(Who’s got two shaka brahs and a trip to the emergency room scheduled for this weekend? THIS GUY!)
When the UFC made it’s long-awaited return to Boston in August of 2013, it booked TUF 17 runner-up Uriah Hall against Nick Ring in a pivotal middleweight matchup. Ring pulled out almost immediately (there’s probably a joke to be made there) due to injury, and was replaced by fellow TUF 17 alum Josh Samman. Less than a month out from their fight, Samman was forced out of the bout and replaced by John Howard, who went on to defeat Hall via split decision.
And unfortunately, the second time around seems like more of the same for Hall. Minus that whole “losing by split decision” thing. Probably.
But you’re probably wondering: Did the UFC manage to scrounge up some poor sap to face Hall on a week’s notice? And does this poor sap’s nickname make me yearn for the days of Louis “Handgunz” Taylor? Those answers are after the jump!
(Who’s got two shaka brahs and a trip to the emergency room scheduled for this weekend? THIS GUY!)
When the UFC made it’s long-awaited return to Boston in August of 2013, it booked TUF 17 runner-up Uriah Hall against Nick Ring in a pivotal middleweight matchup. Ring pulled out almost immediately (there’s probably a joke to be made there) due to injury, and was replaced by fellow TUF 17 alum Josh Samman. Less than a month out from their fight, Samman was forced out of the bout and replaced by John Howard, who went on to defeat Hall via split decision.
And unfortunately, the second time around seems like more of the same for Hall. Minus that whole “losing by split decision” thing. Probably.
But you’re probably wondering: Did the UFC manage to scrounge up some poor sap to face Hall on a week’s notice? And does this poor sap’s nickname make me yearn for the days of Louis “Handgunz” Taylor?
Currently 12-6 in professional competition, Stallings holds victories over UFC veteran Mike Massenzio, Bellator vet Herbet Goodman, and *the* Randy Rowe, with most of his losses coming to slightly more known commodities like Adlan Amagov (in his only Strikeforce appearance), Dante Rivera, and Phillipe Nover. Stallings last fought in November, where he dropped a five round decision to Tim Williams.
So yeah, it’s not exactly a “compelling” matchup in any way, shape, or form, but likely the best the UFC could do on such short notice. And at the very least, this tremendous mismatch will hopefully result in a knockout that is equal parts terrific and terrifying. It’s a low bar, but someone’s gotta set it.
(Siver finishes Paul Kelly with a brutal spinning back kick at UFC 105. Unfortunately, all footage of this fight was lost in the Great Zuffa Fire of 2010.)
According to the advertisements that punctuated yesterday’s Packers-Cowboys game, Conor McGregor will be headlining Fight Night 59 in Boston this weekend. His opponent is something of a mystery man — a UFC newcomer hailing from parts unknown — hence the promotion’s inability to secure any footage of his previous fights. Which seems odd to me, because this mystery gentleman (Dennis Si-ver, am I saying that right?) is apparently of a high-enough caliber to earn McGregor a featherweight title shot should he emerge victorious.
Sarcasm aside, it’s safe to say that the 18-fight UFC veteran (and current +750 underdog. Can you say #1 CONTENDER MATCH!!) has been largely overlooked by the press heading into his fight with McGregor. Maybe the language barrier is to blame, or maybe it’s because Siver is not so easily wowed by the opulence of a drop-top Ferrari tour around Vegas. In any case, it’d be nice to actually hear how the #10 ranked featherweight feels about his “notorious” opponent, fighting in a main event, and being completely counted out in said main event, right?
Well thanks to the always reliable (Deutschland) MMA media, we finally can. In a recent interview with GroundandPound.de, the Russian-born, German-raised fighter took full advantage of his one-stop media tour, pulling a GSP when assessing McGregor’s skillset and laughing off the idea that he wouldn’t last more than two minutes against the Irishman. It was undeniably awesome.
Siver’s strong words are after the jump.
(Siver finishes Paul Kelly with a brutal spinning back kick at UFC 105. Unfortunately, all footage of this fight was lost in the Great Zuffa Fire of 2010.)
According to the advertisements that punctuated yesterday’s Packers-Cowboys game, Conor McGregor will be headlining Fight Night 59 in Boston this weekend. His opponent is something of a mystery man — a UFC newcomer hailing from parts unknown — hence the promotion’s inability to secure any footage of his previous fights. Which seems odd to me, because this mystery gentleman (Dennis Si-ver, am I saying that right?) is apparently of a high-enough caliber to earn McGregor a featherweight title shot should he emerge victorious.
Sarcasm aside, it’s safe to say that the 18-fight UFC veteran (and current +750 underdog. Can you say #1 CONTENDER MATCH!!) has been largely overlooked by the press heading into his fight with McGregor. Maybe the language barrier is to blame, or maybe it’s because Siver is not so easily wowed by the opulence of a drop-top Ferrari tour around Vegas. In any case, it’d be nice to actually hear how the #10 ranked featherweight feels about his “notorious” opponent, fighting in a main event, and being completely counted out in said main event, right?
Well thanks to the always reliable (Deutschland) MMA media, we finally can. In a recent interview with GroundandPound.de, the Russian-born, German-raised fighter took full advantage of his one-stop media tour, pulling a GSP when assessing McGregor’s skillset and laughing off the idea that he wouldn’t last more than two minutes against the Irishman. It was undeniably awesome.
Everyone thinks I’ve already lost the fight. You can’t hype someone after four fights. In his last fight he has looked good, but the battle was only two minutes or so. For me he landed a fluke punch [against Dustin Poirier], because until then, the whole thing was even. And his fights before that were also nothing special. I’m not impressed at all. He promised to beat me in two minutes, but he can stick that prediction in his ass.
When I finish him on Sunday, I’ll laugh. I can understand all that shit talking in front of the camera, but when he does it privately, behind the scenes, that proves to me he is an asshole.
You hear that, Conor? MY BOY DENNY SEEVES IS NOT IMPRESSED!!!
Truthfully, I’m at something an impasse when it comes to the McGregor-Siver matchup. While I know that McGregor is the kind of brash, marketable personality that the UFC is in increasingly dire need of these days, I would literally give 2 liters of my own blood for the chance to see Dana White’s immediate reaction following a Siver upset (which would hopefully include the angry application of some lip balm). I would bathe in his rage, and it would be glorious.
It’s good to know that fate is on my side, at least. The MMA Gods are nothing if not a vengeful group of bitter misanthropes who get off on our sadness, and throwing a wrench into the hype-machine that is McGregor seems like the perfect opportunity to remind us (and the UFC) not to count our chickens before they hatch. Either that, or they’ll tear CM Punk’s ACL a week out from his first scheduled UFC fight…
