Tag: General

UFC 203 And The Crazy Antics Of The Heavyweight Division

So UFC 203 was pretty crazy. No, not the Mickey Gall domination of CM Punk, that played out pretty much how many had predicted. No, what was crazy was all the chaos in the final two fights of the night. For my money the heavyweight division is perhaps the least interesting weight class in combat sports. Sure, the big guys can produce some pretty devastating knock outs and moments straight out of a Rocky movie, but it’s usually at the expense of clean technique. With that said, the final two fights of the night produced the most fireworks on the main card.

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UFC 203 = Pure Chaos

So UFC 203 was pretty crazy. No, not the Mickey Gall domination of CM Punk, that played out pretty much how many had predicted. No, what was crazy was all the chaos in the final two fights of the night. For my money the heavyweight division is perhaps the least interesting weight class in combat sports. Sure, the big guys can produce some pretty devastating knock outs and moments straight out of a Rocky movie, but it’s usually at the expense of clean technique. With that said, the final two fights of the night produced the most fireworks on the main card.

Fabricio Werdum went full Mortal Kombat as he flew across the cage to land a flying side kick to Travis Browne’s jaw. It was unexpected, it was dynamic, and it was only the beginning of the madness that occurred when these two rivals were sharing the cage this past Saturday. The next strangest came about due to Browne taking an impromptu time out in the middle of a fight. Granted he broke his finger, but there’s a time and place for licking your wounds and it certainly isn’t during a match.

Once the bout was decided and Fabricio Werdum was about to be declared the victor, another point of interest arouse as Edmond Tarverdyan began a verbal assault on the former heavyweight champion. Werdum was having none of it how ever and answered back with a push kick that sent both fighter’s camps into a bit of a frenzy.

Things were contained rather quickly before things played out the same as they did when Jason “Mayhem” Miller was beat down by the 209 crew back in the good old days of Strikeforce. When things were all said and done, Werdum was not only announced the winner of the match, but was able to create enough controversy and interest that could easily see him in a title match against Stipe Miocic in the very near future.

Speaking of the UFC heavyweight champion, the main event saw Miocic successfully defend his belt against Alistair Overeem in a slobberknocker of a throwdown. The two men traded concussive blows until Overeem’s notoriously suspect chin gave out on him and Miocic was the last man standing. It was a pretty exciting fight while it lasted and proved that there’s a reason why heavyweight fights are treated with such respect and awe. Heavyweight may not be my favorite division, but with guys like Stipe Miocic, Alistair Overeem, and Fabricio Werdum around, you can bet that interest is sure to be long lasting for years to come.

What did you think of UFC 203 and it’s odd and exciting heavyweight clashes?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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New Trailer For The Hurt Business, A Documentary That Actually Looks Worth The Price Of Admission

So most of us have seen what MMA documentaries have to offer. A handful have been pretty good in the past, but the vast majority have been underwhelming. But there’s just something about this Hurt Business doc that has us thinking we’re going to get a movie actually worth our time. Ever since the first trailer dropped interest has been building on this thing. Now the second trailer for The Hurt Business has just been released and is being featured everywhere including premiering on USA Today. So we’re not missing out the gravy train either. Check it out for yourself after the jump and give us your thoughts.

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So most of us have seen what MMA documentaries have to offer. A handful have been pretty good in the past, but the vast majority have been underwhelming. But there’s just something about this Hurt Business doc that has us thinking we’re going to get a movie actually worth our time. Ever since the first trailer dropped interest has been building on this thing. Now the second trailer for The Hurt Business has just been released and is being featured everywhere including premiering on USA Today. So we’re not missing out the gravy train either. Check it out for yourself after the jump and give us your thoughts.

What’s your thoughts on The Hurt Business?

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UFC 203 Breakdown: Stipe Miocic vs Alistair Overeem

We’ve talked a lot this week about CM Punk and his chances of picking up a UFC victory over the fellow inexperienced Mickey Gall. In reality no one knows exactly what’s going to happen in that fight, making a breakdown impossible. Besides, there’s bigger fish to fry as the main event features two heavy hitters in the heavyweight division. Stipe Miocic versus Alistair Overeem should be a damn good fight, one that’s most likely to produce a vicious knock out.

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We’ve talked a lot this week about CM Punk and his chances of picking up a UFC victory over the fellow inexperienced Mickey Gall. In reality no one knows exactly what’s going to happen in that fight, making a breakdown impossible. Besides, there’s bigger fish to fry as the main event features two heavy hitters in the heavyweight division. Stipe Miocic versus Alistair Overeem should be a damn good fight, one that’s most likely to produce a vicious knock out.

After taking advantage of Fabricio Werdum’s inexplicable bull rush that left him face down on the mat at UFC 198, Stipe Miocic is now sitting pretty as the UFC heavyweight champion. His approach to the game is primarily boxing based, though he does have some decent kicks in his arsenal. For the most part, many of his combinations begin off of the jab and his footwork is extremely sound. What he’ll have to do to win this fight is push Overeem backwards constantly. The Dutch kickboxer works best when he has space to methodically work his longer range kicks and brutal knees. Miocic can’t let Overeem get into a groove. The champion should be stalking from the opening bell in order to put Overeem into a defensive shell. Some takedown attempts against the cage should also be apart of the champions game. Even if he can’t complete the attempt, it’ll give the challenger something to think about.

Alistair Overeem had a pretty up and down start to his UFC career. Though he looked extremely impressive in vanquishing former champion Brock Lesnar, he quickly found himself suspended for elevated testosterone. Upon his return he was greeted with back to back knockout losses, one decision win, and another KO that had people wondering if Overeem was really the terrifying heavyweight we all thought he was. But his recent four fight winning streak has proven that Alistair has the ability to adapt. Gone are the days where he squares up right in front of opponents. Now we see an Overeem who uses lateral movement, as well as well placed kicks and punches to confound opponents. What Overeem will need to do is use his long range weapons to force the champion to move forward. Some inside low kicks and body kicks from the southpaw stance should keep Miocic guessing and if the champion gets frustrated and moves forward too aggressively, you can bet a straight left from Overeem will be waiting for him.

This is a pretty fun match up based purely on the fact that it’s a clash of striking styles: boxing vs kickboxing. With more tools in his toolbox expect Alistair Overeem to have the Ohio fans in tears as he knocks out Stipe Miocic in the third round.

Who do you think wins at UFC 203?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Luke Rockhold Wants More Money. Should The UFC Pay Up?

What’s up Nation, got a question for you guys. Would you get kicked upside the head for a bucket of coins? Not just coins, but pennies? Well, if you’re a mixed martial artist that’s pretty much what your job description is, especially when you’re on the local circuit. But the whole idea is that once you’ve paid your dues and trudged through the horribleness that are local shows, you’ll eventually be granted the golden ticket and set off for bigger and better things in a top promotion like the UFC. The thing about that, it’s far from the reality of the situation.

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What’s up Nation, got a question for you guys. Would you get kicked upside the head for a bucket of coins? Not just coins, but pennies? Well, if you’re a mixed martial artist that’s pretty much what your job description is, especially when you’re on the local circuit. But the whole idea is that once you’ve paid your dues and trudged through the horribleness that are local shows, you’ll eventually be granted the golden ticket and set off for bigger and better things in a top promotion like the UFC. The thing about that, it’s far from the reality of the situation.

Luke Rockhold, former middleweight champion, talented all around fighter and a marketable commodity for the UFC has recently gone on record saying that the money he’s getting from the UFC is “bullshit.”

Yeah…so it seems like even one of the top stars in the UFC is having trouble getting those greenbacks. So one now has to wonder how long can the UFC can play this tightfisted approach to paying their talent. In the last few months we’ve seen Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, and Brock Lesnar all get paid upwards of two million dollars each, something that seemed farfetched just a year ago. A lot of that has to do with how many tickets these guys can sell. But you still have to wonder if the UFC is making the smart choice by paying a fighter like Luke Rockhold $250K a fight (money that any one of us could appreciate) to get his brains bashed in for the entertainment of savages (and I say that with all due respect) is the right move, especially with Bellator waiting in the wings to scoop up any talent they can get.

The bottom line is that though the UFC is the biggest promotion in the world they’re going to have to employ a new strategy in regards to fighter pay if they hope to keep fighters under contract. Yeah, every fighter competes at their own risk, but when you’re the champion of a division you at least deserve to see a major increase in dollars. After all, what the hell is the point of “prize fighting” if there’s no prize part.

So what do you think, is Luke Rockhold right for asking for increased pay?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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WAIT, HOW DID CM PUNK GET SANCTIONED TO FIGHT AGAIN?

  Questionable to say the least… Whether you love him or hate him CM Punk is a thing. After this saturday (9/10/16), the straight edge former WWE champion will  either be in the win or loss column with his UFC debut at UFC 203. The Chicago native will dawn his signature Pepsi tattoo against fellow […]

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Questionable to say the least…

Whether you love him or hate him CM Punk is a thing. After this saturday (9/10/16), the straight edge former WWE champion will  either be in the win or loss column with his UFC debut at UFC 203. The Chicago native will dawn his signature Pepsi tattoo against fellow UFC newcomer Mickey Gall (2-0) as the co-co main event of the card held at Cleveland Ohio’s Quick and Loan Arena.

But wait a minute, let’s back track here. How exactly does a former sport entertainment star with no experience get sanctioned to fight in the most elite MMA stage on earth??? Butt loads of cash that’s how…I mean through a careful and logical judiciary process of course…(cough, cough).

So how exactly did CM punk get sanctioned? According to Ohio Administrative Code 3773-7-20(E) requires a fighter seeking licensure in Ohio to have at least five amateur bouts and a winning record in those contests. However, a fighter “may appeal to the executive director or Ohio athletic commission to have this waived.”

Punk clearly does not meet this standard, but according to Executive Director of the Ohio Athletic Commission, Bernie Profato his pre-determined matches with the WWE count as real world fight experience. “CM Punk has a wrestling background similar to Brock Lesner being permitted to fight in the past,” Profato said.

While both men did get there rise to stardom through professional wrestling, their backgrounds aren’t exactly the same. Brock Lesnar is a 2x all american NCAA division 1 wrestler who won the 285lb title in 2000. Secondly his first professional match technically against Judo Silver medalist Min Soo Kim under the K-1 organization which he won via first round TKO. Not his fight against Frank Mir at UFC 100 as most fans might think.

The second reasoning for sanctioning “Punk” was off of the strength of former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva.

“There was also confidence in the matchmaker from the UFC and the past bouts he has submitted in previous UFC events in Ohio,” Profato argued

Now Joe Silva is a matchmaker, so I’m not sure why they would go to him on a fighter’s ability to defend himself. His job is to make the fights that will improve the ass to seat ratio, not on whether someone should be sanctioned. He’d book Conor McGregor vs. Scott Baio if the PPV numbers were right, but I digress.

The bottomline is that this comes down to money. Once again our beloved sport’s integrity is being undermined by greed. Ohio state commission is probably lining their pockets with a kick back from the UFC as well as the boatloads of cash the event will bring to the city, and the UFC is hoping to squeeze as much as they can out of the spectacle that is CM Punk. No skill, no reason, just the fact that you’ll pay to see it.

But maybe I’m wrong, maybe Ariel Helwani is right and the sport has no integrity, maybe it never did. It’s just a circus for whatever the people want to see. What do you guys think? Is the UFC just a whore to the industry or does it have a chance to be a legitimate sport?

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Rising Up From The Ashes: CagePotato Lives!

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Well, nothing lasts forever in this world. There are times when you have to cash in your cards and begin the process of stepping back, licking your wounds, and moving on to the next journey in life. But it seems like that time isn’t now for Cage Potato. Yes, yes, we said were planning to step away from the editorial world and pack up shop, but you know what, all the writers, supporters, and fans of the website aren’t yet ready to give up and throw in the towel, so why should we?

You may have read last month’s PSA and thought that we’d be going away for good. But where there’s a glimmer of hope, even one ember of the fire still burning true, we had to consider whether or not we’d stoke the that ember into a flame or allow it to be snuffed out. Luckily for us, and the Nation at large, option A was still open to us. We’re giving things one last go around before calling it a day.

Though the last few months may have seen article posting down and it seemed that all was lost, CagePotato is back and we’re planning for our content to be better than ever. With things heating up in the MMA world you can bet we’ll be more than prepared to bring you up to date coverage as well as opinionated editorial pieces that are sure to create some interesting buzz.

So no, we’re not riding off into that sunset. Instead we’re jump starting things again because we can’t get enough of what this community offers. Unabashed enthusiasm for MMA. That and the occasional unabashed vicious vitriolic verbal abuse that has made this website flourish. Thank you, Nation. You’ve breathed new life into this fading star. And by star, we mean the website…

With all that said, take a minute to appreciate the music in the video below and come to grips with the resurrection of Cage Potato!

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