What would the UFC look like without Dana White?This question is rarely ever pondered considering the UFC President’s propensity for working around the clock. Regardless of personal feeling or ailment, White is always there leading the charge of the wo…
This question is rarely ever pondered considering the UFC President’s propensity for working around the clock. Regardless of personal feeling or ailment, White is always there leading the charge of the world’s premier Mixed Martial Arts organization.
He has taken the sport to new heights in landing a network TV deal, global expansion and continuously adding to an unending collection of talent.
The world already knows White is the puppet master pulling the strings, but if forced under new leadership, is the UFC a well-oiled enough machine to maintain its position atop the MMA world, while simultaneously facilitating rapid growth?
“Are you kidding me man? Dude, this is McDonald’s man. This thing goes on forever without me,” White told MMAWeekly. “Is it different without me? Yeah, maybe it’s a little different, but they don’t need me man. This thing is going on without me or with me.”
Following the UFC’s historic debut on Fox, White worked himself sick trying to ensure the show went over without a hitch. It was one of the most stressful times for White as UFC President.
“The Fox fight killed me man. That fight (expletive) took everything I had man,” White beamed. “I told you guys that week of the fight that I’ve never felt that way before. I’ve never been so, I don’t want to say freaked out, but we were still juggling a lot of stuff on that Wednesday when I talked to you guys.”
“Yeah, it was a big one for me. That one sucked a lot out of me. That will never happen to me again.”
Whether you love him or hate him, Dana White just may be the hardest working man alive today.
Most are calling it iconic. Some are calling it a classic, and a few are calling it the greatest fight in UFC history.At UFC 139, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson put on a bout for the ages, but was the right fighter’s hand raised at the end of …
Most are calling it iconic. Some are calling it a classic, and a few are calling it the greatest fight in UFC history.
At UFC 139, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson put on a bout for the ages, but was the right fighter’s hand raised at the end of the fight?
The extra couple of rounds recently attached to non-title main event bouts did both Shogun and fans a great service. While fans got to watch 25-minutes of magic unfold between two MMA legends, Shogun was able to muster up a comeback in the final two rounds after being dominated by Henderson early on in the bout.
The fifth round in particular was a big round for Shogun. Henderson, who was clearly gassed , spent the entire round on his back in survival mode eating punch after punch from a fully mounted Shogun.
The night’s judges certainly weren’t stingy in handing down 10-8 rounds. In the first bout on the main card, Stephan Bonnar did significantly less from top position against Kyle Kingsbury, and judge Jackie Denkin awarded him a pair of 10-8 rounds.
Bare in mind, Denkin wasn’t one of the three judges calling the main event, but it still brings up the age-old question: What constitutes a 10-8 round?
The FightMetric stats are quite telling when comparing the bouts. Shogun’s offense over Henderson towers in comparison to Bonnar’s over Kingsbury.
The decision not to give Shogun the 10-8 round speaks volumes to the numerous gray areas in the world of MMA judging, and every judge seems to have his or her own criteria for certain aspects of the sport.
As MMA continues to grow, the judging will obviously improve, but it’s tough to see any fighter denied a just verdict after such a gutsy performance.
“Don’t let it go to the judges.”
This has always been the saying that has served as the scapegoat for those charged with the duties of actually watching fights and rendering a decision.
Along with fighters, the judges also have a job to do, and there is no excuse for botching a decision based on the mere principle of a fighter not finishing.
Judging an MMA bout isn’t an easy job. It should take years of training and a deep understanding of every aspect of fighting. Unfortunately, the sport has yet to take that leap, and some high profile bouts are delegated to judges with little to no MMA experience.
Luckily, the fact that Shogun and Henderson put on perhaps the greatest fight of all time somewhat shrouds the atrocity that occurred at the end of the bout, and fans are already clamoring for a rematch.
For Shogun and his camp, nothing can make up for the endless hours spent training and the blood and heart spilt to come out on top.
For them, UFC 139 will always represent the 10-8 round that should’ve been.
Want to see Josh Koscheck fight Jon Fitch?Well, the closest you’ll ever get to seeing this bout go down is either popping in a copy of “UFC: Undisputed” or traveling to American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California to watch the teammates spar.Kos…
Well, the closest you’ll ever get to seeing this bout go down is either popping in a copy of “UFC: Undisputed” or traveling to American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California to watch the teammates spar.
Koscheck and Fitch have had spats with UFC President Dana White in the past about fighting one another, and their stance hasn’t changed over the years.
Both welterweight contenders have been close friends and training partners for a long time.
“If there’s no one else for me to compete with at 170 other than Koscheck, I’m going to move up,” Fitch told MMAWeekly.
At a recent Q&A session with fans, Koscheck continued to show that he shares the same mentality towards the idea of facing his teammate. But if forced to face Fitch, he admitted that he would do more than merely change weight classes.
“No chance (we will fight),” Koscheck assured. “It’s not worth it to me. I would rather step away from the sport than fight Jon Fitch.”
The idea of teammates fighting has been debated amongst MMA fans and pundits for years. With super camps forming and some of the world’s best training under the same roof, it’s becoming tougher to progress through a division without facing a few teammates or friends along the way.
Still, who really wants to see a fight between unwilling competitors?
“Me and Jon Fitch have been training together for eight years now. You guys really want to see us fight–Monday, Wednesday, Friday–come to AKA in San Jose. You guys can stand up there, you can watch us fight, and it will be free. You don’t have to pay $54 for it,” said Koscheck.
Cung Le’s UFC debut didn’t go down exactly as planned at UFC 139.The former Strikeforce middleweight champion was stopped in the second round after having his face rearranged in vintage fashion by MMA legend Wanderlei Silva.Le recently uploaded a pictu…
Cung Le’s UFC debut didn’t go down exactly as planned at UFC 139.
The former Strikeforce middleweight champion was stopped in the second round after having his face rearranged in vintage fashion by MMA legend Wanderlei Silva.
Le recently uploaded a picture on his Facebook page to show off the results of Silva’s handiwork. His face may look like a mess, but Le admitted the majority of his pain comes from a few illegal shots to the back of the head that went unnoticed.
“The back of my head hurts worst than my face. The Ref needs to watch the strikes to the back of the head more,” Le posted.
After getting dropped by a knee in the clinch, Le reached out desperately for a single leg takedown. However, Silva instinctively sprawled out and began raining down hammer fists.
It was an awkward position for both fighters, but the shots from Silva seem to land towards the back of Le’s head. After three or four ground punches were thrown, the referee stepped in and immediately called a halt to the action.
Despite his initial comments, Le understands the punches were unintentional and he doesn’t want to make excuses for losing. Silva was simply the better man that night.
“After my fight I told Wandy that it was an honor to fight him. I have no excuse for my lost. My comment about the back of my head “hurts more than my face” is because I get hit in the face during training…so my face is more conditioned,” Le followed in another post.
Duck, duck, goose!Chael Sonnen has insulted Anderson Silva in every way possible to get another crack at the UFC title. With “The Spider” refusing to budge, Uncle Chael believes it’s time he surrenders the middleweight title.”I’m not a bully. If a guy …
Duck, duck, goose!
Chael Sonnen has insulted Anderson Silva in every way possible to get another crack at the UFC title. With “The Spider” refusing to budge, Uncle Chael believes it’s time he surrenders the middleweight title.
“I’m not a bully. If a guy doesn’t want to fight, I’m not going to continue to tell him to fight. If he’s got his reasons that he doesn’t want to fight, then I don’t want to fight him either. The problem is he’s got a belt that I want, so he can surrender that belt, or I’m going to come and take it,” Sonnen told Karyn Bryant of MMA H.E.A.T.
After getting dominated for four straight rounds, Silva mustered up a last-minute triangle choke and submitted Sonnen in the waning minutes of the final round of their epic August 2010 encounter.
Since the bout, Sonnen has gone on record numerous times to take verbal jabs at Silva, his wife and the entire country of Brazil.
Silva has remained relatively quiet throughout the situation, but his silence certainly hasn’t encouraged Sonnen to let up. At UFC 136, Sonnen was more direct with his challenge after earning an impressive second-round submission victory over Brian Stann.
“Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck. Super Bowl weekend, the biggest rematch in the history of the business, I’m calling you out Silva,” Sonnen yelled into the mic in his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
Sonnen is the rightful No. 1 contender, but Silva feels like he shouldn’t have to face someone so disrespectful.
“It’s the fight everyone wants to see,” UFC President Dana White said on The Jim Rome Show. “People want to see Chael vs. Anderson. Anderson is in the position where he feels this guy is so disrespectful he doesn’t want to give him a shot and everything else, but Anderson will end up fighting Chael Sonnen.”
The confirmation of the highly anticipated rematch had the MMA community buzzing with excitement, but it wouldn’t last long, as devastating news from Silva’s camp gave him yet another reason to not face Sonnen.
Following his UFC 134 victory over Yushin Okami, Silva decided to take some time off to heal after doctors reportedly diagnosed him for having bursitis in his shoulder.
The condition was expected to keep him out of action until early 2012, but according to White at the UFC 139 post-fight press conference, Silva will likely be sidelined until June.
“He called out Michael Bisping. When you’re the champion, you don’t call people out. You get called out. When you’re the champion, you take on all comers. You don’t point your finger like this is a Don King promotion, and we’re trying to protect guys,” said Sonnen.
“Anderson’s supposedly on the injured list. ‘Ahhh, I’ve got this bad shoulder.’ What are you calling guys out while you’re hurt for?”
Is Silva ducking Sonnen, and, if so, should he be stripped of his UFC title?
Silva and his doctors are the only ones that truly understand the extent of his shoulder injury. It would be incredibly close-minded to accuse a world class fighter of “faking an injury” to avoid facing another world-class fighter.
Bursitis is a tricky injury that causes some people complications their entire lives.
With that said, Silva is the UFC champion and the proposed best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He needs to step up and accept Sonnen’s challenge.
If he believes Sonnen is “disrespectful,” he should step up and punch him in the mouth. It’s an awkward stance for a world champion to take in the sports world to not face someone because you dislike them.
Should the New England Patriots and the New York Jets scratch their pair of meetings in the regular season due to personal disdain for one another? What about the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics? Could you imagine a world where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier never fought?
As the champion, Silva has an obligation to defend his throne against the best in the world, and currently, Sonnen is the top contender in the middleweight division.
The thought of stripping Silva is far-fetched at the moment, but the UFC could opt to put Sonnen in an interim world-title bout. The Oregon native has already been linked to a January bout with fellow middleweight contender Mark Munoz.
As long as Sonnen keeps winning, the rematch is inevitable.
Whether it’s a few months from now or a couple of years down the road, Silva needs to embrace the inevitable and prepare for another showdown with Uncle Chael.
It’s been a long time, but the most in-depth breakdowns and predictions are back in action for the incredibly stacked UFC 139 fight card on Saturday night.The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. with a card for…
It’s been a long time, but the most in-depth breakdowns and predictions are back in action for the incredibly stacked UFC 139 fight card on Saturday night.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. with a card for the ages.
In the main event, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua continues his march back to the light heavyweight title as he welcomes back former Pride middleweight champion and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson.
The co-main event also features another UFC versus Strikeforce tilt as MMA legends Wanderlei Silva and Cung Le do battle.
The rest of the card features a possible No. 1 contender bantamweight scrap between Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles, a welterweight tilt involving Martin Kampmann and Rick Story and a light heavyweight battle between The Ultimate Fighter alumni Stephan Bonnar and Kyle Kingsbury.
The time has come once again for you to feast on some manly induced knowledge in preparation for the upcoming fights. Snatch a cold beverage out the fridge and get comfortable. It’s breakdown time.
As always, I encourage you to read my breakdowns to see why I made the predictions that I made. At the end of the breakdowns, I will have my official picks listed. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the fights!
What would the UFC look like without Dana White?