UFC 130 has had a long trip to get to the point where they’re at now. The event, scheduled for May 28th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, was originally supposed to be the Lightweight Championship rubber match between Frankie Edgar and [...]]]>

UFC 130 comes live Saturday night from Vegas.

UFC 130 has had a long trip to get to the point where they’re at now. The event, scheduled for May 28^th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, was originally supposed to be the Lightweight Championship rubber match between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. Well, injures to both Edgar and Maynard caused that rivalry to be put on hold and thrusted “Rampage” Jackson into his second straight Memorial Day weekend headlining UFC pay per view slot.

Originally slated to fight Thiago Silva, who ended up getting busted during a drug screening- “Rampage” will now fight Matt Hamill in the main event. The other main event welcomes back Frank Mir, to will be taking on the rotund Roy Nelson in a heavyweight matchup.

Even before the cancellation of the original main event, the hype surrounding this event was substantially lower than the last several UFC events. Now with the title fight scrapped, fans may be looking ahead to UFC 131 in a few weeks, pitting Shane Carwin versus Junior Dos Santos.
But with UFC 130, we’ll take a look at the major fights hitting Vegas this weekend:

Light Heavyweight Matchup: “Rampage” Jackson (31-8) vs. Matt Hamill (10-2): Let’s be honest, since Rampage returned to the ring after his foray into movies, he’s looked a little uninspired. After underwhelming fans against Rashad Evans last year and then edging out Lyoto Machida at the Palace in November (and raise your hand if you really think he beat Machida in that fight- yeah- didn’t think so), Jackson is in desperate need of a big signature win in order to get back into title contention. The sad part is- I’m not even sure if Jackson wants this or not. I think this weekend will be a good indication of where it’s heading. Meanwhile, Hamill has won his last five fights- but one came against Tito Ortiz and one was a disqualification where he was clearly losing to now UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Jon Jones. This is a hard fight to call- even though I want to take Hamill in a decision, I think Rampage will do just enough again to win the fight and keep those questions about his commitment out there.
PICK: Rampage Jackson wins via unanimous decision.

Heavyweight Matchup: Frank Mir (14-5) vs. Roy Nelson (15-5): How Nelson has shot up to co-main event status after getting pummeled in his last fight against Junior Dos Santos last summer is beyond me. Perhaps it’s the fact that the UFC still needs a few more solid heavyweights in order to make the division stellar, but I’ll never know. Sure, Nelson can hit somebody when needed, but at 265 pounds (I figure 145 pounds of that is in that belly of his), he just looks a little out of shape. Meanwhile, Mir has been on a win one, lose one scenario for the past couple of years, and won his last fight in a decision against Mirko Cro Cop. The UFC is really giving Nelson a push, but I think Mir is way too experienced to let the former IFL fighter from moving up any farther in the rankings.
PICK: Frank Mir wins via submission in the 2^nd Round.

Make sure to check out www.ufc.com for a full fight card and other info.

For rock fans of Detroit and the surrounding areas, January 25th is a big day.  Instead of being sequestered away from the cold, Linkin Park hits Joe Louis Arena as one of their first stops on their North American Tour.  This is Linkin Park’s [...]]]>

Win some swag with MCB before seeing Linkin Park January 25th.

For rock fans of Detroit and the surrounding areas, January 25^th is a big day.  Instead of being sequestered away from the cold, Linkin Park hits Joe Louis Arena as one of their first stops on their North American Tour.  This is Linkin Park’s first trip to the Detroit area since their 2008 stop on the Projekt Revolution tour and make sure to get your tickets for this awesome show.

But that’s not all, check out what we’re offering:  Linkin Park is kicking of 2011 with their North American Tour and they want to hook you up with some of their exclusive tour merch! To celebrate this highly anticipated tour, we’re giving away an official Linkin Park tour poster and a Deluxe CD+DVD version of their newest release “A Thousand Suns”. Be sure to visit LinkinPark.com for a full schedule of tour dates and the latest updates from the band and iTunes to check out the new album!

That’s right, we’re giving away a free copy of LP’s latest album. All you gotta do is answer one question, just one not-so-hard question about the band in order to win this package. Be the first to either respond on our Facebook page or to arthatesyou@mycitybuzz.com (with subject heading: Linkin Park Giveaway)and you will win the prize- and please, make sure you live in the United States or Canada to win the prize.

Here’s the question:  Name Linkin Park’s first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Top 100 Singles Chart?

Linkin Park plays at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday, January 25^th. Tickets range from $38-$65 and are available at www.olympiaentertainment.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.linkinpark.com.

Mel Kiper is known for two things, terrible helmet hair and being notoriously incorrect at draft prognosticating. Kiper might be good at developing his ‘big board’ and letting the public know the ‘best available.’ But what all NFL fans really want to [...]]]>

Bradford will probably go #1, but where will he play?

Mel Kiper is known for two things, terrible helmet hair and being notoriously incorrect at draft prognosticating. Kiper might be good at developing his ‘big board’ and letting the public know the ‘best available.’ But what all NFL fans really want to know is “Who is my team taking?” Today is probably one of the most fun days of the year for NFL fans because everyone gets to fantasize about the perfect draft for their team as well as what surprises might happen. Here are some of those possible surprises.

1. Sam Bradford, (OB, Oklahoma) will be drafted #1overall by St. Louis and traded to Cleveland. Sam Bradford is going to throw a fit if he’s selected by the Rams. 2010 is going to be a flashback to the 2004 Draft where Eli Manning was selected by San Diego despite his warnings that he would not sign there, then traded to the NY Giants for Phillip Rivers. Bradford will get his way and the Rams will be able to move down a little and pick up a few additional picks in the process. But the Rams still need a QB and they’ll get one because…

2. Cleveland will select Jimmy Claussen (QB, Notre Dame) at #7 sending him to St. Louis to complete the trade. This is the ideal situation for both teams. The Rams won’t have to pay #1 money, but still be able to snag a franchise QB which the desperately need while Cleveland and Mike Holmgen will get the QB that he really wants and make a splash in his first season as the Browns President. Meanwhile…

3. At #2, the Detroit Lions select Russell Okung (OT, Okla. St.). All the draftniks are confident that the Lions will take Ndamukong Suh (or possibly Gerald McCoy) with the second overall pick but when was the last time the Lions have done what was expected of them? What the Lions really want to do is protect last year’s investment by surrounding Matt Stafford with everything they can to help him succeed. They took TE Brandon Pettigrew with the #20 overall pick last year and still acquired Tony Scheffler last week from Denver. Although the defensive line needs help so does the O-line and that’s the unit that will directly impact Stafford’s (and by extension, the Lions) on field performance.

4. The Washington Redskins select C.J. Spiller (RB, Clemson) at #4. With their original target, Okung, already gone, new head coach Mike Shanahan is free to grab the best player at his favorite position. The Redskins have Clinton Portis and Willie Parker on the roster, but Shanahan loves him a running back by committee situation and has the opportunity to add a new guy to the mix to further enhance their new Donovan McNabb run offense.

5.Ndamukong Suh (DT, Nebraska) falls all the way down to #5 and the Kansas City Chiefs. This isn’t all that bold considering what I’ve predicted in the first four picks but it is surprising if you’re Suh, thinking for the past few weeks that you’re going #2 to Detroit. Either way, both teams need D-line help and neither will be showing up in the playoffs anytime soon. At least there’s good BBQ in K.C.

6. At #8, Oakland selects Dez Bryant (WR, Okla. St.) – Al Davis is a crazy person and cemented that perception by his selection of WR Darrius Heyward-Bey last year. Thinking he’s making up for that selection he’ll take Bryant here. After all, it’s not the first time a team has used high draft picks on receivers in consecutive years (eh, Lions fans). Another option here could be Spiller if Washington doesn’t bite which would explain why Darren McFadden is suddenly available for trade.

7. Denver (pick #11) and Giants (pick #15) swap – Denver would have really wanted Bryant here but never expected crazy Uncle Al to grab him in the top ten. After dumping Brandon Marshall, they’ll still be looking to grab a WR but think their guy will still be around at #15 and be able to snag an extra pick in the process. The Giants are moving up to get the guy they’ve had their heart set on, Rolondo McClain (LB, Alabama). The Broncos, now at #15 will be happy to select Demaryius Thomas (WR, Ga. Tech).

8. At #22 the New England Patriots will select Tim Tebow (QB, Florida). I know what you’re thinking, the Pats don’t need a QB. But they could use a TE and that’s the position that Tebow is likely to play if he wants to be successful in the NFL. Bill Belichick loves to be the smartest guy in the room and has a system that works by utilizing a committee approach at all the skill positions. Does the hoodie have designs on using Tebow in a new and improved version of the Mike Vrabel play? It’s a stretch to think that they’d waste a first round pick on some possible trick plays but keep in mind that Brady doesn’t really have a backup and Tebow could have a long career as a smart and capable #2.

9. Minnesota takes Colt McCoy (QB, Texas) at #30. Regardless of what Brett Favre will decide to do in 2010, the Vikings need to think about 2011 and beyond. If Favre does decide to play another year, drafting McCoy would be a perfect situation for everyone. McCoy would have a year or more to learn for one of the game’s best and then take over a team with plenty of tools, that plays over half of its season indoors and is in a division that is up for grabs every season.

10. Ben Roethlisberger gets traded. This rumor has been hot for the past few days. It’s unlikely that Roethlisberger will get moved, but the rumor is that the Steelers have been talking to teams and shopping Big Ben because of his off-the-field problems and looming 4-6 game suspension. There are a bunch of teams that need or could use a QB but why would a team want a guy like this? Off the field problems aside, you know what you’re getting on Sundays. Roethlisberger doesn’t always tear it up stat-wise, but he definitely gets the job done when needed. If you’re looking for a QB and they guy you want on draft day isn’t there, you might be able to get a Pro-Bowl caliber field general on the cheap.