Author: Ben Fowlkes

The Cut List: Who Desperately Needs a Win at UFC 124?

Filed under: UFCIf there’s anything that impresses your girlfriend’s parents less than showing up for Christmas dinner and introducing yourself as a professional cage fighter, it’s showing up with a bunch of bruises and introducing yourself as a recent…

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If there’s anything that impresses your girlfriend’s parents less than showing up for Christmas dinner and introducing yourself as a professional cage fighter, it’s showing up with a bunch of bruises and introducing yourself as a recently unemployed cage fighter.

And yet, for several of the struggling fighters on the lineup for UFC 124 in Montreal this Saturday night, unemployment is suddenly a very real and very terrifying prospect.

So who’s facing a win-or-get-fired situation this time around? For answers, analysis, and forecasts, let us consult the Cut List. For tips on dealing with your girlfriend’s parents during the holiday season, the best we can do is suggest that you say as little as possible and smile a lot. Even if this makes them regard you as a happy idiot, it’s probably better than the alternative.

Stefan Struve: I’ll Talk to McCorkle on Saturday, and It Won’t Take Long

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveThe last time Dutch heavyweight Stefan Struve was in the Octagon, things got off to a pretty terrible start. Even before he stepped in the cage at UFC 117 back in August, he already knew it was going to be a rough ni…

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Stefan StruveThe last time Dutch heavyweight Stefan Struve was in the Octagon, things got off to a pretty terrible start. Even before he stepped in the cage at UFC 117 back in August, he already knew it was going to be a rough night.

It started with a light-headed feeling, then a little dizziness, and then some vomiting, all within a couple hours of fight time. This was all due to a bad case of nerves, the 22-year-old Struve said. After getting knocked out in his previous effort against Roy Nelson, he knew he needed to win this one. He let the pressure get to him, and it left him in a weakened state by the time he stepped in against Christian Morecraft in Oakland, Calif.

“The first few minutes of the fight were okay, and then all my energy was gone,” Struve told MMA Fighting. “I just thought, this is not going to be good.”

Sean McCorkle Says Struve Jokes Are Nothing Personal, Just a Way to Get Paid

Filed under: UFCFirst things first: Sean McCorkle did not talk his way into the UFC. He’s heard that version of events floating around the internet and he’d like to clear the air. As much as he’d like it to be the case that his over-the-top online pers…

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First things first: Sean McCorkle did not talk his way into the UFC. He’s heard that version of events floating around the internet and he’d like to clear the air. As much as he’d like it to be the case that his over-the-top online persona got him a UFC contract, he knows it’s more about his fighting ability than his sense of humor, no matter what other people might say.

“I think they mean it as an insult, but I think it’s hilarious,” said McCorkle. “You’re telling me that I’m so talented at talking in interviews that it got me into the UFC? Really? I mean, [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva told me when I first met him, ‘I just want you to know that we love your internet stuff, but that’s not the reason you’re in the UFC.’ I kind of said, ‘Darn it, I was hoping that it was.'”

But as long as he’s here anyway, he might as well have a little fun. That’s why, ever since he accepted a fight with Dutch heavyweight Stefan Struve at UFC 124 in Montreal, McCorkle’s personal Twitter has featured an almost constant barrage of stinging one-liners aimed directly at Struve.

Leonard Garcia Talks Decision Win, Responds to Joe Rogan’s Criticism

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveShortly after winning a controversial split decision victory over Nam Phan at the TUF 12 Finale, Leonard Garcia sat down with Phan to watch the fight at the 24/7 Café inside the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. It w…

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Shortly after winning a controversial split decision victory over Nam Phan at the TUF 12 Finale, Leonard Garcia sat down with Phan to watch the fight at the 24/7 Café inside the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. It was an amicable, if unlikely little viewing party, but afterward Garcia said he arrived at a firm conclusion about the scoring in the fight.

He’s watched the bout approximately 15 times since then, he told MMA Fighting, and his thoughts on it are the same each time.

“I think I outscored him in the first and third rounds,” said Garcia. “I think that in the third round, I was dead tired, but I kept firing and kept pressing the action, and I was able to get a takedown as well.”

Though judges Adelaide Byrd and Tony Weeks agreed, giving Garcia the first and third rounds even as judge Junichiro Kamijo gave every round to Phan, the fans in attendance at the Pearl at the Palms voiced their displeasure loudly and thoroughly. Even UFC color commentator Joe Rogan went to great lengths to express his disapproval, which bothered Garcia more than he initially let on.

Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC & Strikeforce’s Dueling Events

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceNow that we’ve all caught our breath, gotten a little sleep, and prepared ourselves to approach Saturday night’s dueling MMA events like calm, rational individuals, let’s dig through the results and get worked up all over a…

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Now that we’ve all caught our breath, gotten a little sleep, and prepared ourselves to approach Saturday night’s dueling MMA events like calm, rational individuals, let’s dig through the results and get worked up all over again.

Without further delay, here are the big winners, losers, and everything in between after the TUF 12 Finale and Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu.

Biggest Winner: Dan Henderson
A blind man would have known this fight was over once he heard the sound of Hendo’s right hand thumping against “Babalu” Sobral’s skull. But because Sobral managed to keep his eyes open even as they rolled around in his head, it wasn’t stopped until after Henderson had landed several more memory-busters, just for completely unnecessary good measure. The impressive brutality of the win goes a long way towards erasing Henderson’s loss to Shields in the minds of fans, but we should probably reserve judgment until we see him in a fight with an opponent who’s still in his prime. An opponent like, say, light heavyweight champion “Feijao” Cavalcante.

The MMA Wrap-Up: UFC/Strikeforce Double Episode

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After a busy weekend in MMA that saw the UFC and Strikeforce face off with competing events, the MMA Wrap-Up returns to sort through all the action and maybe even do an offensively reductive impression of Paul Daley. It’s all in good fun, unless Daley sees it and gets mad, in which case my story is that my producer made me do it and I was against the idea from the start.

In any event, join me below as I break down all the action from Saturday night in an attempt to figure out which organization came out on top, and at what price. I promise it will be a memorable experience, if only because we’ve managed to work in an awesome photo of Robert Stack this week. You’re welcome.

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After a busy weekend in MMA that saw the UFC and Strikeforce face off with competing events, the MMA Wrap-Up returns to sort through all the action and maybe even do an offensively reductive impression of Paul Daley. It’s all in good fun, unless Daley sees it and gets mad, in which case my story is that my producer made me do it and I was against the idea from the start.

In any event, join me below as I break down all the action from Saturday night in an attempt to figure out which organization came out on top, and at what price. I promise it will be a memorable experience, if only because we’ve managed to work in an awesome photo of Robert Stack this week. You’re welcome.