Author: J. Jones

According to Alistair Overeem, Alistair Overeem Will Be Fighting in December


(As Dennis Reynolds once said, “I’m not gonna take no for an answer, because I just refuse to do that. Because I’m a winner, and winners… we don’t listen to words like ‘no,’ or ‘don’t,’ or ‘STOP!”) 

Either our math is a little off, or Alistair Overeem has literally gotten so strong that he can both fly and alter the very fabric of time using the power of his centrifugal forces. Because, according to a recent tweet sent out by “The Reem,” the former Dream and Strikeforce heavyweight champion will be back in action this December, despite the fact that he received a nine month suspension just under two months ago:

Well at least he gave you fair warning, Amish communities of Florida.

As he was told in his April hearing, the earliest Alistair could reapply for his license would be December 27th, meaning that the earliest he could compete would be in the UFC’s always loaded New Year’s Eve card, exactly one year after he demolished Brock Lesnar at UFC 141.


(As Dennis Reynolds once said, “I’m not gonna take no for an answer, because I just refuse to do that. Because I’m a winner, and winners… we don’t listen to words like ‘no,’ or ‘don’t,’ or ‘STOP!”) 

Either our math is a little off, or Alistair Overeem has literally gotten so strong that he can both fly and alter the very fabric of time using the power of his centrifugal forces. Because, according to a recent tweet sent out by “The Reem,” the former Dream and Strikeforce heavyweight champion will be back in action this December, despite the fact that he received a nine month suspension just under two months ago:

Well at least he gave you fair warning, Amish communities of Florida.

As he was told in his April hearing, the earliest Alistair could reapply for his license would be December 27th, meaning that the earliest he could compete would be in the UFC’s always loaded New Year’s Eve card, exactly one year after he demolished Brock Lesnar at UFC 141. Fun fact: Overeem is 3-0 in MMA on New year’s Eve cards, with all of those wins coming by TKO.

But if Ubereem really is somehow already scheduled for that card based on the assumption that he will undoubtedly receive a license just a few days before a fight, this could spell potential disaster for the UFC. Like, UFC 149 levels of disaster. And given the run of luck the promotion has had as of late, we’d think they’d be a little hesitant to take a risk as big as this, so perhaps Overeem’s tweet was more of a general reminder than anything else.

Given that the Nevada State Athletic Commission was basically giving Overeem a handy under the table before they doled out his suspension, constantly reminding him (likely out of fear) how much they respected him as both an athlete and a human being, to believe that Overeem would be denied his license, barring any major screw-ups on his part, of course, would seem a little off kilter. Then again, booking a likely headlining event with a guy who doesn’t even have a license to fight at time doesn’t exactly strike us as a genius move either.

Also contradicting Overeem’s tweet was a recent tidbit that Lorenzo Fertitta recently told ESPN.com:

That’s speculation. It’s in the NSAC’s hands. (The UFC) can’t be presumptuous.

So is Overeem just yanking our collective chains, or has he really been booked for what will undoubtedly be the biggest card of the year? Do any of you expect to see him competing by the end of 2012? And if so, who would you like to see him face?

And while we’re talking about UFC 149 (because we kind of were for a second there), check out this hilarious fan-made poster for the event, which is easily the most telling poster in UFC history:


(Props to the UG and Middleasy for the find.) 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, yet this one perfectly sums up UFC 149 without using a one of them, does it not?

–J. Jones

[VIDEO] Randy Couture Battles Terrorists at 20,000 Feet in ‘Hijacked’


(Couture locks horns with a killer whale on the set of the upcoming sequel to 1977’s Orca.) 

Randy Couture is sick of these monkey-fighting terrorists on this Monday-to-Friday plane!

With the premiere of The Expendables 2 just a couple of months away, it seems like the former UFC Light Heavy/Heavyweight champion’s film career is just be beginning to take off. Aside from his returning role as Toll Road* in the aforementioned Sylvester Stallone-lead action extravaganza, he also has two other projects either completed or in post-production this year alone. One such project, Hijacked, sees him take on a role with a little more meat, alongside such stars as Vinnie Jones and Dominick Purcell. Although the IMDB page has yet to add a plot synopsis, the Youtube page that houses the trailer provided the following:

A high-octane, pulse-pounding story of one man out for justice in the sky, HIJACKED stars a top-notch cast of action heroes including former UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture(The Expendables, and the upcoming The Expendables 2), Dominic Purcell (Straw Dogs, “Prison Break”), Tiffany Dupont (“Greek”), Holt McCallany (Fight Club), Craig Fairbrass (The Bank Job) and Vinnie Jones (Snatch, Kill The Irishman) .

Special Agent Ross’s (Couture) plans to reconcile with his ex-fiancé are ruined when she boards a private jet that is targeted by hijackers working for the same crime lord he is chasing. With no time to inform his team, Ross wriggles his way aboard the aircraft and risks it all to save the love of his life.

So basically, it’s kind of like Air Force One, minus the awesomeness of Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford, and thankfully without the suspension of disbelief necessary for us to believe that a woman could ever be Vice President (Sorry, Mrs. Close). Then again, considering Couture’s character is seeking to reconcile with an ex, it will be interesting to see Captain America play against type.

Trailer after the jump. 


(Couture locks horns with a killer whale on the set of the upcoming sequel to 1977′s Orca.) 

Randy Couture is sick of these monkey-fighting terrorists on this Monday-to-Friday plane!

With the premiere of The Expendables 2 just a couple of months away, it seems like the former UFC Light Heavy/Heavyweight champion’s film career is just be beginning to take off. Aside from his returning role as Toll Road* in the aforementioned Sylvester Stallone-lead action extravaganza, he also has two other projects either completed or in post-production this year alone. One such project, Hijacked, sees him take on a role with a little more meat, alongside such stars as Vinnie Jones and Dominick Purcell. Although the IMDB page has yet to add a plot synopsis, the Youtube page that houses the trailer provided the following:

A high-octane, pulse-pounding story of one man out for justice in the sky, HIJACKED stars a top-notch cast of action heroes including former UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture(The Expendables, and the upcoming The Expendables 2), Dominic Purcell (Straw Dogs, “Prison Break”), Tiffany Dupont (“Greek”), Holt McCallany (Fight Club), Craig Fairbrass (The Bank Job) and Vinnie Jones (Snatch, Kill The Irishman) .

Special Agent Ross’s (Couture) plans to reconcile with his ex-fiancé are ruined when she boards a private jet that is targeted by hijackers working for the same crime lord he is chasing. With no time to inform his team, Ross wriggles his way aboard the aircraft and risks it all to save the love of his life.

So basically, it’s kind of like Air Force One, minus the awesomeness of Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford, and thankfully without the suspension of disbelief necessary for us to believe that a woman could ever be Vice President (Sorry, Mrs. Close). Then again, considering Couture’s character is seeking to reconcile with an ex, it will be interesting to see Captain America play against type.

Check out the trailer and let us know what you think.

Well…we liked the font they used.

Does anyone else find it kind of odd to see the actors credentials listed right beneath their names, as if to say “You remember this guy from that thing, right? RIGHT?!” Anyway, our personal favorite moment comes at the 1:20 mark, where Couture is seen taking out a bad guy with the same rubber bat that Jim Breuer used during his “The Joe Pesci Show” skits back in the glory days of SNL. But perhaps we’re nitpicking a bit much. Based on the trailer, we’ll say this film looks just below the quality level of Dragon Eyes, but still miles above the shit sammich which was Cyborg Soldier. 

Que up your Netflix list, Potato Nation, because we don’t think you’ll be seeing this one in theaters anytime soon.

* Yes, that is his actual name in the movie. We couldn’t believe it either. *Three* writers are credited with The Expendables, and not one of them could come up with a better name than that. Then again, considering the guy Stallone fought in the last Rocky movie was named Mason “The Line” Dixon, perhaps we shouldn’t really be surprised. 

–J. Jones

Rousimar Palhares Stepping Up to Face Yushin Okami at UFC 150 and You’ll Never Guess Why


(Finally we can look forward to an injury that happens IN the cage.) 

It’s finally happened, Potato Nation. The soil has reached over-saturation point and the paper clip that finally breaks the surface tension has been dropped. Confused? So are we, because even though the UFC held that UFC on FUEL event on an Indian burial ground in Fairfax earlier this year, we were told that everything would be fine. “Florida is a tough market,” they said. “They’re training too hard,” they clamored. But we weren’t fooled by the red herrings, the smoke and mirrors. This is karma for the UFC’s aforementioned acts of stepping on hallowed ground. Those insolent baboons.

The injury curse that has pulled the rug out from the UFC’s summer plans has officially become so frequent that we can’t even finish an article informing you of an injury before another one has already occurred. The chances of us mentioning a fighter within a sentence who isn’t currently injured has dropped to a staggering 0.0126 percent, and we simply don’t know what to do anymore. Begin stockpiling your canned goods and first aid kits, because surely the end times are upon us.


(Finally we can look forward to an injury that happens IN the cage.) 

It’s finally happened, Potato Nation. The soil has reached over-saturation point and the paper clip that finally breaks the surface tension has been dropped. Confused? So are we, because even though the UFC held that UFC on FUEL event on an Indian burial ground in Fairfax earlier this year, we were told that everything would be fine. “Florida is a tough market,” they said. “They’re training too hard,” they clamored. But we weren’t fooled by the red herrings, the smoke and mirrors. This is karma for the UFC’s aforementioned acts of stepping on hallowed ground. Those insolent baboons.

The injury curse that has pulled the rug out from the UFC’s summer plans has officially become so frequent that we can’t even finish an article informing you of an injury before another one has already occurred. The chances of us mentioning a fighter within a sentence who isn’t currently injured has dropped to a staggering 0.0126 percent, and we simply don’t know what to do anymore. Begin stockpiling your canned goods and first aid kits, because surely the end times are upon us.

Perhaps you remember a former top light heavyweight contender by the name of Luiz Cane, no? Well, after dropping three of his last four UFC contests at 205, “Banha” was set to make his middleweight debut against Yushin Okami at UFC 150 (likely in a last ditch effort to save his career). Okami, who has fallen on hard times as well as of late, is coming off back-to-back TKO losses to Anderson Silva and Tim Boetsch, and would definitely be facing a great test in Cane to kickstart his own epic comeback.

But the ghosts of the UFC’s past would not allow it.

Thiago Silva, Michael Bisping, Vitor Belfort, Big Nog, and countless other UFC stars have sacrificed themselves in order to try and repay the UFC’s debt to the earth, but it has apparently become so great that the curse has now moved on to even the promotion’s lowliest employees. We’re talking, of course, about Mr. Cane, who recently pulled out from his bout with Okami due to an injury. It’s safe to say that if we have to write that phrase one more God damn time this week, it will be with the bloody remains of the fingers we have yet to chew to the knuckle. Poor Joe Silva must be sweating through his tattered, hilarious clashing outfit right about now.

And filling in for Cane will be none other than world renowned mangler of limbs, Rousimar Palhares, who is coming off an upset loss to Alan Belcher at UFC on FOX 3. Although Okami has dropped two straight, you have to imagine that he’ll be a slight favorite heading into this one. For starters, he’s never been submitted, and being that the ground game is Palhares’ go-to offense (and only offense, in some cases), Okami should be able to fend off most of the Brazilian’s attacks.

Then again, Palhares only needs the briefest of opportunities to drag his opponents into the depths of hell they never thought imaginable, so who do you like for this one?

Actually, don’t waste your time. One of these men will go down within the next week or two. It has been written.

–J. Jones

And the Plague Continues: TUF Brazil Finalist Daniel Sarafian Injured, Out of UFC 147


(Wanderlei Silva, seen here mirroring the feelings of everyone who purchased a ticket for any UFC event this summer.) 

The tales of UFC 147–UFC 149 are not unlike the tale of Meg Ryan. What started off as a moderately attractive, if not rather inviting group of cards, has undergone so many face lifts and botched botox injections that they have been left a hollowed, sun-dried husk of what it once was. It has gotten so bad, in fact, that most of us can’t even recognize the frumpy, blonde haired cards we fell in love with in the first place and now must resort to faking it. “It” being interest.

So you’ll forgive our apathy as we inform you that TUF: Brazil finalist Daniel Sarafian has been forced to withdraw from his matchup with fellow finalist Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira less than a week out from UFC 147. UFC.com broke the news:

The Ultimate Fighter Brazil® middleweight favorite Daniel Sarafian, who earned a spot in the finals with an impressive flying-knee knockout, has been injured and cannot compete in this Saturday’s UFC® 147: Silva vs. Franklin II.

More from this story and the tattered remains of the UFC 147 fight card are after the jump.


(Wanderlei Silva, seen here mirroring the feelings of everyone who purchased a ticket for any UFC event this summer.) 

The tales of UFC 147–UFC 149 are not unlike the tale of Meg Ryan. What started off as a moderately attractive, if not rather inviting group of cards, has undergone so many face lifts and botched botox injections that they have been left a hollowed, sun-dried husk of what it once was. It has gotten so bad, in fact, that most of us can’t even recognize the frumpy, blonde haired cards we fell in love with in the first place and now must resort to faking it. “It” being interest.

So you’ll forgive our apathy as we inform you that TUF: Brazil finalist Daniel Sarafian has been forced to withdraw from his matchup with fellow finalist Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira less than a week out from UFC 147. UFC.com broke the news:

The Ultimate Fighter Brazil® middleweight favorite Daniel Sarafian, who earned a spot in the finals with an impressive flying-knee knockout, has been injured and cannot compete in this Saturday’s UFC® 147: Silva vs. Franklin II.

Stepping in for Sarafian at the Finale will be jiu-jitsu expert Sergio “Serginho” Moraes, a Team Vitor prospect who was switched to Team Wanderlei mid-season and made it to the semifinals. Moraes will now face coach Vitor Belfort‘s protege Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira in a three-round bout to determine the first-ever middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil®.

The featherweight finals will feature Rony “Jason” Mariano Bezerra of Team Wanderlei fighting teammate GodoFredo Pepey, who also started out on Team Vitor.

So, as of this moment, UFC 147 is basically a glorified TUF Finale card…that now lacks both the original matchup between the show’s coaches and the original matchup to determine one of the winners of said TUF season. But, fret not, the featherweight final match will still go down as scheduled. So there’s that.

Since we’re obviously past the point where we can do a fight picking type contest for you guys, does anyone wanna take a swing at how low UFC 147′s PPV numbers will be? Because we’re guessing one level below piss poor.

Here’s the remaining lineup for those of you who give two shits.

Main card:
Rich Frankin vs. Wanderlei Silva
Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira vs. Sergio “Serginho” Moraes (“TUF: Brazil” middleweight final)
Rony “Jason” Mariano Bezerra vs. Godofredo “Pepey” de Oliveira (“TUF: Brazil” featherweight final)
Mike Russow vs. Fabricio Werdum
Yuri Alcantara vs. Hacran Dias

Preliminary card:
Rodrigo Damm vs. Anistavio “Gasparzinho” Medeiros
Francisco “Massaranduba” Drinaldo vs. Delson “Pe de Chumbo” Heleno
John “Macapa” Teixeira vs. Hugo “Wolverine” Viana
Leonardo “Macarrao” Mafra Teixeira vs. Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo
Marcos Vinicius “Vina” Borges Pancini vs. Wagner “Galeto” Campos
Felipe Arantes vs. Milton Vieira

–J. Jones

[VIDEO] Jorge Santiago Continues His Decimation of Everyone Outside of the UFC


(How much of a gentlemen is Brian Stann? He tried to break Santiago’s UFC curse the only way he knew how; with a kiss on bended knee.) 

Woe is Jorge Santiago. “The Sandman” has been put to sleep in 4 out of his six performances in his two runs with the UFC, and was released a second time after dropping a unanimous decision to Demian Maia at UFC 136. But whenever we catch a glimpse of him in a smaller promotion, you’d think you were watching some up and coming prospect that the UFC  must be overlooking. As Tim McCarver would say, as good as Santiago has looked outside the UFC, that’s how as bad he’s looked inside of it. Since exiting the promotion, Santiago has scored a devastating first round knockout of his own over Leonardo Pecanha last March, and tried to make it two in a row when he squared off against 16-5 Justin Guthrie in the main event of last weekend’s TFC 23 card in Fort Riley, Kansas.

Spoiler alert: Santiago picked up another first round finish, this time by reverse heel hook. Unfortunately for “The Sandman,” he was knocked unconscious by the phone call he received from Joe Silva shortly thereafter.

Video after the jump.


(How much of a gentlemen is Brian Stann? He tried to break Santiago’s UFC curse the only way he knew how; with a kiss on bended knee.) 

Woe is Jorge Santiago. “The Sandman” has been put to sleep in 4 out of his six performances in his two runs with the UFC, and was released a second time after dropping a unanimous decision to Demian Maia at UFC 136. But whenever we catch a glimpse of him in a smaller promotion, you’d think you were watching some up and coming prospect that the UFC  must be overlooking. As Tim McCarver would say, as good as Santiago has looked outside the UFC, that’s how as bad he’s looked inside of it. Since exiting the promotion, Santiago has scored a devastating first round knockout of his own over Leonardo Pecanha last March, and tried to make it two in a row when he squared off against 16-5 Justin Guthrie in the main event of last weekend’s TFC 23 card in Fort Riley, Kansas.

Spoiler alert: Santiago picked up another first round finish, this time by reverse heel hook. Unfortunately for “The Sandman,” he was knocked unconscious by the phone call he received from Joe Silva shortly thereafter.

Check out Santiago’s handiwork below. The fight starts around the 2:50 mark.

Nice finish, Jorge, but you’re no Tim Sylvia.

–J. Jones

FightMatrix Releases ‘Division Dominance’ Rankings, And You’ll Be Kind of Surprised Who Is #1


(You mean to tell me that this man *isn’t* number one? UNBELIEVABLE.) 

Regardless of where you stand on the whole “pound for pound” rankings debate, FightMatrix recently released a list of what they referred to as ‘Division Dominance’ rankings, which rank fighters according to how impressively they’ve fared against the fellow members of their respective weight divisions. Where you’d think that Anderson Silva would be a the top of this list by about a million points, being that he has never lost a fight in the UFC, it might surprise you who topped him.

Here’s the description FightMatrix provided along with the list of criteria that led them to their conclusion:

The division point dominance list debuted on 3/16/08, and is comparable, but not identical to a pound-for-pound list.  While a pound-for-pound list factors in divisional tenure and the ability to transcend weight divisions while remaining successful, this list does not.  This list ranks fighters based on their point level superiority over those in the division in which they are currently ranked.

This is done by averaging the point level which encompasses the typical transition between the elites and top contenders of the division, then compares this average to the fighter’s current point level. The higher a fighter’s division dominance points, the more “dominant” they are over their divisional peers.

One important thing to note is that there are two important factors that comprise a fighter’s division dominance rating. The strength of the division’s top fighters and the fighter’s own current rating. A fluctuation in the fighter’s rating, division strength, and/or division assignment can all result in changes to a fighter’s division dominance rating.

As of 8/28/2011, we have added further requirements:
Fighter must have a win, draw, or quality performance in the previous 360 days (450 if currently in “inactive decay”).
Fighter must have at least two wins in their listed division within the past 900 days OR be ranked #1 in their division.

Check out the list after the jump and express your agreement or outrage in the comments section.


(You mean to tell me that this man *isn’t* number one? UNBELIEVABLE.) 

Regardless of where you stand on the whole “pound for pound” rankings debate, FightMatrix recently released a list of what they referred to as ‘Division Dominance’ rankings, which rank fighters according to how impressively they’ve fared against the fellow members of their respective weight divisions. Where you’d think that Anderson Silva would be a the top of this list by about a million points, being that he has never lost a fight in the UFC, it might surprise you who topped him.

Here’s the description FightMatrix provided along with the list of criteria that led them to their conclusion:

The division point dominance list debuted on 3/16/08, and is comparable, but not identical to a pound-for-pound list.  While a pound-for-pound list factors in divisional tenure and the ability to transcend weight divisions while remaining successful, this list does not.  This list ranks fighters based on their point level superiority over those in the division in which they are currently ranked.

This is done by averaging the point level which encompasses the typical transition between the elites and top contenders of the division, then compares this average to the fighter’s current point level. The higher a fighter’s division dominance points, the more “dominant” they are over their divisional peers.

One important thing to note is that there are two important factors that comprise a fighter’s division dominance rating. The strength of the division’s top fighters and the fighter’s own current rating. A fluctuation in the fighter’s rating, division strength, and/or division assignment can all result in changes to a fighter’s division dominance rating.

As of 8/28/2011, we have added further requirements:
Fighter must have a win, draw, or quality performance in the previous 360 days (450 if currently in “inactive decay”).
Fighter must have at least two wins in their listed division within the past 900 days OR be ranked #1 in their division.

Check out the list after the jump and express your agreement or outrage in the comments section.

That’s right, the pound for pound most dominant fighter in the UFC is… Joseph Benavidez? Considering he’s only had one fight at 125 (a second round knockout over Yasuhiro Urushitani), perhaps these rankings are a bit flawed. It also interesting to see that Jon Jones is so close to Silva points wise, being that “The Spider” has defended his belt six more times than “Bones.” We guess those lackluster performances against Demian Maia and Thales Leites really brought him down. Who would’ve guessed?

What do you think, Potato Nation? And what does your top ten “pound for pound rankings” list look like?

–J. Jones