Author: Damon Martin

Court McGee Promises Move to Welterweight Isn’t a ‘Quick Fix’ After Two Losses

Court McGee certainly isn’t the first fighter to decide to cut weight to try life in a new division, and he won’t be the last.  There is however a negative stigma that tends to come with that decision when a fighter decides to change weight classe…

Court McGee certainly isn’t the first fighter to decide to cut weight to try life in a new division, and he won’t be the last. 

There is however a negative stigma that tends to come with that decision when a fighter decides to change weight classes after a loss or a series of losses.

Fighters that move from one weight division to another do so with their own reasoning in mind and most of the time those arguments are valid. Sometimes it’s because they aren’t cutting much weight and they want to compete with fighters their own size, other times it’s because they are giving up a lot of height and want to even the odds with smaller fighters, and there are probably dozens of other valid and lucid reasons to make the move.

It still doesn’t mean that fighters won’t be accused of making a weight class move simply because they want to try to rebound from tough losses and a new division gives them that opportunity.

Court McGee has heard that argument before. As he moves from middleweight to welterweight following two consecutive losses, he’s heard it leading into his next fight at UFC 157.  Unfortunately, McGee is happy to disappoint any conspiracy theorists looking for the reason he made the move now as opposed to another time.

“We’ve been thinking about it and talking about cutting weight for a year now,” McGee revealed when speaking with Bleacher Report. “It’s not a quick fix, I’ve been thinking about doing it for over a year.  It’s just after this last fight was over I texted Joe (Silva) and said my next fight was going to be at 170.”

McGee says the move isn’t motivated by his inability to deal with the size or power of the fighters at 185 pounds. As a matter of fact, McGee went three hard rounds with current UFC middleweight contender Costas Philippou, and he also competed in a fight many believe he won against Nick Ring. 

This was all about a personal decision after noticing his body was coming in lighter and lighter as training camp moved along. What was once a tough weight cut to get down to 185 pounds soon became no cut at all.

“I’ve never been overpowered. I fought my first five fights at 205 pounds, and then I dropped down to fight Jeremy Horn a fight or two after he fought Chuck (Liddell) at 185. He fought Chuck at 205 and then cut down to 185, but that was the first time I had cut to 185. It was a pretty hard cut,” McGee explained. “I’ve never really felt overpowered but I figured if I’m walking at 193 pounds, if I was to walk into camp at 193 pounds, two weeks into camp I would be 185 pounds. I’m not even cutting weight.”

Prior to this fight, McGee made a test cut down to welterweight and even did a mock fight a day later to see how his body would adjust to the move. Four rounds later with a fellow UFC welterweight as a sparring partner, McGee was convinced this was the right move.

While the move wasn’t premeditated based on losses, this change was just about the best thing for McGee’s career. As he explains it, his approach to the fight stays exactly the same—two losses in a row or not.

“It’s not a quick fix. Win, lose, or draw I come out to f—king finish the guy and kick his ass. I do it because I love it and because I’m a fighter. There’s no quick fixes in anything,” said McGee.

“I’m very motivated to come in and kick Josh’s butt. Is it any more or less than any other time? I don’t know. That’s kind of in the past. I’m very motivated. Is this the most important fight of my life? Absolutely. Is there more pressure because I’m at 170? No. I’ve done everything I can do to assure I will come in and beat the crap out of Josh Neer. That’s what I intend on doing.”

Damon Martin is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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Jake Ellenberger: Johny Hendricks Wanted Out so He Picked a Less Dangerous Fight

It’s safe to say Tuesday night was an unhappy time around the home of UFC welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger. At home, hanging out with his girlfriend after a day of training, he noticed his phone was buzzing more than usual, and in the span of ju…

It’s safe to say Tuesday night was an unhappy time around the home of UFC welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger.

At home, hanging out with his girlfriend after a day of training, he noticed his phone was buzzing more than usual, and in the span of just a few minutes he had upward of 30 text messages awaiting him. Ellenberger immediately knew something was going on with his fight against Johny Hendricks at UFC 158 because good news rarely travels so fast.

What Ellenberger found out a few seconds later stunned him.

It was true, he was no longer fighting Johny Hendricks in March, but that had nothing to do with his opponent suffering a training injury. No, it was actually Rory MacDonald who was injured, and Johny Hendricks took that opportunity to call UFC President Dana White and ask to face Carlos Condit on the card instead of Jake Ellenberger.

Hendricks explained when speaking to Bleacher Report on Wednesday that Condit was the more enticing challenge because he was fresh off a title fight and had held the interim belt for nine months, while Ellenberger was “just another fight” to hold his position in the welterweight title race.

Needless to say, Jake Ellenberger was none too happy with that statement.

“I’m offended that Johny Hendricks called Dana to ask him to fight Condit. I’m going to choose my words carefully here, but I think that he wanted a less dangerous fight in my opinion,” Ellenberger told Bleacher Report late on Wednesday evening. “We’re going to fight because I know I can beat him, and I have him figured out. It offends me that he did that.”

Ellenberger is well aware how the fight game works. Just like chess it’s really about maneuvering pieces around the board and then striking at the exact right time. In this case, however, Ellenberger believes that Hendricks just had no desire to face him because he knew he was going to get beat.

“I know how the game works and I know how he’s trying to position the way people are looking at the scenario. He didn’t want to fight me and that’s a fact,” said Ellenberger. “So however he wants to word it, Carlos is a great fighter, one of the best in the division, I don’t disagree there, but I would still say and he would probably say the same thing that it’s a less dangerous fight. Is Carlos going to knock him out? I don’t think so.”

Johny Hendricks has charged through the welterweight division over the last year and a half picking up wins over notable names like Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck and Martin Kampmann. Looking at Hendricks’ record, Ellenberger takes nothing away from the opponents that Hendricks has faced but still believes he’s skating by on thin ice.

“Johny’s kind of had the perfect storm. He’s put together a lot of wins over great fighters, he’s won some really close fights as well that could have gone either way. I heard Joe Silva tell Mike Pierce he got screwed (when he fought Hendricks), I’ve heard things like that and things that I’ve seen. He’s had the perfect storm and he’s in position to fight for the title,” said Ellenberger. 

“My argument is when you’re the No. 1 contender, and I don’t argue that he’s the No. 1 contender, and it’s the same with the champion—you don’t get to choose who you fight. You’re the champion or the No. 1 contender, you’re going to fight whoever they tell you to fight because you’re allegedly the best in the world. That was Johny’s way out of fighting me was (fighting) Carlos Condit.”

Ellenberger doesn’t want to go as far as saying this grudge with Hendricks is now somehow personal, but he’s definitely angry at the way everything unfolded. There’s some unfinished business, and Ellenberger doesn’t plan on allowing it to stay unfinished forever.

“It’s not over with Johny. We’re going to meet at some point. I don’t think he should be able to choose who he fights,” Ellenberger stated. “That was his way out, he found a way out.”

Damon Martin is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jacob Volkmann Released from the UFC Following Loss to Bobby Green

A 6-4 record overall wasn’t enough to save Minnesota wrestler Jacob Volkmann from the UFC’s cut list, as the fighter was released from his contract on Tuesday.Volkmann was 2-2 in his last four fights with the promotion, bouncing back-and-forth between …

A 6-4 record overall wasn’t enough to save Minnesota wrestler Jacob Volkmann from the UFC’s cut list, as the fighter was released from his contract on Tuesday.

Volkmann was 2-2 in his last four fights with the promotion, bouncing back-and-forth between wins and losses:

The Minnesota lightweight shared the news of his release via Twitter on Tuesday.

Starting out in the UFC as a welterweight, Volkmann dropped his first two fights in a row to Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann before making the move down to lightweight.

Once he was at 155 pounds, Volkmann put together five straight victories, but his biggest attention came outside the cage after he made some controversial comments about fighting President Barack Obama that ended with him receiving a visit from Secret Service officials.

The comments not only landed Volkmann in hot water with the government, but actually earned him a suspension from his job as a wrestling coach in Minnesota. Volkmann was reinstated but then found himself suspended again after making comments following his fight with Efrain Escudero at UFC 141.  White Bear Lake high school eventually gave Volkmann back his job as coach.

Volkmann‘s outspoken political views continued in subsequent fights, but his winning streak came to a close with a loss to Paul Sass at UFC 146 when he lost by triangle choke.

He bounced back with his next win, where he throttled former WEC contender Shane Roller in the first round in his home state of Minnesota at UFC on FX 5.

That led to Volkmann‘s latest fight where he took on former Strikeforce competitor Bobby Green. A back-and-forth fight early saw Green take over late, finally putting Volkmann away with a rear-naked choke in the third round with less than a minute to go in the bout.

Following the loss, Volkmann received his walking papers from the UFC and now looks to continue his career in a new promotion as he works to earn his way back to the Octagon.

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UFC 157’s Brendan Schaub: ‘I Hate Losing More Than I Like Winning’

It’s been 10 months since Brendan Schaub last set foot in the UFC Octagon and these have been rough times for the former Ultimate Fighter finalist. Not because he’s somehow blown through all his money and needs a paycheck or anything, but because with …

It’s been 10 months since Brendan Schaub last set foot in the UFC Octagon and these have been rough times for the former Ultimate Fighter finalist.

Not because he’s somehow blown through all his money and needs a paycheck or anything, but because with two losses in a row just sitting there haunting him every time he looks at his record, Schaub needs to fight right now.

The former NFL player was expected to return in early December as part of the UFC on Fox 5 card, but his opponent, Lavar Johnson, suffered an injury just days before the show and forced the bout to be yanked altogether.

Schaub has waited patiently and now gets Johnson at UFC 157 this weekend in Anaheim. It’s easy to tell that he’s chomping at the bit to get back to business.

“I hate losing more than I like winning, and I have a bad taste in my mouth,” Schaub told Bleacher Report. “It’s forced me to become a better fighter. It forced me to get better. You give me 11 months to prepare for a guy, my teammates and I we’re like Nick Saban—you gave us too much time to prepare and get ready for you—and it’s going to show come the 23rd.”

The setbacks in his last two fights were rough, but Schaub tries his best to turn every negative into a positive. Prior to those losses, Schaub had won four fights in a row, though he admits he learned as much in defeat as he ever did in victory. 

No path to the top is ever smooth and Schaub knew he’d encounter more than his fair share of bumps, twists and turns along the way.

“A lot of guys it takes a loss to become a champion. Experience is priceless, I’ve been fighting these vets and fighting these legends and it’s a double-edged sword. When you go in and knock the guy out in 30 seconds, you don’t learn much at all, and for me that’s kind of been my M.O,” said Schaub.

“When you go in there, you learn the most when you get to feel a guy out, see what worked in training camp, see what you’re made of.”

If there’s been one big question surrounding the losses that Schaub has endured in his last two fights, it concerns his ability to take a punch. Twice in a row, Schaub has been dropped by big, strong heavyweights, but he says it has nothing to do with his chin. It has to do with two behemoths swinging with everything they have, and one is bound to go down.

As a matter of fact, one of the richest and most popular heavyweights in the UFC has suffered a few knockouts in his career. Schaub knows he’s doing just fine.

“People talk about losses and especially knockout losses, but the guy in the heavyweight division that makes the most money out of any of us that’s probably the most famous is a guy by the name of Alistair Overeem,” Schaub commented. “He’s been knocked out more than any of us and he’s doing pretty damn well.”

That’s the point Schaub wants to get across—he’s not the greatest fighter in the world yet, but he’s working hard to get there. While it may not be pretty and it’s certainly not going to be easy, he’s willing to put in the hard work to get there.

His next opportunity comes Saturday night in Anaheim at UFC 157 when he takes on Lavar Johnson.

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

King Mo Lawal: Bellator Is a True Sport, UFC Is More About Spectacle

When former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator Fighting Championships, many wondered if he would be willing to go through one of the company’s tournaments to earn a shot at the title …

When former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator Fighting Championships, many wondered if he would be willing to go through one of the company’s tournaments to earn a shot at the title or if he would be handed the fight on day one.

See, Lawal is one of the biggest free agent signings Bellator has made, so with his star power and charisma it would be easy to put him in against the champion or make him a part of super fights as soon as he joined the company.

The danger of the Bellator tournament is that a fighter truly has to earn their way to a title shot, and as shown in evidence in the past with another high profile free agent signing, just because someone has a bigger name doesn’t mean they will win.

Former UFC fighter and Sports Illustrated poster boy Roger Huerta signed with Bellator a few years back and was immediately seen as a big land for the fledgling MMA promotion.  Huerta didn’t get any gifted fights however, entered the tournament and lost in the 2nd round to Pat Curran in a closely contested lightweight contest.

Like Huerta, Lawal wanted no special treatment just because his name was more recognizable than an opponent’s might be.  The former college wrestler knows what it means to earn it, and that’s exactly what he plans to do as he enters his second round matchup against Emanuel Newton.

“I had no problem with that. Just because I’m known more than the other fighters doesn’t mean I deserve an immediate title shot right away,” Lawal told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. “It’s not easy.  A lot of people can’t do that.”

Since he started fighting MMA, Lawal has seen the politics of fighting first hand and how sometimes it’s more about selling a fight than actually deserving it. 

He says that’s the cardinal difference between what Bellator is doing with their tournament format than say the UFC where there is no prime directive in how title matches are put together.

“It makes it a true sport.  I think the difference between Bellator and the UFC is that the UFC’s more about the spectacle and more about flare.  Where as Bellator it really is a true sport.  Every true sport has a title format.  The Olympics have a title format.  The NBA playoffs, the NFL playoffs, hockey, baseball, all that,” Lawal stated.

“They all have a tournament format of some sort. I think that’s better cause when you win you know where you’re going.”

As MMA strives to be put in the same sentence as other major sports like football and basketball, Lawal believes it really has to come down to the two best fighters that earned their opportunities. 

In a perfect world, Major League Baseball would put the New York Yankees, the largest draw in the sport, in the World Series every year, but it doesn’t always work that way.  Sometimes they get beat and another team earns their shot and yes, ratings on television may fluctuate, but it’s only about putting the best two teams head-to-head for the championship.

Lawal believes it should be no different in MMA.

“The thing is the UFC is doing it that way, Bellator‘s going to do it the other way.  I think when you win the belt, you win the tournament, you win the championship in Bellator, you know you’re the best. You know you won the tournament, you won the field that you’re in and you beat the champ or defended the belt.  You’re the best,” said Lawal.  “That’s one thing that I respect, I enjoy that.”

Lawal will look to move to 2-0 in Bellator on Thursday night as part of the Bellator 90 card that airs on Spike TV Thursday night at 10pm ET from the Maverick Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. With a win, Lawal would move into the finals of the light heavyweight tournament and take one more step towards his ultimate goal of becoming Bellator champion.

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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Rory MacDonald Expected to Be Sidelined ‘3 to 4 Weeks’ with Neck and Back Strain

Rory MacDonald has spent the better part of the last six months just itching to get a shot at Carlos Condit in the UFC, but last week his efforts came to a crashing halt after suffering a neck injury in training. The young Canadian fighter was working …

Rory MacDonald has spent the better part of the last six months just itching to get a shot at Carlos Condit in the UFC, but last week his efforts came to a crashing halt after suffering a neck injury in training.

The young Canadian fighter was working at his home gym Tri-Star in Montreal when he suffered a neck injury that forced him to make the fateful call to matchmaker Joe Silva informing him that he wouldn’t be unable to compete at UFC 158 and his long awaited rematch with Carlos Condit.

According to his manager Lex McMahon of Alchemist MMA, MacDonald suffered the injury late last week and the final diagnosis will require him to sit out of training for the better part of the next month.

“Unfortunately, late last week during a training session Rory suffered a severe neck and back strain,” McMahon said in a statement sent to Bleacher Report on Tuesday.  “Rory is in a great deal of pain and has a very limited range of motion in his neck.”

While the injury doesn’t appear to be severe enough to warrant any serious time off or surgery, it still puts MacDonald on the sidelines as an observer for UFC 158

“Rory consulted a doctor and was advised that he will need to take three to four weeks off from training while he rehabs the injury,” McMahon stated.

Carlos Condit holds the only win over Rory MacDonald during his professional fight career, so it was his mission to get a little bit of revenge with their rematch at UFC 158.

MacDonald hopes to get back and still get a shot at Condit some point down the road, but for now his focus is on getting healthy and just being able to return to the Octagon later this year.

“Rory is very upset that he will not be able to face Carlos Condit at UFC 158, but is looking forward to getting back to training as soon as possible and fighting Carlos Condit and the UFC’s top competition,” said McMahon.

If MacDonald’s rehabilitation goes well over the next month, he would likely then be made available for a late spring or early summer card.  First things first however, MacDonald has to let his neck heal before he can even contemplate booking another fight.

In the meantime, Condit now faces Johny Hendricks in the new co-main event for UFC 158, while Nate Marquardt has stepped in to take on Jake Ellenberger in a new featured bout on the card with MacDonald out.

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

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