London 2012: The Countdown Series: Italy

134 days to go until the first day of the London Olympics. Up next on the parade of nations: Italy (ITA).

They have participated in the summer Olympics since the first modern Olympics of 1896. 549 medals have been won by Italian athletes, including 203 gold medals.

Individually, two Italian athletes have won six gold medals in their Olympic careers-both fencers-Edoardo Mangiarotti and Nedo Nadi. Nadi (pictured) won three individual medals and three team medals. He won gold in the individual foil at Stockholm 1912 and Antwerp 1920, and the individual sabre at Antwerp 1920. Also at Antwerp 1920, he won three team golds-in the team foil, epee and sabre. Mangiarotti won only one individual medal, in the individual epee at Helsinki 1952, and five team medals-in the team epee at Berlin 1936, Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956 and Rome 1960, as well as the team foil at Melbourne 1956.

Valentina Vezzali (pictured) won five gold medals in her Olympic fencing career. She won three individual gold and two team gold medals. Individually, she won in the individual foil at Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, and in the team foil at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.

Five Italians have won four golds in the summer games:

• Giorgio Zampori (gymnastics)
• Orsete Puliti (fencing)
• Giuseppe Delfino (fencing)
• Carlo Pavesi (fencing)
• Giovanna Trillini (fencing)

Fifteen Italians have won three golds in the summer games:

• Enrico Bruna (rowing)
• Giorgio Cesana (rowing)
• Emilio Fontanella (rowing)
• Francesco Verri (cycling)
• Alberto Braglin (gymnastics)
• Luigi Maiocca (gymnastics)
• Aldo Nadi (Fencing)
• Ugo Frigerio (athletics)
• Giulio Gaudini (fencing)
• Giancarlo Cornaggia Medici (fencing)
• Franco Riccardi (fencing)
• Romeo Neri (gymnastics)
• Klaus Dibiasi (diving)
• Agostino Abbagnale (rowing)
• Antonio Rossi (canoeing)

45 Italians have won two gold medals in their summer Olympics career.

Their most recent summer Olympic gold medalist of notariety is Federica Pellegrini. Pellegrini (pictured), who has had some great swims at the FINA World Championships the past couple of years, won gold in the women's 200m freestyle at Beijing 2008.

At the team level, the men's football (soccer) team won gold at Berlin 1936, while men's water polo won three gold medals-at London 1948, Rome 1960, and most recently at Barcelona 1992. The women's water polo team won gold at Athens 2004.

As of now, 173 Italian athletes will head to London and compete in 14 events including various athletics and swimming events, as well as boxing, cycling, modern pentathlon, taekwondo, and will also send a women's volleyball and men's water polo team there as well.

Italy was the host country for the 1960 summer Olympics (Rome).

Up next: Jamaica

In Case You Missed it...

Pat Curran used Joe Warren as a punching bag...

Curran is your new featherweight champion!

London 2012: The Countdown Series: Israel

135 days to go until the first day of the London Olympics. Up next on the parade of nations: Israel (ISR).

They have been to the summer Olympics since 1952. 7 medals have been won by Israeli athletes, including one gold medal.

Gal Fridman (pictured) brought home (or sailed home) the first gold medal for Israel in the summer Olympics. He won the men's windsurfer event at Athens 2004.

As of now, 27 Israeli athletes will head to London and will compete in five events, including various athletics and swimming events.

Up next: Italy

London 2012: The Countdown Series: Ireland

136 days to go until the start of the London Olympics. And since St. Paddy's day is next Saturday, next up on the parade of nations is Ireland (IRL).

They have competed in the summer Olympics since 1924. 26 medals were won by Irish athletes, including eight gold medals.

Swimmer Michelle Smith (de Bruin) (pictured) has three gold medals, the most of any Irish athlete in the summer games. All were at Atlanta 1996, in the 200m individual medley and in the 400m IM and freestyle. But it came with controversy. Smith originally tested positive for an illegal substance, illegal to WADA standards. In the 400m freestyle final, she was a last minute entry and won. USA Swimming protested the result, but the result stood. A couple years later, she was suspended for four years by the WADA for tampering with a positive substance, a move that ended her career.

The other multiple gold medalist from Ireland is Pat O'Callghan (pictured). O'Callaghan won two gold medals in the hammer throw-at Amsterdam 1928 and again at Los Angeles 1932.

As of now 39 Irish athletes will head to London and compete in seven events-including athletics, swimming, boxing and cycling.

Up next: Israel

Friday Jukebox 3.9.12

On Thursday, another frontman of a very influential band passed away as the Trammps' Jimmy Ellis died at age 74, most likely due to possible complications of Alzheimer's. You might now the Trammps from their 1970s masterpiece, "Disco Inferno"!

London 2012: The Countdown Series: Iran

137 days to go until the first day of the London Olympics. Next up on the parade of nations: Iran (IRI).

They have been competing in the summer Olympics since the first modern Olympics of 1896. 48 medals have been won by Iranian athletes, including 11 gold medals.

Two Iranians have won two gold medals each in the summer games-Hossein Reza Zadeh and Hadi Saei. Saei (pictured) won two golds in taekwondo. At Athens 2004, he won gold in the men's featherweight, and at Beijing, he won gold in the men's welterweight. Zadeh won two golds in weightlifting. He won both in the heavyweight division at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.

As of now, despite their possible boycott of the London games due to the games' logo, there should be 34 Iranian athletes at the moment competing in 10 events, including athletics, boxing, cycling, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling.

Up next: Ireland

BELLATOR 60: Bellator is Back!

BELLATOR is back, and on a new night! Beginning with BELLATOR 60, the first event of season 6 of Bellator Fighting Championships, all Bellator events are now on Friday nights, with the TV card bell time for 7pm Central (8pm NAEST).

This season will have explosive title fights, including the featherweight title fight as Joe Warren defends his belt against the most recent featherweight qualifying tournament winner Pat Curran. There will also be all four quarterfinal fights in the featherweight qualifying tournament.

CARD

(featherweight, 145lb, 65.25kg)

Featherweight championship

Joe Warren (c) v Pat Curran

Featherweight tournament qualifying quarterfinals

Marlon Sandro v Roberto Vargas

Ronnie Mann v Mike Corey

Genair da Silva v Alexandre Bezerra

Daniel Straus v Jeremy Spoon

LIVE on MTV2 and on EPIX HD Friday night at 7pm Central. BELLATOR is back!