*The new Weekly Tapout is up and previews PRIDE's The Real Deal. Thanks to my friends Eddie Malone and Josh Gross for their help.
*Been meaning to give a shoutout to a blog I check daily: Zach Arnold's Fight Opinion site is one of the best spots on the Web for thought-provoking MMA pieces.
*One link I found on Fight Opinion today that's worth passing along: The Whaledog blog broke news of a New Jersey State Athletic Commission change regarding weigh-ins for title fights. Beginning next year, title fighters in boxing, MMA and kickboxing will be weighed in 30 days before their match and again a week before the fight. At the 30-day mark, they must be within 10% of their target weight; seven days out, they must be within 5%.
Currently, a single weigh-in is conducted the day before the fight, which gives a fighter the opportunity to cut as much as 15 or 20 pounds and put it back on in time for the fight. The is a disadvantage to someone who naturally weights, say, 185, and wants to fight at 185. Holding weigh-ins the day of the fight is too dangerous, as it could lead to dehydrated fighters competing.
New Jersey has one of the most proactive commissions in the country; the NJSAC created the unified MMA rules at a time few would touch the sport, something for which they rarely get credit. Whether this rule change works or not, the commission deserves credit for attempting to better the system.