Author: J.Jones

Kazushi Sakuraba Was Damn Near Beaten to Death at Rizin FF This Morning [VIDEO]

Of all the MMA fighters who have competed well past their prime, there have been few tales more woeful than that of Kazushi Sakuraba. One of the true legends of the sport, Sakuraba first started competing professionally back in 1996, compiling nearly 50 matches against a who’s who of the sport in the time since. And not a one of his fights — not his 26 wins, nor his 17 losses, two draws, and one No Contest — came easily.

There are few fighters, nay, human beings on this Earth who can claim to have absorbed as much punishment as Kazushi Sakuraba has, and as is so often the case, the years are clearly starting to wear on “The Gracie Hunter” to increasingly distressing results.

This morning, Sakuraba emerged from a four year absence (and a four fight losing streak) to take on Shinya Aoki in the main event of Rizin FF SARABA, night one. The results were at best what you’d expect from a 46 year-old man, and at worst a snuff film that will make every “PRIDE Neva Die!!” fan cry into their lunch.

Video after the jump. 

The post Kazushi Sakuraba Was Damn Near Beaten to Death at Rizin FF This Morning [VIDEO] appeared first on Cagepotato.

Of all the MMA fighters who have competed well past their prime, there have been few tales more woeful than that of Kazushi Sakuraba. One of the true legends of the sport, Sakuraba first started competing professionally back in 1996, compiling nearly 50 matches against a who’s who of the sport in the time since. And not a one of his fights — not his 26 wins, nor his 17 losses, two draws, and one No Contest — came easily.

There are few fighters, nay, human beings on this Earth who can claim to have absorbed as much punishment as Kazushi Sakuraba has, and as is so often the case, the years are clearly starting to wear on “The Gracie Hunter” to increasingly distressing results.

This morning, Sakuraba emerged from a four year absence (and a four fight losing streak) to take on Shinya Aoki in the main event of Rizin FF SARABA, night one. The results were at best what you’d expect from a 46 year-old man, and at worst a snuff film that will make every “PRIDE Neva Die!!” fan cry into their lunch.

Video after the jump. 

 

Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no no. That was just…

I’m not gonna…

Just give me a second…

Oh f*ck it…

Wha…why did that referee hate Sakuraba so much, you guys? Why did he let a legend just get pummeled into the canvas for so long without stepping in? And more importantly, WHY WAS THIS FIGHT ALLOWED TO HAPPEN?!! DOES NOBUYUKI SAKAKIBARA HAVE NO HEART?!!!

You can check out a full video of Sakuraba vs. Aoki here, but why do that to yourself? (Seriously, even Aoki is crying by the end of that damn thing.) Full results for Rizin FF night one are below. I hate everything. Goodnight.

Main Event

-Shinya Aoki def. Kazushi Sakuraba via TKO in the first round

Heavyweight Grand Prix:
-Vadim Nemkov def. Goran Reljic via TKO in the first round
-Jiri Prochazka def. Satoshi Ishii via KO (punch and grounded knee) in the first round
-Teodoras Aukstuolis def. Bruno Cappelozza via KO in the first round
-Muhammed Lawal def. Brett McDermott via KO in the first round
-Valentin Moldovsky def. Yuta Uchida via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:20 of the first round – (tourney reserve bout)

Featured fights:
-Hiroyuki Takaya def. Dalki Hata via unanimous decision
-Hideo Tokoro def. Kizaemon Saiga via submission (armbar) in the first round
-Anatoly Tokov def. A.J. Matthews via KO in the first round
-Felipe Efrain def. Yuki Motoya via KO in the first round (Deemed no contest due to Efrain missing weight)
-Kirill Sidelnikov def. Carlos Toyota via TKO in the first round
-Tsuyoshi Kohsaka def. James Thompson via TKO in of the second round
-K-1 rules bout: Hiroya Kawabe def. Akiyo Nishiura via KO in the third round
-Mixed rules bout: Hinata Watanabe def. Kazuyuki Miyata via TKO (knockdowns) in the first round

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Tim Sylvia Has a Hunting Show Now, And the Trailer is Glorious


That moment when you’re eyeing down a ten point buck, then shit yourself in excitement. (What? The joke was there and I took it. I regret nothing.)

Ever since Tim Sylvia decided to retire from mixed martial arts competition due to…erm…let’s call them “health problems,” the world has waited on baited breath to see what the former UFC heavyweight champion’s next project would be. Triathlons? Hot dog eating competitions? Or would he, as we suspected, return to the quiet life of an Illinois police officer, only to be forced back into competition to avenge his brother’s death/take down a ruthless drug lord? The possibilities were literally endless.

Well, as it turns out, the answer is a bit simpler than we might have predicted, but arguably just as glorious. That’s because Sylvia will stepping away from the octagon and into the forest to host a hunting show, Hit Squad Outdoors with Tim Sylvia, and wouldn’t you know it, we’ve managed to get our hands on the glorious trailer.

The post Tim Sylvia Has a Hunting Show Now, And the Trailer is Glorious appeared first on Cagepotato.


That moment when you’re eyeing down a ten point buck, then shit yourself in excitement. (What? The joke was there and I took it. I regret nothing.)

Ever since Tim Sylvia decided to retire from mixed martial arts competition due to…erm…let’s call them “health problems,” the world has waited on baited breath to see what the former UFC heavyweight champion’s next project would be. Triathlons? Hot dog eating competitions? Or would he, as we suspected, return to the quiet life of an Illinois police officer, only to be forced back into competition to avenge his brother’s death/take down a ruthless drug lord? The possibilities were literally endless.

Well, as it turns out, the answer is a bit simpler than we might have predicted, but arguably just as glorious. That’s because Sylvia will stepping away from the octagon and into the forest to host a hunting show, Hit Squad Outdoors with Tim Sylvia, and wouldn’t you know it, we’ve managed to get our hands on the glorious trailer.

My God, I haven’t seen such intense music juxtaposed with such hushed dialogue since the final act of…any movie I’ve watched on my HDTV because I can’t figure out the correct audio settings.

On the real though, it’s good to see that Sylvia, like Ken Shamrock before him, has found gainful employment in a career that does not involve getting repeatedly kicked, punched, and kneed in the head. In fact, we dare say that he might have even found his true calling. Let’s just hope that, like Ken Shamrock before him, this secondary career isn’t just a ploy that sets up his return to MMA/freak show fight with Kimbo Slice. Lord knows our boy K Ferg has enough of those on his hands these days.

Hit Squad Outdoors With Tim Sylvia airs on the Pursuit channel at 5 pm central tomorrow. Head over to the show’s Facebook page to learn more.

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Wanderlei Silva Calls Aldo-McGregor KO “An Accident,” Threatens to Slap McGregor For Bashing Jesus


(Wanderlei Silva: Professional in the streets, freak in the sheets.)

If there’s two things that Wanderlei Silva has become known for in his post-fighting career, it’s posting creepy, borderline unintelligible videos to his social networks and threatening to slap the sh*t out of people. And while the man has arguably raised some good points about the state of fighter pay, it’s growing harder and harder to take him seriously when those points are threateningly delivered in a dimly-lit room while heavy metal and/or techno blasts in the background.

So a credit is due to Silva for stripping away some of the more distracting elements in his most recent effort, wherein he calls for an immediate rematch between Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo and threatens to slap the “Notorious” one should they ever meet face to face.

The post Wanderlei Silva Calls Aldo-McGregor KO “An Accident,” Threatens to Slap McGregor For Bashing Jesus appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Wanderlei Silva: Professional in the streets, freak in the sheets.)

If there’s two things that Wanderlei Silva has become known for in his post-fighting career, it’s posting creepy, borderline unintelligible videos to his social networks and threatening to slap the sh*t out of people. And while the man has arguably raised some good points about the state of fighter pay, it’s growing harder and harder to take him seriously when those points are threateningly delivered in a dimly-lit room while heavy metal and/or techno blasts in the background.

So a credit is due to Silva for stripping away some of the more distracting elements in his most recent effort, wherein he calls for an immediate rematch between Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo and threatens to slap the “Notorious” one should they ever meet face to face.

The video was posted to Silva’s Facebook page the day after UFC 194, but the entire thing is in Goldbergian Japanese (aka Portuguese), so check out a full translation below via MMAFighting.

I’m here to support one of the greatest champions, our greatest champion, Jose Aldo. You continue to be our great champion. Wanderlei Silva continues to be your fan. I like you, I know what you can do, and I know you know that too. That has happened to be too, I’ve been through a moment like this you’re going through now.

And this promotion, if they don’t give (Aldo) the immediate rematch, we will criticize them. How? Everybody saw it was an accident, this a–hole was lucky. And when I meet this guy, for everything he said about Jesus, I will slap this motherf–ker in the face. You can’t do that. You can’t play with our God. When I meet you, raise your hand because you’re getting slapped in the face, you punk.

I’ll tell you this: it hurts. It hurts. A warrior feels this pain with the loss. I know you will walk through this and show you still are the best fighter in the world. Don’t listen to the critics. I want to ask Brazilians to support our champion. Hold back the jokes. If you have any garbage inside your heart, don’t throw it outside. Keep it to yourself. Don’t criticize our champion. Our champion needs support.

He represents us for a long time. A guy that lived in a gym, had nothing, and became the best fighter in the world, deserves out respect to say the least. Aldo, I’m with you. You’re our champion, and that won’t change anything.

Our major takeaway from this video: No Brazilian has or ever will lose a fight fair and square; extenuating circumstances are almost always to blame. Jose Aldo didn’t simply overcommit and walk right into the power hand of Conor McGregor (like McGregor predicted he would), he had an “accident.” As a matter of fact, we guarantee that if you slow down the footage of his final moments as champion, you’ll see him slipping on a piece of ice placed by in the octagon by that goddamn Dana White.

We kid, but as much as it would arguably make sense for Aldo to receive an immediate rematch — Cain Velasquez and Ronda Rousey are getting just that, and their losses were far less “flukey” than Aldo’s — it would be even harder to see the UFC selling McGregor/Aldo 2 to casual audiences, given the time it took for the first fight to actually come to fruition and the payoff (or lack thereof) it resulted in. As great as a champion as Aldo was, it’s just not a likely scenario that he’ll receive an immediate rematch against a guy with an extremely limited window left at 145 lbs anyways (which opens a whole other can of worms).

Still though, you have to love how the impetus for this whole video seemed to be McGregor’s assertion that he’d “whoop Jesus’ ass” in the octagon, as if he was speaking from the heart and considering it as his next matchup. We can only hope that Wanderlei has never seen Dogma, or else Kevin Smith will have one unholy ass-kicking coming his way.

Our advice to McGregor, though, should Wanderlei attempt to make good on his promise? GO FOR THE DOUBLE LEG!

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Nasty, Testicle-Obliterating Details Emerge From Julianna Pena’s Barroom Brawl Arrest


(Don’t make Julianna angry. Your balls wouldn’t like Julianna when she’s angry. via Pena’s Instagram)

They say that Christmas is the time of giving, and for the most part, it’s a motto that most of us try to live by when the holidays come around. Take TUF 18 winner Julianna Pena, for instance, who seemed to be in a giving mood while hanging out with bantamweight Josh Gow outside a bar in Spokane, Washington over the weekend. Unfortunately for the recipients of her generosity, the things she was giving out were hellacious, manhood-obliterating kicks to the groin.

As such, Pena was hauled in by Spokane PD, and the nasty details regarding her arrest have started to leak.

The post Nasty, Testicle-Obliterating Details Emerge From Julianna Pena’s Barroom Brawl Arrest appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Don’t make Julianna angry. Your balls wouldn’t like Julianna when she’s angry. via Pena’s Instagram)

They say that Christmas is the time of giving, and for the most part, it’s a motto that most of us try to live by when the holidays come around. Take TUF 18 winner Julianna Pena, for instance, who seemed to be in a giving mood while hanging out with bantamweight Josh Gow outside a bar in Spokane, Washington over the weekend. Unfortunately for the recipients of her generosity, the things she was giving out were hellacious, manhood-obliterating kicks to the groin.

As such, Pena was hauled in by Spokane PD, and the nasty details regarding her arrest have started to leak.

According to Deadspin, Pena and Gow had been involved in a “20 person brawl” outside the Globe Bar and Kitchen which resulted in Gow being bloodied. When a visibly intoxicated Pena entered the Globe to use the bathroom and clean Gow up, she was denied by an employee and became “irate.” Then this happened, according to an eye witness:

If Gow’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he was allegedly the fighter who “attacked” Pena at the gym and caused the “gruesome” knee injury which kept her out of action for two years following her TUF Finale win. So he seems like a swell guy all around.

As of Monday, Pena’s name has no longer been listed on the Spokane County inmate roster, and the UFC has yet to comment on her arrest. If I were to take a guess as to what their response will be, however, I’m going to go with the classic “We are currently investigating both sides of the issue” standby. Because we all know that the UFC”s investigatory team leaves no stone unturned.

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UFC on FOX 17 Highlights/Results: Dos Anjos Torches Cerrone, Overeem Flattens Cigano, + More

Is Donald Cerrone destined to be the Urijah Faber of the lightweight division?

That’s the question we found ourselves asking following Cowboy’s quick and violent loss to Rafael Dos Anjos in their lightweight title rematch at UFC on FOX 17 on Saturday. Cerrone, who has managed to rattle off an unprecedented win streak in the UFC’s most stacked division, has wilted under the pressure of title fights time after time dating back to his WEC days. First, he dropped a technical decision to Jamie Varner at WEC 38, then followed it up with a pair of losses to Benson Henderson at WEC 43 and 48, respectively.

To loosely quote Tim McCarver, as good as Cerrone has looked in non-title fights, that’s how as bad he’s been in title fights. And against Dos Anjos this time around, oddsmakers and fans alike were giving Cerrone a far better chance than his previous performances against the true elite would indicate, and he simply “didn’t show up to work.”

Which is a real shame, because Cerrone’s win streak leading up to Saturday night was nothing short of remarkable — an eight fight killing spree which included three head kick KO’s, two subs, and decision wins over former champions in Henderson and Eddie Alvarez (and Myles Jury). He had earned far better than a 66 second ass-kicking to a guy with about 10 years less striking experience, but such is what we’ve come to expect from the most unpredictable sport in the world.

Speaking of unexpected…

The post UFC on FOX 17 Highlights/Results: Dos Anjos Torches Cerrone, Overeem Flattens Cigano, + More appeared first on Cagepotato.

Is Donald Cerrone destined to be the Urijah Faber of the lightweight division?

That’s the question we found ourselves asking following Cowboy’s quick and violent loss to Rafael Dos Anjos in their lightweight title rematch at UFC on FOX 17 on Saturday. Cerrone, who has managed to rattle off an unprecedented win streak in the UFC’s most stacked division, has wilted under the pressure of title fights time after time dating back to his WEC days. First, he dropped a technical decision to Jamie Varner at WEC 38, then followed it up with a pair of losses to Benson Henderson at WEC 43 and 48, respectively.

To loosely quote Tim McCarver, as good as Cerrone has looked in non-title fights, that’s how as bad he’s been in title fights. And against Dos Anjos this time around, oddsmakers and fans alike were giving Cerrone a far better chance than his previous performances against the true elite would indicate, and he simply “didn’t show up to work.”

Which is a real shame, because Cerrone’s win streak leading up to Saturday night was nothing short of remarkable — an eight fight killing spree which included three head kick KO’s, two subs, and decision wins over former champions in Henderson and Eddie Alvarez (and Myles Jury). He had earned far better than a 66 second ass-kicking to a guy with about 10 years less striking experience, but such is what we’ve come to expect from the most unpredictable sport in the world.

Speaking of unexpected…

What in God’s name has happened to Junior Dos Santos? Aside from appearing to have aged approximately 5 years since his fight with Stipe Miocic last year, the former heavyweight champion looked more gunshy than ever against Alistair Overeem in the night’s co-main event. I suppose a pair of horrific beatings at the hands of Cain Velasquez might do that to a man, but considering all the history between Overeem and Dos Santos, it was hard to foresee the fight equating to a staring contest (with an albeit violent ending).

Still, the loss drops Dos Santos to 2-3 in his past 5 and improves Overeem to 4-1 in his, which means that the era of the Ubereem might somehow still be upon us. Crazy.

In yet another surprise to punctuate the UFC on FOX 17 card, Nate Diaz showed up to his fight with Michael Johnson in not only the best shape of his life, but with something resembling a gameplan (by Diaz standards, at least)! The whimsy! The evolution!

(*huffs painter’s glue*) (*sips wine*)

Despite getting tagged early and often by “The Menace” in the first round, Diaz was able to take over late in the fight, utilizing his reach and continuously impressive cardio to keep Johnson at bay while landing 1-2 combinations over and over and over again. Honestly, this “highlight” courtesy of the UFC on FOX Youtube channel doesn’t do the fight even the slightest bit of justice, so instead, let’s watch some classy fans brawl as the Diaz-Johnson decision was announced.

The complete list of results for UFC on FOX 17 are below.

Main Card
Rafael dos Anjos def. Donald Cerrone via TKO (R1, 1:06)
Alistair Overeem def. Junior dos Santos via TKO (R2, 4:43)
Nate Diaz def. Michael Johnson via UD
Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Randa Markos via UD

Undercard
Charles Oliveira def. Myles Jury via submission (guillotine) (R1, 3:05)
Nate Marquardt def. C.B. Dollaway via KO (R2, 0:28)
Valentina Shevchenko def. Sarah Kaufman via SD
Tamdan McCrory def. Josh Samman via submission (triangle) (R3, 4:10)
Nik Lentz def. Danny Castillo via SD
Cole Miller vs. Jim Alers a no contest (accidental eye poke by Alers)
Kamaru Usman def. Leon Edwards via UD
Vicente Luque def. Hayder Hassan via sub (anaconda choke) (R1, 2:13)
Francis Ngannou def. Luiz Henrique via KO (R2, 2:53)

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Ronda Rousey Has a Very Unorthodox Training Method For Her Rematch With Holly Holm


(I tell you what, if this rematch happens in ballroom dresses and heels, Holm is FUCKED.)

The rate at which Ronda Rousey has changed her tune following her stunning loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 is enough to give anyone whiplash. Prior to the bout, Rousey was doing nothing short of calling her home runs from the plate, claiming that she would “retire undefeated” and “be known as the greatest fighter that ever lived.” Nowadays, she’s already planning her exit strategy from the sport should she lose her rematch to Holm, telling ESPN, “If I lose, I’ll be done with everything.”

And if what we’ve been hearing out of her camp is any indication, that rematch is not going to go well for her. For starters, she’ll be sticking by Edmund Tarverdyan’s side even though the government will soon be seizing all his assets. Secondly, she’ll spend at least a decent chunk of her time away from the octagon filming back-to-back movies, according to a recent interview with Lorenzo Fertitta.

Details after the jump.

The post Ronda Rousey Has a Very Unorthodox Training Method For Her Rematch With Holly Holm appeared first on Cagepotato.


(I tell you what, if this rematch happens in ballroom dresses and heels, Holm is FUCKED.)

The rate at which Ronda Rousey has changed her tune following her stunning loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 is enough to give anyone whiplash. Prior to the bout, Rousey was doing nothing short of calling her home runs from the plate, claiming that she would “retire undefeated” and “be known as the greatest fighter that ever lived.” Nowadays, she’s already planning her exit strategy from the sport should she lose her rematch to Holm, telling ESPN, “If I lose, I’ll be done with everything.”

And if what we’ve been hearing out of her camp is any indication, that rematch is not going to go well for her. For starters, she’ll be sticking by Edmund Tarverdyan’s side even though the government will soon be seizing all his assets. Secondly, she’ll spend at least a decent chunk of her time away from the octagon filming back-to-back movies, according to a recent interview with Lorenzo Fertitta.

Details after the jump.

Speaking with Sporting News, Fertitta described his recent visit with Rousey, and it’s hard not to find his words a little ominous.

I went out to see her in L.A. Had some real good conversations with her. She is, as you would expect, very disappointed. Distraught, to some extent. She’s never lost. She never lost a fight in the Octagon. She never lost a fight in the street. She didn’t know what it was like. Right? … She is champing to be back in there. She made some commitments before the fight to make two movies. So she’s going to do that. Then get back to training in the Octagon.

We get it, commitments are commitments, but it doesn’t exactly bode well that the same person who described herself as “exhausted” going into UFC 193 (no doubt due to her plethora of media obligations and increasingly demanding Hollywood schedule) will be shooting two movies before getting back to focusing on the biggest fight of her life — especially when one of those movies is a goddamn remake of Road House. It would be like if Rocky got his ass kicked by Clubber Lang in Rocky 3, then went right back to doing Muppets appearances instead of engaging in mildly homoerotic beach sprints like a true champion.

Of course, with the UFC all but forcing Holm to sit out until Rousey is ready to fight, it’s pretty clear to see which way the promotion’s hands are swayed. If Fertitta is to be believed, however, Rousey is simply putting on that crushed, deflated demeanor in order to fool all us easily-swayed media types.

“She has options,” said Fertitta. “But let me tell you what. Ronda is the single most competitive person I’ve ever met in my life. If you don’t think she isn’t ready right now … She’s plotting her comeback. I don’t think anything can stop her from coming back.”

Anything…except Road House 2. 

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