(We’ll give you an A for effort, Rashad, but we don’t think you have the..ahem… skin tone to pull off Sloth from The Goonies this Halloween.)
For those of you who were hoping to see Rashad Evans test the waters at middleweight, it looks like you’ll have to keep waiting, because it has been reported by the Brazilian outlet SporTV that Evans will be facing off against Antonio Rogerio Nogueria at a TBD event planned for Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas.
Prior to his failed light heavyweight title bid at UFC 145, the TUF 2 winner scored big victories over Phil Davis — who trounced Nogueira back at Ultimate Fight Night 24 — and Tito Ortiz — who was defeated by Lil’ Nog in December of last year. Following hsi win over Ortiz, Nogueira recently called out Forrest Griffin — who lost his title to Evans at UFC 92 and defeated Ortiz in his last appearance — but was beat out for the spot by the last man to defeat him: Phil Davis. So according to MMA math…I’m illiterate.
(We’ll give you an A for effort, Rashad, but we don’t think you have the..ahem… skin tone to pull off Sloth from The Goonies this Halloween.)
For those of you who were hoping to see Rashad Evans test the waters at middleweight, it looks like you’ll have to keep waiting, because it has been reported by the Brazilian outlet SporTV that Evans will be facing off against Antonio Rogerio Nogueria at a TBD event planned for Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas.
Prior to his failed light heavyweight title bid at UFC 145, the TUF 2 winner scored big victories over Phil Davis — who trounced Nogueira back at Ultimate Fight Night 24 — and Tito Ortiz — who was defeated by Lil’ Nog in December of last year. Following hsi win over Ortiz, Nogueira recently called out Forrest Griffin — who lost his title to Evans at UFC 92 and defeated Ortiz in his last appearance — but was beat out for the spot by the last man to defeat him: Phil Davis. So according to MMA math…I’m illiterate.
In all honesty, this is not a good matchup for Nogueira, who struggled against the grappling prowess of guys like Jason Brilz, Ryan Bader (who defeated Brilz but lost to OrtiSTOP DOING THIS!), and Davis, who himself was out-grappled by Evans…you know what, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions for this one. Needless to say, Nogueira is likely going to try and keep this thing standing, which Evans shouldn’t have all that much trouble with if Chuck Liddell has anything to say about it.
The matchup has not been officially confirmed by the UFC as of this write up, but according to MMAFighting, a source close to one of the fighters has all but confirmed this. So unless Evans suddenly gains the gusto to call out Anderson Silva, we will more than likely be seeing these two square off in early February.
(Let’s just say that Cristiane has a way of “convincing” men to do what she wants. We won’t give away the secret, but it involves a garden hose, a tub of creamed corn, a circus midget, and a LOT of tears.)
Over the past few months, we’ve seen UFC President Dana White pull a 180 on such topics as TRT, fights that “make sense,” and most importantly, women’s MMA. Where less than a year ago, Dana could be quoted as saying that we would “never” see women in the UFC — unless they were informing us what round it is, of course — nowadays, his attitude seems to have shifted in the opposite direction. This could partially be due to the success of such smaller promotions as InvictaFC, but is more a result of Dana’s budding fascination with Ronda Rousey, who he has referred to as “unique,” “a Diaz brother,” and “a f*cking dude trapped in this beautiful body.” We’re not sure how he would consider the second quality to be all that endearing, but needless to say, The Baldfather recently informed Sports Illustrated that WMMA is on its way to the UFC:
It’s absolutely going to happen.
[It] could happen tomorrow, it could happen a year from now.
We’ve just heard word that Scott Coker has hung himself.
(Let’s just say that Cristiane has a way of “convincing” men to do what she wants. We won’t give away the secret, but it involves a garden hose, a tub of creamed corn, a circus midget, and a LOT of tears.)
Over the past few months, we’ve seen UFC President Dana White pull a 180 on such topics as TRT, fights that “make sense,” and most importantly, women’s MMA. Where less than a year ago, Dana could be quoted as saying that we would “never” see women in the UFC – unless they were informing us what round it is, of course — nowadays, his attitude seems to have shifted in the opposite direction. This could partially be due to the success of such smaller promotions as InvictaFC, but is more a result of Dana’s budding fascination with Ronda Rousey, who he has referred to as “unique,” “a Diaz brother,” and “a f*cking dude trapped in this beautiful body.” We’re not sure how he would consider the second quality to be all that endearing, but needless to say, The Baldfather recently informed Sports Illustrated that WMMA is on its way to the UFC:
It’s absolutely going to happen.
[It] could happen tomorrow, it could happen a year from now.
We’ve just heard word that Scott Coker has hung himself.
In all seriousness, this is undoubtedly a great piece of news for female MMA fighters, especially those under the Strikforce banner who could find themselves out of work in under a year’s time. The question now becomes: Just how long will it be until we see DW attempt a power grab on InvictaFC, or tries to sign one of their most popular fighters mere seconds after their contract has expired?
Of course, both Ronda and the opponent everyone wants to see her fight, Cris Cyborg, have been battling over what weight class the fight would be held at, with neither side willing to budge an inch, but something tells us DW will use everything in his power to convince one of the two otherwise.
(Props to MMAFighting for the find. The fight starts/ends at the 45 second mark.)
Yesterday’s knockout of the day featured a poor sap who was simply unprepared to deal with his opponent’s Rockette-esque strategy of starting the show with a high kick. And while today’s victim was lucky enough to make it through her opponent’s first kick intact, she completely forgot to follow the most basic rule of fighting: Always keep your hands up. This mental error would prove most detrimental to her 1-0 record as a professional fighter.
(Props to MMAFighting for the find. The fight starts/ends at the 45 second mark.)
Yesterday’s knockout of the day featured a poor sap who was simply unprepared to deal with his opponent’s Rockette-esque strategy of starting the show with a high kick. And while today’s victim was lucky enough to make it through her opponent’s first kick intact, she completely forgot to follow the most basic rule of fighting: Always keep your hands up. This mental error would prove most detrimental to her 1-0 record as a professional fighter.
(Kirk Lazarus gave this performance five out of five crab apples.)
I have never met Jason Miller before. Like most of you, the only perception I have of “Mayhem” as a person has been constructed through interview snippets, heavily-edited reality shows, Twitter ramblings, and the occasional MMA fight. And while this criteria alone may be enough for me to declare my dislike for certain fighters, I have always found it difficult to assess just who exactly this Miller character is — especially in light of recent events — let alone render a verdict on the guy. Because that’s what Mayhem is: a character. And for people to believe that he is truly this completely bonkers, attention-starved individual at every waking moment seemed as ridiculous to me as believing that Chael Sonnen truly is the character he plays on TV. Yet in both instances, there is a strong majority of people who seem to feel this way.
What am I going on about? Well, it just so happens that Mayhem recently agreed to partake in a lengthy interview with Ariel Helwani, having finally shed the “Lucky Patrick” alter-alter-ego that saw him storm off Helwani’s show just a few weeks ago. In the interview that awaits you after the jump, Miller discusses everything from the Twitter war he and Dana White engaged in shortly after his firing to his bizarre arrest in a San Viejo church. And while I was happy to see that Miller appeared to be in sound mental shape for the time being, I couldn’t help but feel as if his explanation for those events was a little fishy.
If you’ve got the time, check out the video and let us know if you agree.
(Kirk Lazarus gave this performance five out of five crab apples.)
I have never met Jason Miller before. Like most of you, the only perception I have of “Mayhem” as a person has been constructed through interview snippets, heavily-edited reality shows, Twitter ramblings, and the occasional MMA fight. And while this criteria alone may be enough for me to declare my dislike for certain fighters, I have always found it difficult to assess just who exactly this Miller character is — especially in light of recent events — let alone render a verdict on the guy. Because that’s what Mayhem is: a character. And for people to believe that he is truly this completely bonkers, attention-starved individual at every waking moment seemed as ridiculous to me as believing that Chael Sonnen truly is the character he plays on TV. Yet in both instances, there is a strong majority of people who seem to feel this way.
What am I going on about? Well, it just so happens that Mayhem recently agreed to partake in a lengthy interview with Ariel Helwani, having finally shed the “Lucky Patrick” alter-alter-ego that saw him storm off Helwani’s show just a few weeks ago. In the interview that awaits you after the jump, Miller discusses everything from the Twitter war he and Dana White engaged in shortly after his firing to his bizarre arrest in a San Viejo church. And while I was happy to see that Miller appeared to be in sound mental shape for the time being, I couldn’t help but feel as if his explanation for those events was a little fishy.
If you’ve got the time, check out the video and let us know if you agree.
Look, I honestly want to believe what Miller is saying. I truly do. For some reason, I find him to be a smart yet misguided but overall likable guy once he sheds the “Mayhem” image. Hell, I’d rather listen to a million Lucky Patrick rants than have to hear even one more fighter spit out the same cliched, almost pre-determined interview answers that we are so used to hearing. And I am not going to call Miller a liar, but suffice it to say, I found some of his answers to the questions we have all been wondering to be just a bit…off. Perhaps appropriately so.
On his “Lucky Patrick” meltdown: “I’m always trying to learn and get better at whatever it is I’m trying to do. Like the acting thing. I got you with the whole Patrick thing because I really stayed in character, I had like a developed backstory, you know, these are methods that actors have used forever. And I just do the same thing I did in fighting to make myself successful. At 19, I got up in Tito Ortiz’s face and was like ‘Hey man, let’s wrestle’…because I wanted to get some of that magic off him.”
Now, I have not seen Here Comes the Boom because I have the ability to recognize a turd even before it has reached my small intestine, but according to Jim Genia’s review (and several others), Miller’s part in the film accounts for roughly five minutes of screen time and features none of the lush backstory that he is describing. As a film fanatic/student, I appreciate his effort to immerse himself as deeply as possible into his role, as minute as it may have been, but if he honestly expects me to believe that he had to go through what he did to accurately portray an MMA fighter with green hair, I call bullshit.
On his “kill yourself” tweet to Dana White: “When I said that, what I meant [was] kill the man that you are today, mentally. Kill him, become someone new. And that was what I was getting at. But it was also a joke.”
This one is a classic example of wanting to have your cake and eat it too. I could be wrong here, but I’m pretty sure that no one in the history of Twitter has ever even attempted to convey a message as pseudo-philosophical as this, let alone in the context of a joke. Twitter is a place we collectively gather to tell rape jokes, spew hatred and intolerance, and show a complete disregard for the fundamental principles of the English language. Basically, it’s the internet’s version of a Tea Party convention (BAZING!). And Miller wants us to believe that he was offering spiritual advice to a man who not only “never looked him in the eye,” but had just fired and publicly lambasted him days earlier? Child please. The only bit of advice I’ve ever offered an ex-employee or boss of mine was that they metaphorically copulate with themselves at the nearest convenience and I’m sure the same goes for most of you.
On his recent arrest: “Like I said, I live a very exciting life. That’s simply a misunderstanding, and really, it’s between me and my pastor. And that’s it. Brian Anderson, Mission Hills Church! Shout out to you! I’ll tell you what happened. I have performed under the moniker “Mayhem” for many years. And, most recently have got the title “Ultimate” slapped in front of my job. These combination of things makes any well meaning cop pull his pistol. Cause I look like a psycho. Understand? And I understand that. I just didn’t have time to clean up…I was waking up in the morning, I didn’t have time to say anything, I just had a pistol shoved in my face.”
Miller also stated that he wasn’t nude and was actually wearing a bathrobe, but none of that even begins to clarify what actually went down. Who is this pastor/coach Anderson fellow? Why was Miller wearing a bathrobe and sleeping in a church in the first place? Why would he vandalize a church he apparently attended on a regular basis? I guess The Case of the Nude Loon is just one that this gang will never be able to solve.
Again, I am in no place to call Miller out on his reasoning, and even if I did, I’m pretty sure Mayhem couldn’t really give two shits about what I have to say. So for now, I guess we should just be thankful that he is back to normal, whatever that is, and move on. That being said, it is interesting to finally see an interview with the guy where he isn’t bouncing off the walls or attempting a publicity stunt.
Miller also goes on to detail the knee injury he suffered in his match against CB Dolloway, as well as his future in MMA and Jacob Volkmann’s politics, for some reason. So check it out and let us know what you think.
(Henderson, seen here making Shane Roller rapidly consider cutting to featherweight at WEC 40.)
No, we are not jumping on the Nate Diaz bandwagon. Not yet, at least.
In a recent interview with MMAJunkie, current UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson resentfully admitted something that no athlete is ever quick to declare: He ain’t getting any younger. And because of this, it is getting harder and harder for a massive lightweight such as “Smooth” to make the required cut for each of his title defenses. How much weight does he cut? Henderson didn’t reveal the exact number, but several close sources claimed that the lightweight champ normally resides around the 180-pound mark often up to just a few days out from fight night. It’s a massive, draining cut for any athlete to undergo, and as we’ve seen in the past, can have devastating effects on the human body. Henderson is no different, and acknowledged that he has struggled to deal with the cut as he has gotten older:
When I was in college and wrestling, I would wrestle all day long and not get tired. I remember wrestling hard for five hours – literally five hours hard – and be just fine. I would eat friggin’ Taco Bell, be fine, and wrestle again.
I’m growing, but as far as maturing and getting thicker, I think I’m getting older right now, and it’s getting harder for me to lose the weight … and it’s harder for me to keep the weight off.
Henderson’s UFC on FOX 5 opponent, Nate Diaz, is no stranger to the difficulty of weight cutting, having moved up to welterweight to fight on several occasions but finding much less success there. The same could be argued for Henderson, who stands at a mere 5 foot 9 and would hold a distinct size disadvantage were he to move up in weight. But according to Henderson, it is only a matter of time until the choice is no longer an option.
(Henderson, seen here making Shane Roller rapidly consider cutting to featherweight at WEC 40.)
No, we are not jumping on the Nate Diaz bandwagon. Not yet, at least.
In a recent interview with MMAJunkie, current UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson resentfully admitted something that no athlete is ever quick to declare: He ain’t getting any younger. And because of this, it is getting harder and harder for a massive lightweight such as “Smooth” to make the required cut for each of his title defenses. How much weight does he cut? Henderson didn’t reveal the exact number, but several close sources claimed that the lightweight champ normally resides around the 180-pound mark often up to just a few days out from fight night. It’s a massive, draining cut for any athlete to undergo, and as we’ve seen in the past, can have devastating effects on the human body. Henderson is no different, and acknowledged that he has struggled to deal with the cut as he has gotten older:
When I was in college and wrestling, I would wrestle all day long and not get tired. I remember wrestling hard for five hours – literally five hours hard – and be just fine. I would eat friggin’ Taco Bell, be fine, and wrestle again.
I’m growing, but as far as maturing and getting thicker, I think I’m getting older right now, and it’s getting harder for me to lose the weight … and it’s harder for me to keep the weight off.
Henderson’s UFC on FOX 5 opponent, Nate Diaz, is no stranger to the difficulty of weight cutting, having moved up to welterweight to fight on several occasions but finding much less success there. The same could be argued for Henderson, who stands at a mere 5 foot 9 and would hold a distinct size disadvantage were he to move up in weight. But according to Henderson, it is only a matter of time until the choice is no longer an option.
When asked whether or not the cut to lightweight would be “too much” as he put it at some point down the line, Henderson stated that ”to a certain extent, yes.” A hard revelation for any athlete, let alone the champion of a division, to come to. The obvious comparison to make here is to that of light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who has stated on several occasions that the light heavyweight division can only hold him for so long. But where Jones would maintain the longest reach in the UFC were he to move to heavyweight, Benson’s reach is more than six inches shy of current welterweight champion Georges. St Pierre. Considering the trouble Henderson had landing his combinations on the much smaller Frankie Edgar in their second fight, these kinds of disadvantages could prove too great to overcome were he to move up a class.
But for now, it is all speculation, as Henderson has his sights set on the Stockton native — who has been relatively quiet in the months leading up to their fight — and their upcoming clash on December 8th. Let’s just hope Hendo doesn’t plan on sporting a cowboy hat at the weigh-ins, or things could get ugly in a hurry.
So what do you think, Potato Nation? Does Henderson’s plight serve as a prime example of the problems caused by the massive weight cuts MMA fighters endure to gain a slight advantage? As we’ve seen in the resurgence of Anthony Johnson as a light heavyweight – not to mention Edgar’s success at 155 — the idea of fighting at one’s natural weight class can prove beneficial in terms of career longevity. Then again, Johnson is able to hold his own in a bigger weight class because of the insane size advantage he used to hold at welterweight, whereas Henderson would essentially become the small fish in a big pond were he to move up.
But perhaps we should first focus on whether or not Henderson is actually able to make it tohis next title defense before we let our minds be consumed by other, more frivolous matters.
We’ve paid tribute to first-punch knockouts before, but the first-kick knockout is a beast we see far less of in the MMA world, or any combat sport for that matter. Maybe it’s because many fighters don’t feel comfortable exposing themselves by attempting a fight-ending kick when they’ve yet to feel out their opponent, or perhaps it’s because many kicks used early in a fight are for just that: feeling your opponent out. In either case, the crazy bastard in the black trunks who shall remain nameless really couldn’t give two shits about your so-called “tactics” or fancy schmancy “strategery.” Thems things is best left for the book-reading doctor types with their scientist talk and their elevated pinkies and bubbly alcohol drinks, amiright Taters?
So skip ahead to the 1:30 mark to see this feller disregard all of his pappy’s teachings and open the fight with a head kick that scrambles his opponents brains up worse than a June bug in prairie dog hole.
Now start researching other instances of a first-kick knockout and relay them to us in the comments section so we can compile a proper tribute list. Because let’s face it, you guys know way more about this MMA stuff than we do anyway, and we’ll be at the firing range determining which one of your shirt ideas holds up best to our rigorous series of tests for the next few days anyway.
We’ve paid tribute to first-punch knockouts before, but the first-kick knockout is a beast we see far less of in the MMA world, or any combat sport for that matter. Maybe it’s because many fighters don’t feel comfortable exposing themselves by attempting a fight-ending kick when they’ve yet to feel out their opponent, or perhaps it’s because many kicks used early in a fight are for just that: feeling your opponent out. In either case, the crazy bastard in the black trunks who shall remain nameless really couldn’t give two shits about your so-called “tactics” or fancy schmancy “strategery.” Thems things is best left for the book-reading doctor types with their scientist talk and their elevated pinkies and bubbly alcohol drinks, amiright Taters?
So skip ahead to the 1:30 mark to see this feller disregard all of his pappy’s teachings and open the fight with a head kick that scrambles his opponents brains up worse than a June bug in prairie dog hole.
Now start researching other instances of a first-kick knockout and relay them to us in the comments section so we can compile a proper tribute list. Because let’s face it, you guys know way more about this MMA stuff than we do anyway, and we’ll be at the firing range determining which one of your shirt ideas holds up best to our rigorous series of tests for the next few days anyway.
