Author: Jeremy Botter

Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier? Yeah, That’s My New Dream Fight

Forget about Jones vs. Anderson Silva.I realize those are strong words. That’s a fight that a lot of people want to see. You can’t call yourself an MMA fan if you’re not positively salivating at the idea of the reigning middleweight champion of the wor…

Forget about Jones vs. Anderson Silva.

I realize those are strong words. That’s a fight that a lot of people want to see. You can’t call yourself an MMA fan if you’re not positively salivating at the idea of the reigning middleweight champion of the world—and the greatest fighter in the history of the sport—moving up a weight class to face the man many believe could be the future of mixed martial arts. It’s a story that writes itself.

Unfortunately, it’s a story that’ll never be written. Silva doesn’t want to fight Jones, and can you blame him? He might be the greatest fighter of all time,  so why risk that reputation by putting it on the line against a guy who has 14 years and 20 pounds on you?

“The Spider” is a brand. Risking your health against someone like Jones isn’t a smart business decision, even though it would undoubtedly be the biggest fight in UFC history and would make both men much more wealthy than they already are. Which is to say, wealthy enough.

Yeah, it’s not happening. So why not turn our eyes towards something that can actually happen? And not just something that could happen down the road, but something that might just happen a year or so down the road?

Think about Jones vs. Daniel Cormier.

Yeah, Cormier nearly killed himself trying to cut to 211 pounds during his last bid at the Olympics. But he will tell you that he wasn’t exactly cutting weight the smart way. Rather than diet down and make a targeted cut at the weight, Cormier instead chose to stay at his normal weight and then rid himself of all body water in a desperation cut.

It just doesn’t work that way, and it didn’t work for Cormier. But that doesn’t mean light heavyweight is out of the question. All he’d would need to do is diet himself down to 220-225 pounds or so—an easy task for Cormier—and then the cut to 205 would be simple.

Imagine, if you will, that Jones beats Dan Henderson (which he will) and Alexander Gustafsson (which he will). Imagine that Cormier gets by Jeff Monson or Tim Sylvia or any other heavyweight Zuffa can find to sign a one-fight Strikeforce deal for the express purposes of facing one of the best young heavyweights in the world.

Well, Cormier would be moving to the UFC. And according to Dana White, he’d be able to contend for a title. And instead of sticking around and clogging up the ranks with his buddy Cain Velasquez, he could move down to 205 and get an immediate shot at one of the best fighters in the world.

And what a fight it would be. What a style match. What an interesting contrast. The Olympic wrestler versus the JUCO champion that turned himself into one of the best fighters in the world.

You can’t tell me you wouldn’t love to see it, because you would. And if things play out the way I think they will over the next eight months or so, it’s a fight we’ll all be looking forward to in 2013.   

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Video: Carlos Condit Discusses St-Pierre, Hendricks and Kampmann

Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter caught up with UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit during last week’s UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas.Condit discussed the reasons he’s not fighting Martin Kampmann or Johny Hendricks, how he thinks he matches up w…

Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter caught up with UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit during last week’s UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas.

Condit discussed the reasons he’s not fighting Martin Kampmann or Johny Hendricks, how he thinks he matches up with Georges St-Pierre and much more.

Check out the interview above.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Carlos Condit: The UFC Has Not Offered Me a Fight with Hendricks or Kampmann

These days, Carlos Condit finds himself between multiple rocks and a hard place.He’s the UFC interim welterweight champion, and he’s tentatively penciled in for a title vs. title bout with Georges St-Pierre on November 17. That’s assuming St-Pierre’s k…

These days, Carlos Condit finds himself between multiple rocks and a hard place.

He’s the UFC interim welterweight champion, and he’s tentatively penciled in for a title vs. title bout with Georges St-Pierre on November 17. That’s assuming St-Pierre’s knee continues to heal properly, of course, but all recent signs point to St-Pierre making the date.

You’d think fans would be excited about St-Pierre vs. Condit, but that hasn’t been the case. The only thing Condit hears these days are complaints: Why isn’t he fighting Johny Hendricks? Why isn’t he defending the belt against Martin Kampmann? Interim championships are created so that a belt can be defended while the true champion is out of action, so why is Condit sitting on the shelf until St-Pierre comes back? 

“The bottom line is that the UFC has not offered me another fight. I haven’t been contacted, nor has my management been contacted about fighting anybody else other than Georges St-Pierre,” Condit told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview during last week’s UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas. “So Georges is the guy I want. And if the UFC wants that fight, I’m content to wait for him to be ready. If it’s in November, of course.”

What happens if St-Pierre suffers a setback during the rehabilitation of his knee?

“If it’s going to be longer, then I will entertain the idea of taking another fight,” Condit said. “As far as I know, Georges’ recovery is on track, and he’s going to be ready to go November 17.”

It’s not just the fans who have been upset at the idea of Condit sitting on the sidelines. Fellow welterweight Hendricks wants a shot at Condit, and he’s got the record to back it up. Kampmann is also in contention after wins over Rick Story, Thiago Alves and Jake Ellenberger.

Condit recently told the media that he was more interested in facing Kampmann. This enraged Hendricks, who felt that his win over Josh Koscheck—coupled with a four-fight winning streak—should have been enough to earn him a crack at the belt.

But Condit has very specific reasons for his interest in fighting Kampmann. 

“I mean, he’s had a good run recently. But his last fight was a pretty close decision with Josh Koscheck. Kampmann, on the other hand, finished Thiago Alves. He knocked out Jake Ellenberger,” Condit said. “He’s had a stellar run as of late. And it’s just a fight that I’d be more motivated for. And I think there would be more hype for the fans. That’s just the bottom line.”

And so, Condit patiently awaits the return of St-Pierre and the title unification bout that just might be one of the UFC’s most interesting fights on the fall schedule.

Truth be told, it’s a fight that has intrigued Condit for years, mostly because he thinks he might have the perfect style to give the long-reigning welterweight champion some serious problems in the cage.

“I think I pose some problems for Georges that he maybe hasn’t seen in the past. I’m well-rounded. Some of the guys he’s fought before were relatively one-dimensional. I’m dangerous and I can finish from a lot of different positions,” Condit said. “And I know that I have my hands full and it’s a huge task. Georges is one of the best guys that’s ever stepped in the Octagon. That’s actually the main reason I want to fight him. I look for a challenge. To be the best, you’ve gotta beat the best. And Georges St-Pierre is the best.”

Condit will likely get his chance to prove that he’s the best at UFC 154 in November. And with Hendricks and Kampmann scheduled to meet on the same card—likely in the co-main event—the UFC’s welterweight division will finally start to gain some stability. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Strikeforce Champ Ronda Rousey Nude in ESPN’s Body Issue

Ronda Rousey. She’s a name that has taken the mixed martial arts world by storm. A year ago, few people outside of the most hardcore fans of the sport knew that Rousey, a former Olympic bronze medalist in judo, possessed the kind of skills and tec…

Ronda Rousey. She’s a name that has taken the mixed martial arts world by storm. 

A year ago, few people outside of the most hardcore fans of the sport knew that Rousey, a former Olympic bronze medalist in judo, possessed the kind of skills and technique to make an impact on the sport within months of making her professional debut.

She did exactly that, finishing both of her early Strikeforce fights by arm bar early in the first round and then proceeding to create a name for herself by calling out women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate. Rousey created a blood feud with Tate, leading to one of the most-hyped female MMA fights of all-time. 

And then, Rousey did exactly what she said she was going to do: She submitted Tate in the first round by arm bar. 

Rousey’s star continues to rise, so it’s fitting that she appears semi-nude in ESPN Magazine’s “Bodies” issue. Last year, it was light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and this year, it’s the women’s champ who has captured the attention of the sporting world.

Check out the photos inside. 

Begin Slideshow

UFC 148: 6 Fights to Make After Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2

UFC 148, one of the biggest fight cards in UFC history, is finally in the books.After an exhausting week in Las Vegas, the Bleacher Report team finally got to see history in the making when Anderson Silva decimated Chael Sonnen in the second round of t…

UFC 148, one of the biggest fight cards in UFC history, is finally in the books.

After an exhausting week in Las Vegas, the Bleacher Report team finally got to see history in the making when Anderson Silva decimated Chael Sonnen in the second round of their main-event rematch. It was an emphatic win for Silva. After a first round that made me believe we were in for a virtual repeat of their first bout at UFC 117, the middleweight champion rebounded in the second and put Sonnen away.

What’s next for the champion? The win cemented him as the greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts. As Brian Stann so deftly noted on the post-fight show, Silva is so good at what he does that there aren’t really any contenders worthy of stepping in the Octagon to challenge him.

But the show must go on, so let’s take a look at what might be next for Silva and the rest of his UFC 148 compatriots.

 

ANDERSON SILVA vs. HECTOR LOMBARD or MARK MUNOZ

As I noted above, there are no true deserving contenders for Silva’s belt at the moment. This is not to say that there aren’t good middleweights out there, because there are quite a few. Mark Munoz, Hector Lombard, Michael Bisping, Brian Stann and Alan Belcher are all deserving of title consideration. They’d be worthy of title shots against any other champion, but Silva is a different beast.

But the champion will need a new foe, so who will it be? I think there are two optimal opponents.

I’ve gone on record as saying that Lombard doesn’t deserve a title shot, and I still think that’s true. But he seems to be the guy that Dana White and Joe Silva are targeting for the next Spider bout, assuming that he beats Tim Boetsch in a few weeks. He has a long winning streak—even though most of it came against inferior competition—and that might be enough to secure him the shot. But I’d only give Lombard the shot if he beats Boetsch and does so in impressive fashion.

If Munoz beats Chris Weidman on Wednesday night, he should also be in consideration. A win would give Munoz five in a row against some of the toughest competition in the UFC. He would be a deserving challenger.

I can’t say the same for Weidman, though. A win over Munoz would make a big statement for the wrestler from New York, but I think he’ll still need one more win to secure his chance at the gold.

If Weidman beats Munoz, I think a fight against Alan Belcher makes perfect sense.

One thing is for sure: The middleweight division is getting a lot more interesting these days. 

 

CHAEL SONNEN vs. WANDERLEI SILVA

This one is a no-brainer. Sonnen has nearly talked as much trash about Silva as he did the other Silva, and it’s a fight fans want to see. Both guys are also coming off a loss, which makes it appealing from a booking standpoint.

Personally, I’d like to see Sonnen try his hand at light heavyweight. But if he elects to stay at middleweight, this is the fight to make. A date with Vitor Belfort might also be interesting.

 

CUNG LE vs. JAKE SHIELDS

We don’t know if Le will retire or continue fighting. I have a hunch we’ll see him in the cage at least one more time. A bout with Shields would be interesting, providing Shields gets past Ed Herman at UFC 150 in August. 

It would be a classic striker vs. grappler battle and a good test for both men.

 

CHAD MENDES vs. RICARDO LAMAS

Mendes easily handled Cody McKenzie at UFC 148 in a mismatch. Despite his loss to Jose Aldo earlier this year, Mendes should still be considered a legitimate contender, and he should face another fighter near the top of the division. 

Lamas fits that description perfectly. He’s riding a three-fight winning streak and beat Hatsu Hioki his last time out. He’s the ideal opponent for Mendes at the moment, and the winner should be in consideration for a shot at Aldo.

 

DEMIAN MAIA vs. MIKE PYLE

Because his fight against Dong Hyun-Kim didn’t last very long, we still don’t know what to make of Demian Maia at welterweight. He looked to be executing a grappling-heavy game plan prior to the injury that ended Kim’s night, and that’s a good thing for the submission specialist.

A date with Mike Pyle would be interesting. Pyle has won two in a row and would be an interesting opponent for the Brazilian. Pyle’s striking abilities would likely overmatch Maia on the feet, but it would be a different story if Maia could get the fight to the ground.

 

MIKE EASTON vs. MICHAEL MCDONALD

To me, Mike Easton is one of the more interesting fighters in the bantamweight division. He has more charisma than 90 percent of the UFC roster and could be a legitimate superstar in the division. And the UFC is clearly interested in pushing him into title contention, especially since he’s willing to fight teammate Dominick Cruz in a championship setting.

Easton has an eight-fight winning streak and is 3-0 in the UFC. McDonald is already championship material and could face the winner of the Urijah Faber/Renan Barao interim title match that takes place in a few weeks at UFC 148. But if the UFC elects to give McDonald another fight before putting him in a championship bout, Easton makes perfect sense. 

Fans haven’t exactly been happy with Easton’s decision-heavy style over his past two fights. Putting him in the cage against McDonald would certainly ensure that we’d see one heck of a fight.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Video Interview: Alistair Overeem Discusses Self-Testing, Dana White Meeting

Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter caught up with UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem just hours before UFC 148 in Las Vegas last Saturday night.The suspended heavyweight discusses his meeting with Dana White from the day before, the process of volunteering …

Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter caught up with UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem just hours before UFC 148 in Las Vegas last Saturday night.

The suspended heavyweight discusses his meeting with Dana White from the day before, the process of volunteering for random drug testing and why he’s doing it, the recent state of the kickboxing world and his thoughts on the rumors of a Brock Lesnar return to the UFC. Overeem also discusses his new endorsement of RIZE Energy drinks. 

Check out the exclusive interview above.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com