileges were suspended and he was ordered to undergo an alcohol abuse and dependency evaluation. His next hearing is in June, where he will find out his exact sentence. He can have up to a year in jail and a fine of $1,000.

Also, Sports Illustrated's Loretta Hunt is reporting that Jones was not alone in his Bentley when he hit a pole. He had two passengers. Dana White commented on the arrest on Inside MMA.

"He's a good kid. He made a stupid mistake. The thing about social drinking. Everybody's done it. Everybody was at that age where they jumped in the car, drove home and the next day they said I can't believe that I drove home last night. It's a serious situation that happens here in the United States. I know for a fact Jon has learned from this and hopefully he can educate other people."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 10,000 people will die in drunk driving accidents this year. A person will be injured in an alcohol-related crash every minute. Shane del Rosario, who fought in the UFC this past weekend, nearly had his MMA career ended because of a drunk driver.

Perhaps the correct attitude for the UFC's president to take on his biggest star getting arrested for drunk driving is to just say how wrong it was, and not try to couch the behavior with, "Everybody's done it," because that's simply not true.

-- Details have emerged from Octagon Girl Arianny Celeste's arrest for domestic violence over the weekend. She was in a fight with her boyfriend, Praveen Chandra, and allegedly kicked him in the face. Police observed cuts on her arms, and also arrested Chandra.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/police-blotter-more-jones-arianny-celeste-arrests-172844601.html

Yoji Anjo  Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio