Monday was a busy day in the world of mixed martial arts. We had another sweet UFC press conference at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Chael Sonnen tried to channel Jesse “The Body” Ventura circa 1990, and Fedor Emelianenko set the hearts of fanboys around the world aflutter with his latest interview.
Let’s get right to the latest, shall we?
The Lead: Chael Sonnen Is What We Thought He Was
Oh, Chael Sonnen. We should’ve known you couldn’t have been serious when you issued an apology to Anderson Silva yesterday. We should’ve realized it was all just another ploy for you to release yet another pro wrestling interview like the ones from Don Owen’s Portland Wrestling that you grew up watching when you were a kid.
In case you missed it on last night’s episode of UFC Tonight, here’s Sonnen’s apology in full.
Actually, I did realize that last night’s outcome was the most likely one for this whole thing. That’s why I included it as Sonnen’s first potential reason for the apology during yesterday’s column.
The first and most likely scenario is that it’s simply another ploy by Sonnen. He’ll draw people into watching UFC Tonight under the guise of this apology, only to drop the proverbial hammer on Silva once again.
I know a lot of you hate any and all comparisons to professional wrestling, but I’ll still point out that this is an old tactic used in pro wrestling storylines designed to put even more “heat” on the bad guy, or heel.
Sonnen indeed dropped the proverbial hammer.
I’m a longtime fan of professional wrestling, or at least I was a fan of the stuff that was on television up until about 10 years ago. And so I understand that what Sonnen is doing here is the same thing he’s been doing for the past two years. Sonnen used his mouth to turn himself from “just another guy” into a championship contender.
All he’s really doing here is ensuring that the championship reign continues and that folks are still interested in seeing him fight Silva when June rolls around.
Monday’s Five Biggest News Stories
1. Henderson vs. Edgar rematch booked: Dana White met with Frankie Edgar after the UFC on FOX press conference in New York City yesterday and told the former lightweight champion that he’s going to get his rematch with Benson Henderson. The fight will take place this summer. As Jonathan Snowden said last night, it’s the right call.
2. Nogueira injured (again); Thiago Silva faces Alexander Gustafsson: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is one of the toughest and more durable fighters in the history of mixed martial arts. His little brother Rogerio? Not so much. The littlest Nog once again had to pull out of a main-event fight, leaving former opponent Gustafsson to face the monstrous (and possibly genetically altered) Thiago Silva in the main event of UFC on Fuel in Sweden in early April.
3. Dos Santos vs. Overeem confirmed for UFC 146: The biggest heavyweight fight of the year will officially take place on Memorial Day’s UFC 146 card in Las Vegas. The UFC made the bout official yesterday, and tickets for the event go on sale shortly.
4. Fedor Emelianenko hints at a move to the UFC: The Russian fighter says his next bout will be in “June or July” and says that his best potential opponents remain in the UFC. I firmly believe Emelianenko wants to be in the UFC; unfortunately, his interests are controlled by some the very shady men at M-1 Global.
5. Dana White says “hell no” to Tim Sylvia: White emphatically slammed the UFC’s front door in Sylvia’s face during yesterday’s press conference, telling a reporter “hell no” before he could even finish formulating a question about White allowing Sylvia to return. I’m not Sylvia’s biggest fan and I still wouldn’t mind seeing the former heavyweight champion get a shot at returning, if only to see what he’d do against a fighter like Lavar Johnson. Hint: Johnson would eat him for breakfast.
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