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This is the UFC 188 live blog for Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt, a middleweight bout at Saturday night’s UFC event at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico.Gastelum, who is 10-1 in his career, will face Marquardt, who has lo…
This is the UFC 188 live blog for Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt, a middleweight bout at Saturday night’s UFC event at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico.
Gastelum, who is 10-1 in his career, will face Marquardt, who has lost four of his past five fights, on the main card.
Check out the UFC 188 live blog below.
More Coverage: UFC 188 Results | UFC news
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
This is the UFC 188 live blog for Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill, a strawweight bout at Saturday night’s UFC event at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico.Torres, who is 5-0 in her career, will face Hill, who is 2-0 in her career,…
This is the UFC 188 live blog for Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill, a strawweight bout at Saturday night’s UFC event at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico.
Torres, who is 5-0 in her career, will face Hill, who is 2-0 in her career, on the main card.
Check out the UFC 188 live blog below.
More Coverage: UFC 188 Results | UFC news
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
It should be pretty clear at this point Mexico is not the new Brazil. It could never be, despite some public proclamations to the contrary. It has a history of combative athletics as far as boxing is concerned, but in practical training terms, that’s not particularly helpful. Brazil also has the benefit of a long vale tudo tradition that has produced elite fighters in all weight classes across both genders. What they lack in terms of natural resources, they’ve picked up or imported in terms of best practices. Brazil’s UFC television deal isn’t just categorically better, it’s that Mexico’s (absent airing of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America) doesn’t touch anyone on television.
Between the long history and economic boom that took place a few years ago, Brazil was as ready-made a territory as any country will ever be. There will never be another Brazil.
But what Mexico lacks in world-class training, wide television exposure and deep mixed martial arts traditions, it makes up for in early and important commercial enthusiasm. Mexico isn’t now a talent powerhouse, but despite television shortcomings, is something of a commercial hotspot. The airing of TUF: LA has helped the UFC’s profile in the country dramatically. Cain Velasquez’s reign at the top has been hugely beneficial, too. Mexico also has modern infrastructure and geographic proximity to make staging successful live events a realistic possibility. The average Mexican has much improved purchasing power, some exposure to fighters on national television and a local venue to attend where the UFC can easily stage a show. That’s a big deal and precisely why the UFC is back in seven months. Expect a steady presence as the UFC traverses the country in venues small and large.
More Coverage: UFC 188 Results | UFC news
More importantly, what Mexico provides isn’t just the promise of tomorrow, but a staging ground for Latin America as well. This is a long game. It’s not yet clear to anyone, including UFC, how to best explore and develop the brand or sport in Spanish-speaking South America. Mexico allows the UFC to plant a flag, survey what’s working, where and why, and make a series of decisions accordingly. TUF: LA has already shown the UFC might be more successful beyond the confines of Mexico in South America (Paraguay, it turns out, responded favorably to the show).
Mexico is not Brazil and never could be. They two should never have been clumsily compared. The good news is Mexico doesn’t need to be to still be hugely valuable to the UFC’s efforts and the sport’s long-term growth.
Cain Velasquez vs. Fabrício Werdum
At stake: a little, maybe even a lot of history. This is a very interesting clash. Obviously, it’s important given the heavyweight title is up for grabs. But it also partly feels like we’re getting closer to the truth of who is the greatest heavyweight of all time.
Consider Werdum’s resume. Sure, he has some losses, but a submission win over the first (and arguably reigning) best heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko. If he beats Velasquez, he’ll have beaten both heavyweights who either wore the crown or appeared to be the heir apparent. Add in any number of his other wins for good measure.
For Velasquez, he doesn’t have the same length of service, but he’s got all the dominance. More importantly, he’s got it in a more modern area. Heavyweight is always a little thin, but there’s no denying the jump in talent from Emeliananeko’s prime to now.
Still, though, we may not quite there for either competitor. Velasquez has been too inactive to fully assume the throne and Werdum’s had punishing losses amidst his incredible wins. What will happen for the winner, though, is they’ll begin to establish themselves in what will be the growing debate about who is the best heavyweight of all time.
Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez
At stake: perhaps a final turn of the screw. Both fighters have had remarkable and memorable careers. They both also have just enough youth and talent left to hang around conversations about where they are headed and who is next rather than where they are or why they’re still here. That means hanging around the top of the division for the winner, less so for the loser. However, both fighters aren’t in retirement tour career mode, but aren’t too far away either. That means they can take fights for bragging rights or flashes of ability or simply fan sentiment. This fight exists in this space and the one for legitimate ranking. A win here gives the victor license to advance efforts in both realms.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt
At stake: getting on the right track. These two approach this fight from very different positions. Gastelum, if he can do the right things, has his career in front of him. Marquardt, even if he does the right things, has little time left. What they have in common is both need to do the right thing now. For Gastelum, that means either winning here or at least looking good enough to get the kind of reprieve he needs to return to welterweight. For Marquardt, it flat out means winning. Even a loss where the contest is close is still a loss. Gastelum isn’t a middleweight. Marquardt has fought at welterweight, but more naturally fits in this weight class. He’s clearly bigger than Gastelum. To not be able to get past a fighter who is only here as a matter of probation signals his time in the UFC could be coming to a close.
Yair Rodríguez vs. Charles Rosa
At stake: giving a different look. Rodriguez is one of the Mexican fighters who can, well, arguably fight at this level. We’ll see if he can keep it up, but I don’t mind grading on a curve for international fighters if they come with the abilities and potentialities of Rodriguez. A win over Rosa, who comes from a top camp and wrestle, proves quite a bit. Rodriguez relocated his camp to the United States to get what he was missing. That, itself, isn’t enough for every fighter. But for the right ones, it’s the first step toward becoming a divisional threat. As for Rosa, the pressure is on here. He has built-in advantages that should make this fight against a gritty competitor the test of wills a rising talent needs to turn the corner. If he fails here, however, his stock is noticeably damaged.
At stake: movin’ on up. This fight has surprisingly interesting stakes. Well, it might, anyway. It is possible to envision a scenario where the winner doesn’t appreciably gain much. It is also possible, and perhaps even probable, that they do. In the case of Torres, she’s a known commodity with a lot of upside in a new division. That means title shots and number-one contender fights are never too far away. For Hill, who shows a developing skill set but a maturing ability, a win over someone as talented in the division of Torres changes the balance of power immediately. It wouldn’t get her a title shot, but it would rocket her into a space where she’s seriously considered a top strawweight talent.
It should be pretty clear at this point Mexico is not the new Brazil. It could never be, despite some public proclamations to the contrary. It has a history of combative athletics as far as boxing is concerned, but in practical training terms, that’s not particularly helpful. Brazil also has the benefit of a long vale tudo tradition that has produced elite fighters in all weight classes across both genders. What they lack in terms of natural resources, they’ve picked up or imported in terms of best practices. Brazil’s UFC television deal isn’t just categorically better, it’s that Mexico’s (absent airing of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America) doesn’t touch anyone on television.
Between the long history and economic boom that took place a few years ago, Brazil was as ready-made a territory as any country will ever be. There will never be another Brazil.
But what Mexico lacks in world-class training, wide television exposure and deep mixed martial arts traditions, it makes up for in early and important commercial enthusiasm. Mexico isn’t now a talent powerhouse, but despite television shortcomings, is something of a commercial hotspot. The airing of TUF: LA has helped the UFC’s profile in the country dramatically. Cain Velasquez’s reign at the top has been hugely beneficial, too. Mexico also has modern infrastructure and geographic proximity to make staging successful live events a realistic possibility. The average Mexican has much improved purchasing power, some exposure to fighters on national television and a local venue to attend where the UFC can easily stage a show. That’s a big deal and precisely why the UFC is back in seven months. Expect a steady presence as the UFC traverses the country in venues small and large.
More Coverage: UFC 188 Results | UFC news
More importantly, what Mexico provides isn’t just the promise of tomorrow, but a staging ground for Latin America as well. This is a long game. It’s not yet clear to anyone, including UFC, how to best explore and develop the brand or sport in Spanish-speaking South America. Mexico allows the UFC to plant a flag, survey what’s working, where and why, and make a series of decisions accordingly. TUF: LA has already shown the UFC might be more successful beyond the confines of Mexico in South America (Paraguay, it turns out, responded favorably to the show).
Mexico is not Brazil and never could be. They two should never have been clumsily compared. The good news is Mexico doesn’t need to be to still be hugely valuable to the UFC’s efforts and the sport’s long-term growth.
Cain Velasquez vs. Fabrício Werdum
At stake: a little, maybe even a lot of history. This is a very interesting clash. Obviously, it’s important given the heavyweight title is up for grabs. But it also partly feels like we’re getting closer to the truth of who is the greatest heavyweight of all time.
Consider Werdum’s resume. Sure, he has some losses, but a submission win over the first (and arguably reigning) best heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko. If he beats Velasquez, he’ll have beaten both heavyweights who either wore the crown or appeared to be the heir apparent. Add in any number of his other wins for good measure.
For Velasquez, he doesn’t have the same length of service, but he’s got all the dominance. More importantly, he’s got it in a more modern area. Heavyweight is always a little thin, but there’s no denying the jump in talent from Emeliananeko’s prime to now.
Still, though, we may not quite there for either competitor. Velasquez has been too inactive to fully assume the throne and Werdum’s had punishing losses amidst his incredible wins. What will happen for the winner, though, is they’ll begin to establish themselves in what will be the growing debate about who is the best heavyweight of all time.
Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez
At stake: perhaps a final turn of the screw. Both fighters have had remarkable and memorable careers. They both also have just enough youth and talent left to hang around conversations about where they are headed and who is next rather than where they are or why they’re still here. That means hanging around the top of the division for the winner, less so for the loser. However, both fighters aren’t in retirement tour career mode, but aren’t too far away either. That means they can take fights for bragging rights or flashes of ability or simply fan sentiment. This fight exists in this space and the one for legitimate ranking. A win here gives the victor license to advance efforts in both realms.
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt
At stake: getting on the right track. These two approach this fight from very different positions. Gastelum, if he can do the right things, has his career in front of him. Marquardt, even if he does the right things, has little time left. What they have in common is both need to do the right thing now. For Gastelum, that means either winning here or at least looking good enough to get the kind of reprieve he needs to return to welterweight. For Marquardt, it flat out means winning. Even a loss where the contest is close is still a loss. Gastelum isn’t a middleweight. Marquardt has fought at welterweight, but more naturally fits in this weight class. He’s clearly bigger than Gastelum. To not be able to get past a fighter who is only here as a matter of probation signals his time in the UFC could be coming to a close.
Yair Rodríguez vs. Charles Rosa
At stake: giving a different look. Rodriguez is one of the Mexican fighters who can, well, arguably fight at this level. We’ll see if he can keep it up, but I don’t mind grading on a curve for international fighters if they come with the abilities and potentialities of Rodriguez. A win over Rosa, who comes from a top camp and wrestle, proves quite a bit. Rodriguez relocated his camp to the United States to get what he was missing. That, itself, isn’t enough for every fighter. But for the right ones, it’s the first step toward becoming a divisional threat. As for Rosa, the pressure is on here. He has built-in advantages that should make this fight against a gritty competitor the test of wills a rising talent needs to turn the corner. If he fails here, however, his stock is noticeably damaged.
At stake: movin’ on up. This fight has surprisingly interesting stakes. Well, it might, anyway. It is possible to envision a scenario where the winner doesn’t appreciably gain much. It is also possible, and perhaps even probable, that they do. In the case of Torres, she’s a known commodity with a lot of upside in a new division. That means title shots and number-one contender fights are never too far away. For Hill, who shows a developing skill set but a maturing ability, a win over someone as talented in the division of Torres changes the balance of power immediately. It wouldn’t get her a title shot, but it would rocket her into a space where she’s seriously considered a top strawweight talent.
The UFC returns to Mexico with its second show, this time with their Mexican-American heavyweight champion defending his title against the man who has been using the interim title in his absence. The card also features a series of The Ultimate Fighter: Latinoamerica cast members as well as UFC fighters with Hispanic heritage.
Will Velasquez become the unified champ or can Werdum shock the heavyweight world once again? I answer these questions and more with my predictions for Saturday’s fights.
What: UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum
Where: Arena Cuidad de Mexico, Mexico
When: Saturday, the two-fight Fight Pass card starts at 7 p.m. ET, the four-fight Fox Sports 1 main card starts at 8 p.m. and the five-fight pay-per-view card kicks off 10 p.m.
Cain Velasquez vs. Fabrício Werdum
There are plenty of reasons to like Werdum’s chances. He’s good at keeping himself out of trouble. Whether that’s staying away on the feet or even flopping to guard when hurt or tagged, it works. He’s also quite the talent inside the clinch and, of late, a capable outside striker as well. His jiu-jitsu is obviously well known as a strength. This is not the skills of someone to overlook. That’s especially true when Velasquez has been inactive for such an inordinate amount of time.
That said, I just have a hard time seeing how Werdum can control Velasquez long enough for his weapons to be fully used. Velasquez breaks people not just with his ‘pace’, but pure speed, too. That’s true in positions as it is with launched bits of offense. This isn’t to say Velasquez is the fastest guy on the planet, but it’s also not fair to reduce his abilities to consistency over the long haul. He has that, too, but that doesn’t fully explain it. He doesn’t have the Thai clinch of Werdum, but can wreck you with a lightning-quick barrage of lefts and an underhook. He doesn’t have Werdum’s guard, but he does have scrambling to not make the guard even a relevant concern. And so on and son.
I’m not one to count out the Brazilian, but I’m even less inclined to count out the Mexican-American.
Pick: Velasquez
Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez
Perhaps I’m exaggerating the influence, but it appears like life’s rigors are wearing on Alvarez a bit. Being a father and prizefighter simultaneously is not easy. I’m sure he trained well for this fight, but there’s something to be said for priorities shifting and mentally pulling you in different directions. But let’s exclude that for a moment. Even if we disregard those potential factors, I still like Melendez’s pressure wrestling game to win out here. Alvarez showed tremendous resilience and defense against Michael Chandler, but Melendez doesn’t need five rounds to work. He also only needs to control Alvarez enough to convince the judges. Alvarez could catch him on an entry like Anthony Pettis, but I’m not betting on it.
Pick: Melendez
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt
I don’t suspect Marquardt can beat Gastelum at welterweight or middleweight, the latter of which is where this fight is taking place. Marquardt’s well rounded in terms of skills, but his ability to absorb damage isn’t once what it was. Neither is his reaction time or physicality. Between Gastelum’s ability to wrestle and probable speed advantage, Marquardt is going to be playing catch-up the entire time. I’m not sure if this ends on the feet as the striking defense of Marquardt is usually pretty good, as is his distance management. But by mixing it up with inside pressure and getting Marquardt’s back against the fence, Gastelum can score where he’s vulnerable while mixing it takedowns and top pressure scrambles.
Pick: Gastelum
Yair Rodriguez vs. Charles Rosa
Rodriguez is actually one of the Mexican prospects I’m a little higher on, but my guess is he’ll wilt under the push and relentless takedown pressure of Rosa. And once on the floor, Rosa is very crafty, with all sorts of tricks to pass, recover position or even advance. If Rodriguez can keep it standing, things might get interesting, but that’s a fairly big ‘if’.
Pick: Rosa
Torres somewhat underperformed on the reality show, but her upside is still real. She’s obviously physically powerful and quick and possesses serviceable wrestling. Her striking isn’t fight ending, but she moves forward and throws in enough of a wide variety of combinations to keep opposition guessing or off balance. Hill is improving rapidly in all facets. I suspect her clinch might give Torres some problems, but her positional control isn’t quite where it needs to be. Torres’ positioning in wrestling clinches is tighter and a bit more aggressive, which will help her take advantage of Hill’s abilities that sometimes turn into inadvisable exuberance.
Pick: Torres
From the preliminary card:
Henry Cejudo def. Flyweight Chico Camus
Efrain Escudero def. Drew Dober
Alejandro Perez def. Patrick Williams
Johnny Case def. Francisco Trevino
Augusto Montano def. Cathal Pendred
Clay Collard def. Gabriel Benitez
Albert Tumenov def. Andrew Todhunter
The UFC returns to Mexico with its second show, this time with their Mexican-American heavyweight champion defending his title against the man who has been using the interim title in his absence. The card also features a series of The Ultimate Fighter: Latinoamerica cast members as well as UFC fighters with Hispanic heritage.
Will Velasquez become the unified champ or can Werdum shock the heavyweight world once again? I answer these questions and more with my predictions for Saturday’s fights.
What: UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum
Where: Arena Cuidad de Mexico, Mexico
When: Saturday, the two-fight Fight Pass card starts at 7 p.m. ET, the four-fight Fox Sports 1 main card starts at 8 p.m. and the five-fight pay-per-view card kicks off 10 p.m.
Cain Velasquez vs. Fabrício Werdum
There are plenty of reasons to like Werdum’s chances. He’s good at keeping himself out of trouble. Whether that’s staying away on the feet or even flopping to guard when hurt or tagged, it works. He’s also quite the talent inside the clinch and, of late, a capable outside striker as well. His jiu-jitsu is obviously well known as a strength. This is not the skills of someone to overlook. That’s especially true when Velasquez has been inactive for such an inordinate amount of time.
That said, I just have a hard time seeing how Werdum can control Velasquez long enough for his weapons to be fully used. Velasquez breaks people not just with his ‘pace’, but pure speed, too. That’s true in positions as it is with launched bits of offense. This isn’t to say Velasquez is the fastest guy on the planet, but it’s also not fair to reduce his abilities to consistency over the long haul. He has that, too, but that doesn’t fully explain it. He doesn’t have the Thai clinch of Werdum, but can wreck you with a lightning-quick barrage of lefts and an underhook. He doesn’t have Werdum’s guard, but he does have scrambling to not make the guard even a relevant concern. And so on and son.
I’m not one to count out the Brazilian, but I’m even less inclined to count out the Mexican-American.
Pick: Velasquez
Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez
Perhaps I’m exaggerating the influence, but it appears like life’s rigors are wearing on Alvarez a bit. Being a father and prizefighter simultaneously is not easy. I’m sure he trained well for this fight, but there’s something to be said for priorities shifting and mentally pulling you in different directions. But let’s exclude that for a moment. Even if we disregard those potential factors, I still like Melendez’s pressure wrestling game to win out here. Alvarez showed tremendous resilience and defense against Michael Chandler, but Melendez doesn’t need five rounds to work. He also only needs to control Alvarez enough to convince the judges. Alvarez could catch him on an entry like Anthony Pettis, but I’m not betting on it.
Pick: Melendez
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt
I don’t suspect Marquardt can beat Gastelum at welterweight or middleweight, the latter of which is where this fight is taking place. Marquardt’s well rounded in terms of skills, but his ability to absorb damage isn’t once what it was. Neither is his reaction time or physicality. Between Gastelum’s ability to wrestle and probable speed advantage, Marquardt is going to be playing catch-up the entire time. I’m not sure if this ends on the feet as the striking defense of Marquardt is usually pretty good, as is his distance management. But by mixing it up with inside pressure and getting Marquardt’s back against the fence, Gastelum can score where he’s vulnerable while mixing it takedowns and top pressure scrambles.
Pick: Gastelum
Yair Rodriguez vs. Charles Rosa
Rodriguez is actually one of the Mexican prospects I’m a little higher on, but my guess is he’ll wilt under the push and relentless takedown pressure of Rosa. And once on the floor, Rosa is very crafty, with all sorts of tricks to pass, recover position or even advance. If Rodriguez can keep it standing, things might get interesting, but that’s a fairly big ‘if’.
Pick: Rosa
Torres somewhat underperformed on the reality show, but her upside is still real. She’s obviously physically powerful and quick and possesses serviceable wrestling. Her striking isn’t fight ending, but she moves forward and throws in enough of a wide variety of combinations to keep opposition guessing or off balance. Hill is improving rapidly in all facets. I suspect her clinch might give Torres some problems, but her positional control isn’t quite where it needs to be. Torres’ positioning in wrestling clinches is tighter and a bit more aggressive, which will help her take advantage of Hill’s abilities that sometimes turn into inadvisable exuberance.
Pick: Torres
From the preliminary card:
Henry Cejudo def. Flyweight Chico Camus
Efrain Escudero def. Drew Dober
Alejandro Perez def. Patrick Williams
Johnny Case def. Francisco Trevino
Augusto Montano def. Cathal Pendred
Clay Collard def. Gabriel Benitez
Albert Tumenov def. Andrew Todhunter
This is episode 142 of the Promotional Malpractice Live Chat.
The UFC heavyweight title unification bout is upon us as UFC 188: Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum is Saturday. It’s a bout that is technically more intriguing than some are giving cre…
This is episode 142 of the Promotional Malpractice Live Chat.
The UFC heavyweight title unification bout is upon us as UFC 188: Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum is Saturday. It’s a bout that is technically more intriguing than some are giving credit. There’s also a bit of rivalry as Werdum has challenged Velasquez’s bona fides in terms of heritage or nationality or both. There’s also Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez, a tremendous fight getting absolutely no run whatsoever. Shame.
We also can’t forget the epic weekend that was combat sports last Saturday. GLORY 22, WSOF 21 and Dan Henderson uncorking another H-bomb all over poor Time Boetsch’s face. Brian Ortega showed off one of the best guards in MMA, Dustin Poirier cruised at…
Cathal Pendred is on quite the run in the UFC middleweight division. He’s not a top contender, but in three appearances, he’s locked up three wins, including one stoppage. He’s Irish, part of one of Europe’s most celebrated MMA teams and cal…
Cathal Pendred is on quite the run in the UFC middleweight division. He’s not a top contender, but in three appearances, he’s locked up three wins, including one stoppage. He’s Irish, part of one of Europe’s most celebrated MMA teams and called upon by the UFC to do PR in advance of his fights. In fact, he did that for his upcoming fight. Pendred takes on Augusto Montano at UFC 188 in Mexico City, Mexico this Saturday and was even part of the advance team in April promoting the fight in the local market.
So, when he found out his fight wasn’t on the main card or even the televised preliminary card (he’ll be fighting on Fight Pass), he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
“Yeah, I was shocked when I saw that because I was brought out here in April and I remember the PR team looking after me when I was here, said I was on the main card,” Pendred told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s The MMA Hour. “The guy I’m fighting, ‘Dodger’, made his debut on the last UFC Mexico card and he was on the main card. I took it nearly for granted that I was on it, but it makes no odds to me.
“At the end of the day, I just gotta go in there and fight my fight,” he continued. “I’m really looking forward to putting on a really spectacular performance. I’ve got three fights and three wins in the UFC, but I still feel like I’ve shown nowhere near to my best abilities in the UFC, which is frustrating, but it says a lot that I’m down in there and I’m not fighting to my own standards and I’m still winning. I think I go in there, put on the performance I deserve to myself, that I owe to myself, I think I’m going to turn some heads.”
The question, then, is why the disconnect? Why is a fighter who is undefeated during their UFC run who is also being asked to be a public relations presence being relegated to the least-viewed portion of the card?
Could it be that his last fight, a controversial unanimous decision win over Sean Spencer at UFC Fight Night 59, soured UFC brass after strong fan reaction?
“It could be,” Pendred admitted. “The thought slipped into my mind, but I’m not thinking about it because it’s something that’s out of my control. Whether I’m fighting in the main event or the opening fight of the night, I have to go in there and do the same job. That’s all I focus on. That’s all that’s in my control is turning up fight night and fighting to the best of my abilities.
“All of these other different variables are just that,” he explained. “They make no difference to me. I’m not in control of them and it’s just going to be another fight, another win for me. It doesn’t matter where I am on the card.”
Pendred said he’s got loyal fans, but was taken aback by the reaction online to UFC fans who disagreed with his last win. The experience, Pendred noted, was a reminder about the true nature of social media and sports fandom.
“I’ve never see nothing like it before,” Pendred said of the online blowback. “I got a fair bit of stick on social media. Social media is a great tool as a fighter to promote yourself, but on the other end of the stick, when you’re getting criticism, you’re subjected to it all.
“I learned a lot from that performance. I was bitterly disappointed with that performance afterwards. As soon as the bell rang for the third round, I was really disappointed, but I was never in question about that I had lost in fight. I believed I had won the fight. Three independent judges who were sitting around the Octagon, not beside each other, thought the same thing. I didn’t make the decision in the end. They did. But there was definitely a lot of slack I got from the fans,” he said.
More than anything, though, Pendred points to comments made by UFC commentator Joe Rogan and, to a lesser extent, UFC President Dana White. Both Rogan and White noted on Fox Sports 1 after Pendred’s fight with Spencer they both believed the fight was a robbery. That, though, was a passing comment. Pendred underscored Rogan’s commentary throughout that fight as a motivating factor for fans to push back against him.
“That was very annoying,” Pendred said of Rogan’s comments. “I thought he was critical of me the whole time throughout the fight, even when I was doing things well, he kept mentioning what I was doing wrong and he kept mentioning what my opponent was doing well. Even in the third round, at one point I was taking my opponent down and he was talking bout how tired and bad my cardio was as I was taking my opponent down.
“It was a lot of negative comments,” Pendred argued. “He’s in a position where he can sway a lot of people’s minds. I felt it may have had an effect on it. It was a close fight, but to call it a robbery was way off the mark. You look at the statistics, I outstruck my opponent. I hit my opponent more times than he hit me. His strikes looked more beautiful than mine, but that’s never the way I fought. I’m not spectacular in any area. You look at some of my teammates like Conor McGregor, he’s, in my opinion, the best striker in MMA. You look at Gunnar Nelson. In my opinion, the best grappler in MMA. They’re spectacular in their areas. I’m not spectacular in any area. I’m a product of hard work. That’s all I know. Anything I’ve done well in my life or succeeded in was because I’ve worked hard. That’s how I’ve achieved success in my MMA career.”
Still, that doesn’t change much for the Irish middleweight. He believes a fourth win is inevitable. That, Pendred claimed, will prove something to the fans, not because he has something to prove, but that the nature of the win will leave fans no choice but to acknowledge how good it is.
“I will prove something on Saturday night, but that’s not in my mind,” Pendred said. “That’ll just be a result of my performance that I’m focusing on. I don’t have a chip on my shoulder. Sports fans are entitled to their opinion. That’s what being a sports fan is about, whether you’re a basketball fan, a baseball fan, a football fan, you have an opinion. You may have never played the sport in your life, but you have an opinion on it. It’s the same with MMA. 99 percent of the criticism would’ve been from people who’ve never stepped foot in the gym.”
Whether they want to accept him or not, Pendred argued, they won’t have much of a choice when it’s all over.
“But that’s OK,” Pendreid continued. “I’m not going to worry about that. I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in today if there weren’t fans. That’s what they’re entitled to: their opinion.”