Ah, the mixtape. Dating as far back as the early days of cassette tapes, the mixtape was a way for folks to compile their favorite songs into one spot. Today, that concept has evolved into mp3 playlists and similar things, but no matter how much the technology changes, the end result remains the same. After all, why should you buy an entire album just to get one song that you really like?

The fine folks over at Victory Belt Publications asked that same question when it came to their instructional books. That is why Lance Freimuth joined up with some of the top MMA fighters to create “The Grappler’s Manifesto,” a single-volume filled with techniques from a ton of top talent who have been battle-tested and fan-approved.

Is this manifesto with so many grappling aficionados worth reading, or does it come short of delivering on what other instructionals have done with just one person? Check out the review to find out!

“The Grappler’s Manifesto” weighs in at just over 350 pages of no-gi grappling techniques intended for amateur or professional MMA combat. The book features techniques from Greg Jackson, Randy Couture, Antonio Rodrigo Nogeuira, Dave Camarillo, Jon Fitch, Forest Griffin, Neil Melanson, and I think Karo Parisyan even snuck himself in it. That is a ton of talent for just one book, and about three tons worth of techniques.

A variety of topics are covered to improve your ground game, from the different phases of the guard, as well as turtle, cross-body, and front and back mounts. There are absolutely no takedowns in this, but there is a section on what to do after a sprawl. The majority of the book is guard techniques, including sweeps, submissions, and passes. While the main focus is on grappling, this is not necessarily for competitive grappling, and includes striking as entries into many of the techniques. This is very helpful to people who plan on competing and training in all-around fighting, but the moves work fine without the punches and knees too.

Every section is prefaced by a gameplan, where the author breaks down how best to implement the techniques and strategies in the chapter. This general overview is useful to put all of these pieces together into one coherent method of victory for you, and is as close as you will get to personalization in this book since each type of fighter is referenced to a specific combatant (more on that in a bit).

The book features plenty of full color photographs dissecting each move piece by piece, however it was disproportionate to the amount of text in this book. Most moves start with a very large paragraph to introduce the move, and when I say large, I mean that. I am not sure what happened to paragraph breaks since there are none here, but these huge blocks of text are a turn off to me. The instructions are easy to follow and well-written, they just look frighteningly large on some pages since there are no paragraph breaks. The design of the book is more dynamic than previous books, making it more exciting to look at, but the text throws that off.

Here is my one huge complaint with this book, which is a first in a long time for a product from Victory Belt. While all of these diverse instructors sounds very cool, it seems very random and unorganized. There is nothing introducing the fighters who demonstrate the techniques, nor anything to personalize them. Every description is written in the first-person tone of voice, rather than saying the name of the fighter doing the move. There is also very little uniformity in the photos of this book, specifically since everything was shot in different places with different lighting.

Ultimately, the reason for this became quite obvious after reading the press release promoting the book. “I had been working with these guys in the gyms or editing their individual books,” wrote Freimuth, “But in the back of my mind I was always thinking how great it would be to have them write some of their best techniques in one book.” In other words, the book was an after-thought to much larger products, and while the info is great in this book, it comes off random and the lack of uniformity or personalization detracts from the final result.

Instructional books or DVD’s are difficult to do when treated as a compilation. The best way I have seen them work is when each fighter is given a chance to personalize it and explain why they do this move and how it works for their style. “The Grappler’s Manifesto” dives into technique after technique, never giving the fighters a chance to have a distinct voice.

Despite that gripe I have with the book, I still found it very useful and packed with information. Is it my favorite book from Victory Belt? Not even close. Is it a bad book? Not at all. You will learn a lot from the different instructors and it will absolutely help your ground game in many common positions & situations. The book feels incomplete to me in terms of design and composition, lacking a personal touch of Victory Belt’s single-author books since there are so many people lumped into this volume, and none of the moves seeming signature or special to anyone specific in it. Again, there are tons of great techniques here, but the name value of these fighters is undermined by not allowing them to discuss the techniques and be hyped up more.

This book normally retails for $34.96, but you can grab “The Grappler’s Manifesto” from Amazon for a little over $20. I would recommend this book more for a beginner or intermediate level student of MMA, and it would definitely be a great gift for them during the holiday season. Seeing these UFC fighters and others in action all in one book might be more inspiring to them than it was to me, and they will get more than enough information to improve their skills. This book is a good entry-level volume to lead readers towards other books that will start to hone their game, but for the time being, this is a perfect start to a long career in MMA.

Here are some other books that we reviewed that you might like as well: “Marcelo Garcia: Advanced BJJ Techniques, ” “Anderson Silva: MMA Instruction Manual”, and The UFC Encyclopedia.

“Big guys. Small gloves. Someone will fall.” That is the slogan on the back of the “UFC: Ultimate Heavyweights” DVD, and that accurately describes the promotion’s HW division. From the old school legends like Mark Coleman, Don Frye, and Tank Abbott, to the champions of modern times like Shane Carwin, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, and many other beefy men, the heavyweights have left an indelible mark in the sport, punctuated with many highlight reel worthy knockouts and submissions.

In this DVD set, Anchor Bay entertainment and the UFC set out to create a comprehensive compilation of some of the greatest moments in the octagon that had anyone over 205 lbs. in it. The DVD features 30 fights, but are these fights even worth re-watching? More importantly, is this set worth picking up in the first place, or is it best left sitting around in a clearance bin at your local Wal-Mart for rednecks to gawk at (“Why are those shirtless guys humping each other on the floor? Fight like men, HYUK!”)?

Hit the jump to check out the full review of the “UFC: Ultimate Heavyweights” DVD!

“UFC: Ultimate Heavyweights” is a one-disc compilation from 2010 that features 30 full fights all in one convenient place. The front and back cover of the DVD remind me of video game box art, especially the back. It showcases some of the more recognizable heavyweights in the UFC, both posed and in action from fights. This is not a cluttered cover, but focusing on the name power of the UFC’s big stars that even a mainstream fan can identify.

The main feature is the 20 fights, which goes for two hours and fifteen minutes long. The special features add up to another 20 minutes of bonus fights, since they are all relatively quick. The most important question any fan should ask is what fights are on this disc? Here is the full list, which includes four fights never before released on DVD (courtesy of a reviewer on Amazon.com:

Tim Sylvia vs Frank Mir from UFC 48
Cro Cop vs Gabriel Gonzaga from UFC 70
Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir from UFC 81
Christian Wellisch vs Shane Carwin from UFC 84
Fabricio Werdum vs JDS from UFC 90
Randy Couture vs Lesnar from UFC 91
Big Nog vs Mir from UFC 92
Gabriel Gonzaga vs Shane Carwin from UFC 96
Brock Lesnar vs Frank Mir from UFC 100
Tim Hague vs Todd Duffee from UFC 102 (Fastest official KO in the UFC, up until UF 140′s Chan Sung Jung’s KO over Mark Hominick)
Randy Couture vs Big Nog from UFC 102
Roy Nelson vs Brendan Schaub from the Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale
Frank Mir vs Cheick Kongo from UFC 107
JDS vs Gilbert Yvel from UFC 108
Big Nog vs Cain Velasquez from UFC 110
JDS vs Gabriel Gonzaga from UFC on Versus (Never before released on DVD)
Frank Mir vs Shane Carwin from UFC 111
Roy Nelson vs Stefan Struve from UFC Fight Night (Never before released on DVD)
Cro Cop vs Pat Barry from UFC 115
Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin from UFC 116

The “Bonus Fights” include five older fights, which are:

Frank Mir vs Brandon Vera from UFC 65
Frank Mir vs Antoni Hardonk from UFC 74
Cain Velasquez vs Jake O’ Brien from UFC Fight Night (Never before released on DVD)
Shane Carwin vs Neil Wain from UFC 89
Brendan Schaub vs Chase Gormley from UFC on Versus (Never before released on DVD)
Tank Abbott vs Joun Matua from UFC 6
Don Frye vs Thomas Ramirez from UFC 8
Mark Coleman vs Dan Severn from UFC 12
Randy Couture vs Tony Halme from UFC 13
Vitor Belfort vs Tank Abbott from UFC 13

Keep in mind that this DVD was released in 2010, so anything beyond that date is not on here.

Are the fights truly as good as this set wants you to think? Absolutely. Jam-packed with many memorable moments from the heavyweight history of the UFC, and not just one-punch knockouts. I am happy to report that a good variety of fights are shown, some ending with submissions, some with knockouts, and a few that even went the distance (although there are not too many of those on this DVD). To be fair, there are far more KO’s than there are anything else in this, but the UFC heavyweight division has always been filled with heavy-handed fighters more than anything else.

Every full fight begins with a brief history lesson about the relevance of the fighters and the match-up you are about to watch, a great refresher since some of these clips go back far in the UFC timeline. The set also has updated graphics for each fight, including it’s own custom “tale of the tape” and timer. The newer fights are presented in widescreen format, while older ones are shown letterbox format, with the UFC logo on the sides filling in the screen. There is also some post-fight stuff, but not much, and it is usually just seeing the winner get his arm raised. In other words, if you are expecting to see Brock Lesnar’s tirade after UFC 100, I recommend you look for a different DVD.

Obviously, every fan is going to have a different take on what they wish was in this DVD, and I do have a few fights that I would have loved to see here too. For example, Gary Goodridge VS Paul Herrera from UFC 8 is one of the most infamous moments in the golden age of UFC, but I can understand it not being here since it is unnecessarily brutal by today’s standards. Even without that, there is enough content here to keep you thoroughly entertained.

I was very glad to see one of my favorite fights of all time, Randy Couture VS Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, in full on this DVD, as well as fights with (back in those days) rising stars like Brendan Schaub, Junior Dos Santos, Shane Carwin, and Cheick Kongo, working their way up the ranks with their great victories. The 150 minutes that are in this DVD fly by, with no dull moments – this is pure heavyweight action at it’s finest.

I really enjoyed watching “UFC: Ultimate Heavyweights”, especially for the nostalgic value of seeing how the UFC heavyweight division evolved, and watching guys who were coming up back then, turn into the top draws that they are today. This is also an excellent way to introduce newer fans of MMA to who is who in the UFC heavyweight division, as well as give them a look back in time to see how things have changed and to deepen their understanding and respect for the history of this sport.

You can pick this DVD up from the official UFC Store for around $20, although the site constantly has sales, so be on the lookout for those. 30 great fights in one reasonably-priced DVD, with something for every kind of fan of MMA, be it submissions, KO’s, or three-round wars. “UFC: Ultimate Heavyweights” is a fine gift (or very large stocking stuffer) during this holiday season for the MMA fan in your life, or you could just spoil yourself and get one for you, too!

Don’t forget to check out The Fight Nerd’s Holiday Shopping Guide for MMA fans for more great gift ideas!

Former UFC champion Randy “The Natural” Couture spoke with LayzieTheSavage from Middle Easy this past weekend, and had some big news for us. When asked if there is a chance that he would set foot in the octagon again, Randy confidently said no, and as simple as that he is once again retired, and probably for good. Couture said that even in retirement, he will stay involved in the sport, but it sounds like his priority is his acting career now.

Couture just finished a movie called “Hijacked” which will be out soon, and will be heading to Bulgaria to start filming “The Expendables 2″ this weekend with Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Terry Crews. What do you think – is Randy retired for good now, or will he continue to be the Terry Funk of MMA and come back again in 2012?

Once friends, now bitter enemies, former UFC champions Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz waged intense battles inside and out of the Octagon. “UFC: Bad Blood – Liddell vs. Ortiz” by Anchor Bay Entertainment gives an all access look at the epic feud forged in heated competition over the UFC Championship, and fueled by personal conflict that started before they even had their first fight signed that ultimately boiled over into the fights that all hardcore fans remember.

Anchor Bay’s last documentary style release was their “Ultimate Royce Gracie” DVD , which was generally favorably reviewed, in spite of some of the skewed commentary that we can not hold the distributor accountable for. This time around, we only have one disc instead of two, which includes a 70 minute long documentary, two full fights and “Countdown to UFC 66″. Is this DVD about one of the most well-known feuds in MMA worth picking up, or should you save your money for something else? Hit the jump and find out more about this DVD!

With a total DVD run-time of 150 minutes, I looked very skeptical at this product from the beginning. The packaging of the DVD is the same as the “Ultimate Royce Gracie” DVD, resembling a thin hardcover book more than a DVD case. When you open the book/case, you are greeted with an actual booklet that documents the history of Chuck and Tito separately, a brief hype on their feud, and some other tidbits of info about the two fighters as well as giving you their entire fight records in the octagon, where the majority of their careers took place. The booklet is very stylish and on par with their previous releases with striking design augmented by the great photos we have come to expect from the company.

As I mentioned, this is only a one-disc DVD, with everything on that singular disc and my initial glance of the contents left me very worried about both quality and quantity. How much can really be said about two fights? Turns out I was very wrong, and was quickly thrown into a sharply-produced documentary that was much deeper than I anticipated. The doc begins with Chuck’s retirement announcement, then flashes back to the old SEG UFC days and begins to build up both Tito and Chuck’s careers, combined with a slice of life with the modern Chuck and Tito. Tito takes the viewers on a fishing trip with him to relax, then goes back to his old haunts from his time in gangs as a youth, while we watch Chuck get his mohawk trimmed and have his back cracked by a chiropractor.

The story of Chuck and Tito goes way back, and is also part of the story of the Zuffa purchase of the UFC from Bob Meyrowitz and SEG surprisingly. Meyrowitz never appears in the doc of course, but Dana White pops up plenty and doesn’t hold back on his thoughts on Tito. The best part of watching the doc for me was reliving all of the great old school UFC moments from that era. The first UFC pay-per-view I ever bought was UFC 43, which was main-evented by Chuck VS Randy Couture for the vacant light-heavyweight title that Tito Ortiz left up for grabs when he played ransom with Dana White. Great memories from a truly great time that I look back fondly on.

I was surprised with how much I liked the documentary, since I was really not expecting much at all from it. Hardcore fans can enjoy it for it’s nostalgia and newer fans will like it since a lot of it has never been showed to them before and it’s a quick education lesson in some old school MMA history.

The DVD includes both of Chuck and Tito’s fights against each other, including their first at UFC 47 and their sequel for the title belt at UFC 66. It also includes the “Countdown to UFC 66″ feature from way back when that event first aired. The fights are both fun and a nice look back at two fighters in their absolute primes, even if Tito spent more time dodging fights in his prime than he did lacing up the 4 oz. gloves.

Sadly, that is all the special features on this DVD. Sure, you get both of their fights and a hype vid, but considering how much time was spent with both fighters, I was hoping maybe there would be two alternate commentary tracks with Tito, Chuck, their trainers, whoever, to break down the fights as they happened with more technical details. Perhaps that is something Anchor Bay can work on with Zuffa with their future releases, since I believe I speak not just for myself, but for hardcore fans and students of the sport who want to know as much as possible about the techniques and strategies implemented in the octagon.

The DVD and Blu-Ray will both be available starting August 30, for $19.99 and $29.99 respectively. If you jump on Amazon.com right now, you can pre-order “UFC: Bad Blood – Liddell VS Ortiz” from Amazon.com on DVD for around $16 get “UFC: Bad Blood” on Blu-Ray for $20.99. I definitely recommend this DVD, but ideally get it at a discounted rate since I feel there should have been some more special features in this to sweeten the deal. Relive a great piece of MMA history with this DVD and add it to your collection today!

While you’re still here, did you enter my twitter contest for a chance to win sweet swag from Bellator FC? If not, check out this link and see how easy it is to become a winner!

Round 5 President Damon Lau announces an all-new line of collectible figures, UFC Titans, the latest brand extension of Round 5’s incredibly popular UFC license.

“For the last 3 years, we have had a great time working on our Ultimate Collector Series and the complementary UFC Live and UFC Versus collections. We are incredibly excited to announce our latest project: UFC Titans, says Lau. “As the UFC has grown into a mainstream sport, we wanted to produce a new line that appeals to our current fans as well as the new audiences who are finally recognizing mixed martial arts as the greatest sport on earth.”

The 5-inch UFC Titans figures are one inch shorter than the Ultimate Collector Series but share the same points of articulation at the neck, waist, arms and fists. Fans both new and old will see familiar faces in UFC Titans Series 1, as Round 5 will release figures of Randy Couture, Royce Gracie, Chuck Liddell, BJ Penn, and Georges St-Pierre. While the figures feature the same realistic reproduction of the faces of individual fighters, the Titans feature a more light-hearted design featuring oversize heads and, a first from Round 5, all-vinyl construction.

“The design and vinyl construction is reminiscent of the vinyl HAO-Arts PRIDE collectibles. Fans of the UFC brought in by new names like Brock Lesnar or the last season of The Ultimate Fighter may not necessarily know the full history of the sport or have a deep knowledge of the epic PRIDE fights,” says Barron Lau, CEO of Round 5. “Combining current and future UFC Hall of Famers with vinyl construction and a new whimsical concept, we wanted to give new fans of the sport a collectible they can appreciate that still appeals to our hardcore supporters.”

UFC Titans has been in the pipeline since 2008, but Round 5 “leaked” the figures by mixing a few Titans prototypes into their display at UFC Fan Expo Toronto in April. “We got instant feedback and a lot of questions about the prototypes at the booth and through our Facebook page,” says Damon Lau, “That’s what I love about our fans. You can’t slip anything by them.”

UFC Titans will be available in November 2011 and will retail for $14.99. Round 5 targets a bi-annual series release.

Welcome to another edition of the Friday Link Club. This week, UFC 135 begins to pick up steam, insane MMA fans show off their tats, Chris Lytle considering politics, and an openly gay female fighter lets her voice be heard. Plus, a photo of Will Ferrell and Cain Velasquez hanging out at UCLA. Photo courtesy of E. Casey Leydon.

Smack Talk Heats Up Between Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson (5thRound.com)

Is Zuffa Sending the Wrong Message in their Handling of Alistair Overeem? (FightOpinion.com)

Some Hardcore Fans Show of their MMA Tatoos (CagePotato.com)

Check Out These Fighters Trading in Their Gloves for Clubs…Golf Clubs, That Is… (MiddleEasy.com)

Ranger Up Logo May Be Missing at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson” but Company Remains in Spirit (MMAPayout.com)

Phil Baroni faces Yoshiyuki Yoshida at September event featuring PRIDE rules (Five Ounces of Pain)

Want to Know How Mark Hominick Trains? (MMATraining.com)

Liz Carmouche Comes Out as First Openly Gay Fighter in MMA (MMAFighting.com)

Who Are the UFC’s Best Boxers? (BleacherReport.com)

Randy Couture and “Rampage” Have War of Words in Cyber-Space (MMAMania.com)

Overeem Discusses his Removal from the Strikeforce Grand Prix (LowKick.com)

How Strikeforce Made Lemonade Out of Lemons… (MMAConvert.com)

Chris Lytle Considering Political Future (NBCSports.com)

Don’t forget to enter our contest in honor of the event to win a pair of Clinch Gear shorts, courtesy of BJJ HQ!

UFC 129 was the biggest live event in the history of the UFC, with a record-setting crowd of over 55,000 packing into the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. With two titles on the line, as well as the career of the legendary Randy Couture, and a stacked card that pitted American talent against Canadians in nearly every bout, it was set to be a night to remember. Thanks to Anchor Bay, you can watch this epic event with their two-disc special edition of the show.

Yes sir, with this two-disc set you can relive all of the thrilling moments of UFC 129, such as the lackluster welterweight championship fight between Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields. Okay, I am being harsh for no reason, but other than that match which was not the worst MMA fight ever (only a very painful one to watch) you get to see all of the other great fights in their widescreen glory. Added to that are a bunch of bonus features to keep you glued to your seat and entertained for just a bit longer. Sadly, no coupons to “Pizza Hut” were included so I could make a full day out of watching this DVD, but that’s not their fault. It’s mine for liking “Pizza Hut” and their barely-edible pizza.

With that said, is this event truly worth owning, or does it fall as short as the main event did? Hit the jump for the full review of this DVD!

UFC 129 was a great event to watch live, whether we were watching Jose Aldo battle Mark Hominick in an amazing war (and watching Mark Hominick’s head swell up like a watermelon), Randy Couture’s career end with Lyoto Machida’s impression of “The Karate Kid”, or GSP… well, in a fight. I can’t blame Anchor Bay for GSP and Jake Shields having a dud of a fight, but I can compliment them for bringing home all of the matches, from the top of the card from Facebook all the way through the main event of the pay-per-view.

The preliminary fights on Facebook were truly not be missed, and I am excited that they are all here on disc two. I remember being extremely excited to see Charlie Valencia take on Ivan Menjivar (two fighters I enjoy a great deal), and watching Menjivar destroy Valencia’s nose was a thing of beauty. John Makdessi VS Kyle Watson, Nate Diaz VS Rory MacDonald, Sean Pierson VS Jake Ellenberger and many more tremendous bouts are here to supplement the main card on disc one, and that adds up to hours of top-quality MMA entertainment.

Disc two also houses all of the special bonus footage in this set. The Behind the scenes feature is definitely my favorite of the bonus features, and brings you backstage and around the town during the week of UFC 129. Cameras take us not just backstage during the pay-per-view, but give us footage of the fighters working out before hand, and even show how the technical staff put together this immense show. According to the technical producer, the acoustics of UFC 129 was second only to an AC/DC concert held at the Rogers Centre, so that’s a pretty huge event. You also get to watch GSP’s pre-fight ritual of pretending to go through the actual fight the day before his title bout, which he does for purposes of visualization and relaxation for the real thing. This feature clocks in at just under 20 minutes long, which is also about the same length as the “Super 7″ question and answers session with all of the UFC title holders in the same room at the same time.

The other major bonus feature is the full 40 minute-long “Countdown to UFC 129″ video, which you may have seen on Spike TV when it originally aired. This video hyped the main attractions of the show, and like all of their “Countdown” shows is a pleasure to watch to learn about the fighters and see some well-made highlight reels of each fighter. If you have a friend who is new to MMA and wants to get into it more, this is something to definitely show them to help them appreciate the sport more and gain some insight on what they are seeing, as well as who. Beyond that, there are also some trailers for other UFC DVD’s from Anchor Bay, but we will hopefully review those DVD’s in full another day.

I do wish that there was perhaps a highlight reel of the weigh-ins and some highlights from the post-fight press conference, but I can get a lot of that online without paying for it so not a major loss. Overall, no complaints here, and the price is right for the material you are getting. Even if you were not a fan of the main event (and who really was), that is only twenty-five minutes in a set that is 318 minutes long. Plus, that is why God make a skip button on your DVD player! Don’t let one subpar fight mar your memory of the rest of this show, and relive why this card was so exciting the first time you watched it.

UFC 129 is available in stores for a retail price of 19.98, but you can find it on “UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields” on Amazon.com for 15.99. The official DVD goes on sale on July 5, so pre-order your copy now if you want to have this historic event in your collection today.

“The Expendables” was a box office smash, decapitating its competitors, drinking their blood, and urinating on their mangled corpses. Due to the popularity of that film, the sequel is on the way and we have the details of what you can look forward to.

At the Cannes Film Festival, a poster popped up which Den of Geek snapped, and also did some investigating into details about the film (spoiler alert!). UFC legend and multiple-time champion Randy Couture will reprise his role as “Toll Road” in the sequel, as will Sylvester Stallone as “Barney Ross”, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Terry Crews, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke. Rumored to join the ensemble cast of action movie aficionados is Jean Claude Van Damne, but no confirmation on that bit of news has been made official. Here is the official plot synopsis, spoiler free, of this sequel:

“The Expendables are back and this time it’s personal! After Tool (Mickey Rourke), the heart and soul of the Expendables, is brutally murdered on a mission, his comrades swear to avenge him. They’re not the only ones who want blood. Tool’s beautiful young and wild daughter Fiona embarks on her own revenge mission, complicating matters when she is captured and ransomed by a ruthless dictator plotting to destroy a resistance movement. Now Barney (Sylvester Stallone) and the Expendables must risk everything to save her and humanity.”

The film is set for an August release in 2012, pending the world has not imploded by then, thus fulfilling the Mayan prophecies. In between now and then, you can also catch the sequel to another movie, “Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown”, which seems to have not brought back any of the original cast and looks to be twice as bad as the original.

At the “Beat the Streets” wrestling gala fundraiser last week in Times Square, The Fight Nerd caught up with Jeff Blatnick. Blatnick won the NCAA Division II heavyweight wrestling championships in 1978 and 1979 and an Olympic gold in 1984. He was also a commentator along with Bruce Beck in the golden days of the UFC and worked with the company for many years, as well as commentating at YAMMA Pit Fighting!

I spoke with Blatnick about the charity event we were at and why wrestling is so important to have in schools, his thoughts on Randy Couture’s retirement at UFC 129 after his knockout loss at the hands, or more accurately the feet, of Lyoto Machida, and why wrestlers have been so dominant in the sport of MMA.

At the “Beat the Streets” wrestling gala fundraiser last week in Times Square, The Fight Nerd caught up with a true American hero, Dan Gable. He is famous for having only lost one match in his entire Iowa State University collegiate career—his last, and winning gold at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany while not giving up a single point. He was the head coach at the University of Iowa where he won 15 NCAA team titles from 1976–1997.

I spoke with Mr. Gable about the charity event we were at and why wrestling is so important to have in schools, his thoughts on Randy Couture’s retirement at UFC 129 after his knockout loss at the hands, or more accurately the feet, of Lyoto Machida, and why wrestlers have been so dominant in the sport of MMA.