Before you get in the ring – get a taste for the real thing!

Fans of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) are passionate about their sport and its athletes—so much so that many want to move from pure spectator to MMA fighter. MMA training is evolving constantly as coaches and athletes improve training and nutrition techniques. However, if you’re new to MMA training, you might be overwhelmed trying to keep up with the excess information and advice available to you.

That is why I’ve put together this handy Top Apps for 2012 for MMA Training list where you can find all of the pertinent information to help you train for the basics, learn new techniques, ensure you’re getting the proper protein and nutrients to build muscle, and to hear about the latest and greatest news in the MMA area, as long as you have a data plan!

Dan Henderson is not only the modern day equivalent to the Running Man, he’s also as tough as any human being on the face of earth. This man can take a trouncing like no other, and often manages to rebound and snag impressive victories. Given his low-key demeanor, and I’d-share-a-beer-with-you-anytime attitude, Dan has painted himself as one of the coolest men competing in mixed martial arts today.

Dan Henderson’s Career

B.J. Penn and Nick Diaz met in a thrilling affair to topline UFC 137. The action was fast-paced and wildly violent. For fans, it was a monumental collision, as both Penn and Diaz are known for their unbridled aggression, remarkable durability and tendencies to speak long before thinking. Neither of these two are afraid to insult another and neither man would ever contemplate walking away from an altercation. The fact that both individuals have taken part in memorable rivalries that in some cases stretched far beyond the octagon isn’t much of a surprise either. However, the aftershock of one of 2011’s finest welterweight bouts has left MMA pundits a tad perplexed.

For those who missed the fight, Nick Diaz managed to escape a rocky first round to turn things around and batter Penn for the better portion of the following two frames. In the end, the judges awarded the unanimous decision victory to Diaz, who clearly outworked the rugged Hawaiian as the fight progressed. Emotions ran high following the bout, but accounts indicated that both Penn and Diaz exchanged mutual respect backstage after the fight had taken place (there’s even an image floating about of the two posing together, black and blue, seemingly on good terms).

In 2004, a young judo player named Karo Parisyan had the opportunity to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials. Instead, he chose to pursue mixed martial arts and the opportunity to compete in the UFC. Karo said in an interview recently that he had been asked the same question about “35,000 times” about whether he ever wished he had chosen differently. He said that he never regretted it once. Judo did not pay his bills. It cost him money. He took his judo skills to the UFC instead of the Olympic trials, a move which he believes was best for both him and the sport of judo.

Did you ever wonder who did win the Olympic Trials in the 81 kg division in which Karo was ranked number three at the time? It turns out, it was Bellator fighter Rick Hawn. After placing ninth in Athens, Rick began his career in mixed martial arts. His next fight will be in the Bellator season six lightweight tournament.

UPDATE (1-14-2011): Would these athletes still be the best ‘Other Sport’ athletes in MMA? What Do You Think (Comment Below)?

Original Post: 4-2-2007

Mixed martial arts is a sport that is growing by leaps and bounds across the world. With the global expansion of major promotions such as the UFC, one can expect to see many more individuals take up the gloves to try their hand at the craft.

Today’s MMA fighter is coming from a variety of sports backgrounds. Take Brendan Schaub and NFL All Pro Herschel Walker. Both were former professional athletes in a completely different sport and now they are fighting on two of the biggest stages in MMA. While not a direct correlation when it comes to sports fields, surely the rigors of football training has prepared their minds and bodies for what they go through in MMA.

Question:

“My name is Jason G. A.K.A the playboy, A.K.A code blue. I’m a former pro boxer and I need great management as I become a pro in MMA. I’m 6’5 240 from the Bronx whats my next move?”
  -  Jason G.

By Jillian Bullock

Although several MMA fighters, including Vitor Belfort, Kenny Florian, Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Chris Leban, Cung Le, and Nick Diaz, fight as southpaws some of these guys were born a lefty and some are “deliberate southpaws.” They taught themselves to fight as southpaws because they found it to be an advantage to their mixed martial arts career.

Looking back in history, however, many cultures considered a person evil if he was left-handed. In fact, in Latin the word for left is sinister. Over the years the stigma surrounding being  left-handed grew. Re-education of lefties was promoted by everyone, including clergy, parents, the media, and others. And how many adults can remember growing up and attending Catholic school where nuns swatted their knuckles if they even reached for a pen or pencil with their left hand? Today, with ten percent of the population being left-handed the stigma has waned in most countries. And in sports, especially boxing and martial arts, being a southpaw can be advantageous.

Written by: AnnMaria De Mars

Best Judo Style For MMA Is The One You’ve Never Heard Of

The number of judo players who have made a successful transition to mixed martial arts in recent years can be named on one hand – Rick Hawn, Ronda Rousey, Manny Gamburyan, Karo Parisyan and Satoshi Ishii. Given the lack of money in judo, why aren’t more athletes making the jump?

Why is it that two of those with the most MMA experience, Manny and Karo, didn’t even compete in the Olympics? All of the players I’ve mentioned, except for Ishii, are not very typical judo players at all.

Like our “Submission of the Year” piece, there were numerous knockout finishes in 2011 to illuminate, and picking a decisive winner of this little title, is no easy task. There were flashy finishes, unforeseen finishes, and a few outrageously brutal finishes.

Bellator played host to a number of spectacular knockouts this year, including Alexis Vila’s one punch leveling of promotional ace, Joe Warren, Pat Curran’s perfectly placed right high kick finish of Marlon Sandro and Patricky Freire’s well-timed flying knee that left Toby Imada in another dimension. It was a stellar year for the promotion, as I’m just skimming the surface of Bellator knockouts.

Written By: Dennis Fratella

About a week ago I wrote an article on what encompassed the journey of the loser of this heavyweight battle that’s getting ready to go down tomorrow night. Rather than make a prediction then, I wanted to save it for now, because I really needed time to make up my mind not only for the headliner, but also the undercard as well. I think this card—at least these three fights I’m writing about, have to be some of the most well matched fights I’ve seen in some time.

I came to what will likely be—the bitter truths of these 3 fights I’m going to review in this article, and I found that we’re going to have a heavyweight brawl, a coin flip, and a wrestling match.