Former UFC light heavyweight title holder and recent weightlifting enthusiast Jon Jones has had a lot of time on his hands lately. After multiple run ins with the law, and recently USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency), the possible pound for pound G.O.A.T has finally found something a little more constructive to do with his free time.
Former UFC light heavyweight title holder and recent weightlifting enthusiast Jon Jones has had a lot of time on his hands lately. After multiple run ins with the law, and recently USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency), the possible pound for pound G.O.A.T has finally found something a little more constructive to do with his free time.
At the 2017 L.A. Fitness expo earlier this week, Jon Jones made an appearance as part of the GAT supplement team (no, not involved with the supplement he got popped for). He was joined by fellow GAT representatives Men’s classic physique bodybuilderSadik Hadzovic and powerlifting strongmanRobert Oberst. As all alpha male gatherings, things got a little competitive and Jones ended up being the center of attention in a couple of high profile arm wrestling matches. Not being known for his power, we think his recent stints in the gym have been time well spent as he didn’t look too shabby amongst some of the greats in competitive fitness.
While we have to give Jones his props, Rob Oberst definitely has a bit of fun with the former champion – at one point giving him false hope only to crush him mercilessly. You can see the sadistic enjoyment on his face in the freeze frame above. All in all it was a good day for Jon Jones. You win some, you lose some, and no pregnant women were harmed during the making of this video.
What do you guys think of cross promotion? Should competitive fitness and MMA ever meet?
To put it bluntly, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley rubs people the wrong way. Whether it’s for lack of personality, big money fight call outs, or playing the race card, for some reason or another he hasn’t exactly been a big smash hit with the fans. Until now…maybe?
To put it concisely, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley rubs people the wrong way. Whether it’s for lack of personality, big money fight call outs, or playing the race card, for some reason or another he hasn’t exactly been a big smash hit with the fans. Until now…maybe?
One of the biggest critique of Tyron Woodley is that he’s been ducking fights. He recently fought the much touted Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson to a majority draw at UFC 205. While it didn’t settle much on the scorecard – it did show that he could bang with the karate phenom, almost finishing him in Rd 4 . Now it seems after failed negotiations for a super fight with middleweight champ Michael Bisping, the two will meet again at UFC 209.
In a recent episode on his podcast “The Morning Wood”, he revealed that him and Wonderboy would again be sharing the octagon on March 4th.
“March 4th, UFC 209 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at what I believe to be the T-Mobile Center, you will see ‘Wonderboy’ get the worst ass-whooping of his life,” Woodley said. “And hopefully all of his fans and all of his over-entitlement deceases at that moment and we can do a eulogy for it.”
“From this point forward, I’m going to commit to taking this dude out in the most embarrassing and worst fashion,” Woodley said. “And with that said, that last fight is in the dust. I ain’t going to cry over spilled milk. I ain’t going to cry over what round, who did what, where, when, where. That fight is in the dust. It’s done, it’s over with.
“This is a new fight, the most important fight of my life, not only to just continue to be the champion and to keep my belt — I can’t allow myself to lose to him and what he stands for and what his fans stand for, and this overly-entitled group of individuals who are in mixed martial arts. I can’t let myself lose to that. So with that said, let’s get to work and let’s get this party on the go.”
So the real question is – even if he beats Wonderboy in March, will people finally accept Tyron Woodley as their champ? Probably not. Let’s face it, the fans want to see him lose. That’s why they’re going to hail whoever he fights next as the person to dethrone him. Don’t get me wrong, Demian Maia and Donald Cerrone are absolute beasts and could very well do the job if Wonderboy can’t take care of business, but I think it’s the case that most fans just can’t connect with the welterweight champ.
To a certain degree he reminds me of Dominick Cruz. Before he was a fan favorite, he was a guy that wasn’t very much liked. “The California Kid” Urijah Faber was definitely the more popular of the two with his surfer vibe and coloquios attitude. Cruz was a bit more serious, more introverted, more in his head. His turning point really happened after his injury, he became one of the best analyst in the game, and started to inspire people with his never say die attitude. His under 2 minute K.O. of Takeya Mizugaki didn’t hurt either.
In my assessment, Woodley will have to keep that belt for a long time for people to really come round to him. At the end of the day you can’t deny someone who keeps on winning (insert Floyd Mayweather exception here).
What do you guys think of the welterweight champ, and how do you think he can turn things around?
Lionel Harris-Spence is a writer, filmmaker, and functioning alcoholic. You can catch him screaming obscenities at flat screens on fight night.
UFC Fight Night 103 features a flyweight showdown that could decide the future for both men involved. Former title challenger John Moraga looks to get back on track against the young and talented Sergio Pettis. How do these two match up? Let’s take a deeper look into things.
UFC Fight Night 103 features a flyweight showdown that could decide the future for both men involved. Former title challenger John Moraga looks to get back on track against the young and talented Sergio Pettis. How do these two match up? Let’s take a deeper look into things.
Striking
You’d think it’d be obvious who has the striking advantage in this fight, but it’s not so simple. While Sergio Pettis may have the more striking heavy attack, John Moraga doesn’t mind mixing things up on the inside. Where Pettis tries to remain at kicking distance, darting in with jabs and getting out throwing a skip back cross similar to Conor McGregor, Moraga likes to pressure forward with his boxing. Moraga also enjoys implementing calf kicks that the MMA Lab fighters are known for. The major deficiency in Moraga’s striking is his inability to fight while going backwards. Besides a check hook, he doesn’t employ many tools while on the back foot. Moraga also throws one strike at a time which can eventually get more predictable. Pettis can strike both going forwards and back. Both men also don’t mind switching up their stances during fights, though Pettis is more comfortable with this tactic as he comes from a traditional martial arts background. Pettis has more tools at his disposal in the stand up realm, though he can be susceptible to leg kicks, the bane of every traditional martial artist’s existence. Still, Pettis has the advantage while the fight remains on the feet.
Wrestling
Sergio Pettis does have some wrestling pedigree. In fact, his wrestling is sharper than his older brother Anthony who still seems to struggles with his entries. Sergio has no such weaknesses as he times his double leg takedowns with speed, precision, and solid technique. That being said, it will likely be John Moraga who looks for the takedown early and often. Moraga has been wrestling for his whole like and will look to use those skills to his advantage. Despite that fact, Moraga tends to rely more on his boxing than his wrestling pedigree. If he’s smart, he’ll want to go back to his roots for this fight. To do so he’ll have to throw more than one strike to set things up however. If he sticks to his single striking methods then it’s likely that Pettis will be able to defend his takedowns.
Submissions
Moraga has more submissions under his belt than the young Pettis. While Sergio has certainly had his fair share of submissions during his career, it came against lesser competition, not at the highest levels of the sport. Moraga has managed to submit higher level opposition with either great time and instinct or by utilizing a smart top game until he’s able to transition into an advantageous position. If anyone is going to have a chance of securing a submission, it’s John Moraga.
The stakes are high in this match up and with Moraga flirting with retirement, you can expect both men to give it their all come Saturday night.
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
Who would’ve thought the most MMA action we would see over the weekend would come in the form of Meryl Streep. The long time actress was honored with a lifetime achievement award at this past weekend’s Golden Globe. After being welcomed to the stage by Viola Davis, Streep began he speech in earnest. Midway through, Streep made a joke at the expense of fans and athletes of the sports of football as well as mixed martial arts. If you haven’t heard the details then let me fill you in.
Who would’ve thought the most MMA action we would see over the weekend would come in the form of Meryl Streep. The long time actress was honored with a lifetime achievement award at this past weekend’s Golden Globe. After being welcomed to the stage by Viola Davis, Streep began he speech in earnest. Midway through, Streep made a joke at the expense of fans and athletes of the sports of football as well as mixed martial arts. If you haven’t heard the details then let me fill you in.
Meryl Streep is not a fan of MMA. At least in the context of the sport being an art form. On a speech that touched largely on how foreigners have helped to build Hollywood into the powerful machine that it is today, Streep went on to take a few jabs at some popular sports as a means of highlighting the potential “dark road” America could be traveling towards.
“Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners,” Streep said. “If we kick them all out, you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.”
Now, let’s just unpack that statement a bit. Putting MMA and football in the same sentence is an interesting choice to begin with. One is beloved as the greatest sport in the world, while the other is literally a sport represented all over the world. Football is firmly an American past time enjoyed in other countries, but not as fiercely as it is in the US. Mixed martial arts is a sport that can be traced back through history from multiple different countries, each of them treating the endeavor with an immense amount of admiration and respect. MMA organizations feature competitors, both men and women, who hail from different countries all around the globe. If Streep’s point was to say that foreign exclusion will mean we’ll only have American past times as entertainment, then she could have potentially found some other example besides MMA, one of the most diverse sports out there.
Now, while the statement was designed to be merely a joke, it has produced a stream of complaints and outrage among the MMA community. But here’s the question that we as MMA fans, practioners, and competitors should all take into consideration. While her statements may have been hurtful to some extent, we have to ask ourselves about what message she was trying to get across.
Her statements of inclusion and respecting each other as human beings should be the shinning point that we all take away from her acceptance speech. Rather than focusing on the negative in terms of her denigration of sports she may not be interested in herself, there was still a very powerful message in her words. The big problem is that as much as free speech is a right for every American, educating herself on the facts before throwing a collective community under the bus should have been a consideration. Scott Coker, President of Bellator MMA, may have had the best response to the subject.
If she doesn’t think MMA is art, then that’s fine. After all it’s her opinion. But you and I know better. The intricacies of the techniques, the mechanics needed to perform actions with perfect execution beg to differ with Streep’s statements. Go ahead and try to convince me that karate katas or forms in other traditional martial arts isn’t a thing of beauty, a venerable work of art even. Not everyone will look at it through that lens, but we as followers of MMA should learn to brush it off and accept that no matter what, it’s the opinion of one individual. How we conduct ourselves and how we treat the sport will prove that MMA is not only an art form, but one of the greatest in the world.
What are your thoughts on Meryl Streep’s statements about MMA?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
If we really think about, the writing was on the wall for former light heavyweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos. Dropping 2 of his last fights and being unresponsive for 3 minutes during his weight cut for the Eddie Alvarez fight, 2016 was not exactly a good year for the 32 year old Brazilian.
If we really think about, the writing was on the wall for former light heavyweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos. Dropping 2 of his last fights and being unresponsive for 3 minutes during his weight cut for the Eddie Alvarez fight, 2016 was not exactly a good year for the 32 year old Brazilian.
It seems that after winning the belt against Anthony Pettis back at UFC 185 of March 2015, both fighters have gone on a downward trajectory. With Pettis dropping 4 out of his last 5 and eventually dropping to the 145lb featherweight class, and RDA now going up a weight class, both fighters are in potential limbo. Not to mention the McGregor payday he had to bow out of due to a broken foot at UFC 196
Dos Anjos dropped the bomb on the general public through a post on his twitter account. He also put up a clarifying statement on facebook.
I reached the top of LW,it’s been a hard journey make weight every time,now I want to fight at my best,I have new goals, I’m moving to WW
“I reached the top of the the toughest division in the UFC, made history by being the first Brazilian to become lightweight champion,” Dos Anjos posted on his facebook page. “It hasn’t been easy to make the weight and now I want to fight with my best and reach the top of the welterweight division. Making weight happy in 2017, being happy while getting a fight booked will make a big difference.
“And about going back to lightweight again… only for a super fight and big money.”
How exactly will Rafael Dos Anjos do at Welterweight? No one knows for sure, but at 5’8″ with a 70″ reach, he certainly won’t have any size advantages. Ben Henderson did it temporarily, and Cowboy seems to be having success, so it will be interesting to see how different Dos Anjos looks at a more natural weight class. Speaking of Cowboy, Dos Anjos vs. Cowboy III anyone?
Let us know what you think about the move in the comments section below. Is this a good look, or Dos Anjos be returning again in the near future?
Lionel Harris-Spence is a writer, filmmaker, and functioning alcoholic. You can catch him screaming obscenities at flat screens on fight night.
Tyron Woodley. The UFC welterweight champion. The man looking for a big payday. And why the hell not? That’s the point of prize fighting in the first place isn’t it? To throw your bones at another human being and get paid loads of cash. At least that’s how things would be in a perfect world. Instead, fighters are competing against each other for a disporportionate amount of money compared to what they bring in. Tyron Woodley wants his big payday and he’s looking to get it through battling against fellow champion Michael Bisping. The problem with that is Woodley once again has the worst timing.
Tyron Woodley. The UFC welterweight champion. The man looking for a big payday. And why the hell not? That’s the point of prize fighting in the first place isn’t it? To throw your bones at another human being and get paid loads of cash. At least that’s how things would be in a perfect world. Instead, fighters are competing against each other for a disporportionate amount of money compared to what they bring in. Tyron Woodley wants his big payday and he’s looking to get it through battling against fellow champion Michael Bisping. The problem with that is Woodley once again has the worst timing.
At UFC 205, Woodley faced off with a little known fighter named Stephen Thompson. They battled it out back and forth until the final bell. The bout was ruled a draw leaving both the fighters and fans with a bitter taste in their mouths. But rather than campaigning to battle it out with Stephen Thompson for the second time and settle the score, Woodley is trying to ignore the fact that he fought to a majority draw a couple months ago and challenge Michael Bisping for the middleweight title.
Huh?
Yes, prize fighting is about getting paid. But with fighting to a draw in your last match it’s going to be hard to imagine who wouldn’t want to see Stephen Thompson and Tyron Woodley battle it out for a second time. UFC 205 gave both fighters tremendous exposure, so much so that they can certainly carry a pay-per-view and generate big numbers in the process. But since Conor McGregor got his crack at the featherweight and lightweight titles it seems that everyone is jumping on the multiple title bandwagon. Even newly minted bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is trying to call out champions in other divisions.
What Woodley, Garbrandt, and any other champion of their ilk need to understand is that while campaigning for super fights may line their pockets as well as those of the company, it’s a huge risk for the UFC. If one of their champions is defeated then they risk being diminished in some way. It’s certainly exciting to see, but the risk of Woodley getting dominated or Garbrandt getting knocked out would tarnish both the brand of the fighters as well as the brand of the promotion. It’s an easier sell to have Woodlehy rematch Thompson in the near future rather than hold up both divisions. Conor McGregor already made things complicated at featherweight and it’s unlikely that the top brass wants to see that happen again in the welterweight and middleweight divisions.
Think about it. It’s hard for people to look at Jose Aldo as the undisputed featherweight champion when he was brained by McGregor just a couple of fights ago. It diminished his brand somewhat, but certainly not enough to destroy his legacy. Nevertheless, the same could happen if Woodley faces Bisping. Rather than damage the stock of one of their champions it’s more likely that the UFC will choose to try and turn both men into superstars.
With all due respect to Woodley, he should look to set himself up as the definitive champion in his division and the big pay days will come about. He surely gained popularity with his draw against Stephen Thompson, but fighting to a draw doesn’t a dominant champion make. Instead of challenging fighters in other weight divisions, Woodley should be chomping at the bit to prove to the world that he’s the best welterweight in the world. Like it or not, the fans want clarity, the UFC wants clarity, and frankly, Woodley and Thompson need clarity before anyone starts talking about super fights.
What’s your thoughts on a potential Woodley versus Bisping showdown?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
