MMA Fighter: Bobby Lashley

As reported by mmafighting.com, Bobby Lashley will make his return to mixed martial arts on March 25 in the Titan Fighting Championship.  Bobby Lashley started his MMA career with 5 victories over some of the least talented fighters in the sport.  Jason Guida, better known for Clay Guida’s brother was victory number two, while Bob Sapp, known mostly for his time in professional wrestling was victory number four.  Lashley’s most recent fight was in the Strikeforce promotion where Chad Griggs, a relatively unknown put the first loss on his record.

His opponent at TFC 17 will be James Jack. With a career record of 5 – 4 – 1, Jack is another opponent for Lashley that won’t do much for his MMA resume.  TFC is relying on Bobby Lashley to put fans in the stands in Kansas City, Mo.  Lashley isn’t the only highly known fighter to go to the TFC.  At TFC 16, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Tim Sylvia was brought in, and abruptly knocked out by Abe Wagner in the first round.

There is always talk about “good” and “bad” carbs. It’s an overly simplistic approach, but can certainly be a helpful foundation for the fighter looking to make healthier food choices.

1. Learn about the Glycemic Index from www.glycemicindex.com. Simply put, the Glycemic Index rates carbohydrates based on how quickly or slowly they elevate blood sugar levels.
2. Save fruits and other quick energy carbohydrate sources for the morning and try to avoid them directly before going to bed. If you are going to spike your blood sugar, use the spike to start your day or workout strong.
3. The fewer ingredients the better. 100% Durum Whole Wheat or Steel Cut Oats are two smart carbohydrate choices that contain just one ingredient.

The answer of who would face Chris Lytle in the place of the injured Carlos Condit has finally been answered. On Tuesday, the UFC announced that Brian Ebersole will replace Condit at UFC 127 set for February 26th.

Condit recently injured his knee which forced him to withdraw from the event.

Sengoku has lost another big name talent to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Last week middleweight champion Jorge Santiago walked away from the middleweight title for an apparent contract with the UFC. On Tuesday it was announced that standout wrestler Dave Herman has done the same.

The 20-2 fighter has already signed a multi-fight contract as reported by numerous MMA news outlets. The Japanese mixed martial arts scene has been in dire straights during the last few years of operation. This forced Herman’s management company to seek employment for their fighter in other locations.

The Ultimate Fighter is a popular reality based television show in which gives professional fighters the opportunitiy to compete for a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The show is entering its 13th season and filming has begun in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, fight fans may get to see this show expand to other countries very soon.

UFC President Dana White has announced that the Ultimate Fighter series will soon be expanding to other countries around the world.

UFC President Dana White said that the winner of the B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch fight at UFC 127 would become the new #1 contender for the UFC Welterweight Title.  Who they face, and when they get that shot is another story.  Georges St-Pierre will defend the title at UFC 129 against Jake Shields.

Should Shields pull off the upset and win the title, his first defense is almost guaranteed to be against the winner of Penn vs. Fitch (barring some controversial decision).  Should St-Pierre win, the title match is not as much of a guarantee.  White has finally opened up to talks of a Anderson Silva – St-Pierre match, and it’s safe to say that more fans would rather see the super fight than St-Pierre vs. Penn/Fitch or Silva vs. Yushin Okami. 

As odd as it may seem, the act of fighting can bring individuals together. It’s normal to find that some of the tightest bonds form amongst those that train together. The act of throwing fists or exchanging submission holds can bring people to a friendship even out of the worst rivalries.

Take former UFC champions Matt Hughes and BJ Penn. These two fighters were embroiled in a feud that lasted more than seven years. With three fights between them; Penn has had his hand raised twice and Hughes just once. The last fight lasted mere moments and left Hughes looking to his corner asking “What happened?” Now that the battles inside the cage are over between these two, the next fight has brought them together.

Strikeforce: Fedor versus Silva brought a major change to mixed martial arts. This change may have already occurred as the changing of the newguard in MMA; however, the way that Fedor fell was deafening. The Last Emperor walked out of the cage with a swollen eye and his legacy in question.

Now, Strikeforce must recuperate as well. Without question the Heavyweight Grand Prix was formulated to get Fedor back into the cage against either Fabricio Werdum or Alistair Overeem. Now, that’s not happening. Strikeforce needs to regroup and push the individuals who are making waves for their company; such as Nick Diaz, Chad Griggs, and other names. Still, the organization seems intent on reaching back.

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale has its first fight announced for the card. Josh Grispi and George Roop will meet on June 4th in the featherweight division.

Grispi was once the number one ranked contender to Jose Aldo’s featherweight title.   However, a he was defeated by Dustin Poirier by unanimous decision at the January 1st UFC 125 event. Before that fight, Grispi was on a 10-fight win streak that included names such as Jens Pulver, Mark Hominick, and Micah Miller.

This is a new column to the MMA Zone.  I will rate each of the UFC’s weight classes.  The first in this series will be the middleweight division, where Anderson Silva has defeated all challengers since coming into the organization in 2006.

1. Anderson Silva – 14 consecutive wins