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UFC Morning Update: Miesha Tate’s Arm Not Broken, Big Country to 205

It was quite the weekend in mixed martial arts action, wasn’t it?Friday night brought plenty of flyweight action and judging ineptitude/controversy from the UFC on FX show in Australia. Saturday night saw the crowning of a new Strikeforce women’s banta…

It was quite the weekend in mixed martial arts action, wasn’t it?

Friday night brought plenty of flyweight action and judging ineptitude/controversy from the UFC on FX show in Australia. Saturday night saw the crowning of a new Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion and the potential ascension of MMA‘s next big superstar, male or female included.

Let’s get to the first morning update of the week, shall we?

Miesha Tate’s Arm Isn’t Broken, Just Sore

Miesha Tate tells MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani via text message that her severely mangled left arm isn’t broken, but that there might be some damage.

“I had X-Rays last night,” Tate told MMAFighting.com via text message. “No bones are broken, which I already knew. Other than that, I have to get an MRI to find out anything further.”

That Tate suffered zero broken bones in that arm is a bit of a shocker to those of us who actually saw what Ronda Rousey did on Saturday night. It was one of the nastier armbars in the history of the sport. The crazy thing? Tate brought it entirely on herself because of her refusal to tap once the armbar was obviously locked in.

Later today, I’ll have more on Tate’s decision to allow her arm to be injured rather than tap out. I’m far from done discussing this subject.

Dana White Fumes Over Johnson/McCall Controversy

One of the positive things coming from Friday’s controversial split-decision-turned-into-a-draw result in the Demetrious Johnson/Ian McCall bout was the fact that we’ll get to see Johnson and McCall step in the cage and go at it one more time. It was an awesome, action-packed fight and every MMA fan in the world will be glad to see it again.

Everyone but Dana White, that is. White told John Morgan from MMAjunkie.com that the result doesn’t help the UFC at all.

“There is nothing positive about that result,” White told MMAjunkie.com. “I would rather have ended it tonight. We had two badass fights that everybody loved that would have led into the title fight. That would have been best-case scenario.”

I see where White is coming from. The perfect result would’ve seen the two winners meet a few months down the line for the flyweight title.

But seeing Johnson and McCall roll it back one more time next month in Atlanta — White said that the rematch would likely take place at UFC 145 — isn’t such a bad thing. The winner of the rematch will have even more momentum going into the finals and a great performance might actually make some fans believe they have a real chance at beating Joseph Benavidez.

Ohio Athletic Commission To Launch Brandon Saling Investigation

The one black mark from an otherwise excellent weekend of fighting action was the inclusion of neo-Nazi sex offender Brandon Saling on Saturday’s Strikeforce preliminary card. As I relayed in a piece over the weekend, Zuffa was unaware of Saling’s past when they booked him on short notice to take on Roger Bowling. They simply needed a guy at Bowling’s weight who lived in Ohio and who would fight on extremely short notice, and Saling fit the bill.

Strikeforce figurehead Scott Coker told the media gathered at the post-fight press conference on Saturday night that the Ohio athletic commission would be launching an investigation into Saling’s past on Monday.

“We had no knowledge about that until someone brought it up to us this evening,” Coker said of Saling’s background. “It came to our attention during the course of the fights.”

Roy Nelson Says He’ll Go To 205…If You Like Him

Roy “Big Country” Nelson has slimmed down quite a bit over the past eight months, but he says he’ll go even smaller if he’s able to get 100,000 fans to “Like” his Facebook page over the next two weeks.

Bet is I will try to get to 205 if I can add 100k to Facebook.com/RoyNelsonUFC in two weeks. I love to win bets….fb.me/16yMoPVPm

I desperately want Nelson to win this bet, just so I can see him at the weight he should have been fighting at for the last ten years.

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Ronda Rousey Is One Mean Chick (and Four Other Strikeforce Storylines)

Ronda Rousey Might Be the Scariest Female On the PlanetI will never forget the first time I ever attended a Ronda Rousey fight.Las Vegas has its share of fine local promotions, but the most enduring is Tuff-N-Uff, long considered a great home for amate…

Ronda Rousey Might Be the Scariest Female On the Planet

I will never forget the first time I ever attended a Ronda Rousey fight.

Las Vegas has its share of fine local promotions, but the most enduring is Tuff-N-Uff, long considered a great home for amateur fighters to hone their skills. I’m being honest when I say that I wasn’t familiar with Rousey or her Olympic background when she stepped into the cage to face Autumn Richardson in the first quarterfinal bout of a women’s featherweight tournament.

Rousey dispatched Richardson with an armbar in just under a minute that night. I was intrigued.

But there were still plenty of questions surrounding Rousey. Could she use that very specific skill against higher-caliber fighters?

That question has been emphatically answered, and in brutal fashion. Last night, Rousey went in the cage against now-former Strikeforce bantamweight champion Meisha Tate and did exactly what everyone suspected she’d do—she scored another first-round submission by armbar.

The terrifying thing about Rousey isn’t her supreme athletic ability, her balance or her insane knack for maintaining grappling control in a fight. The one thing that sets Rousey apart from all other women in the sport (save perhaps Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos) is her killer instinct and utter lack of remorse for her opponents.

If you fight Rousey, she’s going to get you in an armbar at some point in the fight. It’s a certainty.

And if you do not tap once she has that armbar applied, she will gladly break your arm. We saw it against Julia Budd, and we saw it last night against Miesha Tate. If you don’t have the intelligence to tap out, or if you think it’s a better idea to be tough than to submit when she gives you the chance, she will mangle your limb.

Rousey may ultimately do what Gina Carano couldn’t and become the first true enduring female mixed martial arts star. She’s got the looks and the verbal ability, but she also has the killer instinct that Carano was missing. She’s a superstar in the making.

Hiring a Neo-Nazi Sex Offender Probably Isn’t the Best Idea

In fairness to Strikeforce matchmaker Sean Shelby, he had no idea that Brandon Saling was a neo-Nazi sympathizer and registered sex offender when he booked Saling for a bout against Roger Bowling on the Strikeforce preliminary card last night.

Background checks for fighters haven’t been a part of the matchmaking process. But after finding out that Saling was charged with gross sexual imposition after the rape of a girl under the age of 13, you can bet your bottom dollar that every single fighter Zuffa looks to book for one of their events, UFC and Strikeforce included, will be vetted via some form of personal history search.

It’s the right thing to do.

Gilbert Melendez Still Has No Real Opponent

Josh Thomson’s win over K.J. Noons allegedly installed him as the next contender for lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. I’m not so sure.

UFC President Dana White has repeatedly told the media that Melendez and his very vocal fanbase would be “very happy” with the opponents Zuffa gives him in his next few fights, and another bout with Thomson doesn’t really fit that criteria.

I don’t believe Thomson will get the next shot at Melendez, and I think we’re all going to be surprised when Zuffa finally reveals his next opponent.

Dana White Finally Gives Up On Strikeforce

In the weeks leading up to last night’s event, Dana White told the media that he’d finally been given control of the Strikeforce production. He was excited to unveil changes to the product, changes that would make things better for the viewing audience.

Those changes were nowhere to be seen during last night’s broadcast, and for good reason. White tweeted that Showtime vetoed White’s involvement in the event.

@BenShuffain @strikeforce tell Showtime, they run that shit not me. I’m out. I’m 100% UFC

This doesn’t bode well for Strikeforce’s future. If White isn’t interested in the product, Strikeforce is losing the man who could be their biggest ally.

It also means Strikeforce is living on borrowed time.

Mauro Ranallo Sure Loves Big Words, Doesn’t He?

I tend to rag on UFC announcer Mike Goldberg a bit more than I should, but at least he doesn’t come across like he has a thesaurus on the desk in front of him when he’s announcing UFC events.

I generally enjoy Mauro’s work, but it’s time to get rid of the nonsense. One of my pet peeves are writers who use 20 words to complete a sentence when just six will do.

Ranallo needs to apply the same concept to his broadcasting work.

And don’t even get me started on Frank Shamrock, who almost always comes across like he’s not even watching the fights unfolding right in front of his face.

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Miesha Tate’s Boyfriend Makes Stupid Twitter Comments Toward Ronda Rousey

Strikeforce’s Miesha Tate has the biggest fight of her professional career tonight when she faces Ronda Rousey in the main event of the Strikeforce show in Columbus, OH.Sadly, most of the attention that should be focused on Tate and her accomplishments…

Strikeforce’s Miesha Tate has the biggest fight of her professional career tonight when she faces Ronda Rousey in the main event of the Strikeforce show in Columbus, OH.

Sadly, most of the attention that should be focused on Tate and her accomplishments have now been turned towards her boyfriend Bryan Caraway, who decided last night that he’d had enough of Rousey’s trash-talking and started firing back.

@colbub and if she wants to challenge a man I’ll knock her teeth dwn her throat the break her arm!

Such a classy move from Caraway, proving his manhood by telling the world that he will punch Rousey in the face and break her arm. And then, as if to prove his point, Caraway reminds us that women have a role in life.

@n3rdgazmcom @mieshatate proud of what?? She gonna talk smack she needs to know her place

Fans immediately began responding to Caraway’s senseless comments, and the former Ultimate Fighter competitor went into spin mode. He deleted several of the offending tweets, including the first one I quoted above.

@PADDYKILLZ @cmpunk @frontrowbrian oh I dnt hit Women! But she not a women. She gonna act like a dude she can deal w the consequences.

To every1 who actually knows me knows I’m a nice guy! I didn’t mean anything bad or threatening and I’m NOT a woman beater At ALL.

I just believe athetlically and on the same talent level woman can’t overall compete w men. Look at data

Do I believe Caraway is a bad guy? No, I don’t. Caraway and Tate have been happily dating for many years and he’s never been more than the model boyfriend and trainer.

But it’s obvious that Caraway could really benefit from those “How NOT To Use Twitter” classes the UFC conducts at their yearly Fighter Summit at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas each summer. Caraway missed the last one due to the Ultimate Fighter.

Someone at Zuffa better make sure he attends the next one, before he says something he’ll really regret.

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UFC on FX 2: Five Things We Learned in the UFC’s Return to Australia

Thiago Alves Gave That One AwayThiago Alves had it all. Through two rounds Friday night at UFC on FX 2, the Brazilian export battered and bloodied Martin Kampmann to the point where it seemed he had the fight in the bag. A victory was all but ensured, …

Thiago Alves Gave That One Away

Thiago Alves had it all. Through two rounds Friday night at UFC on FX 2, the Brazilian export battered and bloodied Martin Kampmann to the point where it seemed he had the fight in the bag. A victory was all but ensured, and an emphatic one at that.

And then he gave it all away.

Alves made a costly mistake in attempting to take Kampmann to the mat during an exchange on the feet that he was clearly winning. It was a moment where Alves could have placed an exclamation mark on a strong win. Instead, he gave Kampmann his neck, and the Danish striker capitalized by rolling through with a sweet guillotine for the submission win.

Kudos to Kampmann for having the awareness to secure the submission when he needed it the most. But Alves now finds himself outside the top 10, with no real shot at the title picture in his immediate future, and it’s his own fault.

Judges Are Terrible at Judging Fights (and Doing Math)

Look, I could talk endlessly about the ineffective state of judging in mixed martial arts. It’s a broken record at this point, and it’s a broken system. There’s no use going on and on about it, because nothing is changing and we’re pretty much stuck with what we’ve got.

But tonight was inexcusable.

In case you missed it, the fight between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall was not actually a split-decision victory for Johnson. It was actually a draw. The judges in charge of the fight somehow wrote down the wrong scores and awarded Johnson an unwarranted victory, when in reality the fight should have gone to a fourth “sudden victory” round.

Johnson and McCall were both paid their win bonuses, and an immediate rematch between the pair is targeted for April. But the fans in attendance and viewers at home were robbed of what would have been a thrilling, winner-takes-all round between two extremely exciting fighters.

You’ve got to hope that someday, somewhere, the judges will eventually get something right. But tonight was not that moment, and it was an embarrassing black mark for everyone involved in the New South Wales combat commission.

Joseph Benavidez Will Win the Flyweight Tournament

It should be clear after tonight’s event that Joseph Benavidez and his status as the uncrowned world flyweight champion was warranted.

He’s long been considered one of the best bantamweights in the world, but Benavidez’ quick and fairly easy work of Yasuhiro Urushitani proved that he’s easily the favorite to capture the UFC’s first flyweight gold. He was quick, and he’ll be one of the biggest flyweights in the division. When you couple that with his wrestling and striking skills, it’s a package that other 125-pound fighters will have a lot of difficulty overcoming.

Don’t Mess with Texas.

We Texans are quite proud of our heritage. Even though the rest of the country laughs at us, we still celebrate Texas Independence Day every March by eating fattening Texas cuisine and drinking fine Texas beer like Shiner Bock.

Daniel Pineda, T.J. Waldburger and Andrew Craig celebrated the holiday in fine form by scoring big wins in Australia.

Pineda and Craig are new UFC imports, having spent the majority of their careers fighting for the Houston-based Legacy Fighting Championships. Both scored big wins over seasoned veterans in Mackens Semerzier and Kyle Noke, respectively, and Waldburger executed his second consecutive first-round submission win in beating Jake Hecht with a sublime armbar.

It was a good night for Texas, and for Houston in particular. I think I’ll go celebrate by eating some more brisket.

James Te Huna Is a Violent Man

I don’t think much needs to be said about this. Te Huna, a New Zealand native fighting in front of a rabid almost-home crowd, make short work of Aaron Rosa, a fighter who has long been known for not much more than his ability to take a punch.

Rosa couldn’t take Te Huna’s punches, could he? No, he could not.

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MMA Daily Video Fix: Flyweight Preview, UFC on FX 2 Weigh-Ins

Today’s Daily Video Fix features a heavy slant towards tonight’s UFC on FX 2 action in Australia, and why not? It’s not the biggest or greatest card the UFC’s ever promoted, but the televised card does feature at least three bouts with barn-burning pot…

Get set for all of the action from down under with today’s visual offerings.

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UFC Morning Update: Tate, Rousey Spar Verbally One Last Time

The mixed martial arts machine kicks into high speed today as fans and journalists alike prepare for a weekend packed with fighting action. Tonight’s UFC on FX card from Australia will give many fans around the world their first look at the flywei…

The mixed martial arts machine kicks into high speed today as fans and journalists alike prepare for a weekend packed with fighting action.

Tonight’s UFC on FX card from Australia will give many fans around the world their first look at the flyweight division when Joseph Benavidez, Demetrious Johnson, Ian McCall and Yasuhiro Urushitani step in the cage for the first round of a tournament to crown the UFC’s first-ever flyweight champion.

Saturday night sees the culmination of a long feud between Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey.

The pair square off in the most anticipated female mixed martial arts fight since Gina Carano faced Cyborg Santos over two years ago.

But, before the madness begins, let’s take a look at yesterday’s biggest stories in our latest UFC Morning Update:

Tate, Rousey Spar One Last Time Before Saturday Night

There’s no love lost between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey.

The pair of bantamweights will finally be afforded the chance to settle their differences in a cage on Saturday night, but they took the opportunity to get in a few more verbal digs at each other during Thursday’s pre-fight press conference.

Tate steadfastly maintains that Rousey’s trash-talking is bad for the sport and that the Olympic judo medalist doesn’t deserve a title shot, while Rousey accurately points out that her verbal assault on Tate elevated the fight to main-event status.

UFC on FX 2 Fighters Make Weight in Australia

All 22 fighters scheduled to compete on tonight’s UFC on FX card in Australia made weight during the official fighter weigh-ins last night.

That includes new flyweights Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson, both of whom made the drop down from bantamweight to compete in a tournament to crown the first-ever UFC flyweight champion. All four flyweight competitors weighed in at exactly 125.5 pounds, which is a bit strange when you think about it.

There’s a first for everything.

Oh, and Thiago Alves? He had no problems making weight for the second consecutive fight, thanks to weight-management guru Mike Dolce. It’s the start of a good trend for the Brazilian.

Former Cro Cop, Fedor Manager Details PRIDE’s Japanese Mafia Ties

As the former manager of Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop, Mijo Mijatovic was certainly a power player behind the scenes during the glory days of PRIDE.

In this unedited interview from Spike TV’s MMA Uncensored Live, Mijatovic details PRIDE’s deep connection to the Japanese yakuza (mafia) and recounts several harrowing and life-threatening situations.

The full story of PRIDE’s rise to glory and eventual downfall may never be properly told, but this interview sheds plenty of light on the rampant corruption surrounding the Japanese promotion.

Part 2 | Part 3

Henderson, Rampage Receive Possible Six-Month Medical Suspensions After UFC 144

New lightweight champion Benson Henderson received a potential six-month suspension after his UFC 144 win over Frankie Edgar last weekend in Japan. Henderson received the suspension due to possible broken bones in his hand and left foot, but can be cleared for an early return to the gym by a doctor.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Eiji Mitsuoka also received six-month suspensions.

All three fighters will likely be cleared by their doctors long before the suspensions run out.

Poirier, Jung Headline UFC on Fuel 3 in Title Eliminator

Frankie Edgar may not be dropping to featherweight, but divisional champion Jose Aldo should have an opponent sooner rather than later.

That’s because top contenders Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung will meet on May 15 to determine Aldo’s next opponent. The bout between Poirier and Jung—better known as “The Korean Zombie”—will serve as the main event for UFC on Fuel 3.

In an ideal world, we’d see Edgar abandon the lightweight division in favor of a super-fight with Aldo. However, that doesn’t appear to be on the docket, and so Poirier and Jung must suffice. It’s a fight with plenty of potential for excitement, and the winner will be more deserving of a title shot than anyone else currently in the division.

I’m just not sure either guy is truly ready to face Aldo.

BR MMA Story of the Day: Can Ryan Couture Live Up To High Expectations?

It can’t be easy being Ryan Couture.

He’s the son of a legendary fighter, and fans expect stellar performances from him every time he steps in the cage.

But, in reality, Couture is still a young fighter trying to make his way in the MMA world. Brian Lopez-Benchimol takes a look at the career arc of the younger Couture.

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