This thing? This world tour that the UFC is doing for UFC 189 with Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo, traipsing them around the globe and dropping them into key ports…letting them steep in all the things they intend to do to each other in July…all the sunglasses and scowls and defiant shows of bravado? This is fun. This is pure Fight Game theater.
The contender McGregor and the UFC’s 145-pound champion Aldo came together for the first time on Friday at the Maracanazinho Arena in Rio de Janeiro. This was the initial stop of a ten-city, five-country tour, a tour that the UFC hopes will generate fervency for the biggest featherweight fight in company history. McGregor, the company darling with all the spoils. Aldo, the company executioner. The spoiler.
Brazil, of course, belongs to Aldo, and later, when this little teaser hits Dublin on the last leg on March 31, it’ll be McGregor’s. Not that those designations are set. McGregor told the cariocas assembled on Friday that he in fact owned the city of Rio. He had his feet kicked up on the dais when he said it. As the chorus of death wishes rained down, he cupped his ears.
This is how it should be.
McGregor went into a spiel about how in the old days he’d have shown up to the favela on horseback and killed everyone who was not fit for work. He was all nerve. He talked about Aldo as a “coaster” who can’t finish fights, and called his chin “battle worn.” As an asides, he swiped Chad Mendes — poor neutral Chad Mendes — for having alligator arms. He said he could see fear in Aldo’s eyes, and he removed his sunglasses to emphasize that his own Baby Browns are not what you might call sane. Dana White stood at the podium between him and Aldo and could barely conceal how much he was freaking loving life.
That’s because if McGregor is a fool, he is a damn brilliant one. He only has to smile to kick off a war between Ireland and Brazil. When he was introduced for the press conference, he strolled out in a three-piece like a boulevardier full of irrational sweet nothings. He blew out kisses to a sea of middle fingers and vitriol. How to describe the kind of passionate hate he was receiving? Or that he took it all in true despotic stride?
In a word: Fantastic.
And part of what makes this sport fun is how a given country lives vicariously through its athletes. That’s what you’re reminded of when the UFC does something like this. Back in the day, when Chael Sonnen was being set up for his rematch with Anderson Silva, the idea of the fight happening in Brazil seemed almost too good to be true (and it was). Sonnen being dropped into enemy territory felt appropriately sacrificial, just as the idea of a person going up against the world has remained a romantic one down through the ages.
Look at Rocky IV. Or Jeff Monson in Russia, taking on Fedor. Or Ronda Rousey, who was also on hand Friday, to announce that she’d be fighting Brazilian Bethe Correia in Rio, to avenge the losses of her friends Apollo Creed Jessamyn Duke and Shayna Baszler.
UFC 189 will happen in Vegas, during its International Fight Week, so a personal appearance tour like this is all about context and involvement. Aldo was an extension of not only Brazil’s soil on Friday, but the general sentiment. He was a form of justice. When the microphone was opened up for fan questions, it became a series of declarations and statements of what Aldo was going to do to the great waxed dandy who sat there provoking them. Aldo’s fists are tuned to millions, who will live and die with everything he throws in July.
And how great was Aldo through the first leg of this dog-and-pony show? If anything counters audacity and blowhardism it’s the knowing. Aldo is the only featherweight champion Zuffa has known. His middle finger conveyed the message. He called McGregor a fool and said he was in “deep sh*t,” which sent a zing down the Amazon. He wasn’t screwing around up there. When they went to square off, Aldo stood unflinching as McGregor yapped. It was a great moment of intensity.
The underlying thing being that this fight is going to happen. That McGregor has no reverence for Aldo. That Aldo has no reverence for fools. And that everything in between is just a loud countdown to the truth.
In other words: Fun.
This thing? This world tour that the UFC is doing for UFC 189 with Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo, traipsing them around the globe and dropping them into key ports…letting them steep in all the things they intend to do to each other in July…all the sunglasses and scowls and defiant shows of bravado? This is fun. This is pure Fight Game theater.
The contender McGregor and the UFC’s 145-pound champion Aldo came together for the first time on Friday at the Maracanazinho Arena in Rio de Janeiro. This was the initial stop of a ten-city, five-country tour, a tour that the UFC hopes will generate fervency for the biggest featherweight fight in company history. McGregor, the company darling with all the spoils. Aldo, the company executioner. The spoiler.
Brazil, of course, belongs to Aldo, and later, when this little teaser hits Dublin on the last leg on March 31, it’ll be McGregor’s. Not that those designations are set. McGregor told the cariocas assembled on Friday that he in fact owned the city of Rio. He had his feet kicked up on the dais when he said it. As the chorus of death wishes rained down, he cupped his ears.
This is how it should be.
McGregor went into a spiel about how in the old days he’d have shown up to the favela on horseback and killed everyone who was not fit for work. He was all nerve. He talked about Aldo as a “coaster” who can’t finish fights, and called his chin “battle worn.” As an asides, he swiped Chad Mendes — poor neutral Chad Mendes — for having alligator arms. He said he could see fear in Aldo’s eyes, and he removed his sunglasses to emphasize that his own Baby Browns are not what you might call sane. Dana White stood at the podium between him and Aldo and could barely conceal how much he was freaking loving life.
That’s because if McGregor is a fool, he is a damn brilliant one. He only has to smile to kick off a war between Ireland and Brazil. When he was introduced for the press conference, he strolled out in a three-piece like a boulevardier full of irrational sweet nothings. He blew out kisses to a sea of middle fingers and vitriol. How to describe the kind of passionate hate he was receiving? Or that he took it all in true despotic stride?
In a word: Fantastic.
And part of what makes this sport fun is how a given country lives vicariously through its athletes. That’s what you’re reminded of when the UFC does something like this. Back in the day, when Chael Sonnen was being set up for his rematch with Anderson Silva, the idea of the fight happening in Brazil seemed almost too good to be true (and it was). Sonnen being dropped into enemy territory felt appropriately sacrificial, just as the idea of a person going up against the world has remained a romantic one down through the ages.
Look at Rocky IV. Or Jeff Monson in Russia, taking on Fedor. Or Ronda Rousey, who was also on hand Friday, to announce that she’d be fighting Brazilian Bethe Correia in Rio, to avenge the losses of her friends Apollo Creed Jessamyn Duke and Shayna Baszler.
UFC 189 will happen in Vegas, during its International Fight Week, so a personal appearance tour like this is all about context and involvement. Aldo was an extension of not only Brazil’s soil on Friday, but the general sentiment. He was a form of justice. When the microphone was opened up for fan questions, it became a series of declarations and statements of what Aldo was going to do to the great waxed dandy who sat there provoking them. Aldo’s fists are tuned to millions, who will live and die with everything he throws in July.
And how great was Aldo through the first leg of this dog-and-pony show? If anything counters audacity and blowhardism it’s the knowing. Aldo is the only featherweight champion Zuffa has known. His middle finger conveyed the message. He called McGregor a fool and said he was in “deep sh*t,” which sent a zing down the Amazon. He wasn’t screwing around up there. When they went to square off, Aldo stood unflinching as McGregor yapped. It was a great moment of intensity.
The underlying thing being that this fight is going to happen. That McGregor has no reverence for Aldo. That Aldo has no reverence for fools. And that everything in between is just a loud countdown to the truth.
We may have seen the best Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185 when he dethroned the lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, but it will be a little while before we see him again in the Octagon.
As reported Wednesday on UFC Tonight, the UFC’s new 155-po…
We may have seen the best Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185 when he dethroned the lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, but it will be a little while before we see him again in the Octagon.
As reported Wednesday on UFC Tonight, the UFC’s new 155-pound champion will be on the shelf for three months with a partially torn MCL. Dos Anjos injured his right knee in training camp prior to the March 14 fight in Dallas, but was able to not only keep his appointment with Pettis, but to dominate the fight from bell to bell.
According to his manager Ali Abdel-Aziz, dos Anjos’ knee will not require surgery. Instead he will need to undergo an extensive rehab stint, which will allow him to start preparing for a fight in three months time. Abdel-Aziz also said that scar tissue had developed on his tendon, which needs time to heal.
Abdel-Aziz was in favor of dos Anjos’ pulling out of the fight with Pettis, but that he was ultimately overruled.
And the knee wasn’t the only ailment that dos Anjos was dealing with heading into his title fight with Pettis. UFC Tonight also reported that dos Anjos suffered an injury to his nose in his camp, which hindered his breathing. According to Abdel-Aziz, the right side of dos Anjos’ nasal passage was shut, and he had only 70 percent use on the left.
Dos Anjos is expected to defend the lightweight title against the winner of the Donald Cerrone vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov fight, which takes place at UFC 187 on May 23.
The punch that blinded Anthony Pettis early in his UFC 185 title defense against Rafael dos Anjos took an exacting toll. Not only on the fight itself, which he lost via unanimous decision, but in the aftermath.
According to Pettis’ manager, …
The punch that blinded Anthony Pettis early in his UFC 185 title defense against Rafael dos Anjos took an exacting toll. Not only on the fight itself, which he lost via unanimous decision, but in the aftermath.
According to Pettis’ manager, Mike Roberts, “Showtime” suffered a fractured orbital bone when dos Anjos connected with a big left hand in the opening round on Saturday night, and will be out of action for at least six weeks. Pettis said after the fight that he couldn’t see out of that eye for the remainder of the bout.
UFC Tonight reported that the 28-year old Pettis had to remain in Dallas until Tuesday as a precaution for the orbital, and that he was informed there that he would be out six weeks. Roberts said that the former champ will have a follow-up in Milwaukee, where he lives and trains at Roufusport.
Pettis was a sizable favorite heading into his second title defense with dos Anjos, and he had said before the fight that he wanted to compete four times in 2015. Pettis won the lightweight title at UFC 164 in 2013, and he successfully defended the belt against Gilbert Melendez in December at UFC 181. Now with the injury, fighting four times in a year might be a difficult task. According to Roberts, though, Pettis is still chomping at the bit to get back in there.
“He is anxious to get back in there and show the world the real AP,” he said.
As a masked crusader for the last several years, Phoenix Jones has become a real life crime fighting superhero in his native Washington. He’s known as the Guardian of Seattle, a vigilante who combs the meaner streets of the Emerald City to catch criminals in the act of breaking the law. His story has been out for the last few years, but recently it received a national spotlight when ESPN aired a 10-minute feature segment on SportsCenter called “Phoenix Rising.” And really, that couldn’t have come a better time.
That’s because Phoenix Jones — or, Ben Fodor, as he’s know by day — was pretty broke and ready to walk away from his side profession as a mixed martial artist. Once the segment aired and promotions caught an eyeful of Phoenix Jones, the contract offers began coming in.
Fodor appeared on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour and talked about the dire financial straits he was going through just as the World Series of Fighting came along to sign him.
“When [the ESPN feature] aired, I had $117 to my name at that point because I hadn’t been paid yet,” he told Ariel Helwani. “And I was thinking about possibly quitting MMA. And now? Now I’m doing alright.”
Fodor works with autistic kids in Seattle for his living, and he has been doubling as a professional mixed martial artist for the last few years. After a long run on the amateur circuit, he’s gone 5-0-1 since his first pro bout in late-2013, with his last fight happening against Jason Novelli at Super Fight League 37.
But he said with his schedule being what it was, and the Northwest-based promotions not providing enough money to make it worth his while, he contemplated walking away from the cage for good.
“I couldn’t maintain training enough time, and I was thinking I got to either work or fight,” he said. “And I can’t seem to make money fighting.”
After the video documentary aired, Fodor received several offers to fight. One of them came from the Ray Sefo-ran WSOF, whom he opted to sign with because — among other things — the WSOF wouldn’t make him give up his night gig as a crime fighter.
“They didn’t want me to stop being Phoenix Jones,” he said. “The other contracts had a lot of clauses about what you could and could not do. And it didn’t exactly say ‘stop being Phoenix Jones,’ but it did sort of say that. It’s like, eight weeks before a fight you can’t be engaged in a risky or mischievous behavior. And other contracts said that they had the rights to the Phoenix Jones name, so they were going to make dolls and action figures and stuff.’”
Fodor will make his WSOF debut on April 10 at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut against an opponent who will be named shortly. He will compete as a welterweight, with eyes on perhaps switching weight classes down the line.
“I was looking at the roster, and I really want to fight at 55,” he said. “During my amateur career, when I was really training in the beginning, I did 55. And then I went to 170 because it was easier to make weight and not train.”
Phoenix Jones continues to patrol the streets of Seattle on a nightly basis. His current costume is a $10,000 affair that features a bulletproof vest, fire underproofing, and plated armor. Fodor says that he and his patrol “team” will walk through high-crime areas until they at least break up one crime. He says that some nights it happens immediately, but on other occasions he’s out until 6 o’clock in the morning.
He’s also encouraging others to join his vigilante team, and expanding his range. Fodor said that he’ll be in New York at the end of March to “fight some crime in Gotham,” and that he has teams in the United Kingdom, Dubai, and in the southern U.S. He’ll keep fighting crime as deep into his camp as he can before his fight.
“I try to give myself a ten-day gap before the fight, and then after the fight, I’m going to be literally right near New Jersey,” he said. “So I’m going to New Jersey to fight crime. It’ll be offer.”
When asked if he would wear his Phoenix Jones costume to the cage when he debuts for WSOF, he said that might be tricky, given all the various layers. However, with the signing bonus the promotion gave him, he has a modified version on the way.
“I’m calling over and having a new suit made, which is a zip up,” he said. “If the new suit is made in time, I think I might.”
As a masked crusader for the last several years, Phoenix Jones has become a real life crime fighting superhero in his native Washington. He’s known as the Guardian of Seattle, a vigilante who combs the meaner streets of the Emerald City to catch criminals in the act of breaking the law. His story has been out for the last few years, but recently it received a national spotlight when ESPN aired a 10-minute feature segment on SportsCenter called “Phoenix Rising.” And really, that couldn’t have come a better time.
That’s because Phoenix Jones — or, Ben Fodor, as he’s know by day — was pretty broke and ready to walk away from his side profession as a mixed martial artist. Once the segment aired and promotions caught an eyeful of Phoenix Jones, the contract offers began coming in.
Fodor appeared on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour and talked about the dire financial straits he was going through just as the World Series of Fighting came along to sign him.
“When [the ESPN feature] aired, I had $117 to my name at that point because I hadn’t been paid yet,” he told Ariel Helwani. “And I was thinking about possibly quitting MMA. And now? Now I’m doing alright.”
Fodor works with autistic kids in Seattle for his living, and he has been doubling as a professional mixed martial artist for the last few years. After a long run on the amateur circuit, he’s gone 5-0-1 since his first pro bout in late-2013, with his last fight happening against Jason Novelli at Super Fight League 37.
But he said with his schedule being what it was, and the Northwest-based promotions not providing enough money to make it worth his while, he contemplated walking away from the cage for good.
“I couldn’t maintain training enough time, and I was thinking I got to either work or fight,” he said. “And I can’t seem to make money fighting.”
After the video documentary aired, Fodor received several offers to fight. One of them came from the Ray Sefo-ran WSOF, whom he opted to sign with because — among other things — the WSOF wouldn’t make him give up his night gig as a crime fighter.
“They didn’t want me to stop being Phoenix Jones,” he said. “The other contracts had a lot of clauses about what you could and could not do. And it didn’t exactly say ‘stop being Phoenix Jones,’ but it did sort of say that. It’s like, eight weeks before a fight you can’t be engaged in a risky or mischievous behavior. And other contracts said that they had the rights to the Phoenix Jones name, so they were going to make dolls and action figures and stuff.’”
Fodor will make his WSOF debut on April 10 at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut against an opponent who will be named shortly. He will compete as a welterweight, with eyes on perhaps switching weight classes down the line.
“I was looking at the roster, and I really want to fight at 55,” he said. “During my amateur career, when I was really training in the beginning, I did 55. And then I went to 170 because it was easier to make weight and not train.”
Phoenix Jones continues to patrol the streets of Seattle on a nightly basis. His current costume is a $10,000 affair that features a bulletproof vest, fire underproofing, and plated armor. Fodor says that he and his patrol “team” will walk through high-crime areas until they at least break up one crime. He says that some nights it happens immediately, but on other occasions he’s out until 6 o’clock in the morning.
He’s also encouraging others to join his vigilante team, and expanding his range. Fodor said that he’ll be in New York at the end of March to “fight some crime in Gotham,” and that he has teams in the United Kingdom, Dubai, and in the southern U.S. He’ll keep fighting crime as deep into his camp as he can before his fight.
“I try to give myself a ten-day gap before the fight, and then after the fight, I’m going to be literally right near New Jersey,” he said. “So I’m going to New Jersey to fight crime. It’ll be offer.”
When asked if he would wear his Phoenix Jones costume to the cage when he debuts for WSOF, he said that might be tricky, given all the various layers. However, with the signing bonus the promotion gave him, he has a modified version on the way.
“I’m calling over and having a new suit made, which is a zip up,” he said. “If the new suit is made in time, I think I might.”
If the idea of Rafael dos Anjos steamrolling UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis weren’t enough, just think of him doing it with a hurt knee. In the aftermath of dos Anjos’ lopsided upset victory over Pettis at UFC 185 in Dallas on Satur…
If the idea of Rafael dos Anjos steamrolling UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis weren’t enough, just think of him doing it with a hurt knee. In the aftermath of dos Anjos’ lopsided upset victory over Pettis at UFC 185 in Dallas on Saturday night, it was revealed that the Brazilian had “blown out” his knee, as UFC president Dana White put it, just a few weeks before the fight.
In the post-fight press conference, dos Anjos himself spoke about the MCL that he fears he tore.
“The day that [the UFC] was shooting the Countdown with me, the same day they were shooting some part of my sparring session, I bumped my knee,” he told the media gathering at American Airlines Arena. “And I think for the fact that I’d been so active, my whole career I’ve never had a knee injury. My whole life. My knee’s really, really tough. I’ve got a strong knee. But for the first time this happened. And it was like three weeks ago — I couldn’t grapple, I couldn’t wrestle since then
“And I don’t know if you guys noticed, but I did a kick at the open work outs. I didn’t use any kicks because I was kind of dehydrated and I didn’t want my injury to get worse. So everything [would go] perfect during the fight.”
It didn’t slow dos Anjos down, nor prevent him from scoring one of the most resounding upsets in UFC title history to become the first ever Brazilian lightweight champion. From the opening bell dos Anjos pressured Pettis, gave him different looks and — whenever Pettis recovered any kind of rhythm — took him to the canvas, where he controlled the action. With the victory, dos Anjos has now won four fights in a row and nine of ten. His only loss was against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC on FOX 11 last April.
Dos Anjos conceded that the pressure game was the plan coming in, even though Pettis is known as a counter-striker.
“Yeah, the strategy was chasing him, hit hard and make him scared about my hands,” he said. “I think I got it. Once I hit him, I think the fight changed.”
The 30-year old Dos Anjos isn’t sure when he’ll defend his title with the injury hovering in the air. In fact, he isn’t exactly sure of the extent of the injury.
“Actually I didn’t go to the doctor yet,” he said. “I need to do an MRI just to make sure. But I think it’s not bad. I will not need surgery. I just felt a pop, but I don’t think I’ll need surgery.”
Not that the now former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis was making excuses, but there were some contributing factors to his performance on Saturday night against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185.
Pettis explained in the post-fight intervi…
Not that the now former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis was making excuses, but there were some contributing factors to his performance on Saturday night against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185.
Pettis explained in the post-fight interview during the pay-per-view telecast, after a surprising one-sided loss.
“Man, [dos Anjos] caught me with the left hand, the first punch he threw, I couldn’t see out of my right eye the whole time,” he told Joe Rogan. “It closed up on me, I didn’t have any peripheral [vision]. No excuses, I’ve got to go back to the gym and train.”
The Brazilian dos Anjos got the better of 28-year Pettis early and often, being the aggressor, varying his striking attack, and scoring timely takedowns in each of the five rounds. He won on the scorecards in dominant fashion (50-45, 50-45, 50-45). It was dos Anjos’ fourth win in a row, and his ninth victory in his last ten fights.
For Pettis, it was his first loss since a 2011 setback against Clay Guida.
