Here’s the thing about UFC 169, happening Saturday night in New Jersey: There are a lot of guys on the card that people don’t really care about.
It’s unfortunate, because they’re all wildly talented martial artists, and many of them are surely delightf…
Here’s the thing about UFC 169, happening Saturday night in New Jersey: There are a lot of guys on the card that people don’t really care about.
It’s unfortunate, because they’re all wildly talented martial artists, and many of them are surely delightful people when not locked in a cage to do harm to another man.
But it is, nonetheless, a reality that not many of them resonate with an audience.
Names like Abel Trujillo, Alan Patrick and Kevin Lee don’t exactly draw eyes worldwide. Ricardo Lamas, title contender and sharer of a marquee with Jose Aldo this weekend, doesn’t exactly have people beating down the door to see him in action either.
Two guys people do care about on the UFC 169 card?
And oddly enough, they’re the two guys who may be fighting for their jobs this weekend.
Since the fight was initially announced for UFC 167, the talk has been all about it serving as a “loser leaves town” bout, and that maintained momentum with the move to Super Bowl weekend.
Truthfully, that’s idiotic. In a sport where quality heavyweights are almost unavailable, talk of cutting one for a modest losing streak is insane.
Mir has been an absolute soldier for the UFC, fighting anyone it asks under any circumstances for a decade. His recent slide has been to two former UFC champions (one, Junior dos Santos, was holding the title when he beat Mir) and a former Strikeforce heavyweight champion. Before that, he’d won seven of nine fights and held the heavyweight title himself.
Overeem, issues outside the cage notwithstanding, hasn’t done anything in the cage to warrant a release. He annihilated Brock Lesnar in his UFC debut before substance issues derailed a title shot in 2012. His return engagement was one that had him up two rounds on Bigfoot Silva before his own nonchalance opened the door for a Silva comeback. In similar fashion, he nearly stopped Travis Browne in August before the Hawaiian’s second wind propelled him to a memorable KO.
Are these the traits of men that the UFC can truly do without? Exciting fighters who tell tales in the cage that go beyond the “L” side of Joe Silva’s ledger?
It makes one wonder if the cost of doing business with a pair of heavyweights in their mid-30s becomes part of the influence. Much like the promotion did with Jon Fitch and YushinOkami, the potential to size up the payouts to both men and cut them loose on a slide is a great way to free up some cash.
After all, you can fill half a card with unknown flyweights for the cost of one Mir or Overeem, and don’t think for a minute that doesn’t appeal to a UFC that’s almost up to more events than there are weeks on the calendar in 2014.
The bottom line here is that there is precedent for keeping around well-known, entertaining performers. Men like Dan Hardy and Stephan Bonnar went years between wins and stayed employed on the grounds of fan friendliness, and so too should Mir and Overeem.
Mir owns more highlight-reel submissions than any heavyweight in history, maybe any fighter in history, and the kill-or-be-killed stylings of Overeem are nothing if not high-octane entertainment.
Those are guys that Dana White can afford to write cheques for. Hopefully he realizes as much before one hand is raised in New Jersey come Saturday night, and another is given a pink slip.
Frank Mir enters his UFC 169 matchup against Alistair Overeem on a career-worst three-fight losing streak.
Widely regarded as one of the most savage finishers in UFC history—thanks to his UFC-record three technical submissions and eight fir…
Frank Mir enters his UFC 169 matchup against Alistair Overeem on a career-worst three-fight losing streak.
Widely regarded as one of the most savage finishers in UFC history—thanks to his UFC-record three technical submissions and eight first-round submissions—Mir has recently hit a rough patch in his career. A decision loss to Daniel Cormier is sandwiched between two knockout losses during this streak, marking seven total defeats via knockout in Mir’s career.
While some analysts and fans feel that Mir is gravely endangering his long-term health and mental acuity with such a history, the former UFC heavyweight champion sees things differently.
When asked if he was worried about his long-term brain health, Mir told Bleacher Report:
“No, not really. Sometimes I have knockout losses that aren’t the same from when guys have actually lost consciousness,” Mir said. “I actually had a talk with one of the doctors about that, and I brought it up to his attention, like, ‘Hey, do I have any results?’ and he goes, ‘No you’ve been stunned and rocked, and obviously the referee jumps in to keep the fight from getting detrimental, but as far as being put to sleep where you’re staring up at the sky with your eyes open…Those are the knockouts you need to be worried about, and you haven’t received any of that yet, so just cross your fingers.’ That’s probably why I haven’t felt any effects throughout my career.”
Mir’s health and checkered history with suffering knockout losses has certainly created a powerful narrative leading up to UFC 169, but it is not the only bit of controversy surrounding the hulking heavyweight submission artist.
News also surfaced (h/t MMAJunkie.com) that Mir would receive a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for this bout, a hot-button topic among fighters and key decision makers in MMA alike.
For Mir, the reason he uses TRT is simple, and it has nothing to do with his performance inside the Octagon.
“I don’t think TRT gives me an athletic advantage whatsoever,” Mir said. “I’m doing this because it helps me personally. It helps my personal life as far as my mood, my health…I’ve fought two or three fights needing to be on TRT (when I wasn’t) and was actually victorious.”
If he has won fights while not using TRT and he does not feel any athletic advantages of using it, why, then, does Mir continue to apply for a TUE?
The answer is simple.
“I just have more energy, and I’m in a better mood,” Mir said. “Sometimes, I would notice I was a little less than enthusiastic about getting up and attacking the day. I was moody, a little more irritable and angry…My attitude has kind of changed the last couple years—my wife pointed it out to me. So when I went out for a visit with my doctor, I brought it up to him, and he said, ‘Well, we can test your hormone levels. We have a battery of tests to find out if something has changed with you.’ That’s when it came to light, like, ‘Wow, man, you have really low testosterone, and that can affect your heart condition, that can affect so many different factors—it’s extremely unhealthy for somebody your age to be that low.'”
Now facing Overeem at UFC 169, Mir understands that these controversies mean little when the cage door closes.
Two men enter. One leaves victorious.
If Mir fails to capture the win, a fourth consecutive loss would serve as a significant smear on his impressive career. Still, he does not feel that another defeat spells ultimate doom for him or his spot on the UFC’s roster.
“Obviously, every fight is a must win, but I think the pressure would be more apparent if I was fighting on a prelim against a no-name opponent,” Mir said. “The fact is, where I’m positioned on the card for the fight kind of shows the importance of the draw. You’re not towards the end, your name’s not on billboards because you aren’t selling tickets. I don’t think I’d go from being on the main card to completely being out of the UFC.”
Why do I cringe? Because I fear what the future holds for both of these men. Mir is coming off of three losses, including two by violent TKOs. Overeem is in a similar boat, having been put to sleep in his last two fights. When you look further back, even more red flags can be found. Out of the eight losses that appear on Frank Mir’s MMA record, seven have been by some form of knockout. It gets even worse for Alistair, who has lost by KO or TKO 11 times between his MMA and kickboxing careers.
Based on what we now know about head trauma in MMA, it’s safe to assume that both fighters have suffered at least some level of brain injury, which means they could be in for an incredibly wide array of consequences. Depending on the area of trauma and severity, either fighter could suffer cognitive, physiological, emotional, psychological, and behavioral changes. Basic physical functions like hand-eye coordination can also be affected, making those devastating strikes even harder to avoid. And the damage does not end there.
(The Mir-Overeem preview segment from ‘Countdown to UFC 169′. Props: YouTube.com/UFC)
Why do I cringe? Because I fear what the future holds for both of these men. Mir is coming off of three losses, including two by violent TKOs. Overeem is in a similar boat, having been put to sleep in his last two fights. When you look further back, even more red flags can be found. Out of the eight losses that appear on Frank Mir’s MMA record, seven have been by some form of knockout. It gets even worse for Alistair, who has lost by KO or TKO 11 times between his MMA and kickboxing careers.
Based on what we now know about head trauma in MMA, it’s safe to assume that both fighters have suffered at least some level of brain injury, which means they could be in for an incredibly wide array of consequences. Depending on the area of trauma and severity, either fighter could suffer cognitive, physiological, emotional, psychological, and behavioral changes. Basic physical functions like hand-eye coordination can also be affected, making those devastating strikes even harder to avoid. And the damage does not end there.
Traumatic Brain Injuries have also been linked to a disruption in the ability to create normal levels of hormones like testosterone, and growth hormone. In some cases TBI patients are treated with hormone replacement therapy, and experience positive results. Perhaps this is a factor in both Mir and Overeem having a therapeutic exemption for TRT.
If this were the reason for Mir and Overeem’s hormonal issues — which hasn’t been verified, but is certainly possible — should either of these men be fighting, let alone each other? I am not a professional fighter nor a doctor, but it doesn’t take an expert to understand that if your brain is unable to produce the proper amount of chemicals for you to function normally, due to past damage, you should not be taking part in the same activity that caused the trauma in the first place.
So when do you draw the line, and how many knockout losses is too many? There’s no definite answer, and since every athlete is different, any hard-and-fast rule would seem arbitrary. Should athletic commissions give closer attention and testing to a combatant who has been knocked out five times? If knockouts persist, perhaps a long-term suspension should be handed out. It can’t be safe to keep competing as a fighter after you’ve had your lights turned off ten times — and yet Alistair Overeem is appearing on a UFC pay-per-view this weekend carrying that alarming history.
Certainly someone like Overeem, who suffered his second knockout loss in six months when he was KO’d by Travis Browne in August, would benefit from a long-term suspension. Frank Mir, whose brain had just over a year of rest between his TKO losses to Josh Barnett and Junior Dos Santos, seems to be cutting it close as well.
Brain injuries are not fully understood, but we know that they do not heal like a broken bone, or a torn muscle. Such injuries can take several months or years to heal, in some cases they never do, and in the case of some 50,000 people, they result in death. I just don’t want to see either of these men end up like Muhammad Ali, Freddie Roach, countless NFL players, or Chris Benoit.
In the end, two men who have been knocked out a combined 18 times will attempt to devastatingly punch, kick, knee and elbow each other in the head until the other can no longer take it — two men so unhealthy that they need TRT to function. Will I watch? Sure, with the hope that athletic commissions will begin looking more closely at the effects of brain trauma, and that neurological science continues to reveal how much head trauma is too much.
And with each UFC pay-per-view comes the p4p best gambling advice on the internet: The Gambling Addiction Enabler. So join us below as we dissect UFC 169 and determine where the best opportunities to make some serious bank lie, because let’s be honest, we’ve all got child support payments to make. What? You don’t have any illegitimate children? I feel like I don’t even know you guys anymore.
At -165, Makdessi earns the right to be the favorite against undefeated Alan Patrick, who will be looking to make it 2-0 in the UFC. Both fighters are coming off first round knockout wins and while Makdessi has earned his stripes against better competition, it is hard to ignore “Nuguette’s” (?) winning formula thus far in his career. There is no denying that Makdessi is the more talented striker, but Patrick mixes up his striking with takedowns very well which may present problems for Makdessi if he is unable to stop the larger man from taking him down early and often. Against Hallman, “The Bull” showed that his Achilles heel is the ground game and this is where Patrick at +145 is worth some consideration based on what we have seen from him throughout his career.
(“It’s OK Eddie, you’re still the king of the invisible motorcycle dance.” Photo via Getty)
And with each UFC pay-per-view comes the p4p best gambling advice on the internet: The Gambling Addiction Enabler. So join us below as we dissect UFC 169 and determine where the best opportunities to make some serious bank lie, because let’s be honest, we’ve all got child support payments to make. What? You don’t have any illegitimate children? I feel like I don’t even know you guys anymore.
At -165, Makdessi earns the right to be the favorite against undefeated Alan Patrick, who will be looking to make it 2-0 in the UFC. Both fighters are coming off first round knockout wins and while Makdessi has earned his stripes against better competition, it is hard to ignore “Nuguette’s” (?) winning formula thus far in his career. There is no denying that Makdessi is the more talented striker, but Patrick mixes up his striking with takedowns very well which may present problems for Makdessi if he is unable to stop the larger man from taking him down early and often. Against Hallman, “The Bull” showed that his Achilles heel is the ground game and this is where Patrick at +145 is worth some consideration based on what we have seen from him throughout his career.
Hester is a very solid stand up fighter coming in as the -200ish favorite against a relatively unknown Andy Enz, who will bring a perfect 7-0 record (5 via submission) into his Octagon debut. Training out of Gracie Barra Alaska, the 22 year old Enz has earned his nickname “Tank Mode” with a knack for his heavy grappling prowess, something Hester (9-3) may have trouble with if he cannot keep the fight standing. If Andy can take Hester down, the scales tip heavily towards Enz finding a way to finish the fight, but if Hester can keep the fight standing, all signs towards Clint picking up his third straight stoppage victory in the UFC. The undefeated prospect gets the finish over Hester, who has dropped 2 out of his 3 professional losses by submission.
Chris Cariaso (-145) vs. Danny Martinez (+125)
-145 favorite Chris Cariaso will look to bring his UFC flyweight record above .500 against WEC veteran Danny Martinez. Despite being his first bout in the UFC, Martinez has gone to the score cards with some of the highest caliber fighters in his weight class since he turned pro in 2006, but recently suffered a suprising loss to David Grant at the TUF eliminations for Team Rousey vs Team Tate. The prop that Cariaso wins by decision should pay out roughly 2 to 1 and is a respectable choice when noting Cariaso has 4 of his 5 UFC wins by decision.
Abel Trujillo is a small underdog at +120, but in the first tough test of his career, he came up short against The Eagle in which could be described as a veritable sambo clinic. Recognizing that Varner has fought higher level competition as of late and has the experience advantage suggests taking him as a favorite in the fight. The +230 prop that Varner wins this fight by decision may be a fruitful option in the plus money category as Trujillo has not been stopped since 2011.
Frank Mir at +280 is approaching the same price he was valued at against JDS and Daniel Cormier. Alistair Overeem has changed camps three times in as many fights and is now fighting for his job against arguably his toughest test in the UFC. OK, not arguably…but still a very live dog. The one major caveat that pops up can be found in Alistair’s ultra dangerous clinch game, which has spelled the death of Mir in his losses to Shane Carwin and Josh Barnett. Here’s to Frank keeping his back off the cage and hands by his head until Overeem gases.
Watson came out of the gate early this week at -200 territory which has quickly shifted towards -185 in the past 48hrs. Nick Catone will be returning to his familiar stomping grounds (as well as the middleweight division) as the +160 underdog. “The Jersey Devil” has only lost once in eight contests inside New Jersey state lines and has the tools in the grappling department to give Watson trouble here. If Catone can close the distance on Watson, the only question that remains is whether or not Nick can get the takedown. If Nick cannot take Watson down, the likelihood of Watson ending this fight inside the distance is strong (3 of Catone’s 4 losses have come inside the distance). Really hard to imagine Catone is as good a grappler as Thales Leites, but he may not have to be to still find his way to a decision victory. Simply too hard to predict this one.
Certainly a FOTN selection here as both men are known to produce fireworks inside the Octagon. The most interesting bet would be if Lineker makes weight at this point, since the fight itself is way too volatile to try a predict a winner when looking at how readily these two plant feet and launch bombs. The +105 prop that this fight goes the distance is not as interesting as just sitting back and enjoying the shootout between these two prospects.
Until Aldo looks to be in trouble in the Octagon, it will be business as usual for the champion, who will look to use his superior Muay Thai in combination with his legendary takedown defense to defeat his Lamas. “The Bully” poses the threat to take Aldo down and control the fight on the ground, but it is merely a threat that Aldo has faced and effectively overcome in the past. The prop of -121 that this fight starts round 3 may be a chance to shorten the price of wagering on this fight when acknowledging Aldo has gone past 3 rounds in his past two outings.
Faber has been 0-5 in fights where Zuffa gold is on the line, always rebounding and seemingly coming back better than ever. Urijah is sure to bring his most exciting brand of fighting into his rematch with Barao, who effectively out struck Faber and limited his takedown ability by punishing the California Kid’s lead leg at UFC 149.
Win or lose, it is hard to argue that Urijah Faber has had a very special 2013 and has proven that no matter what weight class he is in, he can still find a way to title contention. Barao most likely picks up right where he left off in the first fight with Faber and continues his run of dominance at the UFC Bantamweight champion.
Testosterone-replacement therapy, better known in the public eye as TRT, is as hot a topic in mixed martial arts today as concussions are in football.
It aids aging veterans in search of increased testosterone levels while fading out younger, hard…
Testosterone-replacement therapy, better known in the public eye as TRT, is as hot a topic in mixed martial arts today as concussions are in football.
It aids aging veterans in search of increased testosterone levels while fading out younger, hardworking athletes in their prime.
The epidemic has sparked massive attention throughout the MMA world and will continue to sink its teeth into the sport’s aching ethical body for the foreseeable future.
Now while much of the illegal TRT use has been met head on, many war-torn mainstays of the sport are still being exempted by cautious athletic commissions nationwide.
That’s why it didn’t come as much of a surprise when former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mirrevealed to MMA Junkie Wednesday morning that the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board granted him TRT exemption for his upcoming bout at UFC 169 this Saturday opposite Alistair Overeem.
This will serve as the third time that Mir has publicly stated that he’ll be given full permission to shift natural testosterone levels in effort to regain physicality. The other two times came against Josh Barnett at UFC 164 and Junior dos Santos for the heavyweight title at UFC 146.
The fact that Mir’s Octagon showdown this weekend is coming against one of the most controversial fighters in the sport when it comes to testosterone usage is irony at its finest.
In any case, TRT or not, Mir needs to win. Currently riding a three-fight losing streak for the first time ever, the 34-year-old needs to prove he can remain considerably productive in the twilight of his professional career.
(…and if you turn the poster over, you’ll see Ben and Seth, butt to butt.)
UFC 169 is poppin’ off this Saturday in Newark, featuring two title fights, a must-win battle between a pair of fading heavyweight legends, and a bunch of other crap that you may or may not care about. Join us as CagePotato founding editor Ben Goldstein and editor emeritus Seth Falvo debate the major storylines surrounding the event, from Urijah Faber‘s resurrected title hopes to our always iron-clad gambling advice (LOL), and much more. Enjoy…
True or false: Even though Urijah Faber has already been beaten once by Renan Barao, he still has a better chance of becoming champion this weekend than Ricardo Lamas does.
BG: True. Barao has proven that he’s a better fighter than Faber, but the Cali Kid is so talented and dangerous that nobody really outclasses him at 135. If Barao has a bad night and Faber has a good night, it’s within the realm of possibility that Faber could find a way to choke him out; their skills aren’t that far apart. And maybe there isn’t a talent-gap whatsoever. The fact that Faber’s five WEC/UFC losses have all come in title fights — and the fact that he’s still undefeated in non-title fights, after a full decade of competition — suggests that perhaps there’s some kind of psychological block that’s preventing the California Kid from firing on all cylinders when a belt’s on the line. (Then again, that’s probably the best reason to pick against him on Saturday.) But in this chaotic sport, anything can happen. No absurd win streak lasts forever, and sometimes the sun shines on an old veteran’s ass, so to speak.
SF: False, and not just because this column would be really boring if we both agreed with each other. No one is denying that Urijah Faber is an outstanding talent, but you pretty much made my point for me when you wrote “if Barao has a bad night and Faber has a good night” in regards to his chances of becoming the bamtamweight champion. Lamas, on the other hand…okay fine, his odds aren’t looking any better. Both men have the same slim chances of walking out of The Prudential Center with their respective division’s title, making “Faber has a better chance” technically wrong, and me technically correct. And everyone knows that technically correct is the best kind of correct.
Let’s say Barao defeats Faber on Saturday. Let’s say that he also never fights Dominick Cruz. Does that make Barao’s title run any less legitimate?
(…and if you turn the poster over, you’ll see Ben and Seth, butt to butt.)
UFC 169 is poppin’ off this Saturday in Newark, featuring two title fights, a must-win battle between a pair of fading heavyweight legends, and a bunch of other crap that you may or may not care about. Join us as CagePotato founding editor Ben Goldstein and editor emeritus Seth Falvo debate the major storylines surrounding the event, from Urijah Faber‘s resurrected title hopes to our always iron-clad gambling advice (LOL). Enjoy…
True or false: Even though Urijah Faber has already been beaten once by Renan Barao, he still has a better chance of becoming champion this weekend than Ricardo Lamas does.
BG: True. Barao has proven that he’s a better fighter than Faber, but the Cali Kid is so talented and dangerous that nobody really outclasses him at 135. If Barao has a bad night and Faber has a good night, it’s within the realm of possibility that Faber could find a way to choke him out; their skills aren’t that far apart. And maybe there isn’t a talent-gap whatsoever. The fact that Faber’s five WEC/UFC losses have all come in title fights — and the fact that he’s still undefeated in non-title fights, after a full decade of competition — suggests that perhaps there’s some kind of psychological block that’s preventing the California Kid from firing on all cylinders when a belt’s on the line. (Then again, that’s probably the best reason to pick against him on Saturday.) But in this chaotic sport, anything can happen. No absurd win streak lasts forever, and sometimes the sun shines on an old veteran’s ass, so to speak.
SF: False, and not just because this column would be really boring if we both agreed with each other. No one is denying that Urijah Faber is an outstanding talent, but you pretty much made my point for me when you wrote “if Barao has a bad night and Faber has a good night” in regards to his chances of becoming the bamtamweight champion. Lamas, on the other hand…okay fine, his odds aren’t looking any better. Both men have the same slim chances of walking out of The Prudential Center with their respective division’s title, making “Faber has a better chance” technically wrong, and me technically correct. And everyone knows that technically correct is the best kind of correct.
Let’s say Barao defeats Faber on Saturday. Let’s say that he also never fights Dominick Cruz. Does that make Barao’s title run any less legitimate?
SF: Not at all — or at least it really shouldn’t. It would really bum me out if the two guys who seem like the only legitimate competition for each other at bantamweight never fight, but creating a chicken/egg situation out of the mess won’t exactly solve anything. If you’re going to wonder whether Renan Barao is less of a champion for never having beat Dominick Cruz in this situation, you may as well also ponder how much Dominick Cruz benefits from never having to fight Renan Barao, the one man who could have actually beaten him. Maybe you should also think about whether Kimbo Slice would have been a UFC champion if he only learned the ground game, while you’re at it. Let it go, nerds. Trust me, it’ll be just as fun to watch Barao punch other people’s faces in.
BG: No argument there. The champion is the guy who beats the top competition available to him at any given moment in time. We don’t say that Anthony Pettis is any less legitimate because he never beat prime BJ Penn, or that Cain Velasquez is any less legitimate because he never beat the hypothetical BJJ black-belt version of Kimbo Slice, who sounds like an absolute monster, by the way. “Prime Dominick Cruz” was a person who existed in 2010-2011, then essentially disappeared due to repeated injuries. He has almost no relevance to Renan Barao, who has spent the last two years beating incredibly talented opponents like Faber, Michael McDonald, and Eddie Wineland. Barao is the best bantamweight around, period. We should give him his props accordingly.
What’s the smartest single wager you can make on UFC 169, with these odds?
I can’t decide if a straight bet on John Makdessi (first legitimate test for Alan Patrick), Chris Cariaso (facing a TUF washout making his UFC debut on short notice), or Renan Barao (#LOLFaberInTitleFights) is the best way to spend my money, so I’ll just recommend dropping twenty bucks on a parlay featuring all three of those guys. If it pays off, BetUS will be sending you $50.46 for your efforts. And if it doesn’t pay off, well, you only need one kidney to function, you pansy.
BG: I’ll also suggest a three-fight parlay, but mine is safer, more profitable, and actually grounded in the scientific method. Twenty bones on Ali Bagautinov, Rashid Magomedov, and Gasan Umalatov would return $62.29 in profit — and that bet is basically a lock, because they’re all Russian. From Khabib Nurmagomedov to Rustam Khabilov, Russian fighters whose names end in “v” have been unstoppable in the UFC lately. I know next to nothing about Magomedov and Umalatov, but they’re both odds-on favorites in their fights, and are you really going to bet against the Puncher King? Do the right thing, people.
John Lineker has missed weight for three of his five UFC appearances. If he misses weight again on Friday, what would be an appropriate punishment?
BG: I’m kind of surprised that the UFC hasn’t already forced Lineker up to bantamweight against his will; it just goes to show you how desperate the UFC is for flyweight contenders who can consistently finish fights. But enough’s enough. If Lineker misses weight again on Friday, the UFC should take a serious chunk out of his paycheck — say 40% — suspend him for six months, and then force him up to bantamweight. And if it happens again after that, they should fire Lineker the spot, right there at the weigh-ins. Seriously, Burt Watson should just hand him an empty banker’s box and tell him to clear his desk out, but leave the goddamned radio because we paid for that. And as security escorts Lineker out of the building, the cameras will catch Mike Dolce next to the stage, weeping into his hands. “Nutella and bananas,” he’ll say to nobody in particular, “and all this could have been avoided.”
SF:Weight cutting isn’t exactly good for your body in the first place, making it all the more disturbing to watch a talented, promising fighter like John Lineker continue to put himself through hell for a size advantage he arguably doesn’t need in the first place. As badly as the UFC wants flyweights that the casual fans actually care about, the last thing that the promotion needs is a fighter dying due to a far-too-stressful weight cut; just imagine the chaos that would cause. I’m with you on the fine and pushing him up to bantamweight, but a suspension? That’ll only give Lineker time to pack on mass so he can continue to sabotage his health with vicious weight cuts when he begins fighting at bantamweight, pretty much making him the Anthony Johnson Lite. If Lineker misses weight for his bantamweight debut, I really hope that the audience sings “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.” I’ve always wanted to hear the crowd at an MMA show do that.
The winner of Frank Mir vs. Alistair Overeem saves his job from sure elimination. What do you see happening to the loser?
SF: If Mir loses this fight — and for what it’s worth, the oddsmakers sure seem to think he will — expect him to retire and accept a comfortable desk job with the UFC. With the company pushing so hard for “World Fucking Domination,” it needs as many brand ambassadors (read: people to tweet selfies of themselves at historical foreign monuments and high-five the locals) and competent commentators for these international Fight Pass cards as it can get, and Frank Mir is the perfect candidate for either position. Especially the latter, given how he excelled during his WEC commentary stint.
If Overeem loses this fight, here’s how I see things playing out: A pink slip from the UFC, a four month retirement, a return to kickboxing, a departure from drug testing, the return of his once-Herculean physique, an occasional MMA fight in Europe and/or Asia, the opening of his own gym, his appearances in the indies becoming increasingly tragic, the closure of his gym, him calling out whoever the UFC Heavyweight Champion is at the time, and then five months later he’s found dead. The official cause of death will be heart failure due to a fatal combination of painkillers and muscle relaxers he took for his lingering injuries.
Okay, at some point during that I got bored and began typing the life story of Every Professional Wrestler Ever, but you get the idea.
BG: Man, I wasn’t prepared for how depressing this column was going to get. I mean, Frank Mir being forced into a desk job? Total nightmare. For the purposes of this answer, I’ll make a concrete prediction and say that Mir will lose by TKO in round 2, and Overeem will save his job. Mir will be cut and immediately snapped up by World Series of Fighting, where he’ll beat Mike Kyle (obviously) to set up a heavyweight headliner at WSOF 13 against Anthony Johnson. Johnson will knock Mir out in under a minute, making Rumble the first UFC welterweight washout to somehow hold victories over two former UFC heavyweight champions. Mir will retire from MMA and transition into strip-club management in his hometown of Las Vegas. After his divorce, Mir will move into an apartment with Pete Rose, who will constantly refer to Mir as “kid.”
Here’s the thing about UFC 169, happening Saturday night in New Jersey: There are a lot of guys on the card that people don’t really care about.
