Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/sports-vbookie/106483-nfl-denver-vs-cincinnati.html
Oleg Taktarov Jon Olav Einemo John Lewis Jeff Joslin Jay Silva
Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/sports-vbookie/106483-nfl-denver-vs-cincinnati.html
Oleg Taktarov Jon Olav Einemo John Lewis Jeff Joslin Jay Silva
The Pittsburgh Steelers are finally playing quality football, and the New York Giants have won four games in a row.
Their matchup on Sunday will be one of the weekend’s most competitive games. Both teams carry playoff expectations, and both know what it takes to knock off a fellow contender.
Pittsburgh enters after a decisive win over the Washington Redskins in Week 8. The Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys in a white-knuckle thriller:
This is going to be a good one, folks. Let’s preview the matchup from top to bottom.
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
When: Sunday, November 4 at 4:25 p.m. ET
Watch: CBS
Radio: Steelers Radio, WFAN Fan 660 (Giants)
Live Stream: NFL.com Game Rewind; DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket (Subscriptions Required for Both)
Betting Line: Giants (-3), Over/Under 47.5, according to covers.com
Pittsburgh Injury Report (via USA Today)
S Ryan Clark—Concussion—Questionable
LB Brandon Johnson—Hamstring—Questionable
DT Alameda Ta'Amu—Suspension—Questionable
RB Rashard Mendenhall—Achilles—Questionable
C Maurkice Pouncey—Leg—Questionable
RB Isaac Redman—Knee—Questionable
T Marcus Gilbert—Ankle—Out Indefinitely
S Troy Polamalu—Calf—Out
G David DeCastro—Knee—Out
LB Sean Spence—Knee—Out
TE David Johnson—Knee—Out
NY Giants Injury Report (via USA Today)
RB Ahmad Bradshaw—Foot—Probable
WR Victor Cruz—Calf—Probable
DT Rocky Bernard—Quadricep—Probable
LB Chase Blackburn—Hamstring—Questionable
S Antrel Rolle—Head—Questionable
LB Jacquian Williams—Knee—Questionable
S Kenny Phillips—Knee—Questionable
S Will Hill—Suspension—Out
RB Da'Rel Scott—Knee—Injured Reserve
T Brandon Mosley—Ankle—Injured Reserve
DT Shaun Rogers—Leg—Injured Reserve
DB Terrell Thomas—Knee—Injured Reserve
What's at Stake?
The Giants aren’t in any danger of falling out of first place in the NFC East, but Pittsburgh can maintain its pace in the AFC North.
These teams are in two different positions right now. New York is red hot—taking advantage of a very inconsistent division while it’s at it. Pittsburgh is playing much better as of late and could catch Baltimore should the Ravens falter against the Browns on Sunday.
Either way, these are two proud franchises. Expect both teams to bring it on Sunday, as two playoff contenders usually do.
Fantasy Plays
Must Start: Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Roethlisberger is playing extremely well this season, and he should have no trouble handling New York’s secondary.
Stevie Brown’s five interceptions could give Big Ben problems, but don’t expect it to make a difference. New York definitely has its strengths, but its 26th-ranked pass defense isn’t one of them.
Roethlisberger has plenty of weapons to work with, and he’s not turning the ball over this year. Expect the normal rash of screen passes, but Mike Wallace should be able to get free for a deep ball or two as well.
Expect a big day from Pittsburgh’s passing attack whether it wins or loses.
Sit 'Em: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, New York Giants
Bradshaw is listed on the injury report, but he’d be a shaky play even if he weren’t. Putting him against the Steelers’ ninth-ranked run defense is risky. Pittsburgh pins its ears back, and it will force Manning to win the game through the air.
The Giants have enjoyed a much-improved ground game this season, but this isn’t a week to go with it, fantasy owners. Sitting Bradshaw is necessary unless you have no other options due to bye-week nightmares.
Pittsburgh rarely struggles to stop the run, and this year is no different. Look for Manning to throw the ball 30 to 40 times, taking the pressure off of Bradshaw’s ailing body.
Sleeper: Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Three weeks ago, calling Dwyer anything but a bum would have been crazy. Now, with two straight 100-plus-yard games under his belt, he’s an interesting play should he be able to go. Here is the latest from Chris Adamski of CBS Sports:
Dwyer has 229 rushing yards and has had consecutive 100-yard games -- the first time that's happened since Willie Parker in 2008. But he emerged from Sunday's 27-12 victory against Washington with a right quad strain.
'He is tentatively scheduled not to practice [Wednesday],' Tomlin said. 'He is being evaluated. Hopefully, Thursday will be a practice day for him.'
The Giants allow 113 rushing yards per game. It’s not like he’s facing a run-defending juggernaut. Pittsburgh will try to offset the Giants’ pass rush by giving him carries early, allowing him to wear down the Giants defensive line with his bulky frame.
This bodes well for fantasy owners. If you have him stashed on your bench normally, this might be a good week to start him. He’s proved himself capable of carrying a heavy workload in the past two weeks, and the Giants are vulnerable in this area.
What They Are Saying
Ben Roethlisberger had this to say to ESPN New York’s Kieran Darcy concerning the Giants defense:
They've got a crazy amount of turnovers, interceptions. I think that (credit) usually goes to the back end, the guys intercepting it, the DBs and stuff. But I think you have to give a lot of credit, and we're gonna give a lot of attention to, the front four -- and really the front six or seven that they rotate in and linebackers -- because they're the ones that create a lot of those turnovers with pressure on the quarterback.
In light of Hurricane Sandy, Bloomberg News’ Eben Novy-Williams reports that “New Jersey Transit may not run the train that brings 10,000 people to MetLife Stadium when the New York Giants host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 4 as it continues to assess damage from Hurricane Sandy.”
The game is still on, but attendance could be affected. Thankfully, things are not any worse than they already are.
Steelers Player to Watch: Will Allen, S
With Ryan Clark’s status in question and Troy Polamalu out, the Steelers need someone to step up at safety.
Enter veteran Will Allen. He’s played well so far this season, and he will be charged with quarterbacking the defensive backfield against Victor Cruz and Co.
Pittsburgh’s pass defense hasn’t taken a step back, even without Polamalu, but that could change at any time. New York has the weapons and the quarterback to make that change happen.
Allen isn’t ever going to be Polamalu, but he’s a smart player who plays sound in run support and pass coverage.
Giants Player to Watch: Jason Pierre-Paul, DE
Pierre-Paul is a physical specimen, and he can single-handedly demolish an offensive line. With 5.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a defensive touchdown, the dynamic defensive end has made his mark already this season.
If you’re looking for someone who can hit Ben Roethlisberger and actually bring him down, this is your guy. He’s strong enough, fast enough and mean enough to do the job.
The Giants need a defensive difference-maker, and this is the guy. Pressuring Big Ben will play a major role in determining the outcome of this one.
Key Matchup: Eli Manning vs. Steelers Pass Defense
The Steelers are No. 2 in the NFL at stopping the pass, but Manning won’t be easy to slow down. He has a lot of weapons to work with on the outside, making his arm even more dangerous.
Pittsburgh only has 12 sacks this season. It’s not the Steelers’ normally dynamic pass rush, but teams must always be wary when Dick LeBeau is at the controls.
Manning has over 2,300 yards and 12 touchdowns this year, leading the league’s sixth-ranked passing attack. With Bradshaw hobbled, his role must be even bigger on Sunday.
The Steelers don’t have elite corners, but their physicality will challenge New York’s wideouts.
Prediction
Pittsburgh has enough to get it done in this one, but it’s going to be a nail-biter. Because of the Giants’ issues defensively, Roethlisberger will turn in a big day, and Dwyer could as well.
Expect Manning to struggle against the Steelers’ pass defense, allowing them to pin their ears back and attack.
Coming off two straight wins, the Steelers finally feel like themselves again. Beating the 6-2 Giants will take them one step further.
Pittsburgh 24, New York 20
Michael Bisping Marcelo Brito Wagnney Fabiano Johnnie Morton Randy The Natural Couture
Elvis Sinosic Ron The Monster Sparks Marzagui Ayoub Brock Lesnar Scott Lighty
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/stephan-bonnar-calls-career-191815903--mma.html
Gleison Tibau Pedro Rizzo Randy Couture Tony DeSouza Oleg Taktarov
After a busy offseason that featured a trade for Dwight Howard and the signing of Steve Nash, the Lakers entered the 2012-13 season as strong contenders for an NBA championship. Yet, in losing 99-91 to the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks in last night's season opener, the team looked like anything but one of the elite.
Careless mistakes, poor free-throw shooting and a lack of on-court chemistry sunk the team from the second quarter and on.
Granted, this was the first game of the season after a winless preseason, and star guard Kobe Bryant started after not practicing for a week due to a strained and bruised foot, but that's not the point. This team now is deeper than it has been in years and should have taken the Mavs to school last night.
It's just one game and way too early for fans to be freaking out, especially given the fact that the Miami Heat lost the first game their Big Three played together. Still, the basketball the Lakers played last night is so unlike what we as fans have grown used to seeing from them that it's only natural that people are concerned.
Needless to say, coach Mike Brown needs to make some adjustments so that the season isn't prematurely labeled a disappointment.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1391243-5-things-drastically-wrong-early-on-with-la-lakers
Victor Valimaki Fedor Emelianenko Bao Ligao Mikey Burnett Antoine Jaoude
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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14824.shtml
Daniel Lima Liu Jinwen Sean Salmon Kenny Florian Min Soo Kim
Source: http://www.mmaweekly.com/mmaweekly-radio-tuesday-tyrone-spong-lance-palmer-and-ky-hollenbeck
Don Barr Jon Jones Kiyoshi Tamura Mike Van Arsdale Sam Hoger
Source: http://www.mmalinker.com/forum/conditioning-and-strength-training-f105.html
Caol Uno Sean Sherk Renato Babalu Sobral Yoshihiro Takayama Houston Alexander
Source: http://www.mmalinker.com/forum/linker-get-together-f160.html
Kultar Gill Valentijn Overeem Jake O Brien Dos Caras Jr Anthony Pettis
Source: http://www.mmalinker.com/forum/
Lyoto Machida Luciano Azevedo Mike Kyle Daiki DJ taiki Hata Caol Uno
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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14814.shtml
Murilo Ninja Rua Frank Shamrock Gilbert Yvel Tom Howard Takeshi Inoue
Shane Carwin Mike Nickels Rashad Evans Keith Hackney Kultar Gill
The Baltimore Ravens had a sorely-needed bye week in Week 8, buying them some time to fix the many issues that have been plaguing them over the first half of the season. From a seeming inability to stop the run to quarterback Joe Flacco looking shaky on the road and all manners of problems in between, seven days isn't a lot of time to turn around what ails them.
However, it's more time than they would have had otherwise. With just 16 games guaranteed every NFL team every season, things seem to fly by. A week to step away, evaluate the situation and make changes—and just to rest—could do a lot to set things right in Baltimore.
Let's take a closer look at what the Ravens need to focus on in the second half of the season. At 5-2, Baltimore has the lead in the AFC North; here's how it can keep it.
Health Concerns, Depth Concerns
A number of key Ravens positions have been decimated by injuries this year. Linebacker Terrell Suggs is just one game back from his offseason Achilles' tendon tear, Ray Lewis is done for the season with a torn triceps and cornerback Lardarius Webb is also out for the year with a torn ACL.
Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is also dealing with an MCL sprain that the Ravens are hoping does not get worse before it gets better.
They cannot afford to lose yet another one of their defensive stars, especially considering the myriad problems they are having on that side of the ball. The week away from the field should have helped his healing, but with a sprain literally being a partial tear, he'll still need to keep the knee stabilized for the remainder of the season.
The Ravens are in a precarious position in the AFC North. Though they lead the division with a 5-2 record, the Pittsburgh Steelers are fast on their heels. More injuries to their starters would make it that much harder for them to maintain their lead, especially with three divisional contests in the next five weeks.
After eight weeks, no team in the NFL is healthy—there are merely degrees of health. In that sense, the Ravens are in no different a boat than the other 31 squads in the league. However, with the season that Baltimore has had—even when Lewis, Ngata and Webb were completely healthy—losing any more players will bring added stress to a team that is stretched extremely thin.
It wouldn't be as big of an issue if the Ravens' depth, particularly at defense, was stronger. At linebacker, Baltimore has amassed a number of pass-rushers, but it has few who specialize at stopping the run. It's why Baltimore has found itself near the very bottom in terms of rushing yards allowed per game, and it was a problem it had before the injuries started piling up.
The Ravens aren't likely to make any moves prior to Thursday's trade deadline, but that doesn't mean they won't make some changes. They'll need to take a more rotational, situational approach to their defensive front seven to help put them in a better position to stop the run. And no matter who is on the field, a greater attention to tackling will go a long way.
Paul Kruger has the worst tackling efficiency among 3-4 outside linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus, and ranks 10th against the run. Jameel McClain is the league's worst run-stopping inside backer and ranks 24th out of 36 in tackling. If just these two linebackers could get their hands on running backs, it would do a lot to help the Ravens' ability to stop the run. A renewed focus on this most basic of football fundamentals hopefully comprised much of the team's bye week work.
Remember Ray Rice?
Ray Rice is rated third overall among running backs by Pro Football Focus, but of his 390 snaps, only 109 have come in obvious running situations—177 are in passing downs, and the remainder are split between run and pass blocking.
On those 109 run-play snaps, 106 of them have been carries by Rice, for a total of 524 yards, 273 yards after contact and five touchdowns. He's played the fourth-most snaps of any back in the league but has the 20th-most rushing attempts, a baffling disparity considering his talent. Now that the second half of the season is here, the Ravens must get Rice and the run game more involved in their offensive game plans.
It's one thing if the Ravens are stuck playing from significantly behind, as they were in Week 7 against the Houston Texans, but even in that scenario, head coach John Harbaugh said they turned away from the run too soon. With the defense struggling, the offense has had to carry more weight, with the majority of that responsibility falling to quarterback Joe Flacco.
This has produced mixed results. On one hand, Flacco's week-to-week numbers are more consistent this season than in the last, but on the other, he's still having some significant issues that only become magnified when asked to carry the team on his shoulders.
Flacco ranks just 30th in the league in accuracy as well as in passing under pressure, and he's 18th when it comes to completions of 20 or more yards all while throwing the 16th-most passes of any quarterback thus far. Most disconcerting of all is the fact that Flacco has the ninth-most play-action pass attempts in the league, but ranks 28th in play-action completions.
This further magnifies just how much the Ravens must run more in the second half of the season. It's not to set up play-action, where Flacco is weak—it's to simply have Flacco pass less, period. Running the ball more will also keep Baltimore's offense on the field longer. It is last in the league in time of possession, making every on-field appearance for its offense that much more urgent.
More carries for Rice will up its time of possession while still yielding the desired results. Rice is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, more than enough yards to warrant more running. If he was averaging 2.3 yards per carry, it would make sense that the Ravens would elect to pass more, but with production like that, it's clear he needs the ball in his hands more often.
As a receiver, Rice can also help Flacco. Of the 39 passes thrown his way, he's caught 29 of them for 245 yards. The Ravens needed to turn away from Rice being their most-targeted receiver, and they've succeeded at that, but in pressure situations, Flacco needs to check down to his back more often. Anything the Ravens can do to extend drives without forcing Flacco to throw it deep, play after play, the more it will help their offensive bottom line.
What's Next: The Cleveland Browns
A passing glance at the respective win-loss records of the Ravens and their Week 9 opponent, the Cleveland Browns, and it seems like the outcome of this game is easy to predict. At 5-2, the Ravens look like the strong AFC North contender they've been year after year, while at 2-6, the Browns are again in the league's basement.
To look at it that way wouldn't be fair to the more nuanced aspects of this matchup. The Browns have won two of their last three games, the first win a shootout against the Cincinnati Bengals and the second a defensively-strong, run-heavy, low-scoring affair against the San Diego Chargers in poor weather conditions.
The Ravens, on the other hand, are in triage mode after numerous injuries to important defenders and a season-long inability to effectively stop the run, rush the passer and, to a lesser but very real extent, keep pass games at bay.
It helps significantly that Baltimore is coming off of its bye, but it is facing the Browns in Cleveland, where the home team has a decided advantage. Further, this isn't the same Cleveland team the Ravens faced in Week 4.
The Browns managed to hang around in that game, but ultimately fell 23-16. Since that time, rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden has improved his accuracy, his ability to make fewer mistakes under pressure and hasn't turned the ball over in the past two weeks. Running back Trent Richardson had his best game of the season thus far in Week 8, with 122 rushing yards and a touchdown, and a receiving corps that was once a liability seems to have found its identity.
It won't be an easy out for the Ravens. Terrell Suggs will need to bring heavy pressure on Weeden, while the defense as a whole will have to keep Richardson under control. On offense, Flacco must be mindful to not take too many risks—Cleveland's secondary is rife with talent, not limited to cornerback Joe Haden.
Baltimore cannot go into this game assuming the Browns are an easy out, or else it could find itself upset in an extremely important divisional contest. The Ravens must play strongly off of their bye week and not repeat the same mistakes they made two weeks ago against the Texans. The Browns aren't the Texans, no, but any opponent could capitalize on Baltimore's errors the way Houston did, so the key is to limit the flaws and again work to improve its run-stopping ability.
Sean O Haire Victor Valimaki Fedor Emelianenko Bao Ligao Mikey Burnett
Source: http://www.mmalinker.com/forum/conditioning-and-strength-training-f105.html
Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc/106432-carwin-jds-toughest-fight-sure.html
Yoshihiro Takayama Houston Alexander Sean Sherk Cain Velasquez B J Penn
The pre-release hoopla is done. WWE 13 was released at midnight all over the United States. WWE fanatics that pre-ordered the game have probably already played countless matches, created tons of custom content, and submerged themselves in all things WWE games over the last few hours.
Yes, the release of this game is that big of a deal.
For wrestling/gaming fans, this is equivalent to a Madden, FIFA or NBA 2K release. I've been playing the game for about four days. I've analyzed every nook and cranny in an attempt to craft an in-depth analysis of the game.
There are tons to explore here, and plenty to see. I really needed four days—and possibly more—to touch on everything in the game. What I offer you in the next five detailed slides doesn't equate to spoilers for in-game storylines, so no need to worry about that.
However, when you're done reading, watching the videos, and scanning over the exclusive screenshots included, you'll be equipped to make a decision on your feelings for this game.
That is, if you haven't already copped it.
Here's my take on WWE 13.
(All images and videos from WWE 13 by THQ)
Antônio Rogério Nogueira Maurice Mo Smith Yoshiyuki Yoshida Ivan Titenkov Clay Guida
Source: http://forums.ufc.production.sparkart.net/showthread.php?t=128923&goto=newpost
Wang Guan Robert Berry Aldrin de Jesus Karl James Noons Josh Barnett
Source: http://www.mmalinker.com/forum/k1-kickboxing-and-boxing-f6.html
Siyar Bahadurzada Wes Soldier Combs Glover Teixeira Jan Nortje Karo Parisyan
The New England Patriots have successfully integrated four running backs into their offense in 2012. All of them have scored multiple touchdowns during the first half of the season as runners or receivers.
By sheer volume of plays, there is enough work to go around for plenty of players to get stats. New England has run 91 more plays (613) than any other team in the NFL this season.
The Green Bay Packers and New York Jets are tied for second with 522.
Yet, the Patriots lead the NFL by just three attempts on third down (117; the Jets have 114) and boast the second-best third-down conversion percentage (49; the Pittsburgh Steelers converted 52) when they do get to those situations.
Unsurprisingly, New England’s offense is the highest scoring unit in the NFL—this machine is humming.
Brandon Bolden, Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen and Danny Woodhead have all contributed to the Patriots offense with their respective allotment of touches.
Here’s a look at their individual numbers.
Rolles Gracie Kerry Schall Cheick Kongo Travis Lutter Tom Murphy
Denis Kang Fabiano Scherner Phillipe Noer Eddy Rolon Rey Phillip Santos
Anderson Silva Tokimitsu Ishizawa Masakatsu Funaki Fabricio Werdum Harold Howard
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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14779.shtml
Jason Lambert Ronaldo de Souza Shane Carwin Mike Nickels Rashad Evans
Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc/106423-jds-he-pretty-good-his-feet-but.html
Daniel Puder Brock Lesnar Kenichi Yamamoto Andrei Arlovski Ken Shamrock
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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14786.shtml
Umer W Chheena Thiago Alves Anthony Torres Chris Lytle Kristian Rothaermel
British MMA is on the agenda once again, and with the help of Premier Sports’ free-to-air weekend, we’re going back in time a week or so to the King’s Hall in Belfast for Cage Contender 15.
Cage Contender 15 was shown this past Saturday night in two parts, with part one concentrated on the preliminaries. The first three fights were amateur encounters, fought over three three-minute rounds, beginning with Gerard Gilmore against Conor White in the welterweight division.
This certainly proved to be an action-packed opener. They began with a couple of exchanges, and it was apparent from these that White was the more technical striker.
This was more evident when White began to connect with a series of knees in the Thai clinch, a sequence that caused Gilmore no end of trouble, particularly in the first round.
Everything White did just looked so good, from his striking to his ground work, and he came close to ending the fight on a couple of occasions towards the end of the first and second rounds, but as the old saying goes, Gilmore was saved by the bell.
Sadly, the only thing missing from this fight was a finish, which meant a bit of work for the judges as they gave everything to White.
Then it was down to flyweight as Paddy Copeland took on Darren Watkins.
Copeland put in a dominating performance in this one, taking the fight to the ground early on and controlling the action from there. Watkins briefly went for a gogoplata, but Copeland quickly moved to side control so he could deliver a largely unanswered display of ground and pound.
The end came in the second round. Copeland scored with another early takedown before quickly transitioning to his man’s back so he could lock in a rear naked choke for the submission win.
The flyweight action continued as Daniel Thompson took on Karl McNally.
This one lasted just over a minute. The action quickly went to the ground, and as soon as they arrived there, McNally went looking for a choke with a power guillotine attempt. When that didn’t work, he switched over to a regular guillotine, which Thompson quickly tapped out to.
The professional fights began with bantamweight action between Stevie Kilbin and Luke O’Neill.
This one lasted under a minute. After the initial feeling out period, Kilbin took the fight to the ground. A brief moment of grappling followed as they both went for submissions before Kilbin applied a heel hook for the submission win.
Middleweight action followed as Ronan McKay faced Rich Gorey.
This was a very enjoyable encounter. We had a brief feeling out period at the beginning before Gorey scored with the takedown. However, McKay soon reversed the positions, going on to dominate the rest of the round with some sound grappling, and although Gorey went looking for a kimura at one point, McKay didn’t look like he was in any danger.
It was the same story in the second round as McKay dominated on the ground again. It looked like he was going to get the win with a rear naked choke at one point until Gorey managed to escape.
It appeared all over again a few moments later when McKay took the high mount looking for some ground and pound.
Things began to look up for Gorey when he managed to reverse the positions, but that proved to be a bad move on his part as McKay locked in a triangle choke for the highly impressive submission win.
The main show began with bantamweight action between Steve McCombe and Barry McGuigan. (No, not that one!)
We had quite an extensive feeling out period in this one, and it wasn’t until nearly two minutes into the fight when the action really got going as McCombe scored with the takedown.
It was then that McGuigan played the part of the spoiler perfectly, showing sound defensive skills from the bottom. Whenever McCombe moved from half guard to full guard, McGuigan nearly always managed to put him back in his original position, basically shutting McCombe down and stopping him from doing anything meaningful.
After the referee stood the fighters up, McGuigan quickly scored with a takedown of his own. It proved to be the beginning of the end for him though, as McCombe immediately locked in a guillotine with McGuigan tapping out just three seconds from the end of the first round.
Then it was up to featherweight with Ricky Edgeworth taking on Alan Philpott.
His was another one that lasted less then a minute. They began by swinging for the fences before a slip from Philpott saw Edgeworth follow him down to the ground.
Philpott quickly went to work with the submission attempts, going for various holds before synching in a triangle for the submission win.
Championship action followed as Arni Isaksson faced Wayne Murrie for the interim welterweight title.
This proverbial game of two halves saw Murrie putting in a sound performance in the first round. A series of kicks reddened the Icelander’s thigh early on, and whenever Isaksson went for a takedown from the clinch against the cage, Murrie showed sound defensive skills.
When the second round began, though, it was an entirely different story. Isaksson began to look the better striker of the two, and it seemed as if he’d abandoned his plan to take the fight to the ground, as his crisp striking rocked Murrie on more than one occasion.
Murrie tried to counter with a takedown at one point, but it wasn’t long before Isaksson was swinging again, a big right sending Murrie crashing. Isaksson followed him down for a spot of ground and pound before the referee stepped in to give Isaksson the TKO win.
The final fight of the show featured middleweight action, as Conor Cooke went up against former UFC star Ross Pointon.
To say that this fight was action packed would be an understatement. As soon as the bell sounded, these two went at it full pelt, and it made for an amazing spectacle.
This was one of those fast-paced back-and-forth encounters you couldn’t take your eyes off in case you missed something.
First, Pointon had some success with a couple of submission attempts, then Cooke would come back into it with his striking, and then Pointon would counter with more grappling.
It was as if the action was going round in cycles until Cooke began to unload with the heavy leather for the final time. Pointon was against the fence on rubber legs when Cooke connected with a right kick to the head. Pointon crashed to the ground like a sack of spuds as the referee quickly stepped in to give Cooke the TKO win.
In conclusion, it’s been a while since I’ve seen any Cage Contender show, mainly because I don’t subscribe to Premier Sports and they’ve hardly appeared on Sky Sports. I was glad I caught this show, though.
The amateur bouts were all quite impressive, and the performances from those involved showed that they’ve all got bright futures ahead of them.
As for the professionals, they certainly delivered big time. There were some excellent fights there— encounters that could easily have graced the bigger stages in the MMA world—and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of those fighters on those stages in the future.
As for my fight of the night, it was a close call going into the final fight, but then Cooke and Pointon gave us one of the best fights outside of the UFC I’ve seen this year. Giving them my No. 1 prize was kind of a no brainer.
So, with that being said, it’s time to wrap this review up by giving Cage Contender 15 the thumbs up.
Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedreview.blogspot.com. It’s been online in one form or another for over 12 years now!
Wes Soldier Combs Glover Teixeira Jan Nortje Karo Parisyan Roberto Traven
Source: http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f44/bellator-really-close-2-ufc-2247255/
Kazuyuki Fujita Tim Sylvia Jung Chan Sung Antônio Rogério Nogueira Maurice Mo Smith
Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/sports-vbookie/106410-cfb-texas-vs-texas-tech.html
Antônio Rogério Nogueira Maurice Mo Smith Yoshiyuki Yoshida Ivan Titenkov Clay Guida
Source: http://forums.ufc.production.sparkart.net/showthread.php?t=128874&goto=newpost
Patrick The Predator Côté Chris The Pitbull Myra Rani Yahya Daniel Lima Liu Jinwen
Source: http://www.mmaforum.com/sports-vbookie/106412-cfb-alabama-vs-lsu.html
Yoshihiro Takayama Houston Alexander Sean Sherk Cain Velasquez B J Penn
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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14794.shtml
Marcelo Brito Wagnney Fabiano Johnnie Morton Randy The Natural Couture Royler Gracie
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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_14809.shtml
Jake O Brien Dos Caras Jr Anthony Pettis Hector Ramirez Murilo Ninja Rua
Source: http://forums.ufc.production.sparkart.net/showthread.php?t=128841&goto=newpost
Takeshi Inoue Nam Phan Jordan Radev Logan The Pink Pounder Clark Martinsh Egle
Source: http://www.ifight365.com/2011/09/the-latest-update-on-maryse-her-recovery-time/
Gegard Mousasi Dennis Siver Leonardo Lucio Nascimento Matt Hughes Nick Serra
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Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Bellator_Events/article_14802.shtml
Dan Cramer Jai Bradney Wanderlei Silva Rolles Gracie Kerry Schall