What a messed up world...

It's been a while since I posted anything, so it's time to break my silence.

After reading the newspaper today, I felt it was time to say something, as it is ridiculous what are being reported in the news.

But first, the strike. I must say, I feel pretty sorry for those in Toronto affected by this. I personally think that this recession has made everyone paranoid, and I wonder if the city workers would be striking if there was no recession. The same could be said with the LCBO strike. They're looking for full-time job security at a time where money is scarce. It is truly unfortunate that all of these circumstances had to occur at the same time. I swear, if the damn sewage companies go on strike, then we will be truly up to our necks in deep *^$#%.

Next, I read an article talking about a tree that Adolf Hitler planted in Poland. Workers are debating tearing it down to make way for a new roundabout. Downright ridiculous. I'm not knocking the article. I'm knocking the fact that people in Poland are debating taking down a tree that HITLER planted. Read the article here if you're interested.

And then you have the Hilton/Will.i.am debacle. Will.i.am claimed that Hilton was seeking for attention, and it obviously worked, as I am fucking typing about this right now!!! Honestly, what kind of example are you setting for kids when you 'Tweet' an assault right after it happens?? I can imagine it now: A high schooler gets stabbed, and, while slowly clinging onto life pulls out his phone and tries to update his facebook status. The future does not look good for anyone who sees this man as a rolemodel...

Coming soon, # 10 on the countdown of my top 10 fantasy MMA fights. Pull out a cigar for this one, folks...

R.I.P Ed McMahon.

Read more...

UFC 99 Predictions

That's right, we are on the eve of UFC 99, and I've got some predictions (hence the title). First off, some kudos go out to the Penguins for taking the Stanley Cup against what seemed to me insurmountable odds.

Now, for UFC 99, I am going to focus on not two, but THREE bouts.

Rich Franklin vs. Vanderlei Silva

This is one fight fans have been clamouring for, and potentially could be the last fight for Silva.

Last weekend at the expo, I had a chat with 'Showdown' Joe Ferarro himself, and his consensus was this: his heart said Silva, and his head said Franklin. He proceeded to explain to me why Franklin could have the edge in this fight, and frankly, it made sense. However, Silva has more to lose, and is a man possessed.

Silva has a 'side feud', if you will, with Anderson Silva. He does not respect the way Anderson has handled his last few fights. Well, Anderson Silva despises Vanderlei SO much, that he agreed to train with Franklin to prepare for Silva!!!! A man he obliterated not once, but twice!

Well, Silva is not taking this lying down. He wants to beat Franklin. And he KNOWS that to get to Silva, he will go through Franklin. I think on drive alone, Silva has the edge in this fight. I think that Franklin's streak against "Silva's" will become 0-3.

Cain Velasquez vs Cheick Kongo

The man touted as the future of the UFC does not seem to have much credibility behind him. With just 5 professional fights, I cannot see how he can carry the heavyweight division. You need to look no further than his last fight, which seemed to simply be a feeder fight because his opponent fought so badly. Add to the fact that Kongo has a wealth of experience, as well as a 3 inch height advantage, he should be able to take down Velasquez and hand him his first UFC loss.

Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy

In the words of 'Showdown' Joe: This one is going to be a war.

They have hyped this fight based around the fact that these two do not like each other. Add the fact that they are both knockout artists and you have the potential for fight of the year. However, the key to this fight lies right underneath your nose...

Marcus Davis has an edge over Dan Hardy in one area: ground victories. Davis has proven that he can win fights on the ground and on his feet convincingly. However, I have not seen anything from Hardy other than knockout wins. If Davis is smart, he will take the fight to the ground. If not, each man stands a puncher's chance of winning. I am picking Davis to win due to his more all around game.


And that's it!!! Stay tuned, as over the next few weeks I will be doing a countdown of my top 10 fantasy MMA fights that I want to see. I know, it's a bit lame. But since I am not going to be in school for 15 months, I'll have a lot of time on my hands, and this'll be fun.

And I'm OUT!

Read more...

MMA Expo Thoughts

What a day!!!

Yesterday was the kickoff for the MMA Expo, 4th Edition. I said I was going to give you thoughts, and by God here they are. Here is a play-by-play of my journey throughout the day. Get ready for a long one, folks.

9:45 AM - Arrive at International Centre, begin my 5 minute hike across the parking lot.

9:55 - Line starts moving for people to get in

10:02 - Finally make it in, paid my 20 bucks, and entered the hall to find...boxes. Yes, people were still setting up, so I take this opportunity to scout the area to see who is appearing where.

10:10 - I go up to a fitness exhibitor and take a mini fitness test where I fail miserably for all but one test. They had a contest to see who would set the highest records in their tests, and I actually made it on the board for one test.

10:11 - I fill out a ballot to win tickets to a WWE event in Hamilton. Yes, I'm lame.

10:22 - I get to the Silverstar exhibitor where they give visitors the opportunity to play UFC: Undisputed all day.

10:24 - I get my chance to play and easily win my fight (as Demian Maia) against Anderson Silva, submitting him in 43 seconds with a kimura.

10:32 AM - As I look over to my left, I notice Patrick Cote has arrived, so I head over to his area to wait in line for his autograph.

11:08 -



Finally met Patrick Cote! Didn't really get a chance to talk to him though, as there was a massive lineup behind me. But he did seem like a nice guy.

11:12 - After finishing with him, I look over and notice another fighter just arriving...

11:21 -



Frank Trigg! Quite honestly the nicest fighter of the entire day. We chatted it up for a few minutes, asked him what he was doing, and received confirmation from him that he WILL be returning to the ring for sure in September and fighting against Josh Koscheck.
I'll be rooting for you in the fall.

11:27 - I notice a magazine stand featuring an autograph section, so I do not hesitate and purchase one for 5 bucks. And it couldn't have come at a better time because...

11:30 - I notice Sean Sherk arriving and the lineup begins to fill up FAST. I get my place in line and wait...

11:48 -



Sean was another stand up guy, and he still looked pretty beat up. He was just coming fresh of of a loss to Frankie Edgar. I asked him about his future fights, but he said he has not heard anything.

11:54 -



'The Hammer' Matt Hamill. The only deaf fighter in the UFC, was already luring people over as I got my picture taken with Sherk. So I got in line and got him to sign my mag.

11:56 - As I am walking, I notice a lineup forming around the corner, so I wait in line to see...

12:04 PM -



Sam Stout. Stand-up guy to talk to, and agreed to engage me in a face-off. I think I could take him. :)

12:12 -



I am waiting in line to meet Shonie Carter, and sneak a picture of his belts.

12:14 -



If you have seen Shonie Carter on TV, he acts EXACTLY the same in person. Fucking hilarious man.

12:20 - LUNCH!

12:53 -



First one I meet after lunch was none other than 'Showdown' Joe Ferarro. We had a pretty good conversation for about 5-10 minutes or so, and we discussed his show, UFC 99, and what he sees happening in the future. Very nice guy, as he was one of the few people I actually talked to outside of 'Hello, can I get your autograph'?

1:04 -



I make my way to the Hayabusa area to see if I can get Arianny's autograph. The lineup, however, was HUGE. Kang had a smaller lineup, and so I got his picture first.

1:20 - I hear rumblings that James Irvin is soon to arrive, so I get in line.

1:30 - Irvin was slated to arrive, but he was not here, so I waited.

1:40 - Still waiting, and to the left of me, a guy got on the stage and started talking about the benefits of jump rope as noone cared to listen. Oh joy.

1:50 - Irvin still has not arrived and the guy is STILL going. I had to give it to him though, the dude could JUMP.

1:55 - His demo mercifully ends, but I give him my props just as Irvin enters through the door.

2:24 -



James Irvin is HUGE in person man. That's really all that needed to be said.

2:30 - I finally get in line to meet Arianny as it has slightly gone down a bit.

2:54 -



What a trooper. She arrived at 12 and she was signing for probably about three hours. And gentlemen, she IS hotter in person. That is all.

2:58 -



I sidle my way over to meet a soft spoken Mark Bocek.

3:09 - I go back to the Hayabusa exhibitor to buy me a t-shirt. It was either 20 bucks to buy, or 5 to buy AND wear on site. I stripped.

3:16 -



Recently released former UFC fighter Jason MacDonald.

3:25 - I got me a Tapout shirt to close out the day.


So here is my final thought:

Overall, I thought the day was well worth the 20 bucks. There was good interaction, good events, and good people. I met fans from far and wide. By far, my favourite guys I met were Frank Trigg and Shonie Carter. Other than Thiago Silva not showing, James Irvin was my biggest disappointment. So yeah, that's about it. I will be posting my (And Showdown Joe's) predictions for UFC 99 soon enough, so stay tuned!

PEACE OUT!

Read more...

End of week-in-review

Wow, what a week.

First, just when you thought that Kimbo Slice was done for after his humiliating loss to TUF eliminated hopeful Seth Petruzzelli, he keeps storming back. Earlier this week it was announced that he would be appearing on the 10th season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

What. The. Crap.

I have mixed feelings about this one. While it would be interesting to see how Kimbo would fare training with either Evans or Jackson, it is kind of sad that there are only 16 fighters appearing this season. Hmmmm...I WONDER WHY? Looks like Dana White will be milking Kimbo for all he can. Considering the harsh words Dana had for Kimbo, and the fact that on previous seasons fighters have to fight to get into the show, it does not surprise me that this happened. With Kimbo added to the already combustible situation between Evans and Jackson, this should make for an interesting season.

Speaking of Evans, a special props goes out to THE NEW CHAMP Lyoto Machida for humbling Evans at UFC 98. Well deserved.

If that wasn't big enough, this week the world lost a legend (known by some). David Carradine was found dead in Bangkok earlier this week. He was best known for his starring role in the 1970's TV series Kung Fu, the syndicated 1990's series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, and as the titular character in Kill Bill. Early speculations of the cause of death suggested suicide, but now there are reports surfacing that his death may have been accidental. I was actually a big fan of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues when I was younger, and enjoyed him in Kill Bill. Rest in peace, Kwai Chang Caine.

Coming soon will be my picks for next week's UFC 99 PPV, and also potentially a run-down/review of this weekend's MMA expo.

Read more...

Just when you thought you were safe on the train...

This'll make me think twice before cutting someone off on a train. But honestly, that woman should have been charged more severely in my opinion. Regardless, it's a funny read:

It was an ordinary GO Train trip to work, but Michael Beline got a painful dose of commuter rage.

"Everyone was walking in a rush toward the platform," said the 30-year-old Annex resident who was taking the train at Union Station to his job as an elementary teacher with Durham Region's separate board.

He thinks he may have jostled a woman as the both raced toward Track 4A during the morning rush on April 9, 2008. He's not sure.

The next thing he remembers is her angry voice, saying "Don't you f-----g cut me off."

He turned toward the voice and the woman threw the contents of her coffee cup in his face.

The rest can be read here.

Read more...