There is a list right now that is at least five fighters long. All injured. These fighters suffered mostly knee injuries and all of these ailments are bad news for fight fans. Chris Weidman, Georges St. Pierre, and Tarec Saffiedine top the list and for St. Pierre, its the second time with this particular injury. This is the toughest sport on the planet. Tell me another sport where the practice claims as many injuries as the game itself. Honestly I have never worked with an athlete who can get back into training within two weeks of a fight. Ok, thats a lie, Ive had a few fighters get first round KOs. If the fight goes one round, the fighter is going to miss two weeks at least. The whole point of me writing about the training is to bring about a change in the fans perspective of what goes into a fight, for example the lead up is intense. As my seventh week goes in the books, I needed the support over at Elite Performance. I dont want to diet anymore and I dont want to push hard. 500 feet on the Jacobs ladder, five sets of five minute long foot touches on a tall box with a minute rest and speed skipping are all grinding on me. Add that to the fact that Im only hitting a heavy bag or working with the Nexersys for striking, Im not sparring or rolling with anyone. MMA fighters are impressive for making it through a camp. So as Jeff Fisher gently encourages me to get through my bike sprints with 100% effort, or go train somewhere else if I want to take it easy, I think about guys who train so hard they get injured. The guys who dig down deep, do the physical conditioning, then go full throttle spar. Then after all of that, go into a cage and fight for 15 to 25 minutes. As they compete, if the action slows because two great fighters find themselves in a ground game stalemate, the crowd boos. That infuriates me. Id love every fan to get to the seventh, eighth, ninth or any week of a training camp. Eat the food, drink the water, sweat, and put in the hours. Then grapple with even just an average level jujitsu player. Once you get pinned, and you grab on for dear life, think about how boring it is to be there. The game, and what people who understand MMA love is the chess match. Its the preparation that went into that moment when two amazing athletes find themselves in a tie. The training, the work, and the injuries are what make MMA an amazing sport. Go put your time in. Change your health, fitness and your view of whats really going on in that cage. If you have tried CrossFit, go spend some time kickboxing, or better, try jujitsu. There is no better workout on the planet. Week 7 is in the books and the lesson learned is really how tough this is on the body. Im not even competing. Shout out to Dan Henderson at 40+ to be doing this and knocking people out. Vans Old Skool Outlet Uk . Switzerland faces Belgium or Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals in April. Serbia dropped into the World Group playoffs in September. A confident Chiudinelli and Lammer defeated veteran doubles player Zimonjic and young Krajinovic 7-6 (3), 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2. Clearance Old Skool Uk . The outdoor event will be played on Dec. 31 between alumni of the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers at Citizens Bank Park, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies. http://www.oldskoolclearanceuk.com/ . Spains victory rendered Frances 3-0 win against Finland meaningless as Spain needed just one point to secure passage to Brazil. Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema scored either side of Joona Toivios own-goal as France advanced to the playoff among the eight best second-place finishers. Vans Old Skool Clearance . Edmonton opened the season with 14 straight victories before falling Friday night 10-8 to the host Colorado Mammoth in National Lacrosse League action. Vans Old Skool Sale Cheap . Despite Barcelona showing the same vulnerability in defence, Messis best performance since returning from a lengthy injury layoff ensured that his side bounced back from a defeat by Valencia in the previous round.PITTSBURGH -- Pedro Alvarez mashed two home runs that travelled an estimated 831 feet Friday night. It was a series of sprints by the burly Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman, however, that ignited a 12-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Alvarez broke open a close game in the sixth by beating out a potential double play, followed it up with the fifth stolen base of his career then scored with a deft slide around St. Louis catcher Yadier Molinas tag that gave the Pirates the momentum they needed to pull away. "I thought the stolen base was key," manager Clint Hurdle said. "He puts a lot of focus on running the bases and hes arguably one of our best baserunners when hes on." It certainly looked like it, as Alvarezs outstretched left arm slid across the plate a split second before one of the games best defensive catchers could nab him. The Cardinals imploded from there as Shelby Miller (0-1) continued to struggle against Pittsburgh. Miller fell to 0-5 with a 5.92 ERA against the Pirates in his brief career after tying a career-high by allowing five runs in 5 1-3 innings. The right-hander is 16-5 with a 2.34 ERA in his 33 other major league appearances. "Its not the park. Its not the team. I just pitched poorly today," Miller said. "I guess it just lines up that way where I dont pitch well when I face them." Travis Ishikawa added his first major league home run in nearly two years for Pittsburgh. Gerrit Cole (1-0) gave up two runs in seven innings in his first start since losing the deciding Game 5 of the NL division series to St. Louis last October. Six months removed from a taut NLDS that pushed the eventual NL champions to the brink of elimination, the Pirates sent an early message they have no plans of going away. Cole is considered the ace in waiting after a stellar rookie season in which he was arguably Pittsburghs best pitcher over the final six weeks. Eager to take the next step in his development, the 23-year-old kept the Cardinals in check by mixing a fastball that consistently reaches the upper 90s with improved offspeeed stuff.dddddddddddd He also showcased some of his maturity, working out of a bases loaded situation in the fourth by getting Jhonny Peralta to fly out. His only mistake came in the fifth when Carpenter drilled a shot into the right field stands to pull the Cardinals to 3-2. Otherwise he teamed with catcher Russell Martin to keep St. Louis in check. "I think it was just a really well-played ballgame on our part," Cole said. "I cant say enough about what Russ did behind the plate. Not sure there are any other catchers in the entire world that could handle what I threw at him tonight." Pittsburghs offence -- which mustered all of 20 hits in 35 innings of a season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs -- made sure it didnt stay close for long after pounding out 16 hits in eight innings against the NL Central favourites. Alvarez began the year in a 1 for 15 slump but ended that with a home run to the gap in left-centre for his first home run of the season. He added his second two innings later with a long drive to right-centre that travelled an estimated 448 feet. His hustle down the first-base line in the sixth allowed Pittsburghs rally to continue and the Pirates pressed the advantage. Molina committed a rare error after Alvarezs slide, botching a potential rundown at third base when his throw hit Martin in the back and rolled into the stands. The miscue gave the Pirates a 5-2 lead and Pittsburgh poured it on in the late innings. NOTES: Ishikawas solo home run in the fourth was his first since May 15, 2012 while playing for the New York Yankees. ... The start of the game was delayed 1:05 by rain, the third straight game a Cardinals game was delayed by weather. ... Injured Cardinals 2B Mark Ellis is starting baseball activities but it remains uncertain when hell be ready to return from left knee tendinitis. Ellis went on the 15-day DL on March 27 and is eligible to return on April 11. ... The series continues on Saturday. RHP Joe Kelly will make his season debut for the Cardinals against Pittsburghs Francisco Liriano (0-0, 0.00). ' ' '