Now, Brandao is in a main event against The King of Dublin — which kind of seems undeserved, but considering that McGregor and Brandao have had their eyes on each other since last year, it could still be an entertaining scrap. The current fight-lineup for UFC Fight Night 46: McGregor vs. Brandao is…
(No, Conor. It was certainly *not* as good for us as it was for you. / Photo via @TheNotoriousMMA)
Now, Brandao is in a main event against The King of Dublin — which kind of seems undeserved, but considering that McGregor and Brandao have had their eyes on each other since last year, it could still be an entertaining scrap. The current fight-lineup for UFC Fight Night 46: McGregor vs. Brandao is…
Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao
Gunnar Nelson vs. Zak Cummings
Ian McCall vs. Brad Pickett
Ilir Latifi vs. Tom Lawlor
Cody Donovan vs. Nikita Krylov
Phil Harris vs. Neil Seery
Trevor Smith vs. Tor Troeng
Naoyuki Kotani vs. Norman Parke
It’s just talk, talk, talk, talk
‘Til you lose your patience.
An iconic line from The Boss himself, sung into an old tape recorder during the Nebraska sessions. State Trooper, to be precise.
And can’t we all relate?
Sometimes there’s too much talking i…
It’s just talk, talk, talk, talk
‘Til you lose your patience.
An iconic line from The Boss himself, sung into an old tape recorder during the Nebraska sessions. State Trooper, to be precise.
And can’t we all relate?
Sometimes there’s too much talking in this world. It’s just talk, talk, talk, talk. ‘Til you lose your patience.
One thing is for certain: Cole Miller is tired of talking. Tired of ConorMcGregor‘s talking particularly.
The two have been paired to headline the UFC’s return to Ireland in July, and the buildup has been nearly a year in the making. McGregor blew his knee out in August 2013 in a win over Max Holloway, and he’s been sitting on the sidelines ever since.
During that hiatus, he’s taken to calling out just about anyone with a pulse. By the end of the year, he had half of the featherweights in the world ready to welcome him back to the sport, and even a bizarrely concocted welterweight proposal on the table against Diego Sanchez.
At the end of it all, it was Cole Miller’s lamely targeted call-out of “Colin McGoober” that got him the dance.
But it’s not about trash talk, as much as that helps to sell a fight. It’s about what you can do in the cage. Miller is a proven veteran who has been doing this MMA thing pretty well for a long time, and whether or not his talents transfer to promotion is kind of irrelevant.
He’ll test the Irishman, and test him seriously.
But what if he wins?
Most people seem to think that, while this is McGregor‘s biggest test, it’s one being used to groom him into a contender. Hell, McGregor himself thinks that.
The UFC needs European stars as they continue to press for global sporting domination, and a brash young punk that people either love or hate is exactly what the doctor ordered.
If the promotion can make him into something, package him in a way that makes fight fans in Europe and around the world take note, they’ve got their first cornerstone in place for continued expansion.
McGregor has done his part. He’s talked the talk. Now he has to walk the walk.
If he doesn’t and Cole Miller snuffs out this Irish uprising before it gets past a couple of wins on prelim cards, the UFC loses a potentially huge asset. They’ll essentially be back to square one, rotating through Michael Bisping and Alexander Gustafsson to headline shows that fall on European turf.
The Miller fight is a dangerous one for McGregor, a man coming off of a knee reconstruction and a year away from combat. Miller has 10 wins in the UFC and has succeeded in three of his last four trips to the cage. He was 13-3 before McGregor‘s career even started, and when McGregor couldn’t legally buy a beer in the US he was kicking Andy Wang’s head off in the center of the Octagon.
So remember that before you put your money down on McGregor. Remember that he’s an exciting prospect, but that Miller has been around too long to take this one lying down.
Talk is cheap before the fight, but it can run up an expensive bill when it comes time to pay in the cage.
If their plans for running amok across the globe are any indication, the UFC will be hoping McGregor can pay it.
UFC featherweight Conor McGregor called out just about everyone the division has to offer, from champion Jose Aldo to top contender Chad Mendes. He even made it known that lightweights were in his sights such as Diego Sanchez.
But McGregor won’t be mak…
UFC featherweight Conor McGregor called out just about everyone the division has to offer, from champion Jose Aldo to top contender Chad Mendes. He even made it known that lightweights were in his sights such as Diego Sanchez.
But McGregor won’t be making his return later this year from a knee injury against Aldo, Mendes or Sanchez. No, he’ll face Cole Miller at UFC Fight Night 46 from Dublin.
Why Miller? Good question.
Miller (21-8) is coming off back-to-back victories inside the Octagon over Sam Sicilia and Andy Ogle, two unranked fighters. The 30-year-old, though, has a resume that features names like Manny Gamburyan, Ross Pearson, Dan Lauzon, Jeremy Stephens and Leonard Garcia.
He’s fought in the UFC since appearing on The Ultimate Fighter in 2007, going an overall 10-6. Is he the toughest test to date for McGregor? Likely.
Will McGregor improve his stock in the division? That’s the real question.
McGregor (14-2) has looked strong in his two initial UFC fights, finishing Marcus Brimage last year and scoring a decision over Max Holloway. But he’s returning from knee surgery, and you can bet the UFC wants to build him up.
Miller allows the promotion to do that because of his experience and resume, and he’s also provided that extra spark by taking to social media and egging McGregor, who is always at the ready for verbal battles, as the two displayed during a previous episode of The MMA Hour.
If McGregor looks as good as he has against Brimage and Holloway, he should be able to do what Gamburyan, Steven Siler and Matt Wiman have in the past and handle the tough Miller. A finish would go a long way in shooting his stock up the rankings, as Miller hasn’t been knocked out since a 2009 loss to Efrain Escudero.
And if Miller should pull the upset and stun McGregor in front of his fans overseas, the UFC can push him into the role of possible contender.
MMA is the ultimate “nice guys finish last” sport. It’s called prize fighting for a reason, and “I respect him; he’s a great opponent” doesn’t sell.
This is no secret. Just look at how Chael Sonnen—a perennial mid-carder who nobody knew or cared about—resurrected his career with carefully executed, bombastic trash talk.
Why am I telling you this if it’s common sense? Because it’s only common sense to people who appreciate MMA for what it is—real-life pro wrestling. Unfortunately, most hardcore MMA fans (and some media members) refuse to see it this way. They either believe in a non-existent code of honor, or an even less corporeal competitive architecture. “It’s a sport,” they maintain. “It should be only about competition. Besides, who wouldn’t want to see the best fighters go at it, even if they have less charisma than a light bulb?” The answer to that question: Most of the country.
There’s a sport with no flash, no glitz, and none of the other maligned “entertainment” trappings of the UFC and the WWE. It’s called amateur wrestling, and nobody watches it. MMA turning into amateur wrestling hurts the fighters. If there’s no viewers, there’s no money. It’s crazy that people still need to be reminded of this, but selling the fight is equally as important as fighting the fight. To quote The Simpsons, “Every good scientist is half B.F. Skinner and half P.T. Barnum.”
MMA is the ultimate “nice guys finish last” sport. It’s called prize fighting for a reason, and “I respect him; he’s a great opponent” doesn’t sell.
This is no secret. Just look at how Chael Sonnen—a perennial mid-carder who nobody knew or cared about—resurrected his career with carefully executed, bombastic trash talk.
Why am I telling you this if it’s common sense? Because it’s only common sense to people who appreciate MMA for what it is—real-life pro wrestling. Unfortunately, most hardcore MMA fans (and some media members) refuse to see it this way. They either believe in a non-existent code of honor, or an even less corporeal competitive architecture. “It’s a sport,” they maintain. “It should be only about competition. Besides, who wouldn’t want to see the best fighters go at it, even if they have less charisma than a light bulb?” The answer to that question: Most of the country.
There’s a sport with no flash, no glitz, and none of the other maligned “entertainment” trappings of the UFC and the WWE. It’s called amateur wrestling, and nobody watches it. MMA turning into amateur wrestling hurts the fighters. If there’s no viewers, there’s no money. It’s crazy that people still need to be reminded of this, but selling the fight is equally as important as fighting the fight. To quote The Simpsons, “Every good scientist is half B.F. Skinner and half P.T. Barnum.”
Chael Sonnen understood this. And so does boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. Remember when Mayweather said he was interested in buying the L.A. Clippers after the Donald Sterling fiasco? That’s brilliant promotion; he injected himself into a highly volatile, nation-wide story and in doing so drew more eyeballs onto his upcoming fight. Then there’s the chicanery about cancelling the fight over gloves, which was another great way to build buzz.
Bethe Correia is another example. After defeating Jessamyn Duke at UFC 172, she mocked Ronda Rousey‘s “four horsewomen” (ugh) stable with a gesture, putting up four fingers and then knocking one down. Now it’s a legitimate plot in a division that typically serves as a promotional vehicle for Ronda Rousey. Bethe Correia stood out in a weight class of sacrificial lambs because she said something interesting when she opened her mouth.
Of course, trash talk doesn’t always work (see: Phil Davis), but the rewards far outweigh the risks. More fighters need to embrace their brazen sides, lest they fade into the abyss of generic, video game create-a-fighter lookalikes that is the UFC’s current roster.
“[Miller] opened his mouth, he was under the influence of post-fight adrenaline. It has the same effect as alcohol. It makes you brave. He spoke with bravery, but guess what happened? It wore off. Now he’s faced with the reality that he’s going to face me July 19th. Me coming back from this injury is a man possessed. I’m going go in there and I’m going to break him in the very first exchange…
“[Miller] opened his mouth, he was under the influence of post-fight adrenaline. It has the same effect as alcohol. It makes you brave. He spoke with bravery, but guess what happened? It wore off. Now he’s faced with the reality that he’s going to face me July 19th. Me coming back from this injury is a man possessed. I’m going go in there and I’m going to break him in the very first exchange.
“…He does not have a reach advantage. He’s slow, he’s scared, I’m fast, I’m fearless. It’s no contest. The first exchange I’m going to break him. I see it in his voice. I see it in his body language. He’s petrified. I’m coming to get him. Not just him. Forget him. I’ve been listening to everyone calling me out and saying this and that while I’m forced to sit on the sideline. Now I’m back.
“I’m going to stop Cole. Whoever’s next. Cub [Swanson], I’ll break Cub. I’ll embarrass Chad [Mendes]. I’ll annihilate Jose [Aldo]. I’m coming to takeover the division. It’s my division.”
The “McGregor vs. Miller” supporting card is filling up rapidly, and is looking pretty damn solid for an international Fight Night event. Also on the lineup…
It’s just talk, talk, talk, talk
