Author: McKinley Noble

Mirko Cro Cop Acknowledges ‘Huge Mental Barrier’ During UFC Stint

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic admits that his head wasn’t in the game during his UFC career, citing that his mental state often caused him to freeze up in the Octagon.As Cro Cop tells Fighters Only Magazine, he’s not only planning to win his first K-1 titl…

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic admits that his head wasn’t in the game during his UFC career, citing that his mental state often caused him to freeze up in the Octagon.

As Cro Cop tells Fighters Only Magazine, he’s not only planning to win his first K-1 title, but also aims to return to mixed martial arts before retiring:

“I am very pleased with the fight despite the fact that the fight did not get the finish. For the first time since Pride I was aggressive and attacked constantly; in past years that has not been the case. In the UFC I had a feeling that I was ‘frozen’ and mostly I moved away [from opponents], I had a huge mental barrier. Why I cannot explain it any more than that doesn’t matter. 

“I think I’ve managed to eliminate the things that are bothering me, both mentally and physically, but no more about it because it was a really strange and complicated story. I feel great, physically and mentally, and I think I’ll take the belt at the end in spite of everything and everyone. And yes, next year I will be perforating in MMA again.”

During the 10 years that Cro Cop spent fighting in K-1 Grand Prix tournaments and PRIDE, the imposing Croatian was deemed by many to be one of the most dangerous heavyweight fighters in combat sports.

All that changed during his two UFC runs, where Cro Cop suffered six losses in 12 fights—the most violent of which being a fierce head kick knockout at the hands of Gabriel Gonzaga during UFC 70. However, the lowest point in Cro Cop’s career arguably came after his loss to Frank Mir at UFC 119, a fight that was panned by critics and fans alike.

Cro Cop would fare better in back-and-forth fights against Roy Nelson and Brendan Schaub, but nonetheless left the UFC on his first three-fight losing streak.

Coming off two wins in separate kickboxing events this year, Cro Cop is currently competing in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 Tournament, where he won his first-round fight in the bracket against formerly-undefeated American kickboxer Randy Blake. 

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Carlos Condit: Georges St. Pierre Could’ve Done More to Finish Fights

UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit thinks Georges St. Pierre hasn’t really been trying to finish fights lately.During an interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Condit echoed the thoughts of many GSP detractors, saying…

UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit thinks Georges St. Pierre hasn’t really been trying to finish fights lately.

During an interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Condit echoed the thoughts of many GSP detractors, saying that St. Pierre has been fighting to retain his title with conservative decision wins, instead of emphatic finishes.

When pressed by Helwani, Condit reiterated his critique:

Helwani: Just to be clear, you do think in his last few fights that [St. Pierre] hasn’t put forth 100 percent of his effort to try and finish the fights. Is that accurate?

Condit: Well, I mean—yeah, I guess I think he could’ve done more. He’s been looking to win, and I think maintain his position as apposed to really fighting with a lot of fire like he did when he was up-and-coming and a hungrier fighter. There’s a difference. But I don’t fault him for that. When you get to that position, things change. Motivations are different than they were when you were the young up-and-comer.

St. Pierre hasn’t finished an opponent since UFC 94 in January 2009, when he defeated former UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn by a fourth round corner stoppage. Matt Serra was the last fighter to be finished by St. Pierre’s own hands, via knees to the body, at UFC 83 in April 2008.

By contrast, Condit has finished three fighters in his UFC career (two of whom had never been defeated before, let alone on strikes). However, he also boasts an imperfect 5-1 record in UFC with his sole loss coming by split decision against Martin Kampmann.

Condit faces St. Pierre at UFC 154 on November 17, 2012 in a title unification bout in Montreal, Canada. GSP will be returning to the Octagon for the first time in over 18 months following a severe ACL injury.

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Demian Maia Open to Facing Nick Diaz and Jon Fitch

Demian Maia wants Nick Diaz and Jon Fitch next.Following a particularly brutal submission win over Rick Story at UFC 153, Maia is looking to further raise his stock at welterweight by knocking off more Top 10 fighters in the division.During an intervie…

Demian Maia wants Nick Diaz and Jon Fitch next.

Following a particularly brutal submission win over Rick Story at UFC 153, Maia is looking to further raise his stock at welterweight by knocking off more Top 10 fighters in the division.

During an interview with TATAME Magazine (via MiddleEasy), Maia made it very clear which two opponents would most likely skyrocket him to a title fight. Although he acknowledges that both Diaz and Fitch represent unique struggles, Maia makes the case that he’s ready (via Google Translate):

Dude, I think Nick Diaz and Jon Fitch that opponents would surely have much name this division and I would climb fast. The others, I think they are marked with struggles, but these two guys are certainly very tough and they would have proved much I climb in the division.

I think the two have much jiu-jitsu. Both with Nick as with Fitch. Both are good with that, just that I feel more focused on the Fitch’s wrestling than with his jiu-jitsu, and Nick is a guy more with boxing than jiu-jitsu.

Maia has notched a 2-0 record in the UFC since moving down to welterweight, following a 9-4 run at middleweight that saw him defeat the likes of Chael Sonnen, Dan Miller, and Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago.

Maia finished off Rick Story with a hard neck crank at UFC 153, drawing blood from Story before getting a first round stoppage. Prior to that, Maia defeated Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 148 when the Korean fighter injured his ribs defending a trip takedown.

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UFC Can’t Allow Renan Barao to Hold Bantamweight Division Hostage

Interim championships are one of the most annoying things in the UFC.Generally, the purpose of an interim title is establishing the next best fighter in a division when the current champion is injured or worse.At best, that title gets defended a few ti…

Interim championships are one of the most annoying things in the UFC.

Generally, the purpose of an interim title is establishing the next best fighter in a division when the current champion is injured or worse.

At best, that title gets defended a few times, the interim belt-holder draws a little street cred as a legitimate threat to the “real” champion, and it drives interest in the eventual “champion vs. champion” showdown. It worked beautifully for the heavyweights, after all.

However, that concept has essentially been shot and buried by UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit, who has gone over 250 days without a single title defense—despite being perfectly healthy and able to fight.

It’s a decision that’s dragged Condit’s name through a bit of mud, and possibly worse, sets a bad example for other UFC fighters.

Now, Renan Barao is attempting to follow suit, with his coach saying that they’ll likely sit on the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship until linear champion Dominick Cruz returns from an ACL injury. An injury that currently has no time table for recovery.

Let me make this clear—Barao has no reason to hold the bantamweight division hostage.

Although bantamweight is much more defined than flyweight, it’s still too minor on the weight class scale to leave title contenders in the lurch. If Barao waits for Cruz, it’s not like there’s a huge payoff waiting for him that wouldn’t be equaled by a dominant set of title defenses. 

If anything, the UFC’s 135-pound division needs as many title fights as possible, especially if they can be used to headline FOX, FX or FUEL TV cards.

Despite its deep roots from the WEC, bantamweight just isn’t at the point where title fights can serve as a UFC main event on PPV—not unless the two men fighting are Cruz and Faber.

And even then, the returns aren’t great. UFC 132 needed supporting help from Chris Leben, Wanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz just to pull a pedestrian 350,000 buys.

Cruz also drew a “good-but-not-great” 789,000 viewers in his title next defense against Demetrious Johnson on Versus TV, proving that his drawing power is still a work in progress.

Right now, the UFC needs to promote their bantamweight division as something worth watching, lest they want a repeat of the embarrassing UFC 149 event, argued by some to be the worst PPV event in the company’s history.

That means getting Barao into the Octagon with Brad Pickett or Michael McDonald on a FOX channel and supporting him with good, exciting mid-card talent. Push the division a bit. Make some stars.

Condit can hide behind his undefended belt, but his reasons are more understandable.

Georges St. Pierre is (allegedly) the UFC’s No. 1 draw. Condit doesn’t want to risk losing a once-in-a-lifetime major title unification fight that will draw thousands of fans in GSP’s home country and millions more on pay-per-view.

Dominick Cruz isn’t GSP. Renan Barao is a virtual unknown to most mixed martial arts fans outside of Brazil. Neither one of them is important enough to the UFC that the 135-pound title picture needs to grind to a halt. And that’s not going to change by taking away fights.

[McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.]

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Renan Barao Will Not Defend Interim Title; Waiting for Dominick Cruz

Rather than defend his UFC interim bantamweight title, Renan Barao is opting to sit out while linear champion Dominick Cruz recovers from injury.That’s the official word from Barao’s coach, Andre Pederneiras, who says that the interim champion sho…

Rather than defend his UFC interim bantamweight title, Renan Barao is opting to sit out while linear champion Dominick Cruz recovers from injury.

That’s the official word from Barao‘s coach, Andre Pederneiras, who says that the interim champion should be granted plenty of time to wait for Cruz. As reported by Bloody Elbow, Pederneiras argued his case during an interview with UOL (Latin America’s largest Portuguese online news network):

“[Barao] just won the title, he just fought. We will wait. ‘Look how long the wait was for Condit and GSP to unify the belt?”

Barao won the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship in a title fight with Urijah Faber at UFC 149 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Faber was originally supposed to challenge Dominick Cruz for the lineal bantamweight title at UFC 148, but Cruz suffered an ACL injury during a training session on the set of The Ultimate Fighter: Live.

Barao was granted a spot as Cruz’s replacement on the strength of his 6-0 winning streak in the UFC and WEC, in addition to his 30-fight undefeated run dating back from May 2005.

UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre suffered a similar injury in December 2011, effectively sidelining him for most of this year. UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit choose not to defend his title during that time, citing a preference to wait for St. Pierre to recover.

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UFC Fighter Jeremy Stephens Out of Jail: Update on Lil Heathen

Jeremy Stephens has been released from Polk County Jail, capping off one of the odder stories that circulated around UFC on FX 5 earlier this month.Stephens’ management group, EvoAgents, updated the fighter’s official website with a public stateme…

Jeremy Stephens has been released from Polk County Jail, capping off one of the odder stories that circulated around UFC on FX 5 earlier this month.

Stephens’ management group, EvoAgents, updated the fighter’s official website with a public statement, thanking the UFC and mixed martial arts fans for their support during Stephen’s incarceration:

While Jeremy’s employer (UFC), his family, friends, and loyal fans have stood behind him, certainly the recent events have garnered some negative media attention.

Jeremy felt it was very important to thank each and every one of those who have stood by his side during this tough time. He wanted everyone to know that despite the negative situation that he’s been placed in, he has remained upbeat and positive, reflecting on the opportunities that have been and will be presented to him, reflecting on his family, and his firm believe [sic] in his innocence.

Stephens was originally scheduled to face-off against Yves Edwards at UFC on FX 5 on October 5th, but was arrested on a warrant for a felony assault charge, dating back to a December 2011 altercation in his home state.

According to the Des Moines Register, Stephens and a friend attacked a man outside of an Iowa bar, rendering the victim unconscious and in need of medical attention.

Stephens lives and trains out of Alliance MMA in San Diego, California, which authorities noted was the primary reason why an arrest couldn’t be accomplished earlier. UFC on FX 5 was hosted at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which made it easier for police to apprehend Stephen in his hotel room.

MMA Fighting reports that Stephens will have a future court date. Stephens’ jail bond was posted at $100,000.

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