This feels a bit like UFC 101. UFC 100 was, and basically still is, the most successful UFC event of all time. Most forget, however, UFC 101 was a blockbuster show as well. It, too, either cleared a million pay-per-view buys or came exceedingly close. The show featured Anderson Silva clowning Forrest Griffin, B.J. Penn dominating Kenny Florian and more. UFC 190 can’t match the card quality, but there is a similar dynamic in play. UFC 189 was a blockbuster show, arguably the best the organization has ever held. And despite the thinness of UFC 190’s card or the squash-match quality of the main event, there’s still a ‘bigness’ to the entire thing. It’s been quite a while since there was a one-two pay-per-view punch quite like this in terms of shows that lure casual fans and dominate headlines.
That’s a good thing, but not the most important or the only sort of measurement that matters. But it’s also good to see. I’ve always believed MMA is often more fun when more of the sporting community or the rest of the world cares. It’s a preference, but I’ve found it to be true for me not because the casuals are there, but because something special has to be there for them to turn their heads. There’s plenty of special events or moments happening when they aren’t looking, but I sometimes hate keeping all of that magic to ourselves. “People should see this,” I’ve often thought. This time, I’m glad they are.
At stake: everything, really. This one is fairly straightforward. Rousey can continue to shape her image and legacy as the best women’s fighter ever, one ahead of her time, capable of dispatching foes in the time it takes you to yawn. That is the likeliest outcome. On the other hand, Correia can score one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, thereby making her name impossible to get when recounting the biggest moments in the sport’s history. That is highly unlikely, but one never knows. In any case, if Correia loses, the question is what becomes of her afterward. Tate’s never even come close to defeating Rousey, but didn’t fade into obscurity after losing. One wonders if Correia will be able to do the same.
At stake: one last turn of the screw. I’m not saying it’s their last fight, although for Lil’ Nog it might be. One could argue it should be. Frankly, Shogun isn’t far from that kind of conversation either. But ok, they’re facing each other, not some young contender out to make an example of them. There’s some romanticism about this match-up from their PRIDE days, but there’s not much lasting about the Chute Boxe vs. Brazilian Top Team rivalry that partly made their first meeting what it was. Shogun also used their first encounter as a coming out party. There’s nothing like that going on this time.
Still, there’s some value. Nogueira could exact a measure of revenge and prolong his UFC run. Shogun can certify his dominance and inspire the same sort of fan enthusiasm that has shaped much of his career. And with that, maybe another reasonably big fight. But the dawn is coming for them both. If they’re going to add anything else to their impressive resumes, they have to do it now.
At stake: not a whole lot. The winner might become more than a footnote in MMA history, but that won’t be determined today. That only happens later on. As for tonight, certainly a win helps. It’s a nice thing to have, but if we’re talking about the stakes, a loss isn’t necessarily hugely consequential either. Get the win, sure, but the victors here should recognize this is just a pre-step on the road to anything beyond casual viewership visibility.
At stake: what’s left to give. Struve is young, but has battled serious heart-related health issues. Big Nog has had one of MMA’s most legendary careers, but isn’t just past his prime, but dangerously so. Despite arriving at this fight from very different positions, both necessitate us asking whether there is any future for either. There likely is for the winner, especially if it’s Struve. If his health predicament is sorted out, he’s young and talented enough to still achieve some things. For Nogueira, a loss has to mean the end of his career. That’s particularly true if it’s by stoppage. Even with a win, however, the UFC and athletic commissions should be extremely prudent if not outright reluctant to allow Minotauro to keep fighting even if we all have deep admiration for his career achievements.
At stake: a spot from which to move. Silva’s fallen on hard times. He’s not just losing, but getting stopped rather easily. For a fighter who once handed out a world-class beating to Fedor Emelianenko, it’s a fall from grace, albeit a gradual one. He’s nowhere near title shot territory even in the heavyweight division, but he still has enough of a name that with enough wins, he can command a place on bigger fight cards or better place on lesser fight cards. Losing here, however, could change that.
As for Palelei, he’s done surprisingly well in his UFC run, but not against fighters with a name like Silva. Even in a diminished capacity, a win over Silva still means a lot. It’s torch passing-ish. A victory for Palelei wouldn’t exactly be turning the corner, but it could represent a place from which to truly earn bouts against the division’s bigger names.
At stake: divisional place. Both are too good for this to be a referendum fight. Whoever loses here has very real bounce-back potential. That said, the stakes are high. The winner could easily claim a title shot against the current champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Gadelha has a case that she should have already been given the nod against her. Aguilar also has a lot to prove. She’s been feasting on lesser fighters while claiming she could beat the more elite if given the opportunity. If there’s is any moment to prove that, it’s right now.
This feels a bit like UFC 101. UFC 100 was, and basically still is, the most successful UFC event of all time. Most forget, however, UFC 101 was a blockbuster show as well. It, too, either cleared a million pay-per-view buys or came exceedingly close. The show featured Anderson Silva clowning Forrest Griffin, B.J. Penn dominating Kenny Florian and more. UFC 190 can’t match the card quality, but there is a similar dynamic in play. UFC 189 was a blockbuster show, arguably the best the organization has ever held. And despite the thinness of UFC 190’s card or the squash-match quality of the main event, there’s still a ‘bigness’ to the entire thing. It’s been quite a while since there was a one-two pay-per-view punch quite like this in terms of shows that lure casual fans and dominate headlines.
That’s a good thing, but not the most important or the only sort of measurement that matters. But it’s also good to see. I’ve always believed MMA is often more fun when more of the sporting community or the rest of the world cares. It’s a preference, but I’ve found it to be true for me not because the casuals are there, but because something special has to be there for them to turn their heads. There’s plenty of special events or moments happening when they aren’t looking, but I sometimes hate keeping all of that magic to ourselves. “People should see this,” I’ve often thought. This time, I’m glad they are.
At stake: everything, really. This one is fairly straightforward. Rousey can continue to shape her image and legacy as the best women’s fighter ever, one ahead of her time, capable of dispatching foes in the time it takes you to yawn. That is the likeliest outcome. On the other hand, Correia can score one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, thereby making her name impossible to get when recounting the biggest moments in the sport’s history. That is highly unlikely, but one never knows. In any case, if Correia loses, the question is what becomes of her afterward. Tate’s never even come close to defeating Rousey, but didn’t fade into obscurity after losing. One wonders if Correia will be able to do the same.
At stake: one last turn of the screw. I’m not saying it’s their last fight, although for Lil’ Nog it might be. One could argue it should be. Frankly, Shogun isn’t far from that kind of conversation either. But ok, they’re facing each other, not some young contender out to make an example of them. There’s some romanticism about this match-up from their PRIDE days, but there’s not much lasting about the Chute Boxe vs. Brazilian Top Team rivalry that partly made their first meeting what it was. Shogun also used their first encounter as a coming out party. There’s nothing like that going on this time.
Still, there’s some value. Nogueira could exact a measure of revenge and prolong his UFC run. Shogun can certify his dominance and inspire the same sort of fan enthusiasm that has shaped much of his career. And with that, maybe another reasonably big fight. But the dawn is coming for them both. If they’re going to add anything else to their impressive resumes, they have to do it now.
At stake: not a whole lot. The winner might become more than a footnote in MMA history, but that won’t be determined today. That only happens later on. As for tonight, certainly a win helps. It’s a nice thing to have, but if we’re talking about the stakes, a loss isn’t necessarily hugely consequential either. Get the win, sure, but the victors here should recognize this is just a pre-step on the road to anything beyond casual viewership visibility.
At stake: what’s left to give. Struve is young, but has battled serious heart-related health issues. Big Nog has had one of MMA’s most legendary careers, but isn’t just past his prime, but dangerously so. Despite arriving at this fight from very different positions, both necessitate us asking whether there is any future for either. There likely is for the winner, especially if it’s Struve. If his health predicament is sorted out, he’s young and talented enough to still achieve some things. For Nogueira, a loss has to mean the end of his career. That’s particularly true if it’s by stoppage. Even with a win, however, the UFC and athletic commissions should be extremely prudent if not outright reluctant to allow Minotauro to keep fighting even if we all have deep admiration for his career achievements.
At stake: a spot from which to move. Silva’s fallen on hard times. He’s not just losing, but getting stopped rather easily. For a fighter who once handed out a world-class beating to Fedor Emelianenko, it’s a fall from grace, albeit a gradual one. He’s nowhere near title shot territory even in the heavyweight division, but he still has enough of a name that with enough wins, he can command a place on bigger fight cards or better place on lesser fight cards. Losing here, however, could change that.
As for Palelei, he’s done surprisingly well in his UFC run, but not against fighters with a name like Silva. Even in a diminished capacity, a win over Silva still means a lot. It’s torch passing-ish. A victory for Palelei wouldn’t exactly be turning the corner, but it could represent a place from which to truly earn bouts against the division’s bigger names.
At stake: divisional place. Both are too good for this to be a referendum fight. Whoever loses here has very real bounce-back potential. That said, the stakes are high. The winner could easily claim a title shot against the current champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Gadelha has a case that she should have already been given the nod against her. Aguilar also has a lot to prove. She’s been feasting on lesser fighters while claiming she could beat the more elite if given the opportunity. If there’s is any moment to prove that, it’s right now.
WSOF is in Sin City this time with their controversial welterweight champion defending his title against another elite grappler. The bantamweight champion also has his hands full on this card while a host of top prospects look to add to their resume.
Where: Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
When: Saturday, the five-fight preliminary card streams live on MMA Fighting at 8 p.m. ET and the five-fight main card goes live on NBC at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Hindsight’s always 20/20, but when you go back and watch Jon Fitch’s fight with Palhares, you notice he took a lot of unnecessary liberties with dangerous positions. I just don’t buy Shields will do the same. Palhares can catch just about anyone with his heel hook set-ups, but Shields is also good enough and patient enough to take the time to dismantle the structures Palhares builds to set them up. I’m not saying there won’t be tense moments, but I’d frankly be a bit surprised to see Shields lose this one.
This is a tough fight for Marlon. Sheymon is a no-joke prospect who can strike with the best of them. He’s quick, possesses good power and is aggressive on the attack. Marlon, however, is a bit more well-rounded, can thunderclap himself and has much more experience. Sheymon catching him should surprise no one, but I still don’t see that as the most probable outcome. Marlon should be able to use some of his wrestling and control positions to take away Sheymon’s best weapons. It may not be the prettiest fight, but the champion has the skils required to retain his title.
Starks is coming in on insanely short notice and yet I still like his chances. He might gas, obviously, so it’s a risky pick in that sense, but I like his ability to get takedowns as often as he needs them and punish Kyle on the floor from there. If Starks gasses, he’s cooked. If he’s slow to entry on a takedown, Kyle can hammer him rather easily. There’s plenty of reason to think I’m overlooking Kyle, but Starks presents a formidable challenge for him even on short notice.
Mamedov is another of one of these Russians who can seemingly do it all. He can strike, has appropriate use of a variety of takedowns and a wide arsenal of submissions. Spicuzza has some talents, but not enough specialization anywhere to be a true threat.
Pick: Mamedov
WSOF is in Sin City this time with their controversial welterweight champion defending his title against another elite grappler. The bantamweight champion also has his hands full on this card while a host of top prospects look to add to their resume.
Where: Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
When: Saturday, the five-fight preliminary card streams live on MMA Fighting at 8 p.m. ET and the five-fight main card goes live on NBC at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Hindsight’s always 20/20, but when you go back and watch Jon Fitch’s fight with Palhares, you notice he took a lot of unnecessary liberties with dangerous positions. I just don’t buy Shields will do the same. Palhares can catch just about anyone with his heel hook set-ups, but Shields is also good enough and patient enough to take the time to dismantle the structures Palhares builds to set them up. I’m not saying there won’t be tense moments, but I’d frankly be a bit surprised to see Shields lose this one.
This is a tough fight for Marlon. Sheymon is a no-joke prospect who can strike with the best of them. He’s quick, possesses good power and is aggressive on the attack. Marlon, however, is a bit more well-rounded, can thunderclap himself and has much more experience. Sheymon catching him should surprise no one, but I still don’t see that as the most probable outcome. Marlon should be able to use some of his wrestling and control positions to take away Sheymon’s best weapons. It may not be the prettiest fight, but the champion has the skils required to retain his title.
Starks is coming in on insanely short notice and yet I still like his chances. He might gas, obviously, so it’s a risky pick in that sense, but I like his ability to get takedowns as often as he needs them and punish Kyle on the floor from there. If Starks gasses, he’s cooked. If he’s slow to entry on a takedown, Kyle can hammer him rather easily. There’s plenty of reason to think I’m overlooking Kyle, but Starks presents a formidable challenge for him even on short notice.
Mamedov is another of one of these Russians who can seemingly do it all. He can strike, has appropriate use of a variety of takedowns and a wide arsenal of submissions. Spicuzza has some talents, but not enough specialization anywhere to be a true threat.
The UFC returns to Brazil, this time with arguably the crown jewel of stars. Ronda Rousey checks in to defend her bantamweight title against an outmatched Bethe Correia, but the Brazilian seems undeterred. The rest of the card features the finals to The Ultimate Fighter Brazil, plus a cast of notable Brazilian names.
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 seven-fight pay-per-view card kicks off 10 p.m.
Correia winning would literally be one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, which isn’t a reason to disqualify the Brazilian outright, but it certainly means casting a skeptical eye is perfectly warranted. For me, there’s any number of ways to parse this. Without belaboring the point, there’s a massive difference in athleticism. Rousey’s not just quick, but hugely explosive once she wraps the neck and head of her opposition. Maybe Correia can tag her on the entry to the clinch. Or maybe Rousey decides to exchange at range and gets clipped. I don’t think Rousey is outgunned in the striking department necessarily, but strange things happen in MMA. Short of that, though, Correia is going to get find herself going airborne. From there, she’ll lose a speed chess grappling contest on the mat where the far superior grappler in Rousey will finish off a totally overwhelmed Correia.
It’s sort of amazing to look at Rua and think that for a guy with this many miles on his body that he’s the fresher of the two, but that appears to be the circumstance to which we’ve arrived. Lil’ Nog just appears slower, more shop worn and limited. Rua was stopped by Dan Henderson, yes, but looked good enough up until the very end. With time off and working under Rafael Cordeiro, it’s truly hard to pick against him. I like Rua to work from the outside long enough to blitz the slower Nogueira en route to some sort of an early stoppage.
I’m going to go with size and strength (plus youth) beat age and wisdom here. Franca is a little bit rough around the edges in maintaining control positions, but he’s huge and physically dominant for the weight class. That’s usually not enough for me to side with someone, but it is here.
Lopes isn’t just the better of the two and more experienced, but technically more proficient, at least as it relates to matwork. I don’t expect any flying armbars, but over time, Lopes will control the fight after setting up offense from the clinch.
I really just don’t know here. The favorite is Struve and with plenty of reason. Nogueira has looked rather terrible recently. His calling card has been durability, but durability has turned into liability as the years of that style of fighting has ultimately proven unkind. The problem for me is not that Struve isn’t capable necessarily. It’s just that he doesn’t fight tall. I don’t know if Nogueira can do it, but it wouldn’t take much to put Struve on his back and work his still rather lethal jiu-jitsu from there. I can’t confess to having much faith in the Brazilian, but I guess that extends to the Dutch fighter, too.
The problem here is how Silva has looked recently. His career is far more distinguished. I was there when he bodied Fedor Emelianenko. But it just appears his ability to absorb damage is badly compromised. It also appears his reflexes have slowed dramatically. I do worry about Palelei’s ability to strike from distance or secure the takedown, but he also doesn’t have as many questions about his ability to get the lights shut out at a moment’s notice.
Aguilar is a tremendous talent, but without having more recently competed at this level, I have to retain a level of skepticism. I truly wonder about her ability to body Gadelha against the fence or resist the Brazilian’s pressure in the same place. I wonder about her ability to stop Gadelha’s guard passing or ground and pound or both. Long story short, I have a hard time viewing Aguilar’s chances favorably here without first proving it at the here and now. We’re not coasting on resumes here. Aguilar is a top-tier talent, but I remain unconvinced until I see her apply skills in this scenario.
The UFC returns to Brazil, this time with arguably the crown jewel of stars. Ronda Rousey checks in to defend her bantamweight title against an outmatched Bethe Correia, but the Brazilian seems undeterred. The rest of the card features the finals to The Ultimate Fighter Brazil, plus a cast of notable Brazilian names.
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 seven-fight pay-per-view card kicks off 10 p.m.
Correia winning would literally be one of the biggest upsets in MMA history, which isn’t a reason to disqualify the Brazilian outright, but it certainly means casting a skeptical eye is perfectly warranted. For me, there’s any number of ways to parse this. Without belaboring the point, there’s a massive difference in athleticism. Rousey’s not just quick, but hugely explosive once she wraps the neck and head of her opposition. Maybe Correia can tag her on the entry to the clinch. Or maybe Rousey decides to exchange at range and gets clipped. I don’t think Rousey is outgunned in the striking department necessarily, but strange things happen in MMA. Short of that, though, Correia is going to get find herself going airborne. From there, she’ll lose a speed chess grappling contest on the mat where the far superior grappler in Rousey will finish off a totally overwhelmed Correia.
It’s sort of amazing to look at Rua and think that for a guy with this many miles on his body that he’s the fresher of the two, but that appears to be the circumstance to which we’ve arrived. Lil’ Nog just appears slower, more shop worn and limited. Rua was stopped by Dan Henderson, yes, but looked good enough up until the very end. With time off and working under Rafael Cordeiro, it’s truly hard to pick against him. I like Rua to work from the outside long enough to blitz the slower Nogueira en route to some sort of an early stoppage.
I’m going to go with size and strength (plus youth) beat age and wisdom here. Franca is a little bit rough around the edges in maintaining control positions, but he’s huge and physically dominant for the weight class. That’s usually not enough for me to side with someone, but it is here.
Lopes isn’t just the better of the two and more experienced, but technically more proficient, at least as it relates to matwork. I don’t expect any flying armbars, but over time, Lopes will control the fight after setting up offense from the clinch.
I really just don’t know here. The favorite is Struve and with plenty of reason. Nogueira has looked rather terrible recently. His calling card has been durability, but durability has turned into liability as the years of that style of fighting has ultimately proven unkind. The problem for me is not that Struve isn’t capable necessarily. It’s just that he doesn’t fight tall. I don’t know if Nogueira can do it, but it wouldn’t take much to put Struve on his back and work his still rather lethal jiu-jitsu from there. I can’t confess to having much faith in the Brazilian, but I guess that extends to the Dutch fighter, too.
The problem here is how Silva has looked recently. His career is far more distinguished. I was there when he bodied Fedor Emelianenko. But it just appears his ability to absorb damage is badly compromised. It also appears his reflexes have slowed dramatically. I do worry about Palelei’s ability to strike from distance or secure the takedown, but he also doesn’t have as many questions about his ability to get the lights shut out at a moment’s notice.
Aguilar is a tremendous talent, but without having more recently competed at this level, I have to retain a level of skepticism. I truly wonder about her ability to body Gadelha against the fence or resist the Brazilian’s pressure in the same place. I wonder about her ability to stop Gadelha’s guard passing or ground and pound or both. Long story short, I have a hard time viewing Aguilar’s chances favorably here without first proving it at the here and now. We’re not coasting on resumes here. Aguilar is a top-tier talent, but I remain unconvinced until I see her apply skills in this scenario.
News broke Wednesday that the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, LLC, had filed a lawsuit in Nevada district court, claiming former PRIDE middleweight champion and UFC veteran Wanderlei Silva had both defamed them and disparaged their business with remarks claiming UFC engaged in fight fixing.
While the UFC’s lawsuit contains a longer view of Silva’s actions and what the courts should do about it, their lawyers issued a brief statement to MMA Fighting on Wednesday regarding the matter.
“Zuffa, LLC, dba the Ultimate Fighting Championship, filed suit against Wanderlei Silva in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas last evening based on the false and defamatory statements published by Mr. Silva last week. The company will have no further comment on the matter at this time, and refers all inquiries to its counsel at the law firm Campbell & Williams.”
To read more about the lawsuit against Silva by UFC, read here.
News broke Wednesday that the UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, LLC, had filed a lawsuit in Nevada district court, claiming former PRIDE middleweight champion and UFC veteran Wanderlei Silva had both defamed them and disparaged their business with remarks claiming UFC engaged in fight fixing.
While the UFC’s lawsuit contains a longer view of Silva’s actions and what the courts should do about it, their lawyers issued a brief statement to MMA Fighting on Wednesday regarding the matter.
“Zuffa, LLC, dba the Ultimate Fighting Championship, filed suit against Wanderlei Silva in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas last evening based on the false and defamatory statements published by Mr. Silva last week. The company will have no further comment on the matter at this time, and refers all inquiries to its counsel at the law firm Campbell & Williams.”
To read more about the lawsuit against Silva by UFC, read here.
Zuffa, LLC – the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – filed suit in Nevada district court on Friday, July 28th, claiming former PRIDE middleweight champion and UFC veteran Wanderlei Silva for ‘intentional misconduct’,…
Zuffa, LLC – the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – filed suit in Nevada district court on Friday, July 28th, claiming former PRIDE middleweight champion and UFC veteran Wanderlei Silva for ‘intentional misconduct’, claiming the Brazilian fighter defamed them with comments where Silva alleged to have proof of the UFC engaging in the practice of fight fixing.
Zuffa alleges Silva has made “rambling and baseless complaints” against UFC, but they’ve largely ignored them. That changed, they claim in the lawsuit, on or about July 23rd when Silva posted a picture on Facebook of now-fired cutman Jacob Duran where (translated from Portugueuse) where Silva added commentary, claiming, “Fixed fights – and I can prove it! I haven’t yet dropped the bomb. I haven’t said everything I know!”
“Not content to defame the UFC in a single post, Silva apparently decided to double-down on scurrilous remarks,” Zuffa’s lawsuit alleges. “In a second post, published the same day, Silva continued his broadside attack: ‘[a]nd I’m going to fight until the end, to unmask those promoters, that are eluding people!! And cheating taking the dignity and the honor of our sport! It’s turning into ‘wwe telecte!!!’…With fight fights we have to stop Those guys, since this is the end of the line for us!!!”
Zuffa states media sites disseminated Silva’s remarks in the United States and abroad, thereby not limiting his damages to mere domestic concerns.
The mixed martial arts promoter is claiming Silva has both defamed them and disparaged the business. They are seeking a range of punitive damages including, but not limited to, $10,000 in compensatory damages, punitive damages to be awarded at trial, attorney fees and more.
This is the Promotional Malpractice Live Chat.
On Saturday, the UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will return to action, this time in Brazil. She defends her title against Bethe Correia in what is largely expected to be a dominant blow…
This is the Promotional Malpractice Live Chat.
On Saturday, the UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will return to action, this time in Brazil. She defends her title against Bethe Correia in what is largely expected to be a dominant blowout…or a sadistic ritual torture. All of that seems to be a function of her interest. The main card on pay-per-view has seven fights, so you get more bang for your buck on that account, although the quality of the fights and fighters themselves leaves a lot to be desired. We’ll talk about all of it on today’s chat.
We’re also still basking a bit in the glory that was UFC on FOX 16, especially as it relates to T.J. Dillashaw. Former champion Dominick Cruz is already in the media making his…
