Welcome to this week’s edition of MMAterial Facts, where we feature articles from around the MMA community.
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This week’s MMAterial Facts:
Courtesy of Ric Fogel for ESPN.com
– The Re-Education of ‘King’ Mo Lawal (MMA Fighting)
“Mo Lawal can admit it now: things didn’t go the way he thought they would when he first walked though the doors of the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif. in the spring of 2011. What happened was simple, really. He came in with all the swagger you’d expect from a man who goes by the moniker of “King” Mo, and then he found out the hard way that he wasn’t the only MMA royalty on those mats.
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Or as he put it: “I got beat up.”
– Is the pro-wrestling influence in UFC unattractive to female sports fans? (Fight Opinion)
“MMA — like all sports — has to watch its image. The challenges in MMA are unique in the sense that we still have grumpy old sports editors and corporate sponsors who don’t want to deal with the sport. But they’re not unique in the sense that any sport can be stereotyped. Browse any sports site and read the comments about people who think the NBA is populated by “thugs.” Look at the damage control baseball has had to do in the wake of its drug scandals and labor strife.
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MMA has unique ties to pro wrestling, particularly in Japan but also in the USA with crossovers such as Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley. But MMA and wrestling are a volatile mix. Handle with care..”
– Joe Rogan: Retiring from MMA is incredibly difficult (MMA Mania)
“One of the things I think about sometimes with all the great fighters that I’ve seen come and go is just how difficult it must be for some of them to leave behind the incredible excitement and intensity of the world of being a professional fighter and then reset your life and find yourself something else to dedicate your time and interest to. Fighting is such an all-encompassing job. It really has to be, especially at the highest levels for you to be successful. The competition is so steep that to compete at the top of the sport of MMA you really need to be completely dedicated to training and improving all day every day. When it’s time to move past that and into a new phase of life I would think that for some it must be incredibly difficult. And that’s not even taking into consideration how difficult it is for some of these ultra competitive guys to know when it’s time to step away.”
– Brock Lesnar Announces His Retirement Following Loss To Overeem at UFC 141 (MMA Convert)
“I’ve had a really difficult couple of years with my disease, and I’m going to officially say tonight is the last time,” Lesnar said. “This is the last time you’ll see me in the octagon.”
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“I promised my wife and my kids if I won this fight, I would get a title shot, and that would be my last fight,” Lesnar said. “But if I lost tonight … you’ve been great.”
– Cesar Gracie responds to BJ Penn calling out Nick Diaz on Twitter (MiddleEasy)
“BJ Penn has apparently not come to terms with the beating he received at the hands of Nick Diaz.”
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“At some point it is up to those around you to protect you from yourself. To take you aside and let you know you are wrong and help save you from your folly. Unfortunately for Penn he is surrounded by “Yes Men” that are unwilling to do that. The outcome will be predictable, resulting in a fighter that will never push himself to the fullest and will always have excuses for his losses.”
– Karo Parysan talks training Ronda Rousey, Beating Nick Diaz, Tough Times & More (FightLine)
“Former UFC welterweight contender Karo Parisyan has been battling personal demons and waning motivation for the last few years, seeking to find the drive and strength of mind which once carried him near the top of the heap.
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The Heat spoke with FightLine just before the holidays, discussing everything from his recent career slump to his UFC 49 scrap with Nick Diaz.”
– The Rearview Mirror: Five MMA Trends We Hope To Have Left Behind In 2011 (Cage Potato)
“We’re only a few hours into the new year, but unless your head hit the pillow just as the ball dropped, you’ve probably already carried some of your bad habits with you into 2012. We are creatures of habit, and change doesn’t come naturally to us. If it did, we wouldn’t make such a big production out of our ‘New Year’s Resolutions’. The sport of mixed martial arts and its fans are no different. Here’s a quick look at some of the bad habits we’ve picked up and poor decisions we’ve made over the past 12-months. Let’s hope we can leave them behind in yesteryear.”
– Grappling with Issues – 1/6/11 (Five Ounces of Pain)
“What was your reaction to Brock Lesnar‘s retirement? Should any hope remain where Fedor Emelianenko signing with the UFC is concerned? Will “King Mo” fight in Strikeforce again after tomorrow night’s bout against Lorenz Larkin? Is Jake Ellenberger more likely to earn a title-shot in 2012 than Johny Hendricks?”
– Matt Hughes Comes Under Fire for Controversial Hunting Pictures (5thRound)
“It has been a tough Twitter week for a couple of former UFC champions. BJ Penn has taken some heat for his harsh words for Nick Diaz on the blue-birded network, while Matt Hughes (Pictured left) has come under heavy fire for the controversial hunting pictures he recently posted on his account.
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“Mark and me just got done here in Texas! Yes mine is bigger,” Hughes wrote accompanied by the above photo.”
– Cyborg Santos tested positive for Anabolic Steroids, suspended by CSAC (LowKick)
“The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has suspended the license of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Cristiane Justino Santos, better known in MMA circles as Cris Cyborg, and has fined her $2,500 as the result of a positive test for a banned substance.
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Santos’ December 16, 2011 drug test came back positive for stanozolol metabolites. CSAC learned of the test results December 23, 2011 and suspended Santos’s license, with the suspension applied retroactively to December 16, 2011. In accordance with Rule 368, the result of her last fight between Hiroko Yamanaka will be changed to a “No Decision”.”
– Top 10 Best Fights From the UFC in 2011 (TheFightNerd)
“In a sport with the sheer variety of outcomes that MMA has, there’s no specific formula for what makes a great fight. Instead, truly great matches are made when some or all of the elements of MMA come together in two fighters to make something that is both a highly competitive bout and a dramatic story told through action.
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2011 served as a flagship year in the world’s largest MMA organization when it came to great fights. To put a bow on this passing age, below are the top ten greatest fights in the UFC for 2011. See who earned the top spot!”
– Drunken UFC President Dana White Says Brock Lesnar Can Go to WWE (BleacherReport.com/MMA)
“Yes, he can go. He can go to the [WWE],” said White, who was exiting a night club out of Hollywood, California early this week, slightly more inebriated than usual.
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“You might be drunker than I am right now,” joked White to the reporter at hand.”
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