Diaz Retires Penn, Gets Title Opportunity

“Where you at George?! Where you at motherfucker!?”

These were the words spoken by Nick Diaz (26-7-1NC) after his unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-27, 29-28) over B.J. Penn (16-8-2) Saturday night in the main event of UFC 137.

Using constant pressure and his pitter patter boxing technique, Diaz was able to out strike Penn and tire him out to pick up the win and the fight of the night bonus.

Diaz was the aggressor the entire fight, and by the middle of the second round Penn was visibly gassed, hurt and in survival mode but Diaz never stopped coming.

Conditioning was the main x-factor for the fight as Penn could not handle Diaz’ pace and took punch after punch as he was caught up on the cage. Diaz’ reach was also a problem for Penn, as Diaz had a four inch reach advantage and used his length to keep Penn on the outside and continuously batter his head and body without ever being in danger. Tiring and wearing Penn out, Penn was essentially target practice for Diaz and was busted up due to Diaz' relentless attack.

It was a brilliant performance from Diaz, since Penn was never handled like that on the feet inside the cage before. Although, Penn fought like a warrior and never went down from the punches, he was thoroughly beaten up and left with a severely black and blue eye, contemplating retirement at the end.

Diaz proved Saturday night, that his boxing is the best in MMA and that he is the best possible opponent to take Georges St. Pierre’s Welterweight title. Currently on an eleven fight win streak, Diaz has all the tools to compete with and possibly beat the long time champion. Diaz’ BJJ is some of the best in the sport and if GSP took him down, there is a great chance Diaz would be able to submit him.

Stylistically, the matchup is a fight made in heaven since Diaz is the ultimate antagonist and would counter GSP’s clean cut, good guy persona. Although, past opponents like Josh Koscheck played a similar role to GSP, Diaz has a much better technical all-around game and is the only person in the division I could see dethroning the Welterweight Champion.

Diaz has proven time and time again that he is one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world and now that he is in the UFC will finally get the credit he deserves. B.J. Penn is not an opponent you run through and Diaz was able to do it with ease.

Now, Febuary 4th 2012 in Las Vegas, Diaz has earned himself a Welterweight title shot against GSP in the mega UFC Superbowl event.

GSP was originally slated to fight Carlos Condit at the event, but Condit has agreed to step aside and will fight another opponent at the same event. Normally soft spoken and polite, GSP was fired up and said about Diaz "he is the most disrespectful human being I've ever met, and I'm going to put the worst ass beating you've ever seen on him in the UFC."

I assure you Diaz will bring his A-game and come Feb. 4th in one of the biggest fights of 2012, there's a good chance we will have a new UFC Welterweight Champion.

Wale "Ambition" Review

M-MMMMMaybach Music!

“Ambition” Wale's first release under the MMG umbrella and second overall album after the semi-disappointing and forgettable “Attention Deficit” is a record where Wale seems to have finally found his grove and a sound that is unique to him.

A more mature sounding record, “Ambition” is more cohesive than “Attention Deficit” and has much better direction. Featuring a nice mix of radio songs like “Lotus Flower Bomb” and skill songs such as “Legendary”, Wale is able to show his versatility throughout the album and keep the hour long record interesting.

As part of MMG, Wale's beat selection has greatly improved as Rick Ross' ear for top production seems to have rubbed off onto Wale. The best sound on the record by far, comes from the T-Minus produced “Ambition” featuring MMG family members Rick Ross and Meek Mill. Having produced some of 2011's biggest hits including “She Will” and “I'm On One”, T-Minus graces “Ambition” with a daunting yet inspiring beat for MMG to ride over.

Lyrically, “Ambition” is the most uplifting song on the record with Meek Mill providing my favorite bar, “Now I move with aggression, use my mind as a weapon, Cause chances are never given they tooken like interceptions.”

Having songs for the ladies, Wale enlists Miguel for the albums first mainstream single “Lotus Flower Bomb” and Lloyd for “Sabotage.” While “Sabotage” is a song about a destructive relationship, due to its unique sound and Lloyd's crooning it had to be mentioned. “Lotus Flower Bomb” on the other hand is perfect for the radio and will help break Wale through to a wider audience. With a smooth old school vibe, Wale creates a banger while Miguel murders the hook.

Speaking of singles, the next potential radio hit could be “Focused” featuring Kid Cudi. After a brief falling out, Wale and Cudi team up for one of the most infectious tracks on “Ambition.” With Cudi providing one of his best chorus' of all time, Wale does the rapping and gives us a feel good song which is sure to be in heavy rotation.

Overall, Wale proves he is here to stay for the long run with “Ambition.” A much better record than his debut, Wale signing with MMG and Rick Ross was the right move for his career despite the initial backlash. Lyrically above most, Wale made a record with a little bit of everything without changing too much of his style to accommodate MMG. From radio hits (“Lotus Flower Bomb”) to straight bangers (“Ambition”) to soul (“DC Or Nothing”) “Ambition” is a solid record and will help push Wale into mainstream superstardom.

Ranked on the Beavis And Butt-Head Scale:
4 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Head's

Songs I Recommend:
Lotus Flower Bomb, Focused, Sabotage, Ambition, DC Or Nothing

Tracklist:
1.Don't Hold Your Applause
2.Double M Genius
3.Miami Nights
4.Legendary
5.Lotus Flower Bomb ft. Miguel
6.Chain Music
7.Focused ft. Kid Cudi
8.Sabotage ft. Lloyd
9.White Linen (Coolin') ft. Ne-Yo
10.Sight Work ft. Big Sean
11.Ambition ft. Meek Mill & Rick Ross
12.Illest B****
13.No Days Off
14.DC Or Nothing
15.That Way ft. Jeremiah & Rick Ross

Immortal Technique "The Martyr" Review

After a three year hiatus, New York's underground legend Immortal Technique is back with a gift for fans as he released “The Martyr” for free download on October 27th.

Packed with a revolutionary outlook and a wordsmiths delivery, Immortal Technique is in pure form with his hyper-political lyrics, which could serve as the soundtrack for the country's #Occupy movement. For the product, Technique has enlisted like minded activists and revered hip hop acts such as Chuck D, Killer Mike, Brother Ali and dead prez amongst others to help him deliver and spread his message of people's power and fundamental change to our once great nation.

Fear not though, “The Martyr” is not full of politically charged songs as Immortal Technique finds a nice balance and shows his battle rap aptitude on over half the tracks. The raw straight-spitter raps infernal fire with help from some of the games top lyricists like Joell Ortiz, Styles P, and Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks fame.

When it comes to sheer rapping, Immortal Technique is in the upper echelon of hip-hop's Mount Olympus and it would be hard pressed to find a smarter or more driven artist. Staying independent his entire career, Immortal Technique has built a massive fan base on his own with his own skills, instead of the backing of a major label. While “The Martyr” does not feature the top producers in hip-hop today, Immortal Technique does rap over a J.Dilla beat which is tenfold better then anything heard on the radio today.

The J.Dilla produced beat “Toast To The Dead” is one of the album's standout tracks and is a homage to hip-hop's deceased. Passionate and on point with his lyrics, Technique pays his respects while still keeping his edge spitting gems such as “I pray to God that your soul will come back again So I can see you in the next life and finish it then A toast to the dead for criminals, burning in hell I wonder how many presidents are burning as well.”

The self titled track on “The Martyr” is a song which is sure to get your blood pumping. Setting the pace with it's aggressive nature and marching beat, “The Martyr” is an anthem for all people to stand up for themselves and for their beliefs. It is a call for our generation to stop following the blind and for us to become our own leaders who will lead our nation out of its current turmoil because as Technique puts it, “the purpose of life is a life with a purpose So I’d rather die for a cause than live a life that is worthless.”

Changing the tone at least beat wise, comes the short but powerful “Eyes In The Sky.” From a technical standpoint, Immortal Techniques flow is a thing of beauty here. Impeccable breath control, my favorite line in this song was “tell them the truth and they call you a traitor, talk to them honestly and they call you a hater, losing my composure cause the message is urgent, talking reckless drunk on the mic like Larry Merchant.” Technique is a poet and I like seeing him on softer songs like this because I feel the softer beat makes his voice stand out more and therefore his message more powerful.

The most politically fueled song on this record is aptly titled “Civil War.” Featuring hip-hops most prevalent emcees in terms of world issues and politics Chuck D, Killer Mike, and Brother Ali “Civil War” is a tune which kicks you straight in the ass. Using the Civil War as a metaphor, the song speaks on those who rebel against the system who get oppressed opposed to those who acquiesce to it and gain favor. Issues such as economics, religion, corruption in the government and race are also spoke about and how they still roil this country today.

Another all-star assembled cast is “Black Vikings” featuring Styles P, Vinnie Paz and Poison Pen. With Poison Pen doing the chorus and narrating the track, it leaves Technique, Styles and Paz to simply try and out rap each other in cypher fashion. All three come with brutal verses but due to my personal taste I have to say Ghost comes the hardest followed by Tech then Paz.

One last highlight of the record is “Ultimas Palabras” which is not even a song but a seven minute long speech. Truly inspiring, Technique not only makes a good point of the evils committed in America, but also analyzes the situation and gives his own input. Technique's intelligence shines here as he blesses us with this amazing quote, “the greatest flaw that any intelligent person has, is to think they are smarter than everyone else.” It's a shame Technique is not a more mainstream artist, because if he was given the opportunity to display his knowledge to a wide media oriented audience, our nation might awaken to the corruption.

For a free download, “The Martyr” is a nice release however the only problem I have with it is some of the features. While the heavyweights like Styles P, Vinnie Paz, Brother Ali and Joell Ortiz all compliment and add something positive to their tracks, most of the other guests do nothing and greatly bring down the quality of the song. There are 22 guests on a 16 track album and on most of these songs Immortal Technique only spits one verse which is unfortunate.

I wish Technique was featured more since he is one of the dopest rappers alive today but it seems like we are going to have to wait a little while longer for a full fledged Immortal Technique album. “The Middle Passage” should hopefully be released sometime in 2012 but if not enjoy the strong points of “The Martyr” because the album does have standout tracks, it's just the posse cuts which drag the album on and make it feel redundant.

Ranked on the Beavis and Butt-Head Scale:
3 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Heads

Songs I Recommend:
The Martyr, Toast To The Dead, Eyes In The Sky, Civil War, Black Vikings

UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz Preview

On Saturday October 29th the UFC is back in action for UFC 137: Penn vs Diaz.

Two of MMA's most popular fighters square off inside the octagon when two time former UFC champion BJ Penn (16-7-2) fights former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz (25-7-1NC) in the main event.

Not only are Penn and Diaz two of the sports most popular fighters but are also two of the best and most technically gifted competitors to ever compete in MMA. To say this is an MMA fans dream match is an understatement as both Penn and Diaz are mirror images of one another. Both possess great standup and on the ground both utilize a pure Brazilian Jiu Jitsu style. Both fighters always come to fight and they both share mutual respect for one another heading into Saturday nights fight.

According to Penn, Nick Diaz is the best boxer in MMA. Diaz is a high volume puncher who throws punches in bunches and combinations which ware his opponents down. Diaz has professional boxing experience and for years has trained with current WBA Super World Super Middleweight Champion and former Olympic gold medalist (168. Lbs.) Andre Ward.

Diaz' boxing style is unconventional, especially for MMA. Due to his length, Diaz' range is difficult to deal with as he normally has a reach advantage. A master of mixing up his strikes, Diaz throws punches to both the head and body, opting to throw multiple strikes throughout the duration of the fight instead of looking for the one punch knockout. This style is quite effective and popular, because Diaz normally gasses his opponents out quickly making them accessible to a potential finish in the later portions of the fight.

The reason Diaz is able to use this strategy is because of his incredible cardiovascular endurance. Regularly competing in triathlons when he is not training for a fight, Diaz is never lost on conditioning. Setting a fast pace and in your face from the opening bell, Diaz is always moving forward and never lets up.

On top of his great technical skill, Diaz also constantly trash talks and taunts his opponents inside of the cage. Diaz will throw his hands up and talk while he is hitting you, urging his opponents to fight recklessly and make mistakes. Diaz has all the keys to open doors and make fights exciting and he does so with great efficiency.

Needless to say, Nick Diaz is a professional fighter who goes out to fight. Diaz never try's to win points on the judges scorecards by holding his opponents down to squeak out a decision victory. When you watch a Nick Diaz fight, you are not going to leave disappointed because the guy always brings it and loves to actually fight.

When Nick Diaz was asked about his opponent BJ Penn, Diaz said that he believes Penn is an all around better fighter then current Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre.

From a technical standpoint, Diaz might be right. Penn has top notch striking and when a fight hits the ground, there may not be a more dangerous man alive. A highly decorated Brazilian jiu jitsu competitor, Penn received his black belt, after only three years of training. In fact, many people believe Penn was the fastest student to receive that honor out of all active BJJ competitors.

A former UFC Welterweight and Lightweight champion, BJ Penn has competed against the best the sport has had to offer since its inception. Holding notable victories over Matt Hughes (twice), Kenny Florian, Renzo Gracie, Sean Sherk, Matt Serra, Takanori Gomi and Diego Sanchez, BJ Penn has also competed against current UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, Jon Fitch, Lyoto Machida and current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. Penn is a sure fire hall of famer and is only the second competitor to hold UFC titles in two different weight classes and holds the record for most Lightweight victories inside the UFC.

When focused and dedicated, Penn is one of the deadliest men competing in MMA today. However, the concentration is not always there and in the past, Penn sometimes relied to much on his extraordinary God-given talent and did not take his training seriously. Despite his accolades, Penn has a history of a short gas tank and if he is not properly prepared for this fight, Diaz will make quick work of him.

Penn is aware of the cardio issue and has moved his training camp out of his home of Hilo, Hawaii to California to undertake in a new cardiovascular program and has also listed longtime rival Matt Hughes to help him prepare. Physically comfortable and mentally ready, Penn says he is fully prepared for this fight against Nick Diaz.

Wanting another title run before his MMA career comes to an end, Penn knows he needs a victory over Diaz to keep his title aspirations alive, as the winner is most likely next in line to receive a Welterweight title shot against GSP. However, if Dana White and the UFC offer him a chance to reclaim his Lightweight title, Penn has said that he is more than happy to jump at the opportunity to compete again at 155 lbs.

While I know both fighters are identical to one another in terms of overall technical abilities, I give the edge to Diaz for his conditioning. Unfortunately for Penn, his biggest weakness is Diaz' biggest strength and I see Diaz using his pitter-patter punches to wear Penn down, zapping his energy and finishing him in the second round.

The co-main event of UFC 137, is a heavyweight bout pitting Cheick Kongo (16-6-2) against the unbeaten former NFL player Matt Mitrione (5-0).

Competing for the first time since his unbelievable knockout victory over Mitrione's training partner Pat Barry this summer, Kongo is looking to get back into title contention. The fight against Barry, was one of the the craziest and most unforgettable stoppages I had ever seen in MMA, and this Saturday, Kongo has the opportunity to derail the hype train of the ever improving Matt Mitrione.

An ex-football player turned MMA guy, Mitrione has improved and looked like a different fighter every time we have seen him step inside the octagon. A fantastic athlete, Mitrione has great strikes but undoubtably will be facing the biggest test of his young career thus far against Kongo.

If both men are willing to dance the dance, this fight has all the makings of a fantastic heavyweight contest.

Another featured fight on the card is the return of MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop (27-9-2-1NC) when he competes against The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 winner Roy “Big Country” Nelson (15-6).

Cro Cop the former Pride Open Weight Grand Prix champion, has fallen on tough times during the later stages of his MMA career. After suffering back to back knockout loses to Frank Mir and Brandon Schaub and looking bad in the process, Cro Cop needs a win to keep his job with the UFC.

Still the owner of the most devastating head kicks in MMA history, Cro Cop has the ability to win this fight if he utilizes his sprawl and brawl to keep the fight standing. Kind of like a cat with his fighting style, Cro Cop will continuously stalk his opponent before he attacks with one of those fight ending head kicks which he describes as “right kick hospital, left kick cemetery.”

Nelson is in the same boat as Cro Cop in that he has also lost two consecutive fights in the UFC. After his last fight against Frank Mir, many including Dana White had voiced their opinion on Nelson's decision to keep his belly and continue to fight at Heavyweight.

Undersized in most fights, Nelson could easily make Light Heavyweight or even Middleweight should he ever decide to eat healthy and dedicate himself to a diet. However, do not let his physique fool you as Nelson is a top notch fighter with shocking speed, power and athleticism for a man his size. Able to win the fight in any fashion, Nelson will most likely look to take this fight to the ground where he will use his belly to his advantage to submit Cro Cop sending the Croatian legend into possible retirement.

Also on the card, is the debut of one of the best Featherweight fighters in MMA today when North American audiences are introduced to Hatsu Hioki (24-4-2).

A ground specialist, Hioki will look to end the recent trend of Japanese fighters bad luck inside the UFC. Holding two notable victories over former number one contender Mark Hominick, Hioki is one of the most entertaining grapplers MMA has ever seen.

Always looking to pass guard and apply submissions, Hioki uses smooth transitions which seem effortless at times. Owner of one of the most unstoppable mounts in all of MMA, Hioki has a great triangle which he either locks in on top or roles to his back to finish. Either way, if Hioki traps you, it's goodnight.

This is a debut I am highly looking forward to and have a feeling Hatsu Hioki will be competing for the Featherweight Championship in the near future.

UFC 137 is a fantastic card with numerous great fights. The main event is a dream matchup, which has been in the making for years and is sure to be a can't miss exciting contest. I am personally pumped up for this card more then any other recent or upcoming UFC event and will be glued to my television aka internet screen on Saturday night.

Like Nick Diaz famously said, “Don't be scared, homie!” and watch UFC 137.

Predictions:
Nick Diaz defeats BJ Penn via second round submission
Matt Mitrione defeats Cheick Kongo via Unanimous Decision
Roy Nelson defeats Mirko Cro Cop via first round TKO
Scott Jorgensen defeats Jeff Curran via Unanimous Decision
Hatsu Hioki defeats George Roop via first round submission
Donald Cerrone defeats Dennis Siver via second round submission
Tyson Griffen defeats Bark Palaszewski via Unanimous Decision

Megadeth "TH1RT3EN" Review

On November 1st 2011, Megadeth will release their thirteenth studio album aptly titled “Th1rt3een.”

Having always been the most consistent band out of the Big 4 (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax) and heavy metal in general, “Th1rt3en” is a very diverse record which has everything from radio friendly songs (Public Enemy #1), to hard hitting thrash (Never Dead) and even some cool dark sounding stuff (Millennium of the Blind, 13.)

In my opinion, Dave Mustaine has always been one of the most underrated riff writers of all time and on this guitar driven record, he plays to his strength. The riffs are as memorable as they were back in 1990 and shows that even at age 50, Mustaine has not lost a single step. Him and fellow guitarist Chris Broderick have a much stronger back and forth dynamic on their second full length release together as the solo's mesh better and have a more unified sound. Add in the fact that founding bassist David Ellefson has made his long awaited return to the band after a ten year absence, and the result is a rejuvenated superior sounding Megadeth.

While still primarily a thrash album, “Th1rt3en” is a much more experimental sounding record than Megadeth's previous release “Endgame.” Although not always the case for most albums, for “Th1rt3en” the experimentation is positive, as it allows Megadeth to incorporate some old school Black Sabbath sounding stuff as well as more modern sounds to the songs with great results. However, each song is still distinctively Megadeth from the chugging guitar riffs to the loud heavy but technical and precise drumming, each song on “Th1rt3en” would not feel out of place on an earlier Megadeth release during their prime golden years.

The perfect example, is the opening song on the record “Sudden Death” as it has all the elements one would expect from Megadeth and opens up the album kicking you straight in the ass. The heavy drumming, galloping riff and beautiful guitar solo are all hard hitting thrash and a brutal way to kick off the album.

This leads right into the first single released from the record and it is “Public Enemy #1.” “Public Enemy #1” features all of the above attributes but also features a catchy chorus which is perfect for radio and live shows, allowing crowds all across the globe to sing along with for years to come.

A standout track on the album is the song “Never Dead.” Progressing from a minute long dark, gloomy, slow building intro the song jolts in unbelievably fast in an all out thrash metal assault. The track never relents its speed for the duration of the course and is thus the fastest and one of the heaviest songs on the album.

“Black Swan” is another great song on “Th1rt3en”, but unlike “Never Dead” it is a slower and friendlier hard rock type of song which I could see getting spins on the radio due to its catchy chorus. However, right after this the album picks up speed right again on the next track “Wrecker.” Along with featuring an amazing guitar solo, “Wrecker is the track with my favorite vocal performance. Mustaine seems angrier on this song, and his scream during portions of the track sound brutal and slightly deranged.

“Th1rt3en” closes out with a theatrical experimental song which is also the titled track of the album. With a sound similar to Megadeth's classic “In My Darkest Hour”, “13” closes the album on a solid note. Despite the slow beginning, the song picks up pace and intensity halfway through and ends really heavy before calming down again.

Overall, I immensely enjoyed “Th1rt3en” as Megadeth have once again put out a worthy and extreme metal release. In a time where it is difficult to get excited about heavy metal music due to all the crappy releases, it is comforting to know that with a Megadeth release you will always get quality music. Sounding just as good as they ever did, “Th1rt3en” is a record which is easy to get into if you're a fan as it has elements from previous records as well as new progressing material you expect from a legendary band of this caliber.

Ranked on the Beavis and Butt-Head Scale:
4 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Heads

Songs I Recommend:
Public Enemy #1, Never Dead, Black Swan, Wrecker, 13

Tracklist:
1.Sudden Death
2.Public Enemy #1
3.Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)
4.We The People
5.Guns, Drugs, Money
6.Never Dead
7.New World Order
8.Fast Lane
9.Black Swan
10.Wrecker
11.Millennium of the Blind
12.Deadly Nightshade
13.13

WWE Vengeance Review & Rant

WWE held there second PPV in the month of October as they presented Vengeance from San Antonio, Texas.

Seeing as there was not a lot of time in between PPV's, Vengeance was a card which featured lackluster story lines but delivered in match quality. Although, nothing significant happened to buildup up to next months Survivor Series in terms of impact like most expected, Vengeance was still an entertaining PPV but not an event with any relevance to the future.

The main event of Vengeance was a WWE Championship Last Man Standing match as WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio successfully defended his championship against John Cena.

The match was likely the culmination of the feud between both men and Del Rio was able to pick up the victory albeit in controversial fashion. After Cena delivered an Attitude Adjuster through the Spanish Announce table, Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth) ran down to the ring jumping Cena, allowing Del Rio to recover and nail Cena with the Championship belt, keeping him down for the ten count.

As far as Last Man Standing matches go, the bout was not as intense and brutal as they have been in the past. Despite the match taking place in a broken ring, as a result of the previous match there were not many noteworthy memorable spots besides the AA through the table.

Hopefully, the WWE moves in a different direction after tonight, as the Cena vs. Del Rio feud has ran its course. To be honest, the matchup never had any major heat to make it feel important and always felt second rate to other story lines taking place within the WWE. Both men are obviously great workers and are two of the all around best inside the ring, but for some reason they never clicked with the audience and as a result each match they had together suffered, due to the lack of crowd response.

With Survivor Series being the next PPV and The Rock returning to the ring for the first time in seven years at the event, it is inevitable that Cena will be featured in a different program to begin the push to their match at WrestleMania 28. Whether Del Rio is apart of this program remains to be seen since Survivor Series is traditionally a tag team oriented event but hopefully the WWE decide to give the WWE Championship its own match to make the PPV stronger. However, who Del Rio's opponent will be is a complete mystery and unknown to me as of right now.

The co-main event World Heavyweight Championship match between World Champion Mark Henry and the Big Show was a match constantly referred to as the bathroom break match of Vengeance. Whoever decided to write this matchup off and not watch it, easily missed the best match of the night as these two super heavyweights defied expectations and stole the show.

For two of the biggest performers on the WWE roster, Mark Henry and the Big Show gave the fans a match they had never seen before of two athletes of their size. From the opening bell, the match was instantly impressive as both men showed agility and athleticism rarely exhibited by either of them. To be honest, the match reminded me of something out of Transformers or a clash of two 18 wheelers in a human demolition derby, especially at the end when Mark Henry superplexed Big Show off the top rope and the ring collapsed.

Bravo to both men as a match of this caliber was most likely very difficult on their bodies considering their size. Usually, big man match ups are slow boring and quick, however this match was very different. Athleticism was shown as Big Show landed numerous drop kicks and for most of the match, Mark Henry had an air based attack. When working together, Mark Henry and Big Show are able to do moves on each other that they would not be able to do on smaller competitors. Strength wise they are equal and it was quite a sight to see two usually dominant performers picking one another up and slamming the other to the mat.

The match was immensely entertaining featuring many near falls and even a top rope chokeslam. Credit is deserved to both men as they put on an unbelievable match and gave WWE fans a “moment” with the end of match ring collapse. Despite ending in a no contest, the Mark Henry vs. Big Show contest is a match which deserves high praise.

Another high profile matchup in Vengeance, was CM Punk and HHH teaming up together to take on the team of Awesome Truth.

It was only a month ago, when CM Punk and HHH were feuding with each other and to see that come to an end so quickly was bittersweet for me. While I enjoy seeing HHH working with two new rising up and comers like Miz and R-Truth, it disappointed me that CM Punk was never able to work a full program with HHH by himself. HHH is one of the last remaining old school wrestlers and since CM Punk is one of only a handful of new wrestlers to embody that 1980's-1990's old school wrestler style, a full feud between the two would have been a real sight to behold.

The matchup itself was fairly entertaining but had a weak ending when “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash made his return attacking HHH, allowing Awesome Truth to double team Punk and pick up the victory. After the match was over, Nash continued his beat down on HHH, eventually hitting a nasty looking jack-knife power bomb, where HHH landed hard on his neck.

The main thing I took coming out of this match, was how above and beyond HHH is to everyone else inside the ring. From pure wrestling to working a crowd to in ring psychology, HHH has not missed a step from his time away and is a true legend in the industry. Watching him work, it is clear that a majority of the new guys coming into the WWE are in fact sports entertainers and not true wrestlers. HHH and the Undertaker are the only two remaining workers from the old school, and seeing HHH work tonight reminded me how great and missed that style is today.

Speaking of solid in ring work, the most fundamentally sound one on one match of the night was the bout between Sheamus and Christian.

These two guys work hard every time and are always on top of their game. Watching them compete, it is obvious how good they work together since their chemistry and timing compliment each other perfectly.

Sheamus picked up the victory after delivering a Brouge Kick to pick up his second consecutive victory over Christian. However, Christian is one of those workers who does not need to win in order to look good. Christian is so crafty inside the ring that even though he loses most of his matches, he keeps himself relevant and in the top echelon of performers since his matches are always one of the best of the night every time. It is for this reason alone, that even though he is in a feud without any significant title implications, he will constantly appear on PPV's.

The last important happening of the night, was the fact that Dolph Zigger was featured in the first half hour of Vengeance. Zigger is one of the brightest rising stars within the WWE and to see him in two consecutive matches was the right way to kick off the PPV.
Zigger is arguably the most athletic performer in WWE right now and he has all the makings of a future multiple time world champion. Not only having a great look, Ziggler is able to work with any competitor of any size and put on a good match. This is a trait only a few performers have and Ziggler is my pick to be the breakout star of 2012.

Results:
WWE Championship: Alberto Del Rio(C) defeats John Cena in a Last Man Standing match
World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry (C) vs. Big Show ends in a No Contest
Randy Orton defeats Cody Rhodes
Awesome Truth defeats CM Punk and HHH
Sheamus defeats Christian
Divas Championship: Beth Phoenix (C) defeaths Eve Torres
U.S. Championship: Dolph Ziggler (C) defeats Zack Ryder
Tag Teams Championship: Air Boom (C) defeats Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger

Wednesday 13 "Calling All Corpses" Review

Monsters and goblins and candy oh my! Halloween, the most wonderful season of them all is upon us and what better way to start the ghoulish festivities than with a new solo album by Wednesday 13 entitled “Calling All Corpses.”

If you are a fan of campy horror movies and macabre parodies of horror such as The Munsters and the Addams Family like myself then “Calling All Corpses” is the album for you. Wednesday 13's lyrics are lighthearted spooky tongue-in cheek fun about turning into werewolves (“Silver Bullets”), punching babies and kicking puppies (“Bad At Being Human”) along with themes that would fit right in with episodes of Tales From The Crypt (“One Knife Stand”) and anthems for misfit outsider kids such as myself (“Something Wicked This Way Comes”). The Murderdolls front man sings about what he knows best which is refreshing and fun particularly during this time of year.

Vocally, Wednesday remains distinct and his voice sounds like a cross between Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper. The music on the record is pure high energy unrelenting punk reminiscent of The Misfits which is sure to keep your devil horns in the air and your head banging for the duration of the album. Huge simple catchy choruses dominate the entire record and midway through each song you will be left singing along especially on “Ghoul of My Dreams” and “London After Midnight.”

There is a real charm to “Calling All Corpses”, because the album never takes itself seriously. It is supposed to be a fun record and Wednesday 13 delivers with the perfect album for the Halloween season and to prepare us for all the devious deeds we will take part of October 31st. If you really want to get the most out of Halloween, I definitely recommend giving “Calling All Corpses” a listen as it is a frighteningly spooktacular time.

Ranked on the Beavis and Butt-Head Scale:
3 Beavis' Out of 5 Butt-Heads

Songs I Recommend:
I Wanna Be Cremated, Ghoul of My Dreams, Bad At Being Human, London After Midnight, Something Wicked This Way Comes

Tracklist:
1.Blood Fades To Black
2.I Wanna Be Cremated
3.Ghoul of My Dreams
4.One Knife Stand
5.Calling All Corpses
6.Miss Morgue
7.Silver Bullets
8.Bad At Being Human
9.London After Midnight
10.Candle For The Devil
11.We All Die
12.Something Wicked This Way Comes
13.Blood Fades To Black (Reprise)

"Loutallica" Metallica & Lou Reed - "Lulu" Review

Over the year, many odd musical developments have occurred but the announcement of Lou Reed and Metallica joining forces to work on an album together was possibly the most shocking event of 2011. From the inception, metal music lovers all around the globe have voiced their opinion on the collaboration between the two and the date is finally here where “Lulu” the bizarre offspring of Lou Reed and Metallica has been released.

The idea for the pair to work together began in 2009, when both Lou Reed and Metallica preformed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert. Once they agreed to collaborate, the plan was for Metallica to simply re-record some unreleased Lou Reed tracks, but eventually evolved after Metallica provided significant contributions to the musical arrangements. It was at this time, Lou Reed felt Metallica would be able to bring his demos of a German expressionist play written by Frank Wedekind, titled “Lulu” to the next level and give it the extra heaviness it required. At this moment, the conception of “Lulu” was born.

The lyrics on “Lulu” were entirely written by Lou Reed and tell his interpretations of the play based on the same name, about a beautiful yet immoral prostitute. Written in the same poetic style that fans of Reed expect, lyrically “Lulu” is a rewarding yet sometimes difficult experience.

Now before I go any further with this review, I need to make one point absolutely clear that this is not a heavy metal album and can not be judged from a heavy metal stand point. The musical composition is decent at best and if you go into “Lulu” expecting a record like “Master of Puppets” you will be gravely disappointed. Metallica is pushing and experimenting with their musical abilities but this is not how Metallica should sound as most of the album sounds like uninspired demo recordings. Yet despite the countless great riffs Metallica have created over the years, none of them seem to be featured on “Lulu." Kirk Hammett, one of the greatest heavy metal guitarists of all time is no where to be found and Lars Ulrich's drumming is pretty lousy and all over the place. If you give "Lulu" a listen, you need to approach it with an open mind since the music is very abstract. In fact, for the majority of the record, Metallica feels out of place and out of their comfort zone, but still is this is not the worst part of the album.

Even though I had extremely low expectations for this album, I realized as it progressed that my main complaint with “Lulu” was the vocals. Without a doubt, Lou Reed is an acquired taste but his voice does not compliment the music at all and lacks the energy to bless the record and help deliver what the songs need. Reed's voice rarely alters from the same monotonous speaking tone and every time he enters into the song it is out of key and horrendous. All this does, is make the hour and a half long record uncomfortable to listen to especially when Metallica play loud and heavy. Also, fans of James Hetfield's singing style will be let down since the Metallica front man's voice is barely featured on any songs and when it is it is in a supporting and backing role.

Listeners of “Lulu” will either love or hate this record and I doubt many people will find a middle ground. Lovers of “Lulu” will claim it is a dark scary trip of a record and a unique crazy journey into a very mad world. Haters will declare it the biggest musical monstrosity of all time and every comedic expectation they thought they had will be brought to fruition and then some, case in point “I am the table!”. Obviously, I fall into the latter category as “Lulu” is mostly a forgettable and rubbish album for me.

Still, I would recommend giving “Lulu” a listen since it is very possible you will enjoy the record especially if you're into new interpretations of German expressionist drama (?). Just as a long time Metallica and heavy metal fan, I never went back and listened to “Ride The Lightning” or “Master of Puppets” and thought, “Hey, you know what, this could use some Lou Reed!” No matter the amount of people that say "Lulu" is clever and challenging is going to disguise the fact that"Lulu" is cringeworthy dog shit.

Unfortunately, all “Lulu” does for me is prove that two great treats while good separately does not automatically ensue they will taste great together. To conclude,"Lulu" is an unguided, tedious, and dull debacle which fails to reach its lofty aims and continues to show the decline of metal's biggest band.


Ranked on the Beavis and Butt-Head Scale:
1.5 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Head's

Songs I Recommend:
The View (“I Am The Table!”), Pumping Blood, Dragon

Tracklist:
1. Brandenburg Gate
2. The View
3. Pumping Blood
4. Mistress Dead
5. Iced Honey
6. Cheat On Me
7. Frustration
8. Little Dog
9. Dragon
10. Junior Dad

Iced Earth "Dystopia" Review

Today October 18th 2011, marked the release of “Dystopia” the tenth studio album from Floridian thrashers Iced Earth.

From the inception of the band, Iced Earth have always featured a revolving door of musicians barring guitarist and founder Jon Schaffer. “Dystopia” continues this trend as it is the first record with new vocalist Stu Block after the departure of Matt Barlow and Tim “Ripper” Owens. Yet despite the change in vocals, Iced Earth remains as metal as ever and deliver an entertaining release with “Dystopia.”

Musically, “Dystopia” is a pure in your face thrash record. Jon Schaffer proves on this record why he was a nominee for the Golden God Riff Lord award back in 2008, as “Dystopia” is filled with infectious head banging riffs right from the get go. Each song is catchy and showcase impressive solos which compliment each song perfectly.

Although it is a thrash record, Iced Earth experiment on “Dystopia” as one of the standout tracks on the record “Anthem” has a Metallica “One” type feel. The song begins with a slow, gloomy brooding intro with the bass at the forefront before turning into an all out high energy, ass kicking song, which will certainty keep your head nodding.

While Schaffer is to be credited for the flow of the album, new vocalist Stu Block sets the tone with his brilliant performance. Block has a wide vocal range and in my opinion is the best vocalist Iced Earth has had yet. Being able to belt out both Barlow's deep growls and Owens' Rob Halford-esque screeches, Block delivers the best of both worlds to Iced Earth fans. He is a real treat to listen to, especially on the track “End of Innocence” which is a true vocal standout.

For fans of the band, the lyrics on “Dystopia” sustain the futuristic themes from previous records. The opening title track and the closer “Tragedy & Triumph” continue the “Something Wicked Saga” concept and are two of the strongest tracks on the record.

However, all the lyrics do not deal with dystopian themes as over half the songs are positive and uplifting. Songs such as “Anthem” celebrate life and the human spirit as well as reminding you that you hold the key to your own success. “End of Innocence”, “V” and “Tragedy & Triumph” all preach positive messages with the latter singing about achieving your goals and conquering diversity.

While Iced Earth's “Dystopia” is not ground breaking in any fashion, it is still a solid, fun and enjoyable record. It is a very simple album to get into which metal fans of any genre will appreciate from a long running respectable band.

In anticipation of Metallica and Megadeth's upcoming releases at the end of this month, “Dystopia” is a perfect album to hold any metal head over until those records are released. To be honest, from what I have heard so far, it is highly possible that Iced Earth will put out the best metal album of October.

Hopefully, this lineup of Iced Earth sticks together and release more records since “Dystopia” is the best front to end Iced Earth record I have heard in quite some time.

Ranked on the Beavis' and Butthead Scale:
4.5 Beavis' out of 5 Butthead's

Songs I Recommend:
Dystopia, Anthem, End of Innocence, Iron Will, Tragedy & Triumph

Tracklist:
1. Dystopia
2. Anthem
3. Boiling Point
4. Anguish of Youth
5. V
6. Dark City
7. Equilibrium
8. Day of Rage
9. End of Innocence
10. Soylent Green (Bonus)
11. Iron Will (Bonus)
12. Tragedy & Triumph
13. Anthem (String Mix) (Bonus)

Who's Next?!

In light of Frankie Edgar's incredible title defense at last night's UFC 136 against Grey Maynard, the question of who's next for the champion lingers on the mind of every MMA enthusiast.

The Lightweight devision is unquestionably the most talent rich devision in the UFC and possibly all of MMA as well. While fans and fighters alike waited for a definitive outcome to the Frankie Edgar-Grey Maynard saga, the devision was unfortunately put on hold to conclude the trilogy.

Looking back all the way to December 2010, when the UFC and WEC merged together and Anthony Pettis defeated Ben Henderson to win the WEC Lightweight Championship via the now infamous “Showtime Kick” he put himself in position to face the winner of UFC 125's Edgar vs. Maynard II.

The draw ultimately took away Pettis' looming debut title opportunity and instead put him inside the cage with UFC veteran Clay Guida. Guida overwhelmed Pettis with his aggressive wrestling based attack, ultimately winning a unanimous decision and derailing the Pettis hype train.

In hindsight, Guida defeating the young and relatively inexperienced Anthony Pettis was the best thing to happen to fight fans and Pettis himself. Taking nothing away from Pettis, but putting him inside the cage with one of worlds pound for pound best fighters in Frankie Edgar for his debut fight would have been very detrimental to the up and comers career.

The matchup with Guida was the right move and I applaud the UFC for making that decision. Guida is an upper echelon fighter who has been on the cusp of a title shot for a long time now and he exposed the holes in Pettis' game. Guida's constant in your face, nonstop attack and wrestling prowess taught Pettis a lesson and was possibly the best thing to happen to Pettis as it showed him exactly what he needed to work on.

Like all great fighters, Pettis went back to the drawing board and brought in 2008 Olympic wrestler and current Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren and made the changes he needed to make.

Pettis was in action again last night for the first time since his UFC debut loss to Guida and showed the progress and evolution of his overall game as he earned his first UFC victory by defeating Jeremy Stephens via split decision.

Pettis used excellent ground control, outworking Stephens who in his own right is a very dangerous opponent. While I still do not believe Pettis will garner a title shot any time in the near future, last night definitely proved that Anthony Pettis is improving as a mixed martial artist each and every day.

So if the UFC does not go with the man who previously held the honor of facing the champion next, the question still remains, who will the UFC deem worthy enough to offer the championship opportunity too?

There has been rumblings the past week or two about bringing over current Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez for a title unification bout. While this is without a doubt the sexiest matchup to make at the time, I do not believe it is the best choice to make.

Gilbert Melendez is arguably the best fighter not fighting within the UFC promotion. Fighting out of Cesar Gracie's camp and training with athletes such as Jake Shields and both Diaz brothers consistently, Melendez is ranked as high as number one on some MMA ranking scales. On top of that, Melendez is currently on a five fight winning streak and has not lost a fight in three years. With notable victories over Shinya Aoki, Josh Thompson and twice over Tatsuya Kawajiri in his career, Melendez certainty holds the credentials needed to fight for the coveted UFC title belt.

The reason I feel he should not get the title opportunity however, is due to him never fighting under the big stage and bright lights of the UFC. While this is not his fault, fighting under the UFC umbrella is a whole different game and has crumbled more experienced fighters than Melendez.

It has been seen time and time again that when a big name with a lot of hype enters the UFC, they fail to impress. Back in 2007 when former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua debuted within the promotion he was thought to be the best fighter on the planet. However, when the fight started Shogun looked nothing like the destructive dominant fighter that fans had been accustomed to seeing during his stint in PRIDE. Ultimately, Shogun was submitted by Forrest Griffin with seconds remaining in the third and final round, giving Griffin the biggest win of his career thus far.

The same also happened to Melendez' training partner and friend Jake Shields. Shields came over to the UFC a year ago in October at UFC 121 and faced Martin Kampmann. Although, Shields walked out that night with a split decision victory, he looked nothing like the athlete who had dominated fighters at both Middleweight and Welterweight for years prior. In fact, it could be argued that Kampmann lost the fight more than Shields won since Kampmann did not engage and decided to play Shields' game abandoning his own game plan.

While these lackluster performances may not happen to Melendez, history serves that no matter how great of a mixed martial artist you are, the most difficult opponent you will ever face is the Octagon itself the first time you step inside and the cage doors shut.

I am not a fan of competitors earning a title shot upon first entrance to the UFC. I feel no matter how great your accomplishments are outside the UFC, they are still outside the UFC and you must earn and prove yourself all over again when debuting inside the Octagon. Title unification bout or not, I do not feel as if Gilbert Melendez walks right into the UFC deserving a Lightweight Championship fight.

The question is still lingering now, and if a former number one contender does not deserve a title opportunity and a current champion does not deserve the title opportunity, you are well on your way to believing at this point, that I am the only man alive who should compete for the title. Well you are not far off, but alas I do not feel as if I deserve the title opportunity either, but I did already speak about both men who I feel should next compete for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

The two men are both in-house UFC veterans and have both proven themselves within the promotion. What makes the matter even easier for me is that both men are fighting each other on November 12th and the winner I feel unquestionably deserves the next fight against Frankie Edgar. The fight I am speaking of, is no other then Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson.

Guida has been with the UFC since 2006 and has been a fan favorite ever since. The long haired wild man has been in some of the most memorable bouts in UFC history such as his wars with Roger Huerta and Diego Sanchez. While Guida does not have the most amazing UFC record (9-5) he is currently on a four fight winning streak against the above mentioned Anthony Pettis, Takanori Gomi, Rafael Dos Anjos and Shannon Gugerty, picking up Submission of the Night bonus' in two of those four contests.

In my opinion, a win over Ben Henderson is more then justifiable enough for Guida to merit a title shot. Fans love him, so marketing him would not be a problem and you can count on him to deliver an exciting fight. Guida has done enough and has improved enough to warrant an opportunity and a matchup with Edgar would be a great challenge for both.

Ben Henderson on the other hand does not have the track record of Guida and has only fought within the promotion two times. The former long time WEC Lightweight Champion, Bendo has two unanimous decision victories since debuting inside the UFC this April.

His debut fight with Mark Bocek was unspectacular and goes back to fighters not looking like themselves in their debut UFC fights. However, Bendo's second fight against Jim Miller was nothing short of amazing and was without a doubt the best performance of Bendo's career.

Jim Miller came into that fight red hot and on a seven fight winning streak and was well on his way to a UFC title shot with a win. Bendo however, had other plans and completely dominated the fight both on the feet and especially on the ground. Not a lot of people had Bendo winning that fight let alone dominating and he opened many eyes to his talents.

A human Gumby inside the cage, Bendo has a unique flexibility ability as to where it is damn near impossible to submit him. Turning his body into different shapes, Bendo is able to get out of almost every opponents submission attempt and turn them into advantageous positions for himself. On top of that, Bendo is an extremely aggressive fighter with a full gas tank who always keeps a high energy pace inside the cage. His fight with Pettis was extremely close and if it were not for the “Showtime Kick” he probably would have walked out that night with the W.

The Clay Guida – Ben Henderson contest has all the intangibles of a fight of the year candidate. Undoubtably, I feel whomever should walk out the cage door November 12th with their hand raised should get the next crack at the UFC Lightweight Championship. Both competitors offer different and unique challenges for Frankie Edgar and that matchup in my opinion is the best decision that the UFC can make.

Houston, We Have A TKO!

Houston, we have a TKO!

On Saturday October 8th 2011, at UFC 136 Frankie Edgar (14-1-1) retained his UFC Lightweight Championship against Grey Maynard (11-1-1-1NC) via fourth round TKO revenging the only blemishes on his record.

After taking a beating which was eerily similar to their classic second encounter, Edgar exhibited why he is the Rocky Balboa of the UFC and defended his title in convincing fashion at 3:54 seconds of the fourth round.

During a scramble, Edgar was able to hurt Maynard with an uppercut sending him backpedaling to cage. A huge right hook followed sending Maynard to the floor where the champion pounced on his wounded opponent leaving him face first on the floor after some ground and pound. The out of nowhere finish, not only allowed Edgar to keep his championship but also resulted in the Knockout of the Night bonus.

The victory was sweet and satisfying for the two time defending champion, but did not come without it's fair share of drama. The first round was essentially a carbon copy of January's bout as Maynard bloodied and dropped Edgar with uppercuts and knees. Maynard remained composed and did not punch himself out, but ultimately enabled Edgar's incredible recovery powers to shine through.

Edgar's heart and refusal to lose once again kept him standing. Mixed in with impeccable movement, the champion was able to remain unpredictable with in and out combinations as he slowly but surely took over the fight. The champion fought relaxed and in rhythm, as Edgar's speed left Maynard mesmerized and fighting air.

The result was devastating for the challenger Maynard, as he once again had the championship within his grasps. Maynard was the much larger fighter entering the Octagon and had the champion badly hurt in two consecutive fights, but was unable to get the job done. Although he made adjustments and remained disciplined during his first round blitz, he appeared too calm and relaxed not wanting to punch him self out again.

On top of that, Maynard abandoned his wrestling opting instead to look for the one punch knockout which he was unable to land. Maynard blew a big opportunity in this fight and it resulted in his first ever career loss to a man he should have beaten three times and sends him back home without the championship belt.

In the Co-Main Event of the evening, Jose Aldo (20-1) defended his Featherweight Championship against Kenny Florian (16-6) via Unanimous Decision (49-46 on all Judges score cards.)

The fight was a chess match and every round besides the third, which was dominated by Aldo was very close. Heading into the fifth round, I had the bout even at two rounds a piece and I felt whoever won the final round would walk away the champion.

The round started off competitive but a Florian slip off of a missed head kick allowed Aldo to gain top control on the ground, where most of the time was spent. Although not a lot of damage was inflicted, Aldo did what needed to be done in order to retain his championship.

In all likelihood, Kenny Florian will not receive any more title opportunities in his UFC career, as he is now 0-3 in Championship fights. Despite being a master strategist and applying a lot of pressure upon the champion, Florian was largely unsuccessful at taking and keeping Jose Aldo down on the ground. In addition to this, an interesting note is that in every fight Kenny Florian was unable to secure a takedown, he has lost.

Aldo was prepared for the takedown's and beautifully defended several attempts by the challenger. Even though, the bout was not the most exciting display of action by the champion, Aldo still proved he is one of the most destructive strikers in all of MMA and landed numerous powerful leg kicks which left Florian's thigh battered and bruised.

Even though UFC 136 featured two title fights, for many the most intriguing match up of the night was the Middleweight title eliminator bout and the return of the most outspoken and quotable man in MMA history, Chael Sonnen.

The contest between Sonnen (27-11-1) and “The All American” Brian Stann (11-4) was a true rebel vs. hero matchup. However, the bout was completely one sided as Sonnen delivered a red, white and blue ass-whipping to the former marine.

Outside of the cage, Sonnen is as looney as they come but inside he is a no nonsense ass kicker. As soon as the opening bell rang, Sonnen smothered Stann taking him to the ground with his powerful double leg takedown. From here it was vintage Sonnen, as he allowed Stann no space and controlled him on the ground with a grinding pace and ground and pound like no other.

Stann was simply outclassed and eventually tapped out to an arm-triangle choke in the second round, giving Sonnen his fourth ever career victory via submission. Sonnen won this fight in dominating fashion resulting in a triumphant return for the self proclaimed “people's champion.”

What followed next, was without a doubt the holy s*@! moment of the night. During the post fight interview, with his Brazilian rival at cage side and the crowd chanting the Middleweight champions name, loud mouthed Uncle Chael returned saying “Anderson Silva you absolutely suck!”

It was at this point, with the entire audience in the palm of his hand that Sonnen went all pro-wrestling and upped the stakes of their rematch to essentially a loser leaves town match. Silva seemed intrigued at the odds which would require Silva to leave the devision for good if Sonnen won and would require Sonnen to leave the UFC for good if Silva won.

The fight would be contested during the mega Super Bowl weekend event in February and had Dana White tweet “Shit just GOT REAL!!!!!!”

In other main card news, the Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia rematch received fight of the night. Phan won a unanimous decision and revenged his controversial loss to Garcia earlier in the year.

These two featherweights left off right where their first fight ended and was nonstop action from bell to bell. Phan used body shots combinations, throwing punches in bunches as Garcia threw wild haymakers. The crowd was on their feet and loud in support of these two brawlers and had Joe Rogan proclaim that the fight was “what MMA is all about!”

As much as I love highly disciplined and technical fighters, Leonard Garcia is the exception and I love watching him fight. One of the most exciting fighters to ever step foot inside of the Octagon, Garcia leaves it all out there and throws big powerful wild punches. His heart and fighting spirit is great and if you're a fight fan, you have to love the man. The fight was extremely fun and I would not mind seeing these two fight once a year every year!

The opening bout of the evening, featured the upset of the night as the red hot Melvin Guillard took on Joe Lauzon.

Guillard who had a definitive speed and power advantage was submitted by Lauzon in .47 of the first round via rear naked choke.

Guillard took the center of the Octagon guns blazing but was careless and was caught with a left hook which hurt him. From here it was fundamental as Lauzon took Guillard's back and locked in the hooks, flattened him out and forced Guillard to tap out to a rear naked choke.

The contest derailed Guillard's dreams of a title shot but earned Lauzon the submission of the night bonus.

For the undercard fights, Anthony Pettis displayed improved wrestling as he defeated Jeremy Stephens via split decision to earn his first ever UFC victory. Damien Maia was also in action as he handed the former Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago his second consecutive loss within the UFC.

That wraps up UFC 136, as both champions retain their titles and a Middleweight Championship war is on the horizon. The UFC returns in three weeks, for UFC 137 as Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre defends his championship against Carlos Condit and B.J. Penn returns to take on Nick Diaz.

Fight of the Night – Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia
Knockout of the Night – Frankie Edgar
Submission of the Night- Joe Lauzon

Results:
Frankie Edgar defeats Grey Maynard via TKO at 3:54 of Round 4 to RETAIN UFC Lightweight Championship
Jose Aldo defeats Kenny Florian via Unanimous Decision to RETAIN UFC Featherweight Championship
Chael Sonnen defeats Brian Stann via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 3:51 of Round 2
Nam Phan defeats Leonard Garcia via Split Decision
Joe Lauzon defeats Melvin Guillard via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at .47 of Round 1
Damien Maia defeats Jorge Santiago via Unanimous Decision
Anthony Pettis defeats Jeremy Stephens via Split Decision
Stipe Miocic defeats Joey Beltran via Unanimous Decision
Darren Elkins defeats Zhang Tie Quan via Unanimous Decision
Aaron Simpson defeats Eric Schafer via Unanimous Decision
Mike Massenzio defeats Steve Cantwell via Unanimous Decision

UFC 136 Edgar vs. Maynard III Preview & Predictions

The UFC returns Saturday October 8th,2011 from Houston, Texas for UFC 136. The card is headlined by two title fights as the Lightweight and Featherweight Championships are on the line, as well as a number one contenders bout in the Middleweight devision.

Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Grey Maynard will look to settle their score after battling to a unanimous draw back in January of 2011. The Lightweight Championship fight will be rounds 6-10 and will be the third fight between the two.

In order to understand the importance of Saturday's fight, we must look back to UFC 125 which featured the epic second encounter between both men.

Round one was a scary moment for Edgar as he was dropped four times by Maynard and looked as if he was going to lose his championship in embarrassing fashion. The fight came dangerously close to being stopped and when the bell finally rang signaling the end of the round, Edgar was bloody bruised and chicken legged heading back to his corner. If there was ever a 10-8 round, this was it as Maynard absolutely dominated the champion for the entire five minutes.

Watching the fight live, it was amazing that Edgar was able to survive after the bombs that Maynard landed on him. What was even more amazing, was how Edgar was able to recover so well heading into round two. Coupled with the adrenaline dump suffered by Maynard, Edgar came out looking like the fresher fighter. Frankie was light on his feet and even managed a big slam to win the round 10-9.

Round 3-5 were so close that no matter who you speak to you will garner a different view on the outcome. This is evident when the judges that night handed in their scorecards and all three had different results. The scores read were 48-46 Maynard, 48-46 Edgar and 47-47 resulting in a split draw.

Despite the anti-climatic ending, the second battle between these two was without a doubt the fight of the year. Both fighters and fans alike wanted to see an immediate rematch and the UFC granted these wishes, which will culminate this Saturday at UFC 136.

As I watched the promotional videos leading up to the fight, there was one thing which stuck out to me and that was how vastly different the demeanors of both fighters are. For Edgar, he is proud of his performance taking January's bout as a moral victory, and for good reason. Edgar overcame great odds and was able to do enough to beat Maynard in his own mind even after that hellacious first round.

For Maynard, he is treating the fight as a loss and seems to have a chip on his shoulder, also for good reason. Despite believing in his own mind he won, he still does not possess the championship belt he deeply covets.

It is impossible to predict what will happen when these two collide together again in the Octagon. The booking odds say Maynard will come out victorious since he is the much bigger fighter who already holds a victory over Edgar from their first fight back in 2008.

Edgar however, relishes the role of the underdog and is the champion for a reason. Not a single person gave him a chance to beat B.J. Penn and he did so to win the Lightweight Championship. Then afterwards in the rematch with Penn, he thoroughly dominated him again, proving the first fight was not a fluke and that he was for real. The odds finally seemed to be in Edgar's favor until that hook in the first round landed from Maynard, and Edgar had to once again prove himself during the duration of the bout.

I expect the third fight to be a classic just like the second but with a winner emerging victorious. In order for Maynard to win the belt, he needs to remain calm and accurate for the span of the fight. I trust Maynard will look to make this a dirtier, grimier wrestling based fight since he is the much bigger man entering the cage and has outstanding grappling credentials. Maynard is nicknamed “The Bully” because of his ability to dictate where the fight ends up and his impeccable ground and pound skills. This game plan worked in the first fight, and I fully count on Maynard revisiting his wrestling in the trilogy fight and becoming a bully inside of the cage.

For the champ, Edgar needs to make sure his wrestling is crisp and better then ever to keep this fight on the feet. Edgar wants to turn this into a boxing bout and use his footwork to score points since he is the much faster fighter. If the fight turns into a wrestling and grappling match, Edgar may be in for a long night. While he is also a celebrated collegiate wrestler, Edgar is much smaller than Maynard and will not be able to match strength with the bigger grappler.

Edgar's heart is another factor of this fight as the champ has an incredible will to win. It was Edgar's heart which kept him awake during the first round and his fighting spirit which helped him come back and almost win the contest.

Fireworks will be in the air Saturday night, but before the grand finale, another championship will be on the line as Jose Aldo defends his Featherweight Championship against Kenny Florian.

Jose (Joe-say) Aldo is the defending champion and is one of the pound for pound best fighters in the world. When he was competing inside the WEC, Aldo was the most dominant fighter in the promotion and looked unstoppable every minute of every fight. Yet, when Aldo made his way over to the UFC in April for UFC 129, first time Octagon jitters seemed to get the best of him and he did not look so great in his bout against Mark Hominick despite a unanimous decision victory and the fight of the night bonus.

Aldo will need to be in the best shape of his life and preform like his earlier self this Saturday, since Kenny Florian is the best opponent Aldo has ever faced.

Jose Aldo has all the technical skills in the world and is dangerous in almost every position. An incredibly lightning quick striker, Aldo has had twelve of his nineteen professional victories end by way of KO or TKO. This would be a substantial fact on it's own, but what makes it even scarier is that Aldo is a much better fighter on the ground.

His opponent is one of the longest competing fighters in the UFC, Kenny Florian. Beginning during the first season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, Florian has had seventeen of his twenty-one professional fights within the UFC promotion.

While this will only be Florian's second fight at Featherweight in his career, Florian has competed against much better competition over the years. Florian has competed against notable fighters such as Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn, Takanori Gomi and Grey Maynard amongst others in the UFC and will use his big fight experience to his advantage. Along with an edge in the size and reach department, Florian seems to finally be in the right position to win UFC gold for the first time.

An alarming stat about Florian however, is how he has been known to choke in big pressure fights. All four of Florian's losses in the UFC have come in the most important bouts of his career, the first being against Diego Sanchez. The fight with Sanchez was both fighters debuts inside the UFC and was to crown the first ever Ultimate Fighter champion. Sanchez was the much bigger fighter coming into the cage that night and used his size to wrestle Florian to the ground where he used ground and pound to defeat Florian.

Florian's next two losses came in Lightweight title bouts where he lost to Sean Sherk and B.J. Penn respectively. His latest loss was to Grey Maynard in his hometown of Boston, Mass. in a completely one sided affair in which Florian looked horrible and ultimately knocked him out of the weight class. Saturday night may be Florian's last crack at a championship since the UFC has never granted a fighter three title opportunities when they have come up short the previous two times.

Despite the criticisms, Florian has handled himself like a true professional. One of the most respected fighters to ever grace the Octagon, Florian may be the best fighter to never have won a championship. When asked, Florian insists that the challenge Jose Aldo presents is more important to him than the belt but also says the gold would be a great addition.

It has been proven time and time again that anything is possible inside the UFC, and you never know what will happen. Saturday night might be Kenny Florian's time to shine as the old saying goes “three times a charm.”

While these two fights alone could hold their weight and support a PPV by themselves, the UFC is giving the fans two for the price of one as well as a very intriguing match up in the UFC Middleweight devision.

The fight between Brian Stann (11-3 overall 5-2 UFC) and Chael Sonnen (25-11 overall 4-4 UFC) will decide the next challenger to face devision kingpin Anderson Silva.

Brian Stann has been one of the most improved and impressive fighters of 2011 with two huge knockout victories over Chris Leben at UFC 125 and Jorge Santiago at UFC 130.

Stann who was a Captain in the U.S. Military is a recipient of the Silver Star, which is the third highest award for valor in combat. Before his MMA career, Stann served overseas in the Iraq war and personally led two casualty operations, three vehicle recovery operations and multiple close air support missions under enemy arms, machine gun and mortar fire. He is a true American hero and is one of the best role models and inspirations in not only the UFC but in all of sports.

His opponent, Chael Sonnen is arguably the best wrestler in all of MMA and the only man to ever beat up Anderson Silva. Typically a loud mouth trash talking machine, Sonnen has remained quiet and respectful leading up to the fight saying “Brian's not going to get called out by anybody, and I'm no exception to that.” Sonnen however, will not let his respect for Stann get in the way of his mission on Saturday night which is to ultimately take the title off of Anderson Silva.

Sonnen is returning from a thirteen month lay off due to a suspension, and ring rust might be a factor during this contest. Although, Stann is a former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion with big knockout power as well as being a stronger faster athlete, Sonnen is light years better than Stann at wrestling and will dictate how long this fight lasts on the feet.

Stann states that wrestling has been his heaviest trained discipline for the last two years of his fighting career saying “ I don't have to outwrestle him out there on Saturday night” going as far to say that he even checked the bout agreement to make sure he can punch back, since no one is giving him a chance.

While I respect his confidence, two years of training wrestling even if it was for every second every day will still not be enough to stop the take downs of Chael Sonnen. Sonnen's powerful driven take downs are a thing of art and he is relentless with his attempts. I expect Sonnen to play this fight smart and keep it standing for only as long as he needs to before he shoots in and takes Stann to the ground where he will out grapple and control him.

Looking over Sonnen's entire body of work throughout his career, there has yet to be a fight in which Sonnen was beat up in. Even though he has eleven professional losses, he usually lost because he got caught while beating the other person up. With all that being said, I anticipate Brian Stann to be out of his element and Sonnen to get his long awaited rematch with the Middleweight Champion.

Sonnen's fight with Anderson Silva in August of 2010 was by far the fight of 2010. Sonnen did something no one ever thought was possible and that was demolish the seemingly invincible Silva for four and a half rounds before ultimately getting caught in a triangle choke with only two minutes remaining in the fight. Since that time, Sonnen has been sticking his finger in the chest of Silva, picking a fight and promises not quit until he has that title around his waist.

UFC 136 promises to be a great and immensely entertaining night. Along with the two title fights and Middleweight eliminator bout, Saturday night also features the return of Melvin Guillard as he looks to improve his winning streak to six as he takes on Joe Lauzon, as well as Anthony Pettis fighting Jeremy Stephens.

UFC 136 is possibly the most stacked card top to bottom in the promotions history and has been an event I have waited a very long time for. Get ready for one of the best fight nights in quite some time as all bouts look to be highly competitive and feature entertaining athletes.













Predictions:
Grey Maynard defeats Frankie Edgar to become the NEW UFC Lightweight Champion via Unanimous Decision
Jose Aldo defeats Kenny Florian to REMAIN UFC Featherweight Champion via 3rd Round Submission
(Rear Naked Choke)
Chael Sonnen defeats Brian Stann via Unanimous Decision
Leonard Garcia defeats Nam Phan via 2nd Round TKO
Melvin Guillard defeats Joe Lauzon via 1st Round KO
Damien Maia defeats Jorge Santiago via 1st Round Submission (Triangle Choke)
Anthony Pettis defeats Jeremy Stephens via Unanimous Decision

Five Finger Death Punch "American Capitalist" Review

On October 11th, 2011 Five Finger Death Punch will release their third major studio album “American Capitalist.”

Over the past five years, Five Finger Death Punch have launched themselves into the upper echelon of hard rock and heavy metal and continue their fast rise to the top with their new record “American Capitalist.”

“American Capitalist” continues where the bands two previous albums “The Way of the Fist” and “War Is the Answer” left off. However, the hard hitting, melodic tough guy metal group from Los Angeles deliver their most versatile record to date.

The album opens up with the title track “American Capitalist” and hits you hard from the get go. The signature heavy bass drumming sets the tone for the rest of the record as the first line delivered from vocalist Ivan Moody growls “I'm a red blooded rough neck son of a bitch/ I'm a god damned American Capitalist”.

“Under and Over It” is the second song and main single released from “American Capitalist” and continues the pace set from the opening track. It is a romper-stomper song with a high energy vibe and infectious riff perfect for rock radio. Right out of the gate, Five Finger Death Punch hit hard and leave their signature for the rest of the roller coaster ride.

“The Pride” is a unique and clever song and something different from what 5FDP have ever done before. The lyrics fit in with the theme of the album, and speak on major money-mongering American brands such as Starbucks, iPods, Brett Farve, Pepsi and Mickey Mouse just to name a few. In a way, “The Pride” is a mocking metaphor for how the band views themselves as part of living the American Dream.

What follows next, is a special moment on the album and for fans of 5FDP in general. “Coming Down” is not your typical 5FDP song and musically the band is venturing out into territory they have not yet crossed before. Featuring an acoustic introduction, the song tells the tale of a man who had contemplated suicide before deciding against it. The lyrics are uplifting with a huge chorus, definitely making “Coming Down” a stand out track on “American Capitalist.”

The next two songs are “Menace” and “Generation Dead” which are the typical 5FDP songs on the record. The fast chugging riffs and heavy drumming make both tunes blood boiling, and show the maturity of the group. 5FDP seem more together musically on this record and have advanced in the song writing department.

Continuing the high energy pace, “Back For More” is a hard hitting song featured on the Madden '12 video game soundtrack and will be the upcoming single off the album. The groovy riff and galloping bass are loud and addicting, something 5FDP is known for. Powerful lyrics about never giving up and always rising to the top make it perfect for a gym session where you need to dig deep and finish the last remaining reps

“Remember Everything” is the eighth track and my personal favorite song on “American Capitalist”, despite it being a ballad. The lyrics are honest and heart wrenching from Moody to his family and are by far the deepest words he has ever wrote. The chorus is once again huge and I could picture an entire stadium singing along. The guitar solo is beautiful, making “Remember Everything” the perfect slow change of pace tune and a standout song everyone should listen to.

The fun punkish feel of “Wicked Ways” follows “Remember Everything” and leads to “If I Fall.” “If I Fall” begins with a gloomy intro before transforming into a full out metal assault of epic proportions. The guitars and drums are lightning quick and once again at the forefront. Moody's vocals fit perfectly as he angrily growls “If I Fall I'm Taking Everybody Down!”

The closing track of “American Capitalist” is “100 Ways To Hate” and Moody addresses everything from internet warriors to ass kissers. The track is the big final fuck you sendoff and ends the album heavy and in pure 5FDP fashion.

All in all, “American Capitalist” is good hard rock/metal album and shows that 5FDP deserve their place near the top of the Mount Olympus Metal mountain. While I do not believe they have reached their maximum potential, “American Capitalist” is a step in the right direction and shows that what 5FDP do, they do very well. I enjoyed the fact that the album went to new places at times such as on “Coming Down” and “Remember Everything” and would like to see 5FDP experiment more in the future and further venture out their musical abilities. Still, “American Capitalist” is without a doubt an album every metal fan should check out as it is very enjoyable with a high replay value, which will instantly get your blood pumping.

Based on the Beavis and Butt-Head Ranking System:
3.5 Beavis' out of 5 Butt-Head's

Standout Tracks:
Over and Under It, Coming Down, Back For More, Remember Everything, If I Fall

Tracklist:
1. American Capitalist
2. Under and Over It
3. The Pride
4. Coming Down
5. Menace
6. Generation Dead
7. Back For More
8. Remember Everything
9. Wicked Ways
10. If I Fall
11. 100 Ways To Hate