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And Now He’s Fired (Yet Again): John Alessio

(Alessio prays for forgiveness (and another shot) after coming up short in a snoozer against Shane Roller at UFC 148.)

We don’t mean to disrespect a grizzled veteran of the sport like John Alessio, but simply put, if you are shocked to learn that “The Natural” was released from the UFC following an 0-2 stint in the octagon, you are either John Alessio or Lloyd Christmas. Having compiled an 0-5 lifetime record in the promotion, Alessio not only received one of the most undeserved title shots of all time under the Zuffa banner, but will live in CagePotato infamy for his placement amongst the “50 Worst Fighters in UFC History” and “The Ten Most Ironic Nicknames in MMA”. While he might be upset to learn of his placement on one of those lists, the other was more or less just a means of wasting time on our part.

Based purely on comparative success in other promotions, Alessio was/is basically the Canadian version of Jorge Santiago — a man capable of crushing 95% of the fighters he faces outside of the promotion, but one who simply couldn’t put it together under the bright lights — scoring impressive wins over fellow UFC veterans Chris Clements, War Machine, and Sean Pierson among others. Of his five losses, four came by way of unanimous decision, against superior strikers (Thiago Alves, Diego Sanchez), superior grapplers (Mark Bocek, Shane Roller) and superior superiors (Pat Militech). In an interview with MMAJunkie, Alessio discussed how his most recent loss to Roller was the hardest to swallow:

I’m super upset. I worked so long and so hard to get back, and the UFC always puts all this pressure on you about being exciting, so I tried to change my style up to be crowd-pleasing. But then I get an opponent in my last fight, where he just chose to hold me down to win the fight, and it’s just depressing that that gets rewarded when all they talk about is exciting fights.

I really thought that I’d be spending more than a couple of months of 2012 in the UFC. I thought I’d get one more shot. I don’t know where I should go or what my options are.

Though we are sure that Alessio will find success wherever he lands, his hope of getting a win in the UFC before he retires is a long shot at best at this point in his career. The 33 year-old Xtreme Couture products record currently stands at 34-16.

A tribute to Alessio’s finest UFC moments is after the jump.

(Alessio prays for forgiveness (and another shot) after coming up short in a snoozer against Shane Roller at UFC 148.)

I’m super upset. I worked so long and so hard to get back, and the UFC always puts all this pressure on you about being exciting, so I tried to change my style up to be crowd-pleasing. But then I get an opponent in my last fight, where he just chose to hold me down to win the fight, and it’s just depressing that that gets rewarded when all they talk about is exciting fights.

I really thought that I’d be spending more than a couple of months of 2012 in the UFC. I thought I’d get one more shot. I don’t know where I should go or what my options are.

We’ve whipped up a tribute to Alessio’s finest UFC moments and placed them below.

–J. Jones

UFC on FOX 4: Does a Fight with Vera Make Any Sense for Shogun?

It seems everyone had an opinion on the UFC’s decision to match Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the main event at UFC on Fox 4 against Brandon Vera this Saturday. Most of those were detractors wondering why a legit top-five light heavyweight…

The fact that this fight is taking place at all and that the winner is being touted as the next title contender is a testament to the poor state of the division rather than of the skills of the fighters themselves.

Jon Jones wiping out of all the top light heavyweight contenders, leaving some of the most experienced and well-heeled fighters in the world as also-rans, is wholly responsible for this state of affairs.

After Dan Henderson, there are few fighters left at that weight class worthy of a shot. Jones has cleaned out the division and those upcoming stars waiting in the wings, such as Alexander Gustafsson and Phil Davies, still lack the experience and need another win against a top-five opponent to be considered contenders.

That leaves division stalwarts such as Rua and Lyoto Machida, men who’ve already tasted defeat at the hands of Jones, fighting for a shot.

But what exactly does a win against such a perfunctory character in the UFC, such as Vera, do for Rua’s stock?

It’s no secret that the Brazilian was originally offered fellow countryman Glover Teixeira but refused the fight—either because he was scared of a potential loss or didn’t feel that win would bring him anywhere closer to the title.

That belief is clearly misplaced. Despite his deeper history in the organisation, Vera’s cache is hardly greater than Teixeira’s. And if Dana White is hinting that a win against the Filipino-American would bring Rua a title shot, then there’s no reason to believe that a win against Teixeira would not have done the same.

After a storm of protest on Twitter, White rescinded his promise that the victor between Rua and Vera would get a shot, instead giving that honour to any one of the light heavyweights who proves himself with a dominant victory on Saturday.

That fact alone shows what little worth a win over Vera is regarded by the wider UFC fanbase. But, at the same time, it means that Vera is considered a much easier fight for Rua. And, considering that there is no obvious next contender to fight for the title, Rua will find it much easier to dominate and prove himself against Vera than he would have against the relatively unknown and dangerous Teixeira.

UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera is taking place on August 4, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

For more from me, follow me on Twitter: @khurramaziz1981

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MMAjunkie.com Radio (noon ET): UFC’s Amir Sadollah (in studio)

MMAjunkie.com Radio today welcomes to the studio UFC welterweight Amir Sadollah.

Sadollah, “The Ultimate Fighter 7” winner, meets British fighter Dan Hardy next month at UFC on FUEL TV 5.

MMAjunkie.com Radio airs from noon to 2 p.m. ET (9-11 a.m. PT)…

MMAjunkie.com Radio today welcomes to the studio UFC welterweight Amir Sadollah.

Sadollah, “The Ultimate Fighter 7” winner, meets British fighter Dan Hardy next month at UFC on FUEL TV 5.

MMAjunkie.com Radio airs from noon to 2 p.m. ET (9-11 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Listen to and watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

UFC Light Heavyweight Lyoto Machida On His Fighting “Philosophy”

What makes “The Dragon” tick? As Lyoto Machida explains, it’s not all about technique. Watch and learn as Machida prepares his mind, body, and soul for his bout against top light heavyweight contender Ryan Bader August 3rd on FOX starting at 5/8pm PT/ET.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What makes “The Dragon” tick? As Lyoto Machida explains, it’s not all about technique. Watch and learn as Machida prepares his mind, body, and soul for his bout against top light heavyweight contender Ryan Bader August 3rd on FOX starting at 5/8pm PT/ET.

UFC Booking Orgy: Demian Maia vs. Rick Story, John Dodson vs. Jussier Da Silva + More

(“Now, Demian! Use the muscle-spasm death touch that I taught you!”)

Demian Maia‘s welterweight debut at UFC 148 was over before it really began, thanks to a poorly timed muscle spasm suffered by Dong Hyun Kim. But the former middleweight title contender will be getting another chance to make an impression against Rick Story. Their bout is scheduled to take place at UFC 153 (October 13th, Rio de Janeiro), a card that is quickly stacking up with top Brazilian talent. Story recently outpointed newcomer Brock Jardine at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida, which snapped a two-fight losing streak against Charlie Brenneman and Martin Kampmann.

Speaking of Brenneman, “The Spaniard” has booked his return fight after being choked out by Erick Silva in June. He’ll be appearing at UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson (September 1st, Las Vegas) against TUF 11 competitor — and former Crocodile Hunter bodyguard — Kyle Noke, who is coming off of two losses at middleweight and will be making his welterweight debut.

In other booking news…

(“Now, Demian! Use the muscle-spasm death touch that I taught you!”)

Demian Maia‘s welterweight debut at UFC 148 was over before it really began, thanks to a poorly timed muscle spasm suffered by Dong Hyun Kim. But the former middleweight title contender will be getting another chance to make an impression against Rick Story. Their bout is scheduled to take place at UFC 153: Aldo vs. Koch (October 13th, Rio de Janeiro), a card that is quickly stacking up with top Brazilian talent. Story recently outpointed newcomer Brock Jardine at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida, which snapped a two-fight losing streak against Charlie Brenneman and Martin Kampmann.

Speaking of Brenneman, “The Spaniard” has booked his return fight after being choked out by Erick Silva in June. He’ll be appearing at UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson(September 1st, Las Vegas) against TUF 11 competitor — and former Crocodile Hunter bodyguard — Kyle Noke, who is coming off of two losses at middleweight and will be making his welterweight debut.

In other booking news…

– After winning all of his first three UFC appearances, Tristar gym product Francis Carmont will compete on his home turf against Tom Lawlor, at UFC 154: St. Pierre vs. Condit (November 17th, Montreal.) Lawlor is coming off a 50-second Knockout of the Night performance against Jason MacDonald in May.

– The UFC has confirmed more fights for their UFC on FX 5: Browne vs. Bigfoot card (October 5th, Minneapolis). Notably, a heavyweight matchup between Matt Mitrione and Rob Broughton — originally scheduled for this weekend’s UFC on FOX 4 card, until Broughton pulled out due to injury — has been re-set for the UFC on FX 5 lineup. Broughton has dropped consecutive decisions to Travis Browne and Phil De Fries, while Mitrione will try to bounce back from his decision loss to Cheick Kongo at UFC 137. And on the other end of the fighter-size spectrum, TUF 14 bantamweight winner John Dodson will make his latest flyweight appearance against much-hyped newcomer Jussier da Silva, in a match that could very well produce the #1 contender in the 125-pound division.

Please direct your predictions to the comments section.

Live Chat: UFC on FOX 4 Weekend, Title Shot Discussion

It’s another fight week (remember when that was a rarity?) as the UFC returns to FOX this weekend in Los Angeles. There’s something of a light heavyweight sweepstakes going on as any one of four men could get a shot at the winner of Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson. It raises the stakes of the event, although there’s still an open question about fan enthusiasm.

Join me at 1 p.m. ET as we discuss these topics and whatever is on your mind. Does Brandon Vera have any chance against Shogun? Where does this place Jamie Varner if he wins? What kind of ratings do you expect the event to pull?

We can also discuss any other topic in mixed martial arts: are you excited for Ronda Rousey’s return to the cage? What are your thoughts on Cormier vs. Mir? This and whatever else you’d like to discuss have the floor.

We’re going to do the same thing we did last week, namely, a video chat. Leave a question in the comments of the post OR in the chat window below and I’ll be sure to get to as many as possible.

Talk to you all at 1 p.m. ET.

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