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Gambling Addiction Enabler: ‘UFC 170: Rousey vs. McMann’ Edition

(Damn, Vin Diesel’s acting lessons have clearly taken Rousey’s mean-mug to a WHOLE. NOTHA. LEVEL..)

By Dan George

Let us all gather round, hold hands, and pray. Pray that this weekend’s UFC 170 manages to rise above the level of the decision-filled snoozefests that were UFC 169 and Fight Night 36. Of course, with a main event featuring Ronda Rousey, whose “kill ratio” is 100% (as Don Frye would put it if he gave two shits about this fight), and a co-main event featuring the biggest squash match of the year (so far), it looks like UFC 170 will rise to the level of those 10 decision events at the very minimum. I’m guessing that sound I just heard was all of you reaching into your wallets for $50.

Regardless of whether or not UFC 170 is able to deliver from an action standpoint, it has plenty of opportunities to deliver from a gambler’s standpoint, so join us after the jump for some sexy gambling lines (courtesy of BestFightOdds) and even sexier advice. You know, because women.

The Props:

Josh Sampo (+145) vs. Zach Makovsky (-165)

Makovsky is a perfect 3-0 since dropping down to flyweight and looked outstanding in his upset victory of Scott Jorgensen in his UFC debut at UFC on Fox 9. Sampo is looking to extend his 5 fight winning streak after an equally impressive debut RNC submission win over Ryan Benoit at the TUF 18 finale. The +105 prop that he wins via decision is a nice plus money option, as “Fun Size” should be able to use his NCAA division 1 wrestling to nullify Sampo’s submission threat on the ground while getting the better of the exchanges in the stand up department. Makovsky makes the parlay at a bargain -165 to win outright.

(Damn, Vin Diesel’s acting lessons have clearly taken Rousey’s mean-mug to a WHOLE. NOTHA. LEVEL..)

By Dan George

The Props:

Josh Sampo (+145) vs. Zach Makovsky (-165)

Alexis Davis (+150) vs. Jessica Eye (-130)

The only thing more controversial than Eye’s decision win over Kaufman was the consequential fall out and NC ruling from the TDLR a few weeks ago. Hopefully, Jessica will not be overly affected by the recent controversy that has surrounded her, but it may be a small difference maker in a razor sharp fight that will be close and most likely decided by the judge’s cards. +170 for Alexis Davis to win by decision is a solid risk if you believe that Eye will be good enough not to be submitted, but not good enough to control where this fight takes place.

Aljamain Sterling (-240) vs. Cody Gibson (+200)

With a perfect 8-0 record, Serra Longo Fight Team submission specialist Aljamain Sterling is a +215 prop to beat Cody Gibson inside the distance. Sterling has won his last three fights via RNC while 2 of Gibson’s 3 career losses have come via submission. If he cannot keep this fight standing, that’s easy money.

Stay the Hell Away From:

Mike Pyle (-185) vs. T.J. Waldburger (+160)

“Quicksand” is a 2 to 1 favorite to avoid the submission game of T.J. Walburger, who comes in as the +160 underdog. All signs point towards Pyle being the right favorite; prior to his 30 second sparring session gone wrong with Matt Brown at UFN 26, he was riding a four fight win streak and the last time he lost by submission was close to five years ago. With 3 of his 4 UFC wins coming via submission, T.J. Waldburger has found success when he hits the mat with his opponent, something Pyle will most likely participate in here. With the likelihood this fight goes to the ground, Waldburger is fighting where he is strongest while Pyle plays with fire and hopes not to get burned. Pyle if you must, but probably a better idea to skip and simply enjoy this one.

Main Card bouts:

Stephen Thompson (-135) vs. Robert Whittaker (+115)

Stephen is the better striker on paper and Whittaker prefers to stand with his opponents in the cage. Thompson should be able to land first from and begin to find his range as the fight progresses. Whittaker may eventually have to work at taking “Wonderboy” down if the first round does not go well on the feet, which may lead to Thompson creating distance and fighting off his back foot on the way to the scorecards. Thompson to win.

Demian Maia (+240) vs. Rory Macdonald (-280)

Not sure that anyone is running to the window to lay -280 on Rory MacDonald to beat Demian Maia given the 2013 that he had. Rory has the tools to best Maia on the feet, but Demian will surely be looking to take this fight down to the ground right away. This leads to the question of whether or not Rory can get back to his feet or whether or not he will look like Jon Fitch did against Maia. Rory may opt to use the jab he found success with against strong grapplers to keep Maia at bay and outpoint the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ace until a window opens for him to end the fight (if the window presents itself…cough.. Jake Ellenberger) or simply ride out another decision victory. Rory to win.

Daniel Cormier (-1300) vs. Patrick Cummins (+850)

-1300 means there is no point trying to make much profit off picking Cormier to win against the 4-0 short notice replacement Patrick Cummins here. Did Cummins really school Cormier in wrestling practice so bad that it led Daniel to break down in tears? Or is Cummins attempting to get inside Cormier’s head in hopes of pulling off the upset of the year this Saturday night? Well we know for sure that Pat…sorry… Patrick has upset Cormier, but from the looks of it, this may work against him once the cage door closes. Cormier to win via hulk smash is not available but highly likely nonetheless. Cormier to win.

Put 10 dollars on Cummins to win. Just because.

Ronda Rousey (-460) vs. Sara McMann (+365)

The line suggests otherwise, but this fight has to be the closest fight on the cards based on the pedigree of both fighters alone. McMann is a silver medalist in wrestling, Rousey a bronze medalist in Judo, and both are undefeated thus far in their respective careers. Ronda has given up her back to far lesser a grappler than McMann, but always ends up in the same position by the end of the fight, forcing the tap from by applying her signature armbar submission. McMann, on the other hand, has either finished her opponent on the ground or given the audience a 15 minute wrestling clinic by controlling her opponent en route to a decision victory.

While many expect to see Ronda Rousey’s striking game to be put on display, it can be argued that under the bright lights and with the gold on the line, these ladies will want to go with what brought them to the dance. The fight boils down to what happens when McMann initiates the first takedown and whether or not Ronda counters effectively with one of those beautifully timed/executed Judo throws which finds her on top of McMann in control on the ground. The possibilities when these two hit the mat are endless and this contest will offer the highest caliber grappling the UFC audience has ever seen. Rousey to win.

Parlay 1
Makovsky-Koch

Parlay 2
Sterling-Assuncao

Props
Makovsky +105 to win by decision
Davis +170 to win by decision
Sterling +215 to win inside the distance

Enjoy the fights and may the winners be yours.

Daniel Cormier, Pat Cummins Both Supremely Confident in UFC 170 Victory

LAS VEGAS — When Daniel Cormier received a call from the UFC letting him know Rashad Evans had injured his knee and was out of its UFC 170 bout, he was overcome with sadness. So much so that he cried; he’d been through a lot in this training camp…

He immediately masked his sadness by heading to Popeye’s Chicken.

We from the South are quite familiar with Popeye’s Chicken, and so I nod knowingly as Cormier tells his story during a media session on Wednesday afternoon at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. It is the best readily available fried chicken in the world, after all, and Cormier is a longtime fan.

Cormier arrived at Popeye’s and walked through the doors. An employee who doubles as a mixed martial arts fan had already heard the news about Cormier‘s fight falling through and asked him about it.

“Gimme my chicken and leave me alone,” Cormier said. He ordered four pieces of chicken and red beans and rice. He ate everything.

The next morning, Cormier predictably felt terrible. Stomach hurting, he got the call letting him know Pat Cummins had agreed to replace Evans, and so he called his nutritionist to let him know he’d slipped and gone to Popeye’s. The nutritionist was angry, but he told Cormier he’d get him back on track. Three gallons of water later, the chicken was flushed from his system and he was ready to go.

Cormier was grateful that Cummins decided to take the fight. He remembered him from their wrestling days, and he was excited to see Cummins was finally getting the opportunity he’d long been seeking with the UFC.

“And then he started talking, and you guys continued to put microphones in front of him. And he hasn’t stopped talking since,” Cormier said. “So not it’s not ‘Well, good for little Patrick.’ Now, it’s ‘I’m going to beat Patrick’s ass.'”

Cormier told Bleacher Report he is glad Cummins is willing to sell the fight, but he wasn’t happy about the way he elected to do so.

“Back then, there were a lot of things going on in my life, and he knew that. So that’s why I think that, more than anything, those things should have stayed in the wrestling room, even though they always do,” Cormier said. “But you know what? He’s doing what he has to do to…I really don’t know what he’s doing. I’m ready to fight Rashad Evans. He’s a boxer-wrestler. Pat is a boxer-wrestler. Rashad has been the standard for that style of fighting in the UFC for a long time. Nothing had to change for me. He’s going into a fight on 10 days’ notice against a guy who is prepared. A guy who has peaked. And he’s still talking.”

Cummins made no apologies for the way he’s chosen to promote the fight.

“That’s the business,” Cummins said. “We are getting in a fight. That’s about as raw as it gets. Whatever it is leading up to that, I feel it’s pretty fair game.”

Cormier reiterated that he is prepared for whatever Cummins brings to the table because he is prepared for Evans, but he also concedes that Cummins is a lot more dangerous than many give him credit for. Cummins didn’t place in his high school state wrestling tournament, and yet he made his way to All-American status at Penn State. This, combined with Cummins‘ natural athletic gifts, means that Cormier is taking him seriously.

“He’s got some real ability, and he’s a very dangerous guy because he’s hungry,” Cormier said. “But I was very thorough in my preparation, and I think that’s going to carry me in this fight. I admire him for taking the fight. I appreciate that. But it’s an uphill battle.”

This is Cummins‘ first time in the spotlight, and it was evident on his face when he made his way to the mat for his open workout session. Loose and wearing a t-shirt with his leering face, Cummins talked to the fans while hitting mits. He’s taking it all in: the media, the obligations and the constant requests for autographs from the fans.

Cummins wasn’t sure what to expect from the fight-week hoopla, which can be a little overwhelming for fighters making their first appearance in the UFC, much less in a high-profile fight. But after his first appearance with Cormier on Fox Sports 1, Cummins said his concerns were allayed.

“This is easy,” Cummins said. “You just have to be yourself. I’ve had fun with it. I’m enjoying the ride.”

Many view Cummins as a patsy of sorts, and the odds agree. Cormier is a 13-1 favorite at many sports books, making him one of the biggest favorites in UFC history. With seemingly everything against him, does Cummins feel like he has nothing to lose?

“That’s not my mindset at all. There’s definitely a losing situation,” he said. “I come in here expecting to get the win. No matter how it comes, that is my ultimate goal. Coming in here and getting the win. I never would have called out Daniel and said, ‘Hey, let’s have a fight’ if I truly didn’t believe I could win.”

Given the odds, will Cummins bet on himself to win on Saturday night?

“I would love to. I just don’t have any money,” he said. “I’m an underdog kind of guy. I’m always the underdog, and I’m always surprising people.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Daniel Cormier vs. Patrick Cummins Is UFC Damage Control at Its Best (and Worst)

One of the great strengths of the UFC has always been its ability to make sharp turns.
Because it operates largely without concern for modern burdens like corporate policy, decorum or—really—any internal rules, the world’s largest MMA…

One of the great strengths of the UFC has always been its ability to make sharp turns.

Because it operates largely without concern for modern burdens like corporate policy, decorum or—really—any internal rules, the world’s largest MMA organization is a sleek and supple machine. Even as it trundles out of adolescence and into its early 20s, the UFC power structure remains agile, mobile and occasionally hostile.

Sometimes that’s a good thing, because when—as UFC president Dana White so often puts it—“bad (stuff) happens” the company is able to react quickly to fix the problem, keep its fans happy and keep the train on its tracks.

When you do 46 (or is it 46,000?) shows per year, that flexibility is a priceless luxury.

Of course, the fact that a multimillion-dollar company like the UFC seems to manage many of its affairs from whim to whim must also be considered one of its gravest flaws.

Take, for example, the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 170, where undefeated once and future No. 1 contender Daniel Cormier will fight undefeated random dude Patrick Cummins.

Certainly, this is a pairing that highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s emergency matchmaking strategies.

On one hand, it’s sort of fabulous that the UFC was able to respond at lightning speed to replace Rashad Evans when he pulled out just six days ago from his scheduled bout against Cormier. In any other sport, with any other organization, that probably wouldn’t have happened.

Cormier would have been left on the sideline, without an opponent and without a payday—and we know that’s not what he wanted.

Instead, after a brief social media push, the company found Cummins and offered him a chance to make his dreams come true.

A chance, frankly, that he might never have gotten otherwise.

There was no way he was going to turn it down.

The anecdote of Cummins allegedly getting fired from his job at a coffee shop for taking the fateful call from White while he was supposed to be working the drive-through was an instant classic.

A day later, when he came out with his own allegations that he once made Cormier cry during training it may have been hokey, but at least it showed he wasn’t cowed by the sheer size of the opportunity he’d been handed.

Right now, Cummins is every underdog you’ve ever read about, or watched in a 30 for 30 documentary or cheered on at a high school wrestling tournament. If you’re not moved at least a little bit by his story, you’ve likely never enjoyed a sports movie.

Or for that matter, actual sports.

The dark side of it all, obviously, is that there’s no real cogent argument that Cummins deserves to be here. He seems like a reasonably nice, reasonably intelligent guy, but he’s also a light heavyweight prospect with a meager 4-0 record who has been idle for the last nine months.

The combined win-loss total of his four opponents is 10-20-1. Meanwhile, four of Cormier’s last five opponents were Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, Josh Barnett and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

Cummins will come into this fight as around an eight-to-one long shot, via Best Fight Odds, while Cormier is as much as a -1200 favorite. In other words, this shapes up as a mismatch of such epic proportions it’s a wonder the UFC was able to get it sanctioned in Las Vegas.

If Cummins manages to put up a better-than-anticipated fight, then maybe we can all shake hands at the end of the night and go to bed with clear consciences.

And if not? If he gets brutalized by Cormier—who seemed legitimately irked by the whole “I made you cry” angle—then Sunday morning we probably all wake up feeling a lot less enthused about Cummins’ Cinderella story.

Eight times out of 10, the UFC deserves to be congratulated for its ability to wade through crisis without getting too badly burned.

This time, if things go poorly, the fight company may have skated away from one mishap only to wander straight into a different kind of controversy.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Daniel Cormier’s Olympic Teammate Sara McMann Defends Him Against Cummins

I have racked my brain, but I cannot remember a mixed martial arts rivalry that became heated more quickly than the UFC 170 bout between Daniel Cormier and Pat Cummins.
Most of this is due to the circumstances surrounding the fight, of course. One day,…

I have racked my brain, but I cannot remember a mixed martial arts rivalry that became heated more quickly than the UFC 170 bout between Daniel Cormier and Pat Cummins.

Most of this is due to the circumstances surrounding the fight, of course. One day, Cormier was scheduled to face Rashad Evans. The next morning, Cummins replaced the injured Evans after agreeing to face Cormier on just one week’s notice.

One of the reasons Cummins got the bout in the first place was his claim to UFC president Dana White that he had “broken” Cormier in wrestling practice when Cormier was training for the Olympics. He also told White he made Cormier cry, and that was enough for White to grant him the opportunity of a lifetime.

Cummins was famously fired from his barista job at a Dana Point, California coffee house for talking to White on the phone during his shift. But it didn’t matter: He was finally getting the UFC opportunity that he’d sought for the last few years.

That night, he told his story to a national TV audience on Fox Sports Live. Cormier appeared on the show via satellite with Cummins, and the usually gregarious former Olympian was visibly perturbed. He said that if Cummins‘ story was true, it happened because Cormier was in training for the Olympics and was facing a rotating cast of fellow wrestlers, with a fresh body cycling in every few minutes.

Cormier also said Cummins had broken the first rule of the wrestling room: What happens in the wrestling room stays in the wrestling room.

Over the weekend, Cormier‘s Olympic teammate Sara McMann called MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani to give her point of view:

During these practices, we are always down on points. We have people rotating in on us. They are people in our weight class that are eating whatever they want, they’re fresh because they get breaks and we don’t. They have no pressure on them. It’s a little bit ridiculous because these practices are designed to break us. These coaches won’t stop until you are flaking out, until you are at your absolute lowest point. That’s the way it’s been in wrestling forever.

To say that he made [Cormier] cry, that’s just crazy to me.

Here’s a story for you: In the summer of 2012, I attended a media event that was designed to give journalists the experience of going through various aspects of mixed martial arts training.

One of those sessions was a brief wrestling class that was led by Cormier. It lasted roughly eight minutes, but those eight minutes felt like an eternity. After it was over, Cormier told us that we’d just experienced a wrestling room warm-up.

It wasn’t even a real training session; it was just the appetizer.

I was tired and in pain. But the real hurt came the next day, when I rolled out of my Mandalay Bay hotel room bed and quickly realized that walking was going to be a difficult proposition. I spent the majority of that day working from my bed. It was one of the more painful experiences of my life.

I tell you this story to say this: If what Cummins says is true, then I totally understand Cormier and McMann‘s response. Wrestling is a grueling activity, and the idea of hitting the mat for an extended session while fresh guys rotate in every few minutes is not pleasant.

Of course, there is a chance that none of this is true—that Cummins made something up on the spot and Cormier decided to go with it for the sake of promoting a fight.

If so, kudos to both of them. After all the talk, I’m a lot more interested in seeing one of the world’s best fighters face off against a virtual unknown than I thought I’d be.

And make no mistake about it: Cummins is outmatched and outgunned by Cormier in just about every area of mixed martial arts. But he’s not as much of a pushover as the general public is making him out to be. He has only four professional fights, but that’s partially because several opponents have backed out of scheduled fights once they found out who he was.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Cormier‘s teammate Cain Velasquez faced the same predicament before signing with the UFC. He was so fearsome that it was impossible to find opponents who were willing to face him. And when Bob Cook and the American Kickboxing Academy folks were able to find opponents for Velasquez, most of them backed out once they did a little research on the future UFC heavyweight champion.

I’m not saying Cummins is Velasquez. Not by a long shot. But I am saying he’s a lot better than the 8-1 odds he’s currently trading for at the sportsbooks here in Vegas.

It’s very likely he’ll lose to Cormier, but I suspect we’ll see him put up a fight, and that’s just about all we can ask of someone who volunteers to fight one of the best in the world on just seven days’ notice.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Four Olympic Athletes Who Should Transition Into MMA

(The bronze-medalist judoka and silver-medalist freestyle wrestler both have a shot at UFC gold this weekend. Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

By Nasir Jabbar

UFC 170‘s headline act will feature two Olympic medalists in Ronda Rousey and Sara McMann, and was supposed to feature a third Olympian in Daniel Cormier. Though other Olympic veterans like Henry Cejudo and Yoel Romero have successfully hopped onto the MMA bandwagon, the sport isn’t for everybody. It’s a tough, grueling game that apparently has “no moral values,” according to French judoka Teddy Riner.

At the risk of upsetting another French brick shithouse, Riner’s anti-MMA stance reeks of ignorance. So in honour of UFC 170, I’m going to highlight four Olympians who have a good chance of crossing over. These athletes have either expressed an interest in MMA, supported it, or have an uncanny parallel with another well-known fighter. Lets run them down…

Travis Stevens

Outside of the Olympic games there isn’t a professional avenue for judo players, but MMA provides that opportunity, giving former judokas a chance to use their skill set to compete and make a living. Travis Stevens could be the next crossover star from the world of judo — joining the ranks of Rousey, Hector Lombard, and Yoshiro Akiyama — and he’s already considering MMA as a future career.

The 27-year-old American made his first Olympic appearance at the 2008 Beijing Games (where he placed 9th), and fell short of the podium again in London in 2012, losing out in the bronze medal match. Failing to capture an Olympic medal in two attempts puts Stevens in an awkward position. Does he jump into MMA now or wait around for the next Olympic games?

Stevens is not only a top ten Judoka in his weight division he also regularly trains under Renzo Gracie at his academy in New York, and more impressively is a black-belt in jiu-jitsu under grappling guru John Danaher. A double black belt is a testament to Stevens’ incredible ground game, which provides the perfect base to enter MMA.

(The bronze-medalist judoka and silver-medalist freestyle wrestler both have a shot at UFC gold this weekend. Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

By Nasir Jabbar

Travis Stevens

The 27-year-old American made his first Olympic appearance at the 2008 Beijing Games (where he placed 9th in the 81kg division), and fell short of the podium again in London in 2012, losing out in the bronze medal match. Failing to capture an Olympic medal in two attempts puts Stevens in an awkward position. Does he jump into MMA now or wait around for the next Olympic games?

Katie Taylor

The Irish boxing starlet has won a long list of medals in her boxing career competing at 60kg, culminating in her gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Traditionally for male athletes, winning a medal in the Olympics is a foundation to enter the professional ranks, with many of the top boxing promoters snapping up successful Olympians. However, the women’s boxing scene isn’t thriving, which makes a transition to MMA much more enticing.

There is a ton of buzz surrounding former boxing star turned hot MMA prospect Holly Holm, who has made short work with all her opponents in MMA, albeit against some questionable opponents. Taylor is still fairly young at the age of 27, so she has time to work on the ground mechanics before shifting to MMA. Already carrying a huge following in her home country, Taylor would be a welcome addition to the 135-pound division.

Jacob “Jake” Varner

MMA is littered with many collegiate, regional, national, you-name-it wrestling stars. Most of the best wrestlers have come out of the amateur wrestling scene in the U.S., which has served as a conveyor belt in feeding the best talent to MMA. There are only a handful of Olympic-caliber wrestlers in the sport, but freestyle wrestler Varner could potentially be another one. Varner hasn’t indicated whether he will enter the MMA bubble, but unlike his teammate Jordan Burroughs, he hasn’t dismissed it. The California native is a fan of the UFC, naming fellow wrestler Dan Henderson as his favorite fighter.

If his gold medal from the 2012 London Games wasn’t enough to prove how legitimate his wrestling credentials are, the 96kg competitor is also coached by Cael Sanderson who is one of, if not the greatest amateur wrestler to come out of the States. Like Stevens and Taylor, Varner is still relatively young at the age of 27 and could mold his MMA career on fellow Olympian Daniel Cormier. Cormier turned professional at the age of twenty-nine, and was also a small heavyweight who eventually dropped down to 205 pounds. With Varner’s elite-of-the-elite wrestling pedigree, a move to MMA could garner him just as much success as past Olympians who have competed in the sport.

Jade Jones

Another gold medalist at the London Olympics, the British Taekwondo practitioner became a overnight superstar with her performances en route to a gold medal in the 57kg division. The Korean martial art isn’t as common as other disciplines among MMA practitioners, but two fighters who have embraced it are decorated lightweight stars Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson.

As the UFC gets ready to launch its new 115-pound women strawweight division, the promotion is still on the hunt to fill the final spaces in its TUF 20 tournament. Enter Jade Jones, who fights around the strawweight limit and could a very viable candidate. Obviously, she lacks MMA experience but at least she knows how to fight.

If Jones decided to transition into MMA, a few years of practicing the ground game would be a must, but being only 20 years old she has time on her side. As the UFC was ramping up for last year’s Fight Night in Manchester, Jones met and trained with WMMA pioneer Rosi Sexton, who became the first female British UFC fighter and was involved in the first UFC women’s bout in Europe. Now that Sexton has left the promotion, could Jones step in as the next British WMMA star?

The Ten Most Random Replacement Opponents in MMA History

(He wore his own shirt in hopes of getting MMA fans to learn his name. Instead, they all asked him if he’s a cameraman for the new Danny Trejo movie.)

By Seth Falvo

By now you’ve heard that Rashad Evans is out of his co-main event clash against Daniel Cormier at UFC 170, and has been replaced by promotional newcomer Patrick Cummins. Unsurprisingly, reactions to this announcement have ranged from “Who is Patrick Cummins?” to “UFC Books Match Between Number One Contender And Twitter User.” Cummins certainly feels like an unusual replacement opponent, but how does he stack up against other fighters who were granted a shot in the spotlight out of sheer necessity for a warm body to step in and save a fight?

Coincidentally enough, we’ll start with his next opponent…

10.) Injury Replacement Daniel Cormier Wins the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

(Photo Courtesy of Getty Images.)

The Details: Replaced Alistair Overeem against Antonio Silva at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov (09/10/2011).
Why He Makes the Top Ten: It’s hard to believe that just under three years ago, Daniel Cormier such an unknown prospect that sportsbooks didn’t even bother creating odds for him to win the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, despite creating odds for Ray Sefo and Valentijn “Othereem” Overeem; a $20 bet on ~~Cormier~~ “FIELD” to win the tournament would have netted you $1,000. But when Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem injured his toe/realized fighting in the tournament was pointless and pulled out of his scheduled bout against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, Cormier handled Silva so effortlessly that it was impossible not to take note. Cormier would go on to defeat Josh Barnett for the tournament title, and the rest is history.
Why He Isn’t Ranked Higher: While Cormier may not have been high on our radars at the time, it’s hard to call an Olympic wrestler an “unknown prospect.”

On a somewhat related note…

(He wore his own shirt in hopes of getting MMA fans to learn his name. Instead, they all asked him if he’s a cameraman for the new Danny Trejo movie.)

By Seth Falvo

By now you’ve heard that Rashad Evans is out of his co-main event clash against Daniel Cormier at UFC 170, and has been replaced by promotional newcomer Patrick Cummins. Unsurprisingly, reactions to this announcement have ranged from “Who is Patrick Cummins?” to “UFC Books Match Between Number One Contender And Twitter User.“ Cummins certainly feels like an unusual replacement opponent, but how does he stack up against other fighters who were granted a shot in the spotlight out of sheer necessity for a warm body to step in and save a fight?

Coincidentally enough, we’ll start with his next opponent…

10.) Injury Replacement Daniel Cormier Wins the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

(Photo Courtesy of Getty Images.)

On a somewhat related note…

9.) Injury Replacement Steve Jennum Wins UFC 3.

The Details: Replaced Ken Shamrock against Harold Howard in the finals of UFC 3 (09/09/1994).
Why He Makes the Top Ten: Well, did you buy UFC 3 to watch a police officer who dabbled in ninjutsu? Of course not. You bought that card to watch Royce Gracie take on Ken Shamrock, which made things sort-of disappointing when Royce Gracie forfeited from exhaustion to crazy person Harold Howard and Ken Shamrock was unable to continue fighting in the tournament after his victory over Felix Lee Mitchell. What we ended up with was Jennum quickly submitting Howard, winning the tournament before most fans watching could even be bothered learning his name.
Why He Isn’t Ranked Higher: Because at this point in UFC history, pretty much everyone other than Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie was a random unknown (okay, slight exaggeration, but you get the idea…).

8.) Stephan Bonnar Saves UFC 153 by Getting Damn-Near Murdered by Anderson Silva.

The Details: Replaced Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar as the Main Event of UFC 153 (10/13/2012).
Why This Makes the Top Ten: With The Injury Curse of 2012 in full effect, the UFC saw this show’s main event shift from Aldo vs. Koch to Aldo vs. Edgar to The First Two Healthy Bodies We Can Find, Hopefully At Least One of Which Brazilian. What the UFC ended up getting was then-indestructible middleweight champion Anderson Silva taking on The Ultimate Fighter star Stephan Bonnar at light-heavyweight. The short-notice bout felt like the recipe for a memorable freak show fight, and it certainly did not disappoint.
Why This Isn’t Ranked Higher: As random as matching these two guys up against each other was, let’s not act like either fighter was an unknown nobody before this fight.

7.) Strikeforce Takes Zero Chances on Replacement Opponent for Bobby Lashley, Books Wes Sims to Fight at Strikeforce: Miami.

(Photo Courtesy of Sherdog)

The Details: Replaced Shane Del Rosario/Yohan Banks against Bobby Lashley at Strikeforce: Miami (01/30/2010).
Why He Makes the Top Ten: Believe it or not, there once was a time when Strikeforce was an independently owned company that was actively trying to establish its own stars. One such fighter they were hoping would become a huge draw for them was former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley, who initially agreed to a bout against decorated Muay Thai fighter Shane Del Rosario at this event. Presumably as soon as Strikeforce officials realized how suicidal the match would be for Lashley, they changed their minds and set out to book a fight between Lashley and some guy named Yohan Banks. When the commission didn’t approve the bout – possibly because they asked “Who the hell is Yohan Banks?” and were met with vacant, blank stares – Strikeforce settled for none other than infamous UFC castoff Wes Sims. And if there were any doubts that Sims wouldn’t be a threat to their crossover star, they were erased when Sims showed up looking pregnant and attempted a pro-wrasslin’ test of strength at the start of the fight.
Why He Isn’t Ranked Higher: Wes Sims may not have been the most credible opponent for Bobby Lashley, but at least he was once a somewhat-big name. He was a lot more relevant than Jimmy Ambriz – who was also being considered for the fight – ever was.

6.) The So-Very-YAMMA Pit Fighting Saga of Patrick Smith

(Photo Courtesy of Sherdog)

The Details: Injury replacement for pretty much every “Masters Division” fighter YAMMA actually wanted for YAMMA Pit Fighting 1 (04/11/2008).
Why He Makes the Top Ten: It’s almost too easy to make jokes about the YAMMA Pit Fighting Senior Circuit – or “Masters Division,” as their marketing department wanted us to call it. The short version of the events is that the old-school UFC veteran was initially brought in to replace Don Frye against Oleg Taktarov, then removed from the card when he was arrested after a high-speed chase, making his participation appear doubtful. He was brought back when not only were his crimes reduced to misdemeanors, but also when his replacement, Maurice Smith, pulled out from the card. Smith fought Butterbean at the promotion’s only event, because of course he did. Butterbean, for the record, was initially set to take on Gary Goodridge.
Why He Isn’t Ranked Higher: Because even though he hadn’t been relevant in over a decade, he was still actively competing at regional shows when YAMMA called him up to fight.

5.) Seth Petruzelli Dethrones The Baddest Man in EliteXC…*sigh* Kimbo Slice

The Details: Injury replacement for Ken Shamrock against Kimbo Slice at EliteXC: Heat (10/04/2008).
Why He Makes the Top Ten: Don’t act like you don’t know the story by now. Petruzelli was the semi-retired light-heavyweight who put on a few last-second pounds to save EliteXC: Heat‘s main event when Ken Shamrock pulled out on the day of the fight. Ironically enough, he pretty much sunk the company by saving this card. Although every MMA fan in the United States would learn his name after he became the Kimbo Killer, let’s not change history and act like he was a big star before the bout.
Why He Isn’t Ranked Higher: Well, he was a TUF alumnus, so it’s not like no one had heard of him; never mind that most of those in attendance probably never heard of TUF, either.

4.) Patrick Cummins Will Fight Daniel Cormier at UFC 170

(Photo Courtesy of MMAJunkie.com)

The Details: Will replace Rashad Evans against Daniel Cormier at UFC 170 (02/22/2014).
Why He Makes the Top Ten: I’m not writing that he has no chance of beating Daniel Cormier, but on paper he sure as hell doesn’t. The 4-0 prospect has two weeks to prepare for one of the top fighters in the UFC, and the only reason anyone is giving him a chance is because of a high school drama-esque story about Cummins making Daniel Cormier cry when they trained together. This bout is essentially a slightly more legitimate version of Shamrock vs Lober II on paper; let’s see how it actually plays out.
Why He Isn’t Ranked Higher: Because who knows, Cummins might actually win…

3.) Pro-Wrestler Sean O’Haire Steps in to Fight Butterbean #PRIDENEVERDIE

The Details: Replacement for Mark Hunt against Butterbean at PRIDE 32: The Real Deal(10/21/2006).
Why He Makes the Top Ten: The craziest aspect of this bout isn’t the fact that PRIDE replaced one of their top heavyweights with a professional wrestler; that was pretty much par for the course with them. No, the strangest part about this fight was that Mark Hunt was pulled from the card when the NSAC deemed that he held an “unfair mat advantage” over Butterbean. I guess if you consider attempting a leg drop in an MMA fight a “mat advantage,” then yeah, O’Haire actually did have a chance of winning this new, “more competitive” fight.
Why He Isn’t Ranked Higher: Because Sean O’Haire was actually 2-1 in MMA at the time, so it’s not like he was completely inexperienced when he was called in to replace Mark Hunt. Also, because if you expected anything different from PRIDE, you clearly weren’t a fan.

2.) Fred Ettish: The Excellence of Being Executed

The Details: Injury replacement who stepped in for Ken Shamrock to fight Johnny Rhodes at UFC 2 (03/11/1994).
Why He Makes the Top Ten: What happens when a point fighter actually gets into a real fight? Something so tragic that it immediately becomes the stuff of legends, apparently. You have to feel bad for Ettish, who was there to essentially play Burt Watson before being called into action against an opponent with actual fighting experience. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Why He Isn’t Ranked Higher: Two Reasons: Number one, because if he looked unprepared, it’s because everyone was unprepared for what they were getting into in those days, because mixed martial arts was so new that the very term “mixed martial arts” wasn’t even coined yet. And number two, because the UFC was still very much an infomercial for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, so it’s not like matchmakers were looking for fighters who could actually beat King Royce.

1.) Ilir Latifi: The Only Man To Ever Headline a UFC Card Who Still Doesn’t Have a Wikipedia Page.

The Details: Injury replacement for Alexander Gustafsson against Gegard Mousasi at UFC on Fuel TV 9(04/06/2013).
Why He Makes the Top Ten: When the guy who just signed you to a contract couldn’t be bothered with learning how to actually spell your name, you know that hopes aren’t exactly high for you. Latifi was a training partner of the injured Alexander Gustafsson, and presumably because every UFC light-heavyweight realized how suicidal accepting a short-notice bout against a Top Ten fighter would be for their careers – and also because Martin “Poker Face” Wojcik already made plans for that day, I imagine – the UFC signed Ilir Latifi to save the event. To his credit, Latifi managed to shed twenty-six pounds in three days in order to make weight for the fight. Too bad for him, though, was that the fight itself was completely forgettable, and he drifted back into obscurity immediately after it was over.
Why He Is Number One: Name one other person in UFC history to headline a fight card who doesn’t even have his own Wikipedia page. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Do you have an even more random replacement opponent in mind? You know you’re dying to share it in the comments section.