The December 19th issue of The New Yorker—that supposed bastion of journalistic meticulousness—managed to squeeze three errors about MMA, plus a few half-truths, into a single sentence.The offending sentence, quoted below, calls the sport …
The December 19th issue of The New Yorker—that supposed bastion of journalistic meticulousness—managed to squeeze three errors about MMA, plus a few half-truths, into a single sentence.
The offending sentence, quoted below, calls the sport “ultimate-fighting,” claims it has “no rules” and spells Fedor’s name in a way that even Google can’t recognize. And it describes a recent event that is already old news to hardcore followers of the sport.
On the night of November 20th, two weeks before elections for the State Duma, Vladimir Putin set aside the cares of the Kremlin and went to the Olympic SportComplex for an ultimate-fighting match—a “no rules” heavyweight bout between a Cyclopean Russian named Feodor (the Last Emperor) Yemelianenko and a self-described anarchist from Olympia, Washington, named Jeff (the Snowman) Monson.
In addition to the errors I’ve already mentioned, the writer calls Fedor “Cyclopean,” which means either he has one eye in the middle of his forehead or he is a giant monster. In fact, he has two eyes and is a small enough heavyweight that he could probably make light-heavyweight if he didn’t eat ice cream for a few weeks.
Readers might also object to the writer’s placing of fighter nicknames in parentheses, instead of quotation marks, as an annoying, if not grammatically incorrect, practice. And finally, the placing of “no rules” in quotation marks suggests that it is a quote—otherwise known as something that somebody actually said. We can only wonder who the source was.
Of course, the real story here is that an MMA bout served as the context for the first visible crack in Putin’s armor, and MMA fans have every right to think that’s cool.
But we also have every right to wince at the fact that The New Yorker appears to be in lockstep with the New York State legislature in its shocking ignorance of the sport of MMA.
The magazine’s squad of fact checkers dropped the ball on basic stuff that could have easily been corrected with just a few minutes of effort. But somehow, the horrified public response to the early, no-holds-barred days of MMA has been frozen in time, and remains resistant to reality.
And believe it or not, this ignorance is good for the growth of the sport.
It’s good because all this ignorance about MMA represents a huge market that can be tapped into. If the whole world was already on board, MMA’s growth would be in danger of hitting a plateau. But as it is, there are many unconverted souls to fuel for future growth.
With the UFC and other MMA advocates determined to mine new fans from this negative sentiment—like the vein of gold it is—a slowdown in the sport’s growth isn’t likely to happen any time soon.
So, for the time being, ignorance of the sport of MMA represents potential bliss for the business side of it.
Michelle Waterson is no stranger to the realities of selling women’s fights. If she didn’t think her looks would be of service in that department, she might not have chosen “The Karate Hottie” as her nickname. But, she told Blea…
Michelle Waterson is no stranger to the realities of selling women’s fights. If she didn’t think her looks would be of service in that department, she might not have chosen “The Karate Hottie” as her nickname. But, she told Bleacher Report, “it is what it is.”
That said, Waterson (8-3) doesn’t think Ronda Rousey’s looks should help her usurp Sarah Kaufman’s No. 1 contender status in the Strikeforce 135 pound women’s division. Waterson, who like Rousey has found success with the armbar (including four first-round armbar finishes), suggested the vocal Judo ace might want to chill out and wait her turn to fight for the belt.
“We’re not going anywhere. She can wait a couple of months to fight. If she’s that good, I don’t think a couple of months is going to hurt her,” Waterson said.
Waterson only offered those comments after I filled her in on the beef in question. When I first brought it up, she had no idea what I was talking about.
It might come as a surprise that the Karate Hottie wasn’t up on her colleagues’ drama. But then, with an 8-month-old daughter, her priorities have shifted since her last fight 18 months ago. Now that she’s training for her first post-partum scrap, Waterson has even less time to watch the cats fight.
She’s preparing for a fight with Diana “Dianamite” Rael, which will go down January 21 at the Hard Rock Café in Albuquerque, as the main event of the Jackson’s MMA Series VII card.
Training for a professional cage fight is a daunting task, even for those of us who aren’t taking care of an infant daughter. On top of those responsibilities, as Waterson explained, a bout of gestational diabetes during pregnancy ballooned her into a welterweight. And after Araya was born, the pounds didn’t come off like they used to.
“It was really hard. I was working out and training and nursing, and it was really hard. I was tired, and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me because my body just wasn’t letting go of the weight.”
Finally, her doctor discovered a thyroid problem.
“Once they medicated me for my thyroid, everything regulated, and I’m back to my normal weight. I’m at 120 right now, I’m fighting at 105. I feel good, I feel strong, I feel like this weight cut’s gonna be good.”
So guys, next time you take an inside leg kick to the cup remember: you’ll never get gestational diabetes. You have it a lot less complicated than your sisters in arms.
But Waterson, for one, isn’t complaining. She loves her daughter, loves her job, and seems to really like her opponent, too. That said, she can’t wait to punch her in the mouth.
“Diana Rael is a wonderful person,” Waterson said. “But at the end of the day me and her know why we’re getting into the ring: to beat the crap out of each other. And, it is what it is.”
During UFC 135 in Denver, Bleacher Report ran into Cheick Kongo at the media buffet. The likeable French striker was kind enough to share some thoughts on a range of topics from Matt Mitrione to foie gras. The video includes a reenactment—at the …
During UFC 135 in Denver, Bleacher Report ran into Cheick Kongo at the media buffet. The likeable French striker was kind enough to share some thoughts on a range of topics from Matt Mitrione to foiegras.
The video includes a reenactment—at the interviewer’s expense—of Kongo’s dramatic come-from-behind KO victory over Pat Barry. But if you don’t have time, or can’t understand what the big Frenchman is saying, here’s the Cliff Notes of the interview:
On whether he thinks Matt Mitrione, his co-main event dance partner October 29th at UFC 137, will stand with him: “Not really. He’ll exchange just a little bit.” Kongo anticipates a trap, in the form of a takedown attempt.
On his wild fight with Pat Barry:
I remember everything except the first time he caught me. It was dark for a few second…At that moment I knew there were two possibilities: to have the referee next to me saying ‘Ok, it’s over, calm down Cheick, breath correctly, get back on your side.’ Or, I keep going.
I just dropped the hands you know, and just made him confident so he come for me very confident ‘ok so I’m gonna knock him out.’ I dropped my hands and he dropped his hands too… It was kind of a hook with the right hand like this [demonstrates on me]. I saw him dancing. I wasn’t sure if I touched him. So for sure I just came with the uppercut.
On feelings of gratitude he might have toward Josh Rosenthal, the referee who didn’t call the fight when Barry had Kongo in big trouble: “All of the referees get Christmas cards.”
On his training diet: “I eat everything: Croissant, pan chocolate, escargot, coq au vin.”
On what he likes to eat in France: “Real food. No protein shake. Nothing fake. My body rejects. Except vitamins, amino acids,” and of course MusclePharm products.
If coaching one of the most talented and accomplished stables of MMA fighters ever gets old, Mike Winkeljohn and Greg Jackson have a decent shot, if they should choose, at being the MMA equivalent of Click and Clack, aka the Tappet Brothers, hosts of t…
If coaching one of the most talented and accomplished stables of MMA fighters ever gets old, Mike Winkeljohn and Greg Jackson have a decent shot, if they should choose, at being the MMA equivalent of Click and Clack, aka the Tappet Brothers, hosts of the radio show Car Talk. They could call themselves the Tapout Brothers.
I learned this about them the hard way, when I showed up at their Albuquerque gym to chat about fighters and fights. I wanted to talk about Jon Jones’ kicks to Quinton Jackson’s knees, and how Brian Stann is going to stop Chael Sonnen’s double-leg, and Leonard Garcia’s first injury-free fight in as long as anyone can remember. And we did. We also talked about a whole bunch of things I wasn’t expecting, like aliens, spies and the place of stripper poles at Team Jackson Winkeljohn.
As with the Tappet Brothers, when you ask the two legendary coaches a serious question, they proceed to clown you, laugh until they’re out of breath, and provide spot-on insight into your question—all at the same time.
Did I endure humiliation, confusion and ridicule in order to get you answers to some of MMA’s most burning questions? Yes, I did. But hey, at least this time Winkeljohn was kind enough to put his pants on, unlike the last time I spoke with the Tapout Brothers after UFC 128.
Those who want to see the Tapout Brothers’ unique charms, feel free to click on the two embedded videos. For those of you who don’t have time for the comedy act and just want your sound bites, here you go.
On Jon Jones’ hurt foot during his title defense against Quinton Jackson at UFC 135
Winkeljohn: Rampage checked one of the kicks that caught him on top of his foot. It happens to everybody that throws a lot of kicks. Fighters just deal with it.
Jackson: I think it was aliens shooting laser beams at his feet.
Winkeljohn: I thought the aliens told us not to tell anyone.
On Jones starting out that fight by walking from his corner on all fours
Winkeljohn: I thought that was your idea.
Jackson: For the first 30 seconds I turned to my big brother and said something to the effect of “what is he doing?”
Winkeljohn: I was just hoping he wasn’t picking up that hand and getting kicked in the face.
Jackson: But you know I love that stuff. Anything artistic and creative that puts your opponent a little off like “uh what’s gonna happen,” I like that.
On Jones’ multiple kicks to “Rampage’s” knee
Winkeljohn: People keep thinking that stuff’s illegal. You know what, you’re allowed to give someone brain damage but you can’t hurt their knee? It just doesn’t make sense to me. I knew we had the fight when [Jackson] was looking at the referee like, “um, um, he’s hurting my knee.” That was…
Jackson: …definitely a tell.
Winkeljohn: That was a great moment.
Jackson: Cross kicks to the knee are legal. And we’ll do whatever’s legal. If you make the technique illegal we’ll no longer use it.
On Steven Seagal’s attempt to visit Jones’ dressing room before the fight
Winkeljohn I don’t understand the reason for wanting to come last minute. If you want to help Jon out, you know, two months before the fight come talk to him if you have something important. IF. But right before the fight, that doesn’t make sense to me at all.
On Leonard Garcia vs Nam Phan at UFC 136
Jackson: This is the first fight in like six fights Leonard hasn’t had some severe injury. It will be fun to see what he can do.
Winkeljohn: Leonard is in his best shape ever.
Jackson: Nam Phan is super tricky and super crafty, and hopefully we can get around it.
(Jackson also acknowledged the judges got it wrong in the first fight, but has been on the other end of a bad decision enough times to not feel the least bit bad about it.)
On how Brian Stann will stop Chael Sonnen’s takedowns
Jackson: Groin strikes
Winkeljohn: I told him to turn and run. Get Chael tired
(more absurdity)
Winkeljohn: Stopping Chael’s takedown, that’s tough. That’s the crux. That’s huge. There’s no doubt about it. But we plan on putting some pain on him on the way.
Jackson: The other thing about Chael is that he’s got really good kickboxing. If you notice when he fought Okami, he didn’t really ground and pound Okami. Okami was able to get up every time. But [Sonnen] out-did him on his feet. So he’s a dangerous guy all the way around. And hopefully big bro and I have done our job enough where we’ll be able to shut that down.
(Translation: Okami provided the blueprint for standing up when Chael took him down. Brian can follow this blueprint to keep the fight standing.)
On Melvin Guillard spending a week at Imperial Athletics in Florida.
Jackson: It’s odd to me that everyone’s like “oh my god.” A lot of our guys go other places and train.
Winkeljohn: I told Melvin if he learns something cool come back and show me, and he did.
We ended with a round of picks for upcoming fights:
Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard III
Jackson: I’m think a 155 pounder will win.
Winkeljohn: Flip a coin.
Jose Aldo vs Kenny Florian
Winkeljohn: From day one I’ve always thought Aldo was fantastic, but I think he’s been a little exposed a bit as of late. And Florian is definitely a smart guy. So if anybody can take advantage of looking at tape that would be Kenny.
Anthony Pettis vs Jeremy Stephens
Jackson: That’s two very talented guys. Stephens hits hard, and Pettis is slick. And Duke Rufus is a great trainer.
Winkeljohn: I’m a go with Pettis to out-point Stephens in that one. I think Pettis can move around and avoid the power.
Brock Lesnar vs Alistair Overeem
Jackson: That’s the classic striker vs grappler. If Lesnar can get him down, might be Lesnar. If Overeem can either get up or hit him…
Winkeljohn: I think if Overeem can stuff a couple takedowns or avoid a couple first takedowns…
Junior dos Santos vs Cain Velasquez
Jackson: Dos Santos has that jab. It’s a beautiful thing. Cain’s got great combos. As usual I have know idea. I don’t even watch fighting.
Winkeljohn: It depends on how tight Cain can stay, and get in there. I’m leaning towards Junior on that one. Ever so slightly.
Keeping up with Jones About 10 days before his title defense against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jon Jones told me he believed Rashad Evans would be his toughest test in the light heavyweight division. He also said he expected to compete at …
Keeping up with Jones
About 10 days before his title defense against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jon Jones told me he believed Rashad Evans would be his toughest test in the light heavyweight division. He also said he expected to compete at heavyweight in three years.
Both of those sentiments were supported at the post-fight press conference. Jackson said that Evans was the only one in the division that could threaten Jones. And Dana White mentioned that he and Jones have spoken about the possibility of him moving up in weight.
But if that move is really three years away, and Evans really is Jones’s biggest test, then I guess we can expect two-and-a-half years of easy title defenses for Jones. Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre will probably attest that there are worse ways to spend a career.
There’s nothing wrong with hanging out at the top of the UFC’s so-called marquee division, kicking ass while not getting touched—except on his hands, shins, and elbows, which reportedly were quite sore after Rampage’s face and body were done with them.
On the other hand, if Jones makes it look as easy against Evans as he has against everyone else, maybe he’ll head north in weight in search of new challenges. Winning the title in a second division would put Jones alongside the likes of BJ Penn and Randy Couture. But neither legend was dominant in multiple divisions the way Jones could be.
Fake, Black Elephants
This was the first title fight in UFC history featuring two African-American fighters, but race wasn’t a huge elephant in the room. Jones actually told USA Today that race was practically the only thing he had in common with “Rampage,” who came closest to the race can of worms with his “Jones is a fake” attack. You have to wonder if calling a white person a fake would have stuck the same way.
Jones, for his part, borrowed Evans’ line that “Rampage” “moves like Frankenstein.” Watching tape one day before the fight, I asked Jones if he thought Jackson really did move like Frankenstein.
“He moves when he has to,” said Jones, with a tone that was clearly in Jackson’s defense.
Jackson’s “Jones is a fake” line, meanwhile, was borrowed from Evans as well. But after the fight, Jackson appeared to have dropped the sentiment, having replaced it with “for real,” descriptor now attached to Jones.
Sugarambone
Speaking of Rashad Evans, whose name seems to be coming up as often as Jackson’s and Jones’…can we start calling them a triangle and make up a name that refers to all three of them at once, kind of like a three-man version of Brangelina?
I propose: Sugarambone.
All three have talked endless smack with each other, and two of the three possible fight combinations have already taken place. The final fight, of course, between Jones and Evans, will take place soon. But considering the possibility of future rematches, Sugarambone needs to play it carefully, because the promotional possibilities for future fights are endless.
In his post-fight interview, Jones announced he wasn’t going to talk smack to hype the fight. We’ll see if that holds true or if Rashad baits him back into verbal warfare.
A Hollywood ending
Am I the only one who found, in retrospect, that the plotline of Jones vs. Rampage bore an uncanny resemblance to Rocky V, when the All-American from Philly does battle against the laboratory-crafted Russian fighter?
Sure, Rampage doesn’t look too much like the blond, blue-eyed Russian guy. And I haven’t seen the hi-tech wonders of the new Muscle Farm gym. But still, the gym sounds a bit like the fulfillment of that movie’s prophecy. And in the case of Jones vs. Rampage, the moral of the story is straight out of the movie: hi-tech training is no match for old-fashioned wholesome mojo.
The media is high on altitude
I found it funny how often it came up that Rampage had an advantage because he was training in Denver’s high altitude. Albuquerque, where Jones trained, is at 5,352 feet above sea level, which is 72 feet higher than Denver.
Other notes from press row
Unlike in Brazil, here, it’s not cool to cheer from press row. But during Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell, my friend Fabio Borges (of Rede TV, Brazil), and I found ourselves shouting at the ref to stop the fight. Hunt was repeatedly landing shots that would justify a brain scan for most mortals, and it was obvious the fight was over, despite the fact that Rothwell was still standing and arguably even walking (like Frankenstein, come to think of it).
Rothwell wasn’t defending himself—intelligently anyway. And thanks to poor cardio, accumulated blunt head trauma, and hey, maybe the altitude, he was too slow to pose any threat to Hunt, who was content to stay out of range and land strikes when it suited him. On one occasion, Hunt seemed to walk away after landing a right hook, as if he was under the impression that Rothwell was falling down, a la his last fight against Chris Tuchscherer.
When I’m at an event live, I find myself noticing how much less I notice the ring card girls. There’s no camera forcing you to look at them, no sudden urge to cringe at the inevitability that Mike Goldberg will momentarily say: “The beautiful [insert name of ring girl]” as she blows us a kiss. I must say that I’m still able to keep track of which round it is.
And finally, the Steven Seagal joke is getting worse. It came out afterwards that Seagal wanted to visit with Jones in his dressing room before the fight, and Jones said no because it would be an insult to his training team. That, my friends, is a classy response. And it’s practically as cool as foiling a mugging mere hours before winning a UFC belt.
Bleacher Report learned from someone close to the situation that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been juicing ahead of his first title defense, against Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 this Saturday. That person would be Jones himself, and he in…
Bleacher Report learned from someone close to the situation that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been juicing ahead of his first title defense, against Quinton Jackson at UFC 135 this Saturday. That person would be Jones himself, and he invited me and my camera to his house to watch.
It turns out this was Jon’s first attempt at making his own juice, aka juicing. He was doing so based on the advice of the Jackson-Winkeljohn team chiropractor, Todd Pickman of Gonstead Family Chiropractic in Albuquerque. The champ attempted to get Pickman on the phone for me, but he was busy tending to Brian Stann, who could be heard in the background saying, “Every injury I have I blame on Jonny Jones.”
We juiced, we drank and it was good. Jones reported feeling the potency of it with his first sip. “I really think this is going to give me the edge against Rampage,” he said.
Jones has been tweeting about juice ever since, and even arranged to have a juicer at his hotel in Denver. So if you happen to see Bert “the UFC’s busiest man” Watson pushing a shopping cart full of vegetables around Whole Foods in Denver, now you know why.
Later, I caught up with Dr. Pickman by phone, who explained the theory behind the champ’s juicing regimen.
“Jon had asked me casually about eating and what I would recommend for him to do that would give him any benefit in terms of energy and endurance. I said if you’re like most people you haven’t eaten enough raw vegetables and he agreed.”
“He eats a high protein high meat diet and doesn’t get enough of the micronutrients you can get from raw veggies. Dark green leafy vegetables have more B vitamins, calcium, folate, iron….
“The mixture I recommended is mostly green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach and chard, plus beets, carrots, ginger and a little apple and lemon for flavor.”
“I’ve been talking to Jon almost daily. He says he has more energy and feels better.”
Jones’ juice may not be anabolic, but at least you can get it in this country and it’s legal in the eyes of every state athletic commission. And in the long run, it’s probably a whole lot better for you than the other stuff.
The December 19th issue of The New Yorker—that supposed bastion of journalistic meticulousness—managed to squeeze three errors about MMA, plus a few half-truths, into a single sentence.