Tag: Interview

The UFC is Still Screwing With Rampage Jackson, According to Rampage Jackson [SAD STORY BRO]

It’s really tough being Rampage Jackson these days, you guys. Sure, the boatloads of cash, the film and rap “careers,” and the endless string of Bengal tigers just waiting to be dry-humped are nice and all, but they don’t come close to filling the bottomless chasm left behind in Page’s soul by the swindlers and snake oil salesmen over at the UFC. Because beneath Rampage’s tuff (we imagine that is how he would prefer we spell it) exterior lies a kind, sensitive mixed martial artist that just wants his boss to pat him on the head and tell him that he’s proud of what he’s done. And then stop matching him up against fighters who utilize “gameplans,” “strategies,” “takedowns,” and other facets of modern MMA that are best left for trifling bitches.

And even though we haven’t been covering it as extensively as some, Jackson has been vehemently venting his feelings lately. Like, a lot. And by lately, we mean the past two years or so. And wouldn’t you know it, just a couple weeks out from his final contractually obligated fight at UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Dodson, the UFC is still screwing with the poor guy. Jackson’s most recent lament was passed along by 5thround:

I’m sponsored by Reebok now and the UFC said I’m not allowed to wear Reebok in the cage, when the other fighters are sponsored by Nike and stuff. Why can’t I have Reebok?

It’s really tough being Rampage Jackson these days, you guys. Sure, the boatloads of cash, the film and rap “careers,” and the endless string of Bengal tigers just waiting to be dry-humped are nice and all, but they don’t come close to filling the bottomless chasm left behind in Page’s soul by the swindlers and snake oil salesmen over at the UFC. Because beneath Rampage’s tuff (we imagine that is how he would prefer we spell it) exterior lies a kind, sensitive mixed martial artist that just wants his boss to pat him on the head and tell him that he’s proud of what he’s done. And then stop matching him up against fighters who utilize “gameplans,” “strategies,” “takedowns,” and other facets of modern MMA that are best left for trifling bitches.

And even though we haven’t been covering it as extensively as some, Jackson has been vehemently venting his feelings lately. Like, a lot. And by lately, we mean the past two years or so. And wouldn’t you know it, just a couple weeks out from his final contractually obligated fight at UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Dodson, the UFC is still screwing with the poor guy. Jackson’s most recent lament was passed along by 5thround:

I’m sponsored by Reebok now and the UFC said I’m not allowed to wear Reebok in the cage, when the other fighters are sponsored by Nike and stuff. Why can’t I have Reebok?

[Reebok] support me. They know that I’m probably gonna be doing more movies and stuff in the future. Who knows, I might go into boxing or somewhere else. They’ll still hang out with me. They’re not worried about the UFC. They don’t care. They’re not upset. 

When assessing the troubled life of Rampage, I am oft reminded of Sisyphus, who was condemned to roll the same boulder up a hill for all eternity, only to have it come rolling back down when he had made it to the top. Except instead of boulders, Page is forced to express the same complaints over and over again, only to injure himself and be forced to remain under his UFC contract until the day his osteoporosis-ridden body can no longer support the oversized bike chains that dangle from his neck. It almost makes me want to cry.

Jackson has also taken aim at his upcoming opponent at UFC on FOX, Glover Teixeira, and how he is being a two-faced doo-doo liarpants in his interviews leading up to their clash:

Glover is a guy who is just like everybody else, they say they are going to stand with me when most of his training camp is taking me down and fighting me on the ground just like the other guys. These cowards needs to do what they say they’re going to do and stop trying to confuse me and have me training in other areas but I’m smarter than that now. Now I see his game plan.

Good for you, Rampage. It has only taken you 10+ years in the business to figure out what the average child could piece together before their first ever dodgeball match at gym class. My opponents might use deception to mess with me? SHOW ME WHERE THE MAGIC BEANS ARE, WIZARD.

This of course brings us to the age-old question: If Rampage complains in the forest (or about him, amiright?) and no one is around to hear it, should we continue to give a fuck?

–J. Jones

[VIDEO] Felice Herrig Defends Sex Appeal in WMMA on ‘TMZ Live’

When we sat down with the lovely Felice Herrig just over a month ago, we talked about everything from the suspicious, last minute withdrawal of her opponent from Bellator 84 to the likelihood of seeing Felice fighting for the all female promotion InvictaFC down the line. But as any conversation with a woman as beautiful as Felice will inevitably touch upon, we ended up discussing sex, sex appeal, and the role of sex appeal in women’s MMA. As you can probably tell from a quick Google search of her name, Felice resides strongly in the “sex appeal as a positive” camp, not only because it boosts her marketability, but because it opens up completely new doors outside of the fight game that could provide a future career for Herrig down the line.

Taking that into account, Felice recently appeared on TMZ Live, of all places, to defend the role of sex appeal in female sports, and in the professional world in general. And for a show that usually spends 30 minutes insulting psuedo-celebrities for being fat and wearing people clothes, the discussion was honestly rather straightforward. I mean, it wasn’t Ronda Rousey and friends talking about Kat Dennings’ awesome boobage, but it was intriguing nonetheless. In short, Felice feels that as long as you can back up your looks with actual skill, then you’d be pretty foolish not to utilize both.

So check out the video above and let us know where you stand on the issue in the comments section. But we beg you, try and stifle your blatant misogyny just this once.

–J. Jones

When we sat down with the lovely Felice Herrig just over a month ago, we talked about everything from the suspicious, last minute withdrawal of her opponent from Bellator 84 to the likelihood of seeing Felice fighting for the all female promotion InvictaFC down the line. But as any conversation with a woman as beautiful as Felice will inevitably touch upon, we ended up discussing sex, sex appeal, and the role of sex appeal in women’s MMA. As you can probably tell from a quick Google search of her name, Felice resides strongly in the “sex appeal as a positive” camp, not only because it boosts her marketability, but because it opens up completely new doors outside of the fight game that could provide a future career for Herrig down the line.

Taking that into account, Felice recently appeared on TMZ Live, of all places, to defend the role of sex appeal in female sports, and in the professional world in general. And for a show that usually spends 30 minutes insulting psuedo-celebrities for being fat and wearing people clothes, the discussion was honestly rather straightforward. I mean, it wasn’t Ronda Rousey and friends talking about Kat Dennings’ awesome boobage, but it was intriguing nonetheless. In short, Felice feels that as long as you can back up your looks with actual skill, then you’d be pretty foolish not to utilize both.

So check out the video above and let us know where you stand on the issue in the comments section. But we beg you, try and stifle your blatant misogyny just this once.

–J. Jones

Move Over, Lorenz: Luke Rockhold Calls Out Costa Philippou, Wants Fight at ‘UFC on FOX 7?

Strikeforce MMA photos Lorenz Larkin
(We’re sorry for your loss, Lorenz, but believe us when we say that we know how it feels to be passed over.)

A few hours ago, we made the foolish suggestion that once all of Strikeforce’s chosen ones made their way over to the UFC, Luke Rockhold, should finally give Lorenz Larkin the title shot he had so rightfully earned by collecting four victories in their former promotion over mostly unknowns and nearly getting beaten to death by a roided up King Mo. Rockhold has been ducking him nursing various injuries for months now, and we figured it would be in the champ’s best interest to put all the doubt to rest in regard to Larkin once and for all.

Which is why it makes perfect sense that Rockhold has now called out Costa Philippou and completely invalidated our work in the process. Rockhold recently spoke with MMAFighting — but only because we were totally busy doing some research at the time — and not only did he pick a potential opponent for his UFC debut, but he picked a venue as well:

I think Costa Philippou makes the most sense right now. He’s coming off a win, and I think he’s a good opponent. Let’s get it on at [UFC on FOX 7].

As you can see, Rockhold is going to need to step up his shit-talking game if he ever wants a shot at becoming the real middleweight champion. Acknowledging a potential opponents victories? Calling him “a good opponent?” Jesus, Luke, if you don’t start making name-related insults (Can’t-stand-ya Tulip-poo?) or start mocking “the dirt poor Pygmy people of Cyprus” pretty soon, it’s going to be all FX and FUEL undercards for you from here on out.

Strikeforce MMA photos Lorenz Larkin
(We’re sorry for your loss, Lorenz, but believe us when we say that we know how it feels to be passed over.)

A few hours ago, we made the foolish suggestion that once all of Strikeforce’s chosen ones made their way over to the UFC, Luke Rockhold, should finally give Lorenz Larkin the title shot he had so rightfully earned by collecting four victories in their former promotion over mostly unknowns and nearly getting beaten to death by a roided up King Mo. Rockhold has been ducking him nursing various injuries for months now, and we figured it would be in the champ’s best interest to put all the doubt to rest in regard to Larkin once and for all.

Which is why it makes perfect sense that Rockhold has now called out Costa Philippou and completely invalidated our work in the process. Rockhold recently spoke with MMAFighting – but only because we were totally busy doing some research at the time — and not only did he pick a potential opponent for his UFC debut, but he picked a venue as well:

I think Costa Philippou makes the most sense right now. He’s coming off a win, and I think he’s a good opponent. Let’s get it on at [UFC on FOX 7].

As you can see, Rockhold is going to need to step up his shit-talking game if he ever wants a shot at becoming the real middleweight champion. Acknowledging a potential opponents victories? Calling him “a good opponent?” Jesus, Luke, if you don’t start making name-related insults (Can’t-stand-ya Tulip-poo?) or start mocking “the dirt poor Pygmy people of Cyprus” pretty soon, it’s going to be all FX and FUEL undercards for you from here on out.

Rockhold also threw in his two cents regarding the upcoming UFC on FX 7 showdown between Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort. And once again, he was incredibly professional in both his view of the fight’s implications and what he would like to accomplish moving forward. It’s like, do you even want to be a fucking fighter, bro?

I want Bisping to stay on the up and up so I can knock him out, but I want Belfort to win because that would open a path to Anderson [Silva]. 

I want the fight that gets me to Anderson as fast as I can. I believe I can fight him like no one else can. I want that opportunity because I believe I’m the No. 1 contender. I want to fight Silva before Weidman does because I think he might beat him. 

OK, we’ll give Luke props for stirring the pot a little bit at the end there, but we don’t think he has to worry about Weidman getting to Anderson Silva first. If anything, Rockhold should be calling out Sensei Seagal for a “winner gets Anderson’s full attention” battle of wills. There could be three categories: a guitar solo shred-off, a surf competition, and to balance things out, a deathmatch held at the premier of Seagul’s next film, as to make sure that there are no witnesses present. BANG POW SHAZAAM! CAN I GET AN AMEN?!

–J. Jones

You Knew It Was Coming: Junior Dos Santos Cites “Personal and Kidney Issues” Behind UFC 155 Loss


(As you can tell by the above photo, Junior was feeling a little self-conscious about his looks that night as well.) 

Perhaps it’s because he’s one of the nicest guys in the sport, but we’d like to think that most MMA fans hold Junior Dos Santos to a higher standard than that of most fighters. We sure as hell do. Regardless of who you were rooting for at UFC 155, we defy you to declare that you didn’t weep for the battered former champ as he asked Joe Rogan “Why they do that?” while being met with a chorus of undeserved boos in his post-fight interview. It was like watching a child’s face sink with the unexpected revelation that that there was no Santa. On Christmas Eve.

So it is with heavy hearts that we must bring you the inevitable next chapter in the book of any fallen fighter: The Excuses. To be fair, the problems Junior cited in a recent interview with Brazil’s Esporte were not the typical kind of nonsense you’d hear from 90% of MMA fighters attempting to diagnose a loss, but the fact that we hold Junior in such high regard makes his recent allegations all the more disappointing:

Really was my head. I had some personal things going on, a bit of my attention was lacking because of it. And another thing. Soon after the fight I went to the hospital and had a scan, which showed my creatine was too high. The normal level is up to 300, mine was in 1400. I also had trouble in the urine and kidneys.

 The explanation of the doctors is that I pushed over the line, I over trained, and problems could have happened even before the fight… I was so good that I ended up crossing the line. That was the explanation of doctors. Mine is that I was not good with my head, was having personal problems and did not go well mentally in the fight. 


(As you can tell by the above photo, Junior was feeling a little self-conscious about his looks that night as well.) 

Perhaps it’s because he’s one of the nicest guys in the sport, but we’d like to think that most MMA fans hold Junior Dos Santos to a higher standard than that of most fighters. We sure as hell do. Regardless of who you were rooting for at UFC 155, we defy you to declare that you didn’t weep for the battered former champ as he asked Joe Rogan “Why they do that?” while being met with a chorus of undeserved boos in his post-fight interview. It was like watching a child’s face sink with the unexpected revelation that that there was no Santa. On Christmas Eve.

So it is with heavy hearts that we must bring you the inevitable next chapter in the book of any fallen fighter: The Excuses. To be fair, the problems Junior cited in a recent interview with Brazil’s Esporte were not the typical kind of nonsense you’d hear from 90% of MMA fighters attempting to diagnose a loss, but the fact that we hold Junior in such high regard makes his recent allegations all the more disappointing:

Really was my head. I had some personal things going on, a bit of my attention was lacking because of it. And another thing. Soon after the fight I went to the hospital and had a scan, which showed my creatine was too high. The normal level is up to 300, mine was in 1400. I also had trouble in the urine and kidneys.

 The explanation of the doctors is that I pushed over the line, I over trained, and problems could have happened even before the fight… I was so good that I ended up crossing the line. That was the explanation of doctors. Mine is that I was not good with my head, was having personal problems and did not go well mentally in the fight. 

So Junior kind of psyched himself out is basically what he is saying. It’s understandable, we guess, although one would think that he would be riding a wave of confidence considering how his first fight with Velasquez went down. But Junior’s most recent declaration, besides being a clear ploy to set up a trilogy fight with Velasquez (even though those notions have been all but squashed by Dana White for the time being), kind of feels below him, honestly.

I don’t know, maybe I’m just sick of all these sports stars continuously crushing my unrealistic expectations in regard to their characters. First Lance Armstrong finally admits to PED use and now this; it’s getting too goddamn depressing. So please, Junior, no more of this. And please, future interviewers of Junior, stop pressing him for these kind of excuses. Because excuses are like a drug. One day, you’re simply brushing off your loss as the result of a nagging injury, or a mental issue, and convincing yourself that things will be different the second/third time around. But before you know it, you’re carrying around a fake belt and calling yourself the “true champion” of the division to any two-bit reporter who will entertain your continuously tiring act. It’s a slippery slope.

–J. Jones

Obligatory Ronda Rousey Hate-Spewing of the Day: “If GSP Wasn’t So Canadian, He’d Be Unknown”

I know this barely constitutes news at this point, but being that anything even hinting at Ronda Rousey seems to be a big hit on this site (mainly so you readers can take a steaming dump on her in the comments section), I am going to set my journalistic integrity — a term I just stumbled across on Wikipedia — aside for the moment and pass along Rousey’s words in regard to another hot topic around here: Canadians. Specifically, how Canadians will love anything that is Canadian because it is Canadian, and how that relates to current welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre.

Rousey recently spoke with The Las Vegas Review Journal and once again went at the champ, who she has been bashing for years now:

Everybody keeps coming up to me and saying, ‘Oh, do you think if you didn’t look such a way, people would like you so much?’ I’m like, ‘Dude, if GSP was butt ugly, you wouldn’t want to know who he is so much.’ I think he lucked out a lot that he’s Canadian. I love Canadians. They are the coolest, nicest, most patriotic people, and they will support their countrymen no matter what, and I think that’s commendable. But if GSP wasn’t really good-looking, and really Canadian, he would be really unknown.

I know this barely constitutes news at this point, but being that anything even hinting at Ronda Rousey seems to be a big hit on this site (mainly so you readers can take a steaming dump on her in the comments section), I am going to set my journalistic integrity — a term I just stumbled across on Wikipedia — aside for the moment and pass along Rousey’s words in regard to another hot topic around here: Canadians. Specifically, how Canadians will love anything that is Canadian because it is Canadian, and how that relates to current welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre.

Rousey recently spoke with The Las Vegas Review Journal and once again went at the champ, who she has been bashing for years now:

Everybody keeps coming up to me and saying, ‘Oh, do you think if you didn’t look such a way, people would like you so much?’ I’m like, ‘Dude, if GSP was butt ugly, you wouldn’t want to know who he is so much.’ I think he lucked out a lot that he’s Canadian. I love Canadians. They are the coolest, nicest, most patriotic people, and they will support their countrymen no matter what, and I think that’s commendable. But if GSP wasn’t really good-looking, and really Canadian, he would be really unknown.

We get it, Ronda. You’re “a Diaz brother trapped in this beautiful body” or whatever. But you’re also starting to sound like a broken record at this point, and if you think building up straw men to deflect criticism from yourself will somehow work, we beg you to reconsider. To our knowledge, St. Pierre never chose to pose nude en route to becoming a champion, although we’d imagine the opportunity was offered to him on more than one occasion. And now you’re going to attack his Canadian-ness, as if that is the main factor behind his popularity? Did you even watch his performance at UFC 154? If you did, you would realize that GSP has become a champion through pure drive and determination, God damn it, not through a constant stream of shit talk and admittedly fantastic armbars.

I could go with the obvious argument here and say that one could just as easily contribute Rousey’s success to the fact that she is American, or Cain Velasquez’s to the fact that he’s psuedo-Mexican, but I’d rather not insult your intelligence with the same kind of straw man argument that Rousey just used. Later in the interview, Rousey went on to attack GSP for being a “point-fighter,” which admittedly has more a little more credibility to it:

I respect Georges St. Pierre as a businessman and an athlete. I don’t have anything against him personally. But he’s not the kind of fighter I like watching. He fights to win matches. He doesn’t fight to defeat his opponents. I lost a lot of judo matches because of points fighters. It was extremely frustrating for me. And when I see that same style being played out in a different sport, it brings out the same reaction in me.

You know, I respect Ronda as a businesswoman and an athlete. I don’t have anything against her personally. But she’s not the kind of fighter I enjoy listening to. She talks to hear her own voice. She doesn’t talk to finish interviews. I’ve lost a lot of time listening to female WMMA fans spew nonsense into my ears because of Ronda Rousey. It was extremely frustrating for me as well. And when I hear that same shit being spewed out in a different setting, it brings out the same reaction in me. So you’ll forgive me, Potato Nation, but I’m really starting to lose interest in the new face of women’s MMA. Anyone agree?

–J. Jones

Terrifying Photo of the Day: Steven Seagal Has a New ‘Friend’


(Photo via dc_mma)

Besides his uncanny ability to ingratiate himself into the lives of elite MMA fighters, I’ll give Steven Seagal credit for something else — the guy knows how to pick winners. During an appearance at this weekend’s Fighters Only World MMA Awards in Las Vegas, the action star set his sights on his next pet project, telling MMAWeekly:

“If I had to choose anybody today [as ‘Fighter of the Year’] I would probably pick Daniel Cormier because I think he is the best out of that lot…He’s the guy and I’m maybe going to be working with him a little bit, we’ll see. I think that he’s not the kind of person that everybody knows about, yet he’s sort of a sleeper, you know? I think that’s going to be really interesting. I’m not going to say any more than that. I’ll just say he’s a friend of mine, that’s all.”

The photo you see above was tweeted out by Cormier yesterday, accompanied by the caption “With sensei seagal ufc 148.” So why would Cormier release a random six-month-old photo of himself and Seagal, the day after his victory at Strikeforce’s final event? And why would he call Seagal “sensei”? No. Oh God, no. This isn’t happening.


(Photo via dc_mma)

Besides his uncanny ability to ingratiate himself into the lives of elite MMA fighters, I’ll give Steven Seagal credit for something else — the guy knows how to pick winners. During an appearance at this weekend’s Fighters Only World MMA Awards in Las Vegas, the action star set his sights on his next pet project, telling MMAWeekly:

“If I had to choose anybody today [as ‘Fighter of the Year’] I would probably pick Daniel Cormier because I think he is the best out of that lot…He’s the guy and I’m maybe going to be working with him a little bit, we’ll see. I think that he’s not the kind of person that everybody knows about, yet he’s sort of a sleeper, you know? I think that’s going to be really interesting. I’m not going to say any more than that. I’ll just say he’s a friend of mine, that’s all.”

The photo you see above was tweeted out by Cormier yesterday, accompanied by the caption “With sensei seagal ufc 148.” So why would Cormier release a random six-month-old photo of himself and Seagal, the day after his victory at Strikeforce’s final event? And why would he call Seagal “sensei”? No. Oh God, no. This isn’t happening.

Regardless of who Cormier fights in his UFC debut, prepare to see Seagal — decked out in his traditional bulletproof kimono — giving self-satisfied interviews to Ariel Helwani about the secret techniques that he’s passing on to his new student, Emelianegro-san. The master just hooked another big fish. Deal with it.