Never put too much stock in the words of a man who has just been knocked out. Anderson Silva seemed to insist to interviewer Joe Rogan immediately after getting KO’d by Chris Weidman at UFC 162 a week ago that he was not interested in a rematch.
But there was the language barrier thing and the typical Anderson Silva cryptic speech thing to take into account but perhaps more than anything — we were listening to the stream of consciousness reactions of a freshly concussed man. Maybe that’s why UFC President Dana White has spent almost every minute since insisting to the media that the mega-rematch between “The Spider” and “The All-American” would definitely happen.
And, it will. The middleweight title clash is now scheduled to take place December 28th as the main event for UFC 168. The organization’s big New Year’s Eve show will also feature the women’s UFC bantamweight title rematch between Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate II as its co-main event.
White told Yahoo! Sports that he believes the Weidman/Silva rematch will be the biggest fight in the organization’s history. “White several times Saturday said he thought the bout would be the biggest in UFC history and said he thought it could do between 1.2 million and 1.4 million on pay-per-view,” they reported.
“The UFC does not release its pay-per-view figures, but it is believed that UFC 100, at 1.25 million, is the best-selling pay-per-view the promotion has done.”
Anderson Silva released a short taped statement to ESPN telling fans, “I back. Trust me. I back.” Of course, that was followed by a wink.
Never put too much stock in the words of a man who has just been knocked out. Anderson Silva seemed to insist to interviewer Joe Rogan immediately after getting KO’d by Chris Weidman at UFC 162 a week ago that he was not interested in a rematch.
But there was the language barrier thing and the typical Anderson Silva cryptic speech thing to take into account but perhaps more than anything — we were listening to the stream of consciousness reactions of a freshly concussed man. Maybe that’s why UFC President Dana White has spent almost every minute since insisting to the media that the mega-rematch between “The Spider” and “The All-American” would definitely happen.
And, it will. The middleweight title clash is now scheduled to take place December 28th as the main event for UFC 168. The organization’s big New Year’s Eve show will also feature the women’s UFC bantamweight title rematch between Ronda Rousey and Meisha Tate II as its co-main event.
White told Yahoo! Sports that he believes the Weidman/Silva rematch will be the biggest fight in the organization’s history. “White several times Saturday said he thought the bout would be the biggest in UFC history and said he thought it could do between 1.2 million and 1.4 million on pay-per-view,” they reported.
“The UFC does not release its pay-per-view figures, but it is believed that UFC 100, at 1.25 million, is the best-selling pay-per-view the promotion has done.”
Anderson Silva released a short taped statement to ESPN telling fans, “I back. Trust me. I back.” Of course, that was followed by a wink.
With how far MMA has come in terms of being accepted in North America, South and Central America and Europe, it is easy to forget that there are huge swaths of the globe where the sport has yet to catch on and is still perceived as a brutal spectacle. Vice Magazine’s Fightland recently visited one such place – Pakistan.
Pakistan is one of the world’s most populated nations with a long history of combat sports but it only got its first MMA gym just a few years ago. Fightland visits with the founder of that gym, American expatriate and MMA fighter Bashir Ahmad, as he balances his own fight career with his gym business and local fight promotion.
It’s the wild east out there in Pakistan when it comes to MMA, it seems, with lots of untapped potential in the mountain regions, according to Ahmad. The ONE-FC featherweight seems completely driven to establish MMA in Pakistan, even his he has to do it on his own. Taking a look at this short documentary makes you both appreciate what we have here in North America and the unique moment some are experiencing in Pakistan where MMA is still a completely fringe thing and where men sweat and bleed as virtual unknowns, simply for love and pride.
With how far MMA has come in terms of being accepted in North America, South and Central America and Europe, it is easy to forget that there are huge swaths of the globe where the sport has yet to catch on and is still perceived as a brutal spectacle. Vice Magazine’s Fightland recently visited one such place – Pakistan.
Pakistan is one of the world’s most populated nations with a long history of combat sports but it only got its first MMA gym just a few years ago. Fightland visits with the founder of that gym, American expatriate and MMA fighter Bashir Ahmad, as he balances his own fight career with his gym business and local fight promotion.
It’s the wild east out there in Pakistan when it comes to MMA, it seems, with lots of untapped potential in the mountain regions, according to Ahmad. The ONE-FC featherweight seems completely driven to establish MMA in Pakistan, even his he has to do it on his own. Taking a look at this short documentary makes you both appreciate what we have here in North America and the unique moment some are experiencing in Pakistan where MMA is still a completely fringe thing and where men sweat and bleed as virtual unknowns, simply for love and pride.
(Skip to 2:25 for the start of the VADA conversation..)
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has been accused of steroid use more times than any other fighter who’s never failed a drug test. BJ Pennfirst painted him as a cheater in 2009, saying that St. Pierre “doesn’t play by the rules when it comes to steroids and growth hormones and that stuff,” and pointed to his physique as proof. (“He looks like that every day…The rest of us, we get fat, then we train and get skinny and the cycle goes over and over again. He looks the same way all the time. Come on.”)
So for once, St. Pierre is going to beat these jackasses to the punch. In a new interview with Sportsnet’s Joe Ferraro, St. Pierre invited his UFC 167 opponent Johny Hendricks to subscribe to pre-fight drug-testing with him through the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), which would provide random, unannounced testing during the eight weeks before their fight. Here’s what St. Pierre had to say:
“I believe the sport has a problem now. When I first started fighting in mixed martial arts, it didn’t have any money. So, now more money got involved, more ways are there to be cheating to take a shortcut and I believe VADA testing I’m up for it and I invite my opponent to do the VADA testing for the championship fight.
(Skip to 2:25 for the start of the VADA conversation..)
UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre has been accused of steroid use more times than any other fighter who’s never failed a drug test. BJ Pennfirst painted him as a cheater in 2009, saying that St. Pierre “doesn’t play by the rules when it comes to steroids and growth hormones and that stuff,” and pointed to his physique as proof. (“He looks like that every day…The rest of us, we get fat, then we train and get skinny and the cycle goes over and over again. He looks the same way all the time. Come on.”)
So for once, St. Pierre is going to beat these jackasses to the punch. In a new interview with Sportsnet’s Joe Ferraro, St. Pierre invited his UFC 167 opponent Johny Hendricks to subscribe to pre-fight drug-testing with him through the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), which would provide random, unannounced testing during the eight weeks before their fight. Here’s what St. Pierre had to say:
“I believe the sport has a problem now. When I first started fighting in mixed martial arts, it didn’t have any money. So, now more money got involved, more ways are there to be cheating to take a shortcut and I believe VADA testing I’m up for it and I invite my opponent to do the VADA testing for the championship fight.
I invite if possible all the high-profile athletes in the UFC to do the same. I believe it’s a good thing. It’s a bit of a pain in the butt sometimes but I believe to make the sport (better)…I’m ready to do it to set a good example.”
When Penn did it, it seemed like a cross between self-promotion and preparing an excuse in advance. For St. Pierre, it has a different tenor. This is not about hype — it’s about taking control of the common narrative (among his opponents, at least) that he’s a drug-cheat.
Will VADA-testing actually come to pass for his title-defense against Hendricks? Probably not. UFC president Dana White has bristled in the past when his fighters bring up the idea of additional drug testing for their fights, claiming that drug-testing should only be the responsibility of the athletic commissions. (“When fighters start talking about other guys being drug tested? Shut up. Worry about you.”) But hopefully this will prevent GSP’s future opponents from dragging out the same unfounded attacks about St. Pierre and PEDs. And just in case Johny Hendricks was planning to do the same thing? Well, he can’t now. In fact, he has to say that he’d be down with VADA testing too*, or else he looks suspicious.
Of course, if you’re a Nick Diaz/BJ Penn nuthugger, you probably think that the UFC has already paid off VADA to falsify any drug-test results that GSP might submit in the future, in order to help their golden-boy PPV king keep winning fights and maintain his year-round six-pack. I can’t help you guys. The truth is out there.
* Update:And he has. “Heck ya!” Hendricks told UFC Central Radio on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “The worst thing that they’re going to find is a little bit of protein in my diet. If eating wild hogs and organic deer meat and a little bit of glutamine is bad for the ol’ system then I might fail…It doesn’t matter. Today, tomorrow, three months from now, I’ll gladly take a test for anything.”
For those uninitiated, Sobriety Fighter is my own side-project. I’ve dedicated 2013 to being a year-long experiment where I spend one year as a full-time fighter while also attempting to stay clean and sober. I can’t promise that I’ll be the next Elias Cepeda or that I’ll never relapse, but I can promise that I’ll do my absolute best for everyone. Most of the stuff I post isn’t particularly MMA-related, but this is. Enjoy. – [SethFalvo]
(SF) How do you feel that the lifestyle of a professional fighter has enabled your addiction?
(DF) I started fighting during the first broadcast of the Ultimate Fighter and remember seeing Chris Leben getting drunk and being stupid and then going in and training balls the next day hung over. I glorified that. Being able to fight hard and party hard. Train hard even when drunk and hung over appealed to my vikingesque nature. Pretty soon I developed a name in the sport for being a bad ass drunk who could fight.
I could fight and drink and even though it was very taxing I could pull it off and loved the type of image it gave me. I thought it was so cool. I used to associate airports and flying with drinking and pretty soon I couldn’t fly if I wasn’t tore up from the floor up. I don’t even understand how I would manage to make it from Point A to Point B, but I remember many flights missing my plane and ending up back at the airport pub for another Guinness or shot of Jack. I can really relate to Josh Hamilton’s story because of our obvious similarities.
For those uninitiated, Sobriety Fighter is my own side-project. I’ve dedicated 2013 to being a year-long experiment where I spend one year as a full-time fighter while also attempting to stay clean and sober. I can’t promise that I’ll be the next Elias Cepeda or that I’ll never relapse, but I can promise that I’ll do my absolute best for everyone. Most of the stuff I post isn’t particularly MMA-related, but this is. Enjoy. – [SethFalvo]
(SF) How do you feel that the lifestyle of a professional fighter has enabled your addiction?
(DF) I started fighting during the first broadcast of the Ultimate Fighter and remember seeing Chris Leben getting drunk and being stupid and then going in and training balls the next day hung over. I glorified that. Being able to fight hard and party hard. Train hard even when drunk and hung over appealed to my vikingesque nature. Pretty soon I developed a name in the sport for being a bad ass drunk who could fight.
I could fight and drink and even though it was very taxing I could pull it off and loved the type of image it gave me. I thought it was so cool. I used to associate airports and flying with drinking and pretty soon I couldn’t fly if I wasn’t tore up from the floor up. I don’t even understand how I would manage to make it from Point A to Point B, but I remember many flights missing my plane and ending up back at the airport pub for another Guinness or shot of Jack. I can really relate to Josh Hamilton’s story because of our obvious similarities.
What went through your mind when Dana White cut you from the UFC over your behavior outside the cage? Did you try to get sober after that experience?
I thought, “Man, I need a drink.”
I felt pretty upset that were singling me out after an incident that was simply getting kicked out of a bar for not having a collared shirt. I felt like a victim ’cause guys like Junie Brownie and Jesse Taylor were given several chances to clean up their act – even commended for their actions which brought great ratings to the show – but you know it really just comes to taking responsibility for my actions and realizing life isn’t fair. And the more powerful and influential you become, the more unfair it’s gonna seem, and the more people are gonna try to tear you from your perch.
Would you consider the Ritch fight your “Rock Bottom,” or was there a different incident that comes to mind?
Absolutely not. That was a rough weekend.
What comes to mind: Checking out of the psyche ward for a suicide attempt just to go into a bender in an apartment where I was partying for four days straight with a schizophrenic Vietnam vet who suffers from severe PTSD. I woke up laying in my own shit, vomit and piss. My hand was terribly cut open and my blood was everywhere. The smell was so unbearable that my bum friend Sergeant Steen couldn’t even stick around. I had to be admitted into the hospital because I had a severe Mersa infection in my hand where the doctors talked to me about possible amputation.
Step Nine involves making amends with those you have hurt because of your addiction. Have you ever gotten to make amends to everyone in the MMA industry? Do you feel that there are some people in this business who you don’t owe an apology to?
The first people that I made amends to were my very close friends and family. I’m sure there still remain people that are upset at me for one thing or another. It’s very likely that there are things that I’ve done that I can’t even remember, so if you are listening to this and you still hold resentment towards me, I am truly sorry. Blessings be upon you and I pray that Jesus Christ should enter your life and take all of your disdain and contempt, turning you into a loving grateful individual.
Check out the rest of Seth’s fantastic interview with Fickett over at SobrietyFighter.
(Instagram: Letting the whole world see images of intimate moments that will later fill you with sadness and loathing since 2010.)
Last week, Nick Diaz posted a picture of himself with a woman he identified as his ex, and wrote “Never Post pictures of your girlfriend on Instagram Especially if you love her. #xgf #x #ftw #hatelife #might #have #to #slap #the #winner #tomorrow #need #a #fight #danawhite.”
As best as we could guess, Nick was saying that he wasn’t in a good emotional place right now, probably because of a recent break-up, and he wanted to fight the winner of UFC 162‘s main event between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. Now, Diaz calling out the winner of a middleweight title fight despite his two-fight losing streak at welterweight makes about as much sense as him saying not to post pictures of a girlfriend on an Instagram post where he posts a picture of a girlfriend, but dammit we were intrigued.
At the UFC 162 post event scrum, Dana White confirmed that Diaz had contacted him directly, asking to come out of his self-described retirement and fight again. “[Nick] texted me that he broke up with his girlfriend and he wants to fight,” White told reporters.
(Instagram: Letting the whole world see images of intimate moments that will later fill you with sadness and loathing since 2010.)
Last week, Nick Diaz posted a picture of himself with a woman he identified as his ex, and wrote “Never Post pictures of your girlfriend on Instagram Especially if you love her. #xgf #x #ftw #hatelife #might #have #to #slap #the #winner #tomorrow #need #a #fight #danawhite.”
As best as we could guess, Nick was saying that he wasn’t in a good emotional place right now, probably because of a recent break-up, and he wanted to fight the winner of UFC 162‘s main event between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. Now, Diaz calling out the winner of a middleweight title fight despite his two-fight losing streak at welterweight makes about as much sense as him saying not to post pictures of a girlfriend on an Instagram post where he posts a picture of a girlfriend, but dammit we were intrigued.
At the UFC 162 post event scrum, Dana White confirmed that Diaz had contacted him directly, asking to come out of his self-described retirement and fight again. “[Nick] texted me that he broke up with his girlfriend and he wants to fight,” White told reporters.
Dang, having any sort of fame must seriously suck. Nick can’t get high, get his ass beat, break up with a girlfriend, or text his boss without the whole world seeing or being told about it.
We suppose doing a half-assed job of promoting his new, surprisingly good MMA promotion, and doing triathlons more often and casually than most people stretch isn’t keeping Nick happy these days. Every time he tries to get out, MMA keeps pulling him back in. But hey, you didn’t believe that retirement bullshit was real in the first place, did you?
Now that Diaz is back, who do you want to see him fight next, ‘Tater tots? Chris Weidman? Carlos Condit? Anderson Silva? Joe Riggs? Roy Jones Jr.?
