Cole Miller Out of UFC Fight Night Dublin With Thumb Injury; Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao Booked as New Main Event


(No, Conor. It was certainly *not* as good for us as it was for you. / Photo via @TheNotoriousMMA)

After tearing ligaments in his thumb, UFC featherweight Cole Miller has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled main event meeting with Conor McGregor at UFC Fight Night 46 (July 19th; Dublin). UFC officials announced yesterday that TUF 14 winner Diego Brandao will be subbing in for Miller against the Irish rising star.

Brandao hasn’t competed since UFC 168 in December, where he missed weight by 6.5 pounds, threatened to stab Dustin Poirier in the neck, then got knocked out in the first round. (Not your best work, dude.) He’s had some bad luck getting a fight since then. First, he was supposed to fight Will Chope in March at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2, but Chope was removed from the card at the last minute after some brutal domestic violence charges from his past were uncovered. Then, Brandao was slated to fight Brian Ortega at the TUF Brazil 3 Finale last weekend, but pulled out two weeks before the event due to an undisclosed injury.

Now, Brandao is in a main event against The King of Dublin — which kind of seems undeserved, but considering that McGregor and Brandao have had their eyes on each other since last year, it could still be an entertaining scrap. The current fight-lineup for UFC Fight Night 46: McGregor vs. Brandao is…


(No, Conor. It was certainly *not* as good for us as it was for you. / Photo via @TheNotoriousMMA)

After tearing ligaments in his thumb, UFC featherweight Cole Miller has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled main event meeting with Conor McGregor at UFC Fight Night 46 (July 19th; Dublin). UFC officials announced yesterday that TUF 14 winner Diego Brandao will be subbing in for Miller against the Irish rising star.

Brandao hasn’t competed since UFC 168 in December, where he missed weight by 6.5 pounds, threatened to stab Dustin Poirier in the neck, then got knocked out in the first round. (Not your best work, dude.) He’s had some bad luck getting a fight since then. First, he was supposed to fight Will Chope in March at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2, but Chope was removed from the card at the last minute after some brutal domestic violence charges from his past were uncovered. Then, Brandao was slated to fight Brian Ortega at the TUF Brazil 3 Finale last weekend, but pulled out two weeks before the event due to an undisclosed injury.

Now, Brandao is in a main event against The King of Dublin — which kind of seems undeserved, but considering that McGregor and Brandao have had their eyes on each other since last year, it could still be an entertaining scrap. The current fight-lineup for UFC Fight Night 46: McGregor vs. Brandao is…

Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao
Gunnar Nelson vs. Zak Cummings
Ian McCall vs. Brad Pickett
Ilir Latifi vs. Tom Lawlor
Cody Donovan vs. Nikita Krylov
Phil Harris vs. Neil Seery
Trevor Smith vs. Tor Troeng
Naoyuki Kotani vs. Norman Parke

Mike Dolce spared difficult decision with proposed Sonnen vs. Belfort fight

When the possibility of the Chael Sonnen vs. Vitor Belfort fight was first announced last week, Mike Dolce braced for a difficult decision.
You see, the renowned nutritionist and trainer has worked with both fighters for several years, and w…

When the possibility of the Chael Sonnen vs. Vitor Belfort fight was first announced last week, Mike Dolce braced for a difficult decision.

You see, the renowned nutritionist and trainer has worked with both fighters for several years, and while his client roster includes some of the biggest names in MMA, he has rarely had to choose between sides. Thankfully for him, though, he was spared having to make what would have been be a tough decision.

Since the proposed Sonnen vs. Belfort fight at UFC 175, which can only be made official if the Nevada Athletic Commission licenses Belfort on June 17, would be contested at 205 pounds instead of 185 pounds (yes, Dana White misspoke last week), Dolce’s services aren’t needed as much.

“Fortunately, at 205 pounds, neither guy needs me in person and both are using me as a consultant,” he said.

“In such cases, I forego my professional fee for both athletes and simply offer my abilities as a health coach, keeping the talk of MMA out of the conversation.”

Dolce has been working with Sonnen since 2005, and interestingly enough, it was Sonnen who gave Belfort Dolce’s number in 2009 and recommended they work together.

July 4 weekend was already scheduled to be a busy one for Dolce as he is currently contracted to oversee Ronda Rousey’s “weight cut and fight-week peak,” as well as BJ Penn’s, who’ll be making his featherweight debut against Frankie Edgar that weekend, too. In fact, Dolce heads to Hilo, HI this week to oversee Penn’s training until fight week next month.

And while Dolce seems to welcome a busy and hectic schedule, it’s safe to say he’s happy to have a little less on his plate this time around.

Chad Mendes Responds to Jose Aldo’s Comments: ‘I AM Going to BEAT YOUR a–‘

UFC featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes fanned the flames of his rivalry with 145-pound champ Jose Aldo, taking to Twitter to serve up some harsh words for the Brazilian sensation. 
Aldo already defeated Mendes once via knockout at UFC 142,…

UFC featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes fanned the flames of his rivalry with 145-pound champ Jose Aldo, taking to Twitter to serve up some harsh words for the Brazilian sensation. 

Aldo already defeated Mendes once via knockout at UFC 142, but Mendes‘ teammate, TJ Dillashaw, recently obliterated Aldo’s teammate and friend, Renan Barao, at UFC 173, an upset which reignited the tension between these two featherweight stars. 

First, Aldo spoke with radio show No Mundo da Lutasaying that his team, Nova Uniao, would get “payback” on Mendes and Mendes‘ team, Team Alpha Male (quotes from that interview have been transcribed here by MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz). 

Mendes isn’t so sure about that. 

He feels that this is Team Alpha Male’s time to assume the throne and rule the 135- and 145-pound classes as Barao and Aldo had done for so many years, a transition that began with Dillashaw at UFC 173 and will continue August 2 at UFC 176 when he and Aldo square off a second time. 

More specifically, Mendes said he’s going to humiliate Aldo, tweeting the following in response to Aldo’s “payback” comments: 

This Team Alpha Male vs. Nova Uniao rivalry is getting fun, and it has the potential to last well into the future. Aldo and Barao are 27 years old, while Dillashaw and Mendes are 28 and 29, respectively, and they’ve all looked to be a step above everyone else in their weight classes, meaning that we could be in for rematches aplenty as the future shakes out. 

Throw in the always-ready-to-make-a-title-run Urijah Faber on the Team Alpha Male side, and we have a juicy rivalry that could bring some much needed attention to the UFC’s lighter weight classes. 

What do you make of Mendes‘ comments? Will he extend Team Alpha Male’s success over Nova Uniao, or will Aldo destroy him again as he did the first time? 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

23 Things That Should Be Broadcast on UFC Fight Pass


(We’d include “The Dana White 24/7 feed — all Dana White, all the time,” but that’s kind of what the UFC is already. / Photo via Getty.)

If the UFC expects us to shell out $10 every month to watch local talent and foreign-language reality shows on the Internet, they’ve got another thing coming. Here are some suggestions for new Fight Pass content that would actually make the digital streaming service worth our time and money…

1. Live footage of fighter weight cuts (i.e., “sauna-cam”/”salt bath-cam”). Who wouldn’t want to see how brutal these things can get?

2. The complete library of TUF audition tapes.

3. Dana White bench pressing and doing pull ups.

4. Any existing video of Dana’s old boxercise classes.

5. Nicco Fertitta’s football highlights.

6. Random drug tests.

7. The first season of Keeping Up With the Koschecks.


(We’d include “The Dana White 24/7 feed — all Dana White, all the time,” but that’s kind of what the UFC is already. / Photo via Getty.)

If the UFC expects us to shell out $10 every month to watch local talent and foreign-language reality shows on the Internet, they’ve got another thing coming. Here are some suggestions for new Fight Pass content that would actually make the digital streaming service worth our time and money…

1. Live footage of fighter weight cuts (i.e., “sauna-cam”/”salt bath-cam”). Who wouldn’t want to see how brutal these things can get?

2. The complete library of TUF audition tapes.

3. Dana White bench pressing and doing pull ups.

4. Any existing video of Dana’s old boxercise classes.

5. Nicco Fertitta’s football highlights.

6. Random drug tests.

7. The first season of Keeping Up With the Koschecks.

8. All of the “Ultimate Knockouts” DVDs.

9. Weekly installments of Don Frye’s “Predator’s Predictions.”

10. “The World of Elliot”: A new video blog series starring that Elliot guy who shoots Dana White’s video blogs. (You know, the dude who’s always lurking in the background of staredowns? Yeah, that guy.)

11. Live-stream of the janitors cleaning up the arena after each event.

12. Live-stream of the media buffet.

13. Matt Brown’s Legit Man Shit, but as a TV show.

14. All the fighter interview footage that was left on the cutting room floor while creating the PPV intro packages, extended event trailers, UFC Primetime, and the rest of the UFC’s promotional offerings.

15. All Strikeforce: Challengers events.

16. All PRIDE events.

17. All Best of Pride episodes.

18. NSAC licensing hearings.

19. Contract negotiations.

20. Bout agreement signings.

21. Live-stream of the UFC fighter summit.

22. Live-stream of Dana White gambling at whatever casinos haven’t banned him yet.

23. Live-stream of all church services attended by Vitor Belfort.

Got any other suggestions? Throw ‘em in the comments section or tweet ‘em to us @CagePotatoMMA.

Why Benson Henderson Should Embrace a Heel Role

Benson Henderson is one of the nicest people in mixed martial arts, but he has failed to generate much interest from the casual fanbase of the UFC.
MMA fans, for the most part, do not openly embrace the theatrics of professional wrestling. They want MM…

Benson Henderson is one of the nicest people in mixed martial arts, but he has failed to generate much interest from the casual fanbase of the UFC.

MMA fans, for the most part, do not openly embrace the theatrics of professional wrestling. They want MMA to be a sport and sport alone, but that is not realistic. It is also not truthful. These same fans, and you may be included in that group, eat it up every time Chael Sonnen or Josh Barnett cut a promo on the mic.

This is what Henderson needs to do, and he should go full heel in his attempt.

Nothing generates more interest than a heel in combat sports. Muhammad Ali was a heel. Mike Tyson was a heel. Tito Ortiz was a heel. And the list goes on and on. Heels generate interest because they are polarizing.

Many fans “get it.” They understand that the fighter is generating interest and saying things to be controversial. Others simply hate it; they want to see the fighter in question get beat up, so they tune in to each and every fight. Either way, it is a win for the athlete who is talking. They become a selling point.

Henderson has everything it takes to become a heel should he embrace the theatrics of the business. Is that something that interests him? I don’t know, but it should, if he values making the most money he can in his limited time left in the sport.

How should he turn heel? He can take a page out of CM Punk’s book. Use an admirable quality and count yourself as being better than everyone else.

CM Punk is straight-edge. He is alcohol free and drug free. That is nothing to look down upon, but in both the independent wrestling scene and under the bright lights of the WWE, he used this effectively to get under the skin of the audience.

CM Punk said that he was better than all of us because of his lifestyle. His air of superiority enraged fans.

Henderson is a straight-laced guy. He is a devout Christian. I believe that is what he should use. He may not like that or want to do it, but it would be an instant source of heat for the former lightweight champion.

Not because we are a group of soulless heathens, but because no one likes to have something shoved down their throat. It is not about religion at all, but it is about someone forcing personal choices onto us. That is what generates the negative reaction and subsequent heat. 

Think about your average UFC fan. Or rather, think about the stereotype of an average UFC fan. A drunken, type-A male who wants violence. He is not there for the sport of it. He wants blood.

If Henderson took to the microphone and cut a promo on this stereotype of fan using a religious tone throughout, it would drive the fans across the world bananas. It would make Henderson a polarizing figure almost instantaneously. It would also make Henderson a lot more money.

Some may argue that using this tactic is cheap, and it exploits religion. Sure it does, but it also allows him to promote his faith to those who are actively listening should he articulate it well enough. That could be a selling point for Henderson to do that.

I am not promoting religious beliefs one way or the otherwhat I am saying is that there is a pro to the con of turning heel using a similar tactic that famous pro wrestlers have done for decades.

Henderson doesn’t have to look far to see what works. CM Punk laid the blueprint out for him.

Combat sports have always been spectacle and sport mixed together. Henderson should embrace that and add more spectacle into it. He has been a bit too bland, and that has put him on the backburner. The casual fan has not been paying to watch him put his elite-level skills to use.

That’s a shame, but it is something he can change by going heel.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Live Chat: Jon Jones’s next title defense, UFC Saturday recap and more

UPDATE: Here’s an MP3 of today’s chat.

There’s never a dull moment with Jon Jones, is there?

Fresh off of his UFC 172 victory over Glover Teixeira, UFC President Dana White said Jones had unfinished business with Alexander Gustafsson. By all accounts and estimations, that rematch was a foregone conclusion. There was even talk of holding it in Sweden.

Now the talk is quite different. White revealed, and Jones more or less confirmed, that Jones doesn’t want to face the Swede, but Daniel Cormier instead. The reasons aren’t entirely clear, although for Jones, it appears his feeling that the victory was decisive enough for him is all that matters.

We’ll break down every angle of this situation.

We’ll also delve into last week’s UFC double header plus take a look at UFC Fight Night 42, which has a very respectable main card and a hell of a main event.

Who could forget about the Wanderlei SilvaChael SonnenVitor Belfort fiasco for UFC 175, too?

I’m sure we can talk about Bellator 121, but I’m assuming no one wants to and who can blame them?

There’s a lot going on, so join me today to discuss all of this and more. In terms of today’s chat, anything is up for discussion, but I will lead with this and it all kicks off at 1 p.m. ET.

As is customary, I’ll post the video window here as the event draws near and I’ll answer any questions you may have if you post them in the comments section below. Be sure that you click the ‘rec’ button for those comments/questions you believe most deserve a response.

Be sure to link this page and use the hashtag #chatwrappers on Twitter or even Facebook when you’re watching this to let everyone know you’re taking part is this activity of ours.

Talk with you all at 1 p.m. ET.

UPDATE: Here’s an MP3 of today’s chat.

UPDATE: Here’s an MP3 of today’s chat.

There’s never a dull moment with Jon Jones, is there?

Fresh off of his UFC 172 victory over Glover Teixeira, UFC President Dana White said Jones had unfinished business with Alexander Gustafsson. By all accounts and estimations, that rematch was a foregone conclusion. There was even talk of holding it in Sweden.

Now the talk is quite different. White revealed, and Jones more or less confirmed, that Jones doesn’t want to face the Swede, but Daniel Cormier instead. The reasons aren’t entirely clear, although for Jones, it appears his feeling that the victory was decisive enough for him is all that matters.

We’ll break down every angle of this situation.

We’ll also delve into last week’s UFC double header plus take a look at UFC Fight Night 42, which has a very respectable main card and a hell of a main event.

Who could forget about the Wanderlei SilvaChael SonnenVitor Belfort fiasco for UFC 175, too?

I’m sure we can talk about Bellator 121, but I’m assuming no one wants to and who can blame them?

There’s a lot going on, so join me today to discuss all of this and more. In terms of today’s chat, anything is up for discussion, but I will lead with this and it all kicks off at 1 p.m. ET.

As is customary, I’ll post the video window here as the event draws near and I’ll answer any questions you may have if you post them in the comments section below. Be sure that you click the ‘rec’ button for those comments/questions you believe most deserve a response.

Be sure to link this page and use the hashtag #chatwrappers on Twitter or even Facebook when you’re watching this to let everyone know you’re taking part is this activity of ours.

Talk with you all at 1 p.m. ET.

UPDATE: Here’s an MP3 of today’s chat.