Tag: Caged In

UFC on FOX: Can Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz Be New Version of Griffin vs. Bonnar?

The April 9, 2005 bout between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar was a historic moment for the UFC. It was the culmination of Zuffa’s last-ditch effort to make an impact with an audience that extended beyond the hardcore fans who had been followi…

The April 9, 2005 bout between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar was a historic moment for the UFC. 

It was the culmination of Zuffa’s last-ditch effort to make an impact with an audience that extended beyond the hardcore fans who had been following the sport for years. After several years running failing events and building up debt, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and his brother Frank were strongly considering selling off the company. 

But the Fertittas took a chance on the reality show. They paid for the production of the first season. If it failed, they’d sell the company, concentrate on their Las Vegas casino empire and never look back.

It wasn’t a failure. A dramatic season filled with watchable characters led to high ratings for the show. The cherry on top came at the finale, where Griffin and Bonnar faced off in one of the most legendary fights in MMA history.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was one of the most thrilling fights you’ll ever see. And it helped launch the UFC to heights the Fertittas and Dana White could have never imagined in 2004. It also helped turn Spike into a destination network for male programming.

Can Saturday night’s fight between Jim Miller and Nathan Diaz do the same thing for the FOX shows that Griffin vs. Bonnar did for Spike? Miller’s trainer Mike Constantino thinks so, telling MMAFighting’s Mike Chiapetta that he’s expecting a great fight:

“For some odd reason, deep down inside I feel like it’s going to be the second coming of Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar for the masses,” he said. “The first wave of the crazy ‘wow’ was Ultimate Fighter. Now you have FOX television, and something is telling me it’s going to be one of those great type of fights.

“It just has all the makings to be one of those fights,” he continued. “They’re both hard to submit, they both have good standup, they both have good cardio, teams, coaching, everything. It’s a great fight, so competitively matched up.”

It will be tough for Miller and Diaz to live up to the legacy Griffin and Bonnar created that night in Las Vegas.

For starters, they’re completely different fighters. The chances of Miller participating in a wild slugfest with Diaz over the course of five rounds are slim to none. He’s a smart fighter and realizes that slugging things out with Diaz is a recipe for disaster. 

Ultimately, this is not 2005. The UFC has grown exponentially from those uncertain days. It has consistently permeated the outside edges of the sporting world for quite some time now, and it has made bigger splashes when there are highly-anticipated fights to promote. We’ve seen commercials featuring UFC stars during NFL playoff games.Seven years ago, that was unthinkable.

Could Miller and Diaz put on a memorable fight that attracts new fans to the sport? Sure. In fact, I think that’s probably going to happen.

But it won’t do what Griffin vs. Bonnar did, and that’s okay. It doesn’t have to.

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Dana White Is Getting Tired of Rampage Jackson’s Anti-UFC Antics

Remember two months ago when I told you the UFC should cut Rampage Jackson after he went on a Twitter tirade against the company?I still believe that to be true. Even Dana White saying he would allow Jackson to leave after he fulfilled the final fight …

Remember two months ago when I told you the UFC should cut Rampage Jackson after he went on a Twitter tirade against the company?

I still believe that to be true. Even Dana White saying he would allow Jackson to leave after he fulfilled the final fight on his contract hasn’t stopped the popular light heavyweight from continuing his anti-UFC campaign. Jackson went on HDNet’s Inside MMA earlier this week and reiterated that he’d be leaving the UFC after his next fight. He also criticized them for booking him against wrestlers rather than dudes who would willingly exchange punches.

Until today, White took the high road in responding to Jackson. But as he told the media after today’s UFC on FOX press conference in New York City, he’s growing just a little bit tired of Jackson’s antics:

Rampage is obviously not happy with the UFC. No big deal brother. You don’t want to be here anymore. The way I always look at it is, we have this mutual relationship with the fighters. Do we always see eye to eye? Do we always get along? Whatever the deal might be. As far as money goes, everybody needs to make more money. That is human nature.

And you want to talk about a guy that we went to bat for? We’ve gone to bat for him many times. I feel like [expletive] Jeter when it comes to Rampage, OK? If he’s unhappy with us, doesn’t like us, and doesn’t want to be with us anymore? Then the feeling is mutual.

I’m not sure if White plans on cutting Rampage immediately, or if he’ll make him do the final fight on his contract.

But there’s one thing I do know. Jackson’s complaint that the UFC makes him face wrestlers is ludicrous. Yes, he faces wrestlers. But that’s what happens when you’re near the top of the division. You don’t get paid huge amounts of money to face hand-picked opponents that are easier to knock out. When you reach the level Jackson did—and he reached that level by being one of the best light heavyweights in the sport—you have to face the best guys out there, and that list of people will inevitably include wrestlers.

Out of Jackson’s 11 UFC fights, I only see four guys who are primarily wrestlers: Rashad Evans, Matt Hamill, Jon Jones and Ryan Bader. Dan Henderson does have a wrestling background, but he rarely uses it these days. And Jon Jones beat Jackson everywhere the fight took place, not just on the mat.

Jackson has always been one of my favorite fighters to watch, so it’s sad to see him going out this way. But I do agree with White. If Jackson really doesn’t want to be there any more, it’s time to send him packing.

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UFC Video Debate: Is Jon Jones the Greatest Light Heavyweight of All Time?

In the span of just a few years, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has amassed one of the best resumes in the history of combat sports. Yes, he’s young. Yes, he’s only defended his championship three times. And yes, he has a long time left …

In the span of just a few years, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has amassed one of the best resumes in the history of combat sports. 

Yes, he’s young. Yes, he’s only defended his championship three times. And yes, he has a long time left before he can be considered one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport.

But discussions are already taking place about Jones’ place in the history of the light heavyweight division. By handily beating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans, Jones has carved out a place amongst the light heavyweight greats. 

But where, exactly, does he rank? Is he already the best light heavyweight of all time, at just 24 years of age? Are the fighters he’s beaten impressive enough to earn him a place at the head of the table?

In the video above, Bleacher Report lead writers Jonathan Snowden and Jeremy Botter discuss Jones and his place in history.

You can join the conversation by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

Is Jones the greatest 205-pound fighter in history?

Or is it much too early to make such a claim?

Tell us what you think!

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UFC on FOX 3: Nate Diaz Can Talk, but Jim Miller Will Punch Him in the Face

It’s no secret that Nathan—and yes, he prefers to be called Nathan—is the tamer of the Diaz brothers.In public situations, Nick can be a handful to deal with. This is not a big secret. Nathan, on the other hand, is generally quiet and respe…

It’s no secret that Nathan—and yes, he prefers to be called Nathan—is the tamer of the Diaz brothers.

In public situations, Nick can be a handful to deal with. This is not a big secret. Nathan, on the other hand, is generally quiet and respectful to media and fans. The only time he gets fired up and puts on his Diaz suit is when he’s provoked by his opponents, as witnessed in his confrontation with Donald Cerrone at the UFC 141 press conference in December.

In the cage, it’s a different story. Nathan takes on just about every characteristic of his older brother. You see the constant trash-talking and the mocking hand movements. It’s just part of the Diaz style, and it’s hard for some of their opponents to deal with.

That verbal assault won’t come as a surprise to Jim Miller when he steps in the cage with Diaz on Saturday night. Miller told MMAWeekly Radio that growing up in a house full of brothers prepared him for anything Diaz can throw his way:

I grew up with three siblings so anything that’s said in there is sticks and stones. I just don’t worry about that stuff. Not give him the opportunity to talk. I’m not here to play the games and all that stuff. If it comes down to that, he can worry about talking. I’m not going to be. I’m going to try to punch him as hard as I can and choke him out.

I’m not going to lie to you, folks. Watching Nick and Nathan unleash a constant stream of verbal abuse on their opponents is one of the major reasons I enjoy watching them fight so much.

It’s always interesting to see how guys handle it. Some guys ignore it, while others get flustered and lose sight of their game plan. It’s a very effective tactic for unsettling their opponents, though I don’t think that’s the reason they do it.

They do it because, at their core, the Diaz brothers are in a fight. They don’t view UFC bouts as competitions or as a way to test themselves against other athletes. They’re here to fight like they do in the streets of their hometown, and that usually involves a little trash-talking. Or a lot of trash-talking.

I’ll be interested to see how Miller responds to Diaz in the cage. It’s one thing to say you’re prepared for it, but it’s an entirely different thing when a Diaz is standing in front of you insulting you, your mother, your fighting style and the way you look.

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UFC on Fox 3 Diary: Press Conference and Meeting the Bosses

I’ve been up since 7:00 AM trying to get my day started. I’m still running on little to no sleep and I doubt that changes until Sunday, when fight week is officially over.The UFC is trying to do it big this week, setting up the media activities in New …

I’ve been up since 7:00 AM trying to get my day started. I’m still running on little to no sleep and I doubt that changes until Sunday, when fight week is officially over.

The UFC is trying to do it big this week, setting up the media activities in New York City, with today’s venue being the world-famous Beacon Theatre. 

The theaters in Manhattan are extremely audacious and flamboyant, with everything Roman-themed and  covered in gold leaf.

The plan for today is to cover the presser and then head down to Times Square with Bleacher Report’s Rick Lee to speak with Kenda Perez.

Rick’s never been to NYC, so he’s going to lose his mind at how overwhelming it actually is. The plan is to interview people on the street and then hit the Bleacher Report New York offices. You know…kissing babies and shaking hands. That kinda thing. 

One of the funnier things is that with the fans arriving, people are now asking Tracy Lee for photos. She’s a celebrity in the MMA world. It’s wild. 

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UFC on FOX 3: Which Main Card Fight Will Be the Most Thrilling?

Saturday’s UFC on FOX show represents a change in matchmaking direction for the UFC, at least when it comes to the network flagship show.The past two network events have featured big-name stars squaring off. The UFC put its best foot forward in an atte…

Saturday’s UFC on FOX show represents a change in matchmaking direction for the UFC, at least when it comes to the network flagship show.

The past two network events have featured big-name stars squaring off. The UFC put its best foot forward in an attempt to garner eyeballs, and it worked swimmingly. The only problem? Some of the fights were boring, and viewers tuned out in droves. 

And so we come to this Saturday night, where the promotion is opting to go for guaranteed fireworks rather than big-name appeal. The thinking is that by putting exciting fights on television—even if those fights don’t feature guys who are everyday household names—viewers will be more apt to stay tuned to the broadcast and perhaps even call their friends to urge them to tune in.

Will the new strategy work? Time will tell. However, one thing is for sure: We’re in store for some great fights on Saturday night.

And since there’s nothing I enjoy more than making lists, I’m going to rank the upcoming fights from most exciting to least. You should do the same because, again, there’s nothing more enjoyable than making lists.

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