Joe Warren, bean spiller? On Monday, the Bellator bantamweight and Fight Master coach was presumably poised to discuss his bout this Thursday at Bellator 98. Instead, Warren may have also broken a bit of UFC news, nonchalantly noting that his friend Scott Jorgensen is moving down to the flyweight division. Jorgensen has never fought professionally […]
Joe Warren, bean spiller? On Monday, the Bellator bantamweight and Fight Master coach was presumably poised to discuss his bout this Thursday at Bellator 98. Instead, Warren may have also broken a bit of UFC news, nonchalantly noting that his friend Scott Jorgensen is moving down to the flyweight division. Jorgensen has never fought professionally […]
Jussier Formiga wasn’t going to let this one get away. The ice wasn’t going to break itself. So even if it meant a case of highlight deficiency, Formiga had to get the W. And get it he did, holding off a late charge from Chris Cariaso to grind out a decision at UFC on FX […]
Jussier Formiga wasn’t going to let this one get away. The ice wasn’t going to break itself. So even if it meant a case of highlight deficiency, Formiga had to get the W. And get it he did, holding off a late charge from Chris Cariaso to grind out a decision at UFC on FX […]
UFC on Fox 8 culminates on Saturday night when flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson defends his title against John Moraga. Johnson (17-2-1) may be the fastest fighter in the UFC and has a knack for picking apart opposing game plans. If emotion plays a…
UFC on Fox 8 culminates on Saturday night when flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson defends his title against John Moraga. Johnson (17-2-1) may be the fastest fighter in the UFC and has a knack for picking apart opposing game plans. If emotion plays any role in his motivation level, Johnson’s motivation will be high, as he’s fighting at his home base of Seattle and just days after his wife gave birth to their first child.
But the finish-minded Moraga (13-1) brings plenty of danger to the proceedings. Will he pull the upset? Will Johnson be the hometown hero? Check back with these very slides as the action unfolds.
WEC and UFC veteran Jeff Curran once fought at 155 pounds, but these days the thirty five year-old is campaigning at 125 pounds in an effort to give some new fire to his career. He looked serious about his effort to get back into the big show when he signed to fight top prospect Sergio Pettis at RFA 8 this past Friday in Milwaukee, WI.
Pettis is undefeated and nineteen years old. He’s also the younger brother of top UFC moneyweight contender Anthony Pettis. You may have heard that Pettis won Friday night, but not against Curran. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt pulled out at the last minute and was replaced by Dillard Pegg.
Pettis finished Pegg with apparent ease in the first round, but the real story here is the reason why Curran says he pulled out of the fight in the first place.
WEC and UFC veteran Jeff Curran once fought at 155 pounds, but these days the thirty five year-old is campaigning at 125 pounds in an effort to give some new fire to his career. He looked serious about his effort to get back into the big show when he signed to fight top prospect Sergio Pettis at RFA 8 this past Friday in Milwaukee, WI.
Pettis is undefeated and nineteen years old. He’s also the younger brother of top UFC moneyweight contender Anthony Pettis. You may have heard that Pettis won Friday night, but not against Curran. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt pulled out at the last minute and was replaced by Dillard Pegg.
Pettis finished Pegg with apparent ease in the first round, but the real story here is the reason why Curran says he pulled out of the fight in the first place.
Curran didn’t get injured. His dog did.
We haven’t seen or heard much of an explanation about the situation from Curran yet, but he was busy defending himself on Twitter this past weekend. Turns out, Curran’s family dog was injured badly, breaking both arms recently. As a result, Curran pulled out of the RFA 8 bout with Pettis.
“The only people that deserve explanation of my reasons to pull from this fight was @RFAfighting and my team/family. None of anyones Biz!” Curran tweeted on June 21st.
He went on, “i am a 16 year pro who never missed dude. i fought sick, injured after family tragedy. grow up”
The fighter suggested through his tweets that it wasn’t simply about his dog, but also about supporting his kids and being there for his wife who needed help during this time of difficulty.
When the twitterverse criticized Curran for his decision, things got real. “introduce yourself to me if u ever see me, i will knock your teeth in.. no charge,”he replied to one critic.
“remove ‘dog lover’ from your bio and add ‘family hater’ to it. then your comment will fit your profile,” he tweeted at another.
A full picture of the Curran family saga isn’t yet available, but you can check out the strange, long string of tweets on his account for yourself. It kinda sounds like his dog got messed up, and it would have been a gigantic hassle for his wife to take care of it and a houseful of kids, to say nothing of the business affairs from his gym, while he went away for a few days to fight. What do we know?
In any case, Curran says that his dog is on the mend. What would you degenerates have done if you were in Curran’s shoes this past week: Stay at home with the family and crippled dog or head to Milwaukee for a weekend of fighting, hookers and blow?
Demetrious Johnson currently reigns over the 125-pound division. However, “Mighty Mouse” has been far from dominant, taking all of his flyweight opponents to decisions in closely contested bouts. While Johnson is a very well-rounded fighter, he doesn’t excel over his adversaries in all areas. There are better strikers and submission artists in the 125-pound class […]
Demetrious Johnson currently reigns over the 125-pound division. However, “Mighty Mouse” has been far from dominant, taking all of his flyweight opponents to decisions in closely contested bouts. While Johnson is a very well-rounded fighter, he doesn’t excel over his adversaries in all areas. There are better strikers and submission artists in the 125-pound class […]
Wondering if you’re “big” or just “average?” Just how big is average for a UFC fighter? Well that depends on the weight class obviously. Here’s the current UFC roster of fighters put into divisions with average (mean) height and reach (mean averages based on UFC Roster as of June, 2013). Next time someone says a fighter is “big for their weight class,” check the facts first.
The range of UFC divisions spans 140 pounds, which on average translates into about one foot of additional height and reach from the Flyweights to the Heavyweights. It’s important to note there is plenty of variability that occurs with in each weight class. Bodies are tall and lean or sometimes short and stocky. And the larger the division is, the wider the range of maximums and minimums. Just think of heavyweights Stefan Struve and Pat Barry facing off with over a one foot height differential in the same weight class.
(Click on the chart for the full size version. For previous Databombs, click here.)
Wondering if you’re “big” or just “average?” Just how big is average for a UFC fighter? Well that depends on the weight class obviously. Here’s the current UFC roster of fighters put into divisions with average (mean) height and reach (mean averages based on UFC Roster as of June, 2013). Next time someone says a fighter is “big for their weight class,” check the facts first.
The range of UFC divisions spans 140 pounds, which on average translates into about one foot of additional height and reach from the Flyweights to the Heavyweights. It’s important to note there is plenty of variability that occurs with in each weight class. Bodies are tall and lean or sometimes short and stocky. And the larger the division is, the wider the range of maximums and minimums. Just think of heavyweights Stefan Struve and Pat Barry facing off with over a one foot height differential in the same weight class.
It’s also interesting that the average size of each weight class has been increasing in recent years. If we were to go back to 2005 or so, what we would see is the average height and reach being lower in all divisions. This is due to the highly competitive evolution of modern MMA which has driven fighters to pack more athleticism into a leaner body. The result is numerous fighters dropping weight classes to remain optimally competitive, and finding ways to optimize their bodies for fighting.
And look at the new women’s division. At Bantamweight there’s a discernible difference in size between male and female fighters weighing in at the same weight limit. The men’s division has been around a lot longer and has greater competition from a large pool of contenders, who are experienced pros at cutting weight. And despite their larger frames, they manage to pack more muscle and size onto the scale on weigh-in day. Competition always pushes the limits of human anthropometrics.
So how do you measure up? Are you a lightweight that eats like a middleweight? Or are you a welterweight in the frame of a bantamweight?
