MMA Cult (Fighter Apparel)

From MMAjunkie:

The American Fighter VIP Pre-fight Party takes place at 8:30 at Door 44, located at 44 12th Street in Atlanta.

$10 cover charge supports the Keep it in the Ring Foundation, a charity created by Rich Franklin and American Fighter President Jeff Adler to advocate non-violence and build character with kids through after-school sports, martial arts and life-skills programs.

The American Fighter parties usually fill up quickly, so fans planning to attend are encouraged to reserve a table at www.door44atlanta.com.

From CombatPower.com:

This is a tough one to call. Rashad Evans has never lost a fight in MMA, and Chuck Liddell is very inclined to put so many opponents to sleep with one of his fists. While Evans certainly isn’t afraid to strike, I would imagine taking the fight to the ground would be his objective. However, it is the stellar takedown defence and scrambling ability of Liddell which may force this contest to stay on the feet. In that scenario, the sheer power Liddell holds in his strikes tend to make me lean in his direction in this battle. Evans can definitely win and put together a smooth gameplan like his teammate Keith Jardine did against Liddell last year. Evans has a great chin and is able to take a shot for sure, and his a good striking arsenal behind him too. His ability to be elusive on the feet and use good head movement will also make tagging him with a big shot difficult. Nonetheless, Liddell has a calculating style and more times than not finds a way to connect with a big shot and secure the win. So Liddell will likely find a way to either finish the bout with strikes or outsrike his way to a decision. And he’s coming in a slight favorite on most oddsmakers’ betting lines. Should be a highly entertaining battle.

Sep-3-2008 11pm ET/PT

Watch UFC legend Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell in training while he prepares to face undefeated light heavyweight contender Rashad “Sugar” Evans. See how he came back from the terrible hamstring injury that originally put this match on hold. Go behind-the-scenes with Rashad Evans as he gets ready to take on his most dangerous challenge in hopes of getting a title shot.

From CombatPower.com

Matt Hamill is a mammoth of a man when he steps into the Octagon to fight, but with only 5 fights under his belt he’s just a baby in MMA. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. While it’s certainly an advantage for Rich Franklin at UFC 88 to have over 5 times more bouts (27) in the can compared to Hamill, it is Hamill’s room for improvement which can brings forth a sizeable element of surprise. There’s always room for improvement in MMA, and if you feel you’ve past that point it may be time to find a new profession. Nonetheless, fighters with under a half dozen fights of experience certainly have loads of areas to work on, and can enter into their next fight as complete revamped mixed martial artists. It was only a few fights ago that Hamill was blocking punches with his face. But then he stared putting up his hands vigilantly, tucking in his chin more, beautifully slipping fists and countering with his own. And then a huge quantum leap of creativity sprung forth in his fight with Michael Bisping. Expected to get annihilated on the feet, it was actually Hamill who was winning much of the stand up battle in the 3 round fight with Bisping. So much so that many fans were outraged at the judges awarding Bisping the decision. Hamill was a completely different fighter and impressed most of the MMA world with his newfound boxing arsenal he put on display that evening in England. It was something nobody including Bisping anticipated, and that element of surprise is a luxury fresh faces on the MMA scene can use to their advantage.

What new tricks will Hamill bring into this battle versus Rich Franklin? It’ll be interesting to see. Sure Franklin definitely is not one to sit back and not learn more about the MMA game, but with 27 fights he has shown much of his arsenal and there’s a whole library of tape to study. But for Hamill, the best footage may still be to come.

Matt Brown (10-6-0) 6’0”/170 lbs., fighting out of Cincinnati, Ohio never wavered his focus throughout his stint on The Ultimate Fighter® earlier this year, as he sought victory in the 32 man competition. That determination remained intact at the season finale in June as he scored a second round stoppage over old rival Matt Arroyo to solidify his spot in the UFC. He will look to make it two in a row in the Octagon when he squares off against Dong Hyun Kim (10-0-1). One of Busan , South Korea ’s fighting pioneers, Kim (6’1”/170 lbs.) became only the second fighter from his country to compete in the UFC when he made his debut in May. Just showing up isn’t enough for this talented judo black belt, and after a stirring victory over Jason Tan at UFC 84, the “Stun Gun” is ready to take the next step in his career against The Ultimate Fighter 7’s Brown.

Michael Patt (15-2-0) 6’0”/205 lbs., fighting out of Dayton, Ohio, is no stranger to the UFC, as he is a training partner of former middleweight champion Rich Franklin and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under lightweight standout Jorge Gurgel. Now he will get a chance to carve his own name in the Octagon™ history books as he pursues a win against Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch. Fighting out of Sunbury , PA , and a student in the art of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do, Boetsch (7-2-0) 6’1”/205 lbs., made believers of any doubters in his UFC debut in February as he thrashed David Heath in a single round. While first impressions are nice, consistency makes champions, and no one knows that better than the 27-year old, who plans on notching his second UFC win against Patt.

Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald (21-10-0) 6’3”/185 lbs., fighting out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, came into the UFC with little fanfare in 2006, but quickly made a name for himself by submitting highly touted Chris Leben and Ed Herman in successive bouts. He has since become a mainstay at 185 pounds, stopping Joe Doerksen at UFC 83 in April. After a tough loss to Demian Maia at UFC 87, a win over Jason “The Punisher” Lambert (23-8-0) is a must if he is to remain in title contention. Despite almost always being the smaller fighter, Lambert (5’10”/185 lbs., used a mix of heart, talent, and determination to establish himself in the UFC’s light heavyweight division with wins over the likes of Renato Sobral and Terry Martin. Tiring of giving up key advantages to his opponents, Carlsbad , California ’s Lambert is dropping to his optimum weight of 185 pounds. On a level playing field, “The Punisher” is expected to be more dangerous than ever.