Author: Jordy McElroy

Chael Sonnen or Rashad Evans: Who Will Eat the Bigger Slice of Humble Pie?

A heaping slice of humble pie could be on the menu for Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen.When it comes to trash talk, “Sugar” and “Uncle Chael” are in a class of their own. Luckily, the two UFC stars have been able to back up the pre-fight talk with impres…

A heaping slice of humble pie could be on the menu for Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen.

When it comes to trash talk, “Sugar” and “Uncle Chael” are in a class of their own. Luckily, the two UFC stars have been able to back up the pre-fight talk with impressive performances in the Octagon.

This time could be different for Evans and Sonnen, who are both major underdogs in upcoming title bouts.

While Evans is set to face light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in April, Sonnen’s second crack at middleweight champion Anderson Silva isn’t expected until mid-June.

The rift between former teammates Evans and Jones has provided for some quality entertainment, but no other rivalry compares to the animosity shared between Sonnen and Silva.

Most would agree that the rivalry with Silva helped catapult Sonnen’s professional career.

Sonnen has always been considered a quality middleweight, but since the start of his beef with Silva, he has gained a massive following. He is no longer “that guy” who used to fight in the WEC.

Now Sonnen is recognized worldwide as a mainstream star and an upper-echelon middleweight contender.

This all comes at the expense of Silva, who has endured years of verbal assault from Sonnen. The Oregon native’s snide comments haven’t just been for Silva. He has also gone after the middleweight champ’s wife, team and the entire country of Brazil.

If there was ever a line never to be crossed, Sonnen has spat and walked all over it on more than one occasion.

The feud between Evans and Jones is just as personal, but unlike Silva and Sonnen, the verbal jabs shared between the two adversaries are mutual.

While Evans and Jones have continuously gone back and forth on Twitter, Silva has remained relatively quiet in his feud with Sonnen.

There is plenty of humble pie to go around, but it would be hard to deny Sonnen the biggest slice if he loses to Silva for a second time.

Sonnen’s rematch against Silva is expected to take place at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange soccer stadium in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. If Sonnen loses, he will have to face Silva and thousands of Brazilians he has mocked and belittled.

After everything that has been said, it would be crippling for Sonnen to lose again.

As for Evans, a loss to Jones would be equally disappointing, but he could always drop to middleweight or work his way back to a rematch.

Perhaps, both fighters win, and neither has to endure the bitter taste of defeat.

What say you? Who will eat the bigger slice of humble pie?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Video of 14-Year-Old Karo Parisyan Fighting 23-Year-Old MMA Fighter

At age 14, Karo Parisyan was the epitome of a modern-day warrior.While most kids were hanging out with friends and playing video games, Parisyan was stepping into an MMA ring and fighting grown men.In the video preview of the upcoming Worldwide Mixed M…

At age 14, Karo Parisyan was the epitome of a modern-day warrior.

While most kids were hanging out with friends and playing video games, Parisyan was stepping into an MMA ring and fighting grown men.

In the video preview of the upcoming Worldwide Mixed Martial Arts (WMMA) event, “The Heat” reminisced on his earlier years in the sport.

“I was 14, alright, one-four,” he said. “There was a show in Tijuana, Mexico. I’m 14 years old. How many 14-year-olds do you know that go to Mexico to fight MMA, and I’m fighting a 23-year-old man that’s 10-0 in MMA, pride and joy of Mexico, 170 pounds, chiseled, and I’m fighting this guy, and I’m 14, bare knuckle.”

Most grown men tremble at the mere thought of stepping into a ring or cage, but according to Parisyan‘s trainer Gokor Chivichyan, Karo never backed down from any opponent. He didn’t let fear dictate his actions.

The attending audience had to be pretty confident and worried that their hometown hero would destroy his 14-year-old adversary. The bout had catastrophe written all over it.

How could a child possibly survive against a grown man in a fist fight?

“These guys look at each other like, ‘Oh God, we have to sign some paperwork, like if you literally die, we’re not responsible’,” Parisyan said. “And here, I go in the ring, and I fight this guy for five rounds and I beat the crap out of him. Then it was to the Olympic trials [in Judo] or make a career out of [fighting], and I made a career out of [fighting].”

In the end, Parisyan chose the right path.

His fighting career eventually led him to the bright lights of the UFC, where he ascended the welterweight ranks as one of the top fighters in the world.

This all seems ages ago to present-day fans. Currently on a three-fight skid, Parisyan hopes to salvage his dwindling career at WMMA on Saturday night.

He is slated to face Thomas “The Wildman” Denny in a bout that could make or break any hopes of making it back to the UFC, and the fighter knows its significance.

“This is a big opportunity for me to show people that I’m back,” he said.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones Taken Down by 134-Pound Brazilian Journalist

Jon Jones has thwarted takedowns from every UFC opponent, but in the end, it was a 134-pound journalist who finally put the light heavyweight champ on his back.Mario Filho, a journalist in Brazil, is known for challenging MMA champions to special sparr…

Jon Jones has thwarted takedowns from every UFC opponent, but in the end, it was a 134-pound journalist who finally put the light heavyweight champ on his back.

Mario Filho, a journalist in Brazil, is known for challenging MMA champions to special sparring sessions on “Senseinocao,” a segment featured on the program Sensei SporTV.

In order to be declared the victor, fighters are given a certain time limit to finish Filho with their trademark move. Filho has gone up against and been defeated by several world-class names including Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Junior dos Santos.

The match against Jones marked Filho’s first victory ever on the show.

Jones was required to finish Filho within two three-minute rounds with a spinning kick, punch or elbow. Surprisingly, the Brazilian survived both rounds and even managed to counter a flying knee attempt from Jones with a takedown.

In an interview with Sherdog.com, Filho basked in the moment he snuck in a takedown on arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Who gets the chance to fight the UFC light heavyweight champion inside the octagon if you’re not “Shogun” [Mauricio Rua] or Machida? Nobody. Just to have this opportunity, I was done, personally and professionally – as a reporter, of course. Not as a fighter, because I train a lot, but only recreationally.”

In the “Senseinocao” challenges, I’ve always been annihilated, and this time was no different. I just really, really wanted to take down Jon Jones. And this was done, photographed, filmed and seen by several witnesses who cheered a lot there. Even Jon Jones laughed when he fell!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Justin Bieber Gets Bloodied Up in MMA-Themed Video Shoot

After hanging out with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, it was only a matter of time before Justin Bieber decided to step into the ring.The pop music star, who turned 18 this month, was featured in a photo shoot for Complex Magazine’s 10th Ann…

After hanging out with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, it was only a matter of time before Justin Bieber decided to step into the ring.

The pop music star, who turned 18 this month, was featured in a photo shoot for Complex Magazine’s 10th Anniversary issue. Fashion photographer Tony Kelly was the man behind the camera during the shoot, which included a bloodied up Bieber duking it out in the boxing ring.

The video above is a behind-the-scenes look at the photo shoot.

“There’s no point in doing this if I’m not going to be the best,” Bieber told Complex. “I give up a personal life. I give up my friends and family to pursue what I love and to make my fans happy. Why would I give up so much to be just another singer.”

Bieber’s love for MMA has been well-documented. Outside of making appearances at UFC events, the teenage star invited Silva to dance onstage with him at a concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in October 2011.

Despite being a singer, Bieber comes from a relatively athletic background.

Growing up, he played basketball, hockey and soccer. In the 2011 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, Bieber walked away with the most valuable player award after netting eight points, four assists and two rebounds.

How would an actual combat situation play out for “Biebs?”

Jeremy Bieber, Justin’s father, is actually a former Muay Thai fighter and avid MMA fan. Who knows? Maybe pops has taught his son a thing or two about how to handle himself in the ring.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Santos’ Existence Puts Ronda Rousey on Borrowed Time

The MMA world has courted Ronda Rousey as the new face of women’s MMA, but it would be foolish to completely write off Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, who was once considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. After testing positive for s…

The MMA world has courted Ronda Rousey as the new face of women’s MMA, but it would be foolish to completely write off Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, who was once considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

After testing positive for steroids in January, Santos was stripped of her Strikeforce title and pretty much obliterated from the minds of fans.

There are plenty of major male MMA stars such as Josh Barnett, Stephan Bonnar and Chael Sonnen who test positive for steroids, but yet, they never seem to come under the same scrutiny as Santos.

Perhaps this is because Santos is the first major female MMA star to ever test positive for steroids, but the issue at hand far exceeds double standards. Santos was suspended for one calendar year. She wasn’t expelled or banished from the sport.

People have a tendency to overestimate the effectiveness of steroids on a fighter’s actual skill. Steroids didn’t turn Santos into a world-class striker and grappler. If such a magic pill or shot existed, MMA would be overrun by athletes doping up to take their skills to the next level.

This in no way excuses Santos’ behavior. As a professional and role model in the sport, she violated the rules and sought out performance-enhancing drugs.

Fans will likely come down harder on her due to her ripped physique and brutish fighting style. There are very few women built like Santos, who mirrors the size of an average UFC male featherweight.

Still, it’s a bit far-fetched to believe Santos has been using steroids throughout her entire career. In a statement issued through MMAprime.tv, the former Strikeforce champion apologized to fans and gave reasoning behind her decision to seek out steroids.

I would like to sincerely apologize to Strikeforce, the Zuffa organization, Hiroko Yamanaka and my fans for my failed drug test. While I was preparing myself for my last fight I was having a difficult time cutting weight and used a dietary supplement that I was assured was safe and not prohibited from use in sports competition.

It was never my intention to obtain an unfair advantage over Hiroko, mislead Strikeforce, the commission or my fans. I train harder than any fighter in MMA and do not need drugs to win in the cage, and I have proven this time and time again.

Whether fans believe her or not, it isn’t like Santos is going to be some shriveled up, untalented scrub when she returns. She’s still going to be exceptionally strong and the most dangerous striker in women’s MMA.

If anything, a year gives her more time to adjust to a potential drop to 135 pounds.

Rousey proved her bite was just as bad as her bark against Miesha Tate, but against “Cyborg,” the “Rowdy” one could be biting off more than she can chew.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Tim Boetsch: "I Want to Be the Guy to Take the Title from Anderson Silva"

When Chael Sonnen steps into the Octagon to challenge Anderson Silva for the UFC title, middleweight contender Tim Boetsch will be pulling for “The Spider” in hopes of one day receiving an opportunity of his own to dethrone the pound-for-pound juggerna…

When Chael Sonnen steps into the Octagon to challenge Anderson Silva for the UFC title, middleweight contender Tim Boetsch will be pulling for “The Spider” in hopes of one day receiving an opportunity of his own to dethrone the pound-for-pound juggernaut.

In an interview on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show, Boetsch gave his thoughts on how he matches up with the UFC champion.

Chael showed a strong wrestler does well against him. The only thing that Chael failed to do was damage Anderson throughout the fight, and that’s kind of my specialty. I will deliver a high amount of damage from start to finish, and that would make a huge difference in the outcome of the fight.

Since dropping to middleweight, Boetsch has been flawless in ousting Kendall Grove, Nick Ring and former UFC title contender Yushin Okami.

The win over Okami at UFC 144, where he rallied from a two-round deficit to net the third-round knockout, was easily the biggest of Boetsch’s career.

Now, he is a top-10 middleweight contender, and in a division starving for fresh title contenders, “The Barbarian” isn’t far off in his title aspirations.

A lot of fighters out there are [scared of Silva]. They think of him as an invincible superhero. If you’re thinking that way about your opponent, you’ve already lost. I think that’s what happens to a lot of guys. They lose that fight before they even get in the cage with him.

Silva’s reign of terror has lasted nearly six years in the UFC. In all that time, no fighter has been able to stop him, but in August 2010, Sonnen gave others hope when there wasn’t any.

After months of trash talk, Sonnen backed up his words with a dominant performance against the champ for four-and-a-half rounds, but unfortunately for the Oregon native, he wasn’t able to seal the deal against Silva, who came from behind in dramatic fashion with a submission late in the fifth round.

Sonnen will get an opportunity to redeem himself in the title rematch rumored for June 29, and Boetsch will be sitting quietly on the sidelines hoping another monumental upset is averted.

I want Anderson to hold onto that belt until I get there. He is obviously a legend in the sport already. That being said, everybody has to lose eventually, and I want to be the guy to take that belt from him. That’s been a dream of mine for a long time.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com