MMA Link Club: Fast Rising Prospects, Diminishing Managers, and "WTF" Moments in MMA

- Benson Henderson Surprised By Speed Of His Success (FightLine)

"I'm surprised at the speed of my success. But going back to the fact that I'm a confident fighter I expect my career to go a certain way. I expect to win every fight I go into, I know I can win. Am I super surprised at how successful I have been, I would say no, but I am surprised at how fast I've been given a title shot. I think that also applies to the level of fighters that I have faced... - Ben Henderson"

- Top 10 WTF Moments in Mixed Martial Arts (TheFightNerd)

"Today, we take a look at the Top 10 WTF moments in MMA that left fans completely confused as to why someone would do what they did, but too weirded out to even have a logical response for what they just saw. This does not include freak injuries, since I already covered that, nor underdog victories or anything remotely useful. This is just pure weirdness at it’s best."

- Movin’ on Up: The UFC’s Five Fastest Rising Prospects (CagePotato)

"Welcome to the world of cyberhype, the deadliest, fastest spreading strand of hype there is. And as with Kei$ha and CSI spin-offs, there is little we can do to stop this disease, so instead we’ll just try and act like we were into it before it got popular. Here are five of the hottest prospects in the UFC, ranked in order of how long we knew about them before you did."

- Joe Ellenberger Talks His Rare Blood Disease, Titan Fighting 21, and Family (BleacherReport)

"In October of 2009 I was diagnosed with what's called paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). I actually grew up never even knowing I had the disease. You know, I wrestled all the way through college and then began my MMA career. I felt good and everything was going my way... - Joe Ellenberger"

- Scott Coker says Tate vs. Rousey is the most anticipated female fight in MMA history (MiddleEasy)

"While Scott Coker didn't use the term 'b-tch' to describe the imminent match-up between two of the greatest female stars in MMA, he did mention that Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey is the most anticipated female fight in the history of MMA -- second to only Carano vs. Cyborg back in 2009."

- Rock you like a Hurricane: Walel Watson UFC on Fuel TV Interview Exclusive (MMAMania)

"I've just been working on my boxing more, learning about my reach, what it is and everything. I'm still new to the MMA game so I'm still a little raw. My coaches have been on me and they're really getting me to use my reach and I'm learning that I can hit a guy from so far away that there's no reason I shouldn't be tagging guys from 5-6 feet away. - Walel Watson"

- Is there a need for MMA managers? (MMAPayout)

"The question is how much is a manager worth to a fighter? For top tier fighters, do they need a manager? Can the fighter have someone do the same tasks for less, without having to give up a portion of their purse or sponsorship payout. We will see if consolidation of management duties becomes a trend in MMA. There is a definite need for good representation, but at what cost?"

- Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC on FUEL TV (MMAFighting)

"If the evil forces of cable TV conspired to keep you from seeing the first UFC on FUEL event, sorry, but you missed a good one. Now that it’s all over, time to sift through the rubble for the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between."

- The Itinerant Lens (MMAConvert)

"This is a story about Keith Mills, who, at 43-years old, has been covering the sport of mixed martial arts since before it was even called that, since before there was “The Ultimate Fighter” and live events aired on FOX, since before the bald guy in Las Vegas began issuing forth profanity-laced tirades and made what was once spectacle into a billion-dollar industry."

- Diego Sanchez Now Taking Mature Route to MMA Fight Game (5thRound)

"I used to get involved in mind games, the fight before the fight, the mental and psychological aspects of the head games. When I was younger I used to think that was part of it. If you could beat a fighter before you even got into the ring then that was part of it. But now I’ve realized that once they lock the door it’s just two guys, two men. - Diego Sanchez"

- Johny Hendricks: The bigger the fight the better I come out (Five Ounces of Pain)

"As soon as I hit (Jon Fitch) he fell and then the ref jumped in. The first thing I thought was, ‘This is awesome!’ Then I saw Joe Silva walk in and I asked him, ‘Was that good enough for Knockout of the Night?' It’s not something that’s going to happen every time. It was a combination of the anger I had built up and all of the hard work I put in. This was the hardest camp I have ever been through. - Johny Hendricks"

- Image matters: UFC business & media politics (FightOpinion)

"Our friend MMA Supremacy notes that last week, non-UFC programming on Fuel TV averaged around 7,000 viewers. Not 700,000 viewers, not 70,000 viewers… 7,000. So, what’s the over/under for how many viewers UFC in Omaha draws on Wednesday night for Fuel?"

Check out last week's MMA Link Club: Diaz gets his way, Rogan changes his mind, and Mazzagatti talks b---- slaps

Photo: MMAWeekly.com