Author: Ben Fowlkes

Dennis Hallman Explains UFC 133 Speedos: ‘I Lost a Bet’

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Dennis HallmanWearing a pair of skimpy speedos into the Octagon at UFC 133 wasn’t exactly Dennis Hallman‘s idea, the fighter told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.

Instead, what fans saw on Saturday night’s pay-per-view broadcast was the result of a bet that Hallman had with fellow fighters Len Bentley and Sterling Ford. In case you couldn’t tell, Hallman did not come out on the winning end of that wager.

“I won’t say what the bet was about, but I lost a bet to those guys and losing the bet meant that I got to wear some speedos,” Hallman told Helwani.

“I thought it was funny,” he added later. “I thought it was embarrassing for me. Obviously, that’s why I had to do it. But I didn’t think anybody would be cross about it.”

One man who was displeased was Hallman’s boss, UFC president Dana White, who said he was “horrified” and “disgusted” by Hallman’s shorts, and vowed that no fighter would ever again be allowed to wear something like that into the cage.

But as upset as White seemed after the fight, Hallman remains convinced that his job security has more to do with his fighting ability than his attire, especially since he took on Brian Ebersole in Philadelphia even after sustaining an elbow injury two days before the fight.

“I don’t think they’re going to fire you over something like that,” Hallman said. “I mean, he knows I went in there and fought injured because I didn’t want to screw up their card. You can’t fire somebody for doing something that’s not illegal or not wrong. You can say, don’t do it again. But it wouldn’t be right to be like, okay, you wore legal trunks but I didn’t like them so I’m going to fire you. Dana’s not like that. He might say, if you do it again I’ll fire you, but he’s not going to fire someone for wearing trunks that were legal.”

As for the elbow, which Hallman said he was currently on his way to a specialist about, he still doesn’t know what caused it to swell up on the Thursday before the fight.

“That’s the mystery,” he said, adding that he sought medical attention on Thursday, but “again Friday, after the weight cut, it blew up again. Same thing, we tried to treat it, and then Saturday…my arm was swollen up huge and I couldn’t move it.”

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By the time he stepped in to fight Ebersole, Hallman said he had very little use of his right arm, which he believes left him unable to capitalize after taking Ebersole’s back early in the fight. Hallman said he doesn’t know how long the arm injury will keep him out of action, but what he’d really like is a rematch with Ebersole once he’s healthy.

As for the speedos, losing that particular bet was costly in more ways than one, since it only left him room for two sponsors. It also provoked a strong, though mixed reaction from fans, Hallman said.

“I had about 400 Twitter mentions. About 70 percent of them were pissed off about the shorts, and the other 30 percent, mostly women, were complimenting the choice of shorts.”

Still, after White personally told him that his shorts would be “effing illegal” from that point on, it doesn’t seem as though any other fighter will be making similar bets in the future. In Hallman’s mind, at least, it succeeded in at least one respect.

“How many guys who lost a fight are on your show the day after? Not very many, so I think it probably worked out a little bit better,” he told Helwani. “Maybe I can put those speedos on Ebay as the last speedos ever worn in the UFC and make some money.”

 

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Filed under: ,

Dennis HallmanWearing a pair of skimpy speedos into the Octagon at UFC 133 wasn’t exactly Dennis Hallman‘s idea, the fighter told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.

Instead, what fans saw on Saturday night’s pay-per-view broadcast was the result of a bet that Hallman had with fellow fighters Len Bentley and Sterling Ford. In case you couldn’t tell, Hallman did not come out on the winning end of that wager.

“I won’t say what the bet was about, but I lost a bet to those guys and losing the bet meant that I got to wear some speedos,” Hallman told Helwani.

“I thought it was funny,” he added later. “I thought it was embarrassing for me. Obviously, that’s why I had to do it. But I didn’t think anybody would be cross about it.”

One man who was displeased was Hallman’s boss, UFC president Dana White, who said he was “horrified” and “disgusted” by Hallman’s shorts, and vowed that no fighter would ever again be allowed to wear something like that into the cage.

But as upset as White seemed after the fight, Hallman remains convinced that his job security has more to do with his fighting ability than his attire, especially since he took on Brian Ebersole in Philadelphia even after sustaining an elbow injury two days before the fight.

“I don’t think they’re going to fire you over something like that,” Hallman said. “I mean, he knows I went in there and fought injured because I didn’t want to screw up their card. You can’t fire somebody for doing something that’s not illegal or not wrong. You can say, don’t do it again. But it wouldn’t be right to be like, okay, you wore legal trunks but I didn’t like them so I’m going to fire you. Dana’s not like that. He might say, if you do it again I’ll fire you, but he’s not going to fire someone for wearing trunks that were legal.”

As for the elbow, which Hallman said he was currently on his way to a specialist about, he still doesn’t know what caused it to swell up on the Thursday before the fight.

“That’s the mystery,” he said, adding that he sought medical attention on Thursday, but “again Friday, after the weight cut, it blew up again. Same thing, we tried to treat it, and then Saturday…my arm was swollen up huge and I couldn’t move it.”

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-130098%

By the time he stepped in to fight Ebersole, Hallman said he had very little use of his right arm, which he believes left him unable to capitalize after taking Ebersole’s back early in the fight. Hallman said he doesn’t know how long the arm injury will keep him out of action, but what he’d really like is a rematch with Ebersole once he’s healthy.

As for the speedos, losing that particular bet was costly in more ways than one, since it only left him room for two sponsors. It also provoked a strong, though mixed reaction from fans, Hallman said.

“I had about 400 Twitter mentions. About 70 percent of them were pissed off about the shorts, and the other 30 percent, mostly women, were complimenting the choice of shorts.”

Still, after White personally told him that his shorts would be “effing illegal” from that point on, it doesn’t seem as though any other fighter will be making similar bets in the future. In Hallman’s mind, at least, it succeeded in at least one respect.

“How many guys who lost a fight are on your show the day after? Not very many, so I think it probably worked out a little bit better,” he told Helwani. “Maybe I can put those speedos on Ebay as the last speedos ever worn in the UFC and make some money.”

 

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Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC 132

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At least one career was salvaged at UFC 132, while another may have come to an end. Both contributed greatly to a memorable night in Las Vegas, where two little guys showed just how badly they wanted to go home with a hunk of leather and metal.

Now that it’s all over and we’ve got the obligatory 4th of July hot dogs sizzling on the grill, let’s take a minute to sort through this weekend’s biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.

Biggest Winner: Tito Ortiz
If you’d asked me on Friday, I would have told you the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” would be retired by now. No matter what he says, you know he must have considered that possibility as well in some of his darker moments. But not only did he come out on top in his must-win fight, he looked dominant in his submission win over Ryan Bader. The last person Ortiz submitted was Yuki Kondo. He did it back in 2000 and he did it with a neck crank, both of which tell you a little something about how long Ortiz has been in the game. Thanks to the win, Ortiz gets to stick around a little while longer. Whether it’s the beginning of a genuine comeback or just a temporary stay of execution, only time will tell.

Biggest Loser: Wanderlei Silva
Another attempt to brawl results in another frightening knockout. Silva has taken too many of these sorts of beatings lately, and each one is harder to watch than the last. Some people will point to last year’s win over Michael Bisping as proof that he doesn’t need to retire, and sure, it does seem unfair to point to one knockout loss to Leben as proof that the man is done. At the same time, Silva’s losses aren’t like Ortiz’s string of fairly close decisions. He’s getting knocked all the way out, and his fighting style isn’t evolving to protect his increasingly suspect chin. After 15 years in the sport, Silva can walk away with his head up whenever he feels like it. Let’s just hope he feels like before something happens to him that can’t be undone.


Best Removal of a Monkey from One’s Own Back: Dominick Cruz
He said he was ready for questions about his submission loss to Faber to stop for good, and with this win he’ll finally get his wish. You can argue the scoring, but I don’t think you can argue the outcome. Cruz simply did more than Faber, even if he did get dropped a time or two. His speed and his well-rounded attack is going to be a problem for anybody in the division, and now that he’s vanquished Faber he can move on to other challenges. At least until Faber wins a couple and starts asking for a rubber match. Then we can do this all over again.

Most Vicious: (tie) Carlos Condit and Melvin Guillard
Remember back when the one thing we all knew about Greg Jackson’s fighters was that they played it too safe and never finished fights? No, not ringing any bells? Maybe it’s because that bit of conventional wisdom just got kneed in its face until it was utterly unrecognizable. These two Jackson camp fighters dispatched their respective opponents with terrifying ferocity and efficiency on Saturday night. I’m not sure what you do with either right now, since both are probably worthy of title shots, and yet neither is next in line in his division at the moment. Neither Condit or Guillard seem like the type to wait around until things sort themselves out, which is bad news for every other contender. Chances are, the path to a title shot at both lightweight and welterweight will run through these two.

Most Impressive in Defeat: Urijah Faber
Personally, I scored it for Cruz (though I didn’t give him every round, as one judge did), but Faber made it damn close. He came up with a better answer to Cruz’s difficult style than anyone else the UFC bantamweight champ has ever fought, and even if he came up short in the end he still put on a fantastic show. It’s the fourth consecutive title fight that Faber has lost, which puts him in a tough spot. As we saw on Saturday, he’s still one of the best fighters in the world at 135 pounds, but what can you do with him at this point? The UFC can’t just keep booking Cruz-Faber over and over, and yet Faber is still far above gatekeeper level. That’s going to be a tough one for matchmaker Joe Silva to figure out, but you know he’ll come up with something. He always does.

Least Impressive in Victory: Aaron Simpson
He spent fifteen minutes trying to force Brad Tavares to mate with a section of chain-link fencing, and while he got his hand raised at the end, he didn’t make many new fans. If there’s anything the UFC likes less than lay-and-pray, it’s wall-and-stall. At least get the guy to the mat before you suffocate any hope for action out of the fight. Simpson didn’t even do that. He clung to Tavares as if he knew that victory would be his as long as he could make sure nothing actually happened between the bells. The real bummer is, he was right.

Best Display of Angry, Shirtless Speed-Walking: Matt Wiman
I get it, he was upset. He thought he deserved the decision win over Dennis Siver, and when he didn’t get it his disappointment/rage got the better of him. Maybe it was best for him to go find a quiet place to be alone with his anger right then. But at the same time, it’s not like he was robbed by the judges. It was an incredibly close fight and it could have easily gone either way. When you’re standing there waiting for the scores to be announced after a fight like that, you have to know there’s at least a chance that you’re not going to like what you hear. Not that I necessarily blame him for taking off like a man who just remembered that he left the stove on at home. Everyone hates losing. And wearing shirts.

Most Likely to Win More Bar Fights Than Championships: Chris Leben
He’s never been the most technical of strikers, but more often than not he gets the job done. Against Silva he proved that his left hand is still as dangerous as ever, though that’s true of most fighters when their opponents zombie-walk right into it. At this point in his career, Leben’s appeal is pretty well solidified. He won’t win ’em all, but he will do his best to make sure that somebody loses consciousness by the end of the night. There’s definitely a place for that on UFC cards, even if that place is probably not in the main event most of the time. You’re not going to become a UFC champion throwing haymakers and eschewing defense the way Leben does, but you can collect enough paychecks to keep you in gummi bears for years to come. And really, what else do you need in life?

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UFC 132 Fight Night Photos
The referee checks on Wanderlei Silva after his knockout loss to Chris Leben at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz in their UFC bantamweight championship bout at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber exchanges with Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz misses a punch against Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz tries to avoid a kick from Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz punches Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz throws a right hand at Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber takes a breather at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber punches Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz throws a flying knee at Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

 

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Filed under:

At least one career was salvaged at UFC 132, while another may have come to an end. Both contributed greatly to a memorable night in Las Vegas, where two little guys showed just how badly they wanted to go home with a hunk of leather and metal.

Now that it’s all over and we’ve got the obligatory 4th of July hot dogs sizzling on the grill, let’s take a minute to sort through this weekend’s biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.

Biggest Winner: Tito Ortiz
If you’d asked me on Friday, I would have told you the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” would be retired by now. No matter what he says, you know he must have considered that possibility as well in some of his darker moments. But not only did he come out on top in his must-win fight, he looked dominant in his submission win over Ryan Bader. The last person Ortiz submitted was Yuki Kondo. He did it back in 2000 and he did it with a neck crank, both of which tell you a little something about how long Ortiz has been in the game. Thanks to the win, Ortiz gets to stick around a little while longer. Whether it’s the beginning of a genuine comeback or just a temporary stay of execution, only time will tell.

Biggest Loser: Wanderlei Silva
Another attempt to brawl results in another frightening knockout. Silva has taken too many of these sorts of beatings lately, and each one is harder to watch than the last. Some people will point to last year’s win over Michael Bisping as proof that he doesn’t need to retire, and sure, it does seem unfair to point to one knockout loss to Leben as proof that the man is done. At the same time, Silva’s losses aren’t like Ortiz’s string of fairly close decisions. He’s getting knocked all the way out, and his fighting style isn’t evolving to protect his increasingly suspect chin. After 15 years in the sport, Silva can walk away with his head up whenever he feels like it. Let’s just hope he feels like before something happens to him that can’t be undone.


Best Removal of a Monkey from One’s Own Back: Dominick Cruz
He said he was ready for questions about his submission loss to Faber to stop for good, and with this win he’ll finally get his wish. You can argue the scoring, but I don’t think you can argue the outcome. Cruz simply did more than Faber, even if he did get dropped a time or two. His speed and his well-rounded attack is going to be a problem for anybody in the division, and now that he’s vanquished Faber he can move on to other challenges. At least until Faber wins a couple and starts asking for a rubber match. Then we can do this all over again.

Most Vicious: (tie) Carlos Condit and Melvin Guillard
Remember back when the one thing we all knew about Greg Jackson’s fighters was that they played it too safe and never finished fights? No, not ringing any bells? Maybe it’s because that bit of conventional wisdom just got kneed in its face until it was utterly unrecognizable. These two Jackson camp fighters dispatched their respective opponents with terrifying ferocity and efficiency on Saturday night. I’m not sure what you do with either right now, since both are probably worthy of title shots, and yet neither is next in line in his division at the moment. Neither Condit or Guillard seem like the type to wait around until things sort themselves out, which is bad news for every other contender. Chances are, the path to a title shot at both lightweight and welterweight will run through these two.

Most Impressive in Defeat: Urijah Faber
Personally, I scored it for Cruz (though I didn’t give him every round, as one judge did), but Faber made it damn close. He came up with a better answer to Cruz’s difficult style than anyone else the UFC bantamweight champ has ever fought, and even if he came up short in the end he still put on a fantastic show. It’s the fourth consecutive title fight that Faber has lost, which puts him in a tough spot. As we saw on Saturday, he’s still one of the best fighters in the world at 135 pounds, but what can you do with him at this point? The UFC can’t just keep booking Cruz-Faber over and over, and yet Faber is still far above gatekeeper level. That’s going to be a tough one for matchmaker Joe Silva to figure out, but you know he’ll come up with something. He always does.

Least Impressive in Victory: Aaron Simpson
He spent fifteen minutes trying to force Brad Tavares to mate with a section of chain-link fencing, and while he got his hand raised at the end, he didn’t make many new fans. If there’s anything the UFC likes less than lay-and-pray, it’s wall-and-stall. At least get the guy to the mat before you suffocate any hope for action out of the fight. Simpson didn’t even do that. He clung to Tavares as if he knew that victory would be his as long as he could make sure nothing actually happened between the bells. The real bummer is, he was right.

Best Display of Angry, Shirtless Speed-Walking: Matt Wiman
I get it, he was upset. He thought he deserved the decision win over Dennis Siver, and when he didn’t get it his disappointment/rage got the better of him. Maybe it was best for him to go find a quiet place to be alone with his anger right then. But at the same time, it’s not like he was robbed by the judges. It was an incredibly close fight and it could have easily gone either way. When you’re standing there waiting for the scores to be announced after a fight like that, you have to know there’s at least a chance that you’re not going to like what you hear. Not that I necessarily blame him for taking off like a man who just remembered that he left the stove on at home. Everyone hates losing. And wearing shirts.

Most Likely to Win More Bar Fights Than Championships: Chris Leben
He’s never been the most technical of strikers, but more often than not he gets the job done. Against Silva he proved that his left hand is still as dangerous as ever, though that’s true of most fighters when their opponents zombie-walk right into it. At this point in his career, Leben’s appeal is pretty well solidified. He won’t win ’em all, but he will do his best to make sure that somebody loses consciousness by the end of the night. There’s definitely a place for that on UFC cards, even if that place is probably not in the main event most of the time. You’re not going to become a UFC champion throwing haymakers and eschewing defense the way Leben does, but you can collect enough paychecks to keep you in gummi bears for years to come. And really, what else do you need in life?

 

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The MMA Wrap-Up: Post-UFC 132 Edition

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Now that your lawn is mowed and the charcoal briquets are arranged in a perfect pyramid design for today’s 4th of July BBQ, you deserve to kick back, relax, and enjoy several minutes of talking. This week the MMA Wrap-Up returns to look at UFC 132 and answer the most divisive, yet compelling question to come out of the event: what’s to become of Wanderlei Silva?

 

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Filed under:

Now that your lawn is mowed and the charcoal briquets are arranged in a perfect pyramid design for today’s 4th of July BBQ, you deserve to kick back, relax, and enjoy several minutes of talking. This week the MMA Wrap-Up returns to look at UFC 132 and answer the most divisive, yet compelling question to come out of the event: what’s to become of Wanderlei Silva?

 

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Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber Prove Little Guys Are Worthy of Big Hype

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS — On paper, the rationale behind the UFC 132 lineup seemed simple enough: get them to come for stars like Tito Ortiz and Wanderlei Silva, and they’ll stay for Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

No matter what you think of that …

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LAS VEGAS — On paper, the rationale behind the UFC 132 lineup seemed simple enough: get them to come for stars like Tito Ortiz and Wanderlei Silva, and they’ll stay for Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

No matter what you think of that hypothesis in theory, after the show that Cruz and Faber put on in Saturday night’s main event title bout, you have to admit that it worked perfectly in execution.

Perhaps Cruz, who retained his UFC bantamweight title with a unanimous decision win over Faber after five close rounds, put it best: “We all train hard. We all work hard. Just because we’re little guys doesn’t mean we can’t scrap.”

The difference is that, after UFC 132, everyone knows it. And it’s about time.

Years from now we’ll probably look back on the slow, arduous rise of MMA’s little guys from the cable TV hinterlands of the WEC on Versus to the main event of UFC pay-per-views and wonder why it took so long for some of the sport’s most consistently exciting fighters to get the recognition they deserve.

Think about how long they fought for a fraction of what bigger fighters were getting. Better yet, think about how seldom they gassed out, or showed up to a fight unprepared, or just failed to put on a memorable performance.

But, the conventional wisdom told us, people don’t want to see midgets in board shorts. They want the big guys. They want heavyweights swinging haymakers at one another’s chins until someone falls down or just huffs and puffs to a full stop on his own volition. Who cares about 135-pound dynamos who are as exciting in the 25th minute as they are in the first?

Judging by the sound of Saturday night’s crowd during the final seconds of Cruz-Faber, however, the conventional wisdom once again turns out to be woefully wrong.

As UFC president Dana White put it, “No matter how big the star power is on the undercard, these guys are fighting for the title. They deserve the respect to be number one, and tonight they went out and earned it. They’ve done it a million times before, but tonight everybody really saw it. Tonight, here in Las Vegas, tons of stars, a big 4th of July fight, and they went out and showed the world what we already knew.”

Of course, here’s where the cynic might wonder why, if White knew it would turn out like this all along, he kept the little fellas underpaid and under-appreciated in the WEC for so long, but that’s water under the cheaply constructed bridge now. The point is, they’re here now, and we should all be grateful for it.

For 25 minutes on Saturday night, Cruz and Faber gave us everything we’ve come to expect from the lighter weight classes. The only thing more impressive than the technique on display was the pace. Those two fought like a couple of chihuahuas battling over the last piece of bacon, and by the end even the spectators were breathing hard.

At the post-fight press conference, Cruz summed it up best: “It feels like I was in a tornado and I was running into stuff — dressers and what not, I don’t know.”

But besides just the physical, these two also delivered the pre-fight hype. They spent weeks taking verbal potshots at each other, and fight week was one quotable quip after another between the two familiar rivals.

Even when it was all over and Faber gave Cruz his due as a worthy champion, he couldn’t quite bring himself to doff his cap completely. When asked if the rivalry was now over and he was ready to acknowledge Cruz as the alpha dog in the neighborhood, Faber paused.

“I have to watch the fight again,” he said.

After the performance those two delivered, he may not be the only one.

 

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Knockout Loss at UFC 132 Could Be ‘End of the Road’ for Wanderlei Silva

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Wanderlei SilvaLAS VEGAS — One of MMA’s most storied careers began in Brazil nearly 15 years ago, but it may have ended in one furious burst at the MGM Grand on Saturday night.

For a decade and a half, Wanderlei Silva (33-11-1 1 NC) thrilled fight fans with his hyper-aggressive, slugging style, but against Chris Leben at UFC 132 he ended up on the receiving end of the same type of brutal finish that he became famous for dishing out in Japan’s Pride organization not so long ago.

“People knew that he and Leben were going to come out and they were going to throw until somebody fell down, and it was Wanderlei tonight,” UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight press conference. “People love him so much because of the way he fights and his style and the kind of person he is, but [it’s] probably the end of the road for Wanderlei.”

Things started off normally enough for Silva. As expected, he and Leben met in the center of the cage and traded power punches right off the bat.

Silva unloaded on the season one ‘Ultimate Fighter’ competitor with his characteristic wide, looping hooks, but after Leben knocked him off-balance with a straight left, he then dropped Silva to the mat with an uppercut in close and then finished him off at the 0:27 mark with several more punishing left hands on the ground.

With the loss, the 35-year-old Silva fell to 2-4 in his current UFC run. The knockout was the fourth in eight fights for Silva, who suffered only one TKO loss in the first ten years of his prolific career.

And though he said earlier this week that he hopes to fight for five more years and get ten more fights under his belt before he retires, White said the end may come much sooner for Silva, much like it did for former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, who was essentially forced into retirement by White after a streak of frightening knockout losses.

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UFC 132 Fight Night Photos
The referee checks on Wanderlei Silva after his knockout loss to Chris Leben at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz in their UFC bantamweight championship bout at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber exchanges with Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz misses a punch against Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz tries to avoid a kick from Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz punches Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz throws a right hand at Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber takes a breather at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber punches Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz throws a flying knee at Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos


“I think it’s one of those ones where I’m going to have to sit down and talk to him, kind of Chuck Liddell him into it,” White said. “The guy has nothing left to prove. He’s a warrior. People love him all over the world. I just don’t want to see…that happen to him anymore.”

Few fans do, but as recently as last February Silva looked sharp in a decision win over Michael Bisping. He gave no indication before the bout with Leben that he planned to retire if things didn’t go his way, so he may not react too kindly to White’s suggestion that he hang up the gloves.

Of course, White has made similar statements about other aging legends in the past, and they don’t always go so gentle into that good night just because the UFC boss thinks they should.

Liddell practically begged for — and received — one more chance after his knockout loss to “Shogun” Rua. White also had a change of heart regarding Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, who he initially suggested would be done following a knockout loss to Brendan Schaub. Lately, however, White seems to have softened on that stance, and Filipovic will likely get at least one more fight in the UFC.

It’s hard to tell exactly how seriously to take White’s latest proclamation, and Silva wasn’t at the post-fight press conference to speak for himself. But after a decorated career that’s left him with a passionate fan base and a highlight reel to match any other, it’s hard to see what Silva has left to prove as a fighter.

He said earlier this week that he’s no longer in it for the money, and his legacy in the sport is beyond question — even in the mind of the man who may have sent him tumbling into retirement on Saturday night.

“Wanderlei Silva’s my favorite fighter. He always has been,” said Leben, who added that he’s “never been so scared” before a fight as he was going into this one. “The man is a legend. What he’s done for the sport is absolutely amazing.”

And yet, even legends can’t go on forever. Whether we’ve seen the final chapter in Silva’s story, only time will tell.

 

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Wanderlei SilvaLAS VEGAS — One of MMA’s most storied careers began in Brazil nearly 15 years ago, but it may have ended in one furious burst at the MGM Grand on Saturday night.

For a decade and a half, Wanderlei Silva (33-11-1 1 NC) thrilled fight fans with his hyper-aggressive, slugging style, but against Chris Leben at UFC 132 he ended up on the receiving end of the same type of brutal finish that he became famous for dishing out in Japan’s Pride organization not so long ago.

“People knew that he and Leben were going to come out and they were going to throw until somebody fell down, and it was Wanderlei tonight,” UFC president Dana White said at the post-fight press conference. “People love him so much because of the way he fights and his style and the kind of person he is, but [it’s] probably the end of the road for Wanderlei.”

Things started off normally enough for Silva. As expected, he and Leben met in the center of the cage and traded power punches right off the bat.

Silva unloaded on the season one ‘Ultimate Fighter’ competitor with his characteristic wide, looping hooks, but after Leben knocked him off-balance with a straight left, he then dropped Silva to the mat with an uppercut in close and then finished him off at the 0:27 mark with several more punishing left hands on the ground.

With the loss, the 35-year-old Silva fell to 2-4 in his current UFC run. The knockout was the fourth in eight fights for Silva, who suffered only one TKO loss in the first ten years of his prolific career.

And though he said earlier this week that he hopes to fight for five more years and get ten more fights under his belt before he retires, White said the end may come much sooner for Silva, much like it did for former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, who was essentially forced into retirement by White after a streak of frightening knockout losses.


“I think it’s one of those ones where I’m going to have to sit down and talk to him, kind of Chuck Liddell him into it,” White said. “The guy has nothing left to prove. He’s a warrior. People love him all over the world. I just don’t want to see…that happen to him anymore.”

Few fans do, but as recently as last February Silva looked sharp in a decision win over Michael Bisping. He gave no indication before the bout with Leben that he planned to retire if things didn’t go his way, so he may not react too kindly to White’s suggestion that he hang up the gloves.

Of course, White has made similar statements about other aging legends in the past, and they don’t always go so gentle into that good night just because the UFC boss thinks they should.

Liddell practically begged for — and received — one more chance after his knockout loss to “Shogun” Rua. White also had a change of heart regarding Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, who he initially suggested would be done following a knockout loss to Brendan Schaub. Lately, however, White seems to have softened on that stance, and Filipovic will likely get at least one more fight in the UFC.

It’s hard to tell exactly how seriously to take White’s latest proclamation, and Silva wasn’t at the post-fight press conference to speak for himself. But after a decorated career that’s left him with a passionate fan base and a highlight reel to match any other, it’s hard to see what Silva has left to prove as a fighter.

He said earlier this week that he’s no longer in it for the money, and his legacy in the sport is beyond question — even in the mind of the man who may have sent him tumbling into retirement on Saturday night.

“Wanderlei Silva’s my favorite fighter. He always has been,” said Leben, who added that he’s “never been so scared” before a fight as he was going into this one. “The man is a legend. What he’s done for the sport is absolutely amazing.”

And yet, even legends can’t go on forever. Whether we’ve seen the final chapter in Silva’s story, only time will tell.

 

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With Win Over Ryan Bader, Tito Ortiz Salvages UFC Career

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Tito OrtizLAS VEGAS — UFC president Dana White told Tito Ortiz he needed to win to keep his job, but he also told reporters that Ortiz fights best when his back is against the wall. At UFC 132, Ortiz (16-8-1) did both, dropping fellow light heavyweight Ryan Bader (12-2) with a short right hook and then submitting him with a guillotine choke at 1:56 of the first round.

“Everybody knew that Tito had to win tonight to stay in the UFC, and he did it,” White said at the post-fight press conference. “Not only did he win a fight, he won the fight impressively.”

Coming into Saturday night’s event, the 36-year-old Ortiz hadn’t won a bout since 2006, going 0-4-1 in his previous five efforts. That made the win all the more emotional for Ortiz, who struggled through some very public personal problems in the weeks leading up to the bout, but said he was helped through the hard times by his coaches and training partners, as well as his supporters on Twitter.

“About three and a half months ago it was really hard for me to get into my gym and train. When negativity gets you down, you got to find something to uplift you, make you stronger, and get past those downfalls in life,” said Ortiz.

Ortiz came into the fight as a heavy underdog against Bader — a former All-American wrestler at Arizona State who is eight years his junior — and was counted out by many observers before the bout. But Ortiz surprised everyone by dropping Bader with a punch, which he said felt like “an out-of-body experience.”

“I was just kind of watching myself do it,” Ortiz said. “Everything was in slow-mo. It was kind of like in ‘The Matrix.’ It was weird, really weird.”

After Ortiz finished the fight by forcing Bader to tap out to the choke, he celebrated with the grave-digger pantomime he popularized in the early days of his UFC career — a post-fight celebration that hasn’t graced the Octagon for the better part of five years. It’s a move that Ortiz said he was asked to do when he paid a visit to the contestants on the current season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ recently.

“I told them, ‘I can’t do it. I’ve got to wait until Saturday before I do it,'” he said. “And they looked at me and said, ‘Do you think so?’ I said, ‘I guarantee it.'”

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UFC 132 Fight Night Photos
The referee checks on Wanderlei Silva after his knockout loss to Chris Leben at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz in their UFC bantamweight championship bout at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber exchanges with Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz misses a punch against Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz tries to avoid a kick from Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz punches Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz throws a right hand at Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber takes a breather at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber punches Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz throws a flying knee at Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos


But while the win keeps Ortiz’s UFC career alive, his relationship with former manager and current boss White is still not entirely harmonious. The two were at odds before this event over what White referred to as “typical Dana-Tito s–t,” and even though White awarded Ortiz with the $75,000 bonus for Submission of the Night, the history between the two isn’t likely to be forgotten so easily.

“Once again I leave my career in Dana’s hands. [13] years ago he came to my apartment and said, ‘Let me manage you, I’ll take care of your career.’ I made some mistakes between now until then, had some people in my ear saying some bad things, and I got lost and I found myself. I kind of reinvented myself.”

As for where his career goes from here, Ortiz told reporters that since he’s finally healthy after years of being plagued by injuries, he now has “no more excuses.” And while many of his contemporaries like Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture have slipped into retirement in recent years, Ortiz thinks his best years as a fighter may still be ahead of him.

“Look at my age,” he said. “I just turned 36. Chuck was in his prime at 36. He was knocking people out left and right. Randy was in his prime at 36, dominating people. I’m still young. I got in the game when I was young. I never fought anywhere else.”

 

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Tito OrtizLAS VEGAS — UFC president Dana White told Tito Ortiz he needed to win to keep his job, but he also told reporters that Ortiz fights best when his back is against the wall. At UFC 132, Ortiz (16-8-1) did both, dropping fellow light heavyweight Ryan Bader (12-2) with a short right hook and then submitting him with a guillotine choke at 1:56 of the first round.

“Everybody knew that Tito had to win tonight to stay in the UFC, and he did it,” White said at the post-fight press conference. “Not only did he win a fight, he won the fight impressively.”

Coming into Saturday night’s event, the 36-year-old Ortiz hadn’t won a bout since 2006, going 0-4-1 in his previous five efforts. That made the win all the more emotional for Ortiz, who struggled through some very public personal problems in the weeks leading up to the bout, but said he was helped through the hard times by his coaches and training partners, as well as his supporters on Twitter.

“About three and a half months ago it was really hard for me to get into my gym and train. When negativity gets you down, you got to find something to uplift you, make you stronger, and get past those downfalls in life,” said Ortiz.

Ortiz came into the fight as a heavy underdog against Bader — a former All-American wrestler at Arizona State who is eight years his junior — and was counted out by many observers before the bout. But Ortiz surprised everyone by dropping Bader with a punch, which he said felt like “an out-of-body experience.”

“I was just kind of watching myself do it,” Ortiz said. “Everything was in slow-mo. It was kind of like in ‘The Matrix.’ It was weird, really weird.”

After Ortiz finished the fight by forcing Bader to tap out to the choke, he celebrated with the grave-digger pantomime he popularized in the early days of his UFC career — a post-fight celebration that hasn’t graced the Octagon for the better part of five years. It’s a move that Ortiz said he was asked to do when he paid a visit to the contestants on the current season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ recently.

“I told them, ‘I can’t do it. I’ve got to wait until Saturday before I do it,'” he said. “And they looked at me and said, ‘Do you think so?’ I said, ‘I guarantee it.'”


But while the win keeps Ortiz’s UFC career alive, his relationship with former manager and current boss White is still not entirely harmonious. The two were at odds before this event over what White referred to as “typical Dana-Tito s–t,” and even though White awarded Ortiz with the $75,000 bonus for Submission of the Night, the history between the two isn’t likely to be forgotten so easily.

“Once again I leave my career in Dana’s hands. [13] years ago he came to my apartment and said, ‘Let me manage you, I’ll take care of your career.’ I made some mistakes between now until then, had some people in my ear saying some bad things, and I got lost and I found myself. I kind of reinvented myself.”

As for where his career goes from here, Ortiz told reporters that since he’s finally healthy after years of being plagued by injuries, he now has “no more excuses.” And while many of his contemporaries like Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture have slipped into retirement in recent years, Ortiz thinks his best years as a fighter may still be ahead of him.

“Look at my age,” he said. “I just turned 36. Chuck was in his prime at 36. He was knocking people out left and right. Randy was in his prime at 36, dominating people. I’m still young. I got in the game when I was young. I never fought anywhere else.”

 

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