Tag: Breaking News

Mayhem Miller Issues Public Apology to Uriah Hall for Racist Remarks

Jason “Mayhem” Miller has taken the initiative in issuing both a private and public apology to Uriah Hall for their well-publicized confrontation a few weeks ago.  
In a post on Twitter, Miller states that he has already spoken to Hall…

Jason “Mayhem” Miller has taken the initiative in issuing both a private and public apology to Uriah Hall for their well-publicized confrontation a few weeks ago.  

In a post on Twitter, Miller states that he has already spoken to Hall privately to apologize for his actions at a local MMA event in Commerce, Calif. His hope was to take the apology a bit further and address the situation publicly.

Miller’s tweet received an immediate response from Hall, who quickly forgave him for his actions and even tweeted some words of encouragement.

 

The entire incident occurred during the “BAMMA USA: Badbeat 11” event, which took place in October.

According to the description in a YouTube video (NSFW) posted by MMAInterviews’ Spencer Lazara, Miller was being aggressive towards a woman presumed to be his ex-girlfriend at the event. She appeared to be an emotional wreck as Mayhem continued to yell at her.

Hall, who was also present at the event, looked in on the situation, and Miller immediately began acting aggressive towards him.

As the two MMA stars squared off, Miller suddenly began throwing up inappropriate hand gestures and spouting out several racial slurs, which eventually provoked Hall into throwing a punch.

The brief scuffle was quickly broken up, and security escorted both men from the event.

In the past year, the downward spiral of Miller’s life has played out in front of the world like some odd reality TV drama. Miller certainly has a long way to go to repair some of the bridges he’s burned recently, but this sincere gesture towards Hall and owning up to past mistakes does provide some hope.

It’s been a really long time since anything even remotely positive has come out of a Miller story, but for the first time in a long time, the UFC castoff seems to finally be on the right track.

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Joe Rogan: GSP Should Retire Since He’s ‘Taken Too Many Shots’

As questions still swirl around UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s future, fighters and analysts are wondering out loud whether or not the French-Canadian legend should hang up the gloves for good. 
Based on Monday morning’s appearance …

As questions still swirl around UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s future, fighters and analysts are wondering out loud whether or not the French-Canadian legend should hang up the gloves for good. 

Based on Monday morning’s appearance on The Opie & Anthony Show, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan believes GSP‘s time inside the Octagon has run its course (transcription via MMA Fighting). 

“I think Georges should retire,” Rogan stated. “One of the reasons I think Georges should retire is he was on my podcast and he was talking about being abducted by aliens. I was going, ‘you think you’ve been abducted by aliens?’ He starts talking about missing time. He started talking about driving his car and all of a sudden he’s at home and he has no idea [how] he got there. I think it’s head kicks … That fight he had some serious memory loss (at UFC 167). I think he’s taken too many shots. An interesting statistic is that Georges has taken more punches and kicks in the last three fights than any of his fights, ever. In fact, 50% of the shots he’s taken his entire career were in the last three fights. I think he should get out. I know the UFC probably doesn’t want to hear me say that. I know that could be a huge rematch.”

Furthermore, Rogan added that the UFC “should just give Johny Hendricks” the belt since he was the rightful victor Saturday night. 

After his 12th win in a row, “Rush” told Rogan inside the Octagon that he wanted to take some time off to deal with some personal issues, though UFC president Dana White insisted at the post-fight conference that GSP vs. Hendricks II would go off without a hitch, per Mike Chiappetta of Fox Sports. 

That led to widespread speculation about what was going on with the dominant champion behind the scenes—that is, until TMZ released a report stating that an unplanned pregnancy and his father’s impending death was weighing on St Pierre’s mind. 

However, both the Tristar Gym standout (according to White) and his sister have since denied the report. 

GSP currently has nine consecutive title defenses to his credit, behind only long-time UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (10). 

If he were to retire today, the 32-year-old would be a shoo-in UFC Hall of Famer, boasting an incredible 19-2 mark inside the Octagon and avenging both of those losses. 

Is it really time for St-Pierre to call it a career, or does he just need a little time off to clear his head before he continues to reign supreme atop the UFC’s 170-pound division?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.

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Keith Kizer: ‘I Don’t See the Controversy’ over St-Pierre vs. Hendricks Decision

As you probably heard, UFC 167 came to a very unsatisfying conclusion due to a controversial decision in the main event between long-time champion Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks.
The announcement that St-Pierre received a split decision win (two…

As you probably heard, UFC 167 came to a very unsatisfying conclusion due to a controversial decision in the main event between long-time champion Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks.

The announcement that St-Pierre received a split decision win (two judges scored the fight 48-47 in favor of St-Pierre, one scored it 47-48 in favor of Hendricks) caused an overwhelming level of backlash from fans, fighters, coaches and even UFC brass who went so far as to label the supposed mishap “the worst decision ever.”

At least one person says all is well, though. That would be executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission Keith Kizer.

Speaking with Yahoo Sports, Kizer insisted that everything is fine in the “Fight Capital of the World.”

I understand the controversy in [Canelo Alvarez vs. Floyd Mayweather] but I don’t see controversy in the GSP vs. Hendricks decision. The media seems split on who won. The LA Times scored it for GSP. All seemed to agree that Hendricks won rounds two and four and that St. Pierre won three and five. The first round could have gone either way.

The NSAC has repeatedly come under fire for both judging and officiating, and Kizer has historically come out to the defense of those being specifically called out. 

When Joe Rogan went on a lengthy rant regarding Leonard Garcia being wrongly awarded the win over Nam Phan in 2010, Kizer fired back, pointing out the fact that the UFC typically turns to the NSAC when arranging international events.

He also came to the defense of Steve Mazzagatti following criticism from Dana White that the ref was slow to react to the submission that ended the World Series of Fighting bout between Jon Fitch and Josh Burkman.

Most famously, he dismissed the notion that judge CJ Ross should be disciplined following dubious scoring of Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley (Bradley was inexplicably awarded the win after getting roughed up by Pacquiao) and the aforementioned bout between Canelo Alvarez and Floyd Mayweather (Ross scored the fight a draw while seemingly everyone else scored the fight overwhelmingly in favor of Mayweather).

While many disagreed with the judges’ decision in Hendricks vs. St-Pierre, Kizer is correct in his analysis of the bout. All three judges scored Rounds 2 and 4 for Hendricks, while St-Pierre was awarded 3 and 5. Round 1 was the only one in question, and it was razor-thin (you can check out the breakdown of the FightMetric statistics here).

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Chael Sonnen Moving Back to Middleweight: ‘I’ve Always Struggled at 205’

After suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans last Saturday, Chael Sonnen has decided the division is not for him.
Instead he will drop back down to 185 pounds, where he fought four years for the U…

After suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans last Saturday, Chael Sonnen has decided the division is not for him.

Instead he will drop back down to 185 pounds, where he fought four years for the UFC in eight matches, until his second loss against the champion Anderson Silva last July.

“I’ve always struggled at 205 to get used to the weight. I can do better than that, but I’m going to have to go back to 185,” Sonnen told the UFC post-fight show on Fox Sports (h/t MMA Weekly). “That’s where I can do my best work; I can scramble and not get held in these positions.”

Sonnen made much of his decision to move up to light heavyweight after two failed attempts to capture middleweight gold. At the time he said he was emulating his mentor Randy Couture, who had also switched divisions several times in his career after struggling at heavyweight.

However, Couture dropped down to a division much more suitable to his size, while Chael moved up to 205 pounds. The decision had mixed results. After talking himself into a championship fight with Jon Jones in April, he was mauled by the light heavyweight champ.

Things were looking up after he finished veteran Mauricio Rua in similarly dominant fashion in August. That fight had him move up to No. 6 in the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings in the days leading up to his encounter against Evans at UFC 167.

But Sonnen made up his mind to drop back down after receiving a beating from Evans, who finished him via TKO in less time than it took Jones. It’s the kind of beating that would have you looking for pawn shops online to earn some cash, because your day job clearly isn’t working.

In fact, the Oregon native was thinking of a return to 185 pounds soon after his win over Rua, a move that was complicated by his match against Evans as well as a forthcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter which will see him fight Wanderlei Silva in the finale.

That match was also originally scheduled to take place at 205 pounds.

“I’m going to get back to middleweight,” Sonnen said in an interview a week before UFC 167. “I’m going to get through the Wanderlei (Silva) fight and then I will be returning to middleweight.”

That season will film in Brazil, and there’s still no word on whether the two coaches will eventually face off as middleweights or light heavyweights.

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Ben Askren Will Fight Rory MacDonald for Free in the UFC, Retire If He Loses

Ben Askren is willing to prove his worth inside the UFC Octagon for free. 
The former Bellator welterweight champion, Askren spoke Monday with MMAfighting.com’s Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, addressing UFC President Dana White’s claims that …

Ben Askren is willing to prove his worth inside the UFC Octagon for free. 

The former Bellator welterweight champion, Askren spoke Monday with MMAfighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, addressing UFC President Dana White‘s claims that the UFC had “no interest” in bringing him on to their star-studded roster. 

Despite previously pestering White for a shot at UFC welterweight champion and pound-for-pound great Georges St-Pierre, Askren cut a new deal on air, this time angling for a matchup with GSP‘s teammate and friend, Rory MacDonald. 

Obviously, GSP and Hendricks are going to have a rematch, barring GSP‘s retirement, which I don’t think is going to stand. That was in the heat of the moment. Rory MacDonald is another guy that…he really just bugs me and he irks me. It was really nice to see him get knocked off his pedestal on Saturday night, but, if Dana White were willing, if I lost to him (Rory), I would fight for free and retire from the sport of MMA because that’s how confident I am that I will beat Rory MacDonald. I am not completely financially motivated. I obviously want to make a living, but, at the same time, I want to beat up the best guys in the world.

Askren‘s deal—if he’s 100 percent serious—is tantalizing. 

A world-class wrestler with a smothering top game, Askren has yet to be truly tested in professional MMA action, and nobody to this point has nullified his game plan. 

His toughest test to date, Jay Hieron, was scooped up by the UFC after losing to Askren in a Bellator title fight, a point not lost on the curly-headed champ. 

After I beat Jay Hieron, they (the UFC) signed Jay Hieron, so clearly Jay Hieron was good enough to be in the UFC. Surely somebody who could beat him would be, also. Anthony Lapsley, who Jay Hieron choked out in the first round at Bellator was in the UFC last week, so obviously, there’s a few flaws with that.

What do you make of Askren‘s comments? Could he hang with MacDonald inside the Octagon, or would “Ares” teach him that the sport has evolved beyond past his one-dimensional skill set? 

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UFC 167: Johny Hendricks Earns Lengthy Medical Suspension, Could Miss 6 Months

UFC 167 sparked a ferocious debate: Who really won the night’s main event? 
Did Georges St-Pierre retain his welterweight title, or did Johny Hendricks do enough to steal the gold hardware from around GSP’s waist? 
Fans and critics backing He…

UFC 167 sparked a ferocious debate: Who really won the night’s main event? 

Did Georges St-Pierre retain his welterweight title, or did Johny Hendricks do enough to steal the gold hardware from around GSP‘s waist? 

Fans and critics backing Hendricks repeatedly pointed to the welterweight champion’s busted mug, saying “Look how busted up he is, and look at our guy! Who do you think won?”

This argument does not hold any weight under the unified scoring rules, and it apparently does not fly with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, either. 

Hendricks, who looked relatively unscathed after his five-round affair with GSP, earned a six-month medical suspension unless cleared by an orthopedist for his right knee, while GSP can get back to work in just 45 days. 

Now, who won the fight? (I kid, I kid.) 

Gian Villante and Ali Bagautinov, both winners on the evening, also earned six-month suspensions for hand and foot injuries, respectively. 

Here is the full list of medical suspensions, courtesy of MMA Junkie: 

  • Georges St-Pierre: suspended until 1/1/14 with no contact until 12/17/13
  • Johny Hendricks: suspended until 5/17/14 unless cleared by orthopedist for right knee, and suspended until 12/17/13 with no contact until 12/8/13
  • Chael Sonnen: suspended until 1/1/14 with no contact until 12/17/13
  • Rory MacDonald: suspended until 12/17/13 with no contact until 12/8/13
  • Josh Koscheck: suspended until 1/1/14 with no contact until 12/17/13
  • Ali Bagautinov: suspended until 5/17/14 unless cleared by orthopedist for left foot, and suspended until 12/17/13 with no contact until 12/8/13
  • Evan Dunham: suspended until 1/1/14 with no contact until 12/17/13 for left eyebrow laceration
  • Rick Story: suspended until 1/1/14 with no contact until 12/17/13 for left eyebrow laceration
  • Erik Perez: suspended until 12/17/13 with no contact until 12/8/13 for laceration on bridge of nose
  • Gian Villante: suspended until 5/17/14 unless cleared by orthopedist for both hands
  • Cody Donovan: suspended until 5/17/14 unless cleared via X-ray by orthopedist for right hand, and suspended until 12/17/13 with no contact until 12/8/13

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