Graves for the Ulyanovskaya mine blast victims are being dug at a cemetery in the outskirts of Novokuznetsk, about 2977 km (1,850 miles) east of Moscow, Thursday, March 22, 2007. An explosion ripped through the mine Monday killing dozens among nearly 200 working at a depth of around 270 meters (885 feet) in one of the deadliest mining accidents in Russia in the past decade. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)

Just want to let people know that in March in Del Mar, California, there will be a FIGHTexpo to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The event will feature the $25,000 10th Anniversary Grapplers Quest Championship. In addition there will be Moto-Cross Demonstrations, 100+ exhibitors and sponsors to meet, greet and shop with, plus Bruce Buffer, Urijah Faber, Brandon Vera, Joe Stevenson, Diego Sanchez and many more MMA Superstars. This event will make five children with life threatening illnesses and their families dreams of meeting professional MMA Fighters come true. For more information, visit: www.TheFightExpo.com – Competitors can register online at: GrapplersQuest.com

Urijah Faber took a page out of Bas Rutten's playbook the other night when he landed a devastating liver punch against Jens Pulver. Pulver practically doubled over in pain and Faber went all out and finished him. I've always said that there are not enough body shots in MMA and Uriah must have been listening. He launched a beautiful left hook that caught Jens right on the liver and ended the bout at just 94 seconds of the first round. Quite a difference between this rematch and their first fight, which Faber won in a 5 round decision. This fight was a great way for Faber to get his confidence back after losing to Mike Brown. I know he'll be as ready for that rematch as he was for this one.

Jacob "Stitch" Duran in an interview after the Affliction Day of Reckoning show. Here's a list of items that Stitch can't do without at the fight. From ESPN.com 1. Bottled Water While these bottles are primarily used to keep washcloths damp for cold compresses, or wiping down bloodied fighters, this stash of water has an even more important purpose: "Actually, to drink during the fights, believe it or not," Stitch says. 2. Adrenaline Chloride 1:1000 This solution, when applied to open wounds, constricts blood vessels to help dam even the most stubborn flows. "That's my main tool," Stitch says. "For the swelling and all that I could use my thumb, but to constrict a blood vessel, the medication is probably my most helpful tool." 3. Vaseline Just before a fighter leaves his corner for another round, Stitch may apply a generous helping of everyone's favorite petroleum jelly to a wound, often mixing it with a bit of the adrenaline chloride 1:1000. "It does two things," he says. "It keeps the blood vessels constricted, with the adrenaline, and then with the Vaseline, it helps the punches slide off of the cut." 4. Cotton Swabs Although they look like your average Q-tip, these swabs aren't octagon-ready right out of the package. "I'll go to the store and get 100% cotton balls and I'll just kind of roll it out as much as I can," Stitch says. "Then I'll cut it in half and roll that cotton onto the swab and make it a little bit thicker. That way, I can apply more adrenaline into the cuts." 5. Enswells To ease swelling, Stitch employs two metal enswells, one flat, one rounded, which are kept on ice throughout the fight. Applying light, concentrated pressure allows the ice-cold metal to constrict the vessels in the affected area. "The flat ones, for the most part, I'll put at the corner of the eye at the temple area or the cheek area," Stitch says. "The round one contours to the eye socket." 1. Bottled Water While these bottles are primarily used to keep washcloths damp for cold compresses, or wiping down bloodied fighters, this stash of water has an even more important purpose: "Actually, to drink during the fights, believe it or not," Stitch says. 2. Adrenaline Chloride 1:1000 This solution, when applied to open wounds, constricts blood vessels to help dam even the most stubborn flows. "That's my main tool," Stitch says. "For the swelling and all that I could use my thumb, but to constrict a blood vessel, the medication is probably my most helpful tool." 3. Vaseline Just before a fighter leaves his corner for another round, Stitch may apply a generous helping of everyone's favorite petroleum jelly to a wound, often mixing it with a bit of the adrenaline chloride 1:1000. "It does two things," he says. "It keeps the blood vessels constricted, with the adrenaline, and then with the Vaseline, it helps the punches slide off of the cut." 4. Cotton Swabs Although they look like your average Q-tip, these swabs aren't octagon-ready right out of the package. "I'll go to the store and get 100% cotton balls and I'll just kind of roll it out as much as I can," Stitch says. "Then I'll cut it in half and roll that cotton onto the swab and make it a little bit thicker. That way, I can apply more adrenaline into the cuts." 5. Enswells To ease swelling, Stitch employs two metal enswells, one flat, one rounded, which are kept on ice throughout the fight. Applying light, concentrated pressure allows the ice-cold metal to constrict the vessels in the affected area. "The flat ones, for the most part, I'll put at the corner of the eye at the temple area or the cheek area," Stitch says. "The round one contours to the eye socket." 6. Sandwich Bag In lieu of the once-standard rubber ice pack, Stitch uses an average, zip-top sandwich bag filled with ice. It might seem low-tech, but he insists it's actually an upgrade. "The ice penetrates so much more [in the bag], so it's a lot colder," Stitch says. "I mix a little bit of the old school in with the new school." 6. Sandwich Bag In lieu of the once-standard rubber ice pack, Stitch uses an average, zip-top sandwich bag filled with ice. It might seem low-tech, but he insists it's actually an upgrade. "The ice penetrates so much more [in the bag], so it's a lot colder," Stitch says. "I mix a little bit of the old school in with the new school." 1. Bottled Water While these bottles are primarily used to keep washcloths damp for cold compresses, or wiping down bloodied fighters, this stash of water has an even more important purpose: "Actually, to drink during the fights, believe it or not," Stitch says. 2. Adrenaline Chloride 1:1000 This solution, when applied to open wounds, constricts blood vessels to help dam even the most stubborn flows. "That's my main tool," Stitch says. "For the swelling and all that I could use my thumb, but to constrict a blood vessel, the medication is probably my most helpful tool." 3. Vaseline Just before a fighter leaves his corner for another round, Stitch may apply a generous helping of everyone's favorite petroleum jelly to a wound, often mixing it with a bit of the adrenaline chloride 1:1000. "It does two things," he says. "It keeps the blood vessels constricted, with the adrenaline, and then with the Vaseline, it helps the punches slide off of the cut." 4. Cotton Swabs Although they look like your average Q-tip, these swabs aren't octagon-ready right out of the package. "I'll go to the store and get 100% cotton balls and I'll just kind of roll it out as much as I can," Stitch says. "Then I'll cut it in half and roll that cotton onto the swab and make it a little bit thicker. That way, I can apply more adrenaline into the cuts." 5. Enswells To ease swelling, Stitch employs two metal enswells, one flat, one rounded, which are kept on ice throughout the fight. Applying light, concentrated pressure allows the ice-cold metal to constrict the vessels in the affected area. "The flat ones, for the most part, I'll put at the corner of the eye at the temple area or the cheek area," Stitch says. "The round one contours to the eye socket." 6. Sandwich Bag In lieu of the once-standard rubber ice pack, Stitch uses an average, zip-top sandwich bag filled with ice. It might seem low-tech, but he insists it's actually an upgrade. "The ice penetrates so much more [in the bag], so it's a lot colder," Stitch says. "I mix a little bit of the old school in with the new school."

Pete Sell choked out Phil Baroni at UFC 51. In this video he teaches how to do the move.

Lots of great photoshops came out of the Fedor vs. Arlovski fight, but this is the best one by far, in my opinion. Props to the always brilliant Inf0 of the UG

Fedor Emelianenko is a human being. I know it's easy to forget that sometimes--he is, after all, the most dominant heavyweight in all of mixed martial arts.  But last Saturday night he reminded us that he's not a cyborg;  he's a mere mortal like the rest of us, a man made not of high tech building materials, but of flesh and bone and blood. This is what Andre Arlovski proved in the ring at the Day of Reckoning. It's what Arlovksi "exposed" about Fedor. Right before he went nightly-night at 3 minutes and 14 seconds into the first round. Still, Andre gave hope to the many Fedor haters out there that someway, somehow, somebody will defeat the great Russian champion. I have my doubts about that. Yes, Andre was doing very well by all appearances in the fight.  His boxing under the tutulage of Freddie Roach was outstanding. He was backing Fedor up, disrupting his rhythm.  It even looked like he rocked Fedor in the opening seconds of the fight.  I was on the edge of my seat watching it, because Fedor not only looked human, he looked downright vulnerable against the much larger Arlovsky. But when I watched the replay, I saw a different fight.  Fedor came in very concerned about Arlovski's right hand, that much was obvious; at the beginning of the fight you can see Fedor jump back at Andre's feint.  And every time Fedor threw a punch, he simultaneously tried to get away from any counter right that Andreight throw.  Which made him look awkward and tentative, not like the killing machine that he appeared to be against Tim Sylvia. But Fedor clearly knew that Andre Arlovski was much faster than Sylvia--and was concerned with his speed.  So the first couple of minutes of the fight was Fedor feeling out Arlovski's speed and power and making sure that he didn't get hit with a bomb.  By the third minute, Fedor was starting to get his range and his rhythm, and even though Arlovski sent him back into the ropes with a front kick, he came off the ropes with a devastating right hand that crumpled Arlovski and sent him face down to the mat. Not quite the total destruction that was seen in the Sylvia fight, but damn impressive nonetheless. Still, many people are calling his shot a lucky punch, including Andre's coach Freddie Roach.  If that makes them sleep better at night, then fine. But there was nothing lucky about that shot.  Fedor timed a counter overhand right perfectly and ended the fight with it.  And for people saying that Andre was dominating for the first 3 minutes, well, that's like saying you were pleasing your woman like a porn star--but only for a minute. I mean, if you are going to judge a fight by the first 3 minutes alone, Alistair Overeem would be the greatest fighter of all time.  But obviously there's more to a fight than just the first 3 minutes. Fact is--despite what Freddie Roach says--Fedor dominated the stand up.  Because he was the only one standing up at the end of the fight. So yes, Fedor is human.  He's just a man.  But when he fights, he's a man against boys.  And there's no one on the planet that can beat him right now.

Monte Cox's Extreme Challenge in New Jersey last Friday night was called the War at the Shore, but it turned into the Wow at the shore.  It was a great night of action, highlighted by New Jersey's own Tara LaRosa finishing her opponent in a main event that was nothing short of a barn burner. Tara was fighting against Alexis Davis, a purple belt under Royler Gracie, who nearly finished the fight with a triangle choke at the end of the second round.  Tara was somehow able to escape the choke and in the third round she stepped up the action, opening cuts on Davis' face and prompting referee Kevin Mulhall to stop the contest near the end of the round.  Tara, who'd been out of action for over a year, looked great in her comeback.  And Davis showed herself to be a top level fighter herself.  Expect to see lots more from both of these talented mixed martial artists in the future. Also on the card were some very exciting prospects.  Josh "Barnyard" Barnes came all the way from Indiana to choke out former UFC fighter Sherman Pendergarst in under a minute.  Tuan Pham made a splash in his debut, KOing Nat McIntyre in just 4o seconds.  Zach Makovsky also shined against a very tough Justin Robbins.  Robbins, you may remember, had his arm broken against Wilson Reis back in May on the Kimbo vs. Thompson undercard, but refused to tap and continued fighting.  This time, however, Zach was able to sink the rear naked choke and force Robbins to tap. All in all it was a great event.  It was a real pleasure meeting Monte Cox and Greg Swanson, and it was great working with them.  And even though Eddie Alvarez and Wilson Reis didn't fight, the crowd went home satisfied because all the fighters fought to win and brought their A-games to the event. Some quick notes:  It was great to finally get to introduce referee Big Dan Miragliotta, or Dan "Magooglyoogly" as the "official" officials document had it spelled. Great seeing NJSACB commissioner Aaron Davis and Nick Lembo, counsel to the NJSACB (and official state prankster) at the show. Thanks to Doctor Sherry Wulkan for the hand sanitizer.  At first I thought it was just lotion and I declined by saying: No thanks, my hands are naturally soft.  But then the good doctor said something to the effect of: It's hand sanitizer, you idiot.  And I gratefully took a dose. And of course it's always great hanging out with the usual suspects from NJ, you guys know who you are.