Does anyone else feel strange? There’s not going to be a UFC show this weekend, and I feel strange. Does that mean I’m spoiled? Probably. There’ll be a UFC event Wednesday of next week, though. And then we’ll have another week o…
Does anyone else feel strange? There’s not going to be a UFC show this weekend, and I feel strange. Does that mean I’m spoiled? Probably. There’ll be a UFC event Wednesday of next week, though. And then we’ll have another week of non-action until UFC 146 on Sunday, February 26. Should we be thinking that […]
UFC 143 was highlighted by the controversial ruling in the main event featuring Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz for the interim welterweight championship. Condit fought a smart fight that involved circling and moving to avoid getting caught again…
UFC 143 was highlighted by the controversial ruling in the main event featuring Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz for the interim welterweight championship.
Condit fought a smart fight that involved circling and moving to avoid getting caught against the cage, where Diaz does his best work. We’ve seen countless fighters get pressured against the cage by Diaz only to get peppered with hooks to the head and body.
“The Natrual-Born Killer” wasn’t about to fall in to that trap and was able to land some solid counter shots on Diaz as he circled away from the cage. This strategy was enough to win him the decision.
That decision didn’t sit well with Nick Diaz or his fans.
Diaz went on a post-fight rant, essentially announcing his retirement from the sport because he felt that Condit was simply “running away” and didn’t show up to fight.
Whether you agree with Diaz or not, it seems as if a rematch would be the best plan for the UFC.
That is what UFC president Dana White set in motion. There would be plenty of time to get a rematch in before current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre returns from injury. Carlos Condit immediately agreed to another fight with Diaz.
It appeared that we were all set for Condit versus Diaz part two.
However, it is now being reported (via mmajunkie.com) today that Diaz’s trainer, Cesar Gracie, has said a rematch is not happening.
Gracie failed to give a reason why the rematch isn’t happening. This seems like an incredibly strange mood considering this should be exactly what Diaz wants. A rematch with Condit would give him the chance to prove he is the better fighter as well as earn the title shot against St-Pierre.
So why is this fight not going down?
There are a couple of things we could speculate on.
The first would be that Diaz really does want to retire. This seems unlikely because his post-fight tirade seemed to be based more off of poor sportsmanship and frustration than it did a desire to actually stop fighting. Diaz has never been afraid to speak his mind, but it is hard to determine if he means what he says.
Still, Diaz is only 28 years old and is one of the best welterweights in the world. Even if he doesn’t rematch Condit, he is only a couple of wins away from another shot at the title. Retirement just does not make any sense.
The hot rumor today is that Diaz may have failed a drug test.
The head of the NSAC Keith Kizer stated today (via sherdog.com) that they have at least one positive test from UFC 143.
“Thank you for the many email[s] and phone calls,” Kizer wrote. “I am still waiting for all the steroid and drug test results to come back. We did have at least one positive test. I will send out an email later today on that matter.”
Again, this is pure speculation, but Diaz has a history with marijuana.
Whatever the reason, the fans are going to be disappointed that we won’t get to see these two step in to the octagon together any time soon. Both fighters put on a great show, and many fans would love to see a rematch simply to see another incredible fight.
It is only a matter of time before the reason for Diaz backing out of fight comes out. Until then, we will just have to wait and see.
Current UFC 144 Betting Lines – On February 26, 2012, UFC will return to the land of the rising sun as UFC 144 airs from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The Saitama Super Arena was home to many legendary PRIDE events and has a massive capacity, so this could be a huge […]
Current UFC 144 Betting Lines – On February 26, 2012, UFC will return to the land of the rising sun as UFC 144 airs from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The Saitama Super Arena was home to many legendary PRIDE events and has a massive capacity, so this could be a huge show. In the main event, Lightweight champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar and challenger Benson Henderson will try to recapture the magic of the mid-2000s PRIDE events with the title on theline. Henderson is a physically dominant athlete with great wrestling, solid technical boxing, and extremely effective submissions, but Edgar’s smooth footwork, evasive boxing style, and accurate punching, along with his stellar defensive wrestling, have made him a very tough nut to crack. There is no question that Henderson will the larger, stronger fighter, but Edgar has made his name beating bigger, scarier guys with his untouchable technique and slick in-ring style. If Henderson wants to leave a champion, he is going to have to find a way to impose his will and never let Edgar get comfortable, because Edgar has shown time and time again that once he starts working his own game and getting into a groove, he is nearly impossible to unseat.
In the semi-main event, PRIDE stalwart Quinton “Rampage”Jackson will look to give the Japanese fans one last show against tough wrestler Ryan Bader in the same building where he knocked out Ricardo Arona with one of the most legendary slams in Mixed Martial Arts history. Both of these guys can wrestle, but Jackson is by far the more devastating striker while Bader has been much more active recently. Also featured will be PRIDE andK-1 veteran Mark Hunt taking on Cheick Kongo in a match up of powerful Heavyweight strikers, the Japanese return of Yoshihiro Akiyama against former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields in a Welterweight bout, and a great Lightweight match up between Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon and WEC standout Anthony Pettis.
Make sure to Check back with us closer to fight night as I will have updated UFC 144 Odds plus Fight Predictions. And to add a little excitement to your fight night, you can bet on this fight atBodog.comOdds.
(If Dana were to give an actual State of the Union, we imagine it would sound a little something like this.)
Now, I know I am going to take a lot of flack for writing this, but it’s good to see that UFC President Dana White is at least addressing our concerns when it comes to the clusterfuck that is MMA judging and refereeing. No matter what, or should I say, whose, side you took in the whole Diaz/Condit debacle, you probably agree that there need to be some serious changes made when it comes to choosing the winner of a given fight. And don’t even get us started on the Koscheck/Pierce decision.
The simple fact is that although the sport has evolved in leaps and bounds over the years, the matter by which it is judged has refused to change its mindset, like a stubborn old man who still believes that a mythical beast hustled him out of three dollars and fifty cents.
And while reffing will always contain a certain degree of human subjectivity (as with any other sport), MMA judges should be able to adhere to stricter, more definable rules than “aggression” and “octagon control,” which leave a lot of room for interpretation when it comes to deciding a close round. We’ve already put forth several options, and per usual, no one has returned our calls.
Anyway, join us after the jump for a transcription of DW’s inaugural “Presidential Address,” as well a snippet about his plans to bring the UFC to Hawaii.
(If Dana were to give an actual State of the Union, we imagine it would sound a little something like this.)
Now, I know I am going to take a lot of flack for writing this, but it’s good to see that UFC President Dana White is at least addressing our concerns when it comes to the clusterfuck that is MMA judging and refereeing. No matter what, or should I say, whose, side you took in the whole Diaz/Condit debacle, you probably agree that there need to be some serious changes made when it comes to choosing the winner of a given fight. And don’t even get us started on the Koscheck/Pierce decision.
The simple fact is that although the sport has evolved in leaps and bounds over the years, the matter by which it is judged has refused to change its mindset, like a stubborn old man who still believes that a mythical beast hustled him out of three dollars and fifty cents.
And while reffing will always contain a certain degree of human subjectivity (as with any other sport), MMA judges should be able to adhere to stricter, more definable rules than “aggression” and “octagon control,” which leave a lot of room for interpretation when it comes to deciding a close round. We’ve already put forth several options, and per usual, no one has returned our calls.
DW’s Presidential Address
I’ve said it many times. In the evolution of this sport right now, one of the big problems we’re having right now is judging and reffing. It’s one of the things that drives me crazy and attention needs to be paid to scoring and reffing. First of all, it affects guys careers as far as legacies go. Jon Jones? Jon Jones should be undefeated right now but he’s not, he’s got a loss on his record and there’s tons of guys in the UFC that have those. There’s guys who’ve absolutely, clearly won fights and lost on the judges’ scorecards. Nobody’s perfect. There’s always gonna be problems. But the judging and the reffing is so bad in mixed martial arts, it drives me crazy. The fans hate it too and it hurts the sport. These athletic commissions really need to tighten up and start working on educating their refs and judges.
While Dana undoubtedly makes some good points here, the real question is that, aside from further educating judges on certain rules and techniques, what can we do to spruce up, if you will, the current judging system of mixed martial arts? Discuss, Potato Nation. But please, don’t waste our time arguing for a “fight to the finish” rule set. We both know that shit simply ain’t going to happen in this day and age, so spending time arguing for it is as pointless as voting for Ralph Nader.
In a bit of more positive news, White recently spoke with MMA Weekly about the UFC’s future plans for global dominance to put on a show in Hawaii, and guess who he wants to headline it:
We’re still working on that, but we want to do it. I was kind of hoping to go to Hawaii again and do a B.J. (Penn) fight at the Aloha Bowl, but B.J. wants to take some time off. He’s going to relax for a while. We’re coming regardless, but that was the fight I really wanted to do there.
Awwww snap. It looks like we may be seeing the return of “The Prodigy” before we know it. Who would you guys like to see Penn square off against, and at what weight class? Personally, I’d like to throw my vote in for a rematch between Penn and Lyoto Machida held at light heavyweight, but I’m just a dreamer.
UFC on Fuel Betting Odds – On Wednesday, February 15, 2012, UFC on FUEL TV will air live on the FUEL network from the Century Link Center in Omaha, Nebraska. In the main event, heavy-handed contender Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger will look to make it six wins in a row against the recently resurgent Diego […]
UFC on Fuel Betting Odds – On Wednesday, February 15, 2012, UFC on FUEL TV will air live on the FUEL network from the Century Link Center in Omaha, Nebraska. In the main event, heavy-handed contender Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger will look to make it six wins in a row against the recently resurgent Diego “The Dream” Sanchez. Sanchez, who dropped to 155 after mixed results at Welterweight, had a rough time with the weight cut and has looked very good since returning to 170 pounds. Sanchez’s aggressive grappling style and solid submission work make him a very tough opponent to deal with, but Ellenberger is a formidable wrestler in his own right with the kind of knockout power in his hands that could give Sanchez, whose boxing stance tends to resemble a Notre Dame Fighting Irish mascot, a lot of difficulties. If Sanchez wants to reestablish himself in the top 10 of the Welterweight division, he is going to need to press the issue with take downs and not spend a lot of time standing and boxing with Ellenberger. A win over Sanchez puts Ellenberger firmly in the title picture, so there is a lot at stake here for both guys.
In the semi-main event, two skilled Heavyweight strikers will go at it as Dutchman Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve will square off against heavy-handed slugger Dave Herman. Herman is the more powerful of the two physically, and has heavier hands, but Struve will enjoy a titanic reach advantage and has a world-class jiu-jitsu game to complement his striking, so this should be a great Heavyweight clash. The rest of the card features Aaron “A-Train”Simpson against Ronny Markes in a Middleweight showdown, a Heavyweight matchup between Philip de Fries and Stipe Miocic, and a 135 pound showdown pitting T.J. Dillashaw against Walel “The Gazelle” Watson.
Make sure to Check back with us closer to fight night as I will have updated UFC on Fuel 1 Odds plus Fight Predictions. And to add a little excitement to your fight night, you can bet on this fight atBodog.comOdds.
Six years ago, Luke Harris traveled to Brazil for an international judo
tournament. He had participated in the sport since he was 8 years old,
and it had been his passion, although he had started paying more
attention to mixed martial arts.
Before he …
Six years ago, Luke Harris traveled to Brazil for an international judo
tournament. He had participated in the sport since he was 8 years old,
and it had been his passion, although he had started paying more
attention to mixed martial arts.
Before he left, Harris tried to augment his judo by dabbling in
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, specifically training in the areas where judo was
weak.
Harris was instantly hooked, and an MMA career came shortly after. Now, as the founder of Hayabusa Fightwear, he’s balancing two roles in the sport.
UFC 143 was highlighted by the controversial ruling in the main event featuring 
Six years ago, Luke Harris traveled to Brazil for an international judo