Sometimes news cycles the Monday after a major event can be rather slow. Well, let’s just say yesterday wasn’t one of those days.
The avalanche of noteworthy stories included everything from Chael Sonnen’s coach barely ducking a tidal wave of bad publicity, to the NSAC taking a potshot at Anderson Silva, and Rampage Jackson finally netting an opponent for his UFC curtain call.
Slight rumblings of a Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva superfight even hit the wire, straight from the mouths of Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta. And all the while, every Zuffa-employed fighter was begrudgingly stuck in back-to-school mode for the UFC Fighter Summit, which led to a hilarious day-long Twitter dialogue that featured countless cellphone photos of high school-esque note-passing and bored-out-of-their-mind fighters passed out on their desks.
Though, the most notable tidbit of all may have been a surprising development to an issue that has thus far divided MMA fans. Midway through an interview with ESPN, UFC President White was asked for his opinion on Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT), and he didn’t mince his words.
“(Anderson Silva’s) not 28. He’s 38, and he’s not doing Testosterone Replacement Therapy,” White declared. “This guy comes in 100-percent natural and he beats everybody. And something should be said for that. … To me, the bottom line is you don’t need that junk. If you don’t abuse stuff younger in your career, you’ll never need to use that kind of junk.”
White was then asked if it was up to him, would he make therapeutic use exemptions for TRT illegal. And his answer was clear.
“Yeah.”
6 MUST-READ STORIES
Peculiar Sonnen vs. Silva fallout. Scott McQuarry, a coach of UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen, planned to appeal Sonnen’s loss with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) due to Anderson Silva’s controversial knee strike, however he quickly decided against it, instead calling on the fans to request another rematch. Meanwhile, NSAC executive director Keith Kizer stated he was “very unhappy” with Silva’s weigh-in shoulder strike, and he would not be disappointed if the next few Anderson Silva fights didn’t take place in Nevada.
UFC brass not ruling out Jones vs. Silva superfight. UFC President Dana White refused to rule out the possibility of an Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones superfight, while Zuffa CEO Lorenzo Fertitta tweeted fans asking them to select Silva’s next opponent, with Jones as one of the available options.
The MMA hour. Ariel Helwani and The MMA Hour returned with another packed lineup featuring Mark Munoz, Chris Weidman, Renzo Gracie, Joey Beltran, pro wrestling play-by-play man Jim Ross, and our own Ben Fowlkes.
Kim injury revealed. A severe muscle spasm, not a rib injury, was the culprit of Dong Hyun Kim’s first-round loss to Demian Maia at UFC 148. Kim’s translator Brian Rhee revealed the injury on The Underground.
Rampage vs. Teixeira. Disgruntled former champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson agreed to fight Brazilian up-and-comer Glover Teixeira for his final UFC match.
UFC 148 salaries, medical suspensions. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin led the charge for both the UFC 148 payroll, and the ensuing medical suspensions. Griffin earned $275,000 for his decision victory over Tito Ortiz, but also got slapped with a three-month suspension.
MEDIA STEW
Here’s the Dana White interview, and as always it’s a worthwhile watch. The UFC President broaches several subjects like the issue of fighter pay and the real reason he signed Brock Lesnar. But the most surprising cut comes at the 8:55 mark, when White reveals that if he had his way, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) would be illegal in mixed martial arts.
(HT: Bloody Elbow)
Silva vs. Sonnen looked exactly like this, right? Wait… it didn’t? Well it should have.
It’s been far too long since I’ve posted an absurd KO up here, so how about this. Fight starts at 4:20, and it doesn’t take long for the video goodness to arrive.
(HT: MiddleEasy)
Are you like me, sick of all the Steven Seagal nonsense? Well, Joe Rogan was ahead of the curve on this one.
(HT: Reddit)
GO AHEAD, CALL YOUR SHOT
Let’s hear from the masses.Who should silva fight next?#bones, #Gsp, #rashad, winner of Munoz/Weidman on Wednesday?
— Lorenzo Fertitta (@lorenzofertitta) July 9, 2012
Bisping too
— Lorenzo Fertitta (@lorenzofertitta) July 9, 2012
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MAKE A BUNCH OF FIGHTERS LISTEN TO SPEECHES
When @danawhite says “make yourself comfortable”, @ClayGuida obliges #FighterSummitinstagr.am/p/M3d6Siqb39/
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) July 9, 2012
Sitting next to @Alistairovereem and @RondaRousey at the #UFCSummit and they are fighting over a picture of a penis lookin palm tree #nojoke
— Erik Jon Koch (@NEWBREED04) July 9, 2012
Summit started @9. Asleep by 920. When ur fitch smart ur fine LOL. twitter.com/dc_mma/status/…
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) July 9, 2012
Just watches Junior Dos Santos demolish 17 mints. There’s wrappers everywhere#impressiveyetsad
— Mitch Clarke (@MitchClarkeMMA) July 9, 2012
The bully @GrayMaynard had too much to eat at lunch. #UFCFighterSummit twitter.com/BradTavares/st…
— Brad Tavares (@BradTavares) July 9, 2012
Just got slid this super important note from @DC_MMAinstagr.am/p/M3h2LHglHj/
— Mike Quick Swick (@officialswick) July 9, 2012
#thingslearnedatUFCfightersummitKeith Kizer said something about those who plan to cheat. Note to self don’t cheat
— Scott jorgensen (@Scottjorgensen) July 9, 2012
Change of position! twitter.com/Alistairoveree…
— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) July 9, 2012
*drum roll* and the longest question of the day goes to….. @mattmitrione. He just gave his dissertation about thePit falls of Facebook
— Phil Davis (@PhilMrWonderful) July 9, 2012
Walking to the bathroom and @GonzagaBJJ gives me a bro hug from the side… I was terrified for half a second. #FighterSummit
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) July 9, 2012
Steven Seagal has not shown up to the #FighterSummit2012 yet to teach us super secret almost illegal moves and it saddens me. 🙁
— Mike Quick Swick (@officialswick) July 9, 2012
Save a bullet for meRT @One_Punch: Man think we have think we have another 30mins of this lady give me a gun 😳🔫 #FighterSummit2012
— Kyle Noke (@KyleNoke) July 9, 2012
“@cainmma: These are @dc_mma notes for fighter summit meeting. Are you sure you got everything buddy ? twitter.com/cainmma/status…” got it!
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) July 9, 2012
Professional athletes don’t do format meetings. @kennyflorian #UFConFUELTV
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) July 9, 2012
JOSH BARNETT GETS HIS OWN SECTION
Korean fighter sitting next to me wrote this on his notepad…in case he forgot I suppose. twitpic.com/a5s75d
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) July 9, 2012
So @MiguelTorresMMA and I did the same. twitpic.com/a5s7i8
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) July 9, 2012
Suggestion by @IvanMenjivar “They should talk not cheating on you wife. It can cost you a lot of money. Look at Tiger Woods.” #wisdom
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) July 9, 2012
Look at this baller and his flip phone @NamPhamMMA. I just heard his pager go off. twitpic.com/a5v1jo #ufcsummit2012
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) July 9, 2012
#ufcsummit2012 social media guy said to be funny. Showed examples on Twitter. Social media guy has a shitty sense of humor.
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) July 9, 2012
They’re now playing some dubstep remix of “Blackhole Sun” I’m not in enough ecstasy right now for this to be tolerable. #ufcsummit2012
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) July 9, 2012
Keeping @MiguelTorresMMA well fed at the #ufcsummit2012twitpic.com/a5tc1s
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) July 9, 2012
The Korean fighter next to me is playing some weird, pedo, anime baseball game. Of course. #ufcfightsummit2012 twitpic.com/a5t7x8
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) July 9, 2012
She just told me “I’m my employer.” I’m giving myself a raise. In my pants. #empowering #ufcsummit2012
— Josh Barnett (@JoshLBarnett) July 9, 2012
SO…
Going under the knife tomorrow for.the first phase of my sex change. It’s.coming off folks
— Seth Baczynski (@Sethbmma) July 9, 2012
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Monday, July 9, 2012):
UFC 153: Rampage Jackson (32-10) vs. Glover Teixeira (18-2)
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day sees hobbie try to quell the flames with: Silva vs. Sonnen II: The Controversy, and Why it Doesn’t Matter Anyways
Well, we’re only a couple days removed from “the most anticipated fight in UFC history” and the feeling among fans is… well, hard to put into words, really.
UFC 148 was like going on the worst date ever with the most beautiful girl in the world. Yeah, she looks fantastic – but you have to endure hours of inane conversation, the food tastes bland, and your waiter is a Korean guy who injures himself seconds into the meal trying to throw Demian Maia.
Yeah, it’s kind of like that.
Silva vs. Sonnen II arrived on a wave of hype and anticipation, but it departs in the wake of controversy galore. Yet despite that, the consensus amongst most MMA fans is “nothing to see here, case closed, Anderson is the man.” In a sport where referees are burnt in effigy and we love to stomp our feet and cry over every injustice…how can this be?
There’s a lot to pick apart here, and opinions are rapidly crystallizing on both sides. So this is my attempt to be fair to either side. I’m going to examine all the various controversies of UFC 148’s main event as straightforwardly as possible – and explain why (it seems) none of them actually matter.
So let’s dive in shall we, starting with the first bit of controversy from the day before.
The Shoulder Check of Doom!
What Happened: At the pre-fight weigh-ins, Anderson “chin checked” Chael with his shoulder during the face off at the end.
This is important because: Getting physical at the weigh-ins is wrong, yo! It can potentially affect the outcome of the fight. It sets a bad example. The commission should fine Anderson for getting so violent!
But it actually doesn’t matter because: Fans aren’t morons and know that world-class cage fighters aren’t hurt by the kind of shoulder check a mosquito could probably walk away from. All this did was give Sonnen fans ammunition to attack Silva as a classless fraud because he came face-to-face with the man who insulted his family and home nation in the press repeatedly and had the audacity to bump into him.
Greasegate, Round 2
What happened: After Silva entered the Octagon but before the first round, he took the Vaseline applied to his face by the cut men, and liberally rubbed over his arms and torso.
More after the jump.
Found something perfect for the Morning Report? Just hit me on Twitter @shaunalshatti and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.