Former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields scored his first submission victory in over five years when he defeated Ryan Ford with a rear-naked choke Saturday in Edmonton during his promotional debut at WSOF 14.
The former UF…
Former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields scored his first submission victory in over five years when he defeated Ryan Ford with a rear-naked choke Saturday in Edmonton during his promotional debut at WSOF 14.
The former UFC welterweight title contender didn’t know it at the time, but heading into the bout, he enjoyed a major advantage over Ford, one that had nothing to do with Shields bending the rules.
The 32-year-old Ford broke his ulnar (the bone opposite the radius in the forearm) in his right arm during a sparring session on Sept. 30. The injury came just 11 days before arguably the most significant fight of his career.
In this Oct. 2 video (per MMAjunkie), the Tristar Gym stalwart explained the unfortunate circumstances that prevented him from postponing his fight Saturday with Shields:
You know, I don’t have a choice but to fight. You know, it’s funny. I have the toughest challenge ahead of me on Oct. 11 against Jake Shields. And now I get thrown with another challenge: fighting him with a broken arm. We’re not in a sport where insurance is available, where if you get injured nine days, 10 days up to a fight, then you get paid. It don’t work like that. You step into the cage, you get paid. This is how I feed my wife and my two kids. I put a roof over their heads, so the only option I have is to step into the cage, put on a hell of a fight and get paid—broken arm or not.
WSOF president Ray Sefo told Sherdog on Sunday that he and his staff didn’t find out about Ford’s broken ulnar until after the fight.
Neither I nor any of my staff at World Series of Fighting had any prior knowledge of Ryan Ford’s condition until he went on the record about it after last night’s fight. Like all of the other fighters who competed last night, Ryan went through all of the steps necessary to receive clearance by the athletic commission to fight. Had we been aware that Ryan was suffering from an arm injury, we would have immediately pulled the plug on his matchup with Jake Shields and secured another suitable opponent for Jake.
Ford fought Shields in an orthodox stance, throwing only low kicks and left hands at the 35-year-old Californian.
Just 36 seconds into the bout, Ford clipped Shields on the chin with a stiff left jab that dropped him momentarily. But in atypical fashion, the usually opportunistic Ford failed to capitalize on the knockdown and allowed Shields to regain his footing and ultimately recover.
In an impressive display of intestinal fortitude, Ford stuffed Shields’ first takedown attempt and succumbed to his second, only to pop back to his feet almost instantly.
The two exchanged knees before Ford pushed Shields up against the fence in the clinch, a move that marked the beginning of his demise.
Shields quickly established an overhook on Fords’ broken arm and used it to throw The Real Deal onto his back. And with over three minutes left in the round and having just one functional arm, Ford had little chance to escape the round without tapping.
Shields needed the better part of those three minutes to set up the finish, but at the 4:29 mark of the opening round, he slapped on a rear-naked choke to pick up his first submission since June 2009 (a guillotine choke of Robbie Lawler).
The loss snapped a six-fight winning streak for Ford that began in February 2012. Ford had finished five of his six previous opponents, including Joel Powell, who he knocked out with a front kick and punches in his promotional debut at WSOF Canada 1 in February.
Shields got released from the UFC after falling via unanimous decision to the streaking Hector Lombard at UFC 171 in March. Shields finished with a 4-3-1 mark in the UFC.
WSOF 14: “Shields vs. Ford” came and went last night from Edmonton’s Expo Centre in Alberta, Canada, with the majority of the focus on a former UFC and Strikeforce combatant looking to regain his flair.
In a card billed as USA vs. Canada (borrowed from pro wrestling, of course), a welterweight title shot was on the line, as Jake Shields took on Ryan Ford in the main event. The co-main event featured the inaugural heavyweight championship bout between Derrick Mehmen and Smealinho Rama, and also on the main card, Canadian MMA veteran Chris Horodecki battled Luis Huete and Jared Hamman took on Luke Harris.
Check out the GIF highlights and the complete results below (all via Zombie Prophet):
WSOF 14: “Shields vs. Ford” came and went last night from Edmonton’s Expo Centre in Alberta, Canada, with the majority of the focus on a former UFC and Strikeforce combatant looking to regain his flair.
In a card billed as USA vs. Canada (borrowed from pro wrestling, of course), a welterweight title shot was on the line, as Jake Shields took on Ryan Ford in the main event. The co-main event featured the inaugural heavyweight championship bout between Derrick Mehmen and Smealinho Rama, and also on the main card, Canadian MMA veteran Chris Horodecki battled Luis Huete and Jared Hamman took on Luke Harris.
Check out the GIF highlights and the complete results below (all via Zombie Prophet):
Hakeem Dawodu vs. Mike Malott
The prelims were nothing to boast about, but we got this highlight of Hakeem Dawodu blasting Mike Malott, just because.
Jared Hamman vs. Luke Harris
The main card opened up with UFC veteran Jared Hamman against TUF:Nations alumnus Luke Harris, and it’s safe to say the former was a tad too much to handle. Hamman was treating Harris like a punching bag until his eventual death, but thank God the official stepped in when the Albertan’s knees his the mat.
Chris Horodecki vs. Luis Huete
This one was by far the card’s snoozer of the night, as the “Polish Hammer” used his wrestling abilities to best his opponent. He took Huete down at will, sometimes inactive and forced to stand up through the course of their bout.
Derrick Mehmen vs. Smealinho Rama
This fight would crown the promotion’s first heavyweight champion, with the 22-year-old prospect seizing the opportunity and finishing Mehmen in brutal fashion. It only took him 51 seconds to capture the gold, rocking and dropping “Caveman” multiple times.
Jake Shields vs. Ryan Ford
The Skrap Pack member acquired his first stoppage victory since 2009 (!), submitting Ryan Ford in the first round. The former Strikeforce champ hit the ground after Ford threw his first punch (a jab), but Shields recovered and eventually brought the “Real Deal” to the mat and sunk in a rear-naked choke. Successful in his first fight since his UFC release, Shields will take on the winner of Rousimar Palhares vs. Jon Fitch for the WSOF welterweight strap. Call me a masochist, but I’ve been waiting years for Shields vs. Fitch, and goodness gracious, I hope it happens.
Here are the complete WSOF 14 results:
Main Card
Jake Shields def. Ryan Ford via submission (rear naked choke), 4:29 of round 1.
Smealinho Rama def. Derrick Mehmen via TKO (punches), 0:51 of round 1.
Chris Horodecki def. Luis Huete via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
Jared Hamman def. Luke Harris via TKO (punches), 2:27 of round 1.
Preliminary Card
Tim Hague def. Craig Hudson via TKO (punches), 2:55 of round 3.
Hakeem Dawodu def. Mike Malott via TKO (punches and elbows), 4:13 of round 1.
Matt Baker def. Cody Krahn via submission (armbar), 2:28 of round 1.
Roger Alves def. David Swanson via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
It’s been quite a while since we first penned our list of the 7 Biggest UFC Busts of All Time, and a lot has changed in the time since. While some of our choices are even more relevant now than they were when the list was originally published in July of 2009, most of them seem either inaccurate or simply out of date in light of current circumstances. Knowing what we know now, we’ve decided to update our list to align with today’s MMA landscape. Enjoy.
Robert Drysdale had already achieved the distinction of being one of the most credentialed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors and sought-after coaches in all of MMA when he signed with the UFC last year. He had also picked up six straight first round submissions in professional competition, and was primed to make some huge waves in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
You’d think the UFC would have shitcanned Drysdale right then and there, but The Baldfather is nothing if not a softie for guys with a great ground game (lol!). Drysdale was given another shot at the TUF 19 Finale in July, and to his credit, he actually managed to show up and submit Keith Berish in just over 2 minutes. The post-fight drug test, however, would reveal that Drysdale was once again competing with an unnatural level of testosterone flowing through his veins. But hey, at least his T/E ratio was only 12:1 this time!
One fight. Two failed drug tests. And to our knowledge, Drysdale is still employed by the UFC. Let’s hope he can get his sh*t together long enough to pick up one legitimate win before all is said and done.
It’s been quite a while since we first penned our list of the 7 Biggest UFC Busts of All Time, and a lot has changed in the time since. While some of our choices are even more relevant now than they were when the list was originally published in July of 2009, most of them seem either inaccurate or simply out of date in light of current circumstances. Knowing what we know now, we’ve decided to update our list to align with today’s MMA landscape. Enjoy.
Robert Drysdale had already achieved the distinction of being one of the most credentialed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors and sought-after coaches in all of MMA when he signed with the UFC last year. He had also picked up six straight first round submissions in professional competition, and was primed to make some huge waves in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
You’d think the UFC would have shitcanned Drysdale right then and there, but The Baldfather is nothing if not a softie for guys with a great ground game (lol!). Drysdale was given another shot at the TUF 19 Finale in July, and to his credit, he actually managed to show up and submit Keith Berish in just over 2 minutes. The post-fight drug test, however, would reveal that Drysdale was once again competing with an unnatural level of testosterone flowing through his veins. But hey, at least his T/E ratio was only 12:1 this time!
One fight. Two failed drug tests. And to our knowledge, Drysdale is still employed by the UFC. Let’s hope he can get his sh*t together long enough to pick up one legitimate win before all is said and done.
It pains us to say this about the man, the myth, the musical sensation known as “Sexyama”, but to declare his UFC career as anything other than would be a far more generous emoji than it deserved. Akiyama — seen above disguised as either a Super Saiyan or a pumpkin — was a K-1 Hero’s tournament winner riding a 14-fight unbeaten streak heading into his promotional debut in July of 2009, which saw him paired against Alan “The Talent” Belcher at UFC 100.
While Akiyama would defeat Belcher by controversial split decision that night, it would be all downhill from there. That he is still competing in the Octagon despite dropping his past four fights is a testament to his drawing power in Japan, a fact made all the more evident by his…let’s call it “convenient” decision to return from a two-year, self-imposed hiatus to take on Amir Sadollah at Fight Night Japan next weekend.
But should Akiyama drop his fifth straight to Sadollah, who himself will be returning from the second prolonged absence of his UFC career, one can expect to see him hang up the gloves for good. If you ask us, though, the UFC really missed the boat by not bringing in Sexyama as a coach on TUF 20. ”Easy on the Eyes, Hard on the Face” is practically the man’s credo, for Christ’s sake.
There was a lot of public uproar when Shields was suddenly cut by the UFC following his unanimous decision loss to Hector Lombard at UFC 171, and rightfully so. The former Strikeforce middleweight champ had gone 3-1 1 NC in his past 5 fights, was a relatively well known name (if for the wrong reasonzzzzz), and held recent wins over top welterweight contenders in Tyron Woodley and Demian Maia.
The problem was, Shields was never what Dana White would a call a “needle mover” (unlike your Conor McGregors and Royston Wees) and his loss to Lombard proved that he was far too one-dimensional to make another run at the title. As was the case with Jon Fitch and Yushin Okami, Shields simply became “too f*cking expensive” an investment for the UFC to ever see how they would get their return. And, not to pat the promotion on the back and risk losing my job, but they were probably right in letting him go.
The sad truth is, Shields was pretty underwhelming from the very start of his UFC tenure, and if you don’t believe us, look no further than the decision “win” he scored (snored?) over Martin Kampmann in his debut to earn a shot at Georges St. Pierre. Let me ask you this: Of the three victories that Shields would notch following successive losses to St. Pierre and Jake Ellenberger, can anyone remember a single highlight? And no, him getting ragdolled by Sexyama doesn’t count.
What we said back then: “How’s this for a return-on-investment: The UFC paid “The Truth” a total of $76,000 in contracted salary for his first four wins against Fabiano Scherner, Justin Eilers, Assuerio Silva, and Frank Mir — all of them by brutal stoppage, mind you — then paid him $500,000 for his subsequent 1-3 stretch against Tim Sylvia, Fabricio Werdum, Reese Andy, and Keith Jardine. Did the fat paychecks make him soft? Did his long legal dispute with his manager throw off his mental game? It’s hard to know for sure, but by the end of 2008 it was clear that this wasn’t the same Brandon Vera who entered the UFC’s heavyweight division three years before and rocked it like a hurricane.
“The Truth is slated to return in August against Matt Hamill at UFC 102, in a fight that will either re-establish him as a rising star at light-heavyweight, or forever define him as an overpaid can-crusher.”
For a guy who once claimed that he would hold two UFC titles simultaneously, it would be impossible to dub Vera as anything but a bust by his own assertion alone. He never fought for *one* title, or even in a #1 contender’s match for that matter, but hey, maybe he was just referring to his upcoming OneFC run.
Jason Miller was never what you’d call “championship material” — even the folks at EA Sports knew that much about him. He was, however, one of the better fighters to spend the majority of his career outside the UFC and a charismatic, unique individual to boot, so it’s safe to say that the UFC had big plans for him when they brought him over to serve as a coach on the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
An intense rivalry with Michael Bisping (go figure, right?) fueled that season, and the expectations surrounding Miller were made all the higher by Miller himself. When he stepped into the octagon against the Brit, fans were expecting an intense, technical battle between two of the sport’s better middleweights. What they got instead was one of the worst — if not the worst — performance of Miller’s career. Between his hilariously awkward attempts at standup and his nonexistent gas tank, Miller looked like plain amateurish next to Bisping, who battered and abused him en route to a third round TKO.
It was a loss that Miller’s career would never come from. One that he certainly wouldn’t learn from, at least. After being tentatively granted another shot against CB Dollaway, Miller once again talked himself into a corner, vowing to retire should Dollaway defeat him.
Replacing Vitor Belfort at #2 (which, wow) is Alistair Overeem, the Hercules-armed, Achilles-chinned PRIDE and Strikeforce star whose hype train went off the rails following consecutive KO losses to Bigfoot Silva and Travis Browne, then careened over a cliff into a school for blind, malnourished orphans at Fight Night 50 last weekend. Metaphorically speaking.
For a time, oh, between 2008-2011, Overeem was nothing short of untouchable. Save a couple losses in the kickboxing ring to top-level competition, Overeem utterly destroyed any and all opposition that was placed before him. That many of his fights during that period could be dubbed as hilariously mismatched squash matches did little to persuade us from declaring that Overeem would be the heavyweight champion within a year’s time should the UFC ever sign him.
Well, they did, and Uber proceeded to kick Brock Lesnar right in the diverticulitis, sending a shockwave through the heavyweight division and a message that he was not a man to be messed with. Four fights later, Overeem’s reputation could not be more different.
What we said back then: “As we’ve already discussed in a previous list (Ed note: LISTCEPTION), Filipovic made a strong case for himself as the best fighter in the world after storming through PRIDE’s Open Weight Grand Prix Finals in September 2006. When he jumped ship to the UFC shortly after, we expected him to head-kick his way to a heavyweight title. But in stunning, heartbreaking fashion, Cro Cop flamed out of the organization within a year, becoming the first and most dramatic victim of the PRIDE Curse, as well as the biggest bust in UFC history.”
It’s interesting, they were just having a live discussion over at BloodyElbow about whether or not Alistair Overeem was the biggest bust in UFC History. Surprisingly enough, they almost unanimously agreed that it was Cro Cop, citing the same reasons as we did in our original assessment. Cro Cop was on the heels of the performance of his career and the greatest one-night performance in MMA history, and to see him fall from grace so steadily in the UFC was nothing short of heartbreaking for his legions of fans.
Watching the legend get KO’d three consecutive times at the hands of Frank Mir, Brendan Schaub, and Roy Nelson was tough enough, but if you ask me, the absolute nadir of his MMA career came at Legends 2, where he was submitted via A F*CKING NECK CRANK by some guy we can’t even remember. I guess we can take some small solace away from the fact that Cro Cop is still fighting and winning on the Glory kickboxing circuit. I guess…
There’s a moment early on in Fight Life in which Jake Shields laments (or comes as close to it as he can while retaining his trademark roboticness) the negative effects his career has had on his personal life.
“Everyone’s always like, ‘What are your hobbies?’ and unfortunately, I don’t really have any hobbies because MMA is my hobby, my job, my career. My whole life revolves around it at this point, you know?”
It’s a statement that both serves as the mission statement of the aptly named Fight Life and one that would perhaps support the idea that MMA fighters are not the most intriguing subjects around which to base a documentary. Fighters fight for their families, or to overcome demons from their past, or simply because it’s all they know. While these may be considered fresh revelations to the most casual of MMA fans, it’s nothing that a seasoned fan of the sport hasn’t been treated to a zillion times over in the lead-up to a UFC event or boxing match. As a result, Fight Life winds up feeling less like an intimate look into the personal lives of guys like Shields and Beerbohm and more like an 80-minute Countdown episode.
Chronicling the lives of Jake Shields and Lyle Beerbohm (among others) in the lead-up to their 2009 fights with Robbie Lawler and Duane Ludwig, respectively, the documentary from James Z. Feng is an equally inspiring and underwhelming look at the daily struggles and triumphs of the professional mixed martial artist. Part of the blame for the film’s shortcomings can be placed on its subjects — or at least Shields, who has never been a charismatic individual despite his accomplishments. But really, the biggest issue facing the film is its outdated perspective. MMA has undergone several huge changes in the time between when Fight Life was shot and its release, and neither Shields nor Beerbohm have exactly become the dominant forces that the documentary attempts to set them up as.
That’s not to say that Fight Life is absent of any compelling moments, however…
There’s a moment early on in Fight Life in which Jake Shields laments (or comes as close to it as he can while retaining his trademark roboticness) the negative effects his career has had on his personal life.
“Everyone’s always like, ‘What are your hobbies?’ and unfortunately, I don’t really have any hobbies because MMA is my hobby, my job, my career. My whole life revolves around it at this point, you know?”
It’s a statement that both serves as the mission statement of the aptly named Fight Life and one that would perhaps support the idea that MMA fighters are not the most intriguing subjects around which to base a documentary. Fighters fight for their families, or to overcome demons from their past, or simply because it’s all they know. While these may be considered fresh revelations to the most casual of MMA fans, it’s nothing that a seasoned fan of the sport hasn’t been treated to a zillion times over in the lead-up to a UFC event or boxing match. As a result, Fight Life winds up feeling less like an intimate look into the personal lives of guys like Shields and Beerbohm and more like an 80-minute Countdown episode.
Chronicling the lives of Jake Shields and Lyle Beerbohm (among others) in the lead-up to their 2009 fights with Robbie Lawler and Duane Ludwig, respectively, the documentary from James Z. Feng is an equally inspiring and underwhelming look at the daily struggles and triumphs of the professional mixed martial artist. Part of the blame for the film’s shortcomings can be placed on its subjects — or at least Shields, who has never been a charismatic individual despite his accomplishments. But really, the biggest issue facing the film is its outdated perspective. MMA has undergone several huge changes in the time between when Fight Life was shot and its release, and neither Shields nor Beerbohm have exactly become the dominant forces that the documentary attempts to set them up as.
That’s not to say that Fight Life is absent of any compelling moments, however. Featuring interviews with everyone from veteran referee Big John McCarthy to NFL Hall of Famer-turned MMA fighter Herschel Walker, the documentary explores not only the mentality it takes for one to become a top-level MMA fighter, but the daily struggles of maintaining such excellence while balancing whatever semblance of a social life fighters are privy to. It also takes a look at the fire through which such a mentality is often forged, especially so in the case of Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm.
Learning how Beerbohm, a former meth addict, discovered his passion for mixed martial arts while watching The Ultimate Fighter from behind bars is a humanizing moment that many fighters (or at least, more than us MMA fans would care to admit to) could likely identify with. The same goes for the moments devoted to Beerbohm’s adorable (and slightly resentful) parents, who after serving as enablers to their son’s addiction for years, have rallied behind his newfound career and the more positive outlook on life it has given him. His mother even offers some insight into how Beerbohm came to be known as “Fancy Pants” thanks to a collection of old fabrics and her crack sewing skills.
Fight Life similarly resonates when (briefly) discussing the relationship between Shields and his daughter, who he raised on his own while working full time, training, and taking classes in college. At the time the documentary was being shot, we learn that Shield’s daughter was following in her father’s footsteps by enrolling in Jiu-Jitsu classes. She also packs an armbar capable of tapping out her old man despite being a white belt, which is pretty badass if you ask me.
In any case, it’s those moments between fighter and family that I’d prefer to see documentaries like Fight Life explore more of. Fighters on Jake Shields’ level are essentially PR robots that have been groomed into spitting out the same cliche responses for years now, which makes the average interview with them anything but interesting. I know that every MMA fighter wants to be a champion. I know that every MMA fighter wants to be “the best.” You want to offer some *real* perspective into what the life of a fighter is like? Talk to their families. Talk to their (non-fighting) friends. Talk to anyone but the fighters themselves, then use what you’ve learned to get the fighters to truly open up. Asking a fighter to describe their life with complete objectivity and honesty is like basing your opinion of someone solely on their Match.com profile.
Take the matter-of-factly way in which Shields’ daughter is introduced and just as quickly never discussed again, for instance. We learn that she is taking BJJ classes, and that Jake makes as much time for her when he can, but why not ask his daughter about her father’s busy lifestyle and the effect it has on their relationship? Why not ask Jake about the difficulty of being a single parent (which is never even touched on) or his lifelong vegetarianism? MMA fighters, like any of us, can be compelling figures if you ask the right questions, or really, any based around something other than their jobs.
If I am sounding critical of Fight Life, it’s only because the documentary presents several intriguing opportunities to cash in on these revealing moments before ultimately choosing to focus on the training and fights themselves. I can’t blame Feng for doing so, as a documentary about MMA fighters absent of fights would likely lead to riots in the streets from some of the sport’s more boisterous fans. Then again, The Smashing Machineopts for such an approach and is considered one of the, if not the greatest MMA documentary of them all (especially among the CagePotato staff).
But maybe that’s not the documentary that Fight Life is trying to be. Its thesis is, after all, that the life of a fighter is fighting, fighting, fighting, and also training. And that’s all well and good, but for the hardcore MMA fan perhaps hoping to get a little more perspective into the hows and whys of guys like Shields, Fight Life will only partially satisfy. The documentary would, conversely, serve as an excellent introduction to casual fans of the sport or even naysayers who still feel that MMA fighters are nothing more than blood-hungry savages seeking a cathartic release in the most legal fashion possible. What? You didn’t think those people simply went away, did you?
For fight fans interested in an honest, candid (albeit now a slightly dated) look at the sport of mixed martial arts, Fight Life is an excellent documentary to spend a little over an hour watching.
On Tuesday, Fight Life, the United Film…
For fight fans interested in an honest, candid (albeit now a slightly dated) look at the sport of mixed martial arts, Fight Life is an excellent documentary to spend a little over an hour watching.
On Tuesday, Fight Life, the United Film Festival’s recipient of the “Best Documentary” award in 2013, became available on iTunes for the first time. A rental comes with a $3.99 fee, while a purchase costs $9.99.
The film, which chronicles events between 2008 and 2011, profiles two rising stars (at the time) in the sport: Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu’s Jake Shields and SikJitsu founder Lyle Beerbohm.
However, plenty of other recognizable competitors (and one referee) make at least a cameo: Frank Shamrock, Chuck Liddell, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz Gilbert Melendez, Bryan Caraway, Miesha Tate, “Big” John McCarthy, Cody McKenzie, Michael Chiesa and Julianna Pena all appear on camera at some point.
But again, the true stars of the documentary are Shields are Beerbohm.
Shields is profiled as he goes through a fight camp for “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler, whom he fought under the Strikeforce banner in June 2009.
The highly touted grappler needed just over a minute to submit Lawler, who ironically is now a consensus top-three welterweight in the UFC, while Shields has been ousted from the organization.
Entering the bout, Shields boasted an 11-fight win streak, and his head coach, Cesar Gracie, gushes on multiple occasions about his star pupil’s commitment and dedication to the sport.
Shields, now 35 and under contract with the World Series of Fighting, tells the story of his early love of the sport of wrestling and how Chuck Liddell got him into MMA.
Viewers also get a brief glimpse into his relationship with his daughter, who he has enrolled in BJJ classes of her own. Shields is a BJJ black belt under Cesar Gracie, which he earned in 2007.
While in college, Shields recalls taking classes, working full time, taking care of his daughter and still finding time to train regularly.
“I’m really close to the top, but I’m not there yet.” Shields says toward the end of the film. “So, certainly, now would be a bad time to lose.”
While Shields’ story is Rocky Balboa-esque—a perennial underdog who refuses to quit—Beerbohm’s tale is one of a man who hit rock bottom and somehow managed to survive.
Despite a successful high school wrestling career, Beerbohm admittedly “fell in with the wrong crowd” and began using methamphetamine, which landed him in and out of prison and jail as a young adult.
While incarcerated, “Fancy Pants” often watched The Ultimate Fighter and decided mixed martial arts could be the thing he needed to turn his life around.
Before his parents had even gotten him home from his last jail stint, Beerbohm insisted they stop at an MMA gym, took his first gi jiu-jitsu class and never looked back.
If there was any question of the Spokane, Washington, native’s intentions, look no further than the fact he took his first amateur fight on an unheard of eight days notice.
He won with the matchup with a guillotine choke in the first round.
Beerbohm’s fight camp for his June 2009 matchup with Duane “Bang” Ludwig is highlighted in the documentary.
The SikJitsu camp in Spokane favors high-intensity sparring over anything else, wearing just MMA gloves and shin guards as they beat each other senseless round after round.
While the team lacks well-recognized trainers and high-end equipment, there is no shortage of grit, guts and desire at this gym.
Members leaving with cuts, bruises and welts on their faces seems to be the daily norm, and no one there would have it any other way.
“I had one addiction: meth, and I traded that addiction for MMA,” Beerbohm said at an interview in his home. “And right now, if I win a couple more fights, then I’ve made a career in this. Now everything is on the line. Now it’s the big stakes.”
Like Shields, Beerbohm won via a first-round submission in his anticipated bout with Ludwig, though has largely fallen off the MMA map since being cut from the World Series of Fighting last year.
The 35-year-old clearly still has the burning desire to be a champion though, as he has racked up three straight finishes on the regional scene since his WSOF release, though he is yet to fight in 2014.
The film also glosses over issues such as low fighter pay and fighters competing without insurance, which Frank Shamrock speaks the most adamantly about in both instances.
For more information, or to purchase a DVD copy of the documentary for $19.99 (with free shipping), visit www.FightLife.tv.
A special thanks goes out to Fight Life writer, director and producer James Z. Feng, who sent Bleacher Report a complimentary copy of the DVD last week.
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
On July 5, Jon Fitch takes on Rousimar Palhares Jake Shields Josh Burkman in the tiebreaking rubber match of their epic rivalry. Fitch, one of the sport’s most dominant grapplers, is No. 9 on the list of fighters with the most wins in the UFC. De…
On July 5, Jon Fitch takes on RousimarPalharesJake Shields Josh Burkman in the tiebreaking rubber match of their epic rivalry. Fitch, one of the sport’s most dominant grapplers, is No. 9 on the list of fighters with the most wins in the UFC. Despite this, he is appearing in the World Series of Fighting 11 main card because of the UFC’s preference for newer, exciting and more marketable fighters.
Jon Fitch, speaking to Bleacher Report, had harsh words for the promotion’s strategy: “They want more of that soap opera drama, more of that 50-50 stuff on the feet. It takes too much to think about that complex grappling stuff.”
There was a point in time when many viewed Jon Fitch as the second-best welterweight in the world. Between 2003 and 2010, he boasted 21 wins with a single loss to then-UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. After losses to Johny Hendricks and Demian Maia, Fitch was cut from the UFC in February 2013. Fitch seemed to validate the UFC’s decision when he lost his WSoF debut to Josh Burkman.
At the time of his cut over a year ago, Fitch spoke out, calling the UFC a “hostile work environment” and saying he was neither wanted nor appreciated by the promotion. Most importantly, Fitch told MMAJunkie.com that many other UFC fighters were unable to vocalize their criticism because they were “absolutely terrified because the fighters to [the UFC] are just meat to be replaced easily.”
The UFC has made it a long-standing policy to place heads on the chopping block and deftly drop the axe. Besides Jon Fitch, a number of elite fighters have been cut over the years for one reason or another, including Matt Lindland, YushinOkami and, most recently, Jake Shields.
In Martin Scorsese’s epic 2002 movie Gangs of New York, the character of Bill “The Butcher” Cutting speaks the lines that illustrate the power dynamics of the fight game:
You know how I stayed alive this long? All these years? Fear. The spectacle of fearsome acts. Somebody steals from me, I cut off his hands. He offends me, I cut out his tongue. He rises against me, I cut off his head, stick it on a pike, raise it high up so all on the streets can see. That’s what preserves the order of things. Fear.
For every transgression against the promoter’s whims, there must be swift consequences that reaffirm the pecking order. When Jon Fitch refused to sign away his lifetime video game likeness rights, he was cut from the UFC in November 2008. Fitch quickly caved and gave in to the UFC’s demands, but not before he became an example that helped coerce many UFC fighters into compliance.
In October 2012, Fitch was one of the first fighters to acknowledge the reality that sponsorships and appearance fees were drying up. The situation has not improved, as he tells it: “Seven years ago, I could make as much in sponsorship as I would make for my win bonus. You’d get three paychecks if you won—your win, your show and your sponsorship. Nowadays, you’re lucky to get 10 percent of what you used to get in sponsorship.”
Fitch attributes sponsorship money falling off a cliff to the oversaturation of shows spreading sponsorship money thin, the UFC’s sponsor tax and the prevalence of weak management lowballing its fighters.
“You had a lot of idiot ‘managers’ join the program who didn’t know what the hell they were doing and started selling sponsorships for like 250 or 500 bucks. Well now those sponsorship companies aren’t going to go back to the same amount they were at—$2,500 to $5,000.”
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As the marketplace stands, the UFC enjoys considerable clout compared to competing promotions. Not only does the UFC have the most recognized organizational titles in the sport, but a select few names on its roster earn multiples of what other organizations pay due to revenue from pay-per-view shows. The road to riches is laid out to all new UFC recruits: “Follow our plan, consistently win and watch your fortunes rise with our organization.”
In many ways, Jon Fitch surpassed expectations when he won eight fights in the UFC to earn his first title shot. After losing to Georges St-Pierre in August 2008, Fitch put together a four-fight win streak where he was promised a title shot if he beat ThiagoAlves at UFC 117.
I asked if he had any guarantee of the title shot put in writing before the bout; Fitch explained that “there was no paperwork, but we were told before that it was for a title shot.”
Fitch beat Alves via decision, yet the reward failed to materialize. Without any true world titles governed by third-party rankings, MMA fighters are often strung along at a promoter’s whims in order to gain their shot at recognition.
Some fans and media members place the blame for Fitch’s situation solely at his feet and insist that had he fought in a more exciting style, he would have won the popularity necessary to earn the promoter’s favor:
Not only is Fitch overestimating his worth, he’s also remained frustratingly ignorant to why he’s not making more money.
There’s a reason why fighters like Nate Diaz, Joe Lauzon, Donald Cerrone, Michael Bisping, and even Josh Koscheck are constantly pushed by the UFC and heavily backed by loyal sponsors. Fans simply want to see them in action.
Win or lose, those fighters go full broke, constantly working to finish their opponents.
Fighters like Dan Hardy and Chris Leben epitomize the exciting brawls that fans love, but whether that style is sustainable or makes for good brain health post-retirement is another matter entirely. Hardy is also an example of a fighter who enjoys considerable favoritism with Zuffa, having dropped four fights in a row and not being cut from the promotion; he also scored a gig as a member of the UFC’s Europe and Middle East commentating team earlier this year.
As the situation stands, Fitch is concerned about the purity of what some no longer define as a sport. “I’m worried that if we don’t start taking MMA back towards a sport, we may just go full-on entertainment. Then what exactly is an MMA fighter? Why aren’t they just paying reality stars to fight?”
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At 36 years of age, Fitch faces stark realities at this juncture of his career. He struggled in his last WSoF bout, winning a split decision against the unheralded Marcelo Alfaya. Part of his woes are tied to finances, as he moved to Syracuse, New York, last year to run the MMA section of a state-of-the-art gym.
Fitch earned a steady salary and benefits at his new job, and claimed that teaching his mostly inexperienced charges helped refine his technique. However, there’s no replacing the roomful of killers at American Kickboxing Academy, and Fitch has moved back to California in preparation of facing Josh Burkman.
As it stands, time is not on his side. Even if he does clean house in WSoF, would he be accepted back into the cutthroat world of the UFC?
“It doesn’t sound like [the UFC] would have me back,” says Fitch. “What needs to happen is we need similar success from Bellator, WSoF, even ONE FC. When these shows become more of a presence and can pay comparable numbers.”
As the current landscape stands, Bellator is on an upswing with its recent pay-per-view debut at over 100,000 buys. WSoF is happy to rehabilitate fighters like Anthony Johnson and Andrei Arlovski for the UFC to sign but has also renewed a multiyear broadcast deal with NBC and is slated to have the July 5 WSoF Daytona Beach, Florida, show air on the main NBC network. ONE FC continues to make inroads in Asia, with American wrestler Ben Askren adding to the promotion’s value and name recognition in North America.
There’s still talk of UFC uniforms, which would radically change the current sponsorship model and could further impede fighter earnings. Despite this, fighters and managers have few mechanisms push back from within and fear ending up blackballed. Still, the road to riches exists to give UFC stars like Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey and ChaelSonnen a fat bankroll in exchange for their compliance. They don’t earn Floyd Mayweather Jr. money, or even Manny Pacquiao money, for that matter, but the carrot is there to encourage enterprising fighters to make sacrifices today in exchange for a potential windfall in the future.
Tossing aside fighters who aren’t aligned with the UFC’s goals is a hallmark of the promotion. Fitch and recent WSoFsignee Jake Shields were far from the first to be cut and won’t be the last. Sadly, even as Fitch’s time in the UFC has expired, he still serves the promotion in a key capacity: He is a stark reminder of what happens when you don’t play ball.
Former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields scored his first submission victory in over five years when he defeated Ryan Ford with a rear-naked choke Saturday in Edmonton during his promotional debut at WSOF 14.
(Photo via Getty)
would be a far more generous emoji than it deserved. Akiyama — seen above disguised as either a Super Saiyan or a pumpkin — was a K-1 Hero’s tournament winner riding a 14-fight unbeaten streak heading into his promotional debut in July of 2009, which saw him paired against 
