There is no doubt that the UFC is the premiere mixed martial arts promotion in the world right now and may have no real competition. With its purchase of PRIDE, the WEC and Strikeforce, the UFC has bought and controlled all of its major competition to …
There is no doubt that the UFC is the premiere mixed martial arts promotion in the world right now and may have no real competition. With its purchase of PRIDE, the WEC and Strikeforce, the UFC has bought and controlled all of its major competition to this point.
There are some promotions that are gaining momentum and putting on great cards. Although I believe there are no promotions that will ever rival the UFC ever again, there is a chance that a couple promotions can gain enough fan fare to take business away from the UFC.
Here are five promotions that have a chance (albeit slim) to rival the UFC.
UFC welterweight Johny Hendricks went into his fight versus Jon Fitch as a massive underdog but emerged as a top contender when he knocked out the former No. 2 ranked welterweight in the world 12 seconds into Round 1 at UFC 141.Now, Hendricks prepares …
UFC welterweight Johny Hendricks went into his fight versus Jon Fitch as a massive underdog but emerged as a top contender when he knocked out the former No. 2 ranked welterweight in the world 12 seconds into Round 1 at UFC 141.
Now, Hendricks prepares to take on another former title challenger when he battles Josh Koscheck at UFC on FOX 3.
During the pre-fight press conference, Koscheck claimed Hendricks’ knockout of his former training partner came from a “lucky punch,” but luck is one thing Hendricks doesn’t mind having on his side.
“It’s not like I was looking for the knockout only,” Hendricks told JoeShowRadio. “I would have loved to showcase a little of my skills, but the fight didn’t happen that way. So, I take out of it that I have one KO power and nothing else mattered at that point.”
“Since I know my hands are there, now I get to focus a little bit harder on my jiu-jitsu and everything else,” Hendricks continued. “I’d rather have luck on my side than anything else. If it was a lucky punch, I guess we’ll find out. I know how hard I hit and so do my fans and so do everyone else in the UFC”
“That’s not luck,” Hendricks said. “That’s something the good lord blessed me with. My striking is at a point where I don’t have to hit you on the button to knock you out.”
Hendricks has compiled an overall record of 12-1 with victories over Fitch, Mike Pierce, TJ Waldburger and Charlie Brenneman. His only career loss came against Rick Story.
Koscheck comes in at 17-5 with two back-to-back wins over Mike Pierce and Matt Hughes. Many thought he had lost the Pierce fight, but the split-decision went his way.
UFC on FOX 3 will go down May 5 at the IZOD Center in New Jersey. The main event will feature lightweights Jim Miller and Nate Diaz.
I’ll give Quinton Jackson this much: at least he’s not being wishy-washy.Jackson said over the weekend that he wanted out of the UFC, and he reiterated that belief on Monday during an interview with Bas Rutten for Inside MMA. HDNet has made the full an…
I’ll give Quinton Jackson this much: at least he’s not being wishy-washy.
Let’s take a look at a few of Jackson’s better quotes.
I don’t want to fight for the UFC. I think the fans don’t understand. They think that just because I make a lot of money, I should be happy because I’ve got a nice house. I’ve always said that I fight for money because it’s my career, but I think a lot of fans are sheep, and they don’t understand it.The thing is, the UFC knew I was injured, and I still fought for them. I feel like, honestly, if I didn’t fight on that card in Japan, I don’t think the appeal would have been as big. I’m not trying to toot my own horn or nothing like that. But they only had me and Mark Hunt.
This is interesting. According to my own sources close to the UFC, Jackson turned down three separate fights before finally agreeing to fight Ryan Bader in Japan. Jackson also threw a major tantrum in order to be included on the Japan card instead of fighting on the second FOX show from Chicago.
So, after turning down three perfectly capable opponents, Jackson gets stuck with a wrestler. He loses the fight, then complains when the UFC doesn’t shower him with adulation for gutting out an injury to fight on a card he demanded to fight on in the first place.
I think Joe Silva needs to be slapped in the face. I’m sorry, you’ve got a fighter like me who likes to go out there and fight fights.So why do you keep giving me wrestlers who are going to take me down and hump me?
Another curious quote here. Shogun Rua isn’t a wrestler. LyotoMachida isn’t a wrestler. Stephan Bonnar could be a wrestler, I guess, but he always seems to prefer a good, ugly striking battle. That would seem to fit right into Jackson’s wheelhouse.
And yet, according to sources close to the promotion, Jackson turned down fights with all three of those opponents over the past year for one reason or another.
I think what happened was that I did an interview with this one guy and he recorded it. I thought he was going to put it up just like you’re doing. But no, he took some of it and typed it. And the guy who typed it was a British guy. He didn’t understand my English. He didn’t understand my accent. He just typed some stuff that he thought I said, which is wrong.
I think they tried to say that I had like a UFC doctor give it to me or something like that, which is wrong. I had my personal doctor. He gets paid by the UFC. He’s my personal doctor, but I don’t have to pay him. He just sends the bill to UFC basically is what I said.
So that’s why I said the UFC knew I was hurt. I don’t know if the UFC knew what I was doing. But the UFC paid me to see him. He sent me to another doctor. The doctor that he sent me to, I pay him. The UFC doesn’t pay the doctor who did the TRT. I pay that TRT.
This is a much better explanation for the interview Jackson gave regarding his testosterone replacement therapy, and I take him at his word. These things sometime happen in translation.
But Jackson should have acted much quicker in getting this clarified, because it could’ve become a much uglier situation than it did over the past week.
This seems like a situation that cannot be rectified. Jackson’s mind is made up, and I’m not sure there’s anything Dana White and the UFC can do to fix it.
Two years ago, I would have stressed the urgency of getting this thing repaired as soon as possible. Now? I’m not sure it’s worth the hassle. Jackson’s days as a contender at light heavyweight are through. He’s going to continually be a headache for White and Joe Silva. And he’s already been dominated once by Jon Jones, which means fans won’t be clamoring to see him climb the ladder into championship contention a second time around.
Quinton Jackson is an absolute legend of the sport. He’s been one of my absolute favorite fighters to cover and watch over the past decade. I’d like to see him retire from fighting in the biggest show in the world and go on to be a huge action star in Hollywood.
What I don’t want to see is his career end with complaints, lawsuits and ugly fights against no-name competition at local shows on Indian reservations.
The UFC may lose one of the greatest faces the organization has ever had if Rampage Jackson is granted his wish of being released from the company.While losing Rampage would be a shot in the wallet for the UFC, there are plenty of fighters actually win…
The UFC may lose one of the greatest faces the organization has ever had if Rampage Jackson is granted his wish of being released from the company.
While losing Rampage would be a shot in the wallet for the UFC, there are plenty of fighters actually winning fights who can already draw as much as the former champion. Jackson’s lack of success will always be at the root of his recent struggles with the UFC.
After losing three of his last five fights, it was almost time for the UFC to force the veteran out of the Octagon anyway, so letting him walk is one less headache for Dana White and the UFC to deal with.
The UFC talks about being in a billion homes. They’re making all this money. Yet I’m making less money than I used to make with the UFC. The UFC is getting bigger, which means I’m getting bigger, but I’m making less money. Why? I think (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva needs to be slapped in the face. I’m sorry, (but) you’ve got a fighter like me who likes to go out there and fight fights, so why do you keep giving me wrestlers who are going to take me down and hump me?
As much as folks want the star to jump to another promotion, that is not the right idea. I know that Jackson will end up fighting somewhere else, but this is his chance to get away from MMA and just be an actor.
Rampage has had one of the greatest careers an MMA fighter could ever dream of, but the end has come. All the knockouts and howls can’t save him from the dreaded hand of father time, but he can still have fun and live his life.
I’m sure the A-Team movie opened some doors for the fighting sensation in the acting world, so leaving the UFC while his brain still functions to pursue a better-paying job in the movies sounds like the perfect move.
Check back for more on Mixed Martial Arts as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s UFC Page to get your fill of all things UFC/MMA. For more on MMA/UFC, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics.
A life full of regrets and “what ifs” isn’t always a bad thing.Especially if your name is Eric Scallan.”I’ve been a wrestler my entire life but I never really had the discipline that it takes to be great,” Scallan told Bleacher Report. “I had that feel…
A life full of regrets and “what ifs” isn’t always a bad thing.
Especially if your name is Eric Scallan.
“I’ve been a wrestler my entire life but I never really had the discipline that it takes to be great,” Scallan told Bleacher Report. “I had that feeling of regret when you look back and realize you didn’t try your hardest or give it your all.”
Instead of dwelling on missed opportunities, Scallan decided to make up for lost time as he began training in the sport of mixed martial arts.
Scallan began training with current UFC rising star, Dustin Poirier.
“I started training with Dustin and we went to this karate place where it wasn’t exactly your normal training sessions,” said Scallan.
“They had us choking each other with belts, punching sand and they were hitting our shins with bamboo sticks. We were both amateurs at the time and just making our way into the sport,” said Scallan. “It wasn’t too much longer until Tim Credeur opened up a school and really showed us what it was all about.”
Scallan’s success wouldn’t go unnoticed as he would win the first five fights of his career.
The Lafayette graduate has pushed his win total to 10, including seven victories by way of submission.
However, despite his early career dominance, Scallan credits the majority of his success to Poirier and Credeur.
“There’s something special about Dustin. He’s so hungry that we have to stop him from over-training sometimes. He’s so strict with his diet. I remember after one of my fights in Oklahoma, we were trying to get something to eat and everywhere we went didn’t have any healthy food. So, Dustin wouldn’t eat. He’s that dedicated” said Scallan. “He’s without a doubt a future UFC champion.”
“And as great as a fighter Tim is, he’s an even better teacher. The guy has so much talent and knows so much about the sport. Everywhere we go people are always coming up to him,” said Scallan. “There’s a reason for that.”
Scallan will have yet another opportunity to put his hard work on display when he makes his Bellator debut on Friday, March 16th in Bossier City, Louisiana.
It’s likely Scallan will be meeting his toughest opponent to date when he faces Derrick Krantz in a preliminary bout.
Those viewing and in attendance at Bellator 61 can expect business as usual from Scallan.
“The last place I want to be is on my back and be on the receiving end of some ground and pound. Once we get out of the first round he’ll be done,” said Scallan, “He’ll blow his load.”
“He’ll try to knock me out or take me down but I’m pretty hard to take down. He’s going to gas himself out trying to take me down. He definitely has that surprise factor so I’ll be ready for anything,” said Scallan.
While a win in his Bellator debut would be a push in the right direction, don’t expect it to be a permanent stop for Scallan.
In fact, it’s likely we could see him joining his good friend and trainer partner Poirier sooner rather than later.
“I’m taking one moment at a time. I’m asking myself what I can do at this very moment to make myself better. When you’re climbing a mountain you don’t want to trip over the rock in front of you,” said Scallan. “But, the UFC is definitely my goal.”
“Something big is going to happen this year for me.”
Photo Courtesy of Brittany Ryle
For additional information, follow Garrett Derr onTwitter.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s UFC career might soon come to an end, as the former light heavyweight champion has been out-spoken on several subjects regarding his career and the organization. In a recent interview with Bas Rutten of Inside MMA, Ramp…
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s UFC career might soon come to an end, as the former light heavyweight champion has been out-spoken on several subjects regarding his career and the organization.
In a recent interview with Bas Rutten of Inside MMA, Rampage gave his thoughts on continuing to fight for the UFC and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva’s recent choice of opponents for him.
“I don’t want to fight for the UFC anymore,” Jackson said. “I think the fans don’t understand. They think just ’cause I make a lot of money, and I should be happy that I got a nice house. I’ve always stated that I fight for money ’cause it’s my career, but I think a lot of fans don’t understand.”
For the first time in his career, Jackson has lost two fights back-to-back. After being submitted by Jon Jones late last year, many fans questioned his motivation for fighting before he lost a unanimous decision to Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader at UFC 144.
Jackson came into the fight injured and over-weight before being out-wrestled for the majority of the bout in front of a huge Japanese crowd. He even stated after the fight that he knew he was going to lose.
“The thing is the UFC knew I was injured, and they knew I felt sorry for them,” Jackson said of his last fight. “I feel like if I would have pulled out, I don’t think they would have done as well as they did, and plus I really love the Japanese fans.”
“I didn’t like the policy that they were giving me,” Jackson continued. “I think Joe Silva needs to be slapped in the face, I’m sorry. If you got a fighter like me who likes to go out and fight, they are giving me wrestlers who are going to take me down and hump me. I’m sorry. They told me after my fight with Jon Jones, I was losing my appeal.”
Dana White has stated that Rampage has one fight left on his contract, but it seems as if the fighter is looking to leave before that no matter who they match him up against next.
I’ll give