Tag: Fighting

UFC 145: Why Counting Rashad Evans out Is a Dangerous Thing to Do

Rashad Evans can beat Jon Jones.  In the sport of MMA it’s easy to say “anybody can beat anybody,” but in this case, Evans has a very real and legitimate shot at dethroning the phenom Jones.  A powerful wrestler with devastating knockout powe…

Rashad Evans can beat Jon Jones.  

In the sport of MMA it’s easy to say “anybody can beat anybody,” but in this case, Evans has a very real and legitimate shot at dethroning the phenom Jones.  

A powerful wrestler with devastating knockout power, Evans is a tall order for anybody.

Unlike some fighters with ridiculous skill-sets that always seem to disappoint, Evans has proved time and time again that he can, and will, make full use of all of his weapons inside the Octagon.

The first time we saw an outmatched Rashad was on the Ultimate Fighter 2, when he competed against heavyweights 30-40 pounds larger than him.  

Evans is not even a large light-heavyweight, and he wrestled in college at 174 lbs., so the fact that he was willing to step into the Octagon with heavyweights is impressive. 

The fact that he beat them and captured the Ultimate Fighter crown, however, is remarkable.  

Even after this victory, though, we didn’t know what to make of Rashad.  

Yes, he’s a good wrestler, but can he compete at a higher level?  

Enter the Iceman.

Chuck Liddell was coming off a fight of the year performance against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79, and many were wondering if the young Evans could hang with the legend inside the Octagon.  

Many were saying he couldn’t, and those that thought he could thought he could win only by utilizing his wrestling and pinning Liddell to the canvas for the match’s duration. 

Wrong.

Evans knocked Liddell silly, then proceeded to do the same to then-champ Forrest Griffin in his next outing.  

Finally, he was the favorite against Lyoto Machida in his first title defense.  “Suga” was on a tear, and the karate fighter couldn’t end that. 

Well, he did, and Evans suffered his first and only career loss.

Since then though, he has strung together four straight victories and looks to make it five at UFC 145 against the seemingly immortal Jonny “Bones” Jones.

And here we are, counting “Suga” out again.

If history tells us anything, it’s that Evans comes out firing when his back is against the wall.

And with the bombs Rashad can sling, that’s a scary thought. 

I really hope “Bones” isn’t diabetic, because his career, I’m afraid, is about to slip into a “Suga” coma.  

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Anderson Silva Disagrees With Decision to Give Chael Sonnen a Rematch

Anderson Silva is prepared to defend his middleweight title against Chael Sonnen in a rematch from their first encounter at UFC 117 nearly two years ago, but that doesn’t mean he is keen on the idea.Sonnen has continuously belittled and disrespected Si…

Anderson Silva is prepared to defend his middleweight title against Chael Sonnen in a rematch from their first encounter at UFC 117 nearly two years ago, but that doesn’t mean he is keen on the idea.

Sonnen has continuously belittled and disrespected Silva in every way imaginable, to the point where the Brazilian has forced himself to accept the bout.

In an exclusive interview with SporTV (Courtesy of Bloodyelbow.com), Silva was quite genuine in his response and he was opposed to the idea of facing Sonnen once again.

“(What does Chael Sonnen represent for my career?) Nothing!,” Silva said. “I respect the opinions and the positions of the promoters of the fight and the owners of the event, but in my opinion he shouldn’t get the chance to fight me again.” 

Since Sonnen has solidified himself as the No.1 contender and surfaced back into the media with trash-talk, Silva has become agitated and frustrated. 

The event is presumed to be held in Brazil, tentatively scheduled for UFC 147 in June. Despite Silva’s best attempts to disregard his opponent’s remarks, Sonnen’s words continue to anger the champion, which will likely lead to a very entertaining build-up prior to their highly-anticipated bout later this year.

Silva said he feels Sonnen has crossed the line with some of his antics and has shown nothing but disrespect towards him and to the sport. 

“He disrespected our idols that made history in the world of sports, such as Lance Armstrong. This guy is complicated, he’s got personal issues,” he said. “If any Brazilian would be in the position that he finds himself in, if they would talk about the US as he does about Brazil and the American idols, we wouldn’t even have the same opportunities of going in their country or talking to the American media.”

Silva has clearly become fed up with Sonnen and will only continue to express his disinterest in fighting him again. “The Spider” is known for his quiet demeanor, but lately his tone has changed and it has brought out a different side in Silva that fans are not used to seeing.

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Nick Diaz Continues to Entertain MMA Fans in the Midst of Controversy

Things are never boring when Nick Diaz is involved.A few days ago, I shared the news that Diaz would be fighting his drug test failure suspension in Nevada. He hired high-powered Vegas attorney Ross Goodman, and Goodman argued that Diaz didn’t test pos…

Things are never boring when Nick Diaz is involved.

A few days ago, I shared the news that Diaz would be fighting his drug test failure suspension in Nevada. He hired high-powered Vegas attorney Ross Goodman, and Goodman argued that Diaz didn’t test positive for a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Which is technically true, if you’re going by the letter of the law. Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites and not actual marijuana itself. 

It’s a good argument, but Diaz may still find himself suspended even if the drug suspension is lifted. 

As you know, Diaz is licensed to smoke medicinal marijuana in the state of California. He has a prescription. And yet, on his pre-fight questionnaire from the Nevada commission, Diaz said he had not used any prescription drugs in the two weeks prior to the fight. 

NSAC public information officer Jennifer M. Lopez—no, not that Jennifer Lopez, though it would be awesome if it were—released a statement saying that Diaz lied on his questionnaire:

Not only did Nick Diaz violate the law by testing positive for marijuana metabolites, but he also lied to the Commission on his Pre-Fight Questionnaire when he swore that he had not used any prescribed medications in two weeks before the fight.

Calling his client a liar sent Goodman into attack mode today. Goodman insists that Diaz didn’t lie about using prescription drugs because Nevada doesn’t view marijuana as a prescription drug. Here’s the regulation regarding the drug from Chapter 453A.210 of the Nevada Revised Statues: 

(1) The person has been diagnosed with a chronic or debilitating medical condition;
(2) The medical use of marijuana may mitigate the symptoms or effects of that condition; and
(3) The attending physician has explained the possible risks and benefits of the medical use of marijuana;
(b) The name, address, telephone number, social security number and date of birth of the person;
(c) Proof satisfactory to the Division that the person is a resident of this State;
(d) The name, address and telephone number of the person’s attending physician; and
(e) If the person elects to designate a primary caregiver at the time of application:
(1) The name, address, telephone number and social security number of the designated primary caregiver; and
(2) A written, signed statement from the person’s attending physician in which the attending physician approves of the designation of the primary caregiver.

Goodman spoke to Yahoo Sports on Thursday, saying that no normal person views marijuana as an actual prescription drug, and thus, there was no need for Diaz to check the box. 

“Nowhere in there does it say that the attending physician is prescribing marijuana,” Goodman said. “And so, for obvious reasons, before you speak and call someone a liar, you think you’d do a little bit of due diligence and understand what the Nevada law actually says.”

“It’s not like you walk into the pharmacy and start looking around on the shelves and hope to pick up a bag of marijuana. That’s ridiculous. No reasonable person would believe that medical marijuana falls under the category of over the counter medications.”

I have no idea if Diaz will win his appeal. If you go by the letter of the law, then he did not fail a test for marijuana, and thus, cannot be suspended. Marijuana is banned in competition, and if Diaz were smoking during competition, he would’ve tested positive for THC. That didn’t happen because Diaz stopped smoking eight days prior to the event.

But if you think that feels like semantics, well, it’s probably because it is. 

Goodman is very good at getting his clients off in cases such as this one. Whether or not he can do the same thing for Diaz remains to be seen. 

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UFC Attorney Says Fans Who Stream UFC PPVs Are Not Actually Fans at All

The UFC is taking a new tact in the war against pay-per-view piracy.Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported earlier this week that the UFC had obtained email addresses, usernames and IP addresses of users who had illegally streamed e…

The UFC is taking a new tact in the war against pay-per-view piracy.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported earlier this week that the UFC had obtained email addresses, usernames and IP addresses of users who had illegally streamed events through the website GreenFeedz.com.

The UFC has spent plenty of time and money going after websites that illegally stream UFC events, and they’ve had plenty of success in doing so. But this marks the first time that the promotion has targeted individual users who stream events.

Today, Zuffa chief counsel Lawrence Epstein had some strong words for fans who would rather stream the event illegally than pay for it. Epstein spoke to MMAjunkie.com:

We love our fans, and we’ve got some of the greatest fans in the world, and all the success we’ve had with the UFC is directly attributable to those fans. But people that steal our stuff – they’re not our fans. 

If you’re a huge [Georges St-Pierre] fan, would you steal from him? I don’t think so. So we love our fans, we respect our fans, but people who steal from us, frankly, aren’t our fans.

Epstein makes a valid point here. It’s easy to sit back and say, “Well, the UFC makes plenty of money off of these events, so it won’t hurt them at all if I watch a stream instead of buying this event.”

And that’s partially true, because the UFC does indeed make plenty of money from these events.

But Epstein’s reference to St-Pierre is a wise one. GSP, like many other top-level UFC superstars, earns a portion of his paycheck from the sales of pay-per-view events. He earns a percentage of each individual pay-per-view buy—reportedly as high as five percent, depending on the actual numbers the event draws. 

When you stream a pay-per-view, you’re directly taking money from the pockets of a fighter you proclaim to be a fan of. And sure, St-Pierre is a very rich man, and the two or three bucks he earns from your purchase isn’t going to affect him much. 

But that’s not the point, is it? The point is that you’re intentionally stealing from a fighter and a man that you proclaim to be a fan of. 

That doesn’t seem like a very good way to express your fandom.

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Wiz Completely Manhandles Drunk Restaurant Patron

You may not know the name Ryan Hall, but you probably should.Hall is one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu players in the entire world. He’s certainly the best American-born grappling wizard.Hall has earned medals at such prestigious grappling competitio…

You may not know the name Ryan Hall, but you probably should.

Hall is one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu players in the entire world. He’s certainly the best American-born grappling wizard.

Hall has earned medals at such prestigious grappling competitions as the Mundials and the Brazilian National Championships, and is a three-time competitor at the Abu Dhabi Submission Fighting Championships. As a matter of fact, he’s actually one of the only non-Brazilian competitors to ever score a medal at Abu Dhabi.

So when I tell you that Hall is pretty good at jiu-jitsu, you should believe me.

And you should also believe me when I tell you that getting yourself raging drunk and accosting Hall when he’s trying to have a peaceful dinner with friends is probably a bad idea.

The drunk guy in this video found out the hard way. Watch as Hall executes a fantastic double-leg takedown and immediately moves into mount, trying to calm the situation. It didn’t work, however, and Hall was ultimately forced to put the drunk to sleep in order to avoid any more disturbances.

The video is entertaining, but it’s also a practical look at how the core elements of jiu-jitsu can be used in self defense. This was exactly what Helio Gracie had in mind when he started developing Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

He was a small and frail man, so he needed something that would allow him to defend himself against street thugs and beach gangs in Brazil.

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Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber Will Be Biggest Winners of the Ultimate Fighter 15

The Ultimate Fighter is now entering its 15th season, and the MMA fandom has been abuzz over it for a wide variety of reasons. Between the show’s new live format, the network changes and the blitz of coverage about former pornographic actor Dakota Coch…

The Ultimate Fighter is now entering its 15th season, and the MMA fandom has been abuzz over it for a wide variety of reasons. Between the show’s new live format, the network changes and the blitz of coverage about former pornographic actor Dakota Cochrane’s (brief) presence on the show, there has been a lot to talk about.

Something that the spotlight has started to stray from, however, is the exciting pair of coaches, Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz. While the newest season of TUF may be a boon for the UFC, the effect this may have on the careers of these two fighters cannot be overstated.

Typically, when a season of TUF is approaching, the talk surrounds what the coaches can bring to a show. After all, numerous seasons have been defined by the conflicts and antics of their coaches.

TUF 10, for example, is remembered for the incessant bickering between Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson (an impressive feat when so much buzz surrounded Kimbo Slice’s presence on the show). This season is different, though. While true MMA fans are knowledgeable about the incredible skills possessed by both fighters, casual fans are yet to catch on to these two.

While Urijah Faber was the face of the WEC and has been a marketing force for a year now with a load of promotions, he is known more for his personality and appearance than his actual cage savvy.

With MMA stars becoming a better and better way to reach the fabled 18-39 men’s audience, there is still plenty of room for him to grow. While Faber is already popular and fairly identifiable, he will get a profound boost from the extra exposure from TUF. But the possibility of him ending the season with a UFC champion’s belt means the UFC could end up having an absolute star on their hands.

While Urijah Faber is known for his surfer looks, Dominick Cruz is not really known at all, even though he has quietly worked his way into almost all the pound-for-pound Top Ten lists out there. He is currently riding a 10-fight win streak (nine of which in either the UFC or WEC) and has four title defenses in his reign as the UFC’s bantamweight king.

For a variety of reasons, he has kept clear of becoming a household name and actually had his last title defense against Demetrious Johnson relegated to cable television (Versus, to be specific). Cruz is as skilled as almost anyone in the sport, but clearly needs a boost in his visibility. That is something TUF offers like no other and is a great first step in terms of getting Cruz into the spotlight.

With that in mind, it needs to be reiterated that having Cruz and Faber coach opposite each other remains an absolutely brilliant move by the UFC, in spite of the mixed reviews over the ratings—1.3 million tuned in— of the debut episode.

Their prior UFC bout at UFC 132, was actually one of the better-selling cards of 2011 (grabbing an estimated 350,000 buys), surprisingly beating out cards headlined by Dos Santos vs. Carwin, Silva vs. Okami and either card that featured a Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard main event.

However, as stated in this article (and touched on in my “UFC Star-Search” article), there is still plenty of room to grow for these two fighters. The parts are in place for their eventual coaches’ fight to become a major draw.

The UFC is actually counting on this, as Dana White and Joe Silva continue to work on replacing a slew of main event-caliber fighters that sustained injuries or retired over the past 12 months, including Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Junior Dos Santos, Brock Lesnar, BJ Penn and Randy Couture.

Even though both these fighters have reached the top in the cage, they are still working to get the respect that entails. Even if the numbers for TUF do not meet the expectations of those who thought the show would boom on its new home, FX, this is still a pivotal moment in the careers of Cruz and Faber. This could, finally, be the time when they become the stars they deserve to be.

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