Georges St-Pierre may go down as one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the history of the sport. As multiple MMA writers continue to speculate whether or not he is going to return to the sport, he has taken on quite a different role. Instead of …
Georges St-Pierre may go down as one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the history of the sport. As multiple MMA writers continue to speculate whether or not he is going to return to the sport, he has taken on quite a different role. Instead of letting his fists do the talking, GSP has become a spokesman of sorts for the conversations that much of the MMA world has not wanted to discuss. It would be vital to see him stay in this position, regardless of whether he returns to competition or not.
The controversy surrounding GSP stepping away from the cage started even before he announced his time away, right after taking a controversial win over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. Before he could even get out of the cage, he was stammering when trying to decide whether or not he was going to compete anymore. This led to UFC President Dana White claiming that the fighter “owed” it to the sport to give Hendricks a return bout (via MMA Weekly).
That moment can be considered the spark that began to sour “Rush’s” relationship with the UFC. Soon after, he was criticizing the organization for its inability to remove PEDs from the realm of competition.
It’s one of the reasons why I stopped,” St-Pierre told RDS.ca. (a French-Canadian news outlet, translation via USA Today). “Not really to [teach] them a lesson, because it penalizes me, too. But I wanted to do something for the sport that I love. I see the direction in which it goes, and I think it makes no sense. This is stupid.”
In August, an interview with Bloody Elbow revealed a number of other issues that St-Pierre was willing to discuss out in the open, such as his stance on a fighter’s union.
“I believe it will come someday in MMA, not because things are bad right now but because it’s just part of the normal evolution of all major sports” St-Pierre said. “I’m not a ‘politician’ and people know that I’m not a confrontational person or someone who likes to be in front, so it would be hard for me to lead that kind of initiative. But I will never be against something that is good for the fighters.”
By his own admission in said interview, St-Pierre was never the type of individual to get out in front of situations such as these. But the fact that he is standing up now is an excellent move, and he should continue to do so, whether or not he comes back to competition.
Unlike many other fighters, St-Pierre is one of the biggest stars in the sport. His crossover appeal has led to many other opportunities, and the fact that he can step away on his own terms shows how much he has grown. In doing so, he’s amassed a large following of fans who would not be quick to turn their backs on him. As seen in the past, the UFC is smart to discredit fighters who have stepped out of line, but they would have a difficult time doing so with St-Pierre. But that wouldn’t stop them from trying.
“The thing that’s bothered him his entire career, he just threw it back on all the other guys that are fighting,” White said in a report by MMA Junkie. “Which is unfair to the guys that aren’t using anything. Everything that Georges St-Pierre said is a little kooky.”
Still, St-Pierre has never found himself in the negative views due to a failed drug test or public misstep. Having that background would give him much more credibility if he were to continue speaking against things that he sees going on in the sport.
Throughout the history of sports, change has come when athletes took the onus to stand for something different. Major League Baseball had Kurt Flood; perhaps Georges St-Pierre will be remembered in the same way if he keeps down this path.
It has already been reported that World Wrestling Entertainment would not let CM Punk walk out with Chael Sonnen for Sonnen’s UFC fight two years ago. Now, we know the reason WWE gave him.
Punk said this week on wrestler Colt Cabana’s podcast that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon told him he could not appear on UFC television because it was “barbaric.”
“Oh my God, Phil,” Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, said McMahon told him. “No, we can’t do that. That’s barbaric. Somebody is going to die. Then I had to remind him, ‘I don’t know if you remember Owen Hart or not, because he sort of died in your ring.'”
Punk, who left WWE earlier this year, was supposed to walk out with Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2 on Jan. 28, 2012 in Punk’s hometown of Chicago. Punk said the UFC agreed to let him do it, but WWE put the kibosh on it.
“Tomorrow is the Royal Rumble so it’ll get some last-minute buys and whether Chael wins or loses, no offense to Chael, nobody is going to be talking about him,” Punk said, explaining his pitch to McMahon. “They’re going to be talking about the WWE champion walking him to the Octagon.”
McMahon didn’t stop with his criticism of the UFC there. CM Punk said he also expressed disgust at the advent of the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division. A year later, Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche competed in the UFC’s first female fight.
“Did you know that they’re going to have women fight in the Octagon soon?” Punk said McMahon told him.
Punk said he replied: “Yeah and it’s the f—ing coolest thing in the world and it’s going to be the hottest f—ing thing, you’ll see.”
Punk, who aired all his grievances with WWE on the “Art of Wrestling” podcast, said just four months after McMahon nixed him walking out with Sonnen, WWE star Triple H walked out with Floyd Mayweather for his boxing match against Miguel Cotto.
Punk was officially fired by WWE in June after departing the company in January. Brooks has trained for years in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Rener and Ryron Gracie and has expressed interest in MMA. Rener told FOXSports.com earlier this year that there would be “no limit” to Punk’s MMA potential if he trained full-time.
Just don’t expect to see him in the UFC in any respect until the middle of next year at the earliest. Not only is Punk 36 years old with no competitive experience in combat sports, but WWE installed a no-compete clause with the UFC in his termination contract, Punk said. He added that former WWE star Alberto Del Rio, an ex-MMA fighter, also had the same clause.
“Just like UFC is not WWE’s competition, but you can’t go work there for a year after they fire you on your wedding day,” Punk said.
Punk also made it clear that he would never return to WWE or professional wrestling. McMahon not letting him walk out with Sonnen was just one of many reasons.
“He was distancing himself from such a horrible, barbaric product,” Punk said. “I reminded him how horrible and barbaric pro wrestling is.”
It has already been reported that World Wrestling Entertainment would not let CM Punk walk out with Chael Sonnen for Sonnen’s UFC fight two years ago. Now, we know the reason WWE gave him.
Punk said this week on wrestler Colt Cabana’s podcast that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon told him he could not appear on UFC television because it was “barbaric.”
“Oh my God, Phil,” Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, said McMahon told him. “No, we can’t do that. That’s barbaric. Somebody is going to die. Then I had to remind him, ‘I don’t know if you remember Owen Hart or not, because he sort of died in your ring.'”
Punk, who left WWE earlier this year, was supposed to walk out with Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2 on Jan. 28, 2012 in Punk’s hometown of Chicago. Punk said the UFC agreed to let him do it, but WWE put the kibosh on it.
“Tomorrow is the Royal Rumble so it’ll get some last-minute buys and whether Chael wins or loses, no offense to Chael, nobody is going to be talking about him,” Punk said, explaining his pitch to McMahon. “They’re going to be talking about the WWE champion walking him to the Octagon.”
McMahon didn’t stop with his criticism of the UFC there. CM Punk said he also expressed disgust at the advent of the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division. A year later, Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche competed in the UFC’s first female fight.
“Did you know that they’re going to have women fight in the Octagon soon?” Punk said McMahon told him.
Punk said he replied: “Yeah and it’s the f—ing coolest thing in the world and it’s going to be the hottest f—ing thing, you’ll see.”
Punk, who aired all his grievances with WWE on the “Art of Wrestling” podcast, said just four months after McMahon nixed him walking out with Sonnen, WWE star Triple H walked out with Floyd Mayweather for his boxing match against Miguel Cotto.
Punk was officially fired by WWE in June after departing the company in January. Brooks has trained for years in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Rener and Ryron Gracie and has expressed interest in MMA. Rener told FOXSports.com earlier this year that there would be “no limit” to Punk’s MMA potential if he trained full-time.
Just don’t expect to see him in the UFC in any respect until the middle of next year at the earliest. Not only is Punk 36 years old with no competitive experience in combat sports, but WWE installed a no-compete clause with the UFC in his termination contract, Punk said. He added that former WWE star Alberto Del Rio, an ex-MMA fighter, also had the same clause.
“Just like UFC is not WWE’s competition, but you can’t go work there for a year after they fire you on your wedding day,” Punk said.
Punk also made it clear that he would never return to WWE or professional wrestling. McMahon not letting him walk out with Sonnen was just one of many reasons.
“He was distancing himself from such a horrible, barbaric product,” Punk said. “I reminded him how horrible and barbaric pro wrestling is.”
Alexander Gustafsson was devastated to miss out on a rematch with Jon Jones – but believes a homecoming in front of 30,000 fans comes a close second.
The Swede takes on Anthony Johnson in Stockholm on January 24 after injury scuppered …
Alexander Gustafsson was devastated to miss out on a rematch with Jon Jones – but believes a homecoming in front of 30,000 fans comes a close second.
The Swede takes on Anthony Johnson in Stockholm on January 24 after injury scuppered his chances a second shot at the light-heavyweight title.
And he knows he can’t underestimate a rejuvenated Johnson who has seized his second chance in the UFC with both hands.
Russell Peters knows his combat sports. He was an amateur boxer for nine years, is a longtime fan of the UFC and a close friend of several fighters, like Cung Le.
So the well-known comedian has an informed opinion about the state of MMA. And his take isn’t too positive. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Peters took the UFC to task for oversaturation, being a monopoly and underpaying fighters.
“It really is hard to follow the sport and I’m a fan,” Peters said. “I think the problem is that UFC made it about their name as opposed to the fighters. I think that worked in the beginning, the rebranding. And that really saved and created a genre.”
Peters, the third highest grossing comedian in 2013 per Forbes, was a huge PRIDE fan and became slightly disenchanted when the UFC purchased the popular Japanese MMA promotion. He also didn’t like what the UFC did after buying both PRIDE and Strikeforce.
“They shouldn’t have bought PRIDE and Strikeforce and just eliminated them,” said Peters, who has also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with former UFC fighter Carlos Newton. “They should have kept them and then instead of UFC Fight Night, they could have had PRIDE night or Strikeforce. It gives you some sort of scope and then puts UFC at a higher level. ‘These are our lesser ones, here’s the big one.’ But if you call everything UFC … somebody was like did you catch the fights last night? I was like, ‘What f—ing fights? I didn’t know there was fights.'”
The UFC has addressed — and denied — accusations that it is a monopoly on multiple occasions, but Peters believes the organization’s stronghold over the MMA industry is an issue.
“When UFC starts buying stuff and then getting rid of it, I’m like, well that’s just monopolizing a sport that doesn’t need to be monopolized,” he said. “There’s enough for it to go around. You don’t need to be the only guy in town. … You do want to be the only one standing. But if you own them all, does it really matter? You’re still the only man standing. It’s more for perception, really. Perception is everything.”
Peters, 44, said he always bristled when people said in the past that MMA has overtaken boxing as the most popular combat sport. Peters trained in boxing for nearly a decade and is the longtime friend of former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.
“I hated when people said that, because I was like no, that’s not the case,” Peters said. “It’s popular right now, but you have to understand boxing has been around forever and there’s far more money to be made in boxing. I think UFC or MMA could have come up if the fighters made more money. But I think everybody is underpaid.”
Peters said his MMA fighter friends have not complained to him about their purses. But he believes it’s because “they don’t really know any better.” Peters cited Floyd Mayweather’s outlandish prize money and “lesser fighters” also making millions as reasons why MMA athletes are not getting their just due financially.
He also doesn’t understand why the UFC has cut ties with big-name stars like Tito Ortiz and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Ortiz fought Stephan Bonnar at Bellator 131 on Nov. 15 and it ended up being the most watched MMA fight of 2014 so far.
“I think that’s a mistake that you’re cutting these guys,” Peters said. “What you’re doing is you’re enabling Bellator to come up more, because these are names people know. If you’re not a huge MMA fan then you’re not going to know who Johny Hendricks is or Ben Rothwell or Anthony Pettis. You’re not going to know these names. But you know the Tito Ortizs, you know the Chuck Liddells, you know the ‘Rampage’ Jacksons.”
Russell Peters knows his combat sports. He was an amateur boxer for nine years, is a longtime fan of the UFC and a close friend of several fighters, like Cung Le.
So the well-known comedian has an informed opinion about the state of MMA. And his take isn’t too positive. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Peters took the UFC to task for oversaturation, being a monopoly and underpaying fighters.
“It really is hard to follow the sport and I’m a fan,” Peters said. “I think the problem is that UFC made it about their name as opposed to the fighters. I think that worked in the beginning, the rebranding. And that really saved and created a genre.”
Peters, the third highest grossing comedian in 2013 per Forbes, was a huge PRIDE fan and became slightly disenchanted when the UFC purchased the popular Japanese MMA promotion. He also didn’t like what the UFC did after buying both PRIDE and Strikeforce.
“They shouldn’t have bought PRIDE and Strikeforce and just eliminated them,” said Peters, who has also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with former UFC fighter Carlos Newton. “They should have kept them and then instead of UFC Fight Night, they could have had PRIDE night or Strikeforce. It gives you some sort of scope and then puts UFC at a higher level. ‘These are our lesser ones, here’s the big one.’ But if you call everything UFC … somebody was like did you catch the fights last night? I was like, ‘What f—ing fights? I didn’t know there was fights.'”
The UFC has addressed — and denied — accusations that it is a monopoly on multiple occasions, but Peters believes the organization’s stronghold over the MMA industry is an issue.
“When UFC starts buying stuff and then getting rid of it, I’m like, well that’s just monopolizing a sport that doesn’t need to be monopolized,” he said. “There’s enough for it to go around. You don’t need to be the only guy in town. … You do want to be the only one standing. But if you own them all, does it really matter? You’re still the only man standing. It’s more for perception, really. Perception is everything.”
Peters, 44, said he always bristled when people said in the past that MMA has overtaken boxing as the most popular combat sport. Peters trained in boxing for nearly a decade and is the longtime friend of former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.
“I hated when people said that, because I was like no, that’s not the case,” Peters said. “It’s popular right now, but you have to understand boxing has been around forever and there’s far more money to be made in boxing. I think UFC or MMA could have come up if the fighters made more money. But I think everybody is underpaid.”
Peters said his MMA fighter friends have not complained to him about their purses. But he believes it’s because “they don’t really know any better.” Peters cited Floyd Mayweather’s outlandish prize money and “lesser fighters” also making millions as reasons why MMA athletes are not getting their just due financially.
He also doesn’t understand why the UFC has cut ties with big-name stars like Tito Ortiz and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Ortiz fought Stephan Bonnar at Bellator 131 on Nov. 15 and it ended up being the most watched MMA fight of 2014 so far.
“I think that’s a mistake that you’re cutting these guys,” Peters said. “What you’re doing is you’re enabling Bellator to come up more, because these are names people know. If you’re not a huge MMA fan then you’re not going to know who Johny Hendricks is or Ben Rothwell or Anthony Pettis. You’re not going to know these names. But you know the Tito Ortizs, you know the Chuck Liddells, you know the ‘Rampage’ Jacksons.”
Ronda Rousey is not upset by her random mention in a lewd Eminem song. In fact, she’s kind of honored.
Eminem drops Rousey’s name in the title track of his newly released album Shady XV, calling her “a slaughterhouse in a blouse.” The rapper…
Ronda Rousey is not upset by her random mention in a lewd Eminem song. In fact, she’s kind of honored.
Eminem drops Rousey’s name in the title track of his newly released album Shady XV, calling her “a slaughterhouse in a blouse.” The rapper also makes a reference to her physical features. But Rousey doesn’t mind a bit, she said Wednesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“He’s an artist and art isn’t meant to be nice, it’s meant to make you feel something,” Rousey said.
The UFC women’s bantamweight champion is unsure if Eminem is insulting her. And if he is, she said she doesn’t really care.
“I like being called a slaughterhouse in a blouse,” Rousey said. “I think that’s cool. I’m not perfect, but parts of me are pretty awesome and I think if Eminem took the ass Pepsi Challenge, he would totally pick me as his favorite.”
The full verse is as follows:
I got a Magic Johnson
It’s like a Magic Wand allows me to not let a blonde arouse me
If Ronda Rousey was on the couch with the condoms out
Holding a thousand
Magnums at once to pounce me
I’ll laugh in response to how she dances and flaunts it around me
Her flat little badonkadonk is bouncing around
And all I see is Paulie Malignaggi, she’s slaughterhouse in a blouse
It’s hard to tell whether Eminem being positive, negative or somewhere in between. Either way, it’s kind of lascivious. Not that Rousey is bothered by the lyrics at all.
“I feel like getting rapped about by Eminem is like getting armbarred by me,” said Rousey, who defends her title against Cat Zingano at UFC 184 on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles. “It might not be so pleasant if you’re on the other side of it, but it’s so skillfully done you have to be honored.”
With Thanksgiving only a day away, there are several UFC fighters who should be a little more grateful this year.
You hear it time and time again: never leave the fight in the hands of the judges. Apparently that message hasn’t resonated with Diego San…
With Thanksgiving only a day away, there are several UFC fighters who should be a little more grateful this year.
You hear it time and time again: never leave the fight in the hands of the judges. Apparently that message hasn’t resonated with Diego Sanchez. Like Sanchez, there have been a number of fighters this year who have been the recipients of controversial split decisions and questionable stoppages.
Yoel Romero, Johny Hendricks and Rafael dos Anjos have seen their stock rise, albeit without some suspect referee work or judging. As the maddening cliche goes, no one is perfect, and there could be cases made advocating for both men in each bout.
For this particular ranking, stipulations (top-10 seeding, title implications) surrounding bouts will be taken into account, but so will the validity of the ruling itself. Before we make it to the five fortunate men, let’s take a look at a couple of honorable mentions.
