(Take it easy guys, you’re scaring the children. Photo via Getty.)
So Dana White recently sat down for an interview with Sportsnet, during which he gushed over Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva like a little schoolboy. Not that I blame him; I’ve been talking up that fight with such bombast, you’d think it was my sex life (*three successive rimshots*). And being that draws often warrant rematches, Sportsnet made sure to ask DW about the possibility of seeing Hunt vs. Bigfoot II in the future:
Every morning when I open my eyes, the first thing I think about is Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva. The sickest heavyweight fight I’ve ever seen. I was jumping around the room like a little kid during that fight. I can’t stop talking about that fight, I can’t stop thinking about that fight. It was amazing.
In that fight, Hunt broke his hand in two places so he’s gonna be out for a while. So no, there won’t be an immediate rematch. I’m assuming that Silva’s gonna want to fight again before Hunt’s back.
I’m not saying I’m glad that Mark Hunt broke his hand, but I’m kind of glad Hunt broke his hand and here’s why:
(Take it easy guys, you’re scaring the children. Photo via Getty.)
So Dana White recently sat down for an interview with Sportsnet, during which he gushed over Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva like a little schoolboy. Not that I blame him; I’ve been talking up that fight with such bombast, you’d think it was my sex life (*plays three successive rimshots*). And being that draws often warrant rematches, Sportsnet made sure to ask DW about the possibility of seeing Hunt vs. Bigfoot II in the future:
Every morning when I open my eyes, the first thing I think about is Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva. The sickest heavyweight fight I’ve ever seen. I was jumping around the room like a little kid during that fight. I can’t stop talking about that fight, I can’t stop thinking about that fight. It was amazing.
In that fight, Hunt broke his hand in two places so he’s gonna be out for a while. So no, there won’t be an immediate rematch. I’m assuming that Silva’s gonna want to fight again before Hunt’s back.
I’m not saying I’m glad that Mark Hunt broke his hand, but I’m kind of glad Hunt broke his hand and here’s why:
We Don’t Need It
Part of the reason Hunt vs. Bigfoot ended up exceeding our expectations was thanks to the fact that our expectations weren’t all that high to begin with. Although I likened this fight to the next coming of Christ, it seemed that not everyone in the MMA blogosphere shared by unabashed fanobyism. The general consensus seemed to be that Antonio Silva would take down Hunt and submit him with ease, or that Hunt would tag and bag Silva before he could do so.
Instead, Silva and Hunt chose to engage in a five round, back and forth slugfest that was as surprising as it was enthralling, and something that will likely not be replicated in a second contest. I don’t want to see Hunt vs. Silva II for the same reasons I fear seeing Anchorman 2; my expectations are too high. I’m destined to be let down. The first fight was legendary; one of the greatest (if no the greatest) in the history of the UFC’s heavyweight division. Let’s just leave well enough alone.
They Don’t Need It
Hunt vs. Silva is one of those rare fights where a win would do little more than a draw in terms of where it would place either man in the heavyweight division. Both men have recently proven themselves to be upper-echelon fighters who are just a cut below championship material (in the case of Hunt, that statement was as shocking to type as it was depressing). Having them fight again will do nothing to change this.
A win for either man wouldn’t move them up the ranks — although Hunt’s performance was good enough to earn him a spot in the UFC’s Top 10 rankings (presented by RAM! Also, dogshit.) — and it certainly wouldn’t put either of them in line for a title shot. While those components in and of themselves shouldn’t define matchmaking, or our interest in a fight for that matter, they also highlight how truly unnecessary this potential rematch would be.
If Hunt and Silva are destined to fight again, let’s have it happen out of necessity, not novelty. Let’s give the idea of a rematch some time to stew, in any case.
Seriously, *They* Don’t Need It
Suffice it to say, Hunt and Bigfoot punched each other in the head a lot last Friday. I mean, just look at these goddamn FightMetric numbers. They are ridiculous.
Yahoo Sports’ Frank Curreri wrote a great piece detailing how much punishment Hunt and Silva have taken over their careers (and especially as of late), and although I will always hate Bigfoot for “truly” ending the Fedor era, I don’t hate him enough to wish another beating like that on him. The same goes for Hunt.
But with Hunt out for a while, one would imagine that Silva will be looking for another fight when he’s healed up. Who *would* you like to see him face?
If you’ve been watching Saturday Night Live at all this season, you’re probably familiar with the man pictured above. If not, his name is Jebediah Atkinson, and he is an 18th-century critic who has panned such universally-praised speeches and holiday specials as The Gettysburg Address, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream,” and worst of all, the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Essentially, Atkinson serves as the voice of today’s overly-cynical internet trolls, and could criticize a sunset for not being orangey enough.
The reason I bring this up is because it appears that the MMA world has found its real-life answer to Jebediah Atkinson. His name is Tim Rothfield of Australia’s Courier Mail, and he recently wrote an article — well, not so much an article as a series of fragmented sentences and laughable attempts at posing insightful questions — describing the legendary battle between Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva at Fight Night 33 as “barbaric savagery.” A few highlights:
On Saturday night on Fuel TV I witnessed the brutality and bloodshed of the UFC – apparently, and worryingly, the world’s fastest growing sport.
This was nothing but barbaric savagery that should be banned in this country.
The fact women were allowed to fight on the card was an even bigger disgrace.
What does it say about our society?
Rothfield is, of course, wrong. That he attempts to use the UFC’s popularity as a comment on “society” should tell you all you need to know about his ability to present an original thought, but perhaps more disturbing than Rothfield’s takedown of Fight Night 33 has been how we have chosen to respond to it.
If you’ve been watching Saturday Night Live at all this season, you’re probably familiar with the man pictured above. If not, his name is Jebediah Atkinson, and he is an 18th-century critic who has panned such universally-praised speeches and holiday specials as The Gettysburg Address, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream,” and worst of all, the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Essentially, Atkinson serves as the voice of today’s overly-cynical internet trolls, and could criticize a sunset for not being orangey enough.
The reason I bring this up is because it appears that the MMA world has found its real-life answer to Jebediah Atkinson. His name is Tim Rothfield of Australia’s Courier Mail, and he recently wrote an article — well, not so much an article as a series of fragmented sentences and laughable attempts at posing insightful questions — describing the legendary battle between Mark Hunt and Antonio Silva at Fight Night 33 as “barbaric savagery.” A few highlights:
On Saturday night on Fuel TV I witnessed the brutality and bloodshed of the UFC – apparently, and worryingly, the world’s fastest growing sport.
This was nothing but barbaric savagery that should be banned in this country.
The fact women were allowed to fight on the card was an even bigger disgrace.
What does it say about our society?
Rothfield is, of course, wrong. That he attempts to use the UFC’s popularity as a comment on “society” should tell you all you need to know about his ability to present an original thought, but perhaps more disturbing than Rothfield’s takedown of Fight Night 33 has been how we have chosen to respond to it.
In the time since the article was published, MMA fans around the world have attacked Rothfield in droves via the original article and his Twitter page, labeling him a “fag” and a “pussy” among other things. While this response was to be somewhat expected given the inane ignorance of the sport displayed in his article, our decision to match Rothfield’s stupidity tit-for-tat with petty name calling has only furthered the perception that most MMA fans are short-fused troglodytes with an inability to form a coherent counter argument. It doesn’t help that one of the people who responded to Rothfield’s article in like fashion was Dana White.
We are a reactionary species, that much is obvious. Far too often, we view a criticism of something we hold dear as a criticism of ourselves and become fiercely protective in response — just look at how we have reacted to the early negative reviews for The Hobbit 2: Electric Smaugaloo without even seeing the film yet. But for once, I beg you guys to just let this one slide. Clearly, Rothfield knows next to nothing about the hardships MMA athletes go through, the skills necessary to compete in the sport, etc. Clearly, he wrote a reactionary article with little more intention behind it than stirring the hornet’s nest. But just as you wouldn’t argue with a child over the birds and the bees, you probably shouldn’t quarrel with a writer who is talking out his ass for the sake of page clicks. Rothfield’s mind has already been made up in regard to our fair sport, and calling him a “fag” will do nothing to change it.
Should the Rothfields of the world continue to cover sports they do not understand? Probably not, but that’s the Courier Mail’s problem to figure out. But by choosing to rake Rothfield over the coals for his adorably uneducated article rather than simply dismissing it, we have validated his decision to write said article in the first place. It’s not a startling revelation by any means, I know, but since the damage has already been done, we might as well try to learn from it.
So I say again, MMA fans: Please let this one go. We all know that Rothfield is wrong, and that’s all that should really matter. In any case, we damn sure won’t force him to see the err of his ways with a bunch of childish insults and personal attacks.
(Photo via Hunt’s Facebook. A few alternate angles of the break can be seen here.)
I believe it was sometime between the fourth and fifth round of his epic slugfest with Antonio Silva last Friday that Mark Hunt resorted to an all elbows strategy of offensive attack. While I figured that it was simply another case of Hunt running out of shits to give, many fans began to speculate that Hunt had broken his hand on Silva’s Tango & Cash-sized jaw earlier in the fight. Well, consider the above photo further proof that “The Super Somoan” is a goddamned warrior in every sense of the word.
As it turns out, Hunt isn’t the only fighter who will be learning to wipe his ass with the other hand in the coming weeks (Author’s note: That is the last time I will steal that joke. I swear). TUF 8 alum Ryan Bader also walked away from Fight Night 33 with a shattered hand on account of Anthony Perosh punching it with his face so often, so join us after the jump for a couple photos of the damage via Bader’s instagram.
(Photo via Hunt’s Facebook. A few alternate angles of the break can be seen here.)
I believe it was sometime between the fourth and fifth round of his epic slugfest with Antonio Silva last Friday that Mark Hunt resorted to an all elbows strategy of offensive attack. While I figured that it was simply another case of Hunt running out of shits to give, many fans began to speculate that Hunt had broken his hand on Silva’s Tango & Cash-sized jaw earlier in the fight. Well, consider the above photo further proof that “The Super Somoan” is a goddamned warrior in every sense of the word.
As it turns out, Hunt isn’t the only fighter who will be learning to wipe his ass with the other hand in the coming weeks (Author’s note: That is the last time I will steal that joke. I swear). TUF 8 alum Ryan Bader also walked away from Fight Night 33 with a shattered hand on account of Anthony Perosh punching it with his face so often, so check out a couple photos of the damage below.
Bader, who outstruck Perosh 156 to 11 (!) in his unanimous decision victory over the weekend, posted the above photos to his instagram with the caption “I think that’s bad.” I’m no doctor, but I’m inclined to agree with him. We will have updates on the length of Bader’s suspension, as well as Hunt’s, as soon as the information becomes available.
Regardless of your stance on Street Fighter, we can all agree that the UFC has dropped a relatively stacked card onto our laps tonight. A six fight main card featuring the likes of Mauricio Rua, James Te Huna, Pat Barry, and crazy cat lady Julie Kedzie is a card worth delving a little deeper into, so we decided to break down each fight and rank them according to our own completely unbiased interest level. Oh yeah, and there will be gifs. Big gifs. Small gifs. Scanners gifs. Enjoy them, then make sure to swing by CagePotato at 9 p.m. EST for our liveblog from down unda’.
#6 – Clint Hester vs. Dylan Andrews
We mean no disrespect to these TUF 17 alums, who have both scored impressive KO victories in recent fights (Andrews is actually 2-0 in the UFC, with his last fight ending in a third round knockout of Papy Abedi). But simply put, one of these fights have to be ranked last, and if you think we’re placing these guys over Pat Barry or Julie Kedzie on our “Must Watch” list, you’re dead wrong, son.
Regardless of your stance on Street Fighter, we can all agree that the UFC has dropped a relatively stacked card onto our laps tonight. A six fight main card featuring the likes of Mauricio Rua, James Te Huna, Pat Barry, and crazy cat lady Julie Kedzie is a card worth delving a little deeper into, so we decided to break down each fight and rank them according to our own completely unbiased interest level. Oh yes, there will be gifs. Big gifs. Small gifs. Scanners gifs. Enjoy them, then make sure to swing by CagePotato at 9 p.m. EST for our liveblog from down unda’.
#6 – Clint Hester vs. Dylan Andrews
We mean no disrespect to these TUF 17 alums, who have both scored impressive KO victories in recent fights (Andrews is actually 2-0 in the UFC, with his last fight ending in a third round knockout of Papy Abedi). But simply put, one of these fights have to be ranked last, and if you think we’re placing these guys over Pat Barry or Julie Kedzie on our “Must Watch” list, you’re dead wrong, son.
Whether during their time on the show or in the actual octagon, both Hester and Andrews have proven themselves to be consistently entertaining fighters with above average cardio and serious power in their hands to boot. In fact, the two have only gone the distance 4 times in 33 fights combined, making this fight an early frontrunner for KOTN. Until that KO is overshadowed by at least one of the marquee matchups, that is. Official Ranking:
#5 – Julie Kedzie vs. Beth Correia
How can you not love Julie Kedzie? She’s well-spoken, perpetually pleasant, and more adorable than a thousand kittens in a thousand cups. She does outstanding work as a commentator over at Invicta, and to top it all off, she’s not afraid to kick a bitch in the face when need be (Author’s note: I mean no disrespect, Miesha. That’s just how the saying goes. We good?). Kedzie is the definition of a pioneer and has been throwing down for longer than 90% of her fellow WMMA stars. With her bubbly demeanor and vicious skills hidden just below the surface, Kedzie is essentially the living embodiment of the No Fear logo.
But our love for Kedzie aside, it’s hard to see her sticking around the organization should she lose to UFC newcomer Bethe Correia, a 6-0 Jungle Fight veteran who has scored just one finish in her professional career. Kedzie hasn’t been able to claim victory since 2011 and is currently riding a 3-fight losing streak including a unanimous decision loss to Germaine de Randamie in her UFC debut, so yeah, she could use a win here. But if the weigh-ins were any indication, Kedzie ain’t scurred of Correia’s weak intimidation game (scroll to the 17:30 mark then LOL). Official Ranking:
If it were up to just me, this fight would be ranked a bit higher. I like watching old dudes kick ass, which is why the career resurgence of Anthony Perosh had been one of my favorite stories to follow over the past few years. He’s 4-1 in his past 5, and although you probably won’t see it on any “Best of the Year” lists, I will go on record and say that Perosh’s 14-second humbling of Vinny Magalhaes was not only my favorite KO of the year, but possibly my favorite MMA moment of the year. It was a comeuppance right up there with Stevens vs. McKenzie and Aoki vs. Nagashima, and that Perosh was able to do so after being shut down by Ryan Jimmo in just 7 seconds in his previous fight speaks volumes of his character and toughness.
But Ryan Bader has put down more old dudes than Jack Kevorkian. Vladimir Matyushenko? Choked out in 50 seconds. Jason Brilz? KO’d in just over a minute. Ryan Bader treats senior citizens worse than disgruntled retirement home workers, and if the 41 year-old Perosh doesn’t keep his wits about him, he could end up flat on his back like that time he tried to carry the box of Christmas lights into the attic by himself. Any of these old people jokes doing it for you? Official Ranking:
#3 – Pat Barry vs. Soa Palelei
We don’t like to use the phrase “Loser Leaves Town” when Pat Barry is involved, so let’s call this a “Shit or Get Off the Pot” fight for both men.
After spending some six years trying to erase the memory of his horrendous one-off fight at UFC 79 by crushing the likes of Bob Sappand Sean McCorkle in Australia-based promotions, Palelei was finally granted another shot at UFC 164…and proceeded to put on another Toughman-level fight with Nikita Krylov. Although Palelei would walk away from the fight victorious (and later claim that a rib injury was to blame for his poor performance), there’s no denying that Palelei is on thin ice here. If he is trounced by Barry or fails to impress in victory again, it’ll be back to the minors for this Aussie.
The same can be said for our boy Barry, unfortunately, who has simply never been able to get any momentum going in the octagon. He’s gone win-loss in his past 4 fights and is on the heels of a disappointing first round TKO loss to Shawn Jordan at UFC 161, so look for “HD” to utilize his footwork and speed advantage against the heavy-handed Palelei. If not, he’ll have some splainin’ to do to “Thug” Rose, and brother, that is not a doghouse you want to be in. Official Ranking:
FYI, Ms. Hepburn is saying “Timber,” because Barry is going to chop that vegemite sandwich-eatin’ sumbitch down.
#2 – Mauricio Rua vs. James Te Huna
Speaking of “shit or get off the pot,” Dana White has all but declared this Shogun’s last chance at 205 lbs., offering him the alternatives of either cutting to 185 or retiring should he lose to Te Huna. Personally, I’d rather see Shogun retire without having to risk his life cutting weight, but methinks we’re in for a vintage Rua performance tonight.
Te Huna, on the other hand, is a dynamite-fisted banger (or for short, a “fistbanger”) who presents a mostly one-dimensional but dangerous challenge for Rua. As we’ve seen, Shogun has lost a bit of snap in his punches as of late, and a Shogun without his usual speed and onslaught of leg kicks is a Shogun content to stand in the pocket and trade. This is a terrible strategy to bring against Te Huna. The Australian is not just some swing for the fences, home-run puncher; he is perhaps one of the more technically sound boxers in the light heavyweight division, having set the record for significant strikes landed in a single round against Joey Beltran at UFC on FUEL 4.
All I’m saying is, PRIDE fanboys like myself should start preparing for the possibility of an upset. Official Ranking:
#1 – Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva
The attitude of Mark Hunt is equal parts Roger Murtaugh and Sweet Brown, in that he is both getting too old for this shit and truly never had time for this shit to begin with. When Mark Hunt knocks you out, he does not require a referee’s intervention. He simply struts away, leaving your broken down body in a puddle of urine and knowing that you will do nothing to invalidate his decision. Antonio Silva will tell you that he is going to submit Hunt tonight, and maybe he believes that. He is mistaken.
MARK HUNT WILL REPRESENT. YOU WILL WATCH MARK HUNT PUNT ANTONIO SILVA’S HEAD INTO THE STANDS AND RESTORE THE #RALLYFORHUNT MOVEMENT. MARK HUNT KNOWS NO FEAR. BECAUSE PRIDE. #RALLYFORHUNT. AHHH!! AAAAHHHHH!!! Official Ranking:
(Despite his best efforts, Te Huna was never able to turn his “Chimney Sweep” dance move into the Gangnam Style-level viral hit he had originally hoped for. Photo via graciemag.com)
While this fight will likely turn into a slugfest rivaling Shogun’s scrap with Dan Henderson back at UFC 139 (let us not forget that Te Huna set a UFC record for significant strikes landed in a single round against Joey Beltran), it also reflects a somewhat significant step back in the career of Mauricio Rua. Not that Te Huna isn’t a great fighter — with 4 wins in his past 5 UFC contests, he surely is — but by pairing a legend like Rua with a relative unknown (by casual fans standards) like Te Huna, the UFC seems to be officially closing the book on Rua as a title contender.
With four losses in his past six contests and a career first two-fight skid coming at the hands of Alexander Gustafsson and Chael Sonnen, this is perhaps a revelation that we should have seen coming. However, for as long as we can remember, Rua has been one of the most intimidating forces in the sport, a perennial contender and a marquee fighter. To see him playing second fiddle to Antonio Silva (no offense) and fighting anyone less than a future title challenger or MMA megastar kind of erases, or at least blemishes, the mysticism that has existed around him for some time now. As did the fact that he was guillotined by Sonnen inside of a round in his last fight.
(Despite his best efforts, Te Huna was never able to turn his “Chimney Sweep” dance move into the Gangnam Style-level viral hit he had originally hoped for. Photo via graciemag.com)
While this fight will likely turn into a slugfest rivaling Shogun’s scrap with Dan Henderson back at UFC 139 (let us not forget that Te Huna set a UFC record for significant strikes landed in a single round against Joey Beltran), it also reflects a somewhat significant step back in the career of Mauricio Rua. Not that Te Huna isn’t a great fighter — with 4 wins in his past 5 UFC contests, he surely is — but by pairing a legend like Rua with a relative unknown (by casual fans standards) like Te Huna, the UFC seems to be officially closing the book on Rua as a title contender.
With four losses in his past six contests and a career first two-fight skid coming at the hands of Alexander Gustafsson and Chael Sonnen, this is perhaps a revelation that we should have seen coming. However, for as long as we can remember, Rua has been one of the most intimidating forces in the sport, a perennial contender and a marquee fighter. To see him playing second fiddle to Antonio Silva (no offense) and fighting anyone less than a future title challenger or MMA megastar kind of erases, or at least blemishes, the mysticism that has existed around him for some time now. As did the fact that he was guillotined by Sonnen inside of a round in his last fight.
Again, given his current record and Te Huna’s undeniable skill, the pairing makes sense from both a matchmaker’s and a fan’s standpoint. Yet for some reason, it’s kind of disheartening. Maybe us PRIDE fanboys are just deifying Shogun out of some misplaced sense of devotion. Maybe we’re just not ready to see a Mauricio Rua who doesn’t command (and receive) the prime spotlight with his every performance.
There I go, making a mountain out of a molehill again. Like I said, Shogun vs. Te Huna will more than likely turn into a crowd-pleasing affair that silences anyone questioning why this fight was put together in the first place (mainly me). At the same time, Mauricio “Daimyo” Rua doesn’t exactly have the same pop to it.
