TOP 10:-Things That Impacted MMA in 2012

2012 proved to be one of the most eventful, interesting years for the sport of MMA. 2012 was full of high’s & low’s & had a great impact on the sport.
here is my Top 10 list of the things that impacted MMA in 2012.

NO 1:-The Agony of the Injury

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Injuries are a part of sports, but never have they had more impact upon the UFC than they have in 2012, when scores of headliners missed fights because of them. It doesn’t take a statistical analysis to innately understand that injury woes have ravaged the UFC schedule in 2012.  the UFC has had no fewer than 100 fights canceled due to injury(Approximately 107 injuries in total) To put that into perspective, that number of injuries is more than the total number of fights produced by the UFC in all of 2005 (80).  elite fighters and big names like Georges St-Pierr,  Dominick Cruz, Dan Henderson, Jose Aldo, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Rory MacDonald, Brian Stann,Thiago Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Frank Mir, chris wideman, Gilbert Melendez, Luke Rockhold, Erik Koch and Brandon Vera, Forest griffin were among many others, had to pull out of at least one fight in 2012. Injuries to main event fighters resulted in the cancellation of UFC 151 & 2 strike-force event.

UFC president Dana White recently attributed the rash of injuries to the competition in training camp. Others say such periods are simply an eventuality in any physical sport. Either way, the injury issue is one the promotion will always be faced with. How they respond will ultimately determine whether it’s a problem that has long-lasting effects on fight card quality and the promotion’s bottom line.

NO 2:-Cancellation of Events

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 UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson was suppose to be held on September 1, 2012 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was to be headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout, between champion Jon Jones and former dual-division PRIDE FC and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson. However, On August 23, Dana White announced that Henderson had sustained a partial rupture of his MCL and had withdrawn from the bout. White then announced via press conference that UFC 151 would be the first event in the organization’s history to be cancelled, after Jones refused to take a replacement fight against longtime middleweight contender, Chael Sonnen , who agreed to take the fight on eight days’ short notice.

STRIKEFORCE:-Melendez Vs Healy, Strikeforce announced that it had canceled its upcoming Sept. 29 show following an injury to its lightweight champion and event headliner, Gilbert Melendez. That marked the second event cancellation for parent company Zuffa in just over one month. In making its announcement, Strikeforce said the decision was made to cancel the event when Showtime informed the promotion that they would not be airing it.

STRIKEFORCE :- Cormier Vs Mir, Strikeforce has canceled its Nov. 3 event in Oklahoma City, the organization today announced. Injuries to headliner Frank Mir, as well as co-headliner and middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, prompted the cancellation, officials stated in today’s release. Mir, a two-time UFC champion, was to face Strikeforce Grand Prix Heavyweight winner Daniel Cormier. Rockhold was looking to defend his 185lb title against Lorenz Larkin.

NO:-3 End of strike force 

the demise of Strikeforce on  January 12th will be the end of the organization after 27 years of existence and 7 as an MMA promotion. The purchase of Strikeforce by Zuffa was for a reported $40 million and repayment of debt.  Dana White has denied Zuffa trying to dissolve the company once it was acquired but the acquisition saw fighters moving over to the UFC.  With the purchase, management changed (although Scott Coker was still in “charge,” White oversaw the operations) and with that change it included an end to Strikeforce Challengers.  With two canceled events in September and November and the UFC signing of Ronda Rousey, the writing was on the wall.

When White eliminated himself from talks with Showtime to extend the Strikeforc e contract due to the adverse relationship he had with its execs, it was apparent that this would be a detriment to the existence of the company.   And then the last straw may have been Showtime nixing changes White wanted for Strikeforce: Columbus. now Showtime and Zuffa each have rights to the Strikeforce library. White was vague as to the duration of Showtime’s rights.It was unlikely that Strikeforce could compete in the long run with the UFC prior to the purchase. The concept that Strikeforce could operate as a separate entity but still owned by Zuffa was not likely either. The best that could have happened was that it be a minor league to the UFC.  But, with the number of UFC events increasing, the Strikeforce niche became smaller and smaller. It also became a losing proposition. For Zuffa, it was a smart business decision to close the promotion and move over fighters it thought talented enough to bring to the UFC.

No:-4 Ronda Rousey  

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Ronda Rousey (6-0 MMA) 4 1st round win Via arm bar in strikeforce has been making waves in & out of MMA world of late. The first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo recently became the first woman to sign with the UFC, Former Strikeforce Champ & now the 1st ever UFC bantamweight womens champ, will headline & defend 1st ever UFC womens match at UFC 157, marking a huge turning point for the league that just a year ago declared it would never ink a female fighter. While it remains to be seen if UFC will support women’s MMA for long, Rousey seems a willing, able and provocative promoter of the sport.
MMA Fighting.com named her the Fighter of the Year. Also bagged submission of the year Away from the cage, Rousey exhibited the same unstoppable force. She was the subject of a lengthy Sports Illustrated profile. She co-hosted TMZ. She was on the cover of Oxygen and ESPN The Magazine. She was a guest on Conan. She is also in the January 2013 issue of Esquire.
2012 was a great year for her hope she can deliver the hype which surrounds her right now in UFC in 2013.

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No 5:-Women’s MMA Debuts in UFC

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Its official with UFC 157 the women’s MMA will debut in UFC. Dana White during UFC on FX 5 gave Ronda Rousey the 1st ever UFC women’s championship belt & announced that she will be defending it against liz carmouche in the main event at UFC 157. It was interesting to see the bout getting preference over big names like dan henderson, liyoto machida & urijah faber & was made a main event becouse it was a title fight. It will also be interesting to see wether women’s MMA is here to stay how long UFC will back it up, what will happen it star of the show Ronda loses, only time will tell.

NO:-6 International Expansion

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As a part of UFC’s global Expansion dreams this year saw the launch of international TUFs, an Indian television deal and its first event in China. The first international TUF was in Brazil and involved Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva as coaches.  The show ran on Globo television in Brazil and on Fuel TV in America.  It was also streamed on TUF.tv.  Although the show did not air on Fuel TV until the season was halfway through its Brazilian television run, it was very popular in Brazil.  The show drew an impressive 8 million viewers for the debut episode on Globo TV. The number  was later adjusted to 12 million .  Regardless of 8 or 12 million, the show was a hit.  The UFC stated that over 100,000 viewers watched the show online.

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In addition, the UFC introduced an Australian version of  The Ultimate Fighter subtitled “The Smashes” which featured Australian and British fighters.  The series which debuted in September was aired on FX Australia and ESPN UK. The UFC made inroads into the Chinese market as it held its first event in China.  Off the mainland of China to be exact on the island of Macau.  It used Bruce Lee images in its marketing for the event to entice the locals. According to Dana white they hit a home run in China & will be more active there in future.
The UFC also signed a television deal in India where it plans a TUF India series in around september in 2013 although coaches are not finalized. It announced that it will be going to Mexico in 2013 and Puerto Rico in 2014.Events outside of North America this year included Brazil twice, England, Australia, Sweden, Japan and Macau.2012 was the first year when UFC held more events outside North America

NO:-7 OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

Bellator’s announcement that it is moving from MTV2 to Spike TV starting in January 2013. The move to Spike TV was the worst kept secret as Bellator prelim events have been streaming on Spike.com.  Also, Viacom’s investment in Bellator made it likely that it would be moved to a network with more viewers.  Spike TV, a Viacom property, seemed like the suitable candidate considering the UFC’s run on the network.  It did take advantage of its access to the UFC library to run counterprogramming of UFC fights during live events on FX or Fuel.  Recently, it had been running UFC reruns with a Bellator logo in the bottom corner.

Another unique aspect of the Spike-Bellator partnership is that it is granting King Mo Lawal the opportunity to participate in both Bellator and TNA Wrestling.
Ratings for Bellator events on MTV2 have been consistently inconsistent.  There have been wild fluctuations from week to week and it’s the hope that a move to Spike TV will bring steady ratings. There’s great expectations for Bellator in 2013.  It is moving off of Fridays to Thursdays where TNA Wrestling will be its lead in.  Its revamping its rules to allow for potential championship rematches instead of having fighters go through a tournament.The challenge will be to market its fighters and determining whether it should differentiate itself from the UFC.  We will see how it does when it’s available to more households.

World Series of Fighting (WSOF)  made its mixed martial arts (MMA) debut Nov. 3, 2012,on NBC Sports Network. And it’s off to a great start with an impressive first event that featured numerous exciting finishes. WSOF 1, the upstart organization’s debut event, averaged 198,000 viewers.now they are expected to put on their second show in February 2013

With a veteran like Ray Sefo at the helm, I honestly think WSOF has the best shot of any American organization since Bellator to become, if not a household name, then at least a steady source of entertaining fights.

And that’s just fine be me — keep ’em coming.

NO:-8 GSP returns

After an 18 month absence due to a knee injury, welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre  returned to the UFC and defeated Interem Champion Carlos Condit to unify the UFC welterweight title at UFC 154..

After receiving news of the PPV buys, Dana White indicated at the UFC on Fox 5 press conference that GSP “delivered” and that “the king of PPV” was back.

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GSP broke a string of sub-500K buy PPVs in 2012.  The much-anticipated Silva-Sonnen II was the only card that had more PPV buys (925K) this year.

Below is a list of GSP PPVs since 2010.

UFC 111 vs. Dan Hardy – 770K PPV Buys

UFC 124 vs. Josh Koscheck – 800K

UFC 129 vs. Jake Shields – 800K

UFC 154 vs. Condit – 680K

GSP draws consistent buys averaging over 750K buys.  With him on the shelf for 18 months, it left the UFC without a known main eventer guaranteed to hit 750,000 PPV buys at least twice a year. Despite a lower gate and attendance for UFC 154 than 124 (UFC 124 was in the same venue in Montreal) the PPV buys were in line with his usual buy rate.  In 2013, GSP’s average is likely to increase considering a march date to defend his title against Nick Diaz and the possibility of Anderson Silva as a super fight later in the year.

Its also worth noting that GSP’s brand has been very successful despite the injury layoff.  With the assistance of his marketing agents, he’s secured blue chip sponsors including Google, Coca Cola and Bacardi.

NO:-9 Silva vs. Sonnen II

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UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II  held by the UFC on July 7, 2012. It was the seventeenth UFC event of the year. The card’s main event featured UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva defending his title against Chael Sonnen in a highly-anticipated rematch bout Silva defeated Chael Via TKO in the second round & continued his wining streak along with the legacy of the best pound for pound fighter in the world. UFC 148 set a mixed-martial-arts gate record in Nevada. The event earned $6,901,655 in ticket sales, beating the previous record set at UFC 66. Attendance was 15,104. It sold an estimated 925,000 pay-per-view buys, the most in 2012 for any UFC event.

NO:-10 One Armed MMA Fighter ‘Notorious’ Nick Newell 

for all those who still dont know Nick Newell, Nick is 5′ 10″ and fights in the 155 lbs.light weight division. Newell’s left arm stops just past his elbow due to a congenital amputation, a condition he has had since birth. He wrestled in high school and college and now has made an extremely successful transition to MMA.
No longer should Nick Newell just be known as that one-handed MMA fighter. Now, he is simply a champion. It’s becoming more and more apparent that in MMA there’s no limit to what those who train hard can do.The 26-year-old Connecticut native beat Eric Reynolds by submission in the first round to win the XFC lightweight title.Six fight win streak. All first round wins. Five by submission (one heel hook, two RNC and two arm locks) and one TKO. Newell is now 9-0 with seven first-round finishes as a pro MMA fighter.
i hope UFC give him a chance at least to try out in ultimate fighter would love to see a fighter with tremendous heart in the octagon one day.his championship fight video




Sumit Uniyal
@sutg_jpr (twitter)


wishing all the readers a very happy NEW YEAR.

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UFC 155 "Dos Santos vs Velasquez 2":- Preview & Prediction

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will close out 2012 with the UFC 155 fight card set for Dec. 29, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. Here are my predictions for UFC 155 “Dos Santos vs Velasquez 2”

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Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez

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 Dos Santos only needed 64 seconds to dethrone Velasquez at “UFC on Fox and the Brazilian seems confident he’ll emerge victorious once again. The UFC on FOX clash remains the only career loss for Velasquez, who ransacked Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva earlier this year to earn his rematch.”  Cain claims an ACL injury hindered his performance at UFC on Fox, and he vows to retrieve his belt on Dec. 29. Velasquez had been out of action for a year when their first contest took place. With ring rust historically taking its toll on even the best of fighters, it would be unfair to suggest that Cain was at his peak. The second time around, ring rust isn’t an issue. Both fighters are healthy and Cain is more determined than ever.                                                                      
JDS won their last encounter via knockout, so I have to give him the advantage in the striking department. Cain’s best bet would be to take the fight to the ground like he did against Brock & Bigfoot, but that’s easier said than done. Junior’s takedown defense is no joke, so putting him on his back and keeping him there won’t be an easy task. Cain should be able to make it more of a contest this time around, but the odds still seem to favor dos Santos. And while dos Santos’s biggest strength corresponds to Velasquez’s biggest weakness, I have no idea if Velasquez will be able to use his best asset – his takedowns and wrestling prowess – to neutralize the game of dos Santos. Again, dos Santos has never been taken down and held down in an MMA fight JDS says he has great ground game & ju-jitsu but nobody could ever taken him down to actually test his theory.
It’s possible that Velasquez will succeed where others have failed, and find a way to take JDS down and control him on the ground. It’s also possible that Velasquez can hit dos Santos in the right spot with a power punch, and win by knockout. But if he is able to accomplish either of those things, he’ll be the first. Until a fighter manages to show that there is a hole in the game of dos Santos, I have to pick him to win.


Prediction: Dos Santos wins via TKO.

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Joe Lauzon vs. Jim Miller

Both men will try to take a step closer to the lightweight title when they collide at UFC 155 With an incredible 30 submission wins between them, these are two of the most respected ground technicians at 155 pounds. Jim Miller comes into this fight as a late replacement for Gray Maynard, who was forced from the fight due to a knee injury. Lauzon has 11 Fight Night bonuses to his credit, which is only one behind all-time leader Anderson Silva.
 Lauzon is coming off an impressive victory against Jamie Varner, while Miller is coming off the worst performance of his career in a loss to Nate Diaz, but he’ll have his hands full against Miller. Lauzon is very aggressive, and his fights rarely go to decision, but sometimes, his aggression works against him. That was the case in his UFC 123 fight against George Sotiropoulos, where Lauzon faded before being submitted in the second round.
I don’t think Lauzon’s aggression will work against Jim Miller as his ability to defend submissions should be a great asset here. Usually, when Lauzon wins, it’s when he can take a dominant position on the ground early, use strikes to force the opponent into a mistake, and submit him. That’s not happening against Miller, a very tough fighter who is very hard to submit. Sure, Diaz did it, but he did it with a relentless attack over most of two rounds; Lauzon is usually breathing very heavily by the end of the second round.
Lauzon isn’t worried about being an underdog. His wins against Melvin Guillard and Jens Pulver both came at a time where oddsmakers were betting against the Massachusetts native. Lauzon might put together a series of strikes and submission techniques that finish Miller early. However, Jim Miller is a dangerous man I think it’s a lot more likely that Miller calmly weathers an early storm, and controls most of the fight with superior striking and grappling.
Lauzon had a hard time dealing with Varner’s wrestling during his last outing Miller should be able to smother Lauzon with his wrestling as well, and I expect him to emerge victorious.

Prediction: Miller wins via Decision or KO

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Tim Boetsch vs. Constantinos Philippou

Boetsch was originally scheduled to face Chris Weidman at UFC 155, but the latter pulled out due to a torn labrum. Philippou is filling in for teammate Chris Weidman, and it’ll be his toughest test in the UFC so far. Tim Boestch might find himself ranked in the Top Five of the middleweight division, but he has hardly earned the respect of odds makers. While the line is nearly even in the matchup between Boetsch and Serra/Longo-trained Costa Philippou Both men are currently on four-fight win streaks, but Boetsch has faced tougher opponents in the past. Philippou’s wins have all been close. He won a split decision against Jorge Rivera, and competitive unanimous decisions against Court McGee and Riki Fukuda.
Boetsch isn’t the most polished striker, but he can be effective coz he has a solid wrestling background, and he hits harder than Philippou does. If the fight goes the distance, I think it will be close, but I favor Boetsch.
 Philippou might have a slight advantage in the striking department, but Boetsch’s strength and wrestling skills should guide him to victory.

Prediction: Boetsch wins via decision

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Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami

Both men met a while back at UFC 62, and Okami was the better man. However, a lot has changed since then. Belcher is currently on a tear, stopping three of his last four opponents in the first round. His BJJ looked awesome during his last outing against Rousimar Palhares, and he should be able to deal with Okami’s wrestling a lot better this time around.
Yushin Okami has fought his way into title contention and tumbled down the mountain when given his opportunity to thrive. Additionally, he has little to prove, as he is fighting a man he has already defeated.The world-class skills of Belcher have led to wins in four consecutive fights, and that streak would be seven were it not for poor judging at UFC 100. Belcher is the better striker, and he should be able to pick Okami apart while standing. In mid-2010, Belcher suffered a detached retina that left his vision blurred and career in doubt. With his sight returned, “the Talent” isn’t taking his second chance for granted as he continues to get better with every appearance.
 It should be a competitive fight, but I’m leaning towards “The Talent.” When skills are nearly equal, heart and determination will typically determine who gets his nose across the finish line first. 

Prediction: Belcher wins via TKO

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Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson

Leben has been a bit inconsistent lately, but he couldn’t have asked for a better opponent than Brunson who’ll be making his UFC debut. Brunson got knocked out during his last outing, so it’s easy to imagine what would happen if Leben puts his hands on him. I don’t think Brunson’s grappling is good enough to consistently take Leben down and keep him on his back. Chris Leben has some of the best takedown defense in the middleweight division, so this fight is likely to be contested on the feet, so it’s only a matter of time before Brunson runs into trouble. A lot of people like Derek Brunson and think he can be a good middleweight in the UFC. I don’t see it. Brunson’s wins are against fighters like Nate James and Lumumba Sayers – fighters who are decent, but probably not worthy of the UFC. Most damning is that Brunson was knocked out in his last fight by Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza the BJJ specialist, a fighter who previously had no wins by knockout in 18 fights. Combine Leben’s incredible power with the fact that Brunson recently suffered his first knockout loss and you’ve got a recipe for hesitance in the cage. If Souza can knock out Brunson, so can Chris Leben.
 While this isn’t the best stretch of The Crippler’s career, he is still a big-show veteran who has encountered and bested many fighters like Brunson in the past. On the other hand, Brunson is 0-2 against MMA notables who has yet to prove himself on a major stage. 

Prediction: Leben wins via KO.

Prelims:

Brad Pickett defeats Eddie Wineland
Erik Perez defeats Byron Bloodworth
Melvin Guillard defeats Jamie Varner
Michael Johnson defeats Myles Jury
Todd Duffee defeats Philip De Fries
John Moraga defeats Chris Cariaso
Max Holloway defeats Leonard Garcia

UFC will be ending 2012 a year filled with lots of up & down on a high note with UFC 155 & will try to make 2013 a remarkable & much awaited year to come for the sport of MMA.

Sumit Uniyal
@sutg_jpr (twitter)
wishing all the readers happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays.

(upcoming article:- most impactful moments of 2012)

UFC in India

Coming September 2013 ufc is all set to debut in India with TUF India  for all those who don’t know what UFC & MMA is i ll tell them that mma means mixed martial arts & is a fastest growing sports with a strong base in US, Canada & Brazil & Ultimate Fighting Championship, better known as UFC is a premium organization & world leader in this sport.
This is a very exiting news because as the sports grow along  UFC is seeking new & potential market to grow & expand its market and fan base.this is a sports for all those who are tired with watching fake wrestling & boxing’s one dimension approach & politics. this sports is fast & exiting.its been very exiting times for the sports & thus untapped markets like India are the perfect place for UFC to start its global expansion dream & they have decided to do it with TUF India.

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Very few would have ever thought that the UFC, would come to India to size up its market.May be one day People like Anderson Silva, GSP and the rest will grace not only our TV screens, but our very own cities. Multi Screen Media (MSM), majority-owned by Sony Pictures, will broadcast the UFC in India on its dedicated sports channel SIX and will also air the Indian version of the Ultimate Fighter (TUF) in 2013. TUF is one of the longest running reality shows in the U.S. which features MMA fighters sharing a house and are filmed as they train and compete against each other. A show like tuf is great way of bringing up new talent in new market place.

It is going to be tough to predict the Indian market. Not so long ago, TNA ‘Impact!’ Wrestling entered the Indian market with their concept of ‘Ring Ka King’, which drew twice the ratings that TNA does in the United States, and was considered to be a huge success. Until now, the only sports entertainment organization which tested the waters in India was the WWE, and those were only promotional tours. So this leaves a whole new unexplored market, and the potential to tap into the million households and establish a winning formula. 

There have been Organizations such as SFL who tried to stamp their mark, with a product close to what UFC delivers, but it is nowhere near the juggernaut that UFC is . With a star studded line up, which includes the best fighters from around the globe, What would help the UFC, is something ‘Ring Ka King’ was successful in doing: promoting the home grown talent. & with the interview i have herd & seen of ufc chairman & CEO lorenzo fertitta that is their plan all along & it was nice to here that they are not expecting ufc caliber fighter from get go they want to groom the fighters & depend more on tv adds, viewership & ratings. Fertitta believes that the younger generation in India, with limited options outside cricket, is looking for some kind of alternative exciting sport. “We certainly think that’s what we can provide and there’s nothing more exciting or exhilarating than UFC where two martial artists is competing in the Octagon,” he said. For me UFC is real, better, faster & exiting than fake wrestling shows & with indian talent doing so well in the field of boxing & wrestling in Olympics they should get decent fighter to begin with. SFL was a blessing in disguise for ufc coz they not only educate a portion of Indian audience but will also make way for ufc  which will showcase a better product.

In the end, this promises to be one eventful encounter. For years, many of the UFC/WWE fans have wondered who would try to take advantage of the Indian market. WWE took the initial steps with people like Bret Hart visiting the country, then the promotional tours with Rob Van Dam and Kane, but they never tried to take advantage of the fan base they have in India. TNA took a jab with their Indian project ‘Ring Ka King’, and were highly successful. Now, UFC have finally realized the potential, and have taken a step to firm their grip on the highly untapped market. Let us now wait and see how they do, and for us MMA & fight fans, this is really mouthwatering, with potentially the biggest names in MMA ending up before our eyes. A GSP/diaz fight in my hometown? Yes please!

Sumit Uniyal

@sutg_jpr (twitter)

wishing all the readers a very happy NEW YEAR.

All thoes MMA fans who wants to join MMA fantasy league can join 

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(upcoming article:- “ufc on fox5 preview & prediction”)