Issue 051

June 2009

Things we hear, things we see, things we know.

Dana gets himself in trouble

The UFC’s PR people must be having kittens. In true Dana-fashion, White let rip in one of his video blogs, targeting a female reporter who had written an article criticizing the UFC’s policy of giving out backstage credentials. Dana went off at her, calling her a “dumb bitch” and “fucking stupid”, and labeling her anonymous sources as “faggots”, although he later apologized in another video. Fans love him for his straight-shooting, but is it time to get him some media training?   

Penn vs Florian on for 101!  

BJ Penn says the fight between him and Kenny Florian is on for UFC 101. The UFC lightweight champ will make his first defense of the belt since his failed attempt at GSP’s 170lb title. Verbal pot-shots have been traded and it looks like it could easily escalate into all-out psychological warfare.  

Maia gets a title shot

A source from within Demian Maia’s camp has claimed that the Brazilian submissions maestro has worked his way up to the number one contender-spot for the 185lb title. With five submission wins in five UFC appearances, Maia has certainly proved his worth as a grappler, but is he title material? Let’s wait and see.       

Shooto events have the best names

There is a term for the often-hilarious mangling of the English language by the Japanese: ‘Engrish’. Much like when non-Japanese speakers combine kanji together because it looks cool, even though it makes no sense, the Japanese do the same with English words. This has given birth to Shooto giving their events names such as ‘Let’s get lost’, ‘We are Tarzan’, ‘Shooting Disco’ and ‘It’s strong being a man’. Crazy.