Whether we like it or not, it looks like the UFC is moving ahead with this whole “Conor McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter” thing. Sure, you could argue that it’s a terrible idea for a promotion to put their biggest star (well, second biggest) on ice for 6 months, on a show notorious for coaching injuries, against a guy he’s not going even going to fight…but hey, the UFC doesn’t need you telling them what you want, dum-dums!
So sit back, relax, and bask in these glorious 15-second promos for TUF 20-Something: The Chin vs. The Mouth. If these previews are to be believed, the theme of this season is SCREAMING, which, even knowing how easily Urijah Faber could take my insides and put them on my outside, I just cannot take seriously. I mean, just look at how adorable “The California Kid” looks while trying to be intimidating. He’s like a little Teddy Ruxpin bear trying to psyche me up for a game of dodgeball.
Whether we like it or not, it looks like the UFC is moving ahead with this whole “Conor McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter” thing. Sure, you could argue that it’s a terrible idea for a promotion to put their biggest star (well, second biggest) on ice for 6 months, on a show notorious for coaching injuries, against a guy he’s not going even going to fight…but hey, the UFC doesn’t need you telling them what you want, dum-dums!
So sit back, relax, and bask in these glorious 15-second promos for TUF 20-Something: The Chin vs. The Mouth. If these previews are to be believed, the theme of this season is SCREAMING, which, even knowing how easily Urijah Faber could take my insides and put them on my outside, I just cannot take seriously. I mean, just look at how adorable “The California Kid” looks while trying to be intimidating. He’s like a little Teddy Ruxpin bear trying to psyche me up for a game of dodgeball.
McGregor’s promo is after the jump.
Soooo…..how many of you are looking forward to watching the first 2 or 3 episodes of this season, then just kind of waning off?
TUF 22 premieres September 9th on one of those Fox Sports channels you don’t get.
I don’t know if it’s possible, but the hype surrounding Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor might be greater now than ever before. Not only do we have moments like the one above to remind us how much these two truly despise one another, but toss in the fact that McGregor will now be entering the fight sporting a belt of his own — one that he by earned by defeating Aldo’s greatest rival until now, no less — and you’ve got yourself a whole new wrinkle of this rivalry to exploit. The amount of smack McGregor is going to talk about Aldo pulling out of UFC 189 alone will make for must-see TV.
In any case, it was announced late last night that Aldo and McGregor are once again set to do battle in what will surely be the biggest featherweight title fight ever, and possibly the biggest fight in the history of the promotion. The Date: December 12th. The venue: The MGM Grand in Las Vegas (a.k.a “Definitely Not Cowboys Stadium”). Said Yahoo’s Kevin Iole…
I don’t know if it’s possible, but the hype surrounding Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor might be greater now than ever before. Not only do we have moments like the one above to remind us how much these two truly despise one another, but toss in the fact that McGregor will now be entering the fight sporting a belt of his own — one that he by earned by defeating Aldo’s greatest rival until now, no less — and you’ve got yourself a whole new wrinkle of this rivalry to exploit. The amount of smack McGregor is going to talk about Aldo pulling out of UFC 189 alone will make for must-see TV.
In any case, it was announced late last night that Aldo and McGregor are once again set to do battle in what will surely be the biggest featherweight title fight ever, and possibly the biggest fight in the history of the promotion. The Date: December 12th. The venue: The MGM Grand in Las Vegas (a.k.a “Definitely Not Cowboys Stadium”). Said Yahoo’s Kevin Iole…
Originally, Dec. 5 was targeted for that date because the MGM had an Andrea Bocelli concert and wanted to put the UFC show at the much smaller Mandalay Bay across the street.
But White told Yahoo Sports that he wanted a bigger venue than the approximately 11,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center. He was in talks with Cowboys’ officials about putting the fight at AT&T Stadium and said that on Thursday, ‘if you would have asked me, I would have told you for sure we were going to Dallas Cowboys Stadium.’
Colton Smith. Eddie Gordon. Corey Anderson. Davey Grant.
Which of these groups doesn’t belong? Well, actually, they both belong. But that’s part of the problem. These fighters are all winners of The Ultimate Fighter. (Except for Bonnar, of course, who did more for the show in his loss to Griffin at the end of the first season than the entire second group combined.)
While the first group of fighters have enjoyed tremendous success in the UFC – winning world titles and in Griffin and Bonnar’s case, becoming Hall of Famers – the second group have barely made a dent in the UFC, and Smith was released outright after three straight losses.
The first season of The Ultimate Fighter saved the UFC from certain demise, and the first few seasons churned out incredible talent like the aforementioned fighters, as well as other stalwarts like Matt Serra, Nate Diaz, Ryan Bader and Roy Nelson. While later incarnations of the show have produced promising fighters like Tony Ferguson and a champion in UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, by and large the quality of talent has dropped dramatically over the last few seasons.
Colton Smith. Eddie Gordon. Corey Anderson. Davey Grant.
Which of these groups doesn’t belong? Well, actually, they both belong. But that’s part of the problem. These fighters are all winners of The Ultimate Fighter. (Except for Bonnar, of course, who did more for the show in his loss to Griffin at the end of the first season than the entire second group combined.)
While the first group of fighters have enjoyed tremendous success in the UFC – winning world titles and in Griffin and Bonnar’s case, becoming Hall of Famers – the second group have barely made a dent in the UFC, and Smith was released outright after three straight losses.
The first season of The Ultimate Fighter saved the UFC from certain demise, and the first few seasons churned out incredible talent like the aforementioned fighters, as well as other stalwarts like Matt Serra, Nate Diaz, Ryan Bader and Roy Nelson. While later incarnations of the show have produced promising fighters like Tony Ferguson and a champion in UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, by and large the quality of talent has dropped dramatically over the last few seasons.
The talent isn’t the only part of The Ultimate Fighter that’s fallen off, even UFC President Dana White admitted that the show’s 19th season (won by Gordon and Anderson) was “without a doubt, the worst season.” Ever since the show’s 10th season, which featured heavyweight fighters like Nelson, Brendan Schaub, Matt Mitrione and Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson and received some of the highest ratings ever, the show’s recent ratings have fallen to among their lowest points.
Recent attempts to change things up with the show have proven unsuccessful as well. The show’s 20th season featured the introduction of the women’s strawweight division, but the first episode still drew the worst ratings ever for a TUF premiere.
What could be attributing to the decline in quality and ratings? I believe the regional talent pool just isn’t what it used to be. In the glory days of The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC was the only game in town, so it always attracted the best fighters. Today, there are other options out there like Bellator, World Series of Fighting and smaller, regional promotions like Titan FC, Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) and Lion Fight Promotions.
While the rise of these new promotions gives mixed martial arts fans more options, it also thins out the talent pool. Instead of signing the most promising prospects to be on The Ultimate Fighter, fighters may elect to join Bellator or World Series of Fighting, or ply their trade in regional organizations before possibly joining the UFC. Or just outright join the UFC, because TUF contracts are perhaps the most notoriously stingy
But all is not lost for The Ultimate Fighter. The UFC introduced a new format in the most recent season, pitting gym against gym with fighters from American Top Team competing against fighters from the Blackzilians in a point-style competition. While it didn’t really lead to a boost in ratings, I think changing things up is one way to keep the show relevant. And while it remains to be seen what kind of ratings Conor McGregor can churn up while coaching on next season’s USA vs. Europenarrative (how original!) opposite Urijah Faber, you can almost guarantee that the premiere will shatter the abysmal numbers produced by recent seasons.
However, the UFC may ultimately just have to put the show on the shelf until the regional MMA talent pool can replenish itself. It’s not like the UFC is lacking for programming. Just in the last week, there has been one pay-per-view and two Fight Night cards, with two more Fight Night cards airing on July 18.
There was a time when The Ultimate Fighter would introduce you to the next great UFC fighter. But given the forgettable names that have captured the show’s crown recently, the UFC should put the show on hiatus until it can think up the next great idea.
Chris Huntemann writes about mixed martial arts in the state of Maryland. He also shares his thoughts on the UFC, Bellator, and World Series of Fighting. Check out his blog, or follow him on Twitter: @mmamaryland.
UFC 189 was a glorious night of MMA. Attendance records, gate receipts and noses were shattered. Old favourites reclaimed their relevance while new prospects proved their hype. Flying knee knockouts seemed commonplace. Dana White’s never ending use of hyperbole actually rang true. To paraphrase Frank Mir, it was the greatest UFC card since UFC 100.
Now that the glow has faded and we’ve all had some time to decompress, let’s look forward to what might be next for the main card competitors.
UFC 189 was a glorious night of MMA. Attendance records, gate receipts and noses were shattered. Old favourites reclaimed their relevance while new prospects proved their hype. Flying knee knockouts seemed commonplace. Dana White’s never ending use of hyperbole actually rang true. To paraphrase Frank Mir, it was the greatest UFC card since UFC 100.
Now that the glow has faded and we’ve all had some time to decompress, let’s look forward to what might be next for the main card competitors.
It almost feels likes the UFC panicked and made McGregor the next coach of The Ultimate Fighter the moment Frankie Edgar ran to the cage and challenged Conor for the belt. This way McGregor is kept busy, the Aldo mega-fight can be rebooked in the fall, and Frankie can’t exploit the fact that Conor has the takedown defense of a domino. Jose vs. Conor is the fight we all want to see, now more than ever, and there’s no way the UFC books anything else for their golden boy.
‘Money’ Mendes got a raw deal this weekend (well, other than the $500,000+ payday). He obviously has the skills to defeat McGregor, but with only two weeks to prepare, he tired quickly and made a couple mistakes that cost him dearly. If he ever hopes to fight for gold again he’s going to need to take the Jon Fitch route and build a lengthy win streak. Dennis Siver is still a ranked featherweight and a fight with the German seems like a good way for Chad to regroup.
Hi kids, do you like violence? Robbie Lawler is perhaps the only true embodiment of the overused phrase ‘warrior spirit’. His demonstration of sublime technical skill and raw, guttural aggression at UFC 189 was absolutely breathtaking. The pecking order at 170 is now starting to come into place and Robbie’s standing at the top is looking more and more sturdy. Lawler deserves some time off to heal after his Fight of the Year performance, therefore any combination of Condit-Hendricks-Woodley in a number one contender match makes sense to find his next challenger.
It’s astonishing to think that if Rory could have held on for another four minutes, he would have won the belt, considering this gif and this photo. While Macdonald didn’t assume his place as the heir apparent to GSP, he certainly proved his toughness and heart. He’ll be on the shelf for some time but so will fellow rhinoplasty patient Thiago Alves. This matchup would result in an exciting striking affair and the winner could add another ranked opponent to their resume.
If Dennis Bermudez is to be believed, he was offered an immediate rematch with Stephens by Dana White. Considering Jeremy missed weight badly and Bermudez was likely winning the fight before the late knockout, a rematch makes a lot of sense. If not, Hacran Dias or Tatsuya Kawajiri would both make for fun top 15 matchups.
Dennis Bermudez should fight: Jeremy Stephens
Dennis looked absolutely fantastic in his bout with Stephens and seemed to have turned a corner in his progression as a top ten featherweight. Then the next thing you know, ‘tiger!’ and he’s asleep on the canvas. I hope the UFC gives him the mulligan they offered and Bermudez can try and snatch back the win he was so close to nabbing this weekend.
‘Gunni’ looked incredible in his fight against Brandon Thatch and appears to have learned a lot from his first career loss. Pairing him with another heralded striker will allow us to see whether he truly has improved his hands to elite level or if the Thatch knockdown was just a lucky punch. Stephen Thompson fits the description and with his recent destruction of Jake Ellenberger this bout could easily headline a Fight Pass show.
In a battle of prospects usually somebody comes out looking like a dud. The hype train was at full speed when Thatch took on Benson Henderson in February and even in defeat many were still impressed by his showing against the former champ. Now we all need to take a step back, Thatch included, and temper our expectations. The loser of the upcoming Patrick Cote vs. Josh Burkman fight would make a great next opponent as they both have name value, solid veteran skills and savvy, but both represent a return to the mid-tier were Brandon has likely been relegated.
Despite an extremely rocky first round, Almeida managed to hold on to the title of ‘next big thing at bantamweight’ with an insane flying knee knockout of Brad Pickett. After such a dicey showing against veteran competition it might be better to pump the brakes with Almeida rather than feed him to the top 5. Johnny Eduardo will be returning from injury shortly and would make for a great battle of top-ranked heavy-handed Brazilians.
The move back to bantamweight was looking like a wise decision for Pickett until he took that knee to the face. Now 1-4 in his last five, the long-time British standout is looking to be in a downward spiral. Bruce Leroy has not found much success in the Octagon lately either. A loser leaves town (or at least relevancy) tilt between these two could round out any card in need of a fun action fight.
Us MMA fans are a diverse and passionate bunch, which is why it’s truly a rare occurrence to see us unite in agreement over a given topic no matter how trivial. Whether it’s a simple fight pick or our reactions to something bigger — the Reebok deal, for instance — you will always find a broad range of reactions, from positive to incredibly negative (also, hurtful, misogynistic, and erroneously punctuated), strewn across every forum and comments section on the web. But not with UFC 189.
In my 5 years of covering the sport, I don’t know if I’ve *ever* witnessed an event quite like UFC 189. Over the course of the night, our reactions unanimously shifted from excited, to shocked, to overwhelmed, to an emotion that is not yet defined but can best be described as “HWAHHHNNNGGG!!!!” We were *all* the Just Bleed guy by the end of Saturday night, and two days later, I’m still not ready to wash the paint off my chest. It just feels right, you know?
UFC 189 was the kind of event that made us remember why we’ve stuck by this sport as it’s biggest promotion has made one disastrous decision after another. It was the kind of event that almost transcended combat sports in its ability to entertain and captivate. It was the kind of event that Matt Saccaro couldn’t find any holes in, you guys.
Us MMA fans are a diverse and passionate bunch, which is why it’s truly a rare occurrence to see us unite in agreement over a given topic no matter how trivial. Whether it’s a simple fight pick or our reactions to something bigger — the Reebok deal, for instance — you will always find a broad range of reactions, from positive to incredibly negative (also, hurtful, misogynistic, and erroneously punctuated), strewn across every forum and comments section on the web. But not with UFC 189.
In my 5 years of covering the sport, I don’t know if I’ve *ever* witnessed an event quite like UFC 189. Over the course of the night, our reactions unanimously shifted from excited, to shocked, to overwhelmed, to an emotion that is not yet defined but can best be described as “HWAHHHNNNGGG!!!!” We were *all* the Just Bleed guy by the end of Saturday night, and two days later, I’m still not ready to wash the paint off my chest. It just feels right, you know?
UFC 189 was the kind of event that made us remember why we’ve stuck by this sport as it’s biggest promotion has made one disastrous decision after another. It was the kind of event that almost transcended combat sports in its ability to entertain and captivate. It was the kind of event that Matt Saccaro couldn’t find any holes in, you guys.
I guess we should talk about Conor McGregor now, eh? At just 26 years old (and in less than two years), McGregor has accomplished more in the UFC than arguably any athlete before him — and before you freak out, understand that I’m talking about his accomplishments from a marketing perspective. The interim belt aside, McGregor has shattered damn near every attendance record the UFC has ever had — from weigh-ins to press conferences to Saturday’s sold out, 7.2 million dollar gate – and he did it against a replacement opponent. He’s united an entire nation of perhaps the most passionate fight fans of all, made believers out of (most of his) his doubters, brought megastar musicians to the octagon, and capped it all off with a simply remarkable performance against Chad Mendes on Saturday night.
Of course, McGregor’s rise to fame did not come without its costs. In a sobering moment following his win over Mendes, McGregor finally allowed his warrior facade (a poor choice of words, perhaps, but you get what I’m saying) to fade away, breaking down in tears as the interim strap was placed around his belt. In the evening’s post-fight press conference, McGregor was even more upfront, revealing that he had only spent 19 days home in the past year while breaking his back to promote a fight that has yet to come to fruition. He battled through injuries of his own and sacrificed more than most of us could ever imagine to compete last weekend, and my God did it pay off.
It’s so easy to forget (and MMA fans often do) that, behind the perpetual hype and trash talk, guys like McGregor are human beings trying to earn their way like the rest of us. And again, at just 26 years old, McGregor seems wise to this beyond his years. If the Irishman’s humble, inspiring words about there being “no such thing as a self-made man” in Saturday’s press conference didn’t make a fan out of you, nothing that McGregor will do probably ever will.
But of course, every great decision the UFC makes must inevitably be followed by an equally terrible one, and placing McGregor opposite Urijah Faber on the next season of TUF is about as boneheaded an idea as the UFC could have come up with. Putting your hottest prospect on the shelf for 6 months to film the umpteenth incarnation of a forgotten reality show…against a guy he won’t even fight in the end? STOP TRYING TO MAKE TUF A THING, UFC. IT’S OVER. That goddamn show is becoming like a zombie horde in its ability to continue ruining lives long after it has died.
But that’s about as far as I’m willing to dip into the negative. Instead, I suppose I should talk about the inevitable “Fight of the Year”-earning welterweight title fight between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald, but instead, I’ll just shares this moment that perfectly encapsulates my feelings about the fight:
Robbie. F*cking. Lawler.
What else did we learn on Saturday? Jeremy Stephens still hits like a truck, Gunnar Nelson hits a lot harder than Brandon Thatch probably gave him credit for, and Thomas Almeida fought through adversity and proved why everyone is so high on him right now. What a goddamn night for this brilliant, disheartening, uplifting, brutally frustrating, awesome sport.
Main card
Conor McGregor def. Chad Mendes via second-round TKO
Robbie Lawler def. Rory MacDonald via fifth-round TKO
Jeremy Stephens def. Dennis Bermudez via third-round TKO
Gunnar Nelson def. Brandon Thatch via submission (rear-naked choke)
Thomas Almeida def. Brad Pickett via second-round KO
Undercard
Matt Brown def. Tim Means via submission (guillotine)
Alex Garcia def. Mike Swick via unanimous decision
John Howard def. Cathal Pendred via split decision
Cody Garbrandt def. Henry Briones via unanimous decision
Louis Smolka def. Neil Seery via unanimous decision
Cody Pfister def. Yosdenis Cedeno via unanimous decision
First, let me say, I’m no professional gambler, but who really is? What I am is a former professional fighter and a trainer of multiple UFC fighters, and I’ve recently (last few years—not, like, today’s my first time) started betting on fights. I’ve also been doing very well with my bets, so I thought I’d share them with you. So strap in for this, the inaugural edition of Gambler’s Gambit, or, Smart Fights to Not Lose Your Ass On at UFC 189.
First, let me say, I’m no professional gambler, but who really is? What I am is a former professional fighter and a trainer of multiple UFC fighters, and I’ve recently (last few years—not, like, today’s my first time) started betting on fights. I’ve also been doing very well with my bets, so I thought I’d share them with you. So strap in for this, the inaugural edition of Gambler’s Gambit, or, Smart Fights to Not Lose Your Ass On at UFC 189.
Now, I certainly don’t advocate gambling your house or children’s diaper money, especially if you have an addictive personality, but if you’re responsible, let’s take a look at this UFC 189 card after I take you through a bit of my methodology. If you’re already chomping at the bit to see where to piss away your money, scroll down for my picks (and find some damn patience).
Now that all of the responsible people have left the building, we need to set some ground rules:
1. Not every fight should be bet on. Most fights have zero to offer in terms of ways to make money. Either, A: the odds are crap; or, B: the fights are too close to call.
2. Not every fight card has even one fight that is worth betting on, so don’t get shifty and start throwing money down out of boredom. Go spend that money that’s burning a hole in your pocket on something fun, something tangible, like gas for your broken down Jalopy or, as mentioned before, your children’s diapers.
3. Don’t bet odds. The odds are that way for a reason: for you to lose money. What I mean by that is don’t go, “So and so has a punchers chance, and for those odds it’s worth it.” No he doesn’t, and no it’s not.
4. Not all underdogs are good bets, not all favorites are bad bets, and frankly, quite often it’s the opposite. Hell, if you bet $100 on a fighter that’s -500 and won, you’d win $20. A 20% return is better than most mutual funds and stocks—but that doesn’t mean pull everything out of the market and become a professional gambler for the week until you lose it all.
5. You need to be okay losing the money you bet. I have done well lately, and if I were a line chart, I’d have an upward trend, but just like the stock market, I have bad days. You will too.
My Methodology (The Short Version):
The first thing I do is analyze the fights that interest me. I go through each fighter’s record and find similar opponent styles to his/her current match up and see how he/she fared. Then, I go through and watch tape of each fighter and see if they give any tells that make me think he has an advantage/disadvantage against opponent. Then I pick my winner. The pick is the important part, though. I try to only bet on fights that I’m certain of the winner. So, none of this, “I think Robbie Lawler has a 51-49% chance of beating Macdonald.” To me, that’s no good, and that’s how you lose money.
The Picks:
(All odds listed are from Bovada the day of publication and may change)
Remember, these are “American” odds, so if the odds are -250, that means you’d have to wager $250 to win $100 (plus you’re money back, of course). If the odds are +250, that means you’d have to wager $100 to earn $250.
Why: Brown is just too damn tough these days. Means is a scrappy fighter, but Brown is hanging with the elite in the division lately. Though Brown doesn’t seem to be able to get that elusive victory over the top 3, he’s not fighting one of them here, and he comes out the victor. I’m surprised the odds aren’t more heavily favored in Brown’s direction, and because of the odds being so good, this is a fight to throw down some cash without much worry of it disappearing.
Why: I think Bermudez will know his role against Stephens and stick to a wrestling gameplan and get the decision, as long as he doesn’t find himself on the painful end of a hadouken uppercut.
Why: I think Rory is talented, but he may be a perpetual bridesmaid. I think he really wants to win this fight and is going to come out very aggressively, which will be his downfall. Rory beats people that he can outstrike and that he can dictate whether the fight stays standing or on the ground. He may very well be able to take Lawler down, but can he keep him there? I don’t think so, nor will he outstrike Lawler.
Why: I think this fight goes similar to the Benson/Thatch fight. Now, I know Gunnar doesn’t have Benson’s takedowns or power/speed/explosiveness, but he’s bigger than Benson and I think Gunnar will be able to weather the early storm of Thatch.
Why: Now, this is the riskiest bet of all. I think Swick has every skill set to beat Garcia, especially given his body type and fighting style (Garcia lost to Seth Baczynski and Neil Magny—both built just like Swick). The question mark on this one goes after: What the hell kind of Mike Swick are we going to see after a 3 year layoff and what has Thailand done to him? If Swick comes back with any semblance of his former self, he wins this easily. If not, Garcia is going to punch his two chins off.
