Bloody Elbow, for MMA and UFC news

Luke Thomas talks to Liz Carmouche about her experience as a marine, her feelings about Gina Carano and her bout with former champion Sarah Kaufmann at this Friday's Strikeforce Challengers 17 at SBNation/MMA.

Are you a MMA or UFC Fan? I would assume that everyone reading this is likely a MMA fan based on the fact that you are on a MMA website; however, it shocks me when I come across people (and I find them surprisingly often) who have heard of the UFC but NOT MMA. Doesn’t that seem insane?!? It’s the equivalent of knowing the NBA but not knowing that the sport is baseball…er basketball. Even with highlights being shown on Sports Center and ESPN on a more regular basis, people are unaware of what a great sport MMA is. I’ll have people ask what I do and when I say, "I’m a professional MMA fighter," I’ll often get a strange look. (Although the look could partially be due to the fact that I’m a female and I just said I’m a fighter.) Often times, I can tell the look is of confusion, like in their head they’re thinking, "What the $^ is MMA?" I try and explain it to them, "Well it is a mix of boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, grappling…where you fight standing or on the floor." Maybe I get a head nod, but normally they are still trying to figure out what I’m describing. Finally, I’ll resort to, "Have you seen the UFC?" "Yea I’ve heard of/ seen that." My final response, "Well that’s MMA."

Behold, The Kaufman Bomb HT: middleeasy.com

"The champ is here" - ekc on Twitter http://thingsisee.posterous.com/the-champ-is-here-1

Strikeforce women's champion, Sarah Kaufman, vents some frustrations on her blog at PrettyToughFighter.com: Cookies and Man Parts …seem to be the 2 things that will get me on a main Strikeforce card…that and learning how to shake my assets I am currently the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion…yet I fought for the title on a Challengers Card. Now, I am set to defend said title against Roxanne Modafferi in just a few days – again – on a Challengers Card. I know that it’s going to be a fun and challenging fight…and I always welcome that. Roxanne has been around the sport for a long time and will come game to fight; however, I need to take this fight and make a statement. That statement will be: I deserve to be on a main Strikeforce Card because I am a talented, exciting FEMALE fighter at 135lbs! I will NOT eat a ridiculous amount of cookies to make 145lbs JUST for the opportunity to be on a main card and growing man parts… well that would just be ridiculous :D Photo: Examiner.com

"With Kim Couture (1-1) voluntarily pulling out of the event, her original opponent, Miesha Tate (5-1), will now take on late replacement Sarah Kaufman (8-0) at Strikeforce's May 15 SHO MMA event." via MMA Junkie