Author: Jason Moles

UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II — Live Results & Commentary

The 150th UFC PPV takes place at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, which means tonight’s drinking game will lead you to the ER with liver poisoning as Joe and Goldie talk about the altitude. Headlining the card is the rematch to end all rematches when former WEC standout and current UFC lightweight champion, Benson Henderson squares off against Frankie “The Answer” Edgar.

Also on the broadcast is the front-runner to win Fight of the Night honors when Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone locks horns with Melvin Guillard. I’m told that Jake Shields and Yushin Okami are scheduled to fight Ed Hermann and Buddy Roberts respectively, and that’s totally cool, But you’re only buying this card for one reason: to see if the gold changes hands at the end of the night.

“Live” (emphasis on the quotation marks) round-by-round results from the Henderson – Edgar 2 pay-per-view main card will be piling up after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, courtesy of Jason Moles. Refresh the page every few minutes hours for all the latest, and please toss in your own inebriated thoughts in the comments section.

The 150th UFC PPV takes place at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, which means tonight’s drinking game will lead you to the ER with liver poisoning as Joe and Goldie talk about the altitude. Headlining the card is the rematch to end all rematches when former WEC standout and current UFC lightweight champion, Benson Henderson squares off against Frankie “The Answer” Edgar.

Also on the broadcast is the front-runner to win Fight of the Night honors when Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone locks horns with Melvin Guillard. I’m told that Jake Shields and Yushin Okami are scheduled to fight Ed Hermann and Buddy Roberts respectively, and that’s totally cool, But you’re only buying this card for one reason: to see if the gold changes hands at the end of the night.

“Live” (emphasis on the quotation marks) round-by-round results from the Henderson – Edgar 2 pay-per-view main card will be piling up after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, courtesy of Jason Moles. Refresh the page every few minutes hours for all the latest, and please toss in your own inebriated thoughts in the comments section.

Let’s get this started, shall we?

Justin Lawrence vs. Max Holloway

Round 1: Holloway’s crotch says, “BUY MY SHORTS.” Don’t ask me why that’s the first thing I noticed about him. Feeling out process ended with a few kicks from Lawrence. Nice high kick from Holloway. Both trade a few nice punches.  Lawrence seems to be landing more strikes. %$#&!!! Holloway just drilled “The All American Kid” All- American nuts! Okay, just walk it off. Lawrence pushing forward and gets the takedown. Right back up. Lawrence is bleeding. Holloway lands a knee to the chin. Swing and a miss by Holloway. 13-12 Significant strikes favoring Lawrence. Holloway drills him in the balls again as the end of round horn sounds.


Round 2: Stick and move by Holloway. The men both trade snapping kicks. Lawrence with a lot of front kicks, sidekicks. Crowd starting to boo but it dies down. Holloway lands a clean right hand. Holloway demonstrating very nice counter punching — stuffs a takedown as well. Lawrence landing 47% of his strikes. Stick and move by both men. Holloway stuffs a takedown my grandmother could have seen, and she’s got cataracts. Now he tags Lawrence which leads to an opening for a deep knee to the gut. Left hook to the liver and “It’s all over!!!”

Winner Max Holloway Rd. 2 TKO

Up Next – Yushin Okami vs. Buddy Roberts

Buddy Roberts walking out to ‘Bleed It Out’ by Linkin Park. Yushin on the other hand… Holy $%&@! Is that Tank Abbott??? Nope, he’s sober.

Round 1: Roberts comes out swinging. Looking for a head kick. Okami lands a nice left. Buddy keeps connecting with the jab. Okami just got clipped. Roberts landing knees from the clinch. Okami tries and fails twice to get the takedown from the clinch against the cage. Okami finally drags him down,. takes his back, transitions to his guard. Okami in half guard, not much action. Crowd boos on cue. Yushin in side mount with arm control and lands a few shots. Okami in full mount, takes the back, lands a few shots to the back of the head but Herb doesn’t seem to mind. A bunch more punches and the horn sounds.


Round 2: Buddy goes forward and slips on the mat. Lands a shot once he recovers. Okami with a straight left. Clinches and tries to drag him down. Success. Buddy transitions into a guillotine. Back on their feet. Okami nails a double leg. Moves into half guard. Looking to utilize elbows, looks some more… Full mount by “Thunder” and Buddy rolls over on his belly. Okami just keeps punching him in the skull. Herb calls it.

Winner: Yushin Okami  – Rd. 2 – TKO

Better grab a Mt. Dew and a handful of Yellow Jackets before Jake Shields middleweight debut against Ed Herman.

Herman walking out wearing a Dethrone hoodie. His music sucks, but his bobcat shirt makes up for it. Man, I almost forgot how pale redheads are. Shields walks out to what sounds like The Glitch Mob dubstep remix of Seven Nation Army. My wife says his nipples are really “pokie” – like they’ve been stretched. Wow – Rashad really wasn’t joking around when he said you’d notice a difference.

Round 1: Shields immediately throws a kick. Both men attacking. Herman goes for takedown, Shields hip tosses him. Back on the feet. Clinched and they both trade blows. Herman lands a knee. Shields gets the trip takedown. Ground and pound from Jake. Both men back up, dirty boxing along the fence. These guys have separation issues. Jake has a sponsor sticker for a radiator company. Nice elbow by Herman. Jake looking for the guillotine. *yawn* Thank God the fans can boo for me. Finally some action – that guys claps the 2×4′s together to signal 10 seconds left.

Round 2: Looks, I can text the UFC who I want to win. Nice. More kicks by Shields. Herman initiates the clinch again. Take down – Shields on top in half guard, now side control. Working for a kimura.

Sorry guys, @#&^$@*$^#*(# internet! Sorry.

 

Round 3 almost over – Shields has been dominating Herman on the ground for most of it. Shields in full mount. Herman trying to score pints off his back, but he’s no Miguel Torres. Shields lands more and more punches as the crowd boos louder. Both men swinging but it’s all over. The judges will decide who moves forward…. but the fans are not impressed with their performance.

Winner: Jake Shields by Unanimous decision.

Coming up next: Former teamates and BFF’s, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Melvin “I don’t care if I’m indoors, I’m wearing my damn sunglasses anyway!” Guillard.

Denver crowd tried to snatch the infamous sunglasses of Guillard. #fail – Apparently being a Blackzillian automatically gets you a Pretorian sponsorship. *Cue Kid Rock music* Here comes Cowboy, baby. The TapouT cowboy hat looked much better than this Muscle Pharm stuff. Cerrone looks happier than a pig in, well, you get the point.

Round 1: “Taller is Cerrone”, says Mike Goldberg. Guillard gets booed heavily as Buffer introduces him. Remember, it’s not because Denver is racist, it’s because they love them some homegrown talent – and Cerrone is home. Cowboy quick on the offensive with a head kick. Guillard is beating the living daylights outta Cerrone!!!!! Punches in bunches AND a knee to the midsection. Dang! Okay, he looks shocked but he;s good now. Damn! Now Cowboy lands a head kick followed up by a hard right hand and Guillard is asleep!!! When will he ever learn that sunglasses are unnecessary indoors?

Winner: Donald Cerrone – Rd. 1 KO

Craziest fight of the year? Yeah, I think so. They both hug it out, now that “The Young Assassin” has come to. I would pay to be at their after party.

Main Event Time: Benson “Smooth” Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar

Frankie runs to the Octagon, gets greased up -legally, not the Anderson Silva way. Like a leprechaun who’s been had, he wants his gold back. Ben is strutting his way to the prep point. The champ’s calm and focused. It’s Time!

Round 1: Edgar in the black/red trunks littered with sponsors. Henderson must have sponsored himself because his upper body is plastered on his poster… oh yeah, tighties for the champ. Empty jabs by Henderson. Egdar landing a few shots, most noticeably a left hand. Leg kick by Smooth. Edgar  nearly looses his balance after Henderson kicks his leg again. Another one and he’s down. Scrambled to the feet.  Edgar returns the favor and throws a leg kick. Frankie’s left calf is swollen and red. Both men throwing combos, landing shots here and there. Frankie lands a leg kick. Edgar catches the leg kick this time, takedown but the champ locks in a guillotine. Remember how many times Frankie caught kicks last time? Round over.

Nate Diaz in attendance.

Round 2: 12-8 Sig strikes in favor of the champ for round 1. Another leg kick by Smooth and Edgar drops to a knee but recovers. Frankie feints a takedown. Lands a punch. Leg kick and a hook for Edgar. Both guys switching stance. Leg kick by the champ. Edgar drops Henderson with a wicked uppercut. Looking to sink in the choke. Smooth works up to his feet. but Frankie still has a hold of him. Henderson keeping a hand on the ground to avoid knees. Edgar is bleeding. Separation! Henderson misses a big axe kick. Then shoots but is stuffed by Frankie. Big body kick by the champ the the horn.

Round 3: Half landed/half blocked head kick by Benson. Lots of jabs by him as well, most hit air. Frankie lands a leg kick. Ben returns the favor and charges. very nice jab by Benson. Both men exchange blows. Champ telegraphs a head kick. Edgar ducks. Same for his right hard. More of the same – I hit you, you hit me. Repeat. Still no mention of altitude – my drinking game sucks – I can still see the keys clearly. The champ tries to Sweet Chin Music the former champ – misses. 20-16 sig strikes so far in favor of Smooth.  Champ charges and Frankie Edgar tries to hit HBK’s finisher as the horn sounds.

Championship rounds, deep water, point of no return, etc….

Round 4: Guys are just banging. Leg kicks, straight punches, more leg kicks – it’s all here. Neither man looks to have a significant advantage, both are active. Edgar gets a takedown. Big kick from the ground and Ben is back up. Until he Frankie locks in the choke. Leaning on the champ is Edgar. Applying pressure on the choke. Now they stand. Crowd’s chant is inaudible. Henderson lands a jab that knocks Edgar’s mouthpiece out. TIME OUT! Okay, back to work. Leg kick by Frankie is beautiful. My face hurts from watching all of these punches. Edgar catches ANOTHER kick. and Keeps it standing. Horn.

Round 5: Edgar’s corner tells him to punch him against the cage. Edgar’s footwork prevents being kicked in the lead leg again. Nice shots by the NJ native. Champ is fighting like he’s already won… Edgar is hungry. Crowd chants, “Frankie!” Caught another kick did Frankie. Puts a right hand on his face. Keeps attacking with combos. Now the champ looks to score points with a few jabs. Edgar’s counter striking is impressive. Frankie hits a nice leg kick. One minute left!!! Nice body shot by Edgar. Champ comes forward, lands s shot. Both are going at it now. End of fight.. Judges will now calculate the scores, correctly, we hope.

And the winner is…..

Ben Henderson Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision split decision!

The crowd is NOT happy. “I fight for you guys! I try to finish fights!”  -Henderson.

Edgar says he’s not sure if he’ll go back and watch this fight again. Dude looks heartbroken. Fans love him though.

Why isn’t Nate Diaz stepping the Octagon?

That’s it, I’m outta here. *Sigh of relief* Hope you all enjoyed. Next week: Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman

 

– Jason

MMA Trainer Firas Zahabi Launches FundAFighter to Put Sponsorship in the Hands of the Fans


(There’s always a Diaz fan in the crowd…)

By Jason Moles

We’ve seen as many MMA sponsors come and go over the last few years as we have fighters themselves, and with a few notable exceptions, they haven’t had much, if any, impact on the sport. That’s all about to change with the launch of FundAFighter.com, which helps fighters raise money to cover the costs of their training camps, travel, nutrition, or other MMA-related projects.

Developed by Tristar Gym‘s Firas Zahabi, the new site supports fighters in the planning and execution of “crowdfunding” campaigns in which they solicit donations directly from their fans in exchange for unique incentives like event tickets, autographs, fight-worn gear, or whatever rewards they are willing to give their backers. Oh, and did we mention that CagePotato veteran Mike Russell is handling PR for FundAFighter?

If the concept sounds vaguely familiar, there’s a reason for that — and it’s not just because crowdfunding is how we got Karmaatemycat to the TUF 14 tryouts last year. From the press release:


(There’s always a Diaz fan in the crowd…)

By Jason Moles

We’ve seen as many MMA sponsors come and go over the last few years as we have fighters themselves, and with a few notable exceptions, they haven’t had much, if any, impact on the sport. That’s all about to change with the launch of FundAFighter.com, which helps fighters raise money to cover the costs of their training camps, travel, nutrition, or other MMA-related projects.

Developed by Tristar Gym‘s Firas Zahabi, the new site supports fighters in the planning and execution of “crowdfunding” campaigns in which they solicit donations directly from their fans in exchange for unique incentives like event tickets, autographs, fight-worn gear, or whatever rewards they are willing to give their backers. Oh, and did we mention that CagePotato veteran Mike Russell is handling PR for FundAFighter?

If the concept sounds vaguely familiar, there’s a reason for that — and it’s not just because crowdfunding is how we got Karmaatemycat to the TUF 14 tryouts last year. From the press release:

When late, great former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner waved away corporate sponsors to instead give his fans the opportunity to contribute financially to his training camps in exchange for tangible rewards like signature shirts and autographed gear, his novel idea was met with praise from both fans and the media. Evan’s groundbreaking concept was what would later become known as crowdsourcing, more specifically crowdfunding – two methodologies whose names weren’t even coined until a year after he began practicing them.

Inspired by Tanner’s simple idea, this exciting and groundbreaking initiative was developed by Tristar Gym owner and revered MMA trainer Firas Zahabi and noted Montreal based entrepreneurs Robbie Stein and Greg Hoffman. The goal of Fund a Fighter is simple: Provide fighters with an alternative means of raising money for their next MMA-related project, while giving fans an alternative way to interact and support their favorite fighters. Think of it like Kickstarter for MMA.

That sounds pretty badass, but how will the impact the sport going forward?

“Zahabi thinks the new venture will change the landscape of the sport for the better, removing a lot of the financial roadblocks fighters face when preparing for fights, like affording travel, hiring coaches, and making sure that their nutritional needs are being met.”

Nice. So what fighters can fans currently sponsor?

“The company also announced today that FAF’s first two approved fighters with active fundraising campaigns on the site are current UFC featherweight Joey Gambino and The Ultimate Fighter 13 veteran, welterweight standout Chuck “Cold Steel” O’Neil.”

It all sounds pretty awesome when you think about it. We love watching great fights, and want these athletes to have everything they need to show up on fight night healthy and ready to put on a Fight of the Night performance. What better way to help make this possible than by becoming a member and donating a few bucks? C’mon, we both know you’re going to, even if only for an autographed jock strap.

Registration at FAF is free and open to the public, however no new fundraising campaigns will be approved until August. For more information and updates, follow FundAFighter on Facebook and Twitter.

Chael Sonnen: What’s Next for the Gangster From West Linn, Oregon?


(Try as he might, Chael just couldn’t figure what dish to bring to a Brazilian BBQ.)

By Jason Moles

Once again, the curtain was pulled back and we saw that he was just as human as you or I, despite his best attempts to convince us otherwise. Once again we witnessed his mystique fade into oblivion with every gloved fist to the face. For a moment, it appeared as if he had been fooling us this whole time. He had to have been. I mean, how can a guy be so unbelievably amazing in the Octagon and do what no other before him has ever come close to doing, and still come up short again?

Now that the cameras have stopped rolling, Chael P. Sonnen finds himself at a crossroads in life, a time when decisions like changing weight classes or changing careers — decisions of great consequence — have to be made,  or so it would seem. Some have tossed around the idea of retirement for the thirty-five year old southpaw. Need I remind you that Sonnen is the one that said, “You cannot ‘retire’ from a sport unless you win a world championship. You only quit.”? Even after two title shots against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Sonnen is still a lot like my second favorite type of bra: strapless. Add that to the poetic role reversal of Silva making a quip about having his wife fix him a steak after the fight — that twist of the knife, delivered with a champion’s smile — and you can better see how dejected the American Gangster is feeling after his performance at UFC 148.

Maybe you, like many others, think the former politician should change weight classes or go take his shtick to WWE. It’s absurd to think he would move down to 170lbs. given the reported 20+ pounds he had to cut the day before the weigh-ins. Similarly, a move to the 205lb. division isn’t exactly any less of a career suicide than propositioning Dana White to ‘Free CagePotato’ in a hotel lobby. But that WWE idea seems totally legit, right? WWE thinks so too, even if there are others who would advise against it.


(Try as he might, Chael just couldn’t figure what dish to bring to a Brazilian BBQ.)

By Jason Moles

Once again, the curtain was pulled back and we saw that he was just as human as you or I, despite his best attempts to convince us otherwise. Once again we witnessed his mystique fade into oblivion with every gloved fist to the face. For a moment, it appeared as if he had been fooling us this whole time. He had to have been. I mean, how can a guy be so unbelievably amazing in the Octagon and do what no other before him has ever come close to doing, and still come up short again?

Now that the cameras have stopped rolling, Chael P. Sonnen finds himself at a crossroads in life, a time when decisions like changing weight classes or changing careers — decisions of great consequence — have to be made,  or so it would seem. Some have tossed around the idea of retirement for the thirty-five year old southpaw. Need I remind you that Sonnen is the one that said, “You cannot ‘retire’ from a sport unless you win a world championship. You only quit.”? Even after two title shots against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Sonnen is still a lot like my second favorite type of bra: strapless. Add that to the poetic role reversal of Silva making a quip about having his wife fix him a steak after the fight — that twist of the knife, delivered with a champion’s smile — and you can better see how dejected the American Gangster is feeling after his performance at UFC 148.

Maybe you, like many others, think the former politician should change weight classes or go take his shtick to WWE. It’s absurd to think he would move down to 170lbs. given the reported 20+ pounds he had to cut the day before the weigh-ins. Similarly, a move to the 205lb. division isn’t exactly any less of a career suicide than propositioning Dana White to ‘Free CagePotato’ in a hotel lobby. But that WWE idea seems totally legit, right? WWE thinks so too, even if there are others who would advise against it.

I’m not saying that I wouldn’t tune in to watch Sonnen on Raw, if only to see how he’d respond when he’s encouraged to let his character become his identity, and everything he says is scripted. (Oh wait.) But the thing you’ve got to realize is that there is a world of difference between being a wrestler and being a ‘rassler, and if you need an explanation then you probably love drinking cheap pop and don’t mind being called Mark even if it’s not your name. Sure, Sonnen can cut a promo that would make “Rowdy” Roddy Piper proud, has a familiarity with performance enhancing injections, and a silo full of charisma, but he’s a competitor at heart. With a successful pizza restaurant lining his pockets, he doesn’t need to strap on a pair of tights and trade figure-four leg-locks with CM Punk — especially when he’s a pugilist, a fist-fighter, a gangster from the mean streets of Oregon. When you need a sports entertainer, go call up Brock Lesnar. When you need a cage fighter, you call Chael Sonnen.

What then, does Sonnen do now if he can’t beat the champion, but he’s better than everyone in his weight class? Do you give him another rematch? That’s what he’d like to see happen, but that idea has been nixed by the Baldfather himself. Death threats notwithstanding, it’s far more probable that “The Bad Guy” will eventually find himself in a soccer stadium in Rio standing across the cage from the likes of Vitor Belfort, whom Sonnen’s mother just absolutely loves, or Wanderlei Silva, whom Rex absolutely loves. Given the stuff he’s said about them, I’m sure both of these Brazilians would be more than happy to be Sonnen’s next dance partner.

So you see, nothing is really going to change. Chael Sonnen will keep doing what he’s been doing for years…and so will we. He’ll get a phone call from Joe Silva with a name and a date. He’ll sign that contract and, should he get the itch, relentlessly talk trash about his opponent until the point of insanity. All of the major radio hosts will get a heaping pile of witty one-liners, memorable quotes, and sound bytes that will live on forever, like the one about Nogueira trying to feed the bus a carrot.

On the appointed night, as soon as his music hits those speakers, he’ll make that walk and do his job. As for you and I, we’ll eat it up — every last minute of it — and we’ll throw down our money and buy the next card he’s on because we can’t help but want to see him try to back up his outrageous claims. We’ll continue to turn a blind eye to Sonnen’s slightly less-than-honest material and laugh at the absurdity and hilariousness of it all, enabling him to stick with the gimmick that’s brought him so far already.

When the time comes, Sonnen will play his part. What else would he do with himself? An athlete can quit, but a performer will always find his way back to the spotlight.

4th of July Quiz: Who Said It, Founding Father or MMA Fighter?


(So I sez to da brod, “I want to f*ck Chuck!“)

By Jason Moles

Happy Independence Day, Potato Nation! In honor of today’s festivities we figured it was time once again to switch things up around here. For starters, we’re not going to tell you that the fight you were looking forward to has been rescheduled/tweaked/cancelled due to injury, nor will we bog you down with the latest trash talk between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. Instead, let’s play a patriotic game. We’ll give you a list of quotes and then you decide who said it, either a founding father or a famous (and I’m using that word lightly) MMA fighter. The answer key is on the next page. Let’s begin!

1. “Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.” Was this A.) Diego Sanchez or B.) Ben Franklin

2. “I let go of the disappointments and setbacks in my life and hang on to the promises of God for my future.” Was this A.) Phil Baroni or B.) John Adams

3. “And to think, there are still places in the world where man has not been, where he has left no footprints, where the mysteries stand secure, untouched by human eyes. I want to go to these places, the quiet, timeless, ageless places, and sit, letting silence and solitude be my teachers.” Was this A.) Evan Tanner or B.) Thomas Jefferson

4. “I have not yet begun to fight!” Was this A.) Jon Jones or B.) John Paul Jones


(So I sez to da brod, “I want to f*ck Chuck!“)

By Jason Moles

Happy Independence Day, Potato Nation! In honor of today’s festivities we figured it was time once again to switch things up around here. For starters, we’re not going to tell you that the fight you were looking forward to has been rescheduled/tweaked/cancelled due to injury, nor will we bog you down with the latest trash talk between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. Instead, let’s play a patriotic game. We’ll give you a list of quotes and then you decide who said it, either a founding father or a famous (and I’m using that word lightly) MMA fighter. The answer key is on the next page. Let’s begin!

1. “Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.” Was this A.) Diego Sanchez or B.) Ben Franklin

2. “I let go of the disappointments and setbacks in my life and hang on to the promises of God for my future.” Was this A.) Phil Baroni or B.) John Adams

3. “And to think, there are still places in the world where man has not been, where he has left no footprints, where the mysteries stand secure, untouched by human eyes. I want to go to these places, the quiet, timeless, ageless places, and sit, letting silence and solitude be my teachers.” Was this A.) Evan Tanner or B.) Thomas Jefferson

4. “I have not yet begun to fight!” Was this A.) Jon Jones or B.) John Paul Jones

5. “Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”  Was this A.) Chael Sonnen or B.) George Washington

6. “One of the ultimate things that a human can learn is kindness for their fellow humans and understanding. As long as I can get the message out, that’s the important part.”  Was this A.) Evan Tanner or B.) Patrick Henry

7. “We must all hang together, or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”  Was this: A) Renzo Gracie or B) Benjamin Franklin

8. “You’ve always got a politician who puts the blame on the other ones saying ‘They did this, they did that. You should vote for me because they did this.’ He never does that. He just sticks to his beliefs and he doesn’t really point fingers. He doesn’t get into the mudslinging part of campaigning and I like that.” Was this A.) Jacob Volkmann or B.) Thomas Paine

9. “War, like most other things, is a science to be acquired and perfected by diligence, by perseverance, by time, and by practice.” Was this A.) Tim Kennedy or B.) Alexander Hamilton

10. “They just have to remember… and reflect upon the sacrifices that were made to make this country what it is.” Was this A.) Brian Stann or B.) George Washington

11. “The best thing to give your enemy is forgiveness.” Was this A.) Georges St. Pierre or B.) Benjamin Franklin

Now let’s see how you did…

The Unsupportable Opinion: Clay Guida Won That Fight


(And that’s for asking me how to save money on car insurance! / Pic Props: BRMMA Flickr)

By Jason Moles

Clay Guida won that fight. I know what the scorecards said; Bruce Buffer announced them to the world loud and clear. I know what everybody and their brother said on Twitter as well. None of that matters, though, because I know what I saw. Friday night in Atlantic City, Guida defeated Gray Maynard. In what parallel universe can you throw nearly a hundred more strikes than your opponent, he spends the evening swinging at ghosts, and they declare him the winner? On the mean streets of Albuquerque, New Mexico, if you have all but one of your fourteen takedowns stuffed, that does not make you a winner. That makes…not a winner.

Since when do we penalize fighters for not wanting to get smashed in the face? Guida willingly let himself be locked in a cage with “The Bully” for a total of twenty-five minutes. And yet somehow Maynard still wasn’t satisfied, saying at the post-fight press conference, “You can’t just go to the end of the cage and then back to the other end and back to the other end the whole time. You’ve got to give me a chance, too.”

“You’ve got to give me a chance, too?” Sorry, I thought Maynard was a professional fighter. I thought he was above the “If Johnny can’t hit off the pitcher, we’ll just bring out the tee” mentality. First, you don’t like his hair and now you don’t like the way he dances? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were looking for a date to the prom. You had your chance and you blew it. Were you really expecting Clay to just stand in front of you like the striking dummies at the gym?


(And that’s for asking me how to save money on car insurance! / Pic Props: BRMMA Flickr)

By Jason Moles

Clay Guida won that fight. I know what the scorecards said; Bruce Buffer announced them to the world loud and clear. I know what everybody and their brother said on Twitter as well. None of that matters, though, because I know what I saw. Friday night in Atlantic City, Guida defeated Gray Maynard. In what parallel universe can you throw nearly a hundred more strikes than your opponent, he spends the evening swinging at ghosts, and they declare him the winner? On the mean streets of Albuquerque, New Mexico, if you have all but one of your fourteen takedowns stuffed, that does not make you a winner. That makes…not a winner.

Since when do we penalize fighters for not wanting to get smashed in the face? Guida willingly let himself be locked in a cage with “The Bully” for a total of twenty-five minutes. And yet somehow Maynard still wasn’t satisfied, saying at the post-fight press conference, “You can’t just go to the end of the cage and then back to the other end and back to the other end the whole time. You’ve got to give me a chance, too.”

“You’ve got to give me a chance, too?” Sorry, I thought Maynard was a professional fighter. I thought he was above the “If Johnny can’t hit off the pitcher, we’ll just bring out the tee” mentality. First, you don’t like his hair and now you don’t like the way he dances? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were looking for a date to the prom. You had your chance and you blew it. Were you really expecting Clay to just stand in front of you like the striking dummies at the gym?

While many thought the actions of “The Carpenter” were egregious enough to warrant a PRIDE yellow card or even a point-deduction, let me point out that I didn’t see “The Bully” give much chase in an attempt to get his hands on Guida and implement his gameplan. It seemed rather, that Maynard was more content to just sit back and complain, flip the bird, cuss at Guida a little — something that in and of itself warranted a point deduction according to the Unified Rules of MMA — and then just sit back some more. Don’t even get me started on Maynard’s repeated hair-pulling. (Another point-deduction right there, if you’re keeping score.)

You see, gentlemen, what we witnessed at UFC on FX 4 was the epitome of Octagon control. In fact, Guida went above and beyond the norm, dominating not only the sponsor sticker in the center, but every square inch of the canvas. Additionally, Guida stuffed thirteen takedowns to keep the fight standing — a prime example of a fighter dictating the pace and location of a fight. Fighters must rely on judges being aware of this, and can only hope the imbeciles sitting cageside are able to recognize it when they see it and score the rounds accordingly. It’s not the first time the wrong fighter had his hand raised, and if life as an MMA fan has taught me anything over the past decade, it won’t be the last.

Clay Guida may not have been willing to become a punching bag for his opponent, nor should he have been. He was also not willing to go balls to the wall trying to take his opponent’s head off or put him to sleep on the mat, with a title shot potentially on the line. In a situation when most out-think the room, the Geico Caveman lookalike followed this popular maxim: Keep It Simple Stupid. Close the distance, get off a few clean shots, and get back out of range so he can’t counter. Simple and effective, no? The last time we saw this gameplan implemented, Carlos Condit won a title belt.

Clay Guida beat Gray Maynard, plain and simple. Guida’s footwork and effective defense kept Maynard guessing at best, punching at phantoms at worst. From bell to bell and post to post, the Greg Jackson product literally danced his way to victory. I know, because I saw it. What fight were you watching?

Robbery, Recovery, and Resurgence — The Journey of Alan Belcher


(“It’s okay, boy. Doesn’t really look like Johnny Cash, but you did the best you could.” / Photo via CageWriter)

By Jason Moles

What was supposed to be a monumental night for Alan Belcher at UFC 100, filled with celebration and grandeur, turned out to be more of a grand illusion thanks to the gross incompetence of the judges. Belcher’s controversial split-decision loss to then-UFC newcomer Yoshihiro Akiyama still leaves a sour taste in the mouth of many who recall Bruce Buffer’s reading of the scorecards. That sweaty July night, although only three years ago, feels like an eternity ago when you consider all that the Biloxi, Mississippi native has endured over the past few years. From that memorable fight to unforeseeable medical threats and his surge to the top of the middleweight division, the burden-laden path has proved Belcher both remarkable and resilient.

Leading up to the historical UFC 100 pay-per-view, you heard a lot of chatter about “Sexyama” losing only once in fifteen professional fights. Since then, the Japanese veteran has been falling in a downward spiral, going o-4 in the cage. Belcher on the other hand, hasn’t looked back, earning four consecutive stoppage victories and two end-of-night bonuses. Suffice it to say that it’s more than a coincidence that they’ve been heading in opposite directions since their paths crossed. It’s just a shame no one called the cops to report the robbery that night.

If you saw the Fight of the Night bout between Akiyama and “The Talent” then you know the fight was close, but not that close. “He got me down a couple of times, but I swept him just as many times as he took me down,” Belcher said after the fight. “I tried for submissions; I think he only hit me a few times on the ground. I landed leg kick after leg kick over and over and over.”


(“It’s okay, boy. Doesn’t really look like Johnny Cash, but you did the best you could.” / Photo via CageWriter)

By Jason Moles

What was supposed to be a monumental night for Alan Belcher at UFC 100, filled with celebration and grandeur, turned out to be more of a grand illusion thanks to the gross incompetence of the judges. Belcher’s controversial split-decision loss to then-UFC newcomer Yoshihiro Akiyama still leaves a sour taste in the mouth of many who recall Bruce Buffer’s reading of the scorecards. That sweaty July night, although only three years ago, feels like an eternity ago when you consider all that the Biloxi, Mississippi native has endured over the past few years. From that memorable fight to unforeseeable medical threats and his surge to the top of the middleweight division, the burden-laden path has proved Belcher both remarkable and resilient.

Leading up to the historical UFC 100 pay-per-view, you heard a lot of chatter about “Sexyama” losing only once in fifteen professional fights. Since then, the Japanese veteran has been falling in a downward spiral, going o-4 in the cage. Belcher on the other hand, hasn’t looked back, earning four consecutive stoppage victories and two end-of-night bonuses. Suffice it to say that it’s more than a coincidence that they’ve been heading in opposite directions since their paths crossed. It’s just a shame no one called the cops to report the robbery that night.

If you saw the Fight of the Night bout between Akiyama and “The Talent” then you know the fight was close, but not that close. “He got me down a couple of times, but I swept him just as many times as he took me down,” Belcher said after the fight. “I tried for submissions; I think he only hit me a few times on the ground. I landed leg kick after leg kick over and over and over.”

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When an normal American goes to Brazil for an extended period of time during the summer, the worst that usually happens to him is a nasty sunburn after taking a leisurely nap at the beach, a twisted ankle trying to get his freak on during Carnival, or maybe the poor sap gets a full beer thrown on him when a native wins a big fight. Alan Belcher is not a normal American. During the summer of 2010, coming off two award-winning victories in the Octagon against Wilson Gouveia and Patrick Cote, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt was quickly approaching his first-ever main event at UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Belcher. But as the anticipation grew, so did the fear. It wasn’t the fear of forgetting the game plan or even losing on cable television in front of millions of people. No, this fear was far more worrisome — Alan was going blind in one eye:

“I have a detached retina. It just all happened all of a sudden, I just lost my vision in my right eye. It just happened all of a sudden, man — pretty much overnight. I was in Brazil training and I messed around for a few days there afterwards and I had to come home and have a surgery the day after I came home.”

The only thing worse than that would have been a run-in with the locals on some side street in the favelas. The mixed martial arts community was stricken with worry. Could it be? Could they really lose one of their own at such a young age? All the while, Belcher’s wife Ashley kept fans and media alike informed after the hospital visits and checkups, each day a new struggle. Doctors would reveal that tears in his retina lead to a complete detachment. After being repaired by surgery, his retina became detached for the second time just two months later.

“That was really bad for me,” said Belcher when asked about the time spent recovering. “I thought I wasn’t gonna fight again, and we weren’t even talking about it with the doctor. I was just trying to get my sight back. After a while, I started thinking about it a little bit and there definitely was a chance that I wasn’t gonna fight again. Even if you do get good enough to get back in there, do you want to risk doing that again? There are so many different variables, and it was a tough time for me.”

Fortunately for Belcher — and unfortunately for the rest of the UFC middleweights — his next surgery was a success, and he picked up right where he left off. At Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans in September 2011, nearly five hundred days since his last fight, Alan Belcher defeated Jason MacDonald in the first round by submission due to strikes.

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CagePotato’s own Jared Jones had this to say leading up to Belcher’s most recent appearance at UFC on FOX 3: “At +240, Alan Belcher would look pretty damn tempting…if he wasn’t fighting a genetically engineered, psychopathic wildebeest in Rousimar Palhares. With an ever-improving striking game, as documented in his typically disorienting win over Dan Miller, ”Toquinho” has made the step up from “mini-Hulk” to full-on “eater of worlds,” and there’s nothing we can do to stop him.” Based on the betting line, Dangada was speaking on behalf of the vast majority of fight fans. But the Roufussport product must not have paid Vegas much attention, as evidenced by the absence of an “I told you so” during the post-fight interviews. His silence on the matter only confirmed what we already knew; men like Alan Belcher believe they can win every fight, even when the odds aren’t in their favor.

Judging from the above description of the Brazilian, it’s easy to see why one might be a little hesitant in agreeing to allow themselves to be locked in a cage with such a beast. Since being signed by Zuffa in 2008, Palhares had only dropped two fights, one to Dan Henderson, the other to Nate Marquardt. But as with all one-trick ponies, the heel-hook specialist had met his match. You’d spend more time ordering a pizza than it took Belcher to dispatch of Palhares. It’s only a little hyperbolic to say that he shocked the world at UFC on FOX 3 when he escaped the clutches of his dreaded opponent and smashed his way to a first-round TKO victory from inside Palhares’s guard.

Finally, the fans gave the man his due. They were forced to acknowledge that Belcher is a legit contender who can no longer be ignored. All it took was overcoming a career-threatening eye injury and chopping down the world’s most dangerous “little tree stump.” Beating a highly skilled fighter at his own game proved Belcher’s BAMF status to everyone watching that night. He’s always had the tools to succeed in the UFC middleweight division, but for the first time, Belcher now has consistency, the attention of the fans, and enough momentum to carry him into the division’s upper reaches.

From robbery to recovery. From recovery to resurgence. The remarkable journey of Alan Belcher is far from over. Where to now?