(When is Nick going to start playing the game and hit a tanning booth and wear a little lip gloss for photo shoots?)
Frank Shamrock spoke to FightHubTV recently and former UFC light heavyweight and Strikeforce middleweight champion gave his thoughts on the upcoming UFC welterweight title bout between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz.
Shamrock, who admits he underestimated the Stockton native when they squared off back in 2009 in his final bout, says that he feels that St-Pierre is in for a rude awakening come February 4.
(When is Nick going to start playing the game and hit a tanning booth and wear a little lip gloss for photo shoots?)
Frank Shamrock spoke to FightHubTV recently and former UFC light heavyweight and Strikeforce middleweight champion gave his thoughts on the upcoming UFC welterweight title bout between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz.
Shamrock, who admits he underestimated the Stockton native when they squared off back in 2009 in his final bout, says that he feels that St-Pierre is in for a rude awakening come February 4.
“Nick is going to whoop on him. That is a fighter Georges has not faced and I think will really test him, if not beat Georges. The advantage he has over Nick is wrestling and if he decides to lay on him for five rounds, what has he proven? Diaz has better boxing, better cardio and better jiu jitsu,” Shamrock explains. “If the fight goes to the ground, GSP can’t take his time how he likes to, looking for a submission; Nick will be moving and looking for any submission he can get. It will be a great fight. I know that for sure.”
As far as his bout with Diaz, Shamrock says that he was surprised with how good the scrappy Team Cesar Gracie fighter was.
“[I wanted to] kick the crap out of this kid and teach him a lesson but that didn’t happen. I went in feeling ready and able to shut him up, there were nagging injuries but they didn’t play too big of a factor,” he explained. “At the end, Nick was awesome – he is a different level of fighter and I knew that after he landed the first punch.”
James Toney will give his MMA career another go with a fight against Ken Shamrock. I’m not sure whether to laugh at or feel really really bad for both these guys: here. Shoulder injury forces.
James Toney will give his MMA career another go with a fight against Ken Shamrock. I’m not sure whether to laugh at or feel really really bad for both these guys: here.
Shoulder injury forces Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos out of fight with Paul Daley in Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson event. A replacement opponent has yet to be announced: here.
Strikeforce Challengers 16 will feature first female fight under the Zuffa banner with Julia Budd vs. Germaine de Randamie. Check out the ladies: here.
Catch live UFC on Versus 4 weigh-ins this Saturday: here.
Find out if Jon Jones or Georges St. Pierre will win an ESPN ESPY award: here.
More pictures of the busty, Jennifer Swift aka Ms. TapouT below. If you want to hear her speak…especially about some girl fights she’s been in, check out her interview: here.
Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni went down 4 years ago.
Why it matters:
• Frank Shamrock became Strikeforce’s inaugural middleweight champion after he defeated Phil Baroni at the EliteXC co-promoted event held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California by choking “The New York Badass” unconscious with a rear-naked choke. Shamrock was criticized for “kicking” Baroni off of him after the bout. He explained the incident at the post-fight press conference. “He was heavy on top of me… he was squishing the life out of me… he was laying on my leg and on my chest… that’s it. And I thought it looked better on camera.” Shamrock would lose the strap one fight later to Cung Le.
• Following the bout California State Athletic Commission test results revealed that Baroni tested positive for Boldenone and Stanozolol steroid metabolites. He was fined $2,500 and suspended for a year from competing in California — a suspension that would be observed by every member agency in the Association of Boxing Commissions. Baroni denied any wrongdoing and appealed the decision and on October 31, 2007 Baroni’s suspension was reduced to 6 months without a even a shred of evidence presented that exonerated him.
• Murilo Rua defeated Joey Vilasenor to become the first EliteXC middleweight champion. He would lose it in his next fight with Robbie Lawler.
• Carter Williams was found by the CSAC to have tested positive for cocaine. As a result he was fined $1,000 and suspended for six months.
(Video courtesy of YouTube/Stemerm1)
Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Baroni went down 4 years ago.
Why it matters:
• Frank Shamrock became Strikeforce’s inaugural middleweight champion after he defeated Phil Baroni at the EliteXC co-promoted event held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California by choking “The New York Badass” unconscious with a rear-naked choke. Shamrock was criticized for “kicking” Baroni off of him after the bout. He explained the incident at the post-fight press conference. “He was heavy on top of me… he was squishing the life out of me… he was laying on my leg and on my chest… that’s it. And I thought it looked better on camera.” Shamrock would lose the strap one fight later to Cung Le.
• Following the bout California State Athletic Commission test results revealed that Baroni tested positive for Boldenone and Stanozolol steroid metabolites. He was fined $2,500 and suspended for a year from competing in California — a suspension that would be observed by every member agency in the Association of Boxing Commissions. Baroni denied any wrongdoing and appealed the decision and on October 31, 2007 Baroni’s suspension was reduced to 6 months without a even a shred of evidence presented that exonerated him.
• Murilo Rua defeated Joey Vilasenor to become the first EliteXC middleweight champion. He would lose it in his next fight with Robbie Lawler.
• Carter Williams was found by the CSAC to have tested positive for cocaine. As a result he was fined $1,000 and suspended for six months.
Brian Bowles was born 31 years ago.
Why he matters:
• Bowles is the former WEC bantamweight champion
• He holds wins over Charlie Valencia, Miguel Torres and Damacio Page.
• All nine of his wins came by KO, TKO or submission giving him a 90% finish rate — one of the best in the UFC.
Randy Couture was born 48 years ago. (Video courtesy of YouTube/UFCEdit)
Why he matters:
If you don’t know, you’re on the wrong website.
What Captain America has accomplished in his storied MMA career will likely never be duplicated.
• The three-time All-American Greco-Roman wrestler from at Oklahoma State University is the only UFC fighter to win both the heavyweight and light heavyweight straps. Couture won both belts twice and the interim light heavyweight belt once.
• He successfully defended the heavyweight belt three times, but never defended the light heavyweight belt.
• Although his 19-11 record betrays what just how much he accomplished in his career, the majority of his losses came against current, future or former champions including Chuck Liddell (x2), Vitor Belfort, Ricco Rodriguez, Josh Barnett, Lyoto Machida and Brock Lesnar.
• His trilogy of fights with Chuck Liddell are three of the best selling cards in UFC history.
• It’s unlikely any other fighter will fight until they are 47 with the rate of success that Couture had.
“My thoughts concerning the state of Wisconsin repealing the collective bargaining rights of public employees? I’m glad you asked…”
Several recent, seemingly unrelated news stories in the MMA world have shared a common theme- unions. It’s the lobbying efforts of one union, Dana White insists, to blame for the UFC’s failure to gain a foothold in New York. And some pessimists credit a fear of unionized fighters–more than simple altruism–for Zuffa’s decision to provide accident insurance for its fighters. With all of the talk about a potential MMA Fighters Union, we took a moment to ponder who’s likely to throw their hat in the ring for union president…
“My thoughts concerning the state of Wisconsin repealing the collective bargaining rights of public employees? I’m glad you asked…”
Several recent, seemingly unrelated news stories in the MMA world have shared a common theme- unions. It’s the lobbying efforts of one union, Dana White insists, to blame for the UFC’s failure to gain a foothold in New York. And some pessimists credit a fear of unionized fighters–more than simple altruism–for Zuffa’s decision to provide accident insurance for its fighters. With all of the talk about a potential MMA Fighters Union, we took a moment to ponder who’s likely to throw their hat in the ring for union president…
Frank Shamrock: If you want to know what role “The Legend” has played in the history of our sport, just ask him. Never one to shy away from an opportunity to self-promote, Shamrock has been fighting for his relevancy in the sport ever since he departed from the UFC. His verbal battles with Dana are legendary, even prompting him to start a pseudo non-profit organization to call him out- that’s a devotion to hatred I can only hope to know. As a self-proclaimed champion of the downtrodden and sworn enemy of the Zuffa regime, Shamrock’s role as kingpin in a fighter union would finally balance the scales of power in his rivalry and allow him to resume his long-abandoned place at the top of the fighter chain.
Big John McCarthy: Fighter safety was little more than an oxymoron when Big John started officiating. Since those early days he’s played a leading role in looking out for the folks that put it all on the line. Outside of the cage, he lobbied to make sure that the Unified Rules were fair to fighters and fans alike. It’s no secret that Dana has had a grudge against him, which coincided perfectly with his inability to get re-licensed in Nevada. Big John has found several ways to earn an income in the sport without donning latex gloves, including running his own gym and serving as a analyst on The Fight Network, so maybe an opportunity to protect fighters in a new capacity would be of interest to him as well.
Chael Sonnen: What is there to explain, really? The guy has an addiction to corruption. He’s shown a clear desire to hold office, but remarkably proved too shady for a job in politics. Chael is never afraid to take the bully pulpit and hammer out a firm stance on a controversial topic, and when pinned down to a losing position he’s willing to say whatever is necessary to weasel his way out the hole he’s dug. He’s no stranger to cutting corners and skimming money from the top, which makes him a natural to head up a union. If he was willing to involve his mother in a real estate scheme, there’s little doubt he’d throw his “Uncle Dana” under the bus for a quick buck. Unless he seriously considers ditching a couple of his more nefarious personalities, he’s unlikely to glove up for awhile, and with his numerous other careers on hold this seems like a perfect fit for his unique set of morals.
Randy Couture: A true icon of the sport, “The Natural” has been involved in many of the UFC’s most memorable fights both inside the Octagon and inside the courtroom. Together they’ve made a lot of money, but following multiple break ups they’ve always seemed more reluctant bedfellows than chummy business partners. We’re only a few weeks into his latest retirement and Couture is already investing in new MMA ventures. With a stable of fighters at his side and as an obvious leader in our community he could no doubt foster support for a union throughout its ranks. He was willing to fight Zuffa in court to gain freedom from what he considered to be an unfair contract, and was very vocal about what he considered to be a lack of appropriately large paydays; maybe the time has come for him to walk that road once more.
Tito Ortiz: Even when it seemed suspiciously like he was simply looking out for himself, Tito always made it clear that he was actually fighting Dana White for every fighter’s rights. With his career in the UFC teetering on extinction, even Tito must realize his days as a fighter are numbered. He’s talked about the need for a fighter’s union—and his desire to run it–for years now, and with no other organization able to afford his hefty price tag his options will be limited. So what characteristics would you look for in a fighter union president? Eloquence? Check. Strong business acumen? Check. A trustworthy circle of friends to form his cabinet? Check.
BJ Penn: With the many turns that his career has taken, it’s clear that he’s unlikely to achieve the ambitious title of “greatest fighter to ever live”, and that may be a tough pill to swallow for a megalomaniac like Penn. Throughout his entire career, BJ has sought to dictate the terms. When Joe Rogan attempts to get his thoughts after the fight, he directs you to go to BJPenn.com to get his take. Before conducting an interview with him, you have to confirm that you do indeed like him very much. He even sued the UFC after vacating his belt to stop them from crowning a new champion. Penn is already a legend in this sport, but if he wants to rise to demigod status with the rest of the fight world serving as loyal subjects, this is his best shot.
Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, NewsIn the weeks leading up to the night he was supposed to formally announce his retirement from professional fighting, Frank Shamrock kept telling himself that he wasn’t going to go through with it. Not really. Not now….
In the weeks leading up to the night he was supposed to formally announce his retirement from professional fighting, Frank Shamrock kept telling himself that he wasn’t going to go through with it. Not really. Not now.
It was classic Kübler-Ross Model stuff, he realized afterward, and not without reason.
“For me, it really was like a death,” Shamrock said. “I went through the various phases. At first it was disbelief. I’d think, I’m not really going to do it. But then, I am feeling like I should do it. Second was, once I started moving in that direction, I didn’t really want to do it. I thought maybe I could change it and do something different. Then after a couple weeks, I finally accepted it. I knew I had already made that decision and started it, so I had to accept it. That was the crying phase.”
Filed under: MMA Media Watch, UFC, StrikeforceSaturday night’s Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley card was the first major event on Showtime since the UFC purchased Strikeforce, and it was a good opportunity to see how Showtime would handle its MMA broadcasts…
Saturday night’s Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley card was the first major event on Showtime since the UFC purchased Strikeforce, and it was a good opportunity to see how Showtime would handle its MMA broadcasts now that the premium cable channel is in business with a promotion that had previously been a rival.
Overall, I thought Showtime did a solid job of handling the UFC’s purchase of Strikeforce. But once it was time for the fighters to step into the cage, the coverage of Saturday night’s biggest controversy — the Gegard Mousasi vs. Keith Jardine draw — left something to be desired.
Let’s start with the good: Showtime handled the UFC’s purchase of Strikeforce appropriately by tackling it at the outset. It’s a major story that deserved the upfront treatment it got.
In the weeks leading up to the night he was supposed to formally announce his retirement from professional fighting, 
Saturday night’s Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley card was the first major event on Showtime since the UFC purchased Strikeforce, and it was a good opportunity to see how Showtime would handle its MMA broadcasts now that the premium cable channel is in business with a promotion that had previously been a rival.