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Reading List
"The Godfather of Grappling" by Gene LeBell
"Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling" by Heath McCoy
"Preacher" Graphic Novel series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
Anything written by Tim Dorsey
Anything written by Andrew Vachss
The John Rain series by Barry Eisler
"The Road to Hell" and "Angels of Death" by William Marsden and Julian Sher
"Rust and Bone" by Craig Davidson
Anything written by Joe R. Lansdale
"Dog Eat Dog" by Edward Bunker
"Dead Famous" by Ben Elton
"The Big Books of Combat" by Bas Rutten
In this corner…
May 10, 2008
THE PIT
For roughly twenty years, the supremely talented Joe R. Lansdale has been one of my favourite authors. And out of all his work, his short story entitled "The Pit" has remained one of my favourites since I first read it back in the late 80s. I strongly recommend that you check it out at the link below, but be warned: if you're a whining, politically-correct asshole who's got nothing better to do than get all righteously indignant over offensive language and images, then don't bother. You'll only get your panties in a bunch, and nobody wants to hear you whinge anyway.
http://www.joerlansdale.com/stories.shtml
May 08, 2008
CONGRATULATIONS, SCRAPDADDY!
I just received an e-mail from NWA world heavyweight champion and Ring of Honor mainstay "Scrap Iron" Adam Pearce (aka "Scrapdaddy"), stating that last night he became a real daddy with the birth of his son Jacob John Pearce. Adam is as nice a guy outside the ring as he is an asshole within it, and I want to send my wholehearted congratulations out to him and his wife Sarah on the new arrival.
May 07, 2008
FUNAKI ARTICLE UP
This week's Fight Network article has just been posted. It concerns the great Masakatsu Funaki, and can be found at the link below.
http://thefightnetwork.com/news_detail.php?nid=7127
May 06, 2008
STOP BILL C-51!!!
A very real attempt is being made to slip through a bill that would remove almost all natural supplements from the shelves, making them available only by prescription at a drastically elevated cost. This transparent ploy to pander to pharmaceutical companies at the cost of YOUR health and freedom of choice is being pushed through right NOW in Ottawa. If you are not the typical sheep who just sits on their hands and does nothing other than complain, then check out the following link for more information, on this bill and what you can do to try to stop it.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12580615687
May 05, 2008
SORRY, MIDDS!
In my recent article for The Fight Network's website, entitled "Bodog vs. HCF", I mentioned several key players who, if allowed to work unfettered, would have greatly contributed to the continued prosperity of bodogFIGHT. Unfortunately, I left a couple of names out, including short-term president Letty Cherry and also Shannon "Midds" Middleton.
Shannon was my "go to girl" whenever I needed anything, and she proved herself by basically holding the whole show together on numerous occasions when things got chaotic and a firm hand on the till was needed. Midds had me covered right up the the bitter end, hooking me up with VIP tickets for the Strike Force show at the Tacoma Dome, which to my knowledge was the final Bodog-sponsored MMA event.
Anyway, please accept both my apologies and my thanks, Midds. You ROCK!
May 02, 2008
HERE WE GO AGAIN
LZ Granderson, a writer for ESPN, is the latest condescending blowhard to jump on the "stereotyping" bandwagon that started rolling when LeBron James dared to strike an aggressive pose on a magazine cover.
Since that cover came out, self-important "PC cops" like Mr. Granderson have been bleating endlessly about how "racist" and "stereotypical" it is for a black athlete to dare to look the least bit hostile. Well, thank you for telling me how I'm allowed to perceive black people, and for writing the rules by which black people are apparently allowed to behave.
Granderson recently wrote an article concerning beleaguered MMA superstar Kimbo Slice, who has apparently raised the ire of many for not looking and acting the way that they feel he should.
Check out this imperious bullshit from the article (taken from www.bloodyelbow.com):
Kimbo Slice can best be described as a cross between Lil' Wayne and Kunta Kinte -- a runaway slave with a mouth full of gold teeth playing up every single stereotype of an African-American male in exchange for short-lived adoration from a soulless media with ADD.
In a recent photo shoot with ESPN The Magazine, a shirtless Slice makes a variety of menacing/coonish facial expressions that are uncomfortably close to those of a caged animal, which he is routinely referred to online. Fortunately, the Mag opted not to run most of the shots, but there are still various clips on the Internet that refer to Slice being from the wild jungle, including photos of a gorilla instead of his headshot. And the YouTube clip mentioned earlier is pretty close to a lynch mob environment. All of which he seems to be playing up as part of his act.
While LeBron James unintentionally striking a King Kong-like pose for Vogue is disappointing, I find what Slice is consciously doing downright disgusting.
And unquestionably profitable.
....... Branding once was something slave owners used to punish my ancestors. Now it's being used by the descendents of slaves to punish their memory.
I don't know about anyone else, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm far more offended by some self-important jackass saying that Kimbo is "punishing the memory" of his ancestors than I am by anything that I've ever seen Kimbo (or LeBron) say or do. I thought that the whole point of abolishing slavery was so that black people could live the free lives that they deserve as much as anyone else WITHOUT ANYONE TELLING THEM HOW TO DRESS OR ACT!!!!!!!!
Unlike you, Mr. Granderson, I know Kimbo and I can tell you that he's intelligent, articulate, and one of the nicest people you could ever meet (I'd like you to explain how all that conforms to stereotype). I can also tell you that even if Kimbo wasn't known by anybody outside of his immediate family, he would still be acting, dressing and talking the same way. If you want to condemn him for his distinctive look or occasional use of hyperbole in order to hype a fight or get his image over, you'd better be prepared to do the same to an innumerable and multiracial group of pro wrestlers, athletes, actors, etc.
You want to cry "racism"? Well, nothing's more racist than accusing LeBron of conforming to a stereotype by striking a pose that wouldn't have ruffled feather one if he were a white man. So why don't you get started on that first, Mr. Granderson?
If Kimbo conforms to a stereotype today, then the fact is that he always did, and by flashing his gold teeth and striking aggressive poses he's not acting "coonish", he's just being himself and not purporting to be a representative of every black person in the world. And if Kimbo's look/actions lead certain people develop preconceived notions about him without ever meeting him, then that's their problem, not his, and he shouldn't be persecuted for it.
In closing, I'd like to say that being black yourself does not automatically qualify you to write the rules for an entire race of people, Mr. Granderson. I hate to break it to you, but you're nowhere near that important.
So how about you step down off your soapbox and leave Kimbo the hell alone to continue doing something positive with his life?
SHUT-EYE
For nearly ten years, I have been sponsored by a company called Fusion Bodybuilding. As a sponsored athlete, I have a vested interest in promoting their products, regardless of quality. However, this business relationship has been one of the easiest things I've ever done due to the fact that Fusion really does make GREAT stuff! Purple-K is the best creatine supplement that I've ever taken, and the Zeus testosterone booster works so well that it's often embarrassing (think back to high school when you were called upon to go to the blackboard while in a state of...er...tumescence, and you'll know what I mean).
With the release of their newest product, a sleep supplement called "Shut Eye", Fusion has kept the quality bar high. This damn thing WORKS, inducing deep, restful sleep without a trace of grogginess the next morning. Whether you're an athlete looking to enhance nighttime growth and recovery or a stress-case looking to get a better quality of sleep, you need to scroll to the bottom of this page, click on the Fusion logo and check out SHUT-EYE!
April 29, 2008
"TOUGH TALK" AND FIGHT NETWORK RADIO
My first article in the "Tough Talk" section of TheFightNetwork.com will be appearing tomorrow, and I'm also scheduled to join Mauro Ranallo and John Pollock at 12 PM PST/3 PM EST on "Fight Network Radio" (Sirius 186).
If you don't read my article AND listen to my interview, then you suck.
Just sayin'.
April 28, 2008
BAS FIRES BACK FOR KIMBO
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell has recently made some rather uncomplimentary comments about MMA superstar Kimbo Slice. Bas Rutten recently rebutted those comments (and the many others like them coming from the ever-present legions of internet haters) in the newest entry on "Fight Page". Check it out.
April 25, 2008
CONGRATULATIONS, HITMAN!!!
I just got a call from Chris "Mjolnir" Franco, who is all the way over in Thailand and cornered Kenny "Hit Man" Tran in his fight last night. Kenny ran his record up to 4-0 with his fourth consecutive knockout, dropping his opponent with a left hook in the third round. A representative from Thailand's famous Lumpinee Stadium was on hand to scout Kenny, and the word now is that the chances of Kenny fighting in that mecca of Muay Thai are looking good.
I couldn't be happier for Kenny, and can't wait to hear news of his next fight.
Nice work, Hitman!
April 24, 2008
THE MAULER IS COMING TO THE FIGHT NETWORK (KINDA)
Less than five minutes ago I came to an agreement with The Fight Network's John Pollock to write a weekly column for www.thefightnetwork.com. I want to thank John and also Mauro Ranallo, whose tireless endorsement of me has resulted in this deal being made. My goal is to advance even further and secure a spot on the network's on-air commentary team, but for now I'm happy to have gotten a foot in the door at the best TV station in the world. You'll see my rantings in the "Tough Talk" column every Wednesday, and I'll also be making a guest appearance on Fight Network Radio (Mauro has been awesome about getting me on there as much as possible) to make an official announcement about the deal.
Thanks again, guys!
