UFC 144 in in the books.

It was definitely one of the best events I've seen from top to bottom. The major gripe with me is that I had to be at work at 6:30 A.M after going to sleep at about 1:30 A.M. Needless to say, my day at work wasn't one of the more energetic days I've had. Four hours is a long time to watch any event, but thankfully a majority of the fighters brought their A-game which made for a very good watch. All I know is that my bar tab would've been a catastrophe If I'd actually decided to go out and sit through that whole event with a unlimited source of beer and wings at my grasp.

On another note,I only predicted 4 fights in my previous blog, which 3 of them were choose correctly. I know right? Lucky me. Maybe not the exact finish, but the winner was still the same. The only one that was incorrect was Edgar/Henderson. I'm not too upset about it though as it was a close damn fight. Let's get it started, okay?

- Make sure you follow me on Twitter @MMAManiac2 to drop me a line.

::::::::WARNING:::::: SPOILERS AHEAD

UFC 144 Quick Review

Anthony Pettis Vs. Joe Lauzon

Ever since the infamous “kick” Pettis fans have been looking for his next highlight reel finish and were treated to a pretty devastating kick that finished off Lauzon late in round 1. The fight started off with Lauzon looking like the stronger competitor, but he got caught and I'm sure he's feeling the effects of that humdinger for a few days after. Looks as if Pettis will be fighting Benson again this summer. Good luck!

My Prediction: Pettis Via Decision
Actual Result:Pettis Via KO
Entertainment Rating:8/10

Yushin Okami Vs Tim Boetsch

Okami was so close to winning this fight, but was unable to avoid the punching power of Boetsch in the last couple of minutes. Okami should be able to rebound just fine. In Boetch's credit it was a hell of a comeback and it'll be interesting to see if he can build off of it and continue winning. However, I just don't see it. Sue me.

My Prediction:None
Winner: Tim Boetsch
Entertainment Rating:7/10

Jake Shields Vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama

Akiyama looked damned good Saturday and hopefully this in no way knocks him further down the ladder. He gives 110% every time I've seen him fight and stuffed just about all of Jake Shields offensive attacks until the ending. Yeah, Shields doesn't look quiet as comfortable in the cage since leaving Strikeforce. Although, you can blame his last loss on the untimely death of his father. The fact that he showed up for that fight is a win.

My Prediction:Shields Via Submission
Actual Result: Shields Via Decision
Entertainment Rating:7/10

Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt

Well, look you Mark Hunt. No really. Congratulations at finding success at this point in your career. There's nothing I like seeing more than a fighter improving after about 6 straight losses against worthy competition. Will he be champion again? Probably not. Who would've though he'd be back in UFC piecing together wins? Anything is possible!This was the upset of the night. Kongo is just..... Kongo to me. I don't love nor hate the guy. He's just....... There.

My Prediction:None
Result:Mark Hunt Via TKO
Entertainment Rating:7/10

Ryan Bader vs. Quinton Jackson

I wasn't the only one who'd thought that Jackson lost his desire to fight in the ring. Last night showed me that he still wants to fight, but is perfectly content being the same Rampage we've seen over the past few years and not just one collecting his paycheck. There really is no valid excuse for him missing weight by that much. Regardless, it was a still a nice watch and worthy addition. Bader should be just fine after getting beaten by Tito. Fluke. Argue that, please.

My Prediction:Bader Via Decision
Actual Result: Bader Via Decision
Entertainment Rating:7/10

Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson

This is my personal FOTN. Edgar didn't lose an ounce of respect. That kick to the nose from Hendo was absolutely brutal and would've been the end for most fighters. It only slowed him down a bit and he continued to show that warrior spirit that has made him the champion . You can tell he really focused his training on catching just about all of Ben's kicks thrown his way. It was quite amazing actually. Hendo looked like a giant compared to Edgar. I'm definitely feeling a rematch between these do. We will see if Pettis takes the title from Hendo, which will possibly lead to a Edgar/Henderson 2 a sreported.

My Prediction: Edgar Via Decision
Actual Result: Henderson Via Decision
Entertaining:9/10

Overall Event Rating 8/10

This event is a much watch for just about any fan. Heck, I'd go even far enough to say you should own it once it is released on Blu Ray/DVD.If I were to pick one fight off of the card to watch, it'd be the main event. I'm still yet to own any UFC Blu Rays. Not really sure why that is. It's just so damn expensive and  there are other things to buy I suppose. Give it a watch.

-I started this Blog on Sunday but wasn't able to finish it until today. I've got at least 3 topics on my mind and  I've already started on another one, so keep your eyes peeled for the next entry. Been a fairly slow newsweek thus far, but I'll keep track of that also. Oh yeah, make sure you follow me on Twitter. Post me some feedback and I'll be sure to acknowledge you in my next blog. Kick this week in the ass! -@MMAManiac2.

            You know, I was sitting around thinking, why haven't I conjured some type of Blog subjecting everyone's favorite MMA promoter Dana White? Well, my friends, now is this time as I have nothing better to do so NOW would be the best time to present you with this “masterpiece”. It's beyond time to get back to my ways after a few warmup entries. So, ladies and gentlemen, grab a beer and a snack of choice, or just a beer to enjoy today's topic:

Dana White: Friend or Foe?

Friend: Let me start off first by saying this. Theres a 99.9% chance that we wouldn't be graced with a mainstream quality product in UFC without him. It's not easy to run a company that could literally implode at any second. You pretty much own a zoo individuals who LOVE to fight. Last time I checked, UFC employed approximately over 200+ fighters and are constantly hiring/firing faces. That's a shitload of people to be responsible for. Much has been put into place to make UFC accessible to televisions over the last decade. Changes have been made to make it “safer” and less brutal since it originally started in 1993. What were to happen if someone gotten seriously injured or god forbid a death occur while millions of people watching? It's not like the UFC has been popular like the NFL for decades . An incident of that nature could be catastrophically damaging here in the early years. I call them early years because they are. The amount of exposure has been tremendous in the past 5 years. Now you can hold Brock Lesnar accountable for that or whoever you chose to do so. Dana knows exactly what is beneficial to the sport, no doubt about it. The WWE had/has plenty of fans who were growing tired of the product during Lesnar's years and Dana lured him away while he was at a high point of popularity to a nice purse that could equally a years work or more in the WWE. Point being, Dana does make great decisions for a once waning sport and has turned it into a profitable company due to his actions. You also hear a lot of people/fighters complaining about the amount of money being paid to fighters. Of course, if you compare to boxing,NFL players, or any professional organization that's been around for ages. If they sport continues to grow at a decent pace over the next few years there's no reason why it shouldn't improve. I'm in no way against fighters being paid Right now, I think it shouldn't be that big of a deal considering the economy, which I believe is the UFC's worst enemy right now. I do complain about PPV prices being so expensive when I'm not able to make it out to my local bar or decide to purchase the event at my home last minute,but I really can't.

Foe: For years, Dana has said his share of controversial statements. Whether it being to some maniacal hackers,his fighters, or his followers on Twitter he as always been very vocal. There are plenty of positives and negatives to that. I'm not going to say “well If I was UFC President I would never do this,say that, write this”, because I'm not. I'm just a regular person with a job, not a multimillionaire. I don't know Dana White personally, nor do many of you. However, I do see what he displays online for millions of people to see. I feel a sense of professionalism and maturity should be considered when your in a position of that nature. Bickering with trolls on Twitter doesn't make you look as powerful as you should being the leader of a company. It exposes your weaknesses to all of your employees and with all of the controversial and insulting banter ask yourself this:Is Dana White a professional? Same can be said for the fighters,but that's a different story. Now before anyone gives me the comparison of Dana White/Vince McMahon let me say this. There is Vince McMahon the character and Vince McMahon the businessman. The character version is the one you saw on TV making an ass out of himself every Monday night. The professional one would be the man behind the scenes, striving for perfection trying to make every little thing right. Not saying Dana isn't capable of being professional. It's just seems that frequently he has a tough time controlling his outburst, and it seems he's always in a vocal controversy with someone. He has no problem standing up for a company he helped flourish and that can come off as egotistical at times.

Do I dislike Dana White as a promoter? Of course not, I'm sure he wouldn't care if I did. After all, he's the millionaire and I'm not. He was presented with a tough opportunity to turn a company around and did so with financial resources that weren't his and is definitely the pioneer of mainstream MMA. He still continues to find ways to expand the company by TV deals and tour live events all over the world. I totally respect what Dana has done. He will never be Mr. Nice Guy or your standard white-collar crony. He's just Dana.

(Fan)? Feedback

These are some of the Facebook comments I've read. I told you I would respond. I'm a man of my word. I'll keep the names confidential.

“Check out the old movie beyond the mat... If you think he'd be takng it easy in the worl of fake wrestling you're mistaken... 300 nights a year on the road, taking bumps, and still having to find time to workout. The outcome may be pre determined, but the wear on their bodies is way worse. There is a reason for all of the early deaths in the game man. “

-I'm well aware of what repercussions suffer throughout many years of abuse. Been a fan of wrestling for about 15 years. I never once said what the wrestler's take in the ring was fake either. I'm not sure you read my blog in it's entirety. I’ve seen Beyond the Mat several times, actually saw it in theaters when it was released years ago. Maybe I didn't clarify myself or something.

“Fuck this dude.”

Your the reason I had to put a question in my (Fan)? Feedback. So much for my undefeated praise streak of two.

 “Yeah thanks for all the late breaking news alerts...doh!”

I didn't realize I was a reporter. 

“i disagree with the blog “

Short,sweet, and to the point. That's a commendable post, Sir.

ANYWAYS, wasn't much,but thanks for the recent feedback, negative and positive. I never claimed to be an expert in MMA, nor did I EVER label myself as a columnist. I chose to write about certain topics because I enjoy it and I do follow the sport to a certain extent, do I live and breathe it? No. I have a career that occupies much of my time amongst other things that take up a bulk of my time. Regardless, check back in a few days for a review of UFC 144. I could careless how right or wrong my predictions are, but I did put some thought into them. I'm not going to cry myself to sleep if they are all wrong, nor will I gloat if I had every one of them down to a tee. Or maybe I would just a little? Enjoy the fights!

 I picked up my copy of UFC Undisputed 3 on release date, as I have for just about every next-gen MMA game within recent years. Of course, I'd have to exclude those poorly reviewed Supremacy MMA,and whatever other wannabe that has tried to capitalize off the popularity of the sport. So far the only other MMA related games I've touched is UFC Disputed,UFC 2010,and EA MMA. Now, a lot of people may hate EA's version. I, on the other hand actually enjoyed it for what it was. I felt that it didn't try to replicate UFC as far as the game play was concerned. The longevity of it didn't hold up for whatever reason, as well as the UFC games. EA based their controls on pretty much the same ground that their boxing games were and the roster wasn't bad at all. Even Randy Couture is on the game, though he never competed for Strikeforce. If you haven't given it a shot and get bored, I'd recommend picking it up at a very low price of $19.99 or cheaper on Amazon.

UFC Undisputed 3 Review(PS3)

Note: I've never played a UFC game until UFC Undisputed 1 so I know nothing about the previous entries that were released on the original XBOX years back.

Graphics

What can I say? Details were paid major attention this year. While most of the animations and engine are still based on the first Undisputed game. THQ managed to build upon that from the past couple of year. UFC 2010 seemed to just add more fighters and features. This entry really added polish to the fighters and the overall environment. You can notice all of the minor details in the crowd,ring girls, referees, and the atmosphere. The cuts and bruises can look painfully, though I've never had an extremely bloody fight, I guess a FIGHTING game still has to be presentable for children.

Sound

Commentary in this runs pretty damn smoothly. Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan of course, provide the bulk of commentary in the octagon. However, if you decide to switch over to Pride you are blessed with Bas Rutten's analysis with every take down or punch you throw. You can't really ask for much more at this point as far as commentary goes. The crowd can be irritating at times, it seems like they can't make up their mind on who to chant for. One minute they will be cheering for you, the next you will hear chants of the opponent kicking your ass.

Features

You really can't ask for much more at this point. I'm not a fan of buying online “extras” that should be included in any video game, however, I do it on occasions, but this game has pretty much everything you need to have some fun with your friends or by yourself. You’ll find that you spend most of your time in “Exhibition” mode going back and forth through the Pride and UFC rosters to see how devastating a fight you can create. If you chose to stray away from the basics, there is Title Mode,Event Mode, and Tournament, which give you something else to do if you ever get bored. Like I said the career mode is satisfying, but can be tedious when you spend a majority of your time training, instead of beating down an opponent, so it's more of a simulation like the past games. What else can you expect out of a realistic game though?

Gameplay

I touched on this one of my previous blogs. THQ added amateur and pro controls, so you really get to chose how you would like to play the game. I keep trying to find myself trying to finish cool new ways to finish opponents by letting them up after I've clearly rocked them and If you've ever played any of the previous titles you pretty much know what the expect when your on top of your opponent pummeling them. Herb Dean, or whichever referee you chose will interrupt, sometimes that can be annoying when your in an awesome fight, but it's fairly realistic. Choosing a referee doesn't really change much of the outcome from what I've noticed. That would be a nice addition.

Working on the ground can be challenging,especially figure out how to block transitions and keep your opponent down. You can you a simple flick of the R stick to transition forward and do some interesting scenarios. You now have the ability to maneuver submissions. Say, if your Royce Gracie and you have your opponent in a arm bar, you can easily press a button and whip him into something else to make it look fancier. Speaking of submissions, there's a whole new system to making your opponent tap,which is hard to accomplish, but more fun. It looks like they tore a page out of EA's book. It's not necessarily the same, but it's a similar concept. Pretty much, you just have to find the same spot of rotation on the R Joystick that your opponent is using and try your best to replicate his pattern. EA used a similar method by basically finding a sweet spot on the joystick to escape. It's fun, but challenging.

Online

I have had a chance to tinker around the game online. Like most games, you will need an pass to gain access to all of the online features. You can play exhibitions in Pride or the octagon against random opponents or play with friends. You also have the ability to start you own fight camp and recruit any members you'd like to do so. As far as connectivity goes, it all depends. A majority of the matches I played online ran fairly smooth. Now when comparing the game to it's offline game play, it still needs plenty of work. It's not nearly as smooth as if you were playing a friend in your room ,but it can still be an enjoyable experience with your online buddies. I wouldn't pick it up alone just for the online capabilities.

So in the end,is this game worth buying? Definitely if your a fan. Yes if your a fan of fighting games. Probably, if your not a fan.

8.8 out of 10.

That's a rap on this review. I'll post another blog soon. Maybe tomorrow, before the event. Or afterward. Who knows. Until then, Have a GREAT weekend!

Let's try this again.

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to your daily bag of goodies. Just a heads up, I may try writing more on a weekly basis. While my motivation for writing is there, It's just hard to find the time to do it nowadays. Nonetheless, I'm writing today and it's only a few days after my previous entry. I'm working on opening up a twitter account for myself because I REALLY want some feedback and comments. I'm not sure if your too lazy to put a few down below in the " comments" section below or you just agree with everything I write:) So expect that in a few days and I'll be sure to give you my @username. 

*UPDATE*

You can now follow me on Twitter. @MMAManiac2.....Thanks.

Dan Henderson

I'm not sure what the situation is here or why Hendo doesn't have a fight scheduled. Apparently Dana doesn't know "what to do" with him. I call bullshit and I think it's disrespectful. I'm not taking ANYTHING away from Rashad because he deserves the fight too, but he also has more time left as a fighter. I honestly believe that Hendo should've been given Jones before Rashad out of respect. Hendo isn't getting any younger at 41, but still provides an entertaining performance every time against "top ranked" competition. Approximately 61% of Atlanta's population is African-American and it's probably a wiser business decision to have two African-Americans in the main event. I may be walking on thin ice here even bringing this up and this isn't going to turn into a racial blog by any means. This may not even be a factor, but it sure won't hurt marketing in the area for ATL and UFC. Speaking of UFC in Atlanta, theres no WAY IN HELL I'd ever pay that much for the tickets. I'd much rather spend a few hundred bucks for two tickets to a kick-ass concert than several hundred for one UFC ticket with just decent seats. Please argue with me, if you feel differently, but unless you have money growing out of your ass to afford it, I just can't in this economy.

5- Rounders

 This is old news , but I'm very happy that all main events have been given 5 rounds. This is very beneficial for lightheavys and below. I could see it being a disaster for some heavyweight bouts, given they go the distance and there is no KO. Most of them are gassed by the third round anyways, which is completely understandable. Yay!

Dana White/Hacking

Also a bit of hold news, and it seems to have fizzled out since the last time I checked. We live in a very dangerous age where one's privacy and friends are completely exposed over the internet. I'm just a guilty as the next person when I enjoy my social networking and it's all going to come to a head one day. I'm not sure how legit that info really was, but most of it you could've found out from any biography page or through a background investigation. Now, the hacking of the UFC.com was on a grand scale and I'm sure there are people out there who can do much worse and will some day. We will be the victims.

UFC Undisputed 3

I'd be lying if I didn't say that it isn't the best MMA game to date.  An outstanding roster and the implementation of PRIDE makes this game a worthwhile purchase.  I was glad to see these improvements made from the faulty UFC 2010 and they actually took their time polishing this one and not going all "EA" on it by releasing a cash cow ever year.  There is still a learning curve to the controls and the tutorial is fucking insane to sit through, not necessarily a fun experience. However, once you get the bulk of controls down, you'll be good to go.  Story mode can still be tedious, but once you will a couple of fights with your CAF it can be satisfying. Once I play through more of the game modes I'll try to post a few more of my opinions on it. MMkay?

-Just a side note, COD:MW3 absolutely sucks BALLS., this was the first COD I didn't buy in years because I played it at a friend's house and the online was absolutely chaotic, if not more than Modern Warfare 2. Blacks Ops really cleaned up the mess that MW2 left behind and a lot of people were pro-Infinity Ward since the awesome MW1, but then I tended to lean more towards Treyarch over the years. Ugh, Off topic I'm sorry.

-That's about if for me today. Once again, check back in a few days and I should have my Twitter going as I'd love to discuss and debate a few things. I'm not much of a forum poster, however I do read some of the ridiculous/insightful/laughable comments from you. I hope you guys have a great weekend and thanks for reading!
 

 It's Been Awhile. Again