Incase you haven’t heard a fan favorite in the sport of MMA has announced his return to the main stage. George St. Pierre has announced that he will be making a come back to UFC after rumors have been circulating about a multiple fight deal that was drawn up for his return. His first fight back is not forecasted to be an easy one for the former champion, as he is scheduled to face of against Michael Bisping for the title of the UFC’s Middleweight division. It is note worthy to mention that GSP has never fought in this heavier weight class. GSP has had one of the most recognizable records in the sport’s history with twenty-five wins and two loses, both loses were avenged later in his career against Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. GSP’s last fight was in November of 2013 where he defended his Welterweight title against Johnny Hendricks in Las Vegas. Many MMA fans are anxiously awaiting the return of this beloved champion with high hopes for a new and further improved GSP under the limelight.
On March 5th 2016 Miesha Tate stepped into the Octagon once again in an attempt to dethrone the UFC champion of the Women’s Bantamweight Division. Tate, no stranger to the Octagon had been in this position before, faced with an awesome opportunity to earn her title as the division champion against then reigning champion Rhonda Rousey back in December of 2013. Tate’s 2013 attempt at the title ended when Rousey ended the fight in the 3rd round with her signature arm bar submission. Rhonda Rousey had been the undefeated women’s champion in the UFC’s Bantamweight division for two years eight months and had successfully defended her title six times against top-notch competitors, but on November 15th 2015, Rhonda sealed her fate when attempting to go toe to toe and blow for blow with Holly Holms a world class boxer and kickboxer who in her own career had defended her titles eighteen times. Holms knocked the longtime UFC champion”Rowdy” Rhonda Rousey out with a 2nd round head kick. As great of an achievement as this was, it seems it was not meant to last as on March 5th 2016 Holms and Tate met in the Octagon for what promised to be a knock down drag out fight, what happened was unexpected. Spectators saw a hungry Miesha Tate at one corner of the Octagon and what appeared to be a drained Holly Holms in the other. For a champion in the upper echelon of the combat sports, Holms appeared unenthusiastic or even motivated to hold on to her title. She seemed very unsure of herself, placing strikes haphazardly and in lack of better word dormant. The crowd was waiting for a volcanic explosion of raw power and aggression to explode from the champion, but this never happened. In the 5th round of the championship bout Meisha Tate secured a submission via rear naked choke and rightfully claimed her position amongst the UFC’s best. Tate currently has a record of 18 wins and 5 loses in her professional career and is the reigning UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion.
Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson — Cormier def. Gustafsson by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 49-46) 170 lbs.: Johny Hendricks vs. Tyron Woodley — CANCELED Ryan Bader vs. Rashad Evans — Bader def. Evans by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Shawn Jordan vs. Ruslan Magomedov — Magomedov def. Jordan by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Ali Bagautinov vs. Joseph Benavidez — Benavidez def. Bagautinov by unanimous decision 30-27 x2, 29-28)
Jessica Eye vs. Julianna Pena — Pena def. Eye by unanimous decision (29-27 x3)
Daniel Hooker vs. Yair Rodriguez — Rodriguez def. Hooker by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 30-26)
Alan Jouban vs. Albert Tumenov — Tumenov def. Jouban by KO (head kick and punches) at 2:55 of Round One
Islam Makhachev vs. Adriano Martins — Martins def. Makhachev by KO (punch) at 1:46 of Round One
Angela Hill vs. Rose Namajunas — Namajunas def. Hill by technical submission (RNC) at 2:47 of Round One
Sage Northcutt vs. Francisco Trevino — Northcutt def. Trevino by TKO (strikes) at 0:57 of Round One
Chris Cariaso vs. Sergio Pettis — Pettis def. Cariaso by unanimous decision (29-27 x2, 29-28)
Derrick Lewis vs. Viktor Pesta — Lewis def. Pesta by TKO (punches) at 1:15 of Round Three
LAST FIGHT: UFC 189; MENDES Vs. McGREGOR (JULY 11, 2015)
ACHIEVEMENTS: CWFC Featherweight Championship (One time), CWFC Lightweight Championship (One time), 2014 International Fighter of the Year, 2014 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year (SHERDOG), 2014 Breakout Fighter of the Year (COMBAT PRESS), 2013 Best UFC Newcomer (MMA INSIDER), Interim UFC Featherweight Championship (One time, current), Knockout of the Night vs. Marcus Brimage (One time; UFC), Performance of the Night Vs Diego Brandao, Dustin Poirier, Dennis Siver, and Chad Mendes (Four times; UFC).
STYLES: BOXING, KICK BOXING, TAEKWONDO, KARATE, AND CAPOEIRA
ABOUT: Conor McGregor was born on 14 July 1988 in Dublin, Ireland. McGregor began his professional mixed martial arts(MMA) career in 2008 after leaving his job as a plumber.In 2009, he attended UFC 93 and was so inspired by the experience that he began pursuing a dream, of one day having a career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.McGregor trained under the tutelage of John Kavanagh, the first Irish person to achieve a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and his team at SBG Ireland.McGregor was always fond of fighting and was no stranger to combat sports having already trained in boxing. With his boxing background as a base, he also trained in Taekwondo, Karate,Capoeira, and Kickboxing prior to competing in professional MMA. After his bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 178, Kavanagh promoted McGregor to his Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt.McGregor trains at SBG alongside fellow UFC fighters such as Cathal Pendred and Gunnar Nelson. (SOURCE WIKI).
MMA CORNER NOTE: This young man has a bright future in the UFC and any other promotion he may choose to fight for. Anyone who has ever seen this extravagant fighter in the action knows that the smack he talks while promoting his fights outside of the octagon his backed up by his skills in the octagon. He is a true spectacle to behold. His stamina seems to be endless and his barrage of strikes accurate and effective. He flaunts his Irish pride with flare and showmanship, he makes a great entrance to an even better fight. If I had to describe him in one word it would be… CRAZY. Two words…CRAZY FANTASTIC! Be sure to tune into his next fight when he is set to fight current UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo on December 12th 2015.
2014 brought us some great MMA events as we now look forward to a new exciting year for the sport with continued action in 2015. Wishing you all a safe and Happy New Year!
Leslie Smith gets her left ear torn half off by punch in UFC 180 bout. In UFC 180 bantamweight Leslie Smith was engaging in a rigorous slug-fest with Jessica Eye for the duration of the first round when Smith caught a right hand from Eye that ripped into her left ear. The fight was allowed to continue into the second round at which point Herb Dean was told by ringside physicians that they recommended a stoppage 1:30 into the round. Eye got awarded a TKO victory. OUCH!
I bought these gloves about 6 months ago because I wanted to invest a little bit more into a good pair of gloves for training; hitting the heavy bag and sparring. I had a reoccurring problem of tearing up cheap ($40) training gloves every 3-4 months of rigorous training. The stitching would come apart and the padding would be crushed. I wanted something that would last me several years and something that wasn’t made of the cheap imitation leather. I did some research over the course of a week and found these TITLE Boxing Platinum series gloves. The TITLE Platinum Paramount Bag Gloves come in sizes 10,12,14, and 16. The gloves I decided to go with were the 14 oz gloves which are good for both heavy bag training and offers enough padding for sparring. The glove shell is covered in double thick, ultra-pliable full grain leather for professional results. The padding is made of molded foams which give you the “already broken in” feeling. The wrist strap provides added security against wrist sprains and injuries, but I would still recommend always training with wrist wraps. A moisture-wicking hand compartment liner helps repel moisture and keep fists cool during training. These are a must have if you are looking into a solid set of gloves that will last you a long time through rigorous training several days a week. Originally these bad boys were $179.99, but you can get them now for $87.99 at Amazon.
I bought this striking pad back in 2011 thinking it would be a medium priced martial arts striking pad that would last me a year or two prior to having to buying a new. That wasn’t the case, this pad has held up well through years of rigorous training and substantial amounts of abuse. This is a great piece of training equipment for those of you who like to load up on your roundhouse and spinning back kicks. The thickness of the pad (8 inches) absorbs a lot of impact and the numerous handles provide great diversity in holding the pad. The length is sufficient enough to give your training partner a good amount of coverage and protection; height measures 24 inches and the width is 14 inches.
You can get this great piece of training gear from Amazon at the following link:
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS 