(No, Frankie, I will not judge your next title fight, so quit asking.)
After retiring, former UFC fighter Ricardo Almeida announced that he would begin judging MMA events. He’s been doing that for awhile now in his home state of New Jersey, and this Saturday’s UFC on Fox 3 will be the Renzo Gracie black belt’s first time judging fights on the big stage.
Almeida will not be judging fights where he has a conflict of interest (see fighters he coaches or that are affiliated to him or his Renzo Gracie lineage like Jim Miller, for example) but we do already know that he will be one of the judges scoring Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks and several more from the card. Almeida tells ESPN’s Franklin McNeil that he is both nervous and prepared to judge UFC fights.
“Yeah, I’m going to be nervous. It’ll be like I’m walking into a fight myself. But the spotlight only makes me want to be sharper and do a better job,” Almeida tells McNeil.
(No, Frankie, I will not judge your next title fight, so quit asking.)
After retiring, former UFC fighter Ricardo Almeida announced that he would begin judging MMA events. He’s been doing that for awhile now in his home state of New Jersey, and this Saturday’s UFC on Fox 3 will be the Renzo Gracie black belt’s first time judging fights on the big stage.
Almeida will not be judging fights where he has a conflict of interest (see fighters he coaches or that are affiliated to him or his Renzo Gracie lineage like Jim Miller, for example) but we do already know that he will be one of the judges scoring Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks and several more from the card. Almeida tells ESPN’s Franklin McNeil that he is both nervous and prepared to judge UFC fights.
“Yeah, I’m going to be nervous. It’ll be like I’m walking into a fight myself. But the spotlight only makes me want to be sharper and do a better job,” Almeida tells McNeil.
“It will be pretty intense, but I will be on my toes with this UFC event, because I know all eyes are going to be on me.”
There are possible pitfalls to fighters judging fights (what happens if Almeida announces his come-back by awarding himself a decision win in the Koscheck vs. Hendricks bout, for example? We jus’ kidding! Please don’t tweet Almeida about that or sue us.), but the positives of having an informed person who knows the sport first-hand seems like a step in the right direction. Props to New Jersey’s commission head Nick Lembo for asking Almeida to become a judge.
Both Koscheck and Hendricks have expressed their approval of Almeida judging their and other fights. I’m sure that goodwill will last exactly until the point Almeida scores a big fight differently than a fighter says he should.
(Hendricks ain’t scared of no TSA | Photo by Esther Lin for MMA Fighting)
Maybe you thought, dear fight fan, that UFC welterweight contender Johny Hendricks sports a lumberjack/late 19th century bureaucrat type beard just to get your girlfriend all in a tizzy. Well, you’d be wrong.
Hendricks told reporters this week that the burly-man beard he grows during training camps actually serves a deeper purpose. “It reminds me that I have a goal I’m trying to reach, and that’s a fight,” he said.
“That’s a fight this Saturday [against Josh Koscheck at UFC on Fox 3]. After the fight, win or lose, I do my job and I go home and shave it. The next morning, I’m still in that fight mode, I go to the bathroom and check the mirror and, ‘oh, I’m clean-shaven.’ At that moment, it hits me. Everything goes away.”
The full video interview is after the jump.
(Hendricks ain’t scared of no TSA | Photo by Esther Lin for MMA Fighting)
Maybe you thought, dear fight fan, that UFC welterweight contender Johny Hendricks sports a lumberjack/late 19th century bureaucrat type beard just to get your girlfriend all in a tizzy. Well, you’d be wrong.
Hendricks told reporters this week that the burly-man beard he grows during training camps actually serves a deeper purpose. “It reminds me that I have a goal I’m trying to reach, and that’s a fight,” he said.
“That’s a fight this Saturday [against Josh Koscheck at UFC on Fox 3]. After the fight, win or lose, I do my job and I go home and shave it. The next morning, I’m still in that fight mode, I go to the bathroom and check the mirror and, ‘oh, I’m clean-shaven.’ At that moment, it hits me. Everything goes away.”
The full video interview is after the jump.
Hendricks said that after he shaves he goes back to being family man and normal human being. In the MMA Fighting video below, he also talks about getting his aggressiveness and confidence back and being honest about wanting the 170 pound belt, so watch it already! And don’t forget to check out our live blog and commentary for UFC on Fox 3 Saturday night. You won’t get that much information and sass in one place, anywhere else.
Remember when Nick Diaz‘s legal team filed suit last week, claiming that the Nevada State Athletic Commission had acted improperly in handling his failed drug test and ensuing proceedings, and that they now no longer have jurisdiction over their client’s case? Well, the state of Nevada disagrees. After Diaz’s lawyer Ross C. Goodman referenced a “summary suspension” in their paperwork last week, Nevada’s Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto wrote Goodman to explain that, in legal terms, he doesn’t know what he’s talking ’bout. MMA Fighting has the report:
“‘No Notice of Summary Suspension was ever served on your client,’ Masto wrote. ‘In this matter, Mr. Diaz was properly served with a Notice of Hearing on Temporary Suspension and he failed to appear at the hearing. The Commission temporarily suspended Mr. Diaz’s license at the hearing. Neither Mr. Diaz nor you objected in any manner to the temporary suspension.’“
Remember when Nick Diaz‘s legal team filed suit last week, claiming that the Nevada State Athletic Commission had acted improperly in handling his failed drug test and ensuing proceedings, and that they now no longer have jurisdiction over their client’s case? Well, the state of Nevada disagrees. After Diaz’s lawyer Ross C. Goodman referenced a “summary suspension” in their paperwork last week, Nevada’s Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto wrote Goodman to explain that, in legal terms, he doesn’t know what he’s talking ’bout. MMA Fighting has the report:
“‘No Notice of Summary Suspension was ever served on your client,’ Masto wrote. ‘In this matter, Mr. Diaz was properly served with a Notice of Hearing on Temporary Suspension and he failed to appear at the hearing. The Commission temporarily suspended Mr. Diaz’s license at the hearing. Neither Mr. Diaz nor you objected in any manner to the temporary suspension.’”
“The letter effectively indicates that because Diaz was not given a ‘summary suspension,’ his case does not fall under Nevada code NRS 233B.127, which requires a hearing within 45 days. A separate code, NRS 467.117, indicates that the commission can ‘continue the suspension until it makes a final determination of any disciplinary action to be taken against the licensee or holder of the permit’.”
The letter also indicates that the NSAC delay in scheduling Diaz’s hearing was partially his fault, caused while waiting for him to produce his medical marijuana card.
“I’ve waited for more than a month for the card,” Masto wrote.
So, Diaz’s team is saying that Nevada lost their chance at deciding the fighter’s fate because they have not held a hearing within 45 days, in violation of Nevada code NRS 233B.127, which dictates what happens under summary suspension. But that’s not even an applicable argument, according to the Nevada Attorney General. In summation, Diaz is saying to the NSAC “you can’t tell me what to do!”, and the state of Nevada is saying, “yes we can.”
Time will tell which side the circuit court that Diaz filed suit in will take. The court will hear Diaz’s motion for an injunction against the NSAC’s suspension (that the NSAC says doesn’t exist), on May 14th.
We love Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy. He fights hard, he’s hilarious and he’s a veteran Special Forces badass. That’s why it is unfortunate that Kennedy will likely be the next dude to get fired over tweets if he continues to tweet as he’s recently tweeted. (There’s a special place in hell for writers that use both the noun and verb forms of the fake word “tweet” in a single sentence, I’m sure.)
Here at CagePotato, we’re the last group of people to be easily offended, but we’re just trying to send an advance warning to Señor Kennedy. Recent twitter posts of his have included many elements of any get-your-ass-fired social media cocktail: References to rape, singling out people of certain religions for bodily harm, and shotguns.
We love Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy. He fights hard, he’s hilarious and he’s a veteran Special Forces badass. That’s why it is unfortunate that Kennedy will likely be the next dude to get fired over tweets if he continues to tweet as he’s recently tweeted. (There’s a special place in hell for writers that use both the noun and verb forms of the fake word “tweet” in a single sentence, I’m sure.)
Here at CagePotato, we’re the last group of people to be easily offended, but we’re just trying to send an advance warning to Señor Kennedy. Recent twitter posts of his have included many elements of any get-your-ass-fired social media cocktail: References to rape, singling out people of certain religions for bodily harm, and shotguns.
“Is it wrong that I honk and wave at Mormons as they ride by on their bikes trying to get them to crash?”
And on April 22nd, when Kennedy follower @jere562 asked the fighter, ”if #zombies were roaming the streets and one was a celebrity, who would it be and what weapon would you use to kill them?”, Kennedy replied:
@jere562 all [of] the cast members of the Jersey shore, and the Kardashian family. Shotgun”
First of all, we’d argue that If Kennedy is annoyed by the nice young ladies of Keeping up With the Kardashians, he has no one to blame but himself. You either watch that shit on mute or stick to pictures and videos of Kim Kardashian on the web, like us.
Secondly, yes, Kennedy’s tweets were tongue-in-cheek and funny. But that didn’t save Miguel Torres, who was fired after quoting a comedy television show on twitter. If UFC President Dana White does end up warning or punishing Kennedy, he might at least realize that if one tells a roster of hundreds of fighters to get active on twitter, it would be helpful to provide them with some very specific guidelines.
Kennedy is walking the line, here, especially in light of Anheuser-Busch’s recent warning on fighter behavior. Here’s hoping he doesn’t get in trouble, but if Kennedy does get canned, I think we can all agree that this is how he’d want to be remembered:
(Rua slugs Dan Henderson during their epic bout in November. / Photo courtesy of Heavy)
A matchup between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Thiago Silva is likely for July 21st’s UFC 149 event in Calgary, according to a new report on MMA Junkie. UFC president Dana White tweeted yesterday that the two light-heavyweight strikers would face one another, but didn’t confirm the date or venue.
(Rua slugs Dan Henderson during their epic bout in November. / Photo courtesy of Heavy)
A matchup between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Thiago Silva is likely for July 21st’s UFC 149 event in Calgary, according to a new report on MMA Junkie. UFC president Dana White tweeted yesterday that the two light-heavyweight strikers would face one another, but didn’t confirm the date or venue.
If Team Cruz’ Sam Sicilia was freaking out over the pressure of being a #2 pick, it may have intensified this week as he was set to face the last pick overall, Chris Saunders. At least Sam had an extra world champion along to help him prepare.
Dominick Cruz brought in Strikeforce 135 pound champion Ronda Rousey to the UFC training center to teach his team some of her devastating Judo techniques. Ronda admits to being nervous about going in to teach the guys but they all seem receptive, as they should be, to learning from the champ – even though she’s a girl.
Oh yeah, Chris Tickle says that Ronda damn near broke his ribs while demonstrating a throw on him. The chick is rough, for sure.
Dana White allows the fighters to watch Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans at the TUF mansion and Ronda joins them. Once more, her nervousness proves unfounded.
“There are going to be a lot of guys to fend off at once,” she laughs while being hot.
If Team Cruz’ Sam Sicilia was freaking out over the pressure of being a #2 pick, it may have intensified this week as he was set to face the last pick overall, Chris Saunders. At least Sam had an extra world champion along to help him prepare.
Dominick Cruz brought in Strikeforce 135 pound champion Ronda Rousey to the UFC training center to teach his team some of her devastating Judo techniques. Ronda admits to being nervous about going in to teach the guys but they all seem receptive, as they should be, to learning from the champ – even though she’s a girl.
Oh yeah, Chris Tickle says that Ronda damn near broke his ribs while demonstrating a throw on him. The chick is rough, for sure.
Dana White allows the fighters to watch Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans at the TUF mansion and Ronda joins them. Once more, her nervousness proves unfounded.
“There are going to be a lot of guys to fend off at once,” she laughs while being hot.
Except the guys seem way too intimidated by her presence after months away from companions and society and no one sits near Rousey or even sparks up conversation with her. Hell, they don’t even answer her when she asks what they are cooking.
Mike Chiesa says that he isn’t “too” intimidated by Ronda and that he would have totally sat next to her, except he already had a comfy seat. Ok.
Cruz is surprised that no one talked with Ronda. Urijah “The California Player” Faber is more succinct.
“These guys kinda blew it,” Faber says.
Back at Team Faber’s practice, we learn that Chris Saunders idolizes Faber. That’s why he nicknamed himself the “SoCal Kid.” Faber doesn’t get what all the fuss is about but says he continues to be impressed by Saunders.
Dumb Pranks
At the house, Tickle is up to pranks again. He put saran wrap on the faucet…because that will show them.
There is some anxiety, however, among some of the fighters that pranks will get out of control as they have in past seasons. Cruickshank hopes that no one will “poop” on his pillow. Mike Rio says that he’ll fight anyone who messes with his long locks.
We learn more about Chris – how he had a rough childhood without the presence of either parents. Sam talks about recommitting himself to MMA. Last year he fought eleven times. Dang.
Dumb pranks, again
So, Urijah Faber tells members of his team to take off their clothes (save for their underwear), oil one another up and then workout in Team Cruz’ locker room.
And they do it. This is supposed to show Cruz.
We can’t really explain how strange the scene was, or why it happened. But be thankful that you are reading this instead of watching. You know, unless the thought of these guys with even less clothing on than usual, oiled up and sweating and engaging in (for reals) water squirting fights, Zoolander style, appeals to you. In which case (and there’s nothing wrong with that), jackpot homie. Get your slow motion and rewind remote buttons warmed up.
“Basically we wanted to violate Team Cruz’ space,” Faber “explains.”
Well, he definitely violated the American viewer. Cruz is probably right when he mocks Faber. “’I’m Urijah Faber and I want to be on camera with my shirt off.’”
Weigh in Time
Both Sam and Chris come in at 155lbs exactly. Time to lock ‘em up.
Fight Time!
Rd 1
Sam comes out swinging with power, backs up Saunders on the cage. Sam lands a couple knees to the body from the clinch with both underhooks in but Saunders lands more knees from body there while also preventing the takedown.
They break, Sam connects partially with a couple of big hooks. Saunders gets the takedown against the fence. Sam is up to his feet quickly.
More action in the clinch, with Saunders landing body knees over and over with double over hooks. Sam briefly gets a takedown but Chris is up to his feet fast.
Saunders lands a shin on Sam’s head flush and appears to knock him out as Sicilia drops face first on to the mat. The ground wakes him up and he scrambles back towards Chris.
Chris smells blood and unloads on Sam with kicks to the body and legs, punches and elbows. Sam keeps coming forward like a cyborg and swings back hard, getting a couple brief takedowns before the horn sounds.
Close round, Chris had to have clinched it with his knocking Sam the fuck out before the Italian stallion came back to life.
Rd 2
Sam pushes the pace from the onset and lands a number of monster hooks to the head. Chris takes Sam’s back on the feet and takes him down but Sam is up instantly. Sam lands huge body knees.
Sam gets a single-leg takedown on Chris but Chris hits a switch and puts Sam on his back. Chris hits him with a knee to the body on the ground then takes Sam’s back. Sam turns in and ends up in Chris’ guard.
Sam is up and still raging. He lands a big knee to Chris’ chin, followed by a left hook. Chris answers with his own uppercut, left hook combo but Sam counters that with a left hook that drops Chris on his ass!
Chris gets back to his feet and Sam works for a choke. Chris escapes and is in Sam’s full guard. Chris throws slow elbows and punches but stays active.
Chris works to pass, gets into half guard then take’s Sam’s back. Sam turns in and puts Chris on his own back. Chris stands up and Sam goes on the attack, landing two overhand rights and a knee to Chris’ chin.
The horn sounds just after Chris lands his own knee then right, left hook combo to Sam’s head.
Best fight yet of the season. You have to imagine that Sam took round two by dropping Chris and that we will head to a sudden-death round.
Nope. The judges render a split decision in favor of Chris.
Wow.
Next week’s fight is set by process of elimination. Ogle and Rio will get it on.
