Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA, each and every weeknight
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So much for Colby Covington’s White House plans.
I’m not exactly crying for the UFC’s least likable figure, but the UFC just skipping past their own interim champion AGAIN (Remember El Cucuy!) shows how utterly worthless interim belts are. Covington had that belt for less than two months before they made plans to strip him- for a fighter who missed weight in his last bout! I generally enjoy watching Darren Till fight, but he squeaked by Stephen Thompson in a staring contest where basically nothing happened, yet the UFC opted to go with him over the guy with interim gold around his waist.
That tells you all you need to know about how the UFC themselves see the interim belts.
Their belts are fiat currency as it is, held up by the good faith and trust of the MMA fanbase. There are no sanctioning bodies behind the belts, no legal weight justifying their existence. The UFC owns the belts; they have no independent value. Their only value is the value the UFC itself holds as a near-monopoly on the sport’s top talent. That faith and trust in their brand and title belts can be eroded, and has been eroded, as the UFC has created more divisions over the years. Lately, they have been handing out interim belts like candy whenever a sitting champion so much as sneezes. When they then strip their own interim champions whenever they please, it becomes obvious what is happening here: UFC gold is suffering from runaway inflation.
— Angela Hill (@AngieOverkill) July 25, 2018
Fighters are catching on. Brian Ortega recently turned down a last-minute fight for an interim belt, and this Covington situation seems to justify his call. The fans have largely caught on already; the question becomes, what good, exactly, is a belt as a promotional tool when no one believes it means anything? The answer doesn’t reflect a long-term strategy for growing the sport, but more of the myopic decision-making the UFC has been making ever since the Fertittas decided to sell the company. With the ESPN deal insulating the UFC’s revenue stream through 2024, will these short-term decisions cost them anything?
Insomnia
Nick Newell was given a tough matchup and lost his second MMA fight on the DWTNCS tonight. He’s taking the loss on the chin and moving forward:
A very disappointed @NotoriousNewell: All I ever asked for was a chance and I got my chance. I’m not done and I’m going to sit back and learn from this pic.twitter.com/8g5EVkPWk4
— Gavin Porter (@PorterUFCnews) July 25, 2018
She hit him with the Yoel Romero uppercut. To be clear, I’m not condoning this, exactly, but it sure sounded like he said the black kids stank because they are dirty. Whoever has been teaching him that, is the person that needs to get punched.
This little white boy thinks black skin is dirty. pic.twitter.com/Nis507Yy7f
— tink. (@MissTink__) July 23, 2018
Congrats to Jim Miller.
.@JimMiller_155 has been booked at #UFC228 and will become the first fighter in UFC history to reach 30 octagon appearances. Incredible feat for the 34-year-old.
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) July 25, 2018
Oh.
#UFC230 pic.twitter.com/G0YLt8bHM8
— Keith Ó Gealbháin (@KeithGalvin) July 24, 2018
Mike Perry pledges his love to his only girl.
I really want to see the Platinum-Borrachinha sparring sessions.
Speaking of Paulo Costa, this is an amazing fight, the ageless Cuban musclehead vs. the young Brazilian powerhouse.
Yoel Romero vs. Paulo Costa set for UFC 230 in New York. I love this fight!#UFC #UFC230 pic.twitter.com/jhXMuoAszg
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) July 24, 2018
In case you missed it, Cyborg is really gunning for this superfight with Amanda Nunes.
Kkkk @Amanda_Leoa you haven’t fought me at 145 before because you couldn’t keep winning at that weight. I could fight my shadow in a parking lot and sell more than 85k PPV. You can’t be a lion when you’re afraid to fight cats. @catzingano https://t.co/V7z8BawWmQ
— CyborgVNunes (@criscyborg) July 23, 2018
You know that saying about jiu-jitsu being like drowning lions in the ocean? Jaguars wouldn’t have that problem.
Jaguar eating underwater pic.twitter.com/vNqlWxCbtB
— Nature is Scary (@TheScaryNature) December 14, 2017
Slips, Rips, and KO Clips
Mike Davis might have lost to Sodiq Yussuf but this was slick
Sick setup and attempt! #ContenderSeries pic.twitter.com/bt0qmF5ldC
— Dave Madden (@DaveMMAdden) July 25, 2018
Remarkable kicks do not always mean UFC contracts, exhibit 2:
??KO OF THE DAY
Chris Curtis ( Hook Kick KO / R3 )pic.twitter.com/S5ZF2qkYCt#DWTNCS #ContenderSeries #MMA @Actionman513 @CESMMA
— Denis La Funk (@DenisLaFunk_) June 14, 2018
When you forget which sport you are in:
Jaime Munguia executed a perfect DDT on Liam Smith at the weekend. pic.twitter.com/OrZWy2HWWe
— EditinKing Boxing (@EditinKing) July 24, 2018
Podcasts and Video
UFC Fight Night 134 highlights! Follow MMA Mania on Youtube
What can be done about weight cutting in MMA?
UFC on Fox 30 is going to be a banger! Pair it with the right beer, courtesy of Flyin Brian J:
It was amazing to hear my personal favorite MMA show, the Co-Main Event podcast, shout out my Kickstarter project, SwitchKick as I was driving to work this morning- listen at 31:15! Hearken to the words of Chad Dundas:
Yo, I just pledged to support @vorpality‘s awesome phone app. This is the one designed to help us break away from our phone addictions that @benfowlkesMMA talked about on yesterday’s CME. You should also consider supporting people doing rad stuff: https://t.co/rgVroRLG9p
— Chad Dundas (@chaddundas) July 24, 2018
Random Land
Impressive skills
SwitchKick
My project is live on Kickstarter and I am 5% of the way towards my goal. It has nothing to do with combat sports, but feel free to consider sharing and pledging if it’s something you’re into. Here’s me explaining what its about- you can learn more at SwitchKick.org.
Stay woke, Maniacs! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @Vorpality