Over at the EA Sports Season Opener event in San Francisco last night, EA showed off some of their new sports games. One of the games just happened to be EA Sports MMA and with it, comes new screen shots!

The pics include images of Nick Diaz, Cung Le, Scott Smith, Bobby Lashley and Fedor, among others. We also get to see a few of the new venues, including a Brazilian cage and a Japanese looking ring.

EA Sports MMA will be out sometime this year, probably fourth quarter, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Info Via Destructoid.com

Check out a TON more pics after the jump!

It seems like only days ago we learned who the contestants were on Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter! Today, I received an e-mail from Spike TV announcing the try-outs for Season 12. They just don’t take a break, do they?

Season 12 will feature lightweights and light heavyweights, so maybe one of you guys can give it a shot, just make sure you have all your gear with you and, most importantly, have a record with at least three fights under your belt. I guess they have slightly more standards than Bellator FC’s tryouts, which only required two fights to give it a go.

Read the full details of how you can try out after the jump!

The UFC and Spike TV will hold an open casting call at The Omni Charlotte Hotel in Charlotte, NC for Season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” This season, the series will be casting mixed martial artists in the Lightweight (155 lbs) and Light Heavyweight (205 lbs) divisions.

* Must be 21 or over to participate
* Applicants will grapple and hit pads so please dress appropriately and bring all necessary gear
* Participants MUST HAVE a professional MMA record with at least THREE (3) fights

WHEN:

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Registration opens at 8 AM ET; Tryouts at 10 AM ET.

Fighters must arrive between 8 and 9 AM ET.

Media members are encouraged to arrive at 10 AM ET.

WHERE:

Omni Charlotte Hotel

132 E. Trade Street
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
Phone: (704) 377-0400

WHO:

UFC President Dana White will oversee the tryouts with executive producer Craig Piligian, producer Jamie Campione and Spike TV’s senior vice president of sports and specials Brian Diamond.

The Fight Nerd is off to see if another product can handle his testing, this time the Hexforce Knee and Elbow pads from McDavid USA! But he is not without aid, as Jamie Varner (who we talked to just last month about his rematch with Donald Cerrone) and a few of the fighters at Jamie Varners Combat Academy in Long Island, NY give us the scoop on if these pads are worth the price!

At about 1 PM today, Bellator Fighting Championships will hold their first ever Open Try-Outs to find a fighter to participate in a featured fight during Bellator’s April 29th event at the Power & Light District in Kansas City. Fighters, who will head to Ringside, Inc.’s John Brown Training Center in Lenexa, Kansas for this event, must have at least two pro fights under their belt and will be expected to grapple and work the bags inside a cage.

“In the spirit of Rocky Balboa, this tryout will give an undiscovered up-and-coming fighter the chance of a lifetime to be highlighted on a national stage,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney (who is always awesome enough to give us an interview at every show). “We look forward to seeing a solid pool of fighters who are looking for their shot to compete at a world-class level.”

Many, including myself, have likened Bellator akin to the next IFL, and this open try-out event is similiar to a stunt the IFL pulled, except they held try-outs in multiple states. In fact, I was actually at the NY event in Mamaroneck. Difference is that the fighter that wins this event will actually participate on a show, I do not believe any of the people I saw get to the finals ever made it to an IFL event. Does Bellator think this is a good way to draw interest in the company? They have been signing many good athletes lately so their is no need for new talent. Or it could be they are trying to get a bigger crowd just in Kansas since they are holding many events this season in the Outdoor arena.

Nonetheless, I look forward to seeing what happens with the second season of Bellator. I enjoyed their shows greatly and it is a pity not enough MMA fans get to see it. If Bellator comes to your town, I highly recomend you get some seats to the show, you will not be disappointed!

Via Bellator’s official blog

Thefightnerd.com is not just a place for sporadic tidbits of MMA oddities that I call news or a containment unit for my videos. No sir, we also like to feature some editorials every now and then. Donnie Baker, who has contributed previous goodies on this site, is back with a piece on how the modern muay thai round kick and how it has evolved (or devolved) over the last 100 years or so.

Hit the jump to take a look at the history of the muay thai round kick!

Don’t Take Away My Muay Thai Round Kick!
BY DONNIE BAKER

There’s a lot of dogma surrounding muay thai’s most fearsome technique – the round kick. Krus and ajarns, and fighter/instructors teach us that in muay thai the round kick is thrown one way, and one way only (their way). He throws the kick as his instructor before him, and the master before him. The shin bone is a miniature baseball bat; K-1 morphed into a muay thai tournament due to the style’s domination; MMA fighters have adopted it as their primary leg strike; it is arguably the most feared technique in modern martial arts. The round kick is steeped in this mystique of indomitable aggression. There just isn’t any room for improvement, is there?

I say yes, but not improvement through evolution, but improvement through digression – taking the muay thai round kick back to where it was first used: on the battlefield. Over the past 100 years or so – since Westerners introduced gloves and fighter promotions to muay thai (muay boran) around the turn on the 20th century – fighters and their trainers begin to modify their offense and defense to better protect themselves. Certain techniques that were known to cause severe damage were removed. Fighters’ careers begin to last longer and everyone involved made money. Hence, muay boran was relegated to become a sort of sideshow demonstration for tourists. Over time safety techniques were perfected, and that’s what we have today in modern ring style muay thai. The widespread popularity of MMA has further degraded muay thai techniques due partly to their trainers, partly due to the “crash course’ style training a lot of MMA schools practice. But I digress.

Back to my point. – I’m getting there – We’ve got to go back to explore what the purpose of the muay thai round kick was originally used for. It wasn’t used to score points or wear down an opponent. The target was the side of the knee – it was used for incapacitation. If the warrior lost his sword, his elbows and legs became the replacement weapon until he could rearm himself. Muay Chao Cherk is Krabi Krabong without swords. The kick would have to be thrown quickly, without a windup. And chances are slim that the desperate warrior had the time and opportunity to throw that kick from the “appropriate” distance. He could have been uncomfortably close, or out of reach, they may have had to throw it from a run.

So what I’m saying, and can prove is that the popular muay thai round kick that 99% of the martial arts schools in North America teach is not the ‘end-all-be-all’ kick. It can be further modified to generate up to 40% more force. It can be thrown from inside of elbow range – lerd rit CQC kick; from 5 feet away, from a walk, a run. The muay chao cherk kick was thrown with a drive from a standard range. With just a little bit of bio-mechanics knowledge and simple application of basic physics (f=ma, torque) you can modify your cookie cutter muay thai round kick into a strike that can end a fight when it counts (outside of the ring). Oh, and inside the ring or cage, your opponent will only block the first few strikes before having to resort to an evasion strategy.

For more tips, techniques, and editorials from Donnie Baker head to his official blog at this link here!

March 2, 2010, Nokia Theatre in NYC – Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley met with NY Press and fans to hype their upcoming bout on pay-per-view on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. As you can guess, fireworks happened and the war of words was thrown down!

Enjoy this video of the highlights of the press conference with words from Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather, as well as footage of their scuffle at the beginning of the presser! Who r u picking?

According to Aleks Devic of The Geelong Advertiser, UFC fighter George Sotiropoulos, who just defeated Joe Stevenson last weekend, is locked in a legal battle with some tenants of his in Australia. George is trying to get $2000 owed in unpaid rent, which was not paid since the residents claimed their oven was not working. The tenants claim the oven was 15 years out of date and Sotiropoulos has neglected his duties.

A hilarious quote from the article follows:

Mr Evans told the Geelong Advertiser after the hearing he feared he and his wife and five children would be kicked out of the home.

“He gets $1 million for a fight and we could be homeless,” Mr Evans said.

The tribunal ordered the Evans’ continue paying the $275 weekly rent and the family was put on a payment plan of $75 per week to pay off the outstanding rent. If you want to read the full article, hit the jump!

GEORGE Sotiropoulos is used to ruthless bouts when competing in Ultimate Fighting Championships but yesterday he faced a fight against his tenants who owe him rent money.

The Geelong fighter is chasing more than $2000 in unpaid rent his tenants refused to pay because the oven inside their Belmont home was not working.

His property managers yesterday unsuccessfully applied in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to have the family booted out of the Summit Ave house.

Tenant Brad Evans told the tribunal Sotiropoulos sacked the last property manager after being instructed to fix the oven, which he claimed was 15 years out of date and could only do one temperature.
What are your thoughts on this story? Tell us using the feedback form below

But VCAT member Stella Moraitis condemned his Mr Evans’ actions.

“This is where you are in trouble. You are not allowed to withhold rent for repairs,” Ms Moraitis said.

Mr Evans told the Geelong Advertiser after the hearing he feared he and his wife and five children would be kicked out of the home.

“He gets $1 million for a fight and we could be homeless,” Mr Evans said.

Mr Evans also said real estate agents had told him he needed to mow the grass and fix a front window that had been cracked after one of the kids threw a rock at it.

Sotiropoulos thrilled 20,000 fans at a UFC tournament in Sydney last week when he defeated American Joe Stevenson.

The Bell Post Hill man has a large following in the US after starring on hit reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter 6.

The UFC is a form of mixed martial arts that combines many styles including boxing, taekwondo, judo and wrestling and instead of going toe to toe in a ring, fighters exchange blows in a cage.

Mr Evans told the hearing he first complained about the oven in August last year and took action after nothing was done. “Yes, we did the wrong thing but that is the reason why,” he said.

Ms Moraitis was told the rent money had been spent on bills and for Christmas presents. “If you had your money here today, you would have persuaded me you did it on principle,” she said.

Ms Moraitis was also scathing of Sotiropoulos and said he had failed in his duties as a landlord because there was no operating oven in the house. “It’s not as if your landlord has come here with clean hands either,” Ms Moraitis said.

“Your landlord has conducted himself in way that is not exemplary by all means … but neither has the tenant.”

Portfolio manager James Spitale yesterday applied for a possession order of the house and said his client had had enough. “Ultimately the landlord would like to get in there and do renovations,” he said.

The tribunal ordered the Evans’ continue paying the $275 weekly rent and the family was put on a payment plan of $75 per week to pay off the outstanding rent.

If they fail to meet the orders they can be taken back to the tribunal and be evicted.

The family’s lease expires in April.

Taken from http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2010/02/27/150251_news.html

Below is the official press release from Spike TV announcing details on the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will be coached by Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. Above is a pic of last season’s cast, so it has little to do with this post, but you get the idea.

Hit the jump to see the list and some other exciting details! And don’t forget to leave who your pick to win in the comments!

New York, NY, March 1, 2010 – The 11th season of Spike TV’s most popular original series ever, “The Ultimate Fighter,” for the first time will feature 28 of the best up and coming mixed martial artists in the world competing for 14 spots in “The Ultimate Fighter” house. The series boasts a new format, which will be introduced to viewers in the show’s premiere episode. The smash hit will also feature two coaches who need no introduction to mixed martial arts fans, UFC legends Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Tito “The Huntington Beach Badboy.” The new season premieres Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 10:00 PM ET/PT featuring the following cast members:

RICH ATTONITO

Fighting out of: Deerfield Beach, FL / American Top Team

Record: 7-3

Age: 32

A 2001 graduate of Hofstra University in Long Island, Rich Attonito wrestled several different weight classes as a member of the Pride wrestling team including the 167lb. and 197lb. divisions. Attonito has been training with American Top Team since he moved to Florida in 2006. He is the strength and conditioning coach for UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti.

SETH BACZYNSKI

Fighting out of: Canyon, AZ / Apex MMA

Record: 11-5

Age: 28

Training partner to TUF alums Santino DeFranco (season 9) and Efrain Escudero (season at Apex MMA in Arizona, Seth Baczynski is a full-time water inspector at Liberty Water.

CHARLES BLANCHARD

Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, FL / American Top Team

Record: 7-2

Age: 24

A 2-time All State wrester in high school, this single father is a jiu-jitsu brown belt and a published poet.

JOSH BRYANT

Fighting out of: Tulsa, OK / Absolute Combat Alliance

Record: 10-0

Age: 29

A member of the Absolute Combat Alliance camp in Tulsa, OK, Josh Bryant sports a perfect 10-0 professional mixed martial arts record. When not training, Bryant works as a manager for Mazzio’s Italian Eatery in Oklahoma.

CHRIS CAMOZZI

Fighting out of: Denver, CO / Gumm MMA

Record: 11-3

Age: 22

Camozzi is a freestyle fighter from Denver that works as a bouncer in his spare time. Two of his three losses are to TUF alums Jesse Forbes (season 3) and Jesse Taylor (season 7).

BRENT COOPER

Fighting out of: Long Beach, CA / Team Oyama

Record: 5-1

Age: 31

Of Sioux Indian descent, Cooper is a pipeliner by day for Shell Oil, and a devastating striker by night, with four of his five wins coming via TKO.

JACEN FLYNN

Fighting out of: Meridian, ID / No camp

Record: 8-2

Age: 31

Jacen Flynn possesses an 8-2 mixed martial arts record that includes wins over Dennis Kang and Dean Lister. Away from the Octagon™, he is a social worker.

JAMES HAMMORTREE

Fighting out of: Ocala, FL / USA Martial Arts

Record: 4-0

Age: 23

Following one season at Weber International, where he starred on the football team as a linebacker and on special teams, Hammortree left the program in order to become a full-time firefighter in Ocala, FL. The former high school wrestler owns a 4-0 professional record with all four of those bouts taking place in 2009.

JOSEPH HENLE

Fighting out of: Thousand Oaks, CA / Big John McCarthy’s MMA

Record: 3-0

Age: 26

Joseph Henle splits time training at Big John McCarthy’s MMA and working as a substitute teacher and wrestling coach in Thousand Oaks, CA. Henle earned his MBA in Financial Planning from California Lutheran University in ’06. He speaks fluent Japanese.

CHARLEY LYNCH

Fighting out of: Mound, MN / Northway MMA

Record: 6-0

Age: 25

The self-proclaimed baddest man in Minnesota, Charley Lynch owns a 6-0 professional record with zero of his bouts going to decision.

KRIS MCCRAY

Fighting out of: Dumfries, VA / Chute Boxe

Record: 5-0

Age: 28

Son of a military father, Kris McCray was raised in Germany, where he excelled on the soccer pitch and garnered All-Europe honors in high school. In 1999, McCray moved permanently to the United States, where he has served parts of 8 years (6 active, 2 inactive) as a member of the US Army Reserve, while also finding time to earn his Associates Degree in Social Studies from Northern Virginia Community College.

COURT MCGEE

Fighting out of: Orem, UT / Throwdown Elite Fight Team

Record: 9-1

Age: 24

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist out of Orem, UT, Court McGee beat “The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom” runner-up DaMarques Johnson in 2007 by submission

CLAYTON MCKINNEY

Fighting out of: Orlando, FL / Jungle MMA

Record: 4-2

Age: 27

A teammate of TUF (season alum Tom Lawlor at Jungle MMA, Clayton McKinney is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt that supplements his training by working security at a local bar in Orlando.

KYLE NOKE

Fighting out of: Albuquerque, NM / Jackson’s MMA

Record: 16-4-1

Age: 29

Kyle Noke, from Mooloolaba, Australia, is the former bodyguard of “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin. Currently training with Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico, Noke defeated TUF (season 6) alum George Sotiropoulos in June 2005 and current castmate Kyacey Uscola this past September.

VICTOR O’DONNELL

Fighting out of: Milford, OH / Vision MMA

Record: 8-1

Age: 27

Hailing from Milford, OH, O’Donnell suffered his first professional loss this past September against cast mate Costantinos Philippou. Before that, he had won eight contests, seven of which by submission.

NORMAN PARAISY

Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, FL / American Top Team

Record: 5-1

Age: 23

Norman Paraisy was born and raised Paris, France. The 5-1 Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist left France in order to pursue MMA in the states and is now a member of the American Top Team.

COSTANTINOS PHILIPPOU

Fighting out of: Merrick, NY / Serra-Longo

Record: 5-1

Age: 30

Costantinos Philippou is a former boxer with 3 professional and over 80 amateur fights on his record. The 30-year-old server from Merrick, NY was born and raised in Greece. He currently trains out of the Serra-Longo camp.

GREG REBELLO

Fighting out of: Buzzards Bay, MA / Sityodtong USA

Record: 9-2

Age: 27

Greg Rebello trains full-time at Sityodtong USA in Massachusetts under the watchful eye of Mark DellaGrotte. Currently in peak physical condition, Rebello at one time weighed in over 300lbs before dedicating himself to fitness at the age of 18.

NICK RING

Fighting out of: Calgary, Canada / B.D.P. Martial Arts

Record: 10-0

Age: 30

Nick Ring returned to MMA in May 2009 following a three year stint away from the sport after suffering a devastating knee injury. In that time, Ring boxed professionally to the tune of a 4-1 record with 3 knockouts.

JORDAN SMITH
Fighting out of: Clearfield, UT / Throwdown Elite Fight Team

Record: 10-0

Age: 24

A 7th grade teacher by day, Jordan Smith is a former professional boxer that trains with fellow cast member Court McGee at Throwdown Elite Fight Team.

BEN STARK

Fighting out of: Tamarac, FL / American Top Team

Record: 3-1

Age: 27

Born and raised a practitioner of the Orthodox Jewish religion until the age of 6, Ben Stark began training with American Top Team in Florida as a sophomore in college. When not at the gym, Stark picks up shifts at “The Original Fat Cats,” and also finds time to breed snakes.

LYLE STEFFENS

Fighting out of: Tucson, AZ / Apex MMA

Record: 5-2

Age: 26

Lyle Steffens is a firefighter and an EMT in Tucson, AZ. He trains with fellow cast member Seth Baczynski at Apex MMA.

BRAD TAVARES

Fighting out of: Las Vegas, NV / TapouT

Record: 4-0

Age: 21

At 21, Brad Tavares is the youngest of this season’s cast members. Originally from Hilo, HI, Tavares recently relocated to Las Vegas and trains full-time with TapouT

WARREN THOMPSON

Fighting out of: Marietta, GA / Team Khunpon / Roberto Traven BJJ

Record: 5-0

Age: 23

Warren Thompson, aka “The Kool-Aid Man,” is a muay-thai fighter from Marietta, GA. The volunteer firefighter splits his training in Atlanta between Team Khunpon and Roberto Traven BJJ.

KYACEY USCOLA

Fighting out of: Sacramento, CA / Team Alpha Male

Record: 18-15

Age: 28

Kyacey Uscola joins the cast with 33 professional MMA fights on his record. He trains with Team Alpha Male and Urijah Faber out of Sacramento.

CLEBURN WALKER

Fighting out of: Keller, TX / Team Lutter

Record: 9-3

Age: 26

Born and raised in Texas, Cleburn Walker is a full-time fighter and instructor at Team Lutter. He suffered a recent loss via submission to TUF (season 3) alum Jesse Forbes this past June.

WOODY WEATHERBY

Fighting out of: Hudson, NH / Renzo Gracie / Mickey Wards Boxing Gym & Xtreme MMA

Record: 7-3

Age: 27

The former US Navy officer currently works full-time as a corrections officer for the Hillsborough County jail in Manchester, NH. Weatherby rotates his training between 2 gyms: Renzo Gracie Academy in Derry, NH, and Mickey Wards Boxing Gym & Xtreme MMA.

JAMIE YAGER

Fighting out of: Los Angeles, CA / Kings MMA

Record: 2-1

Age: 25

A standout varsity letterman in baseball and football, Yager was the 2001 Athlete of the Year at South Pasadena High School in California. He picked up training MMA as a hobby, and went straight from training to the professional ranks in February 2008 as part of BET’s Iron Ring, where he defeated his opponent by TKO.

During the six-week taping of “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz,” the competitors endured a grueling regimen of jiu-jitsu, judo, Muay Thai, karate, boxing and wrestling. The intense competition among the fighters continues after they leave the gym – at the Ultimate Fighter House. These warriors must live together, knowing that any day they might be forced to fight each other in the famed UFC Octagon™.

The two finalists will square off in a live finale on Spike TV, where the winner will be declared “The Ultimate Fighter” and net the six-figure contract and a cash prize. UFC President Dana White will once again serve as host of the series.

After each show, Spike.com users will get exclusive extended footage from each episode and an exclusive video leak of the upcoming episode.

Billy Hofacker, head instructor at Serra jiu-Jitsu in East Meadow, NY, demonstrates two very useful varations of the armbar from off your back. Give it a go next time you are on the mats and let us know how it worked for you!

There hasn’t been much of a response from the MMA community collectively in regards to the Haiti disaster. Individuals and groups have created events here and there, but now there is an event to benefit those suffering in Haiti involving WEC, UFC, Bellator, and Shine Fights fighters. On March 13th and 14th, a seminar will be held in Richmond, Virginia featuring fighters such as “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone, Aaron Riley and “The Filthy Mauler” Tom Lawlor, Seth Petruzelli, Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, and 2009 Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) champion Braulio Estima will be held. All the proceeds will go to help those hurting in Haiti.

Hit the jump for the full press release with all the details you need to know!

MMA FOR CHARITY TO HOLD HAITI BENEFIT EVENT

Event will take place on March 13-14 in Richmond, VA

Richmond, VA (USA): On January 12th, 2010, a vicious earthquake struck the country of Haiti. As of this writing, an estimated 3,000,000 people have been affected by magnitude 7.0 quake. The Haitian Government has reported that between 217,000 and 230,000 people have died, an estimated 300,000 have been injured, and an estimated 1,000,000 are homeless. What’s more, the death toll is expected to rise. The response from within the United States as well as the world has been overwhelming. Tens of millions of dollars have been raised in the U.S. alone, and aid has poured in from all over the world. But recovery efforts will be ongoing in the years to come, as Haiti attempts to rebuild itself.

On March 13th, a two-day seminar hosted by MMA Institute, located at 6145 Jahnke Road, Richmond, VA 23225, will commence. The seminar will consist of grappling, striking, and MMA training, and the team of instructors will be made up of world class MMA fighters such as WEC lightweight contender “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone, UFC fighters Aaron Riley and “The Filthy Mauler” Tom Lawlor, former TUF competitor and EliteXC headliner Seth Petruzelli, Bellator fighter Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, and 2009 Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) champion and recent Shine Fights signee Braulio Estima. In addition, 50/50 Jiu-Jitsu owners Ryan Hall and Seph Smith will be teaching, and a kids seminar will be educated by the well-respected John Simons. All these great athletes will be donating their time, and merchandise will be auctioned off, with all proceeds going towards Haiti relief.

MMA for Charity is an organization conceptualized by MMA Institute Head Trainer Rick McCoy and Eric Callahan in order for the sport he loves to have an opportunity to respond to the tragedy in Haiti. “When I saw the footage of all the suffering going on by the men, women, and children in Haiti, I just felt in my gut that I needed to do something,” explained McCoy. “I spoke with some of my associates, and things quickly came together to form the organization. Now, the sport gets to show that it’s about more than what happens in the cage; MMA is filled with good, caring people. And through MMA for Charity, we’ll get to show that.”

For those interested in signing up for the seminar or further information, please visit http://www.MMAInstitute.com/ or http://www.MMAForCharity.org/