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Suggestion Box: New Jobs for Fired UFC Fighters, Fall 2012 Edition

(“…unless it’s on short notice, in which case I’ll have to decline because it would be the worst decision of my career.” Pic Props: No Holds Barred)

By Jason Moles

The Ultimate Fighting Championship recently held its own version of Dana White’s “blocking spree,” as the official roster has been narrowed quite noticeably, leaving many to seek employment elsewhere. Over the past few weeks, a handful of fighters received their pink slips for refusing to take a fight on short notice, losing a fight taken on short notice, missing weight, and flat-out sucking. Although it’s been quite a while since we last did this, we feel it only necessary at this point in time to offer a few suggestions to the latest Zuffa casualties.

Dennis Hallman: If there’s one thing we’ll remember about Hallman, it’s his appearance in the Octagon wearing nothing but a Speedo and the gloves on his hands. The aging veteran (he’ll turn 37 in December) still has a few years before he’s eligible to receive those social security checks and will need to find a new gig to line his wallet. The timing couldn’t be better, really; as it turns out, Speedo needs a new PR guy. And to think you thought I was just grabbing low-hanging fruit. Psssh! Having a former UFC fighter with over 65 fights pushing your product will definitely put Speedo back on the map. He’ll tell consumers about the extra attention and unique propositions you’ll undoubtedly receive because of the confidence you exude. If he plays his cards right, maybe someone will pay him to just go away.

(“…unless it’s on short notice, in which case I’ll have to decline because it would be the worst decision of my career.” Pic Props: No Holds Barred)

By Jason Moles

DaMarques Johnson: Google “glutton for punishment” and you’ll spot this BJJ blue belt. (Okay, not really. But you get the idea.) Enlist in the Army, which is essentially code for signing up to get screamed at while being forced to run or do pushups? Check. Willfully live in a house full of testosterone-and-booze-fueled dudes, away from your family, and without life’s many pleasures for an entire season of The Ultimate Fighter? Check. Take a short notice fight just two weeks after your medical suspension has ended? Double check. The next logical step for Johnson is for him to become a career human medical research subject. Hey, if it’s one thing “Darkness” enjoys is being paid in exchange for tremendous amounts of pain and suffering.

Rich Attonito: Former TUF 11 castmember Rich Attonito is best known for just that — being on a reality television series. If it weren’t for a broken hand sustained during his second fight in the house, he might have been remembered for so much more. With nothing to lose, “The Raging Bull” starts his own blog where he will later be recognized for his unique and colorful look at life in the MMA world. Hey, the man did a bang up job for us during his days as a reality TV star. It could happen. But until he starts earning CagePotato-money, Attonito will resume his duties as a fitness manager and personal trainer for New York Sports Clubs.

Charlie Brenneman: With a family to feed, “The Spaniard” will return to his roots as a high school Spanish teacher. Unfortunately, the worsening economy will all but put the final nail in the coffin at Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School. In an attempt to save all extra-curricular activities, especially wrestling, from impending doom, Brenneman will become the real-life version of Scott Voss from Here Comes the Boom by fighting his way back to the bright lights of the big stage in a desperate attempt to pay off the school’s debts — or at least earn some bonus cash. You know, whatever.

Michihiro Omigawa: Since he’s obviously not cut out to be an Octagon warrior, Omigawa will head to the land of the rising sun and do the whole Puroresu thing. It’s not the highest-paying line of employment in the world, but it’s the only place that still exists for him to try to earn a living in combat sports entertainment. Maybe Vince McMahon will try to strike gold in a new Japanese star, thus signing the journeyman mixed martial artist to a lucrative deal and starting an ongoing feud with Yoshi Tatsu.

Carlo Prater: After blasting UFC color commentator Joe Rogan for his ‘unethical’ criticism of referee Mario Yamasaki, Prater goes on to become a full-time public speaker focusing on Athlete-Journalist Relationships, Professional Personal Conduct, as well as the Golden Rules of Critiquing. Not only will he make appearances at the annual UFC Fighter Summit, the BJJ black belt will be requested by the NFL, NBA, and MLB in an attempt to steer the mainstream sports stars away from their normal ways of reckless abandon.

Shane Roller: Two Words: Fashion Designer .

Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Kamal Shalorus Set for UFC on FUEL 3 in May

(Dos Anjos pulls off a picture perfect lawn chair KO on George Sotiropoulos at UFC 132.)

Kamal Shalorus has had a difficult time making the leap from the WEC to the UFC. After putting together a 3-0-1 record in the now deceased promotion, “The Prince of Persia” has dropped two straight — a first round TKO to top contender Jim Miller at UFC 128 and a third round submission at the hands of newcomer Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller. In what his final shot under the Zuffa banner, Shalorus will not be given an easy victory, as he has been booked to take on Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on FUEL 3, which goes down on May 15 from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.

Dos Anjos, on the other hand, sandwiched the above KO over G-Sots between a pair of losses to Clay Guida (via submission due to jaw injury) and the Anthony Johnson of the lightweight division, Gleison Tibau (by SD).

Also booked for Fairfax…

(Dos Anjos pulls off a picture perfect lawn chair KO on George Sotiropoulos at UFC 132.)

Also booked for Fairfax…

Following a seven year absence from the octagon that saw him go 19-6, Jeff “The Big Frog” Curran returned to the UFC last October at UFC 137. It was less than successful, as he dropped a unanimous decision to Scott Jorgensen in a match that was forgotten about before it was even over. For his next fight, Curran will be taking a significant step down in competition when he faces Johnny Eduardo in a bantamweight contest. Eduardo, a 25-9 product out of Nova Uniao, came up short in his UFC debut in August, where he was out grappled by Raphael Assuncao en route to a unanimous decision loss.

Finally, lightweights T.J Grant and Carlo Prater are set to throw down on the UFC on FUEL 3 undercard as well. You remember Carlo Prater, don’t you? He was the guy who took the road less traveled to victory at UFC 142, upsetting Erick Silva by way of superior positioning to allow illegal punches to the back of his head. It’s called strategery, Potato Nation.

Anyway, check out the full lineup for UFC on FUEL 3 below. I DEFY YOU to name the website I copy/pasted it from.

Featherweight bout: Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung
Light Heavyweight bout: Thiago Silva vs. Igor Pokrajac
Lightweight bout: Donald Cerrone vs. Jeremy Stephens
Lightweight bout: Rafael dos Anjos vs. Kamal Shalorus
Lightweight bout: TJ Grant vs. Carlo Prater
Middleweight bout: Tom Lawlor vs. Jason MacDonald
Welterweight bout: Amir Sadollah vs. Jorge Lopez
Lightweight bout: Cody McKenzie vs. Aaron Riley
Middleweight bout: Brad Tavares vs. Dongi Yang
Bantamweight bout: Yves Jabouin vs. Mike Easton
Bantamweight bout: Jeff Curran vs. Johnny Eduardo
Bantamweight bout: Alex Soto vs. Azamat Gashimov

-J. Jones

Carlo Prater Blasts ‘Unethical’ Joe Rogan for His Criticism of Mario Yamasaki at UFC 142

(“What is…a donkey punch?”)

Joe Rogan has never been one to hide his opinions. Whether it’s an early stoppage, a late stoppage, or a botched judges’ decision, many UFC fights have ended with Rogan passionately expressing his disagreement. But at UFC 142 earlier this month, Rogan went even further and corralled referee Mario Yamasaki for an unscheduled post-fight interview, asking Yamasaki to justify his disqualification of Erick Silva for shots to the back of the head. It was an uncomfortable moment, but as Rogan explained, he felt it was his duty to ask the questions that the viewers might have at that moment.

One notable fighter has come forward to stand up for Yamasaki — Carlo Prater, the guy who actually took the alleged illegal shots from Silva that night. As Prater sees it, his perspective and Yamasaki’s perspective hold a lot more weight than Joe Rogan’s, who’s just a “swagger,” in his opinion. (Continue reading for a definition of “swagger” as used in this context. It might not be what you think.) Here’s what Prater told SportTV.com in a new interview:

(“What is…a donkey punch?”)

Joe Rogan has never been one to hide his opinions. Whether it’s an early stoppage, a late stoppage, or a botched judges’ decision, many UFC fights have ended with Rogan passionately expressing his disagreement. But at UFC 142 earlier this month, Rogan went even further and corralled veteran referee Mario Yamasaki for an unscheduled post-fight interview, asking Yamasaki to justify his disqualification of Erick Silva for shots to the back of the head. It was an uncomfortable moment, but as Rogan explained, he felt it was his duty to ask the questions that the viewers might have.

One notable fighter has come forward to defend Yamasaki — Carlo Prater, the guy who actually took the alleged illegal shots from Silva that night. As Prater sees it, his perspective and Yamasaki’s perspective hold a lot more weight than Joe Rogan’s, who’s just a “swagger,” in his opinion. (Continue reading for a definition of “swagger” as used in this context. It might not be what you think.) Here’s what Prater told SportTV.com in a new interview:

“I felt very strong blows in the region of my neck and my right shoulder. I felt very painful shocks. I was trying to overthrow Erick on the floor, out of instinct, but I could not because it was the worst physical pain I’ve ever had in my entire life. I think in the end I was made out as a villain. I had to stay in the hospital until Monday. They asked me not to go public because, indeed, that wouldn’t do any good for me or Erick. In my opinion, Mario did the right thing. You are not allowed to do anything you want inside the cage. Watching the fight video, I could see at least nine blows to the back of the head.”

“I think the way Joe Rogan behaved was completely unethical. He went with the crowd. A real professional doesn’t do that. He was acting like a fan when he should be acting as a commentator. Mario is a million times more competent than him. He’s been living off this for 20 years. Joe Rogan is just a swagger, someone who walks amongst fighters but isn’t really a fighter himself. He doesn’t understand. Whatever, human beings make mistakes and I am not going to be holding grudges against him.”

Was it a controversial moment? Absolutely, especially when you consider all the UFC fights that have ended with shots to the back of the head that weren’t called disqualifications. But it’s nice to get the other guy’s perspective once in a while. Even one illegal blow should call a fight’s result into question.

Silva-Prater DQ Ruling Stands, Highlighting Need for Replay, ‘Back of Head’ Definition

Filed under: UFCAfter a review of the controversial finish to UFC 142’s Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater bout, UFC’s vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner has decided not to overturn referee Mario Yamasaki’s decision.

Prater was awarded the vic…

Filed under: UFC

After a review of the controversial finish to UFC 142‘s Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater bout, UFC‘s vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner has decided not to overturn referee Mario Yamasaki’s decision.

Prater was awarded the victory when Yamasaki ruled that at least some of a series of Silva’s finishing blows landed to the back of Prater’s head, making them illegal. In a statement released by the UFC, Ratner noted that Silva had been previously verbally warned during the fight, making it “not the type of decision that can be reviewed.”

Ratner’s decision not to overturn the ruling is understandable, as the promotion does not want to put themselves in a position where their power supersedes that of the referee or any presiding athletic commission. But it does highlight the need for two things: instant replay, and a clear and consistent definition of the “back of the head” a vague term that leaves things far too open for interpretation in a sport that is fast enough and hard enough to referee as it is.

Depending on who you talk to, there are two explanations of it. Some referees use the term “mohawk,” saying the illegal spot is an approximately one-inch wide strip right down the back of the head similar to the haircut. Others say the illegal area would be anywhere behind where a pair of earmuffs would be situated on the head.

There is simply too much at stake for the athletes for vague definitions to continue to exist. Silva, who momentarily believed he had a 29-second knockout, was suddenly robbed of a win that would have extended his unbeaten stretch to 11 straight.

Let’s make one thing clear: the sport moves so quickly that refereeing a match becomes an exercise in split-second judgments. It’s a difficult and often thankless job, and Yamasaki made his decision quickly and decisively.

That, of course, doesn’t mean he can’t be wrong from time to time. Much like NFL games can turn to replay to see whether a pass was caught in or out of bounds, MMA fights should be able to go to review to see if a blow that ended a fight was in fact, illegal. The fact that he warned Silva first shouldn’t matter; a mistake should be corrected, period.

Replay and the vague definition are two separate issues, of course.

Cageside instant replay was not available at UFC 142, but in a statement, Ratner said Zuffa has “decided to implement the use of instant replay at all international events that are self-regulated, and to encourage all regulators to consider the feasibility and effectiveness of instant replay in the sport of MMA.”

That change would be a positive step.

Replay has been used in Nevada for a few years now. In one memorable case, ref Steve Mazzagatti consulted a replay screen to determine that Jon Jones had committed an intentional foul against Matt Hamill, a decision that ultimately led to the first and still only loss on the UFC champion’s record. That is an example of a fair use of replay; Mazzagatti had doubt, looked over the video and made the right call.

Expanded replay would give referees a chance to review their calls in pivotal situations. In the case of Silva-Prater, Yamasaki had to make his call, and then was faced with a situation where he was put on the spot to defend it when the replays were shown on the arena’s big screens.

Of course, it might not have been necessary if we had a more decisive definition of what exactly the “back of the head” was. Yamasaki was notably the referee in an August 2011 bout between Vitor Belfort and Yoshihiro Akiyama, a fight that ended with questions about Belfort’s finishing strikes, which many believed were to the back of Akiyama’s head. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to watch the Belfort-Akiyama and Silva-Prater fights and determine one to be fair and the other worthy of a disqualification.

But those are the rules we play by in MMA today. As long as there’s no clarification of the “back of the head” rule, we’ll continue to face situations where the same strike will be interpreted as illegal in one fight, and never cause a blip of controversy in another. At least if we had a concise definition, we would know if our outrage is warranted.

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‘UFC 142: Aldo vs Mendes’ GIF Party: The Finishes & Other Highlights

Behold: a shining example of “kick face“. (Photo: UFC.com)

Brazilian fans are credited with being the most raucous audience in the world, and last night’s fighters gave them plenty to cheer about. Six of the nine bouts ended via knock out or submission*, with five of those stoppages coming in the first round.

Chokes, knees, and even a spinning wheel kick punctuated last night’s fights (*as did a controversial referee stoppage). Pop on in for a motion picture tribute to UFC 142.

As always, praise be to Zombie Prophet.

Behold: a shining example of “kick face“. (Photo: UFC.com)

Chokes, knees, and even a spinning wheel kick punctuated last night’s fights (*as did a controversial referee stoppage). Pop on in for a motion picture tribute to UFC 142.

As always, praise be to Zombie Prophet.

Mike Pyle vs Ricardo Funch

Gabriel Gonzaga vs Ednaldo Oliveira

UFC 142 Aftermath: Spoiler Alert, Brazilians Outmatch their Opponents Again

The People’s Champion, showing Chael Sonnen how it’s done. Props: @CopperHeartCT

With the UFC’s quick return to Rio de Janeiro, the promotion had high expectations to live up to. Their last visit saw a nearly perfect performance from one of the sport’s most dominant champions, a local favorite earning a quick finish, and (most) Brazilian fighters outmatching their foreign opponents on their ways to victory. It was going to be difficult to entertain the local fans the same way that UFC 134 did, yet the UFC’s return to Brazil netted nearly identical results.

Heading into his title defense against Chad Mendes last night, critics were starting to say that Jose Aldo was beginning to coast his way through fights. That the fight finisher fans grew to love in the WEC had been replaced by a fighter content to go through the motions en route to a decision victory. In front of his home country, Aldo made an impressive statement by finishing “Money” Mendes in the first round.

Mendes displayed improved striking, but that means little when facing the lethal limbs of Jose Aldo. To win this fight–or even stay competitive–Mendes needed to put the champion on his back, yet time and time again his best efforts were thwarted. Though Aldo blatantly grabbed the fence to prevent one takedown, a follow-up attempt from the same position seconds later barely took his feet off the ground. Had he been deducted one point- or ten- it’s hard to imagine the fight going any other way. The brilliant takedown defense and impeccable timing he showed throughout the bout were on full display in the closing seconds of round one. Aldo’s transition to the fight ending knee was nothing short of perfection, something only a dominant striker of his caliber could dream of pulling off.

The People’s Champion, showing Chael Sonnen how it’s done. Props: @CopperHeartCT

There is very little that can possibly be said about the co-main event at this point. To call it “Win big or go home” for Anthony Johnson would not only be a lazy, clichéd thing to do, but it would also be misleading. “Win big” would imply some type of reward for an impressive victory for Rumble, be it a title shot, an end of the night bonus or even a title eliminator fight against another top tier middleweight. When Anthony Johnson botched his weight cut as recklessly as he did, all of those options were taken off of the table. Replacing them was the best case scenario of adding a “W” to his record that would have an asterisk next to it in the minds of both fans and his employer.

As expected, Johnson was able to use his size advantage to handle Belfort early on. Also as expected, his medical issues that ~~caused him to miss weight~~ were brought on by a last minute weight cut led him to quickly gas out. Once Johnson began lunging at Belfort with desperate takedown attempts, Vitor Belfort was able to quickly take Rumble’s back and sink in the choke. The Phenom won’t be getting a title shot after a victory like that, but he’s earned coveted job security with the UFC. Likewise, an Anthony Johnson themed “And Now he’s Fired” will be published soon, as Dana White all but fired him Vince McMahon style during the post-event press conference.

While there were plenty of questionable decisions made by the referees last night, none were more cringe-worthy than the way Mario Yamasaki handled Prater vs. Silva. There’s really nothing to say about the fight other than “do over”. Silva looked to be en route to an early victory, landed some shots to the back of Prater’s head, kept fighting, as Yamasaki didn’t stop the fight to deduct points, and found himself disqualified when Prater was unable to continue. Unfortunately, a rematch is the only thing that makes sense for either fighter, although the UFC is still giving Silva his win bonus for his performance.

Last time Edson Barboza fought (coincidentally, in Rio), he predictably defeated a handpicked Ross Pearson in a surprisingly close fight. This time around, Barboza thoroughly outgunned Terry Etim on the feet and kept the fight off of the mat on his way to a flawless wheel kick knockout in the third round. The impressive showing from Barboza not only earned him a step up in competition, but also earned him $130,000- $65k for Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night with Terry Etim. The Submission of the Night honors went to Rousimar Palhares, who predictably added Mike Massenzio’s leg to his collection with a first round heel hook. Paul Harris has now won three straight fights, and should find himself back in the mix at middleweight.

And if there’s one in every crowd, the “one” from last night is Ricardo Funch. Much like Luiz Cane before him, Funch was the only Brazilian to lose to a foreign opponent in Rio de Janeiro, getting knocked out in the first round by Mike Pyle. Pyle improves to 5-3 in the UFC.

Full Results:

Main card
Jose Aldo def. Chad Mendes via first-round KO
Vitor Belfort def. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke)
Rousimar Palhares def. Mike Massenzio via submission (heel hook)
Carlo Prater wins via disqualification vs. Erick Silva (illegal head blows)
Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim via third-round KO

Preliminary card
Thiago Tavares def. Sam Stout via unanimous decision
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Ednaldo Oliveira via submission (rear-naked choke)
Yuri Alcantara def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision
Mike Pyle def. Ricardo Funch via first-round TKO
Felipe Arantes def. Antonio Carvalho via unanimous decision

-@SethFalvo