Trilogy fights are a rarity in MMA but lucky for fans, we get to witness what could become of one of the best in the history of the sport. Besides the fans being excited for the fight between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, Cruz is also excited.”He’s n…
Trilogy fights are a rarity in MMA but lucky for fans, we get to witness what could become of one of the best in the history of the sport. Besides the fans being excited for the fight between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, Cruz is also excited.
“He’s never going to know what’s coming,” said Cruz.
With his dominating performance against Brian Bowles at UFC 139, Faber earned another crack at bantamweight champion Cruz.
A lot of people feel Faber is getting another shot so soon simply because he’s a big name. Cruz doesn’t think so.
“The way that he beat Bowles, I think it warrants a title fight for him,” said Cruz.
Faber’s performance was impressive as he controlled the action wherever it went and ended Bowles’ title hopes with a second-round guillotine.
In his post-fight talk with Joe Rogan and the post-fight press conference, Faber repeatedly made jabs at Cruz and his fighting style, claiming that he might have to lower himself to Cruz’s level.
Cruz is recovering from hand surgery, so it will be some time before the two meet, but if the first two bouts are any indication, the wait will be well worth it.
In their first meeting, Faber gave “The Dominator” his only career loss, but Cruz was able to edge a decision victory over Faber in their rematch this summer.
Although many people will be putting money on Faber to win, Cruz doesn’t have any shortage of confidence. Speaking of his second bout with Faber, Cruz let us know his prediction for the fight.
“I was able to keep him out of his rhythm and that’s going to be the case in any fight I have with him.”
Fans will have to wait a while for Cruz to return from his hand surgery, but both men are likely to campaign for a spot as coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, so we could be seeing the pre-fight talk begin soon.
At UFC 142, featherweight champion Jose Aldo, looks to defend his belt against the tough challenger, Chad “Money” Mendes.The fight was originally scheduled for UFC 133 but injuries prevented it from occurring. Instead of waiting it out, Mendes chose to…
At UFC 142, featherweight champion Jose Aldo, looks to defend his belt against the tough challenger, Chad “Money” Mendes.
The fight was originally scheduled for UFC 133 but injuries prevented it from occurring. Instead of waiting it out, Mendes chose to fight, defeating highly touted Rani Yahya by unanimous decision.
Aldo defended his title against Kenny Florian at UFC 136.
For many fight fans, Aldo hasn’t looked himself since joining the UFC ranks. In the WEC, Aldo ran through a who’s-who of fighters and made it look easy. In his first bout with the UFC, however, he struggled to put away Mark Hominick and couldn’t get into a rhythm against Florian.
Mendes has failed to impress fans as well. He has some of the best wrestling at 145 pounds but has been labeled another user of “lay and pray” to earn a victory.
I’m not sure what the cause is for Aldo’s lack of tenacity in his two fights in the UFC, but I’m willing to guess the weight cut is starting to really affect him. If you haven’t seen the videos of Aldo’s struggles with cutting weight (20 pounds in one day? C’mon, man), I suggest you seek out a clip.
With Aldo being more cautious, Mendes will use his wrestling ability to wear the champion down.
Mendes landed five takedowns against Yahya and four against Michihiro Omigawa in their matchup. If Mendes can land at least one takedown per round, we will see a unanimous decision for the challenger.
However, Aldo is a fighter and will likely make it back to his feet on more than one occasion. But each time he works his way up, his gas tank will get closer and closer to empty. Aldo could resemble the Dan Henderson we saw in the final rounds in his recent bout.
Along with Mendes’ strong wrestling credentials, he has the advantage of training with someone who’s already faced Aldo before.
Although Urijah Faber struggled against Aldo in their matchup, Team Alpha Male has no doubt learned from its mistakes and will form a better game plan for Mendes. Mendes will look to get the fight to the ground every chance he gets, and as every second ticks by, Aldo’s fatigue will make it easier for Mendes to steal round after round.
With his impressive performance over perennial top 10 middleweight Chris Leben at UFC 138, Mark Munoz effectively earned a title shot in most MMA fans’ eyes.Munoz has beaten some very credible opponents such as Leben, Demian Maia, Kendall Grove and Aar…
With his impressive performance over perennial top 10 middleweight Chris Leben at UFC 138, Mark Munoz effectively earned a title shot in most MMA fans’ eyes.
Munoz has beaten some very credible opponents such as Leben, Demian Maia, Kendall Grove and Aaron Simpson.
He has some of the most vicious ground-and-pound we’ve ever seen in the Octagon, and his power translates into his stand-up as well, evident by his KO victory of CB Dollaway.
When asked about the UFC middleweight title following the Leben contest, Munoz stated he felt he had earned a shot and would like to be next in line to challenge middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.
While nobody can say Munoz hasn’t earned his title shot, everyone can—and should—believe that he’s not ready to face Silva.
His stand-up has improved since he first stepped inside the Octagon, but he still relies too much on his one-punch KO ability; he needs to work at throwing combinations and setting up his right hand.
If you watch the Leben fight, you can see Munoz almost spin himself into the ground trying to wing punches and knock Leben out with one punch. “The Spider” is likely to take those openings and leave Munoz in a crumpled heap in the middle of the Octagon.
But, of course, we know Munoz has enough brains to realize his best chances at winning would be to take Silva down. Munoz has some heavy hands on the ground, and for years fans have known the way to beating Silva is by wrestling.
Munoz’s wrestling, just as his striking, hasn’t evolved far enough to where fans should give him a chance against Silva. His amateur background is unquestioned, but the former Oklahoma State Cowbay hasn’t transferred that success into MMA wrestling yet.
In his fight with Yushin Okami, we saw Munoz struggle to get takedowns and often times just lunged forward hoping to take Okami to the ground. Okami himself is a fairly good wrestler and likely offered more resistance than Silva would be able to.
But what about the size factor?
I’m not saying Munoz is small for 185 lbs., but if you look at how he struggled against a larger middleweight (Okami), you can guess he would have similar struggles against Silva, considering Silva is rumored to walk around at around 220-230 lbs.
Munoz hasn’t evolved enough to become a complete fighter that could dethrone “The Spider.” Chael Sonnen has some of the best wrestling in all of MMA and even he couldn’t finish Silva.
Munoz has the power to knock Silva out, but it’s getting him to the mat that worries me. Munoz would be ineffective at taking Silva down and would be forced into a stand-up battle against the best striker in the world.
Fans want to see Silva challenged and to have his back be against the wall. We don’t want to see him stand there with his hands at his waist baiting another wrestler unable to take him down.
Munoz is more of a glorified prospect (he’s only had 14 fights in his career) than title contender. Give him one, maybe two more bouts against top five middleweights, and then he can call Silva out and ask for his title shot.
The Alistair Overeem-Golden Glory saga just opened a new chapter on Wednesday when Bas Rutten made his opinion known.In Part I of this story, we covered the background of the issue and presented the main reason why Overeem has made the choice to …
In Part I of this story, we covered the background of the issue and presented the main reason why Overeem has made the choice to separate from his former management.
What many people considered to be a business deal gone wrong, just touched a nerve on the pathos side of the argument.
According to Rutten, he believes “Overeem disrespected Golden Glory.”
Besides cutting ties with Golden Glory, a gym/company Overeem had been a part of for over 10 years, Rutten describes a conversation he had with Overeem.
When Rutten attempted to remind Overeem that these people (Golden Glory) had been there through his ups and downs and helped contribute to his success, Overeem’s response was disrespectful indeed of his former trainer.
“Yeah, if we have to talk about people who contributed to my success, then I also have to mention my cleaning lady who cleans my house for eleven and a half Euros an hour,” said Overeem.
Rutten explains that the idea that Overeem would put the words “trainer” and “cleaning” lady in the same sentence was very disrespectful. He also claimed that Overeem made a new offer to Golden Glory, Overeem offered them less than one percent.
In what has become a clouded picture as the days go on, Rutten explains that like most issues in life, it comes down to money.
“It’s a money thing. He simply doesn’t want to pay the people who made him. When he lost three fights in a row…well, like pretty much 5, I mean, he lost, won, lost three times in a row, won, and lost again…and nobody wanted to have him.” (paullazenby.com)
Besides money, the main problem presented by Rutten is one of loyalty. If you have a minute, check out the entire interview and you can see that Rutten, likely along with other members of the Golden Glory team, feel like Overeem has “left them out to dry” so to speak.
When Overeem was going through a tough stretch, the people at Golden Glory stood by him and did all they could to get organisations to get a fight for him.
An interesting point presented by Rutten is when he explains that Golden Glory would use Semmy Schilt (a much bigger name at the time) as leverage.
“If you want Semmy Schilt to fight, then you have to take Alistair as well,” said Rutten.
Perhaps this sheds light on why Dana White made such a galiant move in releasing some prominent Golden Glory fighters when Zuffa bought out Strikeforce.
Rutten is a highly respected MMA commentator so his opinion will be considered fact by a good number of fans. Is he right though?
Is Overeem wrong for simply wanting to better his life?
As with any argument, the idea of right and wrong is subjective to each individual.
If someone offered you a better paying job with more perks, odds are you’d leave your current company. But nobody would fault you for being loyal to the company you’re with either.
Overeem certainly owes Golden Glory a great deal as they’ve helped his career grow. At the same time though, I can’t fault the man for trying to find a better deal for his fight contract.
Overeem has since moved his camp to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and that is a move that will likely make him a better MMA fighter. He seems content on putting Golden Glory behind him and moving to the United States in time.
Perhaps it is best for Golden Glory to move on from Overeem as well? If the Golden Glory team truly did make Overeem into what he is today, they should be able to make the next “MegaReem.”
The two sides are likely to engage in bit of slandering to damage each other’s image to the public which likely mean fans will have to make an even tougher choice as to who is right, and who is wrong.
Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out other articles from Kyle here.
UFC newcomer Alistair Overeem has a colossal challenge ahead of him at UFC 141 when he takes on Brock Lesnar.Overeem now has a huge challenge in the court system as well. He’s decided that he wants out of his managerial contract with Golden G…
Overeem now has a huge challenge in the court system as well. He’s decided that he wants out of his managerial contract with Golden Glory and is asking for a court order to break the contract, according to MMAjunkie.com.
The article says Overeem claims Golden Glory misled him with their contract and that he ceded 35 percent in pre-tax earnings. He is also looking for a reported $151,000 in back pay.
If you’re new to the situation let’s back track a little to catch you up to speed.
When news broke that a handful of Golden Glory fighters were released from their Zuffa contracts, many fans were left puzzled by the move. It wasn’t as if the UFC was letting go of some no-name prospects.
They were releasing a fighter who won “Fight of the Night” honors in his bout along with the former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion.
A lot of fans felt the “bad blood” between the UFC and Golden Glory would prevent the arrival of Alistair Overeem to the UFC. Those fears were put to rest when Overeem signed a contract and then was revealed to be facing Lesnar in a title eliminator bout at UFC 141.
Besides the main storylines of “Is Overeem as good as we think?” and “Can he deal with Brock Lesnar’s takedown?”, Overeem has made headlines with his departure from Golden Glory.
In a recent video of his popular documentary series, “The Reem,” Overeem shed light on why he left the gym he had made his home for so long.
Overeem explains that he and a lawyer went over his contract and discovered “some things” that benefited Golden Glory but didn’t benefit Overeem.
He described how he felt when he and the lawyer discovered how the contract was laid out.
“I think it’s the management’s duty to explain stuff to the fighter…(and) to negotiate to explain things to me, and clarify things for me, and they were not doing their job. Not only that, it was such a big disadvantage that it also caused a breach in trust. I like to work with people I can trust.” (via MMAJunkie.com)
Everyone can sympathize with Overeem on this issue. We’ve all felt betrayed by someone close to us at one point in our lives. So when Overeem made the decision to separate himself from Golden Glroy, most of us felt it was the right move.
Of course, throughout all of this we haven’t been presented with Golden Glory’s side of the matter. Now that the issue is going to court we aren’t likely to hear any official statements from Golden Glory.
But Bas Rutten is not scared to share his thoughts on the matter. Be sure to check out Part II of this story to see what “El Guapo” has to say about Overeem and Golden Glory.
Dana White speaks his mind and says what he wants, when he wants. He’s without a doubt one of the most vocal of league owners/commissioners. I, like many MMA fans, enjoy White’s openness with his fanbase. I like the feeling of knowing what exactly is g…
Dana White speaks his mind and says what he wants, when he wants. He’s without a doubt one of the most vocal of league owners/commissioners.
I, like many MMA fans, enjoy White’s openness with his fanbase. I like the feeling of knowing what exactly is going on behind the scenes and how things are going within the UFC.
Although I’m glad Mr. White is in touch with his fanbase, I have to say it’s time for him to step aside now that the UFC will be going mainstream on Fox.
It’s not that I want White to sit idly by without being his usual outspoken self, but the post-fight analysis booth is not the time nor the place for his fan side to come out.
When presented a question that was intended to build up the new champion, Junior dos Santos, White instead chose to voice his opinion on Cain Velasquez.
Instead of building up his new champion, White chose to voice his opinion on national television. Does Roger Goodell completely discredit the Super Bowl loser? No, he focuses on congratulating the winner.
If White’s post-fight analysis wasn’t bad enough, he outdid himself when he responded to the critics about the Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida match not being televised.
“For anybody to bitch about this fight and they didn’t get to see that fight, shut up. You should have bought tickets then if you wanted to see all the fights, and you don’t like to watch it on Facebook. Seriously, shut up,” White said with conviction.”
There are two problems with his response:
The first is fans shouldn’t have to go on Facebook to watch a No. 1 contender match. Putting preliminary bouts that normally wouldn’t receive air time on Facebook is one thing, but a title eliminator match belongs on TV.
The other problem is White telling his critics to “shut up.” Goodell, Bud Selig and David Stern aren’t telling their fans to shut up.
If White really wants to make the UFC and MMA go mainstream and be up there with “The Big Three” main leagues, he needs to understand what mainstream fans want.
He always prides himself on giving fans what they want to see, and now he needs to give fans the league commissioner they want too.
The mainstream fans want to focus on the individual players. They don’t care about the man who’s in charge, except to stay out of the product.
We love how White is open to talk with us as fans but national television is not where he should be voicing his opinion. The UFC is about the fighters and that’s what he should spend his on-air time talking about.
White is always quick to remind us that the UFC is a business and if a fighter can’t cut it then they’re released. He needs to heed his own words and be “just business” when in front of a national television audience.
Dana White is not supposed to be the star of a UFC event, the fighters are.
Trilogy fights are a rarity in MMA but lucky for fans, we get to witness what could become of one of the best in the history of the sport. Besides the fans being excited for the fight between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, Cruz is also excited.