Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate don’t like each other; this is a well-known fact that comes up again and again. But just when it seemed the animosity between Team Rousey and Team Tate couldn’t rise any higher…
Well, there they go, dragging th…
Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate don’t like each other; this is a well-known fact that comes up again and again. But just when it seemed the animosity between Team Rousey and Team Tate couldn’t rise any higher…
Well, there they go, dragging their moms into it.
As reported by Jesse Holland of MMAMania.com, a member of Rousey’s coaching staff, Marina Shafir, took some time with Fist-Ta-Cuff radio (via BJPenn.com) to address a recent action of hers: flipping Tate the bird.
Yeah, that [middle finger] was a tasteless moment on our part, but you know what? It was viewed a lot, very disrespectful, and “how could you do that?” and I had a lot of Tweets from people saying they had daughters and [I} lost a fan because [their] daughter saw that and she looked up to you,” said Shafir. “You know what though? Your daughter is going to have to make a decision at some point in her life to defend her honor, and defend who she is, and to defend the honesty of what her life is about. And you know what? That’s what we did in that instance.
It seemed as though Shafir was trying to encapsulate the tone and mood that Team Rousey was feeling, all for the sake of honor. She spoke of how their actions didn’t come out in a way many people would understand. She also said that she knew that was where the confusion and judgment came in, and for that she was sorry.
She said they wanted to be good role models to all of the up-and-coming women in MMA who are strong-willed, but then things began to get muddled.
“We’re going to try to do the right thing, but a lot of the time the right thing is going to be the wrong thing, and there’s no other real way I can explain that. Miesha, you really think your mom is going to approve of you being a fake-ass b*tch?”
Not since Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock have two fighters disliked each other so much. While bad blood between fighters has long been a marketable aspect of the fight game, Rousey and Tate are redefining the term with a vengeance.
But neither side should be dragging their moms into it.
Hot off the heels of one of the greatest lightweight fights ever between Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez, Melvin Guillard will be stepping into the cage to face Ross Pearson on the UFC Fight Night 30 card in the co-main event slot.
One would imagine…
Hot off the heels of one of the greatest lightweight fights ever between Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez, Melvin Guillard will be stepping into the cage to face Ross Pearson on the UFC Fight Night 30 card in the co-main event slot.
One would imagine trying to follow that fight would be a great deal of pressure for any two lightweights; but if it is, Melvin Guillard isn’t feeling it. In fact, while not dismissive of either Melendez or Sanchez, he was “optimistic” about his chances against either man (h/t Mike Bohn and Matt Erickson at MMAJunkie.com).
“I would have dropped either one of them,” Guillard said. “I used to drop Diego Sanchez in practice all the time. When I hit people, I hurt people. That’s just what I do.”
While this might sound like hubris, Guillard does have proven KO power. The problem he has always seemed to have is that he never follows any kind of game plan and on the ground he’s highly susceptible to submissions; of his 12 losses, nine have come via submission.
Guillard has been an up and down fighter in the UFC. He’s incredibly experienced, with a record of 32-12-2, and he’s had 20 fights in the UFC; he’s just never managed to remain consistent enough to earn a title shot.
And in spite of all of that, Guillard’s enthusiasm for himself remains unabated as he heads into hostile territory against a gritty fighter in Pearson, who is on a two-fight win streak.
“Ross better worry about my hands,” Guillard said. “I am the hardest hitting ‘55er at 155. I’ve watched him bang with guys, I’ve watched him connect on good shots and not even drop people. Everybody I hit, I drop. Everybody I hit, I f**k them up.”
With his impending fight with former training partner Mark Munoz just around the corner, Lyoto Machida is being faced to answer an old question all over again: “Would you fight Anderson Silva?”
He has been asked that question before when Si…
With his impending fight with former training partner Mark Munoz just around the corner, LyotoMachida is being faced to answer an old question all over again: “Would you fight Anderson Silva?”
He has been asked that question before when Silva was making occasional appearances at light heavyweight. Of course, both men have always stated they would not fight each other.
“We are friends, but it’s too early to think about that,” Machida said. “I don’t know about the future. That’s what I say to everybody. I’m just arriving. It’s hard to say about a title shot. Everybody is asking about it, but I prefer not to talk about it.”
Right now, Silva is trying to retake his throne from current champion, Chris Weidman.
Yet even if he manages to do so, the role of champion is nothing new to Silva, who has set more championship records than anyone.
But the facts are clear: Machida is now at middleweight, and thus come the question.
“I don’t know how long he’s [Silva] going to fight,” Machida said. “That’s why I don’t think about it.”
And his reasons for going down to middleweight in the first place?
“I just dropped down because I was going to fight against Jon Jones, and that fight couldn’t happen. The UFC gave me an opportunity to fight at 185. I want to stay active.”
Given their longstanding friendship, it is no stretch of the imagination to think that Machida not only knows what Silva’s plans for the future are, but also knows he can make the move freely, without worry of damaging that friendship.
Sometimes, when I remember that BJ Penn has lost four of his last six fights, it honestly gives me a moment of pause.
It’s not that I don’t know the record of Penn backwards and forwards, because I do. Yet in spite of that, it’s hard …
Sometimes, when I remember that BJ Penn has lost four of his last six fights, it honestly gives me a moment of pause.
It’s not that I don’t know the record of Penn backwards and forwards, because I do. Yet in spite of that, it’s hard to reconcile how a fighter of his skill and sheer talent has amassed so many losses.
Perhaps it is because I was an avid fan of the sport when he burst onto the scene, watching him rip through a level of competition that was honestly well beyond his reach, at least on paper.
But no matter where my perspective comes from, the truth is Penn has not done as well as expected.
Of course, there is a fair amount of rationalization available; over half of his losses have occurred fighting much larger opponents. His detractors like to waive this off, dismiss it as nothing more than an excuse.
However, were any number of today’s popular fighters fighting above their natural weight class, they would be praised for their daring and desire; their losses weighed with far more respect.
Now Penn is coming back to the sport. He will coach on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter against the man who took his lightweight title away from him, Frankie Edgar.
While some are glad to see him come back, his return is being met with no small degree of sarcasm from most MMA fans and more than a few journalists.
The reason for his comeback is being dismissed by many as nothing short of denial.
“Yeah, I want this Frankie Edgar fight worse than anything. He should have never beaten me. That guy can’t beat me.”
That guy can’t beat me.
But he did, twice. Neither loss was a beating, per say, but Edgar won each decision by implementing a stick-and-move game plan that Penn just didn’t seem to know how to deal with.
And thus he is back, as an underdog; but is he fueled by denial, or is it nothing more than determination?
It’s always been a little bittersweet to see how former champions are treated by the majority of the public when they attempt to regain what was once lost.
Yes, a healthy degree of skepticism is appropriate, but to mock them for their desires is just ignorant.
A former champions desire to fight again is nothing more than a byproduct of the heart that saw them become champions in the first place.
It’s easy to give up, especially in a sport where there are so many ways to lose. But they didn’t give up. That’s how they got the championship in the first place.
They fought for it, and won.
They may not get to keep the title forever, but to expect them to go quietly into history, to give up the fight when the desire is still there is nothing short of expecting them to give up their passions.
We want fighters to dare to be great. We want them to fight hard and to keep fighting hard when the going gets tough. We have even dubbed it “Championship heart” as a clear indicator of the basic conviction that is mandatory for a fighter to surpass his peers and become the best.
And for a good while, Penn was not only the best in his division, but one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Obviously he wants to fight again. Even now with so many saying he just can’t do it.
But is that enough?
We’ve heard it said many times: “BJ Penn is in shape and he’s going to be the best he’s ever been,” or some variation on that theme. It’s become a kind of running joke that brings his detractors no end of fun when you consider the punchline is the silence that precedes the laughter.
Of course, his last four fights have been at welterweight; a division ill suited for him. In his younger days, jumping up in weight to challenge much larger fighters wasn’t as bad because he was young, fearless and wildly talented.
In many ways, it always seemed his campaigns at 170 were a cry of defiance in the face of growing older. But now, Penn isn’t a young lion anymore. As a fighter gets older, talent just isn’t enough and being fearless sometimes leads to hubris as age sets in.
Penn’s time in the welterweight division was important simply because it was something he needed to do.
Now that he’s returning to a lighter division, it would seem he has reconciled with his past and wants to prove his detractors wrong.
In fact, it seems like he’s always been fighting to prove the naysayers wrong.
They said a little man couldn’t move up in weight to take out the juggernaut that was Matt Hughes. Penn did it and defeated him in a single round, making it look like child’s play.
They said a little man couldn’t go up in weight and hope to hold his own with legitimate middleweights, yet he faced and defeated Rodrigo Gracie at middleweight by unanimous decision.
Then, he even fought at light heavyweight against LyotoMachida, who weighed in at over 200 pounds come fight night. He lost the bout via unanimous decision, but Penn gave Machida all he could handle, more than anyone would have expected of a man who was fighting at lightweight 17 months prior.
Now, “they” are at it again, saying Penn is washed up and done and should just retire. While speaking freely and harshly is a right “they” have, expecting him to listen is, thankfully, contrary to our experience.
But now, going down in weight, we will see Penn once again plunging into uncharted territory. Just because he will be the naturally bigger man in more than a few bouts doesn’t mean victory is a given.
The men he will be facing, fighters like Edgar, are fast and fleet of foot. If Penn wants to match them, he will need to hone his body so it is equal to the task. He will need to be in the best shape of his life just to keep up with his younger opponents.
Can he get into that kind of shape?
Sure he can, but it is going to require his utmost dedication. Nothing can be taken for granted anymore. He cannot assume his talent, skill and experience will carry him to victory if conditioning fails him.
Penn is a fighter, and fighters heed the decrees of their heart, which is exactly how it should be. Maybe Penn really is too old to fight anymore and maybe he isn’t, but to mock his desire is to mock what makes the fight game so great.
So, is it denial or determination that is bringing him back?
It’s probably equal measures of both, to be honest. Fighters by their very nature deny convention. To fight in a cage in front of millions of people is not a natural act. It is that denial which walks hand-in-hand with the daring required to step into the cage in the first place.
And the determination? Well, that can be summed up in the credo he has upheld his entire career.
With UFC Fight Night 30, another night of fights is almost upon us. Hot on the heals of UFC 166, once again we wonder which bouts are going to stand out and maybe, if we are very lucky, delight us as much as Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez did….
With UFC Fight Night 30, another night of fights is almost upon us. Hot on the heals of UFC 166, once again we wonder which bouts are going to stand out and maybe, if we are very lucky, delight us as much as Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez did.
Of course, bouts like Melendez vs. Sanchez are very rare. It helps when two men are proven warriors, yet it is still hard to gauge if their styles will mesh in a way that favors an all out slugfest.
But as fans, that is what we do: We look at the events hard and let our imaginations run wild in the search for the next big brawl.
At UFC Fight Night 30, we will see Mark Munoz welcome LyotoMachida to the middleweight division, while Melvin Guillard meets Ross Pearson. Even though these fights may or may not be barn burners, they top off a card with some potential, including three potential fights that may just yield the kind of excitement we are hoping for.
JimiManuwa vs. Ryan Jimmo
JimiManuwa is as of now a perfect fighter as far as his record. He is undefeated at 13-0, and none of his fights have gone to decision. He has 12 KO/TKOs and one submission victory—a clear prelude to what he brings into his contest with Ryan Jimmo.
Jimmo is the more experienced of the two, boasting a record of 18-2, gaining the finish in exactly half of his posted victories (seven via KO/TKO, two via submission). His knockout of Anthony Perosh at UFC 149, coming at the seven-second mark of the first round, is the fastest KO in the history of the light heavyweight division in the UFC.
Both men possess heavy hands, although the clear advantage in KO power should belong to Manuwa, who has 10 finishes inside of the first round.
For as long as this lasts, it should be exciting. If both men are eager, this bout could end fast with either man scoring via KO, and in that scenario, I predict Manuwa to be the victor.
However, if both men are content to be cautious and respectful of each other’s power, Manuwa may end up seeing Round 3 for the first time in his career. Should this fight go the distance, I predict Jimmo will see his hand raised, as he has gone the distance and claimed victory nine times in his career.
It should be quite entertaining for as long as it lasts.
Al Iaquinta vs. Piotr Hallmann
One of the favorable aspects of the fight between Al Iaquinta and Piotr Hallmann is that both men have been active as of late. Iaquinta will be fighting his second fight in 56 days and Hallmann his second fight in 52 days.
This could very well translate into both men coming in at the top of their games, ready to go.
While Hallmann has more experience (14-1), Iaquinta made a good accounting of himself on season 15 of TheUltimateFighter and should be more acclimated to fighting on the big stage.
Hallmann may very well try to take this bout to the floor early, as Iaquinta has two defeats on his record, both coming via submission. Ideally, Iaquinta will be ready for this strategy, but after seeing Junior dos Santos succumb to Cain Velasquez via the same strategy the champ used to dethrone dos Santos the first time, one never knows.
Still, I predict Iaquinta to be the man that wants it more, taking the victory via unanimous decision in a grinding kind of fight.
Andy Ogle vs. Cole Miller
If ever there was a time for Andy Ogle to make it statement, it would be against Cole Miller.
Miller possesses the submission skills to catch Ogle on the ground, but since he has dropped down to featherweight, he is 1-3. This could bode well for the gritty Brit; Ogle is not overly good in any one area, but he is gritty as hell and has enough power in his hands to keep Miller on his heels if he can get inside.
Miller, for his part, always fights with a kind of subdued fury that really only seems to come out at the moment he is about to finish his opponents. He’ll need to deploy this fury if he wants to break out of the decision-loss slump he seems to be in. He’s a tough fighter who enjoys a good brawl, but so was Leonard Garcia, who was eventually bounced from the promotion.
I think this fight is the sleeper of the night and predict Ogle to win in an exciting back-and-forth fight that will see both men rocked and bloody by the end.
After what was a great night of fights at UFC 166 last weekend, Dana White talked about John Dodson, an exciting flyweight fighter who won his bout via knockout. Dodson is like many dynamic and hungry fighters on the roster; he wants to fight as often …
After what was a great night of fights at UFC 166 last weekend, Dana White talked about John Dodson, an exciting flyweight fighter who won his bout via knockout. Dodson is like many dynamic and hungry fighters on the roster; he wants to fight as often as possible in order to make as much money as possible.
The fight game has always belonged to the young, sans exceptions to the rule, such as Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, Bernard Hopkins and others. Fighters want to make the most of the time they have and the spotlight available to them.
Sadly, in the UFC, competition for both is fierce.
White, never a man to shy away from any conversation that deals with his company and the policies by which they exist and thrive, spoke on the subject of Dodson, fighter cuts and the realities of having a full roster (h/t Jesse Holland via mmamania.com).
“I keep telling you guys our roster is too full. Guys have to get fights and every time after a show we cut a guy, people say ‘F–k you, Dana White, you’re an idiot.’ Shut the f–k up and let us run our business.”
As usual, White does not hide his feelings or resort to false pretense when faced with the public’s recurring misconception about a company policy. He’s got more than enough right to conduct business as he see’s fit. He is the man that knows what the guts of the machine actually look like, and how best to keep them running.
But there is a wrinkle in the bed sheet.
White may indeed be the man with the plan, but the fans are the ones who make it possible. As the sport has grown, so has the UFC, and that has seen White grow more and more accustomed to addressing the fans as if they were nothing more than ignorant children who should be happy with whatever he decides to give them.
Obviously, if pushed to address this fact, White would give the fans their due and explain that he is not speaking to the masses, but rather the minority who take exception with nearly everything he says.
But at the end of the day, when speaking with the media, if he does not make that difference known at the podium, then the message goes out unfiltered, and is processed and assimilated by the fans in total, who have every right to feel angry and slighted by such declarations.
White is in a tough position, just as every man in authority is. But he took that mantle upon himself, and by now he should know how to navigate the landscape without trampling on everyone who just so happens to be in front of him.
Sometimes, when I remember that