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UFC 210 Results: Daniel Cormier Retains Title vs. Anthony Johnson Via Submission

Surprise retirements. Controversial finishes. Slick submissions. UFC 210 had a little bit of everything, including a fair amount of weird.
That includes how Daniel Cormier retained his light heavyweight championship against Anthony “Rumble” Johns…

Surprise retirements. Controversial finishes. Slick submissions. UFC 210 had a little bit of everything, including a fair amount of weird.

That includes how Daniel Cormier retained his light heavyweight championship against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

The end result wasn’t the surprise. It ended with Cormier locking in a rear-naked choke on the challenger—just as their fight finished at UFC 187.

What was surprising, however, was Johnson’s strategy in the fight.

Rumble—known for his incredible knockout power—opted to wrestle with the former Olympian. Johnson pinned Cormier against the fence early in Round 1 and even took down the champion. It was enough for him to actually win the opening round, per Matt Erickson of MMAjunkie:

However, Johnson’s plan proved to be unsustainable, as Cormier took charge in the second frame. He reversed the roles and scored a takedown of his own. From there, his transitional grappling took over, and he eventually worked his way to Rumble’s back and forced the tap.

The odd didn’t stop there, though.

Rather than interviewing Cormier first, Rumble addressed the crowd members to let them know that he was walking away from the sport, per Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting:

It was a puzzling night for one of the most dangerous men in the sport. However, it was business as usual for Cormier.

After defending his belt once again, he unsurprisingly took aim at longtime rival Jon Jones along with light heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa, according to Ben Fowlkes of MMAjunkie:

It was an interesting night of fights to say the least. The theatrics of the main event matched the tenor of the rest of the night, including a controversial finish, the retirement of another UFC veteran and some good finishes.

Here’s a look at the complete results and a closer look at the main card fights.

UFC 210 Main Card

Daniel Cormier def. Anthony Johnson, submission (Round 2, 3:37)
Gegard Mousasi def. Chris Weidman, TKO (Round 2, 3:13)
Cynthia Calvillo def. Pearl Gonzalez, Submission (Round 3, 3:45)
Thiago Alves def. Patrick Cote, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Charles Oliveira def. Will Brooks, submission (Round 1, 2:30)

Prelims on Fox Sports 1

Myles Jury def. Mike De La Torre, TKO (Round 1, 3:30)
Kamaru Usman def. Sean Strickland, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
Shane Burgos def. Charles Rosa, TKO (Round 3, 1:59)
Patrick Cummins def. Jan Blachowicz, majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)

Prelims on UFC Fight Pass

Gregor Gillespie def. Andrew Holbrook, knockout (Round 1, 0:21)
Desmond Green def. Josh Emmett, split-decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Katlyn Chookagian def. Irene Aldana, split-decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Magomed Bibulatov def. Jenel Lausa, unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-26)

Chris Weidman vs. Gegard Mousasi

Even with a light heavyweight title fight headlining, this card might best be remembered for the controversial finish to the middleweight co-main event between Chris Weidman and Gegard Mousasi.

Facing a third loss in a row, Weidman came out of the gates strong, securing two takedowns in the first round and even landing some solid shots in the stand-up.

Then things got weird.

Mousasi took charge at the beginning of the second frame, but Weidman answered with another takedown attempt. Although the attempt was stuffed, Weidman put both hands on the ground to make himself a grounded opponent. As he lifted one of the hands, Mousasi hit the former champion with two knees to the head.

While the first was clearly legal, the second was deemed illegal. Referee Dan Miragliotta called a stop to the action because of the perceived infraction, however, he was informed that the knee was legal, and the fight was called a TKO victory for Mousasi.

However, as Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report notes, the New York Commission doesn’t use replay, so there was confusion as to how a call can be overturned by replay:

Ultimately it was a confusing end to a fight that appeared to be headed toward being a great one.

Cynthia Calvillo vs. Pearl Gonzalez

Cynthia Calvillo made a statement at UFC 209 when she came in on 10 days’ notice to beat Amanda Cooper on the main card.

At UFC 210, she legitimatized that result.

The Team Alpha Male fighter overwhelmed Gonzalez with volume in the opening round, then finished up the opening frame with a near-submission by triangle choke.

In the second round, Gonzalez scored a takedown that put her directly into mount and work for an armbar, putting Calvillo’s chances in question. Instead of falling victim, though, Calvillo used her slick transitions to slide out of that submission and take her opponent’s back.

Calvillo is quickly showing that the ground isn’t a place where opponents will thrive against her. In the third frame, she took the back once more and wouldn’t be denied the rear-naked choke.

Two UFC wins in back-to-back pay-per-views is certainly a rarity. It’s even more unlikely for someone who hasn’t even been fighting that long. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Online noted Calvillo’s relative lack of experience:

After that display of well-rounded game, Calvillo is a name to keep an eye on.

Patrick Cote vs. Thiago Alves

In a battle of UFC veterans, it was Thiago Alves who proved that he has a lot more left in the tank against Patrick Cote.

Cote wanted to push the pace in the fight, and Alves was more than happy to oblige. While Cote came charging forward with inefficient combinations, Pitbull was able to be the more technical, consistent counter-striker, and it stopped Cote dead in his track on more than one occasion.

Patrick Wyman of Bleacher Report praised the impressive performance:

Alves’ consistency paid off, as he swept all three rounds on the judges’ scorecards.

It was an encouraging performance from the Brazilian after a failed attempt to get down to 155 pounds last time out. With as many fighters that have had a career renaissance, it isn’t out of the question that Alves, who has battled injuries and inconsistency in the past, could be coming back at 33 years old.

There will be no comeback for Cote, however.

After the fight, the Canadian called it a career—something he planned on doing after this bout win or lose, according to MMA Fighting:

Cote’s career began in 2004 with a loss to Tito Ortiz, and he once challenged Anderson Silva for the middleweight title.

Will Brooks vs. Charles Oliveira

Charles Oliveira has always been a man with a ton of talent, but he doesn’t always put it together in the cage.

This time, Do Bronx turned in one of the best performances of his life in his return to the lightweight division.

Taking on a former Bellator champion in Will Brooks, Oliveira showed no fear in securing a surprise takedown early in the first round and went right to work advancing position. After just over two minutes of jockeying for position, Oliveira latched onto a standing rear-naked choke that eventually forced the tap.

Brooks is a serious threat in the lightweight division, so this is a huge boost for the 27-year-old’s stock in the lightweight division.

After going 1-3 in his last four fights in the featherweight division, Oliveira would be wise to remain in the division. Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting encouraged the fighter to do so:

However, Oliveira expressed his desire to go back down to 145 pounds, for some reason, per Bleacher Report MMA:

For Brooks this is a devastating loss. It’s now his second loss in a row. He lost to Alex Oliveira last time out and is now 1-2 since joining the UFC.

While Charles Oliveira was one of the biggest winners on the night, Brooks’ career may have taken the most damaging blow at the event.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Daniel Cormier Defends Belt in Anthony Johnson UFC 210 Rematch; Rumble Retires

Daniel Cormier once again successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight championship, scoring a second-round submission win over Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in UFC 210’s main event at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on Saturday. …

Daniel Cormier once again successfully defended his UFC light heavyweight championship, scoring a second-round submission win over Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in UFC 210‘s main event at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on Saturday.

Rumble immediately pushed the pace, looking to pressure Cormier and even putting his back to the fence. Rather than take advantage of his power in the stand-up game, Rumble looked to take down Cormier. What resulted was a round that was mostly spent with the two jockeying for position against the cage.

Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie voiced the concern for Rumble’s fight IQ, tweeting what pretty much anyone watching the bout was thinking:

Despite Rumble’s odd approach, Josh Gross of The Guardian gave the round to Johnson in an uneventful affair:

While Rumble’s so-crazy-it-just-might-work plan looked good in the first, it took a quick turn south in the second round as a familiar sight began to form. Johnson once again looked to work the clinch game, but this time DC scored the takedown.

Cormier went to work in transitions and took Johnson’s back. From there it was deja vu all over again as he sank in the rear-naked choke and forced the tap to retain his belt. UFC tweeted the aftermath:

Mike Chiappetta of Bleacher Report noted the remarkable similarity in most of Rumble’s losses throughout his career:

After the bout, Rumble had a surprise announcement, calling it a day on his career, per Ben Fowlkes of MMAjunkie:

And of course, Cormier had to take the opportunity after the fight to talk about longtime rival Jon Jones, per MMA Fighting:

The win and title run continues to solidify Cormier’s billing as the No. 1 light heavyweight in the world who’s currently allowed to compete.

The 6’4″ elephant in the room—of course—is Jones. Inside the cage, Bones has proved to be unstoppable to any man at 205 pounds, including the current champion. Jones defeated Cormier by unanimous decision in January 2015 to hand DC his first and only career loss.

The two were supposed to run back their first encounter at UFC 200, but the fight was called off days before the pay-per-view after Jones tested positive for a banned substance in an out-of-competition sample.

That doesn’t mean the fight is off the table, though.

Speaking in February, UFC President Dana White insinuated that when Jones is eligible to come back to fighting in July, he’ll do so looking to get his belt back.

“Jon Jones is supposed to return around July so the timing is perfect. I haven’t talked to him. I have not talked to Jon Jones since the whole incident [at UFC 200],” White said, per Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting. “Depending on where Jon’s head is and where he thinks he is, I would assume he would come right back and try to get his title back.”

There’s still bad blood between the two light heavyweights, too. Cormier hasn’t stopped voicing his opinion of Bones, and his presence at UFC 210 was just the last thing for him to sound off on, per Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting (via Milan Ordonez of Bloody Elbow):

If I was suspended for anything, especially for something whatever it may have said to be, there’s no way I’m out in public. I’m staying home, I’d lick my wounds until my suspension is done, and then I’d come back out. But I think that says a lot about your character. Because are you truly sorry for what you did if you’re really still willing to prance around even though you’re still actually under suspension?

Realistically, Jones is one of the few intriguing options remaining for Cormier. The 38-year-old has now beaten Rumble twice and Alexander Gustafsson once. Those two are already ranked as the top two contenders, according to the UFC’s rankings.

Glover Teixeira is technically next up according to those rankings, but the difference in draw between Teixeira and a rematch with Jones is big.

With Rumble now out of the picture, Jones-Cormier II is the only fight to make in the light heavyweight division.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Gegard Mousasi Secures Controversial TKO Victory vs. Chris Weidman at UFC 210

Gegard Mousasi made himself even harder to ignore when discussing top middleweights with a controversial second-round TKO win over former UFC champion Chris Weidman in the co-main event of UFC 210 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday…

The All-American got off to a great start. After a brief feeling-out process from both fighters, Weidman dumped Mousasi on the mat off a single-leg takedown and worked for a choke. Although he was denied the submission, it set the pattern for the first round: Weidman takedown, minimal ground-and-pound, Mousasi working to his feet only to get taken down again.

The two early takedowns were why Mike Chiappetta of Bleacher Report gave the first round to Weidman:

The second round is where the fight moved from legitimately good to crazy.

Mousasi came out firing, overwhelming Weidman against the fence with a barrage of strikes. But an ill-advised takedown attempt stifled his momentum.

As the bout continued, the new rules that state a fighter must have two hands on the ground to be considered down came into play. Mousasi hit Weidman with two knees, and while the first was legal, the second appeared to be illegal with Weidman lifting his hand off the mat just as the knee arrived on his forehead.

At first, the fight was stopped to give Weidman time to recover; however, after replay, the knee was ruled legal and the doctor stopped the fight.

Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report voiced his displeasure with the decision:

However, Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports highlighted its controversial nature by declaring it the right call.

Weidman gave his final thoughts on the decision, via MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani:

It was an unsatisfying conclusion to what was shaping up to be a great bout.

The win solidifies a hot streak for the Dutch kickboxer. Mousasi has now won five straight in the division, but a name like Weidman’s adds legitimacy to those numbers. His list of previous vanquished foes in that time includes Uriah Hall (who he lost to previously) and Vitor Belfort, but Weidman is the only one who is currently ranked in the top 10 of the division.

Regardless, it always feels like Mousasi is the forgotten man among middleweights. But the 31-year-old is doing his best to rectify that, in and out of the cage.

Mousasi has become increasingly vocal about his place in the organization and continues to back it up with strong performances. He hasn’t shied away from declaring he’s deserving of a title shot, but realizes the UFC might not have that on its radar.

“I feel the same way (deserve title shot), but, Dan Henderson fought for the title and now GSP is fighting for the title, Yoel Romero is next,” Mousasi said, per Adam Guillen Jr. of MMA Mania (via MMA H.E.A.T.). “I don’t know, I just need to win so I will concentrate on that first. Do I feel I deserve to with my career, especially if I get this win? Yes.”

Now that he has the win, it’ll be interesting to see what the UFC does with him. Even with a career that is marked by championship runs in Cage Warriors, DREAM and Strikeforce, he still doesn’t have the same name recognition as other contenders ahead of him.

What’s interesting is where Weidman goes from here. At this point, he’s the epitome of just how quickly things can turn on an athlete in this sport.

After starting his career 13-0 with two wins against one of the greatest fighters of all time in Anderson Silva, he’s now on a three-fight losing streak. It makes him a 13-3 fighter who might be done contending for titles.

It’s hard to envision a turnaround for the 32-year-old when it’s uncertain if a guy like Mousasi will even get a title shot.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bellator 175 Results: King Mo Beats Rampage Jackson to Highlight Friday’s Card

Bellator 175 provided the backdrop for Muhammed “King Mo” to dish out revenge against heated rival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The former Strikeforce champion came out victorious in his rematch against Jackson by unanimous decision.
While the result was…

While the result was flipped this time, the fight actually played out similarly to their first encounter in 2014.

King Mo won the first round with relative ease thanks to a dominant wrestling game that allowed him to take Rampage down and control the fight against the cage for the majority of the first frame. It was an effective approach but not a fan-friendly one as noted by Mike Chiappetta of Bleacher Report:

Although Jackson looked like a completely different fighter at a robust 253 pounds for this fight, he still had his trademark power. It was his ability to do damage with his hands that made it appear that he had turned the fight in his favor in the second round.

Rampage landed a series of left hands that had King Mo in trouble and earned him the second round.

But conditioning is hard when fighting nearly 50 pounds over your normal fighting weight. Jackson didn’t have enough gas in the tank to overcome his exhaustion as Lawal took the momentum back in the third and final round, earning the nod on the cards.

Overall, this wasn’t the prettiest of fights, but it did serve the purpose of getting a big name on the card as Bellator continues to look to grow its brand. The main event wasn’t the only action the Chicago crowd got to see as plenty of the organization’s homegrown talent was on display.

Here’s a look at the complete results from the night as well as a close look at all the main card action:

Quinton Jackson vs. Muhammed Lawal — Lawal UD 29-28 X3
Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Marcos Galvao — Sanchez UD 30-27 X3.
Sergei Kharitonov vs. Chase Gormley — Kharitonov KO 3:55 R1.
Noad Lahat vs. Lloyd Carter — Lahat RNC 3:50 R2.
Steve Kozola vs. Jake Roberts — Kozola KO 0:28 R1.
Joaquin Buckley vs. Justin Patterson — Buckley UD 30-27, 29-28 X2.
Prince McLean vs. Adam Maciejewski — unaired before Spike.
Damian Norris vs. Tom Shoaff — Norris UD (30-27 X3).
Matt Paul vs. James Bochnovic — Bochnovic RNC 4:30 R1.
Nate Williams vs. Manny Vasquez — Vasquez UD 30-27, 29-27, 29-28.
J.D. Hardwick vs. Tim Cho — Cho TKO 2:43 R3.
Brian Akins vs. Mike DeLaVega — DeLaVega SD (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).

Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Marcos Galvao

Emmanuel Sanchez’s rise up the Bellator rankings saw a big boost in a unanimous-decision win over Marcos Galvao. The 26-year-old simply outclassed a former Bellator champion in Galvao all three rounds en route to the decision win.

Sanchez’s weekend didn’t get off to a great start when he failed to make weight at Thursday’s weigh-ins, but he certainly didn’t look out of shape. He utilized his volume and space to force Galvao to fight on his heels.

Bellator MMA showcased a combination that exemplified Sanchez’s movement:

Picking up this win was another important step toward becoming a bonafide contender for the featherweight title. After the fight, he addressed the weight issue while asking to be considered for the next title shot:

Missing weight is an egregious offense, but if Sanchez can figure out how to consistently get to 145 pounds, his striking is strong enough to give him a chance against anyone in the division.

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Chase Gormley

Coming off a 16-second knockout loss to Javy Ayala, there was concern that Sergei Kharitonov was officially shot.

He made that look silly against Chase Gormley.

Shortly after Bellator announced that it would be crowning a new heavyweight champion in 2017, Kharitonov threw his name in that ring with a massive right cross and right uppercut that turned into a walk-off knockout in the first round.

Among all the major signings by Bellator lately, it’s easy to overlook Kharitonov. He lost his debut in devastating fashion, but as Adam Martin of DraftKings notes, his resume is consistently underrated:

This wasn’t just a case of Kharitonov landing first. The Russian had to walk through some damage from Gormley and patiently wait for the right opening. But when it came, he was able to close the door pretty quickly showing that he still has some power in his hands.

In a heavyweight division that doesn’t currently have a champion, that’s enough to be relevant.

Noad Lahat vs. Lloyd Carter

For the second time in as many attempts, former Israeli Defense Force member Noah Lahat walked away with a rear-naked choke victory.

Although this had the appearance of a showcase fight for Lahat, there was a small moment of doubt. Carter connected on a jab that briefly sent Lahat to the floor, but it didn’t take long for the former UFC fighter to bounce back and dominate the rest of the first round.

From there, Lahat took even fewer chances in the striking game and instead went to plying his trade on the ground. Not many people have success against Lahat there, and it wasn’t long before he was locking in the rear-naked choke.

Lahat is now 2-0 under the Bellator banner and appears to be convinced he’ll have a spot on the upcoming card in New York in June, per Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting:

Lahat is definitely an interesting name to look at in a fairly deep featherweight division. Carter wasn’t the fighter to put his skills to the test, but he’s got the kind of skills that he’s going to be a tough out for anyone in the division.

Steve Kozola vs. Jake Roberts

Fun fact: Steve “Thunderbeast” Kozola will just keep swinging at you until you aren’t in front of him anymore.

Fortunately for everyone else, Jake Roberts was the one that found out that little tidbit about Kozola. The 27-year-old was fighting in front of a hometown crowd in Chicago, but they didn’t get to watch him fight for very long.

Roberts came into the bout with a 7-1 record that included six finishes of his own, but Kozola took just 28 seconds to turn out the lights for Roberts due to a vicious combination that all started with a clean left hook.

After the bout, Kozola wasted no time in making his intentions clear. He called out recent Bellator signee and jiu-jitsu standout Dillon Danis, per Bellator MMA:

Between the highlight finish and a lively post-fight interview, Kozola quickly established himself as one of the night’s biggest winners.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

King Mo Scores Unanimous-Decision Win over Rampage Jackson at Bellator 175

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal always believed that he had a win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, but he didn’t have the official scorecards to prove it. He now has an official victory as he defeated the former UFC star by unanimous decision in the main even…

MMAjunkie tweeted out the scores:

The heavyweight version of Rampage got off to a slow start. The 253-pound Jackson conceded the center and allowed Lawal to back him into the cage where the former collegiate wrestler worked him down to the mat.

Ben Fowlkes of MMAjunkie noted the difference between the bloated Rampage in this fight and the light heavyweight incarnation of the former champion:

Jackson was ultimately able to free himself for long enough to climb along the fence, but it only allowed King Mo to also score plenty of points from the clinch along the cage.

Bloody Elbow recapped the round for King Mo:

Just when it looked like Jackson was simply too out of shape to compete against King Mo, he landed a sharp left hook that turned back time and put King Mo down. From there Jackson jumped into an advantageous position and scored from top position.

Josh Gross of the Guardian set the scene going into the third and final round:

With clear winners in Round 1 and 2, it all came down to Round 3. While Jackson scored a key takedown, it was King Mo who consistently landed the better striking as he had Rampage back to the fence again.

MMAFighting explained its reasoning for giving the round to King Mo:

After the bout, it was announced that King Mo will now see Ryan Bader at Madison Square Garden on June 24 at Bellator 180:

The win has to come as a huge sigh of relief for King Mo. There’s some genuine bad blood between these two fighters, and Lawal dropped a controversial decision in his first bout with Jackson at Bellator 120 in 2014.

After buildup in which Jackson talked of knocking out King Mo, the two engaged in a fight that offered little excitement and Jackson won on the cards.

However, only one of 13 media members scoring the fight gave the bout to Jackson. One called the fight a draw while the other 11 all had Lawal winning the fight, per MMA Decisions.

Understandably, Lawal thought it was pretty clear he won the first fight.

“For what? Cause really, I won the first fight, there shouldn’t be a rematch,” King Mo said in regards to a potential third fight, per Jason Nawara of Uproxx. “But he asked for one, so I gave it to him. That first fight, I thought I won. Most people thought I won. He thought I won. Look at his reaction. He came and asked for a rematch.”

Now that he has an official win over Rampage, there’s some serious vindication in the rivalry.

What this means for King Mo will be interesting going forward, but even more interesting is where Jackson will go from here.

Bellator has proven to be an accommodating home for former UFC veterans, and with Ryan Bader, Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva recently joining the ranks of the organization, an aging Rampage Jackson seems like a good fit moving forward.

There could be an issue with the 38-year-old that would have the fighter awkwardly returning to the UFC again, per Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting:

That would be a bummer for the former UFC champion. Not only has Bellator afforded him the flexibility to fight at heavyweight, but he has momentum with a 4-1 record in the organization.

Then again, Rampage sounds like a man who is about ready to walk away from the sport lately. Jackson mused about a life outside of MMA and missing his family in the lead up to this fight.

“I would have to honestly say that my biggest regret is even starting this sport,” Jackson said, per ESPN. “I think I would’ve lived a different life if I would’ve stayed home in Memphis and worked at the family business. I’d be closer to my family and growing old with them instead of living out at California.”

Jackson later walked those statements back. He stated that his words were taken negatively and reiterated the love for his fans, per Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.

While Jackson might not have meant that he doesn’t still love the sport, one has to wonder how much longer this heavyweight version of Rampage wants to hang around.

With a bitter loss over one of his biggest rivals and a possible contract issue keeping him from staying with his current organization, the former champ might find this is the perfect time for an exit.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

That Time WrestleMania’s Goldberg Set Off One of MMA’s Wildest In-Cage Brawls

It’s no secret that WrestleMania main eventer Brock Lesnar had an MMA career. Heck, he was the UFC’s most popular, most influential fighter for a long time and set the bar for pay-per-view and box-office success, and his second run in the company was b…

What’s often forgotten is that his opponent on Sunday has also stepped into the cage himself. Don’t let his on-screen character fool you, though. He wasn’t in the cage as a fighter. He was actually in the cage as a commentator and analyst.

Back in 2007, fledgling promotion EliteXC was looking to make as big a splash as possible. One way it did so was reaching out to Goldberg, who was tabbed to be the promotion’s answer to fellow celebrity-turned-commentator Joe Rogan.

For the most part, that run has been mercifully forgotten as his work at the desk and on the microphone was widely panned by fans and pundits (though it remains immortalized in a few videos). That said, Goldberg’s MMA career stands out for his role in one of MMA’s most notorious (but beloved for some) moments. Check out the video here (warning, NSFW):

Following his title defense over Yves Edwards, Elite XC 160-pound champ KJ Noons was approached by Nick Diaz (flanked by his brother, Nate Diaz) to set up a rematch of their controversial 2007 bout. With fighters’ entourages shouting at one another, Goldberg points the mic to Diaz, who utters one of the most famous lines in MMA history.

“Don’t be scared, homie.”

Goldberg tries, and fails, to defuse the situation, but a scuffle starts that sees the two groups forcibly separated, with the Diaz brothers ultimately making their way back up the ramp with middle fingers raised.

The moment, and that one line, live on with MMA fans, and while most of the personalities outside Diaz get omitted from the folktales about the brawl, make no mistake: The man holding the microphone is our WWE universal champ.

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