It wasn’t all that long ago that Rory MacDonald looked like he could be a serious contender for the UFC welterweight title.
He was young, strong, aggressive and growing into a man with a scary skill set. His height gave him a reach advantage over…
It wasn’t all that long ago that Rory MacDonald looked like he could be a serious contender for the UFC welterweight title.
He was young, strong, aggressive and growing into a man with a scary skill set. His height gave him a reach advantage over many, and he was with one of the best training camps in the business.
Now, just a short time later, when MacDonald fights, he looks like a man who is a spectator in his own life.
The skills are still there; he has only lost two fights in his entire career, against Carlos Condit and Robbie Lawler, neither of which is a slouch by any means.
But lately, he seems like a fighter who is waiting for openings to come his way, instead of attacking with any sense of purpose.
It isn’t as if he doesn’t know what to do in the cage, because he does. He nearly defeated Condit, manhandled Nate Diaz, ran right over Mike Pyle and Che Mills and threw a pretty nasty beating on BJ Penn.
And then, almost suddenly, he started to look like a man intent on waiting instead of fighting.
Now, barring any injuries, he’ll be facing off against Demian Maia at UFC 170. With this comes a chance to get back on track. He will enjoy a reach advantage of over four inches, he’s younger and figures to have the advantage in striking, at least on paper.
If he can stuff those takedown attempts, he will have the perfect chance to attack with relative impunity—but he must attack. If he does not, all those skills and physical advantages are nothing more than the trappings of the uninspired.
If there is one change MacDonald can make before UFC 170, it is as simple as it is clear—he has to start pulling the trigger, and often.
Fighting conservatively does not serve the best interests of a challenger looking to become the champion. One does not just glide into the position of champion; one takes the throne by storm.
He needs to recall his younger self and take some chances; if he doesn’t, his opponents will. In the world of MMA, it is better to give than receive, but you have to have a lot to give, and you have to force it upon your opponent.
If he would have fought with the energy and aggression due the moment in his last bout with Lawler, he might be the one facing Johny Hendricks for the welterweight title at UFC 171.
Instead, he’s trying to work his way back into contention, which is a nice way of saying he’s working for the chance to be taken seriously again.
To that end, he needs to show he is a serious threat to anyone he faces, and to do that he must give his opponents something to fear besides memories of how he used to be in 2011.
Masking a tentative offense as sound tactical practice does little to relieve the stark contrast of what once was and what now is. In his fight with Jake Ellenberger, MacDonald landed his jab accurately and often but instead of coupling it with a significant offense, he seemed to hide behind it while waiting for opportunities from a distance.
His last two fights have seen him use little of the skills that once made him so dangerous. In fact, if this current version of MacDonald were to fight the man who almost defeated Condit, I would put my money on the latter eating the former for breakfast.
There is nothing wrong with sound strategy, as long as it is aimed toward a resounding, convincing victory that sees a fighter doing his utmost at all turns. It cannot be restrained or passive; the choice to act toward a decisive end is always available and should never be sacrificed for tactical advantage based on inaction.
When considering how great MacDonald could be, seeing him settle for anything less—no matter how safe and easy it may be—is disappointing.
With Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Cain Velasquez all currently out of action due to injuries or bitter hiatuses, UFC executives will be scratching their heads trying to come up with marquee fights in 2014. But amidst this gloom, there are a few massive fights that could still happen. Some are more realistic than others, but if the stars align, these matchups would no doubt fill the void. Let’s run them down in order of probability…
Major fights within reach
Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 2 or Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier: Very few gave Gustafsson the chance to last twenty-five minutes with the champ, let alone nearly dethrone him. The two engaged in a thrilling yet technical battle at UFC 165, which was as entertaining as it was controversial — making a rematch very interesting and potentially lucrative for the UFC. Prior to his first meeting with the Mauler, Jones had dominated every one of his opponents, which led to the New Yorker searching for his “Frazier”, the worthy rival who would define his legacy. Gustafsson could very much play that role as they look to meet again.
On the other hand, Daniel Cormier could play that role just as well. Unlike Gustafsson, Cormier has a genuine dislike towards Jones which would only add hype towards the fight. But, of course, the two potential challengers would have to get by Jimi Manuwa and Rashad Evans, respectively, to get their title shots. And of course there’s a hard-hitting Brazilian named Glover Teixeira who might derail these plans altogether.
Jose Aldo vs. BJ Penn: Incredibly, Penn is looking to become a three-weight world champion as he embarks on his unexpected new life as a featherweight. Before his year-long break from the sport, Penn had been fighting at welterweight without much success. (He hasn’t won a match since his quick knockout of Matt Hughes back in November 2010.) Penn will make his 145-pound debut against old rival Frankie Edgar as he looks to avenge, not one, but two defeats. Even though there is a connection between Penn and Aldo’s head coach Andre Pederneiras, the Prodigy would surely jump at the chance to compete for a belt.
With Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Cain Velasquez all currently out of action due to injuries or bitter hiatuses, UFC executives will be scratching their heads trying to come up with marquee fights in 2014. But amidst this gloom, there are a few massive fights that could still happen. Some are more realistic than others, but if the stars align, these matchups would no doubt fill the void. Let’s run them down in order of probability…
Major fights within reach
Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 2 or Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier: Very few gave Gustafsson the chance to last twenty-five minutes with the champ, let alone nearly dethrone him. The two engaged in a thrilling yet technical battle at UFC 165, which was as entertaining as it was controversial — making a rematch very interesting and potentially lucrative for the UFC. Prior to his first meeting with the Mauler, Jones had dominated every one of his opponents, which led to the New Yorker searching for his “Frazier”, the worthy rival who would define his legacy. Gustafsson could very much play that role as they look to meet again.
On the other hand, Daniel Cormier could play that role just as well. Unlike Gustafsson, Cormier has a genuine dislike towards Jones which would only add hype towards the fight. But, of course, the two potential challengers would have to get by Jimi Manuwa and Rashad Evans, respectively, to get their title shots. And of course there’s a hard-hitting Brazilian named Glover Teixeira who might derail these plans altogether.
Jose Aldo vs. BJ Penn: Incredibly, Penn is looking to become a three-weight world champion as he embarks on his unexpected new life as a featherweight. Before his year-long break from the sport, Penn had been fighting at welterweight without much success. (He hasn’t won a match since his quick knockout of Matt Hughes back in November 2010.) Penn will make his 145-pound debut against old rival Frankie Edgar as he looks to avenge, not one, but two defeats. Even though there is a connection between Penn and Aldo’s head coach Andre Pederneiras, the Prodigy would surely jump at the chance to compete for a belt.
Lately, the UFC has had a hard time finding opponents for Aldo who are stars in their own right. Booking BJ Penn to challenge Aldo would certainly solve that problem, so don’t be surprised if Penn skips the entire featherweight contender line to get a shot at Aldo, if he manages to beat Edgar. Making this matchup more credible is that Aldo has once again been flirting with the idea of moving up to 155lbs. A fight against Penn would be a perfect way for Aldo to build interest before jumping up to lightweight himself for a super-fight against the reigning champion.
Stranger things have happened
Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber III: Its been over two years since Cruz has set foot inside the Octagon. Since then, the UFC has created two new divisions (flyweight and women’s bantamweight) with another on its way, and Cruz’s last opponent became the champion at 125 pounds. But through all the changes, one thing has remained the same: Urijah Faber is still the most marketable fighter south of 155 pounds. The UFC had been eager to book a rubber match between Faber and Cruz — it was supposed to happen at UFC 148 then got scratched — but Cruz’s injuries have turned it into a longshot.
The best word to describe everyone’s emotions connected to Cruz is “gutted.” Cruz has had a rough time of late with two back-to-back knee surgeries and now a groin tear which effectively forfeited his title to Renan Barao. If Faber can pull off the upset against Barao, a rubber match against Cruz (who is set to be only out for 6-8 weeks before resuming full training) could be the biggest “smaller” weight class fight in the promotion’s history.
It seems Diaz isn’t budging for anything other than a UFC title shot which would seem bizarre considering he’s on a two fight losing skid. But then again he got a title shot after losing a fight, and ended up generating nearly a million pay-per-view buys in his fight against GSP. In the business-first era of the UFC, the promotion may become desperate and just offer Diaz a title shot — especially if it’s against a guy that Diaz already has history with. Fans may complain that Diaz didn’t “earn” it, but it would be an intriguing fight. If there truly was an MMA God, we would see the sequel between Diaz and Lawler for the welterweight title in 2014.
Super-fights; very slim chances
Ronda Rousey vs. Cris Cyborg: Rousey is arguably the biggest star the UFC has right now. The polarizing figure attracts a ton of media attention, even in mainstream outlets that don’t normally cover the sport. There are virtually no fighters outside of the UFC who could compete with Rowdy inside the Octagon, but Cris Cyborg is definitely one of them. The bout would pose a classic stylistic match-up between the stand-up wrecking machine against the highly technical judo wizard.
The fight becomes even more marketable and hype-worthy when you add that Cyborg defeated the original face of WMMA, Cyborg’s past failed drug test, and the heel-manager known as Tito Ortiz. (Honestly, the matchup is like an awesome/terrible pro-wrestling storyline.) When you look for fights that could break the one-million buys barrier, Rousey vs. Cyborg could very well become the 8th UFC pay-per-view to do so. Now we just have to convince Cyborg’s doctor to sign off on it.
Anderson Silva vs. George St-Pierre: If and when either man does return to the sport, it would be huge news. If they did against one another, it would be monumental. Their superfight may be a year or two late, but you can’t deny the amount of interest and buzz this fight would generate. GSP is on an indefinite leave from MMA but is still training and could be lured back in with a super-fight with Silva. Anderson’s managers Ed Soares and Jorge Guimares have always been keen on the match-up against the former welterweight champion, and Silva’s recovery from the broken leg he suffered at UFC 168 has been remarkable so far, with Dana White recently tweeting that he will be off crutches by next month. The UFC normally ends the year with a bang, and Silva vs. GSP just might be that fight to end 2014.
One of Dana White’s greatesttalents is burying fighters. When old, broke war dogs speak out against the UFC, White cuts them down with assertions that he “makes millionaires” and labels detractors as “goofs” and “dummies.”
But can White do that to Georges St-Pierre, who recently called out the UFC for their drug testing policies. Well, we’ve already had a small taste of White’s verbal stylings. He questioned GSP’s manhood, implying that GSP airing his grievances with the media was somehow cowardly. He also said GSP’s actions were “kooky,” and that his claims were ridiculous.
That was just the opening salvo. What’ll Dana White say about his former meal ticket six months from now, a year from now, two years from now, when GSP’s relevance fades and insulting him carries less risk?
One of Dana White’s greatesttalents is burying fighters. When old, broke war dogs speak out against the UFC, White cuts them down with assertions that he “makes millionaires” and labels detractors as “goofs” and “dummies.”
But can White do that to Georges St-Pierre, who recently called out the UFC for their drug testing policies. Well, we’ve already had a small taste of White’s verbal stylings. He questioned GSP’s manhood, implying that GSP airing his grievances with the media was somehow cowardly. He also said GSP’s actions were “kooky,” and that his claims were ridiculous.
That was just the opening salvo. What’ll Dana White say about his former meal ticket six months from now, a year from now, two years from now, when GSP’s relevance fades and insulting him carries less risk?
1. Dana will insult GSP’s character.
Bringing up a former fighter’s character flaws is a fantastic way to defuse any criticism against the UFC. The UFC is bad? Well the guy who said that is a horrible person, so their points, no matter how valid, don’t stand in light of their moral turpitude.
GSP—the greatest welterweight of all time—wasn’t that good, or at least that’s what Dana White might eventually argue. He’ll say that GSP was the champ during an era where the welterweight division was less-developed and lacked depth. [Insert champ at the time of this hypothetical conversation] is better than GSP because the division is stacked now. Back when GSP had the belt, it was older guys like Matt Hughes and BJ Penn, and non-factors like Dan Hardy and Thiago Alves. The “great” GSP was only great at stalling his way to decision victory after decision victory.
3. Dana will shut GSP out of the UFC Hall of Fame (and erase him from UFC history if things get bad enough).
Also known as the Frank Shamrock treatment. If Dana White doesn’t like you enough and you say enough bad things about the company, Zuffa will make sure you don’t exist, at least not in their “official” version of history.
Imagining a hypothetical future interview with Dana White about GSP.
Let’s imagine what White would say about GSP in the future, if the drug testing situation devolves and GSP becomes an enemy of the Zuffa state [Note: Dana white didn’t actually say any of this; it’s all hypothetical and just for fun]:
“GSP has this clean image and stuff like that, but he is not a good guy. He has never been a good guy. He is a greedy, sleazy guy. That bozo will put his name on anything for a few bucks. And he’s just a headache. All that legal bullshit he’s going through, it’s because he’s greedy and he’s not a good guy. I’m just happy that I never have to deal with GSP ever again.
And let’s talk about his fuckin’ “legacy” for a second. The guy beat an ancient Matt Hughes—who was the greatest welterweight ever but old by then—for the title. Then he fuckin’ loses it to MATT SERRA. Goofs on these fuckin’ message boards and on the Internet are always bitching about GSP and how we don’t honor him enough and how we don’t put him in our hall of fame. Guess what? GSP wasn’t that fuckin’ good. He never killed people like Jon Jones and Anderson Silva did. The only guys GSP killed were guys like Jon Fitch who couldn’t make it in the UFC. When GSP fought a real guy, he clinched them for five rounds because he was scared for his life. And that’s what GSP is, scared. He was too scared to fight real guys, he was too scared to go up in weight and fight Anderson Silva, and he was too scared to be a man and settle his problems with us like a man. He’s a coward, he’s not one of the greats. Yet all these “fans” on the fuckin’ Internet go on about it, bunch of fucking clowns. Next question…”
Media shills will agree, and if they don’t, their disagreement will only be tepid, and they’ll still praise White for “being real.” Fans who remember or who don’t listen to Zuffa will argue for GSP, but will be drowned out by “GSP sucks lol.”
Hopefully, this isn’t what’s in store for GSP and his legacy.
After taking the fight on less than a month’s notice, Urijah Faber will step into the main event of UFC 169 (February 1st, Newark) against Renan Barao, who took a definitive and dominant five-round decision over the former WEC stalwart at UFC 149, for what was then supposed to be an interim title in the bantamweight division. With Dominick Cruz vacating his title due to yet another injury, Faber will have his third opportunity to win UFC gold. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much time to prepare for Barao, who’s become one of the toughest outs in all of MMA.
Faber’s year-round commitment to being in near peak condition — a Team Alpha Male requirement, it seems — affords him this luxury of taking a fight on short notice. Over 18 months have passed since the California Kid walked out of the cage against Barao on the losing side, and what could have been Faber’s last UFC title fight has turned into something else entirely. With four wins (and three submission finishes) over highly ranked opponents marking a stellar 2013 campaign, Faber willed himself into title contention one more time by running roughshod over the UFC’s 135-pound division.
With the rematch set, and Faber looking ahead to what could (once again) be his last shot at a UFC belt, one imagines that the Duane “Bang” Ludwig-led Team Alpha Male squad has a much different game plan in mind for Faber against the Brazilian champion. Ludwig, who has spoke of his fondness for watching fight video in preparation, should have five UFC title rematches on his mind while preparing his fighter for next month’s bout. Each of these fights contain profound lessons that could help Faber become the first Team Alpha Male member to hold a UFC championship belt. Let’s begin…
After taking the fight on less than a month’s notice, Urijah Faber will step into the main event of UFC 169 (February 1st, Newark) against Renan Barao, who took a definitive and dominant five-round decision over the former WEC stalwart at UFC 149, for what was then supposed to be an interim title in the bantamweight division. With Dominick Cruz vacating his title due to yet another injury, Faber will have his third opportunity to win UFC gold. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much time to prepare for Barao, who’s become one of the toughest outs in all of MMA.
Faber’s year-round commitment to being in near peak condition — a Team Alpha Male requirement, it seems — affords him this luxury of taking a fight on short notice. Over 18 months have passed since the California Kid walked out of the cage against Barao on the losing side, and what could have been Faber’s last UFC title fight has turned into something else entirely. With four wins (and three submission finishes) over highly ranked opponents marking a stellar 2013 campaign, Faber willed himself into title contention one more time by running roughshod over the UFC’s 135-pound division.
With the rematch set, and Faber looking ahead to what could (once again) be his last shot at a UFC belt, one imagines that the Duane “Bang” Ludwig-led Team Alpha Male squad has a much different game plan in mind for Faber against the Brazilian champion. Ludwig, who has spoke of his fondness for watching fight video in preparation, should have five UFC title rematches on his mind while preparing his fighter for next month’s bout. Each of these fights contain profound lessons that could help Faber become the first Team Alpha Male member to hold a UFC championship belt. Let’s begin…
Considering he probably shouldn’t have been fighting anyway, it wasn’t all that much of a surprise that Cain Velasquez would come out wanting to exchange with Junior Dos Santos during their first meeting at UFC on FOX 1 in November 2011. JDS made him pay for it, giving the champion his first loss and taking his title.
In their rematch a year later, Velasquez came out and pushed a hard pace on Dos Santos from the first minute on. He never let Dos Santos get his footing square or push forward with his boxing-focused game. He kept the champion on his toes and then brutalized him for 25 minutes, imposing his will on the Brazilian and not giving him an inch.
How Faber can apply this: Barao thrives in space and the one thing Faber has to do is cut off the cage, make it close and make it ugly. He has to add a little bit of a grind to this fight, at a minimum, and refuse to give Barao space to utilize his leg kicking game. Faber is excellent in scrambles and grappling exchanges; this is where he’ll win the fight. His strength is on the mat and he needs to make Barao fight here, not on his feet where Barao’s striking ability will trump Faber’s. Faber suffered a broken rib from Barao the first time they fought and Faber is well aware of how hard he throws.
The one marked difference between the first Hughes/Penn fight at UFC 46 and their second fight is that Hughes came out significantly less tentative the second time around. Hughes was noticeably cautious in their first meeting because of Penn’s explosiveness and Penn was able to dictate the fight early. Hughes was on his heels, moving backward, and Penn exploited that into one of the biggest upsets in UFC history to that point. The 2006 rematch was marked by Hughes and his top-position mauling of Penn, which ended in a third-round TKO. Hughes was far more aggressive the second time around, and didn’t let BJ dictate the terms.
How Faber can apply this: Don’t let Barao dictate the striking exchanges. Faber was tentative in their first fight, as Barao pushed the pace and established the tenor of the fight. Faber needs to let his hands go and impose his will, not letting Barao set up his striking game. It’s why Faber lost; he couldn’t get off first and took a ton of damage in the process. He has to tighten up space and impose his skillset, making Barao counter and use movement. Faber’s at his best when he’s able to control where the fight goes, and that’ll be a factor in a Faber victory.
Lyoto Machida was a riddle no one had been able to solve until Shogun Rua. Their first fight at UFC 104, insanely controversial, necessitated an immediate rematch and Rua went from being one round away from a title win to an emphatic KO at UFC 113 because of the 25 minutes they spent together the first time.
Machida’s style is such that it’s nearly impossible to duplicate in training unless you have Machida himself to train with. Rua got the best possible primer for a fight with Machida the first time, having to figure out his movement and timing on the fly. When they fought for the second time, Rua knew how Machida moved and was able to adjust from the first minute on. He wasn’t going to be baffled or confused by Machida’s ability to counter.
Look at the way Rua’s movement changed from the middle of the first fight to the first round of the second. This is someone who has figured out the mystery and knows how to counter it. Rua knew he couldn’t rush in blind and over commit; he needed to cut the cage off and make Machida fight in a smaller area. It’s what led to the KO in the second fight as well.
Rua knew what to expect. The Dragon was no mystery the second time around.
How Faber can apply this: Barao doesn’t fight anything like Machida, but Faber spent 25 minutes with him. He knows how hard the Brazilian phenom punches, kicks, his instinctual movements when defending takedowns, the type of sprawl Barao used on him, etc., in a way that you can only learn from fighting another human being.
There won’t be anything Barao does that will be new to Faber. Faber and Barao know each other fairly well at this point, as 25 minutes locked inside a cage with another person gives you a familiarity with one another that most training experiences can’t provide. It may have been 18 months ago but we’re looking at improved versions of both fighters, not completely new versions of the same fighters. If Faber has an edge coming in it is that Barao has spent a training camp preparing for Dominick Cruz and has to change course with less than a month out.
You can change course this close to a fight and not miss a beat, but a completely different fighter will mean a different game plan, which will be tough to install this close to a fight. Barao may have fought Faber before but he’s spent a camp preparing to take on Cruz. That could mean something. Faber gets to come in and face someone who he’s prepared for once already. He has to cram his planning into a short window but it’s a familiar one.
On the next page: The Spider returns to devastating form, and Frankie Edgar proves it wasn’t a fluke.
In case you didn’t hear, Georges St-Pierre is on hiatus. It was pretty big news for a day, but then Demetrious Johnson headlined a Fox show and suddenly losing the best welterweight of all time apparently wasn’t that important anymore.
Only it is.
It’s…
In case you didn’t hear, Georges St-Pierre is on hiatus. It was pretty big news for a day, but then Demetrious Johnson headlined a Fox show and suddenly losing the best welterweight of all time apparently wasn’t that important anymore.
Only it is.
It’s basically the only guy the promotion can’t afford to lose. The only true guarantee for big-time pay-per-view revenue. Life goes on, as Dana White is quick to point out, but the UFC needs a new franchise player in much shorter order than White would like to admit.
Here are five fighters who could be ready to carry that torch.
(“So what *is* “Mahalo,” like a giant fish or something?” Photo via BJPenn.com)
We’re not sure if the full cast list for The Ultimate Fighter 19 was accidentally leaked or not yet, but being that the members of both *teams* were already revealed by a promo that has since been taken down, all signs seem to point to another technical snafu on FOX’s end. In any case, the information is out there now, and all we can do is pass it along in the hopes of deterring some of you from the premiere episode of yet another unnecessary season of a long dead show. Can you imagine what it would be like if Seinfeld went nineteen seasons? PULL THE PLUG ALREADY, DANA!!
This season’s TUF will feature middleweight and light heavyweight participants as well as the red hot coaching matchup of B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar, with Penn and Edgar completing their trilogy at featherweight next April. Although the season has already started filming, no official air date has been revealed and blah blah blah I’m already bored. Check out the full cast after the jump courtesy of BloodyElbow:
(“So what *is* “Mahalo,” like a giant fish or something?” Photo via BJPenn.com)
We’re not sure if the full cast list for The Ultimate Fighter 19 was accidentally leaked or not yet, but being that the members of both *teams* were already revealed by a promo that has since been taken down, all signs seem to point to another technical snafu on FOX’s end. In any case, the information is out there now, and all we can do is pass it along in the hopes of deterring some of you from the premiere episode of yet another unnecessary season of a long dead show. Can you imagine what it would be like if Seinfeld went nineteen seasons? PULL THE PLUG ALREADY, DANA!!
This season’s TUF will feature middleweight and light heavyweight participants as well as the red hot coaching matchup of B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar, with Penn and Edgar completing their trilogy at featherweight next April. Although the season has already started filming, no official air date has been revealed and blah blah blah I’m already bored. Check out the full cast after the jump courtesy of BloodyElbow:
TEAM EDGAR
Corey Anderson (3-0)
Patrick Walsh (4-1)
Matt Van Buren (6-2)
Todd Monaghan (8-2)
Ian Stephens (2-0)
Dhiego Lima (9-1)
Eddie Gordon (6-1)
Hector Urbina (16-8-1)
TEAM PENN
Anton Berzin (3-1)
Josh Clark (7-2)
Daniel Spohn (8-3)
Chris Fields (10-5-1)
Mike King (5-0)
Tim Williams (8-1)
Cathal Pendred (13-2-1)
Roger Zapata (4-1)
That’s actually…not to bad a list of fighters (on paper, at least). Pendred is a training partner of Conor McGregor who holds a win over UFC veteran Che Mills and Lima is an American Top Team product with some solid wins as well. Absent from this list, however, are the untested, bashful yoga instructors we have grown accustomed to. YOU CAN’T KEEP PLAYING IT FAST AND LOOSE LIKE THIS, DANA!
Well, clearly someone needs to take his pills for the day. I’ll leave you to debate who stands the best chance of winning this season and how long they’ll last in the UFC.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Rory MacDonald looked like he could be a serious contender for the UFC welterweight title.
