There is an art to matchmaking in combat sports.
While some fights come together with natural ease, most bouts are formed through a hectic process of evaluation. Several aspects need to be graded on each side of the table before committing to the match…
There is an art to matchmaking in combat sports.
While some fights come together with natural ease, most bouts are formed through a hectic process of evaluation. Several aspects need to be graded on each side of the table before committing to the matchup.
Whether or not a fight makes sense in the divisional scheme, timing and making sure both fighters stand to gain similar rewards are the most pressing issues that come to mind. Then, of course, there is the most important aspect of a potential fight: Will both competitors be willing to mix it up and put on a show?
The unfortunate part of the process comes when all of these criteria are met, and the fight fails to deliver. That said, the UFC showcases far more exciting tilts than flat fights these days, which goes to show just how good Joe Silva and Sean Shelby are at their jobs.
2014 was certainly one of those strange years for the UFC. While there were high-profile tilts, championship scraps and toe-to-toe tussles for the ages, there were plenty of down moments as well. Several big fights fell through, and a small collection of champions spent more time on the sidelines than they did in the prime time in 2014. While ticket sales and pay-per-view numbers hinge on the biggest names showing up to do their things, the bigger issue at hand is the lack of divisional movement.
With a champion out, a contender cannot climb correctly. This leads to backups, logjams and all kinds of unnecessary business at the top weight classes that have become increasingly more competitive. And while there appears to be hope for an entire host of champions getting back to work in the coming year, we here at B/R MMA prefer to focus this column on the fights just below the title tier. The ones that keep the things rolling.
Every month we propose three potential fights that we believe would keep divisional pictures firing on all cylinders. Here are the most recent selections for “UFC Fantasy Matchmaker.”
Anytime the big boys are inside the Octagon throwing leather it’s going to draw eyes, but a potential bout between Alistair Overeem and Matt Mitrione holds a tremendous amount of upside with very little downturn on the line. Pairing up “The Reem” vs. “Meat” could be the next big fight in the heavyweight fold, and there are more than a few reasons why it needs to happen.
When a fighter carries a large amount of name recognition the way Overeem does, the promotion they compete for has only a few ways to use them. They can either be on the hunt for the title, which has been attempted and failed twice in the Dutchman’s case, or they can fend off the elite level of the divisional ranks for the up-and-coming hungry bucks of the heavyweight fold.
While the former Strikeforce champion failed in his previous attempt to do this against Travis Browne, the “Demolition Man” was ultimately successful in his most recent showing against Stefan Struve. It took the muscle-heavy striker less than one round to leave “The Skyscraper” dazed and staring up at the arena lights, which gave him his second win in his past three showings.
And while that is solid progress for most heavyweights, for one who was figured to be as dominant as Overeem was assumed to be fresh out of the gates, it is going to take a few more solid wins over dangerous opponents to get himself back into the title conversation.
That said, a bout with Overeem would be a huge opportunity for Mitrione. The former NFL player turned mixed martial artist has been honing his craft on the sport’s biggest stage since being a cast member on Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. The former Purdue University football standout came onto the reality-based fighting program with zero professional fights and has notched 12 in the five years since.
Furthermore, while Mitrione has admitted he was given an easy entry into the UFC for his first couple of fights, his past seven have come against legitimate competition.
Over this stretch, Mitrione has matured before the very eyes of the UFC fanbase and is shaping up to be quite a fighter by all measurable standards. His knockout power has always been on point and is only getting more dangerous as he picks up hand speed, and his ever-improving footwork is making it difficult for the competition to stay up with him as was on display in his win over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC on Fox 13 in Phoenix. Mitrione was simply too fast and too powerful for “Napao” to handle, and the results produced themselves in brutal fashion.
Futhermore, both Overeem and Mitrione picked up victories on the same card. Neither took any type of damage and would be on a similar timeline. Then when you sprinkle in the rumored bitterness and animosity between Overeem and his former Blackzilians teammates—the squad Mitrione represents—the makings for a solid build up are all right there.
Sources close to the fighters say there is no love lost on at least one side of this particular equation, and these things add up to something the heavyweight division needs.
If Overeem is going to get back into title contention, make him prove he’s found his groove by knocking off a rock-solid Mitrione. That said, if the TUFalum is ready to parlay his three-fight winning streak into the elite level of the division, the former K-1 champion is the ticket. It’s a fight that’s just that easy to make, and it will be interesting to see if it’s the route in which the UFC decides to travel.
Gilbert Melendez vs. Bobby Green
If you’ve read this column before (or any column I have written in the past three years) then you’ve surely been made aware of just how talented the UFC lightweight division is. The 155-pound fold is as stacked as they come under the promotional banner, with a dominant and exciting champion to go along with a collection of worthy title contenders. These elements combine to make it one of the best divisions in the UFC, and there are no signs of this changing anytime soon.
While Anthony Pettis will most likely face Rafael dos Anjos with the winner facing KhabibNurmagomedov in their following bout, this leaves a batch of past contenders and title challengers in a space where they are going to have to scrap it out in order to keep their places on the divisional hierarchy. With Benson Henderson vs. Eddie Alvarez and Donald Cerrone vs. Myles Jury already booked, the next fight to make in this mix would be Gilbert Melendez vs. Bobby Green.
Since coming over from Strikeforce in 2013, “El Nino” has been close to getting his hands on UFC gold. While his first attempt was a much closer affair that ended in a split-decision loss to champion Benson Henderson at UFC on Fox 7 in his official promotional debut, he didn’t get nearly as close in his most recent attempt against striking phenom Anthony Pettis at UFC 181 earlier in the month.
That said, Melendez fought his signature gritty, in-your-face brand of fight, and he gave the talented young champion fits for the first seven minutes of the fight. Still, the “Skrap Pack” leader was dazed by a short counter shot attempting to close distance against the cage, then fell victim to a Pettis guillotine as he attempted a desperate takedown attempt.
And while his second setback in a UFC title fight was undoubtedly disappointing for the longstanding 155-pound standout, he’s far from being out of the mix for good in the lightweight fold. He’s going to need to jump right back into the cage to start making up the ground he lost, and Green would make for an excellent opponent against whom to do just that.
Much like Melendez, “King” is not only a transplant from the now-defunct Strikeforce roster, but a fighter who wasted zero time earning his respect under the UFC banner. The scrappy lightweight brought a four-fight winning streak into his UFC debut and then bolstered those numbers by adding four more straight wins to his resume all coming over tough competition.
Still, on the same night when Melendez was halted by Pettis, the California native had his momentum stunted by rangy striker EdsonBarboza. It was a solid fight in which Green did his best to hang with the Team Renzo Gracie fighter’s rapid-fire offense, but in the end he was toppled via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.
With Green battling so hard to get up to the top level of the lightweight division, it’s doubtful he’ll be looking to slide too far down and that’s why a potential bout with Melendez makes sense. That, and with everyone else ranked above them currently tied up or injured, a showdown between two fighters who always bring action-packed, fan-friendly tilts would be an easy make.
Granted, there is potentially a roadblock with Green having trained with the Diaz brothers for his most recent bout, but both of these fighters are professionals. The pairing would potentially be barn-burner between two fighters who are looking to claw their way back to the top of the division, and that has all the makings for some good action inside the Octagon.
Jessica Penne vs. Tecia Torres
The latest installment of The Ultimate Fighter may still be fresh in the brains of fight fans, but that doesn’t mean there is any reason to take their foot off the proverbial gas pedal when it comes to working the women’s strawweight action into the regular divisional chaos of the UFC’s event schedule.
Granted, it may take a bit for the organization to determine who will get the chance to face newly crowned champion Carla Esparza in her first official title defense, but there’s no reason not to throw a batch of potential future contenders right back into the mix.
Although Tecia Torres’ season didn’t go remotely as planned, with “The Tiny Tornado” losing in the first round then again later on in the tournament when she was brought back, the fiery bomber had an excellent showing against Angela Magana at the TUF20 finale to pick up her first official UFC victory. In the fight with her TUF housemate, Torres’ signature pressure was on point, and she fought relentlessly to pick up the win against an opponent who had zero answers for what she was throwing in her direction.
Still, while Torres looked solid at the finale, the best scrap of the night was easily the one that went down between Jessica Penne and Randa Markos. The Orange County representative and the savvy Canadian went all-out for 15 minutes as they spent the entirety of the three-round affair mixing it up in intense grappling exchanges and slick transitions. When the final bell sounded, Penne had her hand raised, and she not only picked up her first official victory as a UFC fighter, but her first official win competing at 115 pounds.
Penne vacated her atomweight strap (105 pounds) to compete in the 20th domestic installment of the reality-based fighting program, and with each showing, she became increasingly more comfortable fighting up in weight. UFC President Dana White hasn’t made clear how many of the competitors from this most recent season are going to have a permanent home under the UFC banner, but there is no doubt that both Penne and Torres have their respective roster spots on lock.
When their dynamic styles and the possibility of future title contention are factored in, booking Penne vs. Torres would be a surefire hit for one of the early cards in 2015.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
There are few spectacles more appealing in the realm of combat sports than when heavyweight fighters get to mixing up the leather. Three of the four bouts that comprised the main card at UFC on Fox 13 took place in the ranks of the UFC’s heaviest divis…
There are few spectacles more appealing in the realm of combat sports than when heavyweight fighters get to mixing up the leather. Three of the four bouts that comprised the main card at UFC on Fox 13 took place in the ranks of the UFC’s heaviest division, where six fighters ranked in the Top 15 stepped into the Octagon to handle their business.
While there were some recognizable names in that list of heavyweights, no tilt held at the event held higher stakes than the main-event bout between Junior dos Santos and Stipe Miocic.
The heavy-handed former champion was coming off a lopsided loss to current title holder and rival Cain Velasquez in his most recent showing and desperately needed a victory over Miocic to not only keep his title hopes alive but to also hold his place as a perennial contender intact.
On the flip side of the equation, Miocic faced a tremendous potential upside in squaring off with the former heavyweight king.
The Ohio native has been one of the division’s most highly touted prospects since joining the UFC back in 2011. The former two-sport standout from Cleveland State University had won six of his seven showings inside the Octagon coming into UFC on Fox 13, and a potential victory over a heralded fighter the likes of Dos Santos would transform that prospect tag into legitimate title contender.
With both fighters having the ability to throw bombs in their respective arsenals, there was a high likelihood the bout wouldn’t last long, and what transpired was one of the best heavyweight battles in recent memory. Both took turns exchanging heavy shots, and the tides shifted often throughout the 25-minute affair. When the final bell sounded, it was dos Santos who took the unanimous victory in the hard-fought affair.
The co-main event brought its fair share of drama as surging contender Rafael dos Anjos looked to keep his championship hopes alive when he faced former title challenger Nate Diaz in what was figured to be a lively scrap in the 155-pound ranks. RDA had won seven of his last eight coming into his bout with the Stockton native, and a victory over the Stockton native would make a pretty strong case for title contention.
As for Diaz, his fight-week antics and missing weight did him zero favors in the bigger picture, and he needed the victory over the resurgent Brazilian to keep his place in the divisional upper tier. Yet, with the younger Diaz brother publicly beefing with the UFC in the lead-up to Saturday night, no one knew what to expect when the cage door closed on the lightweight tilt.
When the action got underway, it was all Dos Anjos. The Brazilian pursued the action relentlessly as he put a beating all over Diaz. He used leg kicks to chop Diaz’s base and then opened up his eye with a sharp left hand on a counter exchange en route to picking up the unanimous-decision victory.
Outside of the action at the top of the card, there was plenty of face-punching and freaky self-imposed knockouts to be had on Saturday night. Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from UFC on Fox 13.
The Good
There were a lot of questions lingering around the main-event battle between Junior dos Santos and Stipe Miocic at UFC on Fox 13.
After being at the end of two extended beatings at the hands of current champion Cain Velasquez, many wondered just how much Cigano would have to give inside the Octagon. On the flip side, Miocic has been one of the divisions hottest prospect for the past two years, and the Cleveland native had the opportunity to take a huge step up in the divisional picture by toppling the former champion.
While JDS would ultimately win the bout on the judges’ scorecards, both men deserve props for hanging tough in a gritty, five-round battle. The Brazilian knockout artist chucked his signature bombs until the very end, and the former Cleveland State wrestling standout was right there with him until the very end.
That said, what this fight ultimately proved is that Dos Santos is still in the mix for the heavyweight title, and Miocic isn’t far off the divisional upper tier by taking the most feared knockout artist in his weight class to the wire.
The UFC’s lightweight division is as stacked as they come, and Rafael dos Anjos is making a strong case for title contention. While Khabib Nurmagomedov is still sitting in front of him in that particular race, the Kings MMA representative continues to add big names to his already-impressive resume.
He came into UFC on Fox 13 having scored victories over perennial contender Donald Cerrone and former champion Benson Henderson in his most recent showing and then upped the ante by dominating former title challenger Nate Diaz for three rounds on Saturday night.
While RDA has proven to be as versatile as they come inside the Octagon, he directed his offensive attack at the Stockton native’s lead leg, and that decision paid off big for the game Brazilian in the co-main event.
If he was battering Diaz with kicks, he was hammering him on the canvas from top control as he cruised to his third consecutive victory in the talent-stacked lightweight ranks.
While Dos Anjos pleaded with Dana White for a title opportunity, having a loss to Nurmagomedov on his record and with the Russian sitting in front of him in the rankings, could very well stall out those hopes. Nevertheless, Dos Anjos is proving himself to be a legitimate threat in the 155-pound fold. Cub Watson voiced his support of a Dos Anjos vs. Pettis matchup:
***No fighter on the card at UFC on Fox 13 needed a victory more than Alistair Overeem. The former Dream and Strikeforce heavyweight champion came to the UFC with high expectations and was figured to contest for the divisional title right away.
Yet, after making a successful debut against Brock Lesnar back in 2011, it’s been a hard downhill crash for The Reem in the years since. He came into his bout with Stefan Struve on Saturday having lost three of his last four and was certainly aware of the urgency surrounding his bout at UFC on Fox 13.
While Overeem is known as a striker, he decided to take his fellow Dutchman to the ground and do his work from there.
Once he had Struve boxed up against the fence, the former K-1 champion unleashed several brutal power shots down on The Skyscraper and continued to do so until referee “Big” John McCarthy stepped in (a bit late mind you) to stop the bout. With the win, Overeem not only remains relevant in the heavyweight mix, but he will also keep his place on the UFC roster as well.
***As history has proven, getting past Gabriel Gonzaga can allow entry into the elite level of the heavyweight division, and Matt Mitrione stormed those proverbial gates on Saturday night.
From the jump it was obvious the former NFL player-turned-mixed-martial-artist had a speed advantage, and that quickness ultimately became the former title challenger’s undoing. Napao was dropped with a short left hand in close quarters, and Meathead finished off the bout with a flurry of shots to a grounded Gonzaga.
The big question will be in what comes next for the former All-American football standout from Purdue University. He’s won four of his last five outings and looked more impressive with every showing, which should all but guarantee his next opponent comes in the form of one of the bigger names in the heavyweight ranks. Justin Huffman of Guardian Liberty Voice notes Mitrione “keeps climbing the ladder”:
***While he’s attempting to climb the flyweight ladder toward another title shot, John Moraga came into UFC on Fox 13 facing a difficult situation. The MMA Lab product was originally supposed to face Jussier Formiga on the card, but the Brazilian was forced out with injury and replaced by newcomer Willie Gates.
Yet, while Moraga was certainly the favorite, he was forced to weather an early storm from Whoop Ass to pull out the rear-naked choke that ended the fight in the final round. The Phoenix native not only got the victory in front of his hometown crowd, but he also picked up his third win in his past four showings in the process. Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting pointed out how much Arizona loves Moraga, highlighting his standing ovation:
***Ben Saunders has returned to the UFC as a man on a mission. Killa B marked a successful return by scoring a slick omoplata submission over Chris Heatherly back in August, and he kept that momentum rolling against Joe Riggs on Saturday night.
Riggs scored a takedown early in the fight, but injured his neck in the process as soon as they hit the canvas. With Diesel in severe pain, Saunders locked on a fight-ending triangle choke. While there was a lot of emphasis put on Riggs’ injury post-fight, that still doesn’t take away from the outstanding finish Saunders earned en route to his second consecutive victory since returning to the UFC. UFC on Fox announced Saunders’ win and provided an injury observation regarding Riggs:
***There was a big opportunity on the table for Drew Dober coming into UFC on Fox 13. He was facing a former WEC lightweight champion in Jamie Varner and had the chance to knock off an opponent with a solid name in the fight game.
Dober wasted zero time capitalizing and seizing the moment as he earned a first-round-submission finish over the Arizona-based slugger in front of Varner’s hometown crowd. It was certainly the biggest win of Dober’s career and one that made a solid statement in the process.
***Taking his UFC debut on short notice proved to be no big deal for Bryan Barberena as he outworked Joe Ellenberger to pick up the second-round finish via ground-and-pound on Friday night.
While the first round was competitive, the second frame belonged entirely to the MMA Lab representative as he battered the Nebraska native until the referee stepped in to stop the bout. It was an impressive showing for Barberena as he defeated a tough veteran in his first showing inside the Octagon.
***There wasn’t much beauty to be found in the bout, David Michaud turned the canvas of the Octagon into a blood bath, thanks to a short elbow from Garett Whiteley during their tilt on the preliminary portion of the card.
While the first two rounds of the fight were mostly spent in grappling exchanges with Michaud in top control, the final round of the tilt was a slugfest. While he gave a valiant effort, Whiteley couldn’t make up the difference of the first two rounds, and Michaud took the unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.
***After issues making the 125-pound weight limit forced him to jump up into the bantamweight ranks, Henry Cejudo finally made his official promotional debut against Dustin Kimura at UFC on Fox 13.
While the former Olympic gold medalist has utilized his outstanding wrestling to find success thus far in his brief MMA career, it was his boxing skills that baffled the normally scrappy Hawaiian. When the final bell sounded, Cejudo picked up his first UFC victory and kept his undefeated record intact.
***Although Ian Entwisle had a disastrous UFC debut earlier in the year, he came into his bout with Anthony Birchak looking to prove he belonged, competing inside the Octagon.
The scrappy Englishman wasted zero time getting that done as he latched onto his signature leg lock and forced Birchak to tap out just north of the one-minute mark in the opening round of the contest to get the victory. While leg-lock or heel-hook specialists are a rarity at the top level of the fight game, Entwisle proved once again that he’s as dangerous as they come if he’s able to drag his opponent into his world. Bloody Elbow’s Stephie D was impressed with Entwisle’s “lightning quick” win over Birchak:
The Bad
The end of Jamie Varner’s road in mixed martial arts came to an end on Saturday night.
The former WEC lightweight champion desperately needed a victory coming into his fight with Drew Dober at UFC on Fox 13 in his hometown, but that was a result he wouldn’t find.
After trying to do a lateral drop and flip his opponent, Varner was temporarily knocked out when Dober’s head smashed his chin upon impact. From there it was all Dober as he pounced on his dazed opponent and finished the bout via rear-naked choke.
While the Arizona native would announce his retirement in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, it was likely for a few good reasons. Not only did the loss to Dober make it four consecutive setbacks and five of his last six, four of those defeats came by way of the finish.
It was all but guaranteed that his loss to Dober at UFC on Fox 13 would be the catalyst for his release from the UFC—the third time he would have been let go out of a Zuffa contract—and it was obviously something he didn’t want to face.
Yet, while Varner certainly had some solid moments during his 11-year career, the end of his run in MMA was nothing short of ugly. The one-time power puncher was getting knocked out or submitted on the regular, and his body was falling apart, as was put on display in his bout against James Krause.
And where a fighter making the call to retire on his own regard is certainly commendable, getting submitted in the first round in front of your hometown crowd is a tough way to take a final bow. Al-Shatti pointed out the “dead silence,” as fans are shocked by how Varner’s career in the Octagon ended:
Another fighter whose future may be uncertain is Stefan Struve.
For years the rangy Dutchman was tagged as the “next big thing” in the heavyweight ranks, and there have been times where he’s appeared to be living up to his potential and expectation. Coming into 2012, The Skyscraper was poised to finally break through into title contention until a huge hook from Mark Hunt laid him out and broke his lower jaw into two pieces.
While that injury was devastating, it would be announced several months later that Struve was suffering from a career- and life-threatening heart condition. That said, Struve was determined to return to fighting and was set to do so against Matt Mitrione this past July at UFC 175 in Las Vegas.
Yet, unfortunately for Struve, he would faint backstage and was pulled from that card for medical reasons. It was a disappointing turn for Struve, and he was fired up to make the most of his official return against Alistair Overeem at UFC on Fox 13.
That said, his 20-month layoff from action certainly showed in the opening stages of his bout with The Reem. Struve was hesitant to pull the trigger and gave up a takedown from Overeem rather easily. While it took a bit for Overeem to get in on Struve, he eventually did and landed several huge bombs to end the fight in brutal fashion.
And while the loss was only Struve’s second consecutive setback inside the cage, the fashion in which it happened in addition to the physical problems he’s suffered, it is going to be interesting to see where Struve’s career goes from here at just 26 years old.
***It’s difficult not to feel at least a little bit bad for Anthony Birchak. The 27-year-old bantamweight was set to make his long-awaited Octagon debut against Joe Soto back at UFC 177 back in August, until former champion Renan Barao passed out trying to make weight and was pulled from the card for medical reasons.
Forced to scramble at the 11th hour, the promotion tapped a former Bellator champion in Soto to face TJ Dillashaw in the card’s main event. This of course left Birchak without an opponent, and he was bumped off the card entirely.
The Arizona native was finally given his chance to make his official debut at UFC on Fox 13 on Saturday night when he faced Englishman Ian Entwisle. Furthermore, he was able to do so in front of his home-state crowd, and the table was set for the bantamweight prospect to finally make his mark on the biggest stage in the sport.
Unfortunately for Birchak, things wouldn’t remotely work out in his favor as Entwisle caught a fight ending leg lock early in the opening round to win the bout. While Birchak is a young fighter and there will be plenty of time to bounce back, the start of his UFC run has been about as rough as they come, and that can’t be a good thing for his confidence going forward.
Matthew Roth noted Riggs, in addition to his Octagon trouble, was also having trouble “putting words together”:
***Another fighter who can’t seem to catch a break is longtime veteran Joe Riggs. Diesel was one of the young guns in the post-TUF boom in the mid-2000s, but a tough run forced him out of the organization. The heavy-handed slugger continued to throw his hands on stages around the globe and eventually found some traction when he put together a six-fight winning streak that earned him an invite back to the UFC.
The MMA Lab representative was originally slated to face Paulo Thiago back in September, but a self-inflicted gun-shot wound suffered while cleaning his firearm forced him out of the bout.
Nevertheless, he finally made his return on Saturday night and suffered another unfortunate setback as he pretty much knocked himself out of the bout against Ben Saunders when he suffered a “stinger” in his neck as he slammed Killa B on the takedown. Once again, it was another rough shake for Riggs as he attempted to earn his first victory inside the Octagon since August 2006.
Chuck Mendall noted that, sadly, Riggs’ loss was another negative outcome in a string of unfortunate events:
The Strange
If one of the Diaz brothers is scheduled to compete on a fight card, there is a rock-solid guarantee there will be mention of him in this category of the column. Whether it’s a solid-gold sound bite, or some of their signature “double birds” being thrown mid-fight, Nick and Nate simply choose to walk their own paths.
For this particular go-around, it was The Ultimate Fighter Season 5 winner who took the lead in the brotherly dance.
The brash southpaw started things off in proper Diaz fashion by no-showing the scheduled, nay, mandatory open workouts on Wednesday by saying he simply overslept.
Diaz upped the ante on Thursday by meeting with various media outlets where he lashed out at everything from the UFC’s new uniform deal with Reebok to the promotion signing CM Punk. It’s also worth noting he fiercely opposed Punk coming into the UFC and had some harsh words for the former WWE star.
While those two elements would be bad news for any fighter on the UFC roster, Diaz continued to crank it up at Friday’s weigh-ins as the Stockton native came in five pounds heavy for his bout with Rafael dos Anjos. Where most combatants are apologetic about missing the contracted weight—an offense that costs a fighter 20 percent of their purse—Diaz carried on as if all was running as normal.
Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie pointed out how the UFC dealt with Diaz during the broadcast, describing the action as burying him:
Following the rash of incidents during fight week, UFC President Dana White addressed the situation by citing that while Diaz certainly loves to complain about the money he makes fighting in the UFC, he also seems to find plenty of ways to get fined.
And while losing part of your purse is never a good thing for a fighter to experience, the Diaz brothers continue their paradoxical ways of “not playing the game,” as White is so commonly heard saying in their regard.
His antics leading up to his bout with RDA left some heavy (no pun intended) questions swirling as to how he would perform, and the UFC bashing him in the pre-fight promo didn’t help, but when the action Diaz came out with was one of the flattest performances of his career, he certainly was not helped.
Dos Anjos battered his lead leg with punishing kicks and then beat up the TUF winner when the fight was on the canvas. This process repeated for three rounds with Dos Anjos picking up his third consecutive victory.
In addition to the the Diaz situation, the strange came heavy in Phoenix on Saturday night. Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter felt it was the “weirdest event” ever:
MMA is a realm where anything can happen and usually does. In the past few years, we’ve seen former champions pass out during weight cuts, ears explode inside the Octagon and a fighter come out on the losing end of a battle with a sauna. Simply put: Madness is the name of the game, and the strange certainly made it’s presence felt in Phoenix at the expense of Derek Brunson.
The Jackson/Winkeljohn-trained fighter is a talented prospect in the welterweight ranks and was looking at his bout with seasoned veteran Ed Herman at UFC on Fox 13 as the perfect opportunity to take a solid step up the divisional ladder.
Unfortunately for the South Carolina native, he was stricken with a sudden stomach ailment an hour out from his bout with The Ultimate Fighter veteran. While these particular issues have been known to happen from time to time, it still will result in a poor turn for the former Strikeforce fighter.
When such situations arise, it falls on the UFC to decide whether or not the show portion of the fighter’s purses are paid. And if past occurrences with Renan Barao and Henry Cejudo are the example, things aren’t looking good for Brunson.
Granted, the two previously mentioned fighters failed to make weight and were forced to withdraw where Brunson stepped out due to falling ill. Nevertheless, the UFC pays fighters to show up and scrap, and Brunson’s illness permitted that from happening.
By the look of Ed Herman’s face in this picture, courtesy of Chris Leben, he seems to be as confused as everyone else who was watching the events unfold on Saturday:
There was a lot on the line with a potential shot at Carla Esparza’s newly minted women’s strawweight title when Claudia Gadelha and Joanna Jedrzejczyk stepped in to handle their business. And the two fighters certainly went at one another with the type of urgency and determination that has come to be expected in a title-eliminator bout.
Yet, while the Brazilian and the Poland-based fighter gave their all inside the Octagon, it was the ending of the fight that was downright controversial.
When the final bell sounded and the referee stepped in to separate the two women, Gadelha threw a blatant cheap shot that blasted Jedrzejczyk on the left side of her face. The last time we’ve seen such an obvious disregard for the unified rules of MMA was when Paul Daley smacked Josh Koscheck with a shot post-fight, and oh what a costly one it was.
Despite Daley being one of the top-ranked welterweights at the time, Dana White issued a lifetime ban for the British slugger, vowing that he would never compete inside the Octagon again.
Yet, when Gadelha launched her shot, cage-side commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg seemed to be trying to explain her lashing out as confusion and not knowing that the fight had ended, which is completely absent of the truth just so it’s made clear.
Jedrzejczyk landed a front push kick at the bell, and Gadelha apparently didn’t appreciate the shot as she then launched her right hand after the fight. That said, there was no immediate penalty, and Jedrzejczyk ultimately took the win via split decision on the judges’ scorecards.
Yet, it will be what happens next that will be the most interesting. If the UFC follows suit, Gadelha will be forever cast out of the Octagon, and Jedrzejczyk could very well get the next opportunity to battle Esparza for the 115-pound crown. Based upon how Paul Daley was dealt with, Mindenhall feels it could be an indicator that Gadelha’s days are numbered as it relates to the UFC:
While it is usually the fighters on the card who get pumped up to battle inside the Octagon, Ryan Jimmo showed fighters in attendance can get plenty fired up as well. The recent Phoenix transplant was apparently so unhappy with his comped seats provided by the UFC that the king of the post-fight “robot dance” began to fire off tweets at UFC president Dana White:
As it turns out, his seats in Phoenix were just slightly worse than his seats for UFC 181 last week in Las Vegas, and it was enough to tip Jimmo over the edge. The normally well-mannered Canadian had all he could take and decided to let his emotions rip over the social-media platform. Whether he still has a job on Monday morning…now that will be a much more interesting story.
Just how weird did things get in Phoenix? Well this picture, courtesy of UFC.com, should answer those questions for you. Goodnight fight fans. Until next time…
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
A champion will be crowned.
That was the official tag line for the 20th domestic installment of The Ultimate Fighter and indeed the case when finalists Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas stepped into the Octagon for the main event of Friday night’s …
A champion will be crowned.
That was the official tag line for the 20th domestic installment of The Ultimate Fighter and indeed the case when finalists Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas stepped into the Octagon for the main event of Friday night’s finale. Any time there is history to be made in mixed martial arts, the stakes go up significantly, and with a new title in a brand-new division under the UFC banner up for grabs, the battle for the inaugural UFC women’s strawweight title crown warranted all the intensity it created in the buildup.
While both Esparza and “Thug Rose” made their respective runs through the tournament look easy, their matchup in the finals was figured to be a hard-fought affair. With the “Cookie Monster’s” power-wrestling attack being the polar opposite of Namajunas’ slick, “finish from anywhere” style, their collision was projected to be a chess match inside the cage.
With Esparza being a former champion with three times as many fights as her opponent, the California native’s experience was a big advantage coming into the fight. Yet, with UFC President Dana White tagging Namajunas as “the next Ronda Rousey,” as reported by Yahoo’s Kevin Iole, there were a lot of expectations surrounding the Team Grudge fighter coming into the finale.
Their fight would answer any lingering questions, and it was all Esparza once things got underway. The former Invicta champion used her wrestling to dominate the action and secured a rear-naked choke to become the first women’s strawweight champion in UFC history.
In addition to a main event that delivered on all fronts, plenty of action went down Friday night at The Palms in Las Vegas. Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from The Ultimate Fighter 20Finale.
The Good
Esparza entered TUF 20 as a woman on a mission.
The California native abandoned her Invicta title to enter the UFC’s inaugural strawweight tournament on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter. Yet, while she cruised through each round of competition with one dominant performance after the next, she wound up being the underdog in her finals matchup with Namajunas on Friday night.
While the hype around Thug Rose was thick, Esparza wasn’t shaken in the slightest once she entered the Octagon. From the opening bell, the Team Oyama representative went on the attack with her aggressive style and turned the tides with her solid wrestling skills. Esparza’s top pressure was far too much for Namajunas to handle, as Cookie Monster battered the Milwaukee native with ferocity until she tapped out to a rear-naked choke in the third round.
With the win, Esparza not only won the coveted six-figure contract but also became the first woman to ever hoist the UFC 115-pound title above her head. It was a dominant performance and one where she proved her doubters wrong. She’s the real deal and it’s going to take someone special to unseat her from the strawweight crown.
*** Yancy Medeiros was coming off his most impressive performance to date and wanted to keep his momentum rolling against Joe Proctor. While Proctor came out looking to bring the scrap to the 27-year-old Hawaiian, the former middleweight-turned-lightweight proved too scrappy. He pressed the action and landed a spinning back kick that folded the Joe Lauzon protege to the canvas. Once his opponent was hurt, Medeiros pounced and finished the fight with a guillotine choke to pick up his second consecutive victory.
*** One of the best fights of the nights went down between Jessica Penne and Randa Markos to kick off the action on the main card for the finale event on Fox Sports 1. From the get-go, both women attempted to impose their will, but it was Penne who grabbed Round 1, using a dynamic hip toss to take control of the opening frame. The scrappy Canadian battled back in the second and third rounds, as the two fighters engaged in one slick transition after another on the canvas. When the fight ended, Penne took the split-decision victory.
*** Felice Herrig came into Friday night looking to make a solid statement and mark her arrival to the sport’s biggest stage, and she accomplished that by submitting Lisa Ellis in the second round. Although both women had their moments in the opening round, it was Lil’ Bulldog who found her groove in the second. She worked a slick transition into a fight-ending armbar to make her first showing inside the Octagon a successful one.
*** With the bouts on The Ultimate Fighter not going on a fighter’s official record, Joanne Calderwood came into her UFC debut against Seo Hee Ham looking to keep her undefeated record intact. The Scottish striker came up short on her quest to win the tournament but had a chance to make a statement against her fellow promotional newcomer on Friday night. While Calderwood wasn’t able to get the finish, she got the best of the 27-year-old South Korean, picking up the unanimous-decision victory.
*** Although Tecia Torres came into The Ultimate Fighter 20 with high expectations, The Tiny Tornado had a difficult run through the tournament. After losing her first bout, she was brought back into the mix when Justine Kish had to pull out with a knee injury. Torres initially made the most of her second chance when she defeated Bec Rawlings, but she lost to Esparza in the next round. The 25-year-old Florida transplant came into the TUF 20 Finale looking to make a statement and punished Angela Magana for 15 minutes to pick up the unanimous-decision victory.
*** While she made a quick exit from the TUF 20 tournament, Angela Hill made her official UFC debut against Emily Kagan count on Friday night. The former boxer-turned-MMA-athlete worked an aggressive game plan that allowed her to dominate the action throughout the 15-minute affair, as she picked up her first win inside the Octagon. While Hill has the talents and style to be an exciting fighter, her overall success in the UFC will hinge on her ability to round out her overall game.
The Bad
It takes more than one incident to validate a stigma or curse, and it took Namajunas getting clobbered by Esparza in the main event to set in stone the particular shadow hovering around TUF standouts.
Back in 2008, after Phillipe Nover wrecked shop on Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter, UFC President Dana White notoriously christened him as the “next Georges St-Pierre” and also compared him to then-middleweight king Anderson Silva. This would take an ominous turn, as Nover was not only defeated by Efrain Escudero in the finale but went on to have a lackluster run in the UFC, losing all three of his showings until the company released him in 2010.
It would also happen again when White named Uriah Hall the “next Anderson Silva” several years later, and he was also defeated in the finals.
While Friday night’s main event had nothing to do with Nover, White’s claim that finalist Namajunas was the “next Ronda Rousey” brought cause for concern. The Milwaukee native had steamrolled through the tournament with her creative and relentless style, and she was the favorite heading into her bout with Esparza.
Nevertheless, throughout her brief career, Namajunas had never faced an opponent with the wrestling pedigree of Esparza, and that was ultimately her undoing. While Namajunas attempted to be versatile from the jump, she had no answers for the wrestling and top pressure the Cookie Monster put on her. As FS1 analyst Rashad Evans described in the post-fight show, Esparza “beat the brakes” off Namajunas in the finals until she locked in the fight-ending rear-naked choke to become the strawweight champion.
Yet, while the showing did not back up the hype surrounding Namajunas, she’s only 22 years old and has plenty of talent to compete with the best in the world. One can only hope that she recovers from the pummeling she took on Friday night and bounces back to be the contender she certainly has the skills to be. That said, there is always the “TUF Superstar Curse” to worry about with her.
*** While his performance was outstanding, and there are more reasons than not to put him in the above category, Charles Oliveira missing weight for his bout with Jeremy Stephens was unacceptable. Granted, Do Bronx attempted one slick submission after another en route to scoring the unanimous-decision victory, but that win came with a big asterisk because he came over the contracted weight limit.
Unfortunately for the young Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, this issue isn’t a new one. His bout with Stephens on Friday night was his 12th appearance since joining the UFC in 2010, and he has failed to make weight three times. Furthermore, there’s no doubting Oliveira’s potential, as he’s put on some excellent performances inside the Octagon, but his failure to consistently make weight has prevented his status from matching his talent.
That said, in this day and age, Oliveira has plenty of options to hire a nutritionist to guide his weight. While no fighter ever wants to spend additional money, he has the skills to be a major player in the featherweight division. Yet, that simply will not happen unless he can get his weight cuts under control.
*** Any time a highly anticipated scrap doesn’t turn out to be the barnburner it was expected to be, there is an obvious letdown. While KJ Noons and Daron Cruickshank went after each other in the opening round, the former Elite XC champion landed his second accidental eye poke of the bout in the second round that forced Cruickshank to crumple to the canvas. After he told the cageside doctor he couldn’t see out of his left eye, Referee “Big” John McCarthy waved off the bout, which made it a no-contest. And while the end result was anticlimactic, it’s hard to blame Cruickshank for not wanting to fight a slugger like Noons with one good eye.
*** Even though Aisling Daly made relatively quick work, as the scrappy Irishwoman submitted Alex Chambers via first-round armbar, there is going to be an asterisk beside her official UFC debut. The SBG Ireland representative came in heavy at the official weigh-in and missed the overall mark of 116 pounds.
While many things can happen when a fighter is shedding those final pounds during fight week, it is ultimately her responsibility to hit the contracted weight limit. And when you factor in this being Daly’s inaugural showing with the biggest organization in the sport, it’s a bad look for a fighter who possesses solid talent.
*** Fight nights are a great platform for MMA media members to flex their comedic chops—an exercise I’m certainly guilty of participating in. And while my colleagues have been known to drop a few gems (B/R MMA’s Jeremy Botter and Jonathan Snowden are must-follows on fight night), every once in a while a writer will struggle through a rough patch, as was the case with my buddy and recent MMA Fighting signee Marc Raimondi during the bout between Calderwood and Seo Hee Ham on Friday night.
While Raimondi dropped a dud in his initial attempt at humor, he earned my respect for holding onto the handles and driving through to empty out the proverbial joke bag throughout the three-round tilt. The man with an affinity for club shirts and buzz cuts would rebound later in the card to reclaim his crown as one of the funniest follows on fight night, but his work on Twitter during Calderwood vs. Hee Ham was as bad as it gets—and therefore as good as it gets if you like that brand of delivery.
No disrespect to my man Raimondi, of course, but the only way to get better is to learn from your missteps. This MMA media grind is a rigorous course, and we like to have a little bit of fun with one another when the moments arise.
*** Finally, and on a far more serious note, easily the worst contribution to the event on Friday night went to MMA manager Mike Kogan’s Twitter account. During the bout between Jessica Penne and Randa Markos—who is the product of two Arab parents—Kogan’s Twitter fired off a few racist comments aimed at Arab traditions and the treatment of women. There is no need to give those comments any further publicity by posting them in this column, but I promise you they were both ignorant and vulgar.
Yet, as soon as the series of tweets caused a stir on Twitter, Kogan was quick to claim that his phone had been taken from the bar he was sitting at and the inflammatory tweets were sent by someone else. “Hacking” and “jacking” of phones has been a common play when someone in the fight community tweets out something unacceptable, and whether you buy into Kogan’s excuse or not, those tweets were as pointed and racist as they come. Not only are those comments unacceptable in any realm or format, but Kogan is a public personality in the fight game, and it will be interesting to see how this situation is handled by the fighters he represents.
The Strange
When fighters go the extra mile to draw attention to their profiles through social media and doing interviews, it’s crucial they back up their words with strong performances inside the cage. There is little argument that Angela Magana was the most controversial member of The Ultimate Fighter, as her Twitter feed has turned into a free-flowing roll of insanity over the past two months.
In addition to posting random nude pictures on the social format, she has drawn attention to herself for teeing off with those who interact with her on that particular platform. Magana has taken to calling herself “Your Majesty” while affectionately coining those who banter with her on Twitter as her “peasants.” By all means, Magana is far from the first athlete to use Twitter to elevate her profile or to shake things up a bit, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to performing inside the Octagon.
With her bout against Tecia Torres being her first official showing under the UFC banner, the spotlight would never get bigger for the Thailand-based fighter, and she simply didn’t show up for the fight. From the opening bell, it was all Torres, who battered Magana with power shots and side kicks for the entire 15-minute affair. Torres was teeing off at will, and Magana had zero answers. When the final bell sounded, the end result was a lopsided victory for Torres, and Magana appeared to be finally at ease, knowing the fight was over.
And that’s unfortunate for the TUF 20 alum. For good, better or worse, the TUF 20 cast member has certainly found a formula to garner attention on social media, but that only matters if you can back it up when things go live. Otherwise, it’s all just talk, and MMA’s educated fanbase doesn’t suffer such things for too long.
Plenty of fighters fill the villain or heel role in the sport, but those combatants are able to keep that energy alive because they either win fights or battle like warriors. On Friday night, Magana did neither, and I can’t imagine that will bode well for the Twitter sideshow she had created leading up to her UFC debut.
While she didn’t suffer the same lopsided fate as her TUF 20 teammate, Rawlings falls into a similar category as Magana.
The “Rowdy” Australian is a big advocate of brash talk and speaking her mind on Twitter, and she even went as far as to throw her middle finger in Heather Jo Clark’s face at the pre-fight weigh-ins on Thursday. To put it simply, Rawlings goes the extra mile to show she’s the type who prefers to go against the grain, and she apparently enjoys a good hair coloring as well.
Again, all of these things are fine as long as that energy outside of the cage is turned into a strong performance inside of it. While Rawlings would come alive in the third and final round to score some points and ultimately win the frame, she spent the opening 10 minutes at the mercy of Clark’s game plan. Clark tagged her with counters in the first round and controlled all but 45 seconds of the second frame. Rawlings came out far more aggressive and desperate in the final five minutes, and it proved effective for her, but it was too little, too late.
Furthermore, and just so I make myself clear in citing these two examples, I’m all for fighters carving out an original lane in MMA. I truly am. Yet, when there seems to be a lack of balance between the effort to garner attention and the intensity shown inside the Octagon, it comes off as wanting.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Fighters by their very nature are built for adversity. Whether it comes in the form of battling through a body that wants to quit inside the gym, or resisting the onslaught of an opponent’s will as it’s being imposed upon them, fighters are…
Fighters by their very nature are built for adversity. Whether it comes in the form of battling through a body that wants to quit inside the gym, or resisting the onslaught of an opponent’s will as it’s being imposed upon them, fighters are constructed to endure, persevere and overcome. It’s something they possessed long before the realization of what they were set in, but once that moment arrived, the path ahead to travel will be one of conflict and with the hope of glory waiting at the end.
Brian Foster has always known he was tough.
Scrapping it out with other hard-scrabble country boys growing up in Oklahoma made him realize he lacked fear in chaotic situations, and that laid the foundation for what would one day be a career fighting professionally.
At first it was a pretty good deal. Throwing hands on the weekend for what he calls a “nice little chunk of money,” but before long he realized there was something more there—a future—and the pursuit transitioned from being about his love of the scrap into his quest to become an elite-level mixed martial artist.
By the time 2010 rolled around, the heavy-handed welterweight was well on his way. After years of settling the opposition on smaller stages around the sport, Foster was called up to the UFC and wasted no time making his mark.
Although he stumbled in two of his first three showings inside the Octagon, even in those losses Foster fought with an intensity that resonated with MMA’s passionate fanbase. That said, he would eventually settle into the new level of competition.
Impressive performances where he would brutalize Forrest Petz and choke out future contender Matt Brown via guillotine choke at UFC 123 proved Foster was not only finding his bearings in the welterweight ranks, but making his way up the talent-stacked divisional ladder. Back-to-back victories had his momentum rolling hot, and he set his sights on making Sean Pierson his third consecutive victim when they squared off at UFC 129 in Toronto.
The event headlined by the title fight between Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields would go on to set the live attendance record for a UFC event as 55,000 fans packed the Rogers Centre to watch a stacked card. It was an action-packed night of fights, but one that did not include Brian Foster. He spent that Saturday night alone in his room, sitting with tear-filled eyes trying to come to grips with storm of emotion he was battling.
He had no idea that particular fight would carry on for the next four years. He had no idea how much hardship was ahead as his professional, personal and financial worlds were shattered at regular intervals as the brain hemorrhage once suffered then healed continued to haunt him down every avenue he attempted to travel. A freak accident in a routine training session was taking everything away from him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Every time Foster rebuilt himself, or had his MRI or CT scan cleared by another doctor, the hope he held onto with every fiber of his being would swell. Yet, the proverbial walls would come crashing down time after time as the doors to one potential opportunity after the next would slam shut in his face before he ever had a chance to start.
Brian Foster always knew he was tough, but it took going to the frayed ends of his emotional limits to find out just what he was made of.
“I can’t really find the right words to even begin to describe what going through what I’ve gone through has been like,” Foster told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. “I busted my ass to get to the highest level of the sport and before I knew what was happening, it was gone. It was devastating, and I went through it every time I tried to go back to doing what I love. What made it worse is that I did everything that I needed to do in order to prove I was healthy and good to go, but every time I had a leg to stand on it would get kicked out from under me.
“I’m a fighter, man. That’s how I make a living. That what burns inside of me, and not being able to do that was crippling in every sense of the word. Not only are we talking about the money lost by not being able to fight, but all of the tests and MRIs I had to get completely wiped out my savings. I went broke. I went to all the best doctors and had my medicals approved by The Cleveland Clinic, which is a highly respected institution for the work they’ve done in combat sports. To put this in perspective, ThiagoAlves had brain surgery and he was right back in there fighting, yet this followed me around for years.
“No matter what, I wasn’t going to give up on my dream,” he added. “I wasn’t going to allow it to break me. Yeah, I went through some terrible s–t that would make other people close up shop and call it a day, but I was determined to fight my way through. And in doing so I found peace. I found a peace and balance with the things in my life that matter the most, and I’m more comfortable with myself now than I’ve ever been. That makes me a dangerous man, and it’s going to show inside that cage.”
While a national suspension would force Foster to take fighters internationally in order to keep his livelihood intact, it kept him from regaining his footing on the domestic scene. In March of 2013 that suspension would be lifted, and he would once again be cleared to fight at home in the United States. Yet while the lanes to fight were open for the first time in more than two years, his prior medical history made promotions hesitant to offer him a contract.
Although Foster found success in seven of the eight bouts he found since being released from the UFC, and in those fights showcased that his talent, power and ferocity were very much present and accounted for, the major promotions in the sport were too busy looking at his past to see the future he was attempting to reignite.
Nevertheless, things would finally take a positive turn when World Series of Fighting came to call and offered the Oklahoma native a contract in late 2013. The upstart organization was starting to put together some serious talent, and adding Foster’s fan-friendly fighting style and knack for finishing fights would only serve to bolster what was shaping up to be the promotion’s premier weight class.
That said, his initial bout for WSOF fell through when his opponent withdrew due to injury, and the same would happen with his second potential opponent. And with Foster needing to fight to keep his head above water financially, the organization allowed him to take a bout under the Titan FC banner. It was certainly an unusual move, but few things go as planned in Foster’s world.
He would face and defeat The Ultimate Fighter alum Gilbert Smith in a three-round shoot out at Titan FC 28 in front of a lively Oklahoma crowd and the scores of fans watching on CBS sports. Yet where he was happy to get a solid victory on a big platform, Foster was more disappointed by the fact that for the first time in his 28-fight career, a tilt he was involved in went to the judges’ scorecards.
“Once everything was cleared to go and all of my medicals were cleared I was signed by the World Series of Fighting,” Foster said. “They found a fight for me but things ended up falling through. I needed to fight so Titan stepped up and offered me a fight with Gilbert Smith. He was a UFC veteran and a tough fighter, and I went in there and picked up the unanimous decision victory. I went to the judges’ cards for the first time in my career and I was very disappointed in that.
“I wasn’t in the shape I needed to be in for that fight, and I still got the win. I’ve been kept on the bench so long and pushed down anytime I did come up off the bench that it’s hard to find the motivation to train sometimes. Without an objective or an opponent stamped in stone in front of me, it’s hard to get motivated and disciplined. I don’t care who you are, any fighter would struggle with that if they were frequently faced with what I was faced with. No matter because I still went in there and beat Gilbert Smith who is a hulk of a man and twice my size. It wasn’t my best fight, but I’ll take the win.
“Another positive to come out of that night was that I met his team and coaches at Factory X,” he added. “They were just great people, and they invited me to come out and train with them. I took them up on that offer about a month later and went out there and started training. The WSOF called because they got me a fight and I was supposed to face Josh Burkman, and he ended up hurting himself or whatever and ultimately signed with the UFC.
“So I spent my money on another training camp for a fight that didn’t happen. I can’t blame the guy for signing with the UFC and it was a smart choice on his behalf because had he fought me, he wouldn’t be signing with them. If he would have fought me he would have lost. The cat made the smart move by taking a different opportunity.”
While another setback and fight that failed to materialize forced Foster to take yet another financial blow, he had been dealing with adversity so long he discovered how to recognize silver linings when they appear. Instead of falling back into frustration and dwelling on opportunities lost, Foster decided to put the energy he had bottled up inside into building a new structure system for his life and in the process established a regimented daily routine.
With his fighting career having been lingering in uncertainty for years, Foster had long since taken up working a day job in order to make ends meet. In addition to that grind, he had also taken over primary custody of his three sons and balancing each of those aspects—while attempting to get in a full training camp—was burning the proverbial candle at both ends.
That said, after having his bout with Burkman fall apart, Foster found comfort—and ultimately peace—in the stability that had long been absent from his life. He had confidence that something big was coming his way. Over such a hectic stretch, he’d learned to find his footing no matter how shaky the ground, but now things were different.
Foster was starting to get his professional life back, but the personal life and the relationships he coveted so much were doing better than ever. And this allowed him to keep his mind focused on the positives.
“For the first time in all the years I’ve been doing this I’ve found structure,” Foster said. “I’ve found routine and I’ve established a greater sense of discipline than I’ve ever known. When I fight Jake you are going to see a lot of what I’ve done for myself. This isn’t about what anyone else has done for me…this about how I have rebuilt my life and did it all on my own. When I beat up Jake Shields on national television, everybody is going to wonder how I did it. The answer to that is going to be that for the first time in my life I’m comfortable. I’m happy and I’m ready to take what’s mine.”
Although Foster was approaching his life with a new perspective, he still needed his faith in WSOF to be validated in the form of a fight that would come to fruition. Things would take a turn in a big way on Monday when the promotion announced he would be facing former Strikeforce champion and perennially top-ranked welterweight Jake Shields at WSOF 17 on Jan. 17.
Furthermore, the main event tilt would also determine the next contender for the organization’s welterweight crown, which will be settled when Jon Fitch and RousimarPalhares handle their business this Saturday night at WSOF 16 in Sacramento, California. It was the perfect scenario for a fighter whose ultimate goal was to get back to fighting the best in the world and the chance to find a level of redemption that had been eluding him for the past four years.
“I’ve been looking for a big fight for so long now and I finally got it with Jake Shields,” Foster said. “He has defeated three of the guys who are currently ranked in the top five at 170 pounds. I have defeated one of them, so combined we’ve beaten four out of five of the best guys in the world. This is a great fight and one that makes perfect sense to establish who will get the next shot at WSOF’s welterweight title. It will also prove which one of us still has something to offer the game, and I think he’s had his chance. It’s my time to prove what I’m all about and I can’t wait.
“Shields is one of the best in the world and has a win over the current UFC champion. Defeating him is going to make a huge statement, and it’s one I’ve been waiting a very long time to make. This sport I have loved for so long is changing, but this fight isn’t about politics, money or anything else outside of proving who is the better fighter. I’m out to be the best, and there is nothing that is going to stop me. I’ve already been through hell, and now it’s time to show these people the beast that’s about to get unleashed.”
With a big fight on the docket and a newfound peace in his life, Foster’s mind could finally lock in on a tangible opponent. Shields brings world-class credentials to the cage and has built one of the most impressive resumes to be found on the current landscape of mixed martial arts. Yet while his own business had him fired up to get back to work, Foster is a man of the sport he competes in and tuned in to watch his friend and former longtime teammate Robbie Lawler take his second shot at winning championship gold.
In doing so he witnessed the announcement that former WWE superstar CM Punk had signed with the UFC and would be not only making his Octagon debut some time in 2015, but his professional debut as well. For a fighter like Foster who spent so much time, effort, money and emotion trying to regain what was taken from him back in 2010, the news that Punk was simply going to get the opportunity to fight in the UFC because he “asked to” was baffling.
“That situation is a tough pill to swallow,” Foster said. “You have true, proven warriors like myself who have stepped in and been a gladiator every time my name has been on that dotted line, but yet I was let go. Let’s not forget I had won back-to-back fights, but because of this old situation that has been cleared up for a long time now, I can’t get back to the Octagon where I belong, but this dude who decides he wants to ‘try’ fighting in the UFC is given an opportunity young hungry fighters are busting their asses for? I’m extremely happy at WSOF so remove me from the situation, and it’s still a kick in the nuts to every guy who has been told they need more experience or have been trying to get to the big show.
“Don’t get me wrong, I get the fact that he’s going to draw attention and bring some eyes to his fights. I get that. I’m not stupid, but there’s no way this whole thing doesn’t take away from the genuine aspect of what it means to compete in mixed martial arts. So many fighters have sacrificed so much to compete inside that Octagon and this guy wants to try fighting so he’s given this kind of opportunity. I don’t understand it and I don’t care about it. I have my own thing to focus on, but it made me shake my head when I saw the announcement.”
While Foster may not be excited with everything that is happening in MMA, the magnitude of enthusiasm he has for his current situation and the promotion he’s fighting for is at an exceptional level. In his mind, WSOF gave him a chance when that’s all he ever wanted, and he has every intention of proving it right when he steps into the cage against Shields on Jan. 17.
It’s been a long and winding road to reach where he currently stands and one that has provided an education of the starkest reality. Where there were times he was admittedly knocked down so hard he didn’t know if he could get back up to his feet, at the end of the day he’s still standing, and standing tall for that matter.
Cliché as they may be, there are truths to be found in sayings regarding darkness before the dawn and the duration of tough times and tough people. Foster had four years of the hard knocks to find out just how true those saying are, and he’s happy to see that grim chapter of his life coming to a close. For a man who makes a living trading punches inside of a locked cage, it may be difficult to believe the hardest hits he’s ever taken came outside of the cage, but that has certainly been the case.
That said, the time has come for Foster to finally change the tune once and for all. He’s a fighter, born and bred, and now he’s going to get the opportunity he’s been dreaming about since his life was flipped upside down four years ago. He’s going to get a chance….and that’s all he’s ever wanted.
“I couldn’t be happier with WSOF,” Foster said. “They are taking care of me and I know they sincerely care about their fighters. That’s all I could ever ask for. They are giving me a great opportunity here to fight Shields for the No. 1 contender spot, and that is the type of fight I’ve been hungry for. That’s the type of fight that gets me fired up and is going to bring out the best Brian Foster the world has ever seen.
“For so long it was about coming back and proving that I belong with the best fighters in the world,” he added. “It’s not about that anymore because this is a new start. I’ve found comfort, discipline and peace in this fire I’m standing in, and that is going to spell trouble for a lot of other people who fight in my weight class. It’s my time to take what is mine.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
It appears Georges St-Pierre and Gina Carano are going to stick to taking fake punches for paychecks…at least for a bit longer.
The former MMA champions were both recently cast in the remake of the 1989 Jean-Claude Van Damme classic Kickboxer, w…
It appears Georges St-Pierre and Gina Carano are going to stick to taking fake punches for paychecks…at least for a bit longer.
The former MMA champions were both recently cast in the remake of the 1989 Jean-Claude Van Damme classicKickboxer, which ultimately played a large part in the action star’s rise to popularity. According to a press release from JAZO PR, the two mixed martial arts superstars will join an ensemble cast of additional standouts from the combat sports realm that includes Bellator’s middleweight knockout artist Joe Schilling and former WWE star Dave Bautista.
“JCVD” will not be rehashing his role as Kurt Sloane in the film, but the action movie staple has signed on for a major role in the remake. And while the role St-Pierre will play in the Thailand-based movie has yet to be made public, the former Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion will play a fight promoter per a press release from the production company to MMA Mania.
The film began shooting this week in New Orleans and will put some distance between talk of St-Pierre and Carano returning to the cage. While the talk around the pound-for-pound great coming out of his self-imposed retirement has been loose and noncommittal, there has been substantially more heat attached to Carano coming back to MMA.
Back in July, UFC president Dana White teased that the promotion was close to signing “Conviction” to face dominant 135-pound champion Ronda Rousey later in the year. With Rousey’s growing popularity and Carano‘s already established star power, the bout would undoubtedly be the biggest fight in the history of WMMA, yet after White was unable to lock down an agreement with the former women’s champion, the deal that was tabled apparently dissolved.
Carano last fought back in 2009, and with Hollywood continuing to offer movie roles, her potential return to mixed martial arts still remains uncertain.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
When a fighter comes into their own, special things start to happen, and that is what 2014 has been about for Tony Ferguson.
Since entering the UFC by winning season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, “El Cucuy” has been on a constant push to progress h…
When a fighter comes into their own, special things start to happen, and that is what 2014 has been about for Tony Ferguson.
Since entering the UFC by winning season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, “El Cucuy” has been on a constant push to progress his skills as a mixed martial artist and scrap his way to elite-level status. Ferguson has been out to prove he’s the real deal inside the Octagon and the 30-year-old lightweight has been putting up high-caliber performances to back up that notion.
The scrappy California native has won six of his seven showings since entering the talent-stacked ranks of the UFC’s 155-pound fold back in 2011 and he shows zero signs of slowing down. Ferguson has notched four consecutive victories in the past two years, with his most recent win coming at the expense of heavy-handed slugger Abel Trujillo at UFC 181 last Saturday.
While “Killa” found a home for his power in the early going and put Ferguson on the mat, the surging prospect proved resilient and rebounded strong to score the second-round finish. By scoring the comeback victory over Trujillo, he showed there’s a lot of heart to go along with this ever-improving skill set, and Ferguson believes that’s going to cause problems for anyone he faces inside the Octagon.
“It was a good fight and one that I expected,” Ferguson told Bleacher Report. “I weathered the storm, brought my technique and proved myself. I just don’t want to be questioned anymore about where I belong. I belong in the top 15 or in the top 10. I belong in the spot where I’m going to be at. Nothing has been given to me and I’ve definitely earned this. This is all the result of the time spent in the gym and even outside of the gym from eating correctly and proper recovery. Planning my next practice session and listening to my body and my coaches.
“It goes a long way and I’m really prepared and amped up for 2015. I’m not going to take a big long break. I’m not injured. I’m mentally and physically sound. I’m just ready to see who they put in front of me.
While his win over Trujillo was an impressive performance from the former TUF winner, it’s not one he’s willing to rest on. And even though the victory failed to put him into a top-15 ranking in the latest UFC poll, it is just another detail that is of little concern to him at the present time. Ferguson is taking aim at the biggest names in the division and is willing to travel any road he has to in order to get to the lightweight crown.
If the rest of his division is sleeping on him, then all the better in Ferguson’s mind, but it’s something they will have to figure out soon enough, because they won’t have a choice when he’s standing across the Octagon from them. And that is what he believes is going to be the biggest challenge for all of his future opponents.
“People just don’t know,” Ferguson said. “They don’t know what to think about me. I’m not the type to worry about who I’m going to fight, but these guys are like, ‘Man, how are we going to take this guy out?’ I’ve taken out a lot of these guys from these top gyms and I like that.
“I mess up these guys’ thought processes. That’s what I do. When these guys are watching film on me I hope put fear in them when they watch it. They are going to go all the way back to when I fought Justin Edwards and see where I knocked him out from off my back. Other fights I’ve weathered the storm then came back to beat the guy up until the ref stopped the fight. It just keeps going on and on. When I keep a level head and go in there with a game plan, regardless if the plan works, I know how to improvise. I know how to come out with that victory and I’ve always been that way.
“This is the MMA game and it’s just like chess,” he added. “It starts right before you get in there, and if you can keep a level head and rely on your technique once the fight starts, that’s how I win. I can get pissed off during a fight—and trust me, I’ll still win—but I choose to keep a level head and that’s when you are going to see great things. The more I’m in there, the easier it gets for me to relax. As soon as 2015 hits, I’d like to sign on the dotted line and get back in there right away.”
With Ferguson running the proverbial table in 2014 and taking out notable competition the likes of Danny Castillo and Abel Trujillo along the way, there will certainly be bigger matchups waiting for him in the New Year. The lightweight division is constantly referred to as a “shark tank” for the amount of high-caliber talent that dwells in the 155-pound waters, and Ferguson is making zero bones about his intention to gun for the biggest names out there.
While he’s on the cusp of breaking through into the coveted top-10 rankings of the lightweight fold, Ferguson is already letting the fighters atop the divisional hierarchy know he’s coming after them. It may take him a few fights to get to current champion Anthony Pettis, but that’s a road he’s happy to travel. And if that particular path happens to include undefeated Russian sensation KhabibNurmagomedov, then that’s work he’ll also enjoy getting into.
When it all boils down, Ferguson is simply determined to make sure the fighters currently hovering in the lightweight division’s upper tier know that he’s on his way up, and he’s bringing a fight to each and every one of their front doors.
“I called it at the press conference,” Ferguson said regarding the message he sent to Pettis and company at the post-fight press conference for UFC 181. “I told him to keep that belt warm for me. He knows who he is. It’s the same thing for Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. These guys know I’m coming for them. We are on different pathways right now and everyone is searching for their own thing, but I’m here. Don’t sleep on me because I’m coming for that top spot.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
There is an art to matchmaking in combat sports.