I guess Le took the fight lying down. That's all I have to say about that.
I guess It's kind of silly but, I never thought about guys retiring from, or quitting MMA, or the UFC. As a younger man you see fighters, as just that, fighters. And back in the days of Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, these guy's would just fight until brain damage took over. Fighters in the sport of MMA anyway, seem to be getting smarter. Most seem to realize, a time is coming when they will no longer fight professionally. Which brings us to Chris Leben. Always one of my favorite fighters to watch, Chris made it interesting. That dude is so high energy he just glues you to the screen. Yeah, I am talking in past tense a little bit. I'm not saying that it's over for him yet, but it sounds to me like he is starting to look at retirement as up and coming. Of his upcoming fight with Munoz, Leben had this to say,"I'm getting older now. I'm old for the sport. I've been fighting for 10 years now, so I don't have that much time left. I really have been trying to train smarter. I want to get another title shot. If I win this one I think it should put me in line. We're hoping. I'm training like I'm fighting for the title. I'm not looking down on Mark Munoz. It's not Wanderlei Silva. It's not Anderson Silva. It's Munoz who I am looking at. This is the guy who is standing between me and the title. So, I've got to finish him off. This is it." I will hate to see him leave the sport, but I will love watching him fight in the time he has left.
It's starting to fell like the end of an era, with talks of B.J. Penn facing retirement, Nick Diaz, who also spoke of retiring and now, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.The nickname " Cro Cop", came from his law enforcement background as a member of the Croatian elite special forces tactical unit. The Croatian born fighter, finishes a brilliant career with an aggressive fight, showing a lot of heart, and earning himself a standing ovation. Still a crowd favorite, he will be remembered for his K.O. head kicks, which led to 20 of his victories, and his famous phrase "Right leg hospital, Left leg cemetery". His Retirement comes after 15 years of Professional fighting. Mirko was said to have had started his career with an amateur boxing record of 40-5, 31 of those fights by way of K.O. He was successful in both K-1 and The Pride Fighting Championships. His UFC career began in April of 2007, against Gabriel Gonzaga, his first loss due to a head kick . His second UFC fight was against Cheick Kongo, his second loss, via decision. In may of 2009 he returned to the UFC, facing Mostapha Al-Turk, in UFC 99 and won. He faced off with Junior Dos-Santos in UFC 103, Frank Mir in UFC 119, Brendan Schaub in UFC 128. Mirko said goodbye sport of MMA, stating "I was treated like a king from the beginning. It's in my best interest that this is my farewell fight, thanks everybody." Spoken like a true warrior.
Anyone who watched the the fights last night, saw Diaz take B.J apart piece by piece, after round one. Diaz seems to feel some remorse after the fight, toward Penn. He definitely is calling out St.Pierre, saying St. Pierre doesn't want the fight. Nick seems to be in great shape as a fighter, judging from last nights performance. He keeps saying that he doesn't like to fight friends,and spoke of having to find something he didn't like about Penn for motivation to fight him. Last nights event, may spell out the end of a prosperous career, for the Prodigy. Penn's defeat was difficult to watch, as the favorite to win. Penn's retirement comes to early. He has a lot of fight left in him." St. Pierre vs. Diaz" , maybe in 2012. Only Dana White knows.
WOW, No No...Seriously!?!? What is going on with this guy? From missing two press conferences, losing the Spotlight, as the Main Event headliner in UFC 137, Opposite Georges St.Pierre for a shot at the Title, to the co-main event facing B.J. Penn with no belt on the line, To back into spotlight, as the main event again, because St.Pierre, (who was scheduled to face Carlos Condit, after Diaz was a no-show), pulled out of 137 due to a sparring injury, less than a week ago. So the fight between St. Pierre and Condit for the title shot mind you, is on hold. Carlos Condit is the next in line, for a shot at St. Pierre's belt.Nick Diaz Spoke of a triathalon that he was always and still in training for. Diaz talked to the press about it maybe being his last fight and that he was talked into taking the fight, stating that he didn't care about the money, but the love of the sport. He also said that he didn't fight his friends the people that he knows, he gave huge props to B.J. Penn, and at one point , also stating that he felt that he had, had a great career.
A new one hour, UFC Primetime episode will be airing on FOX this Sunday at 4:30 ET., right after NFL Football. This will be the first time UFC has aired anything on FOX.The episode will focus on Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos,slated for Nov. 12 in Anaheim, California, at "UFC on Fox 1".UFC Pres. Dana White has this to say, “The UFC is finally where it belongs on the number one network in the country and aligned with the most prestigious sports properties in the world. I’ve always said that the UFC will be the biggest sport in the world and with this relationship it will become a reality”Typically a three-part series of half-hour episodes leading up to major UFC events,the UFC has a seven year television deal with the Fox Family of networks.
Bruce Ludlow
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