Author: Ben Fowlkes

How Much of His Own Schtick Does Chael Sonnen Actually Believe?

Filed under: UFCI’ll say this for Chael Sonnen – the guy knows how to follow through on a plan. Even when the plan calls for him to be completely obnoxious – perhaps especially then – Sonnen sticks to it. He sees it through to the end. Maybe he even en…

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I’ll say this for Chael Sonnen – the guy knows how to follow through on a plan. Even when the plan calls for him to be completely obnoxious – perhaps especially then – Sonnen sticks to it. He sees it through to the end. Maybe he even enjoys it.

Consider his successful bid for a title fight at UFC 117 with middleweight champ Anderson Silva. The plan called for winning some tough fights (beating Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt in the span of about four months is more than most men could do), but it also called for a campaign of verbal warfare that would make Apollo Creed blush.

Bobby Lashley Defends His MMA Career, but Where is It Headed?

Filed under: Strikeforce

If Brock Lesnar is a pro wrestling-to-MMA success story, Bobby Lashley still remains something of a cautionary tale. After almost two years in MMA, he still has yet to face a high-quality opponent, and yet here is in this prev…

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If Brock Lesnar is a pro wrestling-to-MMA success story, Bobby Lashley still remains something of a cautionary tale. After almost two years in MMA, he still has yet to face a high-quality opponent, and yet here is in this preview clip from tonight’s episode of “Inside MMA,” talking about how much he’d like to fight Fedor Emelianenko.

It’s tough to know exactly what to make of Lashley’s defense of his MMA career thus far. On one hand, he makes some decent points. He’s still fairly new to the sport, so why should he be ridiculed for not jumping in the cage against experienced veterans right away?

At the same time, because of his pro wrestling fame Lashley is pulling in far bigger paychecks than most 5-0 fighters will ever see. Eventually it would seem as though he has to justify that by fighting someone who actually matters.

Twitter Mailbag: Answers to All Your 140-Character or Less Queries

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceYou people sure have a lot of questions – especially about who would win in a fight between Brock Lesnar, Alistair Overeem, and Fedor Emelianenko. Naturally, a lot would depend on whether Don Frye is the special guest refer…

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You people sure have a lot of questions – especially about who would win in a fight between Brock Lesnar, Alistair Overeem, and Fedor Emelianenko. Naturally, a lot would depend on whether Don Frye is the special guest referee, but let’s not get into that right now.

It’s been a while since my last mailbag column and there’s a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get after it. Who’s first?

@ChampBossley can you think of any scenario where james toney can impact mma in a positive way (besides losing)?

Chuck Liddell’s Retirement Struggle Understandable, but Won’t Get Easier

Filed under: UFCIf there’s anybody who should understand what Chuck Liddell is going through these days, it’s Dana White. The UFC president said this weekend that the 40 year-old Liddell remains undecided about retirement, and apparently attending all …

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If there’s anybody who should understand what Chuck Liddell is going through these days, it’s Dana White. The UFC president said this weekend that the 40 year-old Liddell remains undecided about retirement, and apparently attending all these live MMA events as a spectator isn’t exactly helping him let it go.

“He told me tonight the show open messed him up, watching [UFC 116] open,” White said. “This guy’s in this longer than me. He’s been around forever and loves the sport. All I’m hoping is that he makes the right decision.”

Reading those words, your heart has to break a little for the former champion. Imagine him sitting there on fight night — the music blaring through the arena, the UFC highlight reel bringing the crowd to a boil, the entire cocktail of emotions he used to live for — only now he’s watching from the outside, struggling to stay in his seat.

So What Ever Became of Fedor Emelianenko’s WAMMA Belt, Anyway?

Filed under: StrikeforceIt’s the question that few of us have bothered to ask, probably because even fewer of us bothered to care, but what’s the status of Fedor Emelianenko’s WAMMA heavyweight title after his submission loss to Fabricio Werdum?

I kno…

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It’s the question that few of us have bothered to ask, probably because even fewer of us bothered to care, but what’s the status of Fedor Emelianenko‘s WAMMA heavyweight title after his submission loss to Fabricio Werdum?

I know, I know. Somehow, what with Brock Lesnar winning a dramatic comeback victory and the heavyweight ranks getting shaken up like a snow globe in the hands of a petulant child over the last few weeks, it doesn’t seem all that important.

That said, is Werdum now the WAMMA champ? Did Fedor FedEx him the belt? And if so, will he wear it with the same sense of pride that Fedor did? I did a little asking around in order to find answers to these and other almost relevant questions, and what I discovered was that the fans aren’t the only ones who haven’t given the issue much thought.

MMA Roundtable: Brock Lesnar’s Victory, What’s Next for Fedor and More

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceWith UFC 116 in the books and a bit of a summer lull coming up until the MMA calendar kicks into high gear again in August, now seemed like as good a time as any for MMA Fighting’s Michael David Smith and I to roll up our s…

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With UFC 116 in the books and a bit of a summer lull coming up until the MMA calendar kicks into high gear again in August, now seemed like as good a time as any for MMA Fighting’s Michael David Smith and I to roll up our sleeves, look each other in the eye and see if we can’t find some answers to some of MMA’s most pressing questions.

The rolling up the sleeves and the looking each other in the eye stuff was all figurative, but you get the idea.

Below, check out our discussion on everything from the future of Fedor Emelianenko, the chances for another UFC fall curse, and more. I promise it will change your life, even if it’s only in tiny, imperceptible ways that never become clear.