Tag: Demetrious Johnson

Four Reasons to Be Sort-Of Interested in ‘UFC on FX 3?


(Props: ThePeoplesCecil via MMAFanMade. Click for full-size version.)

The UFC makes a stop in Sunrise, Florida, tomorrow night for their latest UFC on FX event, featuring a flyweight rerun, a handful of veterans on the main card, and a murderer’s row of nobodies on the prelims. But is it skippable? Maybe not. After studying the card, we’ve found a few somewhat credible reasons to watch this thing. Read on, and if you’re around tomorrow night, be sure to come back to CagePotato.com for our liveblog of the “Johnson vs. McCall” main card, which kicks off at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

#1: It’s make-or-break time for Leonard Garcia.
The last time that “Bad Boy” beat anybody decisively was his first-round TKO of Jens Pulver at WEC 36, back in November 2008. That was ten fights ago. Since then, Garcia has gone 3-5-1, with all three of those wins coming by split-decision. Two of those wins are widely considered to be bullshit robberies, and were later avenged in rematches with the “losing” fighters, Chan Sung Jung and Nam Phan. Basically, Garcia’s record since 2009 should really be 1-7-1, and even that lone legit victory (against Jameel Massouh at WEC 42) could have easily gone the other way.

Now, Garcia finds himself on the preliminary card of an FX show, against Matt Grice, whose overall UFC record stands at 1-4, including the first-round TKO loss that Grice suffered against Ricardo Lamas in his last fight. Garcia vs. Grice has all the markings of a “win or go home” match. It doesn’t matter if Leonard turns it into an exciting brawl — if he loses, he’s on extremely thin ice, and we may not see him back again.


(Props: ThePeoplesCecil via MMAFanMade. Click for full-size version.)

The UFC makes a stop in Sunrise, Florida, tomorrow night for their latest UFC on FX event, featuring a flyweight re-run, a handful of veterans on the main card, and a murderer’s row of nobodies on the prelims. But is it skippable? Maybe not. After studying the card, we’ve found a few somewhat credible reasons to watch this thing. Read on, and if you’re around tomorrow night, be sure to come back to CagePotato.com for our liveblog of the “Johnson vs. McCall” main card, which kicks off at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

#1: It’s make-or-break time for Leonard Garcia.
The last time that “Bad Boy” beat anybody decisively was his first-round TKO of Jens Pulver at WEC 36, back in November 2008. That was ten fights ago. Since then, Garcia has gone 3-5-1, with all three of those wins coming by split-decision. Two of those wins are widely considered to be bullshit robberies, and were later avenged in rematches with the “losing” fighters, Chan Sung Jung and Nam Phan. Basically, Garcia’s record since 2009 should really be 1-7-1, and even that lone legit victory (against Jameel Massouh at WEC 42) could have easily gone the other way.

Now, Garcia finds himself on the preliminary card of an FX show, against Matt Grice, whose overall UFC record stands at 1-4, including the first-round TKO loss that Grice suffered against Ricardo Lamas in his last fight. Garcia vs. Grice has all the markings of a “win or go home” match. It doesn’t matter if Leonard turns it into an exciting brawl — if he loses, he’s on extremely thin ice, and we may not see him back again.

#2. Erick Silva might be a future superstar.
The 27-year-old Team Nogueira product’s UFC career has lasted just 69 seconds. First, he ran through Luis Ramos in 40 seconds at UFC 134, then he ran through Carlo Prater in 29 seconds at UFC 142, although the fight left Silva with a controversial DQ loss. His opponent on the UFC on FX 3 main card, Charlie Brenneman, represents a big step up in competition, but if Silva can pull it off, he’ll earn the kind of “future of the welterweight division” hype currently reserved for Rory MacDonald. Keep your eye on him.

#3. Demetrious Johnson figured out how to cut weight.
Mighty Mouse’s first meeting with Ian McCall in March ended in a three-round draw, and look, it’s not like he’s making excuses here, but Johnson did tell MMA Junkie that he ran out of energy in the third round because of a poorly-designed diet that had him cut out carbs entirely: “When I was going down to 125 (pounds), I didn’t want to jump on the scale and be [announced], ‘Demetrious Johnson, ladies and gentlemen!,’ and Joe Rogan’s like, ’128!’…When it came time for me to rehydrate, I didn’t have any carbs because if you take something out of your body for eight weeks and you try to put it back into your body for like one night, to fight, your body is going to go into shock. You’re not going to perform well.”

Though McCall was making his UFC debut that night, he was no stranger to the 125-pound division thanks to his 3-0 stretch in Tachi Palace Fights last year. Unfortunately, Johnson was a flyweight rookie, and made some rookie mistakes. Now that he has a better sense of what’s required to make 125 and feel strong the next day, we might see an even more ferocious Mouse in the cage tomorrow — and this time, he’s definitely not going to want to leave it in the hands of the judges.

#4: Mike Pierce‘s Brazilian-bashing routine might come back to bite him in the ass.
After Pierce’s main card fight with fellow welterweight Carlos Eduardo Rocha was booked, Pierce got on Twitter to drop some rather unwarranted hate: ”WANTED: no work ethic, no cardio, terrible striking and limited ground game. Brazilians, please send fight applications to Joe Silva.“ Now, he’s rolling directly into American Top Team territory making cracks about Thiago Alves and fast food. That kind of near-suicidal dissing of Brazilian fighters has usually been the realm of Chael Sonnen, but Pierce wants to get in on the action too, apparently.

And it’s not because he’s racist. It’s worse — it’s because he’s already looking past Rocha and angling for a future fight against Alves. And that’s a mistake, because Rocha is a tough bastard, and now it’s personal. If Pierce isn’t taking this fight seriously, he could find himself down two fights in a row on Saturday morning, and where he goes from there is anybody’s guess. For the record, Brazilians are intelligent and upstanding people who have Internet access, never feed carrots to buses, and know how to treat a lady.

— Ben Goldstein

Friday Afternoon Link Dump: Thiago Silva Goes for the Kill, UFC Heading to China This Year + More


(Arianny Celeste photo of the month, via Nuts. Click for full-sized version.)

Some must-read content from our bros around the Internet…

– The Hurt Business: Little Victories, Tender Mercies (MMAFighting)

– Thiago Silva: I’m Going to Kill or Die Against Alexander Gustafsson (Lowkick.Blitzcorner.com)

– Bittersweet Victory: Bellator Heavyweight Eric Prindle Discusses Thiago Santos and Upcoming Title Fight With Cole Konrad (MMAMania)

– We Seriously Want You to Watch Our Weigh-in Video for ONE FC: War of the Lions (MiddleEasy)

– Mighty Mouse Close to 2-to-1 Favored Status Over Ian McCall in Upcoming Rematch (FightOpinion)

– UFC Will Hold First Event in China in 2012 (MMAWeekly)

– Court McGee vs. Nick Ring Rematch Targeted for UFC 149 in Calgary (MMAJunkie)

– The Neighborhood Watch Reference Chart (HolyTaco)

– The 7 Worst Talk Show Hosts Of Our Generation (ScreenJunkies)

– Is Survival Horror Dead or Just Sleeping? (Gamefront)

– The 10 Funniest Comedy Songs (MadeMan)

– Charles Barkley Rocks A Dress For Weight Watchers (TerezOwens)

– VIDEO: Ron Burgundy’s Anchorman 2 Announcement (TurdFergusonBlog)

– How Many Calories Should You Eat To Lose Weight? (BuiltLean)

– What to Expect at This Weekend’s WrestleMania XXVIII (MensFitness)


(Arianny Celeste photo of the month, via Nuts. Click for full-sized version.)

Some must-read content from our bros around the Internet…

– The Hurt Business: Little Victories, Tender Mercies (MMAFighting)

– Thiago Silva: I’m Going to Kill or Die Against Alexander Gustafsson (Lowkick.Blitzcorner.com)

– Bittersweet Victory: Bellator Heavyweight Eric Prindle Discusses Thiago Santos and Upcoming Title Fight With Cole Konrad (MMAMania)

– We Seriously Want You to Watch Our Weigh-in Video for ONE FC: War of the Lions (MiddleEasy)

– Mighty Mouse Close to 2-to-1 Favored Status Over Ian McCall in Upcoming Rematch (FightOpinion)

– UFC Will Hold First Event in China in 2012 (MMAWeekly)

– Court McGee vs. Nick Ring Rematch Targeted for UFC 149 in Calgary (MMAJunkie)

– The Neighborhood Watch Reference Chart (HolyTaco)

– The 7 Worst Talk Show Hosts Of Our Generation (ScreenJunkies)

– Is Survival Horror Dead or Just Sleeping? (Gamefront)

– The 10 Funniest Comedy Songs (MadeMan)

– Charles Barkley Rocks A Dress For Weight Watchers (TerezOwens)

– VIDEO: Ron Burgundy’s Anchorman 2 Announcement (TurdFergusonBlog)

– How Many Calories Should You Eat To Lose Weight? (BuiltLean)

– What to Expect at This Weekend’s WrestleMania XXVIII (MensFitness)

Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall Rematch Slated for TUF 15 Finale on June 1st


(Immediately after the fight, an Amber Alert was issued for two frightened little boys last spotted with a large bald Caucasian man who clearly wasn’t their father.)

Due to the inadequacies of the Australian education system, Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall are slated to meet again in a re-do of their flyweight tournament semifinal fight from UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann earlier this month. According to new reports, Mouse vs. Creepy 2 will go down June 1st at the Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale, which will take place June 1st at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. No other matches have been scheduled for the card yet.

With the rematch scheduled three months after the original fight, the UFC’s hope of producing a new flyweight champion in short order has hit a speed bump. Most likely, the tourney’s other flyweight semifinal winner — Joseph Benavidez, who knocked out newcomer Yasuhiro Urushitani at the Alves vs. Kampmann show — will have to be on ice until early fall, or even later if the Johnson/McCall winner suffers an injury during their June scrap.

See, guys? It’s easy to make fun of chaotic tournament brackets until you try to host one yourself…


(Immediately after the fight, an Amber Alert was issued for two frightened little boys last spotted with a large bald Caucasian man who clearly wasn’t their father.)

Due to the inadequacies of the Australian education system, Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall are slated to meet again in a re-do of their flyweight tournament semifinal fight from UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann earlier this month. According to new reports, Mouse vs. Creepy 2 will go down June 1st at the Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale, which will take place June 1st at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. No other matches have been scheduled for the card yet.

With the rematch scheduled three months after the original fight, the UFC’s hope of producing a new flyweight champion in short order has hit a speed bump. Most likely, the tourney’s other flyweight semifinal winner — Joseph Benavidez, who knocked out newcomer Yasuhiro Urushitani at the Alves vs. Kampmann show — will have to be on ice until early fall, or even later if the Johnson/McCall winner suffers an injury during their June scrap.

See, guys? It’s easy to make fun of chaotic tournament brackets until you try to host one yourself.

Dana White’s TUF Live FX Vlog day 1 [VIDEO]


(“When I find the fool that stole my chain, I’m gonna whoop his ass.”)

Dana White’s latest video blog is chocked full of cool behind-the-scenes moments from UFC 144 in Japan, UFC on FX 2 in Australia and last week’s TUF Live premiere from Las Vegas.

Dana starts out by explaining why they went with single round eliminator bouts at to decide which fighters made it into the house on TUF and breaking down the format the show will follow from here on out. It will be interesting to see what shenanigans make it on the show and what will happen during the weekly live fight segments.

Rampage makes a brief appearance to explain that he was hurt training and that’s why he didn’t beat that “boring-ass wrestler” Ryan Bader.


(“When I find the fool that stole my chain, I’m gonna whoop his ass.”)

Dana White’s latest video blog is chocked full of cool behind-the-scenes moments from UFC 144 in Japan, UFC on FX 2 in Australia and last week’s TUF Live premiere from Las Vegas.

Dana starts out by explaining why they went with single round eliminator bouts at to decide which fighters made it into the house on TUF and breaking down the format the show will follow from here on out. It will be interesting to see what shenanigans make it on the show and what will happen during the weekly live fight segments.

Rampage makes a brief appearance to explain that he was hurt training and that’s why he didn’t beat that “boring-ass wrestler” Ryan Bader.

One of the most interesting scenes in the video came when White took UFC newcomer Ian McCall aside after his debatable decision loss to Demetrious Johnson to tell him he would be getting an immediate rematch and that MMA officiating is shit. In case you missed it, the fight was actually scored a draw and there should have been a sudden victory round, but because of a scoring error by one of the dudes from the Aussie commission, the fight was given to Johnson at first. As a result of the mistake, the UFC paid “Uncle Creepy” and “Mighty Mouse” both their show and win money on top of their Fight of the Night bonuses — and rightly so.

Dana also stopped to tell Martin Kampmann that he was uber impressed by his hail Mary come-from-behind submission over Thiago Alves. That’s why we love this sport.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

‘UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann’ Aftermath: Don’t Leave it in the Hands of the Sudden Death Round


Seriously, Thiago Alves weighed in at nearly 200 lbs three hours after making weight. There’s still no punchline coming. Props: UFC.com

Almost immediately after last night’s main event of UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann, the Martin Kampmann/Tim Boetsch comparisons came out in full force from fans and pundits alike. One can easily understand why, as Kampmann’s come-from-behind victory over Thiago Alves was the greatest one in UFC history since last week’s efforts from Tim Boetsch. But perhaps this comparison misses the point. While this comeback was obviously at least partially due to a gutsy performance from Kampmann, it had far more to do with questionable decision making from Thiago Alves.

Save for a first round kick that rocked “The Pitbull”, Thiago Alves was in total control of last night’s main event. His stand-up attack was simply too much for “The Hitman”, who offered less resistance as the fight progressed. Despite this, Alves- who isn’t exactly known for his ground game, mind you- attempted a double leg takedown on a visibly hurt Martin Kampmann and wound up getting caught in a fight-ending guillotine choke.

It’s easy to understand why Thiago Alves was eager for the finish, especially after watching Demetrious Johnson be declared the winner of his fight against Ian McCall (more on that later). What is astonishing is the fact that he took the fight to the only place where he didn’t have a clear advantage over Kampmann. The takedown gave Kampmann time to regain composure, and negated the need to get through The Pitbull’s leg kicks in order to utilize his superior grappling.


Seriously, Thiago Alves weighed in at nearly 200 lbs three hours after making weight. There’s still no punchline coming. Props: UFC.com 

Almost immediately after last night’s main event of UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann, the Martin Kampmann/Tim Boetsch comparisons came out in full force from fans and pundits alike. One can easily understand why, as Kampmann’s come-from-behind victory over Thiago Alves was the greatest one in UFC history since last week’s efforts from Tim Boetsch. But perhaps this comparison misses the point. While this comeback was obviously at least partially due to a gutsy performance from Kampmann, it had far more to do with questionable decision making from Thiago Alves.

Save for a first round kick that rocked “The Pitbull”, Thiago Alves was in total control of last night’s main event. His stand-up attack was simply too much for “The Hitman”, who offered less resistance as the fight progressed. Despite this, Alves- who isn’t exactly known for his ground game, mind you- attempted a double leg takedown on a visibly hurt Martin Kampmann and wound up getting caught in a fight-ending guillotine choke.

It’s easy to understand why Thiago Alves was eager for the finish, especially after watching Demetrious Johnson be declared the winner of his fight against Ian McCall (more on that later). What is astonishing is the fact that he took the fight to the only place where he didn’t have a clear advantage over Kampmann. The takedown gave Kampmann time to regain composure, and negated the need to get through The Pitbull’s leg kicks in order to utilize his superior grappling.

Aside from his second straight victory, Martin Kampmann earned the $50k Submission of the Night honors with his performance. Meanwhile, Thiago Alves drops to 19-9 overall, and is 2-4 in his last six fights. Alves is one of the division’s best strikers, but his days as a top welterweight in the UFC are clearly in the rear-view mirror.

The evenings co-main event, a flyweight tournament fight between Joseph Benavidez and Yasuhiro Urushitani, ended without any surprises. Already dominant as an undersized bantamweight, Joseph Benavidez picked up right where he left off in his flyweight debut with a second round TKO over Yasuhiro Urushitani. As expected, Benavidez utilized his superior wrestling in the first round before countering a kick with a huge right and finishing Urushitani with follow-up punches at the start of the second round, earning him Knockout of the Night honors. This isn’t to say that Urushitani didn’t look good in his UFC debut; it’s just that Benavidez looked like an already dominant fighter fighting in a weight class he’s more suited for. Regardless of who he faces next, it’s hard not to imagine he’ll be the favorite to win the UFC’s inaugural flyweight championship.

Now, about that other flyweight tournament matchup. There’s no point in offering a detailed analysis of Ian McCall vs. Demetrious Johnson, because due to the scoring error that occurred last night, we’re going to get a rematch to determine which fighter will advance in the tournament. That’s right, a rematch- aka “that thing that the addition of sudden death rounds was supposed to prevent”.

I will say this much about the fight though: Except for the scoring error that robbed us of a sudden death round, it was very deserving of its Fight of the Night honors. It was a close, exciting fight that clearly demonstrated why the UFC added a flyweight division to its roster. If this fight had gone to a fourth round, it’s hard to imagine Ian McCall losing it. “Uncle Creepy” blatantly had Johnson hurt towards the end of the third round, yet opted to taunt his opponent rather than continue to work for the finish. Not to blame the victim here, but you obviously have to call that decision into question. Ian McCall may be getting the rematch, but had he been able to finish Johnson last night, the ensuing scoring controversy never happens.

Also of note, Court McGee pushed forward against Constantinos Philippou throughtout their fight, yet his wild striking was easily countered by Philippou and McGee was seldom able to put Philippou on his back. While McGee’s striking has improved during his stint in the UFC, he is still very much a grappler who stands little chance of winning on his feet. Meanwhile, Philippou has won three straight since losing his UFC debut to Nick Catone at UFC 128, and should see a step up in competition at middleweight.

Full Results:

Main Card

Martin Kampmann def. Thiago Alves via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:12 of Round Three
Joseph Benavidez def. Yasuhiro Urushitani via TKO (strikes) at :11 of Round Two
Demetrious Johnson def. Ian McCall ruled majority draw, will rematch
Constantinos Philippou def. Court McGee via unanimous decision

Preliminary Results:

James Te Huna def. Aaron Rosa via TKO at 2:02 of Round One
Anthony Perosh def. Nick Penner via TKO at 4:59 of Round One
Steven Siler def. Cole Miller via unanimous decision
Andrew Craig def. Kyle Noke via unanimous decision
T.J. Waldburger def. Jake Hecht via submission (armbar) at 0:55 of Round One
Daniel Pineda def. Mackens Semerzier via submisison (triangle armbar) at 2:05 of Round One
Shawn Jordan def. Oli Thompson via TKO at 3:53 of Round Two

Aussie Official Bodges McCall-Johnson Decision, Absolutely Hangy-Dunked About It

In the Southern Hemisphere, decisions go down the opposite way.  PicProps:  MMAJunkie

Despite the most carefully laid plans of UFC officials, a rematch will be necessary to determine a finalist in the UFC’s tournament to crown its first 125 pound champion, and an Aussie official has stepped up to take the blame.  

Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall battled to a draw through three rounds, and would have gone to a sudden victory fourth-round because Zuffa was Batman-prepared and made sure they had a way to settle such an unsatisfying outcome.  But a tabulation error by Craig Waller — the Executive Director of the Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales — mistakenly crowned Johnson the winner, “and turned the whole banger right poofter-saucy,” according to Waller, adding that he felt like “a right frumious Bandersnatch.”

It’s unclear what was written on Bruce Buffer’s cards, but he initially announced “29-28 McCall, 29-28 Johnson, and 29-28 for the winner by majority decision,” Johnson.  McCall lost his shit and ran out of the cage, and Johnson screamed like a virgin, touched for the very first time.

Now, those announced scores would equal a split decision victory for Johnson — a majority decision would have meant two judges for Johnson and one judge seeing a draw.  And it turned out that one judge did see it a draw.  Then it turned out that, in fact, two judges (Sal D’Amato and Anthony Dimitriou) had seen the fight a draw after three rounds, and had wanted to see a fourth round. Waller had managed to miss a 10-8 round for McCall on D’Amato’s card, even though paying attention to such things is kinda important.

In the Southern Hemisphere, decisions go down the opposite way.  PicProps:  MMAJunkie

Despite the most carefully laid plans of UFC officials, a rematch will be necessary to determine a finalist in the UFC’s tournament to crown its first 125 pound champion, and an Aussie official has stepped up to take the blame.

Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall battled to a draw through three rounds, and would have gone to a sudden victory fourth-round because Zuffa was Batman-prepared and made sure they had a way to settle such an unsatisfying outcome.  But a tabulation error by Craig Waller — the Executive Director of the Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales — mistakenly crowned Johnson the winner, “and turned the whole banger right poofter-saucy,” according to Waller, adding that he felt like “a right frumious Bandersnatch.”

It’s unclear what was written on Bruce Buffer’s cards, but he initially announced ”29-28 McCall, 29-28 Johnson, and 29-28 for the winner by majority decision,” Johnson.  McCall lost his shit and ran out of the cage, and Johnson screamed like a virgin, touched for the very first time.

Now, those announced scores would equal a split decision victory for Johnson — a majority decision would have meant two judges for Johnson and one judge seeing a draw.  And it turned out that one judge did see it a draw.  Then it turned out that, in fact, two judges (Sal D’Amato and Anthony Dimitriou) had seen the fight a draw after three rounds, and had wanted to see a fourth round. Waller had managed to miss a 10-8 round for McCall on D’Amato’s card, even though paying attention to such things is kinda important.

The third judge, Kon Papai [Ed Note: actually his name] scored the fight 29-28 for Johnson.  That’s what you call a “majority draw”, and “let’s get ready to sudden death, bitches”, but somehow Johnny Koalapunter over here managed to screw up his main job of transcribing and tabulating scores.

“I feel like a right dinkie-donger,” said Waller.  ”Make no mistake, Sal’s score was a kinky dingo’s breakfast, but it was my mullyshonky.  And that Buffer bloke is jakes to a kookaburra, as far as I’m concerned.”

Dana White was understandably upset by the outcome, saying “[Expletive] this [expletive], I [expletive]the whole[expletive] [expletive],” and explained that a rematch would happen at a date to be determined soon, saying they’d “[expletive] that [expletive] when they [expletive] [expletive].”

Zuffa has tended to avoid the tournament system in the UFC due to just these kinds of snags, but had elected to hold a four-man bracket to inaugurate its first flyweight champion, signing two of the top-ranked fighters in the weight class (McCall and Yasuhiro Urushitani), and inviting two top-flight bantamweights to drop down (Johnson and Joe Benavidez).  It was the first time that the UFC has put on a tournament since 1982, when Jean Claude van Damme won the whole thing via flying holy shit did you see that bro.

[RX]