As the largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion company in the world, you’d expect the UFC to be a well-oiled machine. After all, they have the best fighters, the largest financial backers and the biggest fan base. However, if you peel back the layers, you’ll find a dysfunctional company with an outspoken (and often crude) president.
Does the UFC’s controversial and unorthodox approach to MMA hinder or help make it into the multi-billion dollar company it is today?
To give you some background, the UFC was acquired by the two Fertitta brothers (Frank and Lorenzo) and current UFC president Dana White back in 2001. At the time, the company was on the verge of extinction. The three of them injected a significant amount of money into the company while securing lucrative televisions deals, setting up multiple revenue streams and eventually creating a monopoly in the MMA landscape by buying and absorbing rival promotions.
The UFC is not the governing body of MMA, it’s a business; and as a business, the goal is to create a product that is both appealing and profitable. While the UFC are bound by a strict set of rules set by the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, they run their own show while giving the fans what they want.
Throughout the life of the UFC, we’ve witnessed a number of these “business” decisions which have been made to appeal to the fans rather than following a traditional formula. If you’ve watched enough UFC events, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I’ve picked a few examples recently to emphasize my point.
Cast your mind back to last year before the announcement of the Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm fight. Miesha Tate was the clear number one contender to face Rousey. Instead, Dana White stated that if they gave Tate a shot and she lost, her career would be over. This forced Tate to consider retirement as she felt worthless in the UFC. In hindsight, it was a good decision although Dana White doesn’t have those kinds of powers. The fight between Rousey and Holm had to happen from a business perspective as the fans had already seen Rousey vs Tate (twice) before with Rousey winning both bouts convincingly. Rousey had also beaten all the other contenders in front of Holm. The idea to throw Holm in the deep end to face Rousey was a gamble, although she had a few selling points which excited the fans. Holm was (is) a former boxing world champion and at the time was undefeated in her MMA career. Stylistically, she was a good match up for Rousey, although, in many people’s eyes, she hadn’t done enough in the UFC to warrant a shot at the title.
Recently, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson came out and questioned the UFC’s decision to give Henry Cejudo a title fight against him. Cejudo has only fought four times in the UFC. The reason he’s been given the fight is because no other opponent in the division has even come close to dethroning “Mighty Mouse”. Cejudo – on paper – is potentially the most dangerous opponent to face him. Cejudo is a gold medalist in Olympic wrestling and he’s undefeated in MMA. From a business perspective, he’s the most attractive opponent and will no doubt help sell more pay-per-views than anyone else.
Another one of these unusual “business” decisions was the acquisition of Phil Brooks.
For anyone who isn’t aware, Phil Brooks (or “CM Punk”) is best known for his time in the World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE. Brooks is a wrestler by trade although he’s NEVER had a professional MMA fight in his life.
Brooks has been undergoing a rigorous training regime under the tutelage of Duke Roufus (the coach of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis) to condition himself to fight inside the octagon. It’s no secret why the UFC signed him. Brooks is a superstar (over 2.5 million Twitter followers!) with a lot of pulling power. When he steps inside that octagon, he will attract interest from everywhere, especially fans of the WWE. Brooks will need to be prepared because the octagon is an unforgiving place to be, especially for a rookie. Win or lose, it’s a smart business decision by the UFC.
You might think the UFC has done this before in the form of Brock Lesnar. While Lesnar entered the octagon as a relative novice, he had a few fights in lower MMA promotions and actually had a professional record before signing with the company. Lesnar also had the advantage of being a physical specimen. His sheer size and athletic ability were enough to get him so far.
While Brooks’ inclusion into the UFC is strange, it’s no less unusual then former world champion boxer James Toney signing a one-off fight to face UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture in the octagon. Toney had been criticizing the UFC and Dana White offered him a fight. It ended in predictable fashion with Couture taking him down with ease and submitting him.
At times, the UFC does represent a circus more than a professional MMA promotion. You might question the comments and decisions of the president. You may (like me) seem surprised when certain fights materialize. What you can’t deny though is the exposure the UFC has given to MMA. The UFC is exciting and fun to watch. The chaos and general shenanigans we’ve seen over the years just add to the charm. While the company goes against the norm and make their own rules up, they do a good job of giving the fans what they want.
As the largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion company in the world, you’d expect the UFC to be a well-oiled machine. After all, they have the best fighters, the largest financial backers and the biggest fan base. However, if you peel back the layers, you’ll find a dysfunctional company with an outspoken (and often crude) president.
Does the UFC’s controversial and unorthodox approach to MMA hinder or help make it into the multi-billion dollar company it is today?
To give you some background, the UFC was acquired by the two Fertitta brothers (Frank and Lorenzo) and current UFC president Dana White back in 2001. At the time, the company was on the verge of extinction. The three of them injected a significant amount of money into the company while securing lucrative televisions deals, setting up multiple revenue streams and eventually creating a monopoly in the MMA landscape by buying and absorbing rival promotions.
The UFC is not the governing body of MMA, it’s a business; and as a business, the goal is to create a product that is both appealing and profitable. While the UFC are bound by a strict set of rules set by the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, they run their own show while giving the fans what they want.
Throughout the life of the UFC, we’ve witnessed a number of these “business” decisions which have been made to appeal to the fans rather than following a traditional formula. If you’ve watched enough UFC events, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I’ve picked a few examples recently to emphasize my point.
Cast your mind back to last year before the announcement of the Ronda Rousey and Holly Holm fight. Miesha Tate was the clear number one contender to face Rousey. Instead, Dana White stated that if they gave Tate a shot and she lost, her career would be over. This forced Tate to consider retirement as she felt worthless in the UFC. In hindsight, it was a good decision although Dana White doesn’t have those kinds of powers. The fight between Rousey and Holm had to happen from a business perspective as the fans had already seen Rousey vs Tate (twice) before with Rousey winning both bouts convincingly. Rousey had also beaten all the other contenders in front of Holm. The idea to throw Holm in the deep end to face Rousey was a gamble, although she had a few selling points which excited the fans. Holm was (is) a former boxing world champion and at the time was undefeated in her MMA career. Stylistically, she was a good match up for Rousey, although, in many people’s eyes, she hadn’t done enough in the UFC to warrant a shot at the title.
Recently, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson came out and questioned the UFC’s decision to give Henry Cejudo a title fight against him. Cejudo has only fought four times in the UFC. The reason he’s been given the fight is because no other opponent in the division has even come close to dethroning “Mighty Mouse”. Cejudo – on paper – is potentially the most dangerous opponent to face him. Cejudo is a gold medalist in Olympic wrestling and he’s undefeated in MMA. From a business perspective, he’s the most attractive opponent and will no doubt help sell more pay-per-views than anyone else.
Another one of these unusual “business” decisions was the acquisition of Phil Brooks.
For anyone who isn’t aware, Phil Brooks (or “CM Punk”) is best known for his time in the World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE. Brooks is a wrestler by trade although he’s NEVER had a professional MMA fight in his life.
Brooks has been undergoing a rigorous training regime under the tutelage of Duke Roufus (the coach of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis) to condition himself to fight inside the octagon. It’s no secret why the UFC signed him. Brooks is a superstar (over 2.5 million Twitter followers!) with a lot of pulling power. When he steps inside that octagon, he will attract interest from everywhere, especially fans of the WWE. Brooks will need to be prepared because the octagon is an unforgiving place to be, especially for a rookie. Win or lose, it’s a smart business decision by the UFC.
You might think the UFC has done this before in the form of Brock Lesnar. While Lesnar entered the octagon as a relative novice, he had a few fights in lower MMA promotions and actually had a professional record before signing with the company. Lesnar also had the advantage of being a physical specimen. His sheer size and athletic ability were enough to get him so far.
While Brooks’ inclusion into the UFC is strange, it’s no less unusual then former world champion boxer James Toney signing a one-off fight to face UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture in the octagon. Toney had been criticizing the UFC and Dana White offered him a fight. It ended in predictable fashion with Couture taking him down with ease and submitting him.
At times, the UFC does represent a circus more than a professional MMA promotion. You might question the comments and decisions of the president. You may (like me) seem surprised when certain fights materialize. What you can’t deny though is the exposure the UFC has given to MMA. The UFC is exciting and fun to watch. The chaos and general shenanigans we’ve seen over the years just add to the charm. While the company goes against the norm and make their own rules up, they do a good job of giving the fans what they want.
While it has yet to be officially announced, the latest word going around is that UFC is expected to soon confirm Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II as the main event for their landmark UFC 200 event in July.
McGrego…
UFC 200 should make history.
While it has yet to be officially announced, the latest word going around is that UFC is expected to soon confirm Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II as the main event for their landmark UFC 200 event in July.
McGregor and Diaz first met in a welterweight bout at UFC 196 in early March, where Diaz submitted McGregor via second round choke, giving “The Notorious” one his first official loss inside the Octagon. The event is rumored to have drawn in the neighborhood of $1.5 million buys on pay-per-view, and drew the third largest gate in UFC history.
No doubt, the results of the business side of the first McGregor-Diaz bout makes a rematch a no-brainer in terms of a guaranteed money-fight that the promotion could book at some point down the line. But why UFC 200?
It appears inevitable that UFC 200 will be a business success regardless of the fight selected to serve as the headline attraction for the show, so why book an immediate rematch just months after the initial showdown on an event that is 15-years in the making?
Forget that fact that Diaz won in dominant, definitive fashion and that one could argue that McGregor, the current 145-pound champion of the UFC who is now 0-1 in his career at 170 pounds, isn’t even worthy of a second shot against the Stockton bad boy.
Toss that factor out the window.
Forget the fact that if McGregor-Diaz II is booked for the July 9th event, that the entire UFC Featherweight division remains on hold with the title essentially frozen while McGregor has his “fun fights” and arguably unwarranted immediate rematches of said-fights.
Throw that factor out the window as well.
Look at this from a fan perspective. McGregor-Diaz II, for those who enjoyed the hoopla surrounding the first fight, will be just as exciting at UFC 206 or UFC 211. It’d be just as exciting at UFC On FOX 24 or UFC Fight Night 98. The show doesn’t matter. It’s irrelevant.
UFC 200 should be special. UFC 200 should have a fresh main event that fans won’t have seen just four months prior.
Regardless of whether or not Ronda Rousey will be back in time for a July fight, or if UFC can convince Georges St-Pierre to come out of retirement, with the current state of the UFC landscape — which is as wide open and fun as it has been in quite a while — there are a plethora of big fights and/or fun fights that could serve as a main event for such a historic show without going back to the well so soon for a goofy immediate rematch.
Sure, UFC tied up a lot of the top stars in events leading directly up to UFC 200, where injuries could happen in training camps — or the fights themselves — that would then make a lot of your biggest draws unavailable for your landmark event. That simplly can’t be avoided. You can’t “save” all of your top stars and biggest matches for one special event, or you’re stuck booking lackluster events in the meantime.
With UFC on one of their hottest streaks in company history right now, you don’t want to do anything that cools off the momentum you have built.
Having said that, the solution to this issue seems pretty simple …
The brash Irishman – with a penchant for the finer things in life – has never shied away from his intentions in this sport. He’s here to take over and make a lot of money doing it.
So what makes Conor McGregor so successful?
McGregor is generally a likable guy with the swagger to match. He walks the walk and talks the talk. He loves his fashion, his fast cars and the celebrity status that comes with it.
The man known as ‘The Notorious’, has undeniable talent, no one doubts that. He’s an aggressive, exciting fighter with power and finesse which resonates well with the fans. What really makes him stand out is his showmanship and psychological warfare he delivers before fights. He thrives on exploiting his opponent’s mental fragility to evoke a reaction, effectively distracting and draining his enemy before the fight. The fact McGregor is a world class fighter is a bonus. His ability to render opponents virtually ineffective is much more fascinating.
Fighters only have a small window to make money in this business. It’s extremely hard to make it as a professional and even then, it doesn’t necessarily equate to wealth. The chances of sustaining a serious career ending injury are generally higher than other sports considering the brutal nature of MMA.
In my opinion, McGregor deserves a lot of credit with how quickly he’s dominated the sport and the type of money he can demand for his fights. He’s brought a renewed interest to MMA and the UFC with his unorthodox approach. Many fighters have attempted this mental warfare with varying levels of success.
Past opponents of McGregor’s like Diego Brandao, Denis Siver and Dustin Poirier were all steam rolled by the Irishman. What was unusual is how out of depth they were in the octagon with him. They looked depleted and lacked confidence. It was not necessarily a gulf in their skill sets, but an effect of the psychological warfare they endured before the fight.
The best example of this was the fight with Jose Aldo. Aldo is undeniably one of the greatest fighters in the MMA world today. He was scheduled to fight McGregor on July 11, 2015. Both fighters featured in a long, drawn out world tour to promote the event. While it was a success for the UFC, it seemed to have completely drained Aldo. It allowed McGregor to get inside his head and unleash a barrage of mental warfare on him. Aldo subsequently pulled out of the fight and it was rescheduled. The damage had already been done.
When the fight eventually materialized on December 12, 2015, UFC commentator Joe Rogan questioned Aldo’s physique, suggesting he looked “soft”. While Aldo’s camp kept things fairly secretive before the fight, it was quite clear he got sucked into the mind games from McGregor, which ultimately cost him the belt.
McGregor was then scheduled to fight Rafael Dos Anjos (RDS) for the Lightweight belt. In the pre-fight war-of-words with RDS, McGregor used his “defection” to the USA as an attempt to bait him, hoping to turn the Brazilian fans against him. RDS eventually pulled out with a broken foot and the fight never materialized.
Finally, we come to the fight with Nate Diaz (don’t worry, I didn’t forget!). The product of Stockton was given a call less than two weeks out from UFC 196 and accepted the fight at 170 pounds.
In the press conference, McGregor stated that he respected Diaz. He then proceeded to tease him by stating “he makes gun signs with the right hand and makes animal balloons with the left hand.” This was an attempt to belittle him. The mind games didn’t seem to bother Diaz. In fact, he took the insults in his stride.
For the first time in his UFC career, McGregor faced an opponent that didn’t break mentally. The fight took place and McGregor lost due to a rear naked choke.
McGregor is now rumored to be facing Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 for the Featherweight belt. It will be very interesting to see if McGregor changes his approach after the loss to Diaz. Will we see the same outspoken Irishman oozing with confidence? Or will we see a much calmer respectful McGregor? Only time will tell.
The brash Irishman – with a penchant for the finer things in life – has never shied away from his intentions in this sport. He’s here to take over and make a lot of money doing it.
So what makes Conor McGregor so successful?
McGregor is generally a likable guy with the swagger to match. He walks the walk and talks the talk. He loves his fashion, his fast cars and the celebrity status that comes with it.
The man known as ‘The Notorious’, has undeniable talent, no one doubts that. He’s an aggressive, exciting fighter with power and finesse which resonates well with the fans. What really makes him stand out is his showmanship and psychological warfare he delivers before fights. He thrives on exploiting his opponent’s mental fragility to evoke a reaction, effectively distracting and draining his enemy before the fight. The fact McGregor is a world class fighter is a bonus. His ability to render opponents virtually ineffective is much more fascinating.
Fighters only have a small window to make money in this business. It’s extremely hard to make it as a professional and even then, it doesn’t necessarily equate to wealth. The chances of sustaining a serious career ending injury are generally higher than other sports considering the brutal nature of MMA.
In my opinion, McGregor deserves a lot of credit with how quickly he’s dominated the sport and the type of money he can demand for his fights. He’s brought a renewed interest to MMA and the UFC with his unorthodox approach. Many fighters have attempted this mental warfare with varying levels of success.
Past opponents of McGregor’s like Diego Brandao, Denis Siver and Dustin Poirier were all steam rolled by the Irishman. What was unusual is how out of depth they were in the octagon with him. They looked depleted and lacked confidence. It was not necessarily a gulf in their skill sets, but an effect of the psychological warfare they endured before the fight.
The best example of this was the fight with Jose Aldo. Aldo is undeniably one of the greatest fighters in the MMA world today. He was scheduled to fight McGregor on July 11, 2015. Both fighters featured in a long, drawn out world tour to promote the event. While it was a success for the UFC, it seemed to have completely drained Aldo. It allowed McGregor to get inside his head and unleash a barrage of mental warfare on him. Aldo subsequently pulled out of the fight and it was rescheduled. The damage had already been done.
When the fight eventually materialized on December 12, 2015, UFC commentator Joe Rogan questioned Aldo’s physique, suggesting he looked “soft”. While Aldo’s camp kept things fairly secretive before the fight, it was quite clear he got sucked into the mind games from McGregor, which ultimately cost him the belt.
McGregor was then scheduled to fight Rafael Dos Anjos (RDS) for the Lightweight belt. In the pre-fight war-of-words with RDS, McGregor used his “defection” to the USA as an attempt to bait him, hoping to turn the Brazilian fans against him. RDS eventually pulled out with a broken foot and the fight never materialized.
Finally, we come to the fight with Nate Diaz (don’t worry, I didn’t forget!). The product of Stockton was given a call less than two weeks out from UFC 196 and accepted the fight at 170 pounds.
In the press conference, McGregor stated that he respected Diaz. He then proceeded to tease him by stating “he makes gun signs with the right hand and makes animal balloons with the left hand.” This was an attempt to belittle him. The mind games didn’t seem to bother Diaz. In fact, he took the insults in his stride.
For the first time in his UFC career, McGregor faced an opponent that didn’t break mentally. The fight took place and McGregor lost due to a rear naked choke.
McGregor is now rumored to be facing Frankie Edgar at UFC 200 for the Featherweight belt. It will be very interesting to see if McGregor changes his approach after the loss to Diaz. Will we see the same outspoken Irishman oozing with confidence? Or will we see a much calmer respectful McGregor? Only time will tell.
There is still no lineup announced yet for UFC 200, which is less than four months away. The UFC is in full force with its “Unstoppable” campaign right now and while there may not be any fights listed for UFC 200, it is still fun to speculate who might be fighting on July 9th. Here is what three fights Joe Silva and Sean Shelby should make for UFC 200.
Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo 2 (Featherweight Championship): A good amount of people may get upset that Frankie Edgar does not get the title shot against the Irishman, but Aldo has recently been pushing hard for a rematch and may get his wish from Dana White. Stylistically, a McGregor vs. Aldo rematch could turn into a great fight. While McGregor did beat Aldo in just 13 seconds, it will be extremely difficult for “Mystic Mac” to have a repeat performance. Both are exceptional strikers. McGregor likes to throw different combinations as he cuts angles, while Aldo uses devastating leg kicks to wear down his opponents.
Jose Aldo was the first and only UFC featherweight champion before his loss to McGregor. Many considered Aldo as the pound-for-pound champion during Jon Jones’s absence. It would only be fair for Aldo, that White grants him his wish considering how dominant his run was before UFC 194. It also helps that Aldo and McGregor have some bad blood, which could generate a tremendous amount of hype.
Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Nate Diaz 2 (Lightweight Championship): Nate Diaz is on top of the world. The Stockton product has had the entire world talking about him after his submission victory over Conor McGregor. Diaz seems a much more motivated and improved fighter since his loss to Rafael Dos Anjos in December 2014. The 30 year-old has been able to utilize his reach and height advantage in his last two wins over Michael Johnson and Conor McGregor. That alone could prove troublesome for RDA who would have a five-inch reach disadvantage.
It also looks like Dos Anjos will not be fighting Conor McGregor any time soon. McGregor has indicated he wants to defend his 145-pound belt. Also, with the other top contenders in the 155-pound division already booked with fights, this matchup with Diaz makes the most sense.
Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva (Catchweight Bout): GSP was recently spotted at UFC 196. There has been much speculation that he is planning for a comeback and if that is the case, the perfect fight would be against Anderson Silva. Throughout the years, GSP vs. Silva has been a dream fight every MMA fan wanted to see. There were numerous speculations that the bout would happen but never came to fruition. Although this fight would definitely not be as exciting four or five years ago, it’s still a fight many people would want to see.
“The Spider” is at the twilight of his MMA career. What better way to conclude his historic career than a fight with Georges St. Pierre? Both were considered no. 1 and 2 for the pound-for-pound great list for a long time.
There is still no lineup announced yet for UFC 200, which is less than four months away. The UFC is in full force with its “Unstoppable” campaign right now and while there may not be any fights listed for UFC 200, it is still fun to speculate who might be fighting on July 9th. Here is what three fights Joe Silva and Sean Shelby should make for UFC 200.
Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo 2 (Featherweight Championship): A good amount of people may get upset that Frankie Edgar does not get the title shot against the Irishman, but Aldo has recently been pushing hard for a rematch and may get his wish from Dana White. Stylistically, a McGregor vs. Aldo rematch could turn into a great fight. While McGregor did beat Aldo in just 13 seconds, it will be extremely difficult for “Mystic Mac” to have a repeat performance. Both are exceptional strikers. McGregor likes to throw different combinations as he cuts angles, while Aldo uses devastating leg kicks to wear down his opponents.
Jose Aldo was the first and only UFC featherweight champion before his loss to McGregor. Many considered Aldo as the pound-for-pound champion during Jon Jones’s absence. It would only be fair for Aldo, that White grants him his wish considering how dominant his run was before UFC 194. It also helps that Aldo and McGregor have some bad blood, which could generate a tremendous amount of hype.
Rafael Dos Anjos vs. Nate Diaz 2 (Lightweight Championship): Nate Diaz is on top of the world. The Stockton product has had the entire world talking about him after his submission victory over Conor McGregor. Diaz seems a much more motivated and improved fighter since his loss to Rafael Dos Anjos in December 2014. The 30 year-old has been able to utilize his reach and height advantage in his last two wins over Michael Johnson and Conor McGregor. That alone could prove troublesome for RDA who would have a five-inch reach disadvantage.
It also looks like Dos Anjos will not be fighting Conor McGregor any time soon. McGregor has indicated he wants to defend his 145-pound belt. Also, with the other top contenders in the 155-pound division already booked with fights, this matchup with Diaz makes the most sense.
Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva (Catchweight Bout): GSP was recently spotted at UFC 196. There has been much speculation that he is planning for a comeback and if that is the case, the perfect fight would be against Anderson Silva. Throughout the years, GSP vs. Silva has been a dream fight every MMA fan wanted to see. There were numerous speculations that the bout would happen but never came to fruition. Although this fight would definitely not be as exciting four or five years ago, it’s still a fight many people would want to see.
“The Spider” is at the twilight of his MMA career. What better way to conclude his historic career than a fight with Georges St. Pierre? Both were considered no. 1 and 2 for the pound-for-pound great list for a long time.
Let’s be honest. Saturday night’s World Series of Fighting 29 leaves much to be desired outside of one match.
Sure, live MMA on cable television is worth tuning in to see, but if you are expecting fight of the year quality matches, you may be disapp…
Let’s be honest. Saturday night’s World Series of Fighting 29 leaves much to be desired outside of one match.
Sure, live MMA on cable television is worth tuning in to see, but if you are expecting fight of the year quality matches, you may be disappointed.
There is one exception to that, though, and it is the main event.
Justin Gaethje defends his lightweight title against Brian Foster from the Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, Colorado on NBC Sports Network.
And folks, if you have yet to see the appropriately named “Highlight” in action, you are in for a treat.
Gaethje, just 27 years old, is the brightest star in the WSOF. Heck, he just might be the brightest star competing outside of Zuffa and the UFC.
Following a 7-0 run as an amateur, Gaethje turned pro in 2011 and has yet to be stopped. He opened his career with a first round knockout via slam and has continued to bring down the house since.
His first three bouts ended early, as did 11 of his first 11. Of those, 10 were either TKO or KOs, including stoppage wins over Gesias Cavalcante, Brian Cobb, Dan Lauzon, Richard Patishnock and Nick Newell to begin his WSOF career.
Gaethje’s 2014 finish of Newell was a highlight for his career, as it came on the biggest stage for the fighter.
In 2014, WSOF officials signed veteran Melvin Guillard with the hopes of presenting Gaethje with a stiff challenge. “The Young Assassin” pushed him to the scorecards, but the bout was a non-title, three-round affair because Guillard missed weight.
Last year, Gaethje picked up a pair of victories over Luis Palomino, showing the heart of a champion in the opener. He took the best that Palomino had to offer before earning the third round stoppage. In the rematch, he finished Palomino a round earlier.
Now, Gaethje must fend off Foster, who won a one-night tournament over Palomino and Joao Zeferino to secure his shot. He’s 25-8 in his career and went 3-2 with the UFC from 2009-2010, including a submission win over top contender Matt Brown.
So if you have nothing better to do Saturday night, tune in and check out Gaethje. Also, here’s a complete fight replay of his bout with Palomino that shows off everything “The Highlight” has to offer:
The following is an editorial published soon after UFC Vegas 43 headliner Miesha Tate’s upset victory over Holly Holm in 2016 to become the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 8, 2016, 11:36 AM]…
[MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]
The following is an editorial published soon after UFC Vegas 43 headliner Miesha Tate’s upset victory over Holly Holm in 2016 to become the undisputed UFC bantamweight champion.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 8, 2016, 11:36 AM]
If you have followed Miesha Tate’s career throughout, you will understand and appreciate the journey she has gone through to win the UFC women’s bantamweight championship this past weekend at the MGM in Las Vegas. There is no champion in the UFC that has bounced back as many times as she has. Tate has had her fair share of “humble pie.”
Tate’s arm was broken by Ronda Rousey after refusing to tap at a Strikeforce event for the title in 2012. She also had her nose broken in a fight with Cat Zingano in 2013 at a UFC event in a fight she was winning and could be argued was stopped too early. Let’s not forget the second loss via arm bar again in the rematch against Rousey with Ronda refusing to shake her hand afterward. The struggle was real for her but she refused to quit or be broken.
Meisha Tate has played second fiddle to Rousey watching Ronda make millions of dollars, appear on magazine covers as well as make movies. Miesha was at the top of the women’s division before it became mainstream and appreciated by Dana White. She was primed to become the ambassador for women’s MMA. She was by far the most all around skilled women’s MMA fighter back then — despite losing to Rousey twice — and proved she still is presently on Saturday against Holly Holm at UFC 196.
To compare her grit and gain perspective on her “never give up” mentality, just compare it to Ronda’s reaction to losing only once. She disappeared and hid her face staying out of the spotlight for the last several months. Not to slight Rousey and the pressure she had being the face of the company but it’s fair to say that Ronda’s approach to the fight she lost, her antics before at weigh-in, then her reaction after were definitely not gracious to say the least. Whereas Tate seemed to just get back up and dust herself off. Miesha dealt with the disappointment and sat at press conferences with a broken nose offering no excuses.
Meisha Tate was able to defeat Holly Holm despite being a huge underdog. She came back in classic Tate style stealing the fight in the fifth round with two minutes remaining and behind on all score cards. What was most impressive to me was the patience and game plan she executed throughout. I did not think Tate was mentally capable of that and picked against her on Saturday night.
Tate had a habit of being over aggresive and not picking her battles. She tended to block punches with her face and never kept good distance. An example of this was during the last Rousey fight as well as the Zingano fight. She would actually be winning the stand up exchanges then would shoot in forcing positions that did not always favor her when she was better off backing off. She did that against Holm on Saturday night waiting until late in the fifth when the opening was there to take advantage instead of forcing a terrible shot too early. Tate was her own worst enemy. She practically beat herself many times.
Finally she will get a taste of the championship lifestyle and the respect she deserves. “Cupcake” Tate should also get a much deserved pay raise instead of the 46k/46k official purse she recieved against Holm. It was almost as if Tate was being left behind …but not anymore.
This sets up a trilogy fight between her and Rousey for the title. Many would say based on the past two encounters between the two, it’s Rousey’s title to take back.
I see it differently.
I feel with Tate’s new approach and her momentum combined with Ronda’s lack of activity, Meisha will come out on top this time. She as everyone looks at Ronda differently after her loss realizing her shortcomings. I also believe Rousey is not totally into it anymore and will only be playing the role of a fighter this time. Her heart truly is not in it and she does not really need MMA anymore. This opens up the opportunity for Meisha to redeem herself and the past failures she has experienced.
Meisha’s combination of beauty and strength is the perfect example for women everywhere but her determination is what stands out the most.
