Friday, August 31, 2012
Ban Ki-moon defends Iran visit, says pushed for change
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Old Wisconsin?s Snack Bites to Debut on Michael Annett?s No. 43 at Atlanta
Michael AnnettCORNELIUS, N.C. (August 15, 2012) – Old Wisconsin is pleased to announce that it will debut its popular Snack Bites products on NASCAR driver Michael Annett’s No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang for Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event held on September 1, 2012 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway....more»
The post Old Wisconsin’s Snack Bites to Debut on Michael Annett’s No. 43 at Atlanta appeared first on Catchfence.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
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Tales from the Training Room: The 24-Hour Lock-In
Two weekends ago, New Jersey-based pro fighter Anthony Montanaro was stuck in hell.� He and over twenty other people were confined to the matted-space within the four walls of a massive gym, and every hour for twenty-four hours straight, all were subjected to workouts of varying length and composition.� There were seven-minute wrestling matches.� Rope climbs.� Box jumps and pull-ups.� The works.� No sleep was allowed, and men broke, both physically and mentally.� Yet, despite being driven to the brink of madness, Montanaro pushed through, and when the last workout was done and they were all permitted to leave, he was stronger because if it.� Such was the magic of the 24-hour lock-in.
"A 24-hour lock-in is your worst nightmare amplified by ten," says the 25-year-old Montanaro, who, with a shaved head and the tattoo of an armored pitbull on a chest, looks every bit the MMA fighter archetype.� "It's twenty-four hours straight of nonstop training, where every hour on the hour you have a different workout that could be five minutes to a half-hour long.� The whole purpose is to break you, to make you hit the wall as soon as possible.� It's all mental toughness.� It's a nightmare."
The Rhino Wrestling Club in Morganville, N.J., was where this nightmare unfolded; the day began Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. and went until 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning.� It was rigorous, with the intense physical activity and sleep-deprivation aspects making it more akin to what a soldier would do for Special Forces training than anything else.� "I don't know if they stole the idea from Navy SEAL-type stuff, but it was ridiculous," says Montanaro.� "It was kind of like the whole Marine or Army crucible-type stuff, know what I mean?"
To prepare for fights, fighters go to great lengths to make themselves like steel.� There's roadwork, padwork, grappling, and as we've seen on "The Ultimate Fighter", conditioning drills that can involve things like flipping giant tires and swinging sledgehammers.� With a fight coming up in the next few months, Montanaro is no different.� But what benefits are derived from the lock-in?� Clearly, the limits of the conditioning of the participants are pushed, but is there something more?�
"Honestly, just complete mental toughness," says Montanaro. �"You get to a point where you don't think you can go anymore and then you have to go.� It's insane.� It's probably the worst training I've ever done.� I was more nervous for that than any fight I've ever had to do."
What of the necessities of human existence?� "They have a bathroom, of course," says Montanaro.� "Food's included? all the food you can eat.� After your workouts, even if you weren't hungry, they stressed that you drink and eat nonstop ? just carb you up and keep you going.� Sleep, that's not encouraged at all.� They keep you awake, keep you zombified, keep you going."
Obviously, the whole endeavor was tortuous.� Was there any particular thing that Montanaro found to be the toughest?� "The toughest thing about the lock-in?� Where do I even start?� The whole damn thing.� Once you hit that first wall, that's when it's brutal.� Everything hits you all at once ? you want to sleep, you try to lay down and it's time for the next workout.� I would say around two or three in the morning, that's when it's the worst.� You know you could just leave at any point you want, but it's just that whole mental aspect."�
If one could literally leave at any time, it sounds as if the name ? a "lock-in" ? is a bit of a misnomer.� "It was going to be a complete lock-in, but it was so damn hot, there was no way they could do something like that.� We would've kicked the doors down.� There was no way."
With door unlocked and retreat requiring only an exit through the door, did anyone quit?� "No, surprisingly enough, no one quit.� And the craziest thing was there was an 11-year old kid there.� Some parent signed their kid up to do it!� It was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.� So anytime someone wanted to quit, we'd look at this little kid.� He was our mascot."
What was the atmosphere like?� Was it all business, or was there at least some of element of fun to it?� "For the first probably like eight to ten hours, everyone was kind of feeling each other out ? you know, like, is everyone in full serious-mode or are we going to have some kind of�fun here?� Probably at night is when everyone started to get a little loopy.� Everyone started to get punchy.� The later it got into the night, everyone was just out there."
Would Montanaro go through it all again?� "Absolutely," he says without hesitation.� "In a heartbeat.� After it was done, I honestly just wanted to stay and keep going.� It's just nonstop training, no drama, no [expletive], everyone was just there to train.� If we could do it, I would love to do it every month."
A wise man once posed the question, "Do you want to be a [expletive] fighter?"� It's doubtful he'd dare ask that of Montanaro and participants of the 24-hour lock-in.
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Wednesday, August 29, 2012
The Process of Having External Wall Insulation Installed
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Ovince Saint Preux knocks out a gassed TJ Cook (PHOTO)
Early in T.J. Cook's fight with Ovince Saint Preux, Cook withstood a bevy of OSP strikes. Though OSP looked close to finishing the fight, Cook worked his way back to his feet and made it through two rounds of fighting.
[Also: Ronda Rousey does it again, submits foe in 54 seconds with armbar]
But he looked exhausted at the start of the second round, and his lack of a gas tank cost him dearly. Saint Preux unloaded on Cook as the round started, and Cook fell to the mat. This time, referee Mike Beltran didn't have a hard decision to make. OSP was the winner 20 seconds into the third round.
Cook works on an oil well and doesn't train full time. Most fighters at the Strikeforce level do train twice a day, and the exhaustion from not training on the same level as his opponents didn't help Cook, whose record is now 12-5. For OSP, the win got him back on the right track after dropping a decision to Gegard Mousasi in December. His record is now also 12-5.
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Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Jon Jones finds himself in a war of words with Chael Sonnen
Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen got into a war of words on Wednesday that showed a glimpse of the future if Sonnen can find his way to another title shot.
It started with Sonnen being Sonnen on "UFC Tonight." When discussing his move up to light heavyweight to face Forrest Griffin, Sonnen says he could easily take the belt away from the champion.
With his bout with Dan Henderson just weeks away, Jones would pay no mind to what Sonnen said, right? Because it's clear this is classic Chael Shtick (trademark pending), and there is no reason for Jones to even respond.
Except:
"The things you say about me hold absolutely no weight," Jones wrote on Twitter. "You disrespected Anderson (Silva) and his country but fought like a child.
"If you're going to disrespect me out of nowhere, at least disrespect me to my face like a man. And you call me a punk, I'm more man than you'll ever be."
Though Jones' tweets have been deleted, Sonnen's responses have not been. He mentioned both Jones' recent DUI and his new deal with Nike.
Advice to @jonnybones. Take some of that Nike money, hire new writers.
? chael sonnen (@sonnench) August 15, 2012
Boardingplane toOregon now, home of your corporate wage masters. Next time you are in town, knock on my door. Don't drive. @johnnybones
? chael sonnen (@sonnench) August 15, 2012
Jones' response? He is just manipulating Sonnen.
For everyone who thinks I'm "falling into chaels game" I know exactly what I'm doing.. #AreYouNotEntertained
? Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) August 15, 2012
As a fighter, Jones has yet to find his equal. He continues to improve with each fight, and has proven he has a hold on his division. But Jones is nowhere near Sonnen's level when it comes to trash talk. No fighter is.
If Sonnen is so far behind Jones as a mixed martial artist, why give him the satisfaction of turning and looking back? It's odd to see a fighter engage in a trash talk war with another fighter when his own fight is so close.
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Jon Fitch, Nate Diaz, UFC 150: The Morning News Roundup ? 8.8.12
As the saying goes, it's all about the Benjamins ? which, if my handy "Biggie Smalls Street Vernacular Dictionary ? Volume 2" is accurate, means it's ultimately all about money.� Money is what fighters get when they take the biggest fights, sign the fattest contracts, and build up the most hype for whatever bouts they have scheduled for that week.� And hey, that's not a bad thing.� Fighting is a job, and the UFC is the top employer in the field, so why not make that wampum while you can?� Anyway, all this should clue you in on what today's morning news roundup is about: money.
- UFC welterweight Jon Fitch really wants out of his rumored bout against Brazilian Erick Silva at UFC 153 ? or at least, he would much rather have a rematch with Hawaiian fighting legend B.J. Penn.� Case in point: the disingenuous-seeming trash-talk Fitch is spewing.� I don't think Penn is a coward, most (if not all) of the world doesn't think Penn is a coward, and I seriously doubt Fitch truly thinks Penn is a coward.� But Fitch knows a fight with Penn could have a bigger bottom line, so here come the harsh words!
�
- UFC lightweight contender Nate Diaz is holding a pen, and the tip of that pen is hovering over a new contract that UFC president Dana White has unfurled and flattened on the table.� Seems like a no-brainer that he sticks with the UFC, no?� I mean, where else is he going to go?� The Strikeforce lightweight champ is his buddy, and for him to go to Bellator, he'd have to sit on the shelf for a while.
�
- The media call for UFC 150 was yesterday and MMAWeekly's got the audio.� Personally, media calls are all the same to me ? the same spoon-fed hype and storylines, the same questions, the same faux-excitement.� They're just something that's done to drive media (and, subsequently, fan) interest, which presumably fuels pay-per-view sales.� The only time media calls are interesting is when PRIDE FC champ Fedor Emelianenko and his manager Vadim Finkelstein are on the line and we hear goats and water splashing and all sorts of weird stuff in the background (which actually happened once).
�
- The folks at the UFC are helping erect a LGBTQ community center in Las Vegas, N.V., which is a pretty altruistic thing to do if you ask me.� MMAJunkie's got the quote from UFC executive Reed Harris:
"The UFC supports many worthwhile causes, and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center's goals of supporting human rights and offering programs for health and wellness are important causes that the entire UFC organization supports," Harris told MMAJunkie.com.� "We are pleased to be able to show support for an organization that offers health and wellness programs and seeks to better our community."
This little tidbit has nothing to do with money, but it's a good deed that deserves some recognition.
That's all for now.� Now, please, just leave me alone.
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Who is to blame for UFC 151 cancellation?
Plenty of anger bubbled up after UFC 151 was canceled. From UFC president Dana White to fans who posted on Cagewriter's Facebook page, people are angry there won't be fights in Las Vegas next weekend. Anger quickly turns into a search for blame. Who do you blame for UFC 151's demise?
Jon Jones: When an injury happens, fighters often have to make sacrifices to still be able to fight. Ask Rich Franklin about the many times he has stepped up when the UFC needed him to, and how he's been rewarded. Jones didn't do that, and missed out on an opportunity to win a ton of fans. He made a business decision, but now will have to face the business consequences for how fans react when fights at UFC 152.
The UFC: In planning a top-heavy card with UFC 151, they were playing with fire. Main event fighters are injured all the time. Even Jones has had to postpone fights for an injury. Putting a holiday weekend pay-per-view on the backs of two fighters was begging for a problem, as was hoping for a late replacement after a very busy summer of MMA.
Greg Jackson: UFC president Dana White threw some blame towards Jackson, Jones' coach.
"Jones's trainer, Greg Jackson, told Jon that taking the fight with Chael would be the biggest mistake of his life. That's what he told Jon Jones. Let me tell you, this guy (Greg Jackson) is a sport killer," White said on a media conference call.
"When you are a champion, much less one of the guys who is supposed to be one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, you are supposed to step up. Jon Jones is a guy a lot of fans don't like, and I don't think this is going to make him any more popular. Lorenzo Fertitta (UFC chairman and CEO) and I are disgusted with Jon Jones and Greg Jackson."
Dan Henderson's knee: And here we come to the real culprit behind the cancellation of UFC 151. How dare you become injured when training in a brutal, dangerous sport, knee?
Canada: Always blame Canada.
Does any one person or group deserve the blame for UFC 151 being canceled? Tell us in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
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