Bloody Elbow, for MMA and UFC news

By Carlos Acevedo of The Cruelest Sport. Manny Pacquiao tortured a game Antonio Margarito over 12 violent and lopsided rounds last night in Dallas, Texas, in a fight that was remarkable both for the size disparity in the ring and for the effort Margarito put forth in an attempt to boost a reputation long settled at bedrock. It was a strange kind of butchering, one not seen too often in boxing—an entertaining one. Other fighters simply do not have the sense of showmanship that Pacquiao does. This was proven earlier on the pay-per-view telecast by Guillermo Rigondeaux, whose stupefying performance against Ricardo Cordoba left a stench in Dallas that threatened to waft through surround sound systems across the Americas. Unlike many other boxing stars of track and field, who might as well enter the ring wearing negligees, Pacquiao believes excitement is part of his job description. Against Margarito, who entered the ring with a 17-pound pull in weight, Pacquiao delivered, throwing over 1,000 punches and taking a few lumps in return. Read more...

By Carlos Acevedo of The Cruelest Sport. One of the strangest—and most divisive—fights to come along in years is finally upon us when Manny Pacquiao faces Antonio Margarito tomorrow night for a dubious junior middleweight title at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. There are enough questions surrounding this event to make deciphering the plot of The Big Sleep seem like a cinch. Featuring a disgraced former welterweight star, Margarito, against a boxer who won his first title at flyweight, this fight, set at 150 pounds, has so many subplots surrounding it that anything seems possible. Read more...

By Carlos Acevedo of The Cruelest Sport. Perhaps a certain amount of backlash against Manny Pacquiao was inevitable. Overexposure has probably been the catalyst for some sort of resentment from the easily resentful. While other fighters, apparently agoraphobics, spend most of their time Tweeting incoherently or gorging on Twinkies and Yodels, Pacquiao sings, makes movies, appears on talk shows, runs marathons, and moonlights as a congressman. Read more....

By Carlos Acevedo of The Cruelest Sport. Conflicting reports concerning Manny Pacquiao and his training camp are surely part hype. Most folks understand that. So why get so worked up over it? Some have taken to deriding fairly tame stories emerging from the Philippines lately with the kind of bite forum beasts confuse with rhetoric. Read the rest here...