MMA Link Club: Pioneers in Japan, Wild Redneck Fights, and Top Diaz Bros. Middle Fingers

- Ben Henderson: This fight is going to be like two cats trapped inside of a bag (Five Ounces of Pain)

"This fight is going to be good. It’ll be like two cats trapped inside of a bag. He’s a pretty aggressive fighter who moves a lot, but he remains very active and goes after it. He’s not a guy who will get on the bike and not engage. He moves around a lot, but comes to fight each and every time. We both have aggressive natures so you can expect us to get after it and put on a great fight. - Ben Henderson"

- Shannon Lee talks “I am Bruce Lee” documentary (TheFightNerd)

"The Fight Nerd spoke with Shannon Lee, the daughter of the legendary Bruce Lee and head of the Bruce Lee Foundation. Shannon also stars in the new documentary about her father, “I am Bruce Lee,” made by Pete McCormack. We spoke with Shannon about the new film, how the legacy of her father continues to stay important nearly 40 years after his passing, and if Bruce truly was the father of MMA..."

- UFC's Sean Loeffler recounts wild redneck MMA fight (MMAMania)

"My opponent, he goes, 'I don't want to fight that guy,' and I'm like, 'What are you talking about?' My opponent was like 10-10. He's like, 'I ain't fighting that guy. That tattoo boy there looks like he knows some hee-haw sh*t and I ain't gonna f***ing fight.' So some other guy is like, "Well I'll fight him!" and they're like, 'You will?' and this other guy is like, 'Yeah!' and he's got jeans on. So they bring him into the cage... - Sean Loeffler"

- MMA Pioneers From Last UFC in Japan Look Back on Times in a Strange Land (MMAFighting)

"How long has it been since the UFC held an event in Japan? Put it this way: the last time the Octagon was erected in the Land of the Rising Sun, Dana White had hair, Semaphore Entertainment Group [SEG] had ownership of the UFC, and Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz had something resembling a friendship. So says Ortiz, anyway..."

- UFC 144 Gallery: 12 GIFs of Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson Being Awesome (CagePotato)

"UFC 144's lightweight title headliner between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson smells like an instant classic - the kind of bell-to-bell, all-over-the-cage firefight that has made both men into stars. So who’s going home with the belt on Saturday night? Check out some of our favorite animated GIFs featuring both fighters, and let us know what you think…"

- Five questions to look at heading into the UFC Japan 2012 event (FightOpinion)

"This is such an oddly intriguing show for a lot of reasons, both in-and-out of the cage. There’s so many variables at play here. I could bring up a million different angles to analyze but we’ll take five basic storylines heading into the event here and look at how everything is playing out right now."

- Nate Quarry Living out Dream as Host for Spike TV's 'MMA Uncensored Live' (BleacherReport)

"I have to give all my credit to my agent. He saw this opportunity and compiled all the speaking engagements I've done. That really opened the door for me to come in and do my thing. Even as a child and being a Jehovah Witness, I was speaking in public. I was always in front of the church reading scripture. I've told my story in San Fransisco in front of hundreds of business men. I've been doing it forever. - Nate Quarry"

- The Top Ten Diaz Brothers Middle Fingers in MMA History (MiddleEasy)

"The middle finger is a form of currency in the 209. If arthritis ever hit Stockton, California, the entire economy would collapse. In the 209, commodities are purchased with either one middle finger, or two - depending on the value of the item. If you purchase anything in Stockton, California that's more than two middle fingers, people will automatically assume your first name is 'Goro' and you're defending the Netherrealms from Stockton..."

- Japanese MMA Scene Primer: The Shooto Edition (MMAConvert)

"Remember when every young buck MMA fan was tuning into the UFC but only a select few connoisseurs (such as ourselves) were watching “that other show” on the Versus channel? The one where the little guys fought like crazy and put on insane technical displays of martial prowess? That’s right, I’m talking about the WEC. Well, Shooto was the WEC before the WEC was even an itch in Scott Adams and Reed Harris’ collective pants."

- UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson Complete Betting Odds (5thRound)

"UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson” hasn’t generated much hoopla, but thankfully someone finally alerted the Gambling Gods that there is in fact a major mixed martial arts show jumping off this weekend in Japan. Former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson challenges reigning UFC 155-pound king Frankie Edgar for his crown in the show’s featured attraction. Henderson is pegged as a slight +105 underdog to dethrone Edgar..."

- Miesha Tate Discusses Impact Of First Career Fight (FightLine)

"I was 19 years of age at the time, had wrestled for four years, but had no clue what MMA was and had never before heard of the UFC. In fact, I had no desire to ever fight at this stage. I was just interested in learning a bit more about submission wrestling, having wrestled with the boys' team since during high school... - Miesha Tate"

- UFC hard sell for advertisers while on Versus (MMAPayout)

"UFC programming averaged 124,000 viewers on Versus. These ratings doubled the average for the channel. The article also states that the loss of the UFC has hurt NBC Sports Network ratings. Still, NBC described the UFC as “off brand,” a show that brought ratings but the network had a hard time finding a way to monetize it."

Check out last week's MMA Link Club: Fast Rising Prospects, Diminishing Managers, and "WTF" Moments in MMA

Photo: Scott Hirano