MMA Link Club: Shocking Upsets, Brutal Finishes, and a Holiday Wish List

- Top 10 Biggest MMA Upsets in 2011 (TheFightNerd)

"Everyone loves to see the underdog win, especially because they never expect it. In MMA, unpredictability is a constant variable that truly makes it one of the most exciting sports out there. Sometimes, it’s not even the underdog, but rather the fighter that most thought had zero chance at all to win, let alone survive the fight. As this year wraps up, it’s time to look back and see who were the biggest underdogs that shattered expectations..."

- Meet the Flyweights: Interview with debuting UFC 125-pounder Ian McCall (MMAMania)

"It seems like jail and rehab will teach you how to do it. It's just the kind of thing where you grow out of it. I just finally one day was like, "Okay, I've had enough. I've had enough fun. I've partied enough in my life. This is kind of over with," and from there, that was before me and my wife got together and she got pregnant and it was the kind of thing where I did it on my own and we and my wife reconnected because we'd dated on and off for five years... - Ian McCall"

- MMA Video Tribute: The 25 Most Brutal Finishes of 2011 (CagePotato)

"With a little help from the Potato Nation, we spent the last couple days gathering videos of the nastiest, ugliest, most-painful looking knockouts and submissions from this year. Finding 25 of them was the easy part. (Damn, MMA fighters. You seemed especially angry this year. Problems at home?) Putting them in order was a little more challenging...."

- Cooking with Tim Kennedy: Killer Texas Chili (MiddleEasy)

"It’s finally getting cold here in Texas. There is nothing that warms your innards and your soul more than a delicious bowl of chili. Traditional Texas chili has no beans in it. I’m not one to follow rules so like the honey badger, I’ll do what I want (and add beans).  The protein used is entirely up to the cook. I used deer for this one, but occasionally I love a good sirloin chili too."

- The Daily Line: Can Condit Vs. Diaz Last Five Rounds? (FightLine)

"Considering how often they finish their respective opponents, it's understandable at first glance to predict a finish from either man inside the distance of their five round tilt, but when given a second look, things start to unpack a little differently. Carlos Condit has been finished three times in his professional career, each time by submission (which could play well into Diaz's strategy) and with the last time occurring in 2006 against Pat Healy."

- 2011 Holiday Wish List (MMAConvert)

"The holidays are upon us, and whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa or Tiamat’s birthday (dust off your old Monsters Manual, son; she’s the queen of the Chromatic dragons), it’s hopefully a time for giving and receiving. Well, I’ve given a lot to the sport of MMA this year - I think it’s time I enumerate to Santa exactly what it is I wish for in return."

- Power Ranking Every Pride FC Tournament (BleacherReport)

"The holiday season always reminds me of the glory days of Japanese MMA and the much-hyped New Years Eve events that the Pride FC organization always used to hold. The days of Pride are long gone, but the memories of that unique era with pyro-show openings and fighter introductions remain. In human nature, variety is the spice of life and with the modern era of weight classes and individual event fight card's there is one thing that Pride delivered that I truly miss most of all, The Tournament."

- Spike TV to run “Ultimate Fridays” opposite TUF-Bellator (MMAPayOut)

"Spike TV’s programming decision will definitely impact both Bellator and TUF. Although reruns, many people will want to see the early seasons which include Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin and Randy Couture.The move appears to be a direct counter to TUF on FX rather than Bellator on MTV2 in the continued bad breakup between the two.This spring will be full of MMA Fridays and it will be interesting to see who will win the ratings war."

- Ishii, Monson Fights Represent the Last Phase of Fedor's Career (MMAFighting)

"The reality is that this fight - and Fedor's fight in Moscow last month against Jeff Monson - is just what we're going to see from the 35-year-old Fedor at this point, as he enters the last phase of his legendary career. We're not going to see Fedor against Top 10 competition anymore, so we might as well enjoy watching him against the competition he will face, guys like Ishii and Monson who are perfectly respectable but far from elite."

- UFC 142: Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes Betting Odds (5thRound)

"To the surprise of no one, champ Jose Aldo is favored to retain his featherweight crown when he meets Chad Mendes at UFC 142. However, unlike the lopsided lines Aldo has enjoyed in previous title defenses, he is only a -240 odds-on favorite to beat “Money” in Brazil. Mendes, on the other hand, checks in as nearly a 2-to-1 underdog in his first championship affair."

- What’s not said about Drug Testing in Combat Sports (FightOpinion)

"Suffice to say, we don’t buy what Keith Kizer is selling in regards to the claim that urine drug testing is more effective than blood testing. It may be effective for catching idiots who are using horse drugs like boldenone which have a long half-life, but you’re not going to catch any sort of substantive/sophisticated testosterone usage unless you use a Carbon Isotope Ratio test."

- Grappling with Issues - 12/22/11 (Five Ounces of Pain)

"Will lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez face a Strikeforce or UFC fighter next?? What would you like Dana Claus to bring you this year for Christmas? Would you lock horns in the cage with Cristiane Santos for the right price? Who in MMA deserves a lump of coal in their stocking this year? Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!"

Photo: Scott Hirano

Check out last week's edition: MMA Link Club: The Best of Bellator, Survival of Strikeforce, and Stars from WEC