If you watched UFC Fight Night 57 last Saturday, you might have been surprised and horrified to see FOX Sports 1 running commercials for Golden Corral’s $12.99 Thanksgiving Day Buffet. MMA twitter’s reaction to these ads was uniformlynegative. I mean, who would eat there on Thanksgiving, of all days? How sad is that? Well, it turns out that our friend Tori ate there. This is her story.
Thanksgiving is a celebration of togetherness, in which we use copious amounts of food and drink to smother unsettled familial feelings and America’s unsettling relationship with its past. Many people travel far and wide to be close to their loved ones for the holidays, and I’m no exception. I’ve lived in New York for about two years now, and I use every single one of my corporate allotted vacation days to make it home to my family in Virginia for the major fall/winter holidays.
With a family as used to being uprooted as mine (I’ve moved 18 times since my birth), our few holiday-specific traditions have been treated pretty seriously. Then, my baby brother received a full ride scholarship to Florida State for football, and new traditions had to be made for the sake of food and football and family — AKA, the Eberle family trinity second to the Almighty.
Essentially, if you don’t read this entire article, what you need to know is that I, my dad, my mom, and my sister went on an 11-hour car trip adventure to Tallahassee, Florida, stopped at a Golden Corral for Thanksgiving Dinner…and it was AWESOME.
I feel that I need to be upfront about something before we get into the actual review of my $12.99 Golden Corral Thanksgiving meal: I. Love. Shitty. Food. Diner food. Cafeteria food. Fast food. Little league baseball game food. $1 pizza. Bring me your salty, fattening heart attacks in a soggy paper dish.
If you watched UFC Fight Night 57 last Saturday, you might have been surprised and horrified to see FOX Sports 1 running commercials for Golden Corral’s $12.99 Thanksgiving Day Buffet. MMA twitter’s reaction to these ads was uniformlynegative. I mean, who would eat there on Thanksgiving, of all days? How sad is that? Well, it turns out that our friend Tori ate there. This is her story.
Thanksgiving is a celebration of togetherness, in which we use copious amounts of food and drink to smother unsettled familial feelings and America’s unsettling relationship with its past. Many people travel far and wide to be close to their loved ones for the holidays, and I’m no exception. I’ve lived in New York for about two years now, and I use every single one of my corporate allotted vacation days to make it home to my family in Virginia for the major fall/winter holidays.
With a family as used to being uprooted as mine (I’ve moved 18 times since my birth), our few holiday-specific traditions have been treated pretty seriously. Then, my baby brother received a full ride scholarship to Florida State for football, and new traditions had to be made for the sake of food and football and family — AKA, the Eberle family trinity second to the Almighty.
Essentially, if you don’t read this entire article, what you need to know is that I, my dad, my mom, and my sister went on an 11-hour car trip adventure to Tallahassee, Florida, stopped at a Golden Corral for Thanksgiving Dinner…and it was AWESOME.
I feel that I need to be upfront about something before we get into the actual review of my $12.99 Golden Corral Thanksgiving meal: I. Love. Shitty. Food. Diner food. Cafeteria food. Fast food. Little league baseball game food. $1 pizza. Bring me your salty, fattening heart attacks in a soggy paper dish.
Blame my upbringing of growing up in the pub & grille/sports bar restaurant business and being on the road a lot for moving and visiting extended family in Texas, but I have always had a strong relationship with lowbrow food and the establishments that pander such goods. Truly, I just love food in general. More than most people love other people, probably. And it should come as no surprise that Thanksgiving-related food falls under that umbrella of food love.
Alright, let’s get to the actual review of Golden Corral. When my family was planning the trip to Tallahassee for Thanksgiving weekend, Golden Corral was pretty much always on the table. We knew the drive would be long, and to find great tasting and simultaneously quick options would be scarce on a holiday. Plus, we wanted to find something kind of semi-relatable to the amazing food that my mom has made every year since we’ve been able to fully appreciate a mashed potato (Sorry, mom).
Thus, Golden Corral — a tried and true Eberle road trip favorite — was our top choice for a mid-trip Thanksgiving dinner. And by Eberle favorite I mean my father, myself, and my sister were overjoyed to experience GC in all of its joy and wonder. My mother was not too pleased. Even as we were waiting in line to pay and venture into buffet wonderland at the Brunswick, Georgia, Golden Corral location, she groaned and tried to telepathically communicate with us just how displeased she was to be in our current situation. But it was too late, we had already crossed the threshold. We paid $12.99 each for four people, and found our table in a sea of y’alls and “shankshgivings.” Please read below for a breakdown of every aspect of my GC Thanksgiving experience.
The staff:
Overall, the staff was amazingly friendly and accommodating. My family was pretty shocked at the amount of people who were ay Golden Corral for Thanksgiving dinner. Every table was full once we were sat by a flustered server named Annie. Servers in matching black aprons fluttered around tables, refilling drinks and yelling around tables, refilling drinks and yelling to the cashiers when a table opened up. Their movements were frantic yet methodical. It was weirdly beautiful, like a greasy grandfather clock made of cornbread.
The people:
There were SO MANY PEOPLE at this Golden Corral. So many. So many different kinds. So many different shades of weird and strange. The man sitting alone at the table next to ours looked just like Benjamin Franklin reincarnated. When my dad, sister, and I took the first stab at navigating the various food stations, we left my mom alone at the table. Benjamin Franklin took this opportunity to tell my mom that she would most likely keep getting ditched by us so she should probably just run away with him.
Another fine example of the Golden Corral population was when my mom observed a brunette woman in her 40s and her ailing, aging mother. The daughter was a skilled negotiator/manipulator, spooning sweet potatoes onto her mother’s plate while also trying to scam her for some non-specific amount of money. She insisted continually that some mythical creature named Ronnie was “good for the money” in about a week as long as the ailing mother would “kindly lend the first $5k.” The mother’s jaws seemed glued shut with marshmallows so it was hard to know how she felt about Ronnie and the loan for who knows what. She was clearly unable to respond.
Combine these fine specimens with the woman who was either crying or vomiting or having diarrhea (or all three at once!) in the restroom and the experience of the patrons of Golden Corral was a vibrant and passionate group of food-motivated individuals.
And now the most important part, the food:
The chocolate fondue fountain was in full effect during the Thanksgiving meal today. It was three or maybe four levels, with rice crispy treat squares on sticks for patrons to plunge into the fudgy falls.
Golden Corral had two different stations for carving, and two separate stations for already cut turkey soaking in gravy. These stations were in the midst of the regular Golden Corral meatloaf section and the creamed corn and mashed potato station on the other side. I made the mistake of taking a wing at first pass, which was honestly too horror show to actually eat. I went for the gravy soaked already cut pieces and I don’t regret my decision at all.
The salad bar was standard for Golden Corral with the three different types of lettuce and diced fruit. The creamed corn was a little less creamy and a little more just liquidy. But the green beans were pretty good and the corn bread was mushy in a way that only Golden Corral can make palatable.
The best part of the Golden Corral Thanksgiving feast was the dessert. Aside from the chocolate fondue, banana pudding and bread pudding were available. A few different pies (obviously pumpkin) and the classic GC chocolate cake were also available. All three parties that experienced the banana pudding were impressed. My mom is on a gluten free diet so she could really only eat the salad and some of the meat foods.
In summary:
Golden Corral Thanksgiving is the best option if you
1) Have no other option and have a spare $12.99
2) Are traveling and haven’t researched the local dining establishments
3) Don’t have any gluten allergies
4) Get pumped about chocolate fountains
5) Like rolls. A lot.
I don’t regret my decision at all. And I think it’s safe to say that the Eberle family has a new family Thanksgiving tradition now that my brother is in college. And if you really wanted to know, Thanksgiving night we started a new tradition of having night time dinner at Hooter’s. But that’s a story for another day…
The MMA world is taking a bit of a pause for a Thanksgiving break. But it didn’t do so before a fresh controversy was tossed onto the plate: In the wake of Frankie Edgar’s dominant performance against Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57, who deserves the next shot at Jose Aldo’s UFC featherweight title?
We delve into that and a whole lot more as Fightweets makes its return.
Who deserves the fight?
@Cubbiezfan80: If Conor McGregor loses, Jose Aldo fights ___ next?
In a perfect world, whether Conor McGregor wins or loses, Jose Aldo fights Frankie Edgar next.
But that, of course, is only how we’d look at things if mixed martial arts was purely sport, and the “business” part of the “fight business” wasn’t factored into things.
I’m not naive enough to deny the reality that Aldo vs. McGregor is one of the biggest fights the UFC can put on, at any weight class, should the final piece come together: McGregor defeating Dennis Siver in January. It’s particularly appealing if you’re Aldo, and you’ve been champion as long as he has, but you’ve never cashed in on that one megafight the way his peers in longtime title reigns, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre, have. If you were in his position, would you want a rematch with a guy you already beat, or a new challenge in a match that could be held in an outdoor stadium?
I get all that. Just don’t ask me to play along and pretend like McGregor has a better title-shot case on merit than Edgar. Edgar dominated Swanson, who had been on a six-fight win streak and was promised a title shot with a win. Edgar was fighting to make a statement and made it with authority. He’s won three in a row after basically losing 3-2 to Aldo a couple years ago.
McGregor, even if he beats Siver, will have exactly one win over a lower-end-of-the-Top-10 fighter, Dustin Poirier, to his credit. Aldo vs. McGregor wouldn’t be a Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen-level farce, but in no way does he have a better case than Edgar. Except, of course, for business, which is the one that counts.
Is the UFC protecting McGregor?
@ELcujorino: Can you think of a fighter that has been coddled more than McGregor? He’s fought only brawlers w/ minimal ground games so far
I don’t know if “coddled” is the right word. There’s been a lot of pressure on McGregor each step of the way, which has increased each time out as a growing throng of doubters expected him to stumble. By the time of his third UFC fight, he was already expected to carry an event in his home country. That’s real pressure.
Now, has the UFC’s matchmaking been conducive to getting the most out of the McGregor hype train? It sure has. Featherweight is a division as deep in high-level wrestlers as any, and somehow, McGregor’s avoided them all, (though in fairness, he was scheduled to meet high-level grappler Cole Miller, who damn well knows his way around the floor, before Miller pulled out of the July card in Ireland and Diego Brandao took his place).
Favorable matchmaking? Yup. Coddled? Not with the level of pressure he’s under, and not when he’s already shaken off an ACL injury that nearly cost him a year and a thumb injury that could have pushed him out of the Poirier fight. It’s a fine line, but they’ve more or less walked it well.
Frankie Edgar for the Hall of Fame?
@Creamyadventure: If Edgar retired tomorrow is he #HOF (&legit hof assuming there is one, not ufc hof)? Has he done enough?
Yes. To this day I remember sitting cageside at UFC 67 for a fight which was supposed to be a showcase for an undefeated future lightweight champion … named Tyson Griffin. Instead, it was Frankie Edgar, making his UFC debut, who mugged Griffin for 15 minutes. Griffin didn’t immediately go downhill from there, but nor did he ever quite live up to his billing.
I also remember, even back then, hearing rumblings that Edgar was being pressured to go to the WEC and drop to featherweight. He stuck to his own course, never got handed a damn thing, and took his talent and pure heart all the way to the lightweight title despite being undersized for his weight class. Not only has he had a career renaissance at featherweight, at a time when people were starting to ask if he’s taken too much damage, but he could probably cut down to bantamweight and contend there as well.
You know who else wasn’t afraid to fight up in weight, was willing to take on all comers, and fought with his heart? B.J. Penn. If Penn is a Hall of Famer, and he’s a no-brainer pick, then I don’t see how you can’t pick Edgar, who had all the traits people loved about Penn but none of his faulty quirks.
Airing Fights of the Night
@140sNotEnough: If a FOTN happens in an unaired fight should the UFC bump a later fight from airing so it can air?
No. What if that fight which gets bumped ends up being better than the fight pre-empting it? But that said, there’s really no good reason why they can’t find time for the Fight of the Night – like, say, oh, Paige Van Zant vs. Kailin Curran – during the minutes, and hours, and seemingly days and days of studio chit-chat between bouts, especially when the fights on the card are going short.
@DarcyLeDrew: If Lawler wins on Dec. 6, will we see a rematch or will Rory get the shot immediately
Now that’s an interesting question. Dana White has already gone out of his way to say Rory MacDonald would get the next welterweight title shot after Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler tangle on Dec. 6, and that it would happen in Montreal. But then last week, White said that Rory getting the title shot in Calgary would “make sense.” So you know how these things go.
The UFC is looking for its next big Canadian star. And while MacDonald is likely never going to be beloved like Georges St-Pierre, he’s the best shot the company has at filling the void, and he was certainly treated like a star by the crowds in his recent wins in Vancouver and Halifax. A MacDonald title victory in Canada is as close a thing to finding someone who can fill GSP’s shoes as anything they’ll come up with in the foreseeable future.
Just ask Anthony Pettis, though, about what happens when a barnburner breaks out when you’re next in line for a title shot. Pettis was supposed to get a lightweight title fight against the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard. That fight ended in a draw, and Pettis chose to take a “keep busy” fight and lost while waiting for their rematch. A couple more years passed before Pettis found himself in position for that title shot.
With just over a month left in 2014, Hendricks vs. Lawler 1 is my choice for Fight of the Year. If the rematch is every bit as compelling as the original, and if Lawler gets the nod in a tight fight this time? It’s going to be really hard not to go straight to a trilogy fight. Otherwise, I’d be really surprised if MacDonald didn’t get his promised, and well-earned, shot.
Dillashaw vs. Cruz
@soccertrs007: When do you think Cruz vs. Dillashaw happens?
All signs seem to point to March-ish or soon thereafter. Dillashaw has been recovering nicely from elbow surgery he underwent last month, Cruz hasn’t had any sort of setbacks, and the PPV/Big FOX events through February are all in place. Expect Dillashaw-Cruz to be among the next big wave of major fight announcements, whenever that tide rolls in.
Finding contenders for Mighty Mouse
@MacPherson9999: What do they do with Mighty Mouse? McCall/JL is rebooked, Dodson’s out awhile. Who’s next? when?
Well, the problem kind of solves itself to a degree, since Demetrious Johnson is taking several months off. And it’s a well-earned break, too: The UFC flyweight champ has fought five times in the past two years and eight in the past three.
So that buys some time to see what happens in the rebooked Ian McCall–John Lineker fight on Jan. 31. If “Uncle Creepy” wins, I think he’s done enough to earn another fight with Mighty Mouse. Lineker? I’m leery of giving a title shot to a guy who consistently has problems making 126, never mind the 125 on the nose required for a title fight.
A flyweight wild card? Let’s see what Wilson Reis, who’s looked like a killer in his first two fights at 125, does with his next bout, which has yet to be announced. DJ is in in need of a fresh challenge and Reis just might be the answer.
Bones and The Cos
@sigep422wesg: Should @JonnyBones face any sanctions for his Bill Cosby comments?? I don’t know what to make of it, whats ur thoughts??
Nah. Cosby hasn’t even been charged with anything yet, much less convicted, and Jones has a right to believe what he wants. Now, whether it’s smart to make statements in favor of Cosby is another matter. But then, Jones is developing quite a track record for moments such as these, and you’d think his handlers would have a better grip on this by now. But punishing him just for having an unpopular opinion is a bit much.
The MMA world is taking a bit of a pause for a Thanksgiving break. But it didn’t do so before a fresh controversy was tossed onto the plate: In the wake of Frankie Edgar’s dominant performance against Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57, who deserves the next shot at Jose Aldo’s UFC featherweight title?
We delve into that and a whole lot more as Fightweets makes its return.
Who deserves the fight?
@Cubbiezfan80: If Conor McGregor loses, Jose Aldo fights ___ next?
In a perfect world, whether Conor McGregor wins or loses, Jose Aldo fights Frankie Edgar next.
But that, of course, is only how we’d look at things if mixed martial arts was purely sport, and the “business” part of the “fight business” wasn’t factored into things.
I’m not naive enough to deny the reality that Aldo vs. McGregor is one of the biggest fights the UFC can put on, at any weight class, should the final piece come together: McGregor defeating Dennis Siver in January. It’s particularly appealing if you’re Aldo, and you’ve been champion as long as he has, but you’ve never cashed in on that one megafight the way his peers in longtime title reigns, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre, have. If you were in his position, would you want a rematch with a guy you already beat, or a new challenge in a match that could be held in an outdoor stadium?
I get all that. Just don’t ask me to play along and pretend like McGregor has a better title-shot case on merit than Edgar. Edgar dominated Swanson, who had been on a six-fight win streak and was promised a title shot with a win. Edgar was fighting to make a statement and made it with authority. He’s won three in a row after basically losing 3-2 to Aldo a couple years ago.
McGregor, even if he beats Siver, will have exactly one win over a lower-end-of-the-Top-10 fighter, Dustin Poirier, to his credit. Aldo vs. McGregor wouldn’t be a Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen-level farce, but in no way does he have a better case than Edgar. Except, of course, for business, which is the one that counts.
Is the UFC protecting McGregor?
@ELcujorino: Can you think of a fighter that has been coddled more than McGregor? He’s fought only brawlers w/ minimal ground games so far
I don’t know if “coddled” is the right word. There’s been a lot of pressure on McGregor each step of the way, which has increased each time out as a growing throng of doubters expected him to stumble. By the time of his third UFC fight, he was already expected to carry an event in his home country. That’s real pressure.
Now, has the UFC’s matchmaking been conducive to getting the most out of the McGregor hype train? It sure has. Featherweight is a division as deep in high-level wrestlers as any, and somehow, McGregor’s avoided them all, (though in fairness, he was scheduled to meet high-level grappler Cole Miller, who damn well knows his way around the floor, before Miller pulled out of the July card in Ireland and Diego Brandao took his place).
Favorable matchmaking? Yup. Coddled? Not with the level of pressure he’s under, and not when he’s already shaken off an ACL injury that nearly cost him a year and a thumb injury that could have pushed him out of the Poirier fight. It’s a fine line, but they’ve more or less walked it well.
Frankie Edgar for the Hall of Fame?
@Creamyadventure: If Edgar retired tomorrow is he #HOF (&legit hof assuming there is one, not ufc hof)? Has he done enough?
Yes. To this day I remember sitting cageside at UFC 67 for a fight which was supposed to be a showcase for an undefeated future lightweight champion … named Tyson Griffin. Instead, it was Frankie Edgar, making his UFC debut, who mugged Griffin for 15 minutes. Griffin didn’t immediately go downhill from there, but nor did he ever quite live up to his billing.
I also remember, even back then, hearing rumblings that Edgar was being pressured to go to the WEC and drop to featherweight. He stuck to his own course, never got handed a damn thing, and took his talent and pure heart all the way to the lightweight title despite being undersized for his weight class. Not only has he had a career renaissance at featherweight, at a time when people were starting to ask if he’s taken too much damage, but he could probably cut down to bantamweight and contend there as well.
You know who else wasn’t afraid to fight up in weight, was willing to take on all comers, and fought with his heart? B.J. Penn. If Penn is a Hall of Famer, and he’s a no-brainer pick, then I don’t see how you can’t pick Edgar, who had all the traits people loved about Penn but none of his faulty quirks.
Airing Fights of the Night
@140sNotEnough: If a FOTN happens in an unaired fight should the UFC bump a later fight from airing so it can air?
No. What if that fight which gets bumped ends up being better than the fight pre-empting it? But that said, there’s really no good reason why they can’t find time for the Fight of the Night – like, say, oh, Paige Van Zant vs. Kailin Curran – during the minutes, and hours, and seemingly days and days of studio chit-chat between bouts, especially when the fights on the card are going short.
@DarcyLeDrew: If Lawler wins on Dec. 6, will we see a rematch or will Rory get the shot immediately
Now that’s an interesting question. Dana White has already gone out of his way to say Rory MacDonald would get the next welterweight title shot after Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler tangle on Dec. 6, and that it would happen in Montreal. But then last week, White said that Rory getting the title shot in Calgary would “make sense.” So you know how these things go.
The UFC is looking for its next big Canadian star. And while MacDonald is likely never going to be beloved like Georges St-Pierre, he’s the best shot the company has at filling the void, and he was certainly treated like a star by the crowds in his recent wins in Vancouver and Halifax. A MacDonald title victory in Canada is as close a thing to finding someone who can fill GSP’s shoes as anything they’ll come up with in the foreseeable future.
Just ask Anthony Pettis, though, about what happens when a barnburner breaks out when you’re next in line for a title shot. Pettis was supposed to get a lightweight title fight against the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard. That fight ended in a draw, and Pettis chose to take a “keep busy” fight and lost while waiting for their rematch. A couple more years passed before Pettis found himself in position for that title shot.
With just over a month left in 2014, Hendricks vs. Lawler 1 is my choice for Fight of the Year. If the rematch is every bit as compelling as the original, and if Lawler gets the nod in a tight fight this time? It’s going to be really hard not to go straight to a trilogy fight. Otherwise, I’d be really surprised if MacDonald didn’t get his promised, and well-earned, shot.
Dillashaw vs. Cruz
@soccertrs007: When do you think Cruz vs. Dillashaw happens?
All signs seem to point to March-ish or soon thereafter. Dillashaw has been recovering nicely from elbow surgery he underwent last month, Cruz hasn’t had any sort of setbacks, and the PPV/Big FOX events through February are all in place. Expect Dillashaw-Cruz to be among the next big wave of major fight announcements, whenever that tide rolls in.
Finding contenders for Mighty Mouse
@MacPherson9999: What do they do with Mighty Mouse? McCall/JL is rebooked, Dodson’s out awhile. Who’s next? when?
Well, the problem kind of solves itself to a degree, since Demetrious Johnson is taking several months off. And it’s a well-earned break, too: The UFC flyweight champ has fought five times in the past two years and eight in the past three.
So that buys some time to see what happens in the rebooked Ian McCall–John Lineker fight on Jan. 31. If “Uncle Creepy” wins, I think he’s done enough to earn another fight with Mighty Mouse. Lineker? I’m leery of giving a title shot to a guy who consistently has problems making 126, never mind the 125 on the nose required for a title fight.
A flyweight wild card? Let’s see what Wilson Reis, who’s looked like a killer in his first two fights at 125, does with his next bout, which has yet to be announced. DJ is in in need of a fresh challenge and Reis just might be the answer.
Bones and The Cos
@sigep422wesg: Should @JonnyBones face any sanctions for his Bill Cosby comments?? I don’t know what to make of it, whats ur thoughts??
Nah. Cosby hasn’t even been charged with anything yet, much less convicted, and Jones has a right to believe what he wants. Now, whether it’s smart to make statements in favor of Cosby is another matter. But then, Jones is developing quite a track record for moments such as these, and you’d think his handlers would have a better grip on this by now. But punishing him just for having an unpopular opinion is a bit much.
Since being TKO’d by Glover Teixeira in September 2013, Bader has scored three consecutive unanimous decision wins against Anthony Perosh, Rafael Cavalcante, and Ovince St. Preux. Davis most recently outpointed Teixeira last month at UFC 179, which followed a decision loss to Anthony Johnson, who is main-eventing the 1/24 card against Alexander Gustafsson, who lost to Phil Davis back in 2010, before they became buddies. Basically, everybody in the UFC light-heavyweight division has shared bodily fluids at this point.
The UFC on FOX 14 lineup currently looks like this…
Since being TKO’d by Glover Teixeira in September 2013, Bader has scored three consecutive unanimous decision wins against Anthony Perosh, Rafael Cavalcante, and Ovince St. Preux. Davis most recently outpointed Teixeira last month at UFC 179, which followed a decision loss to Anthony Johnson, who is main-eventing the 1/24 card against Alexander Gustafsson, who lost to Phil Davis back in 2010, before they became buddies. Basically, everybody in the UFC light-heavyweight division has shared bodily fluids at this point.
The UFC on FOX 14 lineup currently looks like this…
Without question, a featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor would be not only the biggest bout that could be made in the division, but also one of the biggest at any weight class. An Aldo-McGregor tilt could fill a stadium in Brazil or Ireland.
As for whether McGregor is actually the most worthy contender at 145 pounds at the moment? Well, that’s a different story.
The answer appears to be “The Answer.” Frankie Edgar, the former lightweight champion and the only UFC fighter at the moment who could credibly challenge for titles in three different weight classes, made his case with a superlative performance against Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57.
An aggressive Edgar dominated Swanson from bell-to-bell and got the submission win at 4:56 of the final round, the latest finish in UFC history. The man who was ranked No. 3 in the UFC’s own rankings demolished the guy who was ranked No. 2.
That was enough to earn Edgar a second-place tie, alongside Chad Mendes, behind first-place Aldo in the current edition of the SB Nation featherweight rankings. Both Edgar and Mendes took three second-place votes and three thirds for 51 points apiece. Mendes, for his part, is coming off a decision loss to Aldo in a Fight of the Year candidate at UFC 179, and with two losses to the current champ, isn’t likely to get an immediate rematch.
But Edgar and Mendes aren’t the only fighters who finish ahead of McGregor in the standing. Ricardo Lamas, who has won two in a row since losing to Aldo at UFC 169, was a unanimous pick for fourth place. And Swanson, who won six in a row before losing to Edgar, took fifth.
McGregor, who meets unranked Dennis Siver in Boston on Jan. 19, entered the rankings at No. 6, on the strength of his first-round knockout of Dustin Poirier at UFC 178.
(Scoring: Fighters are given 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for a second, etc., down to one point for 10th place. The results are then tallied up and presented here. Official SB Nation rankings policy: Fighters under commission suspension are ineligible to be ranked during the duration of their suspension or if they have licensing issues. This does not affect any fighters considered top 10-worthy at featherweight at the moment).
1. Jose Aldo (25-1, 60 points): While the anniversary came and went without fanfare, Aldo, who beat Mike Brown for the then-WEC belt on Nov. 18, 2009, recently became the third champion in Zuffa history to reign for five years (Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre).
2. Frankie Edgar (18-4-1, 51 points): Three straight wins for Edgar since losing three rounds to two against Aldo two years ago.
3. Chad Mendes (16-2, 51 points): Like Team Alpha Male campmate Joseph Benavidez at flyweight, Mendes has been untouchable in his division apart from the pair of losses to the current champ.
4. Ricardo Lamas (15-3, 42 points): Lamas has rebounded nicely from the loss to Aldo, as he halted Dennis Bermudez’s momentum for his second straight win.
5. Cub Swanson (21-6, 33 points): In a fast-moving division, Swanson may have seen his best opportunity for a title shot come and go.
6. Conor McGregor (16-2, 26 points): One of these days, McGregor will face a high-level wrestler. He might already be champion by that point, but hey …
8. Dennis Bermudez (14-4, 14 points): Loss to Lamas will be tough to overcome, but shouldn’t be a killer for a guy who had won seven straight.
9. Dustin Poirier (16-4, 11 points): Poirier’s career pattern of reaching a certain level, then getting knocked back down, reared its head again in his quick KO loss to McGregor.
10. Jeremy Stephens (23-10, 7 points): Handed his first featherweight setback in June against Swanson, Stephens looks to rebound against Charles Oliveira on Dec. 12.
Others receiving votes: Pat Curran 6, Nik Lentz 2, Daniel Straus 2.
Without question, a featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor would be not only the biggest bout that could be made in the division, but also one of the biggest at any weight class. An Aldo-McGregor tilt could fill a stadium in Brazil or Ireland.
As for whether McGregor is actually the most worthy contender at 145 pounds at the moment? Well, that’s a different story.
The answer appears to be “The Answer.” Frankie Edgar, the former lightweight champion and the only UFC fighter at the moment who could credibly challenge for titles in three different weight classes, made his case with a superlative performance against Cub Swanson at UFC Fight Night 57.
An aggressive Edgar dominated Swanson from bell-to-bell and got the submission win at 4:56 of the final round, the latest finish in UFC history. The man who was ranked No. 3 in the UFC’s own rankings demolished the guy who was ranked No. 2.
That was enough to earn Edgar a second-place tie, alongside Chad Mendes, behind first-place Aldo in the current edition of the SB Nation featherweight rankings. Both Edgar and Mendes took three second-place votes and three thirds for 51 points apiece. Mendes, for his part, is coming off a decision loss to Aldo in a Fight of the Year candidate at UFC 179, and with two losses to the current champ, isn’t likely to get an immediate rematch.
But Edgar and Mendes aren’t the only fighters who finish ahead of McGregor in the standing. Ricardo Lamas, who has won two in a row since losing to Aldo at UFC 169, was a unanimous pick for fourth place. And Swanson, who won six in a row before losing to Edgar, took fifth.
McGregor, who meets unranked Dennis Siver in Boston on Jan. 19, entered the rankings at No. 6, on the strength of his first-round knockout of Dustin Poirier at UFC 178.
(Scoring: Fighters are given 10 points for a first-place vote, nine points for a second, etc., down to one point for 10th place. The results are then tallied up and presented here. Official SB Nation rankings policy: Fighters under commission suspension are ineligible to be ranked during the duration of their suspension or if they have licensing issues. This does not affect any fighters considered top 10-worthy at featherweight at the moment).
1. Jose Aldo (25-1, 60 points): While the anniversary came and went without fanfare, Aldo, who beat Mike Brown for the then-WEC belt on Nov. 18, 2009, recently became the third champion in Zuffa history to reign for five years (Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre).
2. Frankie Edgar (18-4-1, 51 points): Three straight wins for Edgar since losing three rounds to two against Aldo two years ago.
3. Chad Mendes (16-2, 51 points): Like Team Alpha Male campmate Joseph Benavidez at flyweight, Mendes has been untouchable in his division apart from the pair of losses to the current champ.
4. Ricardo Lamas (15-3, 42 points): Lamas has rebounded nicely from the loss to Aldo, as he halted Dennis Bermudez’s momentum for his second straight win.
5. Cub Swanson (21-6, 33 points): In a fast-moving division, Swanson may have seen his best opportunity for a title shot come and go.
6. Conor McGregor (16-2, 26 points): One of these days, McGregor will face a high-level wrestler. He might already be champion by that point, but hey …
8. Dennis Bermudez (14-4, 14 points): Loss to Lamas will be tough to overcome, but shouldn’t be a killer for a guy who had won seven straight.
9. Dustin Poirier (16-4, 11 points): Poirier’s career pattern of reaching a certain level, then getting knocked back down, reared its head again in his quick KO loss to McGregor.
10. Jeremy Stephens (23-10, 7 points): Handed his first featherweight setback in June against Swanson, Stephens looks to rebound against Charles Oliveira on Dec. 12.
Others receiving votes: Pat Curran 6, Nik Lentz 2, Daniel Straus 2.
On November 1st in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, Muay Thai ace Jonathan “Jungle Doctor” Tuhu obliterated his opponent with a 360-degree kamikaze-style tornado kick. Now, we’ve seen some pretty fantastic spinning-kick knockouts this year, but what sets this one apart is the reaction of the KO-victim, who drools out his mouthpiece, drools a little bit more, then falls to earth in the most dramatic falling tree impression since Vovchanchyn vs. Bueno. Honestly, this might be the greatest falling tree knockout ever. If you disagree, please let us know in the comments section and provide visual proof.
On November 1st in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, Muay Thai ace Jonathan “Jungle Doctor” Tuhu obliterated his opponent with a 360-degree kamikaze-style tornado kick. Now, we’ve seen some pretty fantastic spinning-kick knockouts this year, but what sets this one apart is the reaction of the KO-victim, who drools out his mouthpiece, drools a little bit more, then falls to earth in the most dramatic falling tree impression since Vovchanchyn vs. Bueno. Honestly, this might be the greatest falling tree knockout ever. If you disagree, please let us know in the comments section and provide visual proof.
It has already been reported that World Wrestling Entertainment would not let CM Punk walk out with Chael Sonnen for Sonnen’s UFC fight two years ago. Now, we know the reason WWE gave him.
Punk said this week on wrestler Colt Cabana’s podcast that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon told him he could not appear on UFC television because it was “barbaric.”
“Oh my God, Phil,” Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, said McMahon told him. “No, we can’t do that. That’s barbaric. Somebody is going to die. Then I had to remind him, ‘I don’t know if you remember Owen Hart or not, because he sort of died in your ring.'”
Punk, who left WWE earlier this year, was supposed to walk out with Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2 on Jan. 28, 2012 in Punk’s hometown of Chicago. Punk said the UFC agreed to let him do it, but WWE put the kibosh on it.
“Tomorrow is the Royal Rumble so it’ll get some last-minute buys and whether Chael wins or loses, no offense to Chael, nobody is going to be talking about him,” Punk said, explaining his pitch to McMahon. “They’re going to be talking about the WWE champion walking him to the Octagon.”
McMahon didn’t stop with his criticism of the UFC there. CM Punk said he also expressed disgust at the advent of the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division. A year later, Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche competed in the UFC’s first female fight.
“Did you know that they’re going to have women fight in the Octagon soon?” Punk said McMahon told him.
Punk said he replied: “Yeah and it’s the f—ing coolest thing in the world and it’s going to be the hottest f—ing thing, you’ll see.”
Punk, who aired all his grievances with WWE on the “Art of Wrestling” podcast, said just four months after McMahon nixed him walking out with Sonnen, WWE star Triple H walked out with Floyd Mayweather for his boxing match against Miguel Cotto.
Punk was officially fired by WWE in June after departing the company in January. Brooks has trained for years in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Rener and Ryron Gracie and has expressed interest in MMA. Rener told FOXSports.com earlier this year that there would be “no limit” to Punk’s MMA potential if he trained full-time.
Just don’t expect to see him in the UFC in any respect until the middle of next year at the earliest. Not only is Punk 36 years old with no competitive experience in combat sports, but WWE installed a no-compete clause with the UFC in his termination contract, Punk said. He added that former WWE star Alberto Del Rio, an ex-MMA fighter, also had the same clause.
“Just like UFC is not WWE’s competition, but you can’t go work there for a year after they fire you on your wedding day,” Punk said.
Punk also made it clear that he would never return to WWE or professional wrestling. McMahon not letting him walk out with Sonnen was just one of many reasons.
“He was distancing himself from such a horrible, barbaric product,” Punk said. “I reminded him how horrible and barbaric pro wrestling is.”
It has already been reported that World Wrestling Entertainment would not let CM Punk walk out with Chael Sonnen for Sonnen’s UFC fight two years ago. Now, we know the reason WWE gave him.
Punk said this week on wrestler Colt Cabana’s podcast that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon told him he could not appear on UFC television because it was “barbaric.”
“Oh my God, Phil,” Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, said McMahon told him. “No, we can’t do that. That’s barbaric. Somebody is going to die. Then I had to remind him, ‘I don’t know if you remember Owen Hart or not, because he sort of died in your ring.'”
Punk, who left WWE earlier this year, was supposed to walk out with Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2 on Jan. 28, 2012 in Punk’s hometown of Chicago. Punk said the UFC agreed to let him do it, but WWE put the kibosh on it.
“Tomorrow is the Royal Rumble so it’ll get some last-minute buys and whether Chael wins or loses, no offense to Chael, nobody is going to be talking about him,” Punk said, explaining his pitch to McMahon. “They’re going to be talking about the WWE champion walking him to the Octagon.”
McMahon didn’t stop with his criticism of the UFC there. CM Punk said he also expressed disgust at the advent of the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division. A year later, Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche competed in the UFC’s first female fight.
“Did you know that they’re going to have women fight in the Octagon soon?” Punk said McMahon told him.
Punk said he replied: “Yeah and it’s the f—ing coolest thing in the world and it’s going to be the hottest f—ing thing, you’ll see.”
Punk, who aired all his grievances with WWE on the “Art of Wrestling” podcast, said just four months after McMahon nixed him walking out with Sonnen, WWE star Triple H walked out with Floyd Mayweather for his boxing match against Miguel Cotto.
Punk was officially fired by WWE in June after departing the company in January. Brooks has trained for years in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Rener and Ryron Gracie and has expressed interest in MMA. Rener told FOXSports.com earlier this year that there would be “no limit” to Punk’s MMA potential if he trained full-time.
Just don’t expect to see him in the UFC in any respect until the middle of next year at the earliest. Not only is Punk 36 years old with no competitive experience in combat sports, but WWE installed a no-compete clause with the UFC in his termination contract, Punk said. He added that former WWE star Alberto Del Rio, an ex-MMA fighter, also had the same clause.
“Just like UFC is not WWE’s competition, but you can’t go work there for a year after they fire you on your wedding day,” Punk said.
Punk also made it clear that he would never return to WWE or professional wrestling. McMahon not letting him walk out with Sonnen was just one of many reasons.
“He was distancing himself from such a horrible, barbaric product,” Punk said. “I reminded him how horrible and barbaric pro wrestling is.”
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