It seems that more often than not these days, the UFC likes to sell us on the invincibility of its champions. “Anderson Silva is the G.O.A.T.” “Renan Barao is one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC right now, if not the greatest.” “Jose Aldo had sex with my blind wife last night and now she can see!” I’m paraphrasing here, but you get the point.
That’s not meant as a knock on the promotion, mind you. I mean, you tell me how else you’re going to market a humble, softly-spoken foreigner who knows maybe a dozen words in English, if not based on his skills in the cage? This is the fight game after all, and Conor McGregor would still be collecting welfare checks if he didn’t possess the actual skill to back up his mouth. Yet time and time again, it seems that the UFC’s go-to strategy for hyping a fighter becomes akin to placing a hex on them. And when/if the champion in question does lose, it isn’t long before the conversation shifts to “Anderson Silva is a roidhead.” “Renan Barao is going to get smoked in the rematch.” “Jose Aldo is only keeping Conor McGregor’s seat warm.”
To be perfectly clear, this isn’t how I feel the UFC was marketing Anthony Pettis heading into his UFC 185 title fight with Rafael Dos Anjos. The promotion was marketing him on his skillset, sure, which again — how could you not when his highlight reel includes a flying off-the-cage ninja kick? I’m saying that this is how the MMA media seemed to be billing Pettis in the weeks leading up to last Saturday. Blame it on the stupidity and/or rampant fanboyism that affects even the unbiased (and more importantly, credentialed) members, blame it on whatever you want, but there was an air of invincibility surrounding Pettis. We were like a deer caught in the headlights of “Showtime’s” greatness, so much so that we barely even took the time to notice that Dos Anjos was there.
(Photo via Getty)
It seems that more often than not these days, the UFC likes to sell us on the invincibility of its champions. “Anderson Silva is the G.O.A.T.” “Renan Barao is one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC right now, if not the greatest.” “Jose Aldo had sex with my blind wife last night and now she can see!” I’m paraphrasing here, but you get the point.
That’s not meant as a knock on the promotion, mind you. I mean, you tell me how else you’re going to market a humble, softly-spoken foreigner who knows maybe a dozen words in English, if not based on his skills in the cage? This is the fight game after all, and Conor McGregor would still be collecting welfare checks if he didn’t possess the actual skill to back up his mouth. Yet time and time again, it seems that the UFC’s go-to strategy for hyping a fighter becomes akin to placing a hex on them. And when/if the champion in question does lose, it isn’t long before the conversation shifts to “Anderson Silva is a roidhead.” “Renan Barao is going to get smoked in the rematch.” “Jose Aldo is only keeping Conor McGregor’s seat warm.”
To be perfectly clear, this isn’t how I feel the UFC was marketing Anthony Pettis heading into his UFC 185 title fight with Rafael Dos Anjos. The promotion was marketing him on his skillset, sure, which again — how could you not when his highlight reel includes a flying off-the-cage ninja kick? I’m saying that this is how the MMA media seemed to be billing Pettis in the weeks leading up to last Saturday. Blame it on the stupidity and/or rampant fanboyism that affects even the unbiased (and more importantly, credentialed) members, blame it on whatever you want, but there was an air of invincibility surrounding Pettis. We were like a deer caught in the headlights of “Showtime’s” greatness, so much so that we barely even took the time to notice that Dos Anjos was there.
Again, this is not a dig, but rather an observation. I sure as hell didn’t give Dos Anjos much of a chance despite his insanely impressive credentials in recent years, and was already salivating at the idea of watching Pettis face his first true test as champion in Khabib Nurmagomedov, once the latter beat Donald Cerrone (which now that I think about it, likely just condemned Nurmy to a loss).
The point is, us MMA fans — from the most casual observers right up to the credentialed media members — like to get a few steps ahead of ourselves when it comes to the cream of the crop. We see a couple flashy finishes over legitimate competition and we suddenly start hyping up “superfights” and dream/freak show matches that are light years away from materializing, then devoting countless articles to them as if they’ve been already booked. Do you guys realize that “we’ve” spent the past two weeks talking about the prospect of Ronda Rousey vs. a man and/or Laila Al? (*shudders*)
And the MMA Gods, well, they find our hubris disconcerting. Disturbing even. Which is why every now and again, they throw a Dos Anjos into the gears. “This is what you get,” they bellow from on high, “This is what you get for trying to book Pettis vs. Aldo.”
And that’s exactly what happened last weekend. For five unbelievable, grueling rounds, the guy best known for being on the wrong end of a Jeremy Stephens uppercut in his UFC debut handed a dynamic, unstoppable champion the ass-whooping of a lifetime. To call it shocking would be a woeful undersell. Rafael Dos Anjos torched Anthony Pettis. We were ready to believe that the guy who got wrestlefucked by Clay Guida in 2011 had developed +1000 takedown defense mana in the years since, and oh how we were wrong. Even more bewildering than Dos Anjos’ complete domination in the grappling department was his dismantling of Pettis, a taekwondo master with the dexterity of a Cirque Du Soleil performer, in the striking department, which saw the then-champion’s eye swollen shut by the start of the championship rounds.
Pettis fought his heart out on Saturday, but he still came up short against a guy who started off his UFC career two in the hole. And with his loss, we are once again reminded that no one in the UFC is unbeatable (except for Jon Jones) (and Ronda Rousey). The king is dead, long live the king.
Speaking of unbeatable, time will only tell how long it takes for us to bestow that status on Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who came out like a woman possessed against Carla Esparza. Anyone who had seen the Embedded series knew that the Polish muay-Thai champion had managed to get inside her cookie-loving opponent’s head, but the extent to which she had wasn’t made obvious until Esparza entered the arena. Despite having Metallica’s “Harvester of Sorrow” blaring in the background, Esparza looked like anything but a woman ready for a fight. She looked extremely nervous. Checked out. Dare I say it, scared.
Her nervousness was apparent in every second she was in the fight. Esparza’s “underrated” striking — as it was being billed — was non-existent. Overwhelmed from the get-go by Jedrzejczyk’s prowess on the feet, the TUF 20 winner repeatedly dove in on sloppy and telegraphed single leg attempts with zero setup whatsoever. She was a sitting duck, and Jedrzejczyk wasted no time taking advantage of it. The second round TKO win for Jedrzejczyk capped off a flawless performance, and a credit is also due to referee Don Turnage for the most merciful title fight stoppage since Silva vs. Franklin.
What else did we learn at UFC 185? Well, that Johny Hendricks sure can wrassle, which was already a bit of a given. Struggling to deal with the constant forward attack of Matt Brown early, Hendricks slowed things down with his repeated takedowns and G-n-P, then busted up a tiring Brown on the feet in the latter rounds for good measure. It wasn’t the most exciting performance (and one that Hendricks was highly critical of himself), but the former champ looked well on his way to a trilogy fight with Robbie Lawler.
And finally, I’d like to pour one out for poor, poor Chris Cariaso. The guy is about as forgettable as they come in terms of both personality and skillset, and has absolutely been mauled in his past two fights. No wonder he was hoping Henry Cejudo missed weight.
Full results for UFC 185 are below.
Rafael dos Anjos def. Anthony Pettis by unanimous decision
Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Carla Esparza by TKO, round 2
Johny Hendricks def. Matt Brown by unanimous decision
Alistair Overeem def. Roy Nelson by unanimous decision
Henry Cejudo def. Chris Cariaso by unanimous decision
Ross Pearson def. Sam Stout by KO, round 2
Elias Theodorou def. Roger Narvaez by TKO, round 2
Beneil Dariush def. Daron Cruickshank by submission, round 2
Jared Rosholt def. Josh Copeland by TKO, round 3
Ryan Benoit def. Sergio Pettis by TKO, round 2
Joseph Duffy def. Jake Lindsey by TKO, round 1
Germaine de Randamie def. Larissa Pacheco by TKO, round 2
One day in the not so distant future, you will be sitting down with a son or daughter, neighbor or friend, as they see their first UFC event. You’ll try to explain how amazing Anderson Silva was as he Matrixed around the punches of Forrest Griffin, and wince when they ask, “Is that the guy whose leg snapped in half?” Maybe you’ll be sitting down with your niece or nephew and they’ll hear the term “hammerfist” with no idea that Mark Coleman was an architect of ground strikes (remind them that he’s also the first UFC heavyweight champ).
Occasionally on the forums, I’ll read a comment about how Royce Gracie only won those early UFC tournaments because no one knew how to defend against BJJ submissions and how he’d be no good today. That last comment makes me think of people who tout their smartphones having more processing power than the computers that performed the moon landing. The difference is, one guy went to the moon and the other played candy crush on the toilet.
As the history of Mixed Martial Arts solidifies, its defining moments become clear and we should celebrate the men and women who’ve brought us here. For this series of articles, I’d like to talk informally about what a Hall of Fame for MMA might look like, what it takes to get there, and who belongs in the Pantheon.
One day in the not so distant future, you will be sitting down with a son or daughter, neighbor or friend, as they see their first UFC event. You’ll try to explain how amazing Anderson Silva was as he Matrixed around the punches of Forrest Griffin, and wince when they ask, “Is that the guy whose leg snapped in half?” Maybe you’ll be sitting down with your niece or nephew and they’ll hear the term “hammerfist” with no idea that Mark Coleman was an architect of ground strikes (remind them that he’s also the first UFC heavyweight champ).
Occasionally on the forums, I’ll read a comment about how Royce Gracie only won those early UFC tournaments because no one knew how to defend against BJJ submissions and how he’d be no good today. That last comment makes me think of people who tout their smartphones having more processing power than the computers that performed the moon landing. The difference is, one guy went to the moon and the other played candy crush on the toilet.
As the history of Mixed Martial Arts solidifies, its defining moments become clear and we should celebrate the men and women who’ve brought us here. For this series of articles, I’d like to talk informally about what a Hall of Fame for MMA might look like, what it takes to get there, and who belongs in the Pantheon.
I’m of the opinion that there are at least four major categories for induction into our theoretical HoF, and they are:
1. Fighters. This is self explanatory. Be they technical masters who demonstrate the effectiveness of a style, or captivating berserkers who demolish all in their path, these men and women are the collective back upon which our sport rests.
2. The Coaches & Executives behind the scenes who have developed the sport and its fighters into what the viewing public consumes and understands MMA to be.
Would the letters UFC exist without Art Davie, Campbell McLaren, Dana White, the Gracie & Fertitta families? Could Chuck Liddell have transcended the sport into a crossover star without John Hackleman?
3. Referees. The harsh reality is that fighters are safer when certain refs are in the cage versus others. It’s a thankless job which rarely makes headlines aside from instances where an egregious error has been made. The cream of the crop should be recognized for their valuable contributions.
4. Great fights themselves. Beyond cataloging win streaks, championship runs and other numerically quantifiable achievements, I’d like to see a portion of the Hall dedicated to pivotal moments in the evolution and history of MMA. This is a sport in which a narrative develops throughout a fight. Jones vs. Gustafsson title fight is far more complex and career defining than Jones’ 1st round finish of Chael Sonnen.
Some of the greatest fights in the sport’s history are hard fought decisions. Fedor vs. Cro Cop, Silva vs. Belfort, and Hendo vs Shogun have become “where were you when that happened?” moments in fans’ memories. Even Edgar vs. Maynard 2 tells us more about the human spirit than something like Arlovski vs. Buentello. Not all champions are created equal and it should be noted.
Mixed Martial Arts is special. When we’re caught up between the crush of Fight Week, hype trains and #WelcomeToTheHashtagIsNow, it’s easy to forget that a brand new sport came into existence and has cultivated a global audience. MMA is a 21st century creation through and through. It survived the dark ages in part because of the Internet. Its fans created their own media outlets, hype videos and discussion forums.
When I was in art school, we agonized over “what is post-modernism?” but today I look at MMA and see post-modernism in the flesh. Fighters blend martial art forms together into personalized styles that transcends their origins. Each generation emerges in a kind of Moore’s Law to the point where now we can whimsically ponder if the Cody McKenzie of 2015 could have won UFC 1?
That’s just one of the many questions we’ll be exploring as we take an in-depth look at who and what belongs in a potential MMA Hall of Fame.
As you well know, 2015 has not been off to a great start for us here at castle CagePotato. Financial cutbacks from our parent site have left us without an Old or New Dad of any sort and forced us (me) to heavily cut back on our usual daily output. We’re in nothing short of crisis mode, and the future of the CagePotato brand remains up in the air. It’s…been a depressing couple of months to say the least.
But as Harvey Dent once said, it is always darkest before the dawn. And not unlike Dent, we need you — our loyal, fearless and ever-vitriolic readers — to be the Batman to our Gotham. Which is why today, we announce the launch of our own crowdfunding campaign through Patreonto #RallyForCagePotato.
CagePotato would be nothing if it wasn’t for you guys (and gals), and we need your help and support now more than ever.
Care to read up on our cause and/or donate? Head after the jump for all the details how.
By Jared Jones
Good morning, Nation.
As you well know, 2015 has not been off to a great start for us here at castle CagePotato. Financial cutbacks from our parent site have left us without an Old or New Dad of any sort and forced us (me) to heavily cut back on our usual daily output. We’re in nothing short of crisis mode, and the future of the CagePotato brand remains up in the air. It’s…been a depressing couple of months to say the least.
But as Harvey Dent once said, it is always darkest before the dawn. And not unlike Dent, we need you — our loyal, fearless and ever-vitriolic readers — to be the Batman to our Gotham. Which is why today, we announce the launch of our own crowdfunding campaign through Patreonto #RallyForCagePotato.
CagePotato would be nothing if it wasn’t for you guys (and gals), and we need your help and support now more than ever.
Care to read up on our cause and/or donate? Head after the jump for all the details how.
Our dilemma is simple; in order to up our daily output of content, bring in more/new writers, and continue to make improvements the site, we need more money. Your money. Not a lot, mind you — even as little as a couple bucks a month — but enough to *marginally* compensate for what our parent site has slashed from our budget. This money will ensure that we will be able to continue churning out great material and even start paying those of you who have been sending in articles for publication (which have been nothing short of excellent so far) moving forward.
If you’re unfamiliar with how Patreon works, check out this brief video to get up to speed.
Essentially, Patreon works like a Kickstarter campaign, except the donations are made on a monthly basis. In hindsight, I guess that video wasn’t entirely necessary.
We’ve accomplished great things through crowdfunding in the past, and are confident that we can do great things again with your help. But if the thought of saving your favorite sarcasm-riddled MMA blog run by jealous UFC h8rs isn’t enough, we also have a few “incentives”:
– For $5/month, you will receive a personal shout-out of your choosing from us on Twitter. Got a beef with a fighter you need to get off your chest, but can’t because you only have 23 followers? Want us to publicly shame one of your friends? Or are you simply looking to to gain some followers via the patented CagePotato bump? All you need is a few bucks to start making those incredibly modest dreams come true.
– For $25/month, you will receive a signed 8×10 from CP’s resident adult film star and GSP fanatic, Carmen Valentina.
– For $50/month, you will receive a custom solo vid from Ms. Valentina. We’re sure she’ll just use the time to give you the scoop on what GSP’s been up to lately and totally not take her clothes off in the process.
We can’t begin to describe how much your support has meant to us in these trying times. but with a little more help, we can all make sure that CagePotato remains a place for MMA’s craziest and most dedicated fans to revel in the circus act that is our beloved sport.
(Watson, seen here showing Flava Flav how a *true* hype man accepts an award. via Getty)
Rumors have been swirling for days that longtime UFC site coordinator Burt Watson had left the promotion following a mid-show dispute with management at UFC 184. While most of us were hoping that those rumors were just that, today brings the confirmation that Watson has in fact departed from the UFC after a 14-year stint as their “Babysitter to the Stars.”
(Watson, seen here showing Flava Flav how a *true* hype man accepts an award. via Getty)
Rumors have been swirling for days that longtime UFC site coordinator Burt Watson had left the promotion following a mid-show dispute with management at UFC 184. While most of us were hoping that those rumors were just that, today brings the confirmation that Watson has in fact departed from the UFC after a 14-year stint as their “Babysitter to the Stars.”
The news was broke by none other than the man himself, via Twitter this morning.
I’ll be honest, I never really knew exactly what Watson was responsible for behind the scenes (pep talks? pre-weigh-in hype?), but he always seemed like an energetic, infectious personality that fighters and (diehard) fans will surely miss. Here’s hoping that HE BE ROLLLIIIINNNNNN to another great opportunity.
