Author: Nedu Obi

Nick Diaz: Was His No Show Part of Playing Dana White’s Game?

With the furor surrounding Nick Diaz’s no-shows at several press junkets, is there more to it than meets the eye? Could this be a carefully and meticulously orchestrated plan by the UFC or is it just what it was; Diaz no-showing for the reasons h…

With the furor surrounding Nick Diaz’s no-shows at several press junkets, is there more to it than meets the eye?

Could this be a carefully and meticulously orchestrated plan by the UFC or is it just what it was; Diaz no-showing for the reasons he’d stated earlier in the week?

Let’s take a closer look:

Remember Nate Marquardt?  Well he was fired from the UFC for failing to get the medical clearance required for his fight with Rick Story at UFC on Versus 4. Diaz, on the other hand, is still in a job and is set to throw down with BJ Penn in the co-main event at UFC 137.

Marquardt’s actions were no different to Diaz’s; they both put their respective events in jeopardy, Marquardt gets sacked and Diaz gets a public slap on the wrist. Enough said.

Another thing to bear in mind, with a fight on the scale of that magnitude, why was it so hard for anyone to locate the whereabouts of Diaz?

When contact was finally made, White spoke about how Diaz had voiced his concerns about the main event; he couldn’t handle the pressure.  I’d have thought that White would’ve known about Diaz and his extreme aversion to the media before signing him up for that fight?

Next, how come Cesar Gracie had no inkling of where his star pupil was holed up, especially with a fight in the offing that could’ve propelled Diaz to the heights of MMA greatness?

Also one minute Gracie was in total agreement with White’s decision to axe Diaz from the main event, and the next he was stating that the fight should’ve gone ahead. Make your mind up son.   

And then there is St-Pierre, what part if any did he have to play in this supposed cloak and dagger affair? At the UFC 137 press conference, after hearing that Diaz had been pulled from the main event and that he’d now be fighting Carlos Condit, St-Pierre had this to say:

“I do believe Carlos Condit is more dangerous than Nick Diaz,” he said. “If they fought, I would put my money on Carlos Condit, so for me it’s a bigger challenge.”

I like the phrase: Bigger challenge, an apt way of trying to convince the fans that the Condit fight bears more significance than a Diaz fight would.

And finally we have the 209 son himself; suddenly Diaz comes out of the woodwork apprising the media of his reasons for failing to attend both press junkets while throwing a few derogatory comments and expletives St-Pierre’s way. Was this Diaz trying to hard sell a future St-Pierre vs. Diaz fight?

Now if it is/was a strategy contrived by the Zuffa hierarchy and Dana White in particular, and if it does go according to plan, it could well turn out to be a masterstroke by said persons.

For it to be an ingenious scheme St-Pierre would have to defeat Condit, and Diaz would have to be victorious against Penn. But as with anything in life, nothing is certain.

This could easily be upended in several ways; Condit and Penn both win their respective matches which means Penn fights for the championship. Or you could have St-Pierre vs. Penn or Condit vs. Diaz fighting for the championship.

There’s nothing wrong business-wise with the aforementioned match-ups; I’m sure the buy rates will suffice to assuage the UFC, but with a St-Pierre vs. Diaz fight, the UFC would’ve had much more to gain from a financial point of view.

And at this point in time, with the match-ups already in place for UFC 137, the Zuffa based company is sitting in a very comfortable position. The financial icing on the cake would be if this conjectural plan came to fruition. Now that would be a stroke of genius.

Maybe Diaz was playing the game all along, the same game that White has been so vociferous to point out in the past.

Remember this is all speculative and hypothetical.

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Lyoto Machida: Was Turning down Dana White a Big Mistake?

When Dana White came a-knocking on Lyoto Machida’s door, Machida responded by slamming the door shut in his face. White was in dire straits when he found out that rising prospect Phil Davis would be a no-show for the main event of UFC 133, a…

When Dana White came a-knocking on Lyoto Machida’s door, Machida responded by slamming the door shut in his face.

White was in dire straits when he found out that rising prospect Phil Davis would be a no-show for the main event of UFC 133, after sustaining a knee injury.

With less than four weeks until the event, and with Rashad Evans without an opponent, he needed someone of note to fill the void, and fast.

In his hour of need, White turned to none other than Machida, the former light heavyweight champion.

Machida had just come off an emphatic victory against UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture at UFC 129. Machida knocked out the veteran fighter via a jumping front kick, effectively sending him into retirement.

Even though it was at short notice, Machida was both willing and able to rise to the occasion. He had assembled his crew and hired a plane and was all set to depart the relaxation of the sandy beaches of Brazil for the gruelling preparation schedule that lay ahead of him stateside.  

However, there was one stumbling block, Machida wanted more money—Anderson Silva kind of money. Some might say Machida was being rapacious in his demands; others might say he was deserved of the Silva type of money. Either way, win or lose, it was Machida’s game to play.

White is one of those guys who won’t be held to ransom, and furthermore, if Machida wanted Silva money White expected him to produce Silva-esque performances.

White declined his request. His next port of call would be to the villainous rapscallion Tito Ortiz. Ortiz gladly accepted, but not without assurances and some Silva-type money.

An excerpt of Indeep’s “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life” must’ve crossed White’s mind: “There’s not a problem that Ortiz can’t fix, ’cause he can do it in the mix.”

Ortiz had saved the day, but more importantly he had gone up a notch in White’s estimation.

For Machida, well, he turned down an opportunity—not of a lifetime, but an opportunity, nonetheless.

It can’t be said that Machida was afraid of throwing down with Evans. He’d won the light heavyweight championship by knocking out Evans in devastating fashion at UFC 98.

Save for his presupposed rapacity and Silva money, Machida could’ve been right back in the mix, he most definitely would’ve have been the No. 1 contender to the crown if he had defeated Evans.

And right now he’d be waiting in the wings, ready to take on the winner of the Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson clash.

So where does that leave Machida? He was last pencilled in to fight Phil Davis at UFC 140, but that has been squashed.

Evans is the No. 1 contender; next up I presume would be Mauricio Rua. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. There might be rematches, injuries—these could all jeopardize Machida’s chances of vying for the belt.

And it’s not even a dead cert that Machida will be victorious in his next fight, whenever that maybe and whomever that might be against.

Then there’s the case of Dan Henderson. If he decides to jump ship and smooth out his differences with the UFC brass, he might just jump the queue ahead of Machida.

I won’t say that the future looks bleak for Machida, but it doesn’t look rosy either.

The road back to UFC Gold might be a long and treacherous one for Machida. He just might find himself in the UFC wilderness for the time being.

On a personal note: It is what it is. Sometimes you get what you’re given and sometimes you get what you ask for.

Like the character from Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist, Machida asked for more, and rightly or wrongly, I think he’ll have to deal with the repercussions of that.

Because hell hath no fury like a Dana White scorned.

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UFC 137: Carlos Condit Will End George St-Pierre’s Reign as UFC Champion

On Wednesday, Nick Diaz was pulled from the main event of UFC 137. The man to replace him would be Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit. At the UFC 137 conference, Dana White said “Nick Diaz has lost his opportunity at the welterwe…

On Wednesday, Nick Diaz was pulled from the main event of UFC 137. The man to replace him would be Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit.

At the UFC 137 conference, Dana White said “Nick Diaz has lost his opportunity at the welterweight championship. Carlos Condit is taking his place. When we called Condit and offered him this fight, he started crying and had to call us back 15 minutes later.”

I know it’s just under two months until Condit and George “Rush” St-Pierre throwdown at UFC 137, and I know anything can happen between now and then, but that doesn’t mean I can’t put pen to paper and air my thoughts on the outcome.

I believe that UFC 137 will see Condit do what no other welterweight has been able to achieve since Matt Serra’s shock upset of St-Pierre at UFC 69—break the stranglehold St-Pierre has over the welterweight division and, in doing so, capture UFC gold. I’d already given Diaz the honour of ending St-Pierre’s title reign, prior to him being unceremoniously dumped from the card.

Call it a gut feeling, but it’s stood me in good stead thus far, along with a little bit of MMA savvy. It’s the same feeling I had before Cain Velasquez destroyed Brock Lesnar, before Tito Ortiz derailed Ryan Bader’s title contention hopes and before Antonio Nogueira’s schooling of Brendan Schaub.

I think it’s Condit’s destiny—it’s written in the stars. Some might say you make your own destiny, they are absolutely right, and that’s exactly what Condit will do come fight night. When Condit received the call from White, he cried. That shows how much this fight means to him.

Destiny, and a feeling in the pit of my stomach, is enough to justify my own prediction, but I doubt it will appease the MMA purists.

So let me get straight to point:

Condit is ranked six in the MMA world by Sherdog. He is the former, and final, WEC welterweight champion, before it was dissolved by the UFC.

Condit has won one Fight of the Night honour, dispatching Rory Mcdonald via TKO. He also has two Knockouts of the Night honours, knocking out both Dong Hyun Kim and Dan Hardy. He also had the pleasure of being the first fighter to knock Hardy out.

Condit’s record in the UFC is four wins and one decision loss to Martin Kampmann, and that was on his debut for the company.  Right now he’s on a four fight win streak and, prior to that loss, he was on an eight fight win streak with the WEC and the Japanese based promotion Pancrase.

Condit’s records reads: (27-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC), of his 27 wins, 13 have come by way of KO/TKO the other 13 via submission. Condit is purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but his submissions skills are through the roof. His most deadly submissions to date have been the arm bar and the rear naked choke.

St-Pierre (22-2 MMA, 16-2 UFC) is second on the list of pound for pound fighters in the MMA world. A veritable accolade that is more or less indisputable. St-Pierre also has the privilege of being labelled the best all-round mixed martial artist, another fact that cannot be impugned either.

But since his loss to Matt Serra, St-Pierre has become a shell of the fighter he once was in some respects.

Since that fateful night, St-Pierre has amassed nine victories. Of those wins, six have come by way of unanimous decision, two by TKO and one by submission. His last four fights have been decision wins.

Regardless of the pedigree of some of those fighters (Jake Shields, Josh Koscheck et al.), the fact remains that St-Pierre has failed to finish those opponents. It seems his present approach to fighting has become more circumspect.

I think the problem that St-Pierre has is that his mind-set is now one of fear. He wants to win, but not at any cost. His first encounter with Matt Serra has left an indelible scar on his psyche, and he now lacks, or has lost, his killer instinct.

I believe that St-Pierre is ready to be dethroned, but it needs a certain calibre of fighter to achieve that feat; that fighter is Condit.

Whichever way you look at it, this is a dangerous fight for St-Pierre in every sense of the word. Don’t get me wrong, the task that lays ahead for Condit is by no means an easy one to accomplish. For one, he’ll have to contend with the all-round skill set of St-Pierre, in particular his wrestling ability.

But I think the writing is on the wall for St-Pierre; if he stands and bangs with Condit, the chances are he’ll either get knocked out or suffer a loss via TKO.

If St-Pierre takes the fight to the ground, he’ll be susceptible to Condit’s submissions skills

I believe that Condit will bring it to St-Pierre. I think Condit will take St-Pierre to the depths of hell to get that belt strapped around his waist. Condit’s desideratum is the UFC welterweight belt.

Condit takes this every which way but decision.

Final Result: Submission via arm bar.

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Muhammed Lawal: Fight Fans Are Stupid and Uneducated

This is what former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal had to say about MMA fight fans to Pro MMA Radio:
I love the sport, but I don’t like the culture. There’s a lot of fans that aren’t educated and t…

This is what former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal had to say about MMA fight fans to Pro MMA Radio:

I love the sport, but I don’t like the culture. There’s a lot of fans that aren’t educated and they don’t care to get educated, they’re stupid, man.

Good fighters…when they lose? All of the sudden they’re cans. Look at Fedor. He went undefeated for how many years and all of the sudden he lost a few fights and he’s a can, he sucks. You know what I’m saying? C’mon, man.

When Michael Jordan signed with the Wizards, did he suck? When Ali got beat by Trevor Berbick, did he suck?

A lot of these MMA fans, they don’t understand any other sport. Ask them to name five boxing champions, they probably could name none. Name five top-level kick boxers, they probably can’t name none. Name three top international wrestlers. They couldn’t name none.

They don’t take time to research top-level stuff. They just listen to what the announcers say and don’t take the time to research.

I think it’s downright impudent of Lawal to suggest fight fans are uneducated and stupid. The fans are the ones who dig deep down in their pockets to ensure fighters like Mo Lawal can make a living and continue to live a lifestyle they’ve all too often become accustomed to.

PPV buy rates, endorsements and remuneration checks would be non-existent without the fan base. So for someone like Lawal whose mainstay is fighting, his remarks were preposterous and nonsensical, to say the least.

It’s the lack of respect and sudden acquisition of wealth inherent in some fighters like Lawal that gives him the effrontery to make such a statement.

In a nutshell, Lawal is biting the hands that feed him. Lawal’s outburst might be construed as one suffering from an acute dose of amnesia.

I know most hardcore fans will acknowledge what fighters like Fedor Emelianenko have achieved in the sport, but it’s still their right to blow hot and cold. That’s show business.

The casual fan won’t be coerced into researching about a fighter or MMA in general, and neither will the most ardent fan. They will do that at their own behest.

Naming five boxing champions, five top-level kick boxers and three top wrestlers doesn’t and won’t make a fan an authority on the aforementioned sports and the same applies to MMA.

I would go so far as to say that many MMA purists have more of an understanding of the melting pot, which is mixed martial arts, than Lawal himself. Just because a fighter competes in a sport doesn’t make him/her an expert in that field.

MMA is an ever-growing sport; maybe in time fight fans will do in-depth researches on the sport as a whole, and maybe they won’t, but that’s their prerogative.

Lawal should remember: There are a myriad of sports that a fight fan can follow and subsidize with their hard-earned cash. Being knowledgeable in one and not in the other doesn’t make a fan unlettered or asinine.

In regards to MMA: Not having a vast knowledge of the sport doesn’t imply a fan is uneducated or stupid.

On a more personal note, I suggest that Lawal should concentrate on his upcoming clash with Roger Gracie and hope he gets a result.

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Chael Sonnen: MMA’s Official Mr. Smack Talker’s Memorable Quotes

Bruce Buffer: “It’s time!” For the undisputed MMA Champion of Smack Talk to hold court. “I want an easy fight. Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, either of the Silvas, ‘Bigfoot’ Silva. They all suck. Gimme a Silva,” Chael So…

Bruce Buffer: “It’s time!”

For the undisputed MMA Champion of Smack Talk to hold court.

“I want an easy fight. Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, either of the Silvas, ‘Bigfoot’ Silva. They all suck. Gimme a Silva,” Chael Sonnen said.

Sonnen, the soi-disant “American Gangster,” is without a doubt the undisputed king of MMA trash talk. The only persons who could beat the controversial mouthpiece that is Sonnen—sadly or gladly to say—do not reside in MMA or the UFC. Their home base is the WWE.

Sonnen is a rhetorician, pure and simple. He’s eloquent, he’s charismatic, he exudes confidence and he’s not afraid to tell the world what he thinks and feels.

Sometimes I wonder why he still competes in the world of mix martial arts. Sonnen could easily garner a seat in the House of Representatives, no problem whatsoever.

Oh! Wait. Given his well-documented mortgage fraud felony and his blatant use of the banned substance PED, I think not.

But Sonnen could definitely put his oral skills to good use by, for example, being an employed spokesperson for the UFC.

The bottom line is this: Sonnen is skilled at what he does, and I’m not talking about his Octagon skills. He can sell a fight without breaking sweat. This guy is so good he promotes and sells fights he’s not even partaking in.

Panegyrics and obloquy often go hand in hand.                      

Sonnen, regardless of his beneficent attributes, is also disparaging, vitriolic, abrasive and impudent. Some would say he’s crossed the line many a few times, to say the least, at the expense of certain fighters.

And this has become evident in his incessant tirade towards Brazil, the Nogueira brothers, Wanderlei Silva, Lyoto Machida and particularly Anderson Silva. It sometimes seems un-felicitous, but that’s Mr. Sonnen for you.

Somehow I don’t think Sonnen has come face to face with any of the aforementioned fighters outside of the UFC. If he had, I’m sure there’d have been a news headline reading: “Chael Sonnen: Brutally Beaten to a Pulp,” or something to that effect.

 

Here are some of Chael Sonnen’s most memorable quotes:

“Greetings from Sao Paulo! I’m learning the language: breakdancing in the Special Olympics is called Capoiera and cocaine is called brunch.”

“Machida is not a bad guy; he’s a victim of the Brazilian education system. There are better ways to get electrolytes than drinking piss.”

“Brazil likes to boast that it’s the power seat of MMA, yet it’s so-called champions bow to the man behind ‘Under Siege 2.’…….. Classy.”

“Okami is ready to go get that belt. Once he returns from Rio, we can truly say ‘he went to hell and back’ to get it.”

“Listen Wanderlei, I will do a home invasion on you. I will cut the power to your house. The next thing you’ll hear is me climbing up your stairs in a pair of night vision goggles I bought in the back of a soldier fortune magazine. I’ll pick the lock to the master door *Chh-chh* take a picture of you in bed with the Nogueira brothers, working on your ‘Jiu-Jitsu.’ I’ll take said photo and post it to www-dot-dorksfrombrazil-dot-com. Password not required. Username not required. That Wanderlei is how you threaten somebody. Dummy.”

“Black House needs to stand trial in America for crimes against integrity. I have placed Black House under citizen’s arrest per my right of the Constitution of the United States of America, Article 36, trial waived, sentence passed down – no less than 15 minutes locked in the slammer with yours truly, America’s favourite gangster, Chael P. Sonnen.”

“[Anderson Silva’s] got a black belt under the Nogueira’s. I think a black belt under the Nogueira’s is saying, like, I got a free toy in my Happy Meal. I don’t really understand what the big deal is. One of ’em’s a punching bag, and the other one I just ignore; he’s really irrelevant.”

“I could write a dissertation on this experience: ‘The Tragic Interplay of Delusion, Insecurity, and Incompetence: the Nog Brothers’ Story.’”

“Machida is a gentleman. MMA is very cutthroat, and it’s sweet that Lyoto promised to never fight his girlfriend Anderson. That’s devotion.”

“This is a one-sided dance. I saved Anderson’s job. Uncle Dana was going to give him his walking papers, and I begged him, ‘Keep him around. Keep him around for one more fight. I will retire this guy.”

“I’d beat up Machida on the way to the ring to beat up Anderson, and I’ll kick Nogueria’s ass in the parking lot on the way to my after party.”

“I’m a partner of the UFC and Anderson’s an employee. There’s a big difference. That’s why all the questions keep coming to me, because I give a coherent and clear answer that somebody wants to hear and he sits on a speakerphone on a car somewhere and says yes and no.”

“I can drag Anderson Silva out of a hotel and beat up him anytime I want. I’ve made a commitment to wait until August 7th and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure millions of people watch me do it.”

“In what parallel universe can you punch a man 300 times, he wraps his legs around your head for eight seconds and they declare him the winner?!”

“On the streets of West Linn, Oregon, if you lay on your back with your legs wrapped around a man’s head for eight seconds, that does not make you a winner. That makes … not a winner.”

 

Love or hate him, eulogize or vilify him, Chael Sonnen is to MMA/UFC what the Rock used to be and what CM Punk is now to the WWE.

He sells tickets, he puts bums on seats and he pushes that PPV higher each time he opens his mouth.

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UFC 134: Antonio Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub—Who Takes This?

The word on the MMA circuit is that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is on his last legs; his chin is not what it used to be. In all fairness, his last two defeats have come by way of TKO via punches courtesy of Frank Mir and a knockout at the hands of Cain V…

The word on the MMA circuit is that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is on his last legs; his chin is not what it used to be. In all fairness, his last two defeats have come by way of TKO via punches courtesy of Frank Mir and a knockout at the hands of Cain Velasquez.

His opponent is the rising star: Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub. Since his first round knockout loss to the durable Roy “Big Country” Nelson in the heavyweight finale of The Ultimate Fighter reality series, Schaub has amassed a record of four wins.

Schaub is becoming something of a knockout artist, compiling a record of seven KO/TKO’s in the eight fights that he has been victorious.

Schaub’s most recent and most notable win came against none other than the former Pride Open weight champion Mirko Filipovic, who is famous for his left head kicks. “The Hybrid” knocked him out in the third round.

Ever since then, Schaub has been vying for a fight with the UFC’s elite or anyone who could ensure his path to the Holy Grail: The UFC Heavyweight Championship.

It might be said that Schaub is a prodigy; young, hungry and willing to take on all comers. That comes with the brashness of youth. So who would emerge to try and tame this young lion? The man, the legend: Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira, twin brother to Antonio Rogerio. “Big Nog” is the legend that Schaub called out to further his career.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is the former interim UFC Heavyweight Champion and the former Pride Heavyweight Champion. Nogueira is one of only four men, to hold both the UFC and Pride championship belts at the same time, the others being Dan “Hendo” Henderson, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Mark “The Hammer” Coleman.

Nogueira may be on the slide, but he is a legend nonetheless. His mastery of jiu-jitsu is renowned worldwide, with 20 of his 32 wins coming via submission.

So why did Schaub want to throw down with a legend supposedly on the decline? Maybe he saw it as a sure-fire way of advancing even further towards a shot at the heavyweight title. It doesn’t really matter what his reasons were or are. He got his wish and it’s on.

Not so long ago, there was another young buck in the title hunt, this time in the light heavyweight division, who called out a legend. At the time, most MMA purists believed Ortiz was cannon fodder for Bader, presumably, Ryan himself.

We all know what happened there? Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz dispatched Ryan “Darth” Bader in shocking fashion via guillotine choke. At this point in time, Ryan’s out of the light heavyweight title picture for who knows how long.

As the saying goes “Be careful what you wish for, less it come true.” Schaub’s wish might not be what “The Hybrid” had envisaged.

So who takes this?

Nogueira could stand and bang and take his chances, but that would be too risky. The fight could be over in a blink of an eye, as Schaub seems to have dynamite in his fists. Minatauro’s best bet is to take the fight to the ground where his supreme jiu-jitsu skills would more or less decide the outcome of the fight.

It’s the submission king vs. the knockout specialist, the veteran vs. the prospect and the legend vs. the wannabe.

My heart tells me Nogueira, but my head says Schaub.

The old lion will roar once again in front of his native country Brazil.

Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira via submission.

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