Torch Today
5/21 AFTERNOON UPDATE: Shields hurt, out of WSOF 11; Roundtable predictions for Lawler-Ellenberger at UFC 173; Gracie's arrest issue; Dantas responds to Warren; Lombard not impressed with Brown;
May 21, 2014 - 5:40:33 PM 5/21 AFTERNOON UPDATE: Shields hurt, out of WSOF 11; Roundtable predictions for Lawler-Ellenberger at UFC 173; Gracie's arrest issue; Dantas responds to Warren; Lombard not impressed with Brown;

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

WEDNESDAY 5/21 AFTERNOON UPDATE

If you're tuning in to the App for the first time in a while, make sure to check out the big update on the App's home page for notes and information on the changes made to the new mobile site at MMATorch.com in your mobile browser. Our tech team has been working on even more tweaks based on your feedback, and have optimized the site for Safari and the default Android browser. They're continuing to work on the same for both Chrome and Opera as well. Keep sending your thoughts in to mmatorch@gmail.com so we can make the mobile site the best experience for you! We truly appreciate the feedback, and we're making changes as necessary. Here's what hit the site this afternoon:

-Jake Shields has suffered an injury, taking him out of his planned World Series of Fighting debut in July with Jon Fitch. This is the second opponent Fitch has lost for the event, but the WSOF is looking for a replacement to keep him on the card. More on that with commentary in the main listing at MMATorch.com in your phone or tablet browser.

-In a new roundtable this afternoon, the crew looks at the Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Ellenberger fight at UFC 173 this weekend and gives their predictions. There's some differing opinion on who's going to come out the victor in that fight, but everyone's expecting it to be entertaining. Excerpt from Dan Moore: “Of the three headlining fights, it's the one that offers the best chance of a potential upset victory. I look at Robbie Lawler in the same light I do Matt Brown; a very entertaining and experienced fan favourite whose resurgence is going to come to an end sooner rather than later. Jake Ellenberger could very well be the guy who ends Lawler's chance of ever fighting for the Welterweight Title again.” Check out the full roundtable in the main listing.

-Renzo Gracie this week is trying to downplay his arrest in New York, calling it a “misunderstanding.” However, the alleged victim tells a very different story, and says the attack from Gracie and several others late Sunday night/early Monday morning was planned and coordinated. More details on the situation with analysis in the main listing.

-Bellator Champ Eduardo Dantas has fired back at Joe Warren over his recent comments, and said further drug use must be to blame for his outbursts. To that point, he suggested they do random drug testing for their title fight, but doesn't expect Warren to agree to it because then they wouldn't fight. Dantas' quotes with further thoughts in the main listing.

-Also today, Hector Lombard called out Matt Brown publicly on Twitter with a comment that he wasn't impressed by his fighting resume. It was prompted by Brown bumping ahead of him in the UFC rankings despite never having beaten a top ten fighter. He's definitely got a point there, but that's a fight I'd love to see regardless. More on that in the main listing now.

We thank all of our readers for their feedback and patience as we continue making improvements on the new mobile site. We're an independent voice in the MMA space with no corporate backing, and as such we stay afloat on ad revenue. This shift to the full listing on mobile web brings us a better chance to keep ourselves going and to bring our readers everything we have for the last five years and more, as the mobile advertising market is simply stronger than that on the app. Continue sending us your feedback to mmatorch@gmail.com and let us know how the new features with the Disqus comments section and more are working for you on mobile web!