So former lightweight/welterweight champion BJ Penn appeared on Inside MMA last Friday (video above) to plug his upcoming coaching gig on TUF 19 opposite Frankie Edgar, which will culminate in a featherweight rubber match(?) of sorts that is doomed to never actually transpire. Aside from blinking approximately 750 times over the course of his three minute appearance, Penn extended a guest coaching invitation to Inside MMA co-host and former UFC Heavyweight champion Bas Rutten. Kenny Rice, on the other hand, was hung out to dry.
But for now, let’s just celebrate this occasion the only way we know how, with a veritable parade of amazing Bas Rutten gifs…
So former lightweight/welterweight champion BJ Penn appeared on Inside MMA last Friday (video above) to plug his upcoming coaching gig on TUF 19 opposite Frankie Edgar, which will culminate in a featherweight rubber match(?) of sorts that is doomed to never actually transpire. Aside from blinking approximately 750 times over the course of his three minute appearance, Penn extended a guest coaching invitation to Inside MMA co-host and former UFC Heavyweight champion Bas Rutten. Kenny Rice, on the other hand, was hung out to dry.
While the NFL’s fascination with MMA-style body slams has only become apparent in recent years, the NHL’s obsession with violence dates back to the earliest days of the sport. Although the history of the Canadian military would suggest the contrary, the NHL is definitive proof that our neighbors to the north are just as bloodlust-driven as we are — they simply know how to channel their aggression a little better is all.
Case in point: The NHL preseason began all of 10 days ago and there have already been over 70 fights according to the NHL Fight Log. Also, the NHL has a Fight Log. With voted winners and a ratings system and everything. While most of these fights serve their purpose of firing up a crowd when the action is at a standstill, they also feature some absolutely dogshit techniques that have not evolved one iota since those aforementioned early days.
With all this in mind, we here at CagePotato have taken it upon ourselves to do the responsible thing and point out a few effective MMA moves that will not only elevate the level of hockey fights in general but help a handful of NHL players really drive home the notion that they are not to be tangled with on the ice. Enjoy.
(Sunday’s brawl between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres. 8 out of 10 for effort, 2 out of 10 for technique.)
While the NFL’s fascination with MMA-style body slams has only become apparent in recent years, the NHL’s obsession with violence dates back to the earliest days of the sport. Although the history of the Canadian military would suggest the contrary, the NHL is definitive proof that our neighbors to the north are just as bloodlust-driven as we are — they simply know how to channel their aggression a little better is all.
Case in point: The NHL preseason began all of 10 days ago and there have already been over 70 fights according to the NHL Fight Log. Also, the NHL has a Fight Log. With voted winners and a ratings system and everything. While most of these fights serve their purpose of firing up a crowd when the action is at a standstill, they also feature some absolutely dogshit techniques that have not evolved one iota since those aforementioned early days.
With all this in mind, we here at CagePotato have taken it upon ourselves to do the responsible thing and point out a few effective MMA moves that will not only elevate the level of hockey fights in general but help a handful of NHL players really drive home the notion that they are not to be tangled with on the ice. Enjoy.
#5 – The Muay Thai Plum
Fight in Question: Alexander Urbom vs. Brandon Prust – Sep. 23, 2013 Voted Winner: Brandon Prust (97.4%) Voted Rating: 5.6 Analysis: While most hockey players seem content with the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em, Frye vs. Takayama approach of grabbing ahold of one another and trading wild haymakers until someone falls down, a simple Muay Thai clinch could effectively put a decisive end to 90% of hockey fights. Take the above fight between New Jersey Devils defenseman Alexander Urbom and Montreal Canadiens forward Brandon Prust for example. While Prust was able to get a decent couple of shots in at the end there, both men looked like they were trying to punch their way out of a hurricane for the duration of the bout.
By closing the distance and utilizing a Thai plum, Urbom could have easily compensated for his reach disadvantage, as well as controlled Prust’s body weight and momentum. Although delivering knees to your opponent’s skull is next to impossible while on skates, Urbom could have used his superior position to rain down a hellstorm of elbows on Prust. Or he can continue being content with getting his ass kicked. What do I know? I’m not even here. (*backs slowly out of room with hands raised*)
Fight in Question: Ryan Carter vs. Travis Hamonic – Sep. 21 Voted Winner: Draw (68.8%) Voted Rating: 2.9 Analysis: I’ve only been following professional hockey for a couple of years now, so I can’t claim to know what is considered a dirty, bitch move and what isn’t. But being that 8 out of 10 hockey fights end with both men tying up, collapsing and being pulled apart by the refs, it’s safe to say that a simple guillotine choke could end the “draw” issue that apparently permeates the NHL Fight Logs.
In the video above, the Devils Ryan Carter and the Islanders Travis Hamonic engage in a mostly substandard clinchfest along the fence barrier. At the 40 second mark, however, Carter presents Hamonic with a *golden* opportunity to snatch up a standing guillotine choke that is sadly ignored by the Croatian. As Nick Diaz expertly demonstrates in this video, the standing guillotine cannot only be used to finish a fight from a tied up position but can also be used as a setup for a takedown.
Again, I’m no expert on the politics of a hockey fight, but a standing guillotine could serve as an effective tool during a hockey fight for several reasons, the most obvious being the element of surprise it brings to the table. Simply put, not many hockey players are going to see any submission coming until it is too late. Simplier put: No can defense.
Fight in Question: Corey Tropp vs. Jamie Devane – Sep. 22 Voted Winner: Jamie Devane (94.1%) (?!) Voted Rating: 6.4 Analysis: Unfortunately, the NHL has instituted a new rule (46.6) which states the following:
No player may remove his helmet prior to engaging in a fight. If he should do so, he shall be assessed a two minute minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Helmets that come off in the course of and resulting from the altercation will not result in a penalty to either player.
In order to get around this rule, helmet removal has quickly become either A) An issue that is simply left up to fate or B) A gentlemanly, agreed upon precursor to a fight (see Krys Barch vs. Brett Gallant). In either case, (*switches to movie trailer voice*) once the helmet is off, all bets are off.
Although us MMA fans are already aware of the devastating effect a takedown/slam can have when performed on canvas, that devastation increases exponentially when a player is slammed onto ice (this guy knows what I’m talking about). Are we saying that NHL players should start powerbombing each other through the ice to settle a minor grudge, possibly ending both their opponents and their own careers in the process? No, we’re just saying that the option is available. Maple Leafs left wing Jamie Devane clearly understood this, as he chose to utilize the takedown to KO Corey Tropp during yesterday’s Leafs/Sabres game, resulting in the massive brawl that was the inspiration for this list.
For some MMA fighters, professional wrestling was just a one-time cash grab. For others, it became a second career. Inspired by yet another week of TNA Impact Wrestling’s efforts to get anyone to care about the professional wrestling experiments of two broken-down MMA legends, we’ll be examining fighters who took up professional wrestling after they made their names in MMA in our newest installment of The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.
Bear in mind that this article is focusing on mixed martial artists who transitioned to professional wrestling careers, and not fighters who started off as professional wrestlers. So that means fighters like Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock, Bobby Lashley, Giant Silva, Bob Sapp, Dos Caras Jr. (aka Alberto Del Rio), Dan Severn (Google it) and Sakuraba will not be covered here — although a few of these men will make appearances in this article. Let’s start off on a positive note…
The Good
The Professional Wrestling Career of Josh Barnett.
When you’re thinking of good instances of an MMA fighter turning to professional wrestling as a second career choice, Josh Barnett should immediately come to mind. There have been other fighters who dabbled in professional wrestling, but Barnett is one of the only ones to be just as popular and successful in it as he was in MMA.
Before his transition, Barnett became the youngest heavyweight champion in UFC history by defeating Randy Couture at UFC 36. After being stripped of his title due to a positive drug test, Barnett set his sights on the Japanese professional wrestling scene, where the fans value legitimacy and toughness from their wrestlers more than mic skills and charisma (although Barnett has both in spades). He immediately challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and although he came up short, he went on to enjoy the most relevant crossover career of any fighter on this list before his return to the UFC earlier this year put a halt to the wrasslin’ for the time being.
For some MMA fighters, professional wrestling was just a one-time cash grab. For others, it became a second career. Inspired by yet another week of TNA Impact Wrestling’s efforts to get anyone to care about the professional wrestling experiments of two broken-down MMA legends, we’ll be examining fighters who took up professional wrestling after they made their names in MMA in our newest installment of The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.
Bear in mind that this article is focusing on mixed martial artists who transitioned to professional wrestling careers, and not fighters who started off as professional wrestlers. So that means fighters like Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock, Bobby Lashley, Giant Silva, Bob Sapp, Dos Caras Jr. (aka Alberto Del Rio), Dan Severn (Google it) and Sakuraba will not be covered here — although a few of these men will make appearances in this article. Let’s start off on a positive note…
The Good
The Professional Wrestling Career of Josh Barnett.
When you’re thinking of good instances of an MMA fighter turning to professional wrestling as a second career choice, Josh Barnett should immediately come to mind. There have been other fighters who dabbled in professional wrestling, but Barnett is one of the only ones to be just as popular and successful in it as he was in MMA.
Before his transition, Barnett became the youngest heavyweight champion in UFC history by defeating Randy Couture at UFC 36. After being stripped of his title due to a positive drug test, Barnett set his sights on the Japanese professional wrestling scene, where the fans value legitimacy and toughness from their wrestlers more than mic skills and charisma (although Barnett has both in spades). He immediately challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and although he came up short, he went on to enjoy the most relevant crossover career of any fighter on this list before his return to the UFC earlier this year put a halt to the wrasslin’ for the time being.
With Frye’s “rematch” against Yoshihiro Takayama being one of the few exceptions, the professional wrestling careers of Don Frye and Bas Rutten have been exactly what you’d expect them to be. If I need to explain why that’s a good thing, you’reobviouslynewhere.
The Polar Bear Fights Taz at ECW Hardcore Heaven.
(Enjoy the video while it lasts. Seriously, WWE’s lawyers will probably have it taken down soon.)
By 1996, a stocky, Brooklyn-born judoka by the name of Peter Senercia — better known as Taz — was one of the most talented, respected wrestlers on the independent circuit. Dubbed “The Human Suplex Machine,” Taz brawled his way through most of the ECW roster and was looking to take on some credible new opponents. This led to a problem for ECW owner Paul Heyman: Despite its success among hardcore wrestling fans, ECW was still very much an independent promotion that couldn’t afford to bring in established wrestlers just to job to one of their top stars. Always one to embrace new ideas, Heyman solved this dilemma by bringing Paul “The Polar Bear” Varelans in from the upstart Ultimate Fighting Championship to challenge Taz to a “real” fight at Hardcore Heaven.
At 6’8” tall and tipping the scales at 300 pounds, Varelans was the perfect fighter for Heyman to utilize. He was big enough to be seen as a formidable opponent, but his MMA record wasn’t too impressive for anyone to buy that Taz could actually beat him. The strong-style nature of the match hid The Polar Bear’s lack of professional wrestling training, yet also wasn’t out of place in ECW — especially not while Taz was in the ring. And while Taz obviously won the fight, he relied on outside interference. Having heels bend the rules in order to defeat larger, more skilled opponents is not only a common way to generate heat, but it also makes the ending more realistic in the eyes of the ECW fans who were familiar with those early UFC events. Well, at least as realistic as a fight that ends by Tazmission after an outsider dropkicks one of the fighters can look, I guess (work with me, people). Basically, everyone involved benefited from the situation and the fans actually cared about the angle — something that rarely happens when MMA fighters infiltrate the world of professional wrestling.
Bonus: According to wrestling legend, it was Taz who brought tapping out to professional wrestling. Taz was a huge Royce Gracie fan, and thought it would be more authentic if wrestlers tapped out at the end of their matches instead of just verbally submitting. If you think wrestling looks fake now, just imagine what it looked like when wrestlers verbally submitted to choke holds.
Brian Johnson Reinvents Himself in Japan
I’m willing to bet that, like most MMA fans, you’ve all but forgotten about Brian Johnson — the man who punched out a hapless Reza Nasri in under 30 seconds at UFC 11 before being emphatically tackled by Big John McCarthy. In terms of his real fighting career, you didn’t miss much — Johnson retired barely one year after he started fighting and lost to everyone he’s fought that you’ve heard of. However, with few other career options available for hulking spandex-clad athletes, Johnson turned to fake fighting and quickly excelled at it. He enjoyed success as a tag-team wrestler, pairing up with guys like Don Frye and Kazuyuki Fujita in the Japanese professional wrestling circuit.
Unfortunately, Johnson’s professional wrestling career would eventually serve as a brutal reminder that even though the fights are fake, the injuries that plague wrestlers are all too real. A series of concussions led him to retire in early 2001, and later that year, at only thirty-two years old, he would suffer a severe stroke. Though Johnson is alive and well today, he has wisely stayed away from the squared circle.
Hit that “next page” link for god awful gimmicks, the career that should have been, and the partnership that never should have…
Few pioneers of MMA could genuinely challenge the upper-echelon fighters that dominate the sport today.
Truth be told, most of MMA’s early champs would need to majorly refine their games in order to flourish against modern top-tier fighters.
However, a…
Few pioneers of MMA could genuinely challenge the upper-echelon fighters that dominate the sport today.
Truth be told, most of MMA’s early champs would need to majorly refine their games in order to flourish against modern top-tier fighters.
However, a specific fraternity of innovators, all of whom possessed avant-garde skill sets, could hack it against today’s elite.
Here are 10 old-school fighters who could still reign supreme today.
A month ago, we asked you guys to pledge some of your MMA memorabilia to our ongoing “Fight for ALF” fundraising efforts. And while that plea sort of fell on deaf ears — I guess you’re not the obsessed hoarders we thought you were? — two more members of the CP writing staff have stepped up to add some items to the pile. Read on for descriptions of the items, details on what you need to do to get them, and a new update from angrylittlefeet herself.
I was going through some boxes I packed a while back and I found this stuff. A framed signed Georges St. Pierre picture, a GSP action figure from UFC 87 and two Mint Topps UFC GSP cards. One is a “fighter gear relic card” that has a fabric swatch of GSP’s man panties or jock strap or something. The other is a “fight mat relic card” that has a piece of the octagon mat from UFC 100. So long as nobody takes a black light to the photo, all the items are in great shape. Granted, I will play TAPS and cry watching these items go but I already have the life-sized cardboard cut-out of Georges that I shower with and anything I can do to help Laura — I am willing.
A month ago, we asked you guys to pledge some of your MMA memorabilia to our ongoing “Fight for ALF” fundraising efforts. And while that plea sort of fell on deaf ears — I guess you’re not the obsessed hoarders we thought you were? — two more members of the CP writing staff have stepped up to add some items to the pile. Read on for descriptions of the items, details on what you need to do to get them, and a new update from angrylittlefeet herself.
I was going through some boxes I packed a while back and I found this stuff. A framed signed Georges St. Pierre picture, a GSP action figure from UFC 87 and two Mint Topps UFC GSP cards. One is a “fighter gear relic card” that has a fabric swatch of GSP’s man panties or jock strap or something. The other is a “fight mat relic card” that has a piece of the octagon mat from UFC 100. So long as nobody takes a black light to the photo, all the items are in great shape. Granted, I will play TAPS and cry watching these items go but I already have the life-sized cardboard cut-out of Georges that I shower with and anything I can do to help Laura — I am willing.
– Our fundraising drive officially ends on July 28th. At the end of that time, the person who has submitted the biggest donation will win the signed, framed photo of GSP.
– The second-place donation will win the Bas Rutten gloves.
– The third-place donation will win either the GSP relic cards, orthat UFC 127 program from Jason Moles that was signed by everyone from Kenny Florian to Brittney Palmer — your choice.
– The fourth-place donation will get whatever we have left, basically.
At the moment, the highest donation so far has been $500 (!), followed by a $150 bid, so you’ve got your work cut out for you. But as we always say, every little bit helps, so please visit our Fight for ALF Indiegogo page and kick in what you can. Any questions, let us know in the comments. (And if you have any last-minute memorabilia donations to share, please drop me a line at [email protected].) And now onto Laura’s weekly update…
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Hola Taters! It’s Alf again. Just stopping by to let you all know how my latest procedures went.
Monday I had my chemo port installed. They only lightly sedate you for this but I actually fell asleep while they were cutting me open. Yeah. It’s pretty bad when something like this gets to be just another day. It’s much nicer than the PICC line. Nothing actually hanging outside my body to be dealt with. It just looks like an alien implant. Or a third nipple. Whatever.
Tuesday was chemo #2. They went ahead & stabbed right into that brand new port for that. No need to let it heal a little or anything. Reaction to #2 was way less than to the first one thank goodness. We have a nurse in the chemo ward that I swear looks right like Big John McCarthy. Freaks me the hell out. I keep expecting him to shout “Let’s get it on” when he hooks somebody up to their chemo.
Wednesday back to the hospital for another shot. This one is supposed to help my body build my white blood cells back up after chemo. I feel really good today but they tell me that’s from the shot — I will most likely wake up tomorrow with joint pain so bad it feels like I’ve been hit by a truck. Awesome. Don’t sugar coat it. At least my cable should be hooked back up tomorrow I hope. I’ve got episodes of The Wire to catch up on if I can’t freakin move.
So that’s about it. Lotsa procedures, lotsa shots, and a metric fuck-ton of trips back & forth to the hospital.
Oh and I’m back up to 96lbs! That ice cream rx is working!
(Money. Girls. Fame. Private locker rooms that you don’t have to share with old men washing their balls. A win for Ilir on Saturday would be truly life-changing. / Photo via LoveStrandell)
First-time UFC jitters are bad enough when you’re curtain-jerking on the prelims. Can you imagine what it would be like to go from relative obscurity to UFC headliner? Well, Ilir Latifi is about to find out this Saturday, God bless him. Come to think of it, his UFC on FUEL 9 opponent Gegard Mousasi is technically in the same situation, although at least the Dreamcatcher has had the benefit of previously competing in major promotions like Strikeforce, DREAM, and PRIDE.
Latifi is a long shot in every sense of the word, but of course this is a sport where anything can happen. Plenty of fighters have found themselves at the top of the lineup for their first UFC fight and made the most of it. Others have crashed and burned in horrific fashion. So which camps will Latifi and Mousasi fall into? Read on for a brief history lesson, and let us know what you think…
The Good
– Anderson Silva. In one of the most stunning UFC debuts, period, the up-and-coming Brazilian striker stepped into Chris Leben‘s world in the main event of Ultimate Fight Night 5 in June 2006 and scored a flawless victory over the southpaw slugger, dramatically altering the course of history in the UFC middleweight division. Silva was granted an immediate title shot and hasn’t lost a fight since.
– Alistair Overeem. Watching the Reem tear Brock Lesnar apart at UFC 141 validated everyone who ever thought that Lesnar was a pro-wrestling fraud, and that Overeem was the future of the heavyweight division. It hasn’t exactly workedout like that, but at the time, it looked like we were entering a new era.
(Money. Girls. Fame. Private locker rooms that you don’t have to share with old men washing their balls. A win for Ilir on Saturday would be truly life-changing. / Photo via LoveStrandell)
First-time UFC jitters are bad enough when you’re curtain-jerking on the prelims. Can you imagine what it would be like to go from relative obscurity to UFC headliner? Well, Ilir Latifi is about to find out this Saturday, God bless him. Come to think of it, his UFC on FUEL 9 opponent Gegard Mousasi is technically in the same situation, although at least the Dreamcatcher has had the benefit of previously competing in major promotions like Strikeforce, DREAM, and PRIDE.
Latifi is a long shot in every sense of the word, but of course this is a sport where anything can happen. Plenty of fighters have found themselves at the top of the lineup for their first UFC fight and made the most of it. Others have crashed and burned in horrific fashion. So which camps will Latifi and Mousasi fall into? Read on for a brief history lesson, and let us know what you think…
The Good
– Anderson Silva. In one of the most stunning UFC debuts, period, the up-and-coming Brazilian striker stepped into Chris Leben‘s world in the main event of Ultimate Fight Night 5 in June 2006 and scored a flawless victory over the southpaw slugger, dramatically altering the course of history in the UFC middleweight division. Silva was granted an immediate title shot and hasn’t lost a fight since.
– Alistair Overeem. Watching the Reem tear Brock Lesnar apart at UFC 141 validated everyone who ever thought that Lesnar was a pro-wrestling fraud, and that Overeem was the future of the heavyweight division. It hasn’t exactly workedout like that, but at the time, it looked like we were entering a new era.
– Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche. The UFC’s grand experiment of promoting a women’s fight in the main event of a pay-per-view card at UFC 157 shattered expectations, both inside and outside of the cage. Rousey was as nasty as advertised, picking up her seventh consecutive first-round armbar in professional MMA competition. But even though many fans saw Liz Carmouche as just a patsy in the match — Latifi-esque, you could say — “Girl-rilla” refused to go gently, bringing the fight straight to the UFC’s golden girl, and briefly catching Ronda in a rather-painful looking face-crank. All in all, it was a perfect first-showing for the UFC’s brand-new women’s bantamweight division, and helped ensure that women would have a future in the promotion.
– Frank Trigg. Trigg basically earned his way into the UFC by kicking Dennis Hallman in the balls so hard that he couldn’t recover. The fight even earned Trigg a welterweight belt for the World Fighting Alliance. But karma would collect its debt the following year at UFC 45, where Trigg was immediately slotted into a title fight against the UFC’s then-unstoppable champion Matt Hughes, who subbed Twinkle Toes in the first round with a standing rear-naked choke. Trigg went on to beat Hallman fair-and-square in a rematch at UFC 48, but was choked out once again by Hughes in an all-time classic at UFC 52.
– Takanori Gomi. There was a time when the Fireball Kid was the most feared lightweight in the world. But by the time he entered the UFC in March 2010, he was already past his sell-by date, and had spent the last three years crushing cans and losing fights. His Octagon debut against Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 21 was an opportunity to remind the world of his abilities — and it ended with Ken-Flo’s arm around Gomi’s neck. Gomi still had some good performances left in him, but it was clear that his days as an elite fighter were over.
– Anthony Pettis. This one was just heartbreaking. Pettis had all the momentum in the world after showtime-kicking Benson Henderson’s face into the fifth row at WEC 53, and he was expected to get a lightweight title shot against the winner of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125. Unfortunately, that fight went to a draw and an immediate rematch was booked, which meant Pettis would have to take another fight if he wanted to stay busy. He wound up fighting veteran Clay Guida at the TUF 13 Finale in June 2011, and lost all three rounds thanks to Guida’s relentless wrestling. Pettis was bumped from the top of the lightweight contender food chain, and is still waiting for his shot at the belt.
– Igor Zinoviev. Not only was Zinoviev’s UFC 16 headlining fight against Frank Shamrock his first UFC appearance — it also ended his career. Shamrock’s knockout slam broke the Russian’s collarbone, and he never returned to the cage.
– Sean Salmon. They didn’t even put the poor bastard on the poster for UFC Fight Night 8 — and yet, every Rashad Evans highlight reel from that night forward featured Sean Salmon getting his ass head-kick falling-tree KO’d in brutal fashion. After a subsequent 51-second submission loss to Alan Belcher, it was clear that Salmon didn’t really deserve to be in the UFC in the first place, let alone headlining a Spike TV card.
