Matt Mitrione's Blogs
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Tuesday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Tuesday
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Submissions
The best submissions by UFC superstars.
1:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: Ultimate Answers
UFC fighters' takes on topics from the hard-hitting to the totally random.
2:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
Relive UFC 141, Brock Lesnar versus Alistair Overeem.
7:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 14: Finale Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier; Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Guillard; Shane del Rosario vs. Pat Barry; Mike Ricci vs. Colton Smith; Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson. From Las Vegas. (Card subject to change)
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 1
10:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 89 Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson
Rousimar Palhares vs. Hector Lombard; Norman Parke vs. Colin Fletcher; Bradley Scott vs. Robert Whittaker; George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson. From Queensland, Australia. (Card subject to change)
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet East: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news. Read more -
Friday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Friday
3:30 a.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
3:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Roundtable
Welterweights II Jay Glazer sits down and gets personal with the UFC's top welterweight fighters.
4:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Henderson vs. Diaz
Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz; Alexander Gustafsson vs. Mauricio Rua; Rory MacDonald vs. BJ Penn; Matt Brown vs. Mike Swick. From Seattle.
9:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: Bellator Fighting Championships 83
From Caesars in Atlantic City, N.J.; Rad Martinez vs.Shahbulat Shamhalaev; Zach Makovsky vs. Anthony Leone; Zoila Gurgel vs. Jessica Eye.
10:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Henderson vs. Diaz
Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz; Alexander Gustafsson vs. Mauricio Rua; Rory MacDonald vs. BJ Penn; Matt Brown vs. Mike Swick. From Seattle.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
Relive UFC 141, Brock Lesnar versus Alistair Overeem.
3:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson Weigh-In
Weigh-in for UFC on FX 6 Georges Sotiropoulos vs Ross Pearson from the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Queensland, Australia.
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 12: Semifinal Showdown Two semifinal fights determine which two men will move on to fight in the finale for a UFC contract.
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 13: Finale Weigh-in Mixed martial artists from Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson and more weigh in ahead of the finale.
6:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson Prelims
Cody Donovan vs. Nick Penner; Mike Wilkinson vs. Brendan Loughnane; Manuel Rodriguez vs. Benny Alloway; Seth Baczynski vs. Mike Pierce; Joey Beltran vs. Igor Pokrajac; Yaotzin Meza vs. Chad Mendes. From Queensland, Australia. (Card subject to change)
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: Bellator Fighting Championships 84
From Hammond, Ind.; Dave Jansen vs. Marcin Held; Michele Gutierrez vs. Felice Herrig; Rich Hale vs. Alexander Volkov.
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: X-Fighters 2011 Highlights
Brazil
9:00 p.m. ET AXS: Inside MMA
EPISODE: 270 Matt Mitrione; Michael McDonald; Cheick Kongo; Dana White.
9:00 p.m. ET FX: UFC: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson
Rousimar Palhares vs. Hector Lombard; Norman Parke vs. Colin Fletcher; Bradley Scott vs. Robert Whittaker; George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson. From Queensland, Australia. (Card subject to change)
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: X-Fighters 2011 Highlights
Italy
10:00 p.m. ET AXS: AXS TV Fights
Legacy Fighting Championship 16 Will Campuzano vs. Jimmy Flick; from Allen, Texas.
10:30 p.m. ET The Score Fighting Series
The Score Fighting Series (SFS) features fighters from North America and beyond with a focus on exciting match-ups and developing the next generation of great fighters. Tune in for non-stop action from events across the country.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights. Read more -
Saturday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Saturday
4:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights.
5:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights.
7:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights.
8:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: Training Day
The Blackzilians Go behind the scenes with the Blackzilians, Rashad Evans's elite Florida team.
8:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unrestricted
An unprecedented and exclusive look deep inside the tense 36 hours leading up to UFC 148.
1:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Prelims
Cody Donovan vs. Nick Penner; Mike Wilkinson vs. Brendan Loughnane; Manuel Rodriguez vs. Benny Alloway; Seth Baczynski vs. Mike Pierce; Joey Beltran vs. Igor Pokrajac; Yaotzin Meza vs. Chad Mendes. From Queensland, Australia. (Card subject to change)
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 11: Fight the Perfect Fight Joey Rivera and Jon Manley face-off to stay in the competition; the tension builds between Michal Hill and Mike Ricci before they enter the octagon; the last two match-ups before the finale are revealed.
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 12: Semifinal Showdown Two semifinal fights determine which two men will move on to fight in the finale for a UFC contract.
6:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 13: Finale Weigh-in Mixed martial artists from Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson and more weigh in ahead of the finale.
7:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 16: Finale Prelims Nick Catone vs. TJ Waldburger; Rustam Khabilov vs. Vinc Pichel; Marcos Vinicius vs. Johnny Bedford; James Head vs. Mike Pyle. From Las Vegas. (Bouts subject to change)
9:00 p.m. ET FX: The Ultimate Fighter Season 16 Episode 14: Finale
Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier; Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Guillard; Shane del Rosario vs. Pat Barry; Mike Ricci vs. Colton Smith; Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson. From Las Vegas. (Card subject to change) 12:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 15: Finale: Post Fight Show Jay Glazer and analysts recapping the battle between Team Carwin and Team Nelson sharing interviews and highlights.
12:00 a.m. ET FX: The Ultimate Fighter Season 16 Episode 14: Finale
Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier; Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Guillard; Shane del Rosario vs. Pat Barry; Mike Ricci vs. Colton Smith; Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson. From Las Vegas. (Card subject to change) Read more -
Tuesday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Tuesday
3:00 a.m. ET AXS: Inside MMA
EPISODE: 270 Matt Mitrione; Michael McDonald; Cheick Kongo; Dana White.
4:30 a.m. ET Sportsnet West: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz
Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz; Alexander Gustafsson vs. Mauricio Rua; Rory MacDonald vs. BJ Penn; Matt Brown vs. Mike Swick. From Seattle.
2:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC 140: Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones faces former champ Lyoto Machida; the Nogueira brothers, Frank Mir and Tito Ortiz.
7:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: Best of PRIDE Fighting Championship
The Brazilian Top Team The best of the greatest submission team in Pride.
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 12: Semifinal Showdown Two semifinal fights determine which two men will move on to fight in the finale for a UFC contract.
8:30 p.m. ET The Score: The Score Fighting Series
The Score Fighting Series (SFS) features fighters from North America and beyond with a focus on exciting match-ups and developing the next generation of great fighters. Tune in for non-stop action from events across the country.
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unleashed
UFC 143 Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit; UFC 142 Rousimar Palhares and and Mike Massenzio; Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon at UFC 144.
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
FX 6 A preview of all the official news, views, and action for UFC on FX 6: George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson.
10:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Fuel for the Fire Long Island native Chris Weidman tours the town he loves; Alexander Gustafsson sits down with Jon Anik; Nate Diaz's submission game in Gracie Breakdown; experience Chad Mendes' dominating performance through the eyes of teammate Joseph Benavidez.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz
Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz; Alexander Gustafsson vs. Mauricio Rua; Rory MacDonald vs. BJ Penn; Matt Brown vs. Mike Swick. From Seattle.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet East :UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news. Read more -
Top 5 Forum Threads of the Week
By: Jeff Sherwood
Rory MacDonald faces B.J. Penn on Dec. 8 in Seattle. | Photo: Sherdog.com
More than two months still separate Rory MacDonald and B.J. Penn from their UFC on Fox 5 showdown on Dec. 8 in Seattle, but that has not kept them from trading barbs in the social media world.
Penn and MacDonald took swings at one another on Twitter and their respective fans followed suit. An emerging force at welterweight, MacDonald touted his 200-pound pre-fight frame and jabbed at the Hawaiian’s conditioning. Penn fired back, reminding the Canadian of his affinity for playing David to an opponent’s Goliath.
Other items of interest on the Sherdog.net forums this week include UFC President Dana White’s revelation that Matt Mitrione turned down a proposed bout with 2011 Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix winner Daniel Cormier, UFC analyst Joe Rogan sharing his views about Sherdog.com, a nostalgic video on mixed martial arts and a discussion on the relation of reach to the success of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Twitter Battle
UFC President: ‘Meathead’ Passes
Rogan’s Sherdog Take
Glory Days
More Than a Reach
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Mitrione: UFC Ahead of NFL in Some Respects
By: Yael Grauer
Matt Mitrione spent time with the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings during a brief stint in the National Football League. Now an undefeated heavyweight mixed martial artist inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the 33-year-old, in an exclusive interview with Sherdog.com, compared the two entities ahead of his UFC 137 matchup with Cheick Kongo on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas:
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“The athletes are much more accessible, down-to-earth and humble and OK with being a regular Joe than NFL guys. Most NFL guys are cool but feel like they kind of have a bit more of a privileged life, which they do to a certain extent. As far as the powers that be, the UFC is much more socially aware and in touch and driven than the NFL, which is light years behind [the] UFC as [a] presence. Even though the NFL has great turnouts and fanfare, the UFC experience is much, much greater than what the NFL is doing, in my opinion.”
Follow the jump for reader comments. -
Opinion: Mitrione Ready for Next Level
By: Jason Probst
Is Matt Mitrione ready for a step up in competition? | Photo: Dave Mandel
Now 5-0, Matt Mitrione’s transformation from “Meathead” on Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter” to a talented guy knocking on the door of title contention is a considerable achievement. In his second-round stoppage of Christian Morecraft at UFC Live 4 on Sunday at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Mitrione showed his nice mix of fluid hands and calm demeanor, even when was planted on his back.
What makes Mitrione compelling is that he does not panic in bad spots. If you look at his face, it’s as though he’s a chess player solving a problem, not a guy in a fight.
While he’ll have to continue to work on his takedown defense and probably improve his defensive guard given the better wrestlers he’ll face in the future, Mitrione’s striking is equal parts sharp and intelligent. He also is very relaxed, and his punches pop off with nary a hint or a bit of wasted motion. He’s particularly effective with the low inside leg kick -- an underutilized weapon -- and is further evidence of the athlete-takeover trend in MMA. A former defensive lineman in the NFL, Mitrione’s definitely got the “high calf” attribute that separates athletes from the rest of us.
A fight with fellow UFC Live 4 knockout winner Cheick Kongo would be a natural, and I’d be surprised if the UFC doesn’t make that one next. Mitrione’s eventual ceiling will be defined by how well he deals with elite wrestlers, but for now, he and Kongo make for a perfect bout.
Follow the jump for reader comments. Read more -
Radio: Mitrione, Hellmuth, Buffer, Breen
By: TJ De Santis
Live radio returned to The Sherdog Radio Network Tuesday with new episodes of "The Jordan Breen Show" and "IT'S TIME!!!" programs.
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Bruce Buffer returned to The SRN with guests Matt Mitrione and Phill Hellmuth. Mitrione is getting ready for his UFC Live 4 fight with Christian Morecraft. Phil Hellmuth joined the program to talk the latest in the online poker world.
Jordan Breen kept things simple on "The Jordan Breen Show." "The Mastermind" took listener calls for two hours as well as emails. Topics included mma judging and his thoughts on the Pettis-Guida decision from Saturday night.
Check out the shows and our archives by clicking here. -
UFC ‘Fight for the Troops 2’ Analysis: The Main Card
By: Tim Leidecker
Patrick Barry (top) file photo | Sherdog.com
On Saturday, the UFC put on its second “Fight for the Troops” show to support severely wounded military personnel. While the first event in December of 2008 had many former U.S. Armed Forces members on the fight card itself, that theme was dropped this time around. Instead, “FFTT2” mostly featured the lighter weight classes, with plenty of 135-, 145-, and 155-pound action alongside a pair of heavyweight bouts.
Below, an in-depth look at Saturday’s five main card matches and which fights are likely to be made in the near future for the 10 participants.
Matt Wiman def. Cole Miller -- Decision (Unanimous)
What happened: Long known only as a very confident -- perhaps overconfident -- contestant from “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5, Wiman effectively emancipated himself from his “Handsome” moniker by turning in a career-defining performance over fellow “TUF 5” alum Cole Miller. From the opening bell, both men fought in the way one would want two fighters in the UFC’s ultra-competitive 155-pound division to engage. Midway through the opening round, Miller lost interest in standing and trading with Wiman, who was getting the better of their exchanges. Miller instead tried to pull guard, but was slammed to the mat for his efforts.
Over the next two rounds, Wiman continued to use his strength advantage and tenaciously came after Miller, putting tons of pressure on the American Top Team fighter with vicious ground-and-pound. Read more -
Mitrione: MMA Trash Talk Doesn’t Compare to NFL
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Former NFL player Matt Mitrione, on “Beatdown,” discussing how the war of words in MMA compares to the NFL version:
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“I haven’t seen anything come close to football trash talking yet. … I haven’t seen the really abrasive, aggressive trash talking that the NFL brought to my attention. They go straight for your mother, your cousin, how they all hung out a couple of days ago and what happened and what your family members are really good at. If it gets really personal, they’ll start talking about your wife or your girlfriend. Whew-wee, there’s some nasty things said. Nasty. … I was a pass rusher and I wasn’t your stereotypical pass rusher. I was a longhaired dude that listened to the Grateful Dead. I’m used to hearing quite a bit, but I’ve always shut them up in my life.”
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