Author: Eugene Eugene

Rory MacDonald Just Turned Heel Against BJ Penn at UFC on Fox 5

Saturday night we witnessed another case of a proud old lion in BJ Penn being overtaken by a young, up-and-coming lion in Rory MacDonald.  Actually, not just a younger lion, but a younger, bigger, stronger, faster, and quite possibly a more well-n…

Saturday night we witnessed another case of a proud old lion in BJ Penn being overtaken by a young, up-and-coming lion in Rory MacDonald.  Actually, not just a younger lion, but a younger, bigger, stronger, faster, and quite possibly a more well-nourished lion. 

A young lion who evidently enjoyed doing the Ali shuffle in the face of an all-time great, which in turn ignited quite the boo-storm in the arena.  As this all unfolded, I asked myself, did we just witness Rory MacDonald go heel?

As far as the action in the fight, Saturday night went as most folks expected.  While some folks hoped a motivated BJ would be too much for the less experienced MacDonald, that was just nostalgia talking. 

From the opening bell, MacDonald dominated Penn in what was very close to a flawless performance as MacDonald continues to earn the respect of fans and the rest of the welterweight division.  While Rory looked more comfortable on the feet than ever, Penn never looked like much of a threat, and as with recent fallen greats like Chuck Liddell and Fedor Emelianenko, it can be tough to watch a once-proud lion take a beating. 

But even if the face of three rounds of consistent and ruthless punishment, Penn would not be finished, and could walk out of the Octagon with his head held high, knowing that he always stepped up and went toe to toe with bigger foes, never playing a points game, never bathing in Vaseline between rounds, and always looking to finish.  

Moving up in weight to battle Georges St Pierre and Lyoto Machida illustrated that BJ Penn would never back down, never talked catch-weight, and always fought with the spirit of a warrior.  Even ‘brawler’ Nick Diaz took to cage leaning to tire out Penn before turning their fight into a one-sided affair on the feet.

Penn truly is a fighter’s fighter, and for the reasons listed above, BJ Penn will retire a legend with the utmost respect, and the all time Pound for Pound fighter in my book.

 

That brings us to MacDonald.  Even in the midst of watching Rory impressively dismantle a legend, there were a great many boos raining down when he was shuffling his feet, dropping his hands, and otherwise illustrating the lengths to which he was manhandling The Prodigy.  

Although at the post-fight presser he said he meant no disrespect to Penn, it can be tough for some to see it that way.  Many folks thought it was a move to make a fighter who has been accused of being a bit reserved seem more unpredictable and zany.

Others thought it may have been rooted in a feeling of resentment at Penn’s insinuation that MacDonald was on illegal performance enhancers and Penn’s insistence on blood tests leading up to the fight.  McDonald said it was more a way to get Penn off-balance. 

I wonder if there’s a bit of all three in there.  It’s not as if he was having trouble connecting on Penn before doing the showboating bits.  But even if he meant no disrespect, he could not be oblivious to how it looks.

When Bigfoot Silva defeated Fedor Emlienanko, he burst into tears and spoke of the dream it was to defeat such a legend.  When MacDonald defeated Penn, he repeatedly did the Ali Shuffle, and that’s an image that fans could have a tough time forgetting. 

Time will tell if MacDonald heads further down that path or if it was all a big misunderstanding. One thing is for certain.  The guy is a hell of a fighter and if he keeps dominating folks and improving his game, he may one day live to be destroyed and humiliated by a young lion.  And it’s quite likely no one will boo.

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Chael Sonnen, Jon Jones, Frank Mir & the Rest of ‘Uncle’ Dana White’s Nephews

With all the Chael Sonnen references to “Uncle” Dana White lately, it got me to thinking: Who are the UFC’s biggest company men?  Who are the fighters who seem most likely to parrot Uncle Dana and/or toe the company line in public?Let me start by …

With all the Chael Sonnen references to “Uncle” Dana White lately, it got me to thinking: Who are the UFC’s biggest company men?  Who are the fighters who seem most likely to parrot Uncle Dana and/or toe the company line in public?

Let me start by saying, being a nephew of Dana is not a knock. In fact, most of the folks on this list are pretty savvy and know which side their bread is buttered on.

Reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Jon Jones seemed well on his way to being on this list, as he was even appearing in some UFC commercial spots with the likes of Arianny Celeste in the weeks BEFORE he beat Shogun. 

But you don’t say no to Uncle Dana, and when he did that recently by declining to fight Chael Sonnen at UFC 151, even golden boy Jon Jones quickly found out that Dana is a vengeful and angry God. He then was trashed by his boss and thrown under the bus in the way only Dana White could do.

But to quote Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones, you don’t get mad at your money, and I have to imagine that fighter Jon Jones, like Anderson Silva, is just a couple of performances away from being welcomed back into Dana’s good graces—if he still wants to be there. 

It didn’t take too too long for The Spider to get back there after he stopped putting on his dancing exhibitions and got back to whooping people.  And it didn’t hurt that Chael Sonnen pretty much made him the good guy by default—put him back over—if you will.

So now, with no further adieu, I present Dana White’s Top 5 Super Golden Nephews..

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UFC: Alistair Overeem Testosterone Debacle Is Dana White’s Nightmare

With word out today that Alistair Overeem has been popped for elevated testosterone, the idea of Testosterone Replacement Therapy, or TRT, is back in the headlines. (TRT is called cheating and a form of drug abuse in every other major sport, as well a…

With word out today that Alistair Overeem has been popped for elevated testosterone, the idea of Testosterone Replacement Therapy, or TRT, is back in the headlines. (TRT is called cheating and a form of drug abuse in every other major sport, as well as in the UFC if you aren’t lucky enough to find a doctor to provide you a convincing prescription.)

That’s the last place UFC President Dana White wants it.

You see, in just two short months, the UFC returns to Brazil for the long anticipated, and often derided rematch between UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and previously vanquished foe, Mr. Always Be Testosteronin’, Chael Sonnen.

The thing about Mr. A.B.T. is that, in addition to being a can’t-miss interview and beloved UFC heel, he suffers from the wretched condition of the dreaded Low T.  Luckily, he lives in an age where he can acquire, and the UFC allows, Testosterone Replacement Therapy.  (With the right prescription from the right doctor—it will help if he’s willing to get up and help you out at hearings. And do it with a straight face.)

And here’s the deal.  Early reports are that Overeem’s T level was lower than what got Mr. A.B.T. in trouble in his first bout against Spider Silva.  White will do his best to steer the debate away from comparisons to Sonnen and the issues that raises, but Dana doesn’t exactly wield a huge club with the media at large, so we’ll see how that goes.

And once you discuss TRT, how can you not bring HGH into the fold?  UFC God-Man Randy Couture might have something to say about that, if you believe certain old Joe Rogan interviews.  The UFC’s lore is built on Couture, and they need his aura to last.  Rumored HGH use won’t help that.

We’ll sit back and see how it all shakes out, maybe a mystery prescription will appear and it will become a ‘paperwork’ issue again.

Except that’s not what TRT is.  It’s a cheating issue, plain and simple, whether Dana White will want to admit it (yet) or not.

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