The Poland event will be part of the UFC’s 2014 “European Tour,” in which Ireland, Sweden, Germany, and even Turkey will host smaller-scale events focusing on local talent. As Junkie explains:
The tour is expected to include a half-dozen European cities and will have a unique look and feel, compared to other UFC shows. Additionally, the start times won’t be geared toward North American audiences (in other words, expect late-morning/early-afternoon broadcast times in the U.S. and Canada), and local fighters will be signed to help fill out the regional cards.
(“What were you saying about a solar-powered flashlight, YOU SON OF A BITCH??” / Pudz-Sapp photo via Sherdog)
The Poland event will be part of the UFC’s 2014 “European Tour,” in which Ireland, Sweden, Germany, and even Turkey will host smaller-scale events focusing on local talent. As Junkie explains:
The tour is expected to include a half-dozen European cities and will have a unique look and feel, compared to other UFC shows. Additionally, the start times won’t be geared toward North American audiences (in other words, expect late-morning/early-afternoon broadcast times in the U.S. and Canada), and local fighters will be signed to help fill out the regional cards.
Cook says he hopes the cards will accomplish the goal of giving fight fans around the globe a chance to enjoy the live-event experience. “We’re never short on people who want to see great fights,” Cook said. “The demand is there.”
The UFC’s new international plans mark the final shift from the promotion’s old strategy of every show being marketed as a must-see event to a new reality in which some cards are simply irrelevant for North American viewers. (Judging by the Fox Sports 2 ratings for the last Fight Night card in Manchester, it seems like most of you have already gotten that memo.)
Now we just have to figure out what this “unique look and feel” entails. A brand-new Septagon cage? The return of the Moat? And can intercontinental UFC champs be far behind?
It’s time for another edition of “UFC Primetime.”
The latest three-part series will chronicle UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks’ road to UFC 167. The first episode will air Wednesday night on FOX Sports…
It’s time for another edition of “UFC Primetime.”
The latest three-part series will chronicle UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks‘ road to UFC 167. The first episode will air Wednesday night on FOX Sports 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT, following new episodes of “UFC Tonight” and “Ultimate Insider.”
Episodes two and three will air in the next two weeks leading up to their Nov. 16 fight in Las Vegas.
On the surface, Cole Miller’s unanimous decision win over Andy Ogle at UFC Fight Night 30 was a lifesaver. That’s because had things gone the other way, and had Ogle gutted out a victory, it would’ve marked the fourth time in five U…
On the surface, Cole Miller’s unanimous decision win over Andy Ogle at UFC Fight Night 30 was a lifesaver. That’s because had things gone the other way, and had Ogle gutted out a victory, it would’ve marked the fourth time in five UFC bouts that Miller fell short — at least, officially.
“I knew I had to win,” Miller said on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour. “I’ve kind of been up and down, but I’ve only been up and down because of what some 50 and 60-year-old judges have said about my fights. If you actually went back and looked at them, as far as I’m concerned, this is four wins in a row.”
At face value, it’s easy to dismiss Miller’s complaints as simple excuses of another disgruntled fighter. But take a closer look at his UFC Fight Night 26 loss against Manny Gamburyan, and Miller actually has a pretty legitimate point.
Forget the fact that Miller outstruck the Armenian and battered Gamburyan from bottom position for three rounds. The real controversy came at the end of the opening frame, when Miller essentially knocked out Gamburyan with a pair of seemingly legal elbow strikes against the cage.
Gamburyan slumped over in Miller’s corner holding the back of his head, while Gamburyan’s cornermen rushed across the cage to aid their fighter. In the end over two minutes passed before Gamburyan answered the bell for the second round, despite the fact that only one minute is permitted by the commission.
“I thought I won that (fight against Gamburyan) and so did the media. So did everybody, in fact; Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, everybody came back and told me what was up,” Miller said. “I read all the play-by-plays from the media. They all said that I won the fight and that I won every round of the fight, so as far as I’m concerned, I had momentum going into this fight.
“These [officials] want to say that I ‘lost,’ but I’m the one doing all the damage.”
Miller ultimately appealed the Gamburyan loss to the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission and is currently awaiting notice of the outcome. Although Miller does take away a sense of grim satisfaction by the fact that several of the points he brought up are being addressed in the commission’s next meeting.
Nonetheless, the obvious error by commission officials, which was even admonished by UFC President Dana White, coupled with what Miller found to be a frustrating scoring criteria — one skewed towards takedowns and top position instead of activity and damage — led Miller to his belief that the system in place is beyond broken.
“They’re not even qualified to be making the calls they’re making,” Miller said of MMA judges. “That’s kind of disgusting and that’s really unfortunate in our sport, because it changes the whole landscape of our sport. When you have unqualified people judging mixed martial arts, it changes the way that mixed martial arts is actually fought, because fighters are now adjusting their styles to please people that don’t know anything about our sport.
“Then coaches are training their fighters to please these people that don’t know anything about our sport. Right? And people want to think, ‘Oh, he’s just bitching. He’s just complaining because he hasn’t won these fights in a while.’ Look, you can keep all these decisions. I’m a martial artist, and I walk out with my head held high. I fight my kind of fight.
“I love this sport,” Miller continued. “I really do. And I want to see it make progress. I don’t want to see it regress. With the judging in mixed martial arts, and how coaches are coaching the fighters, and how fighters are manipulating and molding their styles to please people that know nothing about MMA, it makes the sport regress. That’s really unfortunate, and that’s something that I’ve been seeing for a long time, and it really makes me sad.”
It’s true, though, that despite however legitimate Miller’s gripes may be, the fact remains that he desperately needed to increase his stock at UFC Fight Night 30. And he did just that, not only impressing in victory, but also by playing the promotional game so many fighters, for some reason, avoid.
Instead of answering Joe Rogan’s post-fight questions, Miller launched into a tirade against the slew of European fighters that dot his résumé, eventually calling out the UFC’s Irish sensation, Conor McGregor.
It was the most unexpected of promos, drawing a rancorous response from the Manchester crowd, and it even caught the attention of McGregor, who wasted little time responding to Miller via Twitter.
“[McGregor] came out and he called everybody else out. Two of those people he called out are my teammates, Nik Lentz and Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier. And that offends me,” Miller said.
“People are talking about how great he looked. You didn’t finish a 21-year-old kid with eight MMA fights. And now people are talking about you get to fight for the belt, and fighting top-10? And you’re going to call out two people that train on my team, that are my homies? Na, you don’t get to skip all that after not finishing a 21-year-old kid with eight MMA bouts, and then just skip and get to fight Dustin Poirier and Nik Lentz, and talk crap on these guys. Because those guys will murder you.”
While Miller was quick to point out that he’d rather stay busy and fight before the end of the year than wait for McGregor to heal from knee injury, the 15-fight UFC veteran made it clear that he’d be ready whenever McGregor was able to return.
“Clearly I think that he’s a good fighter,” Miller concluded. “But do I think that he deserves to get flown here and there, and get to just skip to the front of the line? No, not at all. I think he needs to be tested.
“I don’t know if he’s overrated. That’s the problem. But I don’t think that he gets, after two fights — [not] even two finishes in the UFC — to just jump to the front of the line and fight these top name guys. You need to be tested, and be tested by a real seasoned fighter.”
It’s been more than six years since UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has lost a fight in the Octagon. His 11 consecutive wins have included wrestlers, strikers and jiu-jitsu specialists. They haven’t included anybody quite like Johny Hendricks. Josh Koscheck, whom St-Pierre has beaten twice, was the closest analogue. Like Hendricks, he was a former […]
It’s been more than six years since UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has lost a fight in the Octagon. His 11 consecutive wins have included wrestlers, strikers and jiu-jitsu specialists. They haven’t included anybody quite like Johny Hendricks. Josh Koscheck, whom St-Pierre has beaten twice, was the closest analogue. Like Hendricks, he was a former […]
Time is perhaps the most interesting of all indicators.
We use it to track our journeys, mark connections and stamp occurrences in our minds for the purpose of memory. While the idea of time is simple in nature, the variety of ways it is used makes it …
Time is perhaps the most interesting of all indicators.
We use it to track our journeys, mark connections and stamp occurrences in our minds for the purpose of memory. While the idea of time is simple in nature, the variety of ways it is used makes it ultimately complex. Rather than just numbers on a clock we point to when the moment draws near to do that thing we are supposed to do, it is the instrument we use for examination. Whether we are the same person who arrives this time around or if we are somehow improved with the latter being proof that lessons were learned along the way.
Where much is said about first impressions and second chances, James Krause accomplished a rare feat by making his second chance the best impression. And if he continues to perform at the level he has been, there is a good chance his first run at the UFC will become a distant memory.
In all fairness to the Virginia native, his first attempt at a UFC contract came with unique conditions. The 27-year-old was in the midst of a three-fight winning streak on the regional circuit when he made his bid to become a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter Live, which was the 15th installment of the reality-based fighting program. As was the case in many years before it, the “live” season featured an elimination round where the competitors had to fight their way into the house.
For his bout, the Grindhouse MMA fighter would draw heavy-handed slugger Justin Lawrence and suffered an upset via first round TKO. With the loss, Krause saw his bid for the UFC come to an abrupt halt. But in the essence of not wasting time, he was back in the cage—and the win column—three months later when he edged out Amir Khillah via split-decision under the Resurrection Fighting Alliance banner.
“Having a win in the UFC had been one of my lifetime goals and after losing on the show, I thought that was it,” Krause told Bleacher Report. “It really sucked and I went into a depression for a couple of weeks. But then I picked myself up and realized I’m not going to accomplish my life’s goals sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I started training again, went right back to work, and started fighting as much as I could.”
While failing to secure a spot on TUF and chase the six-figure contract left a bad taste in his mouth, Krause couldn’t allow that one misstep to derail everything he had been working for. In his mind, he knew the UFC would come to call. It was a matter that came down to his ability to continue winning fights. If he was able to keep doing so and looking impressive in the process, the calendar and the numbers on it would have little to nothing to do with his fate.
In fact, time—it’s widely accepted definition—had absolutely zero to do with his arrival in the UFC. When the biggest promotion in MMA came to call, it was because injury had struck gritty veteran Ike Vallie-Flagg and the organization needed a replacement to fight Sam Stout at UFC 161 in Winnipeg.
In that moment, the door to the UFC was open, and Krause didn’t just seize the opportunity, he blew it off the hinges. Despite being a short-notice replacement to face the savvy Canadian veteran, Krause rolled out an A+ performance as he battered Stout at every turn before ending the tilt with a guillotine choke in the final round.
On the strength of his showing and finish in the fight, Krause walked away from UFC 161 as a double-bonus winner as he pulled down Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night honors and garnered acclaim for the skills he displayed on fight night.
“I don’t know if it could have worked out any better,” Krause said. “It really was awesome and changed my life. And not in just the money sense either. I feel like my life has done a 180 since then and it was a really cool experience. It is something I really wanted to accomplish and I worked very hard to get there. My team really pushed me and helped me prove I can compete at this level. I proved I do belong there and I’m not just some guy who shows up on The Ultimate Fighter, gets beat, then you never hear from him again.
“It was great to finally get in there and be able to show everybody what I’m all about. I had a good fair shot with a good weight cut. I was offered a couple of UFC fights and the time for cutting weight just wasn’t there and I just wanted a legitimate opportunity to show people what I’m all about. I finally got that against Stout. I knew if I got that chance I would do very well and I think I showed that.”
Going into Winnipeg he was that talented fighter people think they’ve heard of who was killing it in smaller promotions but wasn’t quite ready for prime time. In wrecking Stout, Krause not only proved he was more than ready for the biggest stage in MMA, but he also provided validation for the buzz and hype that surrounded him.
While those factors are great feelings to have, Krause believes they are better served tucked away than rested upon. He has championship aspirations, and while the battle to make it to the UFC was hard-fought and trying, it was just another step on the journey. Granted, it was a big step to get past, but far from the destination he’s locked his sights upon.
“I’m a self-motivated individual but it does fuel me in the sense that I know I can make it,” Krause described about the aftermath of UFC 161. “People aren’t looking at me as a TUF guy anymore. They see me as the guy who beat Sam Stout. I just want to be known as a serious competitor who can fight at any level. My performance the last fight went a long way to solidify that and that’s exactly what I want.
“With my last fight, it’s going to be hard to live up to that same expectation because everybody was talking about it for awhile after. But I really to be that guy people talk about, not just the night of the event, but for weeks after. I want to be that guy and a fighter the fans love to watch.”
Krause is gunning for UFC gold and he’s prepared to cut down anyone Joe Silva puts in his path, with the next challenge coming from Strikeforce convert Bobby Green. “The King” also looked impressive in his official UFC debut at UFC 156 back in February where he submitted Jacob Volkmann in the third round of their bout in Las Vegas.
Much like Krause, the 27-year-old also pulled down some extra cash in the form of a fight night bonus and both men will be shooting for additional honors when they square off at Fight for the Troops 3 in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. In addition to the manner in which both fighters made their promotional debuts, the similarities between Krause and Green spill over into the intangible category as well.
Both are on a quest to show and prove. Both are looking to make good on the expectation they’ve set for themselves. But perhaps most importantly, both are determined to make the most of their time in the spotlight and take a step toward the next level in the lightweight division. While Green is undoubtedly shooting for the same goal, Krause believes he’s the hungrier fighter and has every intention of showing just how much more on fight night.
“[Green] is a tough guy and a very good competitor. We are very similar in a lot of ways. I’m very excited to get in there and kind of figure him out and see what he’s all about. I think it’s going to be another fight for the fans. This could very well be Fight of the Night. We both like to strike and we are both very good at it. I want to go out and perform for those fans because I want them to want to watch me fight and be excited when my name is on the card.
“I think the think with Bobby and I is that we are both able to compete at this level, people just don’t know who we are yet. The average fan doesn’t know who we are yet and we are both trying to go after the same thing. I think it is going to come down to who wants it more. I’ve been training really hard and I’m not taking Bobby lightly at all. I look at him as a very serious competitor. I’m going to come in 100 percent ready and injury free. No excuses and I’m ready to go.
“In this fight, people are going to see two guys who really want it,” he added. “They are putting two dogs in the cage who want that bone and they are going to do whatever it takes to get there. It’s going to be a very exciting fight between two guys who love to get after it and I think it’s going to look a lot like the Stout fight—I really do. We both want this bad and it’s going to boil down to who is hungrier that day. I believe it will be Fight of the Night and be a fight people talk about.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
(“Let’s keep it goin’ for Paula Sack, folks. She’s beautiful, talented, *and* she can burp the alphabet in two languages.” / Photo via Getty)
The UFC confirmed last night that UFC 169 — the promotion’s Super Bowl Weekend card that’s scheduled for February 1st, 2014, in Newark — will be headlined by a pair of title fights in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions.
In the main event, 145-pound champ Jose Aldo will attempt to make his sixth UFC title defense against top contender Ricardo Lamas, who’s 4-0 in the UFC including stoppage wins against Cub Swanson and Erik Koch. Aldo is coming off his four-round shredding of Chan Sung Jung at UFC 163, which gave the Brazilian his 16th consecutive victory overall, as well as a broken foot.
In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will emerge from a 28-month hibernation to face Renan Barao, the interim champ (and Aldo’s Nova Uniao homeboy) who’s been steady wrecking fools in Cruz’s absence. UFC president Dana White has “made it pretty clear” that if Cruz has to pull out of this title unification bout with another injury, he’ll finally be stripped of his belt and Barao will be named the official champion.
Got any predictions, Potato Nation? And are two competitive title fights in the lighter weight classes just as interesting as one Jon Jones squash match?
(“Let’s keep it goin’ for Paula Sack, folks. She’s beautiful, talented, *and* she can burp the alphabet in two languages.” / Photo via Getty)
The UFC confirmed last night that UFC 169 — the promotion’s Super Bowl Weekend card that’s scheduled for February 1st, 2014, in Newark — will be headlined by a pair of title fights in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions.
In the main event, 145-pound champ Jose Aldo will attempt to make his sixth UFC title defense against top contender Ricardo Lamas, who’s 4-0 in the UFC including stoppage wins against Cub Swanson and Erik Koch. Aldo is coming off his four-round shredding of Chan Sung Jung at UFC 163, which gave the Brazilian his 16th consecutive victory overall, as well as a broken foot.
In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will emerge from a 28-month hibernation to face Renan Barao, the interim champ (and Aldo’s Nova Uniao homeboy) who’s been steady wrecking fools in Cruz’s absence. UFC president Dana White has “made it pretty clear” that if Cruz has to pull out of this title unification bout with another injury, he’ll finally be stripped of his belt and Barao will be named the official champion.
Got any predictions, Potato Nation? And are two competitive title fights in the lighter weight classes just as interesting as one Jon Jones squash match?
Time is perhaps the most interesting of all indicators.