[VIDEO] Paige VanZant Cracks ‘DWTS’ Final Five With Game of Thrones-Inspired Dance


(Oh come on, Mark! Always establish your hooks first when taking the back!)

In case you’re not a 40-something year old man who’s been thoroughly neutered by his wife, you might not know that UFC strawweight Paige VanZant has been absolutely CRUSHING IT during her run on this season’s Dancing With the Stars. Alongside partner Mark Ballas, she’s been one of the only competitors to receive a perfect score this year, and has done so thanks largely in part to her consistently risky yet inspired routines. (Look at me, breaking down dance numbers like I’m Vaslav Nijinsky. What a world.)

Anyways, VanZant was back at it again last night, unleashing a Game of Thrones-inspired Waltz that earned her a near-perfect score of 29 out of 30. Vanzant’s performance was good enough to secure her a place in the season 22 semifinals, where she will compete against a bunch of former athletes and 80’s television actors that we couldn’t identify with a gun to our head for a trophy that probably looks nicer than the TUF glass plaque. With a win, I have no doubts that VanZant will propel MMA to the mainstream, legitimate, universally-beloved sport it was always destined to be.

After the jump: Vanzant’s partner dance with Antonio Brown from earlier in the night. SPOILER: It involves twirling, convulsions, and a rain-soaked finale.

The post [VIDEO] Paige VanZant Cracks ‘DWTS’ Final Five With Game of Thrones-Inspired Dance appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Oh come on, Mark! Always establish your hooks first when taking the back!)

In case you’re not a 40-something year old man who’s been thoroughly neutered by his wife, you might not know that UFC strawweight Paige VanZant has been absolutely CRUSHING IT during her run on this season’s Dancing With the Stars. Alongside partner Mark Ballas, she’s been one of the only competitors to receive a perfect score this year, and has done so thanks largely in part to her consistently risky yet inspired routines. (Look at me, breaking down dance numbers like I’m Vaslav Nijinsky. What a world.)

Anyways, VanZant was back at it again last night, unleashing a Game of Thrones-inspired Waltz that earned her a near-perfect score of 29 out of 30. Vanzant’s performance was good enough to secure her a place in the season 22 semifinals, where she will compete against a bunch of former athletes and 80′s television actors that we couldn’t identify with a gun to our head for a trophy that probably looks nicer than the TUF glass plaque. With a win, I have no doubts that VanZant will propel MMA to the mainstream, legitimate, universally-beloved sport it was always destined to be.

After the jump: Vanzant’s partner dance with Antonio Brown from earlier in the night. SPOILER: It involves twirling, convulsions, and a rain-soaked finale.

The post [VIDEO] Paige VanZant Cracks ‘DWTS’ Final Five With Game of Thrones-Inspired Dance appeared first on Cagepotato.

Alistair Overeem Is the Karate Kid, and Other Highlights From ‘Fight Night 87?

(via UFC on FOX)

We’ve seen many different versions of Alistair Overeem over the years — Skinnyreem (aka PRIDE-era Reem), Demolition Man Reem (aka K1-era Reem), and of course Ubereem (aka Arianny be mirin Reem), but thanks to a few humbling losses and a USADA-backed drug-testing program, we’ve seen a newer, arguably better Overeem emerge in recent years. One who relied less on overwhelming power and arrogance to carry him to victory and more on dynamic and patiently-implemented offense. A “Newbereem” if you will.

At Fight Night 89 on Sunday, Newbereem unveiled what may very well be his final form — a trimmed-down, 248-pound version of the goliath we once knew with a positively Super Saiyan-esque haircut — and the results were nothing short of spectacular. Facing off against Jackson-Wink teammate and former Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, Overeem looked calm under pressure, fierce when on the offensive, and finished the fight with arguably the most impressive sequence of his UFC career. He frickin’ crane kicked Arlovski in the face is what he did, then followed it up with some hellacious ground and pound to put away the “Pit Bull” in what may very well end up being a performance that earns him a title shot.

Ubereem is dead. All hail Newbereem.

The post Alistair Overeem Is the Karate Kid, and Other Highlights From ‘Fight Night 87′ appeared first on Cagepotato.


(via UFC on FOX)

We’ve seen many different versions of Alistair Overeem over the years — Skinnyreem (aka PRIDE-era Reem), Demolition Man Reem (aka K1-era Reem), and of course Ubereem (aka Arianny be mirin Reem), but thanks to a few humbling losses and a USADA-backed drug-testing program, we’ve seen a newer, arguably better Overeem emerge in recent years. One who relied less on overwhelming power and arrogance to carry him to victory and more on dynamic and patiently-implemented offense. A “Newbereem” if you will.

At Fight Night 89 on Sunday, Newbereem unveiled what may very well be his final form — a trimmed-down, 248-pound version of the goliath we once knew with a positively Super Saiyan-esque haircut — and the results were nothing short of spectacular. Facing off against Jackson-Wink teammate and former Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, Overeem looked calm under pressure, fierce when on the offensive, and finished the fight with arguably the most impressive sequence of his UFC career. He frickin’ crane kicked Arlovski in the face is what he did, then followed it up with some hellacious ground and pound to put away the “Pit Bull” in what may very well end up being a performance that earns him a title shot.

Ubereem is dead. All hail Newbereem.

More highlights/results from Fight Night 87 after the jump.

In Fight Night 87′s co-main event, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva also debuted his newest form — let’s call him “Hipsterfoot” — but aside from a new haircut, there was sadly nothing new about him. Against the 7 foot Stefan Struve, Silva was rocked, dropped, and finished off with a series of elbows from the clinch in less than 15 seconds, bringing his momentous 1-fight winning streak to a grinding halt in the process. Bigfoot may still have the heart to be a professional fighter, but like Chuck Liddell before him, it simply seems that he no longer has the chin for it. His loss to Struve now bring his record to 1-5-1 in his past 7 fights, with *all* of those losses coming by way of TKO. Honestly, it’s a wonder how the guy makes it through a training camp in one piece.

In perhaps the most surprising performance of the evening, Gunnar Nelson managed to both outhustle Albert Tumenov on the feet and dominate him on the mat en route to a second round submission.

A 2-to-1 underdog coming into the fight, many predicted that Nelson wouldn’t be able to take the fight to the mat and would suffer the consequences of Tumenov’s ridiculous striking pedigree as a result, but as he did against Brandon Thatch, Nelson proved to be quite the dynamic striker himself. He got hands on Tumenov early and often, then proceeded to take the previously untested (on the mat at least) prospect down at will, breaking his spirit and eventually securing a fight-ending neck crank. It was arguably the biggest win of Nelson’s career to date, and somewhat ironically, served as a testament to just how good a grappler Demian Maia is.

The full results for Fight Night 87 are below.

Main card
Alistair Overeem def. Andrei Arlovski via TKO (crane kick and punches) at 1:12 of R2
Stefan Struve def. Antonio Silva via TKO (strikes) at :16 of R1
Gunnar Nelson def. Albert Tumenov via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:15 of R2
Germaine de Randamie def. Anna Elmose via TKO (knees) at 3:46 of R1
Nikita Krylov def. Francimar Barroso via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:11 of R2
Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Heather Jo Clark via unanimous decision

Undercard
Rustam Khabilov def. Chris Wade via unanimous decision
Magnus Cedenblad def. Garreth McLellan via TKO (head kick and punches) at 0:47 of round two
Josh Emmett def. Jon Tuck via split decision
Reza Madadi def. Yan Cabral via third-round TKO (1:56)
Kyoji Horiguchi def. Neil Seery via unanimous decision
Leon Edwards def. Dominic Waters via unanimous decision
Ulka Sasaki def. Willie Gates via submission (rear-naked choke) (R2, 3:30)

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Friday Link Dump: UFC on FOX 20 Gets Its Main & Co-Main, The Rousey-Van Zant-Tate Drama Continues, Cocktails For Your Kentucky Derby Party + More

(Angela Lee vs. Mei Yamaguchi atomweight title fight from this morning’s ONE Championship 42: possibly the greatest women’s MMA fight in history.)

Holm vs. Shevchenko main event, Rumble vs. Teixeira targeted for UFC on FOX 20 (BloodyElbow)

Miesha Tate Explains ‘Shocking’ Incident between Ronda Rousey and Paige VanZant (MMAFighting)

No, Conor McGregor is Not Going to Box Floyd Mayweather (MMAJunkie)

Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen, Riding the Whirlwind (Bleacher Report)

Top 10 Hottest Miesha Tate Photos (Lowkick)

The post Friday Link Dump: UFC on FOX 20 Gets Its Main & Co-Main, The Rousey-Van Zant-Tate Drama Continues, Cocktails For Your Kentucky Derby Party + More appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Angela Lee vs. Mei Yamaguchi atomweight title fight from this morning’s ONE Championship 42: possibly the greatest women’s MMA fight in history.)

Holm vs. Shevchenko main event, Rumble vs. Teixeira targeted for UFC on FOX 20 (BloodyElbow)

Miesha Tate Explains ‘Shocking’ Incident between Ronda Rousey and Paige VanZant (MMAFighting)

No, Conor McGregor is Not Going to Box Floyd Mayweather (MMAJunkie)

Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen, Riding the Whirlwind (Bleacher Report)

Top 10 Hottest Miesha Tate Photos (Lowkick)

4 Ways to Make the Puppet Master Reboot Not Suck (Screen Junkies)

8 of the Most Influential RPGs Ever Made (Escapist)

Get Ready: They Are Building Sex Theme Park Called Erotikaland (Radass)

10 Tasty Cocktails for Your Kentucky Derby Party (EveryJoe)

6 Awesome Trailers for Movies That Will Probably Suck (MadeMan)

The post Friday Link Dump: UFC on FOX 20 Gets Its Main & Co-Main, The Rousey-Van Zant-Tate Drama Continues, Cocktails For Your Kentucky Derby Party + More appeared first on Cagepotato.

[VIDEO] Check Out This HORRIFIC Arm Break From a Polish MMA Fight


(Jesus, it’s like that time I asked Cris Cyborg to give me a Dutch Rudder all over again.)

From the time Corey Hill nearly kicked his own foot off to Frank Mir’s arm-shattering kimura on Big Nog to whatever the f*ck this is supposed to be, it would be safe to say that us MMA fans have been privy to some absolutely horrendous bone breaks over the years. Yet no matter how gruesome the injury is, we continuously find ourselves drawn toward them, replaying the nasty injuries on a loop like a white chick with a zit-popping compilation.

In Poland last weekend, we were treated to another real doozy of an arm break on the HFO 2 Kunlun Elimination 2016 undercard. During a match between two unnamed amateurs, the fellow in the blue-taped gloves above attempted to counter a Harai Goshi throw by placing his arm on the mat. A quick reminder: NEVER, EVER TRY THIS.

Video after the jump

The post [VIDEO] Check Out This HORRIFIC Arm Break From a Polish MMA Fight appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Jesus, it’s like that time I asked Cris Cyborg to give me a Dutch Rudder all over again.)

From the time Corey Hill nearly kicked his own foot off to Frank Mir’s arm-shattering kimura on Big Nog to whatever the f*ck this is supposed to be, it would be safe to say that us MMA fans have been privy to some absolutely horrendous bone breaks over the years. Yet no matter how gruesome the injury is, we continuously find ourselves drawn toward them, replaying the nasty injuries on a loop like a white chick with a zit-popping compilation.

In Poland last weekend, we were treated to another real doozy of an arm break on the HFO 2 Kunlun Elimination 2016 undercard. During a match between two unnamed amateurs, the fellow in the blue-taped gloves above attempted to counter a Harai Goshi throw by placing his arm on the mat. A quick reminder: NEVER, EVER TRY THIS.

Video after the jump

So yeah…he’s not gonna be able to walk that off.

No word yet on how ol’ Stumpy is recovering, but we’re going to guess that he won’t make that mistake again.

The post [VIDEO] Check Out This HORRIFIC Arm Break From a Polish MMA Fight appeared first on Cagepotato.

WSOF Just Booked the First Ever (?) Brother vs. Brother MMA Fight

The question of “who would win?” is one we’ve all inevitably asked ourselves when comparing some of MMA’s more famous brothers. The Nogueiras, the Freires, the Millers, the Brothers Diaz…we know that arbitrary things like weight classes and “love for one another” would keep most of these pairs from ever throwing down outside of the occasional family BBQ, but would a promotion even book such a fight if given the chance?

We’re kidding, of course. This is a sport that puts 68 year-old women and quadriplegics in ostensibly life-or-death scenarios without batting an eye, so the thought of booking a real-life Warrior scenario would be enough to make them shit their collective britches. As luck would have it, the World Series of Fighting appears to have shit those very britches.

The post WSOF Just Booked the First Ever (?) Brother vs. Brother MMA Fight appeared first on Cagepotato.

The question of “who would win?” is one we’ve all inevitably asked ourselves when comparing some of MMA’s more famous brothers. The Nogueiras, the Freires, the Millers, the Brothers Diaz…we know that arbitrary things like weight classes and “love for one another” would keep most of these pairs from ever throwing down outside of the occasional family BBQ, but would a promotion even book such a fight if given the chance?

We’re kidding, of course. This is a sport that puts 68 year-old women and quadriplegics in ostensibly life-or-death scenarios without batting an eye, so the thought of booking a real-life Warrior scenario would be enough to make them shit their collective britches. As luck would have it, the World Series of Fighting appears to have shit those very britches.

According to Bloody Elbow, the promotion has recently announced that Caros Fodor will be taking on none other than his brother, Ben Fodor (better known around these parts as Phoenix Jones) on the main card of WSOF 32 in July. Being that Caros primarily competes as a lightweight while Ben fights at 155, the bout will be contested at a catchweight of 162 pounds.

How and why did this fight get booked, you ask? Good old fashioned hatred! Speaking with Yahoo following the announcement, the member of the Fodor family who doesn’t get his kicks dressing like a leather wombat and pepper-spraying drunks (can you tell that I think Phoenix Jones is a clown?), admitted that his brother’s alter-ego was largely at the root of their dislike for one another, ”It’s [strange]. I think it’s a gimmick for attention, if you want to know the truth. He started out meaning well, but, I don’t know.”

“He’s a liar and he just makes stuff up and throws it out there,” said Caros. “He’ll say almost anything. He likes to say he was raised in a foster home, but that’s not true.”

Jones, on the other hand, attempted to hype up the fight by saying that, “One hundred percent, it’s going to make our Mom cry. That’s a guarantee. But we’ve been circling each other for years. This was inevitable.”

Well if we weren’t stoked enough at the thought of potential fratricide, we sure as heck are now! (*begins “Make Mom Cry!” chant*)

As for how these brothers stack up against each other, well, it should come as little surprise that big brother Caros will enjoy a distinct experience advantage. Currently 10-5 as a pro, Caros has competed under the UFC, Strikeforce, and One FC banners, scoring wins over James Terry and Justin Wilcox and dropping contests to Sam Stout and Pat Healy. Ben, on the other hand, recently rebounded from a unanimous decision loss in his WSOF debut by submitting Alberto Young back in September, improving his record to 6-1-1 overall.

WSOF 32 is set to transpire on July 30th at the Xfinity Arena in Everett, Washington. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to watch the final fight from Warrior and cry like little girls.

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Conor McGregor Tweeted Some Things, And Some People Had Some Thoughts on Them

No. Last time I was eating four breakfasts and a dessert on the day of weigh in.
You will see.
You will all see. https://t.co/zfhFLEqEcA

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 2, 2016

(From El Chapo to Phoebe Buffay, my oh my how Conor’s impression game has fallen.)

It’s funny how much of quote unquote “modern journalism” and/or blogging has become based around sh*t we read on social media, isn’t it? A basketball player throws some shade at another basketball player? We write an article about it. An actor gives an incredibly vague update about a potential project? We write about that, too. Hell, we have at least three pages of archives devoted to Twitter beefs between fighters, for Christ’s sake. Twitter and Facebook are practically the hands that feed us nowadays.

No fighter seems to be more aware of this fact than Conor McGregor. The man damn near shattered the MMA blogosphere with a single tweet, pulled a Jon Snow and came back from the dead with a Facebook post, and then tried to force his way back onto the UFC 200 card with another Tweet, and each time, no less than a thousand articles were devoted to him for doing so.

So when the featherweight champion began tweeting up a storm earlier today, we pretty much knew that the best course of action would be to just sit back and wait for the storm to pass, then round them up and put them in the ONE place you could check them all out (other than, you know, his Twitter). So with that in mind, head after the jump to see what McGregor had to say about stuff and also things.

Shut up, you know you’re gonna.

The post Conor McGregor Tweeted Some Things, And Some People Had Some Thoughts on Them appeared first on Cagepotato.


(From El Chapo to Phoebe Buffay, my oh my how Conor’s impression game has fallen.)

It’s funny how much of quote unquote “modern journalism” and/or blogging has become based around sh*t we read on social media, isn’t it? A basketball player throws some shade at another basketball player? We write an article about it. An actor gives an incredibly vague update about a potential project? We write about that, too. Hell, we have at least three pages of archives devoted to Twitter beefs between fighters, for Christ’s sake. Twitter and Facebook are practically the hands that feed us nowadays.

No fighter seems to be more aware of this fact than Conor McGregor. The man damn near shattered the MMA blogosphere with a single tweet, pulled a Jon Snow and came back from the dead with a Facebook post, and then tried to force his way back onto the UFC 200 card with another Tweet, and each time, no less than a thousand articles were devoted to him for doing so.

So when the featherweight champion began tweeting up a storm earlier today, we pretty much knew that the best course of action would be to just sit back and wait for the storm to pass, then round them up and put them in the ONE place you could check them all out (other than, you know, his Twitter). So with that in mind, head after the jump to see what McGregor had to say about stuff and also things.

Shut up, you know you’re gonna.

So it all started with this one, which was registered to the Interwebs at approximately 10:42 a.m. EST. Mr. McGregor seems to be excited by the prospect of a bulkier-than-usual Nate Diaz, who appears to be training with Jean Claude Van Damme. Hopefully, the action star will teach Diaz the ways of the Kickboxer, making him a Hard Target for McGregor in his The Quest for revenge.

I am just now realizing that I am not good at whatever kind of comedy this is.

Here, McGregor is forced to defend his ground skills against who I can only assume is a fifth degree BJJ black belt, and does so by asserting that he was in fact “controlling” most of the Diaz fight on the ground until he gassed. According to a follow-up tweet by MMAFighting’s foremost ground connoisseur/social media analyst/beard possessor, Luke Thomas, McGregor’s claim can at least somewhat be evidenced by the “Curu-curu guard sweep” he pulled on Diaz in the first round of their UFC 196 clash.

As of this writeup, said BJJ black belt — who goes by the name Amir Hali and describes himself as “a human just like yourself – watching hell on earth” (such modesty for a Jiu Jitsu legend of his caliber) — has yet to offer a response. The MMA media is no doubt waiting on baited breath.

In this tweet, Mr. McGregor appears to be arguing that possessing a superior cardiovascular system is actually detrimental to an athlete. As someone who got a little dizzy after running the laundry downstairs this morning, I can offer no comment in regards to the validity of his statement.

Wait, so you’re saying that Nate Diaz is also claiming that his performance was hampered by excessive breakfast-eating on weigh-in day? The nerve of that guy!

To wit…

As you might expect, some other MMA fighters have had some things to say about the things McGregor said. TUF 18 winner Julianna Pena told McGregor to “Shut the fuck up,” a threat which the “Notorious” one might be keen to heed considering Pena’s somewhat sketchy past when it comes to being told “no.”

Nate Diaz, on the other hand, opted for the simple, yet effective Twitter attack for which he has become known.

One thing’s for sure: There will almost certainly be some lengthy thinkpieces and podcasts rants devoted to these tweets by week’s end. Hopefully Joe Rogan will be involved in at least one, because then we’ll be able to write a follow-up on *his* follow-up and there will be a great harvest in the springtime…

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