Author: John Heinis

Mark Hunt: I Throw Punches ‘And There Goes Your F—Ing Black Belt’

Upcoming UFC interim heavyweight title challenger Mark Hunt is known for having cinder blocks for hands, but many pundits wonder if he’ll be able to deal with Fabricio Werdum’s dangerous submission game. 
During an interview with Submission Radio,…

Upcoming UFC interim heavyweight title challenger Mark Hunt is known for having cinder blocks for hands, but many pundits wonder if he’ll be able to deal with Fabricio Werdum‘s dangerous submission game. 

During an interview with Submission Radio, “The Super Samoan” explained his submission defense is simply a good striking offense. 

Well everyone’s a world class ground fighter until they get a punch to the face. So that’s how I deal with all these ground fighters like everyone else. I hit ’em in the head and there goes your f—ing black belt…I know his game will be to push the pace to try and get me tried, to try and shoot the takedown so I’m on the ground, you know what I mean? It’s the same thing. If he tries to stand and bang, well then good for me. 

After an abysmal 0-6 run inside the cage between July 2006 and September 2010, Hunt staged a career resurgence, compiling a 5-1-1 record since then. 

Hunt most recently had his punching power on full display when he knocked out the typically iron-chinned Roy Nelson at UFC Fight Night 52 in September. 

His only loss since September 2010 was when he got knocked out by former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos at UFC 160 in May of last year. 

As for Werdum, a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he has compiled a solid 4-0 mark since returning to the Octagon in February 2012. 

During that 20-month span, “Vai Cavalo” has defeated Nelson, Mike Russow, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Travis Browne. 

Werdum was originally supposed to fight UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez for the strap at UFC 180 next Saturday, but Velasquez withdrew from the bout about two weeks ago due to a knee injury, per UFC.com. 

As a result, Hunt will fill in for Werdum at the November 15 pay-per-view and they will battle for an interim championship belt. 

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

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Tito Ortiz: Stephan Bonnar Is ‘A Phony’ and ‘An Embarrassment to the Sport’

UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz swears his upcoming grudge match with Stephan Bonnar is unlike any other he’s encountered in his 29-fight career due to the utter disdain he has for The American Psycho. 
In a brief video interview with MMA Junkie, the…

UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz swears his upcoming grudge match with Stephan Bonnar is unlike any other he’s encountered in his 29-fight career due to the utter disdain he has for The American Psycho. 

In a brief video interview with MMA Junkie, the self-proclaimed People’s Champion slammed Bonnar, a fellow UFC Hall of Famer, saying he’s done nothing for the sport of mixed martial arts: “I take it very personally, and I can’t just let it slide by. This guy wants to come out of retirement and fight me? He got his wish. He’s a fake. He’s a phony. The guy’s a joke, and he’s an embarrassment to the sport.”

Bonnar, best known for his epic Ultimate Fighter finale brawl with Forrest Griffin back in April 2005, and Ortiz square off at Bellator 131 on November 15. 

The contest marks the first time Bonnar will step inside the cage since a lopsided TKO loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 153 in October 2012. 

Ortiz briefly retired after a close decision loss to Griffin at UFC 148 in July 2012, but eventually, he returned to the cage when Bellator signed him last July. 

Despite an atrocious 1-7-1 record in his past nine fights, Ortiz looked like a new man when he fought then-Bellator middleweight champ Alexander Shlemenko in a light heavyweight matchup in May. 

Ortiz had no problem getting the fight to the mat, where Shlemenko looked like a fish out of water, before his American counterpart locked up an arm-triangle choke.

Ortiz vs. Bonnar headlines Bellator 131, which takes place at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, and the card also features a lightweight title clash between Michael Chandler and Will Brooks. 

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

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Chael Sonnen Declines XFC Fight, Open to Grappling Match with Wanderlei Silva

Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) was targeting a grudge match between Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen in Brazil, but it looks like The American Gangster doesn’t plan on finding a loophole in his current suspension to make the bout happen.&nbsp…

Xtreme Fighting Championships (XFC) was targeting a grudge match between Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen in Brazil, but it looks like The American Gangster doesn’t plan on finding a loophole in his current suspension to make the bout happen. 

After Rede TV (via MMA Fighting) reported that The Axe Murderer, who served as a color commentator at XFC International 7 in Sao Paulo, was open to fighting his old American rival under the XFC banner, Sonnen has shot down the matchup. 

The retired three-time UFC title challenger is currently serving a two-year suspension, per UFC.com, issued by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs and told MMA Mania he has no plans of going against that: “Sonnen told MMAmania.com that in addition to his retirement from active competition, he plans to honor his current suspension from NSAC, which doesn’t expire until mid-2016. He is, however, willing to throw down against Silva in a jiu-jitsu match under the Metamoris banner, should the Brazilian be willing to comply.”

Silva recently dealt with bigger issues from the NSAC when he was hit with a precedent-setting lifetime ban after refusing a drug test back in May, per MMA Junkie.  

Even with the potential bout contested in Brazil, it remains questionable if a sanctioned MMA fight between Silva and Sonnen is a legitimate possibility. 

However, a Metamoris scrap is definitely a realistic option, as Sonnen competed at Metamoris 4 in August against multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Andre Galvao; he lost the matchup via a rear-naked choke. 

Silva, while best known for his heavy hands, is a BJJ black belt. 

With an MMA fight off the table, would a Metamoris matchup between Sonnen and Silva be the next best thing?

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

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Vitor Belfort Randomly Drug Tested by NSAC Ahead of UFC 184 Title Fight

Days after UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman questioned the Nevada State Athletic Commission for not drug testing Vitor Belfort leading up to their UFC 184 bout, “The Phenom” has submitted to a blood and urine sample.
Although “The Phenom” was gr…

Days after UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman questioned the Nevada State Athletic Commission for not drug testing Vitor Belfort leading up to their UFC 184 bout, “The Phenom” has submitted to a blood and urine sample.

Although “The Phenom” was granted a conditional license by the NSAC back in July, this was the first time he was tested in the past four months or so, as Yahoo! Sports first reported. 

Executive director Bob Bennett confirmed to Yahoo Sports that a collector representing the Nevada commission took both blood and urine samples from Belfort in Florida, where Belfort is living while preparing for a Feb. 28 middleweight title match against Chris Weidman. The results of Saturday’s test will not be known for approximately two weeks, Bennett said. Bennett said Belfort was cooperative and posed no objection to being tested.

The latest news refutes a report from MMA Fighting on October 23 that said the NSAC would be handing over Belfort‘s drug-testing responsibilities to the California State Athletic Commission. 

Many fighters and fans alike were puzzled over Belfort getting granted a conditional license in the first place, given that he admitted to failing a drug test in February due to elevated levels of testosterone. 

The Brazilian knockout specialist was originally slated to square off with Weidman at UFC 173 in May, but he withdrew from the bout shortly after the NSAC banned testosterone-replacement therapy in February, per FOX Sports. 

Belfort gave Weidman a run for his money for “Fighter of the Year” honors in 2013, scoring headkick knockouts over the typically very durable Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson.

Of course, few could argue with Weidman receiving the accolade after scoring two finishes over seemingly unstoppable middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva at UFC 162 and UFC 168, respectively. 

Will Belfort vs. Weidman go off without a hitch on February 28, or will another drug-testing fiasco leave the UFC searching for another main event replacement?

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

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Ronda Rousey Becomes 1st Female Lifestyle-Brand Model for Buffalo David Bitton

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey seems determined on becoming a household name, assuming she isn’t one already, and a new high-profile fashion campaign certainly can’t hurt the cause. 
Lifestyle brand David Bitton announced Thursday …

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey seems determined on becoming a household name, assuming she isn’t one already, and a new high-profile fashion campaign certainly can’t hurt the cause. 

Lifestyle brand David Bitton announced Thursday that the “Rowdy” one will be the female face of Buffalo Pro—which will focus on the brand’s “sports-minded consumer,” as MMA Fighting first reported. 

In a prepared statement, Rousey voiced her excitement about the new opportunity: 

It’s such an amazing opportunity to be able to represent Buffalo Pro. Not only am I the first female they’ve ever had representing the campaign, but it’s the first time any MMA fighter has done any type of fashion thing at all. I feel really honored to be taking the first steps into this industry. I never had the confidence when I was younger to dress well, and avoided any type of fashion and femininity, and I’m enjoying the chance to embrace it at this point in my life.

Rousey certainly had no problem embracing her feminine side in her first Buffalo Pro photo shoot, where she posed for a few racy topless photos. 

“Today’s shoot, the concept is very like feminine and sexy, very different than a lot of the stuff that I do a lot of the time,” she explained in the behind-the-scenes video posted on YouTube one week ago. 

Rousey, who starred in this past summer’s Expendables 3, will have a bigger silver-screen presence in 2015 when she appears in Entourage and Fast & Furious 7.

Still, for the time being, the 27-year-old former Olympic-level Judoka’s full-time job is as a UFC fighter, with the unbeaten champion (10-0) still awaiting a true test inside the cage. 

After defending her title three times between December 2013 and July of this year, Rousey has earned a little more time off than usual before fighting Cat Zingano at UFC 184 in February. 

Given her growing level of success outside of fighting, how much longer will the UFC be able to keep Rousey on the roster?

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

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GSP: Nick Diaz ‘Made a Mistake’ by Bumping Up to 185 for Anderson Silva Fight

Former longtime UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre thinks ex-Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz has dug his own grave by accepting to fight Anderson Silva at 185 pounds at UFC 183 in January. 
Speaking on the You’re Welcome with Chael Sonnen pod…

Former longtime UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre thinks ex-Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz has dug his own grave by accepting to fight Anderson Silva at 185 pounds at UFC 183 in January. 

Speaking on the You’re Welcome with Chael Sonnen podcast, “Rush” said that the Stockton bad boy made a huge tactical error by making his first trip to middleweight against Silva (h/t MMA Fighting).  

To tell you the truth, I would maybe favor Diaz if the fight had been at a catchweight. Because if it is a five-round fight, Diaz is a durable fighter. I have seen him in a lot of trouble and he is very, very hard to finish … Now it is different because it is in Anderson Silva’s weight class. I believe Diaz made a mistake in accepting that fight at 185 instead of, I think he should have made a catchweight, would have been more fair.

Coincidentally, Diaz hasn’t fought since a lopsided decision loss to St-Pierre at UFC 158 in March of last year. 

Diaz indicated he would be hanging up the gloves after the bout, and for a good 16 months, he stuck to his guns. 

However, at the end of July, he signed a new three-fight deal with the UFC—just days before the Silva bout was announced, per MMA Junkie. 

In 36 professional fights, Diaz has only competed above the 170-pound welterweight limit twice (179- and 180-pound catchweight bouts that both took place in 2009). 

After winning 11 straight fights, he lost back-to-back title fights to Carlos Condit (then-UFC interim welterweight titleholder) and St-Pierre before hanging up the gloves. 

As for Silva, who has 39 MMA contests under his belt, the Brazilian legend actually competed as low as 168 pounds at one point—but that hasn’t happened in close to a decade. 

A career middleweight, “The Spider” has competed at light heavyweight on three occasions since July 2008 and is said to weigh as heavy as 220 to 230 pounds in between fights.

Will Silva make short work of Diaz in his first fight back since a horrific leg break inside the Octagon last year, or will the Cesar Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt prove to be a formidable foe after all? 

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com