Author: Michael Stets

Could Quinton “Rampage” Jackson Possibly Be Headed to One FC?

It’s been a few months since we’ve heard any news about Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.  After the former UFC light heavyweight champion dropped a unanimous decision to Glover Teixeira on the UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Dodson card&…

It’s been a few months since we’ve heard any news about Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.  After the former UFC light heavyweight champion dropped a unanimous decision to Glover Teixeira on the UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Dodson card—his third straight defeat—he fulfilled his contractual obligations and was searching for greener pastures outside the UFC.

He didn’t go quietly, telling ESPN in a pre-fight interview: “I can’t wait to leave the UFC and have nothing to do with them anymore.” 

Jackson had also complained about how he was treated and the money he was making, prompting Dana White to respond with: “He needs to work with people who can make him happy.”

Late on Monday night, the former Pride veteran hinted at some good feelings, and sent out a tweet that some big news about him was coming:

Not long after that, One FC chairman and CEO Victor Cui sent out a tweet of his own, possibly alluding to Jackson taking his trademark chain and fight-entrance howl to The One FC:

“Looking fwd to seeing you next month!” Cui said. The tweet has since been removed from his timeline.

If it is indeed true, this would come as a surprise to many, as it had been widely assumed Jackson would wind up in Bellator, or perhaps under the World Series of Fighting banner.

In less than two years, the Singapore-based One FC has quickly become the biggest MMA promotion in Asia.  They have put on nine events in several countries inside the continent, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.  

They have had several former UFC fighters on their fight cards, but none with as big of a name or the drawing potential of Jackson.  The One FC has only had a handful of light heavyweight fights in its almost two-year existence, with the most notable fighter being Renato “Babalu” Sobral.

Having a fighter of Jackson’s popularity should easily help to secure other 205’ers who would like a shot at the 34-year-old veteran.  How much “Rampage” has left remains to be seen; he hasn’t won since defeating Matt Hammill at UFC 130, over two years ago.

He has never hidden his affinity for fighting in Japan, or his disdain for the UFC.  Maybe now he finds happiness in the latest chapter of his career, back on the continent where he began his ascent to stardom—this time further south.

 

Michael Stets is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report

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Why Chael Sonnen vs. “Shogun” Rua for UFC 161 Makes Sense

The rumored matchup between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva might not have come to fruition, but that doesn’t mean the gangster from West Linn, Oregon isn’t willing to call out another Brazilian.News broke over the weekend that Antonio Rog…

The rumored matchup between Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva might not have come to fruition, but that doesn’t mean the gangster from West Linn, Oregon isn’t willing to call out another Brazilian.

News broke over the weekend that Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was off the UFC 161 card vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, due to injury.  Sonnen offered up his services as a replacement, via Twitter early on Monday Morning:

 

Obviously, this is not the first time Sonnen has asked for a fight on short notice. He offered to face Jon Jones last September on eight-days notice, before UFC 151 was eventually cancelled. At that time Jones backed out, giving Sonnen months to talk trash until the fight was eventually made.

Sonnen was the recipient of high praise from UFC president Dana White, for being the only one willing to step up to fight Jones at that time. Not to say he has carte blanche here, but it seems logical that if he’s willing to step up to face “Shogun” on short notice, the UFC would give him the fight.

UFC 161 has already lost the main event between Eddie Wineland and Renen Barao due to an injury to the latter. The co-main event between Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans has since been moved up to main-event status. The card is slotted for June 15, in Winnipeg, Canada, giving Sonnen two weeks to get in shape—if he isn’t already—since his one-sided loss to Jon Jones at UFC 159, at the end of April.  

Shogun is also coming off a loss, falling to Alexander Gustafsson by unanimous decision back in December on the UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Diaz card. He is currently ranked No. 7 in the UFC light-heavyweight rankings.

Even with only a two-week time span, Sonnen’s promotional skills would instantly make more fans gravitate toward watching UFC 161 and generate more pay-per-view buys. There are other light heavyweight’s available, but Sonnen makes the most sense as a replacement for the card, as opposed to scrapping the fight altogether.

Stylistically, it is a solid matchup between the two. Both fighters are known for their willingness to engage, so it could make for some excellent action throughout the fight. Sonnen will most likely look to close distance and work his wrestling for a takedown. Rua is the better striker, and is still a very dangerous muay thai fighter; his knees from the clinch, and leg kicks can be lethal.  

Rua also likes to take things to the ground at times, and has excellent leg trips. Should it get to the ground, the battle between a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and one of the best wrestlers in MMA for top position is an intriguing one as well.

This matchup is certainly one that the fans and media can get behind. We shall see if the fight does in fact get made in the coming days. We will probably, almost certainly see more tweets from Mr. Sonnen.

Michael Stets is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

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Ronda Rousey Responds to Dave Camarillo’s Assessment on Her Grappling Skill

In the modern era of social media, it’s very hard for celebrity-level athletes to ignore the noise.  Such is the case for current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey—who took to Twitter to respond to comments made by D…

In the modern era of social media, it’s very hard for celebrity-level athletes to ignore the noise.  Such is the case for current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey—who took to Twitter to respond to comments made by Dave Camarillo in his recent interview with MMA Fighting’s Luke Thomas.

Camarillo is the author of Submit Everyone, the former grappling coach for AKA and a highly sought-after instructor.  The Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo black belt was asked by Thomas to respond to a perception he had heard, in regards to Rousey not being an elite-level grappler.

“I would say no,” Camarillo said, “but remember she’s not fighting in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She’s fighting in MMA and in MMA right now, she’s doing phenomenal.”

Sunday, Rousey tweeted this statement in response:

Rousey’s mother, Dr. Ann Marie DeMars, also chimed in:

Camarillo has the credentials and reputation to critique anyone in MMA today.  However, he was also offering a lot of praise toward the first-ever UFC women’s champ.

“This is early in her career and she’s incredible,” he said.  “She’s putting judo on the map. She’s putting women’s MMA on the map or she’s continuing its legacies right now.”

During the interview, Camarillo discusses what he thinks Rousey does and doesn’t do well, breaks down certain elements of her last fight with Liz Carmouche and compliments Rousey’s uncanny ability to land her patented armbar submission.  He tweeted a brief response to Rousey and De Mars:

He later added another tweet in his defense:

Whether you are a popular athlete at the highest of highs or lowest of lows, you are going to receive your fair share of praise, coupled with a good amount of criticism.  It doesn’t necessarily matter that you are the champ, for it doesn’t make you immune to negativity or criticism.

In this instance, Camarillo was merely breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of Rousey’s grappling and giving an honest assessment.  It exists in all sports, no matter who that athlete may be: a boxer’s striking, a baseball player’s swing or a quarterback’s throwing ability.

Rousey is doing herself no favors by responding on Twitter.  If anything, she is making herself appear sensitive.  Her mother jumping into the fray certainly doesn’t help either.  This isn’t the first time for DeMars—who earlier in the week complained about the coaching switch on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Rousey is undoubtedly the best fighter in women’s MMA today.  Along with the praise comes criticism.  She should ignore the noise.

 

Michael Stets is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

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One FC 9: Tim Sylvia and Phil Baroni Should Call It a Career After Losses

Early this morning in the U.S. it was already night in Pasay City, Philippines—where two of the more colorful characters in MMA history were soundly defeated yet again.Deep in the depths of Metro Manila at The Mall of Asia Arena, both Phil Baroni…

Early this morning in the U.S. it was already night in Pasay City, Philippines—where two of the more colorful characters in MMA history were soundly defeated yet again.

Deep in the depths of Metro Manila at The Mall of Asia Arena, both Phil Baroni and Tim Sylvia suffered losses at One FC: Rise to Power.  This should be a sign that it’s finally time to call it a career.

Sylvia continues to move further away from having even the slightest chance at a UFC return.  The former champion missed weight by six pounds for his fight with Tony Johnson.  

After being out-wrestled during the first two rounds in the preliminary card matchup, Sylvia was the recipient of a huge elbow by Johnson, opening a cut on his forehead that halted the action.  The ring-side doctor determined the cut was too big for Sylvia to continue.  Johnson would be awarded the victory via TKO at 3:25 of Round 3.

Sylvia is now 37 and has lost back-to-back fights to what many experts would consider not the stiffest competition. He is a far cry from being relevant. His last fight in the U.S. was for a regional promotion in Maine.  

He is a former champion—there’s no doubt that he was one of the best in his day. He gave it a good run trying to become relevant again. That run, unfortunately, failed. He should stop now and get out before taking more unnecessary damage by fighting too long.

The writing has been on the wall for quite some time for Phil Baroni. He just refuses to accept that his body and skills—like all fighters past their prime—are failing him. The “New York Bad Ass” was anything but in his welterweight matchup vs. Nobutatsu Suzuki.  

He began the opening round with some success, but that quickly changed as Suzuki soon connected and backed Baroni up against the cage. Suzuki then connected with a knee and a follow-up right hand that sent the Long Island native down to the canvas. Baroni twisted his leg as he fell and suffered what appeared to be a broken or dislocated ankle. Once the referee saw he could no longer continue, the fight was stopped, giving Suzuki a KO victory at 4:15 of Round 1.

Baroni told the New York Post recently: “I gotta ride this bitch until the wheels fall off. I gotta keep going and hopefully catch my break.”

At 15-17 it’s quite apparent he won’t be catching one anytime soon. Baroni lost his last fight—and probably his last chance—in his second stint in the UFC, almost two years ago. The AKA fighter is one who doesn’t seem to know when enough is enough. While it is remarkable that he has managed to hang around the sport this long, with the record he has he is simply fighting for a paycheck now.

Sylvia and Baroni have held on for far too long. They both need to consider the risks moving forward and if it’s really worth it to continue.

Michael Stets is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

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Are Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar Truly UFC Hall of Famers?

After Forrest Griffin’s impromptu retirement announcement during the UFC 160 post-fight presser, Dana White announced that Griffin, along with Stephan Bonnar, would be headed for the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.Yes, Griffin and Bonnar took part …

After Forrest Griffin’s impromptu retirement announcement during the UFC 160 post-fight presser, Dana White announced that Griffin, along with Stephan Bonnar, would be headed for the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.

Yes, Griffin and Bonnar took part in that epic battle to decide the winner of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter.  Yes, they helped put the UFC on the map with their amazing effort that night at The Cox Pavillion, and on SPIKE TV.  Griffin won by unanimous decision; both fighters would earn six-figure contracts.  It was the UFC’s first big step in crossing over into mainstream status and acceptance.

The memories and the nostalgia from the night of April 9, 2005, would stay attached to those two—as they would stay attached to each other—for the rest of their respected careers.

The sole reason and most important criteria for these two fighter’s impending induction is on this merit, and this merit alone.  

What they’ve done in their careers simply pales in comparison to the crop of existing Hall of Famers.

Before we can look at if either one of the TUF Season one finalist’s has any argument in their favor, let’s look at who is already in the Hall of Fame and some of their achievements.

Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes were all UFC champions.  Couture was a multi-time champion in two different weight classes.  Hughes, Liddell and Ortiz each defended their belt at least four consecutive times.

Royce Gracie won three out of the first UFC events—which were all one-night tournaments.

Ken Shamrock was the first to win the super-fight championship (open-weight title before weight classes were introduced), and a semi-finalist and finalist in the early tournament style UFC cards.  

Mark Coleman is the first-ever UFC heavyweight champion—who also won both the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournaments.

Forrest Griffin’s crowning achievements were his upset victory over Maruicio “Shogun” Rua, and his upset win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to win the UFC light heavyweight championship.  He lost the title his very next fight to Rashad Evans, went 3-3 the rest of his career and was bitten many times by the injury bug.  He finished with a 10-5 record in the UFC.

Griffin was a fan favorite and best-selling author, with sometimes quirky behavior, who always gave his best in the Octagon.  He just wasn’t good enough and shouldn’t be considered for the Hall of Fame.

Aside from being held in high esteem for his famous battle with Griffin, Bonnar has tested positive for steroids more than he’s had impressive victories.  His most impressive win was over Keith Jardine. After that he went 5-6 overall, finishing his career with an 8-7 record in the UFC.  Case closed.

Griffin, to his credit, is the only man other than Jon Jones to defeat both “Shogun” and “Rampage,” and he did it three years prior.  He also won a title, so you can argue a case for him.  Bonnar you cannot.

Which brings up the question:  What is the necessary criteria needed to become a member of the UFC Hall of Fame?

Is it based on what you’ve done in the Octagon, and if you’ve won a title?  Or, is it simply the president and owners having a soft spot for you?

If the latter is the case, are they championing mediocrity?  The fans always get behind a fight that is more “Rock‘em, Sock’em Robots,” than it is skill and precision.  Those fights are always up for “Fight of the Night,” and are held in high regard by the bosses.

That was the type of fight that Griffin and Bonnar put on that night.

Make no mistake, they deserve all the credit in the world for that magical night.  They will always be talked of in reverent tones for the courage and valor that they put on display that fateful evening.  They can be honored in so many other ways, and should be.  But the Hall of Fame should be reserved for the greats of their time and era, which those two were not.

Will the induction of these two fighters set an example to others that you don’t necessarily have to be the best to be a Hall of Famer, you just have to be entertaining?  Or perhaps, this is just a special case made for them based on that one special evening, and the future candidates going forward will have to get in the old fashioned way: based on their accomplishments over their career, not one night.

Hopefully this is the exception, not the rule.

Michael Stets is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

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UFC 160: What’s Next for Khabib Nurmagomedov

The only thing Khabib Nurmagomedov has done wrong in the UFC hasn’t even happened inside the Octagon.  The now 20-0 Russian fighter missed weight for his fight vs. Abel Trujillo at UFC 160, forfeiting 20 percent of his purse. The former Comb…

The only thing Khabib Nurmagomedov has done wrong in the UFC hasn’t even happened inside the Octagon.  The now 20-0 Russian fighter missed weight for his fight vs. Abel Trujillo at UFC 160, forfeiting 20 percent of his purse.

The former Combat Sambo world champion may be a little lighter in the pocket due to his weight infraction, but he is now rich in opportunity and will face someone in the upper echelon of the 155-pound division in his next fight.

In what Dana White described as an “ugly wrestling clinic” at the post-fight media scrum, Nurmagomedov dominated Trujillo in the grappling department for the entire three rounds, cruising to a unanimous 30-27 victory.

Nicknamed “The Eagle,” the Russian fighter from AKA took down the Blackzilian protege at will, shattering the UFC takedown record for one fight.  He hit 21 out of 27 attempts, surpassing Sean Sherk’s record of 16 that was set in a five-round title fight at UFC 73, back in 2007.

Nurmagomedov has now won his first four fights in the UFC.  He has proven his worth by finishing Kamal Shalorus and Thiago Tavares—who are two very credible grapplers—while also showing he can grind out a decision in his win vs. Gleison Tibau.

This isn’t a young fighter the UFC needs to groom.  He is a 24-year-old phenom it needs to unleash.

“The Eagle” has yet to taste defeat in 20 professional fights and has already been ranked in the Top 10 in the lightweight rankings.  Josh Thompson and Pat Healy’s recent performances were the only reason he was bumped out of the Top 10.

Will the undefeated Red Fury fighter be tested by a higher-ranked 155er the next time out?

“He needs to fight higher-caliber guys,” White said.

Yes he does.

After his performance at UFC 160, Nurmagomedov should find himself back inside the Top 10 of the UFC rankings.

As far as his next fight, Pat Healy or Josh Thomson sound like good matchups.  Either opponent will test if he belongs among the elite of the 155-pound division.

 

Michael Stets is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.  All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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