Author: David St. Martin

During an in-studio appearance on Wednesday’s UFC Tonight, No. 1 UFC women’s bantamweight challenger Cat Zingano talked injury woes, hopes at a title shot and, of course, women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.

Told she’ll be next in line for a shot at the winner of December’s rematch between Rousey and Tate, Zingano doesn’t sound like she’s picking an upset. “You know, I’m not chasing Miesha,” said Zingano. “I already beat her so I’m really looking forward to Ronda winning that fight starting right back where I left off.”

Zingano claimed she is ‘absolutely’ confident in her ability to defend Rousey’s infamous armbar, but when asked how much time she’s dedicated to working on defense, she simply replied, “None.”

I think Ronda, in her back pocket, she always has that armbar in mind. No one’s really seen anything out of her yet. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have anything. Like I said before, just because she’s done it all the way up until now doesn’t mean she can do it to everyone, which is why I state my case on training for her. I’ve never trained for a single person I’ve fought. I’ve only trained to improve. That’s how I plan on continuing to go. I don’t know why I would change my game now.

Zingano was also asked to give her take on her TKO victory over Tate at the The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale back in April. Tate has been adamant in claiming the stoppage was premature and that referee Kim Winslow not only failed in her duties, but is ‘literally ruining peoples’ lives.’

You know, as a fighter, you can feel your opponent. You can tell that moment when they break and I feel like Miesha broke when we were already on the ground. I don’t think it was an early stoppage by any means. I felt like, if anything, she let it go. The first knee I threw, I felt like Miesha had her heart broken and that she was down for the count. Those knees after that were just kind of a gift I felt was given by the ref. I think Kim Winslow did a good job. I think she’s a good referee in that case and I really do think that was a good stoppage and I think Miesha knows it was, too.

Unfortunately, it sounds like Zingano’s recovery might last a bit longer than expected. After an ongoing recovery from a right knee anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, reports surfaced she had now suffered a possible torn meniscus in her left knee.

I’ve kind of had a battle with my knees for a while here. My left knee, because I think for the compensation for taking care of my right knee, has been taking a little bit more wear and tear than it was used to. When I went to the doctor on Monday I asked about some of the motions and the movements I’ve been going through that have been causing me pain. They say it’s indicative of something going on with my meniscus so I’m going to have a procedure done with stem cells (on Oct. 3) that is going to be in place of having clean up surgery instead.

Tate gets her chance at redemption when she faces Rousey for the women’s bantamweight strap Dec. 28, 2013 at UFC 168.

5 MUST-READ STORIES

Werdum next in line. With three-straight victories, Fabricio Werdum says Dana White has told him he’s next in line for a shot at the UFC’s heavyweight title. “I had a meeting with Dana White and the first thing he asked me was if I wanted to fight one more time or wait to fight for the title. I didn’t even think twice.”

Bjorn responds to Dana. After UFC president Dana White claimed his company ‘has no value whatsoever,’ Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney says his recent partnership with FOX says otherwise. “the facts here are that the UFC’s Partners at FOX just made a multi-year commitment, worth tens of millions of dollars to the Bellator brand. If that doesn’t paint a clear picture on value, I don’t know what would.”

Chael goes after Wandy. Chael Sonnen breaks down his problem with Wanderlei Silva’s Olympia ambush on last night’s UFC Tonight. “First off, if you’re going to do a publicity stunt, do not bring your own camera. It looks staged, which it was. It insults your audience. Assume that they’re going to connect the dots. Show up somewhere where a camera is, and then go into your little routine.”

McCall’s gaff. Although he later clarified and apologized, UFC flyweight Ian McCall drew the ire of fans and fighters alike Wednesday after tweeting he ‘hates the homeless.’

“UFC-ya in court.” The UFC will move forward with their lawsuit against the state of New York after a federal judge agreed the state-wide ban on MMA infringed upon he liberties of fans and fighter.

MEDIA STEW

UFC Primetime: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos 3 – Episode 1

Luke’s latest live chat.

Quick interview with the Pettis brothers.

Jack Slack breaks down the striking of Artem Levin at Glory 10.

Nick Diaz works through some Rickson shoulder rolls trying to breakdance.

WHOA TV’s BAMMA 13 mixtape.

TWEETS

Ian McCall’s bad day got worse.

I hate the homeless … I don’t feel sorry for you. If you want change then let me throw it as hard as I can at your dirty face

— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) October 2, 2013

Hate me all you want Ive been homeless n stung out. I changed that part of my life No sympathy for junkies who talk shit to me for no reason

— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) October 2, 2013

@IKEVF I did it myself. I’m focusing on junkies here not PTSD and lay offs etc should have clarified. Its called hard work and not giving up

— Ian McCall (@Unclecreepymma) October 2, 2013

An actual superfight.

@TimKennedyMMA @sonnench @lyotomachidafw @vitorbelfort that would be a tough one to pull off

— Dana White (@danawhite) October 2, 2013

I think Cain probably heard it.

Did anyone else hear @junior_cigano say Cain hits like a girl? Haha can’t be more excited for this rematch #teamdossantos @ufc

— Ramsey Nijem (@RamseyNijem) October 3, 2013

Just do it.

It seems that only Me and Lamas don’t have fights booked. I’m willing to fight to prove I’m the man for the job!

— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) October 2, 2013

“Get well, get well soon.”

Headed back to LA to get treated for my left knee, sounds promising! I’m excited &confidnt to come back all fixed up pic.twitter.com/aJx5m2MMg0

— Alpha Cat Zingano (@CatZingano) October 2, 2013

Sound good? Or overtraining?

Feeling super human today,trained twice b4 noon and have 2 more 2 go.. I haven’t felt like this in years. http://t.co/awCl4AdAHH

— Quinton Jackson (@Rampage4real) October 2, 2013

meanwhile…

So far gta v online is an epic failure! Hope they get all these problems fixed

— Rory MacDonald (@rory_macdonald) October 3, 2013

Just make it legal.

I’m going to give yall a bloodbath dec. 14 hehehe 🙂 🙂 🙂

— Abel Trujillo (@AbelTrujillo1) October 2, 2013

Nice.

@MegaMeguCat thank you for being such an inspiration to myself & female fighters around the world!

— LIZ CARMOUCHE (@iamgirlrilla) October 2, 2013

Philosovidez.

What if Bruce Lee had a brother named Brock?? pic.twitter.com/HhF9vnDgnj

— Joseph Benavidez (@JoeJitsu) October 2, 2013

TUF reactions.

Totally understand @RondaRousey having a mom that was an athlete and coach adds a lot onto u as an athlete but it pays off!

— Raquel Pennington (@RockyPMMA) October 3, 2013

Sick armbar by Rondas mom while wearing jeans

— Nick Newell (@NotoriousNewell) October 3, 2013

Lol! That was good by my GF Miesha RT “@SnowMan2989: @MieshaTate Edmund LMAO #TUF18 pic.twitter.com/b4W1qAOgmB“

— Timmy Gorman (@TimmyGormanMMA) October 3, 2013

Ur a bad boy @DaveyGrantMMA 🙂

— Manny Gamburyan (@MannyGamburyan) October 3, 2013

Next week on #TUF18, #TeamTate‘s @RockyPMMA squares off against #TeamRousey‘s @jessamynduke. Not too early to take your pick…who ya got?

— The Ultimate Fighter (@TUFonFS1) October 3, 2013

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced yesterday (Oct. 2 2013)

Alexander Shlemenko vs. Doug Marshall at Bellator 108

Thales Leites vs. Ed Herman at UFC 167

Anthony Johnson vs. Mike Kyle at WSOF 7

Elvis Mutapcic vs. Jesse Taylor at WSOF 7

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via Forbidden Psychological Technology.

“Caged Heat” Chapter 1: Blood on the Mat

“Hey Steve, clean that blood up off the mat. It’s grossing me out and a bunch of the parents were pissed last time the kid’s class found that tooth in the heavy bag. I don’t need any more of that shit, ESPECIALLY on a day like today.”

Steve Millman looked up from the mop he was wringing and gazed at his master. Iron Puma was sprawled out in the Laz-E Boy he’d dubbed the “Throne from Game of Thrones” with a wet dishrag over his eyes. Millman had seen Iron Puma in this state before and once again, as he had many times before, cursed Fate for making a man so immensely gifted in the martial arts and yet so flawed that he couldn’t help himself from that one, single temptation – Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Millman shook his head and chuckled softly as he resumed cleaning up the pool of strawberry pineapple-infused vomit that had greeted him this morning when he opened Iron Puma Martial Arts. Classic Iron Puma.

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Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.

Speaking with fellow comedian Bryan Callen and UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, UFC commentator Joe Rogan makes it clear he isn’t satisfied with the current state of MMA judging. Certainly nothing new to UFC regulars long accustomed to Rogan’s rants on judging reform, but it’s great to hear a bit more on what exactly needs fixing. Rogan names the UFC as his example, but could have used any promotion using the ‘Unified Rules’ of MMA.

The UFC scoring is very flawed. It’s flawed in a bunch of different ways. The biggest reason it’s flawed is because of the 10-Point Must system which was adopted from boxing. That might work in a 12-round fight. 12, three minute rounds is very different than three, five minute rounds. Three, five minute rounds, you’re going 10-9 on rounds that either guy could win and then the next round a guy could get taken down, busted up, dropped, and you score that a 10-9 as well. That makes no f***ing sense. The system in place right now, the scoring system, is from boxing and they need to develop one just for MMA.

Should we be expecting something like that to be coming along shortly? Rogan doesn’t sound hopeful.

No! They don’t do s**t. It’s the same reason this C.J. Ross lady is still a f***ing judge, or was a judge, until she stepped down. The athletic commissions do a woefully inadequate job on several levels.

The UFC can’t dictate who judges. the UFC can’t dictate who referees. The UFC can’t dictate what the rules are. They can’t do anything. They can work with the commission to try to give suggestions and come up with ways around problems, but ultimately it’s the job of the athletic commission.

Rogan goes on to question the integrity of the Nevada State Athletic Commission for being so closely tied to Las Vegas, a place he calls ‘created by criminals.’ Catch the rest of the episode to hear Rogan question Jon Jone’s UFC 165 gameplan and advise Schaub to work on his striking fundamentals.

5 MUST-READ STORIES

Pettis’ shoulder. Recovering from a sprained knee, UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis tells Ariel Helwani it was actually a shoulder injury that had him worried at UFC 164. “My jitz coach [Daniel Wanderley] rolled a little too hard and he slammed me on my shoulder, and I separated my shoulder two weeks before the fight.”

Bisping devastated. Out of his UFC Fight Night 30 bout with Mark Munoz, Michael Bisping talks his scary eye injury and how close he came to calling it quits. “I was devastated. Then [Dana White] said, ‘You’ve got a ways to go if you’re ever going to fight again.’ Then I was just completely in shock. This is who I am. This is what I do. It defines who I am as a person.”

Silva comments on fighter’s death. With the UFC’s media tour now in Brazil, Anderson Silva was asked his thoughts on the recent death of a Brazilian fighter trying to make weight. “I don’t think that the cutting weight process is ever going to be perfect, but I said it today in an interview I did with a gentleman earlier, I don’t care what level you fight on, no fight is worth dying over.

Jackson on Jones. Coach and trainer Greg Jackson hopes he’s seen the last of his star pupil being dragged into deep waters. “He was tested [by Gustafsson] and he passed, and that was very important. However, hopefully we won’t have to be tested like that again in awhile.”

No TUF Brazil for Sonnen. With a Chael Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva Ultimate Fighter coaching stint just begging to be made, Dana White sounds worried Chael would even survive. “People keep asking me if they’re going to be the coaches (for TUF Brazil 3). I can’t have a Brazilian within 10 feet of Chael Sonnen in America. Imagine bringing Chael Sonnen here for six weeks. I don’t think he’d make it.”

MEDIA STEW

Focus: UFC 165 Edition. Esther Lin discusses her favorite photos from UFC 165.

UFC World Tour: Weidman vs. Silva 2 Brazil Press Conference.

Free fight: Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt at UFC 160.

Catch the latest episode of Knuckle Up with Eugene S. Robinson.

Early Ronda Rousey interview from before she went pro.

GLORY 10 backstage access.

Meet new UFC middleweight Krzysztof Jotko.

TWEETS

British TV almost isn’t worth it.

For those asking how I’m watching tv…. Like this, seriously. Lol. pic.twitter.com/NyusyfkcZi

— michael (@bisping) September 30, 2013

Get well soon.

5 hours rehab today. Muscle definition is coming back FAST. I will set records on this pic.twitter.com/UncEKix8Gz

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 1, 2013

Stay strong.

“@Paddy_Bromley: @roynelsonmma are you shaving your beard for this fight? you wouldn’t look the same without it bud” I hope I don’t have to.

— Roy Nelson (@roynelsonmma) September 30, 2013

We might have a taker.

It’s fortuitous that I do not have an opponent for the @ufc card I’m on & our elected representatives suck. I challenge them all to a fight!

— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) October 1, 2013

I think @TimKennedyMMA trying to copy @sonnench but Sonnen is the original the rest are just wanna be!! I’m down to fight you in Aus Tim Ken

— Hector Lombard (@HectorLombard) October 1, 2013

Still, doing better than the other guy…

I’m happy with my last performance but not satisfied. I’m greedy and want more so I’m back in the gym to grind and build to earn more #CMS

— Will Brooks (@illwillbrooks86) September 30, 2013

Still in shock @BreakingBad_AMC & @SHO_Dexter is all over ……. between that & my fight im depressed!

— John Alessio (@johnalessio79) October 1, 2013

Keep an eye out.

I just did a photoshoot pretending to be riding a unicorn

— Scott jorgensen (@Scottjorgensen) September 30, 2013

Don’t invite Tim Sylvia to play Candy Crush.

This is and will be the last time I fucking say this if u invite me to play your fucking stupid games I will… http://t.co/idWBgxt4N5

— Tim Sylvia (@timsylviamma) October 1, 2013

Did they play music videos?

Sad to see, after 23 years, the end of MTV Brasil. So many talent…Brazilian Musicians, Brazilian comedy shows… I saw MYV Brasil…

— Demian Maia (@demianmaia) October 1, 2013

….grown, I was a fan and also had the honor to participate in many mtv shows there .See you!!!

— Demian Maia (@demianmaia) October 1, 2013

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced yesterday (Sept. 30 2013)

NA

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via DocCassidy.

Bellator and the Curious Case of Mission Creep

I honestly don’t remember how I got into MMA. I’ve been watching it a long time. Back in the late 90’s/ early 00’s I was aware of the Gracie Family Super Awesome Show UFC, but I wasn’t an avid consumer. The first fight I truly remember watching was in a bar in Korea. I was stationed there, at Camp Casey, and I didn’t go out much, but when I did, I didn’t like dealing with the the prostitutes and club scene. I wasn’t nearly as social minded back then as I am now, so the exploitation of poor Asian and Russian girls didn’t register, but I did know I wanted a beer without having some overly aggressive girl trying to empty my wallet to buy her juice. So, I frequented a place called Mojo’s. It was a biker bar owned by some American ex-pats. And they played VHS tapes of fights. The first fight I watched was some tall, black dude in purple Vale Tudo shirts stomping on some white guy’s head. No idea who they were. But I was hooked. There was so much testosterone I could have impregnated half a dozen women that night and still been wound up.

…

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UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has taken flak for appearing over-emotional on this season’s Ultimate Fighter and her mother, former Judo world champion Ann Maria Rousey DeMars, has had enough. After making a guest appearance on what happens to be this week’s episode, DeMars took to her personal blog to give her take on how her daughter is being portrayed.

I only had one day to observe some of what went on (did we miss the ‘shit to do’ part). I’m trying not to be a hypocrite and judge someone (cough Dana White cough) on just a small bit of what I have observed, especially if Ronda gives them a good recommendation.

From the fraction of the entire time I observed, it appeared that Ronda was taunted quite a bit without being allowed to respond, with a deliberate intent to create a certain image for television. Maybe they’ll show some of that on the episode, maybe not. For those of you who say she cries too much – she’s always cried like that all of her life. Who the hell are you people to enforce a crying quota? If she cries over sad movies, happy endings and losing her car keys, what’s it to you? I’m the opposite of that. I’ve cried three times in the last twenty years, and one of those was when Ronda’s father died. So, she can have my share of the quota and it averages out.

Along with outlining some of Rousey’s charitable efforts, DeMars explains that Ronda has always been misunderstood and that her emotional state is more closely linked to loyalty than anger.

Since Ronda steals my lines all of the time, I’ll take one of hers,

To be a champion, you have to be willing to let your heart be broken.

Ronda cares if she wins. When she loses it feels like the whole world fell in. She’s extremely loyal to people and when they are hurt, it hurts her.

People are sometimes offended by Ronda because she does not fit how they think she should act. At Ronda’s age, given the same degree of provocation, I would have punched out a few people, hit someone with a chair, told everyone to fuck off and walked out. This is why our family cannot do a reality TV show. So, no, I am the LAST person to ask don’t I think she should behave differently.

It doesn’t sound like Ronda brought her mom in to bake sugar cookies. Coming off a victory last week, it should be interesting to see how Rousey’s team reacts to her mother’s motivation. Rousey faces fellow TUF coach Miesha Tate at UFC 168 on Dec. 28, 2013.

5 MUST-READ STORIES

Rio scrums. As the UFC’s press tour hits Brazil, catch media scrums with both Dana White and middleweight champion Chris Weidman. Dana talks everything from Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira to Tim Kennedy’s latest Twitter callouts. Weidman discusses ‘Jacare’ Souza, Machida vs. Munoz and more.

Ribs again. Anderson Silva now says he was only 85% for his title defense against Chris Weidman. “Nobody mentioned this yet, but that’s not an excuse for my performance. It was a below where I was injured for my first fight with Chael Sonnen.”

Not interested. After snatching up various smaller MMA promotions in the past, Dana White says UFC and Zuffa have no plans for acquiring Bellator. “If you look at any other company we ended up buying in the past, there was value. There’s no value to that company whatsoever.”

Bad blood. Everyone who thought Dana could be corralled by the UFC’s PR team was proven wrong this weekend as he finally started responding to Ken Shamrock’s tweets.

Zombie on Aldo. Two months removed from his title challenge with UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, Chan Sung Jung gives his take on the fight. “Right after the fight, all I felt was pain. After that, it was just sort of numbness. After preparing for so long and anticipating the fight for so many years … to lose like that left me feeling empty.”

MEDIA STEW

Catch the latest MMA Beat.

UFC’s Miami recap.

Dennis Hallman – Ronda Rousey has Mental Health Issues.

Tell it to her face, Dennis.

Anderson Silva meets Chris Weidman’s son.

Wandy confronts Chael Sonnen this weekend at Olympia. It’s as if he planned it!

If you must watch a commercial, watch one made by Tommy Toe Hold.

Muay Thai elbow KO.

TWEETS

Tim Kennedy had a lot of crazy tweets this weekend, but here are my favorites.

Hey @Alistairovereem You vs me (catch weight) Nov 6th at @ufc Fight For The Troops 3. Winner gets a lifetime supply of horse meat. Tim k

— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) September 29, 2013

All @ufc fighters, This is the dude that you are all too scared to fight. pic.twitter.com/iIYwqcY09D

— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) September 28, 2013

Motivated B.J. Penn looks pretty good.

Me and @matthughes9x doing a signing at Mr Olympia,great rivalry, fight wards… 1st fight SON, 2nd FON, 3rd KON (: pic.twitter.com/Sq97LAOafM

— BJ PENN (@bjpenndotcom) September 28, 2013

Mr. Fox is movin’ on up.

My new Hypoxico Altitude Chamber. Love it! https://t.co/w2uJ2CVDap

— Matthew brown (@IamTheImmortal) September 28, 2013

A welterweight and Jake Ellenberger.

In Rio w the Champ @josealdojunior! Prazer campeão pic.twitter.com/N3oyyF59KN

— Jake Ellenberger (@EllenbergerMMA) September 28, 2013

How you’re supposed to look leaving Jamaica.

Just landed in Jamaica to refuel and @SpiderAnderson is OUT! pic.twitter.com/J6D7LhR37s

— Dana White (@danawhite) September 28, 2013

Joe in the cupboard.

Goodnight cruel world. pic.twitter.com/vyJWBpSnRk

— Joseph Benavidez (@JoeJitsu) September 28, 2013

Congrats to Diego. Who will be the first ‘Diego Sanchez blackbelt?’

It is official #BLACKBELT pic.twitter.com/n5DW0PzmeQ

— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) September 28, 2013

Tis but a scratch.

Just a small cut! @bellatormma #TeamAlessio #bellatormma #mma #bloodyfight #cut #blood #bloodbath http://t.co/KZkbpF5WIR

— John Alessio (@johnalessio79) September 29, 2013

Kind of all over the place here.

@sonnench didnt get a chance 2tell U @expo.Proud of U an all U accomplished.Not bad 4 a guy training out of used car dealership #imahugefan

— phil baroni (@philbaroni) September 28, 2013

Imagine if your NFL experience was a single Raiders game.

What a great day today at the Oakland Raiders game, with my man @Dethrone Nick!! #NFL #PitchSide pic.twitter.com/3L7fJEhyuv

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 30, 2013

#blackhole @TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/dJAWrJzkcu

— Dethrone Royalty (@dethrone) September 29, 2013

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced this weekend (Sept. 27-29 2013)

Michael Bisping out, Lyoto Machida vs. Mark Munoz at UFC Fight Night 30

Takeya Mizugaki vs. Nam Phan at UFC Fight Night 33

Justin Salas out, Quinn Mulhern vs. Thiago Tavares at UFC Fight Night 32

Johnny Eduardo vs. Lucas Martins at UFC Fight Night 32

Maximo Blanco vs. Akira Corassani at TUF 18 Finale

Darren Uyenoyama vs. John Moraga at UFC on FOX 9

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via griff111.

UFC & Jones choose path of least resistance

Move along, nothing to see hear. So, there we have it, apparently next in line is Teixeira, and not a rematch of one of the greatest UFC fights we’ve seen.

Those of us who thought we saw a great closely contested fight in which the winner was up for debate before the scorecards were read, were actually mistaken. Instead, according to Jon and Dana, it was a “decisive” win with “no controversy”. And the fight to make is not the rematch against the only fighter to actually give Bones a real fight, but next should be the guy who Bader nearly stopped. Hmmm, I don’t entirely agree, but I don’t completely disagree.

To make sense of these statements, and the thinking behind choosing Teixeira, lets do a quick recap of last Saturday and its impact. The fight was awesome, but it wasn’t just awesome because it was a great fight. It was totally against all the so-called experts’ forecasts. Even though I was looking forward to it, the insurmountable amount of opinion from the press and fans that this would be yet another uncompetitive Jones fight greatly reduced my anticipation. Thankfully, experts in the fight business can look anything but, when the “wrong” body falls or the “wrong” hand is raised; or nearly raised.

…

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Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.

Granting a rare interview to his own outlet, former UFC champion B.J. Penn opened up a bit on how he went from ‘doing yard work’ one week to now starring opposite Frankie Edgar on next season’s The Ultimate Fighter. In addition to the coaching stint, the pair will meet for a third time, but at 145lbs. With Edgar now a full time featherweight, Penn was forced to take the plunge himself if he ever wanted another shot at him. Even so, Penn says he’d rather finish their trilogy at lightweight, where it began.

You know, I really do wish this fight was at 155 lbs. Nothing to do with the weight, it’s just I really feel that Frankie hasn’t lost yet. He’s right up there, and I feel everybody says I’m supposed to be the greatest at lightweight. Frankie beat me twice. Frankie never really lost yet. Pettis is the new champ, you got all these new guys coming. Well if Frankie and me are the old guys, maybe who walks out of that ring will be one of the best lightweights of all time. We’re going to find out.

Should Penn have success against Edgar, he’s already sorting out the complications of fighting his mentor’s other prized pupil, Jose Aldo.

I know it’s really weird for a lot of people in America to understand this, but I’ve always been a loyal guy to my Jiu-Jitsu King. Ever since Jose Aldo has hit the scene and just went on an absolute tear has busted everybody up, I never had any intentions of fighting Jose Aldo. At this point, if I fight Jose Aldo who am I fighting? I’m fighting Andre Pederneiras. I’m fighting the man who gave me my black belt. It’s just not a comfortable feeling for me. Me and Andre Pederneiras will have to sit down and talk. Jose Aldo is going to have to sit down and talk. I know Jose Aldo was just about to fight Anthony Pettis. Now, is Jose Aldo going to go up to 155 and fight Anthony Pettis or is he going to stay at 145 and defend his belt? I think with some of the decisions Aldo will make, will help me make some of my decisions myself.

In addition to training with Pederneiras leading up to his 2014 summer bout, Penn plans on keeping him heavily involved as a coach on TUF.

Andre Pederneiras is the first guy on the list. We want to have a lot of special guests. We’re working night and day. Me and my five buddies, my coaches/training partners… we’re trying to put together a good team that makes a lot of sense that really gives these guys what they need based off their careers.

With Andre Pederneiras coming in, I almost feel like my job is easy now that I’ve got Andre because he’s the mastermind. He’s the sensei. He’s the man who made me the first foreigner to ever win in Brazil. Let’s see if he can be the man to make me be the first person to finish Frankie Edgar. We’re going to find out.

5 MUST-READ STORIES

Signal to noise. Luke Thomas gives his take on the best and worst of UFC 165.

The cut. After Dana White claimed he begged cageside doctors not to stop the fight, referee John McCarthy sets the record straight on the cut that nearly cost Jon Jones his title. “I said, ‘Jason, this is the last round. I think you need to let him go. I will look at it. If it gets worse, I promise you I will bring him to you.’

Biggest ever. Dana White says UFC 168 has the potential to be their biggest show to date. “Bigger than UFC 100. On every level. Tickets, pay-per-views, everything. You’re going to see a motivated Anderson, but what makes this so much fun is, what Anderson are you going to see? How is this thing going to go? That’s such a big part of the fun.”

Rogan on Jones vs. Klitschko. UFC commentator Joe Rogan doesn’t sound optimistic on the prospect of Jon Jones wanting to box heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. “No, no, no. I think anybody who thinks they can box with one of the very best boxers the heavyweight division has ever seen, without being just a professional boxer for a long period of time, is kind of kidding themselves.”

McGregor looks to GSP. Having the same surgeon repair a torn ACL, Conor McGregor is using Georges St. Pierre’s knee rehabilitation as the blueprint of his own. “Watch when I come back-I’m going to make it look damn easy. There’s no doubt about it.”

MEDIA STEW

UFC 165 phantom cam highlights.

Dana White coming for the $175K Ken Shamrock owes the UFC.

UFC World Tour: Weidman vs. Silva 2 Press Conference.

Google+ Hangout with Team Alpha Male.

Ken Shamrock making the case for higher UFC fighter pay.

New Joe Rogan Experience with Josh Barnett.

Luke’s weekly Chat Wrappers.

Swedish fans reacting to Gustafsson’s big takedown.

Ncedo “Nintendo” Gomba KO’s Fahsitong.

TWEETS

Day 2.

The stare down! Weidman vs Silva :world press tour day 2! #UFC168 No Kissing!! https://t.co/lliCkxrNCz

— Dana White (@danawhite) September 24, 2013

I know the feeling.

Felt like a takedown “@HennyLord_: @JonnyBones How did it feel to be taken down for the first time ?”

— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) September 24, 2013

Less of this one.

“He’s tapping! He’s tapping!” Ah, the moment of victory. @SuckerPunchEnt #BJJ pic.twitter.com/QVeECp5wI3

— Brent Weedman (@brent_weedman) September 24, 2013

Almost makes up for the rematch.

Omg I was on @miketyson ‘show “Being: Mike Tyson” pic.twitter.com/JRjAIoeTyo

— glover teixeira (@gloverteixeira) September 25, 2013

This escalated quickly.

@ShamrockKen @frankshamrock @Randy_Couture @Rampage4real maybe we should crash the show. I will buy the tickets.

— Tito Ortiz (@titoortiz) September 24, 2013

@titoortiz @frankshamrock @Randy_Couture @Rampage4real – I will stand beside you Tito. – frank lets go!!!!!

— KEN SHAMROCK (@ShamrockKen) September 24, 2013

@ShamrockKen @titoortiz @frankshamrock @Rampage4real feel sorry for the security guys dana sends to have us removed 🙂 hope they have guns !

— Randy Couture (@Randy_Couture) September 24, 2013

@mazurek_is1 @titoortiz @ShamrockKen @frankshamrock @Rampage4real went out on my own terms asshole so fuck off !

— Randy Couture (@Randy_Couture) September 24, 2013

@Randy_Couture @mazurek_is1 @titoortiz @frankshamrock @Rampage4real – we made the UFC. Randy went out on his terms big mouth.

— KEN SHAMROCK (@ShamrockKen) September 24, 2013

Early morning.

Gym

— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) September 24, 2013

Gym done

— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) September 24, 2013

Nick in shape and training.

pic.twitter.com/iNtfeKE4Ua

— nick diaz (@nickdiaz209) September 24, 2013

Kill.

Got my new Mouthguard today from @JAWZZMOUTHGUARD thanks so much pic.twitter.com/BT2w77kjHZ

— Matthew brown (@IamTheImmortal) September 24, 2013

Bromance.

@vitorbelfort it’s a blessing to be able to be training with you and be a part of your legacy!

— TyroneSpong (@Tyrone_spong) September 24, 2013

Outstanding.

Me and @TeamKhabib celebrating his dominating win over pat Healy! pic.twitter.com/V4eBCxagOw

— Kid Bruiser (@KidBruiserUFC) September 24, 2013

Congrats!

Welcome to this world Gracie June Brenneman!!! 9/24/13

— Charlie Brenneman (@SpaniardMMA) September 25, 2013

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced yesterday (Sept. 24 2013)

Francisco France vs. Hans Stringer to WSOF 6

Chad Robichaux vs. Andrew Yates to WSOF 6

Aaron Rosa vs. Mikhail Zayats at Bellator 103

Anthony Njokuani out vs. Al Iaquinta at UFC Fight Night 30

Antonio Braga Neto out, Brian Houston in vs. Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 31

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via MMA Fighting member AndrewHH.

The Heart of a Champion

We witnessed something special last night. A champion was pushed to his limits for the first time in his young career. A worthy challenger rose to the occasion in dramatic fashion, shattering the MMA world’s expectations of him and putting on the best performance on his life. UFC 165 wasn’t just a show. It was an event.

The last time I felt like this after a fight was November 19th, 2011, when Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua put on an epic fight to end all epic fights at UFC 139. That fight was awesome. Awe-inspiring. By fight’s end, both men had been rocked, dropped, taken down, caught in submissions, reversed, and everything in between. Both were so exhausted that they, like Jones and Gustafsson, skipped the post-fight press conference in favor of recovering in the hospital. I’m not saying Jones vs. Gustafsson was better than Henderson vs. Rua, but it was easily just as good.

Check out the rest of the post here.

Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.

Granting a rare interview to his own outlet, former UFC champion B.J. Penn opened up a bit on how he went from ‘doing yard work’ one week to now starring opposite Frankie Edgar on next season’s The Ultimate Fighter. In addition to the coaching stint, the pair will meet for a third time, but at 145lbs. With Edgar now a full time featherweight, Penn was forced to take the plunge himself if he ever wanted another shot at him. Even so, Penn says he’d rather finish their trilogy at lightweight, where it began.

You know, I really do wish this fight was at 155 lbs. Nothing to do with the weight, it’s just I really feel that Frankie hasn’t lost yet. He’s right up there, and I feel everybody says I’m supposed to be the greatest at lightweight. Frankie beat me twice. Frankie never really lost yet. Pettis is the new champ, you got all these new guys coming. Well if Frankie and me are the old guys, maybe who walks out of that ring will be one of the best lightweights of all time. We’re going to find out.

Should Penn have success against Edgar, he’s already sorting out the complications of fighting his mentor’s other prized pupil, Jose Aldo.

I know it’s really weird for a lot of people in America to understand this, but I’ve always been a loyal guy to my Jiu-Jitsu King. Ever since Jose Aldo has hit the scene and just went on an absolute tear has busted everybody up, I never had any intentions of fighting Jose Aldo. At this point, if I fight Jose Aldo who am I fighting? I’m fighting Andre Pederneiras. I’m fighting the man who gave me my black belt. It’s just not a comfortable feeling for me. Me and Andre Pederneiras will have to sit down and talk. Jose Aldo is going to have to sit down and talk. I know Jose Aldo was just about to fight Anthony Pettis. Now, is Jose Aldo going to go up to 155 and fight Anthony Pettis or is he going to stay at 145 and defend his belt? I think with some of the decisions Aldo will make, will help me make some of my decisions myself.

In addition to training with Pederneiras leading up to his 2014 summer bout, Penn plans on keeping him heavily involved as a coach on TUF.

Andre Pederneiras is the first guy on the list. We want to have a lot of special guests. We’re working night and day. Me and my five buddies, my coaches/training partners… we’re trying to put together a good team that makes a lot of sense that really gives these guys what they need based off their careers.

With Andre Pederneiras coming in, I almost feel like my job is easy now that I’ve got Andre because he’s the mastermind. He’s the sensei. He’s the man who made me the first foreigner to ever win in Brazil. Let’s see if he can be the man to make me be the first person to finish Frankie Edgar. We’re going to find out.

5 MUST-READ STORIES

Signal to noise. Luke Thomas gives his take on the best and worst of UFC 165.

The cut. After Dana White claimed he begged cageside doctors not to stop the fight, referee John McCarthy sets the record straight on the cut that nearly cost Jon Jones his title. “I said, ‘Jason, this is the last round. I think you need to let him go. I will look at it. If it gets worse, I promise you I will bring him to you.’

Biggest ever. Dana White says UFC 168 has the potential to be their biggest show to date. “Bigger than UFC 100. On every level. Tickets, pay-per-views, everything. You’re going to see a motivated Anderson, but what makes this so much fun is, what Anderson are you going to see? How is this thing going to go? That’s such a big part of the fun.”

Rogan on Jones vs. Klitschko. UFC commentator Joe Rogan doesn’t sound optimistic on the prospect of Jon Jones wanting to box heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko. “No, no, no. I think anybody who thinks they can box with one of the very best boxers the heavyweight division has ever seen, without being just a professional boxer for a long period of time, is kind of kidding themselves.”

McGregor looks to GSP. Having the same surgeon repair a torn ACL, Conor McGregor is using Georges St. Pierre’s knee rehabilitation as the blueprint of his own. “Watch when I come back-I’m going to make it look damn easy. There’s no doubt about it.”

MEDIA STEW

UFC 165 phantom cam highlights.

Dana White coming for the $175K Ken Shamrock owes the UFC.

UFC World Tour: Weidman vs. Silva 2 Press Conference.

Google+ Hangout with Team Alpha Male.

Ken Shamrock making the case for higher UFC fighter pay.

New Joe Rogan Experience with Josh Barnett.

Luke’s weekly Chat Wrappers.

Swedish fans reacting to Gustafsson’s big takedown.

Ncedo “Nintendo” Gomba KO’s Fahsitong.

TWEETS

Day 2.

The stare down! Weidman vs Silva :world press tour day 2! #UFC168 No Kissing!! https://t.co/lliCkxrNCz

— Dana White (@danawhite) September 24, 2013

I know the feeling.

Felt like a takedown “@HennyLord_: @JonnyBones How did it feel to be taken down for the first time ?”

— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) September 24, 2013

Less of this one.

“He’s tapping! He’s tapping!” Ah, the moment of victory. @SuckerPunchEnt #BJJ pic.twitter.com/QVeECp5wI3

— Brent Weedman (@brent_weedman) September 24, 2013

Almost makes up for the rematch.

Omg I was on @miketyson ‘show “Being: Mike Tyson” pic.twitter.com/JRjAIoeTyo

— glover teixeira (@gloverteixeira) September 25, 2013

This escalated quickly.

@ShamrockKen @frankshamrock @Randy_Couture @Rampage4real maybe we should crash the show. I will buy the tickets.

— Tito Ortiz (@titoortiz) September 24, 2013

@titoortiz @frankshamrock @Randy_Couture @Rampage4real – I will stand beside you Tito. – frank lets go!!!!!

— KEN SHAMROCK (@ShamrockKen) September 24, 2013

@ShamrockKen @titoortiz @frankshamrock @Rampage4real feel sorry for the security guys dana sends to have us removed 🙂 hope they have guns !

— Randy Couture (@Randy_Couture) September 24, 2013

@mazurek_is1 @titoortiz @ShamrockKen @frankshamrock @Rampage4real went out on my own terms asshole so fuck off !

— Randy Couture (@Randy_Couture) September 24, 2013

@Randy_Couture @mazurek_is1 @titoortiz @frankshamrock @Rampage4real – we made the UFC. Randy went out on his terms big mouth.

— KEN SHAMROCK (@ShamrockKen) September 24, 2013

Early morning.

Gym

— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) September 24, 2013

Gym done

— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) September 24, 2013

Nick in shape and training.

pic.twitter.com/iNtfeKE4Ua

— nick diaz (@nickdiaz209) September 24, 2013

Kill.

Got my new Mouthguard today from @JAWZZMOUTHGUARD thanks so much pic.twitter.com/BT2w77kjHZ

— Matthew brown (@IamTheImmortal) September 24, 2013

Bromance.

@vitorbelfort it’s a blessing to be able to be training with you and be a part of your legacy!

— TyroneSpong (@Tyrone_spong) September 24, 2013

Outstanding.

Me and @TeamKhabib celebrating his dominating win over pat Healy! pic.twitter.com/V4eBCxagOw

— Kid Bruiser (@KidBruiserUFC) September 24, 2013

Congrats!

Welcome to this world Gracie June Brenneman!!! 9/24/13

— Charlie Brenneman (@SpaniardMMA) September 25, 2013

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced yesterday (Sept. 24 2013)

Francisco France vs. Hans Stringer to WSOF 6

Chad Robichaux vs. Andrew Yates to WSOF 6

Aaron Rosa vs. Mikhail Zayats at Bellator 103

Anthony Njokuani out vs. Al Iaquinta at UFC Fight Night 30

Antonio Braga Neto out, Brian Houston in vs. Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 31

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via MMA Fighting member AndrewHH.

The Heart of a Champion

We witnessed something special last night. A champion was pushed to his limits for the first time in his young career. A worthy challenger rose to the occasion in dramatic fashion, shattering the MMA world’s expectations of him and putting on the best performance on his life. UFC 165 wasn’t just a show. It was an event.

The last time I felt like this after a fight was November 19th, 2011, when Dan Henderson and Mauricio Rua put on an epic fight to end all epic fights at UFC 139. That fight was awesome. Awe-inspiring. By fight’s end, both men had been rocked, dropped, taken down, caught in submissions, reversed, and everything in between. Both were so exhausted that they, like Jones and Gustafsson, skipped the post-fight press conference in favor of recovering in the hospital. I’m not saying Jones vs. Gustafsson was better than Henderson vs. Rua, but it was easily just as good.

Check out the rest of the post here.

Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.

With the scorecards from UFC 165’s main event released, we now get a better look at how the judges saw Jon Jones successfully defending his light heavyweight title to Alexander Gustafsson. After a brutal, five-round bout, here’s how the judges scored it:

Judge Doug Crosby
Rd. 1: Gustafsson 10-9
Rd. 2: Gustafsson 10-9
Rd. 3: Jones 10-9
Rd. 4: Jones 10-9
Rd. 5: Jones 10-9

Judge Richard Bertrand
Rd. 1: Gustafsson 10-9
Rd. 2: Jones 10-9
Rd. 3: Gustafsson 10-9
Rd. 4: Jones 10-9
Rd. 5: Jones 10-9

Judge Chris Lee
Rd. 1: Gustafsson 10-9
Rd. 2: Jones 10-9
Rd. 3: Jones 10-9
Rd. 4: Jones 10-9
Rd. 5: Jones 10-9

(via FOX Sports)

Doug Crosby, who scored the bout 48-47 for the champion, gave Jones rounds three, four and five while giving Gustafsson the first two. Richard Bertrand, who also scored it 48-47 for Jones, saw him win rounds two, four and five with the challenger taking one and three. Chris Lee, scoring the fight 49-46 for Jones, only had Gustafsson winning the first round. Each judge scores the first round for Gustafsson, while Jones swept the championship rounds. Had it been a three-round contest, Gustafsson would have walked away with the decision.

Fans and fighters alike instantly clamored that Gustafsson had earned the nod, leaving the door open for debate. Even so, keep in mind that seemingly close fights often aren’t reflected on the score cards. Judges are discouraged from scoring 10-10 rounds, forcing them to treat each independent round as its own competition. As our own Dave Meltzer pointed out, the scoring of Saturday’s main event wasn’t nearly as curious as some think.

“It was close. Chris Lee wasn’t crazy, certainly not in this fight. It’s rare, but you can have a razor close fight and end up 50-45. Razor-close fights ending 30-27 are not rare. You can have a near slaughter in the end and it end up 48-47. The score can reflect the closeness of the fight, but it’s a round-by-round system. Plenty of 29-28 fights are not close fights at all.”

5 MUST-READ STORIES

Scrums. On the first stop of their seven city media tour, catch scrums with Dana White, Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. Dana stands behind Jones, Anderson still wants Roy Jones Jr. and Weidman open to superfight with Jon Jones.

McCarthy rips Kizer. Following the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s public support of a controversial scoring of Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez, ‘Big’ John McCarthy says executive director Keith Kizer is endangering athletes. “So if you’re doing that, you keep putting those same people back, you don’t care about the fighters. You don’t care about them as athletes, you don’t care about their livelihood.”

Grudge match. After Wanderlei Silva said he wanted to ‘destroy’ him in Oregon, Chael Sonnen says it’s all a bunch of bluster. “Anyone who believes the UFC hasn’t offered or tried to put on this colossal mega-fight between two guys that genuinely disdain each other is more than silly.”

The Beard. Dana White sympathizes with Daniel Cormier potentially having to deal with Roy Nelson’s impressive facial hair. “I don’t want that nasty thing rubbing on my face either if I was in a fight.”

Silva by KO. On the heels of his first knockout inside the Octagon, Anderson Silva vows to return the favor for his rematch with Chris Weidman. “I (will) give back the knockout.”

MEDIA STEW

UFC 166 preview.

UFC 165: backstage pass.

Cris Cyborg TKO’s Jennifer Colomb. You can see the full broadcast here, but this version has great angles on the Round 2 flurry and TKO.

Gilbert Melendez talks about the future of Nick and Nate Diaz.

Brendan Schaub walks us through his D’Arce choke from UFC 165 in the latest Gracie Breakdown.

Dan Hardy shares the recipe for post-workout shake.

Super Fight League 26.

Tommy Toe Hold answers your questions.

TWEETS

Gotta see about a girl(?)

@ufc Cant make it november 30th ive gotta high school reuinion i have to tend too…

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) September 23, 2013

Interesting.

Ok let’s make this clear, there was no begging the Ringside Physician 2 let the fight continue. There was normal interaction between him & I

— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) September 23, 2013

Never a doubt.

For the fans who supported my teammate @AlexTheMauler thank u…N the ones who gave him no shot at all-ull c the rematch soon! #ufc

— Dominick Cruz (@TheDomin8r) September 23, 2013

A legit challenge for Rousey?

MMA?👊 (foto por bjjpix) http://t.co/nMzvgIEk3b

— Kyra Gracie (@kyragracie) September 23, 2013

Didn’t he call them the ‘Sacramento Queens’ once?

Pumped that @SHAQ is on board with the @SacramentoKings atta boy Shaq daddy!

— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) September 23, 2013

Not much difference in forearm size.

My friend @toquinhomma … Com meu amigo toquinho na @teamnogueirarec “O bixo esta voando e com muita… http://t.co/kqPXhbimMG

— Antonio Pezao Silva (@BigfootSilva) September 23, 2013

Why scan this far out from a fight?

Body scanning for EA Sports.. http://t.co/nGEerg131t

— Chris Weidman (@ChrisWeidmanUFC) September 23, 2013

Gettin’ paid.

@supernorms @JonnyBones @RosenhausSports @Chan95Jones @malkikawa I’m telling you he makes more then me and @Chan95Jones together.

— Arthur Jones (@Artj97) September 23, 2013

That’s a show I’d watch.

I think while im down im going to get a.job in alaska on one of those fishing.boats anyone have any info ?

— phil baroni (@philbaroni) September 24, 2013

What?

No shit,@mark_munoz says he’s gonna hit me in the ass and when I get up I’ll be like aagh, my ass hurts..You know where I’m going with this

— michael (@bisping) September 24, 2013

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announced yesterday (Sept. 23 2013)

NA

FANPOST OF THE DAY

Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via MMA Fighting member Steve Borchardt.

Notes From the Undercard: UFC 165 Edition

When Charles Dickens wrote his famous line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” he could just as easily have been prognosticating the outcome of UFC 165’s undercard as setting the stage for one of his most famous novels.

The preliminary portion of this past Saturday’s show from Toronto was marked by a pronounced dichotomy between highly entertaining short fights and three rounders so dull watching them felt like monitoring a slug’s progress as it attempted to slither its way through a marathon. Join me bellow as I take a closer look at the good, the bad, and the frustratingly incompetent from the UFC 165 prelims.

A win may not always be a win, but is there ever a time when a loss isn’t a loss for an undercard fighter?

Sometimes fighting in the UFC can be a real “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” kind of job. Fighters are encouraged by the promotion to make a name for themselves with exciting performances, but at the same time there’s so much riding on every fight the pressure to win at all costs can be overwhelming.

Check out the rest of the post here.

Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.