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Boxing Legend Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho Dies at 50 Years Old

Camacho (white trunks) famously knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard in 1997. Leonard retired after the fight.

Puerto Rican boxing champion Hector “Macho” Camacho, famous for his aggressive style and flamboyant behavior in and out of the ring, was declared dead earlier today in San Juan, four days after he and his friend were shot in a parked car in the city of Bayamon. Hector Camacho, who was taken off of life support earlier this morning, died of a heart attack shortly afterwards, according to Dr. Ernesto Torres of the Centro Médico trauma center. His friend, Adrian Mojica Moreno, died immediately.

Details regarding the shooting are still being kept quiet. However, police have confirmed that Mojica had nine bags of cocaine on him when he was shot and that a tenth bag was found open in the car. No arrests have been made, and according to police spokesman Alex Diaz, neither man was expecting the attack.

Inside the ring, ‘Macho’ Camacho was one of the greatest to lace up the gloves. After winning three Golden Gloves titles as an amateur, he turned pro and quickly became a contender due to his aggressive, albeit cocky style of fighting. With Don King promoting him, Camacho would go on to win his first world title, the WBC Super Featherweight Championship, on Aug. 7, 1983. He would vacate the title to move up to lightweight two years later, capturing the WBC lightweight title by defeating Jose Luis Ramirez on August 10, 1985.

Camacho (white trunks) famously knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard in 1997. Leonard retired after the fight.

After taking a beating while defending his title against Edwin Rosario, Camacho toned down his aggressive style in order to fight more defensively. This would lead to his first loss, a close split-decision to Greg Haugen in 1991. This defensive style would ultimately lead to his downfall, as Camacho would drop a lopsided decision to lightweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez in 1992 and be widely criticized for his lack of action in the fight. From that point on, Camacho would stay around the top of the division, but would mostly be used as a litmus test for other contenders.

Overall, Camacho’s career spanned three decades and saw him win titles at three weight classes – super featherweight, lightweight and light welterweight. Aside from Julio Cesar Chavez, he has notably fought against Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad and Roberto Duran. His last major title fight was a loss against Oscar De La Hoya in 1997. He would continue to box until 2010, where he would drop a forgettable decision to Saul Duran in Kissimmee, Florida at forty-eight years old.

As exciting as Hector Camacho was to watch in the ring, Macho certainly had his share of demons outside of it. Former featherweight champion Juan Laporte described Camacho as “a little brother who was always getting into trouble.” As he told ESPN:

“He’s a good human being, a good hearted person,” Laporte said as he waited with other friends and members of the boxer’s family outside the hospital in San Juan after the shooting. “A lot of people think of him as a cocky person but that was his motto … inside he was just a kid looking for something.”

Laporte lamented that Camacho never found a mentor outside the boxing ring.

“The people around him didn’t have the guts or strength to lead him in the right direction,” Laporte said. “There was no one strong enough to put a hand on his shoulder and tell him how to do it.”

Camacho notoriously struggled with drug and alcohol problems after the prime of his career. His former wife, Amy, obtained a restraining order against him in 1998 after he threatened her and their two children. The two would later get divorced. In 2005, he was arrested in Mississippi after attempting to rob a computer store, possessing ecstasy when he was arrested. Although Camacho was sentenced to seven years in prison, a judge suspended all but one year of the sentence and gave Camacho probation. However, Hector Camacho would serve two weeks in jail after violating that probation. Camacho was also tried for child abuse by Florida authorities earlier this year. The trial was pending at the time of his death.

Let’s remember ‘Macho’ Camacho for the good times, though. We’ve compiled some of his best moments for you to enjoy:

Still Macho. We’d like to emphasize that we did not pick the music for this.

Macho’s title defense against Edwin Rosario.

Camacho ending the career of Sugar Ray Leonard

@SethFalvo

Exclusive: Bellator’s Mike Mucitelli Discusses Dan McGuane Controversy, Bullies, And ‘Attacking to Win’

Mucitelli (black trunks) most recently defeated Matt Van Buren at Bellator 73

On Sunday, we reported that Bellator had released light-heavyweight Dan McGuane from the promotion due to a previous manslaughter conviction. While we were quick to applaud Bellator for cutting ties with such an unpleasant individual, it was unfortunate that Dan’s opponent, “Crazy” Mike Mucitelli, was now without a fight. Mucitelli, 3-0 in professional competition, has a very fan-friendly style, finishing all of his professional bouts before the second round. It would be tragic if the New York prospect became a casualty of Dan McGuane’s unsavory reputation.

Fortunately, Bellator has booked a replacement fight: a 210 lb. catchweight fight between Mike Mucitelli and Matt Uhde, a 3-1 heavyweight from Kansas City. While on the road to Rhode Island for tomorrow’s weigh-ins, Mucitelli filled us in on the entire situation concerning Dan McGuane, as well as what fans can expect from his fight this Friday.

In a way, you know Mike’s background without ever hearing it: The youngest of four children in a lower-middle class family, Mike was drawn to sports at an early age, as all of his siblings were also athletes. Mike played basketball and baseball, but football was his favorite sport because of the physicality. His passion for football eventually led to a scholarship to play for Wagner College.

But Mike’s story is more interesting and complex than the typical “Ex-College Football Player Trying Out MMA” script. Check out our interview with Mike after the jump, and be sure to tune in to the Bellator 81 prelims at 6 PM ET this Friday.

CAGEPOTATO.COM: How soon did you find out about Dan McGuane’s previous conviction?

Mucitelli (black trunks) most recently defeated Matt Van Buren at Bellator 73

CAGEPOTATO.COM: How soon did you find out about Dan McGuane’s previous conviction?

MIKE MUCITELLI: I found out about McGuane’s conviction as soon as I heard he was to be my opponent. I like to do my research on my opponents and the first results that come up are about his history, not his MMA career. So, I spent some time on the various stories and sources about that, but tried to focus on what the task at hand was, which was dealing with him as a fighter.

You told Mac’s New York MMA that his past motivated you to show the world how a martial artist fights a bully, but did you know the full story about Dan’s conviction, or just that he had been convicted for manslaughter?

I did tell the MMA blog that I was looking forward to showing the world the difference of a martial artist and a bully. I knew the full story about his conviction, and frankly, the events turned my stomach. Two on one, a smaller victim, kicking while down – it was just awful. I don’t believe that there’s room in my sport for a representative such as him, so I was looking forward to showing the world that a martial artist who believes in the core values of martial arts – discipline, respect, honor, integrity, etc. – could succeed over a bully who has always relied on physical/mental intimidation.

Were you bullied growing up?

I wasn’t “bullied” necessarily growing up. However, I believe that it’s a different world to grow up in and bullying has an entirely different meaning. It wasn’t always easy, of course. It never is.

I transferred from public school to private school in seventh grade because of some problems my family had with the public school system. When I transferred I left all the friends I had grown up with and spent all my life to that point with and moved to a school where everyone had more money, and had all been a tight clique since first grade. It was difficult at the time trying to “fit in,” and I don’t know if I ever was “one of the in crowd” or a “cool” kid, but I don’t know if I could characterize it as “bullying”.

How did you find out that Dan had been removed from the card? And what were your first thoughts upon hearing you’d need a new opponent?

I had actually finished up an extremely intense training session all Saturday morning at Tai Kai, and I got home to relax and browsed through my Twitter feed to see Bellator’s official twitter: “Dan McGuane removed from Bellator 81 card due to previous incident.”

I was completely shocked at first. I stared at it for a solid fifteen minutes trying to figure out what that meant. Then I called my manager who promptly responded with “I’m on the phone with the Bellator matchmaker now, I just found out too.” I ran the full gamut of emotion. I was upset that I wouldn’t get to use the inspiration for training in the fight. I was upset that the fighter I was training for wouldn’t be my opponent. I was panicked that the hardest ten week fight camp I’ve ever put in was about to have no payoff.

I quickly regained my bearings, however, and realized I train to fight wherever the fight goes, not for a single opponent, and that a league of Bellator’s stature would have much less trouble finding an opponent than smaller circuits.

What got you into MMA?

Getting into MMA is an interesting story (I hope!). I went to Wagner College on a football scholarship, but a reoccurring knee injury took me out. Since I wasn’t playing football anymore I couldn’t afford Wagner, so I transferred to SUNY Albany, and it was the same situation again. I went from being a football star in a small college, to a nobody in the biggest college in NY. I got too caught up in being social and trying to make friends and party. I fell out of shape, and picked up a pretty bad drinking habit. Finally, I realized I needed something to get off my ever-growing ass.

My friend at the time was really into Capoeira, and I tagged along (a little drunk) to a Capoeira class, and I loved it. I spent two years studying Capoeira but I felt I needed something to really bring back that competitive edge again. I had always been a fan of MMA (I even had the old UFC game for the first Xbox) and now that I was training martial arts, I was curious about it.

I searched the internet (not knowing MMA was illegal in NY) at the time for local events. I came across a post on an internet forum for a “smoker” event for “charity” in the Catskills. I called the number on the post and ended up talking to the event’s matchmaker. I intended to call to get information about what was required to be a fighter, and maybe to attend to watch some live. Somewhere along the lines signals must’ve gotten crossed because before the conversation ended I had signed on to fight a Sambo specialist in the back of a bar at a “resort” (see: camp). I ended up winning by unanimous decision, and I was addicted to the rush from having my hand raised after a war. I was lucky enough to find Tai Kai when I got home, and quickly learned that I knew absolutely nothing about the fight game, and have trained ever since.

How does it feel only being three fights into your professional career and having an opportunity with a major promotion [Author’s Note: Two, actually.]?

I know that I’m very fortunate for the opportunities that I have received. The chance to fight in Bellator is amazing to someone with such a short pro-record. However, I don’t think that my record tells my entire story. I have had four (sanctioned) MMA amateur fights (two for titles) and boxing and Muay Thai fights. Also, I have had more training than many modern MMA fighters coming up. I trained for three years before my first sanctioned amateur MMA bout.

Being from New York, every fight has been on the road, where I’m the underdog sent in there to lose and I’ve come out on top. I do recognize that many fighters with ten times the fight experience I have would give everything they have in order to have the chances that I have gotten, and that is a great inspiration for me to make sure that I make the most out of every opportunity I have.

Mucitelli (red corner) made quick work out of Eddie Hardison at Matrix Fights 6

What can the fans expect from you on Friday night?

On Friday fans can expect action. I know my opponent likes to come forward and push the action quickly and brawl. I like to start fights quickly and keep the action going. I don’t fight to grind out wins or just take a round. I have finished all seven of my sanctioned bouts and I feel like that is part of my draw as a fighter. I attack from every position, and I attack to win.

Is there anything else you want to say before the fight?

I am very thankful for the chances I have gotten so far, and I’m very honored to have the chance to represent my school, friends, and family in competition. I moved out of my apartment and in with my sister, quit my full time desk job, and have given up any semblance of a social life to afford to train full time and dedicate my life fully to my craft. I won’t stop fighting until I’ve made my mark on the worldwide MMA scene.

Make sure to tune in for Mike’s fight Friday night, and also be sure to follow him on Twitter.

@SethFalvo

Dan McGuane Removed from Bellator 81 for Being a Deplorable Scumbag

Dan’s opponent for Bellator 81, Mike Mucitelli, who is now waiting for a new fight. Taken directly from bandanmcguane.com

It isn’t often that the booking of an undercard fight can cause controversy, but Bellator recently found itself in hot water when they booked Dan McGuane on the undercard of this week’s Bellator 81. Bellator booked a fight between McGuane and 3-0 Light-Heavyweight Mike Mucitelli, ignoring the fact that Dan McGuane was convicted of manslaughter in 2005. No big deal, it was just self-defense, right? Unfortunately, no. Not even close.

Recently, a website BanDanMcGuane.com popped up after the webmaster had learned that Bellator had signed the fighter. According to reports, McGuane and his twin brother beat an eighteen year old, one hundred and fifty-five pound man named Kelly Proctor to death after Dan’s brother thought he heard Kelly say something. I wish I were exaggerating, but I’m not. After the jump, the grisly details, courtesy of the website (they’ve since been removed):

Dan’s opponent for Bellator 81, Mike Mucitelli, who is now waiting for a new fight. Taken directly from bandanmcguane.com

At the time of the incident that led to his death, the victim was five feet, eight inches tall and weighed approximately 155 pounds. Each defendant was approximately six feet, four inches tall and weighed nearly 200 pounds.

On the evening of Saturday, July 2, 2005, the victim and his girlfriend, Jayme Rotondi, watched part of the town of Ayer’s annual Independence Day fireworks at Pirone Park, but left early to avoid the crowds at the end of the display. As they left the park, the victim and Rotondi passed a group of at least six people walking toward the park. The group consisted of the defendants, Greg Shultz, an exchange student from Denmark, who was approximately the same size as the defendants, Brandi Livingston, Mary Papalucas and Sara Jones. Rotondi noticed one of the defendants staring at her; she smiled, then heard someone laugh. The victim stopped and asked Rotondi, “What are they laughing at?” Peter left the group and walked back toward the victim and asked, “Did you say something? Do you want me to beat your ass in front of your girl?” Papalucas positioned herself between Peter and the victim and said to Peter, “Don’t do this, let’s go.” At that point, Peter reached over Papalucas’s head and, with an open hand, slapped the victim across the face, knocking from his mouth a straw on which he had been chewing. After Peter slapped the victim, Daniel joined in the attack. Both defendants punched the victim several times. The victim began crawling, trying to escape the assault.

The fight gradually moved from the street to the curb, then onto the sidewalk, where the defendants forced the victim back up against a sport utility vehicle (SUV). Rotondi, in an attempt to break up the fight, jumped onto Daniel’s back and scratched him, tearing his blue polo shirt. She was pulled off Daniel by Papalucas, who also tried unsuccessfully to break up the fight. One of the defendants shoved Papalucas and Rotondi aside, then Daniel kicked the victim in the chest. The victim fell to the ground and ended up under the SUV. The defendants walked away, leaving the victim under the SUV. As he left the scene, Peter said, “What do you have to say now?”

The victim remained under the SUV, lying on his chest, with blood coming from his nose. His breathing was labored. Papalucas told the victim it was okay to come out from under the SUV, but he was not responsive. She and some of the defendants’ friends, who remained at the scene, pulled the victim from under the SUV. The victim was unconscious and his eyes were open but rolled back in his head.

Long story short, Dan and his equally deplorable brother beat a younger, smaller Kelly Proctor to death because they heard him ask his girlfriend a question. I’d compare them to the lunkhead pieces of shit who wear Affliction, but I have – and I can’t believe I’m typing this – more respect for those people than I do for the McGuanes.

Before we go any further, I understand that everyone has a right to make a living. At the same token, not everyone has a right to make a living as a professional fighter. There are plenty of other ways to make a living besides fighting.

It’s bad enough that certain politicians still compare our sport to cock-fighting and dog-fighting; we don’t need to give those comparisons legitimacy by glorifying a despicable human being like Dan McGuane. Beating a younger, smaller person to death with your twin brother isn’t “brave” or “athletic,” it’s something that only a completely sick, deranged individual would do.

If someone is unable to separate the person in the cage from the person outside of it, they simply aren’t mentally stable enough to deserve the right to represent out sport. If you disagree, that’s fine, as long as you don’t complain about the mainstream media representing MMA fighters as douchebag high school dropouts who are too stupid to work at Burger King. At least be consistent with your beliefs.

For the record, I also wouldn’t want current Bellator fighters Brett Rogers and War Machine representing my brand due to their – ahem – “character issues.” Unlike McGuane, though, not only did those two never kill anybody, but they’re also both names that hardcore fans are familiar with who have demonstrated that they have at least some talent. I’m not saying I agree with either man being on Bellator’s payroll, but at least I understand why they were signed. There were literally never any such advantages to signing Dan McGuane.

Within hours of BloodyElbow running with the story yesterday, Bellator tweeted that Dan McGuane had been removed from their card and that they would begin looking for a replacement fight. We applaud Bellator for doing the right thing and cutting their ties with Dan McGuane.

@SethFalvo

‘UFC on FUEL 6: Franklin vs. Le’ Aftermath — Worth Waking up For

Props: Nixson Sysanga via mmafanmade.tumblr.com

If I were to have told you before this event that a FUEL TV caliber card will have seven out of nine fights go the distance, it is doubtful that many of you would have watched UFC on FUEL 6. If I were to have reminded you that because the fights were live from Macau, China, you’d have to wake up at 9 a.m. ET to watch said card, I’m willing to bet we would have had a pretty vacant liveblog this morning. It isn’t often that a card with so many decisions is worth waking up early for, but UFC on FUEL 6 proved to be an exception.

Expectations weren’t exactly high for the evening’s main event, a middleweight contest between Rich Franklin and Cung Le. With neither fighter in the title picture – or even near it – and forty year old Cung Le bloodletting his foot just one week before the fight, this fight had a very high bust-potential. Most of us assumed that Ace would exit the cage with his first victory at middleweight since 2008, and that we wouldn’t be missing much if we started our afternoon nap a little early.

Instead, Cung Le gave us a Knockout of the Year candidate, countering a leg kick with a devastating right hand that secured the victory just 2:17 into the fight. Being the only knockout on the card, Le took home the $40k Knockout of the Night award, but even if every other fight ended in a knockout it’d be hard not to award such a brutal finish the honor. If you happened to miss it, here it is in all of its animated GIF glory:

Props: Nixson Sysanga via mmafanmade.tumblr.com

Dick. Nailed. Props: @JasonAmadi

As for what this fight means for the UFC middleweight division, I’m still tempted to say ”not too much.” Franklin was certainly a good middleweight champion and a great company man for the UFC, but he hasn’t been a serious title contender in years. As great of a victory as it was for Le, I’d say he’s at least two more victories away from being “in the mix” for a title shot (whatever that even means these days). May I be so bold as to suggest a fight against Brian Stann?

As for Rich Franklin, retirement seems like the most logical option. I know it’s easy to be pessimistic about a fighter’s career after watching him lose – especially the way he lost – but we’re looking at a thirty-eight year old former-champion who hasn’t won back-to-back fights in four years. There’s nothing left for Ace to do except ride his company man status into a vaguely-defined post-retirement corporate career with the UFC.

The co-main event produced a very surprising finish, as Blackzilian Thiago Silva handed Stanislav Nedkov his first career loss with a third round arm-triangle choke. Silva not only picked up his first victory in three years (drug test pending), but also his first submission victory (not counting his submission via punches over Antonio Mendes at UFC 84) since heel-hooking Dave Dalgliesh back in 2006. Being the only submission on the card, the win earned Silva the Submission of the Night bonus.

Although Silva was ahead 20-18 on all three scorecards heading into the third round, Nedkov arguably took the first round and nearly finished the Brazilian late in the second round. Despite barely making it to the third round, Thiago Silva overwhelmed Nedkov with an aggressive striking display before earning the takedown. From there, the BJJ blackbelt wasted little time locking in the fight ending choke.

Silva has never been a pushover, but he’s also never been a serious contender for the light-heavyweight championship, either. At twenty-nine years old, he still has a chance at putting together a run for the title. But if he’s going to make the most of this opportunity, he needs to get back to consistently stringing together victories, and start earning them over the deep end of the UFC’s roster.

Elsewhere on the card:

– Takanori Gomi’s split-decision over Mac Danzig took home Fight of the Night honors. Little surprise here, as this fight was a back-and-forth affair that saw both men come close to earning the stoppage. The PRIDE legend improves to 34-8 (1 NC) overall, and 3-3 in the UFC. Meanwhile, Mac Danzig drops to 21-10-1 – including a not-quite-worthy 5-6 in the UFC – but earns his fourth End of the Night bonus from the promotion.

– Dong Hyun Kim took home a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Thiago in a fight that was never exactly close. After the fight, Kim asked for a rematch against Demian Maia. Considering the fluke nature of their first meeting, I’m not surprised that he wants this fight but I doubt he gets it. Also, Thiago is now 1-4 in his last five fights and 4-5 in the UFC, so expect a Paulo Thiago-themed “And Now he’s Fired” soon.

– Speaking of “1-4 in his last five and probably about to be fired,” Tiequan Zhang actually lost to TUF alumnus Jon Tuck. Yes, the only Chinese fighter on the entire card actually lost to the softball opponent he was matched up against. And not by an indefensibly terrible decision, either: Tuck was controlling the entire fight until the third round, when he made the foolish decision to stand with the guy who desperately needed a knockout. Not to throw salt in the wound here, but Zhang’s lone victory in his last five fights came over Jason Reinhardt at UFC 127. Ouch.

– Takeya Mizugaki wasn’t exactly given a world-beater in Jeff Hougland, but he still managed to look pretty impressive while taking home a unanimous decision victory. Mizugaki ground Hougland’s face into a pulp over the course of three rounds, taking all three rounds on all three scorecards. That being said…30-25?! YOU CANNOT BE FOR SERIOUSLY, BRO!

– Attendance was 8,415, who paid $1.3 million USD. This makes UFC on FUEL 6 the second highest FUEL livegate (Only UFC on FUEL 2 was higher).

@SethFalvo

World Series of Fighting 1 Salaries: Arlovski Nets Enough Money to Buy an Entrance Song that Isn’t Terrible

“My management paid HOW MANY Pitbull bucks for this song?! Paulo Filho won’t be impressed.”

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has released fighter salaries for the inaugural World Series of Fighting event, held last Saturday night in Las Vegas. Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski made the most money that evening, bringing home $60,000 for crushing Devin Cole in the main event. While we’re all glad to see Arlovski get paid, hopefully he spends some money on better entrance music; having some rapper bark your name is something that an amateur on the undercard of a local show would do to get people to notice him (assuming none of his friends knew how to shave stars into his hair, of course), not something a former UFC champion should do to keep people interested in his career. Just saying, it was pretty cheesy.

Taking home the second-largest purse of the evening was Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, who earned $55,000 for his highlight reel knockout against D.J. Linderman. Since moving up to a weight class that he should reasonably be fighting at, Anthony Johnson has looked pretty impressive. It’s a shame that he sacrificed so much of his career – not to even mention his health – cutting to welterweight, but at twenty-eight years old it’s by no means over for the UFC veteran.

Keep in mind that none of these salaries include any undisclosed bonuses or end of the night bonuses that World Series of Fighting may have given out. Also, even though this promotion is riding a lot of hype and had recognizable talent throughout the card, keep in mind that WSoF is a brand new promotion that just put on its first event. Basically, no one made Anderson Silva money, is what I’m trying to say:

“My management paid HOW MANY Pitbull bucks for this song?! Paulo Filho won’t be impressed.”

World Series of Fighting 1
Nov 3, 2012
Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Andrei Arlovski: $60,000 (includes $30,000 win bonus)
def. Devin Cole: $10,000

Anthony Johnson: $55,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus)
def. D.J. Linderman: $10,000

Marlon Moraes: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Miguel Torres: $18,000

Tyrone Spong: $27,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus)
def. Travis Bartlett: $4,000

Tyson Steele: $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus)
def. Gregor Gracie: $25,000

Brian Cobb: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
def. Ronys Torres: $12,000

Steve Carl: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Ramico Blackmon: $10,000

Josh Burkman: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Gerald Harris: $15,000

JZ Cavalcante: $14,000 (includes $7,000 win bonus)
def. T.J. O’Brien: $5,000

David Branch: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Dustin Jacoby: $5,000

Total Payroll: $352,000

Overpaid: In the spirit of the upcoming US presidential election, we’ll start off with the safest answer possible: It’s hard to call anyone anyone on this card overpaid. Now, in the spirit of CagePotato: Twenty-five grand (more than Miguel Torres made, mind you) for a 7-2 fighter who holds no notable victories, has never fought in a major North American promotion and, by the way, fought on the undercard? Damn it must feel good to be a Gracie.

Underpaid: If you ever wondered why guys like Ed Soares get paid as much as they do, it’s because good management is at a premium in this sport. Case in point, Devin Cole fought a former UFC champion in the main event of a nationally televised show on a weekend when there was absolutely no competition. I’m no agent, but if I could only negotiate a fighter in Cole’s position the same amount of show money that Ramico Blackmon’s management earned for him, let’s just say I wouldn’t be drinking coffee for a while.

Likewise, I already had respect for Travis Bartlett for stepping up to fight Tyrone Spong when no one else – including Houston Alexander – was willing to. Then again, perhaps the measly four grand Bartlett made for that beating he took explains why no one wanted the fight. Major props to Travis for being tough enough to fight such a dangerous kickboxer for such a small paycheck, but buddy, your brain damage is worth more than that.

@SethFalvo

Loser Leaves Town Alert: Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie Booked for UFC 155

Clearly, there are zero inappropriate jokes to be made here.

In the territorial days of professional wrestling, the loser leaves town match was a way for wrestling promoters to wrap up a storyline when one of the wrestlers left his company for a rival promotion. Even though MMA is much different from professional wrestling, our sport still books these fights every so often. It isn’t exactly uncommon for the UFC to book fights between two not-quite-contenders, where the losers receive a pink slip and a call from Ray or Bjorn.

Case in point: The UFC announced yesterday that featherweights Leonard Garcia and Cody McKenzie will meet up at UFC 155. With both men being a combined 3-7 in their last ten fights (2-8 if you aren’t blind, deaf and dumb), and both coming off of less-than-impressive losses, the loser of this fight will almost certainly be spending time outside of the UFC.

On paper, Leonard Garcia is heading into this bout in worse condition than his opponent. Garcia has only won once in his last five fights, and that victory was a total bullshit decision over Nam Phan. The only thing that may save Garcia is the fact that he’s usually entertaining in defeat – his Zuffa career includes a total of five Fight of the Night awards, one Knockout of the Night and 2010’s Fight of the Year, a total bullshit victory over The Korean Zombie at WEC 48. Oh, and if you haven’t noticed, judges have an inexplicable love for the guy.

Clearly, there are zero inappropriate jokes to be made here.

On paper, Leonard Garcia is heading into this bout in worse condition than his opponent. Garcia has only won once in his last five fights, and that victory was a total bullshit decision over Nam Phan. The only thing that may save Garcia is the fact that he’s usually entertaining in defeat – his Zuffa career includes a total of five Fight of the Night awards, one Knockout of the Night and 2010′s Fight of the Year, a total bullshit victory over The Korean Zombie at WEC 48. Oh, and if you haven’t noticed, judges have an inexplicable love for the guy.

In reality, Cody McKenzie is in worse standing with the UFC heading into this contest. The TUF alumnus has been a one-trick pony, using his McKenzietine to rack up victories. While this strategy works in the bush leagues – and even against the lower end of the UFC’s roster – it has been disastrous for him against legitimate competition. McKenzie may only be on a one fight skid, but he could not have possibly looked worse in his last outing. Cody McKenzie managed to do jack shit before Chad Mendes crumbled him with a body shot just thirty-one seconds into their fight. Another loss would put the former lightweight at 2-4, and demonstrate that he just isn’t UFC material.

Based on a completely scientific formula I just made up involving both fighters’ recent fights and the very nature of loser leaves town matches, you can expect this fight to be an epic striker-vs-grappler clash. For three rounds, expect Cody McKenzie to put on a grappling clinic against Leonard Garcia, powering his way through Garcia’s wild striking, while attempting the dreaded McKenzietine numerous times throughout the fight. Garcia will win this match 30-27 on all scorecards, and give a post-fight interview that mostly consists of him shrugging his shoulders. McKenzie will scream “I’LL BE BACK!” while Dana White has security drag him out of the arena.

At UFC 156, a masked featherweight will absolutely destroy some hapless jobber while Joe Rogan comments that nobody knows who this new guy is, but it’s crazy how much he physically resembles Cody McKenzie. The masked grappler will end the fight with a McKenzietine, and we will all smile, knowing that the guy under the mask is clearly Cody McKenzie. The new guy will demand a fight against Leonard Garcia, and Dana White will happily grant him that fight at UFC 157. The new guy will destroy Leonard Garcia, take off his mask, and reveal to us all that he is actually just some random featherweight that has thick chest hair. Our collective minds will be blown away by this.

So that’s our prediction for this fight. Call your bookie now and bet on all of that happening. Do it.