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GSP vs. Diaz Off: Is Nick Diaz the Dumbest Fighter in All of MMA?

A UFC press conference has officially announced that Nick Diaz has been booted from his scheduled UFC 137 main event fight with Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight championship. As if we needed any more proof that this guy is the dumbest fighter in …

A UFC press conference has officially announced that Nick Diaz has been booted from his scheduled UFC 137 main event fight with Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight championship.

As if we needed any more proof that this guy is the dumbest fighter in the sport…

This news comes after Diaz had missed numerous scheduled press events to help promote the event and has been completely out of touch with everyone within the organization. Even Diaz’s manager, Cesar Gracie, is embarrassed for his fighter.

Gracie called White during the press conference to let him know that he agreed with the decision to pull Diaz from the fight, while also adding that he had not been in contact with his fighter over the past few days either.

There is still no official word from Diaz himself regarding the situation, but the fact that he has been out of touch with even his own management team is concerning.

“He’s running and hiding from his camp, his team,” White explained at the press confernece. “I’d rather pull the fight now than have him not show up the night of the fight.”

In addition to White’s point of view, he revealed that Cesar Gracie told him that Diaz was over at his house, but “snuck out the back door” and has not been in contact with him since.

As was mentioned numerous times by both White and champion Georges St-Pierre, this was an opportunity for Nick Diaz to become a household name. The company spent a massive amount of money promoting a main event for a UFC event—something which Diaz has never been a part of—against perhaps the most recognizable fighter in the sport today.

Diaz has complained over and over again, throughout his career, that he is “not paid enough” and “overworked.” This was his chance to prove that he is worth what he says he is worth. He reportedly signed a lucrative contract which presumably would increase with the potential of him being the champion in perhaps the most competitive division in the sport.

But this fool has thrown it all away.

Love Nick Diaz or not, this is one of the dumbest things that has ever happened in the sport of mixed martial arts. What’s even worse is that, unfortunately, it’s just the latest in a long line of idiotic decisions that this world-class athlete has made.

Not only is Diaz going to lose out on this huge payday, he may very well also be without a job following this incident. Though the UFC President hasn’t decided what he will do yet, and likely won’t until he learns more about what exactly is happening, he has admitted that he is considering releasing the former Strikeforce champion from his newly-signed UFC contract before he even steps into the Octagon.

“I would have to assume that, yes, we’re probably going to let him go,” White said. “But we’ll see what happens.”

Regarding this situation and Diaz’s immaturity, Dana said it best.

“This kid doesn’t deserve this opportunity.”

I hope you enjoy fighting for peanuts again, Nick. Because with your bad attitude and sense of entitlement, that’s all you deserve.

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Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem Set for December, Dana White Confirms

Huge news has just been confirmed by UFC President Dana White via Twitter this afternoon regarding a bout between superstar fighters Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem having been set for a UFC event on December 30, 2011.@danawhite: Brock Lesn…

@danawhite: Brock Lesnar vs Alistair Overeem, Friday, Dec. 30 in Las Vegas.

The bout will be a five-round main event set at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The UFC has been negotiating with the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Overeem, after he unexpectedly left that organization midway through the heavyweight grand prix tournament. But after a few months away from the cage, “The Reem” is excited to compete in what may be the biggest fight of his career thus far.

“Brock is a big name, a dangerous guy, and this is a dream matchup,” Overeem told The Times. “Brock’s a big guy, an exciting wrestler with his takedowns.

“I want to see this fight myself. Overall, I’m a different fighter. A striker, athletic, big. These are going to be two big trucks going at it on a collision course.”

In addition to the news of this fight being set up, the UFC has also said that the winner of Overeem-Lesnar will be the first in line to fight for the title against the winner of the UFC on FOX main event between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos set for November 12.

“This is the fight the fans want,” UFC President Dana White said. “Both of these guys are monsters. Can Lesnar take Overeem down?”

This highly anticipated bout will be just the latest in a string of “dream fights” that the UFC has set up recently.

Keep checking with Bleacher Report MMA for more information regarding this event in the coming days.

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UFC 136 Fight Card: Will Ring Rust Be an Issue for Chael Sonnen?

Chael Sonnen will make his much-anticipated UFC return when he fights fellow top-level middleweight Brian Stann at UFC 136. The bout will take place on October 8, 2011—nearly 14 months to the day of his most recent fight against Anderson Silva at…

The obvious concern with that long away from the cage is that there could be some “ring rust” that Sonnen will need to kick off in order to be successful. In fact, Sonnen himself even admitted that he was concerned about his physical conditioning going into UFC 136.

“I forgot what it’s like. I forgot what it’s like to be sore every day and tired every day and living life uncomfortable due to the training regiment,” he told ESPN. “You push as hard as you can, but look, ring rust is a real thing. It’s going to be a step back. I won’t be at my best on that night, and I’m not gonna lie to myself and make believe that I will be.”

The long layoff came after a post-fight drug test showed that Sonnen had elevated levels of testosterone due to admitted testosterone replacement therapy. The controversial situation, in addition to reports that Anderson Silva was injured going into the fight, have many questioning the legitimacy of Sonnen’s 23-minute dominance, before he got submitted, over Silva at UFC 117.

Was Chael Sonnen really as good as he looked that night? Or was it a combination of “juicing” and an abnormally inefficient Anderson Silva?

The world may never know the answer to that question, but we will know very soon whether his ring rust is real, or if it is just a cliché in an effort to discount a possible loss to Stann.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans had his own bout with ring rust last month when he fought Tito Ortiz at UFC 133. Evans himself had spent about 14 months out of the Octagon, but appeared to be as good as we have ever seen him when he knocked out Ortiz in the second round of their contest.

The difference is that Evans missed a significant amount of time due to injury, while Sonnen has been healthy and, unfortunately, suspended from competition. He does have the advantage of being able to continue training, though, which is why the ring rust may not be as significant of an aspect to this fight as many believe it will be.

Certainly, an actual fight is different than training, but the biggest problems with ring rust seem to most typically happen when fighters take a significant amount of time off from training. Sonnen hasn’t done that. He has been actively training, even preparing Yushin Okami for his recent battle with Anderson Silva at UFC 134.

Sonnen could very well have a tough time against Stann, but it won’t be because of ring rust. It will be because he can’t get the former light heavyweight to the ground and ends up getting smacked around on his feet.

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UFC Light Heavyweights: Ranking Each Former Champ’s Chances of Another Title Run

UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage will feature the light heavyweight championship bout between two of the division’s best fighters ever.We can argue until we’re blue in the face about where they rank exactly, but the bottom line is that these two …

UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage will feature the light heavyweight championship bout between two of the division’s best fighters ever.

We can argue until we’re blue in the face about where they rank exactly, but the bottom line is that these two champions are extremely dangerous and should put on a great fight for the fans.

Jackson himself is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and many believe he is still at the top of his game. He has been in the right place at the right time to get the first shot at Jones’ championship after an injury put off Rashad Evans’ opportunity, but it is his own hard work and ability to “sell” himself to fans that has really given him this chance at Jones.

But is Rampage the man to beat Jones?

There are plenty of up-and-comers in the stacked light heavyweight division, but it may be one of the former champions who actually has the best chance of beating the current champion. There are a handful of former champions who currently sit within or right near the top-10 in the division, but their chances of becoming champion dwindles down each day as they get older.

So which former champion does have the best chance of winning the UFC light heavyweight championship in the future? Read on as we count down each of the 10 former champions and assess their chances of holding the title again.

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Brock Lesnar’s 5 Best Fights for His UFC Comeback

He will not be main-eventing the first UFC on FOX deal, but the news that Brock Lesnar would not be retiring and instead will be returning to the UFC soon was music to fans’ ears Friday afternoon.UFC President Dana White scoffed at the rumors tha…

He will not be main-eventing the first UFC on FOX deal, but the news that Brock Lesnar would not be retiring and instead will be returning to the UFC soon was music to fans’ ears Friday afternoon.

UFC President Dana White scoffed at the rumors that the former heavyweight champion could be walking away from the sport after a second bout with diverticulitis, adding that Lesnar is, “100-percent healthy” and he, “will begin training again in a couple of weeks.”

So now it’s time to play matchmaker.

No, not in the Cupid way, but rather in the Joe Silva way.

Who should fight Lesnar in his return to the Octagon? After all, he is the company’s biggest star and has proven to also be their biggest pay-per-view seller, so it is of the utmost importance that the right decision is made.

Here are five of the best choices that the company could make for Lesnar’s return to the Octagon.

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Brock Lesnar’s UFC Return: Can He Regain the Heavyweight Title in 2012?

Although the biggest news on the UFC on FOX conference call was the announcement of the heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, the news that may have been the most encouraging was that the promotion’s biggest star B…

There were rumors earlier this week that Lesnar may be forced to hang up his gloves after a second tough bout with diverticulitis. But UFC President Dana White sounded encouraged in announcing that not only were the rumors of the former champion retiring completely untrue, but that he would be returning to training in just a few weeks.

But after nearly a year out of the sport, is the former champion going to be ready to get his title back when he finally does return to the cage?

Lesnar was the No. 1 ranked heavyweight in the world the last time he stepped into the Octagon for his fight with Cain Velasquez. With an estimated 30-pound weight advantage at the time of the fight, he was also considered the favorite going into the contest against his undefeated opponent.

But it was Velasquez, on that night, who became the new top dog in the heavyweight division when he became the first fighter to earn a TKO victory over Lesnar. The mystique of Brock Lesnar, it appeared, was deeply damaged.

Now 34 years old, Lesnar is already one of the oldest fighters in the heavyweight division. Even worse, he is still relatively inexperienced in his short, seven-fight MMA career.

Though he has fought only the best competition, Lesnar has still been criticized as being a one-trick pony by many analysts. His wrestling has admittedly been the core of his technique in the cage and although he certainly has the power to land some punches and finish fights on the feet, he has opted to bring his opponents to the ground and pound them out.

However, many believe that Cain Velasquez exposed Lesnar during their fight at UFC 121. By utilizing striking technique and unexpected strength, he stifled practically everything that the former NCAA Division-I national champion tried to do while inflicting maximum damage on a fighter whom many had previously deemed to be almost unstoppable.

Oh how quickly one fight changes things…

MMA fans can often times be too quick to count someone out after a loss. When Georges St-Pierre lost to Matt Serra at UFC 69, there was a group of fans who believed that the Canadian’s time at the top had already come to an end and that a new era was beginning in the welterweight division. But that proved to be short-lived as St-Pierre took care of Serra just over a year later and has been on perhaps the most dominant winning streak in the organization’s history ever since, winning nine fights in a row.

Though Cain Velasquez is not Matt Serra, it is equally absurd to count Brock Lesnar out of the heavyweight division as it was to count Georges St-Pierre out of the welterweight division. These are two of the most physically gifted athletes on the planet and there is a reason that they have achieved the level of success that they have—the combination of skill and hard work.

Lesnar has assembled one of the most impressive fight camps in North America and he regularly brings in top-level training partners with the sole intention of getting him ready for his next fight. There are other camps around the country that have been successful, but few have the level of commitment to improve a single fighter that Lesnar’s DeathClutch Gym does for him.

Anyone who knows him would tell you that Lesnar is one of the most competitive people they have ever met. The guy simply loathes losing. His last fight went terribly wrong and he will be preparing diligently to fix the mistakes he made against Velasquez and become a better fighter.

Given all of the resources and physical attributes that he has at his disposal, Brock Lesnar has the ability to beat anyone, including both Velasquez and dos Santos. But he has to get back to that level first.

It is expected by most that his first fight back will likely be against a borderline top-10 opponent; someone the likes of Roy Nelson, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira or Cheick Kongo. With a victory in that bout, he may already be back in the picture for another shot at the UFC championship.

2011 was a rough year on the Lesnar family with surgery and rehab, but if he can return to the shape he was in prior to UFC 121, 2012 is poised to be his best year yet. Come December of next year, we may be calling him champion once again.

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