(And now, two useless MMA commentators miss a fantastic standing heel-hook finish while trying to figure out how to pronounce “Vovchanchyn.” Props: EliteMMA)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere…
(And now, two useless MMA commentators miss a fantastic standing heel-hook finish while trying to figure out how to pronounce “Vovchanchyn.” Props: EliteMMA)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere…
“No, your breath does not smell like doodoo. Don’t say that, Quinton”. (Photo: UFC.com)
There are some folks who believe that you’re not really a champion until you successfully defend your belt. For those of you who agree, meet Jon Jones, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
“Bones” did whatever he wanted from the opening bell, starting the fight crouched in a Bloodsport-inspired fighting stance (and yes, Steven Seagal is a little butthurt over that). From that moment his unorthodoxy never waned. Spinning elbows and kicks are common weapons in his arsenal, and he seemed as comfortable throwing them as ever. Jones shows no fear of what his damage his opponent might do should he miss or leave himself open, and at this point it looks like we may never find out. According to FightMetric, Rampage failed to land a single power shot to the head. We’re all eager to laud Jones as the future of his division and the man to bring stability to 205lbs, and with good reason, but dammit I still want to see him get popped in the jaw a few times before we weld that belt around his waist.
“No, your breath does not smell like doodoo. Don’t say that, Quinton”. (Photo: UFC.com)
There are some folks who believe that you’re not really a champion until you successfully defend your belt. For those of you who agree, meet Jon Jones, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
“Bones” did whatever he wanted from the opening bell, starting the fight crouched in a Bloodsport-inspired fighting stance (and yes, Steven Seagal is a little butthurt over that). From that moment his unorthodoxy never waned. Spinning elbows and kicks are common weapons in his arsenal, and he seemed as comfortable throwing them as ever. Jones shows no fear of what damage his opponent might do should he miss or leave himself open, and at this point it looks like we may never find out. According to FightMetric, Rampage failed to land a single power shot to the head. We’re all eager to laud Jones as the future of his division and the man to bring stability to 205lbs, and with good reason, but dammit I still want to see him get popped in the jaw a few times before we weld that belt around his waist.
As for Rampage, I thought his defense looked exceptional. For a guy “mesmerized” by Jones’ offense, he showed us that spinning elbows and kicks look a lot less impressive when they miss, and he ducked quite a few of them in this bout. He also managed to avoid several of those fancy trips and throws as well. I bet a lot of Memphis-based facial reconstructive surgeons were grinning ear-to-ear when Jones secured the mount, but Rampage showed some skill off his back in shucking the champion off and working to his feet. As for his offense…well, it was his usual two-pronged attack of lefts and rights. Sure, he threw out a token leg kick or two, but the versatility he showed in the Hamill fight was gone. Then again, a fight against Jon Jones may not be the best time to throw away your tried and true weapons in favor of a little experimentation. I expected a slow, flat-footed Rampage to get thoroughly worked over by a well-rounded fighter last night, and though he didn’t put the champ in any danger, I think he looked as good as anyone can against Jones at this point in time.
Damn, how much does Matt Hughes love to compete? The man has nothing left to fight for other than fighting itself, and at age 37, following his second consecutive first round knock out, he still can’t bring himself to retire. In a day when many fighters fight to protect their record or simply to collect a check, it’s nice to see someone step into the cage purely for a love of the game. But at the same time, the game he loves has changed. As much as Goldy and Rogan were celebrating the performance of “K1 Hughes” last night, I just didn’t see it. His jabs and left hooks may have succeeded in making Koscheck weary of his right eye, but they won’t succeed in putting away top competition, and for an aging wrestler in a division full of great wrestlers that spells trouble. When Kos started throwing his hands, that became clear once again. Hughes isn’t retiring, but he is placing himself “on a shelf”. That shelf holds numerous UFC records, countless belts, and an incredible legacy, and I think it’s a perfect place for him at this stage in his career.
It was hard for me to watch Mark Hunt and Ben Rothwell without thinking back to Dan Severn vs. Tank Abbott, which also went down in Denver back in 1995. If you didn’t catch that fight, there’s no rush to see it. The same goes for this one. I’ll cut them a little slack because they’re big boys fighting at altitude, but that doesn’t make it any prettier to watch. Joe Silva, when scheduling their next bouts, please consider a more suitable venue.
Gomi’s offense consisted solely of swinging that wild right for a one-punch knockout, and that proved to be a poor gameplan against a guy known for unrelenting combos. Diaz mixed in some heavy hands with the trademark Diaz “Stockton Slaps”, dropping Gomi early in the first. “The Fireball Kid” popped back up, but the punches kept coming. Diaz’s hands found their home again and again until Gomi took him down, but the former Pride champion found no refuge on the mat. Diaz instantly sunk in a triangle choke before switching to an armbar to elicit the tap. It was an impressive return to lightweight for the Cesar Gracie protege. This is Gomi’s second straight loss and his third in four fights, but with the UFC heading back to Japan he’s unlikely to be cut.
Jon Jones def. Quinton Jackson via Submission (rear naked choke) at 1:14, R4
Josh Koscheck def. Matt Hughes via KO (punches) at 4:59, R1
Mark Hunt def. Ben Rothwell via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-27, 30-27) at 5:00, R3
Travis Browne def. Rob Broughton via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at 5:00, R3
Nate Diaz def. Takanori Gomi via Submission (armbar) at 4:27, R1.
Preliminary Card:
Tony Ferguson def. Aaron Riley via TKO (Corner Stoppage) at 5:00, R1
Tim Boetsch defeated Nick Ring via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) at 5:00, R3
Junior Assunção def. Eddie Yagin via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) at 5:00, R3
Takeya Mizugaki def. Cole Escovedo via TKO (punches) at 4:30, R2
James Te Huna def. Ricardo Romero via KO (punches) at 0:47, R1
DENVER — Mark Hunt is one of the few fighters in the UFC who didn’t actually have to fight in order to get paid.
Because of the peculiarities involved in Zuffa’s purchase of Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships organization back in 2007, he could have stayed home and still collected a check, according to UFC president Dana White.
“When we bought Pride, he came as part of the Pride deal,” White said at Saturday night’s UFC 135 post-fight press conference. “It was back and forth and basically I was just like…we’ll just pay you off. We know you’re in the Pride deal. And Mark Hunt said ‘No, I want to come. I want to fight.'”
At UFC 135 Hunt won his second straight UFC bout, defeating Ben Rothwell via unanimous decision after a grueling three-round battle that saw Hunt batter Rothwell with strikes while also acquitting himself well in the ground game. It’s a long way from where most people thought he’d be after his rocky start in the UFC, not that Hunt is eager to discuss how he ended up here.
“It’s been a long journey just to get here,” said the New Zealander. “I’m still…plugging away at it. It’s been hard.”
It was especially hard after he injured his arm in a submission loss to Sean McCorkle in his UFC debut. That dropped the kickboxer’s MMA record to 5-7, and his future prospects looked grim.
But Hunt bounced back in February with a stunning walk-off knockout of Chris Tuscherer at UFC 127 in Australia, then followed it up with this clear-cut win over a very game Rothwell, who took every power shot Hunt could think of over the course of their 15-minute scrap.
“It was a really hard fight,” said Hunt. “Ben Rothwell, he’s really tough. I threw a lot of heavy shots at him, real hard shots, but he was still there.”
But according to White, what’s really impressive is how Hunt has managed to carve out a place for himself in the UFC rather than simply taking the easy money when it was offered to him. Even after White had offered to “pay [Hunt] to stay home,” he said, the heavyweight insisted on having his day in the cage.
“Let me tell you what, man, he did it,” White said. “The guy’s got a ton of heart and I have a lot of respect for him.”
Hunt, who’s never been known as one of the sport’s most verbose fighters, said he didn’t “feel like talking about” his decision to turn down the UFC’s offer to pay him off, even appearing slightly embarrassed when White brought it up.
But White said he specifically requested that Hunt come to the post-fight press conference because he wanted to highlight the situation and let everyone know how impressed he is with the former K-1 kickboxer.
“I’m glad that he opted to come here and fight and I’m proud that he fought in the UFC,” said White. “I asked him to come here tonight. If he won’t say it, I will.”
Tonight’s kind of a big deal, you guys. UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones has a chance to establish his legacy by defending his belt against former champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. And when you look at the supporting card, you’ll notice a similar theme: Between Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck, Takanori Gomi vs. Nate Diaz, and Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell, UFC 135 is all about the old guard making one last stand against the scrappers who came up behind them. Do the old dogs still have some fight left, or will tonight represent a brutal changing of the guard?
Handling play-by-play for CagePotato.com once again is Matt Kaplan, who will be delivering updates on the “Jones vs. Rampage” pay-per-view main card beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Join the party after the jump, and refresh your page every few minutes for all the latest.
Tonight’s kind of a big deal, you guys. UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones has a chance to establish his legacy by defending his belt against former champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. And when you look at the supporting card, you’ll notice a similar theme: Between Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck, Takanori Gomi vs. Nate Diaz, and Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell, UFC 135 is all about the old guard making one last stand against the scrappers who came up behind them. Do the old dogs still have some fight left, or will tonight represent a brutal changing of the guard?
Handling play-by-play for CagePotato.com once again is Matt Kaplan, who will be delivering updates on the “Jones vs. Rampage” pay-per-view main card beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Join the party after the jump, and refresh your page every few minutes for all the latest.
Here we go. UFC 135. Rampage vs. Bones. Quick thoughts before we get to anything real: 1) I just watched some of the intro. stuff, and the Matt Hughes-Josh Koscheck clips reminded me not only of what each guy is capable of doing, but also of how many beatings poor Frank Trigg has taken. 2) I want to see Nate Diaz do something grimy -or at least very distasteful – tonight. I don’t even care what it is. 3) Rampage literally sounds like a baby in the “I want my belt baaaaack!” clip. 4) Bones comes across as very humble, very respectful on camera. People love it. I’m extremely suspicious. 5) Am I rooting for Hughes or against Koscheck? Does it matter?
Takanori Gomi vs. Nate Diaz: Rd. 1: Gomi paws at Nate’s jab as they feel one another out. Nate drops Gomi with a left handed slap on the beak! Gomi’s back up, though, and looks calm. Nate’s lead right is busy so far after a good body shot from Gomi. Right-left from Nate lands. Gomi swings a lone, wild right hand from his back pocket. Nate tees off with the lead right and a follow-up stinging left. Gomi is down. Nate has the back, pounds for a bit, but Gomi slips out. Back to the boxing clinic by Nate. Gomi gets a takedown, but Nate slaps on the triangle. Transition to the armbar…….and that’s a tap. Sick.
Post fight, Nate refers to brother Nick as “the best fighter in the world” and then shouts out the Shields family. Cesar Gracie fighters are cool.
Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton:Rd. 1: Big overhand right misses from Browne, who looks smooth on his big ol’ feet. He presses Broughton against the cage; they trade knees and short punches. Low kicks from Browne are landing clean. Lead left from Browne. Broughton isn’t doing too much here. A right hand from Browne answers a body punch from Broughton. Broughton charges in, but not with much. Big left hook from Browne; his follow-up flying knee is off target. Browne gets an easy takedown in the final seconds and finishes the round in half guard. Rd 2: Broughton is throwing inside leg kicks, but there’s not much sting to them. Browne is still loose and lands a hard leg kick. Body shot, leg kick from Browne. Broughton catches a kick, but Browne is still up. Browne lands 1-2s as he charges in and puts 4 or 5 knees on Broughton against the cage. Browne has Broughton pinned against the cage: not much from either fighter here. Back to the center of the cage and Browne just got a laughably easy takedown (again). He’s got mount now, Browne does. Ground and pound, Broughton rolls over, and then back to his back. Browne ends the round with ground strikes. Rd. 3: Low kick from Browne, who’s slowed down a little. Big right from Broughton, who had Browne against the cage. Browne snatches a leg for a takedown. Side control; half guard. Did I just hear Broughton was a wrestler? Holy shit. Browne is all over him, but not firing too many strikes. 3/4 mount, it looks like, and now Browne has back mount. Broughton rolls to his back. Full mount. Broughton gets it back to guard and works for an arm. Browne is free after a few seconds. Both men stand as the boos pour in before the final bell. Travis Browne earns the judges’ decision, 30-27 across the board.
Ben Rothwell vs. Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt: Rd. 1: Lead left lands for Hunt, who then avoids a shot from Big Ben. Left hook, right hand from Hunt lands on Ben’s chin. Long jabs from Ben; lead left hook from Hunt. Hunt circles away. Ben ducks a hook, and takes Hunt down. Mount. Ben has Hunt against the cage, but Hunt pops back up. Ben jabs. Hunt is bleeding a little on the left side of his head and stuffs a single. And again. Right hand from Hunt connects. He lands an elbow and is on top of Ben. Side control status. Ben is up right away, though. Right hand from Ben and they’re down, with Ben on top against the cage. Heavy elbows! Ben pins down Hunt’s right arm with his knee and keeps working to the bell. Rd. 2: Both guys are bloodied. Lead left hook from Hunt. Hunt stuff another takedown. They both seem tired as hell. Right uppercut from Hunt just misses. Ben jabs. Hunt kicks the back leg hard. Uppercut from Hunt, who lands on top of Ben and in Ben’s guard. Ben wants an armbar, it seems. Heavy gnp from Hunt, who has Ben’s arm trapped across his face. Elbows from side control from Mr. Hunt. Hunt is coming on. Ben scrambles, but Hunt is back on top. Full mount for Hunt. He snatches the left arm. He wants to extend it, but Ben holds on for the final seconds. Wow. Rd. 3: Ben is battered. Right hand from Hunt stings Ben. Uppercuts from Hunt. Hunt sprawls. Another big Samoan right hand. Ben is wobbly. Hunt tries for the trip and drags Ben down. Hunt is in Ben’s guard. Ben is bloody and gassed. The ref stands ‘em up. Ben is on noodle legs. Hunt stuffs a slow takedown. Uppercut from Hunt, but Ben keeps shooting. Huge right from Hunt. These guys are sleepwalking practically. Hunt gets the takedown; side cotrol. Hunt wants to pin down the left arm. Hammer fists from Hunt. Ben squirms for full guard. The ref stands them up? Another uppercut from Hunt. Ben has his hands on his knees. Hunt gets a takedown, but Ben maneuvers to squeeze a headlock and lands in half guard in the final seconds. The judges give it unanimously to Mark Hunt.
Mike Goldberg just called Rob Dyrdek “Rob Deed-rick.” Oh, Goldy…
Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck:Hughes is walking out with Pat Miletich for the first time in a while. I also see Matt Pena, Jeremy Horn, and Robbie Lawler. Old school. Rd. 1: Hughes jabs early to the right eye of Koscheck. Right uppercut and left hook clip combo clips Hughes. Left hook from Hughes now. And again. Another uppercut from Koscheck, but missing. Uppercut from Hughes, the boxer, apparently. Both men sneak in uppercuts, but nothing lands flush. Hughes stuffs the TD and hits a knee. Left hook from Hughes. Big uppercut and a right hand from Koscheck, and Hughes feels it. Clinch. Koz is throwing. Hammer fists from Koz to a downed Hughes. Hughes is down and in trouble. Hughes is out cold with just seconds left! Hot damn. TKO win at 4:59 for Josh Koscheck. Matt Hughes is not retiring, but he says he’s going “on the shelf.”
Jon “Bones” Jones vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: Rd. 1: Bones crawls out to Rampage, who promptly knees his body. Clinch against the cage. Knees from Jones to Rampage’s thighs. Nice elbow from Jones! Jones is pressing against the cage, but the two meet in the center of the cage. High kicks from Jones are blocked. Jones clinches and looks for a trip, but Rampage stays up. Head kick from Jones is blocked. Jones kicks Rampage’s lead knee. Left hand from Jones connects. Another kick to the knee from the champ. Jones pushed Rampage against the cage as they clinch. Spinning elbow lands for Bones as they separate. Head kick again from Bones. Spinning heel kick from Bones sails high. Rampage swings big at the end of the round. Too little, too late, though. Rd. 2: Bones attacks the lead leg and clinches again. Bones tries another spinning elbow and keeps kicking that lead knee. Low kick from Rampage. Lead right hook misses from Bones. Body kick from Bones. Lead left hits for Rampage. Bones keeps moving and kicking at Rampage’s legs. Swing and a miss with the left for Bones. Rampage isn’t mounting much offense here. Two nice leg kicks from Bones. Spinning back kick hits for Bones. Head kick now. Rampage looks hesitant from the outside. Left hook lands for the challenger. Bones misses with a missile of a left hand. They clinch. Rampage pulls guard from the clinch in the final few seconds. Rd. 3: Bones catches a Rampage kick and grabs a front headlock. Rampage swings wide, but Jones ducks. Leg kicks from Rampage now. Bones keeps mixing up his punches. Bones grabs a single and gets the takedown. Side control. Full mount. Gnp time:elbows. Rampage his escapes. Rampage is up, but Jones has his neck. Rampage is free, but bloody above the right eye. Nasty kick to the gut from Bones. Looping left misses for Rampage. Bones misses a close elbow and avoids a big right hook from Rampage. Lead left hook from Bones. Bones keeps kicking low. Flying knee from Bones and a kick to the knee. Rampage avoids a switch kick. Bones drops for a double at the horn and drops Rampage after the round ends. Rd. 4: Early clinch and Bones gets the takedown. Knees to the body from Bones, who has back control. RNC? Yup! Tapout.
Post-fight Rampage: “…I’m disappointed, but I’m still gon’ get drunk tonight!”
And from then undercard…
Cole Escovedo vs.Takeya Mizugaki:Rd. 1: Mizugaki fires early with crisp combos. Big knee from Cole with his back on the fence. Mizugaki does the same and escapes to the center of the cage. Good jab from Cole. Low kick from Mizugaki. Hard left hands from Mizugaki, who presses Cole into the cage. Cole Thai clinches, but releases. Big right hand from Mizugaki. Mizugaki drags Cole down, but they’re right back up. Nice knee from Cole. Cole climbs Mizugaki and wants a triangle. Mizugaki falls on top of Cole. They’re up again. Good action so far. Inside leg kick from Mizugaki. Thai clinch and knees from Cole. Elbows from the clinch for Cole. This is awesome. Nice left from Cole, who barely misses a head kick. 1-2 from Mizugaki. Left hand to the body from Mizugaki just before the round ends. Rd. 2: Mizugaki catches a kick and drops Cole with a right hand. Cole’s back up. Inside leg kick from Mizugaki. Right cross from Mizugaki. Lead left hook from Mizugaki. Nice kick from Cole. Head kick from Cole, but Mizugaki fires back. And again the head kick from Cole. Uppercut-left hook combo from Mizugaki. Body punch from Mizugaki. Left hand staggers and drops Cole. He’s up. A flurry of big punches and knees from Mizugaki. Huge left hook from Mizugaki to Cole against the cage. Cole is banged up. Mizugaki is pouring it on. Cole is down from a short left and Mizugaki finishes him with a final right hand. Great action from the 135-pounders.
Filed under: UFCFighter vs. Writer has been on a bit of a hiatus, which is what happens when you go from a country where you don’t speak the language and your cell phone doesn’t work to a Strikeforce event where the only fighters around are the ones on…
Fighter vs. Writer has been on a bit of a hiatus, which is what happens when you go from a country where you don’t speak the language and your cell phone doesn’t work to a Strikeforce event where the only fighters around are the ones on the card, but you don’t want to hear my excuses, do you?
All that matters is that we’re back this week with UFC middleweight and TUF 14 coach Michael Bisping, who graciously took time away from bickering with opposing coach ‘Mayhem’ Miller to go head to head with yours truly over the UFC 135 main card.
Bisping: Jackson via TKO. “Jon Jones is unbelievable and an incredible athlete and an incredible champ. He’s forging a fantastic career and he’s got what it takes to be a legend one day. That said, he’s fighting Rampage and this is going to be the best Rampage you’ve seen in a long time.” Fowlkes: Jones via TKO. With Jackson’s punching power, you can’t ever count him out. And yes, I think this is the most motivated and in-shape Rampage we’ve seen in a long while. But I still don’t think it’ll be enough. Jones is too quick, too long, and too dynamic. Jackson won’t get close enough to hurt him, and Jones will chop him down.
Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck
Bisping: Koscheck via decision. Matt Hughes has been a great champion in the past and a great ambassador for the sport, but he’s coming to the end of his career. He hasn’t looked too great lately. He hasn’t looked like the Matt Hughes of old, and it pains me to say that because he’s a Hall of Famer. But I’ve got to go with Koscheck being younger, faster, stronger — probably a better wrestler as well.” Fowlkes: Koscheck via TKO. Honestly, I don’t see a single area where Hughes holds the advantage. Experience, maybe? But even there, Koscheck has enough that he’s not going to be beaten on sheer veteran savvy alone. I think he out-strikes, out-wrestles, and overpowers Hughes.
Bisping: Diaz via submission. “That’s a tough one. It could go a lot like the Nick Diaz-Gomi fight. I’ve got to go with Nate.” Fowlkes: Diaz via submission. I’d feel better about it if I didn’t think Diaz was inclined to stand and trade, thus giving Gomi more of a chance than he needs to. Even so, I think it eventually winds up on the floor, where Diaz is superior.
Bisping: Broughton via TKO. “He’s one of the toughest human beings walking this planet. He’s big, strong, and you wouldn’t know it from the look of him because he carries a little extra weight, but he’s a cardio machine. I see him wearing [Browne] down and finishing him in the later rounds.” Fowlkes: Browne via TKO. Every Englishman I’ve talked to this week (and between Bisping and Telegraph writer Gareth Davies, I’ve talked to two) tells me what a tough guy Broughton is. I don’t doubt them, but Browne is just so big and so powerful. I think he’ll keep Broughton at a distance and smash him.
Bisping: Hunt via KO. “I’m going with Mark Hunt because I know him. I don’t know too much about Ben Rothwell, but I know he’s had mixed results. I like Mark Hunt. I’m a big fan of his Pride days and K-1, so I’m rooting for him.” Fowlkes: Rothwell via submission. If Bisping can pick based purely on personal feelings, then so can I. I got to know Rothwell when we were both working for the IFL, and he’s one of the truly good people in this business. If he’s smart, he gets Hunt to the ground and takes advantage of his weak submissions defense.
Filed under: UFCIt’s been an interesting week in Denver, what with both UFC 135 main eventers chipping away at each other in their own unique ways. With the fight nearly upon us, I submit some thoughts, predictions, and questions for your consideration…
It’s been an interesting week in Denver, what with both UFC 135 main eventers chipping away at each other in their own unique ways. With the fight nearly upon us, I submit some thoughts, predictions, and questions for your consideration.
I. When did respect and humility become so important to “Rampage” Jackson? It must have been very, very recently, since I seem to recall him being less than respectful in the pre-fight exchanges with Rashad Evans. And remember Darrill “Titties” Schoonover, who Jackson bullied repeatedly during a coaching stint on TUF? Let’s go ask him how important respect is to Jackson. I get it, he’s feeling dissed by Jones and, possibly, the media and the oddsmakers. But as Jackson spent all week harping on Jones’ lack of respect, it was hard not to wonder when the challenger had decided to eschew bad breath jokes and personal insults in favor of treating everyone like he’d want to be treated. It must have been after he compared Jones to a monkey he saw at the zoo, just like his sudden love of humility must have come after he predicted that Jones would have to be woken up in the cage following Saturday’s fight. I guess when Jackson says fighters should show respect, he means they should show it to him.
II. And, while we’re on the subject, why can’t Jon Jones just admit that he thinks he’s pretty great? It’s not like anyone would blame him. Look at what he’s done. Just a few years after putting on the gloves for the first time he’s the UFC light heavyweight champion. A guy like that can be cocky. After all, it ain’t bragging if it’s true. The problem is, he’s trying very hard to present a certain hand-crafted, squeaky clean image to the fans, but they’re no longer buying it. He claims not to care what people think of him, but in reality it seems like few UFC champions care more. The claim that he’s somehow disrespected Jackson more than Jackson has disrespected him doesn’t hold up, but Jones certainly has a high opinion of his own skills, and he’s not the only one. If he’d just admit it, it couldn’t be used against him so effectively.
III. My God, this spying nonsense. With all this talk about secret espionage, how is it that there hasn’t been a single statuesque Russian woman involved? Or a dude with an eye patch? At least a spit bucket that is also a smoke bomb. Worst spy story ever.
IV. Matt Hughes says he hasn’t made a decision, but he definitely doesn’t sound like a guy who wants to retire soon. If he did, this would be a sensible fight to end on. His contract is coming up, he claims he doesn’t want to stick around into his forties, so why not call it now? My guess is, it’s because he’s hoping he’ll put out a win over Josh Koscheck and then he’ll be able to ride this train for at least one or two more fights. His wife wants him to quit. His boss doesn’t see what else he’d have to fight for. All signs are pointing toward retirement. The fact that Hughes is adamant about making no decision yet — just as he is adamant that the outcome of this fight doesn’t really matter — tells you that he desperately wants to stay in the UFC just a little while longer. If Koscheck puts a beatdown on him (and I suspect he will), the case for a continued Hughes run is going to be hard to make.
V. If Travis Browne can put his size to work, Rob Broughton could be in for a rough night. Seeing those two heavyweights near each other in the gym on Thursday, it became very apparent that Broughton’s biggest challenge will be getting in close. He’d probably like to put Browne on the mat, but at 6’7″ Browne is a lot of humanity to try and forcibly relocate. If he keeps Broughton at a distance, this should be Browne’s fight to lose.
VI. Will Nate Diaz opt to stand and bang against an opponent who excels at that (and, at this point, little else)? If you’re Takanori Gomi, you probably hope so. The Japanese import has not been so stellar on the ground lately, and he did get submitted by Diaz’s older brother (who then got submitted by the NSAC’s drug testing procedures, but whatever). But if Diaz comes out looking to box, he gives Gomi more of a chance than he needs to. Gomi still hits hard (just ask Tyson Griffin) and he’s always gotten high marks in the brawlability category. That doesn’t mean Diaz can’t beat him on the feet, but why risk it if you don’t have to? Maybe just because you’re a Diaz, and that’s what Diazes do.
VII. Ben Rothwell is a brand new fighter…again. I like Rothwell as a person, and I see what he’s trying to say, but what is this, like the third time he’s declared himself to be a new man? He’s been gone for a bit with injuries, so this time maybe it’s more true than ever, but how different is he really going to be? What, he’s lost some weight? He’s quicker? He’s a jiu-jitsu master who pulls guard now? Okay, the last one would be a significant change, but odds are he’s going to be more or less the same fighter, just an updated version. Again, nothing wrong with that. But you don’t get to be born anew before every fight. Especially not when you’ve been in this sport for ten freaking years.
VIII. The “media notes” the UFC has started handing out recently are, well, interesting. There’s some good information in the ten-plus pages of handouts. If you don’t live and breathe this sport (looking at you, local newspaper writer who probably won’t even show up until the main event), it catches you up on ‘spygate’ and on Hughes’ record of 18 UFC wins. But it also feels like some information is tossed in there just to fill white space. For instance, did you know Rothwell has “a technical degree in collision repair” from Waukesha County Technical College? Or that Hughes has an associate of arts degree from Lincoln Community College? I’m not sure what the UFC expects us to do with that information, but hey, the more you know, I guess.
IX. It’s a little weird to see Josh Koscheck being this nice. We’ve seen flashes of the old Kos this week, but the barbs have been few and not even all that prickly. When he said Hughes was in for a bad night, he seemed to actually feel a little bit bad about it. It’s as if he doesn’t want to beat Hughes up (or at least, not as much as he usual), but simply has no choice. Then again, he’s as fierce a competitor as Hughes is, he reminded us. It doesn’t matter if he’s fighting a former world champ or “a 12-year-old kid,” he wants to win. Who knew he could do it with such a congenial attitude? Well, congenial for him, anyway.
DENVER — 
Fighter vs. Writer has been on a bit of a hiatus, which is what happens when you go from a country where you don’t speak the language and your cell phone doesn’t work to a 
It’s been an interesting week in Denver, what with both