Forrest Griffin Vs Rashad Evans 27th December 2008

Well this was one of my favourite fights. Rashad came out confident as ever and produced a champion worthy performance. Thing i liked about this fight was after when both fighters showed a tremendous amount of respect for each other. Griffin admitted defeat and praised the new champion. I thought this was very big of him. People get the impression that cage fighting is a dog sport kinda thing. But in the UFC and similar companies the main concern is the fighters health, not money. I think those guys that diss mma should actually read into before they judge the athletes that do it. But anyways enough ranting, great fight and the better fighter won on the night. Other great fights at UFC 92 was Wanderlei Silva Vs Rampage Jackson III. Another amazing fight! Rampage came out the victor in this one though. But the best fight of the night had to be Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Vs Frank Mir for the interim Heavyweight championship. Frank Mir knocked Nogueria out to take the belt and came out with something very controversial. He told Lesnar he was gonna make him famous with a break when they fight again. Lesnar laughed it off at ringside. Mir also said "I've never been more afraid then when I walked into the ring tonight." Such a classy guy. Also another good show of sportsmanship after the fight. All in all this was a great night for the UFC.

Munster Vs All Blacks

This was the most patriotic display i have ever seen from any team in my life. Munster came out with more or less a Munster B side with a lot of AIL players starting for them. Just before the match both teams lined up and before the All Blacks Haka was about to take place, four Munster kiwi's stood out from their team and performed the Haka with such intensity in their eye. Was something truly special. Then the All Blacks did their rendition. Was a solid game from a Munster point of view. They defended well also took their penalties well with Warwick notching over a few and also a drop goal. Munster were awarded a 5 metre scrum and then Peter Stringer took the ball blind and fed Barry Murphy for him to run in for the try. This brought the score to 16-10 to Munster at half time. With 4 minutes left Munster looked as if they were going to pull off the shock of the century as they led the All Blacks 16-13. For Munster, with heart and soul on the sleeve looked promising. Then the ref penalised captain Mick O'Driscoll. All Blacks opted for the line out. This gave All Blacks a platform for Rokokoko to score the winning try. For me this game proved that when anybody thats lucky enough to pull on the Munster jersey are willing to stand up and fight for not only their team but their province. Munster is the most passionate province in Ireland for rugby. They show this with their support and also in the team. All Munster players are proud to wear the Thomond, Desmond and the Ormonde.
To the Brave and Faithful, Nothing Is Impossible! C'mon Munster!

hmm

hey folks been a long time since iv last posted. Just thought i would write about an interesting blog i read recently. It was entitled "Why So Serious?" The author is actually a girl i know who i think has an incredible talent in photography. She writes about now that shes finished university she doesnt want to settle down into a boring 9 to 5 job. She complains about how people measure success though academic achievement. I totally agree with her. Success to me is having a great time and enjoying yourself, because without these things nobody can be successful. I mean your hardly going to be happy in your job unless your enjoying it and having fun doing it. Alot of people believe success is having a huge home with a family and a BMW in your driveway. These are just possessions. Means absolutely nothing to me. Shelley continues to write how she is heading off to Lapland to be an elf. To me that takes guts. She is leaving home throughout the family orientated season to be on her own in the snow. To be honest when i heard she was going to be an elf i was surprised. How random like? haha. But i think fair play to her. Shes Gutsy!!
Folks its a good blog and its worth checkin out cause she has a lot of decent pics up too. www.shelley-photography.blogspot.com
laters

Nickelback Live at the Odyssey Arena Belfast Friday 12th September 2008

This was the first gig i have seen in the Odyssey arena and let me tell you...It gets really warm haha. We were mauybe 2 metres away from the stage and within touching distance of when Chad Kroeger and TIMMY came down the ramp. The show started off with support coming from Staind. The were amazing! Great sound and great atmosphere. My intention was going to see Nickelback because of Staind but i had no idea what i was in for. Nickelback came on and opened up with Animals. Such a great song to start with. With all the pyrotechnics it really added the incentive on the atmosphere. Another great feature of the show was when they introduced TIMMY! He is one of Nickelbacks roadies. He came on for a couple of songs playing acoustic guitar and piano. The crowd loved him! The band took a break for a few minutes while the roadies came out and shot t-shirts out of a "merch cannon" and also threw beer out aswell. I liked that bit the best as me and my friend Aaron were contesting with the rest of the crowd for a beer. Good times! Nickelback also did their rendition of Elton Johns hit Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting which i thought was awesome. The also played hits such as Far Away, Someday, Too Bad, Photograph and the very popular Rockstar. All in all a very good gig and the only problem was finding my way home at the end of the night!

NFL Season 2008

Yes thats right. The NFL season has kicked off with New York Giants hosting Washington Redskins. I wouldnt call myself a huge fan of the NFL but i love watching it. I consider myself as a fan of the Patriots. I think they are a great team. Tedy Brusci or Asante Samuel would be a favourite but overall favourite would definatly be Tom Brady Rodney Harrison. The guy is amazing. Its a pity New England went up 18-0 and didnt get the Vince Lombardi trophy.
When the Patriots line out against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday they will be looking to take the anger on last years upset out on them. Tom Brady is injured at the moment and Matt Cassel is starting. In all fairness i think Cassel is a talented player but he isnt on form at the moment. I lost count of the interceptions he threw against Buccaneers. It was quite frustrating to watch. But hopefully Tom Brady is on the mend and back in action as soon as possible.

Surf Photography

It takes a courageous person to make it in the world of surfing photography. First you have to accept that equipment will be expensive and the returns will be small, at least until you are established. Then there are the physical obstacles, swimming over sharp reefs which could be home to sharks, and putting yourself close to surfers riding huge waves. And of course there are the rip-currents that can sweep you out to sea. This is all in a days work for Lucia griggi, Mickey Smith, Paudie Scanlon and Will Bailey. The picture to left was taken by Mickey Smith who is probably the most successful irish surf photographer. He works for magazines such as "Carve" and "Wave Length". He is very very talented. Lucia Griggi is another very talented photographer who has made it in the male dominated profession. She is a freelance photographer from Cornwall with her work featuring in publications such as "Carve", "Surfgirl", "Wavelength" and also does work for Ripcurl. The picture below is courtesy of Luciadaniellagriggi.com. Click to view her website.

If you like what you see also have a look at http://www.intouchphotography.co.uk/. This photographer is very talented. Be sure to look out for his work in magazines soon!

Rugby Season 2008/2009

Well the start of the rugby season is coming close and teams are gearing up for what looks like to be an exciting season. The Magners League kicks off on the 5th September 2008 with Connaught Vs Ospreys. The Guinness Premiership starts on the 6th September where London Irish host the London Wasps. Heineken Cup rugby starts 10th October with Munster playing Montauban at Thomand Park. Munster will be looking to build on last years success. The European Challenge Cup kicks off at Stade Mayol with Toulon Vs Northhampton Saints on the 9th October.