2012 MMA crystal ball: Where are these 34-somethings 12 months from now?

2012 MMA crystal ball: Where are these 34-somethings 12 months from now?Retirement is inevitable for every athlete. Whether it's voluntary or forced is up to the athlete. In fighting, it's too often forced. There's no exact age or time. Some guys have to walk away in their early 30's, others like the incredible Randy Couture, make it into their late 40's.

The end of the 2011 was unkind to several legends of MMA who are past their 34th birthdays. As a result, their careers are gasping for their last breath of air.

In 2012, we could see the end of the road for Tito Ortiz, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Matt Hughes. Then there's Brock Lesnar.

He's not a legend, but he is the pay-per-view king of the sport and yet his future could be in question following UFC 141. Lesnar has battled serious health issues and after his loss to Cain Velasquez 15 months ago, many question his passion for the sport.

During our "The MMA Insiders" show on ESPN1100/98.9 FM in Las Vegas, Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole, MMA analyst Frank Trigg and myself talked about who will be standing at the end of 2012.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/2012-MMA-crystal-ball-Where-are-these-34-someth?urn=mma-wp11097

Rich No Love Clementi  Mark The Hammer Coleman Wes Soldier Combs  Ray Cooper 

Duane Ludwig Now Holds UFC Record for Fastest Knockout

Duane "Bang" Ludwig now holds the fastest knockout in UFC history at 4 seconds for his 2006 KO of Jonathan Goulet, even though the Nevada State Athletic Commission is not expected to change its official result from 11 seconds.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/26974/duane-ludwig-now-holds-ufc-record-for-fastest-knockout/

Randy The Natural Couture  Dan Cramer Alberto Crane Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz

Griffin says his Twitter warning was a warning for everyone

Griffin says his Twitter warning was a warning for everyoneMiguel Torres is gone. Let's hope it's a short stay in exile.

If he returns to the UFC, it won't erase what's gone down on Twitter with the fighters and it certainly doesn't mean that a future blow up isn't right around the corner. Managing verbal gaffes on Twitter will be an ongoing challenge for teams, sports and fight promotions.

Forrest Griffin, who sort began the whole Twitter flap with his rape joke/commentary last month on Twitter, says it really shouldn't be that difficult for the fighters to police themselves.

"You should know. You kind of should know. You have a feel for it. For me, it was like a three-hour thing. Three hours before anyone said anything to me, I realized 'I messed up. I shouldn't have said that,'" laughed Griffin. "Someone once said. Twitter is like internet porn, once it's out there, it's out there and there's no getting rid of it."

Griffin joined Stephan Bonnar in the FoxSportsRadio920 studios on Sunday to talk about the current state fighting in the Octagon and outside. Bonnar gave his take on what happened to Griffin, Rashad Evans and then Torres.

"It's one of those things where Forrest said something and everyone got mad. And it's like a little slap on the wrist for Forrest. Then Rashad said something, everyone got mad. Then it was like 'dammit you guys I warned you once.' Then Miguel said something, okay 'we need to make an example somebody.'"

Griffin suggested Torres should've known by then that any sort of sarcastic/joking tweet referencing rape was off limits.

"That was kind of the warning for me, was the warning for everyone. Don't do it. Just stop. It's not perceived well," Griffin told the MMA Fight Corner radio show.

The former light heavyweight champ still likes Twitter because it provides a good forum for discussions.

"I like to say things that are not necessarily inflammatory, but also kind of make you think a lot," said Griffin. "[...] My whole thing is I never meant to hurt people who've been hurt by that. I'm not the kind of person who'd want to hurt people who've been victims of a horrible crime."

Both Griffin and Bonnar appreciate the fact that the UFC has never censored the fighters, but they've definitely gotten the fact that Twitter can be a dangerous place with a fine line to walk.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Griffin-says-his-Twitter-warning-was-a-warning-f?urn=mma-wp10769

Jeff Big Frog Curran Dai Shuanghai  Mac Danzig  Karen Darabedyan

Urijah Faber shaves his famous locks to support sister

One of Urijah Faber's trademarks, his golden brown hair, is now gone after he shaved his head to support his ailing sister.

The day after Thanksgiving, his 19-year-old sister was in a serious car accident. Michaela has been in the hospital since then, and had brain surgery requiring a shaved head. Faber, who will soon begin coaching on "The Ultimate Fighter" against bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, has been by his sister's side through much of her trauma.

He tweeted before the haircut that it's been 12 years since he had it that short, but was happy because Michaella is coming home on Friday. Because of his new haircut, she won't be the only person at family holiday celebrations without any hair.

That's a Christmas story that will make you smile even if your heart is two sizes too small.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Urijah-Faber-shaves-his-famous-locks-to-support-?urn=mma-wp11074

Ryan Gracie Peter Graham Forrest Griffin Tyson Griffin

Tyron Woodley in line for Strikeforce welterweight title fight with win in January

Strikeforce is planning on filling the vacant welterweight championship in the coming year, and Tyron Woodley is in line to fight for it. If Woodley can get past Jordan Mein on January 7 at Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker says Woodley will be in the title fight against an opponent yet to [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/12/25/tyron-woodley-in-line-for-strikeforce-welterweight-title-fight/

Ao Hailin  Shinya Aoki  Andrei Arlovski  Ricardo Arona