(The gang engages in a rousing game of Fuck, Marry, Kill: Dana White, Ronda Rousey, and Bigfoot Silva)
I may not having been putting much faith into the 22nd season of The Ultimate Fighter, because, you know, it’s the 22nd goddamn season of The Ultimate Fighter (Unofficial tagline: “Where not even the coaches fight, because whatever, fuck you.”), but after seeing Conor McGregor and Urijah Faber‘s amazing interview on last night’s edition of UFC Tonight, I might just have to see how this season plays out. It’s a testament to both the salesmanship of McGregor and the unflappable likeability of Faber.
For close to 15 minutes, the two coaches playfully bickered about everything from pay-per-view numbers to whether or not TJ Dillashaw is a “snake in the grass,” all while hosts Kenny Florian and Brian Stann tried to contain their laughter and occasionally chimed in. But what separated this interview from most was the near complete lack of malice between the two — perhaps because they aren’t actually scheduled to fight anytime soon. It was like watching two old friends argue about who was the better high school athlete, in that you could sense a mutual respect underneath it all (despite McGregor’s early assertion that Faber was “harmless”). Even when McGregor was aiming his best zingers at the members of Team Alpha Male, Faber never rose above the level of “slight amusement.”
(The gang engages in a rousing game of Fuck, Marry, Kill: Dana White, Ronda Rousey, and Bigfoot Silva)
I may not having been putting much faith into the 22nd season of The Ultimate Fighter, because, you know, it’s the 22nd goddamn season of The Ultimate Fighter (Unofficial tagline: “Where not even the coaches fight, because whatever, fuck you.”), but after seeing Conor McGregor and Urijah Faber‘s amazing interview on last night’s edition of UFC Tonight, I might just have to see how this season plays out. It’s a testament to both the salesmanship of McGregor and the unflappable likeability of Faber.
For close to 15 minutes, the two coaches playfully bickered about everything from pay-per-view numbers to whether or not TJ Dillashaw is a “snake in the grass,” all while hosts Kenny Florian and Brian Stann tried to contain their laughter and occasionally chimed in. But what separated this interview from most was the near complete lack of malice between the two — perhaps because they aren’t actually scheduled to fight anytime soon. It was like watching two old friends argue about who was the better high school athlete, in that you could sense a mutual respect underneath it all (despite McGregor’s early assertion that Faber was “harmless”). Even when McGregor was aiming his best zingers at the members of Team Alpha Male, Faber never rose above the level of “slight amusement.”
Video after the jump.
After watching this interview, not only am I guaranteed to tune in for the first few episodes of TUF 22 (which is more than I could say for the past dozen incarnations or so), but I’m already drafting up the pilot of a buddy cop drama starring these two.
“One’s a perpetually arrogant loudmouth and former beat cop from the mean streets of Dublin. The other is Matthew McConaughey’s kid brother. Together, they are The Mouth & The Chin.”
Summer is winding down, which means we’re in the latter stages of 2015. It also means football season is finally here. But do you know what else it means? There’s still a whole slew of mixed martial arts fights that we have to look forward to, so with that in mind, here are the top 10 fights that you, Potato Nation, should check out or – at the very least – set your DVR to as we wind down the year:
Summer is winding down, which means we’re in the latter stages of 2015. It also means football season is finally here. But do you know what else it means? There’s still a whole slew of mixed martial arts fights that we have to look forward to, so with that in mind, here are the top 10 fights that you, Potato Nation, should check out or – at the very least – set your DVR to as we wind down the year:
(Countdown to UFC 191: Andrei Arlovski vs Frank Mir, via the UFC.)
Both of these guys are in the midst of a career resurgence – and probably the second or third such resurgence for Mir. Both are also riding multiple-fight win streaks, and the winner of this fight has to be considered the top contender in UFC’s heavyweight division. But given what we’ve seen lately with title shots in the UFC, who knows?
(Highlights from Dantas vs. Galvao 1, via Bellator.)
Galvao memorably made Joe Warren scream in pain at Bellator 135 earlier this year, securing the bantamweight title in the process. Dantas succumbed to Warren in a previous title fight, but secured another shot after besting Mike Richman at Bellator 137. Oh yeah, Dantas also happens to hold a vicious knockout victory over, you guessed it, Marcos Galvao. Both of these guys can finish their opponent by either knockout or submission, so don’t expect this fight to go to a decision.
Freire has been a thorn in Straus’ side, already getting the better of him on two separate occasions. Besides his losses to Freire, Straus has been on an absolute tear in Bellator, winning all but one fight. Straus is chomping at the bit for redemption against Freire, and I expect this fight to be teeming with animosity and fireworks.
7. David Branch vs. Teddy Holder (World Series of Fighting 23 – Sept. 18)
(Holder vs. Thiago Silva, WSOF 19.)
Holder emphatically made his presence known in WSOF, stepping in as a last-minute replacement against Thiago Silva and needing all but two minutes to knockout Silva in both men’s organizational debut. Knocking out a dangerous (literally) fighter like Silva in two minutes? I’d say that warrants a title shot. Holder and Branch are squaring off for WSOF’s inaugual light heavyweight title, with Branch boasting an undefeated record in WSOF and getting the best of fighters like Paulo Filho and Yushin Okami. Both guys like to stand and bang, so I don’t think it’s a stretch to say this fight probably won’t go the distance.
Putting this fight here is more or less a sentimental pick, given the stature of the two guys involved. Hendo showed the world he’s not quite finished yet by brutally knocking out Tim Boetsch in the first round earlier this summer. Belfort was demolished by UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in his last fight, but had a highlight-reel knockout of Hendo in their previous meeting. These guys are surefire hall of famers and at the latter end of their careers, so you want to catch them while you can. Especially when they’re facing each other.
5. Bellator: Dynamite (Sept. 19)
This is an entire card you should check out, not just one fight. Bellator is partnering with GLORY kickboxing to put on a joint card on the same night. The arena will house both the Bellator cage and GLORY’s kickboxing ring, right next to each other. Simply put, this is a combat sports fan’s wet dream. The Bellator portion of the card will feature a light heavyweight tournament with fighters like Phil Davis and Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal. Liam McGeary will defend his light heavyweight title against Tito Ortiz, and Bellator’s Paul Daley will actually compete in a GLORY kickboxing match against Fernando Gonzalez. If you love combat sports, you do not want to miss this event.
4. Justin Gaethje vs. Luis Palomino II (World Series of Fighting 23 – Sept. 18)
(Gaethje vs Palomino 1 highlights, via Youtube)
These two engaged in an absolute war earlier this year. They traded bomb after bomb after bomb and pummeled each other mercilessly. Gaethje scored a third-round TKO victory, but Palomino’s tremendous heart and aggression against Gaethje secured him another chance at the gold. Their first meeting has been one of the less-heralded fights of 2015. But after this sequel, both of these guys should be household names.
These two are probably the two best middleweight fighters in the world right now. They’ve been circling each other for a while now and after Weidman’s demolition of Belfort and Rockhold running through Lyoto Machida in their previous bouts, the time is now for Weidman and Rockhold to go toe-to-toe for UFC’s middleweight title. These guys are sharing the UFC 194 with Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. While that fight will likely get the lion’s share of the promotion, Weidman/Rockhold has all the making of a classic. Neither man gives an inch and will bring everything they have to the table. This will be a terrific fight to watch.
It may have suffered a slight setback thanks to an unfortunate thumb injury, but simply put, if you like violence, you will enjoy this fight. Both Lawler and Condit enjoy rearranging their opponent’s faces – Lawler with Rory MacDonald, and Condit with Thiago Alves. Expect nothing less than a brutal, bloody, punishing affair with this one. There will be no strategy, no gameplan. If any fight encompasses the saying “Two men enter, one man leaves,” it’s this one. Just sit back, relax and enjoy violence in its purest form with this one.
(Aldo vs. McGregor promo, once again via BrattMamley)
The fight EVERYONE’S talked about. This was supposed to happen at UFC 189 in July, and even had a world tour to go with it. Unfortunately, Aldo had to pull out right before the fight with an injury. McGregor defeated Chad Mendes for the interim featherweight title, and will now face Aldo to determine UFC’s true featherweight champion. The hype surrounding this fight will be off the charts, and it will be almost a full calendar year before the anticipation for this fight really kicked into gear. Aldo and McGregor are the two best featherweights in the world. It is long past time for these two to square off, and it can’t come at a better time than just before the holidays. Merry Christmas to all of us.
Chris Huntemann writes about mixed martial arts in the state of Maryland. He also opines on various topics within UFC, Bellator and World Series of Fighting. Check out his blog, and follow him on Twitter: @mmamaryland.
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.
