This is the official BloodyElbow.com Happy Thanksgiving thread. I encourage every reader to share what they are thankful for (MMA related) in the comments section. I also encourage every BloodyElbow.com staff member to state what they are thankful for by updating this post with their response (include your name, gents).

As for me, I could list virtually any number of responses in our dramatically changing MMA world. I am thankful MMA is still is growing in spite of a declining economy and what was supposed to have been a plateau season. I am thankful with have competent adults in place (Zuffa) helping to nurture this sport into the next stratosphere of its development. I am thankful for the countless number of enjoyable fights we've seen at home and abroad. Believe it or not, I am thankful for the mainstream journalists who are slowly but surely coming around on mixed martial arts. I am thankful for the fighters worldwide whose hard work, discipline, sacrifice and unbelievable displays of athletic talent entertain us every day of our lives. I am also thankful for the fantastic talent of writers and editors who work daily to make BloodyElbow.com a success.

However, I'd be remiss were I not to candidly say I am most thankful to you, the reader. The dramatic and continuing growth of this site has been more enjoyable and rewarding than I am capable of describing. Your daily decision to visit us forces us to improve how we interact with you and retool how we cover this sport. You enable us to learn more about the sport, our own biases and about the value in other ways or lines of thinking. But most importantly, you give us the basic ability to do what we do. Without readers, we are merely chin scratchers talking to no one but ourselves. You are more far more than just a passive audience. You are in many ways part of the conversation. I, for one, never dreamed the site would grow so large and the conversation so interesting (and there are major workings behind the scenes to improve that in coming months; stay tuned). On behalf of everyone at BloodyElbow.com, thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Travel safe and smart. Let's get ready for an exciting December and 2009. And of course, join us here through all of it. I promise it will be worth it.

KID NATE: I'm thankful most of all for the fighters who are willing to test themselves for our enjoyment and enlightenment. May you all continue to train and compete to the best of your abilities.

I'm thankful for Luke Thomas for his leadership and direction, the magic elves at SB Nation who rock the programming on this amazing family of sites, the whole BE crew for all the great posts and insight, and to you our BE readers for being the smartest and most constructive group of blood-crazed, knuckle-dragging, savages any MMA site could wish for.

NICK THOMAS: I'm thankful for Affliction putting together another card with Fedor against a top 10 guy, all the awesome FanPost's you guys have been pumping out recently and for UFC coming back to Canada in 2009. =)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

CHRIS NELSON: This Thanksgiving, I'm most grateful for: the BE community (our intrepid staff, ridiculously talented FanPosters, and the most knowledgeable commentors in the MMA blog game), Brooklyn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, international MMA and the secret websites that help us watch it, underdogs and upsets (eat up, Mike Thomas Brown, you earned it), grand prixs, and the sheer volume of MMA we got to experience in 2008. (And there's still a month of amazing shows to come!) Above all, I'm simply thankful for this wonderful sport that brings us all so much excitement, frustration, joy and heartache all year round. Happy Thanksgiving y'all.

BRENT BROOKHOUSE:  To say I'm thankful to Luke and Nate for giving me the opportunity to come on board here at BloodyElbow back around the summer of '07 would be a huge understatement.  The truth is that this site is what it is now because we have a wonderful staff full of hard working, passionate guys who give up their time and money  to cover the sport we love and I'm thankful to be associated with Luke, Nate, Chris, Mike R., Nick, Mike F. and Cannon.  This has not been a pursuit that has brought us much by way of monetary gains but speaking personally there has not been a moment of time where I haven't felt extremely rewarded.

To our readers...thank you.  There have been times where we have disagreed passionately but rare are the times that these have gotten out of hand and moved off the topic of MMA.  The content that you all have been generating has been great also.  I think there is more intelligent posting going on in the FanPost section of this site than just about any other MMA site on the web.  To simply call you readers isn’t even fair.  You are all contributors to the site and you push us to be better in our writing and coverage of the sport than we were the day before and that is what makes the site what it is.

Lastly, I'm thankful for the failure of EliteXC.  I'm never happy to see fighters put into a bad situation.  But the fact that a company could have premium cable coverage, be on network TV and fail so spectacularly will do much to scare off the pretenders from thinking that this sport is some sort of flash in the pan and that they should just throw some money into starting a new company without a solid gameplan to make a quick buck.  The UFC remains the shining example of how to succeed in this sport and promotions like Strikeforce prove that you don't have to be the top dog to have be well respected and put on solid shows.

...I am also thankful for rum.  Happy Thanksgiving!

MIKE FAGAN: As others have said, I'm thankful to Luke and Bloody Elbow for giving me a chance to contribute to the site.  I'm not sure if many remember this, but things got started because I called out BE's gambling articles in a slightly abrasive manner.  Fortunately, Luke and the staff understood that my criticisms were an attempt to improve the site's content and not just the ranting of an unmitigated troll. So here I am, writing for a blog that I feel is head-and-shoulders above everyone else, and getting to spout off my crazy thoughts and theories to an active audience.

As for MMA, I'm thankful we finally saw Liddell/Silva, even if it was three years too late.  I'm happy I saw Silva/Henderson in person.  I'm thankful for Eddie Alvarez's run in Dream both from a fan and gambler's persepctive.  I'm glad to see a mega-star like Brock Lesnar enter the sport, and I'm ecstatic to see UFC 92 and 94.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, and please don't drink and drive.

CANNON JACQUES:  There are so many things to be appreciative of this Thanksgiving.  I would be foolish not to echo the sentiments of my counterparts on the staff and thank the many readers/contributors to this site.  I'm constantly amazed at the high level of debate which takes place here at BE.  Being able to express your opinion without facing a barrage of childish criticism is worth more than I could possibly express in words.  You guys make BE what it is - the finest MMA blog on the internet.  I learn something new about this sport every time I log on.

Of course, I'm especially thankful to Luke, Nate, and all the other guys on the staff.  They've enabled me to write, something I love to do, about a dynamic, growing sport that's extremely enjoyable to cover.  Everyone at BE from the staff to the first time reader is treated with respect as long as they're respectful to others.  Unfortunately in life, that's not always the case.  I'm honored to be a part of a staff filled with individuals that are so talented and supportive of others.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who represent the sport of MMA with integrity and intelligence.  These virtues are of paramount importance, in my opinion.  Have a great Thanksgiving everyone.