When looking at a professional fighter, such as Georges St-Pierre (GSP), all one needs to do is drink in the surroundings and see the situation for what it is—legalized assault in front of millions—in order to realize that anyone who does b…
When looking at a professional fighter, such as Georges St-Pierre (GSP), all one needs to do is drink in the surroundings and see the situation for what it is—legalized assault in front of millions—in order to realize that anyone who does battle in a cage is a rare breed indeed.
The combative sports have always been so dramatic and dangerous that fans have a Romanesque quality about them befitting the competition unfolding on the big stage—the fighters themselves not at all unlike the gladiators of old.
With so much pressure, it is a wonder they can function in front of such a vast crowd at all.
But when you look at a man like GSP, there is something about him that is not dwarfed or cowed by the situation and the enormity of consequence should he be defeated.
When he stepped into the cage to rematch BJ Penn, he was facing a fighter that had battered and bloodied him in their last fight, yet he looked like a pit viper, possessed of a violent purpose and aimed at achieving glorious ends through violent means.
In essence, he was focused beyond normal understanding.
Of course, he is not the sole possessor of this highly desirable quality and that is not surprising for we have seen it in other fighters as well.
Here are five such rare people who give such a dangerous business the attention it is due, with utter focus.
As the saying goes: “You can’t please everyone all the time,” so too comes the certainty that styles make fights, and if Anderson Silva knows anything about the sport, it’s how to spot a fight that could be a barnburner. While e…
As the saying goes: “You can’t please everyone all the time,” so too comes the certainty that styles make fights, and if Anderson Silva knows anything about the sport, it’s how to spot a fight that could be a barnburner.
While everyone has been screaming about Silva and his belief that fighting Chris Weidman isn’t really the best move for his career, they are being far too hasty in discounting Cung Le, the man Silva and his management said they were interested in for Silva’s next fight.
Truth be told, Cung Le is a very tough fight for Silva and could be the one to defeat the current pound-for-pound king in his supposed realm of greatest advantage: on the feet.
Weidman shouldn’t be discounted and I am not advocating any such thing, but July (the month Weidman has said he wants to fight Silva) is a long time to wait.
Le, on the other hand, is coming off a quick victory over Rich Franklin which in turn means he’s relatively healthy and available—two things Weidman is not.
Perhaps we would do well to try and look at things from Silva’s point of view, if such a thing is possible.
Silva has defeated dangerous fighters with a good (or great, depending on opinion) wrestling core, but he’s never faced a man who can claim with any kind of legitimacy to be his equal in a striking contest.
In facing a man like Le, Silva would be boldly going where he has never gone before; at this point in Silva’s career, after having done so much, it’s no surprise he wants to find the Frazier to his Ali, the Pacquiao to his Mayweather.
We often bemoan fighters for not seeking out serious challenges, but we should give credit to Silva for seeing the one challenge most have not, and in doing so recognizing that such a fight could end up being one of the greatest ever because of the danger.
In Cung Le, Silva could very well find his foil and more because Le is not only his equal in some areas, but his better…
Recently, HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant retired from his position as color commentator for the network, leaving behind some very big shoes to fill. Many have negative opinions about Merchant, but he was one of the most erudite voices to call the fi…
Recently, HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant retired from his position as color commentator for the network, leaving behind some very big shoes to fill.
Many have negative opinions about Merchant, but he was one of the most erudite voices to call the fights for our generation.
He was bold, mainly because his knowledge of the sport was sound and he came from an era that understood that more often than not, it is the hard questions that need to be asked, not the popular ones.
Taking his place will be a host of other commentators, all of them special in their own way, which got me to thinking about the UFC and their team of two: Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg.
In the past, the UFC has seen fit to add a third to the team, lending the voices of Frank Mir, Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Jens Pulver and others to the mix and the results were good.
Given how the company is growing, there will be more chances to introduce additional talent to the booth and it is in the spirit of wonder that we give you a list of five men we would love to see as color commentators.
For anyone who has been following the sport for any amount of time at all, the news that Dana White has butted heads with fighters in the past is nothing new. But for sure, with news breaking that Randy Couture has signed a deal with Spike TV and will …
For anyone who has been following the sport for any amount of time at all, the news that Dana White has butted heads with fighters in the past is nothing new.
But for sure, with news breaking that Randy Couture has signed a deal with Spike TV and will be acting as a coach for Bellator (in what looks to be a spinoff of The Ultimate Fighter), White will no doubt be making his opinions known of this development in the career of the UFC Hall of Famer.
One has to wonder what this can do for Bellator. For sure, it is a kind of moral victory given that Couture has long been one of the UFC’s greatest champions and will now be lending all the dignity and popularity of his name to its brand.
One also has to wonder how White is going to deal with this. Granted, Bellator is still in a distant second to the UFC, but with Couture as a coach on its new series, fans are going to turn in.
Couture and White have clashed before over company policy and contractual obligations and rights, which eventually ended with Couture resigning from the UFC.
Now, with Couture taking the next step in his career—working for a hated rival no less—it will be very interesting to see how White proceeds.
It’s not likely that White will be able to criticize the credentials of Couture without slandering his own house, but there is bound to be some kind of retaliation. After all, Couture has been with the Zuffa-led UFC since the beginning, and he has not only fostered good relationships with many great fighters, but he knows how the UFC machine works. Having a man with that kind of influence and information eating lunch with the big boys at Spike TV and Bellator has to have White feeling uncertain to say the least.
Now that he is no longer contractually tied to the UFC, it begs the question: Is Couture just taking advantage of a good deal, or is he doing this for personal reasons that speak to the past problems he had with Dana White and the UFC?
No doubt, we will be finding out much more very soon. But here are some things we do know…
From this point forward, Randy Couture and Dana White (and the UFC) are rivals at best and enemies at worse.
As far as White and Zuffa are concerned, Couture is bringing not only his experience as a fighter and his presence in the media into the Spike TV/Bellator fold, but he is bringing his understanding of the inner workings of the UFC machine and laying it all out on a table for the enemy to examine.
And in truth, they may be right, although we don’t know for sure; Couture has always been ethical about any kind of professional conduct, but he’s not longer beholden to the UFC in any way.
Secondly, Couture’s connections in the MMA fraternity of fighters and coaches cannot be underestimated. He’s made far more friends than enemies, and that could see him becoming every MMA fighters “friend at Bellator.”
That could lead to fighters taking a stronger stance for their own interests when dealing with the UFC on a variety of topics, and that is just the beginning.
Lastly, we know that in the eyes of some, seeing a fighter as estimable as Randy Couture working for a company so clearly aligned against the UFC is going to get them to asking questions.
What is going to happen when people begin to associate Couture’s past problems and battles with the UFC to those of other fighters? Will there be a connection made in the fanbase that gets people to criticizing how the UFC treats their fighters?
For years now, people have been claiming that there is simply no way another organization could rise up from the scorched earth where countless other organizations—Pride FC, Strikeforce, etc.—have all been buried.
But in truth, all it takes is a catalyst; that one thing that sets the wheels in motion.
For as many people who are happy and cozy within the UFC fold, there are a good number who are not, be it for reasons fair or unfounded; unrest is unrest, no matter the reason.
Add to that the fact that White has never been shy or bashful about voicing his opinion (no matter what toes he steps on) and you end up with a powerful ocean that is more stormy than scenic.
Now, who among us wouldn’t find the face of Randy Couture to be a warm and welcoming sight?
Especially when he knows of a perfect port to wait out the storm.
Although the UFC’s flyweight division hasn’t been alive for too long, it is already being thrust front and center, as was the case this weekend when Demetrious Johnson defended his title for the first time against The Ultimate Fighter …
Although the UFC’s flyweight division hasn’t been alive for too long, it is already being thrust front and center, as was the case this weekend when Demetrious Johnson defended his title for the first time against The Ultimate Fighter 13 winner, John Dodson at UFC on Fox 6 in Chicago, Illinois.
While it was a good fight, it also shined a light on how thin the division currently is.
Dodson is probably second only to Nate Quarry in being a fighter from The Ultimate Fighter reality show who was thrust too quickly into a title fight, and while Dodson did much better than Quarry, truth be told he wasn’t ready for such a fight.
But things are always rocking at the beginning, and now that it is clear that the UFC plans on making sure the spotlight shines on all divisions, it is time to begin stocking up on fighters who can make the 125-pound limit.
There are many reasons why, but the most obvious of them all is simply that the deeper a division is, the more compelling it is, because the fans have more choices as to who they identify with and root for.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, speaks to the heart of growth for the UFC in ways we cannot quantify as of yet, because if you look at the history of combative sport, numerous smaller fighters—many coming from countries outside the United States—have managed to captivate the fans.
And when you consider that countries such as Mexico, Japan, Italy and others have seen some of their “smaller” sons turn into giants upon the world stage of boxing, it becomes clear that a diversified and stacked flyweight division could help kick open the doors to those countries and many others.
When you think about some of the bigger names in boxing over the past 50 years, it is surprising to some to learn just how many of them fought and achieved fame in the featherweight division, which is boxing’s equivalent to the flyweight class.
Men such as Juan Manuel Marquez, “Prince” NaseemHamed, Alexis Arguello, Marco Antonio Barrera, Manny Pacquiao and countless others fought at the 126-pound limit and put on some incredible fights while becoming large stars in the process.
Add a few more pounds and you can find names like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Julio Cesar Chavez, Diego Corrales, Erik Morales, Oscar de la Hoya and others.
There is an untold number of MMA fighters from other countries who are waiting to be discovered and one of them could be the next Manny Pacquiao or Juan Manuel Marquez in the UFC.
But they need to know there is a place for them and the only way that will happen is if the flyweight division becomes known as a division where great fights are made by great fighters. In order for that to come to pass, the UFC is going to need to start investing heavily down south.
And so it has come to pass: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has done his time in the UFC.He has finished his contract and is now a man of leisure—until he signs a new contract with Bellator or some other organization, or perhaps steps into …
And so it has come to pass: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has done his time in the UFC.
He has finished his contract and is now a man of leisure—until he signs a new contract with Bellator or some other organization, or perhaps steps into the boxing ring to try out professional pugilism. He no longer has to deal with the constraints of UFC policy in regard to fighter sponsorships and the like, and he holds his future in his own hands, as he ever has.
As a “free agent” with a big name, one of the perks of that status is coauthoring the terms of your next contract to a degree. Granted, any prospective employer is going to have their own terms and some of them will be set in stone.
But if the name is big enough, suddenly contract negotiations can become more fluid than normal, and in the case of Rampage Jackson, fluidity could be just what is needed for both sides.
As we have seen many times in the past, fighters leave the UFC only to quickly learn that they want to go back home—and sometimes that is the hard part. In the case of Jackson, it was shocking how kind Dana White was when speaking of Jackson; most people who have attacked White and the UFC like Jackson has would be persona non grata and treated as such.
After some distance has been acquired and some time has passed, men like Jackson and White could find themselves talking again, as so often happens in the world of MMA.
While I am not saying such a thing is probable, it is possible.
The UFC is the biggest show on Earth for the sport, and if Jackson keeps on fighting in MMA, odds are he is going to end up crossing paths with White or his people now and again.
If that were to happen, one begins to wonder if Rampage Jackson and Dana White could handle working with each other in small doses, at least at first.
Of course, the obvious question is: “To what end?” Why would either the UFC or Rampage consider working with each other for a one-fight deal, or even many one-fight deals?
The answer of course depends on the opponent and the results; oftentimes a single fight can change many things for a fighter, and by proxy, the company he fights for.
Should Jackson improve his game and begin to rack up some impressive wins, his confidence could grow and as could his desire. A one-fight deal with the UFC—an exploratory effort, so to speak—could serve to reacquaint the UFC and Jackson to the better angles of their working relationship.
It could also whet their mutual appetites while helping them work out any contractual differences they had in the past: specifically Jackson’s sponsorship with Reebok.
But all of this is just pie in the sky, to be honest. No one has ever worked so hard at burning a bridge as Rampage Jackson and now he’s on the outside of the biggest promotion in the sport, by choice.
But the UFC has never really turned loose of a name as big as Rampage, especially when they see it as feeding their enemies (which would be any rival promotion), so it really depends if they dislike Rampage enough to allow him to draw for the competition.
For anyone who has been following the sport for any amount of time at all, the news that