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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The first sanctioned world title fight in mixed martial arts history became official Friday afternoon when Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia made weight at the Honda Center.
No matter the audience, Josh Barnett can work a room. It's a required skill for a man who splits his time between Japanese pro wrestling and mixed martial arts.
More and more, mixed martial arts -- not boxing -- has sports fans asking, "Did you see the fight?" But after July 19, such an inquiry could have double meaning.
After turning down a lucrative offer to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship last fall, Fedor Emelianenko has since changed the face of mixed martial arts' heavyweight division.
We gave you the legitimate awards. Now it's time for the fun stuff. Who boosted your self-esteem with their crazy antics? Who made your rags-for-a-wardrobe look like designer duds? Welcome to SI.com's mid-year Razzies, where the worst-of-the-worst are showcased for all to enjoy ... yet again.
The curious combination of mental and physical battles is growing in popularity, both as a teaching tool in the U.S. and a bloody pro sport in Europe
From reality TV star to UFC champion, Forrest Griffin's mixed martial arts ascendancy hit its highest mark Saturday in Las Vegas.
Evan Tanner came to mixed martial arts looking for adventure. He found fame, success and a UFC championship.
A corridor of late-afternoon sun painted a golden landscape on the walls of 52 Area Fitness Center, located on the north side of this U.S. Marine Corps base. The floor of the open gymnasium was covered in wrestling mats and quarantined with orange cones and yellow tape. In the center stood Jeff Perez and Jarrod Levine, hunched over with clinched fists at their chests as they capped off the day with the last bout.
Conventional wisdom has it that professional fighting is simply a way out, a rough sport where society's poor excel and few others even dare attempt. Just look at the all the rags-to-riches stories associated with boxing.
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The first sanctioned world title fight in mixed martial arts history became official Friday afternoon when Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia made weight at the Honda Center.
No matter the audience, Josh Barnett can work a room. It's a required skill for a man who splits his time between Japanese pro wrestling and mixed martial arts.
More and more, mixed martial arts -- not boxing -- has sports fans asking, "Did you see the fight?" But after July 19, such an inquiry could have double meaning.
After turning down a lucrative offer to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship last fall, Fedor Emelianenko has since changed the face of mixed martial arts' heavyweight division.
We gave you the legitimate awards. Now it's time for the fun stuff. Who boosted your self-esteem with their crazy antics? Who made your rags-for-a-wardrobe look like designer duds? Welcome to SI.com's mid-year Razzies, where the worst-of-the-worst are showcased for all to enjoy ... yet again.
The curious combination of mental and physical battles is growing in popularity, both as a teaching tool in the U.S. and a bloody pro sport in Europe
From reality TV star to UFC champion, Forrest Griffin's mixed martial arts ascendancy hit its highest mark Saturday in Las Vegas.
Evan Tanner came to mixed martial arts looking for adventure. He found fame, success and a UFC championship.
A corridor of late-afternoon sun painted a golden landscape on the walls of 52 Area Fitness Center, located on the north side of this U.S. Marine Corps base. The floor of the open gymnasium was covered in wrestling mats and quarantined with orange cones and yellow tape. In the center stood Jeff Perez and Jarrod Levine, hunched over with clinched fists at their chests as they capped off the day with the last bout.
Conventional wisdom has it that professional fighting is simply a way out, a rough sport where society's poor excel and few others even dare attempt. Just look at the all the rags-to-riches stories associated with boxing.
Dwindling funds? Leadership in hiding? Unpaid athletes and coaches? Phantom appointments? What is going on with the U.S. Fencing Association? In order to address the growing problems in the sport, the U.S. Olympic Committee will announce on Wednesday that it will begin overseeing certain operating aspects of the U.S. Fencing Association, which is in operational and financial freefall after its most successful Olympics four years ago.
Of the things that might work up a sweat this summer, simply flipping channels between mixed martial arts events may be one of them.
Mixed martial arts is in the business of overnight money-making -- raking in hundreds of millions in its opening years while many (ethically and legally) still push it away. And the biggest player behind the sport's chart-defying growth: the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
As season seven of The Ultimate Fighter comes to a close, SI.com got a chance to speak with Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White about all things T.U.F., the UFC's laundry list of future endeavors, and even boxing's demise and today's sports heroes and losers. Not surprisingly, the man was rather candid.
This latest coaching move by FC Dallas had better work out. Otherwise, short of spending tens of millions to lure Jürgen Klinsmann or Fabio Capello to these shores, or a few mil to drag Bruce Arena back into the MLS fold, I don't know what else the franchise can do.
Rodolphe Guenoden, 39, originally from Noyon, France, is an animator at Dream Works, and a martial arts veteran. He's worked on blockbusters like Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, and Madagascar.
Ever since Robin Williams' turn as the Genie in "Aladdin," voice artists who specialize in character work for animated movies have been sidelined by celebrities, no doubt tickled to do something they can show to their children.
DreamWorks' latest ani-movie offers sublime kung-furious panda-monium
The funnyman balances work and late-night feedings as he and Tanya Haden add to their brood
The violent sport of mixed martial arts was once banned in nearly every state. Now it's getting prime exposure on CBS. Get ready for the real blood
The classical music blasting over the phone as I waited on hold for a World Extreme Cagefighting conference call was a real disconnect.
He brought us baseball in the bush leagues (Bull Durham), the hustle of the blacktop (White Man Can't Jump), the thin line between purgatory and redemption in golf (Tin Cup) and a one-name diamond demon (Cobb). Now, writer-director Ron Shelton is shining his dramatic light on the shadow of steroids.
Angelina Jolie is the talk of the Cannes Film Festival.
The actress adds that French "is the second language in our house"
I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Expecting a complete run-down of Jiu-Jitsu-MMA mumbo jumbo as hundreds of grapplers-in-training tumbled around me at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City, I practiced days in advance to be careful with my words. Sitting in the far corner of the gym (scrunched as tight as possible to avoid being engulfed by blue-belt fighters) with the Renzo Gracie, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guru and owner of the Academy, I was shaking inside, scared to be locked in an armbar out of punishment for a slip-up. But Gracie, clad in designer jeans, fidgeting with his Apple iPhone, and intermittently yelling out "get his leg around your hip" or "try moving your arm around the inside of his chin," got the first move. And that made all the difference.
Two very different animated features stake their own ground at Cannes.
Jack Black confirms the happy news while in Cannes
The actor playfully poses with 40 faux pandas to promote his new movie
Some things just don't make any sense: Elton John and 50 Cent? The Godfather (I and II) and When Harry Met Sally?
Hollywood has hijacked mixed martial arts. Think Karate Kid meets Bring it On (you know, that cheerleading movie).
Bad dubbing, angry men with extraordinary facial hair, balletic fighting and more blood than you can shake a nunchuck at: just some of the key ingredients to make a perfect kung fu flick.
Ringside seats don't necessarily guarantee the best view of a fight. Especially, thought Renato Verissimo, if you don't know what you're watching.
David Mamet's homage to jiu-jitsu plays a little too rushed and breathless
One of the questions I'm often asked is this: When today's kids, who love the so-called Extreme Sports -- that's the X Games, like skateboarding -- grow up, won't that mean that traditional sports will tumble in popularity?
He's the butt-kicking, karate-chopping, kung fu superstar who rose from nowhere to conquer Hollywood in a spectacularly visual style.
Western cinema's relationship with martial arts has been a rocky one. Like many genres, kung fu has drifted in and out of fashion, but it has never regained the same popularity as its glorious heyday in the early 1970s.
Now is your chance to quiz Jackie Chan. The superstar of martial arts blockbusters hits Talk Asia in full force next month, and we'd like to know what question you'd like him to answer.
While the most common topics leading up to Super Bowl XLII this weekend are the Patriots run for a perfect season and Tom Brady's ankle, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has its own questions to answer Saturday at UFC 81 in Las Vegas.
Russian authorities are investigating the recent killing of a model-turned-bodyguard.
Jet Li, the multi-talented star who counts martial arts, acting and extensive humanitarian work among his many accomplishments, joined CNN's Anjali Rao for a special edition of Talk Asia filmed in front of a live audience in Hong Kong.
As the Ultimate Fighting Championship looks to expand globally, President Dana White's first target is England. White is in England this week to preside over UFC 80, being held in Newcastle on Saturday.
Tom Cruise and Jerry Seinfeld have been spending some quality time together in New York lately.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship opens 2008 with its first pay-per-view card of the year coming just three weeks after UFC 79. The promotion takes its show to Newcastle, England, after the UFC held two events in the country last year. UFC 80 begins a very busy stretch for the UFC -- one that includes a UFC Fight Night the Wednesday after UFC 80 and UFC 81 just two weeks later.
AR: Gordon, welcome to Talk Asia. Now you've been famous in this part of the world for many, many years now, but you only recently came to international attention in "Kill Bill." Tell us how that came about.
The blood sport has soared in popularity. But now it's involved in an all-out battle with one of its biggest stars
If you ever questioned the adage "looks can deceive," check out Chris Horodecki. Though Horodecki just turned 20, he resembles an unimposing high school freshman who hasn't quite lost all of his baby fat. Yet in ten professional mixed martial arts fights, he is undefeated, mauling some of the baddest dudes on the planet. Just check out the kick at the end of this sequence.
The bridge had been dangling in the river for less than a week, but it had already become a macabre civic landmark, the Twin Cities' answer to Manhattan's Ground Zero. On a scorching day last August, Roger Huerta was piloting his Jeep Commander from downtown Minneapolis to the St. Paul YMCA, where he trains in mixed martial arts. He drove slowly as he crossed the Mississippi River, pointing out the remnants of the I-35W bridge, whose collapse had caused the deaths of 13 Minnesotans six days earlier. When Huerta saw a slab of folded highway bobbing in the water, his eyes widened, and he rested a hand on his beard. "Unbelievable," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "One second you're driving home from work, wondering what you're going to eat for dinner. Then wham! In the snap of a finger you're underwater."
There are many interesting facts in Chuck Norris' resume. He is a six-time undefeated karate world champion. He is the first man in the Western Hemisphere to be awarded an 8th Degree Black Belt Grand Master recognition in Tae Kwan Do. He is Walker, Texas Ranger. Yet, his most famous facts are nowhere to be found.
How should Gabriel Gonzaga explain his nickname? "Napao. It means in Portuguese, uh...big nose," Gonzaga says.
What does go through a man's mind when the cage door closes behind him and he prepares to fight another man? If you are First Lieutenant Brian Stann, maybe you think about Operation Matador and about that bridge in Iraq. The one near Karabilah that you and your Marines were charged with securing, so that insurgents could not flee north.
For UFC fans looking for the newest up-and-coming fighters, World Extreme Cagefighting's TV special from Las Vegas on Sunday, with a double headliner of Paulo Filho vs. Joe Doerksen and Carlos Condit vs. Brock Larson is a must-see. The promotion, owned and operated by UFC parent company Zuffa, focuses on lighter weight classes and fighters on the rise.
As mixed martial arts rises in popularity in the United States, many promotions are looking to get a piece of the action. With UFC possessing such an advantage in terms of recognition, visibility and market share, it will be an uphill battle for challengers.
Casual MMA fans would be surprised to know just how many promotions run MMA events worldwide. Here is a primer on the many mixed martial arts organizations that run fight cards.
This Where Are They Now feature and others like it can be found in the July 2nd issue of Sports Illustrated.
The controversial sport now has female participants -- with Brazil in the lead
Saturday night was all right for fighting. But the pageantry for the 69th card in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's tough-and-rumble existence began much earlier that week. Long before the fighters unhinged the latch of the steel Octagon on April 7 and fought on a card titled UFC 69: Shootout, thousands of fans had converged on Houston, tribalists on a pilgrimage. The prefight weigh-ins drew massive crowds. The line for the fighters' autograph show wreathed the girth of the Toyota Center, the venue for UFC 69. The downtown bars and restaurants were overrun by fight fans.
Not much makes Pat Miletich say stop. The mixed martial artist has had his arms twisted, neck choked and body whacked by some of the toughest, strongest, meanest men in the world. But it was when his sport exploded in popularity, Miletich finally, as they say in mixed martial arts, tap out.
Heart problems? Me?
This would be a particularly awesome time for the Fertitta brothers to finally disagree. That's because the dispute resolution clause in their ownership contract of the Ultimate Fighting Championsh...
Management consultant David Allen is a best-selling author, runs a multimillion dollar company and travels the country teaching executives to be more productive.
On TV, Michael Imperioli honors the godfather. Off-screen, he bows to a martial arts grandmaster.
The 15th Asian Games is taking place in Doha, the capital city of the small Arabian state of Qatar. The cream of the continent's athletes are in the oil-rich nation for the two-week extravaganza. The Briefing Room brings you some facts and figures about an event dubbed the "Asian Olympics."
This would be a particularly awesome time for the Fertitta brothers to finally disagree. That's because the dispute resolution clause in their ownership contract of the Ultimate Fighting Championship states that "in order to resolve a Deadlock among the LLC Members, Frank and Lorenzo shall engage in a Sport Jiu-Jitsu match under the rules as set forth herein."
At 21 years of age, Ng Wai-Sze has decided that the 9-to-5 grind in an office is not for her.
Actor Pat Morita, whose portrayal of the wise and dry-witted Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid" earned him an Oscar nomination, has died. He was 73.
• Martial Artist | Bruce Fenton
Dance sport, wushu, dragonboat racing and soft tennis don't come to mind immediately when thinking of events at international sporting competitions.
LH: Lorraine Hahn SC: Stephen Chow
A deer boy, a panda lady, and 8 other things we recommend this week
A Maryland paramedic has been arrested by U.S. federal authorities on charges of conspiring to provide material support to a Pakistan-based Islamic militant group linked to terrorist attacks in India and the disputed region of Kashmir.
Once a respected police officer in Charleston, Daniel William Hiers is now the focus of an international manhunt -- accused of child molestation and murder.
Hero, Crouching Tiger and House of Flying Daggers -- Chinese martial arts movies have been making some breathtaking moves on the international cinema circuit in recent years.
Weezer, weather, and eight other things we recommend this week:
For Ralph Macchio, there's just no escaping "The Karate Kid."
Two inventors are bringing computing into the martial arts sparring ring, by developing a wireless system that senses the force of a hit.
Udomporn Polsak became the first Thai woman to strike Olympic gold as Asian athletes enjoyed another medal-laden day at the Games.
A two-time world judo champion from Iran who reportedly said he would not compete against an Israeli athlete was disqualified from the Olympics on Sunday because he was too heavy.
When it comes to working out, no exercise regimen is "one size fits all," but one particular martial art form comes pretty close.
A vice president of the International Olympic Committee, Kim Un-Yong, was arrested early Wednesday on charges of bribery, embezzlement and other irregularities, court officials told CNN.
IOC vice-president Kim Un-yong has been suspended from all Olympic duties pending investigations into corruption charges against him in South Korea.
Surfing isn't fun unless it's dangerous. I got injured last Easter at my house on the north shore of Hawaii. I pulled my hamstring--tore it two inches off the bone. I'm still recovering from that. ...
THE ARRIVAL OF DIGITAL CABLE HAS GIVEN US SO MUCH. (HBO-7, anyone?) And the million-channel universe spells opportunity for entrepreneurs; about a dozen are starting networks this year. We've liste...
Wu-Tang Clan The W Loud Records
Spurred by the pizza-tossing Ninja Turtles and action heroes like Chuck Norris and the late Bruce Lee, children ages four to 17 have given a kick to enrollment in karate classes. Some 60% of the es...
In Asia, Hong Kong film producer Raymond Chow, 62, is known as Mr. Kung Fu, after his string of awesomely cheap, highly profitable action pictures. Chow has now worked a slight variation on this ge...
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