General | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

UFC 188 Aftermath: Another G.O.A.T Bites the Dust…

(via Getty.)

Time and time again, we like to convince ourselves that a champion is unbeatable. Anthony Pettis was unbeatable, except for when he was defeated by Clay Guida in his first UFC appearance, then again by Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 185. Renan Barao was a pound-for-pound king, until he got torched by a massive underdog fighting on short notice. Cain Velasquez was unbeatable and the supposed greatest heavyweight of all time, except for when he was KO’d by Junior Dos Santos in just over a minute a handful of fights ago. For how often we like to claim that so and so is the best his division has ever seen, or better yet, the GOAT, we rarely seem to actually pause and look at the evidence to support such an audacious claim.

Heading into last weekend’s UFC 188, Cain Velasquez had not competed in 2 years, and held just 14 professional contests to his name, yet he was pushed with the same “greatest of all time” narrative that we’ve heard a dozen times over. And once again, we were only setting ourselves up for disappointment.

The post UFC 188 Aftermath: Another G.O.A.T Bites the Dust… appeared first on Cagepotato.

(via Getty.)

This is not to say that Velasquez’s shocking defeat at the hands of Fabricio Werdum was entirely his fault, or a result of the altitude, or whatever excuse you may have. “Cardio Cain” was simply outworked by a much more prepared fighter, which, after 2 years on the shelf, isn’t all that hard to understand. Werdum’s brilliant gameplan was evident from the very opening of the fight: minimize movement, pick his shots, and slowly wear down a man that few (if any) have ever worn down before. Werdum’s fight-ending guillotine on his exhausted opponent was as academic as it was bewildering. The GOAT, losing via guillotine?

Fabricio Werdum killed the king, as Jack Slack would say, though I suppose he was more of an absentee king than anything else. But now I ask: How long is it before we start labeling him as the greatest heavyweight of all time? Two title defenses? Three? It doesn’t matter, because anyone who knows anything about the sport knows who that title actually belongs to. In the meantime, we’ll just keeping slapping that label on who we deem necessary, as another G.O.A.T bites the dust.

As for the rest of UFC 188? Well, it kinda sucked. Chalk it up to the altitude or whatever you want, but there was a distinct lack of energy throughout the night. The only highlight-worthy moment from the co-main event match between Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez came in between rounds, when Alvarez attempted to clear his nose in the most amateurish of ways and only succeeded in sealing his eye shut. Kelvin Gastelum put a beating on a clearly dunzo Nate Marquardt, doing little to convince Dana White 9f giving him another shot at 170 pounds in the process. Cejudo and Torres underwhelmed, Yair Rodriguez surprised, and Cathal Pendred cashed in on all that unnecessary hate he had been receiving with one of the worst performances of the year. Freaking Cathal Pendred.

The full list of UFC 188 results is below.

Main card
Fabricio Werdum def. Cain Velasquez via submission (guillotine)
Eddie Alvarez def. Gilbert Melendez via split decision
Kelvin Gastelum def. Nate Marquardt via second-round TKO
Yair Rodriguez def. Charles Rosa via split decision
Tecia Torres def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision

Undercard
Henry Cejudo def. Chico Camus via unanimous decision
Efrain Escudero def. Drew Dober via submission (guillotine)
Patrick Williams def. Alejandro Perez via submission (guillotine)
Johnny Case def. Francisco Trevino via unanimous decision
Cathal Pendred def. Augusto Montano via unanimous decision
Gabriel Benitez def. Clay Collard via unanimous decision

The post UFC 188 Aftermath: Another G.O.A.T Bites the Dust… appeared first on Cagepotato.

UFC 188: A Complete A-to-Z Preview

(Think this is some brilliant guerilla marketing? Just wait until you try the Pollos Locos Velasquezamos Gorditas, hitting a Taco Bell near you!)

By Nasir Jabbar

Some of UFC’s marquee Hispanic fighters are graced to appear on the promotion’s second trip to Mexico at UFC 188 this weekend, none more prominent than heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. The injury prone Velasquez (well, calling him “injury prone” might be an understatement. The man’s spent more time in the ER than Tim “The Toolman” Taylor) returns to the octagon to take on interim-champion Fabricio Werdum for the unified heavyweight title, and in the night’s co-main event, Mexican-American Strikeforce vet Gilbert Melendez faces former Bellator champ Eddie Alvarez.

The main-card is rounded off with a important women’s strawweight bout and a couple of intriguing match-ups below, so by now you should know how it works — I’ve compiled an comprehensive A-to-Z list previewing the heck out of UFC 188. Join me?

The post UFC 188: A Complete A-to-Z Preview appeared first on Cagepotato.

(Think this is some brilliant guerilla marketing? Just wait until you try the Pollos Locos Velasquezamos Gorditas, hitting a Taco Bell near you!)

By Nasir Jabbar

The main-card is rounded off with a important women’s strawweight bout and a couple of intriguing match-ups below, so by now you should know how it works – I’ve compiled an comprehensive A-to-Z list previewing the heck out of UFC 188. Join me?

A is for AKA
Following Daniel Cormier‘s title triumph, can teammate and good friend Velasquez hold onto his strap, and make it two UFC belts for the San Jose team, AKA? Not bad for a “stone age” gym.

B is for “Bust His Ass Up”
Gilbert Melendez recently delivered some riveting pre-fight verbal’s aimed at Eddie Alvarez at the UFC 188 presser, claiming he will “bust his ass up.” Well, riveting for Gil, anyway.

C is for Cain
The heavyweight champ has been on the shelf for fifteen months while rehabbing his injuries, but finally makes his return. Velasquez was supposed to be the promotions main vehicle venturing into Mexico the first time around, but injuries postponed that. Can Cain stay healthy for the rest of the week? Recent history says “Probably not!”

D is for Do Yourself A Favour
Do yourself a favour and re-watch this:

E is for Ears
Remember when Leslie Smith’s exploded at the UFC’s debut event in Mexico? Yeah, that was gnarly.

F is for Fighting Irish
It’s not long now until the eagerly anticipated dust-up between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, but in the meantime, UFC 188 will feature another Irishman in the shape of McGregor teammate (and r/MMA P4P king) Cathal Pendred. “The Punisher” is currently riding a 3-fight win streak since entering the promotion, even if the last victory was the result of a horrible hometown decision.

G is for Going Down
After suffering his long-awaited UFC debut to Donald Cerrone, Dana White encouraged Alvarez to switch divisions by going down to featherweight, a move Alvarez said could only be achieved by cutting off a limb.

H is for Hot Potatoes
New territories mean local ring girls, which mean these hot potatoes will once again strut their stuff. CagePotato, bless you. (Ed note: You’re welcome.)

I is for It’s Been A While
It’s been a long, long time since Velasquez has entered the cage, as his AKA buddy Daniel Cormier’s career shows. In the time since the heavyweight champ’s last fight, “DC” has beaten up a barista on short-notice, ragged dolled ‘Hendo’, had a brawl in the MGM lobby, lost to Jon Jones and then captured the light-heavyweight title. *And breath*.

J is for Jealously
The rise of Paige Van Zant has been something, after one UFC bout she was signed up to a exclusive Reebok deal, and was then thrust into the limelight with a fight featured on big FOX. This has been pretty much the talk of the town in the women’s strawweight division with most having a say on it. UFC 188 competitor Tecia Torres even admitted that she was jealous of the meteoric rise of the budding prospect. Torres looks to mount a challenge for the title as she takes on fellow TUF 20 alum Angela Hill.

K is for Knee
Velasquez is returning after suffering a torn meniscus and MCL in his knee, yet feels confident that ring rust will not play a factor on Saturday night.

L is for Latin America
The Zuffa promotion is continuing its global expansion, with Latin America one of their main focuses. With the introduction of TUF: Latin America and the popularity of the sport in this continent, countries are now clamouring for live events with many untapped markets in the region.

M is for Mexican War
Melendez and Sanchez engaged in what was being dubbed as a Mexican war, and when Melendez and Alvarez meet in the octagon, I can only imagine something very similar going down. Call it the Mexi-Puerto Rican Missile Crisis, maybe?

N is for Native
Even though all but one bout on UFC 188 features an Hispanic fighter, only five of them are native Mexicans. If the UFC are trying to convert boxing fans, the promotion really needs homegrown fighters to really capture the Mexicans hearts.

O is for Olympian
After campaigning to get on the card, the former Olympic gold-medallist, Henry Cejudo, gets to fight in Mexico. The unbeaten flyweight has the potential to be a big hit in Mexico with his rags-to-riches story and fluency in Spanish. A victory over Chico Camus could see him leapfrog the other flyweight contenders and land him that title shot.

P is for Partisan
The last visit to Mexico was a huge success at the gate with a complete sell-out, expect the same for UFC 188 with a strong partisan crowd.

Q is for Quirky
The interim-champion is one quirky individual.

R is for Rumblings
Sponsorship rumblings and grumblings from discontented fighters continue ahead of UFC 188 with Gil Melendez, who recently stated that he would of had to “get a real job” if it wasn’t for his sponsors.

S is for Superfight
Even with his legal woes, Velasquez still thinks a super fight with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is a possibility. And honestly, Jones might just have his sh*t together by the time Cain comes back from his whatever injury he acquires this weekend.

T is for There Can Only Be One
“There can only be one champion” is the motto for this event as the heavyweight champion and interim champion look to unify the belts. Carrying on…

U is for Unification
The main-event is the first UFC unification bout since UFC 154, where GSP and ‘NBK’ fought for the unified welterweight title.

V is for ‘Vai Cavalo’
Due to the withdrawal of Velaquez at UFC 180, ‘Vai Cavalo’ took it upon himself to embrace the adoring Mexicans, and the Brazillian did a pretty swell job by giving renditions of famous Latin songs and seemingly getting the home support.

W is for Welterweight
Kelvin Gastelum, who was forced to move up after failing to make the welterweight limit, is hoping a good performance will allow him return to the welterweight division.

X is for ‘Xtra
Will there have to any ‘xtra lbs dropped after the scheduled weigh-ins with notably weight-cutting failures in Cejudo and Gastelum stepping on the scales?

Y is for Yair Rodriguez
After winning TUF: Latin America, Rodriguez now takes on Charles Rosa. Considering his previous foes have been Hispanic fighters on local regional shows, fighting the Boston native is a big step-up.

Z is for names ending in Z
Six fighters name end with the letter Z. Mind = blown.

The post UFC 188: A Complete A-to-Z Preview appeared first on Cagepotato.

Mike Richman’s Response to Failed Bellator 137 Drug Test Is…Surprisingly Endearing, Actually

Richman puts a (hopefully steroid-free) whooping on Jeremy Spoon Bellator 76.

It’s a scenario we’ve seen play out dozens, if not hundreds of times in mixed martial arts: A fighter rockets to the top of his division with a string of strong performances and is rewarded with the biggest fight of his life, a title fight, in front of the biggest audience he has ever competed before. Feeling that his game might not quite be at the level it needs to be, said fighter resorts to certain…chemical enhancements to give him that extra boost.

Whether said fighter fell back on those enhancements to deal with a nagging injury, or to shed those last few pounds, or simply out of the fear of getting his ass kicked on national television is a moot point. When given the option of cheating to gain an advantage, he took it. Then the fight happens, said fighter either wins or loses (he loses more often than not, ironically), and said fighter’s drug test results come back positive for steroids/diuretics/etc.

Unfortunately for the fans of said fighter, this is where the truly shameful behavior begins: The rationalization/denial phase. Rather than own up to his wrongdoing like an adult, said fighter blames it on his doctor, or an over-the-counter drug, or the fricking sauna at the fricking gym, or simply denies it outright. Whatever content of character said fighter had left after the positive test is thereby eradicated on account of his own stubbornness, and MMA superfan Little Jimmy Pocket loses another idol.

But not Bellator bantamweight title challenger Mike Richman, who tested positive for an undisclosed PED following his loss to champion Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 137 last month…

The post Mike Richman’s Response to Failed Bellator 137 Drug Test Is…Surprisingly Endearing, Actually appeared first on Cagepotato.

Richman puts a (hopefully steroid-free) whooping on Jeremy Spoon Bellator 76.

But not Bellator bantamweight title challenger Mike Richman, who tested positive for an undisclosed PED following his loss to champion Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 137 last month…

Rather than opt to blame the commission, his doctor, or the lab who handled his sample, Richman owned up to his steroid usage outright, labeling himself “a cheat” who “deserves every bit of backlash and hate I’m going to receive” for his positive test in a message posted on his Facebook page last night. And oddly enough, he has earned at least one guy’s respect in doing so. (*points to self*) This guy’s.

In Richman’s own words:

In regards to my positive test results for an Anabolic Steroid. I want to say that I lost the integrity in myself and the integrity of this sport. I will not sit here and deny that I took it or act like I didn’t know what I was taking or blame it on someone else. I am a cheat, plan and simple and there is no excuse or reason that is valid enough to dispute the reasons why I cheated the sport and myself by using it. I want to apologize to Bellator MMA for my actions. I want to apologize again to my hard working Teammates who are not cutting corners and busting their asses off everyday in the gym to better themselves. I want to apologize to My head MMA coach Greg Nelson for making him and his gym the Academy look bad. He had no knowledge of me using at all. I want to make the same apology to my S&C coach Matt Miller of Horsepower strength and conditioning, he also had no knowledge of my use of this Anabolic Steroid.

I apologize to all my sponsors that support me, my family that loves me, and my friends and fans that cheer for me. I deserve every bit of backlash and hate I’m going to receive from the media and the fans of this great sport. I take full responsibility in my actions and the decisions I made. I also deserve the punishment the CA state athletic commission brought down upon me.

That punishment, as it turns out, will be a $2,500 fine and a two-year suspension from the sport (dem new steroid policies, doe…). The news of Richman’s positive test comes after the Minnesota native was nearly pulled from the title fight altogether after weighing in some three pounds over the bantamweight limit, and could indicate that Richman was in fact dealing with a nasty injury that kept him out of action in the weeks prior to Bellator 137. Still, major props to Richman for claiming to have no excuses for his actions and not immediately following up with a list of excuses. He may be a cheat (by his own words), but at least he’s a (semi) honest cheat.

In related news, Sherdog.com ”has also learned that welterweight Fernando Gonzalez tested positive for marijuana following his third-round submission of Curtis Millender at the same event…and has been given a 90-day suspension for his second failure due to marijuana.” Which…

The post Mike Richman’s Response to Failed Bellator 137 Drug Test Is…Surprisingly Endearing, Actually appeared first on Cagepotato.

XFS Owner Gregg Sharp Tries to Defend “Soccer Mom” Booking, Fails Miserably

We’d like to think we played at least a minor role in the video of the soccer mom getting viciously KO’d going viral over the weekend (as well as the ensuing backlash aimed at Xplode Fight Series for allowing it to happen), even though it turned out that a) The woman in question was not a soccer mom, but actual, “professional” fighter Katie Castro and b) the clip was over 6 months old. What can we say? We *need* validation even in it’s smallest, most insignificant form.

In any case, the utter mismatch that was Castro vs. Macfarlane has raised some major questions regarding Xplode Fight Series’ well-documented history of questionable fight booking, with many people (mainly us) calling for the promotion to be held responsible for their disgraceful actions, if not shut down entirely.

Enter XFS owner Gregg Sharp, who attempted to quell the fires surrounding his promotion/the matchup in an interview with the aptly-named CollateralDamageMMA late last week. Without spoiling too much, I will say that his response to the backlash was exactly the kind of sickening, take-no-responsibility bullshit that you’d expect from a guy who allowed the above fight to happen.

The post XFS Owner Gregg Sharp Tries to Defend “Soccer Mom” Booking, Fails Miserably appeared first on Cagepotato.

His initial defense, I kid you not, is as follows:

I actually thought this would have been a bigger deal 6 months ago the way we seem to have so many “FANS” out there, but I am not naive in the fact that sooner or later a hater or two would jump on to our YouTube account and make something of nothing.

I was never part of my high school’s debate team, but if I was, I’m pretty that the first thing I would have learned would be to not immediately contradict myself, then write off the offense in question as “something out of nothing.”

“So some dumb broad was nearly beheaded in our organization. Haters gonna hate, bigwhoopwannafightaboutit?”

Do you really think that “Nothing” is the term to use on the video?

Yes I believe that nothing is the correct term to deal with this one. Let’s strip the names and gender away and take an objective look around the world of MMA… A 0-0 fighter debuted against a 0-2 fighter and the knockout was vicious. Does this not happen on every level of MMA short of the UFC? Of course it does.

Ah, the old “Don’t hate the player, hate the game” defense, which, aside from being a completely asinine way of shedding yourself of any responsibility regarding the safety of someone’s life, doesn’t really work when said 0-2 fighter has competed both times under your organization and been KO’d on both occasions in under 1 minute.

“Look, Timmy, it’s not that I want to stick your pledge paddle up your ass sideways, it’s that I have to because tradition. I mean, do you want to be an Alpha Sig or what?!!”

Ilima Macfarlance who makes her Pro debut is a terrific amateur fighter, Katie Castro who at the time is 0-2 is a not so terrific fighter, but a willing and game competitor…Ilima’s opponent pulls out, she has family that has flown in from Hawaii and across the country and we all have a decision to make.

“I mean, what are we going to do? Just pay this clearly superior fighter her win/show money and disappoint the tens of fans who paid to see this? THEY WANT BLOOD DAMMIT!!”

Do you think it was a good match-up?

I am sorry but this happened SIX months ago, we are not going to or can go back and change what transpired. It was a good decision at the time, but it seems that with so many Promotions finding it hard to attract fans and fighters one might assume this is now and issue done more out of trying to defame or discredit XFS so that they can try and re-fill their cards rather than a genuine concern for the sport. Either way I am not going to run from people criticizing or critiquing XFS.

So now it’s…the fans fault that this happened? Rival promotions, maybe? Sharp is acting like this fight was a rare instance of a respected promotion allowing a matchup to slip through the cracks, when in reality it’s just the opposite. If anything, XFS is only notorious for booking ridiculously lopsided matches.

Take Walel Watson, for instance, who followed up his 4-fight stint in the UFC by facing Anthony Moore (0-14) and Joey Apodaca (0-9) in back-to-back XFS appearances. Or Strikeforce/Bellator vet Keith Berry, who fought 0-0 Josh Gibson in what was billed as a middleweight title fight back in 2012. FYI, Gibson’s record currently sits at 0-6, with 5 of those appearances coming by first round stoppage under the XFS banner.

Sharp is essentially trying to claim that by reporting these simple facts, us jelly h8ers are somehow slandering an otherwise noble and revered organization. “But hey, it happened six months ago and has had zero effect on how we do business, so sorry not sorry!”

But people say that if this was a commission show this would not have happened! What do you say to that?

Ok please explain then how Cody Sons who was 0-1 as a pro 0-3 in his last 3 as an ammy, So 0-4 in his last 4 was sanctioned to fight John Paul Elias 3-0 in Bellator 133 in Fresno under CSAC? Are you saying that XFS is now being held to a higher standard than the matchmakers at Bellator and CSAC? Is this not an egregious match up that was actually matched and accepted three weeks prior to the show? Did someone out there other than Cody actually think he was going to win?

“How many times do I have to say this until it makes sense to you people? If enough people agree that infanticide is an acceptable form of entertainment, then what am I suppose to do, *not* make money off of baby murder? My hands are tied!”

So, are you justifying your actions with other promotions? That is a tough justification on any level.

Not at all, I am merely stating the facts. If you are saying that XFS is the only promotion in the world that has kept a fight on the card by working with a last minute fighter then you are crazy. If you are saying that Athletic commissions make sure that this does not happen then you are certifiable. Honestly there are fighters in other promotions that have been built up so that their “promotional hometown hero’s” or the family of the matchmaker/promoter will beat an opponent with a winning record. Now that resonates on all levels of MMA! Making me the center of the witch hunt is extremely humorous!

Right, except you are quite literally justifying your actions based on other promotions, you arrogant, short-sighted dipsh*t. This is more or less the exact same conversation that Tyrion Lannister and Hizdahr zo Loraq were having in last week’s Thrones episode.

““It’s an unpleasant question, but what great thing has ever been accomplished without killing or cruelty?” — Loraq

“It’s easy to confuse what is with what ought to be, especially when what is has worked out in your favor.” — Tyrion

You are Loraq in this instance, Gregg, and I can only pray that you meet a similar fate.

What is the solution then?

Why do I need to create a solution? How about this… introduce me to an Oil tycoon’s son and allow me access to 20 million dollars and I will take XFS to the next level, return your investment with interest and create a new dynamic for all the fighters in Southern California. Sound good? Well let’s be honest that equation did not work out to well for one Texas based promotion did it? Unfortunately I guess I am not that lucky.

“I have proved myself to be nothing but a deplorable, ignorant individual who values putting money in my own pocket over the safety of the people my organization is charged with protecting, but if you give me more money, everything will be better!”

Public opinion at best is slated to a plethora of keyboard warriors and “craven’s who sit at the battles edge” and cast mean-spirited comments with the hopes of hurting someone’s feelings and in the end nothing gets fixed, so we can’t go to a public consensus on it. I guess I could start a GoFundMe account like everyone else that believes that social media begging is a lot better than getting a job and working for your dreams and ask to raise 20 million, nah I would rather work than to beg….

I will continue to run XFS until I feel we have finished our mission and we are ready to move on. If people want to write about me go ahead, I just delete their comments anyway, actually I have staff that does that so please don’t get too excited that you are talking to me.

Wow. Just…wow.

“This isn’t a democracy, and even if it was, your opinions and concerns about FIGHTER SAFETY AND REGULATION are clearly just jealousy manifesting itself in a couple nerdy Youtube comments, so if you’ll excuse me…”

(*throws on headphones*)

“LALALALALALAAA CAN’T HEAR YOU!!!”

Gregg Sharp, you are pond scum.

The post XFS Owner Gregg Sharp Tries to Defend “Soccer Mom” Booking, Fails Miserably appeared first on Cagepotato.

Comeuppance of the Day: Leslie Smith, Heather Clark Lay Beatdown on Ass-Grabbing Schmuck Outside Nightclub

(Relevant. via Smith’s Twitter.)

The problem with being an entitled, misogynistic a-hole who views women not as fellow human beings but as property for the taking is, well, everything I just wrote, but also, it can really come back to bite (as well as punch, kick, and elbow) you in the ass.

Take, for example, the entitled, misogynistic a-hole who thought it was well within his privilege to grab a woman’s…posterior outside San Francisco club with a group of friends. Unfortunately for that fellow, that woman happened to be UFC bantamweight contender Leslie Smith, who was entering said club with TUF 20 alum Heather Clark. Suffice it to say, things did not end well for this man.

The entire hilarious story — which begins with “scumbag” and ends with “running soccer kick to the groin” — is after the jump, via Cesar Gracie’s Facebook.

The post Comeuppance of the Day: Leslie Smith, Heather Clark Lay Beatdown on Ass-Grabbing Schmuck Outside Nightclub appeared first on Cagepotato.

(Relevant. via Smith’s Twitter.)

The entire hilarious story — which begins with “scumbag” and ends with “running soccer kick to the groin” — is after the jump, via Cesar Gracie’s Facebook.

Dirtbag decides to sexually harass group of females. What he didn’t know was that 2 of the women were MMA fighters currently in the UFC.

While going out to a club in San Francisco, a malcontent male decided to cop a feel of a female entering the club. The female turned to her friend, current UFC fighter, Leslie Smith and exclaimed, “that guy just grabbed my a$$”.

Leslie approached the man and said, “hey you can’t do that” at which point the larger male responded, “f@ck you I can do whatever I want”

Leslie retorted, no muthaf@cker you can’t”

At this point the man became irate and spat on Leslie’s face. He then proceeded to take a punch at what he thought would be an indefensible woman

Wrong

Leslie ducked the punch and shot in for a takedown. She quickly got to the mans back and applied a choke but decided he needed some elbow strikes and punches to learn a valuable lesson.

The man unable to fend off the better fighter, desperately grabbed at Leslie’s hair and in vain resorted to fighting like a girl.

Approaching the melee was Leslie’s friend and Miesha Tate training partner, UFC fighter Heather Clark.

Heather, without missing a beat, delivered a running soccer kick to the man’s nether regions.

Leslie again achieved mount and delivered a series of elbows until the man, now having his face looking more like hamburger meat, yelled out that he was sorry and that he respected them.
At this point Leslie disengaged and allowed the man to get up and go. He left having learned a valuable lesson and the women returned to the club.

I’d like to think that this guy learned a valuable lesson too, Cesar, but I have the strangest inkling that anyone arrogant enough to grab a woman’s ass, then spit in her face for calling him out on it, is well beyond the “learning lessons” stage of life.

Smith later corroborated the story, stating that “I’d be second guessing myself and my judgement if I had been drinking but I wasn’t. I can’t say I would be able to avoid the violence if given the chance to play it out. I was morally compelled to tell the man that my friend’s butt (in a pair of jean btw) was not public property for him to grope at will and then he spit and swung on me. I feel like I stuck to my policy of non initiation of violence while also standing up for what I know is right.”