The UFC hasn’t been subtle about fast-tracking Conor McGregor for a shot at Jose Aldo’s featherweight title, so it surprised many people when they booked the young Irishman to fight Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night 59, this Sunday in Boston. Why not a highly-ranked wrestler like Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, or Ricardo Lamas? The crack research team at Cage Potato dug into the data and may have figured out how the UFC came to its decision…
1. Siver is familiar with Brazilian jiu-jitsu
(Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Dennis Siver made his UFC debut at UFC 70, and Mike Goldberg noted that Siver was “a German kickboxing champ” who had “defeated ten of thirteen opponents.” That’s a great record! The UFC matched him with Jess Liaudin, who was also making his promotional debut and had accumulated a 12-8 pro MMA record. Above .500! Also pretty good! Siver took down Liaudin early on, and Goldberg remarked that Siver had a lot of jiu-jitsu training. That training came in handy when he was cognizant enough to tap out to Liaudin’s armbar from guard at 1:21 of the first. People can criticize McGregor for not having fought a wrestler, but they won’t be able to say the same of a jiu-jitsu player after Sunday.
2. Siver is a model of German efficiency
(Dennis is the guy on the right. Poster-’shop via Jeremy Botter)
The UFC hasn’t been subtle about fast-tracking Conor McGregor for a shot at Jose Aldo’s featherweight title, so it surprised many people when they booked the young Irishman to fight Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night 59, this Sunday in Boston. Why not a highly-ranked wrestler like Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, or Ricardo Lamas? The crack research team at Cage Potato dug into the data and may have figured out how the UFC came to its decision…
1. Siver is familiar with Brazilian jiu-jitsu
(Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Dennis Siver made his UFC debut at UFC 70, and Mike Goldberg noted that Siver was “a German kickboxing champ” who had “defeated ten of thirteen opponents.” That’s a great record! The UFC matched him with Jess Liaudin, who was also making his promotional debut and had accumulated a 12-8 pro MMA record. Above .500! Also pretty good! Siver took down Liaudin early on, and Goldberg remarked that Siver had a lot of jiu-jitsu training. That training came in handy when he was cognizant enough to tap out to Liaudin’s armbar from guard at 1:21 of the first. People can criticize McGregor for not having fought a wrestler, but they won’t be able to say the same of a jiu-jitsu player after Sunday.
2. Siver is a model of German efficiency
(Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
After the Liaudin fight, Siver dropped down to lightweight and split a pair of fights. He then fought Melvin Guillard, who was returning to the UFC after one fight outside the organization. Guillard knocked Siver down right off the bat with two overhand rights. Siver attempted an armbar — he had a lot of jiu-jitsu training, remember — but Guillard snuck out. Siver bravely got back to his feet before Guillard landed a right hand that stiffened his legs and another right hand that put him back on the mat. Herb Dean officially stepped in at 36 seconds of the first round. Siver went 0 for 1 in strikes, and it doesn’t get any more efficient than that.
3. Siver is an artist in the cage
(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Siver came into this bout on a four-fight winning streak, the longest of his UFC career. As he entered the arena to Papa Roach’s “Last Resort,” Goldberg mentioned that Siver “is truly the possessor of the most dangerous spinning back kick in the UFC today, but Dennis Siver is a lot more than a spinning back kick.” Cerrone must have known this too, because he didn’t allow Siver to unleash even one. Cerrone followed up an inside leg kick with a high kick that caught Siver flush, sending him Fedor-Fujita fish-flopping. (Fedor’s a great comparison for Siver, because they were both born in Russia and they’re both great fighters.) Siver clinched and recovered, but a Cerrone right hand sent him rolling around on the mat like Lesnar-Overeem. (Brock Lesnar’s another great comparison for Siver since Siver looks like a miniature Lesnar and, of course, they’re both great fighters.) Cerrone locked up a rear-naked choke, and even Goethe would have admired Siver’s irony. Suffocation, no breathing.
4. Siver raised his stock against Manny Gamburyan
(Photo by Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Siver needed a bounceback after being finished by Cub Swanson, and he got it against Manny Gamburyan at UFC 168. Unfortunately, the Nevada commission found hCG in Siver’s system. This hormone is often naturally produced during pregnancy or by some cancerous tumors. The NSAC decided the Gamburyan fight never happened (though I assure you it did), fined him nearly $20,000, and suspended him for nine months, despite never following up on whether was pregnant and/or had cancer. The silver lining, though, is that these events helped raise Siver’s profile higher than ever before, putting him in position for the McGregor fight.
5. Siver is comfortable under pressure
(Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Sunday will mark Siver’s first time in a main event, and he’s even stated that it’s the biggest fight of his career. You might worry that the heavy promotion and stature of the fight will play a role in Siver’s psyche, but you needn’t worry. Siver is coming off a victory over undefeated American wrecking machine Charles Rosa (Wikipedia page under construction) that saw him overcome the pressure of fighting on the prelim portion of a Fight Pass event in Sweden. A man who has dealt with the hostile politeness of a nonpartisan Swedish mob will not be phased by the six-degrees-of-Irish-heritage Boston crowd.
(Siver finishes Paul Kelly with a brutal spinning back kick at UFC 105. Unfortunately, all footage of this fight was lost in the Great Zuffa Fire of 2010.)
According to the advertisements that punctuated yesterday’s Packers-Cowboys game, Conor McGregor will be headlining Fight Night 59 in Boston this weekend. His opponent is something of a mystery man — a UFC newcomer hailing from parts unknown — hence the promotion’s inability to secure any footage of his previous fights. Which seems odd to me, because this mystery gentleman (Dennis Si-ver, am I saying that right?) is apparently of a high-enough caliber to earn McGregor a featherweight title shot should he emerge victorious.
Sarcasm aside, it’s safe to say that the 18-fight UFC veteran (and current +750 underdog. Can you say #1 CONTENDER MATCH!!) has been largely overlooked by the press heading into his fight with McGregor. Maybe the language barrier is to blame, or maybe it’s because Siver is not so easily wowed by the opulence of a drop-top Ferrari tour around Vegas. In any case, it’d be nice to actually hear how the #10 ranked featherweight feels about his “notorious” opponent, fighting in a main event, and being completely counted out in said main event, right?
Well thanks to the always reliable (Deutschland) MMA media, we finally can. In a recent interview with GroundandPound.de, the Russian-born, German-raised fighter took full advantage of his one-stop media tour, pulling a GSP when assessing McGregor’s skillset and laughing off the idea that he wouldn’t last more than two minutes against the Irishman. It was undeniably awesome.
Siver’s strong words are after the jump.
(Siver finishes Paul Kelly with a brutal spinning back kick at UFC 105. Unfortunately, all footage of this fight was lost in the Great Zuffa Fire of 2010.)
According to the advertisements that punctuated yesterday’s Packers-Cowboys game, Conor McGregor will be headlining Fight Night 59 in Boston this weekend. His opponent is something of a mystery man — a UFC newcomer hailing from parts unknown — hence the promotion’s inability to secure any footage of his previous fights. Which seems odd to me, because this mystery gentleman (Dennis Si-ver, am I saying that right?) is apparently of a high-enough caliber to earn McGregor a featherweight title shot should he emerge victorious.
Sarcasm aside, it’s safe to say that the 18-fight UFC veteran (and current +750 underdog. Can you say #1 CONTENDER MATCH!!) has been largely overlooked by the press heading into his fight with McGregor. Maybe the language barrier is to blame, or maybe it’s because Siver is not so easily wowed by the opulence of a drop-top Ferrari tour around Vegas. In any case, it’d be nice to actually hear how the #10 ranked featherweight feels about his “notorious” opponent, fighting in a main event, and being completely counted out in said main event, right?
Well thanks to the always reliable (Deutschland) MMA media, we finally can. In a recent interview with GroundandPound.de, the Russian-born, German-raised fighter took full advantage of his one-stop media tour, pulling a GSP when assessing McGregor’s skillset and laughing off the idea that he wouldn’t last more than two minutes against the Irishman. It was undeniably awesome.
Everyone thinks I’ve already lost the fight. You can’t hype someone after four fights. In his last fight he has looked good, but the battle was only two minutes or so. For me he landed a fluke punch [against Dustin Poirier], because until then, the whole thing was even. And his fights before that were also nothing special. I’m not impressed at all. He promised to beat me in two minutes, but he can stick that prediction in his ass.
When I finish him on Sunday, I’ll laugh. I can understand all that shit talking in front of the camera, but when he does it privately, behind the scenes, that proves to me he is an asshole.
You hear that, Conor? MY BOY DENNY SEEVES IS NOT IMPRESSED!!!
Truthfully, I’m at something an impasse when it comes to the McGregor-Siver matchup. While I know that McGregor is the kind of brash, marketable personality that the UFC is in increasingly dire need of these days, I would literally give 2 liters of my own blood for the chance to see Dana White’s immediate reaction following a Siver upset (which would hopefully include the angry application of some lip balm). I would bathe in his rage, and it would be glorious.
It’s good to know that fate is on my side, at least. The MMA Gods are nothing if not a vengeful group of bitter misanthropes who get off on our sadness, and throwing a wrench into the hype-machine that is McGregor seems like the perfect opportunity to remind us (and the UFC) not to count our chickens before they hatch. Either that, or they’ll tear CM Punk’s ACL a week out from his first scheduled UFC fight…
Here’s a bonus clip from our conversation, about the UFC’s reported plan to award Conor McGregor a title shot against Jose Aldo if he can get past Dennis Siver later this month at UFC Fight Night 59. Is this the right move by the UFC? And will McGregor blow through Siver as quickly as he claims? The answers await you in the video above. Thanks for watching, and follow TYT Sports on twitter if you like sports-things.
Here’s a bonus clip from our conversation, about the UFC’s reported plan to award Conor McGregor a title shot against Jose Aldo if he can get past Dennis Siver later this month at UFC Fight Night 59. Is this the right move by the UFC? And will McGregor blow through Siver as quickly as he claims? The answers await you in the video above. Thanks for watching, and follow TYT Sports on twitter if you like sports-things.
But this UFC Ultimate Insider segment on McGregor uses a different tactic: Presenting McGregor as a real human being. He has a sister who he used to scrap with as a child, and parents who were worried about their son giving up a stable life as a plumber to pursue cage-fighting. His mom maybe still doesn’t know what MMA is. (“Da boxin’ kind of gave him a complete different outlook,” she says.) At the 1:54 mark, Conor’s father Tony describes one of his son’s early fights against “an Eastern European guy…ex-Special Forces from Russia.” Tony can barely get through the story before he gets choked up. “That was a defining moment for me,” Tony says. “Boy become man.”
It’s a powerful moment, and it makes McGregor so much more relatable than all of his usual bluster. I also enjoyed this charming — and so utterly Irish — monologue that McGregor makes on the topic of money:
But this UFC Ultimate Insider segment on McGregor uses a different tactic: Presenting McGregor as a real human being. He has a sister who he used to scrap with as a child, and parents who were worried about their son giving up a stable life as a plumber to pursue cage-fighting. His mom maybe still doesn’t know what MMA is. (“Da boxin’ kind of gave him a complete different outlook,” she says.) At the 1:54 mark, Conor’s father Tony describes one of his son’s early fights against “an Eastern European guy…ex-Special Forces from Russia.” Tony can barely get through the story before he gets choked up. “That was a defining moment for me,” Tony says. “Boy become man.”
It’s a powerful moment, and it makes McGregor so much more relatable than all of his usual bluster. I also enjoyed this charming — and so utterly Irish — monologue that McGregor makes on the topic of money:
“You ever hear the saying, ‘It’s hard to get up and run when you’re wearing silk underwear’? As if to say, like, I made some money, it’s hard to actually get up and motivate. But I’ve got a foolproof plan: When you get your money, spend every penny of it. Blow it all, until you’re actually broke come the next fight. So you’re just as hungry as you were before the first one. So I’m in the process of blowing every penny of that. Every f*ckin’ penny of it, yeah?”
Then, he goes suit shopping. Please, somebody make me a Vine of 5:44-5:46. Thanks.
(We tried to give the Potato Awards a classier vibe this year. We failed.)
By the CagePotato Staff
Look, you already know how we feel about MMA awards ceremonies: They’re meaningless exercises tainted by personal bias and stupidity, in equal measures. The only thing that makes the Potato Awards different is that we’re completely honest about the fact that our awards are biased and stupid. But it’s the end of the year, and we have to acknowledge that somehow, right?
Putting together this year’s Potato Awards list was a harrowing experience. Honestly, 2014 was an awful year for mixed martial arts. It was the year that the UFC’s pay-per-view business tanked due to injured stars and general disinterest among fans — what else is new, amirite? — while competing promotions stooped to terrifying depths in order to get your attention. (Not that the UFC didn’t do some of that, too.) 2014 answered the question “Could the UFC survive an entire year without Anderson Silva and GSP?”, and that answer was “yes, but just barely.” It was also a year in which domestic violence incidents involving MMA fighters became a tragic recurring theme (see: War Machine, Thiago Silva, Josh Grispi, Anthony Johnson, Michael Johnson).
But years from now, we may look back at 2014 as an important turning point, thanks to some major developments that took place near the end of the year. Notably, the UFC’s Reebok uniform deal is poised to transform the sponsorship landscape, while the Le/Quarry/Fitch class-action lawsuit and the related suits thatcame out in its wake could drag out some long-hidden truths about the UFC’s finances. We don’t yet know if these developments will turn out to be good or bad overall, but MMA could be a lot more interesting in 2015.
As we enter a new year, let’s look back at the past 12 months that got us here — the highs, the lows, and the moments that were so “WTF?!” that they defy all judgment. Use the page links below to peruse our mostly-chronological list of 38 award categories, and thanks so much for sticking with CagePotato for another year.
(We tried to give the Potato Awards a classier vibe this year. We failed.)
By the CagePotato Staff
Look, you already know how we feel about MMA awards ceremonies: They’re meaningless exercises tainted by personal bias and stupidity, in equal measures. The only thing that makes the Potato Awards different is that we’re completely honest about the fact that our awards are biased and stupid. But it’s the end of the year, and we have to acknowledge that somehow, right?
Putting together this year’s Potato Awards list was a harrowing experience. Honestly, 2014 was an awful year for mixed martial arts. It was the year that the UFC’s pay-per-view business tanked due to injured stars and general disinterest among fans — what else is new, amirite? — while competing promotions stooped to terrifying depths in order to get your attention. (Not that the UFC didn’t do some of that, too.) 2014 answered the question “Can the UFC survive an entire year without Anderson Silva and GSP?”, and that answer was “yes, but just barely.” It was also a year in which domestic violence incidents involving MMA fighters became a tragic recurring theme (see: War Machine, Thiago Silva, Josh Grispi, Anthony Johnson, Michael Johnson).
But years from now, we may look back at 2014 as an important turning point, thanks to some major developments that took place near the end of the year. Notably, the UFC’s Reebok uniform deal is poised to transform the sponsorship landscape, while the Le/Quarry/Fitch class-action lawsuit and the related suits thatcame out in its wake could drag out some long-hidden truths about the UFC’s finances. We don’t yet know if these developments will turn out to be positive or negative overall, but MMA could be a lot more interesting in 2015.
As we enter a new year, let’s look back at the past 12 months that got us here — the highs, the lows, and the moments that were so “WTF?!” that they defy all judgment. Use the page links below to peruse our mostly-chronological list of 38 award categories, and thanks so much for sticking with CagePotato for another year.
Despite the fact that their first encounter resulted in one of the greatest fights in UFC, nay, MMA history, there weren’t many of us who were chomping at the bit for a Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio Rua rematch when it was announced for Fight Night 38. Like Dumb and DumberTo, the bar had simply been set too high by the original for a sequel to ever live up to it, so fans approached the matchup with an overwhelming “meh.”
And through the first two rounds of the fight, our apathy seemed rightfully placed. Henderson looked every bit the 44 year-old fading legend that he was, getting flash KO’d by the 33 year-old Rua (who himself is approximately 85 in fight years) on no less than three separate occasions. We were watching a man’s career come to an end in real time, or so we thought, and the best thing that Henderson could do would be to just stay the f*ck down already and go out with some dignity.
But there’s a reason Dan Henderson is, well, Dan Henderson, and the rest of us are Lewis Skolnick in comparison. It’s called the H-Bomb — a fabled right hand that was bestowed upon Hendo by Thor himself according to the ancient texts — and it essentially acts as a failsafe should Henderson ever find his back against a wall. It is the great equalizer, and roughly one and a half minutes into the third round, Henderson used it to equalize Shogun’s nose into a million pieces.
It was an absolutely insane comeback for Henderson, a lightning strike TKO that snapped an unprecedented three-fight skid and earned him unanimous praise from fans, fighters, and critics alike.
“Dan Henderson has just surpassed John Wayne, Chuck Norris, and Tom Selleck as the most American man in history.” – Tim Kennedy
“What a fight! Tune into UFC on FOX for my objective analysis!” – Ariel Helwani
“A punch so powerful that it made my jaw hurt. My jaw.” – Roger Ebert from beyond the grave
I would say that watching Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Roy Nelson was like spotting a car accident moments before it was about to happen, but that doesn’t quite do it justice. Because even if you happen to…er…happen upon the scenario I just mentioned, chances are that you only get a few second buffer before everything gets all-
Really, Nog vs. Nelson was more like watching a Paranormal Activity movie. You walked into it with a stomach-turning sense of trepidation, and knew from the moment that the opening credits rolled rolling that something terrible was going to happen to at least of the people on screen. From there, it was just an endurance test — an agonizing, dread-filled slog toward death where everything is silent and time seems to stand still.
Roy Nelson is called “Big Country” for a multitude of reasons, the least of which being that he has never been considered the fastest man at 265 lbs. But compared to Nogueira — who appeared to have dipped his gloves and legs in concrete before stepping into the Octagon that night — Nelson was nothing short of Usain Bolt with a beer gut. For three and a half excruciating minutes, we were forced to watch a PRIDE legend and former interim champion serve as target practice to an IFL champion and TUF winner, until it inevitably happened.
Us Nogueira fans have witnessed some heartbreaking moments in recent years — the Velasquez fight, the Mir fights, the Werdum fight — but nothing quite compares to the night our hero was mummified by Rubeus Hagrid. And while it’s true that Big Nog may not have actually died that night, I sure as hell did. On the inside.
Jesus Christ, take that thing back to Baltimore. By the time this surreal moment aired on TUF Brazil 3, BJJ champion Gabi Garcia had already failed a drug test for Clomiphene, confirming our suspicions that her 24-inch pythons were earned with a little hormonal help. A month later, Wanderlei Silva was surprised with a random drug test of his own and responded by fleeing out of the side door of his gym; as a result, he caught a lifetime ban from the NSAC. But here they are on the set of a reality show, having a conversation about drive, determination, and being a role model to women. And meanwhile, Gabi looks like she could crush an apple in either one of her hands. So yeah, it was a little ironic in retrospect.
“Just Bleed” MMA Superfan of the Year Award: Chuck Liddell Costume Guy (5/10/14)
It’s easy to be cynical about MMA. And it would be easy to be cynical about a guy who dresses up in a Chuck Liddell costume in an attempt to get on TV and meet Dana White and a bunch of fighters.
But look at that thing. It’s marvelous. And he times his Chuck Liddell victory pose perfectly with the crane camera that’s flying through.
(Ya never seen an Oirishmin move wit such fluidatee. / Props: Ryan Harkness)
Rumor has it, Conor McGregor learned these moves by watching just the first 20 minutes of Only the Strong. Seriously, though — this dude is an incredible athlete. And his shoe-game remains impeccable.
(Ya never seen an Oirishmin move wit such fluidatee. / Props: Ryan Harkness)
Rumor has it, Conor McGregor learned these moves by watching just the first 20 minutes of Only the Strong. Seriously, though — this dude is an incredible athlete. And his shoe-game remains impeccable.
