Author: Riley Kontek

Matt Mitrione Not a Fan of ‘Douchey’ Jon Jones

Surprise surprise, somebody else has an opinion of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.In one of the most recent criticisms of the champion, heavyweight Matt Mitrione added a classic Mitrione quote when he called out Jon Jones.I’m not a fan of Jon…

Surprise surprise, somebody else has an opinion of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.

In one of the most recent criticisms of the champion, heavyweight Matt Mitrione added a classic Mitrione quote when he called out Jon Jones.

I’m not a fan of Jon Jones as a person, but I like Jon Jones as a fighter…I think he shows a lot of douchey quality when he talks about, “Well, I’m a business man,” I’m just being honest.

Mitrione went on further stating that he would love to get his hands on the once-defeated superstar.

Overtime, I think he went from being a pretty cool guy, pretty humble, to being about as arrogant as I can handle. He’s so cocky, he seems like really, so disingenuous and just blah, just not my flavor of a human being, that’s all. I even told Joe Silva, if Jon Jones is talking about going to heavyweight, I’d love to welcome Jon Jones to the heavyweight division.

While this is not the first person to comment negatively on Jones’ personality and call him out for a fight, it’s very odd for Mitrione to call out Jones. 

The reason this is odd for Mitrione to call out Jones is that he wants to “…be James Irvin,” referring to Anderson Silva fighting up a weight class against Irvin. That was a weird choice of words, as Irvin was knocked out very quickly in that fight.

Mitrione is not the first heavyweight to call out Jones and inquire a fight. Daniel Cormier recently said he would love to challenge Jon Jones in the future, giving fans a reason to get excited for that potential fight.

If Mitrione wants to fight Jones at heavyweight, he better work on his wrestling and all-around game in general. If he struggled against Cheick Kongo, he would struggle even more with Jones.

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UFC 153: Frank Edgar Takes Biggest Possible Risk in Fighting Jose Aldo

Frank Edgar hasn’t spent more than a couple of weeks at featherweight, and without even fighting at the weight, has a title shot against Jose Aldo.The former lightweight champion lost his title and immediate rematch for the belt, which prompted him to …

Frank Edgar hasn’t spent more than a couple of weeks at featherweight, and without even fighting at the weight, has a title shot against Jose Aldo.

The former lightweight champion lost his title and immediate rematch for the belt, which prompted him to make the move to 145 pounds. The timing of the move coincided with an injury to original title contender Erik Koch, who was forced to vacate his spot in the UFC 153 main event.

Make no mistake, this is the biggest risk of Edgar’s career.

In taking his third straight title fight, Edgar risks not seeing a championship bout—should he lose—for a long time.

No matter how good Edgar is, if he loses to Aldo, there is no way he will get another title shot within the next year and probably more.

Think about it.

He lost his title in February to Ben Henderson. He lost his rematch in August, despite the fact he could and perhaps should have earned the nod.

Now, if he loses to Aldo in Brazil, he would be unsuccessful in three straight title main events.

Nobody could recover from three unsuccessful title bouts like that. Not even Urijah Faber, who seemingly earns title shots like felons earn jail time.

If Edgar wins, his risk will be paid off with future main event favors, the championship belt and the title of the newest multi-division champion in UFC history. He would join BJ Penn and Randy Couture in the history books.

The other risk in this fight is that Edgar is facing the most prolific striker in his career. Edgar ate some bombs against Gray Maynard and miraculously came back to keep his title.

In facing Aldo, he is facing a better striker with a killer instinct and the proven finishing ability to back it up. Maynard is a decision machine, but he should have finished Edgar right when he hurt him.

Come fight night, Edgar is playing Russian roulette. If he wins, his championship dream is alive and well. If he loses, his championship aspirations will be dead, even if it’s just for the moment.

Frankie better bring his A-game.

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Mac Danzig vs. Takanori Gomi: Head-to-Toe Breakdown

When the UFC arrives in Macau, China, lightweight warriors Takanori Gomi and Mac Danzig are set to square off.Gomi is a legend of Pride and Danzig is a former Ultimate Fighter winner, which makes this matchup interesting. Gomi is definitely past h…

When the UFC arrives in Macau, China, lightweight warriors Takanori Gomi and Mac Danzig are set to square off.

Gomi is a legend of Pride and Danzig is a former Ultimate Fighter winner, which makes this matchup interesting. Gomi is definitely past his prime, while Danzig is looking to continue his climb up the 155-pound ranks.

Here is a head-to-toe breakdown of this lightweight scrap, which promises to be a good one.

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Matt Brown vs. Mike Swick: Head-to-Toe Breakdown

If you haven’t taken notice, the UFC on Fox card in Seattle is absolutely stacked. From the top to the bottom, the fights on the card promise to be explosive, fan-friendly affairs with big names gracing most fights.Among those exciting fights, Matt Bro…

If you haven’t taken notice, the UFC on Fox card in Seattle is absolutely stacked. From the top to the bottom, the fights on the card promise to be explosive, fan-friendly affairs with big names gracing most fights.

Among those exciting fights, Matt Brown is set to face off with recent returnee Mike Swick in a welterweight bout that promises fireworks. Both men are hard workers, so anything less than a spirited effort would be surprising here.

Here is a head-to-toe breakdown of the encounter that will occur between Swick and Brown.

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The Ultimate Fighter: Constructing New International Versions of the Show

The Ultimate Fighter is a long-running reality show in the United States, but its venture into foreign lands is still a new concept. So far, only two foreign versions have taken place—TUF: Brazil and TUF: The Smashes (UK vs. Australia).The realit…

The Ultimate Fighter is a long-running reality show in the United States, but its venture into foreign lands is still a new concept. So far, only two foreign versions have taken place—TUF: Brazil and TUF: The Smashes (UK vs. Australia).

The reality show has allowed MMA to become immensely more popular among common people. It allows the sport to be spread to people who don’t watch MMA, but can be persuaded through mainstream exposure.

With the announcing of the TUF: The Smashes cast, I got to thinking about the next seasons of international versions of the show. Here are a few cast assemblies that the show could potentially use. 

Note: Only eight fighters per weight class will be considered, as elimination rounds would require speculation as to who would face/defeat who.

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The Ultimate Fighter: Cast Announced for Australia vs UK

At last, the cast for The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes has been announced. This season will feature a United Kingdom vs. Australia aspect of the reality show, which will make for great competition.In a press release sent to Bleacher Report by the UFC,…

At last, the cast for The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes has been announced. This season will feature a United Kingdom vs. Australia aspect of the reality show, which will make for great competition.

In a press release sent to Bleacher Report by the UFC, the cast was revealed to be eight-on-eight with no fights to make it into the house. Also, the weight classes featured will be lightweight and welterweight.

Here is a full rundown of the cast.

Guided by Australian coach George Sotiropoulos, Team Australia comprises of:

Lightweights:

Grant Blackler, 23, Sunshine Coast

Patrick Iodice, 19, GoldCoast

Richie Vaculik, 29, Sydney

Ben Wall, 23, Brisbane

Welterweights:

Ben Alloway, 31, GoldCoast

Xavier Lucas, 31, Perth

Manuel Rodriguez, 27, Sydney

Robert Whitaker, 21, Sydney

English coach Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson takes charge of Team UK:

Lightweights:

Colin Fletcher, 29, Sunderland

Norman Parke, 25, Bushmills, Nth Ireland

Michael Pastou, 30, Essex

Mike Wilkinson, 24, Leigh

Welterweights:

Luke Newman, 22, London

Bola Omoyele, 30, London

Valentino Petrescu, 30, Essex

Brad Scott, 23, Melksham

To the average fan, many of these names are unrecognizable. To hardcore fans like myself, most of these names are familiar and I am stoked to see this season.

Something interesting about the Australian lightweights is that two of their fighters are not usually lightweights. Richie Vaculik is bantamweight, which is fought 20 pounds under the 155-pound lightweight limit.

Also, Grant Blackler is usually a featherweight, showing that the Aussies may be undersized. But, with lack of size will come speed, so it may even out.

The coaches of the season will be Ross Pearson of the UK and George Sotiropolous of Australia. The two will square off at the end of the season, which will be the cherry on top of a great rivalry from the show.

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