2009 Emerald Bowl Pep Rally PIctures: USC Vs. Boston College

Click HERE for videos of the 2009 Emerald Bowl Pep Rally including the USC Band, cheer squad, and speeches by USC and Boston College players and coaches.

2009 Emerald Bowl Pep Rally Videos and Pictures

The 2009 Emerald Bowl had their pep rally this morning in downtown San Francisco and here are some videos and pictures from the event. USC and Boston College will play tonight at AT&T Park.

Click HERE for pictures of the event.

King Mo Lawal Talks Rampage Jackson, Ring Girls, and Fighting Fedor

From the Strikeforce Evolution post-fight press conference, King Mo Lawal and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker talk.

Derrick Roland Injures His Leg Seriously

This is a video of a serious and nasty leg injury to Texas A&M player Derrick Roland.

The Karate Kid Trailer with Jackie Chan

Here is the new trailer of Jackie Chan in his upcoming movie, The Karate Kid.

Strikeforce Evolution Post Fight Press Conference Videos

Below are the Strikeforce Evolution Post-Fight Press Conference Videos from last night.

Strikeforce Evolution Predictions

There will only be four fights on the main card due to the cancellation of Robbie Lawler's fight against Trevor Prangley due to an injury by Prangley.

Cung Le vs Scott Smith

I give the edge to Le even though he has not been in a fight for almost two years. Le is faster and more explosive than Smith. He will use his quickness in the fight and keep the distance with his kicks.

Smith wants to use some dirty boxing and get into a slugfest but Le needs to avoid those exchanges as much as possible. Everyone expects a knockout in this fight so it will probably go to a decision just like the Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander fight.

My pick is Le by TKO in the second round.

Josh Thomson vs. Gilbert Melendez

Just like Le, Thomson will have ring rust. Melendez looks like he has improved since his loss to Thomson in their first match. Thomson convincingly won that fight by decision after five rounds. This is a huge fight for both guys, and the winner might get to face Shinya Aoki next year.

This fight will be a lot more competitive than their first match-up and I give the edge to Melendez because Thomson will get tired in the later rounds. I don't think either man will be able to finish the other.

This match will go five rounds again and Melendez will get his revenge by split decision.

Ronaldo Jacare Souza vs. Matt Lindland

This looks to be another competitive match-up. Jacare's wins mostly come by submission. Lindland has lost two of his last three fights but the opponents he lost to were Fedor Emelianenko and Vitor Belfort.

The winner of this middleweight fight will be closer to a title shot. My pick is Lindland by split decision.

King Mo Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead

This is the Strikeforce debut for Lawal. Whitehead weighed 261 pounds at the weigh-ins this afternoon while Lawal was only 218 pounds. Lawal will have the quickness edge over Whitehead.

Whitehead is a very tough veteran but I am going with Lawal in this fight. Lawal wins by KO in the first round.

Strikeforce Evolution Weigh-in Video with Herschel Walker

Herschel Walker talks about Dana White, Tiger Woods, and training

Herschel Walker was on a local Bay Area sports talk show earlier this week and here are some quotes from him.

"It's very difficult to walk into the gym and you can't bring in what you used to know."

(On Dana White bashing him) "The guy doesn't know me. It's not motivation. I'm training at AKA and doing what I need to do to get ready. Dana says so many things. Dana's just upset because he's not the only show in town. There's another show (Strikeforce) that is doing very well.

"I train with Josh Thomson, Luke (Luke Rockhold), Javier Mendez, Dave Camarillo,and Bob Cook. This is the best gym in the world so I train here. We got Cain Velasquez and I also got a chance to work out with Cung Le. We got Kos (Josh Koscheck) too. Guys are training hard and working hard. We are a team.

(On his opponent which has not been named yet) "I want to get into the film room and find out what the guy's doing, and see how he fights. He doesn't know know anything about me. He will think I am an old man and can't move."

"This is one of the toughest workouts I ever done in my life."

"Javier said that you always got to be on offense because when they come, they gonna come."

"I want to step into the ring and it is going to be an experience thanks to AKA and Scott Coker."

"I love competition. . I have looked forward to this for a long time. This is the ultimate, ultimate competition."

"This is not a gimmick or a moneymaker. I'm not here to play around."

Walker also talked about the Heisman Trophy award and how he will always be a Tiger Woods fan. He said that everyone makes mistakes but the bigger guy is the one that will get off that mistake and try and do better. He said Woods was one of the best golfers to ever play the game.

The host talked about his 2500 pushups and 1600 sit-ups a day routine. Walker said he only gets four hours of sleep a night and he spends time practicing in the mirror all the moves that Mendez has been teaching him.

Thomson and Gilbert Melendez were both in-studio to talk about their fight at the Strikeforce Evolution show. They didnt' say anything of much significance but they both wore the same t-shirt from a company called Dethrone. I wonder if that was just a coincidence or planned out.

Meredith DiVita Interviews Cung Le

Meredith DiVita interviews Cung Le in this new video a few days before Le takes on Scott Smith in the main event at Evolution this Saturday night in San Jose, California.

Strikeforce News and Notes: Herschel Walker Training Video and Evolution Weigh-in Info

Strikeforce matchmaker Rich Chou breaks down the Matt Lindland vs.Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza fight here. He mentions that Jacare means "alligator" in Portugeuse.

Josh Thomson talks about his UFC friends such as Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, Josh Koscheck, and Phil Baroni, as well as his upcoming fight against Gilbert Melendez in a new video interview.

Strikeforce interim lightweight champ. Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez discusses his upcoming fight with Josh Thomson in a new video from FIGHT! Magazine's Danny Acosta. Melendez thinks he can compete well with any of the top UFC lightweights.

The Strikeforce Evolution weigh-ins will be this Friday afternoon at 4:30pm at the Marriott Downtown San Jose (Ballrooms #1-4).

Strikeforce heavyweight fighter, Daniel Cormier, will be signing autographs at the weigh-ins for about an hour.

Another heavyweight, Herschel Walker, talks about training for MMA in this new video. Walker also talks about how team owners in the NFL use age as a reason not to pay a player. Frank Shamrock makes a cameo in the video as well.

Check out this video of Walker training with AKA trainer Javier Mendez.

Frank Shamrock says he has a vested interest in the Cung Le vs. Scott Smith fight. I think he still wants a rematch with Le. Shamrock also talks about wanting to fight Dan Henderson in the video from Strikeforce.

You can obtain tickets to the next two Strikeforce shows here.

Trevor Prangley, who was supposed to fight Robbie Lawler this Saturday night, got injured training and Strikeforce needs to find a late replacement to fight Lawler.

Female fighter Miesha Tate lost on Saturday in Florida at the Worlds Grapping Tournament in Florida. She lost to a Canadian opponent by a score of 5-0. She talks about her loss on her Twitter account.

Strikeforce recently acquired Henderson, K.J. Noons, and former WWE wrestler Bobby Lashley. All three are great pickups for the organization.

Henderson can fight Jake Shields for the middleweight title soon, and Noons could have a rematch against Nick Diaz.

Lashley is raw but very talented and strong. He needs a lot of experience but he has looked good in the cage so far. Lashley is poised to make his Strikeforce debut on January 30th in Florida.

Corey Brewer dunks over Derek Fisher

Check out this dunk by Corey Brewer last night against Derek Fisher and the Lakers.

UFC 107 Weigh-in Video

UFC 107 Preview

UFC 107 will be this Saturday night live on pay-per-view. The show will be held in Memphis, Tennessee.

The main event that evening will be UFC lightweight champion, B.J. Penn, going against Diego Sanchez.

Sanchez is a very tough fighter but he is not expected to defeat the very talented Penn. Penn is a heavy favorite (-280) to beat Sanchez.

Although most fans predict Penn will win, this fight should be full of action since Sanchez loves to push the pace and Penn is not one to back down.

The co-main event is between heavyweights Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo. Mir has stated numerous times that he wants another rematch with UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar. In order to get another title shot, he would have to defeat Kongo on Saturday night.

Mir has made fun of Kongo's English and Kongo has felt disrespected by Mir. Kongo is a great stand-up fighter with heavy hands but he is not very good on the ground. Unfortunately for Kongo, the ground game is Mir's specialty.

If the fight goes to the ground, Mir should be able to get a submission on Kongo but if both fighters are on their feet, Kongo could get the knockout victory.

Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello returns to the UFC to take on youngster Stefan Struve in the first fight on the main card. Struve is 6-11 and he will give Buentello trouble with his reach and length.

Buentello needs to keep this fight standing because Struve is very dangerous on the ground due to his length. Struve can get an opponent in an armbar or triangle when the fight goes to the ground.

In a battle of lightweight contenders, Clay Guida will battle Kenny Florian. Florian was last seen in the cage getting choked out by Penn a few months ago. Florian does not want to lose twice in a row but Guida is a very formidable opponent.

Guida lost a split decision to Sanchez in his last fight. This fight is a must-win for both fighters and you can expect a very competitive fight between these two lightweights.

In another fight on the main card, Jon Fitch takes on Mike Pierce. No one is giving Pierce much of a chance against Fitch, and it will be a huge upset if Pierce gets the victory. Fitch is one of the best fighters in the welterweight division, and his only loss in the UFC came against UFC welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre.

Below is the prelim card.

Kevin Burns vs. TJ Grant

DeMarques Johnson vs. Edgar Garcia

Rousimar Palhares vs. Lucio Linhares

Johny Hendricks vs. Ricardo Funch

Matt Wiman vs. Shane Nelson

Alan Belcher vs. Wilson Gouveia

Herschel Walker's Open Workout Video

Here is a video of former football great, Herschel Walker, training for his January 30th fight in South Florida against a yet to be named opponent. Walker has been training at the AKA gym in San Jose, California for the fight. In the video, he is in the ring with AKA trainer Javier Mendez.

Strikeforce Conference Call Quotes From Cung Le,Josh Thomson, Scott Smith, and Gil Melendez

Strikeforce had a conference call earlier today with four of their fighters who are fighting on December 19th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose,Callifornia. Here are some of the news, notes, and quotes from the call.

Cung Le:I am returning sooner than I expected, but it is good to be back and I am excited. I am taking it one fight at a time.

There are not many movie roles for a Asian character.

It ws really hard to vacate the belt but it was the honorable thing to do. It was not fair for all the middleweight contenders to fight for an interim belt. I made a commitment to Scott Coker(Strikeforce CEO) that I would fight when I'm not doing a movie project.

I'm a martial artist first before being an actor. I love to teach, and I love to coach and compete.

It is very exciting and at the same time very nerve-racking to fight at the HP Pavilion. (Le is from San Jose and all his friends and family attend the fights).

Scott Smith: I think both of our ground games are underrated because we are outstanding stand-up fighters. The chances of us going to the ground are slim to none. If I get in trouble standing up, I can't be afraid to take it to the ground.

When you get rocked, you have to fight back with fear.

People will tune into the fight to watch us bang. I am 2-0 at the HP Pavilion so I am exited about that. Fighting there seems to bring me good luck.

Josh Thomson: I am very excited to be back in the ring.

Melendez is the best fighter in our division and I wouldn't want to have it any other way.

This is a completely different fight from our first fight.

Gilbert, I think is a new fighter, and I expect something completely different. I got to bring the fight to him again. I am not looking at the last fight.

I can't prepare for the ring rust until I get into the cage. I train everyday with the best guys but the actual showing up the day of the fight, and the nerves and the crowd is what affects fighters in the ring.

I have been grappling and training with guys that are my size so it helps me avoid getting injured.

I am 100% and ready to fight. i am ready to bring my title back home. If Gilbert wins, it will be because he was the better fighter that night.

Gilbert Melendez: I am honored to be on this card and to be a aprt of the co-main event.

It will be a five- round war. I expect a lot of fireworks and we both have been training hard.

I wish the best of luck to Josh and all the best. I am here to win. I'm in it to win it.

I just want to perform bettter than I did last time. If I want to be in the sport, I got to bring my A game everytime. Josh took it to me every round in the first fight.

I am looking to put in a better performance than last time. I love fighting at home. In Japan, they are so silent there, and in Hawaii, they boo the heck out of you.

Mike Afromovitz, Strikeforce's Director of Communications: I am excited to see Cung Le's long awaited return.

I think Strikeforce is a geat promotion that has made great strides in 2009.

Our roster has strengthened and we can have more compelling fights in 2010.

Dan Henderson is a great ambassador to the sport.

Strikeforce has been around since 1994.

Strikeforce Champ Josh Thomson Doing Comedy At San Jose Improv Tuesday Night

Strikeforce lightweight champion, Josh "The Punk" Thomson will be doing a one-on-one interview live at the San Jose Improv this Tuesday night with comedian Kris Tinkle.

Thomson, who will be defending his title on December 19th against Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez at the HP Pavilion, will talk about the upcoming fight with Tinkle.

"Josh has tons of personality and so many stories. It's going to be fun to get him onstage and bust him a little bit," said Tinkle, whose debut comedy album "Almost Awesome" is now available through Amazon and ITunes. "And as of now he is letting me, so I'm glad he is a good sport and we aren't going to have an incident onstage if I make fun of him."

There will be a lot of prizes raffled off and 100% of the proceeds will go to a non-profit organization called Knockout Dog Fighting.

Thomson said, "It's a great show and I'm proud to be part of something that helps stop animal abuse.

Tickets will only cost $10 with a two-drink minimum. Fans must be over 18 to attend and the show starts at 8pm.

Fans get obtain tickets at the San Jose Improv box office or at their website.

UFC Fighter Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello Talks About UFC 107 Opponent and Kimbo Slice

Below is a new video interview from KNOXX's Meredith DiVita with UFC heavyweight fighter, Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello.

Buentello will be fighting Stefan Struve this Saturday night at UFC 107.

In the two-part interview, Buentello talks about Kimbo Slice, Struve, and his issues with the AKA gym in San Jose, California.

Strikeforce Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson Pulls No Punches In New Interview

Below is a two-part video interview with Strikeforce lightweight champion, Josh "The Punk" Thomson.

Thomson is scheduled to defend his title in a rematch against the Strikeforce interim lightweight champion, Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez ,on December 19th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose,California.

In the interview, Thomson talked about his thoughts on the fight between his two friends Josh Koscheck and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson at UFC 106,. He said that Koscheck is his roommate right now and that he thought Johnson did a good job against Koscheck.

Thomson said Koscheck is in his prime right now and he thinks that Johnson can be the champ one day in the welterweight division.

Phil Baroni was another subject during part two of the interview and Thomson feels that Baroni needs to rededicate his life to training. Thomson stated that Baroni is training the wrong way and that he needs to revamp himself. He did credit Baroni for being in great shape and having a bounce in his step in his last fight at UFC 106 against Amir Sadollah, but he also said Baroni is no longer motivated to train hard and is tired of the sport.

Thomson also talked about how his training at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) and also at Cung Le's gym. He feels that Le is in great shape and that his body needed the time off to heal up.

Thomson feels that Takanori Gomi is a Hall of Famer and that he would like to fight him if he signs with Strikeforce. The Punk also said that he would fight his own mother for the right money.

DiVita asked Thomson if he would fight his AKA teammate Billy Evangelista, and Thomson said he feels Evangelista should have to fight a tougher opponent before he gets a title shot. He is open to fighting Evangelista, and stated that Strikeforce and Scott Coker calls the shots and chooses his opponents.

MMA TV Schedule for December

December 4: MFC 23: Unstoppable

This show will be live on HDNET starting at 7 PM PST.

Thales Leites vs. Dean Lister

Jason MacDonald vs. Solomon Hutcherson

Bryan Baker vs. Art Santore

Ryan Jimmo vs. Emanuel Newton

Marvin Eastman vs. Dwayne Lewis

Jesse Juarez vs. Joe Christopher

December 5: The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale

SPIKE TV starting at 9 PM

Matt Hamill vs. Jon Jones

Houston Alexander vs. Kimbo Slice

Roy Nelson vs. Brendan Schaub

Frankie Edgar vs. Matt Veach

Marcus Jones vs. Matt Mitrione

December 12: UFC 107

Live only on pay-per-view starting at 7 PM PST

B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez

Cheick Kongo vs. Frank MIr

Jon Fitch vs. Mike Pierce

Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida

December 19: Strikeforce "Evolution"

Live in the East Coast on Showtime at 10 PM and tape delayed in the West Coast

Cung Le vs. Scott Smith

Josh Thomson vs Gilbert Melendez

Matt Lindland vs. Jacare Souza

King Mo Lawal vs. Mike Whitehead

Robbie Lawler vs. Trevor Prangley

December 19: WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff

Live on VERSUS Network at 7 PM PST

Donald Cerrone vs. Ed Ratcliff

Chris Horodecki vs. Anthony Njokuani

Joseph Benevidez vs. Rani Yahya

Scott Jorgensen vs. Takeya Mizugaki

December 31: Sengoku vs. DREAM

Live on HDNET from Japan. I believe it will be live starting at midnight in the West Coast but I can't verify that as of yet.

Satoshi Ishii vs. Hidehiko Yoshida

kuhisa Minowa vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

Katsuki Ishida vs. Shota Shimada

Tsukasa Fuji vs. Ryuya Kusakabe

Rampage Jackson Is Returning To The UFC

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has announced via his website that he is coming back to the UFC to finish out his contract. Below is what he said on his blog earlier tonight.

I've noticed that the UFC & TUF have some fans brainwashed or something. They still haven't realized yet that the TV show is just a TV show. I did my job by entertaining people and if you ever paid any attention to me, that's what I'm known for doing.

Now, I wanted to let my fans know that I'm going to come back to the UFC & finish my contract. Not because the haters are talking (expletive) about me being scared of Rashad. I'm coming back for my fans & to shut Rashad's mouth up & shut Dana's mouth up. Then after that I'm going back to doing movies & I might do a boxing match once a year just to stay in shape. Hate on dis!

Florida State Offensive Lineman Does Not Move At All After Snap

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Josh Thomson and Gilbert Melendez To Fight For Undisputed Strikeforce Lightweight TItle

Strikeforce recently announced that their lightweight champion, Josh "The Punk" Thomson will be taking on the interim champion, Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez on December 19 in San Jose, California.

The championship title match will be the co-main event of "Evolution" which is the final show of the year for Strikeforce.

Thomson has been out of comission since September 20, 2008, when he defeated Ashe Bowman at an event held at the Playboy Mansion.

Melendez is looking to avenge his loss to Thomson in their first match-up. Melendez defeated Rodrigo Damm this past April to capture the interim lightweight title.

Thomson had to pull out of his fight against Yves Edwards and Melendez this year due to ankle injuries.

Thomson said he is finally healed and he is excited to get back into the cage against Melendez.

"Everything feels great now. Nothing is going to keep me out of this fight," said the 31-year-old Thomson. "I'm looking forward to getting back in there and going to work."

Thomson dominated the first match-up but this upcoming rematch should be more competitive as Thomson will have to shake off the ring rust and Melendez has looked great in his last two victories.

Hockey Goalie Gets Hit and Injured By His Own Teammate

Check out this video of Keith Ballard hitting his own teammate and goalie, Tomas Vokuon, in the head with his stick.