This Saturday (May 8th) at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Shogun will fight Machida for the LHW title it what is certainly the best rematch in quite some time. My birthday is tomorrow (I'll be 24.) but since a Wednesday isn't the best day for partying I'm going to Montreal on Saturday see the event live and I am very excited.  Here's the card and my predictions.

OK now I now that I'm one of the few GPO members that is also a big fan of MMA but I think there is an MMA issue that the GPO should vocally support.  We should call for MMA to be legalized in Ontario.

Quick background on this MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) is combat sport that blends various martial art styles (boxing, kick-boxing, Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Judo, Sambo, etc.).  MMA is sanctioned in 40 states as well as various places in Canada (most notably Quebec and Alberta). While MMA is not for everyone and can look rather brutal, statistically it is far safer than both football or boxing (both are legal in Ontario).

I have noticed that on many mixed martial arts (MMA) related forums that fans generally and American fans specifically are at a loss to explain why MMA is so popular in Canada. This confusion has persisted in part due to week explanations from Canadian fans and a general lack of knowledge regarding sports culture in both countries. First I should point out that I am not an expert but I think I may have noticed some trends that help explain why MMA has become such a popular sport in Canada.

Last night I had my first Jiu Jitsu class.  It was awesome!  While we don't cover too much (just some stances, breakfalls and some striking they commonly use in the warm-up) it has gotten me really excited about training and being back in an organized sport again.

I have done some sparring (badly executed kimuras make Mic's shoulder go pop! ... my bad.), wrestling (high school) and a little Muay Thai (free classes at SLC) but never so formally.

It's a great school that has been around for a long time and the instructors are excellent.  I can't wait to really get into it!

Update: Joseph are you still doing bjj?

Normally I don't blog on the weekends but this one couldn't wait.  UFC 101 was a huge let down. Six fights were televised.
 
Two of which (Kendall Grove Vs. Ricardo Almeida and Josh Neer Vs. Kurt Pellegrino) were pretty boring decisions where the guy who did the most laying (and praying) managed to win even though in the Neer/Pellgrino fight Neer lost while doing far more damage.
 

With Affliction going back to being a t-shirt company the UFC was able to re-sign Vitor Belfort.  The Phenom was one of my favorite early fighters.  His hand speed was legendary and if you doubt that just check with Abott, Eastman or Silva.

In what was hyped as a super feet between legendary rivals Josh Barnett and Fedor Emelianenko ended in Afflictions getting out of the promotion business.  Josh Barnett who lets face it has had steroid problems in the past was denied a licence by the California state athletic commission.  Affliction did originally set out to find a replacement launching a flurry of speculation over who would face Fedor.
 

I must bring up the fact that I'm a big fan of mixed martial arts (MMA). The biggest MMA promotion on the globe is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). They're really big and good at what they do so of course they have become the big evil empire of the sport (think the Microsoft of fighting).