(Was this photo taken with a fish eye lens? Get it?! A FISH EYE LENS!! *crickets*)
Yowza. As if we needed further proof, Rashad Evans sent out this tweet earlier today, confirming once and for all that Jon Jones does is fact have the nastiest elbows in the game. At least he took it in stride, stating the following:
I went 2 UFC 145 in Atlanta and I had the best seat in the house & all I came back with was this fat eye! Wth! I hope those of u that went came back with better souvenirs than I did! =)
Though Evans only received a week suspension, he might want to consider sitting out a little longer while he waits for that baby to deflate. ‘Shad was one of fourteen fighters from Saturday’s card to earn just a seven day suspension for cautionary reasons. Brendan Schaub and Che Mills received 45 day suspensions for their (T)KO losses, where Miguel Torres earned a 60 day suspension for his knockout loss to Michael McDonald. Torres must also undergo a CT scan before he is cleared to return to action.
But worse than Schaub, worse even than Torres, was the indefinite suspension Mac Danzig received for the gnarly ankle injury he suffered in his unanimous decision victory over Efrain Escudero as a result of a first round heel hook. Word has it that while this was occurring, Rousimar Palhares went on a bloodthirsty rampage through Brazil that resulted in the deaths of no less than 400 people.
Check out the photo of the damage, compliments of Danzig’s twitter, along with the full medical suspensions, after the jump.
(Was this photo taken with a fish eye lens? Get it?! A FISH EYE LENS!! *crickets*)
Yowza. As if we needed further proof, Rashad Evans sent out this tweet earlier today, confirming once and for all that Jon Jones does is fact have the nastiest elbows in the game. At least he took it in stride, stating the following:
I went 2 UFC 145 in Atlanta and I had the best seat in the house & all I came back with was this fat eye! Wth! I hope those of u that went came back with better souvenirs than I did! =)
Though Evans only received a week suspension, he might want to consider sitting out a little longer while he waits for that baby to deflate. ‘Shad was one of fourteen fighters from Saturday’s card to earn just a seven day suspension for cautionary reasons. Brendan Schaub and Che Mills received 45 day suspensions for their (T)KO losses, where Miguel Torres earned a 60 day suspension for his knockout loss to Michael McDonald. Torres must also undergo a CT scan before he is cleared to return to action.
But worse than Schaub, worse even than Torres, was the indefinite suspension Mac Danzig received for the gnarly ankle injury he suffered in his unanimous decision victory over Efrain Escudero as a result of a first round heel hook. Word has it that while this was occurring, Rousimar Palhares went on a bloodthirsty rampage through Brazil that resulted in the deaths of no less than 400 people.
Check out the photo of the damage, compliments of Danzig’s twitter, along with the full medical suspensions, below.
(Where does the calf fat end and the ankle fat begin?)
UFC 145 Medical Suspensions Mac Danzig: Suspended indefinitely pending results of right-ankle X-ray Miguel Torres: Suspended 60 days; needs CT scan Che Mills: Suspended 45 days for precautionary reasons Brendan Schaub: Suspended 45 days for precautionary reasons Eddie Yagin: Suspended 30 days, including 21 days with no contact Mark Hominick: Suspended 30 days, including 21 days with no contact Chad Griggs: Suspended 30 days, including 21 days with no contact Matt Brown: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons Stephen Thompson: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons Keith Wisniewski: Suspended 14 days for precautionary reasons Jon Jones: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Rashad Evans: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Rory MacDonald: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Ben Rothwell: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Michael McDonald: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Mark Bocek: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons John Alessio: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Travis Browne: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Anthony Njokuani: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons John Makdessi: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Efrain Escudero: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Chris Clements: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Marcus Brimage: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons Maximo Blanco: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons
At UFC 145, Mac Danzig needed to come out on top in his bout with Efrain Escudero. After winning only two of his last seven fights, there is no question that his job was on the line.The fight was competitive and enjoyable from start to finish, and both…
At UFC 145, Mac Danzig needed to come out on top in his bout with Efrain Escudero. After winning only two of his last seven fights, there is no question that his job was on the line.
The fight was competitive and enjoyable from start to finish, and both men have name value, so it’s possible that neither man is on his way out of the door, but that’s neither here nor there.
It didn’t take long for the Ultimate Fighter winners to give us an exciting moment when Efrain nearly locked in a heel hook early in the first round. The move caused Danzig’s ankle to swell tremendously through the course of the fight.
Danzig would tough it out and go on to outstrike the younger Escudero, using superior clinch work and dirty boxing to score points. The gutsy performance earned him a deserved unanimous decision.
Now, Danzig has improved his UFC record to 5-5 and has gone 2-0 against fellow Ultimate Fighter winners. A bout with Tony Ferguson would be enjoyable for fans and give Ferguson the much needed step-up in competition that he deserves. Other possible opponents for Danzig include Thiago Tavares or Sam Stout.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for continued coverage of all things UFC 145.
It’s finally almost time for UFC 145, which means we have some preliminary fights on FX to make snarky comments through. We have a fight between TUF champions turned gatekeepers Mac Danzig and Efrain Escudero, a matchup between Anthony Njokuani and John Makdessi, we find out if Matt Brown will live to fight another day against Stephen Thompson, and we get a heavyweight bout between Travis Browne and Chad Griggs to keep us entertained before the main card tonight. Grab a sammich and a bottle of the finest flavor of Night Train Express that the nearest gas station sells and join us for round-by-round results.
Live, round-by-round results from the UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans preliminary broadcast will be collecting after the jump starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, courtesy of CagePotato’s ultimate (weekend) warrior, Seth Falvo. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section. Please stand by.
It’s finally almost time for UFC 145, which means we have some preliminary fights on FX to make snarky comments through. We have a fight between TUF champions turned gatekeepers Mac Danzig and Efrain Escudero, a matchup between Anthony Njokuani and John Makdessi, we find out if Matt Brown will live to fight another day against Stephen Thompson, and we get a heavyweight bout between Travis Browne and Chad Griggs to keep us entertained before the main card tonight. Grab a sammich and a bottle of the finest flavor of Night Train Express that the nearest gas station sells and join us for round-by-round results.
Live, round-by-round results from the UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans preliminary broadcast will be collecting after the jump starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, courtesy of CagePotato’s ultimate (weekend) warrior, Seth Falvo. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section. Please stand by.
____________
Before we kick things off, does anyone want know why I chose a fan-made UFC 145 poster as the featured image for this liveblog? It’s because that poster took twice as much effort as the real poster and is about fifty times more terrifying. I chose to believe that it’s an indication of things to come tonight, be it devastating knockouts, arm-snapping submissions or just how badly I can misspell basic words of a language I’ve been speaking for my entire life while attempting to keep you all up to date on the action. Just thought I’d share that before we go live.
Cue the cheesy “This may be awesome” disclaimer, because WE ARE LIVE! Seriously though, FX, come up with something less terrible. And someone may want to tell Mike Goldberg how to pronounce “Hecho en Mexico” before the start of his fight against Mac Danzig.
Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero
Too late.
Round One: They touch gloves, and we’re underway. They clinch up and exchange knees, with Danzig immediately pushing Escudero into the cage. Escudero reverses position and looks for a takedown, but Danzig reverses and earns a takedown of his own. Escudero works for a heel hook, and appears to have Danzig in trouble, but Mac escapes and takes Escudero’s back. Mac lets him back up, and Escudero lands a leg kick. Nice cross by Danzig. Danzig is landing some punches and doing a good job of avoiding Escudero’s, but Efrain doesn’t appear hurt by any of them. They clinch against the cage with Mac Danzig looking for a takedown. Danzig has Escudero’s back, but Efrain is doing a good job of staying on his feet. A “U-S-A! U-S-A!” chant breaks out as they separate and we’re back in the center of the cage. Escudero now rushes Danzig, trapping him against the cage looking for a takedown with twenty seconds left in the round. He is unsuccessful, and the round comes to an end.
Round Two: They touch gloves, and after aboutforty seconds of feeling each other out, Escudero lands a nice right hand. Danzig counters with a hard leg kick, and presses Escudero against the cage, kneeing Escudero in the thighs. Nice 1-2 from Escudero as he breaks free. The fans begin to boo the lack of action, as both guys are throwing heavy shots that are easily being avoided. Danzig has a much stronger clinch than Escudero, and has him back against the cage with ninety seconds left in the round. Escudero lands a knee from the clinch in the center of the cage, so naturally, Danzig pushes Escudero into the cage and works his wall-and-stall. Escudero unsuccessfully looks for another takedown as this round comes to an end.
Round Three: Danzig’s right ankle is jacked up, which explains his wall-and-stall heavy offense (if it can be called that). Nice leg kick from Danzig, followed by an attempted Superman punch. Escudero is back up against the cage, and lands a knee before Danzig works to take his back. He gives it up temporarily, and we’re back against the cage, with Danzig attempting to take Escudero’s back. You know what, I think I’ll just copy that sentence and paste it accordingly for the remainder of this one. Okay, now they’re free with ninety seconds left. Danzig is landing some nice punches to Escudero’s body, and doing a good job of avoiding Escudero’s wild striking. And we’re back against the cage, care to guess who has dominant position? This one mercifully comes to an end. It wasn’t pretty, but it looks like Mac Danzig has this one.
He does. Mac Danzig def. Efrain Escudero via unanimous decision, 30-27 x2, 29-28 x1. Let’s put this one behind us ASAP.
Anthony Njokuani vs. John Makdessi
Round One: They touch gloves and immediately exchange kicks. Njokuani is throwing a lot of head kicks to start this one off, and Makdessi throws a front leg side kick. And another. Nice leg kick by Njokuani. Makdessi returns with one of his own. Njokuani rushes in with a combo that doesn’t quite land, but the leg kick he punctuates it with does. Makdessi keeps throwing the front leg side kick, but it isn’t landing. Njokuani seems to have Makdessi wobbled by a left hook with two minutes left in the round, but doesn’t capitalize from it. Huge head kick attempted by Njokuani, but Makdessi blocks it. With one minute left in the round, Njokuani lands a head kick, but Makdessi doesn’t seem hurt. Makdessi throws the side kick again, as both men are playing it safe as this round comes to an end.
Round Two: Makdessi throws the side kick straight at Njokuani’s head, but it’s blocked. Nice body kick by Makdessi. Spinning back kick from Makdessi, but Njokuani avoids it. Njokuani throws a head kick, but it’s blocked. That’s pretty much the story of this fight so far, come to think of it. They clinch up with three minutes left, and Makdessi lands some good strikes. Nice leg kicks now from Njokuani. Makdessi checks a leg kick, and this crowd begins to boo. Another leg kick from Njokuani, and Makdessi’s left leg is bright red. Njokuani catches a kick and looks to rush Makdessi, but Makdessi lands a counter punch and Njokuani backs away. Makdessi attempts a takedown as this round comes to an end.
Round Three: Makdessi is told by his corner that he’s behind on the scorecards, but he isn’t being overly aggressive as the round begins. We’re one minute into this round, and the crowd begins to boo as Njokuani lands another leg kick. Njokuani jabs at Makdessi’s body, and Makdessi throws a leg kick. Makdessi lands a spinning backfist, but doesn’t capitalize on it. Joe Rogan sounds bored as Makdessi keeps attempting the front kick that isn’t landing at all, and lands a spinning back kick to Njokuani’s body that had zero power behind it. Body kick Njokuani. Only thirty seconds left, and Makdessi has to start trying to look for the knockout. He attempts a wheel kick that completely misses, the crowd boos loudly and this one comes to a close.
Sheesh, that disclaimer looks more ridiculous by the second. It’s tough to say that either fighter deserves a victory here, but Njokuani will probably win this one.
He does. Anthony Njokuani def. John Makdessi via unanimous decision, 30-27 x3.
Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson
Round One: They touch gloves, and Wonderboy immediately throws a kick. Brown attempts a takedown, which Thompson stuffs easily. Thompson stuffs another takedown, as Brown pushes Wonderboy into the cage looking for another takedown. He eventually gets it, and winds up in Thompson’s guard. Brown throws some heavy punches, but they miss Thompson entirely. Thompson’s corner yells for an upkick, as Brown attempts a leg lock. He gives up on it, as Thompson is back on his feet. Brown keeps Thompson against the cage, as Thompson reverses the position. Brown earns a takedown, and takes Thompson’s back. Wonderboy does a nice job of getting back to his feet, but Brown holds on and eventually drags him back down. Brown looks for a calf crank, and Thompson throws hammerfists in order to get out. Brown ends up in Thompson’s half guard, and throws punches to Wonderboy’s body as this round comes to an end.
I wasn’t expecting Thompson to have a great ground game or anything…but damn.
Round Two: They touch gloves, and Thompson begins throwing punches to keep Brown outside. Brown gets Thompson against the cage and earns a takedown, but Thompson gets up immediately. They clinch, and Brown attempts an extremely telegraphed takedown that actually gets Thompson down. They’re back up, and Thompson lands a head kick. Brown is hurt, with Thompson looking for the finish. Nice spinning back kick from Thompson. Brown is wobbled and tired, and desperately attempts a takedown that momentarily gets Wonderboy down. Joe Rogan wonders out loud “How does Thompson manage to get taken down by this?” as Thompson gets back up. Brown is badly hurt, and his counter kicks are coming at laughably slow speeds. Thompson is too tired to put him away though. Brown lands a HUGE counter elbow than drops Thompson, and Brown is now in Thompson’s guard dropping elbows. Thompson is cut and Brown is raining down punches from side control as this round comes to an end. Didn’t see that one coming.
The crowd gives a loud ovation for the only action they’ve seen so far tonight. Can’t wait to see how this one plays out.
Round Three: Brown comes out looking to finish Thompson, but Thompson breaks free. Wonderboy falls down after landing a leg kick, and both men are clearly exhausted. Another laughably slow head kick from Brown. Dare I call it a Brazilian kick attempt? It kind of looks like that’s what he just tried. Thompson now rocks Brown with a 1-2 combo, and Brown gets Wonderboy against the cage and immediately earns a takedown. They’re back up, and Brown lands a nice knee with 2:30 left. They clinch, and Brown earns a leg trip, elbowing Thompson in the head. Brown earns side control, looking for a crucifix. With one minute left, Brown gets the crucifix and works for a mounted triangle. He throws some punches to Thompson’s head, which is bleeding like crazy as this fight comes to an end.
Gutsy performance from Matt Brown. He easily takes this one.
Official Decision: Matt Brown def. Stephen Thompson by unanimous decision, 30-27 x2, 29-28 x1
Time for our last bout of the evening. At least our last preliminary bout.
Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs
Round One: Leg kick Griggs. Browne with a huge flying knee, and throws some more knees to the body. Browne looks for a takedown, but Griggs shows good takedown defense. At least for a few seconds, as Browne slams Griggs and ends up in side control. Browne mounts Griggs, and works for an arm-triangle. Browne gets it, and Griggs throws some punches before going completely out. Total domination by Travis Browne.
Browne looks into the camera and asks us: “A submission? A SUBMISSION? THAT’S a submission.” Yes it is, Travis. Yes. It. Is.
Travis Browne def. Chad Griggs via submission (arm-triangle choke), 2:29 of Round One.
Looks like my work here is done. Enjoy the main card.
(Don’t worry, we put more effort into this piece than the UFC marketing department did into that poster.)
Rumor has it that on Saturday night, two certain somebodies may or may not partake in a certain fight that you may or may not be able to place a certain wager on, which may or may not be dependent on whether you think or don’t think you know a certain outcome of the fight itself, capiche? In either case, we are going to offer some advice that may or may not help you arrive at that determination. Check out what could hypothetically be the betting lines for UFC 145, courtesy of BestFightOdds, below, and follow us after the jump for what may or may not be our advice on where to place a certain bet that may or may not exist.
(Don’t worry, we put more effort into this piece than the UFC marketing department did into that poster.)
Rumor has it that on Saturday night, two certain somebodies may or may not partake in a certain fight that you may or may not be able to place a certain wager on, which may or may not be dependent on whether you think or don’t think you know a certain outcome of the fight itself, capiche? In either case, we are going to offer some advice that may or may not help you arrive at that determination. Check out what could hypothetically be the betting lines for UFC 145, courtesy of BestFightOdds, below, and join us afterward for what may or may not be our advice on where to place a certain bet that may or may not exist.
The Main Event: Listen, we all know that Jon Jones will likely beat Rashad Evans; he is younger, more athletic, and has absolutely crushed everyone in his path, including the man who nearly turned Evans into a member of the walking dead. But whenever a former champ who is arguably still in his prime is listed as that big of an underdog, especially one with as much power and experience as Evans, you’d be a fool not to place a bet on him. Save Jones for the parlay, and place a decent side wager on Evans; it’s as simple as that.
The Good Dogs: The Michael Mcdonald/Miguel Torres odds are really too close to waste your time on, and we hate to count Che Mills out, but given Rory MacDonald‘s run thus far in the UFC, we’d say he’s pretty close to mincemeat in this one. That brings us to Rothwell/Schaub. Here’s what we know:
1. Ben Rothwell CAN knock a motherfucker out, even if we haven’t see him do so in quite some time.
2. Brendan Schaub is very susceptible to the KO
Now, you might call us crazy to even consider betting on “Big Ben” given his run as of late, and you have every right to. If this fight goes past the first round, Schaub will more than likely take it, but if Rothwell presses the action early, you could be looking at an easy score. Let the public backlash begin.
The other dogs worth your consideration are Matt Brown, Efrain Escudero, and Chad Griggs. Brown’s got the experience edge (UFC-wise, at least) over Thompson, who’s only opponent in UFC competition was basically a sheep being led to the slaughter. Mac Danzig has been a mixed bag ever since winning the TUF 6 plaque, and if Escudero chooses to mix up his strikes with a few takedowns, he could very easily coast his way to a UD victory. Next to Evans, Escudero is your best bet as far as underdog picks go. As for Griggs…well, the dude throws some serious heat, and can take it just as well as he can dish it out. He’s facing a tough test in Browne, but if you’re feeling lucky, a small bet on him wouldn’t be too foolish.
Stay the Hell Away From: Maximo Blanco. It’s odd enough that the UFC signed him following a loss (who does he think he is, Phil Baroni?), and we’re not going to risk him ruining our parlay until he gets at least one UFC bout under his belt. Also, John Alessio. His line may look tempting at +325 considering his experience, but the dude has a track record of buckling under the bright lights. The fact that he’s stepping in as a late replacement against someone whose strengths play right into his weaknesses should be further proof to just steer clear of him.
Official CagePotato Parlay: Jones + Bocek + Clements + Njokuani
Suggested wager for a $50 wager
-$20 on the parlay
-$10 on Evans
-$10 on Escudero
-$5 on Rothwell
-$5 on Brown
UFC lightweight Jacob Volkmann was on his way to coach wrestling practice at White Bear Lake High School in Minnesota last week when the school’s athletic director called him in for an impromptu meeting. If he didn’t know where this was headed based on past experience, he probably should have.
Following his most recent bout — a unanimous decision win over Efrain Escudero at UFC 141 in December — he again veered into political commentary in his post-fight remarks, this time telling UFC color commentator Joe Rogan that he wanted Obama to call him about scheduling a “glass-ectomy,” which, according to Volkmann, “is when you cut your belly button out and put a piece of glass in there so when you have your head up your butt you can see where you’re going.”
Once again, White Bear Lake High administrators were not amused. And once again, Volkmann was placed on paid administrative leave. But this time, he told MMA Fighting, he thought he had followed the rules that school officials had given him, thanks to some intentionally clever wording.
“They gave me four rules to follow, and I thought I followed them,” said Volkmann. “The first was, you’ve got to be respectful of people when you do your interviews, which is very vague. The second was, no interviews on school property. The third was, no White Bear Lake clothes during interviews, which is easy to follow. And the fourth was, I can’t tell people to go attack the [White Bear Lake High School Athletic Director] or the human resources lady, which is kind of a foolish rule.”
The way Volkmann saw it, the athletic director was wrong to accuse him of offering to give Obama a glass-ectomy.
“I said ‘Call me so we can schedule a glass-ectomy.’ Not saying for him, not saying for who. …I was trying to cover my butt. I purposely did that,” he said.
It apparently made little difference to school officials, who told Volkmann he’d be placed on administrative leave while they investigated the matter and decided what to do next.
For Volkmann, it’s just the latest chapter in the strange pseudo-political tale that’s come to define the last year of his MMA career. He’s become the guy fans know not so much for his fights, but for his statements afterward. The clip of his initial callout of Obama landed on “The Tonight Show,” and he was even visited by the Secret Service. He’s chosen to run with the attention, wearing a “Volkmann for President” t-shirt down to the cage and carving out time in his post-fight interviews to take shots at President Obama. And for those who don’t like politics mixed in with their sports?
“Too bad,” Volkmann said. “This is working, so I’m going to stick with it.”
But yet again Volkmann is finding that what works as an attention-getting routine in the UFC doesn’t always go over so well with his employers at a public high school, even if the two are entirely separate in his mind.
“The thing with my coaching job is, I don’t teach the kids politics; I teach them wrestling,” he said. “I do my best to teach them what I can with wrestling. And they don’t understand, I need to do and say what I can to get fans. Sometimes you have to say some kind of weird stuff to get people to notice you. Because you only have, what, 30 seconds out there with Joe Rogan? I have to say what I can in that 30 seconds to try and get people interested so they’ll look me up afterwards to figure out why I was saying it.”
Once you actually sit down and talk to him, however, it becomes clear that Volkmann’s anti-Obama routine isn’t just schtick. Ask him what, exactly, he dislikes about our current president, and he gives a heavy sigh before asking, “You ready?”
The tone itself tells you that you might as well get comfortable.
From the Obama administration’s mortgage refinancing policy to health care reform to government grants for green energy, Volkmann can hold court on any number of political topics, and he can even tell you how he was personally affected by many of those issues as a homeowner, a chiropractor, and Minnesotan. His political views aren’t limited to just jokes and quips, in other words, so why not make those the centerpiece of his public persona, rather than vaguely threatening statements that only earn him visits from the Secret Service and headaches at his coaching job?
Because, Volkmann explained, substantive political statements aren’t known for captivating the attention of the average sports fan. And that is, after all, the goal.
“I think I did it the right way, because who cares if I have a problem with a policy? That would have never made any news.”
You have to admit that he has a point. Clever sound bytes always get more airtime than policy discussion, and his way has generated its share of headlines so far. Of course, it’s also generated some problems, as his current predicament demonstrates.
The last time he was put on administrative leave from his coaching job, he said, it was over in a couple of weeks. This time he hopes to be back in the wrestling room even sooner, but school officials have given him no timeframe for a decision. In the meantime, he can’t have any contact with the wrestlers he coaches — not even to explain to them in his own words why he can’t be at practice. Sure, he still gets paid, but with a yearly assistant coach’s salary of $1,800, the job was never about money to begin with.
“I don’t make very much,” said Volkmann. “I do it more to give back to wrestling. I had so many coaches who helped me out, so I figured maybe this is a good way for me to give back and help some other kids out.”
Only now that he can’t do that — and now that his political views are threatening to overshadow his fighting ability in the eyes of many fans — even Volkmann thinks it might be time to give it a rest.
“To be honest, I’m probably not going to bring it up again unless Joe Rogan does, because it’s kind of like beating a dead horse at this point. I kind of made a comedy thing of it…and it’s kind of getting old.”
Then again, if someone puts a political question to him directly, Volkmann admitted, “I’m going to be honest, no matter what.”
UFC lightweight Jacob Volkmann was on his way to coach wrestling practice at White Bear Lake High School in Minnesota last week when the school’s athletic director called him in for an impromptu meeting. If he didn’t know where this was headed based on past experience, he probably should have.
Following his most recent bout — a unanimous decision win over Efrain Escudero at UFC 141 in December — he again veered into political commentary in his post-fight remarks, this time telling UFC color commentator Joe Rogan that he wanted Obama to call him about scheduling a “glass-ectomy,” which, according to Volkmann, “is when you cut your belly button out and put a piece of glass in there so when you have your head up your butt you can see where you’re going.”
Once again, White Bear Lake High administrators were not amused. And once again, Volkmann was placed on paid administrative leave. But this time, he told MMA Fighting, he thought he had followed the rules that school officials had given him, thanks to some intentionally clever wording.
“They gave me four rules to follow, and I thought I followed them,” said Volkmann. “The first was, you’ve got to be respectful of people when you do your interviews, which is very vague. The second was, no interviews on school property. The third was, no White Bear Lake clothes during interviews, which is easy to follow. And the fourth was, I can’t tell people to go attack the [White Bear Lake High School Athletic Director] or the human resources lady, which is kind of a foolish rule.”
The way Volkmann saw it, the athletic director was wrong to accuse him of offering to give Obama a glass-ectomy.
“I said ‘Call me so we can schedule a glass-ectomy.’ Not saying for him, not saying for who. …I was trying to cover my butt. I purposely did that,” he said.
It apparently made little difference to school officials, who told Volkmann he’d be placed on administrative leave while they investigated the matter and decided what to do next.
For Volkmann, it’s just the latest chapter in the strange pseudo-political tale that’s come to define the last year of his MMA career. He’s become the guy fans know not so much for his fights, but for his statements afterward. The clip of his initial callout of Obama landed on “The Tonight Show,” and he was even visited by the Secret Service. He’s chosen to run with the attention, wearing a “Volkmann for President” t-shirt down to the cage and carving out time in his post-fight interviews to take shots at President Obama. And for those who don’t like politics mixed in with their sports?
“Too bad,” Volkmann said. “This is working, so I’m going to stick with it.”
But yet again Volkmann is finding that what works as an attention-getting routine in the UFC doesn’t always go over so well with his employers at a public high school, even if the two are entirely separate in his mind.
“The thing with my coaching job is, I don’t teach the kids politics; I teach them wrestling,” he said. “I do my best to teach them what I can with wrestling. And they don’t understand, I need to do and say what I can to get fans. Sometimes you have to say some kind of weird stuff to get people to notice you. Because you only have, what, 30 seconds out there with Joe Rogan? I have to say what I can in that 30 seconds to try and get people interested so they’ll look me up afterwards to figure out why I was saying it.”
Once you actually sit down and talk to him, however, it becomes clear that Volkmann’s anti-Obama routine isn’t just schtick. Ask him what, exactly, he dislikes about our current president, and he gives a heavy sigh before asking, “You ready?”
The tone itself tells you that you might as well get comfortable.
From the Obama administration’s mortgage refinancing policy to health care reform to government grants for green energy, Volkmann can hold court on any number of political topics, and he can even tell you how he was personally affected by many of those issues as a homeowner, a chiropractor, and Minnesotan. His political views aren’t limited to just jokes and quips, in other words, so why not make those the centerpiece of his public persona, rather than vaguely threatening statements that only earn him visits from the Secret Service and headaches at his coaching job?
Because, Volkmann explained, substantive political statements aren’t known for captivating the attention of the average sports fan. And that is, after all, the goal.
“I think I did it the right way, because who cares if I have a problem with a policy? That would have never made any news.”
You have to admit that he has a point. Clever sound bytes always get more airtime than policy discussion, and his way has generated its share of headlines so far. Of course, it’s also generated some problems, as his current predicament demonstrates.
The last time he was put on administrative leave from his coaching job, he said, it was over in a couple of weeks. This time he hopes to be back in the wrestling room even sooner, but school officials have given him no timeframe for a decision. In the meantime, he can’t have any contact with the wrestlers he coaches — not even to explain to them in his own words why he can’t be at practice. Sure, he still gets paid, but with a yearly assistant coach’s salary of $1,800, the job was never about money to begin with.
“I don’t make very much,” said Volkmann. “I do it more to give back to wrestling. I had so many coaches who helped me out, so I figured maybe this is a good way for me to give back and help some other kids out.”
Only now that he can’t do that — and now that his political views are threatening to overshadow his fighting ability in the eyes of many fans — even Volkmann thinks it might be time to give it a rest.
“To be honest, I’m probably not going to bring it up again unless Joe Rogan does, because it’s kind of like beating a dead horse at this point. I kind of made a comedy thing of it…and it’s kind of getting old.”
Then again, if someone puts a political question to him directly, Volkmann admitted, “I’m going to be honest, no matter what.”
It goes without saying that contracts are on the line here. If Danzig loses, he might become the fifth Ultimate Fighter winner to be cut by the UFC, following Travis Lutter, Escudero (the first time), Kendall Grove, and Joe Stevenson. If Efrain Escudero loses, he might become the first Ultimate Fighter winner to be fired twice.
UFC 145 still lacks a main event; for more details on the supporting card, go here.
(“It kind of feels like my nose might be shoved into my brain. Oh God, is that bad? That’s bad, isn’t it.”)
It goes without saying that contracts are on the line here. If Danzig loses, he might become the fifth Ultimate Fighter winner to be cut by the UFC, following Travis Lutter, Escudero (the first time), Kendall Grove, and Joe Stevenson. If Efrain Escudero loses, he might become the first Ultimate Fighter winner to be fired twice.
UFC 145 still lacks a main event; for more details on the supporting card, go here.
At 
UFC lightweight 