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MMA Knockout of 2009 (So Far)

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-02T13:17:00 00:00

Filed under: UFC

The year is half over, so we're giving out some MMA half year awards. Today we've got the best knockout of the year so far in MMA.

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Wimbledon Semifinals: Venus Williams Wins, Sets Up All-Williams Final

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-02T12:17:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Wimbledon

Serena Williams' victory over Elena Dementieva to enter the 2009 Wimbledon finals was an epic struggle. Venus Williams' victory was a walk in the park.

Venus beat Dinara Safina 6-1, 6-0, in a match that wasn't the least bit competitive. Venus won the first nine points and never looked back, having no trouble at all dispatching Safina, who is ranked as the No. 1 player in the world but is clearly not the best.

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Wimbledon Semifinals: Serena Williams Beats Elena Dementieva

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-02T11:16:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Wimbledon, WTA

In a classic Wimbledon semifinal match that left both players exhausted and the spectators exhilarated, Serena Williams beat Elena Dementieva 6-7, 7-5, 8-6 to advance to the Wimbledon final.

"It was really, really tough," Williams said afterward. "Elena played so well and we gave the crowd a wonderful match."

Dementieva played very well in the early going, and it looked like it was going to be her day. She broke Williams' serve in the first game, and although Williams returned the favor in the second game, Dementieva was strong throughout, winning the first set 7-6.

More Coverage: Venus Advances Too | Couch: Roddick on a Roll

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International Rugby Board Vows to Eradicate Eye Gouging

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-02T08:32:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Rugby

A South African rugby player gouged the eyes of an opponent during a game on Saturday, setting off a raging controversy in the rugby world.

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UFC 100 Fan Expo: Vinny Magalhaes, Kimbo Slice and More

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-02T08:06:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: UFC

The UFC Fan Expo taking place next weekend in Las Vegas in conjunction with UFC 100 has added some star power, as the UFC has announced a series of grappling matches and appearances by Kimbo Slice and the rest of the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 10.

The grappling matches feature some of the best jiu jitsu players in the world, and I'm personally most excited about seeing Vinny Magalhaes, who appeared on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Magalhaes lackst the striking to compete in the UFC, but he's amazing on the ground. He'll be fun to watch, although the UFC hasn't yet said who he's facing.

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UFC 100: Frank Mir Concerned About Brock Lesnar's Reach

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-02T07:00:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: UFC

Frank Mir is getting ready to fight a 275-pound behemoth when he takes on Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight title at UFC 100. But Mir's biggest concern isn't Lesnar's weight. It's Lesnar's reach.

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Alexis Arguello Dead: Aaron Pryor Remembers 'A Great Champion'

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-01T19:30:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Boxing Video

Hours after the death of boxing great Alexis Arguello, his greatest rival in the ring, Aaron Pryor, recalled Arguello as a great champion.

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Brock Lesnar at 275, Won't Have Trouble Making Weight for UFC 100

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-01T14:20:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a 265-pound limit for its heavyweight division, but that weight limit usually doesn't matter because most fighters weigh well under 265 pounds. For UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, however, it's a little bit different.

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Toby Imada: Best MMA Submission of 2009 (So Far)

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-01T11:55:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: MMA Videos, Bellator

It was the YouTube highlight that put the upstart Bellator Fighting Championships on the map, and it was an easy choice for our MMA Submission of the Half Year: Toby Imada choking out Jorge Masvidal with an inverted triangle.

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Alexis Arguello Dies, Boxing Champ Became Mayor of Managua

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-01T10:39:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Boxing Gossip

Alexis Arguello, the former boxing world champion who in 2008 was elected mayor of his hometown of Managua, Nicaragua, was found dead on Wednesday. He
was 57.

The newspaper El Nuevo Diario reported that Arguello's death appeared to be a suicide.

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Joey Chestnut a Slight Favorite Over Kobayashi in July 4 Hot Dog Showdown

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-01T09:40:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Random Acts of Sport

One of the great rivalries in the history of sport will resume on Saturday, as Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi square off in the annual Fourth of July Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. And the early betting odds list Chestnut, the two-time defending champion, as a slight favorite to repeat over Kobayashi, who won every year from 2001 to 2006.

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Lou Ferrigno: Michael Jackson Was Energetic and Happy in Training

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-01T08:27:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Random Acts of Sport

Lou Ferrigno was the second-best bodybuilder of the 1970s, a defensive lineman for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, a World's Strongest Man competitor and, of course, the guy who played The Hulk on The Incredible Hulk. But now Ferrigno is getting attention for something else: He was Michael Jackson's personal trainer.

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Tony Romo: Terrell Owens Is a Great Player Who's Hard to Replace

Michael David Smith — 2009-07-01T07:30:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Cowboys

Terrell Owens said last week the Dallas Cowboys got rid of him to make him a scapegoat for Tony Romo's failure to become a leader. But when Romo was asked this week to respond to Owens' comments, he declined to get into a war of words with his highly volatile ex-teammate.

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Lyoto Machida: Fighter of the Half Year

Michael David Smith — 2009-06-30T14:55:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: UFC

The year is half over, and we're recognizing the best in MMA in the first six months of 2009. Up first is our Fighter of the Half Year, Lyoto Machida.

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Ex-Athletes Feeling Effects of Recession

Michael David Smith — 2009-06-30T13:53:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Browns, Packers

It's easy to scoff when you hear about a former professional athlete who's struggling financially. Aren't these guys all millionaires? If they haven't saved enough for retirement, isn't that their own fault? But the current recession hasn't spared pro athletes, and increasing numbers of them are finding themselves in dire financial straits.

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Miami Dolphins' Davone Bess Upset With Twitter Impostor

Michael David Smith — 2009-06-30T08:25:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Dolphins

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess wants to press charges against someone who was impersonating him on Twitter -- an impostor who used Twitter to chat with fans and even provoked other NFL players into responding to his tweets.

The impostor, who used the name Lambo_Weezy on Twitter, did everything from exchanging tweets with fans to challenging Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson to a race, all while passing himself off as Bess. (Johnson, on the Twitter page that really is his, was dismissive of Lambo_Weezy's challenge.)

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UFC 100 Video: Thiago Alves' Knee, Left Hook Threaten Georges St. Pierre

Michael David Smith — 2009-06-29T18:15:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC

As Greg Jackson helps UFC welterweight champion Georges St Pierre prepare for his title defense at UFC 100, he says the two biggest weapons that challenger Thiago Alves can threaten St. Pierre with are his left hook and his knee.

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Nathan Corbett TKOs Tyrone Spong, but Fight Ruled a No Contest

Michael David Smith — 2009-06-29T10:10:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: MMA Videos, K1

The Champions of Champions kickboxing event in Jamaica had a strange ending over the weekend, as Nathan "Carnage" Corbett beat Tyrone Spong by technical knockout, only to have the result changed to a no contest when he punched Spong once more after the ref waved off the fight.

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12-Year-Old Bull Rider Dies After Being Thrown, Trampled

Michael David Smith — 2009-06-29T08:11:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: Youth Sports

A 12-year-old Colorado boy died Sunday after he was thrown off the bull and trampled in a bull-riding competition hosted by the Little Britches Rodeo at the Boulder County Fairground.

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Tito Ortiz Claims He's Close to Strikeforce Deal, No Return to UFC

Michael David Smith — 2009-06-28T16:11:00 00:00

by Michael David Smith

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, Strikeforce

In the 13 months since his last fight, Tito Ortiz has said more times than I can count that he's close to signing a new contract to return to MMA with another organization. So take this with a grain of salt: Ortiz claims he's close to a new deal with Strikeforce, and he's already targeting an October return to fight Renato "Babalu" Sobral. He also says he has his eyes on a future fight with Fedor Emelianenko, and he says he won't return to the UFC as long as Dana White runs the company.

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