Michael Bisping doesn’t mince words.It’s a trait that makes him one of the best interviews in the sport as well as one of the UFC’s most-hated fighters.Bisping joined the illustrious Gareth A. Davies on the ESPN UK Podcast and discussed several interes…
It’s a trait that makes him one of the best interviews in the sport as well as one of the UFC’s most-hated fighters.
Bisping joined the illustrious Gareth A. Davies on the ESPN UK Podcast and discussed several interesting tidbits, including a comparison between his UFC 148 opponent Tim Boetsch and Mark Munoz.
I have never really looked at Mark Munoz and thought he looked like a particularly dangerous opponent. His ground and pound looks good, his wrestling doesn’t look all that dangerous, his stand up is suspect and he’s got a weak chin. I think Tim Boetsch is probably a harder fight.
I’m sorry, but I have a hard time taking someone seriously when they say Mark Munoz’ wrestling doesn’t look all that good.
We all know Munoz has some of the best wrestling in the sport, with the pedigree in amateur wrestling to back it up. His entire ground and pound game—which I will admit has become the most-feared aspect of his game—is predicated on his ability to effortlessly control his opponents on the ground.
It may not look like much, but it takes an enormous amount of skill and strength to do what Munoz does to his opponents on the ground.
I don’t know if Boetsch is a harder fight than Munoz.
Both fighters hit very hard and both are very strong, but I think Munoz’ wrestling game gives him an advantage over Boetsch.
Bisping also revealed that he turned down an offer to fight Cung Le at UFC 148.
That’s a good move on his part. Le is coming off a knockout loss to Wanderlei Silva, and it would have been a step back for Bisping to go in the cage with him.
Bisping lost his last bout to Chael Sonnen, but looked great in the fight and it was much closer than the judges’ scorecards let on.
He should be inching his way towards a title fight, not away from one, and Le would have been a big step back in terms of his contending for the title.
The hype train for next month’s monstrous fight between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former training partner and friend Rashad Evans is in full swing.In the coming weeks, we’ll start seeing plenty of interviews from both fighters as the…
The hype train for next month’s monstrous fight between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former training partner and friend Rashad Evans is in full swing.
In the coming weeks, we’ll start seeing plenty of interviews from both fighters as they prepare for their showdown in Atlanta.
We’ll get the usual UFC Countdown preview show, and we’ll also see a three-week “UFC Primetime” series, beginning April 6.
With nearly two months between UFC pay per view events, the hype level for this one should be off the charts by the time fight week rolls around.
At UFC 145, I think it will come down to who really wants it. We are both going to get beat on in this fight, we are both going to get banged up and hurt, but I want this more.
On April 21, at UFC 145, beating Jon Jones up means everything to me. I want to smash him up so bad. I want to be world champion again – but for this fight, beating up on Jon Jones means absolutely everything.
I will beat his ass and then tell him that crying won’t get him his belt back.
Do you believe Evans when he says that beating Jones is more important to him than winning the title?
I do.
This thing between Jones and Evans is very personal. Evans was a senior member at Greg Jackson’s gym in New Mexico, and he feels like he was cast aside by his former coach and friends for the next big thing in Jones.
He was forced to make major life changes, on the personal side and in terms of training. It wasn’t an easy experience.
Evans may never say it publicly, but I believe he was hurt deeply by the way the whole situation unfolded.
We’ll never know the true extent of the former relationship between Evans and Jones, and we may never know exactly how Jones came to be a part of Jackson’s gym in the first place.
At this point, it doesn’t really matter. In Rashad’s mind, the damage is done.
I do believe that beating Jones means more to Evans than winning the title for a second time.
At this point, it’s less about disarming the cocky kid than it is about sending Jackson a message: that he was wrong to stand behind Jones.
Dana White has never been the biggest fan of soccer. We know that.White has claimed for years that the UFC—and mixed martial arts in general—will someday be the biggest sport in the world.And yes, he includes soccer (or football, for those …
Dana White has never been the biggest fan of soccer. We know that.
White has claimed for years that the UFC—and mixed martial arts in general—will someday be the biggest sport in the world.
And yes, he includes soccer (or football, for those of you reading this story from somewhere outside of North America) in that mix.
I’m not a big hockey fan. But I respect how talented you have to be to play hockey. Soccer? That’s a whole other ball. Can’t stand soccer. It’s the least-talented sport on Earth. There’s a reason three-year-olds can play soccer. When you’re playing a game when the net is that big and the score is 3-1 (and that’s a blowout) are you kidding me? You know how untalented you have to be to score three times when the net is that big?
First, let’s take a look at White’s belief that the UFC will be bigger than soccer.
This will never happen.
Soccer is the only true worldwide sport.
It’s the most popular sport on the planet, and nothing—not the NFL, not the NBA and certainly not the UFC—is even close.
It’s not even a race.
During the 2010 World Cup, over 99.2 million people viewed at least six minutes of World Cup action during the round of 16. And in the finals, over 700 million people tuned in to see Spain vs. Netherlands.
Seven hundred. Million. People.
That’s a staggering number. And while I think the UFC will continue to grow in popularity over the next 25 years, I simply cannot fathom a day when 700 million people tune in for a UFC fight, even if it’s on free television around the world.
As for White’s claim that soccer is the least-talented sport in the world? That sounds like a statement from someone who doesn’t understand soccer in the slightest.
I’ll admit that I used to have the same attitude. I thought soccer was boring and terrible.
But then I started watching it and realized that, just like mixed martial arts, there are many layers to a soccer game, and your personal enjoyment of the matches goes up when you understand what’s going on.
Dana is a passionate dude. He’s the most powerful promoter in the sport, but he’s also a huge fan, and that’s something that shines through when he makes comments like this.
We don’t have an exact date or even an exact location, but we do know one thing: The rematch between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen—the bane of Silva’s existence for over two years now—will finally go down in just…
We don’t have an exact date or even an exact location, but we do know one thing: The rematch between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen—the bane of Silva’s existence for over two years now—will finally go down in just under three months.
UFC President Dana White noted during yesterday’s press conference in Calgary that Silva and Sonnen will meet in an 80,000-seat soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The fight was long expected to happen in Sao Paolo, but the UFC ran into noise ordinance problems there and ultimately could not come to a deal with the city.
And so they’ll travel back to Rio for the third time in under a year. That’s not a bad thing, though.
Rio, as we’ve all seen from media reports and with our own eyes on pay-per-view broadcasts, is likely the owner of the most vocal and vicious mixed martial arts fans in the entire world. For everything we say about Canadians and their loyalty to the sport, Rio tops them all by sheer force of will.
Make no mistake about it: Silva vs. Sonnen 2 is the biggest fight in the history of the sport. It may not draw the kind of PPV numbers that Brock Lesnar often did during his brief heyday in the sport, but it will not be topped by sheer atmosphere.
Not even UFC 129, which had over 50,000 fans packed into the Rogers Centre for the first stadium show in UFC history, will compare to what goes down in Rio this summer.
It might be hyperbole to start comparing the outdoor fight to the “Thrilla in Manila” or Ali-Liston II or the “Rumble in the Jungle,” but maybe only narrowly. Who knows if in 40 years we’ll be talking about Silva/Sonnen II?
But as of 2012, it looks like the biggest fight in MMA history, with context filling in every corner. Their first fight, at UFC 117 in August 2010, was so one-sided as to become surreal for nine-tenths of the bout. Then came the late submission that has made Sonnen the butt of geometry jokes worldwide. Once again it’s Sonnen’s dogged wrestling against Silva’s violent grace. What buildup awaits. Sonnen knows what to do with a microphone, just like Ali did — and he has his own parcel of scandals, too. In a bargain bin way, testosterone replacement therapy is Sonnen’s “Vietnam” references. Ali lived in turbulent political times. Sonnen is a politician (as well as real estate agent and author) with an uninspiring overall record.
Somehow, here we are.
Lost in all the talk of the rematch is the intricate—and some might say masterful—job that Sonnen has done in building up this fight. It’s an exact match for the kind of old-school pro wrestling storylines that Sonnen so adores.
Years spent watching Portland wrestling and taking the best from Superstar Billy Graham promos prepared him for this very moment, and he has delivered in spades.
Think about it for a second, if you will. Two years ago, Sonnen was an unknown commodity in fighting. But then he started trashing Silva at a time when every other “Spider” opponent was nothing but respectful.
On top of that, he continually trashed Brazil and just about every other Brazilian fighter you can think of. This went on for two years, a period of time that saw him lose to Silva in the most dramatic bout in UFC history.
Sonnen dismissed the loss as a fluke. In reality, he understands that he actually lost the fight, but he’ll never say so publicly. Admitting defeat isn’t part of the plan.
He continued to trash Brazil and Silva and worked his way back to a title shot. And now that title shot, in a moment reflecting the best of those fake wrestling storylines that so hooked him as a kid, will come in the hometown of the fighter he’s been trashing for two years, in the place he’s spent countless hours running down verbally.
No matter what happens at UFC 147, Sonnen did his job. It would be nice to take home the UFC title, but he’s created a memory that will last much longer than any mere title win.
The bubble. For a professional mixed martial artist, it’s the worst place imaginable to be, a purgatory on the margins of the sport. It’s a place without significant endorsement opportunities. Without fame and stardom. Without life-changing money or an…
The bubble. For a professional mixed martial artist, it’s the worst place imaginable to be, a purgatory on the margins of the sport. It’s a place without significant endorsement opportunities. Without fame and stardom. Without life-changing money or an entourage. A place where you’re unlikely to encounter Ariel Helwani or Mike Straka. And there are dozens of fighters there, some seemingly forever, unable to make their way back to the UFC’s famed Octagon.
Worst of all? Once you arrive there, the exit strategy is unclear, the path back to the sport’s spotlight unmarked, and incredibly treacherous. How does a fighter who has tasted the thrill that comes only with a major UFC event, that adrenaline rush that combines a rabid crowd and a fat wallet to dizzying effect, survive on the independent scene? By scratching and clawing and waiting for that magic phone call where UFC matchmaker Joe Silva changes your life forever.
Three-time NCAA champion Jake Rosholt says he can’t survive long term on the bubble. No one can. To make a living in this sport, it’s UFC or bust.
“I would be embarrassed to tell you some of the pay days that I’ve fought for outside the UFC,” Rosholt told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. “Thankfully I’m in a great situation with Team Takedown where my income doesn’t come just from fighting. Other fighters? I don’t know how they do it. I wouldn’t be able to support my family where I’m fighting now. The money in the UFC is so much better.”
Rosholt, who went 1-2 in a brief UFC stint, has been on the outside looking in for two years. That’s like a blink of an eye for veteran John Alessio, who last fought in the Octagon all the way back in 2006.
“I have a wife and son. All I want to do is give them the best life possible,” Alessio said. “There’s definitely a lot more money there. I just need to get in. I need to get my foot in the door. I need them to give me another opportunity. I feel like, this time, I’ll stay there. Then I’ll be able to really provide for my family.”
Alessio is as old school as they come these days, a young fighter who started early enough that he actually competed in the UFC before the current regime took over in 2001. The 32-year-old Canadian is 8-1 in the last two years and undefeated at lightweight. But the Xtreme Couture fighter still waits for a call that never seems to come.
“I train with guys in the UFC all the time. All day,” said Alessio, who beat Ryan Healy in the Score Fighting Series last week. “I see exactly where I stand. I think I would be a definite threat. It gives me a lot of confidence.”
You’d think the problem might be on the business side—that Alessio is missing out because he has an inexperienced or out of favor agent. Nothing could be further from the case. Robert Roveta of Denaro Sports Marketing represents him as well as dozens of other fighters at all levels of the sport.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia also has a power agent, Monte Cox. But he too is relegated to waiting for a call up.
”I’m sick and tired of watching a bunch of bums fight in the UFC,” the 35-year-old Sylvia said. “Guys that I know I can beat…They told [manager Monte Cox], ‘Tim needs to keep winning. Keep putting wins together.’ I’ve done that and nothing happened. And there are guys in there I think are absolutely horrible…Yeah, I’ve got an attitude about it. I’m tired of it. I’ve got to make my own destiny.”
Sylvia and Alessio, at least, are still able to ply their trade. Rosholt, perhaps because of his wrestling pedigree, has trouble doing even that. He hasn’t fought since July of last year despite being in a constant hunt for an opponent.
“Trying to find that path that brings me back there has kind of been a bit of a struggle,” Rosholt admits. “We’ve been working our butts off to get me a fight since around Christmas time. Trying hard.”
He’s recently moved up to 205 pounds and is eying some of the bigger names on the free-agent market, including former UFC star Anthony Johnson. The problem for Rosholt, and others in his shoes, is simple: The high-profile fights that do exist would require signing a contract with Bellator or another UFC competitor, which would limit his options.
“Some of it is the promotions. They don’t want you to sign for one fight,” Rosholt said. “They want you to sign a contract for five fights or something. That’s something I don’t want to be in. The only place I want to fight long term is the UFC. That’s the cream of the crop. So going out and getting stuck in a long term contract somewhere else is out of the question for me.
“I want to fight somebody good. Somebody that’s a big name, a tough fight. You’re trying to look for other guys in a similar position, who are good enough and wanting back in the UFC. But maybe they don’t want to take that risk. Maybe I’m a bad matchup for them?”
Matchups are the name of the game in mixed martial arts. They say “styles make fights,” not just because it’s a comfortable cliche. It’s also true. To Rosholt’s chagrin, that means fighters looking to make their way into the Octagon are very careful about what fights they take. As Alessio explained, the fighters are walking a very fine tight rope with no safety net. A loss can be disastrous.
“I absolutely worry about losing,” Alessio said. “Because it gives them a way out. ‘Oh, you lost. Now you need to get back on a winning streak.’ And what’s that? Another four or five fights? That could take a whole year of your life. You start back at the beginning. So, winning is very important. I came into this last fight with the attitude that losing wasn’t an option.”
Rosholt prefers to maintain a more positive mindset. Unlike some other veterans looking for a return to glory, he doesn’t want to compare himself to middle-of-the-pack guys. He’s seen fighters he beat during his wrestling days, men like Phil Davis and Chris Weidman, have significant UFC success. And unlike his first run with the promotion, this time he thinks he’s prepared to go all the way to the top.
“If you look at it like ‘I can’t lose,’ you’re not going to do your best. I’m out there to win and do the best I can do. Hopefully that fight is entertaining and a great fight for the fans,” Rosholt said. “I don’t feel any pressure. I feel like sooner or later things are going to come together and I’m going to get my shot at the UFC.
“I know that I can be a champion. And some day it’s going to happen. I’m not just a guy who can get in the UFC and fight in the UFC. I want to be UFC champion. And I know that can happen. Sooner or later it will all work out.”
You may have missed the news yesterday that top welterweight contenders Jake Ellenberger and Martin Kampmann will face off in the main event of the Ultimate Fighter Live Finale on June 1st.That’s understandable. There was a ton of news going around yes…
You may have missed the news yesterday that top welterweight contenders Jake Ellenberger and Martin Kampmann will face off in the main event of the Ultimate Fighter Live Finale on June 1st.
That’s understandable. There was a ton of news going around yesterday, from multiple fight announcements to a veritable Canadian treasure trove being unveiled during the middle of one of the most unintentionally funny UFC press conferences that I can remember.
Ellenberger vs. Kampmann is big news, though. Both of these men were once thought to be potential opponents for Carlos Condit, but Condit’s decision to sit and wait for Georges St-Pierre’s return and a potential title unification bout on November 17 in Montreal threw a wrench into those plans.
And so we have two of the best welterweight fighters in the world matched up against one another, with the ultimate prize being a likely shot at the winner of Condit vs. Ellenberger.
What about him? As of this very moment, Diaz is suspended from fighting. I know Diaz and his lawyer think they have a brilliant excuse for him failing a drug test, and perhaps they do. Perhaps Diaz will get his suspension reduced to six months, meaning he’ll be back in June, and it’ll be like he never left in the first place.
But the truth is that it doesn’t really matter. I know this is hard for Diaz fans to understand, so I’ll say it one more time: Nick lost the fight against Condit. That’s a fact. You may think Condit fought like a girl (he didn’t) or that Condit ran (he didn’t), but the one thing you can’t argue (you will) is that Condit beat Diaz according to the unified rules of mixed martial arts.
Ellenberger and Kampmann are clear contenders. They each won their last fight in definitive fashion. Diaz lost his last fight, and he did so by lackluster decision.
And then he failed a drug test because he couldn’t stop smoking pot for the few weeks surrounding his fight.
The math adds up. Diaz may get his title shot at some point down the road, and potheads around the world will celebrate when he does. But he’ll need to win another fight before they throw him into the title mix.
And in the meantime, two deserving fighters—Ellenberger and Kampmann—can get the shot they actually won in the cage, not by being anti-authority and throwing their fingers in the air.
Michael Bisping doesn’t mince words.