In recent news, controversy has arisen over the criticism that Ultimate Fighting Championship’s president, Dana White, shot towards prominent MMA trainer Greg Jackson and his camp. At UFC 122 Nate Marquardt, who is trained by Jackson, was facing off against Yushin Okami for an opportunity to challenge for the Middleweight Championship. In what many people considered a slow bout, Okami was able to outpoint his opponent. While there must always be a winner and loser for every competition, the issue began during the post fight conference.

Weight cutting is an aspect of mixed martial arts training that some new competitors may overlook. Being able to effectively lower your weight can give you a vital advantage against your opponent standing across the cage. However, if you do not practice proper weight cutting tactics, you can damage your body and drain your energy for the upcoming fight. Here are some tips to help yourself cut weight and gain all the advantages while limiting the disadvantages in the process.

On December 4th Strikeforce will enter the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri to presentHenderson versus Babalu 2. This event features a number of matchups that may shed some light on the title hunts currently going on in the Strikeforce weight classes.

Dan Henderson will move back to the Light Heavyweight division to face MMA legend Renato “Babalu” Sobral. Henderson is coming off of a disappointing debut in which he was defeated by former middleweight champion Jake Shields. In that fight he had the fight in his control from the start but lost steam as the battle continued, which allowed Shields to dominate the later rounds. “Babalu” is returning to Strikeforce after defeating Robbie Lawler this past June in Los Angeles. These MMA veterans have faced each other before, but that contest took place in 2000 at the Rings – King of Kings finals. Since then both fighters have competed in other organizations including Pride and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A victory for either Henderson or Babalu will help solidify their claim as a contender for Rafael Cavalcante’s light heavyweight title.

Studying the game is an important part of becoming a qualified athlete. No matter what sport you practice, up and coming athletes should continue to find ways to learn that go beyond mma training. Some athletes enjoy watching film on their favorite players, while others way read books by prominent individuals within their industry. Mixed martial artists can continue their learning the same way. Many different books have been written that will help your understanding of the sport grow. This is a short list of interesting titles.

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This week, UFC 125 was dealt a serious blow as the newly crowned UFC Featherweight Champion; Jose Aldo was forced to withdraw from the card. He was set to defend his title against 14-1 Josh Grispi. The champion has been suffering from a compacted cervical vertebra that has caused pain in his back and arms. While Aldo wanted to continue on with the fight, he was informed by doctors to take a month off to allow his body to heal.

Some may wonder if there are any advanced mma gear items you may need for MMA training. This will depend upon how you wish to approach an advanced training program. Some may opt to purchase weighted vests in order to build up their cardio and endurance.

Most others will simply take the basic equipment and add variety to it. For example, instead of just purchasing 16oz boxing gloves, they may also purchase 10oz or light mma bag gloves.

Up and coming knockout artist, Gerald Harris was released from his UFC contract after his first lost in the organization. Harris was defeated by Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves at UFC 123.

Goncalves used his punching abilities to stun Harris multiple times during their fight. During the first round, Harris was in danger of tapping to a rear naked choke, but was saved by the bell. Round two saw more of the same action as Goncalves once again took Harris’s back and threatened with a submission. The third round was vastly different than the first two as Goncalves coasted to a unanimous decision victory while Harris followed him around the ring.

When taking part in a mixed martial arts competition, a consistent stream of offense is becoming more and more important. Using techniques that keep your opponent off balance and in a defensive position can help ensure that your attack can continue. Leg kicks are one of the best options to use when trying to safely push the pace of the fight while opening up your opponent for future attacks.

Leg kicks are the snapping blows that fighters such as Thiago Alves or Forrest Griffin use to injure and render their opponent nearly motionless. The repeated blows to the leg can cause a wide range of damage. A fighter’s legs are very important when generating the force behind different strikes and take down techniques. When the legs are repeatedly damaged with leg kicks, the receiving fighter will not be able to generate that momentum when attacking. This poses well for his opponent. Adding leg kicks to your fight game will help you during the course of your career.

Question:

Even though Brett Favre looked like he should be retiring today I got to thinking about how he would make a great MMA fighter..  How you ask?