...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
It's Thanksgiving, so today MMATorch expresses their thanks for different things in the world of MMA
JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
I'm thankful first and foremost to be able to cover this fantastic sport day in and day out, and to have a great group of writers to discuss and converse with on all things MMA. This is a sport that can capture you, and though there are things that can be maddening therein, there really aren't many things better than seeing an incredible fight between elite MMA fighters in the UFC.
Onto the sport itself in 2012, I'm thankful for every fighter that steps into the cage, doing what they do to give fans a show and to continue progressing what this sport can be. I'm thankful I am living through an era of the sport where we can even have a discussion about two incredible fighters in GSP and Anderson Silva facing off. I'm thankful to be able to watch fighters like Jon Jones, Junior dos Santos, Silva, GSP, Jose Aldo, and oh so many more compete in fight after fight.
We're entering another banner year for the UFC in 2013, with so much to look forward to and so many possibilities still out there for the expansion of the sport, not just with the UFC, but with Bellator moving to Spike TV as well. Though injuries have ravaged so many of the fights we could have seen this year, we've got so much still coming the rest of the year, and even more coming in 2013. It's a great time to be an MMA fan.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I'm thankful that there's a real chance we get to see Anderson Silva fight either Georges St. Pierre or Jon Jones, or possibly even both. I'm also thankful for the chance to see a lot of great fights on network television, something that wasn't possible not that long ago.
ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I am thankful our sport is still growing. Since 2006, our sport has developed from "Human cock fighting" to the most exciting, legitimate sport in the world. I am also thankful I get to do what I love best, which is to continue writing for MMATorch.
BRAD WALKER, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am for being a columnist amongst such an elite group of writers here at the Torch. These are the smartest and most entertaining minds in MMA, and I am proud to be one of them. I am also thankful for Team Curran and Big Frog having helped me lose 56 pounds so far and the friends I have made in the gym. I would suck at life if I didn't say I am also thankful for local promotions like XFO who are giving very talented fighters who are still young in their careers a shot, and putting together cards that would entertain any fan of MMA. I am very thankful for the beginnings of me and my brother in law's start up show MMA:10, we have put tons of work and dedication into it's planning and now with the help of key people like Chuck Pilcher and others at Team Curran we are moving forward with our vision. Now to step outside of MMA I am thankful for my beautiful wife Jasmine, my amazing daughters Alisha and Gabrielle, my beautiful niece Elena and the best sister in law a man can ask for in Amanda, and I am also thankful for her husband who is my business partner, Manny Garcia. My in laws Bunky and Pops, brother Ritch, and my mom. The world has been a beautiful place this year, and having this family and being a columnist for the Torch is truly a dream come true.
...I am also thankful for the Bears. Go Bears.
JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
I'm most thankful for the decision to end Strikeforce. The UFC put on a lot of shows in 2012 and a lot of them were very good. But there's no getting around the fact that there were quite a few duds. Even cards like UFC 154 that were saved by the main and co-main events had undercards that were just not entertaining to watch.
The UFC needs the talent and star power that a lot of Strikeforce fighters bring to the table. The addition of Josh Thomson, Gilbert Melendez, Nate Marquardt, Jacare Souza, Rafael Cavalcante, and guys like that really make the UFC the super league that it should have become immediately after the Strikeforce purchase, roughly two years ago.
2013 is going to definitely give 2010 a run for its money in terms of big fights, and I think the Strikeforce fighters are going to be a big part of that.
(Attention MMATorch app users: Make sure to upgrade to the latest edition of the MMATorch app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device!)
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
