This year is the 44th Annual Whaling City Festival, an event with fun filled family oriented activities, live music, Finelli Amusements, professional wrestling, car and bike show, great food and more. The organization’s new president Allen Richard, is looking to take the festival into a new direction, adding new events, improving all facets, including the relationship with the city and community.

Approximately 125,000 people will pass through the event during the weekend of July 13-15. This is a fantastic opportunity for local businesses to get coverage and publicity. The organization is always looking to expand its group of sponsors, which currently include FUN 107, Fall River Ford, Channel 6, Tremblay’s Bus Company, ABC Disposal, Cat Country, City of New Bedford, WBSM Radio, NSTAR, Crow City Motoring and others. In addition, Children’s Safety Awareness Day will take place on Friday, June 13 from 11 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The event will be in conjunction with the New Bedford Fire Department, the New Bedford Police Department, the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Providence Bruins. This is certainly an activity to be a proud sponsor of.

Volunteers are always needed, and the current group which comprises about thirty people from the ages of 12-90 will help with information, traffic, directions, setting up, breaking down, picking up trash, manning the gates, drink service, and more. It’s a ton of fun, and at the end of the festivities Mr. Richard treats all of the volunteers to a great meal and other perks.

An excellent way to partner with the Whaling City Festival is to participate in this year’s Chinese Auction. For a minimal investment, your business gets to be associated with a fun activity that thousands of festival-goers will be involved in. By offering a few items for the auction, a business will also be associated with the local charities that will benefit from the sale of the raffle tickets. It’s a win-win situation for everyone!

In an attempt to help promote the festival, presidency, recruit vendors, sponsors, and volunteers Richard runs a website and an accompanying Facebook Page. The website will be updated in the coming weeks with the schedule, itinerary, and info.

If you are a potential vendor, or sponsor and interested in participating in this year’s Whaling City Festival, you can apply here: http://www.whalingcityfestival.net/applications.html

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, musical act looking to participate in this year’s festival, or for more information you can contact Allen Richard at: ARichard@WhalingCityFestival.net

New Bedford’s Abraham Lincoln Elementary School was recognized along with five other schools in the Commonwealth for its sustainable “green” design elements.  The school was one of five schools in the Commonwealth honored by the “Green Schools Organization” as a green learning environment.  Mayor Mitchell presented the award to the Lincoln School today and spoke about the building’s energy efficient design features as well as efficiency measures implemented in other school buildings throughout the district.

“This project proves that while there are many costs that government incurs that are beyond our ability to control, with just a little bit of effort, we can sharply reduce the cost of heat and electricity that we consume,” said Mayor Mitchell.

The City of New Bedford worked with Daedalus Projects Inc., MVG Architects and their consultant team to design and develop a school that provides students with a 21^st Century learning environment.  The 93,833 square foot elementary school serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade.  It features an auditorium, gymnasium, cafeteria, library/media center, classroom spaces, and a recreation area which includes a synthetic turf field and resilient track.  The facility contains high efficiency systems and meets or exceeds all Massachusetts Collaborative for High Performance Schools requirements.

The Lincoln School’s green design features include:

• Light colored membrane on roof surfaces to reduce the heat island effect.
• School is sited in a central location within close proximity to public transportation basic services, pedestrian and bike access.
• Synthetic playfield for student and public use eliminates potable water irrigation.
• Contains on-site alternative energy sources for electricity production through installation of a 80kwh Photovoltaic (PV) system on the roof.
• High efficient mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems which exceed the MA Building Energy code by 30%; the majority of the classrooms are designed without air conditioning.
• Recycles 90% of the waste generated by the school Diverted 90% of construction and demolition waste to recycling plant in lieu of a landfill.
• Environmentally-friendly materials including recycled content, salvaged and certified wood materials were utilized.
• Classrooms are designed with access to views and natural day lighting.
• Protects students and staff health during occupancy by specifying walk-off mats, low-emitting materials, and high efficiency HVAC filters.
• Created a school maintenance plan of all equipment for preventive and maintenance needs and adopt the Anti-Idling policy to reduce emissions.
• The new school was built on the existing school site. The reuse of this site, promotes “Smart Growth” which protects undeveloped land and allows for the re-use of existing infrastructure, including: site utilities and roads.

The Abraham Lincoln School has also been designated a Model School by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Model School Program. The designation allows other communities to re-use the Abraham Lincoln Elementary School design as a model for their own school buildings.  Model school buildings are chosen by the MSBA for their optimal classroom space, efficiency, ease of maintenance, capacity, and their incorporation of sustainable “green” design elements.

In addition to the Lincoln School, the City maintains close to one-hundred buildings, including nearly thirty schools, and major water and wastewater facilities.  Many of the municipal buildings are antiquated and are costly to heat and cool.  Mayor Mitchell’s Fiscal Year 2013 City Budget includes funding for an Office of Energy Efficiency at the Department of Public Infrastructure.

The City has already implemented energy efficiency measures at several school buildings including Alfred J. Gomes Elementary, Hayden McFadden Elementary, Casmir Pulaski Elementary, Carney Academy, and Roosevelt Middle School. Such efficiency measures include:

• Upgraded lighting
• Hot water circulation pumps
• Variable frequency drives (power electronics conversion device used to control air conditioner motor)
  • Motors
  • Upgrades to existing energy management systems (EMS)
  • Occupancy sensors
  • De-stratification fans (helps equalize building’s internal temperature)
  • Demand control ventilation (ventilation based on occupancy and actual activity)
  • Controls on exhaust fans, air handlers, unit ventilators and zones
  • Conversion from oil natural gas for heat

New Bedford’s Energy Director, Scott Durkee, estimates that efficiency measures adopted in school buildings to date have resulted in savings totaling over $400,000.00.

Mayor Mitchell added, “Being energy conscious is not just environmentally friendly, it is financially imperative.  New energy conservation measures implemented by DPI’s Energy Efficiency Office when put in place today will help us hold down our property tax bills tomorrow.”

Over seventy musicians, more than ninety arts and crafts vendors and dozens of food options.  This description may make you think of a West Coast music extravaganza, or the Newport Folk festival, or perhaps something in a trendy NYC neighborhood.  But you may be pleasantly surprised to hear that you won’t have to drive out of Greater New Bedford to participate in this Summerfest.  Perhaps you are a regular at the Greater New Bedford Summerfest, or this is your first time hearing of it.  Regardless, this is hardly New Bedford’s first year hosting this family friendly and culturally charged three-day festival; July 6-8, 2012 will mark the 17th year of celebrating international folk music and arts at Summerfest.

Summerfest 2012 will kick off on Friday July 6th with a concert featuring Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary), Annalivia, and Women in Docs.  For those of you who aren’t folk music aficionados, you may recall Peter, Paul and Mary as major features of the 1960s folk music scene, having recorded the 1969 number one hit, “Leaving on a Jet Plane”.  They were also the performers who recorded the very memorable and often misinterpreted “Puff the Magic Dragon”.  This opening night performance is sure to be a great way to kick off the weekend with, by bringing traditional, contemporary and celtic folk music onto one stage.  Annalivia is bound to bring excitement to the stage with their acoustic Celtic inspired music stylings and the Australian folk-pop band Women in Docs will mix things up with a sound that is reminiscent of the Indigo Girls.  As with all performances throughout the weekend, this first night concert is being held at the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park at 6:30.  Tickets are $15 for Friday’s concert and can be purchased at http://www.newbedfordsummerfest.com/friday.html.

On Saturday and Sunday the festivities will commence at 11 AM and continue until 9 PM with a full day of music on multiple stages as well as arts, crafts and food vendors.  One thing that makes the Greater New Bedford Summerfest exceptional are what they call “workshops”.  While this may call to mind the image of a dry lecture or seminar, that is not the case at all.  These workshops are essentially jam sessions where musicians with different styles come together on stage to perform something truly unique to the moment.  For music lovers, this type of creative expression is a rare treat, and something that makes Summerfest stand out amongst many other summer music festivals.

In addition to the versatile quality of the music provided by Summerfest, this event also offers an explosion of creativity when it comes to visual arts and crafts.  Artists and craftsmen of all types can be found lining the streets of the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park selling everything from handmade jewelry to musical instruments to toys… and much, much more.  The arts and crafts found at Summerfest are made by both locals and artists ranging from coast to coast.  Based on the sheer number of vendors and the wide variety of products you are sure to find something you love at the Artisan’s Market or the International Bazaar.

No festival is complete without food and drink, and Summerfest is no exception.  2012 drink vendors include a Beer and Wine Garden for adults, and for food you will find Captain Clamcakes on hand for some seafood snacks as well as an ice cream truck for a cool treat.  Of course, since you will be downtown New Bedford, there is hardly a shortage of amazing restaurants to sit down in for a meal or to grab some takeout from.  Summerfest is a one of a kind opportunity to bring your family out to indulge in a day of quality music, arts and crafts and a delicious dinner.  The Summerfest website offers some recommendations if you should decide to eat at a downtown restaurant (http://www.newbedfordsummerfest.com/food.html), and of course, New Bedford Guide has some wonderful local restaurant reviews to help you make your decision!

As mentioned previously, tickets to Friday night’s concert are $15.  Tickets for Saturday are $20 and Sunday is also $20 for admission.  However, if you’re hoping to make a weekend out of it you can buy the weekend pass for $30.  Children under twelve are free, which is yet another reason why Summerfest is great for families. Nevertheless, young or old you will find that Summerfest is a unique and memorable way to spend Independence Day weekend!

Massage therapy has come a long way over the years. In fact, there are places in every town making it convenient to receive one. They are mostly all same, but I found a place called Blue Lotus Moon Holistic that does it a bit differently. This isn’t your ordinary massage parlor. Owner Susannah Otocki-Pierce has gone above and beyond with special training, bringing in new techniques that sets her place apart from others. She has specialized in Polarity, graduating from SpaTech’s program in Advanced Polarity Program and has completed RYSE Practitioner Level 3 training. She also has a Holistic Health diploma and is a Reiki Master. All these state of the art techniques equate to huge benefits for you, the client.

Blue Lotus Moon Holistic is located at 53 Main St. in Fairhaven, a small storefront with big character. I pulled up to a colorful building in a quiet neighborhood and it drew me in right away. I was eager to find out what was inside. I entered through a purple door into a room in progress. Susannah greeted me with a warm smile putting my nerves at ease. I had never had a Polarity massage before, and even though I did my research I was curious as to what it entailed. She led me to a room in the back, that had dimmed lighting, soft mint green walls, and the smell of aromatic lotions. Water trickling from the water fall along with relaxing music soothed my senses. Like a small child, I couldn’t wait to get started and let my stress melt away. We each took a seat before starting, Susannah sat and explained what she was going to do, what Polarity is, and the benefits I was going to obtain.

Climbing into the warm massage bed was all I needed, but as she began her practice I drifted off. One hour and a half later, I was a new woman. I felt energized, relaxed, my muscles loosened and ready to face the rest of my hectic day. This was not an ordinary massage, during the session she did do massaging but also incorporated acupuncture, reiki and some stretching. After the session Susannah sat and spoke to me about my troubled areas, for instance, she showed me a stretch that I can do at home to help take tension out of my back area. She answered any questions I had and reassured me that if I needed anything else she was there to help. Some of my questions were about ailments that I know other people have such as plantar fasciitis and tendonitis. Susannah explained in detail why people get them, what happens inside our bodies as it is happening and then how to fix those ailments. She really does care about her clients, only wants the best for them and hopes to create a lasting relationship.

There are many benefits from massage such as it can relieve stress, improve the body’s metabolism, lower blood pressure, improve immune function, and relieve discomfort caused by strain. You’re probably asking “What is Polarity?” Here is the definition that Susannah has on her brochure: “Polarity is energy based healing modality developed by Dr. Randolph Stone, a chiropractor. He realized there are energy blocks that form in the body and must be corrected for the body to be in a state of wellness. We are able to restore balance through the body’s energetic system through a combination of acupressure, stretching, and working with elemental pathways, which results in the well being of our physical bodies. Regular sessions can lead to a sense of greater vitality as well as creativity.”

Susannah offers other services as well, some of which were new to me. I look forward to trying these other benefitting services. Besides the Polarity massage, she offers Swedish Therapeutic Massage, Deep Tissue and Holistic Massage, Healing Stone Massage, Reiki and Reiki with hot stone and crystals. For your hands and feet check out her Eco-fin hand and foot treatments. Eco-fin is a petroleum-free alternative to paraffin. Eco-fin is a blend of palm, soy, jojoba, organic coconut oils, shea butter, vitamin E, and essential oils. All these ingredients leave your skin feeling silky smooth.

Blue Lotus Moon Holistic is a hidden gem in Fairhaven that I discovered and hope to make others aware of. For more details, check out their  website at www.bluemoonholistic.abmp.com.

Several events are planned in New Bedford throughout Memorial Day weekend to honor the courageous men and women who lost their lives serving the United States of America.

Saturday, May 26^th, 2012

9:00 am at Rural Cemetery

The Greater New Bedford Civil War Round Table will conduct a memorial exercise at the Union Soldier’s Burial Site at Rural Cemetery, 149 Dartmouth Street.

*American Legion Post 1 will be placing flags on veterans’ graves at Rural Cemetery.

Sunday, May 27^th, 2012

10:30am at Pine Grove Cemetery

New Bedford Post 1, The American Legion will conduct a Memorial Day Exercise at the Veterans’ plot in Pine Grove Cemetery.

12:00pm at New Bedford City Hall

New Bedford Post 1, The American Legion will conduct a Memorial Day Exercise at the Vietnam Veterans’ Honor Roll at New Bedford City Hall on the William Street side of the building.

Monday, May 28^th, 2012 (Memorial Day)

8:15am at Rural Cemetery

New Bedford Post 1, The American Legion will conduct a Memorial Day Exercise at the Veterans’ Plot in Rural Cemetery.

10:00am at St. Mary’s Cemetery

New Bedford Post 1, The American Legion will conduct a Memorial Day Exercise at the Veterans’ Plot in St. Mary’s Cemetery

10:00am at Pier 3

Annual Memorial Day Fisherman’s Service, Pier 3, New Bedford Waterfront

11:30am Intersection of Parker Street & Hathaway Boulevard

The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Day Committee will conduct their Annual Memorial Day Parade and Services leaving from the intersection of Parker Street and Hathaway Boulevard. The Parade will form at11:00 am at the intersection of Parker Street and Hathaway Boulevard and will step off at 11:30 am. The Parade will travel East on Parker Street to County Street, North on County Street to Pope Street, and East on Pope Street into Clasky Park where a Memorial Day Ceremony will take place.

Immediately following the parade at Clasky Common Park

A Memorial Day Exercise will be conducted at the Korean War Monument in Clasky Common Park.

1:30pm at the Cape Verdean American Veterans Association, 561 Purchase Street

The Cape Verdean American Veterans Association will show a documentary film on the Tuskegee Airmen and will honor the late George Silva Lima, a Tuskegee Airman, Rhode Island State Representative, civil rights champion, and national hero.

“Palavras e Pinturas: Historias de Portugal” (Words and Paintings: Histories of Portugal), a free public exhibition of works by Karen E. da Silva, Ph.D. will be on view June 7-10 in the Jacobs Family Gallery, New Bedford Whaling Museum, part of Day of Portugal weekend celebrations.

An author and artist, Dr. da Silva is American born. She is an educator and lives in Shelton, Connecticut with her husband, Augusto, who was born in central Portugal. In their frequent travels toPortugal, Karen was deeply inspired by the beauty, way of life, traditions, and culture of the country. She captured it in her daily journals in words and pictures, recorded the stories that Augusto told about growing up there, and painted from sketches and photographs in her home studio. The exhibition includes these stories in words and pictures as well as the nine picture books that she has written.

Of the exhibition, the artist noted, “My goal in this work is to honor the beauty and spirit of Portugal, its culture and traditions, and to let children and adults see how words and pictures work together to tell stories, to celebrate memories of childhood, and to inspire others to tell their stories. A good story becomes everyone’s story.”

This exhibition is sponsored by the Consulate of Portugal, New Bedford; Committee for the Day of Portugal; Portuguese United for Education; Azorean Maritime Heritage Society; and WJFD.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the world’s most comprehensive museum devoted to the global story of whales, whaling and the cultural history of the region. The cornerstone of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill in the heart of the city’s historic downtown. For events: www.whalingmuseum.org.

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park celebrated National Junior Ranger Day with games and activities for young people planned and carried out by the park’s Junior Ranger Service Corps.

The Corps, formed in September 2010 in response to the challenge of providing activities to youth who had participated in the park’s summer camp program. The Corps is designed to instill a sense of stewardship, service, civic pride and responsibility in youth ages 10-17. Corps members must be in 4th grade or older and willing to attend 2 meetings a month. Sessions alternate, with one session focused the park’s interpretive themes and the second on community service. This year the Junior Ranger Service Corps members chose games and activities that they offered to the public on National Junior Ranger Day. “Pin the Badge on the Ranger”, and “Catch a Whale, Get a Whale” were two of the games offered. Other activities were based on learning experiences from earlier in the year. One focused on creating the battle flag carried by African American, Sgt. William H. Carney of the historic Massachusetts 54th Regiment. Another activity taught Corps members about whales through hands-on activities.

Judy Roderiques, one of the two rangers who coordinates the program, said, “I was very proud of the Junior Ranger Service Corps members. We had told them that they would choose and run all the activities. They had such a good time sharing their knowledge, and pride in their park, community and themselves. Young people engaging young people is an effective way to encourage continued stewardship. I think we may be the only park that had Junior Rangers running National Junior Ranger Day. It was a great day for the park and the community.”

Jen Nersesian, superintendent of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, added, “New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park recognizes that young people are the future of our park, they are our future stewards. This program, along with programs such as our Youth Ambassador Program, Something Fishy summer camp, and Whales, Tales & Sails story hour, are at the heart of what national parks can do to be a part of the community.”

The Tree is a multi-faceted, genre-melding seven-piece band based out of New Bedford and UMass Dartmouth.  This Friday, May 25th, they’ll play their biggest show to date—they will be headlining at the Hard Rock Café in Boston.

There are plenty of reasons to see The Tree perform.  For one, they’re a lot of fun.  But here’s a list of five other reasons to ship up to Boston and check them out.

5. There’s a party bus:  The Tree has arranged a bus to transport people to and from Boston so that no one has to drive (so they can drink).  Anyone who’s been on one of the past bus trips can attest to the fact that the bus may be almost as fun as the actual show (pretty much anything goes).  The bus will meet at Custom House Square in Downtown at 7:30pm.  Don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes.

4.  It’s cheap:  It’s $10 to ride the bus, and your show ticket can be purchased on the bus for another $10.  You can contact drummer Matt Cavanaugh once you get there to purchase your tickets.

3.  There’s only few shows left before the band goes on hiatus:  Because the members of The Tree come from all over the state, they won’t play as many local shows during the summer.  The members of the band who are students at UMass will return home for the summer, so it’s harder for them to coordinate shows.  Also, look for them to play the Middle East Downstairs on July 28.

2.  They will be playing new material:  Those who have seen The Tree before can speak of the band’s musical prowess and the energy they bring to each show.  That being said, their following has grown used to some of their older stuff.  I’m very excited to hear some of the new material.  “Everyone’s been practicing.  All us vocalists have been practicing.  Its gonna be wild,” said rapper/singer Brandon Cabral, aka B-eZ.  “We want to get people on these busses to rage with us.”

1.  It’s Boston, and it’s at the Hard Rock:  The members of The Tree are very excited to be returning to Boston.  They’ve played shows at Church and at Precinct in Somerville, but this is their biggest show to date.  “It was really cool to break into Boston at the smaller venues, and to break into the bigger venues just off the sheer fact that we’ve gained more of a following and kind of earned the right to play bigger venues is really exciting for us,” said rapper/singer Christian Garris, aka HiLoe.

For those not taking the bus, the show starts at 7:30.  The Tree will be on last, and Strange Machines, Skinny Cleveland, and Phillip Cohen will precede them.

I’ve been an avid pool player for almost 15 years. Although pool, along with several other types of recreational businesses have been taking a hit over the past several years, there are still quite a few places to play pool at. I’d like to share with you the five spots that I enjoy playing pool and would encourage you to share your favorite places. Please give me some feedback or let me know if I missed any of your favorite spots!

Lebeau’s Tavern
65 Tarklin Hill Road, New Bedford, MA 02745 (508) 998-0864

If you’re looking for a good spot to go for a few drinks and play a rack or two in the North end of New Bedford this is definitely a good place to start. They have two 7ft-bar tables located in the room on the left side of bar, and a bumper pool table located in front of the bar. The tables are all fairly well kept. Although the few downfalls are the lighting and the lack of decent house cues. I’m also not a fan of the over sized cue balls they have on the bar tables.

Veterans of Foreign War (VFW)
281 Appleton St New Bedford, MA 02745 (508) 995-3610

A common misconception is that the VFW facilities and bar are for military veterans only and closed to the public. They are all open to the public. With that being said, there is only one table there, but it is very well kept and plays straight and true. The table is also well lit and they have fairly good house cues. New Bedford’s VFW also seem to have the lowest drink prices around town.

Ecco Lounge
1669 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, MA 02746 (774) 206-6538

This is a one of those places you’ve probably driven by a hundred times and never thought to go in and check it out. The outside of the building isn’t exactly attractive to the eye which is why I think most people don’t give it a chance. I decided to go in and check it out and to my surprise it was a nice clean bar with a great pool setup. The table is very well maintained, and is very well lit with a drop down pool table light. They also have a various selection of nice house cues which seems to be hard to find in the bars around New Bedford. Their drink prices are also very reasonable.

The Garden Sports Bar
133 Union Street, New Bedford, MA 02740 (508) 999-4714

The Garden Sports Bar has always had several 7ft-bar tables, but a few years back they swapped out the majority of them for three 9ft-tables. The tables are reasonably well lit and play well, but again there is a lack of good house cues. They also have a bar table towards the main entrance. If you happen to go there don’t let the address fool you. The main entrance isn’t on Union Street. It’s on the other side of the building on Barker’s Lane.

Break-n-Run Billiards
2108 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford, MA (508) 999-1221

In this tough economy pool halls have been going out of business left and right. Only a few are still in business in the area. The only one left in the city of New Bedford is Break-n-Run Billiards. Even though it’s been a pool hall for almost three decades, it has snuck under the radar. It’s not going to win any beauty contests, but if you’re looking for a place to really hone your pool skills this is the place you want to play.

The pool hall consists of six 9 ft. pool tables, three 7 ft bar room tables, and a billiard table. There are also several high-level players that play there on a regular basis. If you’re not afraid to ask for help, there is always someone there to help improve your game. As far as pricing, they charge by the hour not by the game. Break-n-Run Billiards is also the only place in the city that sells billiard supplies such as cases, cue sticks, and cue maintenance products. If they don’t have it, or you’re looking for a specialty item, they can always order it for you.

Break-n-Run Billiards is another place that can be a little tricky to find. It is located at 2108 Acushnet Avenue in the back parking lot of the CVSbuilding.

Remember when you’re playing at the bars 99% of the time the winner stays on the table, so you better bring your A game with you! Also, these businesses all have different times of operation, so I made sure to include contact numbers for all of them.

UFC 146 MAIN CARD
265#: Junior Dos Santos (14-1) vs. Frank Mir (16-5) wins by TKO in RD2!
265#: Antonio Silva (16-3) vs. Cain Velasquez (9-1) wins by TKO in RD1!
265#: Dave Herman (21-3) vs. Roy Nelson (17-7) wins by KO in RD1!
265#: Shane Del Rosario (11-0) vs. Stipe Miocic (8-0) wins by TKO in RD2!
265#: Lavar Johnson (17-5) vs. Stefan Struve (27-5) wins by Arm bar in RD1!

PRELIMINARY BOUTS: FX Channel
145#: Diego Brandao (19-7) vs. Darren Elkins (14-2) wins by Unanimous Decision!
155#: Edson Barboza (10-0) vs. Jamie Varner (19-6-1 2NC) wins by KO in RD1!
185#: C.B. Dalloway (12-5) vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (24-9 1NC) wins by Unanimous Decision!
170#: Dan Hardy (23-10 1NC) vs. Duane “Bang” Ludwig (29-12) wins by KO in RD1!

PRELIMINARY BOUTS: Facebook
155#: Paul Sass (13-0) vs. Jacob Volkmann (14-3) wins by Triangle/Armbar Combination in RD1!
205#: Kyle Kingsbury (11-4 1NC) vs. Glover Teixeira (18-2) wins by Arm Triangle in RD1!
145#: Mike Brown (26-8) vs. Daniel Pineda (17-8) wins by Unanimous Decision!

Ultimate Fighting Championship 146 takes place Saturday May 26, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring an “All Heavyweight Main Card.” The first two preliminary bouts will be broadcast free on the UFC Facebook page. The remainder of the preliminary bouts will then be broadcast on FX at 8 PM EST, before going live to Pay-Per-View starting at 10 PM EST. In addition, the half hour “Countdown to UFC 146” show debuts Wednesday morning at midnight on FUEL TV. Replays at 5 p.m. and 10PM the same day and Thursday at 8 PM and Friday at 1:30 AM.

Frank Mir vs Junior Dos Santos: UFC Heavyweight Championship Bout
Perhaps the best heavyweight striker in the sport, regardless of organization, Brazilian Junior Dos Santos combines excellent footwork, clean strikes in combination, heavy power and phenomenal takedown defense in a tough to beat style. His sole loss was in 2007 by armbar to Joaquim Ferreira at MTL: Final, a Sao Paolo, Brazil event. He has since spent time with training partners the Nogueira brothers, two high level submission artists, to shore up the weakness. Dos Santos who has had nine bouts in his UFC career, has finished seven of these fights. The two that went to a decision were Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin, but they took a sever battering and came close to being finished on a number of occasions. One thing you can bet the house on with Dos Santos is that his opponent WILL get hit. Dos Santos has won the Knockout of the Night award on three occasions.

Frank Mir replaces Alistair Overreem who was originally scheduled to fight for the heavyweight title after beating Brock Lesnar, but was ousted after testing positive for a 14:1 testosterone-epitestosterone ratio in early April. This will be Mir’s 20th bout in the UFC, and 5th attempt at the Heavyweight title. He won the championship by beating Tim Sylvia at UFC 48 in 2004, and won the Interim Heavyweight Belt against “Big Nog” at UFC 92. He lost his attempts against Brock Lesnar at UFC 100 and against Shane Carwin at UFC 111.

Mir is perhaps most famous for his aggressive application of submissions that result in broken bones and torn ligaments. When he won the heavyweight belt at UFC 48 against “Big” Tim Sylvia he applied an armbar from the guard that broke Tim’s forearm in two places. Against “Big Nog” he applied a Kimura or Double Wrist Lock that resulted in a broken humerus. His experience, size, and strength combined with submission prowess equate into one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the division. He has won Submission of the Night bonuses on two occasions. Regardless of who you are, if you are on the ground with Mir, you are in serious danger.

Mir has seemingly focused on his striking which began to show marked improvement in his bout with Antonio Nogueira at UFC 92 which resulted in a TKO victory against one of the best chins in the history of the sport. His subsequent bout against Cheick Kongo was a guillotine choke, but one that was set up by a faked jab and an overhand left that bent Kongo in half and sent him flying a few feet away into the canvas. Since his loss to Shane Carwin at UFC 111 he has strung together wins against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Roy Nelson and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.

This fight will come down to whether Mir can get Dos Santos to the ground. Mir has never shown a predilection to try for takedowns and is happy to stand and strike. If he comes in overconfident, which is one of his downfalls, and decides to stand and strike with JDS it could be a short night. This is a fight where Mir needs to have one objective: any way, shape or form, get it to the ground. For JDS to win, he simply needs to do what has worked so well for him already: keep it standing, cut angles, and demand respect with heavy strikes in combination. NBG Pick: Junior Dos Santos

Antonio Silva vs. Cain Velasquez
Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is making his UFC debut, but is no stranger to the sport. Having spent the past few years in Strikeforce, he went 3-2 defeating Andrei Arlovski, Mike Kyle, and Fedor Emelianenko. In his debut and final fight with that organization he lost against Fabricio Werdum and Daniel Cormier respectively. Antonio prefers to keep it standing, is big and strong, and very difficult to take down. His opponent and past heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, is no slouch in the take down department. As training partner and wrestling student under Silva’s last opponent Daniel Cormier, he has a template in place on how to defeat the Brazilian. While Cain is known for his pace, cardiovascular endurance and wrestling, he demonstrated substantial power in his TKO victory over Big Nog at UFC 110 and has won the Knockout of the Night award three times.

Bigfoot may have some difficulty with the speed and transitions that Cain brings to the table. He needs to land big shots early and maintain his striking measure to win. Not allowing Cain to set the pace and rhythm of the fight is paramount. Cain simply needs to stay busy and mix his striking and grappling to effect a ground and pound victory. NBG Pick: Cain Velasquez

Dave Herman vs. Roy Nelson
Dave Herman came to the UFC as an impressive, dangerous finisher having only one decision in 24 fights. His debut was against prospect and world class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner John-Olav Einemo, whom he disposed of in three minutes. However, his next bout against Stefan Struve, he looked lethargic and distant and was TKOed in the first round. His opponent is Roy Nelson, who having gone 3-3 in the UFC and coming off a loss in his last fight against Fabricio Werdum, is in a do-or-die situation in a cut happy organization. While he has always demonstrated tenacity, grit and doggedness, he has yet to show that he has what it takes to belong in the top echelon of fighters.

Herman needs to stay away from the dynamite that is in Roy Nelson’s right hand and maintain his measure and reach. If he does this, he is en route to doing what many have had trouble with: finishing Nelson. Nelson’s right hand is tailor made for tall opponents and those with a lazy jab and Herman is a perfect candidate. He needs to let his hands go and land that right hand as often as possible. NBG Pick: Dave Herman

Shane Del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic
This fight has “We’re going to steal the show and get Fight of the Night honors!” written all over it. Del Rosario, who is the first American to win the WBC Muay Thai championships, is a finishing machine. In kickboxing he went 8-1, with eight knockouts. In MMA, he is 11-0 with eleven finishes, eight by knockout and three submissions. The criticism against him is that he has yet to fight a top opponent, outside of Levar Johnson who has only recently been making some noise. His opponent Croation Stipe Miocic has a similar background and style. In his eight wins, he has knocked out six opponents and submitted one. The difference here is that Miocic’s striking background is with Boxing, particularly Golden Gloves, and wrestled in Division I and ranked nationally.

For Del Rosario to win he simply needs to land punches and avoid the takedowns, IF Miocic attempts them. For Miocic to win he needs to utilize his well-roundedness, use footwork to avoid the big bombs, and grapple in the clinch and on the ground to wear Del Rosario’s arms out and sap his power. NBG Pick: Stipe Miocic

Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve
The final fight on the main card also has potential to win any of the three bonuses. Lavar Johnson is one of the heaviest handed fighters in the heavyweight division, has fifteen knockouts in his seventeen victories. Similar to Del Rosario (who he has lost against), the criticism against him is that he has yet to face top opposition. He has shown some awkwardness when on his back, but shown that he has a gritty determination to win at all costs. Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve, is a fan favorite for his “Let it all hang out, and go out on my shield.” approach to fighting is the tallest fighter in the UFC at 6′ 11″. He is 7-3 in the UFC and has won submission of the night on two occasions and a knockout of the night. Struve has faced better, but not necessarily top opposition.

For Lavar Johnson to win the fight he needs to avoid the ground at all costs, where he has a glaring weakness and Struve is strong at. He needs to throw overhand rights as often as he can. For Struve he needs to avoid the urge to stand and trade strikes as he seems to like to do. He needs to box and work the fight to the ground. He can win in the stand up as long as he is smart about avoiding the power and waits for Lavar to get tired, which he will. NBG Pick: Stefan Struve

Come back for the results, updates and animated gifs. What are your picks for the headline fight between Dos Santos and Frank Mir? The main card bouts? Who wins the bonuses?