If there is any curse in the world of combative sport, it’s that of being a fighter who cannot deliver force with any kind of note, especially via punches. Much like trying to carry water with a hole in the bottom of the bucket, scoring punches t…
If there is any curse in the world of combative sport, it’s that of being a fighter who cannot deliver force with any kind of note, especially via punches.
Much like trying to carry water with a hole in the bottom of the bucket, scoring punches that do little to no damage—no matter how cleanly they land—is a hard obstacle to overcome; such fighters can still score points, but once their opponent realizes they have nothing to fear from those fists, the fight can turn quickly.
After all, these men and women are in the hurt business, where it is far better to give than receive; if you have nothing to give, then you are going to receive, usually until your cup runneth over.
But there is also an unfounded stigma around such fighters; the notion is if a fighter has “pillow hands” or is “feather fisted,” they can never acquire the power to do serious damage if God hasn’t seen fit to give it to them at birth.
While some fighters can indeed train to confound said notion, it still takes a great deal in order to compete with the Fedor Emelianenkos, Benson Hendersons and Johnny Hendrickses of the game—men who can deliver devastating force so casually it almost seems unfair.
No one enters the fight game and achieves anything considerable without being of the mind that they are good enough and have the necessary desire to take such considerations as “fair” and “unfair” and render them moot.
Fighters have always been a breed apart from the rest of us, which is why we watch them ply their trade; as fans, ours are vicarious joys.
When news broke that longtime UFC legend and dual-division multiple-time champion Randy Couture had signed a deal with rival network Spike TV to work with rival promotion Bellator, anyone who has followed the sport just knew there was going to be some …
When news broke that longtime UFC legend and dual-division multiple-time champion Randy Couture had signed a deal with rival network Spike TV to work with rival promotion Bellator, anyone who has followed the sport just knew there was going to be some form of fallout.
UFC President, Dana White, has never been shy about making his opinions known, no matter the subject, and all fully expected him to begin a kind of scorched earth policy against Couture.
As of right now, while it looks like Couture couldn’t even pay for a ticket to attend a UFC event, there has been little in the way of retribution from White.
He’s spoken about his feelings on the subject (h/t MMAWeekly.com), told anyone who would listen that Randy’s son, Ryan Couture, will not suffer in any way, directly or by proxy, due to the separation, and aside from that, there has really been nothing else.
Fans of the sport were expecting something, but most of us were not expecting the level of restraint White is showing on the subject.
After all, this is the man who has freely and openly denied Frank Shamrock, one of the best fighters in UFC history, a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame, for no other reason than he simply doesn’t like him.
Any time Frank Shamrock’s name gets brought up, White rips into him as if the man had never been a fighter of note in his life.
So why wouldn’t we think that Couture might get the Shamrock treatment, given that what Couture has done was expected to be viewed by White as nothing short of traitorous?
Well, if there is one thing White has shown us in the past, it’s that he’s unpredictable. No one expected him to throw Jon Jones under the bus the way he did over the UFC 151 fiasco.
On the other hand, White has shown that he can mend fences with anyone; all you need note is his reconciliation with Tito Ortiz.
So, for now, it looks like no more news is the news when it comes to the topic of Randy Couture vs. Dana White, and that is probably for the best.
But that could all change when Couture becomes a prominent face on Bellator broadcasts; if Bellator begins enjoying success, thanks to Couture, White may aim his displeasure at Couture more freely.
And if the Bellator reality series becomes a hit?
There is no telling just how aggressive White will become. He may even go to the lengths to alter the UFC’s image so that it seems Randy Couture never existed.
And so it goes; based on the strengths of this weekend’s bout between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar—billed as a “Superfight”—Dana White has announced the date (August 3) that we will see Jose Aldo attempt to defend his feath…
And so it goes; based on the strengths of this weekend’s bout between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar—billed as a “Superfight”—Dana White has announced the date (August 3) that we will see Jose Aldo attempt to defend his featherweight belt against Anthony Pettis.
A lot of talk is made by Dana White in regards to making fights that make sense.
He inked ChaelSonnen to coach opposite Jon Jones and along with that gig comes a title fight for Sonnen because, White said, it “makes sense.”
Ronda Rousey and Chris Cyborg may or may not fight at a catch weight of 140 pounds, because while it would be a fan pleasing fight, it “doesn’t make sense” to White.
Now, White has signed Jose Aldo to fight Anthony Pettis, leaving a potential long-anticipated rematch with Benson Henderson in limbo.
The thought of a fight between Aldo and Pettis makes any fight fan worth his salt salivate: two men of similar size, speed and power, both great grapplers and strikers with their own right…what’s not to love?
Such a fight could be a battle for the ages and if what looks good on paper translates as expected to the stage, it could be one of the greatest fights ever.
But it shouldn’t have been made so soon.
Why, you ask? Because it could derail the hype of a possible rematch between Pettis and reigning lightweight champion Benson Henderson.
If there is one thing the UFC knows how to do, it’s build the excitement of rematches around the notion that in MMA, lightning can indeed strike twice.
And perhaps nothing was more electrifying than the boot to the head Pettis landed on Henderson in their first fight.
It wasn’t just great, it was both perfection and unbelievable at the time, and that is the kind of thing that draws people in.
The sheer amount of attention the UFC media machine could build around a showdown between Pettis and Henderson cannot be ignored. They could run highlights of that kick for days and days and no one would get tired of seeing it, and they would also talk about it, frequently.
They can still do this same thing, but only if Pettis beats Aldo or looks excellent in defeat.
Anything less than that is going to take some of the air out of a rematch between Pettis and Henderson, and by proxy could take some of the luster off a potential title run by Jose Aldo at 155.
Should Aldo hand Pettis back to the lightweight division as a broken man, he’s going to have to build himself back up at 155 in order to look like he’s a worthy contender again.
If not, the lightweight belt is going to be compromised by a Pettis victory that comes so quickly after a crushing defeat at the hands of Aldo; after all, appearances are terribly important in the process of hyping a fight and maintaining a division.
And from there, Aldo claiming the lightweight title is no longer that big of a deal because he’s already beaten the Pettis before.
All of these risks, while outlandish to the knowledgeable fan, are still risks, and they are needless at that.
If the powers that be in the UFC would have waited for Pettis to fight Henderson for the lightweight title, they would have enjoyed the hype of what is sure to be a great fight, sustained the perception that the lightweight division is every bit as tough as it looks and, by proxy, sustained a potential title run by Aldo through the 155 ranks.
And the loser of the bout between Henderson and Pettis could have been signed to fight Aldo at either featherweight or a catch weight, and that would have made for the perfect bridge for Aldo to cross over onto highway I-155.
But now much of this is at risk.
When two men with the power and speed and skills of Aldo and Pettis square off, it can end in the blink of an eye.
Both men are capable of catching the other and ending the bout with one shot, and should that happen it would be highly anticlimactic, not to mention how future fights could be compromised.
Given how the sport of boxing failed to make the “Superfight” everyone wanted to see—Pacquiao vs. Mayweather—it’s not surprising that the UFC is trying to make every big fight as soon as they can.
But at times there is a virtue to be found in waiting, and anticipation can make things worth the wait.
And when you’re watching great fights as you wait (such as Pettis vs. Henderson II) the time just seems to fly by.
As great a victory as defeating Alistair Overeem was for Antonio “Big Foot” Silva, when looking at the bout honestly we can clearly see this is more of a case of what Overeem did wrong as opposed to what Silva did right. Silva took advantag…
As great a victory as defeating Alistair Overeem was for Antonio “Big Foot” Silva, when looking at the bout honestly we can clearly see this is more of a case of what Overeem did wrong as opposed to what Silva did right.
Silva took advantage of nearly every opportunity Overeem gave him, showing himself as the only man in the cage who came to win, and when showing up is half the battle, fighting to win can carry a man the rest of the way.
Overeem showed up, but as he plodded about the ring, he seemed more like an absentee landlord than a man wanting to make good on the biggest opportunity of his life.
So, what lessons can be learned from such a fight?
Well, there were some obvious mistakes made by Overeem and some good decisions made by Silva that speak to everyone, even those of us sitting in armchairs.
After one of the finest performances of his career, Antonio “Big Foot” Silva may be very close to a rematch with the last man to ragdoll him, current champion Cain Velasquez. At the UFC 156 post-fight press conference, Dana White spoke (via…
After one of the finest performances of his career, Antonio “Big Foot” Silva may be very close to a rematch with the last man to ragdoll him, current champion Cain Velasquez.
At the UFC 156 post-fight press conference, Dana White spoke (via mma weekly) about the idea of a Velasquez vs. Silva rematch based on the strength of Silva’s victory over Alistair Overeem.
“He [Silva] and Cain Velasquez just fought recently, but I’m telling you, the way he looked in this fight, what he did to Alistair, maybe we do this fight again.”
How Silva’s name got thrown right back into the title mix is a bit puzzling, honestly. Obviously, his upset win over Alistair Overeem has turned many heads and should give Silva some long overdue vindication as a true fighter of note in the division.
Being caught up in the moment is fine, but styles make fights and if we learned anything from the first meeting between Silva and Velasquez, it’s that Silva simply isn’t ready for the takedown game of the champ, in any way, shape or form.
The fighting styles of Overeem and Velasquez are different from head to toe. In defeating Overeem, Silva still didn’t show us he has any answers for the takedown-heavy game of the current Heavyweight Division title-holder.
Silva spending time on his back against Overeem didn’t help prove otherwise.
Of course, White is allowed to wave the Silva flag and get caught up in the moment; he may be the UFC president, but he’s also a fan. Silva’s upset victory was a feel-good moment for the Brazilian and his fans that had to contend with talk based on the notion he only made it into the UFC because he beat FedorEmalianenko.
But, in a rematch between Velasquez and Silva, the fight is once again going to be fought on the floor. That’s a location where Velasquez is far too superior for a rematch to be considered with any real legitimacy.
This really wouldn’t be a consideration worth writing about in normal circumstances. Silva would have to win at least a few more fights to be considered for a title shot against the champ.
But given the recent trend of fights being made by White to capitalize on any momentum available, we could very well see Silva contending for the belt against Cain Velasquez in the Brazilian’s next fight.
Overeem was in truth fully expected to win last night’s fight and give the heavyweight division another meaningful title bout, but now the division has once again been thinned out to the point of transparency.
There’s Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, and then everyone else, somewhere below.
So the bell has rung and Dana White has come out swinging. As reported by mmamania.com, White is making it known that he is happy he no longer has to deal with Randy Couture and has noted that since their first falling out, Couture has been a hard man …
So the bell has rung and Dana White has come out swinging.
As reported by mmamania.com, White is making it known that he is happy he no longer has to deal with Randy Couture and has noted that since their first falling out, Couture has been a hard man to deal with.
White opened up about the subject and promised he wouldn’t discuss Randy Couture ever again. Here’s what he had to say.
“I’ll say my peace on Randy Couture, and after today, I’ll never mention him again. The bottom-line is this: When that whole thing went down with Randy years ago, we weren’t on the best of terms. Now, before that happened, Randy Couture was on the Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell deal. He was getting a salary, he was in with the company, he was one of those guys. Then he tries to do all this stuff, pull all this bullshit with Affliction, loses and comes back. So, it took me a long time to warm up to him. His lawyer, who I can’t stand, calling our lawyer every day, saying, ‘We want to come back, we want that job again, we want to work for the UFC,’ and all this stuff. Finally, I just say, ‘yes,’ and give him the FOX deal. He doesn’t even finish his contract — he’s got one more fight left — and he bails on the contract to go do this. Randy Couture has this ‘Captain America’ image and stuff like that, but he is not a good guy. He has never been a good guy. And I’m actually, and I mean this, I couldn’t mean it anymore: I am happy that he went there. I’m happy he is there. I never have to deal with Randy Couture ever again…. Talk to 99 percent of the people who know him and you’ll see [he’s not what people perceive him to be].”
Most who have followed the sport, and know anything about Dana White, knew that it was only a matter of time before the UFC President began to attack the man who left his company to join Spike TV and Bellator; we just didn’t know how White was going to attack.
He can’t very well question Couture as a fighter simply because to do so would slander the UFC; as a fighter, all of Couture’s accomplishments have come in the octagon, including multiple championships at heavyweight and light heavyweight.
Stay tuned to see how Couture and his new partners, Spike TV and Bellator, respond, if at all.
When news broke that longtime UFC legend and dual-division multiple-time champion