Caged In | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

UFC Guessing Game: Pick out the Real Nick Diaz Quotes

Nick Diaz isn’t one of the UFC’s most popular and polarizing figures because of his slick tongue. Diaz doesn’t have Chael Sonnen’s gift for gab. He doesn’t spin sweet nothings or entrance you with his elocution like Josh Barnett. His is a physical char…

That’s what I loved so much about the lawsuit Diaz filed yesterday against the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The lawsuit included a deposition from Diaz that, to put it mildly, didn’t sound like something that would ever come out of the fighter’s mouth.

How different is the real Diaz from the lawsuit’s imagined Diaz? What follows are Diaz quotes, both from press appearances and from this legal document. See if you can determine which is which.

1. The Slap

I feel that you instigate fights quite a bit…I mean that’s your job but, where I come from, people like that get slapped.

2. Marijuana

As part of my general practice, I discontinue using medical marijuana eight days before any fight. Consistent with this general practice, I discontinued use of medical marijuana eight days before the February 4, 2012 contest in Nevada. I do not believe that this is a violation of the NSAC’s regulations.

3. Vicodins

What I do is, I fight. So you know, I get on the ball and I do what I gotta do. And it’s funny, to come home, to f****** crash out, I don’t drink a bunch of—I don’t drink a shot of whatever and pop a bunch of Vicodin like everybody else.

4. Computers

After my last fight I bought one, I have no clue how to work it nor have any intention of chatting on here with you whores.

5. His Hometown

Fighting in Stockton is going to be great for me. Stockton is a great fight town because if you drive long enough on some of these roads you’ll probably see a pretty good street fight.”

6. Fighting GSP

The bottom line is Georges is being a little b****. He didn’t step up and say anything when the UFC pulled me out of this fight. I understand sometimes you have to do what you’re told, but why wouldn’t you tell the media you still want to fight me? If I was Georges, I would want to fight the best. I would have asked for the Anderson Silva fight. I would have asked to fight the Strikeforce champ. But he sits there like a robot and doesn’t say anything at all, just like he’s not going to say anything about me calling him a b**** now. If I saw B.J. Penn walking down the street and called him a b****, we would be fighting right there on the spot.

7. Fighting Carlos Condit

The summary suspension against me, made without any consideration of the merits of the Complaint, is the only reason I am aware of that a re-match against Mr. Condit has not been scheduled. If the summary suspension is set aside, I would be prepared to compete against Mr. Condit or against any other opponent deemed suitable immediately.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dana White: Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson Could Have Been so Much Better

Rampage Jackson’s time in the UFC is drawing to a close. He’ll fight one more time in the UFC, completing his contract and getting his wish of leaving the promotion. I still can’t understand what makes Jackson think he’ll be better off without the UFC,…

Dana White agrees with me. In talking to MMAFighting.com, White said he believed Jackson could have been so much more and that he’s never again going to make the kind of money he does while in the UFC:

“I think he could have been so much better if he applied himself,” White said Tuesday. “He had all the tools. Incredible chin, knockout power in both hands, incredible charisma and personality.

“His potential could have been so much more. This is a crazy business, you always have these guys who think they’re getting screwed and this and that and everything else that’s happening. ‘Rampage’ wants to fight one more fight on his contract, and his last fight, and he’ll never make that money ever again for the rest of his life. A lot of those guys in the UFC don’t realize that until its too late.”

We’ve gone through this time and again here at Caged In. Jackson is one of the most entertaining fighters in the history of the sport, and seeing him compete on the world’s biggest stages—especially in Japan, where he turns up the showmanship and drives fans into frenzies—has always been one of the highlights of my years covering the sport.

But White has a point. Jackson has never had the kind of desire of a guy like Jon Jones, Rashad Evans or Georges St-Pierre. You could probably count the amount of true, full camps he’s put in on one hand. He’s always been the guy who is content to coast along on talent alone, and that’s unfortunate, because he truly had the power, the skills and the charisma to be one of the absolute greatest of all-time.

He’ll always be one of my favorite fighters. It’s just a shame he couldn’t be more than he was.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans Pulls 700,000 PPV Buys, Proves Jones Is a Star

Last Saturday, my Caged In colleague Jonathan Snowden and I were sitting in the press box watching as Jon Jones made his long walk to the cage to defend his title against Rashad Evans. After watching the fans respond to Jones all week, I couldn’t help but note that Jones—not Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva or Brock Lesnar—might be the guy to become the first true mainstream superstar to emerge from mixed martial arts.

Sure, Lesnar was a superstar. He was the biggest pay-per-view draw in the entire sport, far surpassing anything St-Pierre or Silva have ever accomplished on their own. But he still didn’t penetrate the mass market in the way that Jones could potentially do.

Yeah, we’re still talking about potential. But the potential is certainly there, and that’s more than you can say for just about everyone else on the UFC roster. Jones can become a transcendent superstar, especially if one those those vaunted deals with Nike or Reebok finally emerge later this year.

And with every passing fight, fans are gaining more and more interesting in watching Bones do his thing in the cage. Per Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, UFC 145 did in the neighborhood of 700,000 pay per view buys:

But even with no crowd favorite, the story was strong enough that early estimates of PPV numbers have topped 700,000 buys, by far the largest of Jones’ career. The number was big for UFC, because they had not established a new young star who was a major consistent draw since the rise of Brock Lesnar, now retired, and Georges St. Pierre, out for most of the year.

The UFC doesn’t do numbers above 500,000 all that often any more, and it’s even more rare that they approach the 700,000 mark. So this is a big deal, and it’s proof that Jon Jones is resonating with the public in a way that few home-grown UFC stars have in a long, long time.

Sure, the fans boo Jones heavily at weigh-ins and at the actual fights in the arena. But I’m not sure those feelings translate to the general public. In fact, I’d wager they don’t. The fans who show up at UFC events—especially weigh-ins, which often require you to either be out of work or to skip your job for an afternoon—are the hardcore ones. They’re the ones who follow the sport closely on the internet, and they’re the fans who develop an opinion on Jones based on the opinions of others.

Those fans will likely continue to boo Jones, but it doesn’t matter. He’s making an impact on the sport, and the pay-per-view numbers prove it. Those numbers will only get bigger and bigger as Jones continues to dominate opponents.

And can you imagine what kind of interest he’ll draw when he eventually moves to heavyweight and challenges for that championship? It could very well surpass the record-setting 1.75 million done by Brock Lesnar at UFC 100.

In the end, it doesn’t matter if you like him or if you think he’s too arrogant. Jon Jones is becoming a legitimate superstar, and that’s a good thing for the sport.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Nick Diaz Sues the NSAC, Seems More Interested in Fighting Today Than Yesterday

Yesterday afternoon, I wrote this story about Nick Diaz not being all that interested in fighting any more. As it turns out, Diaz was, in fact, interested in fighting. And he wants to fight right now. Which is why Diaz and his lawyer filed a landm…

Yesterday afternoon, I wrote this story about Nick Diaz not being all that interested in fighting any more.

As it turns out, Diaz was, in fact, interested in fighting. And he wants to fight right now. Which is why Diaz and his lawyer filed a landmark suit against the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday, according to MMA Weekly.

Diaz alleges that the Commission violated both statutory law and his own Constitutional rights to Due Process by not holding a hearing on his Feb. 9 failure for marijuana metabolites within the 45 days required by law. Diaz is asking the court to stay his suspension and prevent the NSAC from doling out any further punishment.

NRS 233B.127 governs the application, suspension and revocation of licenses in Nevada. It states:

Proceedings relating to the order of summary suspension must be instituted and determined within 45 days after the date of the order unless the agency and the licensee mutually agree in writing to a longer period.

In essence, because the Nevada Commission failed to give Diaz a proper hearing within 45 days of handing down a summary suspension, Diaz is now legally free and clear of the suspension, according to the letter of the law, at least.

The suit comes just days after the Alistair Overeem circus left the Commission with a black eye in public view. Professional boxers have filed suit against the Commission plenty of times, but Diaz is the first professional mixed martial artist to do so.

Keep in mind here that Diaz is not contesting the results of his marijuana metabolite failure. He’s contesting the process. And I’m not a lawyer, but it seems to me that, according to the letter of the law, Diaz has a rock solid case. The Nevada Commission may have screwed up royally by not granting Diaz his April 24 hearing as the Diaz team requested.

So, what’s next for Diaz if the court rules in his favor? My guess is that a rematch with Carlos Condit will be announced as soon as possible, if Condit is still agreeable to facing the Stockton native again.

What a difference 24 hours can make.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: Nick Diaz Isn’t All That Interested in Fighting Right Now

Nick Diaz has been out of action since losing a UFC interim title fight to Carlos Condit in February, but plenty of questions remain about his future.Not about his immediate future. We know what that holds. He’s suspended until January 2013, at least f…

Nick Diaz has been out of action since losing a UFC interim title fight to Carlos Condit in February, but plenty of questions remain about his future.

Not about his immediate future. We know what that holds. He’s suspended until January 2013, at least for the time being. He’ll eventually go in front of the inept Nevada State Athletic Commission for a hearing regarding his marijuana metabolite failure. But we don’t know when that’s going to happen, despite Diaz and his team making their best efforts to establish a hearing date sooner rather than later.

There’s a good chance Diaz might see his suspension cut from 12 months to six or nine months. After all, that whole medicinal marijuana card throws a wrench into things. Diaz was not, in fact, under the influence of marijuana on the night of his fight. The drug is not banned out of competition, and that’s where Diaz was using.

But even if his suspension is reduced, brother Nathan Diaz says Nick may not return to fighting at all.

“He’s busy right now. He’s got triathlon season,” the younger Diaz told media members during a UFC on FOX conference call. “I don’t think he’s really that interested in fighting. So as of right now, no.”

No matter how many times I hear Nick or Nathan reiterate that the elder Diaz is retired from fighting, I still don’t believe it. There’s nothing in the world that will convince me that once his suspension is retired—and if he’s offered a comeback fight against the winner of the proposed November bout between Condit and Georges St-Pierre—that Diaz will not return to the cage for another big payday.

It would be a shame to see Diaz actually walk away from fighting for the world of competitive triathlons. Competitive triathlons? Yeah, it takes a ton of endurance and heart, and kudos goes out to Diaz for even being able to compete in those things, but I cannot imagine anything more boring.

What I want to see is Diaz, back in the cage, throwing bungalows and generally being the entertaining dude he’s been over the past five years.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Ronda Rousey and UFC Stars Take a Swing at Horrible California MMA Legislation

Rob Maysey’s Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association seems to have been a colossal flop.The organization attempted to bring fighters together to “maximize the influence and earning capacity of its members in the sport of mixed martial arts.” Maysey tol…

Rob Maysey’s Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association seems to have been a colossal flop.

The organization attempted to bring fighters together to “maximize the influence and earning capacity of its members in the sport of mixed martial arts.” Maysey told me last year that the tyranny of Dana White and Zuffa was holding the fighters back.

“Currently, the business of mixed martial arts is akin to the old ‘studio system’ that dominated Hollywood, where the fates of actors were left entirely to the mercy of idiosyncratic studio executives and owners,” Rob Maysey said.

Maysey, a long-time advocate for fighter’s rights, runs the Mixed Martial Arts Fighter’s Association. He says the lack of a viable competitor makes an organization like his more necessary than ever.

“In MMA, the athletes may be at an even greater disadvantage, as only one major ‘producer’ (the UFC) remains. Monopolies in the existing team sports arguably serve to maximize the earnings potential, level of competition and brand power of existing leagues.

“The monopolistic power enjoyed by these leagues, however, is necessarily offset with a counter balance in the form of a strong association representing the interests of the athletes. Without such protection, the athletes face a future that may resemble the studio actors prior to the emergence of the Screen Actors Guild and other protections afforded by law.”

It turns out that fighters were more comfortable with their agents and managers helping them maximize earnings, rather than an Association. Maysey wasn’t able to galvanize much support. One veteran agent told me he was “too fanatical” and that his dismissal of the UFC didn’t sit well with the fighters who have become wealthy working with Zuffa.

For the most part, Maysey faded from the scene—but it’s become obvious that he had no intention of disappearing entirely. It appears that he is now working behind the scenes, trying to do legislatively what he couldn’t manage in the free market. If fighters didn’t want to support the MMAFA of their own free will, why not force them into it with the power of the state?

Yesterday, California Congressman Luis A. Alejo, with Maysey riding shotgun in support, introduced California AB2100 and managed to get the bill out of committee and before the Assembly as a whole.

The legislation reads like an MMAFA manifesto. It looks to abolish what they consider exploitative contracts, charge the UFC an exorbitant five percent of their pay-per-view income from events in California and essentially kill MMA in the state on all levels.

While Frank Shamrock and Antonio McKee spoke on behalf of the legislation, Strikeforce star Ronda Rousey was a vocal critic, telling the committee she was making good money after only a year of fighting professionally.

“I didn’t get that way through bad contracts,” Rousey said. “This is a performance-based business. You have to make yourself valuable. I win, and I make myself entertaining to watch, and that’s why this company pays me.

“…This bill is being presented as something to help the athletes. It wouldn’t help me renegotiate a contract. I would enter into a contract. Even if I’m happy with it and they’re happy with it, and I went and told all my friends ‘Oh my God, I have a UFC contract, that’s so cool,’ someone that I don’t know and doesn’t know me or anything about my financial situation could take a look at this contract, say they don’t like it, and instead of helping me renegotiate it, pull the promoter’s license.”

In the end, debate over this legislation is just noise. No single state could hope to enact any meaningful change. As UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta explained, this legislation would simply demand that any responsible business promote shows anywhere but California:

It is therefore troubling that AB2100 would specifically impede bringing business to California and would intentionally drive the business to states with a more reasonable tax and regulatory framework.

Indeed, AB2100 would remove the economic certainty of television taxes and would place an undue and unacceptable burden on all promoters of televised unarmed combat.

Thus, the proposed tax structure would actually result in fewer events in California, and would directly harm California’s athletes, arenas, hotels, restaurants, shopkeepers and all of their respective employees and families.

I don’t believe that this legislation is necessary. Fighters are free to negotiate deals that work for them. If they are unhappy with the UFC, they can find another party to promote their fights.

For the most part, fighters haven’t, and won’t, because the UFC pays well, on time, and offers tons of options for earning ancillary income.

It’s a system that isn’t broken. The last thing it needs is an incompetent California legislature meddling where it doesn’t belong.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com