(Photo courtesy of Kinya Hashimoto via MMAFighting)
[Ed. note: This is the third in a series of interviews with the fighters and promoters behind Metamoris II: Gracie vs. Aoki, which goes down June 9th in Los Angeles. Stay tuned for more, and follow Metamoris on Facebook and Twitter for important event updates. You can purchase tickets right here.]
Ryan Hall burst onto the public submission grappling scene much faster than most. As a young blue and purple belt, Hall was thrust into the public eye by a former coach when he starred in for-sale instructional videos, espousing him as already an expert. In competition, which Hall took part in with feverish frequency, the Jiu Jitsu player often used complicated-looking inverted, upside-down techniques.
To be honest, it was difficult for this writer to warm up to Hall as a spectator due to all this. Sure, he was good, real good. But, what is this kid doing selling instructional videos in a world filled with black belt legends trying to make a living? What was all this spinning, upside-down crap he did? Surely he was a BJJ practitioner of the least compelling variety — the ones who focus on parlor trick positions and techniques that would get you in a whole lot of trouble in a real fight.
Of course, Ryan Hall the person and Jiu Jitsu practitioner deserved a more thoughtful look than my initial and judgmental cursory one. Hall separated himself from that former instructor, opened up his own academy, 50/50 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and began to add major international titles to his resume.
Around the time he medaled at the 2009 ADCC (the Olympics of submission wrestling), it became crystal clear even to the most closed-minded, like myself, that Hall was the real deal. He wasn’t some kid winning regional tournaments with inverted triangle chokes, anymore. The techniques Hall used to win world titles were far from gimmicks and interviews showed him to be thoughtful, bright and humble.
“For better or for worse I was put out there in public when I was younger, a lower belt,” Hall tells CagePotato on a recent Saturday afternoon.
(Photo courtesy of Kinya Hashimoto via MMAFighting)
[Ed. note: This is the third in a series of interviews with the fighters and promoters behind Metamoris II: Gracie vs. Aoki, which goes down June 9th in Los Angeles. Stay tuned for more, and follow Metamoris on Facebook and Twitter for important event updates. You can purchase tickets right here.]
Ryan Hall burst onto the public submission grappling scene much faster than most. As a young blue and purple belt, Hall was thrust into the public eye by a former coach when he starred in for-sale instructional videos, espousing him as already an expert. In competition, which Hall took part in with feverish frequency, the Jiu Jitsu player often used complicated-looking inverted, upside-down techniques.
To be honest, it was difficult for this writer to warm up to Hall from a distance due to all this. Sure, he was good, real good. But, what is this kid doing selling instructional videos in a world filled with black belt legends trying to make a living? What was all this spinning, upside-down crap he did? Surely he was a BJJ practitioner of the least compelling variety — the ones who focus on parlor trick positions and techniques that would get you in a whole lot of trouble in a real fight.
Of course, Ryan Hall the person and Jiu Jitsu practitioner deserved a more thoughtful look than my initial and judgmental cursory one. Hall separated himself from that former instructor, opened up his own academy, 50/50 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and began to add major international titles to his resume.
Around the time he medaled at the 2009 ADCC (the Olympics of submission wrestling), it became crystal clear even to the most closed-minded, like myself, that Hall was the real deal. He wasn’t some kid winning regional tournaments with inverted triangle chokes, anymore. The techniques Hall used to win world titles were far from gimmicks and interviews showed him to be thoughtful, bright and humble.
“For better or for worse I was put out there in public when I was younger, a lower belt,” Hall tells CagePotato on a recent Saturday afternoon.
As for the sometimes esoteric-seeming techniques that Hall became notorious for in his youth, he says it was just about finding something to work for him against more experienced opponents. “Of course the best way to win is to take someone down, mount them and cross choke them,” Hall says.
“But I started competing against black belts, high level black belts, as a blue and purple belt. There was no way I was going to go in there and dominate in every facet against those guys. The only chance I had was to surprise them with an unexpected transition or an angle they didn’t see from others too often.”
Hall’s intelligence, savvy and flexibility allow him to do some cool and creative looking things out on the mats, but to him, the mat is not just a canvas for artistic expression, it is the training grounds for war. “Jiu Jitsu is about fighting, about learning to defend yourself against someone who is trying to hurt you in real life,” Hall says.
Towards that end, Ryan doesn’t rule out any technique, as long as it proves the right tool for the moment. “People in Jiu Jitsu talk about techniques in ways people don’t in other fight styles,” Hall says.
“Someone asks, ‘oh what do you think of x-guard, or this or that guard?’ Imagine if you asked Oscar De La Hoya or Manny Pacquiao a question like, ‘what do you think of the left hook or right cross?’ They’d look at you like you were crazy and say, ‘well, when the situation calls for the left hook, I use the left hook and when the situation calls for a right cross, I use the right cross.’ Techniques are not magic tricks, they are for different situations. If a situation on the ground calls for a certain guard, use that guard.”
Simple as that sounds coming out his mouth, Hall’s lack of dogma and open-mindedness makes him a bit of an iconoclast. Lately, the 50/50 Academy head has focused his own training on Mixed Martial Arts.
Hall has a 2-1 MMA record and has joined Georges St. Pierre in training at Firas Zahabi’s TriStar gym in Montreal. Hall had promised Zahabi that he would focus one hundred percent of his competitive energy on MMA and so had taken a leave from submission grappling competition.
A call from Metamoris head Ralek Gracie temporarily changed Hall’s plans, however. “I got a call and was shocked when they offered me a match against [three-time BJJ world champion] Rafael Mendes,” Hall remembers.
“It was such a great opportunity that I spoke with Firas and he understood why I wanted to take it.”
Ryan was disappointed when that originally-planned match against Mendes fell through, but couldn’t say no to facing the man he is now set to compete against at Metamoris II, June 9th in Los Angeles, CA, Bill “The Grill” Cooper.
“I think Cooper is good enough to beat absolutely anybody in the world on any given day,” Hall says.
“He also sets such a fast pace and goes hard. I think that goes well with my style. The fact that he’s a bigger guy than me also makes it an even tougher challenge. Facing someone like Bill in a match twice as long as we usually get [twenty minutes] where the only way to win is by submission, that’s something I’m very excited about.”
Cheick Kongo owns and operates a high-end clothing boutique in Los Angeles called FragoLA. I’ve got nothing clever to say about that right now because that true statement is pretty weird and awesome sounding on it’s own, isn’t it?
Kongo has always gone for a minimalist type of style (think, his vale tudo shorts, necklace and wire-rimmed glasses weigh-in uniform) so I suppose it makes sense that the former UFC heavyweight has chosen to invest in a store selling the latest seasonal offerings from expensive designers. Ok, it doesn’t really make sense but it is a hell of juxtaposition – A bear-voiced 240 pound professional fighter asking little Angelino women if they are finding everything alright – so, check out the video above, if only for the novelty of it all.
Karyn Bryant models some of FragoLA’s finest while interviewing Kongo in the store. I won’t say the interview is bad, I just couldn’t understand much of what was going on. Neither could Bryant.
Kongo shadily refuses to reveal how he keeps prices so low on his men’s and women’s designer duds and, for some reason, talks a lot about how he is black. I’d personally never before noticed that he was.
Kongo’s accent and weird “humor” make for an awkward sit-down. Any tater that gets through all sixteen minutes gets a special place in my heart and a shout-out in my next event live-blog.
So, in conclusion, Cheick Kongo owns and operates a high-end clothing boutique in Los Angeles called FragoLA. Wow.
Cheick Kongo owns and operates a high-end clothing boutique in Los Angeles called FragoLA. I’ve got nothing clever to say about that right now because that true statement is pretty weird and awesome sounding on it’s own, isn’t it?
Kongo has always gone for a minimalist type of style (think, his vale tudo shorts, necklace and wire-rimmed glasses weigh-in uniform) so I suppose it makes sense that the former UFC heavyweight has chosen to invest in a store selling the latest seasonal offerings from expensive designers. Ok, it doesn’t really make sense but it is a hell of juxtaposition – A bear-voiced 240 pound professional fighter asking little Angelino women if they are finding everything alright – so, check out the video above, if only for the novelty of it all.
Karyn Bryant models some of FragoLA’s finest while interviewing Kongo in the store. I won’t say the interview is bad, I just couldn’t understand much of what was going on. Neither could Bryant.
Kongo shadily refuses to reveal how he keeps prices so low on his men’s and women’s designer duds and, for some reason, talks a lot about how he is black. I’d personally never before noticed that he was.
Kongo’s accent and weird “humor” make for an awkward sit-down. Any tater that gets through all sixteen minutes gets a special place in my heart and a shout-out in my next event live-blog.
So, in conclusion, Cheick Kongo owns and operates a high-end clothing boutique in Los Angeles called FragoLA. Wow.
There’s really not much more that can be said about Pat Healy’s — or really, anyother fighter’s — positive test for marijuana and subsequent suspension/fines. As insane as it is that we live in a world where marijuana usage often carries a higher penalty for MMA fighters than that of steroids, it’s also a rule that every fighter understands the moment they become an employee of the UFC. Simply put, if you’re not smart enough to understand exactly how long marijuana metabolites stay in your system prior to a fight, you pretty much deserve what’s coming to you. It’s the reason I picked a line of work that literally allows me to blow bong hits at my computer screen while writing this. Not that I am — as with alcohol, I don’t believe in smoking before noon. On weekdays.
That’s not to say that we relish whenever a fighter is busted for marijuana, in fact it’s usually quite the opposite. In the case of Healy, he had the biggest (and possibly most exciting) win of his career negated and over 100k in bonus money revoked because he liked to kick back with a little Wildwood Weed after a day of getting his ass kicked. It’s a better excuse than most of us have, but don’t expect the man who received his revoked $65,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus, Bryan Caraway, to offer him any sympathy. In an interview with MMAJunkie, Caraway shot from the hip when discussing his feelings for all of us you dirty, pot-smoking degenerates:
I couldn’t be more happy, and it was an insanely pleasant surprise
All I’ve got to say is that’s some expensive weed. I like Healy a lot. I came up through the fighting ranks with him. We used to train together at Team Quest. I love the guy. But I have absolutely zero remorse or guilt.
I hate weed. I cannot stand it. I’ve never tried it. I’ve never smoked a drug in my life. So I have absolutely zero tolerance for people that do it. I don’t care if it’s legal in some places or not. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous. Whether it’s legal in real life or not, they tell you to follow the rules. You need to follow the rules.
There’s really not much more that can be said about Pat Healy’s — or really, anyother fighter’s — positive test for marijuana and subsequent suspension/fines. As insane as it is that we live in a world where marijuana usage often carries a higher penalty for MMA fighters than that of steroids, it’s also a rule that every fighter understands the moment they become an employee of the UFC. Simply put, if you’re not smart enough to understand exactly how long marijuana metabolites stay in your system prior to a fight, you pretty much deserve what’s coming to you. It’s the reason I picked a line of work that literally allows me to blow bong hits at my computer screen while writing this. Not that I am — as with alcohol, I don’t believe in smoking before noon. On weekdays.
That’s not to say that we relish whenever a fighter is busted for marijuana, in fact it’s usually quite the opposite. In the case of Healy, he had the biggest (and possibly most exciting) win of his career negated and over 100k in bonus money revoked because he liked to kick back with a little Wildwood Weed after a day of getting his ass kicked. It’s a better excuse than most of us have, but don’t expect the man who received his revoked $65,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus, Bryan Caraway, to offer him any sympathy. In an interview with MMAJunkie, Caraway shot from the hip when discussing his feelings for all of us you dirty, pot-smoking degenerates:
I couldn’t be more happy, and it was an insanely pleasant surprise
All I’ve got to say is that’s some expensive weed. I like Healy a lot. I came up through the fighting ranks with him. We used to train together at Team Quest. I love the guy. But I have absolutely zero remorse or guilt.
I hate weed. I cannot stand it. I’ve never tried it. I’ve never smoked a drug in my life. So I have absolutely zero tolerance for people that do it. I don’t care if it’s legal in some places or not. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous. Whether it’s legal in real life or not, they tell you to follow the rules. You need to follow the rules.
While Caraway is certainly correct in regards to “the rules,” I always find it baffling when someone declares their staunch opposition to a substance, law, or cause while simultaneously stating that they have no experience or understanding of the substance/law/cause upon which their opinion is based.
Look, gun control is one thing — although I personally think the same rules apply — but to say that you cannot tolerate people who use a substance as harmless as weed regardless of its legality is plain ignorant. It’s also a setback of being raised in a society based on “freedom” — we rally behind the liberties and causes that apply to our individual lives while declaring that we have the right to deny our fellow man of different freedoms without even attempting to understand their point of view. It’s hypocrisy at its finest, and Caraway seems to fit this mold to a tee. To quote Honest Abe, “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.”
But look at me, getting on my soapbox again. The fact is, Healy was aware of the potential consequences the moment he took a puff of that sweet, sweet herb, and now he will have deal with those consequences. If he doesn’t like it, maybe he should find a different line of work. Or just sign with Bellator.
From the very beginning of his career, Urijah Faber understood that he could be so much more than just a guy throwing punches in a cage. The California Kid bought his own gym in 2006, and went on to build one of the most successful fight teams in the sport. He’s partnered up with apparel brands ranging from K-Swiss to Torque. He’s written a book. And he’s been the entrepreneurial driving force behind a number of forward-thinking enterprises, including MMADraft.com — a site he launched with Phil Davis that seeks to find better opportunities and wider attention for amateur fighters — and Optical Panacea, a new company that elevates MMA fighter posters into fine art.
With Faber awaiting his next fight-assignement from the UFC, we spent some time on the phone with him yesterday to discuss all of the projects that will keep him hustling this summer, from the first-ever MMA Combine that will take place at the next UFC Fan Expo on July 6th, to the public launch party for Optical Panacea that will be going down next Friday in Las Vegas. (Be there!) Enjoy, and be sure to follow Urijah on Twitter @UrijahFaber.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: It’s been a month since your submission win over Scott Jorgensen at the TUF 17 Finale. Has the UFC given you any word on when they want you to return, or offered you your next opponent?
URIJAH FABER: I haven’t heard anything. I’ve kind of been on vacation, but I’m looking forward to continuing training and doing big things.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: Duane Ludwig has been getting a lot of attention lately for his work as the head coach at Team Alpha Male. Is there one thing he’s specifically told you or taught you that’s helped to improve your game?
URIJAH FABER: I think one thing in particular is that we’ve been doing a lot of drilling. As wrestlers, we’ve all drilled a lot with our wrestling techniques, and now we’re bringing that into the other avenues as well. Duane’s got some awesome drills, and he has a great system down — the Duane Bang Muay Thai system — that we’re all learning. I was definitely able to incorporate a little bit of that into my standup [in my last fight], and it’s only going to get better.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: Tell me a little about the MMA Combine for amateur fighters that you and Phil Davis are hosting at the next UFC Fan Expo in July. How close will this be to something like the NFL Scouting Combine, and what are some of the testing criteria that will be specific to MMA?
(An excerpt from Urijah Faber’s Optical Panacea poster. Click the image to see the full-size extended version.)
From the very beginning of his career, Urijah Faber understood that he could be so much more than just a guy throwing punches in a cage. The California Kid bought his own gym in 2006, and went on to build one of the most successful fight teams in the sport. He’s partnered up with apparel brands ranging from K-Swiss to Torque. He’s written a book. And he’s been the entrepreneurial driving force behind a number of forward-thinking enterprises, including MMADraft.com — a site he launched with Phil Davis that seeks to find better opportunities and wider attention for amateur fighters — and Optical Panacea, a new company that elevates MMA fighter posters into fine art.
With Faber awaiting his next fight-assignement from the UFC, we spent some time on the phone with him yesterday to discuss all of the projects that will keep him hustling this summer, from the first-ever MMA Combine that will take place at the next UFC Fan Expo on July 6th, to the public launch party for Optical Panacea that will be going down next Friday in Las Vegas. (Be there!) Enjoy, and be sure to follow Urijah on Twitter @UrijahFaber.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: It’s been a month since your submission win over Scott Jorgensen at the TUF 17 Finale. Has the UFC given you any word on when they want you to return, or offered you your next opponent?
URIJAH FABER: I haven’t heard anything. I’ve kind of been on vacation, but I’m looking forward to continuing training and doing big things.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: Duane Ludwig has been getting a lot of attention lately for his work as the head coach at Team Alpha Male. Is there one thing he’s specifically told you or taught you that’s helped to improve your game?
URIJAH FABER: I think one thing in particular is that we’ve been doing a lot of drilling. As wrestlers, we’ve all drilled a lot with our wrestling techniques, and now we’re bringing that into the other avenues as well. Duane’s got some awesome drills, and he has a great system down — the Duane Bang Muay Thai system — that we’re all learning. I was definitely able to incorporate a little bit of that into my standup [in my last fight], and it’s only going to get better.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: Tell me a little about the MMA Combine for amateur fighters that you and Phil Davis are hosting at the next UFC Fan Expo in July. How close will this be to something like the NFL Scouting Combine, and what are some of the testing criteria that will be specific to MMA?
URIJAH FABER: We have our standardized testing, which covers the athleticism, and then we do interviews with the guys as well with a sports psychologist. There’s body-fat testing and all that kind of stuff, but the MMA testing is unique. We’ll be releasing information on how to train for it on our website MMADraft.com, but basically there’s a wrestling assessment — and there will be criteria there that we’ll specify — and there will be jiu-jitsu or submission grappling, and then a striking segment as well, so we’ll be able to measure those things in addition to the athleticism.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: Are you hoping that the UFC will take notice of some of these guys at the Combine? It seems like this could be a way of showcasing new talent other than putting new prospects on The Ultimate Fighter.
URIJAH FABER: Well, the difference with us and The Ultimate Fighter is that The Ultimate Fighter takes professional fighters who have been climbing their way through the ranks, and gives them an opportunity. The MMA Combine will create awareness for the younger, new generation of amateurs that are out there. And we have all sorts of cool things on the site that are aiding these kids and young adults already, and helping them find their own path towards making their name in the sport. This is another way for them to network, to be seen, and to generate some excitement about these amateur events that they’re doing, whether it be jiu-jitsu, or kickboxing, or wrestling, or whatever it may be. So that’s what we’re doing — creating awareness for these guys that haven’t even stepped in the pro avenue yet.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: And why do you think something like that needs to exist, both the MMA Combine and MMADraft.com in general?
URIJAH FABER: This needs to exist because there needs to be opportunity. In the MMA world, you could be a national champion in wrestling or a jiu-jitsu world champion, or 20-0 in amateur fighting with all knockouts, and there’s still no monetary opportunities, or any awareness about who you are in the sport, and that needs to change for us. As a athlete who was a high-level college athlete — and my partner Phil Davis who was also a high-level college athlete — we would have liked to see some more opportunity, and this is what MMADraft.com is going to create.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: How long have you know Phil Davis, and why did you decide to partner up with him specifically?
URIJAH FABER:I’ve only known Phil for a couple years. The first time we sat down and actually talked, he was telling me how he liked what I had done in terms of creating my own opportunities and doing my own business things. We started talking about our wrestling background, and how eventually there’s going to be a draft [in MMA], and how prevalent the wrestlers would be in that, and I said, you know, we should start our own draft. So I looked up the domain name “MMADraft” on GoDaddy, and I said, “Dude, it’s available.” So he said “50/50,” and we shook hands right there and we went upstairs and bought the domain name. That was two years ago. So we’ve been working on this for two years now, and we’ve been putting in a lot of thought and hiring the right people and doing the right things to make it happen.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: One of the features that I noticed on MMADraft.com was the option to request a scout. Who are these scouts and how exactly does that process work?
URIJAH FABER:We’ve been building a strong network of scouts across the globe, and basically they’re insiders into some of the top gyms, the top teams, the top tournaments, and things like that in the sport, as well as some older, retired, and more accomplished MMA fighters themselves. They’re guys who have a passion and an eye for the sport, and want to see the future generation of talent get their opportunities.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: Let’s talk about Optical Panacea. I’ve heard about these posters for a while, and we even gave one away on CagePotato once. I think the next batch looks awesome, especially the Chael Sonnen one. Who came up with the idea of fighters battling themselves in the posters?
URIJAH FABER:The idea came about from my partner Sam Hon, who’s a really talented artist and photographer, and he had an idea that he wanted to do with me, so he was bugging me for a long time, just friend-to-friend. It took about three months for us to meet up, because I was always busy like, “Yeah, photoshoot, whatever, blah blah.” But once I saw the finished product and I started showing some of the other fighters, everyone was like “Oh man, I want to do one of those!” And I told Sam, hey man, I think this would be cool to start a business where we do some fine art, and do different things with different fighters. Like, mine is myself on the beach, fighting myself in kind of a night-time setting, and I’m in jeans, and it’s really cool visually; it’s a cool concept.
We’ve done pictures with BJ Penn, Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, Randy Couture, Chael Sonnen, Mark Munoz, Phil Davis — all these guys that I know and have access to, I showed them the picture and they’re all on board for doing it. There will be some limited edition prints, and we’re gonna have all sorts of cool things that will come off of this as well.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: You’ll be unveiling some of the new posters at a public release party next Friday. Where is it and what’s going to be happening there?
URIJAH FABER: The release party is at Heraea, which is probably the coolest sports bar I’ve ever been in. It’s in the Palms, it’s brand new, and it’s like a man’s paradise — they have amazing food in there, they have big-screen TVs, and the UFC fights are shown there quite a bit. We have all of our art up there displayed; we’re kind of in charge of decorating that place, so it’ll be like a gallery there for us. So that’s May 24th, right before UFC 160 the next day. You guys should come in if you’re in Las Vegas, eat some good food and check out the art and photography. Make sure you get there early and get a seat, but it’s open to the public and it’s a really, really cool spot.
URIJAH FABER: I definitely want that fight. That’s a fight that’s important to my career. I want to get the win over him, I want to get the belt, I want to do all those things. So, people want to see that fight, I want to see it, let’s do it.
CAGEPOTATO.COM: If Cruz comes back this year, he’ll probably have to fight Renan Barao first. Since you have first-hand knowledge of both fighters, who do you think would win that match?
URIJAH FABER: I think it’s just going to come down to that day and who’s able to execute. Dominick is very elusive, and he throws a lot of punches and is really active. Barao actually doesn’t move that much, but he’s extremely hard to hit as well. It’s funny: One moves a ton and is hard to hit, and the other one doesn’t move that much and is hard to hit. Dominick’s known for scoring points with his takedowns, and things like that, but I think he’s going to have trouble doing that with Barao. But Barao may have trouble actually connecting with Cruz as well. So it’s really going to come down to the day; I don’t know who’s gonna win.
Tonight, at 9:30pm EST on Fuel TV, a taped sit-down interview with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will premiere. As often as we get to see the champ knock heads around inside the cage, we don’t often get longer, in-depth interviews with him, and certainly not in English.
Karyn Bryant‘s interview with Silva tonight looks to be in English and promises to be in-depth — hopefully much more so than the fun stuff shown in the teaser video above. We’re certainly not complaining any time we get to hear Anderson’s high-pitched jokes in English, however.
Silva says, without much explanation, that he’s the “black Dana White,” for one. Silva manages to get his back-handed barbs in, per usual, and it’s a good time.
“Sometimes Dana [is] cranky. ‘Come on man, smile!'” Silva says.
“I have my problems for Dana but I love him.”
Awww.
Anderson has love for his favorite punching bag, Chael Sonnen as well — although he and his family have given up hope that Sonnen will show up to Silva’s house for that barbecue the Spider invited him to.
“No go,” said a disappointed Silva when asked if Chael ever came by to grub up with his clan. “No go. I wait for Chael for long, long time. My wife talk to me, ‘hey, Chael no come?’ [I told her] ‘No baby. Baby, no.'”
See more of Anderson Silva’s sensitive side revealed tonight on Fuel TV.
Tonight, at 9:30pm EST on Fuel TV, a taped sit-down interview with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will premiere. As often as we get to see the champ knock heads around inside the cage, we don’t often get longer, in-depth interviews with him, and certainly not in English.
Karyn Bryant‘s interview with Silva tonight looks to be in English and promises to be in-depth — hopefully much more so than the fun stuff shown in the teaser video above. We’re certainly not complaining any time we get to hear Anderson’s high-pitched jokes in English, however.
Silva says, without much explanation, that he’s the “black Dana White,” for one. Silva manages to get his back-handed barbs in, per usual, and it’s a good time.
“Sometimes Dana [is] cranky. ‘Come on man, smile!’” Silva says.
“I have my problems for Dana but I love him.”
Awww.
Anderson has love for his favorite punching bag, Chael Sonnen as well — although he and his family have given up hope that Sonnen will show up to Silva’s house for that barbecue the Spider invited him to.
“No go,” said a disappointed Silva when asked if Chael ever came by to grub up with his clan. “No go. I wait for Chael for long, long time. My wife talk to me, ‘hey, Chael no come?’ [I told her] ‘No baby. Baby, no.’”
See more of Anderson Silva’s sensitive side revealed tonight on Fuel TV.
(Also temporary? Pettis’ time as a Cake Boss Intern.)
It is no understatement to say that the upcoming featherweight title fight between Anthony Pettis and Jose Aldo has divided, confused, and outright angered many fans of the sport. It’s a fight that is all but guaranteed to wind up on your best-of-the-year list, sure, but it’s also Pettis’ first fight at featherweight, as well as Aldo’s second straight title defense against a guy who built his reputation in an entirely different weight class. It’s at this point that we’d normally reference Chael Sonnen vs. Jon Jones, the baffling randomness at which title shots are being handed out, the fragility of human life, etc. But we’re tired, you guys. Damn tired…*cries into shot glass* *drinks own tears*
And now, adding to the confusion is none other than Pettis himself, who recently stated in an interview with The NY Post that his drop to featherweight “isn’t permanent.” Uh….the fuck?
A lot of things led to my cutting down to 145. I was tired of waiting for a 155 pound title shot.
It’s not a permanent weight cut (to featherweight). But a striker like myself and Aldo, it doesn’t really matter what weight class it happens at. It’s going to be fireworks either way.
(Also temporary? Pettis’ time as a Cake Boss Intern.)
It is no understatement to say that the upcoming featherweight title fight between Anthony Pettis and Jose Aldo has divided, confused, and outright angered many fans of the sport. It’s a fight that is all but guaranteed to wind up on your best-of-the-year list, sure, but it’s also Pettis’ first fight at featherweight, as well as Aldo’s second straight title defense against a guy who built his reputation in an entirely different weight class. It’s at this point that we’d normally reference Chael Sonnen vs. Jon Jones, the baffling randomness at which title shots are being handed out, the fragility of human life, etc. But we’re tired, you guys. Damn tired…*cries into shot glass* *drinks own tears*
And now, adding to the confusion is none other than Pettis himself, who recently stated in an interview with The NY Post that his drop to featherweight “isn’t permanent.” Uh….the fuck?
A lot of things led to my cutting down to 145. I was tired of waiting for a 155 pound title shot.
It’s not a permanent weight cut (to featherweight). But a striker like myself and Aldo, it doesn’t really matter what weight class it happens at. It’s going to be fireworks either way.
So to sum things up, we now have a natural lightweight with no plans of remaining at featherweight fighting for the featherweight title against the most dominant featherweight in MMA history, who will in turn receive a lightweight title shot should he beat the lightweight #1 contender in a featherweight title fight. Oh yes, and that lightweight/apparently featherweight #1 contender is also the last man to beat the current lightweight champ, who will instead face the winner of the upcoming fight between the #3 and #7 ranked lightweights. Who is the #2 ranked lightweight, you ask? That would be the guy currently fighting for the featherweight title.
