UFC 134 Dana Vlog #2: Where in the World is Dana F’n White?

The latest Dana Vlog opens with a montage of the UFC kingpin battling his way through a torrent of media obligations stateside, including a cell phone convo in which he puts archenemy Bob Arum on blast. Once the final interview has been granted and the last F-bomb dropped, we see him jet off to Rio courtesy of some broke-ass “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego” graphic.

While mingling with the segregated Brazilian and American camps, Dana makes a few weight inquiries which reveal that a disgruntled Forest Griffin was walking around at 216 lbs. one day removed from the official weigh-ins while Shogun was hovering just above the limit at 207 lbs. As for Middleweight challenger Yushin Okami, he was tipping the scales at a solid Thursday 89 kilos 196 lbs.

Full weigh-in results after the jump. And if you didn’t get to drop your predictions in our Fight Picking contest, you’ve still got time to tell the Nation how it’s all going down tonight!

The latest Dana Vlog opens with a montage of the UFC kingpin battling his way through a torrent of media obligations stateside, including a cell phone convo in which he puts archenemy Bob Arum on blast. Once the final interview has been granted and the last F-bomb dropped, we see him jet off to Rio courtesy of some broke-ass “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego” graphic.

While mingling with the segregated Brazilian and American camps, Dana makes a few weight inquiries which reveal that a disgruntled Forest Griffin was walking around at 216 lbs. one day removed from the official weigh-ins while Shogun was hovering just above the limit at 207 lbs. As for Middleweight challenger Yushin Okami, he was tipping the scales at a solid Thursday 89 kilos 196 lbs.

Full weigh-in results after the jump. And if you didn’t get to drop your predictions in our Fight Picking contest, you’ve still got time to tell the Nation how it’s all going down tonight!

FULL WEIGH-IN RESULTS (via MMA Junkie)

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

  • Champ Anderson Silva (184) vs. Yushin Okami (183)
  • Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (205)
  • Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (243) vs. Brendan Schaub (247)
  • Luiz Cane (204) vs. Stanislav Nedkov (203)
  • Edson Barboza (155) vs. Ross Pearson (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

  • Spencer Fisher (156) vs. Thiago Tavares (156)
  • Dan Miller (184) vs. Rousimar Palhares (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

  • David Mitchell (171) vs. Paulo Thiago (169)
  • Raphael Assuncao (134) vs. Johnny Eduard (135)
  • Erick Silva (169) vs. Luis Ramos (171)
  • Felipe Arantes (145) vs. Yuri Alcantara (144)
  • Yves Jabouin (135) vs. Ian Loveland (135)

Marloes Coenen Signs Three Fight Deal with BlackEye Promotions

Zuffa may be looking to bring Alistair Overeem back into the fold, but there is one Golden Glory fighter who is moving on to greener other pastures. Former Strikeforce 135lb Women’s Champion Marloes Coenen has signed a three fight, non-exclusive contract with North Carolina-based BlackEye Promotions.

Coenen was cut from the Strikeforce roster following her failed title defense against Meisha Tate last month, though the exile was more political than a reflection of her performance. The drop from Showime to an unknown regional promotion isn’t a glamorous one, but BlackEye is trying to establish itself as a player in the WMMA game. Its upcoming October 1st card—The Breast Cancer Beatdownboasts six female bouts that include fighters Erin Toughill and Roxanne Modafferi.

It is a somewhat curious move, considering that Golden Glory and the UFC are once again on speaking terms. Though her contract with BlackEye is non-exclusive, we all know that Zuffa doesn’t like to share its toys, so even if her current promotion is cool with a return to Strikeforce it isn’t likely to happen unless she breaks free of those ties. “Rumina” expects to return to action sometime in February. We’ll be watching…if that’s an option.


 

Zuffa may be looking to bring Alistair Overeem back into the fold, but there is one Golden Glory fighter who is moving on to greener other pastures. Former Strikeforce 135lb Women’s Champion Marloes Coenen has signed a three fight, non-exclusive contract with North Carolina-based BlackEye Promotions.

Coenen was cut from the Strikeforce roster following her failed title defense against Meisha Tate last month, though the exile was more political than a reflection of her performance. The drop from Showime to an unknown regional promotion isn’t a glamorous one, but BlackEye is trying to establish itself as a player in the WMMA game. Its upcoming October 1st card—The Breast Cancer Beatdownboasts six female bouts that include fighters Erin Toughill and Roxanne Modafferi.

It is a somewhat curious move, considering that Golden Glory and the UFC are once again on speaking terms. Though her contract with BlackEye is non-exclusive, we all know that Zuffa doesn’t like to share its toys, so even if her current promotion is cool with a return to Strikeforce it isn’t likely to happen unless she breaks free of those ties. “Rumina” expects to return to action sometime in February. We’ll be watching…if that’s an option.


 

Tim Sylvia and Sean McCorkle Impressively Defeat Unimpressive Opponents This Weekend

Fight Tour’s answer to the UFC’s Harley bonus. (Pic: AftermathMMA.com)

Two former UFC vets trying to climb their way back into the big leagues stepped up one minor, insignificant rung this weekend. What both fighters really need right now is a string of victories, so the names of the men they faced aren’t as relevant as the wins themselves, which is fortunate because you’ve never heard the names of the men they defeated.

Former UFC champion Tim Sylvia took a break from bustin’ perps to climb back into the cage at last night’s “Fight Tour” card. Momentarily standing across the cage from him was Patrick Barrentine, a 9-6 submission specialist. Barrentine took the fight on three weeks notice after a two year hiatus from competition, so he may not have come into the fight as sharp as he would have liked. MMAGoss.com gave a quick recap of the fight, which saw “The Maine-iac” dump Barrentine to the canvas and end the fight via ground and pound in just under three minutes. This was Sylvia’s first fight back since his quick loss to Abe Wagner at Titan FC.

Sean McCorkle made it to the UFC with a big win streak and an even bigger mouth. Though his trash talking abilities do little good when no one’s listening, he did put his experience to good use as he dispatched Alex Rozman on Friday night at “Legends of Fighting 48: Mega”. I’m not certain how much notice Rozman had for the fight, but with a 1-13 record he could have been notified at birth and still not have stood much of a chance in this fight. Just 1:29 into the bout, Rozman tapped out to strikes for the second bout in a row (and third time in his last four fights). This marks McCorkle’s second straight victory since being cut from the UFC following his guillotine loss to Christian Morecraft.

Fight Tour’s answer to the UFC’s Harley bonus. (Pic: AftermathMMA.com)

Two former UFC vets trying to climb their way back into the big leagues stepped up one minor, insignificant rung this weekend. What both fighters really need right now is a string of victories, so the names of the men they faced aren’t as relevant as the wins themselves, which is fortunate because you’ve never heard the names of the men they defeated.

Former UFC champion Tim Sylvia took a break from bustin’ perps to climb back into the cage at last night’s “Fight Tour” card. Momentarily standing across the cage from him was Patrick Barrentine, a 9-6 submission specialist. Barrentine took the fight on three weeks notice after a two year hiatus from competition, so he may not have come into the fight as sharp as he would have liked. MMAGoss.com gave a quick recap of the fight, which saw “The Maine-iac” dump Barrentine to the canvas and end the fight via ground and pound in just under three minutes. This was Sylvia’s first fight back since his quick loss to Abe Wagner at Titan FC.

Sean McCorkle made it to the UFC with a big win streak and an even bigger mouth. Though his trash talking abilities do little good when no one’s listening, he did put his experience to good use as he dispatched Alex Rozman on Friday night at “Legends of Fighting 48: Mega”. I’m not certain how much notice Rozman had for the fight, but with a 1-13 record he could have been notified at birth and still not have stood much of a chance in this fight. Just 1:29 into the bout, Rozman tapped out to strikes for the second bout in a row (and third time in his last four fights). This marks McCorkle’s second straight victory since being cut from the UFC following his guillotine loss to Christian Morecraft.

Matt Serra on PED’s in MMA: “Me and BJ Penn Are in That Small Percentage That Don’t Do Sh*t.”

Matt Serra, and his bucket of rigatoni, make their way to the cage.

Earlier this week UFC fighter Krzysztof Soszynski made the bold statement that the vast majority of MMA fighters—somewhere between 85-96%–are getting some sort of illegal chemical boost in the training room. Yesterday a bigger, more easily-spelled name in the sport spoke out in support of those allegations. In an interview with MMA Weekly, Matt Serra weighed in on what he considers to be a serious problem in the fight game.

“It’s wrong man, it’s really wrong. Let me tell you something. I got to the title without doing anything. I didn’t use anything,” Serra commented. “Me and BJ Penn are in that small percentage that don’t do (expletive). There’s a lot of guys that are considered legends, and they’re doing the GH and doing this and that, and it’s obvious, it’s freaking obvious.”

Matt Serra, and his bucket of rigatoni, make their way to the cage.

Earlier this week UFC fighter Krzysztof Soszynski made the bold statement that the vast majority of MMA fighters—somewhere between 85-96%–are getting some sort of illegal chemical boost in the training room. Yesterday a bigger, more easily-spelled name in the sport spoke out in support of those allegations. In an interview with MMA Weekly, Matt Serra weighed in on what he considers to be a serious problem in the fight game.

“It’s wrong man, it’s really wrong. Let me tell you something. I got to the title without doing anything. I didn’t use anything,” Serra commented. “Me and BJ Penn are in that small percentage that don’t do (expletive). There’s a lot of guys that are considered legends, and they’re doing the GH and doing this and that, and it’s obvious, it’s freaking obvious.”

The past year has proven to be an eye-opener in terms of the blight of performance enhancing drugs in Mixed Martial Arts. Unapproved or improperly applied Testorone Replacement Therapy and fake dongs have brought the problem to light, and while neither Soszynski nor Serra cite any specifics in their findings, they have very little motivation to share an opinion that will undoubtedly prove unpopular with the Zuffa brass. As more fighters come out to address the issue it will be harder to ignore, and with the UFC’s jump to “mainstream” television, they can expect more “mainstream” scrutiny. As it stands now, many MMA-specific journalists are too concerned with being denied behind-the-scenes access to ask the tough questions. Us? We don’t really have those concerns, and it’s doubtful that more seasoned members of the media will be intimidated from covering the subject.

Beyond violating a certain expectation of fair play that we’d all like to believe was held sacred in professional sports, Serra is concerned that the augmented strength and stamina of some fighters could lead to grave injury inside of the cage.

“It’s one thing if you’re fighting for an hour, but you got 15 minutes in there. There’s certain teams out there that look like they got a freaking chemist assigned to them. It’s not that I want to judge anybody, but hey man, I’m fighting these people. Next thing you know you’re in there fighting a guy with unlimited energy that looks like a He-Man figure. I don’t give a (expletive) if it’s happening in baseball, but when a guy can kick your head off, someone can get hurt. There’s a chance for serious bodily harm.”

It’s impossible to predict when the next scandal will unfold, especially since a positive test by an up and comer rarely makes a blip on the news radar. But we know that there will be more fighters getting popped; the only question is what consequences they will face as a result.

Fresh Format in Store for “The Ultimate Fighter” Franchise

 

After thirteen seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, it’s getting to the point where a coach would have to physically restrain us in front of the television to sit through the show’s stale format and predictable antics, but we still tune in because, damn it, we love this fighting stuff. If you’re in the same boat, there’s good news: thanks to the recent Fox/UFC partnership, the reality series is getting its first major shake up in years.

Previous changes to the franchise included dropping the team-vs-team physical challenges, competitors having to fight their way into the house, and the introduction of the “wild card” spot in the semi-finals. Now, the all new TUF of FX will feature live fights and put match-making responsibility in the hands of the fans.

 

After thirteen seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, it’s getting to the point where a coach would have to physically restrain us in front of the television to sit through the show’s stale format and predictable antics, but we still tune in because, damn it, we love this fighting stuff. If you’re in the same boat, there’s good news: thanks to the recent Fox/UFC partnership, the reality series is getting its first major shake up in years.

Previous changes to the franchise included dropping the team-vs-team physical challenges, competitors having to fight their way into the house, and the introduction of the “wild card” spot in the semi-finals. Now, the all new TUF of FX will feature live fights and put match-making responsibility in the hands of the fans.

Season fifteen will kick off with a live two-hour episode featuring 32 fighters battling for their spot in the house. Once the dust settles and the blood dries, the coaches will choose their teams from the 16 remaining athletes and determine which fighters are eligible to compete in the following week’s episode. Fans will then vote via text message on which fighters they want to see lock horns, with the winning pair throwing down in episode two.

Each subsequent episode will start with the results of the fan poll and announcement of that evening’s fight. The rest of the show will be the familiar pre-recorded, edited interactions between cast memebers in the house and at the gym. When it’s time for the bout, however, we’ll shift to a live broadcast of the fight. After the bout has ended, we’ll see the fighter consolations and celebrations in real time and get to vote on next week’s pairing.

I’m not one to vote in American Idol-style text polls, but I’m excited about these changes. Rather than having the whole series wrapped up before the first episode airs, we’ll be catching the action as it unfolds. There’s something about watching a fight live that makes it more exciting whether I know the outcome of the bout or not. Also interesting is that the show’s editors won’t be able to carefully construct the “plot” and direction of the season without the benefit of knowing what lies ahead.  All in all, it looks like a solid effort to breath new life into the old series.

So will you be watching, and will you be voting?

Mike Whitehead Pleads “No Contest” to Being a Deplorable Scumbag

If he wasn’t fond of living in a posh mansion with 17 other dudes, something tells me he’s not going to like his future abode much either. (Pic: Las Vegas Sun)

MMA veteran Mike Whitehead tapped out before heading into the biggest fight of his life inside a Clark County, NV courtroom yesterday. As reported by the Las Vegas Sun, prior to the start of his preliminary hearing, Whitehead and his attorney reached a deal with prosecutors that will see him plead guilty to one felony count of attempted sexual assault.

Those who have followed the case will note that the former TUF competitor was initially charged with doing far more than attempting a sexual assault. Whitehead was arrested for sexually assaulting a female friend following a bar-b-que at the fighter’s home in April of last year. Whitehead invited the victim and her friend to stay the night after they’d had too much to drink; once the pair had passed out in his bed, he allegedly removed the clothes of one of the women and began having sex with her while fondling the other female. The victim awoke and ordered him to stop, but he continued for several more minutes before sitting quietly in a chair next to the bed.

If he wasn’t fond of living in a posh mansion with 17 other dudes, something tells me he’s not going to like his future abode much either. (Pic: Las Vegas Sun)

MMA veteran Mike Whitehead tapped out before heading into the biggest fight of his life inside a Clark County, NV courtroom yesterday. As reported by the Las Vegas Sun, prior to the start of his preliminary hearing, Whitehead and his attorney reached a deal with prosecutors that will see him plead guilty to one felony count of attempted sexual assault.

Those who have followed the case will note that the former TUF competitor was initially charged with doing far more than attempting a sexual assault. Whitehead was arrested for sexually assaulting a female friend following a bar-b-que at the fighter’s home in April of last year. Whitehead invited the victim and her friend to stay the night after they’d had too much to drink; once the pair had passed out in his bed, he allegedly removed the clothes of one of the women and began having sex with her while fondling the other female. The victim awoke and ordered him to stop, but he continued for several more minutes before sitting quietly in a chair next to the bed.

As part of the plea bargain, prosecutors will drop additional charges including sexual assault and open and gross lewdness. A search warrant served on Whitehead’s residence revealed a marijuana growing operation that boasted more than 40 plants. Strangely, charges for that crime were never filed. The decision to plea Whitehead out to lesser charges seems curious as well, given that in addition to the victim’s statement you have an eye witness to the crime who was also assaulted in the attack. The day after the assault, the victim received a text from “Iron Mike” which read, “Babe I’m really sorry about last night!! I’m very ashamed!”. Despite the double exclamation points, the heartfelt apology wasn’t enough to sway her from notifying the authorities.

Whitehead will be arraigned on September 12th. Should he pass a psycho-sexual report, the district attorney’s office will not weigh in on a sentence recommendation as part of the plea bargain.

Props to Intercept440 for the tip.