Last week, UFC welterweight contender Matt Brown herniated two discs in his back and was forced to pull out of his scheduled fight against Carlos Condit this Saturday at UFC on Fox 9. As he explained to CagePotato, he initially hoped a cortisone shot would help him feel well enough to fight, but that didn’t pan out.
Now, he’s benched from most physical activity for a month other than his therapy exercises. The good news is that if rehab goes well, Brown could be back training full contact in two months.
“The prognosis for me is basically that for one month I’ve got nothing but rehab. There’s no bending over to pick anything up and I can’t have any impact in any shape or form. No running. Nothing like any of those types of things,” Brown says.
“After two months, assuming rehab goes well, I’ll get a second cortisone shot and should be able to go full contact again.”
If Brown does his physical therapy to a ‘T’, he says he’s told that he should be able to avoid surgery on his back. Despite being so badly hurt, Brown says that he couldn’t bring himself to pull out of the fight on his own.
“I knew in my heart I wanted to do it,” he says.
(Brown smashes up Jordan Mein at UFC on FOX 7 in April. / Photo via Getty)
Last week, UFC welterweight contender Matt Brown herniated two discs in his back and was forced to pull out of his scheduled fight against Carlos Condit this Saturday at UFC on Fox 9. As he explained to CagePotato, he initially hoped a cortisone shot would help him feel well enough to fight, but that didn’t pan out.
Now, he’s benched from most physical activity for a month other than his therapy exercises. The good news is that if rehab goes well, Brown could be back training full contact in two months.
“The prognosis for me is basically that for one month I’ve got nothing but rehab. There’s no bending over to pick anything up and I can’t have any impact in any shape or form. No running. Nothing like any of those types of things,” Brown says.
“After two months, assuming rehab goes well, I’ll get a second cortisone shot and should be able to go full contact again.”
If Brown does his physical therapy to a ‘T’, he says he’s told that he should be able to avoid surgery on his back. Despite being so badly hurt, Brown says that he couldn’t bring himself to pull out of the fight on his own.
“I knew in my heart I wanted to do it,” he says.
“In my head I knew it probably wasn’t the best idea but I couldn’t get myself to say it out loud. I needed [my family and coaches] to push me to pull out of the fight.”
Brown admits that watching or even talking about fights right now is a bit of a bummer for him, given that he was so close to a huge fight and now can’t even move without pain. He doesn’t allow for self-pity to set in, however.
“I can’t change it so I just need to go about my way and enjoy the fights,” he says of the UFC on Fox 9 card.
As for when he does return to fighting, Brown’s immediate target hasn’t changed.
“Carlos Condit is still on my mind,” he says. “I definitely want to still fight him if that works out.”
(If only the discs in Brown’s back could’ve been “immortal” too. / Photo via Getty)
We don’t want to freak you out, but curses are real. Our last five posts about UFC on FOX 9 have all been injury related. Our sixth post about the event is worst of all: Matt Brown is out of his fight with Carlos Condit due to a back injury.
The best fight left on the card after a series of injuries ravaged it is gone now. If you’re not keeping score, here’s a rundown of how injury-plagued this fight card has been:
(If only the discs in Brown’s back could’ve been “immortal” too. / Photo via Getty)
We don’t want to freak you out, but curses are real. Our last five posts about UFC on FOX 9 have all been injury related. Our sixth post about the event is worst of all: Matt Brown is out of his fight with Carlos Condit due to a back injury.
The best fight left on the card after a series of injuries ravaged it is gone now. If you’re not keeping score, here’s a rundown of how injury-plagued this fight card has been:
Either way, UFC on FOX 9 is a shadow of its former self. There are still some decent to above-average fights on it, but it’s no longer a must-see, free-card-of-the-year. Bummer.
(“I’ve been at the bottom. When I lost three in a row I thought I was cut for sure. I have no fear of that. I can look at it and say there’s worse things in life that could happen.” / Photo via Getty)
A real-life Rocky if there ever was one, Matt Brown is not your typical MMA fighter. He didn’t wrestle in college and he doesn’t have the polished good looks that will land him on posters. He turned to mixed martial arts as a way out of a lifestyle that was killing him, and it has been anything but a smooth ride to the top of the UFC welterweight division. Three straight losses in 2010 had many, including him, questioning whether or not he was a UFC-caliber fighter.
Now with six straight wins in the UFC, Brown will get the most challenging opponent of his career. On December 14th at UFC on FOX 9, he’ll take on former title contender Carlos Condit in what is sure to be an explosive bout. We recently spoke to Matt to get his thoughts on the fight that could launch him into title contention, how MMA saved his life, his experience on TUF, what he thought about Georges St. Pierre‘s controversial win over Johny Hendricks, and so much more. Enjoy.
CAGEPOTATO.COM:What was it about mixed martial arts that drew you to the sport?
MATT BROWN: The first time I saw it was Tank Abbott way back in one of the first UFC events. That got me kind of interested. The first one that really got me was Sakuraba vs. Royce Gracie in Pride. I thought “man, this is freaking amazing.” It was something I wanted to be a part of in some way.
The draw is mainly the intensity and the authenticity of the sport. The UFC says it best: It’s as real as it gets. That’s a rare thing in life and in sport.
I find it funny you say Sakuraba and Gracie because they were so grappling-based and you’re more of a knockout guy.
At that time with the knowledge I had of MMA, Royce was unstoppable. He was the epitome of a UFC fighter. He was this mysterious guy who came in and did all these things that no one had seen before. It was amazing. The fact that [his fight against Sakuraba] lasted an hour and a half, it was like watching a movie. I don’t know what it was about that fight, but even to this day it’s a pretty amazing fight to me.
(“I’ve been at the bottom. When I lost three in a row I thought I was cut for sure. I have no fear of that. I can look at it and say there’s worse things in life that could happen.” / Photo via Getty)
A real-life Rocky if there ever was one, Matt Brown is not your typical MMA fighter. He didn’t wrestle in college and he doesn’t have the polished good looks that will land him on posters. He turned to mixed martial arts as a way out of a lifestyle that was killing him, and it has been anything but a smooth ride to the top of the UFC welterweight division. Three straight losses in 2010 had many, including him, questioning whether or not he was a UFC-caliber fighter.
Now with six straight wins in the UFC, Brown will get the most challenging opponent of his career. On December 14th at UFC on FOX 9, he’ll take on former title contender Carlos Condit in what is sure to be an explosive bout. We recently spoke to Matt to get his thoughts on the fight that could launch him into title contention, how MMA saved his life, his experience on TUF, what he thought about Georges St. Pierre‘s controversial win over Johny Hendricks, and so much more. Enjoy.
CAGEPOTATO.COM:What was it about mixed martial arts that drew you to the sport?
MATT BROWN: The first time I saw it was Tank Abbott way back in one of the first UFC events. That got me kind of interested. The first one that really got me was Sakuraba vs. Royce Gracie in Pride. I thought “man, this is freaking amazing.” It was something I wanted to be a part of in some way.
The draw is mainly the intensity and the authenticity of the sport. The UFC says it best: It’s as real as it gets. That’s a rare thing in life and in sport.
I find it funny you say Sakuraba and Gracie because they were so grappling-based and you’re more of a knockout guy.
At that time with the knowledge I had of MMA, Royce was unstoppable. He was the epitome of a UFC fighter. He was this mysterious guy who came in and did all these things that no one had seen before. It was amazing. The fact that [his fight against Sakuraba] lasted an hour and a half, it was like watching a movie. I don’t know what it was about that fight, but even to this day it’s a pretty amazing fight to me.
You received your nickname “The Immortal” after surviving a heroin overdose. It sounds melodramatic, but would you credit mixed martial arts with saving your life?
Absolutely, 100 percent. There wasn’t anything else that grabbed my attention like the martial arts did. Nothing else created that drive in me to improve myself. That just gave me a reason and motivation to improve myself and it was something to wake up everyday and look forward to. It saved me.
You got your start in the UFC after being on The Ultimate Fighter. What are your thoughts on that experience looking back?
It was a great experience. I had a good time for the whole show. I think I was fortunate to be on one of the seasons where we had a lot of serious guys. We didn’t have a lot of jokers and no one was trying to cause any problems. I enjoyed it up until I lost. I hurt my ankle pretty bad and when I lost the fight I couldn’t train, so I basically was sitting around the house with nothing to do.
Knowing you as a quiet person, it seems an odd decision that you’d want to compete on the reality show. What was it about TUF that was appealing to you?
Just the chance to fight in the UFC, there was nothing else to it. I didn’t expect to get picked on the show. I was surprised and shocked when they chose me. I didn’t think I had the personality, but I guess they saw something else.
Were you a fan of The Ultimate Fighter before joining the cast on season 7?
Yeah, absolutely. I was a fan since the first season.
We’re almost 10 years into The Ultimate Fighter now. Do you think it’s still the best avenue for fighters to enter the UFC?
I guess it depends on your situation. Everybody is a little different. It can definitely be a positive thing and a good way to do it.
At one point in your UFC tenure you had lost three straight fights, and four of five. What if anything was going on in your life at that point that led to those defeats?
I can look back and find many reasons, but I don’t think they’re good reasons. I was going through a hard time and had some things going on in my life, but there’s no reason it should have caused me to lose fights. I think it was more about reacting to situations and how I let them affect and distract me. I’ve learned from that since. I’ve learned how to control my mind a little better and handle things a little better.
Do you think you’re a better fighter because of that experience?
In some ways, yeah. I’ve been at the bottom. When I lost three in a row I thought I was cut for sure. I have no fear of that. I can look at it and say there’s worse things in life that could happen.
Did you ever question yourself as to whether or not you were a UFC-caliber fighter?
There were times when I said “look, if I can’t beat these fighters then I don’t deserve to be here anyways.” I knew I had it in me to beat them, but that doesn’t really matter. If you’re not winning, you’re not winning. I was just fortunate to be given a second chance and everything has worked out since.
You’ve now won six fights in a row in arguably the most talent-filled division in the UFC. What do you credit with the turnaround?
I don’t really credit one specific thing. It’s more a matter of going into the gym and working hard. I pride myself on working as hard, if not harder, than anybody else. I stay consistent and I don’t get out of shape or fat. I don’t have to cut insane amounts of weight. I watch my diet as well. I’m a believer that if you work hard enough at anything, good things will happen and that’s what has happened. I didn’t really change much of anything. I just kept working hard and kept my eyes on the road ahead.
How important do you see the mental aspect of fighting?
The mental aspect is gigantic. During training camp you’re building your physical shape for the fight. When it comes down to the fight itself, as long as you did everything physically proper, then the fight is 90 to 100 percent mental.
You keep busier than most fighters on the roster, with this being your seventh fight since February of 2012. Do you think staying busy makes you a better fighter?
If I’m not hurt and I have the ability to fight, then I want to be in there fighting. I don’t see the point in sitting around. I’m not getting any younger. I keep working hard and keep testing myself. I am in this sport to fight. I take a week or two off after every fight. That’s three vacations a year. That’s more than 99 percent of other jobs out there.
You’ve said on multiple occasions that you’re in this sport to build a legacy and be one of the best ever. Where does that drive to be successful come from?
Gosh, I don’t know where it comes from. It’s just natural for me. It’s human nature, I guess. We all want to be successful, we all want to be the best at what we do. It’s just in my blood.
You talked about getting into the sport to get away from bad habits. When did it switch from a hobby to something you wanted to be very good at?
The first day I walked in the gym I wanted to be very good at it. I don’t really do anything that I don’t want to be really good at.
Nearly all of your losses have come by submission. As a veteran of the sport, is it difficult to make the changes necessary to fill that void in your game, or is that just part of the job?
It’s not difficult. I’m constantly working on my grappling, my wrestling and my jiu-jitsu. It’s just one of those things. I don’t pick it up as quickly as I do striking and boxing. I think my jiu-jitsu is getting a lot better. I think my jiu-jitsu was good enough where I shouldn’t have been getting submitted when I was. Basically, I was doing everything I could to not end up in a grappling match and that was the reason I was getting submitted. Rather than properly trying to fight my way out or grapple with the guys, I was constantly trying to find a way not to be grappling. That wasn’t necessarily the right way to go about it.
So now you try and be ready for the fight to go anywhere.
Exactly. I try and be more open-minded in a fight and be willing to fight from all positions, rather than being stubborn and dead set on one style of fighting.
Now you’ve got the most difficult test of your career in Carlos Condit. What do you bring that he hasn’t seen before? What makes you different?
I don’t know, that’s hard to say. He’s fought a lot of really tough top guys. I don’t know if I’ll bring anything he hasn’t seen before. Just because you’ve seen it before doesn’t mean I’m not going to do it better.
What difficulties does he present?
He definitely brings a lot to the table. I think the biggest thing is his toughness and composure, whether he’s being beaten up or not. He’s never finished until he’s finished. You’re going to have to fight him from bell to bell.
I would argue the same attributes could be said about you. Do you see yourselves as similar fighters?
Yeah, I think we’re really similar. We’re similar in a lot of different ways. The only difference is that he has fought higher-level guys and succeeded where I haven’t. To me this is a big step up in my career and a chance for me to get into the upper echelon.
There’s an argument to be made that you were an underdog in your last three bouts, and you’re certainly an underdog against Carlos Condit. Do you relish in the role of underdog?
To be honest, I don’t even think about it that much. It’s irrelevant to me.
To you it’s just two guys who have skills and are competing?
Yeah, I see him as a guy across the cage from me who wants to fight. It’s irrelevant to me if other people think I’m going to lose the fight. Obviously I think I’m going to win, so what does it matter what other people think?
Once again you’ll be fighting on a FOX main card bout. Do you take that as a compliment to your exciting style?
Yeah. Dana nicknamed me “Mr. FOX”. It’s pretty flattering to me, I think it’s pretty cool.
Do you like fighting on FOX?
Yeah, but it’s pretty much all the same. Every arena, every locker room, every hotel. They’re all pretty much the same thing.
You really seem to look at this as a job and it doesn’t seem to be about the fame. Do you come from a blue-collar family?
I would actually disagree with that. I don’t actually look at this as a job. I do come from a hard working family. When I talk about it, I do say it’s my job and I take it seriously. Ultimately, it’s not really a job. I get up everyday and I do what I want to do. I do what I love to do. It’s more of a lifestyle. A job, you go to work and come home and forget what you did. I live this.
After your victory over Mike Pyle, you uncharacteristically called Georges St. Pierre out. What sparked those comments?
That’s the fight everybody wants. If I have to ask for it, I have to ask for it. I’m on a six-fight winning streak. Guys have gotten title shots for less than that. Why not ask for it?
Does a win over Carlos Condit make you the number one contender?
I think it should. He’s at number two and a win over him should put me at number two. A seven-fight win streak and beating the number two contender — I don’t know what else I’d have to do, really.
Out of curiosity, how did you score the controversial GSP vs Hendricks bout?
I watched it, but I didn’t actually score it. I don’t know who should have won on the judges’ scorecards, but at the end of the fight I had the feeling that Hendricks won that fight. Whether he won the points, I don’t know. He won the fight.
I have no idea what goes on in the minds of great fighters like Georges St-Pierre as they sit backstage, battered, bleeding and bruised, getting their gloves cut off their hands after a tough decision victory.It has to be a terribly surreal situation,&…
I have no idea what goes on in the minds of great fighters like Georges St-Pierre as they sit backstage, battered, bleeding and bruised, getting their gloves cut off their hands after a tough decision victory.
It has to be a terribly surreal situation, rife with joys and demands the normal person will never know; such is the life of a professional combatant. They fight in front of 15,000 or more in the arenas (if they are lucky) and if Mars is very kind, they fight in front of millions on pay-per-view.
And let’s be honest, Mars has been very kind to St-Pierre.
A multi-millionaire many times over, St-Pierre has just notched his ninth defense of his UFC welterweight title, making him the greatest welterweight champion in the company’s history. It’s a staggering feat truly reflective of a man who, not all that long ago, dropped to his knees and begged the UFC to give him a title shot.
But now, after a hard-fought battle with Johny Hendricks, he is talking about taking some time off for personal reasons. Obviously, he has a right to walk away from the sport, without a doubt—just not right now.
Yes, it sounds harsh as hell, but St-Pierre knew what he was getting into when he dropped to his knees and begged for a chance to fight Matt Hughes for the throne. Well, he got it, and once you get the crown, there are demands that come with the title—and make no mistake about it, when you become king, you are in service of the sport until you are defeated or until you retire.
If St-Pierre had wanted to retire after his fight with Koscheck or Shields, then no one would have said much, nor should they have. To be sure, this isn’t about St-Pierre having the right to gather unto himself his own body and soul for the means of healing, because he has that right, and no one is trying to take that from him.
People are crying out that Dana White is this unreasonable, demanding, greedy jackass who is just singling out St-Pierre for unfair treatment, just because he can.
This, of course, is wrong on many levels.
When Randy Couture defended his UFC heavyweight crown for the very first time, against Pedro Rizzo at UFC 31, fans were treated to an incredibly close fight that left both men badly battered. Couture ended up getting a unanimous decision victory that surprised many, including Couture himself.
White then went on to schedule an immediate rematch between both men (at UFC 34), because the sport needed a definitive answer as to who was really the best.
Couture, having spent weeks on the sofa, unable to walk because his leg had swollen many times its normal size (thanks to countless leg kicks from Rizzo), got off said sofa and went back to training.
He wasn’t doing it because he agreed with White, and he wasn’t doing it because he thought he lost and needed to prove something to himself.
Couture stated he didn’t think there was a need for a rematch since all three judges had given him a close decision victory. But he did it anyway because that’s what the fans wanted—and what they were wanting was certainty.
They wanted to know, for sure, who the king really was: In Round 1, it looked like Couture, but in Round 2, it looked like Rizzo, and the rest of the rounds were a toss-up, with Round 5 looking like it belonged to Rizzo.
So, Couture fought Rizzo again and crushed all doubts as to who was the better fighter by beating Rizzo down for three straight rounds until the fight was called.
This, of course, is but one of many examples of when White took on the mantle of bad guy in order to ensure that the sport got what it needed. He made Frankie Edgar rematch BJ Penn, then he made Edgar rematch Gray Maynard. Then, when Benson Henderson narrowly took the title from Edgar, he made Henderson rematch Edgar.
Why? Because the sport needed to know, for sure, who the king really was.
Now, do not mistake me; I do not think that White’s every whim is what is in keeping with the true needs of the sport, nor do I think he is right all the time. I could go on all day about how I feel that he has, bit by bit, started to act as if the sport is there to serve him instead of vice versa.
But calling for St-Pierre to put aside any talk of a sabbatical in order to give Hendricks an immediate rematch? That isn’t White being selfish or uncaring; that is White just being reflective of the demands that come with wearing the greatest title in MMA: the UFC belt.
In short, that is White being necessarily harsh and absolutely correct.
Maybe he should have called for Jon Jones to give Alexander Gustafsson an immediate rematch (I think he should have, especially for the sake of consistency), but that is a different fight and a different division. Right now, he is calling for St-Pierre to fight Johny Hendricks once again, and unless St-Pierre is going to retire, he should answer the call with vigor.
Let us not forget that the welterweight title has already seen one interim champion during St-Pierre’s reign, and that was just last year. For a period of 10 months, Carlos Condit was the interim UFC welterweight champion while St-Pierre was on the sidelines, healing a bad leg injury and wondering if he even wanted to come back.
Now, just two fights after reclaiming the throne, he wants to go on vacation?
If St-Pierre is having issues in his life that are of a serious nature and are simply demanding his undivided attention right now, then he should retire. God knows the man has earned it.
But if this is just a matter of indecision or anxiety in the face of the complexities of a life ongoing, then he needs to fight.
His chosen vocation is that of a professional combatant, and as such, he has been utterly blessed with the right combination of skills, athleticism, coaching, dedication, desire, fortitude and, perhaps above all else, opportunity, to reach the highest level; that of UFC champion.
No one is saying he can’t retire if he wants to. That is his right, and I have no doubt White would respect it, given how important St-Pierre has been for the growth of the sport in Canada, not to mention how consistently St-Pierre has stepped up and delivered against the best of the best in a terribly competitive division.
But there is a big difference between retirement and taking a “time out” from a sport that is running 365 days a year.
We should all give him just a little while to clear his head after such a fight; he’s earned that, 1,000 times over. Hendricks hurt him many times and according to one judge out of three, honestly defeated him.
This wasn’t just a fight—it was a true title fight, and St-Pierre barely bested a man who confounded his detractors (those who said he was sure to gas after three rounds) and rose to the occasion, giving his all for five full rounds toward one end:
For the chance to become champion.
St-Pierre emerged on the other side of that fight as the victor, and to the victor go the spoils: the money, the fame, the legacy of greatness and so much more.
All of these things St-Pierre has earned—save the right to hold the title hostage.
Mr. St-Pierre, you have fought honorably and fought incredibly well for 44 rounds since defeating your conqueror, Matt Serra, some 80 months ago. You have always stepped up and faced the best opposition available, without question, and your dominance has never been in question, your title never in true jeopardy, until this last weekend.
To say you have been a superlative champion is honest and just, and I say that without question or reservation. Of all the past UFC welterweight champions—men such as the great Pat Miletich, your countryman Carlos Newton (the first ever Canadian UFC champion), two-time champion Matt Hughes, BJ Penn and Carlos Condit—no one has done it better than you.
But you are being rightfully called upon, once again, to represent the best interests of the greatest title in mixed martial arts: that of UFC champion.
I know what a lot of you were thinking (and by “a lot” I mean nobody): Where is The12ozCurls with his obligatory fluffy, ball-washing post on Georges St. Pierre pertaining to his upcoming fight? Well, I hate to disappoint my dozens of CagePotato fans and Twitter followers (seriously, *bottom lip quivers* I got like 50) so I will give you what you want. What most of you want is more ammo to fire in my direction if/when GSP loses. And judging from the current CP Fight Picking Contest stats, a majority of you think Johny Hendricks is going to put my beloved Canadian to sleep on Saturday night. You are all entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong it might be.
Let me explain: GSP has dominated the welterweight division for the better part of a decade. He has systematically vanquished each foe with a combination of athleticism, technique, cardio and sound game-planning. There is no debating that. Yet most of the flat-billed hat-wearing mouth-breathing meatheads that scream “KNEEEEES!” whenever there is a clinch, constantly talk shit on GSP because he is a boring fighter that doesn’t finish (and because he is handsome . . . . really really handsome).
That is the knock on one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time—that he’s ambien personified—but upon further review, GSP has done far more long-term damage to his last 8 opponents than ending a fight via TKO or submission. He effectively sent their careers into the toilet, which is far worse than just knocking them out cold. All of the following fighters were the #1 contender for the UFC WW Championship but each one was sent packing like my ex-wife (What? Too soon?). I’ll start with all the fights after GSP kneed Matt Serra’s kidneys into oblivion and became the undisputed champ back at UFC 83.
Take a look at the first guy who’s career GSP derailed after the jump.
(Five-pound dumbbells are the secret to dominance. / Image courtesy of GSP RUSHFIT)
I know what a lot of you were thinking (and by “a lot” I mean nobody): Where is The12ozCurls with his obligatory fluffy, ball-washing post on Georges St. Pierre pertaining to his upcoming fight? Well, I hate to disappoint my dozens of CagePotato fans and Twitter followers (seriously, *bottom lip quivers* I got like 50) so I will give you what you want. What most of you want is more ammo to fire in my direction if/when GSP loses. And judging from the current CP Fight Picking Contest stats, a majority of you think Johny Hendricks is going to put my beloved Canadian to sleep on Saturday night. You are all entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong it might be.
Let me explain: GSP has dominated the welterweight division for the better part of a decade. He has systematically vanquished each foe with a combination of athleticism, technique, cardio and sound game-planning. There is no debating that. Yet most of the flat-billed hat-wearing mouth-breathing meatheads that scream “KNEEEEES!” whenever there is a clinch, constantly talk shit on GSP because he is a boring fighter that doesn’t finish (and because he is handsome . . . . really really handsome).
That is the knock on one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time—that he’s ambien personified—but upon further review, GSP has done far more long-term damage to his last 8 opponents than ending a fight via TKO or submission. He effectively sent their careers into the toilet, which is far worse than just knocking them out cold. All of the following fighters were the #1 contender for the UFC WW Championship but each one was sent packing like my ex-wife (What? Too soon?). I’ll start with all the fights after GSP kneed Matt Serra’s kidneys into oblivion and became the undisputed champ back at UFC 83.
Jon Fitch
Lost via UD at UFC 87
Record since = 7-3-1
(Image courtesty of MMAWeekly)
GSP’s victory over Fitch is the third most lopsided 5-round decision in UFC history. However, Fitch is one of the few that can boast a winning record since facing GSP, but those numbers are inflated. Much like the SEC football teams’ out-of-conference schedule, Fitch padded his stats. He has a positive record by essentially fighting B- to C+ fighters like Akihiro Gono, Paulo Thiago and Ben Saunders. That is not to say defeating a very game Erick Silva is not impressive, but then again, that was Fitch’s last fight in the UFC before getting choked unconscious in World Series of Fighting and then moving across the country for a training job at a start-up gym.
B.J. Penn Lost via TKO (corner stoppage) at UFC 94
Record since = 3-4-1
During the Countdown special prior to his fight with GSP, Penn looked straight into the camera and said, “To the death Georges. To the death.” Well, thankfully for The Prodigy, his corner stopped the fight at the end of the 4th round or else he might very well be six feet under because he got his ass handed to him. Afterwards, Penn dropped back to lightweight and got a couple wins before running into Frankie Edgar. He then moved back to welterweight where he most recently got annihilated by Nick Diaz and Rory MacDonald. For his next trick (and probably his last), B.J. will try and make the featherweight limit as a coach on the next exciting installment of The Ultimate Fighter *yawn*.
Thiago Alves Lost via UD at UFC 100
Record since = 2-3
(Image courtesy of SHERDOG)
Alves got taken down a total of 10 times during his contest with GSP. The feared striker didn’t come close to winning a round. He has beaten John Howard and Papy Abedi since November 2008. That is 2 wins in the last five fucking years. Sure, the injury bug has bitten him on more than a few occasions, but that is two wins in FIVE YEARS—a Tito Ortiz or Ken Shamrock level statistic! CagePotato was just an infant (with UFC credentials) five years ago and my liver did NOT look like a baked potato.
Yep, another clean sweep on the scorecards for GSP in this one but there were two times during the fight where Hardy was in severe danger of getting his arm snapped. To Hardy’s credit, he preserved through 25 minutes…but then he lost three consecutive fights afterwards. At least he had the honor of tapping to Chris Lytle during his Lights Out’s retirement fight. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome has sidelined Hardy for over a year and his career as a fighter is hazy at best.
Josh Koscheck
Lost via UD at 124
Record since = 2-2 (Image courtesy of MMAPro)
GSP jabbed Fraggle Rock’s face into a pulp en route to another 50-45 victory. Koscheck has always been a perennial contender but unless he catches lightning in a bottle, his best days are behind him. In his last fight Robbie Lawler sent him to dream land with a barrage of punches. I wonder what it is like for a notorious shit-talking virtuoso like Kos to walk around backstage at UFC 167 and have to see GSP, Johny Hendricks, AND Lawler—the last three men to beat him. Humbling, I suppose but I bet he still bumps his gums nonetheless.
Jake Shields
Lost via UD at UFC 129
Record since = 3-1-1
Shields conjured his inner Koscheck during his bout with GSP and went into unintentional eye-poke mode, which limited the champion’s vision for a majority of the fight. Even fighting with one peeper, GSP was able to easily outpoint Shields for 25 minutes. Though Shields is 3-1-1, he could just as easily be 1-3-1 because his last two fights were decided via split decision in his favor. He is a very good fighter who probably has a few years left in his career (provided California continues to approve medicinal marijuana) but he will never be champion.
Let’s be honest about two things right now. First, Condit had GSP really hurt for about 90 seconds and that was the only time that “The Natural Born Killer” held any advantage during the 25 minute affair. Secondly, Condit is the only name on this list that still has the potential to be the welterweight champion in the future. Though he is only batting .500 in his last two contests, Carlos Condit is a stud who could be the champ one day if/when GSP retires (or does something else). Until then, he is waiting in line.
Diaz finally got a shot at GSP and was thwarted by footwork, speed and wrestling. The destructor of all things bullshit then (as expected) acted like a petulant child, took his ball, went home, and retired. I can’t wait for 2014 to see if Nick decides to stop promoting his own fighting organization and start promoting his comeback fight (CAGEPOTATO BAN BE DAMNED).
There you have it. With the exception of Carlos Condit, there is not one guy on this list that is a “player” in the welterweight mix. Fitch is out of the UFC, while Penn is grasping at straws as he plays musical weight classes and prepares for a swan song. Thiago Alves needs a new mattress because his bed bugs have been cross-bred with injury bugs and Dan Hardy may never fight again due to his medical condition. Josh Koscheck is still a dickhead but now more of a gatekeeper than contender and the world awaits a global coma for the Jake Shields vs Ben Askren fight to get announced (although now that seems unlikely). That leaves us with Nick Diaz who is, well, Nick Diaz and there isn’t a thing anybody can do about it. Minus Condit, all of these men have seen their once prolific and ascending careers’ tailspin in recent years and there is only one thing that they ALL have in common: They were all dominated by GSP. Georges St. Pierre doesn’t end the fight inside the cage, he ends the fighter.
If fight fans have their way, Nick Diaz will come out of retirement to face Michael Bisping in a middleweight fight sometime in the near future. Just pondering the level of pre-fight trash talk and posturing both would employ makes it almost a lock for…
If fight fans have their way, Nick Diaz will come out of retirement to face Michael Bisping in a middleweight fight sometime in the near future. Just pondering the level of pre-fight trash talk and posturing both would employ makes it almost a lock for a fan-favorite bout.
But that is usually a given whenever Diaz is involved; the man has never met a fight or an opponent he couldn’t dislike on principal.
Diaz is in the prime of his career if he returns; at 30 years of age, there are still many lucrative fights on his horizon. Bouts against Bisping, Matt Brown, Martin Kampmann, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Rory MacDonald and others could be promoted to co-main event status easily.
His style of fighting is explosive and rewarding for fans who love fighters who consistently go for the finish. In fact, it’s hard to imagine Diaz being anything other than aggressive, especially on his feet.
But after being defeated by Carlos Condit and Georges St-Pierre, he’s been in a self-imposed exile from a sport that is willing to pay him good money to come back. Once upon a time, Diaz was all about getting equal opportunity for media exposure and the money that comes with it. After his fantastic fight with TakanoriGomi in 2007, Diaz spoke openly on being excluded from the media spotlight (h/t sherdog.com).
You should be able to market me or sell me by now or put me on a f*#king magazine by now or something because I don’t get no play; I haven’t been in one f*#king magazine, ever. Robbie Lawler still gets put in magazines; what about a motherf*#ker that can box people up and choke some body with a gogo? I’m choking people with gogo’s and throwing hooks to the head no body else is doing that. It’s like, you know, I’m trying to get paid here, I’m trying to have people see me.
In his most recent fight against St-Pierre, Diaz made a disclosed $200,000.00—not exactly the earnings of the top draws, but certainly nothing to dismiss, either. That figure doesn’t include any discretionary bonuses he may have been paid, nor monies from sponsors who would love to see their name featured on his apparel.
The money is there, just waiting to be collected, yet Diaz remains retired, waiting for a fight that would generate the kind of attention he believes he is due.
In a recent Google Hangout chat, Dana White addressed the issue of Nick Diaz as best as he understood it.
Nick’s obviously still on the roster. He’s still an active fighter here in the UFC, but as far as I know, he’s just not interested in fighting right now. When Nick finally fought Georges St-Pierre, Nick Diaz made some money. So Nick Diaz has some kickback money. He can probably take as long as he wants to fight again. You’re fighting to make a living, you’re fighting to pay your bills, you’re fighting to get things that you want out of life. And with the money Nick Diaz made in his last fight, I’m sure he’s got everything he wants right now.
Diaz is perplexing from a fan standpoint. On one hand, he’s easily one of the most exciting fighters to watch that the sport has ever seen. He has flaws from a technical perspective, but he never lets any of that stop him from brawling at the drop of a hat; in fact, it makes his fights more compelling to watch.
On the other hand, he hasn’t been fighting with the kind of regularity that could see his stock grow much larger than it is right now. The UFC has a tremendous platform with Fox; fighting three times a year would see his name on the lips of many casual fans who may not know who he is.
But if they got to see Diaz in a bout with Brown, for instance—that would make sure his name was remembered, and that is worth more money, rightnow.
So why isn’t he fighting?
In part, it seems to be an issue with the state of the game today. Diaz dislikes fighting against opponents who implement a heavy wrestling game; given his love of stand-up brawling (and the success he enjoys in those brawls) it is easy to see why.
But this is, and always will be, mixed martial arts; fighters with a strong wrestling core are always going to be involved and theirs is a presence in the sport that is apt to grow, not diminish, as the sport continues to expand.
So if he’s waiting for the sport to somehow change in a way favorable to his style of fighting, odds are that is not going to happen.
His teammate, Gilbert Melendez, recently spoke about Diaz and the topic of his return to combative sport (h/t David Doyle of MMAFighting.com).
I don’t think he has the desire to be a stepping stone or he doesn’t want to play that role. Sometimes you have to come back up the ladder in your career and I don’t think he wants to do that. I think he wants to fight top-level competition. He doesn’t need to fight just to take it.
This, of course, is not all that surprising. Diaz is one of those rare men who could probably confound that conventional wisdom that says you can never have enough money. For Diaz, what he made from the GSP fight may be more than enough for some time.
Yet fighters need to fight, much like a fish needs to swim and a bird needs to fly. Diaz can busy himself in any number of ways during retirement, but the cage is always going to be in the corner of his eye, glimmering like a coin.
He may very well feel like he has already done all the toiling he needs to do in the earlier stages of his career, when he waged so many wars and became a champion. That is all well and good because he did toil and he did wage wars—far more than most other fighters out there.
Unfortunately for Diaz, fighting top level competition—the big names in the big fights—isn’t a banquet table he can frequent anytime he likes just because he’s proven to use a sharp knife and a fierce fork. It may not seem fair that other fighters have risen higher by doing less, but sitting on the sidelines is slighting no one but himself, and his fans—both current and future.
Fighters like Diaz are such a rare breed, and in truth the combative sports need them. When Diaz fights, you know that if he is matched with an opponent of equal conviction, you have a bona fide FightoftheYear candidate, for as long as it lasts.
Even with no title belts on the line, Diaz could be headlining free cards on Fox. Putting him in five-round battles with men like Brown and Kampmann would go a long way toward giving the public what they want to see, which is what this is all about.
But Diaz must put himself out there in order to see that happen. God knows the fans want it, that much is sure. His detractors may feign indifference, but they represent only one portion of the public.
There is another group that is waiting to be wowed, and Diaz is one half of the equation necessary to do that. Polarizing figures have always been marketable, but given his style of fighting—well, some things just sell themselves.
Sadly, we may not get to see Diaz fight again on such a big stage. We can talk all we wish about Diaz not being able to stay away from the fight game, but he is his own man, beholden to none.
It’s a recurring saga with him; will he find the appropriate incentive to step back into the cage again, or will he content himself with the quiet life?
Most people don’t think a promotion like the UFC should pander to the whims of a man so unpredictable. They say the sport is bigger than any one man, and they are right.
But in the debate, the fight itself get’s lost; it’s the fight that all promotions should serve, and in doing so they see the sport served in return.
This isn’t in a question about the virtue of the fight game anymore; we know that some fights are for the sake of divisional ramifications and some are just for the fireworks. Both have their place, and like him or not, Diaz is one of those rare fighters who can fulfill either need on any given night.
Yet to be honest, right now, his best role is that of an action hero in a sport that needs that very thing. Giving him big money paydays to go along with big name fights wouldn’t be done to spite the sport, but to serve it.
Right now, there is still a huge fan base waiting to be tapped. People who have never really paid attention to MMA ended up tuning in to the Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson replay on Fox Sports 1; maybe it was by accident or maybe it was a curiosity, but with that large a viewing audience, new people were exposed to that kind of dramatic contest.
If they liked what they saw, they are going to want more of that kind of bout and fighters like Nick Diaz can give them what they want. More over, if paired up with any number of aggressive fighters, he can deliver it consistently.
During his time in Strikeforce, Diaz had a string of exciting fights with the likes of Marius Zaromskis, KJ Noons, Evangelista Santos and Paul Daley. Before that, he had crowds on their feet for his fights with Frank Shamrock and TakanoriGomi, and the Gomi bout is one of the greatest fights in MMA history.
Diaz is a man with many faults, but whenever he steps into the cage, his motivations are pure and he has the courage of his convictions; he’s there to fight, plain and simple.
For Diaz, the fight has always mattered above all else, which is exactly as it should be.
So, if he wants bigger fights and more money from the UFC—well, as the adage goes, you have to spend money to make money, and the time to spend it is now.
As for Diaz; it would seem that the time to end the fiction is at hand. If he really wants to be known and get paid along the way, he needs to make a decision. Waiting around for a change in the game simply means he’s getting older, watching while other fighters earn the recognition he’s long claimed was his due, above anyone else.
He may never win a UFC title with so many wrestlers around, but he could still make a great deal of money and win the hearts of the fans, much like Arturo Gatti did. There are still a great many wars out there for Diaz; all that remains to be seen is if he wants to fight them.
It would be a shame if he did not, because so very few can do it as honestly and consistently as he can.
(If only the discs in Brown’s back could’ve been “immortal” too. / Photo via Getty)
I have no idea what goes on in the minds of great fighters like Georges St-Pierre as they sit backstage, battered, bleeding and bruised, getting their gloves cut off their hands after a tough decision victory.
