Tag: James McSweeney

10 MMA Stars Who Stopped A Criminal In The Act

Fighters train relentlessly in all aspects of mixed martial arts in order to perform heroics inside the cage, but sometimes those same skills can prove to be invaluable out in the real world too. In this article, we’ll look back at 10 incidents where a MMA fighter has came as close as you are likely […]

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Fighters train relentlessly in all aspects of mixed martial arts in order to perform heroics inside the cage, but sometimes those same skills can prove to be invaluable out in the real world too.

In this article, we’ll look back at 10 incidents where a MMA fighter has came as close as you are likely to get to a real-life crime-fighting superhero by putting their hard-earned abilities to good use in the spur of the moment in order to catch a criminal.

Jon Jones

These days UFC light heavyweight superstar Jon Jones may be better known for his own run-ins with the law, but back in March of 2011 he was still cultivating a squeaky-clean persona in the public eye as he prepared for his first ever title shot against the light-heavyweight champion at the time, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua.

On the day of the event in Newark, New Jersey, Jones and his long-time coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn traveled to a nearby park in order to relax and get his mind right ahead of the biggest fight of his career.

They had been forewarned that this was a rough neighborhood, and sure enough, before they had even stepped out of the car a thief smashed an elderly couple’s car window nearby, stole their belongings and then took off running down the street.

Jackson and Winkeljohn immediately began chasing after the criminal, but Jones soon accelerated ahead of them and was able to footsweep the criminal to stop him in his tracks.

Worried that the fighter might get injured before his big fight, Jackson yelled at him to stay away and then took over himself, diving on top of the thief and applying an armlock, while Jones then figure-foured his legs to keep him in place until the police arrived.

Just hours later, Jones would go on to TKO ‘Shogun’ in the third round at UFC 128, marking the start of a long title reign at 205 pounds.

The post 10 MMA Stars Who Stopped A Criminal In The Act appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

ONE FC 23 Results + GIFs: Brandon Vera Destroys Igor Subora, Roger Gracie TKO’s James McSweeney

(Brandon Vera vs. Igor Subora. PRIDE…[*wipes away tear*]…neva die.)

ONE FC 23: Warrior’s Way just wrapped up in Pasay City, Philippines, featuring the promotional debuts of Brandon Vera and Roger Gracie, who were both victorious. Full results are below, and GIFs of the main card stoppages continue after the jump, via Zombie Prophet. As usual, brutal soccer kicks were involved.

– Bibiano Fernandes def. Dae Hwan Kim via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:16 of round 2
– Brandon Vera def. Igor Subora via KO (punch, soccer kicks), 3:54 of round 1
– Timofey Nastyukhin def. Eduard Folayang via KO (flying knee, soccer kicks), 3:11 of round 1
– Roger Gracie def. James McSweeney via TKO, 3:15 of round 3
– Kevin Belingon def. Koetsu Okazaki via unanimous decision
– Herbert Burns def. Honorio Banario via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:59 of round 1
– Jake Butler def. Sylvain Potard via unanimous decision
– Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke def. Rene Catalan via KO (knee), 2:30 of round 1
– Ana Julaton def. Walaa Abas Mohamed Kamaly via unanimous decision
– Jujeath Nagaowa def. Tharoth Sam via TKO, 3:34 of round 2

(Bibiano Fernandes vs. Dae Hwan Kim)


(Brandon Vera vs. Igor Subora. PRIDE…[*wipes away tear*]…neva die.)

ONE FC 23: Warrior’s Way just wrapped up in Pasay City, Philippines, featuring the promotional debuts of Brandon Vera and Roger Gracie, who were both victorious. Full results are below, and GIFs of the main card stoppages continue after the jump, via Zombie Prophet. As usual, brutal soccer kicks were involved.

– Bibiano Fernandes def. Dae Hwan Kim via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:16 of round 2
– Brandon Vera def. Igor Subora via KO (punch, soccer kicks), 3:54 of round 1
– Timofey Nastyukhin def. Eduard Folayang via KO (flying knee, soccer kicks), 3:11 of round 1
– Roger Gracie def. James McSweeney via TKO (and possibly a busted right leg), 3:15 of round 3
– Kevin Belingon def. Koetsu Okazaki via unanimous decision
– Herbert Burns def. Honorio Banario via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:59 of round 1
– Jake Butler def. Sylvain Potard via unanimous decision
– Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke def. Rene Catalan via KO (knee), 2:30 of round 1
– Ana Julaton def. Walaa Abas Mohamed Kamaly via unanimous decision
– Jujeath Nagaowa def. Tharoth Sam via TKO, 3:34 of round 2


(Bibiano Fernandes vs. Dae Hwan Kim)


(Timofey Nastyukhin vs. Eduard Folayang)


(Roger Gracie vs. James McSweeney)


(Herbert Burns vs. Honorio Banario)

‘ONE FC: Reign of Champions’ Results + GIFs — Aoki, Askren, Huerta Score First-Round Finishes

(Roger Huerta destroys Christian Holley with the help of ONE FC’s “Sure, knee ’em in the head when they’re down, we don’t really care” rule. / GIF via ZP)

ONE FC: Reign of Champions (aka ONE FC 19) went down today at the World Trade Centre in Dubai, featuring Shinya Aoki, Ben Askren, and the return of Roger Huerta after a two-year absence and four-fight losing streak. Quick results are below, and more GIFs are after the jump, via ZombieProphet.

– Shina Aoki def. Kamal Shalorus via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:15 of round 1; Aoki retains the ONE FC lightweight championship

– Ben Askren def. Nobutatsu Suzuki via TKO, 1:24 of round 1; Askren becomes the new ONE FC welterweight champion, and secures his second-straight first-round stoppage. How ’bout that!

– Jadamba Narantungalag def. Koji Oishi via unanimous decision; Narantungalag becomes the new ONE FC featherweight champion

– Roger Huerta def. Christian Holley via TKO (knees & punches), 3:13 of round 1

– James McSweeney def. Cristiano Kaminishi via KO (punch & soccer kick), 1:17 of round 1

– Herbert Burns def. Hiroshige Tanaka via unanimous decision

– Mohamad Walid def. Vaughn Donayre via submission (armbar), 1:05 of round 1

– Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke def. Ali Yaakub via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:34 of round 1

– Ann Osman def. Ana Julaton via split-decision


(Roger Huerta destroys Christian Holley with the help of ONE FC’s “Sure, knee ‘em in the head when they’re down, we don’t really care” rule. / GIF via ZP)

ONE FC: Reign of Champions (aka ONE FC 19) went down today at the World Trade Centre in Dubai, featuring Shinya Aoki, Ben Askren, and the return of Roger Huerta after a two-year absence and four-fight losing streak. Quick results are below, and more GIFs are after the jump, via ZombieProphet.

– Shina Aoki def. Kamal Shalorus via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:15 of round 1; Aoki retains the ONE FC lightweight championship

– Ben Askren def. Nobutatsu Suzuki via TKO, 1:24 of round 1; Askren becomes the new ONE FC welterweight champion, and secures his second-straight first-round stoppage. How ’bout that!

– Jadamba Narantungalag def. Koji Oishi via unanimous decision; Narantungalag becomes the new ONE FC featherweight champion

– Roger Huerta def. Christian Holley via TKO (knees & punches), 3:13 of round 1

– James McSweeney def. Cristiano Kaminishi via KO (punch & soccer kick), 1:17 of round 1

– Herbert Burns def. Hiroshige Tanaka via unanimous decision

– Mohamad Walid def. Vaughn Donayre via submission (armbar), 1:05 of round 1

– Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke def. Ali Yaakub via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:34 of round 1

– Ann Osman def. Ana Julaton via split-decision


(Shinya Aoki chokes out Kamal Shalorus)


(Ben Askren beats the tar out of Nobutatsu Suzuki)


(TUF 10 vet James McSweeney, soccer-kicking the daylights out of Cristiano Kaminishi)


(Mohamad Walid armbars Vaughn Donayre with the quickness.)


(Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke sinks the RNC on Ali Yaakub)

Tyrone Spong’s MMA Debut Set, Will Face James McSweeney on Nov. 3rd


(“And that was the first time I went full stanky leg.”) 

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Newton’s third law of motion seems to apply to the world of kickboxing this week, as just a few days after it was announced that Swedish kickboxing legend Jorgen Kruth would be departing from the world of MMA, it has been reported that Dutch kickboxing powerhouse Tyrone Spong will be making the transition to it. Spong, who’s has hinted at a move to MMA for some time now, is best known for his battles with such legends of the sport as Peter Aerts, Ray Sefo, and Melvin Manhoef, and currently holds a 68-6-1 with 1 NC record to his credit.

While it was rumored that Spong would be making his debut under the Titan Fighting Championships banner, it appears that the heavyweight slugger will be debuting under upstart promotion World Series of Fighting, alongside UFC rape joke-castaway Miguel Torres and many more.


(“And that was the first time I went full stanky leg.”) 

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Newton’s third law of motion seems to apply to the world of kickboxing this week, as just a few days after it was announced that Swedish kickboxing legend Jorgen Kruth would be departing from the world of MMA, it has been reported that Dutch kickboxing powerhouse Tyrone Spong will be making the transition to it. Spong, who’s has hinted at a move to MMA for some time now, is best known for his battles with such legends of the sport as Peter Aerts, Ray Sefo, and Melvin Manhoef, and currently holds a 68-6-1 with 1 NC record to his credit.

While it was rumored that Spong would be making his debut under the Titan Fighting Championships banner, it appears that the heavyweight slugger will be debuting under upstart promotion World Series of Fighting, alongside UFC rape joke-castaway Miguel Torres and many more.

And standing across the cage from Spong will be none other than TUF 10 alum James “The Hammer” McSweeney, who has put together four straight wins in the Shamrock Events promotion and one straight win over knife wielding hoodlums of the greater Las Vegas area. McSweeney already has a fight scheduled for October 6th against the 10-11 Matti Makela, but barring any serious injuries, should be ready to compete on November 3rd against Spong. It’s a fight schedule that Bob Sapp could appreciate if he weren’t too busy hiding from the monster in his closet.

There is of course the possibility that McSweeney could pack his bags and move as far away from Spong as humanly possible once he takes a look at one of Spong’s highlight videos. Then again, Spong has been training with the Blackzilians for some time now, so he more than likely will show up ten to twenty pounds over the weight limit.

Who do you like for this one, Potato Nation? Will McSweeney take it to the ground like any sane man would, or will pride rear its ugly head once again?

–J. Jones

And the MMA Hero of the Day Is…James McSweeney?!

Despite the way he was portrayed during his run on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, which is to say, typical British asshole, it turns out that James McSweeney is actually a pretty cool dude in reality. But seriously, if you were to categorize McSweeney scientifically based solely on TUF 10, his name would’ve been Bispingus Douchebaggus. However, I first caught a glimpse of how well-spoken and down to earth McSweeney truly is during a recent interview he had with MiddleEasy, which I’ve posted above. In the video, he and Kit Cope break down everything from Jon Jones’ DUI to Nick Diaz’s suspension for weed, and he comes off sounding like a relatively enlightened individual in the process.

The reason I mention this is not only to try and prove that there are British MMA fighters out there who aren’t complete dicks, but to provide a little backstory that will prevent this news from catching you completely off guard. Because in the long list of MMA fighters who moonlight as vigilante, Bronson-esque heroes, McSweeney has just added his name.

Yesterday night, McSweeney was giving his family, who was visiting from England, a friendly tour of Las Vegas. As things are destined to do in Vegas, the night would inevitably end in them witnessing at least one person trying to stab another.

Despite the way he was portrayed during his run on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, which is to say, typical British asshole, it turns out that James McSweeney is actually a pretty cool dude in reality. But seriously, if you were to categorize McSweeney scientifically based solely on TUF 10, his name would’ve been Bispingus Douchebaggus. However, I first caught a glimpse of how well-spoken and down to earth McSweeney truly is during a recent interview he had with MiddleEasy, which I’ve posted above. In the video, he and Kit Cope break down everything from Jon Jones’ DUI to Nick Diaz’s suspension for weed, and he comes off sounding like a relatively enlightened individual in the process.

The reason I mention this is not only to try and prove that there are British MMA fighters out there who aren’t complete dicks, but to provide a little backstory that will prevent this news from catching you completely off guard. Because in the long list of MMA fighters who moonlight as vigilante, Bronson-esque heroes, McSweeney has just added his name.

Yesterday night, McSweeney was giving his family, who was visiting from England, a friendly tour of Las Vegas. As things are destined to do in Vegas, the night would inevitably end in them witnessing at least one person trying to stab another.

McSweeney recounted the story to MMAWeekly:

My family’s in town right now in Las Vegas, and they wanted to go down to old town Las Vegas last night, down on Fremont street, just check out the big TV screens and stuff down there. So they wanted to get some souvenirs so they went into one of the stores there, and as they walked I saw these two guys that looked like they were drunk, but they wasn’t really, they were just arguing. So the cashier went over to stop them from arguing cause the store was packed full of women and children, people there shopping. 

As they started to break it up one of the guys made a dash for the cash, the box behind the counter, and grabbed a handful of cash out and then pulled a knife out on the lady in front of everybody.

I didn’t want anyone to get hurt, so I just went over and grabbed from the side by his shoulder and his lapel and took the knife from him and swept him to the floor and pinned him to the ground until security came and handcuffed him and took him off. No one got hurt, that was the main thing.

McSweeney credits the confidence that comes with knowing you can whoop most anyone’s ass for his act of bravery.

I knew I had the capabilities to stop it, so I tried to stop it. I mean if they pull a knife, you have to assume they have intentions to use it so that was my reaction, I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. 

We train everyday so we can stop these sort of things and I’m always happy to help if I can.

It just goes to show that even the nicest guy can look like an asshole when he’s edited the right way. And no, I can’t believe I just wrote “nicest guy” and “James McSweeney” in the same sentence.

I didn’t? Whatever, I’m tapped out on this slow ass news day. Here’s a clip of some classic Bronson street justice from Death Wish 3. Good day to yous.

–J. Jones 

Ricco Rodriguez to Face James McSweeney at BAMMA 5

Filed under: NewsOne-time UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez will meet former The Ultimate Fighter 10 contestant James McSweeney at BAMMA 5 on Feb. 26 in Manchester, England, the promotion announced Wednesday.

Rodriguez will look to extend his 1…

Filed under:

One-time UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez will meet former The Ultimate Fighter 10 contestant James McSweeney at BAMMA 5 on Feb. 26 in Manchester, England, the promotion announced Wednesday.

Rodriguez will look to extend his 10-fight win streak at the UK-based event, being headlined by Strikeforce contender Paul Daley vs. DEEP champion Yuya Shirai for the vacant BAMMA welterweight strap.