Author: McKinley Noble

Siyar Bahadurzada: ‘Scared’ Dong Hyun Kim Will ‘Never’ Get a UFC Title Shot

Fighters like Dong Hyun Kim may win their fair share of UFC bouts, but the South Korean star will never get a title shot with the way he fights.At least, that’s what Siyar Bahadurzada thinks about “Stun Gun” and his controlling grappling.In a…

Fighters like Dong Hyun Kim may win their fair share of UFC bouts, but the South Korean star will never get a title shot with the way he fights.

At least, that’s what Siyar Bahadurzada thinks about “Stun Gun” and his controlling grappling.

In a recent interview posted by the UFC, “Siyar the Great” broke down his upcoming fight with Kim at UFC on Fuel TV 8 match in Japan’s Saitama Super Arena, heavily criticizing the perceived disrespect he’s gotten from his opponent:

When the UFC offered [Kim] the fight, he went out there and said ‘who is Siyar Bahadurzada, I don’t know him. I was expecting that the UFC would give me a better name or a higher profile fighter.

What is he talking about? He says he doesn’t know me? How many guys put Paulo Thiago to sleep? I’m pretty sure when he analyzed his tapes he knew who I was. I think he’s scared of me, and that’s why he said that.

True to his word, Bahadurzada is the only fighter to ever defeat Thiago by strikes, which occurred during a previous UFC on Fuel TV card in Sweden last April.

Not only did Bahadurzada defeat Thiago via KO, but he also did it in just 42 seconds.

Finishes like that are quite valuable to the UFC, which has notably been cutting and displacing less exciting fighters who don’t entertain the crowds in victory and/or defeat. Bahadurzada notes that fighters like that make MMA more “beautiful,” while men like Kim aren’t helping themselves: 

We need guys like ‘Showtime’ Pettis to make this sport more beautiful. We need guys like Anderson Silva to introduce this sport to the mainstream. But guys like Dong Hyun Kim, he makes the sport ugly.

He stalls and controls people and doesn’t do damage. Why would you do that? It doesn’t make sense. If he fights like that, he will have 30 more UFC fights and he will never get a title shot because people don’t want to see a boring champion.

Both fighters will have the chance to make their case at UFC on Fuel TV 8 on March 2, with the winner arguably cementing himself a spot in the “Top 10” of the welterweight division.

In addition to that bout, the rest of the event features a heavily-stacked main card with Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann as the headliner, a heavyweight tilt between Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve, Takanori Gomi vs. Diego Sanchez and a middleweight clash with Yushin Okami vs. Hector Lombard.

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Dan Hardy Slams ‘Disappointing’ UFC Fighters Just Trying ‘To Get a Paycheck’

Recent cuts made by the UFC have likely gotten the message across to many fighters: The promotion doesn’t want guys who don’t entertain crowds.After all, just look at Jon Fitch.Despite carrying an impressive 14-3-1 record during his UFC career, he…

Recent cuts made by the UFC have likely gotten the message across to many fighters: The promotion doesn’t want guys who don’t entertain crowds.

After all, just look at Jon Fitch.

Despite carrying an impressive 14-3-1 record during his UFC career, he’s generally been perceived by several MMA fans as a boring fighter to watch. Hence, Fitch was recently cut loose from the roster, along with 15 other lackluster performers. 

English MMA star Dan Hardy isn’t surprised though, telling Pro MMA Now that the UFC must be disappointed with fighters who play it safe:

I know the UFC are getting rid of a bunch of guys, and I know that they are disappointed with the way that people are stepping into the Octagon. Maybe it’s just a shake-up, maybe they are just trying to show people that we are in the entertainment industry as well as a professional sport.

When people pay a lot of money for a ticket they want to see a performance, and some people are coming to get a pay check and it’s kinda disappointing.

Hardy is a clear case of what the UFC wants in “exciting” fighters, as “The Outlaw” has maintained his spot in the company’s ranks despite his rather pedestrian 6-4 record since joining the promotion in October 2008.

And even though Hardy has gone to decision six times in his past 10 fights, he’s had enough crowd-pleasing battles to keep himself employed.

It also doesn’t hurt much that he’s notched two bonuses for “Fight of the Night” and “KO of the Night” in his past three bouts.

With that in mind, Fitch being cut from the UFC arguably wasn’t much of a shock, even though he’s a much higher-ranked welterweight than Hardy. When the news first broke, even the Nottingham native said that he would’ve cut himself from the roster way before Fitch.

Fitch currently has yet to announce where he’ll be fighting next, although his UFC name value should land him a job fairly quickly.

Meanwhile, Hardy has his sights set on the upcoming UFC on Fox 7 card at San Jose’s HP Pavilion. On April 20, The Outlaw starts off the main card as he attempts to gain his third straight win against fellow veteran Matt Brown, who will ride a 4-0 streak going into the match.

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Urijah Faber Wants ‘Big’ UFC Match vs. Frankie Edgar, Not Fights with ‘Chumps’

Perennial title contender Urijah Faber is set to rescue a scrapped main event for The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, but he’s got his sights set on future fights.Specifically, “The California Kid” wants a crack at Frankie Edgar.During an interview on the&…

Perennial title contender Urijah Faber is set to rescue a scrapped main event for The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, but he’s got his sights set on future fights.

Specifically, “The California Kid” wants a crack at Frankie Edgar.

During an interview on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown,” Faber laid out the case for why he wants bouts against lucrative names in major events:

I’m in an interesting predicament where whoever I fight, if they’re not a top contender or a titleholder, then they’re throwing me a chump. What a lot of people feel, that I get title shots — if I get a title shot, then I’ve got too many title shots. It’s like, I’m in a weird predicament because I’ve been in the top of the weight class for so long.

I wouldn’t mind taking a fight at 145. It would have to be the right fight. I’ve said this for a long time: I want to do the fights that are big, that people care about.

As Sherdog notes, Faber is well aware that he’s gotten quite a few title shots during his World Extreme Cagefighting and UFC careers.

Despite having only five UFC fights under his belt, Faber has twice competed for titles in two different divisions, with his UFC 139 match against Brian Bowles being a title eliminator.

Counting his WEC career, that’s four title shots in less than four years.

However, Faber only loses to the elite.

Mike Brown, Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz and Renan Barao have been the only men to hand the Team Alpha Male star just five defeats in his last 24 professional MMA bouts—and only one of them ended by stoppage.

And as Faber suggests to Sherdog, he’s at the point where he feels he deserves only the most marketable bouts against the most famous fighters. In his estimation, someone like Edgar (a seven-time UFC headliner) fits the bill nicely:

[Frankie Edgar] sounds like a huge fight to me. Frankie, as far as I’m concerned, if he gets the nod on Benson Henderson, he’s one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Then he goes in against who I in my true heart feel is the best fighter pound-for-pound in the world in Jose Aldo and has a great fight with him. It’s really a fight with a couple of the best pound-for-pound guys.

Of course, Faber still has to worry about completing his next match against Jorgensen on April 13 before campaigning for a bout with Edgar.

But regardless of whether Faber wins or loses, a match with Edgar shouldn’t be too hard for the UFC to arrange on television or pay-per-view.

Despite being holding a spot in the official UFC rankings as the company’s No. 10 pound-for-pound fighter, Edgar has lost three straight bouts. But since all those defeats took place in championship bouts, “The Answer” may still warrant a top-ranked opponent for his return.

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UFC 157 Estimated at 500,000 PPV Buys, Cements Ronda Rousey as UFC Star

Even though Ronda Rousey had already spent the last year of her Strikeforce career turning heads in the sports world, many questioned how she would perform on a UFC pay-per-view.Apparently, she’s on track to be one of the company’s biggest stars.While …

Even though Ronda Rousey had already spent the last year of her Strikeforce career turning heads in the sports world, many questioned how she would perform on a UFC pay-per-view.

Apparently, she’s on track to be one of the company’s biggest stars.

While the official numbers aren’t likely to be released by parent company Zuffa, the Los Angeles Times reports that UFC 157 expects to pull 500,000 pay-per-view buys:

While UFC officials don’t publicly share their pay-per-view totals, an official with knowledge of the figures said with replay sales, Rousey’s first-round armbar submission of Liz Carmouche could near 500,000 buys.

That number is far and away better than the prior pay-per-view record for a female [boxing] fight which pitted the daughters of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier [against each other] and generated 125,000 buys.

Should those numbers hold up, that would be a slam dunk for the UFC and Rousey.

According to the MMAPayout.com Blue Book, that makes UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche the sixth-best mixed martial arts PPV event in the last year.

In fact, Rousey’s debut title fight seems to have commanded better drawing power than cards headlined by the likes of Frankie Edgar, Benson Henderson, Nick Diaz, Jon Jones and even Anderson Silva:

• UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II – 925,000
• UFC 154: GSP vs. Condit – 700,000
• UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans – 700,000
• UFC 155: JDS vs. Velasquez II – 590,000
• UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir – 560,000
• UFC 157: Rousey vs Carmouche – 450,000 to 500,000
• UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort – 450,000
• UFC 143: Condit vs. Diaz – 400,000
• UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar – 410,000
• UFC 156: Aldo vs Edgar – 330,000
• UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson – 325,000
• UFC 149: Faber vs. Barao – 230,000
• UFC 150: Henderson v. Edgar II – 190,000
• UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin II – 140,000
• UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson – Canceled

Numbers like these should go a long way to solidifying Rousey as one of the UFC’s most important stars, with her fame even drawing the attention of Hollywood.

As noted by industry insider Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio (via Bloody Elbow), Rousey is in talks for a role in the next installment of the Hunger Games film franchise, which stars Oscar Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence.

Few fighters have the crossover success that Rousey has gained, so the news isn’t a major surprise, although UFC president Dana White insists that the champion would still make far more money in the Octagon.

Moreover, Rousey’s career trajectory mirrors that of current Hollywood star and former Strikeforce headliner Gina Carano, who successfully transitioned to full-time acting with a leading role in Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 action-thriller Haywire.

Of course, the success of UFC 157 isn’t solely due to Ronda alone, with co-headliners Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida contributing to the hype in their title eliminator match, in addition to a main card appearance from former WEC featherweight champ Urijah Faber.

Additionally, the UFC and Fox also instituted an exceptionally heavy marketing push for their first-ever women’s bout, including an extensive media blitz, a UFC Countdown special and a critically-acclaimed four-part edition of UFC Primetime starring both Rousey and Liz Carmouche.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and tech writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, 1UP, NVision, The Los Angeles Times, FightFans Radio, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF 17, Ep. 6 Results and Recap: Tor Troeng vs. Josh Samman Ends in a Vicious KO

Well, that was unexpected.Despite being one of the highest-ranked fighters on the show and hosting a nine-fight experience edge against his opponent, Swedish bruiser Tor Troeng was knocked out cold by Team Jones’ No. 2 pick, Josh Samman.There was a lot…

Well, that was unexpected.

Despite being one of the highest-ranked fighters on the show and hosting a nine-fight experience edge against his opponent, Swedish bruiser Tor Troeng was knocked out cold by Team Jones’ No. 2 pick, Josh Samman.

There was a lot expected of Tor, who is lauded as one of the best middleweights in Europe, but Samman’s win definitely switches things up a bit.

(Read the full episode play-by-play here.)

• It was surprising to see the fight end in Round 1, although the heavy pace that Tor and Samman were setting looked rough. Samman was the first to find a home for his stand-up game, though, as he backed up Tor with a hard flurry to start the fight.

• From that point on, it was clear that giving Samman space to work his boxing would be bad for Tor, as both men gamely tussled back and forth in a grueling clinch fight against the cage. Unfortunately, Tor’s best chance to win the fight faded as he lost control of Samman on the ground.

• Once Samman hit a great sweep from the bottom, he was able to pressure Tor against the fence and beat him up a little. Tor definitely made it a fight, though, pushing Samman when possible and hitting solid strikes and knees.

• But the minute a visibly-tiring Tor lowered his hands, Samman pounced, clocking Tor clean with a hard hook, flurrying for the finish and dropping Team Sonnen’s No 4. pick to the mat (and it took Tor a while to wake up). With that match in the books, here’s how the roster looks so far.

Team Jones:

1. Clint Hester (7-3)
2. Josh Samman (9-2)
3. Robert “Bubba” McDaniel (20-6)
4. Gilbert Smith Jr. (5-1)
5. Collin Hart (4-1-1)
6. Adam Cella (4-0)
7. Dylan Andrews (16-4-1)

Team Sonnen:

1. Luke Barnatt (5-0)
2. Uriah Hall (7-2)
3. Zak Cummings (15-3)
4. Tor Troeng (15-4-1)
5. Jimmy Quinlan (3-0)
6. Kevin Casey (5-2)
7. Kelvin Gastelum (5-0).

[Note: Winners are in bold, losers are scratched off the list and the next competitors’ names are in italics.]

• Man, Uriah Hall isn’t being shy about the fact that he’s already getting into an “every man for himself” mentality. Much of the show was devoted to him ruffling feathers on both teams, with his most heated exchanges coming against Luke Barnatt and Josh Samman.

• That said, this author really hopes that Hall fights Samman at some point during the show. The animosity between those two is palatable, and it looks like they’d both have some major chips on their shoulders.

• Another good match that could come up is Luke Barnatt vs. Uriah Hall, as both teammates’ obvious distain for each other made for the most drama-filled moment in the season so far. While Barnatt does have a point about Hall needing to be a team player, Hall is justified in looking out for himself.

• Surprise, surprise! Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones actually had some conflict on the show! Sure, it was just a friendly bowling match, but it was nice to see the two coaches on camera actually doing something competitive against each other.

• Jones losing the match was pretty funny, but not as funny as Sonnen’s bowling form.

• Seriously, Sonnen just freakin’ chucks the bowling ball down the lane like it’s a spear—it barely even touches the ground.

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UFC Champ Ronda Rousey May Join Jennifer Lawrence in ‘Hunger Games’ Sequel

Could mixed martial arts fans be seeing Ronda Rousey on the silver screen soon?That seems to be possible, as the face of women’s MMA has reportedly been offered a role on the sequel to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. If you haven’t hear…

Could mixed martial arts fans be seeing Ronda Rousey on the silver screen soon?

That seems to be possible, as the face of women’s MMA has reportedly been offered a role on the sequel to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

 If you haven’t heard of Catching Fire, it’s only the highly-anticipated sequel to 2012’s record-breaking $686 million blockbuster The Hunger Games.

According to Tuesday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio (via Bloody Elbow), industry expert Dave Meltzer noted that Rousey may be bound for Hollywood, building off the success of her superstar Strikeforce career and UFC 157 debut:

… There was a very good chance that the promotion of Rousey was TOO successful because she’s been offered a role in the next…whatever it is…the next Hunger Games movie that they’re going to film.

And once that happens it’s like…you know, who knows? She’s making a lot of money fighting, I don’t know what those numbers are going to be when they come out when they’re released. But she’s making a ton of money.

With Rousey having cemented herself as a major superstar, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion branching into film roles.

That’s what happened with former Strikeforce fighter Gina Carano after she retired from MMA, with her own film career getting a solid start in Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 action-thriller Haywire.

Moreover, Rousey is a well-known public figure that would draw attention for any sort of cameo or supporting role in the Hunger Games‘ next film franchise installment, which would assuredly be The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1.

(Author’s Note: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is currently in the middle of re-shoots for the final nine days of filming, according to UK publication The Daily Mail.)

Not only is Rousey a UFC champion, Strikeforce champion, Olympic bronze medalist and multiple-time international judo champion, but she’s also a “Maxim Hot 100″ entrant and 2012 ESPN Body Issue (NSFW) cover athlete.

That kind of exposure makes Rousey a very hot commodity in various markets both inside and outside the MMA community. With her star shining even brighter due to her exciting UFC debut title fight victory against top-contender Liz Carmouche, it’s fair to say that Rousey’s fame is still growing by leaps and bounds.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld, PC World, The Los Angeles Times, MMA Mania and Bleacher Report. Talk with him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com