Author: Jordy McElroy

Condit vs. Alves: Pros React to UFC Fight Night 67 Main Event

A bloodied canvas and a broken nose were the key pieces of evidence left behind by “The Natural Born Killer” at UFC Fight Night 67 on Saturday night.
The former interim UFC champ Carlos Condit had become a forgotten soul in the welterweight…

A bloodied canvas and a broken nose were the key pieces of evidence left behind by “The Natural Born Killer” at UFC Fight Night 67 on Saturday night.

The former interim UFC champ Carlos Condit had become a forgotten soul in the welterweight division after spending over a year on the sidelines rehabilitating a torn ACL.

But as the lights dimmed and unfamiliar entrance sounds echoed throughout the arena, Condit made the world remember once more.

Thiago Alves, a former UFC title contender, stood across from Condit hoping to play spoiler to his long-awaited return. Home turf belonged to Alves, who stood proud in front of thousands at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil.

The familiar strategy of switching stances and beautifully blended striking combinations from Condit immediately put minds at ease of the post-surgery issues that at some time come along with ACL injuries. Always happy to oblige on the feet, Alves remained in the heat of the exchanges looking for any opening offered to him to land the fight-altering strike.

He found a home for a few of his signature leg kicks, but Condit’s unwavering focus had him meeting shin to shin on all the rest. It was a highly competitive striking match early on as both men looked to find their range and timing.

However, the feeling-out process came to an abrupt end in the second round as Condit feinted a straight hand before rearranging Alves’ face with a beautifully timed lead elbow. It was the tide-turning strike of the fight that put Alves into survival mode. As Condit rushed across the cage to clean up the bloody scraps of his wounded prey, Alves miraculously fought back to his feet and pushed the fight back to the center of the Octagon.

But the damage from the elbow strike had already been done. Alves’ nose was a twisted, broken mess, forcing him to rely solely on breathing from his mouth. A heart the size of Brazil saw Alves through a second-round pummeling, but at the doctor’s discretion, the fight wasn’t allowed to go any further.

Condit was awarded a victory by doctor’s stoppage. As is customary, fighters reacted on social media to the high-quality fisticuffs put on display in the fight night main event (Warning: NSFW Language).

After speaking with Dr. Marcio Tannure, the medical director of Brazil’s athletic commission (CABMMA), MMAFighting’s Guilherme Cruz is reporting Alves’ “badly broken” nose will require surgery. Meanwhile, Condit has already set his eyes on the winner of the welterweight title fight between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald in July.

“I want whoever has the title in a couple months. Whether it’s Rory or whether it’s Robbie Lawler, I want that guy,” Condit said at the post-fight press conference.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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Ronda Rousey ‘Would Love’ Dream Fight with Jon Jones

Ronda Rousey is coming for that arm, Jonny Bones—hypothetically.
The UFC women’s bantamweight champ has entertained some of the most left-field questions ever imposed on a professional athlete. We heard her describe how to look sexy scarfin…

Ronda Rousey is coming for that arm, Jonny Bones—hypothetically.

The UFC women’s bantamweight champ has entertained some of the most left-field questions ever imposed on a professional athlete. We heard her describe how to look sexy scarfing down chicken wings. She chose Goku to win a fight over Superman. We’ve even heard her talk about her first Pokemon.

A headlining quote was to be expected when Rousey appeared at a Q&A in Los Angeles Monday, hosted by The Wall Street Journal. She was asked to name a male fighter currently competing in the UFC she would like to fight.

“Dream world like skills-wise or annoying me-wise?” Rousey asked.

Several laughs broke out in the room as the fan asking the question shook his head, telling Rousey it didn’t matter. Never one to disappoint, the reigning champ gave an answer for both. She chose UFC bantamweight Bryan Caraway, Miesha Tate’s boyfriend, for her “annoying” dream opponent.

As for “skills-wise,” she went with the former UFC light heavyweight champion and pound-for-pound king, Jon Jones:

Skills-wise, I would love to see where I would go with Jon Jones because he’s the one most able to improvise within a match, which is something I really pride myself on. So I think we’d do some crazy ninja stuff. And Bryan Caraway is annoying, and it would be really fun to beat him up.

Rousey is making her media rounds as she prepares for her upcoming UFC 190 title fight in Brazil against Bethe Correia.

All of the hypothetical questions of her competing against a man are a reflection of the ocean gap between her and the rest of the women’s bantamweight division.

She has won her last three fights in under two minutes combined.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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Luke Rockhold on Title Shot: ‘I Don’t Know What the Hell They’re Doing’

Luke Rockhold is feeling a bit uneasy with the UFC idling on the vacant No. 1 contender’s spot in the middleweight division.
The former Strikeforce champion seemingly convinced the world he was next in line after destroying former UFC light heavyweight…

Luke Rockhold is feeling a bit uneasy with the UFC idling on the vacant No. 1 contender’s spot in the middleweight division.

The former Strikeforce champion seemingly convinced the world he was next in line after destroying former UFC light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida in April. No other fighter before him had ever done that to Machida, an MMA legend and future Hall of Famer.

Rockhold, who is riding a four-fight win streak, also has dominant finishes over Michael Bisping, Tim Boetsch and Costas Philippou. It’s a resume fitting of a top contender. But a man from Rockhold‘s past is also in the running for UFC gold.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza has won eight fights in a row since losing his Strikeforce middleweight title to Rockhold in September 2011. While his quality of opposition isn’t quite up to par with Rockhold‘s, he has managed to snag big wins over Gegard Mousasi, Francis Carmont and Yushin Okami.

When speaking with UFC correspondent Megan Olivi, UFC President Dana White called Rockhold the No. 1 contender, but he said Souza would “probably” be the next man in line to challenge middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He quickly backpedaled on his comment when pressed for a decision between the two.  

During an interview with MMAJunkie.com, Rockhold still seemed convinced he would be the next man standing across the cage from Weidman:

I don’t know what the hell they’re doing, but it’s guaranteed that that’s my shot. It’s happening. They’ll be a date locked down soon. We’re fighting. I talked to Dana, and we got some things coming.

Perhaps Rockhold was able to do some last-minute convincing to jump back into the forefront of the title picture. If anything, his win over Souza in Strikeforce could be a major factor in the UFC’s final decision.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Anthony Johnson: Old Habits Die Hard

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson has long been considered a flash in the pan. He’s a destroyer and virtually unstoppable when he’s the hammer.
But when adversity rears its ugly head, the oft-praised destroyer willingly accepts being the…

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson has long been considered a flash in the pan. He’s a destroyer and virtually unstoppable when he’s the hammer.

But when adversity rears its ugly head, the oft-praised destroyer willingly accepts being the nail.

Bloodied and battered, Johnson sat with his chin down to his chest after the second round of his light heavyweight title fight with Daniel Cormier on Saturday night. The highly anticipated main event tilt was set to crown a new UFC champion in the vacant spot left by Jon Jones.

After dropping Cormier with a punch early in the fight, Johnson looked breathless and stunned by the third round. “Don’t give up,” his corner desperately pleaded in between rounds. But it was too late. Johnson looked visibly broken after being out-grappled by the former Olympian.  

I have often referred to Johnson as a reincarnated beast from his previous version. Since moving to light heavyweight, he has looked like a completely different fighter, effortlessly torching every opponent in his path.

The hype behind Johnson was built anew, and fans quickly forgot about the young welterweight struggling to overcome adversity in earlier fights.

Cormier alluded to Johnson’s past UFC bouts leading up to the fight during an episode of UFC Tonight:

I want to tell you guys right now, at the end of the day, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is who he is. … Anthony’s the guy that got submitted by Josh Koscheck. Anthony’s the guy that tapped out before Vitor Belfort had a choke in. At the core of him, he is who he is. I just have to go out and find that.

It’s hard to argue with Cormier, especially after seeing what happened on Saturday night.

Johnson’s recent run had been so dominant that fans never stopped to question the intangibles. Old habits die hard. Like he did against Belfort, Koscheck and Rich Clementi, Johnson rolled over in the face of adversity and gave up a rear-naked choke to Cormier.

Maybe it’s a mental hurdle. Perhaps it’s a physical one as well. For all the praise surrounding Johnson’s otherworldly power, you also have to accept the fact that he will never have elite conditioning. Being built like a superhero comes at a price, and Johnson paid dearly against Cormier.

Perhaps the biggest question mark was Johnson’s behavior at the post-fight press conference. He looked like the most content fighter ever to lose a championship, playfully joking along with Cormier.

No one is asking a grown man to cry, but not much was felt from Johnson after coming up short in the biggest moment of his professional career.

The class shown by Johnson is rare and appreciative. We could only hope to have more role models like him to inspire young fans all over the glove. But in the face of adversity and a championship loss, there was no emotion.

We saw Jones fight back and win a title bout after having his face carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey by Alexander Gustafsson. Cormier managed to find a way to win after getting knocked down on Saturday night. Where is that same grit from Johnson?

Does it even exist?

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Anderson Silva: ‘I’m Tired of Listening to Lies and False Accusations’

Anderson Silva’s all-time great career now rests on the shaky foundation of his word. Despite testing positive for four banned substances before and after his UFC 183 bout with Nick Diaz, the former middleweight champ still vehemently proclaims h…

Anderson Silva’s all-time great career now rests on the shaky foundation of his word. Despite testing positive for four banned substances before and after his UFC 183 bout with Nick Diaz, the former middleweight champ still vehemently proclaims his innocence.

He recently fired back at his critics in a post on Instagram, which was translated by MMAFighting.com. According to Silva, he isn’t a cheater, and he has never relied on performance-enhancing drugs to fight. He encouraged naysayers to go back and watch his earlier bouts in Japan, where he often fought undersized.

“I’m not a cheater, and I never had a juiced body,” Silva said. “Just watch my fights in Japan, when I fought at 176 pounds because there was no 185-pound division, and the guys I fought cut from 220 to 207. So for those ‘experts,’ go search real facts. … I’m just tired of listening to lies and false accusations.”

Silva has been given a temporary suspension until he meets with the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a hearing. The meeting has been canceled and rescheduled several times. Silva claims he is still waiting on the commission and his lawyers for the mandatory meeting to take place.

The drugs he specifically tested positive for were anabolic steroids drostanolone and androstane, along with anti-anxiety medications oxazepam and temazepam.

Silva’s bout with Diaz was his first in over a year after being sidelined with a broken leg. The gruesome injury occurred in his rematch with Chris Weidman in December 2013 from a blocked leg kick. Many expected the MMA legend to call it quits, but he worked his way back from the injury and returned to competition.

Regardless of the NSAC’s ruling, Silva told fans during a Q&A session in Rio de Janeiro, per MMAFighting.com, he expects to continue fighting for five more years.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 187: Ultimate Opportunist Ryan Bader Steals the Show

The ancient assumption that nice guys finish last is tired and worn out. Boring guys finish last. Non-intuitive guys finish last. Ryan Bader was tired of being overlooked. So he changed things up. He became more exciting and intuitive.
He became the ul…

The ancient assumption that nice guys finish last is tired and worn out. Boring guys finish last. Non-intuitive guys finish last. Ryan Bader was tired of being overlooked. So he changed things up. He became more exciting and intuitive.

He became the ultimate opportunist.

Daniel Cormier sat onstage at the UFC 187 post-fight press conference in all of his glee, moments after defeating Anthony “Rumble” Johnson for the vacant light heavyweight title. It was the culmination of his life’s work. After missing out on Olympic gold and an NCAA Division I title, Cormier had finally left his mark on history by capturing a UFC championship.

The joyous atmosphere at the press conference was untainted, even in the absence of former light heavyweight champ Jon Jones. Cormier was in a joking, lighthearted mood. He specifically joked about having an “oh s–t” moment after getting rocked with a punch early in the fight. Even Johnson joined in on the gag, poking fun at the size of Cormier‘s head.

Meanwhile, Bader stood in the background, biding his time amid the warm, friendly exchanges.

Cormier would eventually get the “what’s next” question. The new champ would then have to talk about the future and potential challengers in front of him.

Bader had already set the wheels in motion for the public confrontation on Twitter. (Warning: Tweet contains NSFW language.)

When the question finally came, it was like someone turned off a light in the room.

Cormier‘s mood went from giddy to completely agitated. Before Saturday night, Jones was the only man to ever get under Cormier‘s skin.

But the former Olympian’s post-fight blow up at Bader sparked a new feud:

I would love to compete against [Jon Jones], but he’s going to be away for a while. So we’ve got to shift our focus. There’s somebody else that needs his ass kicked, too. I think he’s around here. Yeah, it’s Ryan Bader‘s ass, and I’m going to beat the s–t out of him next time.

Keep talking Bader. This guy’s so disrespectful. I’m trying to fight Anthony Johnson, and Ryan Bader is writing me stupid messages on Twitter because he wants people to think he deserves a title shot.

(Warning: Video contains NSFW language.)

Bader yelled from the back of the room at Cormier before power-walking to the podium. A shouting match ensued between the light heavyweight stars, and Bader was escorted out of the room by security. The verbal sparring match brought new hope to a moribund division clinging to life without its biggest star.

Bader‘s recent run isn’t that impressive from a contender’s perspective. His biggest victory in a four-fight win streak came against Phil Davis in a highly controversial split decision in January.

However, Bader‘s lackluster resume will likely go unnoticed due to timing. Simply put, there aren’t any active contenders more worthy than Bader at the moment. Alexander Gustafsson and Johnson are both coming off losses, Jones is tied up with legal issues and Rashad Evans hasn’t fought since Georges St-Pierre was a UFC champion.

The impeccable timing of an ultimate opportunist stole the show Saturday night, and it likely earned Bader his first crack at UFC gold.  

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com