Chicks Heart Fights

I need to get more excited about the fights tonight. I’m really looking forward to seeing Robbie Lawler. I’m also puzzled by the commercial choices so far - Barrilla Plus pasta with the hot neighbor? OK. If that’s what the media buyers think will work!

We start with dancing girls. Sort of Luvabull like dancers. It’s great to hear Gus Johnson, but then he ruins it all by calling the sport vicious and violent. NO. NOOOOOOOO. I already sense my annoyance level hitting an all time high. Now, we get some Frank Shamrock, and that man has clearly gotten a chemical peel this week! Shamrock says that Bruce Lee is the godfather of MMA. Also, the father of a hot son.

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I’m a good girl-I am! I was recently invited to join Ladies… a group of female bloggers who appreciate the players as much as they appreciate the game. I will be posting over there a few times a week.

My coverage of UFC and wrestling over here will not change. With so many UFC and wrestling events on the schedule, I will be posting here a’plenty. At Ladies…, I will also get a chance to write about football, baseball, and other sports that I love. Check me, and the other 9 fine Ladies, out!

Yes, I’m a little late on this. This year’s edition of the NWCA National Duals was filled with drama, upsets, and according to some of my favorite bloggers, hotties. (No argument here.) The Iowa Hawkeyes won it, beating Nebraska 24-6 in the finals. Michigan took third with a with a 23-16 win over Minnesota. Since there has already been ample coverage and discussion of the National Duals, I just have a few awards to give out.

The Thank God I Actually Get to See the Duals Award: to Live Sports Video. Their coverage was excellent, and even better-free. The National Duals are held in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Though it is a lovely place to visit (and I don’t even mean that sarcastically), it’s not exactly easy for wrestling fans all over the country to visit. Live Sports Video made it possible for all wrestling fans to watch their teams. Also, I got to see my man Mike Zadick jumping around on the mat - always a bonus.

The George Mason Award (Upset: Team Division): Clearly, this goes to the unseeded Nebraska Cornhuskers. Mark Manning’s boys beat then top-ranked Penn State (19-13), and then took out Minnesota (24-13.) Their Cinderella tournament ended in the finals with a loss to Iowa (24-16). I wonder how these wins will carry through to Nebraska’s conference schedule, which starts on Sunday in Stillwater with Oklahoma State.

The National Duals are the half point of the season, and quite often are a great indicator who will win at NCAAs. Iowa is back, and even though Oklahoma State fans will jump up and down and say “but we beat them!” the Pokes better get used to being no better than number two. If only I knew someone who wrote about how great Iowa was going to be…

UPDATED: I did forget two awards… first, the What Are You Wearing, A Skirt? Award to the Oklahoma State Cowboys for not coming to the National Duals, and instead, going to the Virginia Duals. John Smith and his team cannot complain about their rankings since they decided to not play with the big boys and wrestle in this grueling tournament. Also…

The Yes, I Am in Fact Wearing a Skirt, and Still Kickin’ Ass Award to the lovely Tammy Tedesco of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. I attended the National Duals a few years ago, and it was, quite frankly, a mess. Duals started late, the table workers didn’t know their jobs (so much so that Ben Askren was updating the team score for a Mizzou dual) and it was just a tough tournament to watch. Tammy has done a fantastic job in making the event more fan-friendly, so much so that I’m thinking of heading to Cedar Falls next January. (Full disclosure, Tammy is a friend of mine, but at the same time, if the event were still a mess, I’d have no trouble letting Tammy know.)

Tonight, while watching CNBC’s profile of the UFC, I remembered the first time I saw the UFC. My high school wrestling coach had invited the wrestlers and managers to his house for an end-of-the-year party. This was the mid-90’s, and this was the old UFC - the UFC of the sumo wrestlers vs. boxers vs. muay thai fighters, and the UFC of broken limbs, eye gouges, groin kicks. Despite having watched years of wrestling, I was repulsed. I couldn’t handle the brutality. As you can see, my view is changed with the new UFC; the one that focuses more on combat then on violence.

While watching clips of the old UFC, and then the new UFC. In addition to the differences in fighting styles, I noticed one other difference: (more…)

The US wrestling world championships team is at a training center in Austria, before heading to Baku, Azerbaijan for worlds. After some intense training, the team definitely seems tougher and more ready for the championships than they have been in years. I confess, my knowledge of international wrestlers is lacking. I can’t give rock solid predictions on medals, but I can gush about my favorite US wrestlers.

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The NCWA, the club wrestling governing body, has announced that they will start a women’s division for the 07-08 season. This is exciting news for fans and advocates of women’s wrestling. Of course, any new opportunities to compete will help the sport grow, but this will allow a place for women who have started wrestling in high school, but aren’t successful enough to earn a spot at a place like Cumberland or Missouri Valley. Wrestling will no longer be limited to the select few ladies who are at the top, much like it is for the men.The NCWA also has a bold plan to have 300 schools competing by the year 2012. (According to the press release, they not only have a bold Goal, they have a bold Vision. Their Goal and Vision are so bold that they break the Rules of Capitalizing Nouns.) With just over 5,000 girls wrestling in high school, it won’t be easy to make sure that that more than half of them continue wrestling in college, especially since club teams are usually self-governed and self-funded. With the Olympics next year, women’s wrestling is sure to enjoy another surge next year. (Yay Patricia Miranda!) The NCWA needs to make sure that they capitalize on that.