Author: Jordy McElroy

Georges St-Pierre Ok with Being Looked at as the Sex Symbol of MMA

Georges St-Pierre is bringing sexy back.The reigning UFC welterweight champ’s immense popularity amongst female fans has led to comparisons to International soccer star David Beckham.How does St-Pierre feel about being considered a sex symbol in MMA?In…

Georges St-Pierre is bringing sexy back.

The reigning UFC welterweight champ’s immense popularity amongst female fans has led to comparisons to International soccer star David Beckham.

How does St-Pierre feel about being considered a sex symbol in MMA?

In an interview with Fighters Only, the French Canadian weighed in on his newfound status:

“I am who I am, you know? And some people like it, but there are a lot of people who don’t like it.

In terms of being a sex symbol or something, I don’t know about that. I still think I have a lot to be in order to be a sex symbol, but if people have that image of me, it’s fine. I’ll take it [laughs]. There are a lot of athletes who are called sex symbols and they do very well. David Beckham is one of them. To be compared to a guy like him, it makes me…I’m very happy, you know?”

St-Pierre is one of the longest reigning champions in UFC history and arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world. His vast popularity has earned him spots on magazine covers and a multitude of mainstream sponsors.

St-Pierre being considered a sex symbol isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Look at what Gina Carano’s image did for women’s MMA. Why can’t St-Pierre do the same for the UFC?

It is a well-known fact that sex sells and, obviously, there are people paying attention to more than just St-Pierre’s fighting skills.

His “riddum” is undeniable.

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Frank Shamrock on UFC Hall of Fame Snub: "Dana White Is a Bully"

It could be years before Frank Shamrock is inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he remains confident that one day his name will be called.The former UFC light heavyweight champ spoke with Takedown Wrestling Media about continuously being snubbed from th…

It could be years before Frank Shamrock is inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he remains confident that one day his name will be called.

The former UFC light heavyweight champ spoke with Takedown Wrestling Media about continuously being snubbed from the UFC Hall of Fame.

When asked if he felt he belonged in the Hall of Fame, Shamrock shook off the question as if it were ludicrous to think he didn’t deserve a place amongst MMA‘s all-time greats.

“Come on. Truthfully, I don’t really care. I think my wife is more upset about it than I am, actually anybody else. If they don’t want to put me in the Hall of Fame, what’s the Hall of Fame for? I guess I just don’t understand what the qualifications are because I’ve dedicated my whole life to the sport.

I would trade nothing for that Hall of Fame, and not that I don’t think it’s interesting or the people in it aren’t deserving, but I don’t think it’s the real Hall of Fame because I don’t think we’re a real sport. When we are a real sport, then people most deserving of that accolade will most likely be in there.”

Many have attributed Shamrock’s Hall of Fame snub to a rocky relationship with UFC President Dana White. The two have engaged in a multitude of battles on Twitter, which elevated to the point of Shamrock actually challenging White to a fight.

During an appearance on Spike TV’s MMA Uncensored, Shamrock talked about how he believes his tumultuous relationship with White has left him out in the cold.

“It’s definitely personal between Dana and I. To further that, I’ve done everything that I can possibly do for this sport. I hope that would include UFC. You know, Dana and I don’t get along. I think he’s a total douchebag and a bully. I just, I got no breath for him.”

Should White put his personal feelings aside and honor Shamrock with a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame, or is the former light heavyweight champ undeserving of a spot amongst MMA’s most influential figures?

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Randy Couture: ‘Anderson Didn’t Really Win; He Got His Ass Whooped by Chael’

Randy Couture believes Anderson Silva has to make serious adjustments to overcome Chael Sonnen in the rematch.In an interview with MMAFighting.com, the UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division champ broke down the highly anticipated UFC 148 main event…

Randy Couture believes Anderson Silva has to make serious adjustments to overcome Chael Sonnen in the rematch.

In an interview with MMAFighting.com, the UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division champ broke down the highly anticipated UFC 148 main event.

According to Couture, the winner of the first fight is generally under the most pressure in determining what new game plan his opponent is going to come up with. Oddly enough, the pressure of anticipation lies squarely on Sonnen’s shoulders in the rematch.

In the first bout, he dominated Silva for four-and-a-half rounds before giving up a submission late in the fifth. Silva will obviously look to change things up in hopes of the second fight playing out differently. What does this mean for Sonnen?

Couture weighs in:

It’s almost like [Sonnen] has a disconnect, he loses faith or confidence in himself, and he kind of lets up, and a guy finds a way to get him in trouble…I think his win over [Nate Marquardt] gave him a particular confidence to carry him through that I don’t think he had before that. I thought that was the turning point.

It’s hard to say in the Anderson fight if that little bit of doubt creeped back in his mind in the end there, if he got so close and kind of thought to himself, ‘Man, am I really going to win this,’ and kind of let up. We’ve always seen Chael, where against [Paulo Filho], he came back and stuck to it and managed to win. I think that’s what we’re going see this time.

Sonnen has been submitted eight times in his professional career, and half of those losses came by triangle choke.

If taken down, Silva will be looking to once again exploit holes in Sonnen’s submission defense. It’ll be up to “Uncle Chael” to make the necessary adjustments and be prepared to deal with whatever new wrinkles Silva shows on July 7.

“It’s kind of odd,” said Couture. “Normally, I would say that the onus is on the guy who won the first fight to anticipate the changes the loser is going to make and get the same outcome.”

Couture continues:

If you look, I know in my own performances, Chuck [Liddell] made adjustments the second time, which was hard to predict what those adjustments were going to be and how do I then be prepared?…It’s guess work. So, it’s harder for the guy that won in the second fight.

But if you look at Anderson and Chael, Anderson won by triangle choke with two minutes left. He didn’t really win the fight. He got his ass whooped—literally—for four-plus rounds. So, it’s almost like, even though Chael needs to make some adjustments and obviously figure out how to stop a triangle, but it’s almost like he was the guy that won. He wants it to go the same minus the triangle.

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Fedor vs. Brock Lesnar: Why It’s a Win-Win for the UFC

Rarely in MMA history has a potential super fight generated as much interest as one between former world champions Fedor Emelianenko and Brock Lesnar.Emelianenko, who announced his retirement a week ago, is widely considered the greatest heavyweight of…

Rarely in MMA history has a potential super fight generated as much interest as one between former world champions Fedor Emelianenko and Brock Lesnar.

Emelianenko, who announced his retirement a week ago, is widely considered the greatest heavyweight of all time. Unfortunately, fans never got to see him compete in the Octagon.

With M-1 Global backing him, Emelianenko could never come to terms on an agreement with the UFC.

Whether it was co-promotion or a spot to attach its brand logo, M-1 Global sought more than just a contract for Emelianenko, and UFC President Dana White was always there to pull the plug on the offer.

Now, things are much different on Emelianenko’s negotiating side of the table. He is no longer the top heavyweight in the world with an “undefeated” record. He is 3-3 in his last six fights, with all three losses coming to current UFC fighters.

The retired Emelianenko recently appeared on HDNET’s “Inside MMA,” where he was asked if he would ever consider returning for a bout against Lesnar or another big-name opponent:

“I’m not promising, but anything is possible.”

Lesnar, on the other hand, still seems a bit confused about what he wants as a career. The former UFC heavyweight champion announced his retirement from MMA back in December 2011.

He has since returned to his old stomping grounds in the WWE to resume his pro-wrestling career.

Despite his affection for pro-wrestling, Lesnar will always be a real competitor deep down inside. His inner lust for competition has him uncharacteristically poking around at UFC events and having private chats with White.

Perhaps Lesnar wants to return, but he isn’t willing to fully commit to the UFC.

With Emelianenko and Lesnar both playing up possible returns, the UFC should consider handing out one-fight deals to give the fans what they want to see.

Neither fighter is even listed as a top-10 heavyweight. It isn’t like a top guy is coming in to knock off a top UFC guy and leave to seek greener pastures.

This is simply a rare opportunity given to the UFC to put together a blockbuster fight without any contractual binds to those involved.

With that said, there is always a chance M-1 steps in and ruins negotiations on Emelianenko’s side. The chance is also there that Lesnar isn’t truly serious about returning. This could all be a publicity stunt to soak up more spotlight or boost the WWE’s numbers.

Regardless, it would be a shame if the UFC refused to even at least explore the option of a Fedor vs. Brock fight.

If you think the upcoming rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen is big, just imagine the kind of numbers these two heavyweight icons could rake in.

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Jon Fitch Accuses BJ Penn of Ducking Him to Fight "Young Guys"

BJ Penn would much rather fight young guys than already established UFC title contenders, at least according to Jon Fitch.In an interview on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, Fitch was asked if he felt Penn was ducking a potential rematch with him.The…

BJ Penn would much rather fight young guys than already established UFC title contenders, at least according to Jon Fitch.

In an interview on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, Fitch was asked if he felt Penn was ducking a potential rematch with him.

The former welterweight title contender showed no hesitation in giving an answer.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Now that BJ’s back, that would be fun to settle that [fight] finally, but I don’t think he wants a piece of me. So, he’s going after young guys.”

Penn and Fitch fought back in February 2011 in a closely-contested bout that was deemed a draw.

After the bout, both fighters were supposedly onboard for an immediate rematch, but the bout was scrapped by UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, who claimed the UFC and fans weren’t interested in a second fight.

Penn officially announced his retirement from MMA in October 2011, but he recently agreed to a return bout against rising welterweight star Rory MacDonald at UFC 152.

Fitch has plenty to be bitter about. He is coming off a first round knockout loss to Johny Hendricks, and he was recently forced to pull out of his July 11 bout with Aaron Simpson after suffering a knee injury in training.

Even though he has fallen on hard times, Penn is still a quality opponent in the welterweight division, and a win could’ve expedited Fitch’s climb back up the top-10 ladder.

Penn vs. MacDonald, or Penn vs. Fitch?

Which fight would you rather see?

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Chael Sonnen Not Fazed, Continues to Make Jokes About Anderson Silva’s Wife

Much has been made of Anderson Silva’s newfound bravado, but as usual, Chael Sonnen is not impressed.The self-proclaimed “Oregon Gangster” didn’t back down in his response to threats made by Silva at the UFC 148 media conference call on Monday.In fact,…

Much has been made of Anderson Silva‘s newfound bravado, but as usual, Chael Sonnen is not impressed.

The self-proclaimed “Oregon Gangster” didn’t back down in his response to threats made by Silva at the UFC 148 media conference call on Monday.

In fact, Sonnen only continued to make snide remarks about Silva and his family.

“All that happened was Anderson found himself in a fight for the first time,” Sonnen said at the conference call. “His skills are amateur. If you walk into a fight with your fists down, that’s amateur. I treated him like an amateur the first time, and I’ll treat him like an amateur this time.”

“The stakes are pretty high on this one. It’s not like I’m trying to score points on the guy. He’s trying to do damage to me…I’ve got two words for Anderson Silva: medium rare.”

The “medium rare” remark stems from a comment Sonnen made about Silva’s wife last October.

There has never been this much personal animosity between two opponents in MMA history. The Silva vs. Sonnen rematch is already being billed as one of the most anticipated fights of all time.

Silva has remained relatively quiet while Sonnen has insulted virtually everything he cares about for over two years.

At the conference call, “The Spider” finally opened the lid on years of built up 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 going to beat his ass like he’s never been beaten before. I’m going to make sure that every one of his teeth are broken, his arms are broke, his legs are broke, he’s not going to be able to walk out of the Octagon by himself. I can guarantee that.”

When these two finally step into the Octagon on July 7, the UFC may never be the same again.

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