Author: Dave Doyle

LOS ANGELES — From high-profile fights to intensive media tours to an individual Reebok sponsorship, Paige VanZant has a lot on her plate for a woman barely old enough to legally drink alcohol.

The founder of her gym, Urijah Faber of Sacramento’s Team Alpha Male, says he warned the budding strawweight star early on that things were going to get a little nuts.

“That poor girl was just thrown into that whirlwind,” Faber recently told MMAFighting.com. “I think it’s part of being a girl and the pretty girl syndrome, you’re going to have a lot of haters. I prepared her for that a long time ago.”

It takes a certain type of personality to thrive in the UFC’s high-pressure, fast-moving machine. The way Faber sees it, VanZant’s poise at such a young age is a product of a positive outlook and a close family.

“The first thing is, she’s just generally a very, very positive person, a happy demeanor, takes things in stride,” Faber said. “The second thing is, she’s super tight with her family. Her mom and her dad are like, those are her best friends, she’s with them all the time, when she’s done with her fights, she goes and hangs out with her mom and her dad. There’s something to be said about that.”

Add to that equation raw athletics skills and a willingness to learn, and Faber believes VanZant, who improved to 3-0 in the UFC with her third-round submission over Alex Chambers at UFC 191, has all the tools to make it to the top.

“She’s one of those girls, some of the best athletes in female sports are soccer players and cheerleaders and gymnasts and she’s that level of athlete, but just loves to fight. Being positive, having a great family system and not being afraid of hard work and a little bit of a mean streak is the key for her. She soaks up information. You show her something, she can put it in her repertoire that day.”

LOS ANGELES — Last week, Conor McGregor told reporters he didn’t go particularly in-depth with his coaching for the European team on The Ultimate Fighter 22.

On Wednesday, his opposing coach, Urijah Faber, took it another step, saying there were times at the TUF gym in Las Vegas when the UFC interim bantamweight champion was nowhere to be found.

“He was there a little bit, but he wasn’t hands-on,” Faber said Wednesday. “I know he wasn’t there for a lot of the practices.”

Faber, coach of the American team, said he tries to look at a stint in the TUF house through the eyes of a fighter. For many, this is their make-or-break opportunity in the sport, and a rare chance to train with someone who has made it to the top.

“If I was in their situation, I would like to get as much knowledge as possible with the interim champ,” Faber said. “It’s a six-week process, a lot of these people spent their whole lives dedicated to the sport, it’s one of those things where, you don’t really need to hold their hand, but, being there, that kind of makes sense.”

Still Faber conceded that on one level, he could understand why McGregor chose to keep more distance between himself and his fighters than you usually see from TUF coaches.

“I talked to Sean Shelby and a lot of the guys on the European team were about to be in the UFC already, so those were maybe going to fight [McGregor eventually],” Faber said. “They’re ’55 pounders and ’45 pounders, so who knows how that’s going to play into things. That’s all the best guys in Europe, so who knows.”

LOS ANGELES — Add Urijah Faber to the list of fighters who don’t like Bryan Caraway.

The former WEC featherweight champion thought he had a main event fight lined up with Miesha Tate’s boyfriend at the TUF 22 Finale in Las Vegas on Dec. 11. But according to Faber, the brash Caraway backed out of the fight.

“We did have someone that backed out of the fight, for whatever reason,” Faber said Wednesday. “We were supposed to actually headline, it was supposed to be Caraway and I headlining the TUF Finale and he didn’t take the fight.”

While not outright questioning Caraway’s courage, Faber went out of his way to note that Caraway’s last fight, at UFC on FOX 16, was against Eddie Wineland, who had contemplated retirement after a broken jaw before accepting the fight; and he’s now angling for a matchup with Michael McDonald, who has been out for nearly two years since losing to Faber at UFC on FOX 9.

“He brought Eddie Wineland out of retirement who had broken his jaw and decided he was done fighting, and Caraway calls him out,” Faber said. “Now he’s calling out Michael McDonald, who we haven’t seen since he vanished like a fart in the wind after our fight. So, you know, if you want to step up, let’s do it. So yeah, he didn’t take the fight.”

Instead, Faber will fight Frankie Saenz at UFC 194, who’s 3-0 in the UFC bantamweight division, but will be stepping into, by far, his biggest career spotlight. Faber said he’s not concerned with the disparity in name recognition.

“This guy stepped up and I appreciate that,” Faber said. “For me, I treat everyone like an equal. Whether they’re a fighter or someone on the street, whatever it is. I’m going to take it seriously.”

After UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw finished Renan Barao in their rematch at UFC on FOX 16, former champ Dominick Cruz went on The MMA Hour and all but called Dillashaw an imitator who is lucky to be where he is.

Tuesday was Dillashaw’s chance to fire back. Appearing on The MMA Hour, Dillashaw took exception to the notion he stole Cruz’s footwork- and movement-based style and ridiculed the idea Cruz was the first person to employ such tactics.

“It’s so ridiculous, he’s saying he’s the first fighter to ever create movement?” Dillashaw said. “Was he the first fighter to ever throw a jab or feint? It’s pretty ridiculous, when you really think about it. Because I switch my feet and change stances, I’m Dominick Cruz?”

Dillashaw says that should the highly anticipated fight get made — which, as of now, is contingent on Cruz getting healthy enough to compete — he’ll show the difference between the two.

“For one, he switches stances to run away and throw one shot,” Dillashaw said. “I’ve never even seen him throw a combo or look that great from the opposite stance. You know? I think I’m leaps and bounds ahead of him on my standup. I think I’m going to prove it, when we fight he’s going to get knocked out.”

The champ even went so far as to say that he’ll have an easier time with Cruz than he did over the course of two one-sided fights with former champion Barao.

“I think I’ll finish Cruz faster than I finished Barao,” Dillashaw said. “Cruz has got a crazy style. But I think I’m going to finish him quicker than I finished Barao.”

Cruz has never lost at 135 pounds, going 10-0 in the weight class since dropping down from 145 back in his WEC days. Because of that, he still lingers over the division, even though injuries have limited him to just one fight over the past four years.

Despite the charged words back and forth between the two, Dillashaw respects what Cruz has accomplished in the sport, and acknowledges that defeating Cruz would be major career benchmark.

“I definitely think it will help out,” Dillashaw said. “The guy’s been a champion, and he thinks he still should be because he’s been out. For me to come and beat him the way I’m going to it’s going to do wonders for my name. I’m really going to put a stamp on my career by beating Cruz.”

First things first: When Jon Jones returns to the Octagon, he regains his rightful place as the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighter.

In the meantime, Demetrious Johnson is doing an impeccable job as his stand-in on the men’s side of the sport.

“Mighty Mouse” will celebrate his third anniversary as the UFC’s only flyweight champion on Sept. 21. In that time, he’s defended his belt seven times, which has tied him with Jose Aldo for the fourth-most consecutive UFC title defenses, which is all the more impressive since Aldo had a two-year head start.

Before Jones was sidelined by legal troubles, most pound-for-pound polls had Jones No. 1, Aldo No. 2, and Johnson No. 3.

But as time marches on, it becomes increasingly apparent Johnson has surpassed the oft-idled Aldo.

Johnson’s UFC 191 rematch with John Dodson was made because Dodson gave Johnson the toughest challenge of his title reign back in 2013. Instead, Johnson made it look easy in the rematch.

That’s the third time at flyweight Johnson has rocked the return bout: He previously went from a draw against Ian McCall to a clear victory and from a split decision to win the title against Joseph Benavidez to a first-round knockout on Benavidez’s home turf in the rematch.

That indicates a smart fighter who evolves, changes, and adapts. Oh, and he gets out and fights: Johnson has competed 14 times over the past 48 months, making him by far Zuffa’s most active fighter. Aldo, by contrast, has fought six times in that span.

Aldo seems to have stalled out as a fighter. You know exactly what you’re going to get when Aldo steps into the Octagon. The featherweight champion is capable of some of the sport’s most spectacular displays, but often he seems to be holding his arsenal back. Yes, Aldo is one of the best world’s best fighters. But the longevity of Aldo, whose lineal title reign, including the WEC belt, will surpass the six-year mark in November, is as much a product long sabbaticals and a play-it-safe style as anything else.

It’s true Johnson has gone the distance as well. But he’s proven, quite literally in the case of Kyoji Horiguchi, that he’ll seek the finish until the final second. And Johnson has pulled away from opponents in the closing rounds of his decisions, while Aldo’s fifth rounds tend to be his worst, as title defenses like Ricardo Lamas and Mark Hominick attest.

And it’s not like Johnson hasn’t already walked the pound-for-pound walk. He was a successful bantamweight before there was a flyweight class. Going the distance in a loss to then-champion Dominick Cruz, who has never lost at bantamweight, is nothing to be ashamed of.

“This was the fight to make in this weight class and Dodson had the power, the speed, the experience and got destroyed; literally, he got shut down,” UFC president Dana White said. “Joe Rogan’s probably right. ‘Mighty Mouse’ is probably the pound-for-pound greatest fighter in the sport. He looked fantastic.”

White, of course, will call everyone short of Tito Ortiz the sport’s pound-for-pound best when the opportunity arises. But in this case, at least as long as Jones isn’t around, he’s right.

UFC 191 quotes

“The record held right now is by Anderson Silva, and it’s 10; so if I can break that, it would be an awesome thing. Then to be able to have the most finishes as a flyweight – most knockouts, submissions and TKOs? That’s another goal. Just being the most active flyweight and champion. I’m a guy that hasn’t had injuries, and that’s a goal I set for myself.” — Johnson on his future goals.

“Drunken dummies.” — UFC president Dana White’s term for those at the MGM Grand Garden Arena who booed Mighty Mouse.

“It’s much of a compliment for people to even say that, and they’re huge shoes to fill, but I have a long way before I can make that comparison,” — Paige VanZant, on comparisons to Ronda Rousey.

“I can’t blame anything that’s gone on this whole week, calling it a distraction or motivation,” Dodson said. “The only thing is that I came out here, I performed my best, and I did everything that I need to do. I’m excited that I got to see and hold my baby for the first time.” — Dodson, on fighting the same week as the birth of his child.

“A lot of you guys write a lot of b——, but that’s what you do. That’s what you do to have to get paid and I’m fine with that. But if you’re going to write something bad, write something good.” — Anthony “Rumble” Johnson’s take on the MMA media.

Stock report

Up: Paige VanZant VanZant took another step forward in her progression Saturday night, as she dominated Alex Chambers, earning 10-8s all over the scorecard before finishing Chambers with a third-round armbar. And while that armbar conjured inevitable comparisons to Ronda Rousey, the 21-year old’s straw weight’s buildup has reached an interesting crossroad. VanZant is already the division’s biggest star, and she’s clearly outclassed the lower end of the ranks. But if she moved straight at Joanna Jedrzejczyk or Claudia Gadelha like she did against Chambers,VanZant would be in for one bad night. It will be interesting to see who VanZant is matched up against next.

Down: Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir Sometimes, you have fights in which both competitors come out as winners in public perception, regardless who gets the victory. Then you have fights like last night’s heavyweight bout between former champions Arlovski and Mir. The matchmaking in this one was a bit of a head-scratcher, since you had two veterans on hot streaks, so one of them were all but guaranteed to have their comeback story end. Instead, you had the worst of all possible scenarios, as the bout more closely resembled a Bellator “legends” main event than a battle to potentially determine a heavyweight title contender. Arlovski got the decision (I had it for Mir, 29-28), but can you really push Arlovski as a potential title contender after a match like that one?

Up: John Lineker For the past couple years, Lineker has looked like a killer fighting flyweights. Note the distinction of the phrase “fighting flyweights,” rather than “competing at flyweight,” since he kept missing weight, kept showing up considerably larger than his opponents, and kept finishing them. Last night, Lineker finally moved up to bantamweight, and, guess what? He still looks like a killer. Lineker lost none of his punching power in a wild, out-of-control whirlwind brawl. Lineker finished Francisco Rivera with a submission and took home Fight of the Night honors. Now, granted, guys like T.J. Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz aren’t going to stand right in front of Lineker and wing punches like Rivera. But Lineker sure looked like a fighter in the weight class where he belongs last night.

Up: Corey Anderson You can love Anderson’s “Beastin’ 25/8” nickname or you can hate it, but there’s no doubting he got the job done for 15/3 last night against Jan Blachowicz. Anderson let Blachowicz gas himself out in the first round, then dominated him from top position over the rest of the fight, outlanding him in ground strikes, 114-10. That’s three out of four in the UFC for the still-developing TUF 19 champion, and a nice rebound performance after letting his fight with Gian Villante slip away.

Hold: Anthony Johnson “Rumble” did what he had to do against an overmatched Jimi Manuwa. He then got on the case of the media, as seen in the quote above. Sorry, Rumble, but you have to take the good with the bad. Johnson got plenty of positive press as he turned his career around and seemed to be on his best behavior. He still gets credit for his cage accomplishments. Last night, he showed off solid ground work before giving the crowd the knockout it wanted. But when a fighter with documented domestic violence issues has public troubles with anger management, that’s a part of the story, too.

Interesting calls

The middleweight undercard fight between grizzled veteran Joe Riggs and Ron Stallings came to a strange finish. Stallings hit Riggs, who had one knee on the ground and was attempting to work into top position, with an illegal upkick in the second round of their fight. The cageside doctor checked Riggs, who said he couldn’t see through his swollen right eye, and recommended to referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight, which he did. Herzog awarded Riggs a disqualification victory.

The problem? Stallings’ upkick hit Riggs on the jaw. Riggs’ eye injury occurred in the first round, when he was on the receiving end of Stallings’ repeated jabs and progressively got worse. The upkick did not cause the eye injury. The kick was illegal, but the doctor wasn’t recommending the fight be stopped due to an injury related to the kick. The bout should have gone into the books as a no-contest. Riggs has offered Stallings a rematch, which seems the best course of action, since an appeal to the Nevada Athletic Commission is likely to end up in a circus.

Fight I’d like to see next: T.J. Dillashaw vs. Demetrious Johnson

I called for this one back when Dillashaw ran through Renan Barao in Chicago, and got shouted down for it in my Twitter timeline, but now everyone else finally seems to be coming around. I understand why this fight probably can’t be made right away. Dillashaw vs. Cruz is simply too important of a fight to skip over, assuming Cruz can get healthy. But, really, who’s left at 125 pounds for Mighty Mouse at this point? He’s already twice beaten both of his top two challengers, Dodson and Benavidez, and in each case, the second fight was more dominant than the first. It sure looks like the Henry Cejudo-Jussier Formiga winner will be in line for the next shot. Cejudo has real potential, but seems to be getting rushed, while Formiga seems to merely be a placeholder challenger. Either way, while obstacles remain, Johnson, who found success at bantamweight when flyweight wasn’t an option, and Dillishaw, seem destined to meet down the road, a true showcase for the two best at the two lightest men’s weight classes.

When Paige VanZant won via armbar Saturday night, she had to know the Ronda Rousey questions were coming.

The 21-year-old VanZant, who is clearly being groomed for stardom by the UFC, stopped Alex Chambers with Rousey’s signature move at 1:01 of the third round in the strawweight main-card opener at UFC 191 in Las Vegas.

After improving to 3-0 in the UFC, VanZant (6-1) was asked at the post-fight press conference at the MGM Grand about the comparisons to the UFC’s biggest mainstream star.

VanZant said that while she’s flattered by the comparisons, she knows she still has quite a bit of road to travel.

“It’s much of a compliment for people to even say that, and they’re huge shoes to fill, but I have a long way before I can make that comparison,” VanZant said. “But, I’m thankful that people see that. I definitely want to follow in her footsteps. She’s opened great doors for women in all athletics, and especially the UFC and MMA.”

VanZant is one of the handful of UFC fighters who have individual endorsement contracts with Reebok, a small group which also includes Rousey. VanZant admits to being shy around Rousey when they met at a recent Reebok photo shoot.

“When I first met her, I was nervous, I was like ‘she’s Ronda Rousey,’ at a Reebok photo shoot,” PVZ said. “I saw her walk in and she turned around and shook my hand and gave me a compliment on my last fight. I didn’t really know what else to say other than “hey.'”

UFC president Dana White has plenty to say about VanZant, believing she has plenty of the tools needed to succeed.

“She has all the attributes of a little rock star,” White said. “She’s got a great personality, she’s absolutely relentless when she fights, she moves forward, she puts Mighty Mouse-type pressure on fighters. Yesterday she was the most searched fighter on UFC.com and people love her.”