For some of us, the highlight of Friday night was FOX Sport’s Katie Nolan combating trolls for calling the Bellator 138 main event between Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice, ‘fixed.’
Well, she wasn’t the only one who thought the grudge match looked ‘fake.’
Enter UFC commentator Joe Rogan.
“That fight looked fake as f**k,” Rogan said Saturday morning on his ‘Fight Companion’ podcast alongside UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub. “There’s a couple things I don’t like about that fight. I don’t like that clinch. That long clinch that they had when they were mouth to ear. They were mouth to each other’s ears for a long f***ing time.
“When Ken did take [Slice] down he never hit him once. How bout that? He never hit him. He had him down. He had him flattened out. He’s not blasting him with punches. He’s got him flattened out and he’s not hitting him. That doesn’t make any sense.”
Schaub pointed out that Shamrock is, in fact, 51 years-old, but Rogan still had some issues.
“To me, the whole thing … the entrance looked so suspect because he was shaking everybody’s hand. It didn’t look like he was about to go to a fight. It looked like he was about to go put on a performance.
“But they might have told them that this is the way to generate interest in this fight. To hype it up. All the fake bad blood.”
After surviving a rear-naked choke attempt from Shamrock, Slice scored a first-round TKO of the UFC Hall of Famer. Rogan didn’t take issue with the stoppage.
“The other thing that got me was the way Kimbo stopped Shamrock,” said Rogan. “That was real as f**k. I mean he definitely cracked him. So maybe they made an agreement and Kimbo said, ‘I’m gonna punch this motherf***er anyway.'”
A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, Rogan sounded confused by Shamrock’s grappling, despite his incredible pedigree.
“[Shamrock] never went behind the head,” Rogan said of the choke attempt. “He choked [Slice] but he had it like on top of the head in some sort of weird way.
“It was disturbing to me how easy Kimbo shook Ken off his back. There was a lot of s**t I didn’t like about it.”
5 MUST-READ STORIES
‘She is simply the best for me.’ UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk says she ‘wants to be Ronda Rousey in the strawweight division.’
‘I’m still training.’ NFL great and Strikeforce vet Herschel Walker discusses if he’s interested in fighting again and more.
‘The best way to recover is to get another fight.’ Lyoto Machida explains why he wanted a quick turnaround after losing to Luke Rockhold.
‘Finally, I’m getting the respect that I deserve.’ Rafael dos Anjos talks about life as a UFC champion, his injury rehab, fighting Donald Cerrone again, another fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov and more.
No ‘monsters.’ Tatsuya Kawajiri says he ‘might be able to win the UFC featherweight title’ with the promotion’s new drug-testing policy.
MEDIA STEW
Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s Octagon interview.
[More highlights in her backstage interview]
UFC 189: Extended Preview.
Kimbo Slice calls return to MMA ‘amazing’ after knocking out Ken Shamrock.
Not sure I agree with all of these. No Ronda?
Here come the promos.
TTTHS.
Long watches.
UFC Berlin Post Fight Press Conference
…
Bellator 138 Post-Fight Press Conference
TWEETS
See how the pros reacted to Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Jessica Penne.
Victory lap.
Check my stats 😉 #ufc #UFCBerlin #jj #stats http://t.co/SVY8fTJ8yE pic.twitter.com/KP69ImLuhS
— Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannamma) June 21, 2015
I think I stopped Japanese UFC Fighter losing streak this year, begins his fighter strikes drug tests too harshly, and, from July.
Where’s my next game-? Japan?
I now want to go in the United States! My next fight is where the good?
???UFC?????????????????7????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? My next fight is where the good?
— ????tatsuya kawajiri (@CRUSHER_MMA) June 22, 2015
Choke. #UFCBerlin http://t.co/y6ldYbcBgi
— Peter Sobotta (@PeterSobotta) June 21, 2015
I feel like Robinhood, i told people to bet on a first round to win some easy money now i get messages that thanks for the tip!
— Makwan Amirkhani (@MakwanAmirkhani) June 22, 2015
I just wanna thank my brother @RogerHuerta for everything you’ve done for me. Non of this would be possible without you bro.
— Mairbek Taisumov (@MairbekTaisumov) June 20, 2015
getting your hand raised is an amazing feeling @ufc #ufcberlin https://t.co/Js3EMoVoul
— Arnold billy Allen (@Arnoldbfa) June 21, 2015
My bjj coach ricovieira kids are congratulate me after my win ?????? ?? ???? ????????? ???… https://t.co/mzXhgz1Bvr
— noad lahat (@Neo_MMA) June 21, 2015
What a night!! Thank you to Antonio Dos Santos for sharing the cage with me! He is a gent and… https://t.co/npc8SiVzSt
— scott askham (@scottaskham1) June 21, 2015
Thnk u big countryRT @roynelsonmma: Congrats to @kimboslice @Americantopteam great ko great #comeback @bellatormma http://t.co/7CeSWAG6SK
— Kimbo Slice (@KimboSlice) June 21, 2015
Better luck next time.
Thanks for coming out to Berlin. Special thanks to my fans, family, friends, team members and sponsors, for… http://t.co/ZUYpoPjkax
— Dennis Siver (@DennisSiver) June 21, 2015
Unfortunately, I’ve lost my battle last night, I’m incredibly sorry all my friends and fans…
Leider habe ich meinen Kampf gestern Abend verloren, es tut mir unheimlich leid alle meine Freunde und Fans… http://t.co/337k4l8MRg
— Alan Omer (@AlanOmerMMA) June 21, 2015
Thank you all for cheering me on last night. Those in the red and black t-shirts…: Thank you all for cheerin… http://t.co/bHc8Oqq8rs
— KEN SHAMROCK (@ShamrockKen) June 20, 2015
Beef.
Tick-tock @josealdojunior. pic.twitter.com/wvWRhdjhxk
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 21, 2015
I’m terrified. Not even gonna sleep tonight. Que medo! Vou nem dormir hj. Olha como tô preocupado, @TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/YFZmDPXTau
— Jose Aldo Junior (@josealdojunior) June 22, 2015
.@LynchOnSports @partingshotmma @CarlinBardsley @UriahHallMMA “Come Out To Play”: http://t.co/ooQVQnoznq pic.twitter.com/txfKUEW3zu
— The Spartan (@EliasTheodorou) June 21, 2015
— U R I A H H A L L (@UriahHallMMA) June 22, 2015
.@UriahHallMMA I know you don’t mean the hair. Besides, I don’t know how to loose…feel free to try and prove me wrong…
— The Spartan (@EliasTheodorou) June 22, 2015
Beyond beef.
rondarousey@BetheCorreia, your disrespect to my father, family and friends is not forgotten. I am your comeuppance. And this will not be over quickly. I will make sure you feel every moment of the lesson I’m going to teach you.
#UFC190 #Aug1st #andSTILL
Get well soon.
ITS TIMEEE to back home !!;) #ufc #myfingerneeddoctor #berlin #jj #ANDSTILL http://t.co/HB46b39Ogh pic.twitter.com/HFKOwG8RhN
— Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannamma) June 21, 2015
Hmmm.
I want my shot. pic.twitter.com/s1GsSqk4wg
— Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocicufc) June 21, 2015
Getting close.
UFC International Fight Week Elevator 😉 http://t.co/ECW5jP5u8Q
— Paige VanZant (@PaigeVanzantUFC) June 22, 2015
Thought he looked familiar.
Sweet shot @TaitFletcher!!! #PterodactylSniper #JurrasicWorld
— Gadi Schwartz (@GadiNBCLA) June 20, 2015
Thanks!! https://t.co/ZLbBXo411L
— Tait Fletcher (@TaitFletcher) June 20, 2015
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced this weekend (June 2015)
cancelled Erick Silva vs. Rick Story at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 Finale
Joe Merritt vs. Alex Oliveira at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 Finale
Lewis Gonzalez vs. Leandro Silva at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 Finale
Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.