Author: Joseph Zucker

Jon Jones Toe Injury: Bones Must Be Patient During Rehab Process

Baby steps, Bones. Just take baby steps.In his first-round knockout of Chael Sonnen at UFC 159, Jon Jones suffered a gruesome toe dislocation on his left foot. He’s since had the toe repaired and sent a picture of it to his Twitter followers:With that …

Baby steps, Bones. Just take baby steps.

In his first-round knockout of Chael Sonnen at UFC 159, Jon Jones suffered a gruesome toe dislocation on his left foot. He’s since had the toe repaired and sent a picture of it to his Twitter followers:

With that out of the way, Jones now faces the hard part: rehab.

It’s not a question of whether or not Jones will do the work necessary in order to return just as good as he was, if not better, before the injury. The issue is when he will start to do that work.

As with any competitive athlete, the desire to get back to work will be great. Unfortunately for him, he has to do the one thing he’s trained himself to hardly ever do—sit at home and relax.

Jones is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He didn’t get there by sitting at home and occasionally showing up in the Octagon. The idea of being immobilized for weeks on end is an idea that’s completely foreign to him.

No matter how much Jones wants to return, he can’t afford to rush the rehab process. He’ll only do more damage to his toe.

A big toe is critical in something like mixed martial arts. That one little appendage carries massive importance for a fighter. Even someone with Jones’ talent will struggle with a big toe injury. You need to have it strong in order to be mobile and balanced around the Octagon and get the leverage necessary on attacking movements.

If Jones starts training before he’s ready, his big toe will not have enough time to properly heal. He could still remain a talented fighter simply because of how much better he is than the competition, but the gulf in class will begin to narrow. Jones would go from being a great fighter to just a good, maybe very good, fighter.

Coming back early would open him up for a loss in his return fight. Should that happen, he’ll be itching to get back. The toe will continue to be an issue as it won’t have a chance to strengthen.

Not to say that Jones should retire, but, at this point, there isn’t much for him to prove. He doesn’t have a loss to Sonnen or another fighter to avenge. There isn’t anyone claiming he doesn’t deserve to wear the UFC light heavyweight championship. And he’s only 25 years old. He still has plenty of years ahead of him.

There is no immediate need for Jones to return to the Octagon. He can wait months to start training again and working toward his next fight.

Fans can wish Jones a speedy recovery, but it’s more important that he has a healthy and full recovery than a quick one.

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Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen: Title Fight Will Fail to Live Up to the Hype

As poets laureate Public Enemy espoused back in the 1980s, don’t believe the hype.The Light Heavyweight Title fight between Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 is going to be nothing more than a one-sided pummeling. Jones is one of the best pound-for…

As poets laureate Public Enemy espoused back in the 1980s, don’t believe the hype.

The Light Heavyweight Title fight between Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 is going to be nothing more than a one-sided pummeling. Jones is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and Sonnen is an overmatched challenger who’s used his mouth to get to the top.

If you haven’t read Tim Marchman’s wonderful takedown of Sonnen, do yourself a favor and check it out.

There’s nothing admirable about the way Sonnen has gotten to the top. He’s won fights, but without his mouth, Sonnen wouldn’t be anywhere near the title picture. Sure, he’s played the pro wrestling heel and managed to create a reaction. That doesn’t give him a free pass to say whatever he wants.

Sonnen has almost turned into a caricature of the kind of boxers Muhammad Ali would face off against back in the 60s and 70s. They would make disparaging, often racist remarks toward Ali in an effort to try and throw the champ off his game.

All of Sonnen‘s talk belies his actual talent in the Octagon, especially compared to his opponent. The champion summed up the situation perfectly back in November (h/t John Morgan of USA Today):

“Chael definitely doesn’t deserve to fight me, and everybody sees that,” Jones told USA TODAY Sports. “As long as people see that at the end of the day, I’m happy with that. But at the same time, a lot of people have said, ‘Why not be the guy to shut him up once and for all? Why not be the guy to make his words very irrelevant once and for all—put a stamp on what Anderson did to him.’ That’s what I’m going to try to do.”

While vastly overrated by his die-hard fans, Sonnen is a fighter with skill. He took Anderson Silva to the limit in their first fight, and that can’t be discounted.

But look at what happened in the rematch.

Silva took some blows, but none of them seemed to have much of an impact. The champion waited for an opportunity and found it with a knee that ended the fight in the second round.

Sonnen is a good fighter, but he’s simply nowhere near Jones’ quality. Jones is one of the best fighters in the world and may turn out to become one of the best light heavyweights in UFC history. There’s something staggering about the almost effortless way in which he’s won some of his fights.

The fans who will tune into UFC 159 for Sonnen vs. Jones likely fall into one of two categories. There’s the Sonnen fans who want and expect to see him beat the champion. Then there’s the other side, which—rather than being pro-Jones—is anti-Sonnen and want to see him knocked out or submitted, thus revealing him as the fraud he is.

Fans expecting the former are in for a big disappointment.

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Uriah Hall vs. Kelvin Gastelum: Prime Time Must Have Strong Display in UFC Debut

If Prime Time wants to be a star, he’s going to need to make the most of his prime-time debut in UFC.While it would be a huge upset and enjoyable to see Kelvin Gastelum win The Ultimate Fighter 17, most want to see Uriah Hall continue the dominant run …

If Prime Time wants to be a star, he’s going to need to make the most of his prime-time debut in UFC.

While it would be a huge upset and enjoyable to see Kelvin Gastelum win The Ultimate Fighter 17, most want to see Uriah Hall continue the dominant run he started early in the show.

Talented fighters are popular no matter their style. It’s the knockout artists who cause the greatest stir. There’s a different way you watch their fights. You know that it could all end on one punch, which is of course the case in any fight. But there’s a different level of excitement when seeing someone like Hall in the Octagon.

He’s won his last three fights on the show all by knockout. Rarely has a fighter created the kind of buzz that Hall has as a result of his performance on The Ultimate Fighter.

The 28-year-old looks destined for a huge rise, and that has to start on Saturday night.

Perhaps the hype train has gotten a little out of hand. It’s easy to look strong on TUF fighting guys who are a step below from what you see in UFC on each pay-per-view. Talk about a fight with Anderson Silva or having him contend for the title is ludicrous.

An encouraging sign is the way Hall himself has largely dismissed any sort of quick ascension to the top of the mountain and Chael Sonnen’s assertion that he could handle Silva (h/t Matt Erickson and John Morgan of MMAjunkie.com):

I was shocked. I was like, ‘Give me time.’ But sometimes as a coach, he’ll see things in you that you don’t see. I guess as my coach, in that time, he saw that potential. Maybe down the line, one day it’ll happen. But it’s not something I’m pushing. I feel, personally, the guy’s a walking legend. If I ever get the opportunity one day, that’ll be great. But I’d rather work my way toward it like the rest of the guys.

That’s a very humble response from Hall, and you can only hope that any success won’t go to his head. He would do himself no favors by calling out Silva and demanding a title shot right now.

Clearly, Hall has a lot of work to do if he is to earn a shot for the UFC middleweight championship. He has a wealth of potential, but he would be far from the first fighter to have looked great early in their careers, only to then flame out and fade from the title spotlight.

Getting a dominant win against Gastelum will be a great step for Hall in establishing himself as a bona fide star. People who haven’t been paying attention to The Ultimate Fighter would be forced to stand up and take notice of Hall.

A loss would make the criticism of the fighter only grow louder and knock him down the pecking order.

If Hall wants to be a monster in the UFC, he needs to start on Saturday night.

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Nick Diaz: Time Away from the Octagon Is Best Thing for Beleaguered Fighter

Nick Diaz needs to step away from the UFC and evaluate his career.Diaz’s last appearance in the Octagon resulted in a one-sided loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158. Losing to GSP isn’t a bad thing considering he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fight…

Nick Diaz needs to step away from the UFC and evaluate his career.

Diaz‘s last appearance in the Octagon resulted in a one-sided loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158. Losing to GSP isn’t a bad thing considering he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. The way in which Diaz lost, though, was troubling. He was clearly the inferior fighter and never looked close to winning at any point in the fight.

Following the loss, Diaz openly contemplated retirement (h/t MMA Weekly):

“I have to decide if I even want to do this anymore,” he said. “To be honest, I don’t know if I really got any more.

“I don’t make excuses; I think I’m done with mixed martial arts. I’m tired of getting banged up like this.”

Then came the news that Diaz has apparently never paid taxes (per ESPN.com). If the United States government was able to get Al Capone on tax evasion, nailing Diaz should be no problem at all. That is, of course, if the U.S. strongly pursues charges on the fighter.

Few UFC fans actually buy Diaz at his word when he says he might be done with mixed martial arts. What many should agree on is that Diaz‘s best option at this point is to take a break and sort his life out.

It’s hard to downgrade exactly how serious it is not to pay your taxes. Unlike other possible scenarios, you can’t run away from your tax record no matter how much money you pay your attorneys. Diaz has a good chance of spending at least some time in jail.

He and his lawyers need to sort that out immediately to lessen whatever punishment Diaz will likely receive. It’s not going to look good in the eyes of the government if Diaz just goes right back to training and appears blasé about the situation.

Then there’s the question of Diaz‘s desire.

At only 30 years old, Diaz would be foolish to end his career. He’s not embarrassing himself in the Octagon and has a few years of fighting ahead. That doesn’t mean anything, though, if Diaz is questioning his motivation for fighting in the first place.

That’s why it’s important for Diaz to regain his desire to fight. He doesn’t seem like the mercenary type who’s only motivated by money. He has a passion for the sport; otherwise he wouldn’t have lasted this long. Over time, he’ll find that passion again.

Diaz‘s post-fight thoughts could have been the result of nothing more than frustration. You wouldn’t expect him to take a fight in which he had been outclassed by St-Pierre very well. He just needs to get back on the horse and pick up a victory against somebody like Carlos Condit. Winning can cure many woes.

Diaz needs to get his career back on track. But more importantly, he needs to get his life on track.

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UFC 158: Nick Diaz Would Be Foolish to Retire After Loss to Georges St-Pierre

Nick Diaz should not go out like this.He was outclassed by Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158. The buildup to the fight had been very heated, thus leading up to what looked to be a great fight. Instead, it was just more evidence as to the quality of St-Pierr…

Nick Diaz should not go out like this.

He was outclassed by Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158. The buildup to the fight had been very heated, thus leading up to what looked to be a great fight. Instead, it was just more evidence as to the quality of St-Pierre. He looked to be the clear winner, and the judges agreed. All three scored the fight 50-45 in favor of GSP.

The result had to be a bit disheartening for Diaz. It was his first fight in the Octagon since Feb. 4, 2012, after which he received a 13-month suspension (h/t Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com). Few could have expected that Diaz might actually contemplate retirement (h/t John Morgan of USA Today):

“I think I’m going to have to just kind of figure out if I want to keep doing this,” Diaz said. “To be honest, I don’t think I’ve really got it anymore.”

For the most part, when a fighter is weighing whether or not to walk away, discretion is the better part of valor. Hanging on to the last vestiges of a once-productive career only leads to more disappointment.

Diaz is only 29 years old, though. This isn’t the case of a fighter who’s clearly past his best simply hanging on for a few more paydays. Diaz‘s still got more than enough in the tank.

The loss to St-Pierre was Diaz‘s second in a row after losing to Carlos Condit at UFC 143. Let’s not forget that Diaz had won his previous 11 fights before the defeat to Condit. There’s no shame in losing a decision to St-Pierre, who’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Diaz is still hovering close to the top of the UFC Welterweight rankings. With a couple more wins, he could very well have himself with another shot at the title.

If his passion is really dwindling, there’s nothing that can really be done or said on Diaz‘s behalf that will make that drive come back. Either he will want to continue fighting, or he won’t.

The quote from Diaz could be nothing more than a disappointed fighter speaking out after a tough loss. When you’ve tried so hard and come up short, it’s only natural to question whether or not you still have it.

The longer he goes without fighting, the stronger that itch will be to get back in the Octagon. Plus, there’s no reason the lasting image of Diaz should his loss to St-Pierre.

In a few months, this could all turn into nothing at all. At the moment, Diaz would be crazy to call it quits. His work is far from finished.

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UFC 157: Fighters Who Will Benefit Most from Strong Performances Saturday Night

Ronda Rousey will become one of the most popular athletes in the world after Saturday night at UFC 157.Rousey will take on Liz Carmouche in what is a rather historic fight for the Women’s Bantamweight Title. UFC President Dana White had long stood by h…

Ronda Rousey will become one of the most popular athletes in the world after Saturday night at UFC 157.

Rousey will take on Liz Carmouche in what is a rather historic fight for the Women’s Bantamweight Title. UFC President Dana White had long stood by his stance that no women would ever get inside the Octagon.

Of course it was Rousey who made White do a total 180. While marketable because of her good looks, the champion has built herself quite a resume as a submission machine. Rousey has won all of her previous six fights via armbar submission, with none of the fights getting past the first round.

The pay-per-view is all set for Rousey to take her place among the elite fighters of UFC, and with another dominating win, she’ll see her star power grow to enormous levels.

Rousey-Carmouche isn’t the only fight on the card, so there are plenty of other fighters who can stand out on Saturday’s PPV.

 

Dan Henderson

It’s been quite a while since Dan Henderson found himself in the Octagon. It’s been a little over a year since his win over Mauricio Rua at UFC 139. Henderson was supposed to fight Jon Jones at UFC 145 but pulled out with a knee injury. His fight with Lyoto Machida was also slated for UFC 156 but instead moved to later in the month.

Henderson-Machida is a fight well worth the wait, though.

There’s a ton on the line tonight. The winner if this fight will put himself in pole position for a shot against the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.

Machida is extremely elusive in the Octagon, but Henderson is extremely tough. He’ll be able to withstand the Brazilian’s best and deliver a knockout blow.

 

Brendan Schaub

Brendan Schaub finds himself in the middle of the pack when it comes to the Heavyweight Division. He’s far from being worthy of earning a title shot. Schaub’s best chance previously to work up the rankings was a fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, which lost via first-round knockout. He followed that up with a first-round knockout to Ben Rothwell.

The 29-year-old now finds himself with a tall mountain to climb. It’s one, though, that has a relatively easy beginning in the form of Lavar Johnson, who is only 2-1 since making the move to UFC.

Schaub needs to keep this fight on the ground. If he can do that, he’s got a great chance at picking up the win.

 

Court McGee

Court McGee has struggled a bit since winning The Ultimate Fighter in 2010. He won his next two fights but is currently riding a two-fight losing streak. His problems in the Octagon caused him to drop to Middleweight to Welterweight.

McGee should be able to get back in the win column after tonight. Josh Neer is very good on the ground, so McGee will be advised to keep the fight off the mat. Should that happen, McGee will be much more in his comfort zone having been a professional boxer while maintaining his mixed martial arts career.

It would be a huge statement for McGee to make the step down to Welterweight and win his first fight.

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