Friday Link Dump: Penn Gets Potential Opponent, Thug Rose Gets a Rematch, Short Films to Watch ASAP + More

(Fight Night 82 weigh-ins, kicking off at 7 p.m. EST)

BJ Penn ‘Guarantees’ He’s Fighting at UFC 196; Dennis Siver Leading the Pack
(FOX Sports)

How Elvis, Family and Beating Up a Girl Helped Forge UFC Star Stephen Thompson (Jonathan Snowden)

Rose Namajunas vs. Tecia Torres Rematch Set for UFC on Fox 19 (BloodyElbow)

The post Friday Link Dump: Penn Gets Potential Opponent, Thug Rose Gets a Rematch, Short Films to Watch ASAP + More appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Fight Night 82 weigh-ins, kicking off at 7 p.m. EST)

BJ Penn ‘Guarantees’ He’s Fighting at UFC 196; Dennis Siver Leading the Pack
(FOX Sports)

How Elvis, Family and Beating Up a Girl Helped Forge UFC Star Stephen Thompson (Jonathan Snowden)

Rose Namajunas vs. Tecia Torres Rematch Set for UFC on Fox 19 (BloodyElbow)

For Retired UFC Vet Chris Cariaso, a Venue – Not Opponent – Proved Biggest Nemesis (MMAJunkie)

8 Short Films You Should Watch Immediately (Escapist)

What’s The Best Coen Brothers Movie? (ScreenJunkies)

Most-Watched 2016 Super Bowl Ads So Far (EveryJoe)

Crane Collapses in Lower Manhattan And The Video is Crazy (Radass)

The Stars Of Super Bowl 50 With ‘Bowl’ Haircuts (WorldWideInterweb)

The post Friday Link Dump: Penn Gets Potential Opponent, Thug Rose Gets a Rematch, Short Films to Watch ASAP + More appeared first on Cagepotato.

Senior Citizen Throwdown! Dan Severn Wants Out of Retirement to Face Shamrock-Gracie III Winner

dan severn photos mma ufc ken shamrock

As loyal readers of CagePotato through thick and thin, you know what kind of respect we have for UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn. We’ve sung his praises from the highest mountain tops. We’ve named our future children after them (at least, BG has). Hell, we’ve even been luckily enough to be graced with his presence in the form of a brief but glorious mailbag column back in the day. Simply put, “The Beast” is the ultimate man’s man, a legend, and the kind of guy that could turn Ron Swanson into a prepubescent-voiced, salad-eating socialist if he so desired.

But like many fighters before him, Severn hasn’t exactly settled into retirement easily since collecting his 101st win back in 2013, especially when it comes to his former rivals Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. Back in 2011, Severn tried to draw the Brazilian out of retirement for a match a UFC Rio that, for better or worse, never came to fruition. So from the moment it was announced that Gracie and Shamrock would be doing the damn thing one more time at Bellator 149, you just knew that Severn would have something to say about it.

The post Senior Citizen Throwdown! Dan Severn Wants Out of Retirement to Face Shamrock-Gracie III Winner appeared first on Cagepotato.

dan severn photos mma ufc ken shamrock

As loyal readers of CagePotato through thick and thin, you know what kind of respect we have for UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn. We’ve sung his praises from the highest mountain tops. We’ve named our future children after them (at least, BG has). Hell, we’ve even been luckily enough to be graced with his presence in the form of a brief but glorious mailbag column back in the day. Simply put, “The Beast” is the ultimate man’s man, a legend, and the kind of guy that could turn Ron Swanson into a prepubescent-voiced, salad-eating socialist if he so desired.

But like many fighters before him, Severn hasn’t exactly settled into retirement easily since collecting his 101st win back in 2013, especially when it comes to his former rivals Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. Back in 2011, Severn tried to draw the Brazilian out of retirement for a match a UFC Rio that, for better or worse, never came to fruition. So from the moment it was announced that Gracie and Shamrock would be doing the damn thing one more time at Bellator 149, you just knew that Severn would have something to say about it.

Now 57 years old, Severn is still ready to strap on the wrestling boots and manties at the drop of a hat, it would seem. Speaking with MMAJunkie, Severn not only preemptively put the Shamrock-Gracie winner on blast, but called for a “Masters Division” to give the Mark Colemans and Randy Coutures of the sport a place to keep throwing down.

“Well, they were on my to-do list in the first place,” said Severn. “So sure, I’d do it.”

“I think there is an appetite for, I don’t know, call it a masters division, like they have in other sports. And as long as it’s done right and those masters compete against other masters, I think it’s something people want to see. You just can’t put the 50-year-old guy against a 25- or 30-year-old guy, because the reality is that no matter how good your skills are, they are diminishing.”

In all honesty…this isn’t the worst idea we’ve ever-HEAR US OUT.

Look, guys like Severn, Gracie, Shamrock, and so on; they live to compete no matter how bad it affects their health. Us high-minded, all-seeing Internet writers can’t try and act like we understand the mindset of these guys all we want, but the truth is that we have no clue and never will until we step into the cage ourselves. The desire to test oneself at the ultimate level of any sport isn’t something that can simply be shut off, not by the worries of their training partners, life coaches, doctors, or even their damn families. So if soulless promotions like Rizin are content to sit idly by and continue giving guys like Kazushi Sakuraba fights until they literally beaten to death in the ring — which, they are — then shouldn’t we at least try to level the scales by having these old dudes compete against each other? We’re not being cruel, we’re simply softening the blow!

I dunno, I’m just saying that if these grizzled SOB’s still have some fight left in them, we let them fight. Not to mention, we’re sure that Royce could use the extra cash.

The post Senior Citizen Throwdown! Dan Severn Wants Out of Retirement to Face Shamrock-Gracie III Winner appeared first on Cagepotato.

CagePotato PSA: ‘MMA Federation’ Is the Next Great MMA Game (and We’re In It!)

Boy oh boy, Potato Nation, do we have some exciting news for you. In partnership with our partners at AddictingGames.com, Defy Media and CagePotato will be exclusively sponsoring the launch of MMA Federation, the debut release from 360 Studios hitting Android and iOS today!!

What is MMA Federation, you ask? Only the next evolution in mobile fighting games!

You can check out the official trailer for MMA Federation above, but basically, it works like this:

— MMA Federation is a multiplayer, mobile game that allows you to challenge players worldwide and become the ultimate MMA champion
— Start by creating an elite squad of fighters and upgrade your fighting abilities with over 20 addicting mini-games
— Create your own unique, Ranger Stott-esque fighting style to dismantle your opponents, and earn rewards to move up the leaderboard

Addicting Games will be the exclusive North American publisher of MMA Federation, so get all of the details after the jump!

The post CagePotato PSA: ‘MMA Federation’ Is the Next Great MMA Game (and We’re In It!) appeared first on Cagepotato.

Boy oh boy, Potato Nation, do we have some exciting news for you. In partnership with our partners at AddictingGames.com, Defy Media and CagePotato will be exclusively sponsoring the launch of MMA Federation, the debut release from 360 Studios hitting Android and iOS today!!

What is MMA Federation, you ask? Only the next evolution in mobile fighting games!

You can check out the official trailer for MMA Federation above, but basically, it works like this:

– MMA Federation is a multiplayer, mobile game that allows you to challenge players worldwide and become the ultimate MMA champion
– Start by creating an elite squad of fighters and upgrade your fighting abilities with over 20 addicting mini-games
– Create your own unique, Ranger Stott-esque fighting style to dismantle your opponents, and earn rewards to move up the leaderboard

Addicting Games will be the exclusive North American publisher of MMA Federation, so get all of the details after the jump!

With the ultimate goal of giving sports sims a good shake up, 360 Studio’s debut release MMA Federation is set to hit iOS and Android in the UK and US on January 14th, handing mobile martial arts fans the chance to take part in player vs player action for the very first time.

MMA Federation – which has already made major waves in Canada reaching the country’s top fighting game on the App Store ahead of its global debut – is a turn based battler at heart, with players able to call on moves from five unique fighting styles as they fight rivals from around the globe to propel up to eight different characters up the game’s global ranks.

Despite this fresh approach, however, MMA Federation has some serious experience behind it, with studio head Rick Giolito having previously made his name being the legendary creator and executive producer on flagship EA games like KnockOut Kings™ and Medal of Honor™.

We wanted to create a truly authentic MMA game where players take complete control of their fighter – their look, fighting style and gameplay strategy,” offered Giolito. “We are working with top MMA teams like Tristar, American Top Team, Blackzilians, Straight Blast Gym, and Rofusport, as well as top promotional organizations including World Series of Fighting (WSOF) and Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) in USA, Hard Knocks Fighting and Elite 1 MMA in Canada, Pancrase in Japan and BAMMA in the UK. From Europe to South Africa to Japan, we wanted to create an immersive MMA world packed with real gyms, stunning arenas, famous fighters and MMA legends.”

Indeed, one of the additional advantages of MMA Federation over more narrowly focused MMA fighting game licenses has been its ability to reach out to the rest of the MMA and martial arts family, deploying an in-game shop packed with branded sportswear and equipment used by professional fighters, including gear from brands like Bad Boy, Jaco, Hayabusa, Revgear and many more. It’s 360 Studios’ view that MMA Federation isn’t just another accomplished fighting game, but a release designed to bring together and represent the entire MMA community in a fun way.

Part of this approach is allowing live, player vs player contests without lag where players can join real MMA teams like Tristar, American Top Team and SBG, making use of the moves they’ve picked up in training mode.  Training your fighters, which is available offline for when you don’t have an internet connect, is ‘taught’ by world famous fighters such as Michael ‘Venom’ Page, King Mo and coaches like Bas Rutten (Elite MMA), Firas Zahabi (Tristar) and John Kavanagh (SBG). Gamers will be able to both merge and master a multitude of different fighting techniques &styles – from Muay Thai, Boxing, and Kickboxing, to Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling – to create their own unique fighting style.

Tapping into authentic events with real Promoters and global tournaments, the world MMA Federation sits in is designed to feel instantly familiar to any martial arts fans, though the turn based battle system means play is strategic and will also appeal to more casual players looking to take their first steps into the MMA arena.

And not only that, but the CagePotato “Devil Horns” logo will be watching over you as you train and compete! So head over to the MMA Federation page, get it on Google play or download it from the app store, and start swangin’ them bungalows today!

The post CagePotato PSA: ‘MMA Federation’ Is the Next Great MMA Game (and We’re In It!) appeared first on Cagepotato.

Ronda Rousey Books Body-Painted ‘SI: Swimsuit’ Issue, SNL Hosting Gig


(It’ll look something like this, but with even less clothing.)

While Ronda Rousey has been remaining relatively quiet in the time since her loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193, only popping up on Instagram every now and again to share a devastatingly sad quote, it’s what has been going on behind the scenes that has kept her in the limelight.

First, it was revealed that Rousey would be filming back-to-back movies (one of which being the Roadhouse reboot) before training for her rematch with Holm, which seemed…foreboding to say the least. Then, Dana White backtracked on his comments that Rousey would “definitely” be receiving an immediate rematch with Holm, stating that he had barely even spoken to her in the time since her loss.

And now, it seems that Rousey has a couple other upcoming obligations that one might consider distracting: an appearance in Sports Illustrated’s next Swimsuit issue and a hosting gig on Saturday Night Live at the end of the month.

But I suppose we should discuss the swimsuit thing first, eh? Well, a photo was recently posted by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition editor MJ Day seems to show Rousey’s bare end in a body painted suit and you’re not even reading this anymore, are you?

Photo after the jump

The post Ronda Rousey Books Body-Painted ‘SI: Swimsuit’ Issue, SNL Hosting Gig appeared first on Cagepotato.


(It’ll look something like this, but with even less clothing.)

While Ronda Rousey has been remaining relatively quiet in the time since her loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193, only popping up on Instagram every now and again to share a devastatingly sad quote, it’s what has been going on behind the scenes that has kept her in the limelight.

First, it was revealed that Rousey would be filming back-to-back movies (one of which being the Roadhouse reboot) before training for her rematch with Holm, which seemed…foreboding to say the least. Then, Dana White backtracked on his comments that Rousey would “definitely” be receiving an immediate rematch with Holm, stating that he had barely even spoken to her in the time since her loss.

And now, it seems that Rousey has a couple other upcoming obligations that one might consider distracting: an appearance in Sports Illustrated’s next Swimsuit issue and a hosting gig on Saturday Night Live at the end of the month.

But I suppose we should discuss the swimsuit thing first, eh? Well, a photo was recently posted by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition editor MJ Day seems to show Rousey’s bare end in a body painted suit and you’re not even reading this anymore, are you?

Photo after the jump

A photo posted by @mj_day on

Given the kodokan flower adorning this faceless model’s right wrist and the octagon adorning the other, Reddit’s private team of investigators was able to determine that this photo does appear to be of the former bantamweight champion’s behind, and Sports Illustrated seems to be playing along:

Thanks to a few inconspicuous tattoos, it looks like our next body-painted beauty may be the one and only Ronda Rousey. We can neither confirm nor deny these rumors, but isn’t the idea of Ronda donning nothing but paint enough to tie you over until the issue comes out in February?

Ronda is coming off a shocking loss to Holly Holm for the UFC women’s bantamweight title and has largely remained out of the public eye since then. A body-painted spread in SI Swimsuit would truly be a comeback for the ages!

So yeah, that’s Rousey’s ass. Annnnyway, it was also revealed by NBC earlier today that Rousey will also be hosting the January 23rd episode of Saturday Night Live with musical guest Selena Gomez. This is kind of a big deal, as the gig will make Rousey just the 3rd combat sports fighter to ever grace the SNL stage (joining such illustrious company as Marvin Hagler and George Foreman).

Overall, it looks like things aren’t as grim for Rousey’s future as she (and many of us) have been suggesting. That being said, let’s hope that Kate McKinnon knows how to hold pads, because Rousey should be using every last minute of her spare time to sharpen her skills if she ever wants to get that title back. (For what it’s worth, I happen to think that Holm might even have the edge when it comes to comedic timing.)

The post Ronda Rousey Books Body-Painted ‘SI: Swimsuit’ Issue, SNL Hosting Gig appeared first on Cagepotato.

Just Because, Here’s Nate Diaz Beating the Brakes Off Gray Maynard [VIDEO]


(Despite Gray’s best efforts to convince him, Nate Diaz simply wasn’t having any of his “I’m just looking for where I parked my car” defense. via Getty)

Having dropped 3 out of his last 4 fights and not competed in over a year, Nate Diaz will return to the octagon this Saturday to take on rising contender Michael Johnson in the co-co main event of UFC on FOX 17. If the photos circulating the web are any indication, it looks like Diaz is finally starting to take this sh*t seriously, which is a good thing, because when he does, you get results like the ones above.

It may not have been the trilogy fight that any of us were asking for, but Diaz’s performance against Gray Maynard at the TUF 18 Finale in November of 2013 was easily one of his greatest to date — an absolutely savage display of the Diaz’s “punches in bunches” style of boxing and his quickest UFC finish to boot. So to celebrate the arrival of UberDiaz to the UFC’s graces, let’s relive the night he turned a former title challenger in a mumbling, stumbling monster from an Abbott & Costello movie.

Video after the jump. 

The post Just Because, Here’s Nate Diaz Beating the Brakes Off Gray Maynard [VIDEO] appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Despite Gray’s best efforts to convince him, Nate Diaz simply wasn’t having any of his “I’m just looking for where I parked my car” defense. via Getty)

Having dropped 3 out of his last 4 fights and not competed in over a year, Nate Diaz will return to the octagon this Saturday to take on rising contender Michael Johnson in the co-co main event of UFC on FOX 17. If the photos circulating the web are any indication, it looks like Diaz is finally starting to take this sh*t seriously, which is a good thing, because when he does, you get results like the ones above.

It may not have been the trilogy fight that any of us were asking for, but Diaz’s performance against Gray Maynard at the TUF 18 Finale in November of 2013 was easily one of his greatest to date — an absolutely savage display of the Diaz’s “punches in bunches” style of boxing and his quickest UFC finish to boot. So to celebrate the arrival of UberDiaz to the UFC’s graces, let’s relive the night he turned a former title challenger in a mumbling, stumbling monster from an Abbott & Costello movie.

Video after the jump. 

I’m just saying, if this Nate Diaz shows up to the cage on Saturday, “The Menace” is gonna be in for a looooong night.

The post Just Because, Here’s Nate Diaz Beating the Brakes Off Gray Maynard [VIDEO] appeared first on Cagepotato.

Just Because, Here’s Nate Diaz Beating the Brakes Off Gray Maynard [VIDEO]


(Despite Gray’s best efforts to convince him, Nate Diaz simply wasn’t having any of his “I’m just looking for where I parked my car” defense. via Getty)

Having dropped 3 out of his last 4 fights and not competed in over a year, Nate Diaz will return to the octagon this Saturday to take on rising contender Michael Johnson in the co-co main event of UFC on FOX 17. If the photos circulating the web are any indication, it looks like Diaz is finally starting to take this sh*t seriously, which is a good thing, because when he does, you get results like the ones above.

It may not have been the trilogy fight that any of us were asking for, but Diaz’s performance against Gray Maynard at the TUF 18 Finale in November of 2013 was easily one of his greatest to date — an absolutely savage display of the Diaz’s “punches in bunches” style of boxing and his quickest UFC finish to boot. So to celebrate the arrival of UberDiaz to the UFC’s graces, let’s relive the night he turned a former title challenger in a mumbling, stumbling monster from an Abbott & Costello movie.

Video after the jump. 

The post Just Because, Here’s Nate Diaz Beating the Brakes Off Gray Maynard [VIDEO] appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Despite Gray’s best efforts to convince him, Nate Diaz simply wasn’t having any of his “I’m just looking for where I parked my car” defense. via Getty)

Having dropped 3 out of his last 4 fights and not competed in over a year, Nate Diaz will return to the octagon this Saturday to take on rising contender Michael Johnson in the co-co main event of UFC on FOX 17. If the photos circulating the web are any indication, it looks like Diaz is finally starting to take this sh*t seriously, which is a good thing, because when he does, you get results like the ones above.

It may not have been the trilogy fight that any of us were asking for, but Diaz’s performance against Gray Maynard at the TUF 18 Finale in November of 2013 was easily one of his greatest to date — an absolutely savage display of the Diaz’s “punches in bunches” style of boxing and his quickest UFC finish to boot. So to celebrate the arrival of UberDiaz to the UFC’s graces, let’s relive the night he turned a former title challenger in a mumbling, stumbling monster from an Abbott & Costello movie.

Video after the jump. 

I’m just saying, if this Nate Diaz shows up to the cage on Saturday, “The Menace” is gonna be in for a looooong night.

The post Just Because, Here’s Nate Diaz Beating the Brakes Off Gray Maynard [VIDEO] appeared first on Cagepotato.