Why do I cringe? Because I fear what the future holds for both of these men. Mir is coming off of three losses, including two by violent TKOs. Overeem is in a similar boat, having been put to sleep in his last two fights. When you look further back, even more red flags can be found. Out of the eight losses that appear on Frank Mir’s MMA record, seven have been by some form of knockout. It gets even worse for Alistair, who has lost by KO or TKO 11 times between his MMA and kickboxing careers.
Based on what we now know about head trauma in MMA, it’s safe to assume that both fighters have suffered at least some level of brain injury, which means they could be in for an incredibly wide array of consequences. Depending on the area of trauma and severity, either fighter could suffer cognitive, physiological, emotional, psychological, and behavioral changes. Basic physical functions like hand-eye coordination can also be affected, making those devastating strikes even harder to avoid. And the damage does not end there.
(The Mir-Overeem preview segment from ‘Countdown to UFC 169′. Props: YouTube.com/UFC)
Why do I cringe? Because I fear what the future holds for both of these men. Mir is coming off of three losses, including two by violent TKOs. Overeem is in a similar boat, having been put to sleep in his last two fights. When you look further back, even more red flags can be found. Out of the eight losses that appear on Frank Mir’s MMA record, seven have been by some form of knockout. It gets even worse for Alistair, who has lost by KO or TKO 11 times between his MMA and kickboxing careers.
Based on what we now know about head trauma in MMA, it’s safe to assume that both fighters have suffered at least some level of brain injury, which means they could be in for an incredibly wide array of consequences. Depending on the area of trauma and severity, either fighter could suffer cognitive, physiological, emotional, psychological, and behavioral changes. Basic physical functions like hand-eye coordination can also be affected, making those devastating strikes even harder to avoid. And the damage does not end there.
Traumatic Brain Injuries have also been linked to a disruption in the ability to create normal levels of hormones like testosterone, and growth hormone. In some cases TBI patients are treated with hormone replacement therapy, and experience positive results. Perhaps this is a factor in both Mir and Overeem having a therapeutic exemption for TRT.
If this were the reason for Mir and Overeem’s hormonal issues — which hasn’t been verified, but is certainly possible — should either of these men be fighting, let alone each other? I am not a professional fighter nor a doctor, but it doesn’t take an expert to understand that if your brain is unable to produce the proper amount of chemicals for you to function normally, due to past damage, you should not be taking part in the same activity that caused the trauma in the first place.
So when do you draw the line, and how many knockout losses is too many? There’s no definite answer, and since every athlete is different, any hard-and-fast rule would seem arbitrary. Should athletic commissions give closer attention and testing to a combatant who has been knocked out five times? If knockouts persist, perhaps a long-term suspension should be handed out. It can’t be safe to keep competing as a fighter after you’ve had your lights turned off ten times — and yet Alistair Overeem is appearing on a UFC pay-per-view this weekend carrying that alarming history.
Certainly someone like Overeem, who suffered his second knockout loss in six months when he was KO’d by Travis Browne in August, would benefit from a long-term suspension. Frank Mir, whose brain had just over a year of rest between his TKO losses to Josh Barnett and Junior Dos Santos, seems to be cutting it close as well.
Brain injuries are not fully understood, but we know that they do not heal like a broken bone, or a torn muscle. Such injuries can take several months or years to heal, in some cases they never do, and in the case of some 50,000 people, they result in death. I just don’t want to see either of these men end up like Muhammad Ali, Freddie Roach, countless NFL players, or Chris Benoit.
In the end, two men who have been knocked out a combined 18 times will attempt to devastatingly punch, kick, knee and elbow each other in the head until the other can no longer take it — two men so unhealthy that they need TRT to function. Will I watch? Sure, with the hope that athletic commissions will begin looking more closely at the effects of brain trauma, and that neurological science continues to reveal how much head trauma is too much.
(…and if you turn the poster over, you’ll see Ben and Seth, butt to butt.)
UFC 169 is poppin’ off this Saturday in Newark, featuring two title fights, a must-win battle between a pair of fading heavyweight legends, and a bunch of other crap that you may or may not care about. Join us as CagePotato founding editor Ben Goldstein and editor emeritus Seth Falvo debate the major storylines surrounding the event, from Urijah Faber‘s resurrected title hopes to our always iron-clad gambling advice (LOL), and much more. Enjoy…
True or false: Even though Urijah Faber has already been beaten once by Renan Barao, he still has a better chance of becoming champion this weekend than Ricardo Lamas does.
BG: True. Barao has proven that he’s a better fighter than Faber, but the Cali Kid is so talented and dangerous that nobody really outclasses him at 135. If Barao has a bad night and Faber has a good night, it’s within the realm of possibility that Faber could find a way to choke him out; their skills aren’t that far apart. And maybe there isn’t a talent-gap whatsoever. The fact that Faber’s five WEC/UFC losses have all come in title fights — and the fact that he’s still undefeated in non-title fights, after a full decade of competition — suggests that perhaps there’s some kind of psychological block that’s preventing the California Kid from firing on all cylinders when a belt’s on the line. (Then again, that’s probably the best reason to pick against him on Saturday.) But in this chaotic sport, anything can happen. No absurd win streak lasts forever, and sometimes the sun shines on an old veteran’s ass, so to speak.
SF: False, and not just because this column would be really boring if we both agreed with each other. No one is denying that Urijah Faber is an outstanding talent, but you pretty much made my point for me when you wrote “if Barao has a bad night and Faber has a good night” in regards to his chances of becoming the bamtamweight champion. Lamas, on the other hand…okay fine, his odds aren’t looking any better. Both men have the same slim chances of walking out of The Prudential Center with their respective division’s title, making “Faber has a better chance” technically wrong, and me technically correct. And everyone knows that technically correct is the best kind of correct.
Let’s say Barao defeats Faber on Saturday. Let’s say that he also never fights Dominick Cruz. Does that make Barao’s title run any less legitimate?
(…and if you turn the poster over, you’ll see Ben and Seth, butt to butt.)
UFC 169 is poppin’ off this Saturday in Newark, featuring two title fights, a must-win battle between a pair of fading heavyweight legends, and a bunch of other crap that you may or may not care about. Join us as CagePotato founding editor Ben Goldstein and editor emeritus Seth Falvo debate the major storylines surrounding the event, from Urijah Faber‘s resurrected title hopes to our always iron-clad gambling advice (LOL). Enjoy…
True or false: Even though Urijah Faber has already been beaten once by Renan Barao, he still has a better chance of becoming champion this weekend than Ricardo Lamas does.
BG: True. Barao has proven that he’s a better fighter than Faber, but the Cali Kid is so talented and dangerous that nobody really outclasses him at 135. If Barao has a bad night and Faber has a good night, it’s within the realm of possibility that Faber could find a way to choke him out; their skills aren’t that far apart. And maybe there isn’t a talent-gap whatsoever. The fact that Faber’s five WEC/UFC losses have all come in title fights — and the fact that he’s still undefeated in non-title fights, after a full decade of competition — suggests that perhaps there’s some kind of psychological block that’s preventing the California Kid from firing on all cylinders when a belt’s on the line. (Then again, that’s probably the best reason to pick against him on Saturday.) But in this chaotic sport, anything can happen. No absurd win streak lasts forever, and sometimes the sun shines on an old veteran’s ass, so to speak.
SF: False, and not just because this column would be really boring if we both agreed with each other. No one is denying that Urijah Faber is an outstanding talent, but you pretty much made my point for me when you wrote “if Barao has a bad night and Faber has a good night” in regards to his chances of becoming the bamtamweight champion. Lamas, on the other hand…okay fine, his odds aren’t looking any better. Both men have the same slim chances of walking out of The Prudential Center with their respective division’s title, making “Faber has a better chance” technically wrong, and me technically correct. And everyone knows that technically correct is the best kind of correct.
Let’s say Barao defeats Faber on Saturday. Let’s say that he also never fights Dominick Cruz. Does that make Barao’s title run any less legitimate?
SF: Not at all — or at least it really shouldn’t. It would really bum me out if the two guys who seem like the only legitimate competition for each other at bantamweight never fight, but creating a chicken/egg situation out of the mess won’t exactly solve anything. If you’re going to wonder whether Renan Barao is less of a champion for never having beat Dominick Cruz in this situation, you may as well also ponder how much Dominick Cruz benefits from never having to fight Renan Barao, the one man who could have actually beaten him. Maybe you should also think about whether Kimbo Slice would have been a UFC champion if he only learned the ground game, while you’re at it. Let it go, nerds. Trust me, it’ll be just as fun to watch Barao punch other people’s faces in.
BG: No argument there. The champion is the guy who beats the top competition available to him at any given moment in time. We don’t say that Anthony Pettis is any less legitimate because he never beat prime BJ Penn, or that Cain Velasquez is any less legitimate because he never beat the hypothetical BJJ black-belt version of Kimbo Slice, who sounds like an absolute monster, by the way. “Prime Dominick Cruz” was a person who existed in 2010-2011, then essentially disappeared due to repeated injuries. He has almost no relevance to Renan Barao, who has spent the last two years beating incredibly talented opponents like Faber, Michael McDonald, and Eddie Wineland. Barao is the best bantamweight around, period. We should give him his props accordingly.
What’s the smartest single wager you can make on UFC 169, with these odds?
I can’t decide if a straight bet on John Makdessi (first legitimate test for Alan Patrick), Chris Cariaso (facing a TUF washout making his UFC debut on short notice), or Renan Barao (#LOLFaberInTitleFights) is the best way to spend my money, so I’ll just recommend dropping twenty bucks on a parlay featuring all three of those guys. If it pays off, BetUS will be sending you $50.46 for your efforts. And if it doesn’t pay off, well, you only need one kidney to function, you pansy.
BG: I’ll also suggest a three-fight parlay, but mine is safer, more profitable, and actually grounded in the scientific method. Twenty bones on Ali Bagautinov, Rashid Magomedov, and Gasan Umalatov would return $62.29 in profit — and that bet is basically a lock, because they’re all Russian. From Khabib Nurmagomedov to Rustam Khabilov, Russian fighters whose names end in “v” have been unstoppable in the UFC lately. I know next to nothing about Magomedov and Umalatov, but they’re both odds-on favorites in their fights, and are you really going to bet against the Puncher King? Do the right thing, people.
John Lineker has missed weight for three of his five UFC appearances. If he misses weight again on Friday, what would be an appropriate punishment?
BG: I’m kind of surprised that the UFC hasn’t already forced Lineker up to bantamweight against his will; it just goes to show you how desperate the UFC is for flyweight contenders who can consistently finish fights. But enough’s enough. If Lineker misses weight again on Friday, the UFC should take a serious chunk out of his paycheck — say 40% — suspend him for six months, and then force him up to bantamweight. And if it happens again after that, they should fire Lineker the spot, right there at the weigh-ins. Seriously, Burt Watson should just hand him an empty banker’s box and tell him to clear his desk out, but leave the goddamned radio because we paid for that. And as security escorts Lineker out of the building, the cameras will catch Mike Dolce next to the stage, weeping into his hands. “Nutella and bananas,” he’ll say to nobody in particular, “and all this could have been avoided.”
SF:Weight cutting isn’t exactly good for your body in the first place, making it all the more disturbing to watch a talented, promising fighter like John Lineker continue to put himself through hell for a size advantage he arguably doesn’t need in the first place. As badly as the UFC wants flyweights that the casual fans actually care about, the last thing that the promotion needs is a fighter dying due to a far-too-stressful weight cut; just imagine the chaos that would cause. I’m with you on the fine and pushing him up to bantamweight, but a suspension? That’ll only give Lineker time to pack on mass so he can continue to sabotage his health with vicious weight cuts when he begins fighting at bantamweight, pretty much making him the Anthony Johnson Lite. If Lineker misses weight for his bantamweight debut, I really hope that the audience sings “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.” I’ve always wanted to hear the crowd at an MMA show do that.
The winner of Frank Mir vs. Alistair Overeem saves his job from sure elimination. What do you see happening to the loser?
SF: If Mir loses this fight — and for what it’s worth, the oddsmakers sure seem to think he will — expect him to retire and accept a comfortable desk job with the UFC. With the company pushing so hard for “World Fucking Domination,” it needs as many brand ambassadors (read: people to tweet selfies of themselves at historical foreign monuments and high-five the locals) and competent commentators for these international Fight Pass cards as it can get, and Frank Mir is the perfect candidate for either position. Especially the latter, given how he excelled during his WEC commentary stint.
If Overeem loses this fight, here’s how I see things playing out: A pink slip from the UFC, a four month retirement, a return to kickboxing, a departure from drug testing, the return of his once-Herculean physique, an occasional MMA fight in Europe and/or Asia, the opening of his own gym, his appearances in the indies becoming increasingly tragic, the closure of his gym, him calling out whoever the UFC Heavyweight Champion is at the time, and then five months later he’s found dead. The official cause of death will be heart failure due to a fatal combination of painkillers and muscle relaxers he took for his lingering injuries.
Okay, at some point during that I got bored and began typing the life story of Every Professional Wrestler Ever, but you get the idea.
BG: Man, I wasn’t prepared for how depressing this column was going to get. I mean, Frank Mir being forced into a desk job? Total nightmare. For the purposes of this answer, I’ll make a concrete prediction and say that Mir will lose by TKO in round 2, and Overeem will save his job. Mir will be cut and immediately snapped up by World Series of Fighting, where he’ll beat Mike Kyle (obviously) to set up a heavyweight headliner at WSOF 13 against Anthony Johnson. Johnson will knock Mir out in under a minute, making Rumble the first UFC welterweight washout to somehow hold victories over two former UFC heavyweight champions. Mir will retire from MMA and transition into strip-club management in his hometown of Las Vegas. After his divorce, Mir will move into an apartment with Pete Rose, who will constantly refer to Mir as “kid.”
It’s safe to assume that most of you reading this have at least entertained the notion of taking an MMA fight. If you have, you’ve probably also given some thought as to the song that you would want playing as you made your walk to the cage. In today’s CagePotato Roundtable, we’re sharing our staff picks for the songs that we would use as entrance music — songs that get us fired up and would (hopefully) enhance the experience that is watching live MMA for those in attendance. Read on for our picks, and please continue to send your best ideas for future CagePotato Roundtable topics to[email protected].
There aren’t many scenarios in which suddenly being thrown into an MMA fight would not end in a violent, just pitiful death for me. That being the case, I’d want my entrance song to reflect my acceptance of this fate, while also being something that transcends all musical genres and really, all of humanity. What can I say? I’m a simple guy. I would want my entrance song to tell the attending audience that, contrary to the urine stain on my shorts, I do not fear death and in fact am fully prepared to torture my opponent’s body so that his soul will be humble. For God is the teacher, I am his instrument, and his lessons are so…beautiful… (*smears pig blood on chest*)
Only one song meets all of the above criteria: “The Host of Seraphim” by Dead Can Dance.
You’re probably familiar with Dead Can Dance even if you don’t think you are. Aside from the fact that their haunting, neo-classical world tunes have been featured in countless films (“Seraphim”, for instance, was featured in The Mist), Lisa Gerrard — who along with Brendan Perry makes up DCD — is a singer, composer, and musician whose voice has appeared on such iconic film soundtracks as Gladiator, Man on Fire, and Black Hawk Down. But for those of you who might not be familiar with the greatest musical group to come out of Australia in ever, I’d recommend that you check out their impressive catalog of work, which spans over 20 years and eight studio albums. A few of my favorite tracks: “Rakim,” “Ulysses,” “Sanvean” and “Spirit.”
It’s safe to assume that most of you reading this have at least entertained the notion of taking an MMA fight. If you have, you’ve probably also given some thought as to the song that you would want playing as you made your walk to the cage. In today’s CagePotato Roundtable, we’re sharing our staff picks for the songs that we would use as entrance music — songs that get us fired up and would (hopefully) enhance the experience that is watching live MMA for those in attendance. Read on for our picks, and please continue to send your best ideas for future CagePotato Roundtable topics to[email protected].
There aren’t many scenarios in which suddenly being thrown into an MMA fight would not end in a violent, just pitiful death for me. That being the case, I’d want my entrance song to reflect my acceptance of this fate, while also being something that transcends all musical genres and really, all of humanity. What can I say? I’m a simple guy. I would want my entrance song to tell the attending audience that, contrary to the urine stain on my shorts, I do not fear death and in fact am fully prepared to torture my opponent’s body so that his soul will be humble. For God is the teacher, I am his instrument, and his lessons are so…beautiful… (*smears pig blood on chest*)
Only one song meets all of the above criteria: “The Host of Seraphim” by Dead Can Dance.
You’re probably familiar with Dead Can Dance even if you don’t think you are. Aside from the fact that their haunting, neo-classical world tunes have been featured in countless films (“Seraphim”, for instance, was featured in The Mist), Lisa Gerrard — who along with Brendan Perry makes up DCD — is a singer, composer, and musician whose voice has appeared on such iconic film soundtracks as Gladiator, Man on Fire, and Black Hawk Down. But for those of you who might not be familiar with the greatest musical group to come out of Australia in ever, I’d recommend that you check out their impressive catalog of work, which spans over 20 years and eight studio albums. A few of my favorite tracks: “Rakim,” “Ulysses,” “Sanvean” and “Spirit.”
Although the metalhead in me really wants to take the cliché route and blast the breakdown from August Burns Red’s “Back Burner” on loop (or maybe some DOWN, in light of Matt Brown’s excellent usage of “Bury Me in Smoke” on his now cancelled podcast), I feel that “Host of Seraphim” would better serve as a soundtrack to me being separated from my mortal coil and ascending to plains unknown. Of course, the profundity of the moment would probably be lost on the viewing audience once I had fully voided my bowels on the canvas, preferably on the Amp’d Mobile logo.
(Sidenote: I’ve mentioned this once before, I think, but I actually saw STEMM perform at a hole in the wall bar back in 2005. Unaware that they were the much-maligned UFC theme band at the time, I nearly suffered a stroke when they hit the first note on “Face the Pain.”
“Is this band actually covering the UFC song?” I said to my friend.
“No, they are the UFC song,” he replied.
We haven’t spoken since.
All in all, though, I must give STEMM their due credit for putting on one hell of an energetic show. They weren’t the worst metal band I’ve ever seen live, in any case — that honor goes to Hatebreed. My friend and I stopped talking for completely unrelated reasons.)
Ideally, I’d want my walkout song to be one that hasn’t been used by anybody before, and would fire me up for battle while striking fear into the hearts of my opponents. The duel theme from Barry Lyndon — “Sarabande” by Handel, if you want to get specific — immediately comes to mind. But let’s be real: For most MMA fans, classical music is the kiss of death. I can just picture all the meatheads in the mezzanine making sour faces as soon as my walkout song starts, then heading off to take a piss or get more beer while their girlfriends continue to swipe at their smartphones, half-comatose, totally ignoring my rad walkout. I would be wearing an executioner’s hood, by the way, NOT THAT IT MATTERS TO ANY OF YOU UNGRATEFUL ASSHOLES.
(Serious, but unrelated question: What the hell did bored women do at MMA fights before the invention of smartphones and texting? Did they even go to fights?)
I suppose I could use a metal version of Sarabande, to play to the crowd a little more. Or maybe a techno version? Ugh. I don’t think I could live with myself. Alright, new plan: I would walk out to “Beware,” the first track from the Exmilitary mixtape by Death Grips, which starts with a 48-second clip taken from a Charles Manson prison interview. I would stay backstage until the Manson monologue was finished. Bad vibes would spread throughout the arena. My opponent would feel The Fear begin to take hold. Then, when the first “BEWARE!” kicks in, I’m striding forward in my executioner’s hood, not too fast, not too slow. Purposefully, I guess you could say. Ready to give nothing and take everything.
My nickname would be “The Nailbiter,” because I bite my nails and because all of my fights would go to the judges.
In general, I’m a firm believer that entrance music should be tailored to your opponent. In fighting, you have to do anything to get that mental edge. Besides, my music taste varies from day-to-day. In the end, I’d play it by ear. Pun intended. So if I’m facing, say, a devout Christian like Michael McDonald or Diego Sanchez, I’d probably opt for some Norwegian black metal. Then again, that might motivate them. Maybe go with some Christian music to make less inclined to hit me? Scratch that, I need to be able to look myself in the mirror the day after, so I’d stick with metal.
Likewise, there are simple answers for other types of fighters or scenarios. Taking on an ex-Chute Boxe fighter? Just avoid trance music. Theylove trance music. Don’t encourage them. Fighting in Germany? Go with Rammstein. If you start to lose, hopefully the crowd will riot. Josh Barnett? Play Kenny G — don’t worry, I’m not linking this one — and he’ll tap before the fight starts. Squaring off against Matt Hamill? Eh, it doesn’t really matter. And so on and so forth.
“But George,” you begin, even though we’re not on a first name basis and this was not a conversation, “what if you didn’t have any foreknowledge of your opponent? What would become of your music selection then?” You are cruel to press me so, imaginary interlocutor with impressive grammar skills. It’s a tough question to answer, in part because you’re not picking the best song for an entrance; you’re picking the song with the best two-minute opening, which is all you’ll hear. In that time the song needs to embody the transition a fighter experiences in the build-up the fight; the shift from the relatively serene to the unrelenting and primal.
Lately I’ve been digging Trentemøller’s “Hazed” in that vein. It’s dark, ambient, and has a pulse like a heartbeat that keeps pushing the song along as the rest builds around it. On another day I go see myself being slightly less patient and opting for El-P’s “Request Denied”(assuming the first 50 seconds could be cut) or Strapping Young Lad’s “Skeksis”. Like I said, my taste varies. They’re all different styles and genres, but in the end all would do an excellent job of firing me up and taking my mind off the fact that I’d be about to get mauled by a professional athlete in front of way too many people.
I would choose “Wild Hearted Son” from British rock band The Cult’s 1991 album Ceremony. The opening scene of the video shows a Native Indian doing a dance through a modern city. The message has to do with how we’ve had our primordial war-based instincts submerged by soft living, but just beneath the surface beats the heart of someone proud.
It’s a god-damned crying shame that the art of dramatic entrance seems to be a thing of the past — a relic from an era that was glorious enough to give us Genki Sudo, the epitome of awesome, who nobody will be remotely as cool as — ever — period — end of sentence. So for me, the actual song itself is almost secondary compared to the opening spectacle. This is especially true in the rare instances when the musical artist actually participates in the ring-walk.
A couple of my favorite pugilistic entrances were when that dickhead “Money” Mayweather was accompanied to the ring by 50 Cent on Cinco de Mayo against Oscar De la Hoya while decked out in Mexican patriotic gear (and a big ass sombrero) #irony. There was the “Godfather of Soul,” James Brown, being more traditionally nationalistic when he welcomed Apollo Creed to his own funeral with a stirring rendition of “Living in America” #drago. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Motorhead giving a magnificent performance of HHH’s theme before the co-main event of Wrestlemania 17 #lemmysmole.
That is what I crave to recreate. I want to come out to a presentation, but I heed Dirty Harry’s advice and I know my limitations. Therefore, I’d lob an email to Jon Lajoie and he could make this shit happen because he’s rad. Truth be told, my mother (who has her doctorate) is a 100% descendant of Poland (What doctorate? Amiright?) and my pops is a mutt like most of Americans. His family is part German, Irish, Scottish and a partridge in a pear tree, whatever.
Anyways, I would go vintage Tito Ortiz (kinda) with my half Walesaflag half Old Glory as “Everyday Normal Guy 2” starts playing. Then Lajoie would walk out with his hoodie on and I’d follow — lip-syncing the words all while I’d have my mouthpiece IN. I would make history with the brutal honesty and humor. I’d win the crowd over with my entrance jam and my obscene nipple twists. Once the actual fight starts, I would be immediately synonymous with names like Mark Hominick, Houston Alexander, Tim Hague and Jonathan Goulet. #stupidface.
As important as music is to the experience of watching live fights, there unfortunately exist far more examples of lousy, forgettable entrance songs than good ones. From unspeakably cringe-worthy nu-metal to cliché-ridden rap to the most overplayed, overrated pop songs you can think of, you’re guaranteed to hear a variety of uninspired cheese whenever you attend a local MMA event. Even I am guilty of walking out to “Tom Sawyer” by Rush for my amateur Muay Thai debut; the song may be overplayed and slightly overrated, but I justify my decision on the grounds that it was Kerry Von Erich‘s theme song.
Although I highly doubt that I would ever compete again, I don’t see how I could possibly walk out to something other than the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic, “Free Bird” if I were to change my mind. For starters, Fabulous Freebird fans among us will quickly point out that “Free Bird” was the first rock song to be used as entrance music, and I’m a real sucker for history like that. Another reason that the song works is that everything about it — from the chord progression to the melody and lyrics — gives off great “calm before the storm” vibes, making it an inherently dramatic way to kick off a fight. There’s no need for props, theatrics, or plain old overcompensation when you’re walking out to “Free Bird” — the song makes any statement you could possibly try to make for you. That sort of confidence is a signal to even the most casual of fans that shit is about to get very real, very quickly (for some particularly brutal examples, see Butcher, N.).
Benson “Smooth” Henderson is a talented fighter with a knack for winning the fights he loses. But on the oft-overlooked business side of MMA, Henderson is a dud.
As champion, he consistently failed to move the needle in terms of PPV buys and ratings. His rematch against Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 drew a paltry 190,000 buys—one of the worst buyrates in recent UFC history.
The UFC shipped Henderson off to FOX for his next two outings, presumably to build his name via fighting on a massive television network. Henderson headlined UFC on FOX 5 and UFC on FOX 7. They both earned modest numbers, with the former receiving an average of 3.41 million viewers (1.6 rating in the adult 18-49 demo) and the latter 3.3 million viewers (1.6 rating in the adult 18-49 demo).
Benson “Smooth” Henderson is a talented fighter with a knack for winning the fights he loses. But on the oft-overlooked business side of MMA, Henderson is a dud.
As champion, he consistently failed to move the needle in terms of PPV buys and ratings. His rematch against Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 drew a paltry 190,000 buys—one of the worst buyrates in recent UFC history.
The UFC shipped Henderson off to FOX for his next two outings, presumably to build his name via fighting on a massive television network. Henderson headlined UFC on FOX 5 and UFC on FOX 7. They both earned modest numbers, with the former receiving an average of 3.41 million viewers (1.6 rating in the adult 18-49 demo) and the latter 3.3 million viewers (1.6 rating in the adult 18-49 demo).
The exposure on FOX didn’t correlate into an increase in star power. Henderson remained a below-average PPV draw, with his fight against Anthony Pettis at UFC 164 garnering only 270,000 buys. After losing this fight, Henderson was sent to FOX yet again where he headlined UFC on FOX 10 opposite Josh Thomson. This was Henderson’s lowest-performing FOX card. Only 2.55 million viewers on average (1.1 rating in adult 18-49 demo) tuned in to this event. The live gate for this show was abysmal too. It was the lowest ever for a UFC card in Chicago and the second lowest for a FOX card. On the money side of the fight game, Henderson is anything but “smooth.”
What do you do with a fighter like him? He wins fights, but the decisions are so controversial they’re off-putting. His victories are rarely decisive and the bulk of fans refuse to pay to see him. The rest only watch him for free, but judging by the slump in viewership even those fans are losing interest.
Henderson is a promoter’s worst nightmare. He’s a decision-prone fighter who prizes points above punishment. He fights for the almighty decision, not for submissions or knockouts. Dana White himself noted this recently. He’s an anchor on the division—a perennially victorious athlete who nobody wants to see yet is too high profile to just be buried on prelims like Jon Fitch was back in the day. What if Henderson wins his next fight? Do you give him yet another rematch against Pettis? Or do you keep pairing him off with contenders until he loses? It’s a conundrum.
Benson Henderson is a competitor, not a fighter. That’s fine so long as you draw money and entertain the masses, but Henderson has never done either in the UFC. His style isn’t conducive to converting casual FOX viewers into hardcore MMA fans—fans who purchase PPVs and subscribe to the UFC Fight Pass. Yet there he was in all his banality, presented in the main event of a FOX card for all to see…and for all to loathe, malign, and ultimately forget about.
This opinion might be unpopular, but it’s true. UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis‘ younger brother just isn’t ready.
Sergio Pettis is talented, of that there is no doubt. While most 20-somethings were complaining about trivial social justice issues on Thought Catalog or watching Girls, Sergio Pettis was kicking ass en route to the UFC, showing that he has ample technique and a bright future. The hype wanted us to believe Pettis’ future was now. Fuck the Super Mario Brothers, it was time for the Super Pettis Brothers.
Alas, like with nearly every young, buzzworthy prospect, Pettis faltered. The hype train managed to steamroll over his pedestrian UFC debut, but not so for his follow-up fight against Alex Caceres at UFC on FOX 10. Pettis lost via submission in the third round. Even though the fight was close and well-fought up until the submission, a loss is still a loss.
“He’s just not as good as his brother,” some will say. Others will be harsher, citing Alexander Emelianenko syndrome. “If it wasn’t for his last name, you’d have never heard him; he’s nothing special.”
They’ll be right, but only about the “if it wasn’t for his last name” part.
This opinion might be unpopular, but it’s true. UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis‘ younger brother just isn’t ready.
Sergio Pettis is talented, of that there is no doubt. While most 20-somethings were complaining about trivial social justice issues on Thought Catalog or watching Girls, Sergio Pettis was kicking ass en route to the UFC, showing that he has ample technique and a bright future. The hype wanted us to believe Pettis’ future was now. Fuck the Super Mario Brothers, it was time for the Super Pettis Brothers.
Alas, like with nearly every young, buzzworthy prospect, Pettis faltered. The hype train managed to steamroll over his pedestrian UFC debut, but not so for his follow-up fight against Alex Caceres at UFC on FOX 10. Pettis lost via submission in the third round. Even though the fight was close and well-fought up until the submission, a loss is still a loss.
“He’s just not as good as his brother,” some will say. Others will be harsher, citing Alexander Emelianenko syndrome. “If it wasn’t for his last name, you’d have never heard him; he’s nothing special.”
They’ll be right, but only about the “if it wasn’t for his last name” part.
If Sergio Pettis was just a highly skilled 20-year-old without the baggage of a notable surname, he might not have been brought into the UFC so quickly. And even if the UFC had hired him, the negative, hateful fallout from a loss—or even from a lackluster victory—wouldn’t be so great.
The UFC has a history of throwing still-developing prospects into the fire nuclear reactor a little too soon. They fed a 20-year-old, 4-0 Max Holloway to Dustin Poirier back at UFC 143. Charles Oliveira‘s career was rushed as well. He went from fighting the likes of Efrain Escudero straight to top-flight talent like Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone. The young Brazilian wasn’t ready for this dramatic uptick in competition, and his career suffered. It still hasn’t rebounded.
But you don’t hear about these fighters quite so much because they don’t have famous older brothers. The MMA twitterverse isn’t rife with activity when these fighters lose. It was when Sergio Pettis lost.
In MMA, the drawbacks of a famous last name often outnumber the benefits; exposure is a double-edged sword that slays the lesser brother, leaving their career as one of many corpses the message board vultures pick clean.
2014 is not Pettis’ time. He’s quite a talent for his age, but he’s still green. At 20, and with a skill set that’s not quite there yet (but still growing tremendously with loads of potential), he’s not a world-beater. He might be one day, but not today. He’d benefit from more time on the regional circuit. But since he’s got a famous last name, the UFC might not heed this advice and let Pettis go develop his skills more. They’ll keep pushing Sergio Pettis before he’s ready just because he’s Sergio Pettis, the champ’s brother. And if he fails, he’ll forever become the Luigi to Anthony’s Mario—the perennial understudy—all because of his last name.
(You’ll never go wrong betting on a guy who looks like a stunt-double for a low-budget Jamaican remake of ‘Indiana Jones.’ / Photo via MMAFighting.com)
Like many experts in our field do, we’re going to break down these UFC on FOX 10 main card fights in whichever way we damn please, spitting out our rapid-fire predictions by leaning heavily on pre-determined notions and gut feelings. Read on, and be sure to visit our “Henderson vs. Thomson” liveblog, which kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson
The biggest fight on this card could be the most entertaining as well — unless Benson Henderson decides to do the right thing and use his superior grappling skills to make this an ugly, dominant fight. But Thomson isn’t too shabby himself when it comes to laying and praying himself; his win over K.J. Noons before getting a title shot in Strikeforce was a prime example of what can happen when one partner is just not in the mood to cuddle.
So, maybe it’s going to come down to striking, and unless Thomson lands a game-changing head-kick like he did against Diaz, Bendo should prove to be the quicker striker who throws more when it comes to volume. Anthony Pettis will surely be watching with a close eye, because if Thomson outlasts Henderson, they have a date. And if Henderson wins and T.J. Grant is still concussed, he’s got his own third date against Pettis. And you know what they say about third dates…
Winner: Benson Henderson
Method: Unanimous Decision (5 Rounds)
(You’ll never go wrong betting on a guy who looks like a stunt-double for a low-budget Jamaican remake of ‘Indiana Jones.’ / Photo via MMAFighting.com)
Like many experts in our field do, we’re going to break down these UFC on FOX 10 main card fights in whichever way we damn please, spitting out our rapid-fire predictions by leaning heavily on pre-determined notions and gut feelings. Read on, and be sure to visit our “Henderson vs. Thomson” liveblog, which kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson
The biggest fight on this card could be the most entertaining as well — unless Benson Henderson decides to do the right thing and use his superior grappling skills to make this an ugly, dominant fight. But Thomson isn’t too shabby himself when it comes to laying and praying himself; his win over K.J. Noons before getting a title shot in Strikeforce was a prime example of what can happen when one partner is just not in the mood to cuddle.
So, maybe it’s going to come down to striking, and unless Thomson lands a game-changing head-kick like he did against Diaz, Bendo should prove to be the quicker striker who throws more when it comes to volume. Anthony Pettis will surely be watching with a close eye, because if Thomson outlasts Henderson, they have a date. And if Henderson wins and T.J. Grant is still concussed, he’s got his own third date against Pettis. And you know what they say about third dates…
Winner: Benson Henderson
Method: Unanimous Decision (5 Rounds)
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Stipe Miocic
Truth be told, we’re sort of in disbelief that the same guy who was shoveled out of the Octagon by Randy Couture in 2007 could be up for championship consideration in the year 2014. On the other hand, we also don’t think that Stipe Miocic is quite ready to stand out in the heavyweight title picture at the moment.
This one’s a tough draw. On one hand, you’ve got this savage Brazilian caveman ready to eat the camera before getting into his opponent’s face, against a too-quick-for-his-size potential freak athlete heavyweight with better movement.
Gonzaga does have the ability to end a fight with one shot, and he’s been looking good doing it. (The guys he’s been beating lately haven’t been total cans, either.) We might as well put our cash on the comeback kid…or in this case, the fighter that would most resemble a Street Fighter character with a perm.
Martins did make Daron Cruickshank look like an AXS TV Fights Preliminary Card curtain-jerker in his last fight, and he’s undefeated in six. Still, if Cerrone channels his inner Millennium-circa Jerome Le Banner properly, the jiu-jitsu specialist is probably toast.
Oh, yes…these types of fights. Whenever we get a grappler vs. striker clash of styles, things end up turning out one way or the other — grappler takes down striker, drubbing him on the mat for 15 minutes, or striker is somehow puzzled as to why wrestler thinks he can stand with him, hence the brutal knockout finish for the former. And that’s how much this match deserves in terms of our thought-provoking analysis.
But since we have to pick one side or the other (and since we clearly have a soft-spot for the old-schoolers), we’ll predict that grizzled vet Stephens will continue his unlikely rebirth at featherweight streak, and put Elkins down for a nice nap.
Winner: Jeremy Stephens
Method: KO/TKO (Round 1)
See any of these fights differently? Shoot us your own predictions in the comments section. Just remember, you’re not allowed to think before making your picks. It’s the CagePotato way.
