UFC 160: Velasquez vs Silva

For Immediate Release:

March 14, 2013

 

 

UFC^® HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION

CAIN VELASQUEZ FACES ‘BIGFOOT’ SILVA AT UFC^® 160 IN LAS VEGAS ON MAY 25

Plus:

JUNIOR DOS SANTOS vs. MARK HUNT

GLOVER TEIXEIRA vs. JAMES TE HUNA

GRAY MAYNARD vs. TJ GRANT

 

TICKETS FOR UFC^® 160: VELASQUEZ vs. BIGFOOT 2

AT MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA

ON SALE FRIDAY, MARCH 22

 

Las Vegas, Nevada –UFC^® heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez meets Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva on Saturday, May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in a rematch between two of the sport’s most dynamic competitors. Velasquez and Silva previously met at UFC 146, with Velasquez emerging victorious. Now the two will meet for the sport’s biggest prize – the UFC heavyweight title.

 

After avenging his only career loss and regaining the title at UFC 155 last December, Velasquez (11-1) now prepares for the first challenger in his second reign atop the heavyweight division. This Memorial Day Weekend, he’ll meet Bigfoot Silva (18-4), who earned the shot at the UFC title with impressive back-to-back knockout wins over Travis Browne and Alistair Overeem.

 

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos also returns to the Octagon^® on May 25 to battle Mark Hunt, a winner of four straight, including consecutive knockout victories over Cheick Kongo and Stefan Struve.

 

In addition, rising light heavyweight star Glover Teixeira takes on New Zealand’s James Te Huna and lightweight Gray Maynard battles red-hot Canadian TJ Grant.

 

Tickets for UFC^®160: VELASQUEZ vs. BIGFOOT 2, presented by BUD LIGHT^®, go on sale Friday, March 22 at 10 a.m. PT and are priced at $800, $600, $400, $250, $125 and $75. Tickets will be available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

 

UFC^® Fight Club^™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, March 20 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, March 21 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

 

UFC^®160: VELASQUEZ vs. BIGFOOT 2 will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.

 

For more information or current fight news, visit www.ufc.com.  All bouts live and subject to change.

 

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship^®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter^®, which airs on FX.

 

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs and video games, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM^®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo^® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

 

Malignaggi vs Broner

Some times the only thing better then a boxing match is the pre fight banter. I can honestly say I can't remember the last time I seen 2 fighters were facing each other with the gift for gab. Saturday night at the Bernard Hopkins vs Tavoris Cloud fight we got just that. Brooklyn's Bad boy and WBA welterweight champion signed to fight the flashy and air apparent to Floyd Mayweather, Adrian "The Problem" Broner. The fight has been Scheduled for June 22, 2013 at Brooklyn's very won Barclay's Center. The fight has been Scheduled for HBO.

Can you imagine a 24/7 with these two fighters. The build up may be even better then the fight itself. Either way, prepare for a verbal war between these two fast talking, brash individuals.

Dwelling on stressful events can increase inflammation in the body, study finds

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

ATHENS, Ohio (March 13, 2013)—Dwelling on negative events can increase levels of inflammation in the body, a new Ohio University study finds. Researchers discovered that when study participants were asked to ruminate on a stressful incident, their levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of tissue inflammation, rose. The study is the first time to directly measure this effect in the body.

“Much of the past work has looked at this in non-experimental designs. Researchers have asked people to report their tendency to ruminate, and then looked to see if it connected to physiological issues. It’s been correlational for the most part,” said Peggy Zoccola, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio University.
Zoccola is lead author on the new study, which she will present Friday at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Miami, Fla.
The research team recruited 34 healthy young women to participate in the project. Each woman was asked to give a speech about her candidacy for a job to two interviewers in white laboratory coats, who listened with stone-faced expressions, Zoccola said.

Half of the group was asked to contemplate their performance in the public speaking task, while the other half was asked to think about neutral images and activities, such as sailing ships or grocery store trips.
The researchers drew blood samples that showed that the levels of C-reactive protein were significantly higher in the subjects who were asked to dwell on the speech, Zoccola reported.
For these participants, the levels of the inflammatory marker continued to rise for at least one hour after the speech. During the same time period, the marker returned to starting levels in the subjects who had been asked to focus on other thoughts.
The C-reactive protein is primarily produced by the liver as part of the immune system’s initial inflammatory response. It rises in response to traumas, injuries or infections in the body, Zoccola explained.
C-reative protein is widely used as a clinical marker to determine if a patient has an infection, but also if he or she may be at risk for disease later in life.
“More and more, chronic inflammation is being associated with various disorders and conditions,” Zoccola said. “The immune system plays an important role in various cardiovascular disorders such as heart disease, as well as cancer, dementia and autoimmune diseases.”
Zoccola is working with Fabian Benencia in Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and Lauren Mente, a registered nurse and graduate student in the School of Nursing, to investigate the effect of rumination on additional inflammation markers. In addition, she hopes to study the issue in other populations, such as older adults, who might be vulnerable to rumination and health problems.
###
Study co-authors are Wilson Figueroa, Erin Rabideau and Alex Woody, all graduate students in the Ohio University Department of Psychology. This study was supported with funding from the Ohio University Research Committee.
Source

Mediterranean Diet Lowers Rates of Adverse Cardiovascular Events

Mediterranean Diet Lowers Rates of Adverse Cardiovascular Events

In a primary prevention trial, this diet modestly outperformed a low-fat diet.

The so-called Mediterranean diet is thought, mostly on the basis of observational studies, to confer cardiovascular benefit. Now, Spanish researchers have put this diet to the ultimate test — a large, randomized, primary-prevention trial.
About 7500 people (age range, 55–80) without known cardiovascular disease but with either diabetes or 3 nondiabetes cardiac risk factors were randomized to one of three diets:

• Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil (at least 4 tablespoons daily)
• Mediterranean diet supplemented with a daily 30-g serving of walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts
• Low-fat control diet

During average follow-up of 5 years, the primary composite outcome (myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular-related death) occurred significantly less often in the two Mediterranean-diet groups than in the control group (8 per 1000 person-years in each Mediterranean group vs. 11 per 1000 person-years in the control group). Among the three components of the primary endpoint, only stroke was significantly lower in the intervention groups. The two Mediterranean diets did not lower all-cause mortality significantly.
Comment: In this primary-prevention trial, two Mediterranean diets were associated with lower rates of cardiovascular events — about three fewer events per 1000 person-years — compared with a standard low-fat diet. Although some of the publicity surrounding this trial emphasized the merits of supplemental extra-virgin olive oil and nuts, we should note that the underlying diets differed: For example, wine with meals and legumes were recommended in the Mediterranean diets, whereas low-fat dairy products, bread, pasta, and potatoes were recommended in the control diet.
— Allan S. Brett, MD
Published in Journal Watch General Medicine March 12, 2013

Citation(s):

Estruch R et al. Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. N Engl J Med 2013 Feb 25; [e-pub ahead of print]. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1200303)

 

Weight gain rate predicts physical activity levels, says new study

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

International Journal of Obesity 37, 404-409 (March 2013) | doi:10.1038/ijo.2012.58

Ultimate Outdoor Workout System: Healthy Weight Loss & Fast Fat Burning Without Expensive Gyms or Exercise Equipment (How To Get Fit Free)
Rate of weight gain predicts change in physical activity levels: a longitudinal analysis of the EPIC-Norfolk cohort
R Golubic, U Ekelund, K Wijndaele, R Luben, K-T Khaw, N J Wareham and S Brage
Abstract
Objective:
To investigate the relationship of body weight and its changes over time with physical activity (PA).
Design:
Population-based prospective cohort study (Norfolk cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, EPIC-Norfolk, United Kingdom).
Subjects:

A total of 25 639 men and women aged 39–79 years at baseline. PA was self-reported. Weight and height were measured by standard clinical procedures at baseline and self-reported at 18-month and 10-year follow-ups (calibrated against clinical measures). Main outcome measure was PA at the 10-year follow-up.
Results:
Body weight and PA were inversely associated in cross-sectional analyses. In longitudinal analyses, an increase in weight was associated with higher risk of being inactive 10 years later, after adjusting for baseline activity, 18-month activity, sex, baseline age, prevalent diseases, socioeconomic status, education, smoking, total daily energy intake and alcohol intake. Compared with stable weight, a gain in weight of >2 kg per year in the short-, medium- and long-term was consistently and significantly associated with greater likelihood of physical inactivity after 10 years, with the most pronounced effect for long-term weight gain, OR=1.89 (95% CI: 1.30–2.70) in fully adjusted analysis. Weight gain of 0.5–2 kg per year over long-term was substantially associated with physical inactivity after full adjustment, OR=1.26 (95% CI: 1.11–1.41).
Conclusion:
Weight gain (during short-, medium- and long-term) is a significant determinant of future physical inactivity independent of baseline weight and activity. Compared with maintaining weight, moderate (0.5–2 kg per year) and large weight gain (>2 kg per year) significantly predict future inactivity; a potentially vicious cycle including further weight gain, obesity and complications associated with a sedentary lifestyle. On the basis of current predictions of obesity trends, we estimate that the prevalence of inactivity in England would exceed 60% in the year 2020.
Source

Lifelong exercise holds key to cognitive well-being: King’s College study

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

A study by researchers at King’s College London highlights a link between lifelong exercise and improved brain function in later life.

Exercise and It’s Mediating Effects on Cognition (Aging, Exercise and Cognition)
The study found that regular intensive lifelong exercise as a child and adult improved cognitive functioning at the age of 50 and that even exercise of a lower frequency could offer benefits for cognitive well-being.
Dr Alex Dregan, Lecturer in Translational Epidemiology and Public Health at King’s College London, believes the findings support the need for a lifelong approach when seeking to improve cognitive well-being and thinks the results are especially pertinent given recent concerns over the growth of an ageing population in the UK. He said: ‘As exercise represents a key component of lifestyle interventions to prevent cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, public health interventions to promote lifelong exercise have the potential to reduce the personal and social burden associated with these conditions in late adult years.’
Published today in the journal Psychological Medicine, the study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, and is one of the first longitudinal investigations to measure the effects of lifelong exercise on the brain.

Using information from the UK National Child Development Study, researchers examined levels of exercise between the ages of 11 and 50 in more than 9,000 individuals. The data was collected through face-to-face interviews at the ages of 11, 16, 33, 42, 46 and 50, reducing the possibility of inaccurate retrospective accounts of exercise as a child. Participants undertook two measures of cognitive performance, including memory and executive functioning, which were then combined into a third, overall ‘cognitive index’ score. The memory task involved learning ten unrelated words before immediate and delayed recall was tested. Executive functioning was assessed by asking participants to name as many animals as possible in one minute, which examined verbal fluency, and to cross-through specified letters in a series (letter cancellation), which measured attention, mental speed and visual scanning.
The study found that participants who exercised weekly as a child and as an adult performed better on tests of memory, learning, attention and reasoning at the age of 50 than those who exercised two to three times per month or less.
The preservation of cognitive functioning into later adult years represents a major public health concern, and as such, the government recommends that adults aged 19-64 should exercise for at least 150 minutes per week. Previous research has focused on the achievement of recommended levels and has scarcely explored the benefits of lower levels of exercise. The study carried out by King’s indicates that even exercise of a frequency lower than recommended levels may also contribute to better cognitive functioning.
Dr Dregan said: ‘It’s widely acknowledged that a healthy body equals a healthy mind. However, not everyone is willing or able to take part in the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week. For these people any level of physical activity may benefit their cognitive well-being in the long-term and this is something that needs to be explored further.
‘Setting lower exercise targets at the beginning and gradually increasing their frequency and intensity could be a more effective method for improving levels of exercise within the wider population.’
Researchers found that the greatest benefit emerged from participating in lifelong intensive exercise, even after accounting for exercise frequency. Dr Dregan said: ‘It appears that intensive exercise may offer benefits for brain functioning in later life over and above those resulting from regular yet less intense exercise.’
He added: ‘Clinical trials are required to further explore the benefits of exercise for cognitive well-being among older adults, whilst examining the effects of exercise with varying levels of frequency and intensity.’
Source

Amount of fat in diet linked to depression in new study

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

International Journal of Obesity 37, 382-389 (March 2013) | doi:10.1038/ijo.2012.48

The Emotional Eater’s Repair Manual: A Practical Mind-Body-Spirit Guide for Putting an End to Overeating and Dieting
Diet-induced obesity promotes depressive-like behaviour that is associated with neural adaptations in brain reward circuitry
S Sharma and S Fulton
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The biological mechanisms that link the development of depression to metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes remain obscure. Dopamine- and plasticity-related signalling in mesolimbic reward circuitry is implicated in the pathophysiology and aetiology of depression.
OBJECTIVE:

 

To determine the impact of a palatable high-fat diet (HFD) on depressive-like behaviour and biochemical alterations in brain reward circuitry in order to understand the neural processes that may contribute to the development of depression in the context of diet-induced obesity (DIO).
METHODS:
Adult male C57Bl6 mice were placed on a HFD or ingredient-matched, low-fat diet for 12 weeks. At the end of the diet regimen, we assessed anxiety and depressive-like behaviour, corticosterone levels and biochemical changes in the midbrain and limbic brain regions. Nucleus accumbens (NAc), dorsolateral striatum (DLS) and ventral tegmental area dissections were subjected to SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting using antibodies against D1A receptor, D2 receptor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), phospho-DARPP-32(thr75), phospho-CREB and ΔFosB.
RESULTS:
HFD mice showed significant decreases in open arm time and centre time activity in elevated plus maze and open field tasks, respectively, and increased immobility (behavioural despair) in the forced swim test. Corticosterone levels following acute restraint stress were substantially elevated in HFD mice. HFD mice had significantly higher D2R, BDNF and ΔFosB, but reduced D1R, protein expression in the NAc. Notably, the expression of BDNF in both the NAc and DLS and phospho-CREB in the DLS was positively correlated with behavioural despair.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our results demonstrate that chronic consumption of high-fat food and obesity induce plasticity-related changes in reward circuitry that are associated with a depressive-like phenotype. As increases in striatal BDNF and CREB activity are well implicated in depressive behaviour and reward, we suggest these signalling molecules may mediate the effects of high-fat feeding and DIO to promote negative emotional states and depressive-like symptomology.
Source