What you need to know from the TUF debut

"I ain't here to make friends. I ain't here to win new fans. This is strictly business for me."

The first words out of Brock Lesnar's mouth in the debut of the 13th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" were in form of the most cliche of reality TV cliches. This bodes well for the season. Read on for a recap and spoilers from the first episode of ... "The Ultimate Fighter."

Good news of the day: The fighters were pleased to find out that they did not have to win a fight to make it into the house, as was the custom in the past few seasons. What has returned is the wildcard. Less than two minutes into the show, Dana White drops his first f-bomb, saying that the UFC wants guys who are bleepin' fighters.

Instead of the fights, the fighters are put through workouts to show off their skills for Lesnar and Junior dos Santos. Lesnar has his strength and conditioning guru check on the cardio of each fighter, while dos Santos explores the "international language of fight." Dos Santos points out that he is more concerned about the fight style of each competitor, while Lesnar is more concerned about cardio.

Standouts of the day: Brock is most impressed with Len Bentley, while Shamar Bailey and Ryan McGillivray catch Junior's eye.

Ugh, that sucks of the day: Myles Jury, who also stood out, hurt his knee in practice. While he says it's fine, I've been watching this show long enough to realize that this is a bad sign.

Picks of the day: Lesnar and dos Santos head to the office to make their picks, meaning that it won't be like gym class, where each fighter will go and stand with their team. I hope it's more like cheerleading tryouts, where you read from a list that's posted outside the gym. Some cry with happiness, some cry with sadness.

Nah, Dana White just reads the fighters name from a list. Lesnar gets first pick by virtue of a coin toss. In order of how they were picked, the teams are:

Lesnar:
Len Bentley
Charles Rader
Tony Ferguson
Clay Harvison
Myles Jury
Chris Cope
Nordin Asrih

Dos Santos:
Shamar Bailey
Ryan McGillivray
Javier Torres
Ramsey Nijem
Zach Davis
Mick Bowman
Keon Caldwell

Second biggest reality TV show cliche of the day: Let's explore the house and claim rooms! The teams break up by floor, with Lesnar's team upstairs and Team dos Santos downstairs. Somehow, I still have faith that hijinx will ensue.

Saw that coming from a mile away of the day: Myles Jury has a torn ACL, and the doctor won't let him fight. Lesnar is surprisingly supportive. Jury thinks he's going to stay around and learn from the coaches while he heals. Dana White bursts that bubble and sends him home, to be replaced by Chuck O'Neil and his fantastic Boston accent.


Fight pick of the week: Dos Santos gets first fight pick, and he puts his first pick, Shemar Bailey, against Lesnar's last, Nordin Asrih.

Finding religion of the day: In an interesting oddity of matchmaking, both fighters are deeply religious. Bailey is a preacher's son, while Asrih is a German Muslim who adheres to his religion's pillar of praying five times daily. Asrih says that he feels more focused after prayer.

Fight of the Day: Nordin Asrih (Team Lesnar) vs. Shamar Bailey (Team dos Santos)

Round 1: Bailey quickly uses his strength, wrestling. He takes Asrih down and moves to side control. Asrih gets back to his feet for a second, but Bailey brings it right back down. Bailey's wrestling is fantastic, but he seems content to get the pin. It takes him much too long to figure out that it's OK. He can throw punches. Near the end of the round, he lands some big elbows, but for as long as he had control, Bailey should have done much more damage.

Round 2: Asrih starts the round with a kick, slips and falls on the ground. Bailey jumps on top of him, gets full mount and pins Asrih. However, this not being a wrestling match, no one slaps the mat and he has to continue fighting. Asrih shows some flashes when he reverses Bailey and tries for a guillotine. But the round was Bailey's. In the final minute, he gets full mount and throws strikes.

All three judges score it for Bailey, and he says after the fight that his strategy worked because he didn't want to show off everything that he could do in his first bout on the show. In his parting shot to his team, Lesnar says, "Wrestling is powerful in this sport."

Darn straight, Brock. What did you think of the first episode?

UFC In the Moment: Jon Jones - Full Episode

Updated Top 10 rankings

Updated Top 10 rankings

Inspired by Jones' win

Inspired by Jones' win

Dan Henderson To Defend Strikeforce Title…

Dan Henderson To Defend Strikeforce Title…

UFC Fight Night 24 Facebook stream includes…

UFC Fight Night 24 Facebook stream includes…

Jones to appear on the ‘Tonight Show’ on Thursday night

Jon Jones' latest stop on the victory tour is a trip out to Los Angeles and Jay Leno's "Tonight Show." He will appear on the famous late night show on Thursday evening at 11:35 ET/PT to talk about winning the UFC light heavyweight belt. The split in his training camp with former friend and training partner Rashad Evans will likely be discussed.

Jones is far from the first fighter to make it onto Leno's stage. Tito Ortiz, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Chuck Liddell have all appeared on the Leno show. But even putting Jones in that company is impressive. All three men have multiple title defenses, movie roles and magazine covers. Now, Jones will join them down that road of stardom that transcends MMA

UFC 128 Jones vs Rue

Hey UFC, Chris Leben Wants to Fight His Hero, Wanderlei Silva

Chris Leben is itching to get back in the Octagon. The season-one Ultimate Fighter cast member is coming off a loss to Brian Stann at UFC 125: Resolution in January and has since been without a fight to look forward to.


While in limbo, Leben is patiently awaiting a call from the UFC offering up his next foe within the eight-sided chained fence. In doing so, he can only sit and consider who he would like face. For Leben, that desired fight is MMA superstar Wanderlei Silva.


A match-up with the former Pride 205-pound champion is the most attractive contest to Leben at the moment. His manager, Gary Ibarra, explained that his client is more than willing to take on the task of fighting a legend of the sport.


“Chris is eager to fight again after his loss to Brian Stann,” Ibarra told MMAWeekly.com. “(He) would like to reiterate his desire to compete against a legend of the sport and personal hero of his in Wanderlei Silva.”

Although a bout with Silva is the match-up Leben wants most, he understands that the matchmaking is not up to him or anyone in his camp. Ibarra added that they have all the confidence in the world in Joe Silva’s matchmaking abilities, and if not Wanderlei Silva, then the UFC will pit him against someone that will allow he and Leben entertain the MMA faithful all around
“We have no doubt they will determine the proper match-up so Chris can once again do what he does best, and that’s put on a great show for MMA fans everywhere,” Ibarra said
Leben most recently took on Stann and fell to the former United States Marine in the first round of their fight via TKO. The loss stopped a three-fight win streak, which included an epic war against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin last July. The fight went through three rounds of back and forth action before Leben was able to lock in a triangle choke late in final five-minute set. The bout earned Leben and Akiyama “Fight of the Night” honors.


Easily regarded as one of the most popular fighters in the history of the sport, Silva has not fought since making his middleweight debut against Michael Bisping in February of 2010 at UFC 110: Nogueira vs. Velasquez. He was scheduled to face Akiyama at UFC 116, but broken ribs forced him out of the fight, and Leben stepped in as his replacement. After defeating Akiyama, Leben openly called out Silva in effort to bring the fight to fruition, but no plans to actually make it happen have surfaced.


Since both fighters are without an opponent for their next fight, a Silva-Leben match-up makes sense, but it is all in the hands of UFC brass.

With Jones, Evans facing potential bout, Wittman believes teammates should fight

Jon Jones doesn't want to talk about it, but it seems everyone else does.


With the fast-rising star taking Rashad Evans' spot in this weekend's UFC 128 main event, Jones' next challenge could very well be against his Greg Jackson-trained teammate.


Grudge Training Center head Trevor Wittman, a former amateur boxer who has worked with both Evans and Jones, believes that with very few exceptions, teammates should be willing to square off in the cage
"I have a little bit of different beliefs when it comes to fighting each other," Wittman told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "As an amateur boxer, we fought each other on the team all the time. If you're a 119-pound fighters, and you've got five or six other guys going out to the tournaments, you're fighting each other."


Jones and Evans had long stated they had no interest in letting MMA interrupt their budding friendship. But with Jones now facing Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the UFC's light heavyweight title, both 205-pounders have begun to change their tune.


UFC president Dana White has long believed teammates should be willing to meet when the title of world's best is on the line, and Wittman mostly agrees.


"Honestly, I can understand if you have two best buddies that trained together since the beginning, they're not going to fight each other unless there's something on the line like a title fight," Wittman said. "I feel if there's something on the line, you need to fight. If there's something coming out of it, and you're making a good amount of money doing it, I think that's what makes this sport and the combative sports unique compared to the other ones.


"I got into boxing because I used to love watching the guys talk crap at the press conferences and then go in and fight each other and try to knock each other's heads off and then always hug after the fight. That's what made me really interested. I had to go out and give it a try because I wanted to know what was making them do that."


Ultimately, the discussion of a potential Jones vs. Evans showdown could all be silenced by Rua's lethal Muay Thai. But if the young "Bones" is able to claim the belt, Wittman believes friendships need not be broken in the name of sport. After all, nothing commands more respect and kinship than hand-to-hand combat.


"You get in there, and you earn respect for each other," Wittman said. "When that final bell rings, you look at each other and know you just went rounds with that guy. There's not a better feeling than that. It's honestly the best feeling in the world."

Players chip in to save coach’s life after Clippers decline medical coverage

Seven years ago, former Los Angeles Clippers head coach Kim Hughes was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and the ensuing aftermath will change the way you feel about several NBA types significantly.

Up until Tuesday afternoon, the only functional knowledge I had of former Los Angeles Clippers head coach Kim Hughes was that he was, in fact, a former Los Angeles Clippers head coach, and that he once touched his elbows on the rim in a lay-up line at a high school tournament in Illinois, which really impressed my father.

Beyond that, nothing. Until Tuesday afternoon, when Howard Beck brought this column to Trey Kerby's attention, and he brought it to our attention. And now we're passing the feel-good savings on to you, in the form of an anecdote that reveals that NBA players Corey Maggette(notes), Marko Jaric(notes), Chris Kaman(notes) and Elton Brand(notes) all chipped in to pay for expensive life-saving surgery for Hughes, after the Clippers organization (read: Donald Sterling, noted worst person in the world) declined to cover the costs.

Declined to cover the cost of a surgery that would save their employee's life. While playing rent-free in an often sold-out arena in America's second-biggest television market. Unyieldingly evil.

Gary Woelfel has the original story:

"Those guys saved my life," Hughes said. "They paid the whole medical bill. It was like $70,000 or more. It wasn't cheap.

"It showed you what classy people they are. They didn't want me talking about it; they didn't want the recognition because they simply felt it was the right thing to do."

Hughes said he will be forever grateful to Brand, Jaric, Kaman and Maggette. In fact, Hughes said every time he runs into any of them, he thanks them from the bottom of his heart.

Maggette said that was indeed the case, laughing how he has repeatedly told Hughes over the years it wasn't necessary.

"Kim thanks me every time he sees me; he does that every single time," Maggette said smiling. "I've said to him, 'Kim, come on. You don't have to do that. You're good.'

No, you're good, Corey Maggette. You're pretty fantastically good. And so are you, Marko Jaric, Elton Brand, and Chris Kaman.

And Donald Sterling? You remain a terrible, terrible person

Adrian Peterson expresses frustration on labor issues

No matter what NFL players may be doing in the offseason, the ongoing labor negotiations are never far from their minds. Even stars like Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson have strong feelings on the issues being debated by NFL players and team owners, who are fighting over how to divide the league's estimated $9.3 billion in revenue.

Speaking just minutes after the owners locked out the players, Peterson compared the players' place in the game to "modern-day slavery," a statement that, while ill-advised, was made in the context of how the players feel they're being treated in these talks. (Note: Based on the context in which the comments were made, I do not believe that Peterson was actually equating his current position in the NFL with any kind of slavery. I will update this piece if he clarifies his statement.) What follows is our full interview.

See the controversial quote in its entirety here.

SC: We're talking about 15 minutes after the NFLPA sent in the paperwork to decertify, so the lockout's on everybody's minds. I've talked to a lot of players about this recently, and I always ask the same question — what is the message you want to get out to the people who love the game and are tired of hearing all the labor talk?

AP: We're business-minded, also. It's not just fun and games. A lot of football players, whether it's Sunday or Monday night — we're out there on the field, competing, hitting each other. But people don't see everything else behind it. It's a job for us, too — every day of the week. We're in different states, sometimes thousands of miles away from our families and kids, and a lot of people don't look at it like that. All some people see is, 'Oh, we're not going to be around football.' But how the players look at it … the players are getting robbed. They are. The owners are making so much money off of us to begin with. I don't know that I want to quote myself on that…

SC: It's nothing that I haven't heard from other players, believe me.

AP: It's modern-day slavery, you know? People kind of laugh at that, but there are people working at regular jobs who get treated the same way, too. With all the money … the owners are trying to get a different percentage, and bring in more money. I understand that; these are business-minded people. Of course this is what they are going to want to do. I understand that; it's how they got to where they are now. But as players, we have to stand our ground and say, 'Hey — without us, there's no football.' There are so many different perspectives from different players, and obviously we're not all on the same page — I don't know. I don't really see this going to where we'll be without football for a long time; there's too much money lost for the owners. Eventually, I feel that we'll get something done.

But this crazy idea about an 18-game season … I'm sure they want more entertainment and more revenue, but we're not going to see a pinch of that (the increased revenue), and it's just the business we're in.

SC: It seems to most of the players that if the owners had nothing to hide financially, and if the current business model was as unsustainable as they claim, they'd have no trouble opening the books and showing audited profit and loss per team. Is that your impression?

AP: Exactly! It's like … 'Well, show us.' We want more information, and they want to bull****, going around, saying this and that, just open it up and give us the information we want. If they have nothing to hide, just give us the information. Why not? Obviously, there's a lot to hide -- these guys are professionals, and they're maximizing what they do. But they know that if all this information comes out, the information the players want, it'll be right out there for everyone to see. It's a ripoff — not just for the players, but for the people who work at the concession stands and at the stadiums. The people working at the facilities, you know?

SC: Do you feel that you're represented well by DeMaurice Smith and George Atallah and what now used to be the Players' Union?

AP: Yeah, I think so — they're doing a good job. And with the veteran guys on board, and the player reps, they give us a lot of confidence.

SC: Obviously, last season was a disappointment for the Vikings — your team went 6-10 while the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears played for the NFC championship, and the Packers won the Super Bowl. How do the Vikings get back to the top of the NFC North? And how should you get that new quarterback now that Brett Favre(notes) is gone?

AP: We need to make some adjustments. Obviously … I mean, Favre hasn't retired yet! (laughs) You never know! The quarterback situation is up in the air, and some adjustments need to be made there. We need to go out and do a good job of recruiting in free agency (whenever there is free agency) — bring some new guys in, patch up some areas, and I feel that with Coach [Leslie] Frazier and the changes he's made, they're all for the better, and they'll help our team in the ways we're hoping for. It's all about having 53 guys that come together, and can get it done with the same goals, and will make sacrificed to accomplish those goals.

I see so many teams … the Patriots are a perfect example. Tom Brady's(notes) the guy everyone knows about, but it's about all the other players — the role-players who, one way or another, will get it done somehow. It's not all about talent, and we were a perfect example of that. Brett Favre at quarterback, me at running back, the offensive line, Sidney Rice(notes) … Percy Harvin(notes) is one of the best athletes I've ever seen. Our defense is always ranked in the top five … that shows you that talent doesn't always get it done. So, the changes Coach Frazier has made, new offensive and defensive coordinators, I feel like the mindset those guys bring to the table will be the key we need to get back to that level.

Peterson is one of the best players in the game, and he's staying busy as the labor issues get hashed out — he recently teamed with Power Balance performance wear and Converge to shoot a "Double Take" video in which he interviewed himself and dealt with delicate subjects like McDonald's restrooms, fantasy football, and power handshakes. Here's the video link, and you can watch an exclusive blooper reel below

Shutdown Corner: I wanted to ask you about the "Double Take" concept, and how you became involved with that.

Adrian Peterson: I was working with this guy named Marty Burns, and we were working on the whole concept behind it, and the interview process — me basically interviewing myself. The concept was to integrate with Double Take, and I thought it would be fun. It would give fans an opportunity to see a different side of me. You know, with football-related commercials and interviews, things like that, this was more personal — what I think about different topics. It was just about different inspirations that might have occurred, different topics, shedding a different light.

SC: Did you contribute to the material?

AP: It was written before, but as we went through the process, I had my input. These were all natural reactions in the commercials. The answers weren't scripted at all — they were all natural. The questions were obviously scripted, but we tweaked them as we went through

Henderson wins Strikeforce belt with KO of Feijao

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Dan Henderson is a champion again. He won the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt with a KO of Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena.

Feijao, who trains with Black House fighters Jose Aldo and Anderson Silva, started with snapping leg kicks. The fight went to the ground in a flurry that ended with Henderson on top. Henderson wasn't able to do anything on the ground, so the fight was stood up. They got into a clunch, and again, had to be broken up for a lack of action.

In the second round, Henderson returned to the clinch, then used a lateral to take Feijao to the ground. Feijao reversed him, but also couldn't get anything done on the ground. They were stood up, and Henderson finished the round with a huge body lock takedown.

Henderson started the third round by pushing Feijao into the cage with strikes. Feijao pushed him away, but then caught a right hand from Henderson. He fell to the ground, and Henderson pounced and finished off Feijao with a series of strikes to end it 50 seconds into the third round.

The fight had been headed towards a clinch-filled, five-round bout until Henderson was able to land the power shot that he's become known for.

After the bout, Henderson was excited to wear the Strikeforce championship belt.

"I didn't think about the belt until now, because my main focus was winning the fight," Henderson said. "But now it means something."

Henderson now has titles in three different major promotions. He won two Pride belts, at 185 lbs. and 205 lbs., as well as memorable victories in the UFC. Now, at 40, he has the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt

'H-Bomb' landed

'H-Bomb' landed

Magic's Howard banned 1 game for techs

Magic's Howard banned 1 game for techs

Strikeforce: Liz Carmouche Attributes Edge To…

Strikeforce: Liz Carmouche Attributes Edge To…

Burress gets out of prison early in June

Burress gets out of prison early in June

Ex-Raiders DE Smith charged with murder

Ex-Raiders DE Smith charged with murder

Vick, Eagles would work out on their own

Vick, Eagles would work out on their own

Michael Vick: Will Sign Franchise Tender - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

Michael Vick: Will Sign Franchise Tender - NFL - Yahoo! Sports: "Michael Vick: Will Sign Franchise Tender
RotoWire.com Staff - RotoWire.com
Mar 2, 7:55 pm EST

tweet0EmailPrintUpdate: Vick will sign Philadelphia’s franchise tender, which will pay him slightly more than $16 million in 2011, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Recommendation: Vick can use the money, and the Eagles need to keep Vick around. This should be one case where the franchise tag works fine for both sides"

Strikeforce officially announces April's…

Strikeforce officially announces April's…

Sharks top Wings as win streak reaches 8

Sharks top Wings as win streak reaches 8

Mavericks sign G-F Brewer

Mavericks sign G-F Brewer

Bears restructure DE Peppers' contract

Bears restructure DE Peppers' contract

Panthers sign TE Shockey to 1-year deal

Panthers sign TE Shockey to 1-year deal

Obama won't step into labor dispute

Obama won't step into labor dispute

Ex-Colts S Sanders agrees with Chargers

Ex-Colts S Sanders agrees with Chargers

NFL, union agree to 24-hour extension

NFL, union agree to 24-hour extension

Big Z pitches real estate to Carmelo Anthony from the bench

In Sunday's loss to the New York Knicks, Miami Heat center Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes) played zero minutes. He didn't take a shot, pull in a rebound, or even take the warm-ups off. For his troubles, Big Z (who is making the NBA's minimum salary this season) earned himself a cool $16,490. And he may have found a nice way to augment that
Because during halftime of that game Ilgauskas introduced new Knick forward Carmelo Anthony(notes) to the news that Big Z rents out a spacious New York City townhouse (that he purchased in 2006 for $6.95 million) for the totally do-able price of $37,500 a month. And Carmelo, after being uprooted from Denver after playing in that city for 7 1/2 years, is considering turning Big Z into the Big Landlord.

Ilgauskas' in-game pitch? "It's awesome, with five bedrooms."

The New York Post has the story:

Carmelo Anthony agreed to walk through Zydrunas Ilgauskas' $37,500-a-month townhouse at 24 Thompson St., after Ilgauskas, who plays for the Miami Heat, pitched it to Melo during a recent Knicks' victory. The five-bedroom townhouse, represented by Josh Fields of Spire Group, is 5,000 square feet and has hoopster-friendly 15-foot ceilings.

I had no interest in a Carmelo Anthony-themed reality show until now.

The thought of Zydrunas Ilgauskas strolling in to collect the rent, or to change the air filters on the heater? To see if Carmelo and LaLa Vasquez bought a new cat? To relay the complaints that the incorrigible neighbor Mrs. Foxton has about "all the noise"?