A bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Renan Barao and T.J. Dillashaw will headline UFC 173 on May 24.
Sources close to the promotion confirmed the story with Bleacher Report on Thursday night.
The bout is a replacement for the orig…
A bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Renan Barao and T.J. Dillashaw will headline UFC 173 on May 24.
Sources close to the promotion confirmed the story with Bleacher Report on Thursday night.
The bout is a replacement for the originally scheduled main event between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida, which itself was a replacement for the planned main event between Weidman and Vitor Belfort. Weidman was forced to postpone his participation in the bout due to lingering knee issues, and it was ultimately moved to the main event of UFC 175 in July.
Sources close to the bout told Bleacher Report that Raphael Assuncao was the next likely contender for Barao’s title. But Assuncao wasn’t going to be healthy enough to fight by May, and his camp was pushing for a July or August fight date instead. With few other options remaining, UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby pulled the trigger and gave Dillashaw the title fight.
For the last nine years, Barao has remained undefeated, with his only career loss coming in his very first professional fight. Since then, he has become one of the very best fighters on the planet and currently ranks No. 3 in the world on the UFC’s official pound-for-pound rankings. Once the interim bantamweight champion, he became the official belt holder when former champion Dominick Cruz was forced to go back on the shelf with another injury earlier this year.
Barao defeated Urijah Faber in his last bout. Dillashaw, meanwhile, is coming off a win over Mike Easton. He has only lost twice since joining the UFC, dropping his first official UFC bout to John Dodson in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 14 and then losing to Assuncao last October.
A long day is to coming to an end, but John Crouch looks no worse for wear.
The head coach of Glendale, Arizona’s MMA Lab is a physically imposing man, with broad shoulders and the kind of facial stubble that indicates more than a few things are restin…
A long day is to coming to an end, but John Crouch looks no worse for wear.
The head coach of Glendale, Arizona’s MMA Lab is a physically imposing man, with broad shoulders and the kind of facial stubble that indicates more than a few things are resting on those shoulders, but something about his approach puts those in his presence instantly at ease.
His immediate eye contact and effortless ability to hold it shows his professorial card before a single word ever comes out of his mouth, and that too offers a strange comfort in the generally awkward phase of an opening introduction.
The original intention of walking through the gym doors on the evening was to find Benson Henderson, but “Smooth” is nowhere to be found. Crouch believes the former WEC and UFC lightweight champion has gone home for the evening—and despite him having full confidence in that piece of information—even the coach can’t be sure his fighter has actually made his way out the door for good.
Crouch strolls through the facility to take one final look, and as he does, he oversees the odds and ends that are taking place on the mats and heavy bags as fighters attempt to get in their final bit of work before the shop closes up.
“I’m surprised he isn’t here to be honest,” Crouch says about Henderson with a smile. “Some guys fight for a living but it’s different with him. If Ben isn’t here training…he’s coaching or helping someone out on the mats. He’s always here.”
While Henderson was ultimately missed on the evening and would be rescheduled, the chance to sit down and pick Crouch’s brain uninterrupted was a golden opportunity for the taking. The original layout for the story had the fighter going first with the coach to follow, but they keep things moving at The Lab and seats for the ride have to be claimed when they open in order to keep up.
The energy and camaraderie that pulse throughout the place could be what are illuminating the light fixtures. Then again, it could be electricity, but it’s enough to make one think.
From the outside, The Lab looks like another version of the typical strip-mall fitness center/martial arts studio with some MMA advertising to draw in that particular crowd. But once the threshold is crossed into the lobby, the notion that the place is anything but a fight gym quickly vanishes. The lobby is lined with pictures, world titles and a host of faces, both recognizable and unfamiliar.
We walk past a run of displays from Henderson’s time as the UFC lightweight champion and then take a sharp left turn into the main office. Crouch settles into his chair and leans back slightly in a manner that suggests he is satisfied with he has accomplished thus far, but there is still so far to go.
“For us it is based on family and team,” Crouch says. “We have an environment where we are all working together and the guys give back to each other. We all take care of one another. For me, this sport is too hard to be an individual. The highs and lows are too extreme to handle alone. Especially the lows…they can be horrible. You need your guys and the people that care about and support you there. It’s never been an issue for us.
“We’ve never had a fight break out in this gym, and I hope we never have to deal with it because we are all here to get better. If you have someone good working next to you, then they are going to help in that process.”
While the team at the MMA Lab has grown over the past few years to include resurgent veterans like Joe Riggs and Efrain Escudero, the foundation has always been the relationship between Crouch and his star student.
Although the former champion and current contender is now recognized as one of the elite fighters in the 155-pound ranks, Henderson spent years running just below the radar and short of getting his due. Whereas those circumstances would have created frustration for most fighters on the rise, it wasn’t the case for Henderson, and Crouch has never been concerned the issue would ever take hold with his fighter.
Worrying and focusing on the elements beyond one’s personal control goes against The Lab’s philosophy. If you are willing to put in the hard work and keep your focus on the next step, everything else will fall into place. This is something Crouch firmly believes, and the fighters have settled into this mindset as well.
“Even going back to when we started out, my focus has always been on that next moment and handling that next thing,” he says. “We would talk about things—money for certain fights—but I would always keep the focus on the next thing and winning the next fight. That is always our goal. Just win the next fight and everything will take care of itself. The money and the matchups will come if you win your next fight.
“Guys get to thinking, ‘Oh wow…maybe I’ll get to fight for the belt if this happens,’ but you can’t control that. What I can control is my effort in the next fight. That is something we’ve talked about since Day 1 and it still applies.
“Benson has a tremendous level of confidence and belief in himself. He’s the best 155-pound fighter in the world. He is that to himself and he knows he is. He’s going to work hard to make sure he can get back that title, but I don’t think anyone’s opinion matters to him. Obviously the thoughts of his coaches and teammates matter to him, but you can’t tell Benson he’s the best because it won’t matter to him. You can tell him he’s the worst and it won’t matter to him.
“The only thing he knows is what is in his heart. He’s not really motivated by outside opinions and you can’t be. That kind of work ethic can only come from inside your heart and he has it in spades. You can’t pretend to love to work hard. You can’t pretend to have that fire and Ben has it.”
In addition to the method of focus that Crouch brings to his fighters, he also advocates a communal system at The MMA Lab. It doesn’t matter if one fighter is a UFC superstar and the next one is an up-and-coming amateur—the ideology that everyone helps the next person is at the very core of how the gym operates.
Other gyms around the country run things differently, but teamwork is how things get done at The Lab.
That said, Crouch understands there are variables that can and will come into play. A fighter could suffer an injury or be coming off a tough fight where damage was taken, and when this happens, a lack of presence in the gym is valid in his eyes. Yet, once those injuries heal, he wants to see his fighters walking back through his doors because even though they may not be physically ready to roll on the mats or take sparring rounds, their support and experience are still important to the team.
He believes being present makes all the difference and it has been a part of The MMA Lab’s success.
“Different gyms run different ways, but ours is about helping one another out,” Crouch says. “If you don’t invest in each other, you are not doing it right. There is a lot of pressure fighting in the UFC and it’s tough, so after their fights, they should take some time off and relax. But then when you’re rested, get your ass back in the gym and help the next kid because somebody helped you. Help him the way you were helped.
“I say it all the time and my guys are probably sick of hearing it, but I’m going to keep saying it because that is what makes us go here. If we don’t do it like that, then I don’t want to do it. I’ll retire and do something else.
“If guys are tired or have just been through a fight, then come in and hold pads for another guy. Talk to them and tell them what you’ve been through. Share that experience you have with a guy who is working hard to make their way up. Be part of the growth of this family. Be there and help somebody because that kid you are helping is going to be you someday. I really feel that is important and I can’t emphasize it enough.
“I don’t really know how things are done in other gyms and I don’t really care, to be honest. I have tremendous respect for so many coaches and there are so many good coaches in MMA it is kind of irritating. All we can control is what we do. That’s what we are doing in this gym…what we do…and we are working to do it the best we can.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
A long day is to coming to an end, but John Crouch looks no worse for wear.
The head coach of Glendale, Arizona’s MMA Lab is a physically imposing man, with broad shoulders and the kind of facial stubble that indicates more than a few things are restin…
A long day is to coming to an end, but John Crouch looks no worse for wear.
The head coach of Glendale, Arizona’s MMA Lab is a physically imposing man, with broad shoulders and the kind of facial stubble that indicates more than a few things are resting on those shoulders, but something about his approach puts those in his presence instantly at ease.
His immediate eye contact and effortless ability to hold it shows his professorial card before a single word ever comes out of his mouth, and that too offers a strange comfort in the generally awkward phase of an opening introduction.
The original intention of walking through the gym doors on the evening was to find Benson Henderson, but “Smooth” is nowhere to be found. Crouch believes the former WEC and UFC lightweight champion has gone home for the evening—and despite him having full confidence in that piece of information—even the coach can’t be sure his fighter has actually made his way out the door for good.
Crouch strolls through the facility to take one final look, and as he does, he oversees the odds and ends that are taking place on the mats and heavy bags as fighters attempt to get in their final bit of work before the shop closes up.
“I’m surprised he isn’t here to be honest,” Crouch says about Henderson with a smile. “Some guys fight for a living but it’s different with him. If Ben isn’t here training…he’s coaching or helping someone out on the mats. He’s always here.”
While Henderson was ultimately missed on the evening and would be rescheduled, the chance to sit down and pick Crouch’s brain uninterrupted was a golden opportunity for the taking. The original layout for the story had the fighter going first with the coach to follow, but they keep things moving at The Lab and seats for the ride have to be claimed when they open in order to keep up.
The energy and camaraderie that pulse throughout the place could be what are illuminating the light fixtures. Then again, it could be electricity, but it’s enough to make one think.
From the outside, The Lab looks like another version of the typical strip-mall fitness center/martial arts studio with some MMA advertising to draw in that particular crowd. But once the threshold is crossed into the lobby, the notion that the place is anything but a fight gym quickly vanishes. The lobby is lined with pictures, world titles and a host of faces, both recognizable and unfamiliar.
We walk past a run of displays from Henderson’s time as the UFC lightweight champion and then take a sharp left turn into the main office. Crouch settles into his chair and leans back slightly in a manner that suggests he is satisfied with he has accomplished thus far, but there is still so far to go.
“For us it is based on family and team,” Crouch says. “We have an environment where we are all working together and the guys give back to each other. We all take care of one another. For me, this sport is too hard to be an individual. The highs and lows are too extreme to handle alone. Especially the lows…they can be horrible. You need your guys and the people that care about and support you there. It’s never been an issue for us.
“We’ve never had a fight break out in this gym, and I hope we never have to deal with it because we are all here to get better. If you have someone good working next to you, then they are going to help in that process.”
While the team at the MMA Lab has grown over the past few years to include resurgent veterans like Joe Riggs and Efrain Escudero, the foundation has always been the relationship between Crouch and his star student.
Although the former champion and current contender is now recognized as one of the elite fighters in the 155-pound ranks, Henderson spent years running just below the radar and short of getting his due. Whereas those circumstances would have created frustration for most fighters on the rise, it wasn’t the case for Henderson, and Crouch has never been concerned the issue would ever take hold with his fighter.
Worrying and focusing on the elements beyond one’s personal control goes against The Lab’s philosophy. If you are willing to put in the hard work and keep your focus on the next step, everything else will fall into place. This is something Crouch firmly believes, and the fighters have settled into this mindset as well.
“Even going back to when we started out, my focus has always been on that next moment and handling that next thing,” he says. “We would talk about things—money for certain fights—but I would always keep the focus on the next thing and winning the next fight. That is always our goal. Just win the next fight and everything will take care of itself. The money and the matchups will come if you win your next fight.
“Guys get to thinking, ‘Oh wow…maybe I’ll get to fight for the belt if this happens,’ but you can’t control that. What I can control is my effort in the next fight. That is something we’ve talked about since Day 1 and it still applies.
“Benson has a tremendous level of confidence and belief in himself. He’s the best 155-pound fighter in the world. He is that to himself and he knows he is. He’s going to work hard to make sure he can get back that title, but I don’t think anyone’s opinion matters to him. Obviously the thoughts of his coaches and teammates matter to him, but you can’t tell Benson he’s the best because it won’t matter to him. You can tell him he’s the worst and it won’t matter to him.
“The only thing he knows is what is in his heart. He’s not really motivated by outside opinions and you can’t be. That kind of work ethic can only come from inside your heart and he has it in spades. You can’t pretend to love to work hard. You can’t pretend to have that fire and Ben has it.”
In addition to the method of focus that Crouch brings to his fighters, he also advocates a communal system at The MMA Lab. It doesn’t matter if one fighter is a UFC superstar and the next one is an up-and-coming amateur—the ideology that everyone helps the next person is at the very core of how the gym operates.
Other gyms around the country run things differently, but teamwork is how things get done at The Lab.
That said, Crouch understands there are variables that can and will come into play. A fighter could suffer an injury or be coming off a tough fight where damage was taken, and when this happens, a lack of presence in the gym is valid in his eyes. Yet, once those injuries heal, he wants to see his fighters walking back through his doors because even though they may not be physically ready to roll on the mats or take sparring rounds, their support and experience are still important to the team.
He believes being present makes all the difference and it has been a part of The MMA Lab’s success.
“Different gyms run different ways, but ours is about helping one another out,” Crouch says. “If you don’t invest in each other, you are not doing it right. There is a lot of pressure fighting in the UFC and it’s tough, so after their fights, they should take some time off and relax. But then when you’re rested, get your ass back in the gym and help the next kid because somebody helped you. Help him the way you were helped.
“I say it all the time and my guys are probably sick of hearing it, but I’m going to keep saying it because that is what makes us go here. If we don’t do it like that, then I don’t want to do it. I’ll retire and do something else.
“If guys are tired or have just been through a fight, then come in and hold pads for another guy. Talk to them and tell them what you’ve been through. Share that experience you have with a guy who is working hard to make their way up. Be part of the growth of this family. Be there and help somebody because that kid you are helping is going to be you someday. I really feel that is important and I can’t emphasize it enough.
“I don’t really know how things are done in other gyms and I don’t really care, to be honest. I have tremendous respect for so many coaches and there are so many good coaches in MMA it is kind of irritating. All we can control is what we do. That’s what we are doing in this gym…what we do…and we are working to do it the best we can.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
NATAL, Brazil — Steven Siler wasn’t happy with referee Wernei Cardoso, but Rony Jason doesn’t have a problem with his stoppage at UFC Fight Night 38.
Jason dropped Siler with a right hand and Siler was trying to fight back, attempti…
NATAL, Brazil — Steven Siler wasn’t happy with referee Wernei Cardoso, but Rony Jason doesn’t have a problem with his stoppage at UFC Fight Night 38.
Jason dropped Siler with a right hand and Siler was trying to fight back, attempting an upkick, when Cardoso stopped the fight. Despite Siler’s protests, Jason won’t question the stoppage.
“I’m just an employee,” Jason told the media after the fight. “The referees are trained to protect the fighters. It’s not up to anyone to judge if he stopped too early or too late. The same guy that criticizes him if he stopped too early will criticize if he stops it too late.”
Jason is confident that he would have got the finish even if Cardoso hasn’t stopped the fight at that moment.
“God wanted me to win,” he said. “I would have kept trying the knockout or the submission, so the win would have come one way or the other.”
Coming off a first-round loss to Jeremy Stephens, and a suspension for breaking a wall with his elbow at UFN 32, Jason, who turned 30 the day before the fight, missed his son’s birthday party to prepare for the featherweight bout.
“I had the perfect training camp,” he said. “I’m really happy, everything went perfect. Last time I was crying (after the fight), and now I’m smiling. That’s how life is for a fighter. When the technique doesn’t work, you go with the emotional. I had no Carnival, I missed my son’s birthday and my own birthday.”
The Ultimate Fighter Brazil winner doesn’t want rest, and plans to ask for a fight at the Fight Night card in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 31.
“I want to fight at TUF Brazil 3 finale card,” Jason said. “I want to fight again (on the same card of) Wanderlei Silva. And for those who doubted me, I’m back.”
World Series of Fighting welterweight champion Steve Carl walks the walk.
In an age when fighters are quick to call out opponents on Twitter and engage in verbal sparring online without repercussion, Carl backs away from his smartphone and c…
World Series of Fighting welterweight champion Steve Carl walks the walk.
In an age when fighters are quick to call out opponents on Twitter and engage in verbal sparring online without repercussion, Carl backs away from his smartphone and computer, buttons his big-boy pants and lives up to his status as the WSOF welterweight champion.
Nothing exhibited these traits more than Carl’s recent decision to accept a fight with UFC castoff RousimarPalhares, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist with a checkered history of cranking submissions well beyond the referee’s stoppage in fights, in practice and in grappling competitions.
Now under the WSOF banner, Palhares finds himself thrust into title contention, and he is set to take on Carl March 29 at WSOF 9.
Carl admits that he was not thrilled about this matchup, but dangerous fights come with the territory when one is champion, and he must accept all responsibilities and burdens that come with the shiny belt.
“He’s a bad matchup for me, and he’s a dirty fighter,” Carl told Bleacher Report. “But at the same time, I am the champion now, and I have to be willing to fight anybody.”
When Palhares‘ signing was announced to the public, one of the promotion’s top welterweights, Jon Fitch, boldly exclaimed that he simply would not fight the Brazilian ground ace.
Talking to MMAoddsbreaker’s Brian Hemminger, Fitch said, “It [a fight with Palhares] would be the first time in my career that I turned down a fight.”
Carl said that he felt the same about the prospect of facing Palhares inside the cage.
“I absolutely thought twice, and I’m 100 percent on board with Fitch,” Carl said. “I kind of wanted to jump on board with him [Fitch] and say, ‘I don’t want to fight that guy.'”
To Carl’s delight, he was initially offered a bout against Fitch, not Palhares, for his first WSOF title defense.
However, the promotion offered him that matchup in June, and Carl expressed interest in fighting sooner. He had snagged the belt from Josh Burkman at WSOF 6 in October 2013, and he wished to stay active and keep in the groove of fighting every few months.
June was just too far away, and the WSOF brass reassembled, whipped up a plan and offered their champ a new fight.
Palhares.
Despite his initial reluctance, Carl said yes, and the WSOF 9 main event was booked.
“I’m the champion now, and I have to be willing to fight anybody,” Carl said. “When they offered me that fight, regardless, if I beat Fitch, I’m going to have to fight him [Palhares] anyway. Besides, I was requesting to fight sooner, and that’s what they offered me.”
The welterweight titleholder said that he does not have a strict game plan heading into this bout with Palhares. Rather than fearing his opponent’s strengths on the ground, he is focusing on what he can do and where he can impose his will.
And there’s one area in particular where Carl feels he holds a significant advantage.
“I would definitely like to use my hands,” Carl said. “If he gets a little too confident and sticks his head out there a little too far, I think I can put him to sleep.”
Should Carl seize victory at WSOF 9 and emerge unscathed, a fight with Jon Fitch looms in July.
This is a fight that Carl has already thought about, and it’s one that he eagerly anticipates.
“I have to go through Palhares to get it, but I think I match up really well with Fitch,” Carl said. “I think it’d be not only a good win, but it’d be a hard-fought fight. It’d be action-packed, and everyone would love watching it.”
For now, a limb-snatching, Hulk of a man who goes by “Toquinho” stands in Carl’s path. It’s not a fight that the WSOF champion awaits with the same giddiness that he feels for a showdown with Fitch, but it’s part of his job.
World Series of Fighting welterweight champion Steve Carl walks the walk.
In an age when fighters are quick to call out opponents on Twitter and engage in verbal sparring online without repercussion, Carl backs away from his smartphone and c…
World Series of Fighting welterweight champion Steve Carl walks the walk.
In an age when fighters are quick to call out opponents on Twitter and engage in verbal sparring online without repercussion, Carl backs away from his smartphone and computer, buttons his big-boy pants and lives up to his status as the WSOF welterweight champion.
Nothing exhibited these traits more than Carl’s recent decision to accept a fight with UFC castoff RousimarPalhares, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist with a checkered history of cranking submissions well beyond the referee’s stoppage in fights, in practice and in grappling competitions.
Now under the WSOF banner, Palhares finds himself thrust into title contention, and he is set to take on Carl March 29 at WSOF 9.
Carl admits that he was not thrilled about this matchup, but dangerous fights come with the territory when one is champion, and he must accept all responsibilities and burdens that come with the shiny belt.
“He’s a bad matchup for me, and he’s a dirty fighter,” Carl told Bleacher Report. “But at the same time, I am the champion now, and I have to be willing to fight anybody.”
When Palhares‘ signing was announced to the public, one of the promotion’s top welterweights, Jon Fitch, boldly exclaimed that he simply would not fight the Brazilian ground ace.
Talking to MMAoddsbreaker’s Brian Hemminger, Fitch said, “It [a fight with Palhares] would be the first time in my career that I turned down a fight.”
Carl said that he felt the same about the prospect of facing Palhares inside the cage.
“I absolutely thought twice, and I’m 100 percent on board with Fitch,” Carl said. “I kind of wanted to jump on board with him [Fitch] and say, ‘I don’t want to fight that guy.'”
To Carl’s delight, he was initially offered a bout against Fitch, not Palhares, for his first WSOF title defense.
However, the promotion offered him that matchup in June, and Carl expressed interest in fighting sooner. He had snagged the belt from Josh Burkman at WSOF 6 in October 2013, and he wished to stay active and keep in the groove of fighting every few months.
June was just too far away, and the WSOF brass reassembled, whipped up a plan and offered their champ a new fight.
Palhares.
Despite his initial reluctance, Carl said yes, and the WSOF 9 main event was booked.
“I’m the champion now, and I have to be willing to fight anybody,” Carl said. “When they offered me that fight, regardless, if I beat Fitch, I’m going to have to fight him [Palhares] anyway. Besides, I was requesting to fight sooner, and that’s what they offered me.”
The welterweight titleholder said that he does not have a strict game plan heading into this bout with Palhares. Rather than fearing his opponent’s strengths on the ground, he is focusing on what he can do and where he can impose his will.
And there’s one area in particular where Carl feels he holds a significant advantage.
“I would definitely like to use my hands,” Carl said. “If he gets a little too confident and sticks his head out there a little too far, I think I can put him to sleep.”
Should Carl seize victory at WSOF 9 and emerge unscathed, a fight with Jon Fitch looms in July.
This is a fight that Carl has already thought about, and it’s one that he eagerly anticipates.
“I have to go through Palhares to get it, but I think I match up really well with Fitch,” Carl said. “I think it’d be not only a good win, but it’d be a hard-fought fight. It’d be action-packed, and everyone would love watching it.”
For now, a limb-snatching, Hulk of a man who goes by “Toquinho” stands in Carl’s path. It’s not a fight that the WSOF champion awaits with the same giddiness that he feels for a showdown with Fitch, but it’s part of his job.
A bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Renan Barao and T.J. Dillashaw will headline UFC 173 on May 24.