Author: CrushCo

And Now He’s Fired (And No One’s Surprised): Anthony Johnson

“And if you think *I’m* upset, young man, you just WAIT until your father gets home!” (Pic: MMAMania.com)

Sometimes a fighter gets cut under bizarre circumstances that no one saw coming, and sometimes the writing is on the wall.

There was very little Anthony Johnson could have done last night to preserve his job in the UFC, and “losing” wasn’t on the short list. Every facet of Johnson’s battle with gravity has been a spectacle. On Friday night, he missed weight for the third time in his UFC career—that’s a first for the promotion. And when he stepped on the scales, he didn’t miss by a slim margin, either. He was closer to the light heavyweight limit than he was the middleweight. The eleven extra pounds he was sporting? That sets a UFC record as well.

Now we’ve already belabored Johnson’s lack of professionalism over the last two days, and whether it’s through a dinner invitation or a dismissive laugh, “Rumble” has made it clear that he doesn’t care what we the fans think. One person that does matter, however, is his boss. Here’s what Dana White had to say on the issue.

“And if you think *I’m* upset, young man, you just WAIT until your father gets home!” (Pic: MMAMania.com)

Sometimes a fighter gets cut under bizarre circumstances that no one saw coming, and sometimes the writing is on the wall.

There was very little Anthony Johnson could have done last night to preserve his job in the UFC, and “losing” wasn’t on the short list. Every facet of Johnson’s battle with gravity has been a spectacle. On Friday night, he missed weight for the third time in his UFC career—that’s a first for the promotion. And when he stepped on the scales, he didn’t miss by a slim margin, either. He was closer to the light heavyweight limit than he was the middleweight. The eleven extra pounds he was sporting? That sets a UFC record as well.

Now we’ve already belabored Johnson’s lack of professionalism over the last two days, and whether it’s through a dinner invitation or a dismissive laugh, “Rumble” has made it clear that he doesn’t care what we the fans think. One person that does matter, however, is his boss. Here’s what Dana White had to say on the issue.

In an post-fight interview with MMAJunkie.com, the UFC President shared his unbridled thoughts on Johnson’s future:

“This is his third time. Three strikes and you’re gone.”

“That was one of the most unprofessional things I’ve ever seen. The guy was at 170 pounds. He moved up to 185 pounds so this wouldn’t happen anymore, and this is the worst weight cutting disaster he’s ever had. He almost ruined the co-main event here in Brazil. I don’t know what else to say about that one. I’m not happy about it.”

“I knew what the decision was when I talked to you on Friday,” White told MMAjunkie.com. “This is his third time. Listen, the guy was having problems making 170 pounds. He wanted to stay at 170 or whatever his deal was. You go to 185, and you blow it as bad as he blew it? That’s bad, man.”

“I don’t know who you blame in this one. Do you blame him? Do you blame his team? Do you blame his camp? I mean who takes the blame in this one? Ultimately, you’re a grown man. You’re responsible for your own actions.”

Johnson is a great fighter and it sucks to see him leave the promotion, but at the end of the day if you can’t be counted on to play by the rules, you don’t belong in a cage with the best. I’d expect Bellator and other organizations to pursue “Rumble” immediately, but don’t be surprised if we see him in Strikeforce or back in the Octagon soon enough. Dana’s been known to change his mind about this sort of thing.

 

 

 

‘UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes’ — Main Event Liveblog

“I’m not even kidding you, man! It must have been four feet of linguiça. And ‘Humble’ ate the whole thing, just now backstage!” (Photo: UFC.com)

It’s 1 AM in Rio De Janeiro and and the locals have turned out in droves to cheer on their countrymen and wish death upon foreigners. It may not be very sporting of them, but we’ve pretty much thrown professionalism out the window this weekend.

Is Mendes the right Alpha Male to topple Aldo in his own backyard? Does Belfort have enough power to put away one of the UFC’s top heavyweights? And will Palhares’s overwhelming desire to tear limbs apart overcome his instinct to stop fighting in the middle of a bout?

Come join me, Chris Colemon, inside for the answers to these questions and more.

“I’m not even kidding you, man! It must have been four feet of linguiça. And ‘Humble’ ate the whole thing, just now backstage!” (Photo: UFC.com)

It’s 1 AM in Rio De Janeiro and and the locals have turned out in droves to cheer on their countrymen and wish death upon foreigners. It may not be very sporting of them, but we’ve pretty much thrown professionalism out the window this weekend.

Is Mendes the right Alpha Male to topple Aldo in his own backyard? Does Belfort have enough power to put away one of the UFC’s top heavyweights? And will Palhares’s overwhelming desire to tear limbs apart overcome his instinct to stop fighting in the middle of a bout?

Come join me, Chris Colemon, inside for the answers to these questions and more.

I thought the FOX era was supposed to signal the end of the Gladiator intro, but I guess that only counts for FOX broadcasts. That’s a shame.

And we aren’t wasting much time. It’s been a strong showing for Brazil thus far. Let’s see if Etim can turn the tides.

Edson Barboza, Jr. vs. Terry Etim

I don’t speak Portuguese, but I had an easier time understanding Barboza’s prefight interview than I did Etim’s. Bruce Buffer, man of the world, caters to the home crowd in his introduction.

R1: If you forget who is who, the Brazilian is the one with the tan. Big Dan is in control of things. Both men swing awahy and Etim gets the early takedown, but they quickly pop back up. Barboza blocks a head kick. Etim fakes a punch and shoots for another takedown, but Barboza sweeps and gets back up. They’re feeling each other out, and Barboza misses with a wild punch before finding his mark with a pair of leg kicks. Barboza’s thrown quite a few shots to the break basket. Barboza sees the takedown coming and stuffs the Brit. The crowd is chanting something–it undoubtedly involves Etim meeting his maker. Barboza charges in and connects with a combination. Woo, powerful spinning back kick from Barboza to shut out the round.


R2: Etim comes out much more active, but he’s still eating leg kicks. Etim lands a leg kick and follows up with another to the head but it’s blocked. Etim gets stuffed on a takedown and eats a knee to the gut. If he can’t land these takedowns, he needs to get more aggressive in the standup, and he’s making the effort. Barboza’s been landing heavy kicks to Etim’s lead leg throughout the bout, and he’s sticking with the formula. Etim with a head kick and spinning back kick of his own. Etim with a takedown from across the cage. He lands it but it’s as short lived as the others. Barboza digs in with a body shot and follows it up top. Strong switch kick to the body by the Brazilian to close out the round.

R3: Really wish they would have secured local talent for the ring card girls. Am I alone in that? They’re trading early in round three. Etim with a failed flying knee, or “jumping knee” as Goldy called it earlier. Both men are sticking to their plan: Barboza lands a leg kick and Etim fails a takedown. Annnnd Barboza whips around with a magnificent spinning wheel kick! Tiiiiimbeeer! He catches Etim square in the face and this is a wrap!

Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim by Knock Out (2:02 R3)

Rogan calls this the first ever spinning heel kick knock out in UFC history. He’d probably know. A nice finish to kick off the PPV card, and the Brazilians are rolling tonight.

“UFC 142? Danavlog: Chewing Towels & Weigh-In Fouls

(Video courtesy of YouTube.com/UFC)

Dana White’s latest vlog walks us through the behind the scenes drama at yesterday’s weigh-ins. Before the action unfolds we get to tag along with the multimillionaire fight baron as he soars over the slums of Rio in a private helicopter. Poetry.

Things get interesting when Vitor Belfort checks in at the arena. Watching “The Phenom” gnaw away on a towel of crushed ice like a starved animal as he learns that “Rumble” is nowhere in the vicinity of 185lbs makes Johnson’s massive failure all the more unforgivable. Vitor had the option of stopping his cut and fighting at a catchweight, but ultimately chose the path of the professional and made the contracted weight. That 20% of Johnson’s purse probably didn’t hurt his decision.

Join us back here this evening as we kick off our Liveblog with the prelims on FX!

(Video courtesy of YouTube.com/UFC)

Dana White’s latest vlog walks us through the behind the scenes drama at yesterday’s weigh-ins. Before the action unfolds we get to tag along with the multimillionaire fight baron as he soars over the slums of Rio in a private helicopter. Poetry.

Things get interesting when Vitor Belfort checks in at the arena. Watching “The Phenom” gnaw away on a towel of crushed ice like a starved animal as he learns that “Rumble” is nowhere in the vicinity of 185lbs makes Johnson’s massive failure all the more unforgivable. Vitor had the option of stopping his cut and fighting at a catchweight, but ultimately chose the path of the professional and made the contracted weight. That 20% of Johnson’s purse probably didn’t hurt his decision.

Join us back here this evening as we kick off our Liveblog with the prelims on FX!

Tickets to ‘UFC on Fuel 2? Sell Out in Less Than an Hour

“I’m going to prove once and for all that I am the #1 Light Heavyweight in the world from the Åland Islands to the Faroe Islands.”

It looks like the UFC’s first venture to Sweden will be a success, at least as far as live gate revenue is concerned. According to a report from MMAViking.com, tickets to the April 14th card sold out in under an hour. As usual, UFC Fight Club members and UFC Newsletter subscribers were given first crack at tickets before they were sold to the general public.

You know as well as I do how hard it is to get people to shell out their hard-earned krona so close to Walpurgis Night, which only emphasizes how popular the sport has become in Nordic sphere. Though the capacity of Sweden’s Ericsson Globe Arena tops out at 14,000 seats, the fast sellout is reminiscent of the organization’s previous trips to Canada and Brazil.

Full line-up for the event after the jump:

“I’m going to prove once and for all that I am the #1 Light Heavyweight in the world from the Åland Islands to the Faroe Islands.”

It looks like the UFC’s first venture to Sweden will be a success, at least as far as live gate revenue is concerned. According to a report from MMAViking.com, tickets to the April 14th card sold out in under an hour. As usual, UFC Fight Club members and UFC Newsletter subscribers were given first crack at tickets before they were sold to the general public.

You know as well as I do how hard it is to get people to shell out their hard-earned krona so close to Walpurgis Night, which only emphasizes how popular the sport has become in Nordic sphere. Though the capacity of Sweden’s Ericsson Globe Arena tops out at 14,000 seats, the fast sellout is reminiscent of the organization’s previous trips to Canada and Brazil.

Full line-up for the event:

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara
Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada
DaMarques Johnson vs. John Maguire
Brad Pickett vs. Damacio Page
Akira Corassani vs. Jason Young
Magnus Cedenblad vs. Francis Carmont
Papy Abedi vs. James Head
Besam Yousef vs. Simeon Thoresen
Jorgen Kruth vs. Cyrille Diabate

Anthony Johnson Is Laughing at Us, Fight With Vitor Belfort Is On

Well, fat people are supposed to be jolly.

You’ve trained several months for a fight, flown to another country, missed weight, been publicly lambasted by your boss, forfeited 20% of your purse, risked your health, and jeopardized your career in the sport’s biggest promotion. What do you do?

You have yourself a good chuckle:

“I’m already laughing at what ppl are saying. Yeah it was for medical reason and I did what the UFC Dr Told me to do. Believe it or don’t I give a fuck cuz the ppl close to me were freaking out but I’m still alive and something like this has never happen before. Say what you want I’m still gonna do my thang. You try not having feeling in your legs and can’t move then and see how you look at life after that.”

I have no doubt that Anthony Johnson required medical attention while cutting weight, but it was for a “medical reason” much like getting rushed to the ER because of alcohol poisoning is due to a “medical reason”. He’s not the random victim of an unpreventable illness. Like the sorority chick with marker on her face and puke on her dress, Johnson’s medical issue stems directly from poor decision making and willfully pushing his body beyond the limits from which it can recover. He’s now missed weight in over 25% of his UFC bouts. Anthony Johnson, my friends, is on a bender.

Well, fat people are supposed to be jolly.

You’ve trained several months for a fight, flown to another country, missed weight, been publicly lambasted by your boss, forfeited 20% of your purse, risked your health, and jeopardized your career in the sport’s biggest promotion. What do you do?

You have yourself a good chuckle:

“I’m already laughing at what ppl are saying. Yeah it was for medical reason and I did what the UFC Dr Told me to do. Believe it or don’t I give a fuck cuz the ppl close to me were freaking out but I’m still alive and something like this has never happen before. Say what you want I’m still gonna do my thang. You try not having feeling in your legs and can’t move then and see how you look at life after that.”

I have no doubt that Anthony Johnson required medical attention while cutting weight, but it was for a “medical reason” much like getting rushed to the ER because of alcohol poisoning is due to a “medical reason”. He’s not the random victim of an unpreventable illness. Like the sorority chick with marker on her face and puke on her dress, Johnson’s medical issue stems directly from poor decision making and willfully pushing his body beyond the limits from which it can recover. He’s now missed weight in over 25% of his UFC bouts. Anthony Johnson, my friends, is on a bender.

The only good news in all of this is that the fight is still on. “Rumble” just weighed in at 204.2lbs, just below the 205lb cap Belfort’s camp mandated for the bout to take place. Whether we see a massive AJ or a drawn out one, it may be the last time we see him period. In an interview with MMA Junkie last night, Dana White said, “”His job is on the line. His job is absolutely on the line, win or lose.” There’s no question Johnson is a great fighter, but he’ll need to be at his best tonight if he wants to continue to prove it.

Any changes to your predictions?

Strikeforce Booking Roundup: Tate-Rousey Card Filling Out

…and fillilng out nicely, we must say. (Pic: StandThemUp.org)

At the post-fight presser for “Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine”, promotion CEO Scott Coker artfully dodged questions about the demise of Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg, offering up some good news for the media to focus on instead. His announcement confirmed the pending showdown between Champion Miesha Tate and rising star Ronda Rousey. Additionally, Coker unveiled three more bouts for the card, which will go down in Columbus, Ohio on March 3rd.

With their women’s Featherweight division in shambles, Strikeforce will look to further develop the scene at Bantamweight with a pairing of Sarah Kaufman and Alexis Davis. Kaufman formerly held Strikeforce’s 135lb strap–her only loss came in a title defense against Marloes Coenen back in October of 2010. Since that time she’s rattled off wins over Megumi Yabushita and Liz Carmouche. Davis is on a three-fight streak, picking up her last two wins over Julie Kedzie and Amanda Nunes under the Strikeforce banner. Given the caliber of competitors and their placement on this card, it’s safe to assume that the winner of this fight could go on to challenge the victor of the Tate-Rousey bout.

…and fillilng out nicely, we must say. (Pic: StandThemUp.org)

At the post-fight presser for “Strikeforce: Rockhold vs Jardine”, promotion CEO Scott Coker artfully dodged questions about the demise of Women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg, offering up some good news for the media to focus on instead. His announcement confirmed the pending showdown between Champion Miesha Tate and rising star Ronda Rousey. Additionally, Coker unveiled three more bouts for the card, which will go down in Columbus, Ohio on March 3rd.

With their women’s Featherweight division in shambles, Strikeforce will look to further develop the scene at Bantamweight with a pairing of Sarah Kaufman and Alexis Davis. Kaufman formerly held Strikeforce’s 135lb strap–her only loss came in a title defense against Marloes Coenen back in October of 2010. Since that time she’s rattled off wins over Megumi Yabushita and Liz Carmouche. Davis is on a three-fight streak, picking up her last two wins over Julie Kedzie and Amanda Nunes under the Strikeforce banner. Given the caliber of competitors and their placement on this card, it’s safe to assume that the winner of this fight could go on to challenge the victor of the Tate-Rousey bout.

Another former Strikeforce champion, Josh Thomson, will square off against former title contender KJ Noons in a lightweight clash. This will be Thomson’s first bout in fifteen months; he last met Tatsuya Kawajir on the K1-Dynamite!! Power of Courage 2010 card in a fight he lost via decision. Noons recently picked up his first win in three fights with a decision victory over Billy Evangelista.

In a bout that will likely round out the main card of this event, noted scalephobe Paul Daley will look to continue his winning ways against Kazuo Misaki. Though “Semtex” dropped his last two fights in the Strikeforce organization, he’s since picked up two decision wins overseas in Bamma. Misaki has similarly rebounded from a two-fight skid with a pair of TKO victories. This will be his first contest back in Strikeforce since a 2008 victory over Joe Riggs.