Author: Jordy McElroy

Dana White: "I Have Nothing Against Fedor, It Was Always His Management"

Fedor Emelianenko’s management was the main reason the UFC never inked the legendary heavyweight to a fight deal, at least according to UFC President Dana White.Emelianenko, who is widely considered the greatest heavyweight of all time, was in serious …

Fedor Emelianenko‘s management was the main reason the UFC never inked the legendary heavyweight to a fight deal, at least according to UFC President Dana White.

Emelianenko, who is widely considered the greatest heavyweight of all time, was in serious negotiations with the UFC throughout various points of his career, but the two sides were never able to come to an agreement.

Fans continued to petition and plead for the UFC to sign the former Pride heavyweight champion, but in the end, it just wasn’t meant to be.

After scoring a first round knockout over Pedro Rizzo in June, Emelianenko officially announced his retirement from MMA.

In an interview with MMAJunkie, White explains why the UFC never signed “The Last Emperor:”

I have nothing against Fedor whatsoever. He’s definitely got some hardcore fans, man. I mean the guy can get knocked out four times in a row, and they still think he’s the [expletive] greatest ever. I don’t hate the guy. There’s definitely no hate at all for Fedor. It was always his management. Anytime you ever heard me talk, it was about “Vadummy” [Vadim Finkelstein] or the guys who managed his career.

There were serious negotiations between the UFC and Emelianenko’s management in 2009. Unfortunately, the deal fell through, and Strikeforce swooped in to pick up the big money contract.

As with every major decision in life, there will always be what ifs.

For White, he still reminisces about the planned super fight between Emelianenko and former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar.

Emelianenko’s perfect record was still intact, and Lesnar was a world champion at the time. It could’ve been the biggest fight in MMA history.

“Obviously, I would have loved to make that fight with him and Brock at that point in time. It would have been awesome, but it obviously didn’t happen.”

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GSP on Anderson Silva’s Outburst: ‘Sonnen Got What He Wanted’

In Georges St-Pierre’s eyes, Chael Sonnen may be in a better place mentally than Anderson Silva.During an interview with SportsNet.ca, the reigning UFC welterweight champ gave his thoughts on the uncharacteristic remarks made by Silva at the UFC 148 Me…

In Georges St-Pierre’s eyes, Chael Sonnen may be in a better place mentally than Anderson Silva.

During an interview with SportsNet.ca, the reigning UFC welterweight champ gave his thoughts on the uncharacteristic remarks made by Silva at the UFC 148 Media Call.

“[Sonnen] wants to get in Anderson Silva’s head, and he did it. That’s what he wants, because when you fight with emotion, you don’t fight smart.

The crowd, they love it. (Silva) he’s going to go crazy but he can make a mistake if you do that. It’s a big mistake. You have to go back to the reason he’s a champion. And the reason he’s a champion is because he fights smart, he’s skilled. More skilled than the other guys…He brings the fight where he is the best. He doesn’t go crazy.”

Against a world-class wrestler like Sonnen, Silva has to be weary of opening himself up to easy takedowns if he pursues an overaggressive approach.

Silva has been insulted by Sonnen in every way possible, and for two years, he turned the other cheek and continued on with his training. His silence came to an end at the UFC 148 conference call, where he threatened to “break Sonnen’s teeth” and “change the image of the sport.”

St-Pierre has dealt with his fair share of pre-fight bullies. His UFC 124 showdown with Josh Koscheck is the first bout that comes to mind. Koscheck insulted St-Pierre and his country, but as always, the French Canadian avoided the pre-fight chatter and did his talking in the Octagon.

With that said, Koscheck never crossed the line like Sonnen, who has made a plethora of inappropriate remarks about Silva’s wife.

It is understandable why Silva is filled with so much anger and frustration, but in fighting, the mental game is just as important as the physical one.

An angry Anderson Silva may not be a good thing against Sonnen.

 

 

If you enjoyed reading this article, you should check out this one: Why an “Angry” Anderson Silva Won’t Beat Chael Sonnen

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UFC 148: Why an “Angry” Anderson Silva Won’t Beat Chael Sonnen

“We are getting closer to the time of truth.”Anderson Silva’s words were dead on at the UFC 148 Media Call. The time for talking and excuses are over. At UFC 148, there will be only one man left standing.Will it be Silva or Chael Sonnen?For years, Sonn…

“We are getting closer to the time of truth.”

Anderson Silva‘s words were dead on at the UFC 148 Media Call. The time for talking and excuses are over. At UFC 148, there will be only one man left standing.

Will it be Silva or Chael Sonnen?

For years, Sonnen has attempted to get under Silva’s skin by making outrageously offensive remarks about his family and the entire country of Brazil. While Sonnen was constantly spewing out garbage, Silva sat idly, taking it all in.

It was “The Spider’s” way. Silva has never been one to engage in pre-fight talk. He had always been relatively soft spoken, but then he ran into Sonnen, a man who nearly defeated him a couple of years ago.

At the Media Call, Silva finally lost his cool and let out years of anger and frustration.

“What I’m going to do inside the Octagon is something that’s going to change the image of the sport, I’m sorry. I’m going to beat his ass like he’s never been beaten before. This is going to be violent and I am sorry. I’m going to make sure that every one of his teeth are broken, that his arms are broken and his legs are broken. He’s not going to be able to walk out of the Octagon by himself. I can guarantee that. He will need a plastic surgeon afterwards.”

People can say what they want about Sonnen, but deep down, the world knows there is a layer of truth to what he’s saying. Silva was the victor in the first bout, but Sonnen handed out an incredibly lopsided beating.

The defense for Silva and fans has always pointed to Sonnen being popped for performance-enhancing drugs following the fight. Steroids are banned from athletics for a reason, but those reasons aren’t the explanation to Silva’s performance that night.

People act like Sonnen’s strategy was some brand new wrinkle never shown against Silva. Throughout his entire career, Silva has always had suspect takedown defense.

Dan Henderson utilized his world-class wrestling and handled Silva relatively easily in the first round of their championship scrap back in March 2008.

Unfortunately, Henderson thought it would be wise to deviate from his takedowns in the second round, and he paid the price by getting clipped and submitted by the greatest striker of all time, who also happens to be a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Travis Lutter, a mediocre wrestler with high level BJJ, scored three takedowns in his bout with Silva at UFC 67.

Why wouldn’t Sonnen be able to do the same on a more consistent basis?

A more aggressive approach may not be the answer against Sonnen, a proven wrestler with world class takedowns. Unlike some of Silva’s previous opponents, Sonnen isn’t going to let up on the takedowns.

He prides himself on sticking to his bread and butter.

A super aggressive Silva would only make things easier on the challenger. As great as Silva’s BJJ is, he doesn’t have the wrestling chops to shrug off Sonnen’s takedowns.

If Silva is going to be angry, his game plan will have to be more focused and controlled. He needs to pick his shots on the outside and utilize good footwork to make things difficult on Sonnen when he tries to close the distance.

Whether people choose to believe or not, the writing has been on the wall for years in regards to Silva’s takedown defense, but like a true champion, he always finds a way to win.

Will Silva find a way on Saturday night, or will Sonnen’s takedowns once again prove to be too much for the legendary middleweight?

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Chael Sonnen: ‘I’d Give Everything to Be World Champion for One Night’

Chael Sonnen’s much anticipated championship showdown with Anderson Silva is no joking matter.Despite all the pre-fight trash talk, Sonnen is taking Silva very seriously. Second chances don’t come around often in life, and Sonnen doesn’t plan on wastin…

Chael Sonnen’s much anticipated championship showdown with Anderson Silva is no joking matter.

Despite all the pre-fight trash talk, Sonnen is taking Silva very seriously. Second chances don’t come around often in life, and Sonnen doesn’t plan on wasting his at UFC 148 on Saturday night.

In an episode of “UFC Primetime,” the self-proclaimed “Oregon Gangster” was shed in an entirely different light. Fans no longer saw the jokester cutting WWE-like promos and dropping memorable one-liners.

The world got a glimpse of the real Chael Sonnen, a man who has dedicated his entire life to being a world champion.

I’ve been paying the price since I was nine years old when I started. I’ve sacrificed everything, and I would give everything I’ve got, everything, I’d give it all back, to be world champion for one night.

To most people, Silva is unstoppable at 185 pounds. The reigning middleweight champ has dominated his division for nearly six years.

Perhaps it was Sonnen’s unwavering mindset that allowed him to find success where others couldn’t at UFC 117. He came within two minutes of his dream becoming a reality, but Silva was able to rally in the final round, latch on a triangle choke and the rest is history.

When the rest of the world looks at Silva, they see an image of greatness that may never be toppled, but at UFC 148, Sonnen will be looking to fight the body, not the hype.

I hear all sorts of hype about who’s great or who’s the best. The reason that stuff just doesn’t work is I see those reputations get shattered here. I watched champions, I watched Olympians, I watched gold medalists break and become cowards in a practice room. So many people can’t understand why I’m not buying into the hype, but I’m not fighting the hype. I’m fighting the body. How hard can he push? How hard can I push? How bad does he want it? How bad do I want it?

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Tito Ortiz: Maybe It’s Time for Forrest to Retire as Well

Tito Ortiz doesn’t believe he’s the only fighter who should be considering retirement.At UFC 148, the former light heavyweight champion has made it clear that it will be the final time he steps foot to compete inside the Octagon.He’ll be looking to end…

Tito Ortiz doesn’t believe he’s the only fighter who should be considering retirement.

At UFC 148, the former light heavyweight champion has made it clear that it will be the final time he steps foot to compete inside the Octagon.

He’ll be looking to end his legendary career on a high note as he takes on Forrest Griffin in an anticipated rubber match.

“I’m excited for the fight. Forrest is a tough guy and I know he’s training really hard,” Ortiz told MMAWeekly Radio. “I just heard a little thing saying that if he loses to me he’s going to retire. Well, it looks like he better put on his retirement shoes cause it’s going to be an exciting fight and I plan on having my hand raised.”

Ortiz and Griffin have a win a piece over one another in a pair of bouts that both ended in split decision.

Griffin is coming off a first round knockout loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but his recent hiccups pale in comparison to Ortiz, who is 1-6-1 in his last eight bouts.

In an interview with UFC.com, Griffin admitted that Ortiz was still a tough opponent, but he isn’t the fighter he used to be.

If he loses at UFC 148, Griffin says he won’t only retire from the sport, but he’ll “retire from life.”

Ortiz weighs in on those comments:

“Maybe it’s time for Forrest to retire; maybe he wants to retire. Maybe he’s just letting everybody know that he’s going to retire. For me, I know I’m retiring, but it’s an idea. I’m going out, and I’m winning the fight.”

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Chan Sung Jung: ‘I Will End Jose Aldo’s Reign as Champion’

With the zombie apocalypse in full effect, Chan Sung Jung, the “Korean Zombie,” is ready to oust Jose Aldo and take over the featherweight division.The popular South Korean star has been nothing short of amazing in three spectacular wins over Dustin Po…

With the zombie apocalypse in full effect, Chan Sung Jung, the “Korean Zombie,” is ready to oust Jose Aldo and take over the featherweight division.

The popular South Korean star has been nothing short of amazing in three spectacular wins over Dustin Poirier, Mark Hominick and Leonard Garcia.

It has been entertaining to watch Jung blossom into a featherweight contender.

Against Garcia, he earned submission of the year at the World MMA Awards by locking in the first-ever twister submission in UFC history.

At UFC 140, he silenced his boxing critics with a seven-second knockout of Hominick, a former UFC title contender.

Perhaps Jung’s best performance was his Round 4 submission victory over Poirier, in May.

Poirier, who was seen as a legit threat to Aldo’s reign, was completely handled in a bout that represented a true coming-out party for the Korean Zombie.

With the win over Poirier, Jung is riding a tidal wave of confidence, and despite possibly being another fight away from a title shot, he already has his eyes set on Aldo.

In a post on Twitter, Jung called out one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world:

 

In any case, Aldo has seemed virtually unstoppable since his WEC debut in June 2008.

Can Jung succeed where so many others have failed?

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