We here at CagePotato.com aren’t the types to say “We told you so,” which is convenient, because we couldn’t even gather enough interest in BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar III to mock it beforehand. The fight ended predictably; Penn continued to be no match for Edgar, and “The Prodigy” hinted at yet another retirement from MMA after it was over. Given the trilogy’s one-sided nature and predictable ending, we’re tempted to call it the most pointless trilogy in our sport’s history. But doing so would do the following trilogies a grave injustice:
Bryan Robinson vs. Andrew Reinard
Third Fight: Tuesday Night Fights, 01/24/2002. Scoreboard: Robinson, 3-0.
A quick glance at the record of every ironman in MMA will reveal multiple victories over fighters who can best be described as “victims” and “warm bodies.” Reinard is Exhibit A: You can watch his entire three-fight career in only forty-eight seconds.
[Author Note: Robinson vs. Reinard is a stand-in for every pointless trilogy that other MMA ironmen have been involved in. Coincidentally, Robinson himself accounts for seven (?!?) of Travis Fulton’s career victories.]
(Okay, but can he beat a motivated, featherweight Penn? Photo Courtesy of Getty Images.)
We here at CagePotato.com aren’t the types to say “We told you so,” which is convenient, because we couldn’t even gather enough interest in BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar III to mock it beforehand. The fight ended predictably; Penn continued to be no match for Edgar, and “The Prodigy” hinted at yet another retirement from MMA after it was over. Given the trilogy’s one-sided nature and predictable ending, we’re tempted to call it the most pointless trilogy in our sport’s history. But doing so would do the following trilogies a grave injustice:
Bryan Robinson vs. Andrew Reinard
Third Fight: Tuesday Night Fights, 01/24/2002. Scoreboard: Robinson, 3-0.
A quick glance at the record of every ironman in MMA will reveal multiple victories over fighters who can best be described as “victims” and “warm bodies.” Reinard is Exhibit A: You can watch his entire three-fight career in only forty-eight seconds.
[Author Note: Robinson vs. Reinard is a stand-in for every pointless trilogy that other MMA ironmen have been involved in. Coincidentally, Robinson himself accounts for seven (?!?) of Travis Fulton’s career victories.]
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Wanderlei Silva
Third Fight: Pride: Total Elimination 2003, 08/10/2003. Scoreboard: Silva, 3-0.
Move along. We don’t need to re-open this wound.
Jeremy Horn vs. Chael Sonnen
Third Fight: UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie, 05/27/2006. Scoreboard: Horn, 3-0.
Three fights. Two submissions. Zero interest. It’s hard to believe that the UFC once had such humble plans for Chael Sonnen.
Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz
Third Fight: UFC: The Final Chapter, 10/10/2006. Scoreboard: Ortiz, 3-0.
A trilogy that saw a slightly disinterested relic from a bygone era get mercilessly picked apart by a hungrier fighter in his prime. In other words, it was the Penn vs. Edgar of its era.
Olaf Alfonso vs. John Polakowski
Third Fight: WEC 24, 10/12/2006. Scoreboard: Polakowski, 2-1.
These two guys easily engaged in the most competitive, entertaining trilogy that made this list. If Polakowski didn’t waste the first three years of his career fighting Alfonso, he may be known to MMA fans for more than this.
Depending on how you view TUF exhibitions, Diaz vs. Maynard may simply be a “pointlessly marketed as a trilogy” rematch. That the UFC wanted us to view their fight at The TUF 18 Finale as a trilogy made it eligible for this list. The “TUF exhibition + Unwatchable ‘second’ fight” formula sealed its fate as an inclusion.
Did we omit an especially pointless grudge match? Are you dying to make the case for Sylvia vs. Arlovski, even though it was technically a quadrilogy? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, or hit us up at our official Twitter account.
For most UFC fans, the knockout remains the most satisfying way for a fight to end. A lightning-quick knockout can be especially satisfying.
How about we take a quick look back at the fastest knockouts in UFC history?
On eight occasions, fights have en…
For most UFC fans, the knockout remains the most satisfying way for a fight to end. A lightning-quick knockout can be especially satisfying.
How about we take a quick look back at the fastest knockouts in UFC history?
On eight occasions, fights have ended in 10 seconds or less, dating way back to the UFC’s early tournament days. Some of the knockouts were preludes to successful MMA careers. Some were silly flukes.
So, who is in this illustrious crew? Who scored the fastest knockouts in the promotion’s history? How the heck did they pull it off?
Gray Maynard will be looking to get things back on track, and his mission to do so will start with Fabricio Camoes at UFC 176.
The former two-time lightweight title challenger will face the Brazilian veteran when the UFC hits Staples Center in Lo…
Gray Maynard will be looking to get things back on track, and his mission to do so will start with Fabricio Camoes at UFC 176.
The former two-time lightweight title challenger will face the Brazilian veteran when the UFC hits Staples Center in Los Angeles on August 2. The tilt between Maynard and Camoes will be a featured bout on a card that will be headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between featherweight champion Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes.
Whereas the former three-time All-American wrestling standout kicked off his run under the UFC banner in 2007 on an eight-fight winning streak that earned him two shots at the 155-pound title, Maynard’s path through the lightweight ranks has been a rough road as of late.
The 35-year-old returned from a lengthy stint on the sidelines in June 2012 to defeat Clay Guida, but he then suffered back-to-back losses to TJ Grant and Nate Diaz.
The former contender will need a win over Camoes in the worst way in order to remain relevant in a lightweight division that has grown more competitive over the past three years.
There are also heavy implications on the line where Camoes is concerned as well. The 35-year-old Rio de Janeiro native has amassed a 1-3-1 record during his time inside the Octagon. He is currently in the midst of a two-fight slump, with his most recent setback coming when Jim Miller defeated him via submission at UFC 168 last December.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Of course, upon glancing over the TUF 18 salaries, one begins to understand why the Diaz brothers are constantly griping over fighter pay. While big bro Nick banked a cool 200k for his post-retirement, pre-re-retirement headlining title fight with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158, it seems that Nate — who is also a former title challenger, BTW — is barely making more to show than he did in his early post-TUF days (via MMAJunkie):
Despite hailing from the same season of TUF as Maynard (and actually submitting him in the semifinals), recently fighting for a title, and collecting 4 “Of the Night” bonuses in each of his past 4 wins, Diaz is somehow making 1/3rd as much as Maynard to show. What. the. fucking. fuck.
(Oh, *now* we understand why he’s pissed off all the time.)
Of course, upon glancing over the TUF 18 salaries, one begins to understand why the Diaz brothers are constantly griping over fighter pay. While big bro Nick banked a cool 200k for his post-retirement, pre-re-retirement headlining title fight with Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158, it seems that Nate — who is also a former title challenger, BTW — is barely making more to show than he did in his early post-TUF days (via MMAJunkie):
Despite hailing from the same season of TUF as Maynard (and actually submitting him in the semifinals), recently fighting for a title, and collecting 4 “Of the Night” bonuses in each of his past 4 wins, Diaz is somehow making 1/3rd as much as Maynard to show. What. the. fucking. fuck.
It should be noted that Diaz has dropped 2 of his past 3 fights (although his base salary plummeted from $50k/$50k to his current rate prior to his fight with Josh Thomson). It should also be noted that Maynard has dropped 3 of his past 4 fights and has gone 2-3-1 in his past 6, having collected just 1 “Of the Night” bonus in that span.
The rest of the TUF 18 Finale salaries are the standard (also, horrendous) 8k/8k, but what could be the cause of Diaz’s sudden salary drop? His apathy toward his recent matchups? Further fallout from his homophobic tweet? Or was Diaz simply the latest fighter to fall victim to the “Choose Your Salary” wheel that Dana White has hanging in his office next to the photo of the Yakuza member fucking?
We sent an email to Diaz’s manager, Mike Kogan, earlier today that has not yet been returned, but we will keep you updated once we are made aware as to why the white man is so insistent on holding a Diaz down.
Update, 6:30 p.m. ET: Kogan’s e-mailed response to CagePotato is below. We swear, we are not making this up.
(“Alright boys, this one’s for all the marbles. Well, maybe not *all* the marbles, but some of the marbles. There will definitely be marbles involved, that much I can promise you.” Photo via MMAJunkie)
After three months of an Ultimate Fighter season that we lost interest in around episode 10, we’re finally at the finish line. Tonight’s TUF 18 Finale card in Las Vegas is headlined by a quasi-rubber-match between Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz — assuming that Nate’s high school reunion doesn’t run late. But the rest of the lineup shouldn’t be overlooked. For one thing, the main card is 60% female, which is unprecedented for the UFC, and the winner of the women’s bantamweight final could theoretically wind up fighting her own TUF coach in the not-so-distant future.
Handling our liveblog of the FOX Sports 1 main card is Matt Kaplan, who will be sticking round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and shoot us your thoughts in the comments section.
(“Alright boys, this one’s for all the marbles. Well, maybe not *all* the marbles, but some of the marbles. There will definitely be marbles involved, that much I can promise you.” Photo via MMAJunkie)
After three months of an Ultimate Fighter season that we lost interest in around episode 10, we’re finally at the finish line. Tonight’s TUF 18 Finale card in Las Vegas is headlined by a quasi-rubber-match between Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz — assuming that Nate’s high school reunion doesn’t run late. But the rest of the lineup shouldn’t be overlooked. For one thing, the main card is 60% female, which is unprecedented for the UFC, and the winner of the women’s bantamweight final could theoretically wind up fighting her own TUF coach in the not-so-distant future.
Handling our liveblog of the FOX Sports 1 main card is Matt Kaplan, who will be sticking round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and shoot us your thoughts in the comments section.
Preliminary card results
– Akira Corassani def. Maximo Blanco via disqualification (intentional foul), :22 of round 1
– Tom Niinimaki def. Rani Yahya via unanimous decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
– Jared Rosholt def. Walt Harris via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Sean Spencer def. Drew Dober via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Joshua Sampo def. Ryan Benoit via submission (rear-naked choke), 4:31 of round 2
Hey now. So who else is ready for the fight card of the year? Possibly the decade. Oh snap, here come the fighting robots: “It’s tiiiiime!” Man, I feel it deep in m’ plums.
Chael Sonnel just said Jessica Rakoczy is the “eight-time world boxing champion.” Some part of that statement is wrong. I’m not going to look it up because he didn’t even seem to believe that.
Submission of the Season: Three rear naked chokes and one armbar. I like Sarah Moras in this one. Feel free to vote on my behalf.
Raquel Pennington vs. Roxanne Modafferi
Rd. 1: Both ladies work the jab early; Modafferi opens with some kicks to the lead leg of Pennington. Modafferi is a bit more actice, whereas Pennington seems to be waiting on that right hand. Good 1-2 from Modafferi. Pennington hasn’t thrown anything in combination just yet. There’s a good right from Pennington, right on cue. Modafferi is throwing in volume, but Pennington is blocking most of the shots and landing the right hand with some success. They clinch against the fence. Modafferi looks for the trip, but Pennington seems to have the strength advantage. Nice elbow from Pennington right there. Back to the center of the cage we go. Good jab from Pennington, who’s picked up momentum and lands a big right at the bell.
Rd 2: Pennington is busier and looks strong. Modafferi lands a good left to the jaw and rushes in for a takedown, but Pennington holds her off. Pennington lands some good short elbows as the two break from a clinch against the fence. 1-2 from Pennington. Big right hand from Pennington; Modafferi wants no part of the fisticuffs and drops for the takedown. Pennington stuffs it and lands in Modafferi’s guard. Modafferi landed some elbows from the bottom, but Pennington is up and starting to score with the right hand from above. Whoa. Modafferi may have Pennington’s left arm. Nope, she’s out and back to her feet. Modafferi is still down. And she’s up. Pennington takes the center of the cage and fires that right hand again. Pennington lands a big lead left hook before the round ends.
Rd. 3: Pennington is the better striker, and Modafferi’s chin is real high. This could end badly. Pennington stuffs a takedown and swats away Modafferi’s flicking jabs. Modafferi is taking shots to the jaw as she circles away. Pennington controls the brief clinch, muscling Modafferi around at will. Modafferi misses a spinning back kick, eats a 1-2, and is stuffed on her takedown attempt. Pennington drops ‘bows from side control, and now from the guard of Modafferi. Modafferi wants the arm, but Pennington is posturing her way to safety and doing damage from top position. They’re up. Pennington wants the guillotine. Deep. Deep deep. Not quite. The fight ends with Pennington on top of a flattened Modafferi, still working for that guillotine.
Raquel Pennington wins via unanimous decision (30-27 X 2, 29-28).
Jessamyn Duke vs. Peggy Morgan
Rd. 1: Fists fly right away from both fighters. Duke lands a lead left. Morgan lands a left of her own now. Duke scores with a combo. Duke clinches as Morgan presses; Duke lands some knees. Duke works for an arm-in guillotine as she drops to her back. She’s squeezing as Morgan bridges forward. Morgan is in Duke’s guard. She pops up, but Duke wants the triangle. Duke elbows from the bottom. Morgan’s left arm is keeping her safe for now, but Duke is working from the bottom. Plenty of punches from Duke. Duke transitions to the triangle and lands some elbows. Duke elbows the neck and ears of Morgan. That looks unpleasant. Morgan just got battered.
Rd. 2: Again both fighters answer the bell with punch combinations, but it’s Duke who seems to have the striking advantage. Morgan jabs, but Duke comes over the top with the left hook. Duke just misses with the uppercut. Duke lands a right and then a left hook. Morgan is hanging in there, though. Morgan is landing her jab, but her head’s on a stick and she’s eating punches from Duke. Duke lands some knees to the body in the clinch. Right-left combination lands for Duke. More hooks from Duke. Morgan lands a jab; Duke counters with a right hook. That seems to be the story of this round. Duke lands a takedown at the bell.
Rd. 3: Morgan comes out aggressive, but Duke is the better counterpuncher and her head movement is superior. Duke kicks to the body, clinches, knees the body, and punches the face. Again Duke is landing her right hook-left hook tandem, and Morgan’s face shows it. Morgan wants a takedown. Duke does too apparently. Duke drags Morgan to the ground with a bulldog style headlock. Duke has the headlock, but Morgan is on Duke’s back. Morgan’s head is free, and Duke is flattened on her belly with Morgan working for the choke. Duke escapes and has Morgan in half guard. Morgan is punching, looking for a guard pass. Referee Lurch stands them – bad stand-up – and it’s Duke landing those hooks. And that’s that. Morgan’s face is jacked up.
Jessamyn Duke wins via unanimous decision (30-27 X 3).
Chris Holdsworth vs. Davey Grant
Rd. 1: Grant opens with some kicks to the outside of the lead leg of Holdsworth. Holdsworth misses with a huge overhand right. They clinch against the fence now, and it’s Grant with some good body shots. A big right from Holdsworth connects. Holdsworth wants Grant on the mat, but Grant is withstanding the attempt and looks for a takedown of his own. Good knee tot he body from Holdsworth. Grant lands a right hook to the body and misses the follow-up left hook upstairs. Holdsworth grabs a single leg, but Grant again holds him off. And it’s Grant now who goes for a slam. Holdsworth with a knee. Holdsworth’s jab is working for him. Fighters trade knees on the fence. Grant has the body lock, goes for a throw, but it’s Holdsworth who’s on top now. Holdsworth is in Grant’s guard as the round ends.
Rd. 2: Grant catches a head kick (after catching the shin to the face) and kicks the outside leg of the Californian. Grant with a body shot and a strong push kick. Holdsworth goes for the single leg, Grant counters with a choke, but Holdsworth escapes, takes down Grant, and is in side control. Grant’s nose is bleeding pretty badly. Holdsworth takes Grant’s back. Body triangle – check. Holdsworth gets under the chin, squeezes, ball game. Holdsworth proved to be the bigger, more proficient fighter tonight.
Chris Holdsworth wins via submission (rear naked choke), 2:50 of Rd. 2
Julianna Pena vs. Jessica Rakoczy
Rd. 1: Rakoczy opens with a short lead hook, and Pena charges in, pressing her against the cage. Pena finds herself on top as the two take it to the canvas. Both fighters pop up, and Pena is again muscling Rakoczy against the fence. Rakoczy lands a knee to the body, but Pena drags her down. Pena is in half guard now, dropping bombs. Rakoczy tries to get up, but Pena ain’t having it. Uh-oh. Pena is mounted and throwing leather. Rakoczy is trying to push Pena off with those long legs, but Pena is too high. Big elbow from Pena. Punches are a plenty. Rakoczy is covering up sort of intelligently, but Mario Yamasaki calls it with about 3 seconds left.
Julianna Pena wins via TKO, 4: 59 of Rd. 1.
Gray Maynard vs. Nate Diaz:
Rd. 1: No glove touching (no surprise), and we’re off. Maynard takes the center of the cage. Diaz lands some early jabs and a nice hook. Maynard gets the takedown and settles into Diaz’s guard. Maynard muscles Diaz against the fence. They’re up. Nice throw from Diaz, but Maynard is up. A cut is opened above the left eye of Maynard. An overhand right from Maynard hits Diaz on the side of the head. Diaz landed some left hands and Maynard is hurt. Diaz is keeping his distance and teeing off. Big uppercuts, right crosses, left hook. Maynard looks to be in trouble, and Yves Levigne stops is. That was a shit ton of punches that landed flush by Nate Diaz. Wow.
In the replay, you can see that a short left started it all. Diaz stayed poised and landed flush shots on Maynard, who may have been out on his feet.
Nate Diaz wins via Rd. 1 TKO (2:38).
Hey now. Can Nate say “motherfuckers” on Fox Sports 1? If not, too late.
Nighty night.
Mk
(P.S. Ronda Rousey says of her friend Nate Diaz’s win, “It was great to end the night on a high note.” Weed reference?)
When this whole MMA game started it was for a different reason than it is today.
It was no-holds-barred combat, bare-knuckled and all about trying to prove which man was the better martial artist. It was a Bruce Lee movie come to life, caged combat tha…
When this whole MMA game started it was for a different reason than it is today.
It was no-holds-barred combat, bare-knuckled and all about trying to prove which man was the better martial artist. It was a Bruce Lee movie come to life, caged combat that Chuck Norris or Jean Claude Van Damme could only dream of competing in.
Some things have changed. Others are still changing.
There’s more regulation, more guys with more skills and more ways to bring more eyes to the sport. It’s not 1993 anymore and that’s alright.
But one thing has changed for the worse, and that’s the mentality of many a modern fighter.
Guys coming from college wrestling who are born athletes instead of born fighters.
Young men who’ve grown up studying and training in “mixed martial arts” instead of becoming an expert in several martial arts and then mixing them.
Fighters more concerned about pay cheques than chin checks come Saturday night.
The days of taking on all comers and letting the rest work itself out are all but over. It’s part of becoming a sport on FOX instead of a spectacle not worthy of pay-per-view.
But not all is lost in this era. Some guys still have that old school attitude about the game, an approach founded on showing up and starting a fistfight just because. The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale will be headlined by two of the last guys around who are fighting for that reason.
Gray Maynard, a wrestler who worked on power punching and rode it just shy of the peak of the lightweight mountain, will fight Nate Diaz, a Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt who knows he can win a fight from his back even if the guys judging his fight don’t realize he can.
Both men are more interested in calling out names and finding fights than they are about titles or getting their faces on promotional posters.
Maynard, a multiple-time challenger for the 155-pound title, has sometimes been called boring and that’s sometimes been a fair criticism. What he’s never been, though, is opposed to a fight. He obsesses over his losses, arguing with anyone that he either wasn’t beaten or simply has to get another crack, and he’s willing to do near anything to get one.
Diaz, a former title challenger in his own right, has bounced weight classes and fought most of the best guys in the world well short of his 30th birthday. He hates judges, making weight and points fighters, but he loves the fight itself. He’s not motivated by winning a belt, he’s motivated by the chance to beat up someone who might be perceived as better than him.
These guys are a dying breed, the model of a transitioning mentality in the sport. The divisional impact was irrelevant to both men—Maynard wanted to beat Diaz because Diaz once beat him, Diaz wanted to fight Maynard because he’s a name in the division and he’s been around for a while. Neither one considered the bout on the merits of what a win would do for them or what a loss would do for them. They considered as a fight.
There was no talk of a title shot with a win, no discussions on game plans or coaching or who’ll do what to whom and when they’ll do it. It’s been about two guys looking for a fight and knowing they’ll find one.
There’s a place in modern MMA for the martial-arts athlete. Truly, there is. Guys like Phil Davis and Rory MacDonald are the future of the sport, men who will perennially contend based on athleticism and coaching and a “new” way of doing things.
But there’s always a place for a fighter too. On Saturday night, Las Vegas will get two of them.
