Survey: Which Current Champion Has the Most Impressive Win Streak in MMA?


(I’ve got 25, 25, do I hear 26 for this authentic Cuban-born champion? I’ve got 25, do I hear 26? 26?! 26?!!! Sold at 25!) 

After battering and busting up Urijah Faber en route to his 29th straight victory, newly-crowned interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao proved to the world at UFC 149 that his win streak was the product of hard work and dedication, not the culmination of years spent crushing cans that seemed to be the case for a certain somebody making his long awaited debut just one fight before. This is not to say that Hector Lombard doesn’t push himself as a fighter — by all accounts he does the exact opposite, in fact — but to say that Lombard was the first fighter to come to the UFC on a huge win streak, only to have said streak invalidated almost immediately would be a bold faced lie (Jason Reinhardt, anyone? How about our buddy Sean McCorkle?).

But when guys who have spent years fighting below their level come up short on the big stage, it just makes it all the more impressive to see the Barao’s and Ryan Jimmo‘s of the world succeed in living up to their hype. Simply put, it’s no coincidence that most of the guys with the greatest win streaks in the sport are all champions, and the rest are either made up (I shall refer you to the infamous tale of Craig Rehage as my primary example) or busted as soon as the fighter faces some legit competition.

However, when trying to determine which champion has the most impressive win streak of them all, we surprisingly found ourselves at odds. Some of us went with the obvious choice in Anderson Silva, some of us thought that Jon Jones’ streak was more impressive, and ReX thought that Ronda Rousey’s run stood atop them all before snatching a copy of her ESPN magazine shoot and running off to our executive bathroom. He has yet to return.

So as is often the case when we are struggling to decide upon an issue, we will hand the power over to you, Potato Nation. After the jump, you will find a survey. The topic: “Which Current Champion Has the Greatest Win Streak in MMA?” You WILL vote on this poll, and you WILL leave us your convincing arguments in the comments section. Sound good?


(I’ve got 25, 25, do I hear 26 for this authentic Cuban-born champion? I’ve got 25, do I hear 26? 26?! 26?!!! Sold at 25!) 

After battering and busting up Urijah Faber en route to his 29th straight victory, newly-crowned interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao proved to the world at UFC 149 that his win streak was the product of hard work and dedication, not the culmination of years spent crushing cans that seemed to be the case for a certain somebody making his long awaited debut just one fight before. This is not to say that Hector Lombard doesn’t push himself as a fighter — by all accounts he does the exact opposite, in fact — but to say that Lombard was the first fighter to come to the UFC on a huge win streak, only to have said streak invalidated almost immediately would be a bold faced lie (Jason Reinhardt, anyone? How about our buddy Sean McCorkle?).

But when guys who have spent years fighting below their level come up short on the big stage, it just makes it all the more impressive to see the Barao’s and Ryan Jimmo‘s of the world succeed in living up to their hype. Simply put, it’s no coincidence that most of the guys with the greatest win streaks in the sport are all champions, and the rest are either made up (I shall refer you to the infamous tale of Craig Rehage as my primary example) or busted as soon as the fighter faces some legit competition.

However, when trying to determine which champion has the most impressive win streak of them all, we surprisingly found ourselves at odds. Some of us went with the obvious choice in Anderson Silva, some of us thought that Jon Jones’ streak was more impressive, and ReX thought that Ronda Rousey’s run stood atop them all before snatching a copy of her ESPN magazine shoot and running off to our executive bathroom. He has yet to return.

So as is often the case when we are struggling to decide upon an issue, we will hand the power over to you, Potato Nation. After the jump, you will find a survey. The topic: “Which Current Champion Has the Greatest Win Streak in MMA?” You WILL vote on this poll, and you WILL leave us your convincing arguments in the comments section. Sound good?

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.

J. Jones

Simply Put, It Sucked: Assembling the Best Tweets Regarding the Crappiness of UFC 149


(Well said.)

Twitter holds an interesting place in the MMA landscape. On one hand, it often comes across as little more than a medium for fighters to vent their frustrations with the foresight and competency of a middle school dropout, or to aid in the ongoing series of endless, needless arguments that constitute 90% of the internet nowadays. Seriously, I was on one of those porn sites that allow comments the other day and stumbled across a heated argument concerning what the woman fellating the donkey onscreen was probably thinking. My guess was that she was reconsidering her choice to forgo those online courses for some quick cash and a shot at Fame (which coincidentally was the horse’s name), but the two (probable) gentlemen involved in said dispute seemed to think she was trying to determine the ethnicity of said horse (if that’s a thing), and which race she likely decided upon. Did I mention she was blindfolded? She was blindfolded.

On the other hand, “The Twitter” has shown on several occasions that it can serve as more than a battleground for our petty arguments, and can actually be used as a tool to unite people from opposite ends of the planet over a given cause. Although it failed in the end, Twitter was almost solely responsible for giving Mark Hunt the opportunity of a lifetime, or bringing Tim Sylvia back to the UFC to dominate 85% of the promotion’s heavyweights like we all know he would (I mean, have you even seen his workout regimen?).

And one thing that the collective minds of Twitter seemed to reach an agreement on was that UFC 149, to put it professionally, sucked major donkey dick (see how I brought that all together? I’m less a writer, more a prophet). So in order to bid what will ultimately go down as one of the most disappointing main cards in UFC history adieu, we’ve collected some of the funniest tweets from around the Twittersphere, some from actual fighters, others from random jagoffs with the simple ability to hashtag UFC 149 after their comment, for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.


(Well said.)

Twitter holds an interesting place in the MMA landscape. On one hand, it often comes across as little more than a medium for fighters to vent their frustrations with the foresight and competency of a middle school dropout, or to aid in the ongoing series of endless, needless arguments that constitute 90% of the internet nowadays. Seriously, I was on one of those porn sites that allow comments the other day and stumbled across a heated argument concerning what the woman fellating the donkey onscreen was probably thinking. My guess was that she was reconsidering her choice to forgo those online courses for some quick cash and a shot at Fame (which coincidentally was the horse’s name), but the two (probable) gentlemen involved in said dispute seemed to think she was trying to determine the ethnicity of said horse (if that’s a thing), and which race she likely decided upon. Did I mention she was blindfolded? She was blindfolded.

On the other hand, “The Twitter” has shown on several occasions that it can serve as more than a battleground for our petty arguments, and can actually be used as a tool to unite people from opposite ends of the planet over a given cause. Although it failed in the end, Twitter was almost solely responsible for giving Mark Hunt the opportunity of a lifetime, or bringing Tim Sylvia back to the UFC to dominate 85% of the promotion’s heavyweights like we all know he would (I mean, have you even seen his workout regimen?).

And one thing that the collective minds of Twitter seemed to reach an agreement on was that UFC 149, to put it professionally, sucked major donkey dick (see how I brought that all together? I’m less a writer, more a prophet). So in order to bid what will ultimately go down as one of the most disappointing main cards in UFC history adieu, we’ve collected some of the funniest tweets from around the Twittersphere, some from actual fighters, others from random jagoffs with the simple ability to hashtag UFC 149 after their comment, for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.

We shall begin with the far and away greatest tweet of the night, which surprisingly enough came from Bellator welterweight champion and Ambien substitute Ben Askren, who you may recall suffered a first round TKO at the hands of Dana White the last time we saw him on Twitter:

Self deprecating humor? Check. A rip on the UFC? Check double plus. Adhering to the classic “This is more______ than _____”, Family Guy cutaway formula? Check fuckin’ mate.

DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?!

The second best fighter tweet of the night went to the Thugjitsu Master himself, Yves Edwards, for this simple, yet effective burn:

Lord knows I love me a movie reference, and although Gladiator was a somewhat obvious choice, it fits the mood of whatever the hell Boetsch/Lombard was supposed to be like a glove.

Dan Henderson, who has pwned Dana White before using the social networking device, was a little more frank with his assessment of the event:

Check out some more of our favorites below.

Joe Rogan, who told it like it is (as we’ve come to expect): “Well ladies and gentlemen, that was not a good fight card. I enjoyed the prelims and the main event had it’s moments but overall not so good.”

Siyar Bahadurzada, for his on-point judging abilities: “Both lost this fight… The referee lost too! Fuck, even the crowd lost… And the viewers back home too. You get paid to fight!!!!!!!”

George Roop, for being a Debbie Downer during Barao’s entrance: “Barao comes out to all I do is win. Sadly his entrance already has more action then the rest of the card.”

Our boys over at MiddleEasy, for their time tested eloquence when evaluating Hector Lombard‘s performance: “That screech you hear in the distance is the Hector Lombard Frate Trane crashing and igniting in a fiery blaze.”

MMAWeekly’s Damon Martin also hopped on the Lombard Frate Hate Trane: “‘Hector Lombard is the man to challenge Anderson Silva!’ said no one ever after watching that fight.”

Ariel Helwani, for riding the wave of awesomeness that was every fight before Ebersole/Head, then crashing back to earth during the main card until he could tweet no more:

“Whoa? Matt Riddle showing some pretty great technique. This card really is a blessing!”

“Hold the phone on those blessing tweets.”

“Gulp.”

And finally, AJ Hoffman, a sports radio host, MMA writer, and self-described “all around good guy”, for pleading his case to DirecTV: “Fight of the Night= Me and my cable company when I try to convince them a homeless guy broke in and ordered that BS PPV.”

So, Potato Nation, were there any other notable tweets/complaints that tickled your funny bone last Saturday? Or were you too bogged down by self loathing and the depression that comes with essentially having flushed a 50 dollar bill down the toilet to even notice?

J. Jones

[VIDEO] Matt Riddle Calls Out “Butter-Toothed Brit” Dan Hardy at the UFC 149 Post-Fight Press Conference


(Matt Riddle: So cool that he can make fun of British people while paying tribute to them at the same time.) 

To put it as politely as possible, UFC 149 was a pessimist’s utopia (not to mention an ad-libbers). Cheick Kongo brought the same lackluster gameplan into his fight with Shawn Jordan as he did against guys like Paul Buentello, Matt Mitrione, and Travis Browne, more or less proving that Frank Mir made good on his promise to “change Kongo as a fighter” back at UFC 107. Personally, I was not around to catch the abortion of a “fight” that was Lombard/Boetsch live, but my heart goes out to those of you who were. Lombard’s performance was so outright bizarre that if he were to come out with a Rampage Jackson-esque conspiracy theory about Canadians poisoning his food in the next couple of days, I would be inclined to believe him.

But amidst all of the despair, the dreck, and the gloom, there was one man who simply refused to be held down: Matt f*cking Riddle. Perhaps no one defies the pessimistic nature of many, if not most, MMA fans in the online community more than Riddle, who has shown a willingness to throw a winning gameplan aside for the sake of the fans entertainment on several occasions. Wide-eyed and perpetually grinning throughout nearly all of his fights, Riddle most closely resembles this generation’s Chris Lytle, and his balls to the wall performance against Chris Clements undoubtedly proved that, win or lose, he is main card material.

But greater than his sunny disposition, greater even than the split second securing of that arm-triangle choke in the third round, was the hilarious rant he delivered at the UFC 149 post-fight press conference. When asked why he wanted a piece of Dan Hardy by a reporter, Dana White made a halfhearted joke about the fact that Riddle hated British people, totally unaware of the Spicolian jeremiad that was about to follow.

A video of Riddle’s call out, along with Hardy’s response, awaits you after the jump. 


(Matt Riddle: So cool that he can make fun of British people while paying tribute to them at the same time.) 

To put it as politely as possible, UFC 149 was a pessimist’s utopia (not to mention an ad-libbers). Cheick Kongo brought the same lackluster gameplan into his fight with Shawn Jordan as he did against guys like Paul Buentello, Matt Mitrione, and Travis Browne, more or less proving that Frank Mir made good on his promise to “change Kongo as a fighter” back at UFC 107. Personally, I was not around to catch the abortion of a “fight” that was Lombard/Boetsch live, but my heart goes out to those of you who were. Lombard’s performance was so outright bizarre that if he were to come out with a Rampage Jackson-esque conspiracy theory about Canadians poisoning his food in the next couple of days, I would be inclined to believe him.

But amidst all of the despair, the dreck, and the gloom, there was one man who simply refused to be held down: Matt f*cking Riddle. Perhaps no one defies the pessimistic nature of many, if not most, MMA fans in the online community more than Riddle, who has shown a willingness to throw a winning gameplan aside for the sake of the fans entertainment on several occasions. Wide-eyed and perpetually grinning throughout nearly all of his fights, Riddle most closely resembles this generation’s Chris Lytle, and his balls to the wall performance against Chris Clements undoubtedly proved that, win or lose, he is main card material.

But greater than his sunny disposition, greater even than the split second securing of that arm-triangle choke in the third round, was the hilarious rant he delivered at the UFC 149 post-fight press conference. When asked why he wanted a piece of Dan Hardy by a reporter, Dana White made a halfhearted joke about the fact that Riddle hated British people, totally unaware of the Spicolian jeremiad that was about to follow.

After Riddle asserts that he only wants to fight Hardy for his name value, DW makes the aforementioned joke, to which Riddle responds:

I will be completely honest, When I fought in Manchester, England, they were very cruel to me. One fan actually spit directly in my face, and he was lucky enough where it hit my mouth. To be completely honest, I don’t have anything against English people, but I’ll go over to London, and I’ll put ‘em down.

It was my first international fight, and it was one I’ll never forget. It was my first loss in the UFC, and ever since I’ve had that loss, I’ve never let anything like that happen to me again. All my other losses are usually ‘Fight of the Night’ or a decision loss, and that was the only time I’ve ever been finished in my career.

…to be disrespected like that was the part that really upset me.

“I’m like his therapist,” White joked. On a side note, if we were to picture The Baldfather’s bedside manner, it would probably resemble something like this.

It was at this point that Riddle landed perhaps the single greatest blow of UFC 149 outside of Ryan Jimmo’s record-tying destruction of Anthony Perosh:

Everybody up here on this table is a world class athlete, and we should be treated like world class athletes. And for some butter-toothed Brit to spit in my mouth, that was some bull, and honestly it’s never been the same. 

“Wow,” White exclaimed, echoing the thoughts of every single person who happened to be witnessing this glorious moment in post-fight press conference history. Jimmo looked as if he were ready to piss himself, whereas Renan Barao could only stare at Riddle and wonder what the hell he said that was so damn funny.

Unfortunately for Riddle, it looks like he will have to wait a while to get a shot at Hardy, who responded to the call out via his Twitter:

Why the hell would I fight Riddle? There is no value in it for me and I’d be forced to look at him more than I have to now. (Riddle is) another Justin Bieber looking idiot that clearly knows nothing about the sport.

To a certain extent, Hardy is right, although the need to bring up Justin Bieber seemed a little harsh. A win over Riddle wouldn’t do much for his career, and would completely derail it if he were to lose. On the other hand, Hardy is currently set to face Amir Sodallah, whose stock may very well be lower than that of Riddle’s at the moment, so it’s hard to see what Hardy’s getting at there. Considering that he just scored his first win in two years over an aging veteran in Duane Ludwig, perhaps Hardy shouldn’t be acting like other fighters are below him on the totem pole while simultaneously fighting other guys at the same level. There is also the fact that Hardy has stated on various occasions that he only wants to fight guys who are willing to stand and bang with him. You know, like Matt Hughes. If you haven’t picked up what I’m getting at yet, it’s that Hardy sure likes to call out fighters he thinks he can beat, but doesn’t appreciate it when someone else does the same.

Like we said, Hardy’s still got Sodallah to get through, but after that, we’d like to see this matchup come to fruition. How about you, Potato Nation?

J. Jones

Gambling Addiction Enabler: UFC 149 Edition

will ferrell old school
(We’re going ((win)) streaking!!) 

By Dan “Get Off Me” George

Grab your cowboy hats and pack up your saddles my fellow CP readers, because this weekend we are headed to the home of the world famous Calgary Stampede, Calgary, Alberta, Canada for UFC 149 Barao vs Faber! From a wagering standpoint, this card is pretty much a prime example of why bookies offer MMA betting lines, as this card is chock full of close fights and odds that will surely entice the gambling public as well as crush the majority of parlays, all the while raking in money for the house.

Luckily for you (or not), we do not have to go on the cuff for this card, as those who followed UFC 148’s GAE were rewarded with a 4 team parlay that paid out 7 to 1 at the window. All betting odds are courtesy of BestFightOdds.com, so join me as I try to offer some insight on how to go after plus units on Saturday’s upcoming card.

Bryan Caraway (-190) vs. Mitch Gagnon (+175)

Both fighters have strong submission skills, but I believe Caraway is the favorite because the majority of the public believe “Kid Lighting” is the better submission fighter out of the two. At around -200, Caraway should have what it takes to out-grapple his Canadian counterpart and find a way to win this fight. This may be stretching my psychic abilities to the max, but upon victory, I expect Caraway to announce that he is undergoing a sex change, signing with Strikeforce, and challenging Ronda Rousey to a “loser leaves town” match at 135 lbs. Any takers?

will ferrell old school
(We’re going ((win)) streaking!!) 

By Dan “Get Off Me” George

Grab your cowboy hats and pack up your saddles my fellow CP readers, because this weekend we are headed to the home of the world famous Calgary Stampede, Calgary, Alberta, Canada for UFC 149 Barao vs Faber! From a wagering standpoint, this card is pretty much a prime example of why bookies offer MMA betting lines, as this card is chock full of close fights and odds that will surely entice the gambling public as well as crush the majority of parlays, all the while raking in money for the house.

Luckily for you (or not), we do not have to go on the cuff for this card, as those who followed UFC 148’s GAE were rewarded with a 4 team parlay that paid out 7 to 1 at the window. All betting odds are courtesy of BestFightOdds.com, so join me as I try to offer some insight on how to go after plus units on Saturday’s upcoming card.

Bryan Caraway (-190) vs. Mitch Gagnon (+175)

Both fighters have strong submission skills, but I believe Caraway is the favorite because the majority of the public believe “Kid Lighting” is the better submission fighter out of the two. At around -200, Caraway should have what it takes to out-grapple his Canadian counterpart and find a way to win this fight. This may be stretching my psychic abilities to the max, but upon victory, I expect Caraway to announce that he is undergoing a sex change, signing with Strikeforce, and challenging Ronda Rousey to a “loser leaves town” match at 135 lbs. Any takers?

Ryan Jimmo (-165) vs. Anthony Perosh (+155)

It has been a long time coming for CP’s own Ryan Jimmo, who will be riding a 16-fight win streak and fighting in his own backyard against the always tough (not to mention streaking) Australian vet Anthony Perosh. This fight boils down to whether or not Jimmo can find himself on top of Perosh for sustained periods of the fight en route to scoring a stoppage or decision win (likely the latter). I can’t pick a winner here, but I will go with the prop that the fight goes over 2.5 rounds or fight goes the distance. Jimmo will not be easily submitted and Perosh will not be easily finished; those are the only things I am certain of in this fight.

Rolande Delorme (+107) vs. Francisco Rivera (-117)

TUF 14 alum Roland Delorme has looked better with each appearance in the octagon, most recently “stunning” than submitting slight favorite and fellow Canuck Nick Denis at UFC on FOX 3. That said, I still think Francisco is the better all around fighter and is only a slight favorite because of where this event is taking place. I see Delorme possibly being able to find himself on the ground in favorable positions with Rivera, but Rivera’s no slouch, and should be able to control the fight on the feet and fend off most of what Delorme has to offer on the ground. I would just enjoy this fight and take some notes for future reference.

Court McGee (+100) vs. Nick Ring (-110)

I’ll put it simply: If this goes the distance, McGee is going down. Nick was able to best McGee in their bout back on TUF 11, and it’s not like Ring hasn’t been gifted decisions in the past (Riki Fukuda). Considering that the heroic tale of Nick Ring thwarting a mugging has captivated the local community, I would not be surprised to see him pull out another close decision in his fight with McGee, thanks in no small part to the seedy underbelly of both Canada and MMA judging in general. That’s right, the fix is in and I’m calling it. I think Court has hit a plateau of sorts, and unless he presses forward and tries to finish this fight, he may become a victim of that round bacon-eating, Molson-drinking excuse for a crowd (I kid, I kid). Again, a prop bet that this fight is decided by the judges will be where I look at laying my money.

Matt Riddle (-150) vs. Chris Clements (+140)

Matt Riddle has consistently shown that he is willing to fight for the fans (look no further than his most recent win over Henry Martinez) and I believe that, while he could lay-n-pray his way to victory here, he may just go out and stand toe-to-toe with Clements. Unless Riddle has made a marked improvement in his striking game, I am going to lean on the Canuck as the underdog to find a way to win this fight by outgunning Riddle.

Brian Ebersole (-360) vs. James Head (+325)

File this one under “bad odds.” Much like with the Mendes/Mckenzie fight at UFC 148, the best opportunity to make some money here is by finding a prop on Ebersole winning inside the distance. I do not see this fight going the distance, so this is where anything near -400 territory is ignored in favor of even money on the prop side of the book.

Cheick Kongo (+115) vs. Shawn Jordan (-125)

All signs point towards Jordan and the price is ultra alluring. This line has recently tipped in favor of Jordan, but like with Riki Fukuda at UFC 148, line movement is not gospel and often can be misleading. In this instance, Jordan is the favorite and seems to have all the tools to stop Kongo with his striking if he keeps it on the feet and avoids Cheick’s unconventional style of GnP (shorts grabbing, testicle shattering, etc). I really want to say Jordan takes this by TKO, but I can’t ignore Cheick’s ability to pull wins/draws/decisions out of his ass when he is counted out by the public. If there is plus money on the prop that this fight goes the distance, I will be looking to put my money there, but picking a winner could be a parlay crusher.

Hector Lombard (-375) vs. Tim Boetsch (+335)

While I want to suggest Tim Boetsch will find a way to take this fight down on the cards, or take advantage of a gassed Lombard as the fight goes on, I keep picturing Boetsch moving forward and exchanging with Hector en route to suddenly finding himself looking up at the lights. It is no news that Hector hits harder than anyone Boetsch has faced before and I think Hector will be able to find Boetsch’s off switch before the end of the third round. Boetsch does not throw the straightest of punches and his constantly pressing style plays right into Hector’s powerhouse hands.

That being said, at Boetsch’s current rate, even a small bet could pay off if Lombard decided to come down with a case of the octagon jitters. “The Barbarian” doesn’t have nearly as much to prove as Lombard, who has likely been under a tremendous amount of pressure and stress to prove that he is more than a glorified can crusher, so a small bet on Boetsch wouldn’t be a terrible idea, just an incredibly risky one. In either case, just keep it the hell away from your parlay.

Renan Barao (-185) vs. Urijah Faber (+170)

I have heard that Barao looks depleted and so on, but I contribute this to his travel to the great white north more than anything. I think come fight night, Barao makes Faber his 30th straight victim for more reasons than I have time to list. Simply put, this feels like Aldo/Faber 2, and like his training partner from Nova Uniao, Barao will find Faber’s lead leg with ease while picking “The California Kid” apart using his reach and those devastating knee’s. The -200 price tag is another reason that Barao is a parlay must here. Currently 0-4 in his last 4 title fights, Faber is going to show us what he does best as of late when gold is on the line, push the fight to the limit but come up short in the end.

Parlay 1
Caraway-Clements-Barao

Parlay 2(Bellator bonus)
Zaromskis-Wiuff-Barao

Props
-Jimmo/Perosh goes the distance
-Ring/McGee goes the distance
-Ebersole/Head does not go the distance
-Ebersole wins inside the distance

Bet what you feel comfortable with and may the winners be yours!

As always, please share your thoughts on who you think will win this Saturday night in the comments section.

Could We Be Looking at a Middleweight #1 Contender Tournament By the End of 2012?


(Our approximate reaction upon hearing the news.) 

When we laid out a possible plan to sort out the UFC’s middleweight division earlier this week, we did so by offering several plausible matchups that we felt would most effectively separate the true contenders from the delusional gatekeepers. Some applauded our effort, some offered different, yet equally effective alternatives, and some relied on the time tested effectiveness of sending death threats to our Twitter account, or what they assumed was our Twitter account. MWAHAHAHA!!!

However effective you thought our plan may have been, it’s looking like the UFC could be pursuing a completely different and much more intriguing option to solve the dilemma at 185 lbs.: a good old fashioned tournament. And although the flyweight tournament had some hiccups of its own, we would be hard pressed to find a more efficient method of determining a number one contender than this. But before we jump the gun, just check out what Dana White recently told Ariel Helwani (and what BG just implied) and decide for yourself:

We’re working on so much crazy shit right now — you know how I get. I get all nutty and start telling you shit I’m not supposed to be telling you. We’re working on really, really exciting stuff that we’re just going to kill it at the end of this year. Some really fun stuff…. I am very excited about the 185-pound division — it’s all I’ve been talking about for the last four days. I was on the road, in Australia, on the phone every day talking about the 185-pound division. It’s never been more exciting. I will let the cat out of the bag on Saturday about what we are going to do. Whoever wins on Saturday, I will have answers for you at the press conference.

We hate to prematurely celebrate, but…

After the jump: A full video interview with Dana White, in which he discusses all things UFC 149, the alleged nastiness of Hector Lombard, and his continuing hate-hate relationship with Dave Meltzer.


(Our approximate reaction upon hearing the news.) 

When we laid out a possible plan to sort out the UFC’s middleweight division earlier this week, we did so by offering several plausible matchups that we felt would most effectively separate the true contenders from the delusional gatekeepers. Some applauded our effort, some offered different, yet equally effective alternatives, and some relied on the time tested effectiveness of sending death threats to our Twitter account, or what they assumed was our Twitter account. MWAHAHAHA!!!

However effective you thought our plan may have been, it’s looking like the UFC could be pursuing a completely different and much more intriguing option to solve the dilemma at 185 lbs.: a good old fashioned tournament. And although the flyweight tournament had some hiccups of its own, we would be hard pressed to find a more efficient method of determining a number one contender than this. But before we jump the gun, just check out what Dana White recently told Ariel Helwani (and what BG just implied) and decide for yourself:

We’re working on so much crazy shit right now — you know how I get. I get all nutty and start telling you shit I’m not supposed to be telling you. We’re working on really, really exciting stuff that we’re just going to kill it at the end of this year. Some really fun stuff…. I am very excited about the 185-pound division — it’s all I’ve been talking about for the last four days. I was on the road, in Australia, on the phone every day talking about the 185-pound division. It’s never been more exciting. I will let the cat out of the bag on Saturday about what we are going to do. Whoever wins on Saturday, I will have answers for you at the press conference.

We hate to prematurely celebrate, but…

With so many plausible contenders currently floating around the middleweight pool, so to speak, you’ve gotta imagine that Dana is hinting at something much bigger than a possible Boetsch/Lombard winner vs. Chris Weidman number one contender bout. Considering he’s also hinting at the end of the year, which has and always will be the best time of the year to be an MMA fan, White must be talking about a tournament, right? RIGHT? Agree or disagree in the comments section. And by disagree, we mean agree.

Check out a video of the interview below.

As noted by Helwani, The Baldfather was uncharacteristically amped throughout his interview, and dished on everything from Urijah Faber’s chances of getting another title shot down the line if he fails to deliver against Renan Barao on Saturday (hint: they aren’t great) to the validity of Dave Meltzer’s recent report on the Showtime/Zuffa deal that apparently blocks Strikeforce fighters from signing with the UFC .

When the topic of Hector Lombard was brought up, however, White revealed a rather interesting bit of info the former Bellator middleweight kingpin:

I hear things about him, you know. A lot of other fighters aren’t big fans of him and, you know, understand this…you’re dealing with fighters. We have an entire roster of guys that are really good guys, mild mannered, but every once in a while you’re going to find those guys that aren’t. And they’re mean, and their nasty, and he’s definitely one of those guys. 

A word to the wise, Potato Nation: Don’t ask Hector Lombard for the typical fist pose photo should you happen to run into him on the street, or you will more than likely find that fist somewhere unexpected and less than favorable. Just sayin’.

J. Jones

Hot Potato: Rachelle Leah Returns to the Octagon!


(They were so young, so…innocent. OK, maybe just young.) 

If you are in need a pick-me-up, then boy do we have some good news for you. Chances are, if you ordered tickets to UFC 149, you are a sad panda bordering on manic depressive at the moment. Every single main card fight has been changed from its original pairing, leaving us with a headlining battle for a belt that has no value outside of Narnia, where its gold could possibly be smelted into a dagger of some sort and used to smite an enemy with extreme righteousness.

But praise the Gods, an angel from on High has been sent to repair this weak, starving card as best as she can with only the power of her presence, like a stacked Mother Teresa if you will. That woman is former UFC ring girl Rachelle Leah, who will be making her triumphant return to the octagon at UFC 149. We last saw Ms. Leah at UFC 111, where she turned in perhaps the single greatest night of card carrying the sport has ever seen. Check out a few of our favorite photos of Rachelle after the jump, and be sure to follow her on Twitter.

If you are in need a pick-me-up, then boy do we have some good news for you. Chances are, if you ordered tickets to UFC 149, you are a sad panda bordering on manic depressive at the moment. Every single main card fight has been changed from its original pairing, leaving us with a headlining battle for a belt that has no value outside of Narnia, where its gold could possibly be smelted into a dagger of some sort and used to smite an enemy with extreme righteousness.

But praise the Gods, an angel from on High has been sent to repair this weak, starving card as best as she can with only the power of her presence, like a stacked Mother Teresa if you will. That woman is former UFC ring girl Rachelle Leah, who will be making her triumphant return to the octagon at UFC 149. We last saw Ms. Leah at UFC 111, where she turned in perhaps the single greatest night of card carrying the sport has ever seen. Check out a few of our favorite photos of Rachelle after the jump, and be sure to follow her on Twitter.