Official: Pedrosa Out for Assen ? Aoyama in at Repsol Honda

HRC has officially announced now that Dani Pedrosa will miss the Dutch round of the MotoGP Championship. Breaking his collarbone back at the French GP, Pedrosa’s place on the disabled list was extended when it was discovered that bone fragments were still lurking in his shoulder. Pedrosa underwent yet another surgery to repair his collarbone, but his return to racing has been an uncertainty lately, as some in the assembled MotoGP press have suggested the ...

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Carano MIA and ‘Cyborg’ unsigned, how much longer will Zuffa-run Strikeforce stick with female fighting?

It's not looking good for female fighters with the biggest promotions. This week's Strikeforce Challengers card in Washington and next month's Strikeforce cards in Las Vegas and Chicago feature some female fights. After that, who knows?

The two biggest female names under the Strikeforce banner still don't have fights scheduled.

We're now a few weeks removed from Gina Carano bailing on her Strikeforce: Dallas fight and there's still official no word on what the injury was, or a timetable for her return. When Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker spoke with AOL, he still had no answers.

"Gina is feeling much better after having undergone some medical attention and is looking forward to getting back into training very soon. She would like to express thanks to Team Jackson for a wonderful training camp, Strikeforce and the fans," said Coker, reading from a text message he received from Carano's management team.

Beyond that the boss didn't have any details.

"She evidently had some medical attention provided and she looks forward to getting back soon. So that's everything I know," said Carano.

Coker couldn't even answer if the medical issue was career threatening, saying the text was all he's seen.

The situation with Strikeforce's No. 1 female star is just as unclear, or is it?

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos is currently without a contract.

"Absolutely. I'm pretty sad not to be fighting and I'm trying to renegotiate my contract for a year, but Strikeforce doesn't want to made a deal, they want to keep paying me what they paid before, but now I'm the event's champion and I've never been defeated in Strikeforce. I just wanted to be recognized," Cyborg said.

She also told Tatame that she has taken an August fight in Brazil and just has to wait until her Strikeforce contract runs out this month.

One has to wonder if this is the end of the line for Cyborg in Strikeforce. If Dana White has zero interest in female fighting in the UFC, why would he allow a company that he owns to lock itself into any more long-term contracts with female fighters?

Tip via Fightlinker

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Five-round main events have their downside

Last week, the UFC announced that five-round fights would now happen for all main events. Yahoo! Sports' own Dave Meltzer wrote an excellent breakdown of why five-round title fights are a good thing. He discussed how many close, non-title main events have taken place and that five-round bouts will make the winner more obvious.

But there are downsides to this decision. Namely:

Not every fighter is ready for a five-rounder. The UFC's Ultimate Fight Night, UFC on Versus and "The Ultimate Fighter" finale events give the UFC a chance to promote up-and-coming fighters. The main events are often populated by fighters who will eventually be near a title shot, but they need time to grow. Pushing them into five-rounders too early could hurt their development.

A main-event injury could wreak more havoc on the cards than we've seen. Consider what happened with UFC 131. Just weeks before the fights, Brock Lesnar had to pull out of the main event, and Shane Carwin stepped in. If Carwin had to switch up for a five-round fight on short notice, then he (or any fighter) might not be able to prepare for a five-rounder in time. The fighters would be in a position to either go into a bout not as prepared as their opponent or turn down the opportunity to headline a card.

It takes away a champion's advantage. A champion has few advantages going into his fight, besides the cool walk-in with someone holding the belt over his head and the fact that to win the belt, he has been into deep waters before and knows just what those extra two rounds require. Now anyone who has been in a main event will have that experience.

25-minute fights will eat into a broadcast window. As Meltzer noted in his column, five-round fights means that in televised events, five-round fights will only allow for three other bouts within a broadcast.

It isn't the silver-bullet to end judging questions in close fights. Lyoto Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar, and Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar all fought five-round bouts. Every one of those bouts were close, had controversial decisions and required a rematch. Those extra two rounds didn't decide anything.

What are your thoughts on five-rounders? Tell us in the comments or on Facebook.

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After 16-Month Layoff, Wanderlei Silva Readies for Firefight with Chris Leben

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Regardless of what the future holds for Wanderlei Silva, his legacy is secure as one of MMA's first great champions, an intimidating presence who boasted knockout power in bursts of aggression that bordered on frenzy. That fan-friendly physical style made him a legend, but it also took a toll on his body over time. The last few years have not been so kind to the 34-year-old "Axe Murderer," who has lost five of his last seven fights. And on the heels of his most recent bout, a UFC 110 decision victory over Michael Bisping in his UFC middleweight debut, Silva disappeared.

First, he was sidelined by broken ribs that took him out of a proposed UFC 116 fight. Then, he had his right knee surgically repaired, knocking him out of competition for months. But at July 2's UFC 132, Silva returns from the longest layoff of his career -- a 16-month absence -- with hopes of a career rebirth. Given the wars he's taken part in, and the physical price paid by his body, fans are left to wonder how much he has left.

Stylistically speaking, a fight with Chris Leben isn't the easiest return bout one can have. Like Silva, Leben fights in an aggressive, physical style that virtually ensures neither fighter will leave the cage quite the same way they walked in. Yet for Silva, the same type of firefight that's always excited him still motivates him today.

"The fight is really important for me," Silva said. "I've been out. I had a hard year for me. I really trained so hard for the fight. Finally, I'm going to fight with a guy [that] I think is going to fight with me, because my other opponents run. Some guys stay in front of me for a couple minutes and then start to run. My next opponent Chris is going to really come to fight. The fans are going to have a great show on July 2nd."

The fight essentially came at the request of Leben, who replaced the injured Silva at UFC 116, defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama, and then asked to be the man to welcome Silva back to action.

At the time though, it was clear that Silva wouldn't be back for quite a while, and Leben had a bout in the meantime, losing to Brian Stann in a first-round KO on New Year's Day.

Meanwhile, Silva was back at home struggling through physical rehabilitation and the emotional upheaval caused by his inability to do what he loves most.

"I'm a competitive guy. I like to be in the octagon and fight my whole life," he said. "I had a really tough year. But I have unbelievable support from my fans. My fans send me messages every day and give me good support. For that, I really want to give a good show because the UFC is going to all the homes in the world. It's unbelievable. I want to show the real and the best Wanderlei Silva for all my fans around the world in the fight."

Despite Silva's rough recent stretch, his weight-class shift could have him in title contention in short order with a few W's. His win over Bisping has him 1-0 in the division, and victories over Bisping and Leben would certainly put him in the conversation of contenders, given the fact that current champion Anderson Silva has mowed through most of the rest of 185's best.

Silva admits that he still thinks about winning another major championship, but that after being out for so long, his focus is solely on his dangerous bout with the hammer-fisted Leben.

"I think this is a really important fight for me. A lot of guys asked me because I [asked] the boss, Can I fight Chris Leben? The guys asked me 'Why?' I said because I watched his fight with Akiyama. He did very well. He fought very well with Akiyama, a tough guy. [Leben] has a style like my style. He fights like me. This is the fight I asked for because I know we can make one of the best fights of the year, maybe the best fight of the year. I don't know about him but I love money. I want a check for the best fight of the night, and maybe the best fight of the year."

But more than money is fighting for the future. The past is secure, and stories of his prime will live on for years. It seems that a 34-year-old should still have some good days ahead, but after 16 months away, will he be reborn or rehashed? Silva is wise enough to know that July 2 will begin to answer that question. The fact that it comes against a fighter who he describes as a younger version of himself encapsulates the symbolism of the bout; Silva isn't just fighting Leben, he's fighting time.

 

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MMA Marketplace: Stuff for fighter babies

Do you want to be the most popular person at your next baby shower? Cagewriter is here to help.

The fine crafters at the Etsy marketplace have you covered. First, you have the "Crib to the Cage Diaper Cake," which is not, thankfully, a cake that tastes like diapers. Instead, it's a cake-like structure full of useful baby stuff, including:

25 Premium Pamper's Swaddler Diapers, up to 15 pds.
1 Heavenly Soft Fleece Baby Blanket, 30x30
1 UFC exact replica toddler adjustable belt
1 Box of Camo-Themed Band-Aids
1 Johnson & Johnson Diaper Bag First Aid Kit
1 Silver Colored Serving Cake Platter
1 Personalized message card detailing ingredients

Buy it from Jaimi's Etsy store for $69.99. If you want to spend a little less, go with the pretty Tapout bow for just $7.00.

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Bouldering Burbage photos

Finally a little sun! Yesterday I went climbing in Burbage (specifically Burbage south boulders) in the Peak District near Sheffield. I’m really glad I’ve got these boulders within 15 minutes of my home. Although in a climbing wall / gym I’m happy on 6a/6b the techniques on grit boulders are a different world: lots of smearing [...]

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