Author: Jordy McElroy

Greg Jackson ‘Leaning Towards’ Cornering Jones against Evans

Greg Jackson could be cornering against former student and close friend Rashad Evans at UFC 145.In a recent appearance on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Savage Dog Show,” the head MMA trainer at Jackson’s MMA hinted at the possibility of being in UFC lig…

Greg Jackson could be cornering against former student and close friend Rashad Evans at UFC 145.

In a recent appearance on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Savage Dog Show,” the head MMA trainer at Jackson’s MMA hinted at the possibility of being in UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’ corner when meets Evans on April 21:

“I’ve got to sit down and make my decision and see what I feel is best for the team. Not for me, because I have my own personal feelings where I never want to ever do that. I’m going back and forth now because I have to think about what it means to be on a team. Are we just a collection of friends that train together? For me, it’s much more than that. It means something to be on this team, and it means something to have teammates. Rashad kind of left that. I don’t know, I’m leaning toward cornering Jon right now. Just because, am I selfish? Am I going to make this about me, or am I going to make this about the team? I can’t be self-centered. Even though it’s something that I don’t want to do, it might end up that way.”

Evans has admitted on several occasions that he was upset at Jackson for inviting Jones into the training camp. Jones had serious potential from day one, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to acknowledge the possibilities of him ascending to the top of the light heavyweight ranks in the future.

Evans didn’t look at the situation as gaining another great teammate and training partner. His crystal ball foretold a future of instability in a once tight-knit group.

They should change Evans’ nickname from “Sugar” to “Nostradamus.”

Jones breezed through the light heavyweight division. In March 2011, he was given an opportunity to step in as a late replacement for Evans in a title bout with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Unfortunately for Evans, his nightmare became a reality. Jones dominated Rua to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.

“It’s beyond blame,” Evans said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. “Greg knew what he was doing, what was up with it when he brought [Jones] into camp, and that’s why I don’t have much to say to Greg anymore.”

Regardless of the outcome in his bout with Jones, Evans has vowed never to return to Jackson’s MMA. Jackson has had his share of breakups with former students, but he sincerely hopes that some form of a friendship is salvageable from this tough situation:

“I still consider him a friend. Right now, he’s really angry, and he’s saying a lot of negative things. I don’t want much to do with that, so I’m just kind of keeping my distance, so that’s where we’re at. I certainly hope [a friendship] is salvageable with Rashad. I don’t know, those questions are more for Rashad. For me, my heart’s kind of an open book. I might have to do things that I might dislike doing for the good of the team.”

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UFC 143 Results: Carlos Condit and the 5 Best WEC-to-UFC Crossovers

As time passes and former fighters continue to excel, the WEC is beginning to look every bit as competitive as the UFC.
It’s become easy over the years for MMA fans to overlook world class talent in other promotions. The UFC is obviously the most recog…

As time passes and former fighters continue to excel, the WEC is beginning to look every bit as competitive as the UFC.

It’s become easy over the years for MMA fans to overlook world class talent in other promotions. The UFC is obviously the most recognizable brand in the sport with the largest influx of talent.

Still, MMA fans generally rate fighters based off their performances in the UFC. If a fighter hasn’t stepped into the octagon, he is typically deemed as irrelevant.

Irrelevance is a word that UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit heard often.

During his reign as WEC champion, Condit was constantly belittled and labeled as overrated for not facing notable opposition.

Since coming to the UFC, “The Natural Born Killer” has compiled a 5-1 record, and after his upset win over Nick Diaz at UFC 143, he is now the interim welterweight champion.

Condit is just one example of many WEC fighters who have found success under the bright lights of the UFC.

Here are five of the best WEC-to-UFC crossovers.

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Nick Diaz: You’re in Danger of Losing a Decision to GSP and Your Teeth to Condit

Nick Diaz believes Carlos Condit is more dangerous than Georges St-Pierre. While St-Pierre is the top-ranked welterweight and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, he hasn’t finished a fight in over three years. Condit, on the other ha…

Nick Diaz believes Carlos Condit is more dangerous than Georges St-Pierre.

While St-Pierre is the top-ranked welterweight and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, he hasn’t finished a fight in over three years.

Condit, on the other hand, has developed a knack for putting opponents to sleep. He has managed to finish four of his last six bouts.

“I think [Condit] is more of a dangerous fighter,” Diaz said at the pre-fight press conference for UFC 143. “You’re more in danger of losing a decision to Georges St-Pierre and you’re more in danger of losing your teeth for fighting Condit.”

Diaz and Condit are set to square off on Saturday night to determine an interim welterweight champion in place of current champion St-Pierre, who tore his ACL in December and could be sidelined for most of the year.

Even with Condit in the main event, fans can’t stop talking about Diaz versus St-Pierre, an on- and off-again super fight that people have been waiting to see for months.

“It makes me sick. It’s Carlos’ time to be here and be apart of this main event,” said Diaz. “Half of this show is built up around me fighting Georges St-Pierre, but I’m fighting Carlos Condit. I don’t like it.”

The winner of Saturday night’s main event could go on to face St-Pierre later in the year to decide an undisputed UFC champion.

As for Diaz, he’s rumored to make $1 million for fighting Condit, a number that could easily be tripled in a bout with St-Pierre.

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Georges St-Pierre: “I Am No Longer UFC Champion or the Best in the World”

A new UFC welterweight champion will be crowned at UFC 143 on Saturday night, and it won’t be Georges St-Pierre. The legendary welterweight and future UFC Hall-of-Famer has been sidelined with a knee injury that could keep him out of action for most of…

A new UFC welterweight champion will be crowned at UFC 143 on Saturday night, and it won’t be Georges St-Pierre.

The legendary welterweight and future UFC Hall-of-Famer has been sidelined with a knee injury that could keep him out of action for most of 2012.

Now, former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz will take on former WEC champion Carlos Condit to determine an interim UFC champion.

“I respect Carlos Condit, but I want Diaz to win. I want this fight with Diaz so badly, as badly as I wanted the title shot when I got down on my knees,” St-Pierre said in a UFC interview on Thursday. “He needs to hold up his part and beat Carlos Condit on Saturday to make this fight happen.”

Diaz and St-Pierre were originally slated to fight one another in October 2011, but the Stockton native was pulled from the bout after failing to appear at multiple mandatory press conferences. He was instead matched with BJ Penn, who he defeated soundly in a memorable three-round battle at UFC 137.

Immediately after the bout, Diaz accused St-Pierre of ducking and dodging fights. The UFC were planning for St-Pierre to face Condit on Super Bowl weekend, but angered by Diaz’s post-fight comments, the French-Canadian begged and pleaded for the UFC to reconsider the main event.

UFC President Dana White gave in and decided to book the super fight between St-Pierre and Diaz.

Unfortunately, the bout was called off again in December when St-Pierre was forced off the card with a torn ACL.

“I am ahead of schedule. I can already train and even kick, but I am remaining calm and not rushing. I won’t train properly until July,” said St-Pierre, when asked about his rehab.

With St-Pierre on the shelf, Diaz and Condit will battle it out for the interim title.

Depending on his recovery, St-Pierre will face the winner down the line to determine the undisputed UFC champion, but until that day comes, he believes a true champion is nonexistent.

“The way I see it, I am not the champion anymore on Saturday night. You have to put the belt on the line in order to call yourself champion, the best in the world. Right now, I am not the best in the world. I am injured,” St-Pierre stated.

“The winner of this fight on Saturday will be more than just the new No. 1 contender, but he won’t be the new champion either. The winner of this fight will have to beat me to become the true world champion, and I will have to beat the winner of this fight in order to call myself the best in the world again. We have to beat each other to be the undisputed champion.”

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Roy Nelson: Brock Lesnar Doesn’t Have a Legacy in MMA

Brock Lesnar may be a former UFC champion, but according to some, he didn’t do enough during his MMA career to cement a legacy.In a phone interview with The Sports Courier’s Fred Richani, Roy “Big Country” Nelson briefly spoke on the legacy of the form…

Brock Lesnar may be a former UFC champion, but according to some, he didn’t do enough during his MMA career to cement a legacy.

In a phone interview with The Sports Courier’s Fred Richani, Roy “Big Country” Nelson briefly spoke on the legacy of the former WWE pro wrestler-turned-MMA superstar.

“I didn’t know he had a legacy in MMA,” said Nelson. “I think you have at least, we’ll say 10 fights, I think to have a legacy.”

After losing to Alistair Overeem in December 2011, Lesnar retired from MMA with only eight fights to his name. It was a relatively short career that certainly didn’t come without substance.

A year after his professional debut at “Dynamite!! USA,” Lesnar was already competing against Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight title. He defeated the UFC Hall of Famer and went on to put forth successful title defenses against Frank Mir and Shane Carwin.

The slippery slope immediately followed in back-to-back losses to Cain Velasquez and Overeem.

Outside of the losses, the biggest reason behind Lesnar deciding to hang up his MMA gloves likely had to do with his reoccurring illness.

The Minnesota native was first diagnosed for having diverticulitis, an intestinal disorder, after his title defense against Mir. He was forced to undergo a major surgery that kept him out of action for nearly a year.

Considering the seriousness of the illness, an interim title was put in place, and the rumor mill was buzzing about the possibility of Lesnar retiring.

With doubt lingering, Lesnar managed to rise up and make his return at UFC 116, where he submitted Carwin in the second round to retain his UFC title. It was truly an inspirational victory that showcased a tremendous amount of grit and toughness.

Unfortunately for Lesnar, the illness reared its ugly head again after he lost his title to Velasquez. The retirement talk was amplified following the second surgery, after it was announced that doctors had removed a 12-inch piece of Lesnar’s colon.

Still, Lesnar defied the odds and stepped into the octagon against Overeem, who is widely considered one of the top three best heavyweights in the world.

“This is the last time you’ll see me in the octagon,” Lesnar told UFC commentator Joe Rogan after the loss. “I’ve had a really difficult couple of years with my disease, and I’m going to officially say tonight is the last time.”

Is there a particular number of fights a fighter must achieve before earning a legacy, or should quality be given consideration over quantity?

Some will side with the latter knowing that there are fighters out there with years of experience who will never amount to Lesnar’s success.

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Ronda Rousey Calls GSP Bad for the Sport, Hopes Nick Diaz Kicks His "Boring" Ass

Ronda Rousey, who has never been one to shy away from the media, is making headlines for past comments about Georges St-Pierre.In an interview with BestofMMA.com, the breakout female superstar had strong words for the UFC welterweight champion.”[MMA] i…

Ronda Rousey, who has never been one to shy away from the media, is making headlines for past comments about Georges St-Pierre.

In an interview with BestofMMA.com, the breakout female superstar had strong words for the UFC welterweight champion.

“[MMA] is about entertainment. It’s not the Olympics. It’s not just about coming home and bringing a medal in, you know, just having hardware and getting a win. It’s about bringing more fans in. I think that fighters who just try to win by points are actually bad for the sport. If you never saw MMA before and you walked in and saw GSP and Koscheck just jabbing out the whole time, it looks like a boring boxing match, and I don’t think you gain any fans with a fight like that. I really hope that Nick Diaz beats the crap out him.”

Rousey is an accomplished Judo player and former Olympian, but with only a professional MMA record of 4-0, it’s amazing how quickly she has risen through the fight ranks.

There has never truly been a villain in women’s MMA, but Rousey could certainly be the first. The trash talk helped her leapfrog former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Sarah Kaufman in the title picture.

It’s easy to see that Diaz is one of Rousey’s favorite fighters. She seems to be taking a page out of his book in using the media to call out world-class names to get big fights.

“Nick Diaz is entertaining. He’s just an entertaining character in general. He might not be popular, but I can’t help but watch every single video that he puts out on YouTube. I think it’s funny as hell, and every single one of his fights is a brawl. It’s not like a pitter-pat match, and afterwards he goes like, ‘Oh yes, we’re friends, we’re all friends, blah, blah, blah, buy Gatorade, ok, let’s go home.’ I think it’s boring. GSP was good for the sport for awhile. He brought some big sponsors in like Gatorade and Under Armour, but I think he’s done everything he can in a positive way, and he needs to step aside and let Nick Diaz kick his ass.”

Talking about someone’s ass getting kicked, Rousey’s will be on the line in her March 3 bout against Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate.

The talk between the two continues to boil over into what could become the biggest female fight of the year.

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