Author: Levi Nile

UFC: Assembling the Greatest July 4 PPV Card Ever, Top to Bottom

Ever since the huge success of UFC 100, building a pay-per-view card that could deliver the goods in equal (if not greater) measure has been a kind of holy grail for the organization and the fans.
Obviously, if it was as easy as plugging names into slo…

Ever since the huge success of UFC 100, building a pay-per-view card that could deliver the goods in equal (if not greater) measure has been a kind of holy grail for the organization and the fans.

Obviously, if it was as easy as plugging names into slots, we would have seen it by now. But UFC 100 was a stacked card from top to bottom. While it’s tempting to put men like Brock Lesnar into the mix for another blockbuster event, we still don’t know if he will come back.

Also, in terms of this hypothetical matchmaking, at least some realism is needed. Jon Jones has been banged up as of late and probably wouldn’t sign to fight in July, especially after fighting Glover Teixeira in late April.

Mark Hunt vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva II is also not a possibility, since Silva will still be on suspension for elevated TRT levels. Thus, another big rematch is off the table for July.

But there are other fights that could make for the biggest July 4 weekend event ever. Could it equal UFC 100 in terms of buys and customer satisfaction? While the latter is possible, the former remains uncertain.

But it’s fun to ponder the possibilities nonetheless.

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TUF Brazil 3: Dana White Calls Filming “Absolute Insanity,” Show to Be “Crazy”

If anyone thought that Chael Sonnen’s coaching stint opposite rival Wanderlei Silva on Season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil would roll on peacefully, it appears they were wrong.
As reported by MMAWeekly.com via Jeff Cain, early information co…

If anyone thought that Chael Sonnen’s coaching stint opposite rival Wanderlei Silva on Season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil would roll on peacefully, it appears they were wrong.

As reported by MMAWeekly.com via Jeff Cain, early information confirms that this could be the most explosive and hostile season ever, according to Dana White:

From what I have heard, the first day of filming was absolute insanity. Basically, it’s so crazy down there that the guys that are coaching on Chael’s team are scared to be there. That’s how insane it is inside that gym.

MMA fans are familiar by now with Sonnen’s history of insulting the nation of Brazil. It began when he and Anderson Silva were preparing for their first fight at UFC 117, and it continued again prior to their rematch at UFC 148.

When Wanderlei Silva took exception to Sonnen’s words, he responded by including “The Axe Murderer” among his list of Brazilian targets, which is esteemed company. The likes of Anderson Silva and the Nogueira brothers have been recipients of Sonnen’s jibes and jovial ridicule.

But unlike previous fighters, Wanderlei has not taken the barbs quietly. He confronted Sonnen at the Mr. Olympia Expo in 2013, and they almost came to blows.

When it was announced that Sonnen would be coaching opposite Wanderlei in Brazil, the anticipation was that the bad blood between the two men might be much ado about very little until they met in the cage. During filming of Season 17 of TUF, Sonnen showed professionalism that was in direct contrast to the man we had seen go so low in order to hype a fight.

He was cordial and shockingly unbiased and proved to be an excellent coach who was more than happy to put his fighters first. He had spent a good deal of time blasting Jon Jones over the UFC 151 fiasco, but during filming, that version of Sonnen was nowhere to be found.

Clearly, traveling to Brazil and training with fighters who are natives to the land that he slandered is a much different and harder-to-tame beast.

“I think this season is going to be explosive and crazy,” said White. “From what I’m hearing, the things that went down, Wanderlei is 100-percent being Wanderlei and Chael is being Chael.”

Batten down the hatches, ladies and gentlemen, because West Linn, Oregon is a long way from Brazil.

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Kyacey Uscola Found Guilty of Domestic Abuse, Could Face 13 Years

According to a report from C. Johnson and Siemny Chhuon of KXTV News10, MMA fighter and The Ultimate Fighter 11 veteran Kyacey Uscola has been found guilty of domestic abuse and could serve up to 13 years in prison.
Uscola was found guil…

According to a report from C. Johnson and Siemny Chhuon of KXTV News10, MMA fighter and The Ultimate Fighter 11 veteran Kyacey Uscola has been found guilty of domestic abuse and could serve up to 13 years in prison.

Uscola was found guilty by a jury of his peers in Sacramento, Calif., for an incident on June 15, 2013, in which Uscola assaulted the mother of his child.

Shelly Orio, the D.A. spokesperson on the case, said the victim suffered a life-threatening laceration to her pancreas, eight broken ribs, a punctured lung, two lumbar fractures and an orbital fracture.

This was not the first incident of its kind involving Uscola. When he was arrested for domestic abuse in 2011, Uscola saw his relationship with Urijah Faber and Team Alpha Male severed.

“As soon as the first incident happened, Kyacey was no longer allowed to be a part of the team,” Faber said, via the KXTV News10 report.

Uscola joined Faber’s team in 2008 in an attempt to straighten his life out and get into the UFC. This, in turn, saw him earn a sport on Season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter, where he was chosen by Team Ortiz after defeating Brent Cooper via KO inside of 30 seconds of the first round.

Uscola was disqualified via an illegal knee strike to the head of Rich Antonio in the fourth episode of the show, but he was chosen for a wild-card position later in the season. He lost his wild-card bout to Kris McCray via submission early in the second round.

Uscola’s last fight was in February of 2013. He lost to Jason South via rear-naked choke, marking his eighth loss in a row.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 14, 2014.

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Phil Davis Doesn’t Think Jon Jones Will Fight Glover Teixeira

Phil Davis, “Mr. Wonderful,” is ready and willing to step in and fight Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 because he doesn’t think Jon Jones will make the fight.
In an interview with MMAJunkie Radio (h/t Steven Marrocco), Davis said he had a …

Phil Davis, “Mr. Wonderful,” is ready and willing to step in and fight Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 because he doesn’t think Jon Jones will make the fight.

In an interview with MMAJunkie Radio (h/t Steven Marrocco), Davis said he had a “sneaky suspicion” that Jones will not make it to his next title fight. Davis went on to explain why he must be ready to face Teixeira in Jones’ stead.

“I’m just going to tell you the short version,” Davis said. “Alexander Gustafsson put tips all over that boy. [Jones] doesn’t know up from down, left from right. So I really don’t see him wanting to get back in there with anybody—definitely not Alexander. I don’t even think he wants to get back in there with Glover Teixeira—bless his little heart.”

Thus, the “sneaky suspicion” blooms into a prediction of flight rather than fight for the UFC light heavyweight champion due to his Fight of the Year effort against Gustafsson at UFC 165. Jones retained his title in the bout but suffered the first takedowns of his career while getting battered and bloodied.

Against Teixeira, Jones will enjoy a staggering eight-and-a-half-inch reach advantage and a two-inch height advantage—two things he did not have against Gustafsson. In the past, when Jones had such advantages, he made his fights look easy.

As for Davis, he is in good health, has a clear schedule and is just waiting for a fight offer to come his way. His last bout was a controversial decision victory over Lyoto Machida at UFC 163 in August of last year.

Whether or not his prediction of Jones falling out of his fight with Teixeira at UFC 172—scheduled for April 26—comes true remains to be seen.

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UFC Fight Night 35 Salaries: Luke Rockhold Tops List at $80,000

After Luke Rockhold finished Costas Philippou via a violent kicking assault to his liver, we were reminded that Bas Rutten may have had the right idea all along.
It was a coming-out party of sorts for Rockhold, who had last been seen in a losing effort…

After Luke Rockhold finished Costas Philippou via a violent kicking assault to his liver, we were reminded that Bas Rutten may have had the right idea all along.

It was a coming-out party of sorts for Rockhold, who had last been seen in a losing effort to the Brazilian buzzsaw that is Vitor Belfort back in May of 2013 at UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Rockhold.

Rockhold is now back to his winning ways, and given the schedule the UFC has planned for 2014, his options are wide open. He pulled in top-dollar honors with his $80,000 effort against Philippou and stands at 10-1 in his last 11 fights.

Meanwhile, Cole Miller earned $56,000 by defeating Sam Sicilia and is now left in a bit of a familiar lurch. With his broken hand, he is sidelined yet again and talk of a fight with Connor McGregor or Donald Cerrone will have to be put on the shelf for the time being.

The full salary breakdown comes courtesy of Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAfighting.com.

 

Luke Rockhold ($40,000 + $40,000 = $80,000) defeats Costas Philippou ($23,000)

Brad Tavares ($16,000 + $16,000 = $32,000) defeats Lorenz Larkinn ($26,000)

T.J. Dillashaw ($14,000 + $14,000 = $28,000) defeats Mike Easton ($14,000)

Yoel Romero ($14,000 + $14,000 = $28,000) defeats Derek Brunson ($19,000)

John Moraga ($17,000 + $17,000 = $34,000) defeats Dustin Ortiz ($10,000)

Cole Miller ($28,000 + $28,000 = $56,000) defeats Sam Sicilia ($10,000)

Ramsey Nijem ($14,000 + $14,000 = $28,000) defeats Justin Edwards ($10,000)

Elias Silverio ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) defeats Isaac Vallie-Flagg ($12,000)

Trevor Smith ($8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000) defeats Brian Houston ($8,000)

Louis Smolka ($8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000) defeats Alptekin Ozkilic ($10,000)

Vinc Pichel ($8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000) defeats Garett Whiteley ($8,000)

Beneil Dariush ($8,000 + $8,000 = $16,000) defeats Charlie Brenneman ($10,000)

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Rich Franklin: The Gentleman, Scholar and Fighter Who Led By Example

Sometime soon, former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin will retire from the sport, passing as humbly and quietly as he entered.As a man who helped carry the company on his shoulders into the next era, Franklin was a sterling example of what a fi…

Sometime soon, former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin will retire from the sport, passing as humbly and quietly as he entered.

As a man who helped carry the company on his shoulders into the next era, Franklin was a sterling example of what a fighter should be. He was poised, dedicated, passionate, upright, genuine and above all an honest competitor.

As a former school teacher, he transitioned into the sport as a serious student of MMA, learning as he went and teaching others by example. Franklin didn’t turn down fights nor did he make excuses—he owned his victories and defeats wholly and without regret.

He didn’t talk smack because he was a professional who had already signed his name and thus would fight to the very best of his ability, and for the fans of his time, that was all we needed to know.

There was a transparency about Franklin that made you feel good about being a fan of such a hard sport. There was an obvious dignity in him that was clear to all in his words and actions, both in and out of the cage.

As a foil for Matt Hughes in their coaching stint of the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, Franklin provided a stability and purpose to his fighters that at times made Hughes look like nothing more than a high school senior.

When his longtime friend and training partner, Jorge Gurgel, threw a water bottle in protest, Franklin was the first to confront him about it. He didn’t play favorites and had high expectations for everyone—they followed because he led by example.

In the role of spokesman for the sport, we really couldn’t have done any better than Franklin. Many felt that fighters in such a sport were simple, easily outwitted creatures who could be baited or confused. With Franklin, they discovered they were speaking to a lucid, learned man that represented the best qualities of competitive sport.

As a fighter, he was damn good. He came in shape and was willing to spend himself utterly toward an honest end and that end saw him beating some very good fighters.

Although his time as champion may have been short, he continued to fight with a champion’s desire and dignity long after he lost the title.

He was a gentleman in a rough sport that never let the trappings of success and growing fame go to his head. His honesty was as constant as his courage, his smile as reliable as his word and he was never false.

When he was knocked out by Cung Le in his last bout in November of 2012, the sight of him sprawled face-first on the canvas was shocking and heartbreaking. It’s not that he lost or got knocked out, it was simply a sign that his time in the sport was coming to an end.

While some expect professional fighters to linger in their sport far longer than their expiration date would advise, Franklin is not one of those men. For his fans, we knew he would take that loss, look at it critically and no doubt begin to prepare to exit the stage.

Everyone gets old, and this is not a sport for “old men.” However, Franklin proved it could be a sport for good men, and that is something that will be remembered for a very long time.

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