THE MMA WEEKLY WRAP UP for the week of 4/14/08

Welcome to yet another edition of the MMA Weekly Wrap Up, where we bring you all the latest Combat Sport news, events, and information found on the Internet.

SERRA VS. GSP II @ UFC 83 - BRING ON THE DRAMA!
The UFC Welterweight saga continues this Saturday in Montreal, Canada where former Champ, Matt "the Terror" Serra takes on the the current champ by default, Georges St. Pierre.

For anyone who hasn't been keeping up with this soap opera, let's quickly bring you up to date.

Last year, underdog, Matt Serra shocked the MMA world by knocking out Georges St. Pierre to become the UFC Welterweight Champion. He then returned to Spike TV's TUF Season #6 to coach against MMA legend Matt Hughes.

The Season was supposed to end with a climatic fight between the two coaches. Both Hughes and Serra seemed to genuinely dislike one another and a lot of trash talking took place. However, Serra injured his back during training and was unable to compete.

With Serra unable to defend his belt, St. Pierre was brought in to face Hughes for the the title during UFC 79. St. Pierre won easily over Hughes with an arm bar submission and officially regained the belt. However, he still had the embarrassing loss to Serra hanging over his head.

Now the two will face each other again. St. Pierre looks stronger and wiser, but Serra is hungry to take back his title.

Most fight critics are picking St. Pierre to win this match, but remember, the question isn't whether or not Serra can win; but rather - whether or not he will win again!

And no matter who takes the belt on Saturday, there's still the unanswered question of Serra vs. Hughes. Will the suspense ever end?

Not psyched yet? Then check out this YouTube UFC 83 promo clip:


As noted in the clip, Rich Franklin will also be facing Travis "The Serial Killer" Lutter to see who will take the cherished #2 spot in the Middleweight division. (Seeing as how nobody stands a chance of even coming close to beating the Middleweight Champ, Anderson Silva - we'll have to settle for the 'runner up' competitions.)

Also fighting this weekend is the most famous vegan in all of Combat Sports... Matt Danzig! For more on UFC 83's fight predictions, we bring you the beautiful, talented, and extremely witty MMA Girl, Joanne:

MMA GOES PRIMETIME ON BROADCAST TV

Mixed Martial Arts will finally get some respect on May 31st as CBS will broadcast EliteXC Saturday Night Fights live on network television. The first event promises a middleweight Championship fight between Robbie Lawler vs Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith; a match up between American Gladiator, Gina Carano vs Katlin Young; and also a fight featuring YouTube/EliteXC fight sensation, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Fergusen.

Network exposure is important for MMA competition so that it may outgrow it's 'spectacle' image and find acceptance as a legitimate sport. CBS seems to be taking no chances. In an attempt to fend off critics who see all Combat Sport as barbaric, the network has released the following clip where head referee, Herb Dean explains the rules and safety measures enforced inside the ring.

Of course, regardless of the rules, the safety record of MMA Events, or the general conditioning and training of it's athletes, there will always be critics. Check out Fox TV's Bill O'reily whining about the violence being brought to prime-time television. (Apparently Bill has never watched a football game before... or his own so-called news program which typically shows violent video clips - like those Florida teens beating a girl on YouTube - over and over again.

Thanks to MMAMania.com for providing this clip.

COUTURE MAKES HER MMA DEBUT

Okay, this fight took place a couple of weeks ago, but HDnetTV has finally provided us with a little bit of video. In her first actual MMA competition, Kim Couture (the Wife of the 6 time UFC Champ, Randy Couture) takes on Jessica "Crazy" Cruz.

Kim wins nicely with a 3rd round, ground-n-pound stoppage by the ref for a TKO.

Sure, Kim isn't the best fighter yet, but it's really cool to see her progress through the ranks of competition. And who knows, with Randy in her corner, it probably won't be long before we see a husband and wife team holding titles in both Men's and Women's divisions.

One of the oddest parts of this video is watching the ring girls congratulate Kim. (First of all, What were those girls wearing??? Definitely not the usual 'Octagon type' costumes!)

It's always awkward to see ring girls next to female fighters. You gotta wonder what the female fighters think of ring girls. Do they see them as a bunch of wimpy tramps, or do they actually get along and exchange make-up tips in the locker room after the fights? It's all very confusing.

Maybe the promoters should get some Chip-n-Dale dancer dudes to hold up ring cards for the girls... Wait, never mind... I don't want to see that!

Anyway, that's going to do it for this edition of the MMA Weekly Wrap Up. Check back again soon for our coverage and opinions of UFC 83. It should be exciting.

Until then, take care and keep the fights coming,

Rick

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