Ronda Rousey is on her movie-related hiatus from arm-breaking right now. Earlier this week Rousey filmed a scene for the Entourage movie where she had a fit of road rage and hit the Entourage bros’ Escalade with a pink handled baton. She seemed upset, but I have a feeling that in a movie like this, with actors like that on a set that requires everyone to wear aviator sunglasses, it is all going to work out! #babybro

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Gina Carano, the actress, is thinking about getting into the world of mixed martial arts. Carano was on “The Arsenio Show” last night to promote her new movie “Into the Blood,” when the subject of fighting came up. Carano revealed to Arsenio that she would be meeting with UFC President Dana White this week to discuss a possible fight in the UFC. You may recall that there was a similar looking woman named “Gina Carano” who competed in MMA like 5 years ago. After an August 15, 2009 loss to Cris “Cyborg” Santos, Carano retired to pursue a career in Hollywood. Hold on a second… This is the same person!

At lot has changed since that Gina Carano left MMA. Strikeforce, the promotion Carano last fought in, was bought by the UFC and eventually dissolved. Cris Cyborg, the woman who beat Carano, was popped for steroids and has never been given an invitation to the sport’s biggest promotion. And most notably, Ronda Rousey made her MMA debut a year and a half after Carano’s last fight and quickly became the new face of women’s mixed martial arts. And she’s already followed Carano’s path to Hollywood.

For now, we wait. Will the UFC give Carano – who, again, has not fought since losing nearly 5 years ago – an immediate shot at Ronda Rousey? On the one hand, you can’t do that. On the other, $$$. Ronda Rousey – Cris Cyborg is the fight fans want to watch, but Rousey – Carano is the fight that everyone wants to see. (Or is it the other way around? What is the difference between “see” and “watch” that I was trying to get across?)

Carano should have to take a “tune-up” fight before earning a title match against Rousey, but who wants to take that chance and possibly leave all that pay-per-view money on the table. The UFC might as well just get it over with. Then, if Rousey beats Carano or Rousey survives “Fast 7” she will have basically lapped her in both careers. We’ll have to wait and see, but we probably won’t have to wait long.

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Emily Ratajkowski … models faces turned 2d … Detroit homeowner shoots intruders … Scarlett Johansson is in Vanity Fair … Florida police officer charged with DUI after hitting grocery cart with kids inside … Toyota recalls 6.4 million vehicles … The Oregonian’s new digital-first focus … there was a school stabbing in Pennsylvania yesterday … profits up, compensation down … most college grads are going to these cities… masseuse bans men after too many happy ending requests … elite colleges reject a high % of applicants … Julia Louis-Dreyfus naked with the Constitution on her back …

Ultimate Gay Fighting game will change its name because of legal pressure from an “unnamed MMA company.” [Polygon]

Kevin Streelman gave away Wednesday Masters tickets to a random teenager on Twitter. [Devil Ball]

Gabe Kapler wrote about being fooled by Chad Curtis’ religious beliefs. [FOX Sports]

Meanwhile, Curtis is sitting in jail, ready to forgive his accusers. [Sports On Earth]

Kentucky fan with dumb tattoo doesn’t regret his tattoo. [The Courier Journal]

Kliff Kingsbury’s life sounds rough. [CBS Sports]

Garrett Gilbert suddenly has a good chance in the NFL Draft. [Houston Chronicle]

UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball banned from postseason play for academic reasons. [JS Online]

Michigan State mourns the loss of Lacey Holsworth. [Freep]

Is sports radio going to die? (Our media bracket says no, but what do people who vote on online polls know?) [Boston Sports Media Watch]

An interview with Michelle Beadle. [Jeff Pearlman]

Adam Jones doesn’t like idiots who run onto the field and I agree with him. [With Leather]

Arianny Celeste is a Dodgers fan. [Guyism]

University of North Dakota sorority accused of insensitivity of American Indians . [Pioneer Press]

The Ultimate Warrior’s greatest promos. [Holy Taco]

The original look of Predator is amazing.

The smooth jazz version of the Game of Thrones theme.

More GoT stuff. This sportscaster for Illinois station WREX sprinkled in a couple references. A nice touch, but he lacked the full commitment of previous efforts. [via Awful Announcing]

Jameis Winston recreated the BCS winning touchdown during a rain delay.

Rat stuck on the NYC subway is kind of hilarious.

Jimmy Fallon and Anne Hathaway did show tune versions of rap songs.

Prince George and his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in New Zealand. Remember the first time you took your newborn to New Zealand? Here he is with his mom, with a nod to @PrincessKateFTW.

Roy Nelson and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira headlined UFC Fight Night 39 in Abu Dahbi on Friday afternoon. If you had UFC Fight Pass, you could have watched as Nelson landed one of his famous right hands flush in the face of Big Nog, knocking him out cold. It was a walk-off KO for Nelson who had dropped his last two fights. For Big Nog, it was probably should be the final fight of his career. Nog turns 38 in June and has dropped two straight, 3 of 4, 4 of 6 and 5 of 8 with 3 of those losses coming by knockout.
[gif by @ZProphet_MMA]

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Ronda Rousey’s next title defense will take place on July 5th at UFC 175 in Las Vegas. Rousey will not fight Gina Carano despite the fact that it would make for more page and pay per views. Instead, Rousey will fight Alexis Davis. Davis is 3-0 in the UFC, has won her last 5 fights and is 16-5 overall. Rousey – Davis will co-headline at UFC 175 with Chris Wiedman – Lyoto Machida. Weidman and Rousey also co-headlined UFC 168. Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva are also expected to fight on the 4th of July weekend card which is traditionally one of the UFC’s three biggest shows of the year.

[MMAJunkie, Getty]

Jon Jones beat Glover Teixeira by unanimous decision at UFC 172. It was your basic domination for 5 rounds and Jones defended his title for the 7th time or whatever. The Jones victory snapped a 20-fight win streak by Teixeira. Jon Jones is the man. Deal with it.

Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title at UFC 172 in Baltimore on Saturday night. To help get ready for his fight, Jones broke out the Ray Lewis dance. Jones’ older brother, Arthur Jones, played the first four years of his NFL career with the Ravens before signing with the Colts this offseason. Jones’ other brother, New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones, was also cageside on Saturday. [@ZProphet_MMA]

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Khabib Nurmagomedov wrestles bears. Late last year a video surfaced of Nurmagomedov wrestling a bear when he was a young child in Russia. Monday, Nurmagomedov posted this video showing him again wrestling a bear cub. This time the cub is chained and wearing a muzzle. I forget – have we had any animal rights groups protest the UFC yet? Nurmagomedov beat Rafael dos Anjos a few weeks ago to improve his career record to 22-0.

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Bar Paly… murder unsolved with no digital trail to help police … Amy Schumer … woman loses 128 pounds, gets job at Hooters … missed connections for a-holes … one of the nations biggest cockfighting rings … Pippa Middleton in Vanity Fair … Terry Crews will host Who Wants to be a Millionaire … “Hello Kitty” monster arrested for attempted rape … SF post office has trouble with large birds … man kills neighbor over deer dispute … rewards for properly disposing of cigarette butts … cops pulling people over to give them ice cream … beauty queen construction worker … Clay Aiken leading NC primary … more pictures of Bar Paly …

Four people found dead in an intentionally set fire at former tennis player James Blake’s home. [CNN]

Former NHL referee breaks down the action in The Mighty Ducks. [TSN]

An oral history of the 2002 Western Conference Finals. [Grantland]

Charles Barkley eating churros on television. [Guyism]

Roger Federer is had twins, for the second time. [ABC News]

The story of Matt Bush, the #1 pick in the 2004 MLB draft who is now in jail. [FOX Sports]

This is an awesome trick shot that you will want to watch. [Eye on Golf]

Gambling makes money for sports. Not sure if that is the moral of this story. [SI]

Here’s an interview with a dude the UFC is suing for $32 million. [Torrent Freak]

Rebecca Black had a minor freak-out during an interview. [Hollywood Tuna]

Georgia State wants to turn Turner Field into a football stadium. [AJC]

So… about baseball games ending with reviews… [ESPN]

UFC fighter accidentally knocks out sparring partner with a head kick. [MMA Junkie]

Spero Dedes will not be calling Knicks games on the radio next season. [NY Daily News]

Man arrested for stealing volleyball championship rings from Nebraska coach. [1011 Now]

DeMarcus Cousins loves dogs. Another reason to love Big Cuz.

Bad British commentary takes on baseball.

NBA2k in real life.

The Bruins diving.

Build Me Up, Stanley Cup is either really good or really annoying.

Bulldogs scare off a black bear.

Today is the 17th anniversary of the Friends episode, “The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion.” It was the 24th episode of the 3rd season of Friends and is a hell of a time capsule for the UFC. The episode originally aired on May 8, 1997 which is years before Dana White and the Fertitta brothers took over. Yet, in a sport where careers are relatively short, the episode featured people still closely connected with the sport today.

In case you have forgotten, the episode featured Jon Favreau as “Pete,” Monica’s millionaire boyfriend who wanted to become “the Ultimate Fighting Champion.” The episode aired a few weeks before UFC 13 (May 30, 1997) and multiple months after UFC 12 (February 7, 1997).

To put that break in perspective, the UFC will host two cards on the same day later this month. Anyone who follows the sport knows that the idea of a 3 month layoff between UFC events is insane. Of course, as we’ll learn shortly, there was also a time when 20 million people would watch an NBC sitcom on a weekly basis. The times, they have a-changed.

On Friends, Pete makes his UFC debut against Tank Abbott, presumably somewhere in the New York metro area that holds 20,000 people. Let’s just call it “UFC: Friends.” As you’ll see in the video above, Ross and Monica both sat ringside. Ross even enjoys “the Ultimate Fighting combo.” Sanctioned mixed martial arts and a gallon of cola. (New York politicians must have had a horrible time in the 90′s.)

Three familiar faces are involved in Pete’s fight – Bruce Buffer, John McCarthy and Tank Abbott.

17 years later and Buffer is still the voice of the UFC and McCarthy is still one of the sport’s premiere referees.

(It should also be noted that Pete makes his entrance by paying tribute to Royce Gracie with the New York version of the “Gracie Train.”)

“Big” John McCarthy was the man in charge of the fight and as you can see, he was wearing a “Judgment Day” patch on his shirt. It wasn’t a nod to Terminator 2, which came out 6 years earlier, it was the name of UFC 12, which means this fight could have taken place in Dothan, Alabama. The logistics of that are ridiculous when you look at the rest of the episode. (More on that briefly.)

Tank Abbott is Pete’s opponent. At the time the episode aired, Abbott was 6-4 in his career and coming off a loss to Don Frye. Tank’s career went downhill after his win over Pete Becker at UFC: Friends. A few weeks later at UFC 13, Abbott would get wrecked by Vitor Belfort in a super fight. (VIDEO: Again, that was 17 years ago. Belfort was briefly scheduled to fight for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 173 which takes place in TWO WEEKS.)

Tank Abbott is retired now. His last fight was about 13 months ago at the age of 47. He finished his career with a 10-15 record, but he’ll always have proof that he could kick John Favreau’s ass.

Despite the loss to Tank Abbott at UFC: Friends, Becker somehow got another fight in the UFC. Since Pete chose to pursue becoming “The Ultimate Fighter,” Monica dumped him. Wait a second. This episode of Friends aired nearly 8 years before The Ultimate Fighter debuted on SpikeTV. Did someone in the Friends’ writers’ room name “The Ultimate Fighter”?

Later in the episode the gang gathered at Rachel and Monica’s apartment to watch Pete’s next fight. As you can see, they watch like you and your friends watch sports. With arms around each other and everyone seated as uncomfortably as possible right in front of the television in the same 4-square foot area.

Surprisingly, there was one person associated with the UFC who did not appear in this episode – Joe Rogan. Rogan started working with the UFC at UFC 12 and was on NBC’s NewsRadio from 1995-1999.

Despite this episode taking place not too far removed from the “human cockfighting” era, Friends handled the depiction of MMA fans very favorably. No meathead bros wearing smedium sparkly skull t-shirts are shown. In fact, the one fan who does get any screen time is this guy.

Are those… beaded bangs? He looks like a character from a Key & Peele sketch about the 90′s. The honest truth is that I stumbled on this episode of Friends on TBS yesterday afternoon, caught a glimpse of this guy’s hair and needed an excuse to post these pictures. The fact that the episode originally aired today and has a sports connection is pure coincidence.

When the UFC signed a deal with FOX 14 years later, many people thought that the UFC had broken through to the mainstream. Turns out the UFC went big time on NBC back in 1997. The first UFC card on FOX drew 5.7 million viewers. This episode of Friends was watched by 23.1 million people. While that seems insane, you should know it was the second-lowest rated episode of the entire season. (Know that the MMA media would have studied that number very closely if it existed back then.)

This was well before the UFC as we currently know it. This was before Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, Dana White, SpikeTV, FOX, The Ultimate Fighter, and any concern about steroids, either in the UFC or sports in general. I remember watching this episode, but didn’t watch an actual UFC fight for another 8 years or so. This little MMA time capsule proves that the UFC has been “mainstream” forever, Friends was a trendsetter and we are all getting old. Seriously. This was 17 years ago.

“My phone rings, they call me up and say, ‘Chael, your testosterone level is too high.’ I say, ‘Well, how high was it?’ They say, ’0.7.’ I said, ‘What’s normal?’ They say, ’0.6.’ I said, ‘One-tenth? You’re telling me I’m one-tenth higher than the average man? Re-test that – you must have caught me on a low day.’”

- Chael Sonnen, not a stand-up special, August 2011

Chael Sonnen is out of his July fight against Vitor Belfort at UFC 175 following a failed random drug test administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission according to ESPN.com. For those of you who have been following this, Sonnen was originally supposed to fight Wanderlei Silva at UFC 175, but Silva was pulled from the fight when he failed to obtain a license and refused a drug test of his own. Thus Silva was replaced with Vitor Belfort who recently [ pulled himself out of / was removed by the UFC from] a title fight at UFC 173 because of the NSAC’s ban on testosterone replacement therapy. Last week he released the results of his own failed drug test.

So basically, if you are under the assumption that the majority of professional mixed martial arts fighters are using performance enhancing drugs of some sort… what has the UFC done recently to make you think otherwise? Expect to see Sonnen, Silva and Belfort back in the Octagon as soon as their government and self-imposed bans are completed.

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The trailer for Expendables 3 hit the ‘nets yesterday. That means we get (another) first glimpse of Ronda Rousey acting. Previously we have seen her walk and turn around and pose for a poster. This time she kicks a dude’s ass in a bar, smiles and has a beer with Barney Ross. It appears that Frasier will help recruit Rousey to the Expendables team.

Hold on… I just have to check one thing and… yup. I can confirm that Ronda Rousey is my new favorite actor. Per IMDB:

This could quite possibly be the strongest start to an acting career since John Cazale.

While we’re here, it should be noted that Expendables 2 has proven infinitely rewatchable. Expectations for this one are very high.

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Uriah Hall beat Thiago Santos by decision at UFC 175. During the fight, Hall broke his toe. It was gnarly.

[Larry Brown Sports, @Zprophet_MMA]

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Ronda Rousey is the most dominant champion in UFC (current) history. Rousey is now 10-0 with 10 finishes. Alexis Davis was her latest victim, lasting just 16-seconds. Rousey put Davis down with a punch, knee and judo throw and finished her with punches. No clue what did the most damage. [@internetican]

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Ronda Rousey is very good at mixed martial arts. Because she is good at mixed martial arts, people love to throw around scenarios that will never happen and make declarative statements. That’s how we get “pound-for-pound” rankings – something I stopped wasting my time on about four years ago. Still, others cling to the idea of tiny people fighting large people in a make believe world where they are the same size and keep their same skills. With Ronda Rousey, people cross gender and sports barriers to try and explain how great she is. Take what Dana White said two months ago for example. Via FOX Sports:

“Listen I get it. It’s hard for guys to wrap their brains around that one,” White said in his UFC 173 pre-fight media scrum. “Ronda wouldn’t beat him. She’d hurt him badly. She’d hurt him badly.”

Ronda Rousey could also submit LeBron James, Adrian Peterson and Clayton Kershaw, but that is almost too silly to even mention. Today, Bob Velin of USA Today asked Mayweather about her chances and David Greisman of BoxingScene.com was there to capture his response - “I don’t know who he is.” Obviously, Mayweather is not a fan of cinema.

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