TicketNetwork Blog

The following is a guest post written by Aaron Walker.

With Manchester United taking its 20th Premier League trophy with four games left to play in the season, soccer fans are already looking to the next season for their team to steal the glory. But before that comes months of player trials, trading speculation, and the updates on rigorous training for their team in off-season. Fortunately, the time goes fast. That’s because during the 3 months of off season, luckily for us United States citizens, we're able to see some of the world’s most prolific soccer teams come to play on our own home turf. Here are some of the big games going on this summer.

Real Madrid vs. LA Galaxy

While this is still a tentative match with no conclusive date, soccer bloggers and online publishers are all buzzing with gossip that one of the world's biggest soccer brands, Real Madrid, will be coming to Los Angeles on August 1st, to play the home team. As part of the International Champions Cup, an annual soccer tournament to mix some of the biggest teams from across the world, Real Madrid will hope to finish on top of their group, allowing them to play the final in Miami on August 11th. Surely with Real Madrid having one of the largest sports fan base to span across the world, this will be a popular event. So make sure you reserve your tickets fast!

The following is a guest post by Djembe Drum Shop.

The USA is the land of many things but there are two exports that, when married together, are the perfect pairing. Folk festivals are hugely popular across the world, and no-one does a folk festival quite like the Americans.

If you’re into this niche of music and know your Billy Dean from your Dean Para, you will be no doubt counting down the days until your next festival. Here is our pick of five top US folk festivals happening in 2013:

1. Central Ohio Folk Festival

The Central Ohio Folk Festival always takes place on the first full weekend in May, and lasts for three days. This folk festival is as much about the teaching of music and jamming sessions, as it is the music and performers. You can watch artists such as Cathy Barton and Dave Para in the day; and enjoy workshops, jamming sessions, and even a worst song contest in the evenings. If you’re heading to Ohio this May, be sure to take your instruments along and show off what you can do.

The following is a guest post by Russell of dailypencil.com.

There has been much speculation around the quarterbacks of this draft class and much debate if any of them are worth a first round pick. The leaders of the draft are Geno Smith from West Virgina, Matt Barkley from USC and Ryan Nassib from Syracuse. These are the standouts and what you would consider the cream of the crop. Nothing compared to what we had last year with RGIII, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. Many scouts don’t even think that any of these quarterbacks are worth going in the first ten picks, let alone the first round.

However, you can read just about any mock draft online and you will see that they have Geno Smith going in the top ten and Matt Barkley going in the first round as well. So this brings up the question: are teams going to draft these quarterbacks just to draft one? Are any of these franchise guys? The answer is yes: teams will draft quarterbacks early, and no: none of these quarterbacks are franchise material.

The following guest post was written by Fightshop.com

There’s no doubt about it: MMA is a very brutal sport.

From popped knees to cuts and bruises, the highest leagues of the mixed martial arts world aren’t unfamiliar with serious injuries and nasty post-fight conditions.

We’ve tracked down three of the most devastatingly scary injuries in MMA for your viewing… pleasure?

Read on to see MMA’s craziest injuries and prepare for an outburst of sympathy or schadenfreude, depending on which fighter you support.

1. Mark Hominick’s baseball-sized hematoma at UFC 129

During UFC 129, Mark Hominick experienced an injury that made both fans and judges squirm in their seats. After sustaining a series of facial punches from reigning featherweight champion Jose Aldo, the Canadian fighter’s forehead swelled to truly cartoonish proportions.

Despite the alien-like appearance of Mark Hominick’s face during the later rounds of the fight, the doctors at UFC 129 determined that the injury wasn’t serious. The fight continued with Aldo claiming a unanimous victory, in one of the year’s best matches.

The following guest post was written by Aaron Walker.

What was once a sport consigned to feature only on the fringe of sports programming has now evolved into a phenomenon that's captivating millions. The Cinderella story of MMA Fighting is no different than the stories its characters share. We've seen the sport grow. Watched its characters evolve. We've roared with joy when they were triumphant over their competitors, and felt each blow as they were defeated. And in the past 10 years, we've witnessed some amazing moments and sensational fights.

And throughout it all, some characters have made the MMA story much more enjoyable. These fighters have earned their place in the history books but still continue to fight for their story. These are the top 5 deadliest fighters still in the game.

Anderson Silva

Since entering the MMA World over a decade ago, in 1997, no one can doubt Silva's position in this top 5. His impressive record of 33-4-0 says it all, having only ever lost 4 fights. Silva wasn't blessed with an amazing fighting education filled with college and daily classes. He had to learn by practicing with neighborhood kids that could afford to take Jiu-Jitsu classes. Regardless, this unconventional training didn't halt his growth. Even UFC President Dana White has called him the "greatest mixed martial artist ever." Silva holds the longest winning and title defense streak in UFC history, as well as having been Middleweight Champion for both Cage Rage and UFC. And when you're already the champion for 10 consecutive seasons, there aren't many new accomplishments to gain.