Thomas Gerbasi, UFC - Memorial Day weekend is more than the unofficial start of summer and a time for barbecues and ballgames; it is a day to remember the men and women who died in service of their country as members of the United States Armed Forces, and to also celebrate all servicemen and women.

Move over Urijah Faber, Miguel Torres is here.

While "The California Kid" recently received an official day in his
honor, Faber isn't the only WEC star to receive such recognition.

East Chicago, Ind., hometown of former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel
Torres, has declared June 4, 2010 to be "Miguel Angel Torres Day."

Press Release

TORONTO (May 12, 2010) – On Saturday, May 22, 2010, the movement to bring Mixed Martial Arts to Ontario gathers for a high energy outdoor rally at Queen’s Park.

MMA Day
Queen’s Park, front lawn of the Legislature Building
University Avenue and College Street
Saturday May 22, 2010
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM – Press Conference on site

The First Annual MMA Day, organized by Toronto-based Mixed Martial Arts Expo, will bring together the Ontario citizens, families and businesses that see great benefit in having Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) recognized as another combative sport in Ontario, as boxing has been for over eighty years. The growing list of Ontario supporters of MMA includes:

- Suppliers and retailers of martial arts gear and apparel
- Traditional martial art schools and MMA training facilities
- Distributors of supplements, nutrition products and energy drinks
- Fitness facilities and personal trainers
- Health, wellness and sports medicine companies
- Professional and amateur fighters and coaches
- Fight promoters, agents and managers
- Facility suppliers, designers and equipment manufacturers
- Tattoo shops and artists
- Photography and videography industry
- Radio and television broadcasting
- Publishers of MMA magazines and websites
- Authors and publishers of martial arts training materials
- Martial arts and MMA associations
- Website development companies
- Ticketing agencies
- Tour Bus Operators
- Hotels, convention centres and arenas
- A/V, Staging and Lighting Industry
- Restaurant Industry
- Tourism Industry

The event will be hosted by Ontario businessman, radio announcer and mixed martial artist instructor and competitor, Jeff Joslin. Also in attendance on the dais will be representatives from the tourism and hospitality industries, local and provincial politicians and many of the brightest stars in the Ontario MMA community including:

- “Showdown Joe” Ferraro – MMA Analyst; Host of MMA Connected on Rogers Sportsnet
- Loudon Owen – Chairman of the Fight Network
- Carlos Newton – Business Owner; First-ever Canadian UFC Champion
- Mark Hominick – Business Owner; professional MMA fighter
- Sam Stout – Business Owner; UFC Lightweight Contender
- Sean Pierson – Bellator Welterweight Pro Fighter
- Shah Franco – BJJ and MMA Instructor; Pro Fighter Coach

MMA Day organizer and president of Mixed Martial Arts Expo, Gerald Chopik, states that, “MMA Day on May 22 gives Ontario families, related industry workers and MMA athletes and fans and the opportunity to raise awareness about not only how they – but the province at large – will benefit from MMA being sanctioned in Ontario.”

To be kept apprised of the day’s activities MMA Day supporters are encouraged to join the Facebook event page at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=114793371892846

One night in 2005, Bryan Humes went to bed without a hint of interest in
mixed martial arts.

He had a young family living in Las Vegas with a wife, Victoria, who had
just finished nursing school after pulling him out of a wandering life
in his hometown of DeKalb, Ill. But what he didn't have a true passion.

"So I woke up one day; it was a Saturday," Humes said. "There was a
marathon of the first season of 'The Ultimate Fighter' on that day. ...
Dana White is yelling at them, 'Do you wanna be a [expletive] fighter?'
So I'm thinking, 'I should try this. I used to be a good athlete.'"

Not only did former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida lose his belt last Saturday night, but apparently he also walked away from the event with the dubious distinction of topping the list of medical suspensions issued by the Quebec Athletic Commission following UFC 113. Machida’s sixty-day vacation was mandated due to precautionary reasons stemming from his first-round knockout loss to current title-holder Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The news was initially reported by MMAJunkie who earlier this week also relayed word from Machida’s manager, Ed Soares, stating “The Dragon” suffered a hairline fracture to his orbital bone during the fight.

Other notable suspensions from the invent include Jonathan Goulet, who was issued a 30-day leave from action, as well as seven-day suspensions for Jason MacDonald and Patrick Cote. MacDonald and Cote will in reality both be sidelined for far longer than a week after suffering broken bones in their respective bouts. MacDonald recently took to his Twitter to relay his professional diagnosis of both a fractured tibia and fibia, as well as a dislocated ankle, which required “twelve screws and four plates” to repair, while Cote broke his hand against Alan Belcher and will be out at least three weeks.

The following is the remaining list of suspensions stemming from the show:

Seven-Day Suspensions – Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Alan Belcher, Joe Doerksen, John Salter, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, Matt Mitrione, Marcus Davis, Tom Lawlor

Fourteen-Day Suspensions – Jeremy Stephens, Johny Hendricks, Joey Beltran, Mike “Joker” Guymon, Josh Koscheck, Paul Daley, Sam Stout, Tim Hague, T.J. Grant and Yoshiyuki Yoshida.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Weigh-In Day

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fight Night/Final

Jeremy Stephens chronicles the last few day’s of UFC 113 from the day of the weigh-ins to the night of his fight against Sam Stout on the ppv portion of the show. Stephens would go on to defeat Stout by split decision in a match that would earn both men the $65,000 “Fight of the Night” award.

HT: LilHeathenMMA.com

On behalf of the entire Powerlifting Watch staff, I would like to extend a Happy Mother’s Day wish to all the mom's that are involved in our sport. We hope you have a wonderful and blessed day!

Powerlifting Watch

Competing on day one of the WPA Worlds in Corpus Christi, teenager Eduardo Pichardo (165) hit a 505 pound squat that ranks him eighth on the Powerlifting Watch Lifter Rankings.

Leah Collier (198) had a huge day on Saturday at the APF Texas Classic in Austin, Texas. Not only did Collier take home the meet's best raw lifter award, but her total put her at the top of the Powerlifting Watch Lifter Rankings.