Remember last week when we went apeshit over MMA sites purporting to have full-fight video highlights but not actually delivering?
In case you don’t remember, loads of site posted “full fight video highlights” of the fight between Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson. The only problem was the highlights were missing the most important part: The knockout.
The highlight video above is much better. While it cuts away right before the fight is stopped, it shows just enough of Conor McGregor‘s first-round KO of Dustin Poirier for you to get the idea of how it went down.
And do you know what else is awesome? Pretty much all the other “full fight video highlights” from UFC 178 are the same. They actually show the parts you want to see. Chalk up another victory for the Potato Nation. It seems our irreverence is finally starting to make a difference in the world of MMA SEO clickbaiting.
Watch the other highlights after the jump, and be sure to enjoy your 40-seconds of violence and anodyne commentary!
Remember last week when we went apeshit over MMA sites purporting to have full-fight video highlights but not actually delivering?
In case you don’t remember, loads of sites posted “full fight video highlights” of the fight between Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson. The only problem was the highlights were missing the most important part: The knockout.
The highlight video above is much better. While it cuts away right before the fight is stopped, it shows just enough of Conor McGregor‘s first-round KO of Dustin Poirier for you to get the idea of how it went down.
And do you know what else is awesome? Pretty much all the other “full fight video highlights” from UFC 178 are the same. They actually show the parts you want to see. Chalk up another victory for the Potato Nation. It seems our irreverence is finally starting to make a difference in the world of MMA SEO clickbaiting.
Here are some of the other highlights. Enjoy your 40-seconds of violence and anodyne commentary!
Low and behold, the answer to all of our political problems. (Photo by Esther Lin of MMA Fighting)
UFC 178 is in the books, and it was arguably the best UFC event of the year. Leading up to the extravaganza at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the fight card looked promising, even though the cancellation of Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight championship had us all pretty bummed out.
With Demetrious Johnson and Chris Cariaso stepping up to the plate, nobody was truly interested in their flyweight title fight, simply because the rest of the card had more compelling stories, alongside fights deemed a little too difficult to call in order to bet the house, Coleman style.
That being said, let’s take a look at the most compelling scraps, and what to make of it all after we spent the last eight hours shadowboxing, binging on dollar store mini donuts, and obsessively searching the web for that CRUZ sweater.
Welcome to “Cutting Through The Bullshit,” UFC 178 style.
(Photo via Getty)
UFC 178 is in the books, and it was arguably the best UFC event of the year. Leading up to the extravaganza at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the fight card looked promising, even though the cancellation of Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight championship had us pretty bummed out.
With Demetrious Johnson and Chris Cariaso stepping up to the plate, nobody was truly interested in their flyweight title fight, simply because the rest of the card had more compelling stories, alongside fights deemed a little too difficult to call in order to bet the house, Coleman style.
That being said, let’s take a look at the biggest scraps, and what to make of it all after we spent the last eight hours shadowboxing, binging on dollar store mini donuts, and obsessively searching the web for that CRUZ sweater.
Welcome to “Cutting Through The Bullshit,” UFC 178 style:
Look, it’s pretty obvious Johnson is a spectacular combatant, the most dominant champion in the organization, and a fighter so technically sound he generates silence throughout the arena because the fans are simply in awe of him.
Well, no.
It’s apparent “Mighty Mouse” isn’t really a pay-per-view star, and he’s suited best for FOX broadcasts moving forward. He’s definitely capable of generating interest in a co-main event, much like he and Cariaso were supposed to do at UFC 177, yet headlining the whole PPV shebang may not be his forte.
But that really isn’t his fault. He’s more so a victim of consequence here. The flyweight title fight wasn’t supposed to headline this card, however, a title fight should have enough power to generate interest on its own. You can say he’s still in a transitional phase, yet UFC 174 is still pretty fresh in our minds.
Anyhow, his win over Cariaso was like watching Sid Justice maul a jobber on Saturday mornings, and it’s funny to think that even though the champ was in a relatively easy fight, nobody is mentioning that it’s his third stoppage victory in his pas four title defenses. He was also asked one question at the post-fight presser (well, two, but from the same person … so, one).
2014 has been fairly good to us in the main event department. If Johnson vs. Cariaso lacked that particular oomph, then Cerrone vs. Alvarez was straight up going to be some deep-fried organized violence.
It turned out to be a great fight, one all too familiar for “Cowboy.” After a difficult and lopsided first round, Cerrone turned it on in the second and started to hack away at the Bellator champion’s legs, eventually breaking that tree down and earning the unanimous decision victory.
Cerrone’s been through the thick and thin, and by defeating Alvarez, he’s either going to be in another title eliminator bout, or finally challenge for UFC gold. As for the “Underground King,” it wasn’t the worst of debuts, yet that’s just what UFC wanted … another Bellator guy stifled by a golden boy employee who takes on all jobs.
Conor McGregor Is The Next Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Michael Jordan, And Walt Disney
If you watched the post-fight press conference, you noticed the Irishman sitting there glowing in his ivory elephant trunk suit, with every member of the media asking him the same three questions he’s been asked for the past year. Hell, he even got a post-fight media scrum.
Don’t get it twisted; “Notorious” truly is the biggest prospect in the UFC right now, and to be honest, he pretty much surpassed that status last night with a first-round TKO over the always-game Dustin Poirier. Did that shot hit “Diamond” in the back of the head? Did McGregor land more shots to the back of the head when following up?
It’s kind of subjective at this point. Whether he did or didn’t, it shouldn’t overshadow his performance. He was awarded the victory after all, and we’ve seen a lot more clusterfucks than that in the past.
UFC’s legendary Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Goldberg compared him to Michael Jordan, not to mention Uncle Dana saying he was bigger than Brock Lesnar, the biggest draw the sport had ever seen. McGregor is going to Brazil to sit cageside with his homies at UFC 179, so don’t be surprised if he’s slotted in the Octagon as the next contender to the featherweight strap. We’re not going to assess if he deserves a title shot or not … we’re just going to predict what we think will happen, seeing that UFC as a whole thinks he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Yoel Romero Sitting On His Stool, Giving Less Fucks Than Ricky Rozay
Romero’s battle alongside Tim Kennedy was pretty good while it lasted, and subject to a boatload of controversy. Romero was basically out on his stool, and after “a UFC employee put too much Vaseline on him,” he sat there for about half a minute while his corner “attempted” to leave the cage.
There’s no question that if any of us were the American, we’d be pissed. “Soldier of God” was dazed, and it looked like he was prepared to vomit at any moment. Still, he comes out in the third round and completely torches Kennedy in the biggest win of his career.
Sorry UFC, but victim blaming won’t work here. That one was on “Big” John McCarthy, and it’s puzzling to think one of the best officials in the game let that one slip by. Like, dude, at least tell the guy to stand up and ask him questions.
Cat Zingano Win Inspiring, But Please, Leave Her Alone
“Alpha” has been through a lot in the past year. Joe Rogan hinted at in her post-fight interview after her comeback win over Amanda Nunes in the third round, but failed to say what happened, which led to an honest assessment of Zingano saying she just wanted to go home, spend time with her son, and happy she got that shit over with.
Zingano’s third-round stoppage over the Brazilian was ultra inspiring, with the majority of the sport’s observers feeling genuinely happy for the next women’s bantamweight number one contender. However, let’s give it a rest, and leave her alone. I’ve always felt indifferent when it comes to exploring one’s personal circumstances in a difficult time, and unlike the next fighter on the list, Zingano went through hardship that nobody deserves to go through. So for next time, let’s not hint at her troubles multiple times (Rogan & Goldie) without mentioning what happened, and let her enjoy possibly the biggest win of her life?
Dominick Cruz Is The Best Pound-For-Pound Athlete In The Universe, Currently Sitting In CRUZ Control
Imagine what you live for is taken away from you for three years. We’re not talking about being abstinent, you horny pervert. In Cruz’s case, we had no idea how he was going to look. He never lost the bantamweight championship, yet his last bout was three years ago, and there was a plethora of questions regarding his physical and mental state.
Call it a travesty that his fight against Takeya Mizugaki was on the FS1 prelims, although it was the best-case scenario. Dozens of thousands of viewers witnessed DOMIN8TION for free, with Cruz mauling Mizugaki after landing a takedown which may or may not have given most of us at this website an instant erection.
Credit the brass for booking Cruz against T.J. Dillashaw next, because frankly, that’s the only sensible option. “Dominator” could have fought Urijah Faber, too, especially after his post-fight jab, but let’s not pretend last night’s winner lost his title and didn’t beat Faber in convincing fashion three years ago.
All In All …
It was a perfect night of fights. Truth be told, it was the type of card we live for, and the reason we still wake up at freaking 5AM to watch putrid battles featuring foreign fighters with 2-0 records. Honestly, it felt like 2007 all over again.
In the end, we got a main event that had less drawing power than a George Lopez sitcom, a superstar’s official coming out party, #stoolgate, and two competitors that were granted guaranteed title shots (with two others in the championship limelight, also). That’s the UFC we know. That’s the pain we face. That’s why after all this time, we still put up with Stemm.
Enjoy it while you can. It’s not like we’re treated to these gifts every weekend anymore, however, something tells me the rest of the year heading into the next could be something special.
Our man Alex Giardini we’ll be giving you round-by-round results from the UFC 178 pay-per-view card after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and follow us on Twitter for bonus commentary. Thanks for being here.
Our man Alex Giardini we’ll be giving you round-by-round results from the UFC 178 pay-per-view card after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and follow us on Twitter for bonus commentary. Thanks for being here.
PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
– Dominick Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki
– James Krause vs. Jorge Masvidal
– Stephen Thompson def. Patrick Cote via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
– Brian Ebersole def. John Howard via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Kevin Lee def. Jon Tuck via unanimous decision (30-26 x 3; Tuck had a point deducted in round 2 for a groin kick)
– Manny Gamburyan def. Cody Gibson via submission (guillotine choke), 4:56 of round 2
It’s been quite a while since we first penned our “What Your Favorite Fighter Says About You” lists and a lot has changed in the time since. While some of our choices are even more relevant now than they were when the list was originally published, most of them seem either inaccurate or simply out of date in light of current circumstances. Knowing what we know now, we’ve decided to update our list to align with today’s MMA landscape. Enjoy.
You know a lotta tings and don’t take no shit from nobody. Your style is only outmatched by your swagger, which you often describe as “crisp perfection.” You are either Irish, or tell everyone you know that you are despite being as Irish as the average Redskins fan is Cherokee. While not exactly being a paranoid schizophrenic, you think that everyone else in a given room is either afraid of you or trying to violently harm you. You’re relatively new to MMA and have never actually trained, but your bar brawling expertise has led you to claim that you could defeat any top 5 fighter in your weight class with one good punch. Your favorite flower is the daisy because you can take its head clean off.
It’s been quite a while since we first penned our “What Your Favorite Fighter Says About You” lists and a lot has changed in the time since. While some of our choices are even more relevant now than they were when the list was originally published, most of them seem either inaccurate or simply out of date in light of current circumstances. Knowing what we know now, we’ve decided to update our list to align with today’s MMA landscape. Enjoy.
You know a lotta tings and don’t take no shit from nobody. Your style is only outmatched by your swagger, which you often describe as “crisp perfection.” You are either Irish, or tell everyone you know that you are despite being as Irish as the average Redskins fan is Cherokee. While not exactly being a paranoid schizophrenic, you think that everyone else in a given room is either afraid of you or trying to violently harm you. You’re relatively new to MMA and have never actually trained, but your bar brawling expertise has led you to claim that you could defeat any top 5 fighter in your weight class with one good punch. Your favorite flower is the daisy because you can take its head clean off.
You’re just here for the party, y’all. In fact, when you aren’t chasing the ultimate adrenaline high that can only be captured by extreme mountain biking or nude skydiving, you’re chasing tail around parts unknown while getting blackout wasted on rotgut whiskey. You have at least one regrettable tattoo, either a tribal armband or the Japanese symbol for “Virtue” (which actually means “seafood salad”), yet claim to live by the motto “no regrets.” Your favorite movie is Point Break, and you always secretly cry at the end. You are white, you voted McCain, and F*CK YEAH YOU’LL LISTEN TO SOME DAVID ALLAN COE!
You are supremely arrogant and don’t respond well to authority, yet list yourself as “down to Earth” on your Instagram profile, which you are constantly updating with selfies hashtaged #blessed and #overcome. Likewise, you are not someone most people would call “witty”, yet feel you are actually a lot more clever than people think you are. You have never lost an argument/debate in your life, likely because you refer to everyone who disagrees with you as a “hater” before dismissing them with a wanking hand gesture. Friends have never been overabundant in your life, but that’s cool, because they were just holding you back from the greatness you were destined to achieve. You’re not religious, per se, but you definitely consider yourself “spiritual.” Basically, you are full of shit.
You are supremely arrogant confident and don’t respond well to authority. You’re not an asshole, just someone who’s overflowing with realness. You are either a teenage girl or a single adult male, and high school is/was a hellish nightmare scenario filled with constant ridicule and a whole heap of self-esteem issues. Discipline and determination fuels your every move in life, to the point that you cannot physically relax anymore without feeling guilty afterwards. You’ve been a supporter of women’s MMA since the *very* beginning (Carano) and think anyone who criticizes a WMMA fight is a misogynist.
You watch way, way too much MMA, and have been since at least ’95. You constantly lament to your friends about how oversaturation is directly leading to the downfall of the sport, and how Fight Pass is a waste of goddamn money, and how the flyweight division is way more exciting than it’s being given credit for, etc. They never have any idea what you’re talking about, just like when you’re screaming for this kabob guy to attempt something called a “full guard sweep” while watching the FS1 prelims. You’ve done some unconventional wrestling in your day, and long to leave the constraints of a technology-based world behind to shack up in a log cabin in the woods where no one can bother you. You’re idol is Gary Busey.
Less than a month removed from the Monday Night War that pitted Fight Night 50 against Bellator 123 (and saw the former emerge victorious by razor thin split-decision), the UFC and Bellator are set to go at it again. Sort of.
After finally being granted a release from his much-maligned former promotion thanks to the generous nature of Scott Coker, Eddie Alvarez was almost immediately signed by the UFC and booked to face Donald Cerrone at UFC 178 this weekend. But being that kindness is usually considered a sign of weakness in the fight game, the folks over at Viacom weren’t just going to let Alvarez slip away without *some* form of punishment, which in this case equates to counter-programming his UFC 178 co-main event fight with a 90-minute tribute to Alvarez on Spike TV.
According to MMAJunkie, “Eddie Alvarez: Free on Spike” will air at 10 p.m. ET/PT, a.k.a the same time Saturday’s UFC 178 main card kicks off on pay-per-view. (Ed note: The amount of evil finger-twiddling Coker must be doing in his secret underground lair right now…)
Less than a month removed from the Monday Night War that pitted Fight Night 50 against Bellator 123 (and saw the former emerge victorious by razor thin split-decision), the UFC and Bellator are set to go at it again. Sort of.
After finally being granted a release from his much-maligned former promotion thanks to the generous nature of Scott Coker, Eddie Alvarez was almost immediately signed by the UFC and booked to face Donald Cerrone at UFC 178 this weekend. But being that kindness is usually considered a sign of weakness in the fight game, the folks over at Viacom weren’t just going to let Alvarez slip away without *some* form of punishment, which in this case equates to counter-programming his UFC 178 co-main event fight with a 90-minute tribute to Alvarez on Spike TV.
According to MMAJunkie, “Eddie Alvarez: Free on Spike” will air at 10 p.m. ET/PT, a.k.a the same time Saturday’s UFC 178 main card kicks off on pay-per-view. (Ed note: The amount of evil finger-twiddling Coker must be doing in his secret underground lair right now…)
Considering the record numbers Alvarez-Chandler II pulled the first time around, it’s safe to assume that a replay on Spike TV has the potential to draw some significant numbers away from UFC 178. As we mentioned when discussing the abysmal ratings of the TUF 20 premiere, FS1 will likely never be comparable to Spike TV in terms of delivering MMA content to the widest possible audience, and it has been proven in the past that casual fans will turn into *any* MMA event, regardless of whether it is live or being replayed, based solely on the convenience of being able to find said event.
Then again, UFC 178 is one of those rare UFC events these days that actually seems worth the price of admission. Between the slick, handsome Irish kid that takes no shit, the return of Dominick Cruz and Cat Zingano, and the guaranteed barnburner that Alvarez-Cerrone will be (and oh yeah, that flyweight title fight or whatever), UFC 178 has a little something for everybody. So maybe, just this one time, can we all agree to actually pony up the $60 instead of illegally streaming it? I know, marking out so hard right now.
Irish featherweight Conor McGregor is unquestionably the best talker in the UFC. That’s an indisputable truth in the post-Chael era, and it becomes even more apparent when you watch McGregor’s segment of the new “Countdown to UFC 178” preview special. But it turns out that new lightweight acquisitionEddie Alvarez is a quote factory himself, so we decided to pick out his (and the other featured fighters’) best lines from the show, for your education and enjoyment.
Videos and quotes continue after the jump. UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso goes down this Saturday in Las Vegas. Get pumped.
*****
“Although fans might not know who I am, I’m willing to bet every fighter in this division knows who I am.” — Eddie Alvarez
“There’s a lot of really talented guys at 155, whether it’s jiu-jitsu, really talented wrestlers, really talented strikers. But then there’s fighters. That’s what I’m good at. There’s no one better at giving damage and taking damage than myself.” — Alvarez
“I used to wonder why I always do all these crazy things, like what’s the purpose? Why do I want to jump off buildings and swing from ropes and ride four-wheelers and wakeboarding and do everything crazy? ‘Cause it gives you this feeling, like this scared feeling, you know? That same feeling is the same feeling you get right before you walk out to a cage. I’m searching for that feeling and there it is, every time I fight, it’s like the scariest feeling in the entire world.” — Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
Irish featherweight Conor McGregor is unquestionably the best talker in the UFC. That’s an indisputable truth in the post-Chael era, and it becomes even more apparent when you watch McGregor’s segment of the new “Countdown to UFC 178″ preview special. But it turns out that new lightweight acquisitionEddie Alvarez is a quote factory himself, so we decided to pick out his (and the other featured fighters’) best lines from the show, for your education and enjoyment.
Videos and quotes continue after the jump. UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso goes down this Saturday in Las Vegas. Get pumped.
*****
“Although fans might not know who I am, I’m willing to bet every fighter in this division knows who I am.” — Eddie Alvarez
“There’s a lot of really talented guys at 155, whether it’s jiu-jitsu, really talented wrestlers, really talented strikers. But then there’s fighters. That’s what I’m good at. There’s no one better at giving damage and taking damage than myself.” — Alvarez
“I used to wonder why I always do all these crazy things, like what’s the purpose? Why do I want to jump off buildings and swing from ropes and ride four-wheelers and wakeboarding and do everything crazy? ‘Cause it gives you this feeling, like this scared feeling, you know? That same feeling is the same feeling you get right before you walk out to a cage. I’m searching for that feeling and there it is, every time I fight, it’s like the scariest feeling in the entire world.” — Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
“You’re telling me you’re gonna pay me X amount of dollars to fight, and then if I do really good you’re gonna give me $50,000 more dollars? I feel like when I step in the Octagon I get one of those wind machines where the fuckin’ bills are flying everywhere and I’m just scooping as much as I can…I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t just fight their ass off. Like if that doesn’t give you enough to just put it all on the line, I don’t know what would.” — Cerrone
“I met my wife when I was 15 years old. I got in a fight at a playground, and none of my friends jumped in, but my wife jumped in. And I said, ‘Man, I’m gonna marry this girl’.” — Alvarez
“Cowboy, he does well if you give him space, but it won’t be like that. It’s a different story here. I’m the boss. I say what’s gonna happen.” — Alvarez
“Them lights are gonna hit me, and you’re gonna see a high-paced, violent fight.” — Alvarez
“I believe not one of these athletes in the UFC understand what the fuck is happenin’. They don’t know what’s goin’ on with this crazy Irishman runnin’ in looking to take their head clean off.” — Conor McGregor
“I remember I walked into the cage, I stood before [Diego Brandao] and blew him a kiss. And he bowed before me. I remember that. I felt he was broke before the contest.” — McGregor
“Conor McGregor seems like a good athlete, he seems like a decent counter-puncher. But, he also seems like a scumbag.” — Dustin Poirier
“I walk the walk, you know? Conor talks the talk. And we’ll see if he’s really about it September 27th.” — Poirier
“I’m committed to this game 100%, and I’m going to be a world champion in the UFC. And Conor, he’s a clown. He’s a joke to me.” — Poirier
“…and then you’ve got me, a slick, handsome Irish kid that takes no shit, that uses his brain, and has climbed to the top of the game quicker than anyone else has done it.” — McGregor
“Dustin’s little pea-head is gonna get removed, it’s gonna get put into my collection, and I’m gonna get on my way to gold.” — McGregor
“He’s just an average journeyman fighter. He’s okay everywhere. He’s basic everywhere, he’s nothin’ that jumps off the page, he’s not flashy, he hasn’t got KO power — you know, that stiffened, curled-toes power. He hasn’t got that. I don’t feel he has anything for me. I’ll beat him everywhere.” — McGregor
“No worries, you have a good night.” — Demetrious Johnson, after smoking somebody in a video game. Man, this guy just can’t bring himself to talk trash, huh. It’s tough when everybody else is in a grudge match but you.
“Wherever the fight goes, I feel like I have the advantage.” — Chris Cariaso, massive underdog, saying words.
