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CHICAGO — Watch below as Joey Beltran talks about his new mustache, welcoming Lavar Johnson to the UFC from Strikeforce, why he is content being a UFC gatekeeper, his new diet, and more.
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CHICAGO — Watch below as Joey Beltran talks about his new mustache, welcoming Lavar Johnson to the UFC from Strikeforce, why he is content being a UFC gatekeeper, his new diet, and more.
(Chad Griggs: Funkiest white man alive. / Photo by Esther)
Two of Strikeforce’s hardest-hitting heavyweight prospects are getting some good news this Christmas* season. According to new reports, Chad Griggs and Lavar “Big” Johnson have inked contracts with the UFC, meaning that they’ll still have jobs after Strikeforce disbands its big-man division next year.
Though he’s perhaps best known for his incredible muttonchops, Chad “The Grave Digger” Griggs (11-1) has gone on a three-fight tear under the Strikeforce banner, beating up Bobby Lashley last August at Strikeforce: Houston, then scoring back-to-back first-round stoppages against Gianpiero Villante and Valentijn Overeem in Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix reserve bouts this year. The Arizona native hasn’t lost a fight since April 2007. The date and opponent for his next fight are still TBA, but Griggs is expected to make his Octagon debut in early 2012.
(Chad Griggs: Funkiest white man alive. / Photo by Esther)
Two of Strikeforce’s hardest-hitting heavyweight prospects are getting some good news this Christmas* season. According to new reports, Chad Griggs and Lavar “Big” Johnson have inked contracts with the UFC, meaning that they’ll still have jobs after Strikeforce disbands its big-man division next year.
Though he’s perhaps best known for his incredible muttonchops, Chad “The Grave Digger” Griggs (11-1) has gone on a three-fight tear under the Strikeforce banner, beating up Bobby Lashley last August at Strikeforce: Houston, then scoring back-to-back first-round stoppages against Gianpiero Villante and Valentijn Overeem in Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix reserve bouts this year. The Arizona native hasn’t lost a fight since April 2007. The date and opponent for his next fight are still TBA, but Griggs is expected to make his Octagon debut in early 2012.
It was also revealed that Lavar Johnson will be moving to the UFC, with his first match coming against Joey Beltran on the prelims of UFC on FOX 2 (January 28th, Chicago). Johnson’s UFC signing is somewhat surprising since he’s been submitted in his last two Strikeforce fights against Shane Del Rosario and Shawn Jordan. Nevertheless, Beltran vs. Johnson should be an entertaining slugfest, made more significant by the fact that the loser’s job is almost certainly on the line. Beltran most recently lost a unanimous decision against Stipe Miocic at UFC 136, and has dropped three of his last four outings.
* I can comfortably say ‘Christmas’ here instead of ‘holiday’ because I’m positive these two cats aren’t Jewish. In fact, it’s pretty damn rare to find a member of the tribe in this sport. Side note: I wanted to put together a “Greatest Jewish MMA Fighters” list in honor of Hanukkah, but then I learned that The Fight Nerd already did that last year, and even he had to include three boxers and Moti Horenstein just to make an even eight.
Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, NewsAs Zuffa moves forward on its plans to fold Strikeforce’s heavyweight division into the UFC, the company announced Tuesday that Lavar Johnson will be the next Strikeforce heavyweight to set foot in the Octagon.
John…
Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, News
As Zuffa moves forward on its plans to fold Strikeforce‘s heavyweight division into the UFC, the company announced Tuesday that Lavar Johnson will be the next Strikeforce heavyweight to set foot in the Octagon.
Johnson will fight Joey Beltran at UFC on Fox 2 on January 28 in Chicago.
The hard-punching Johnson won three straight fights on Strikeforce Challengers cards in 2009 and 2010, but this year he lost to Shane Del Rosario in an alternate bout in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, then bounced back down to Challengers and lost to Shawn Jordan. He’s in a must-win situation at UFC on Fox 2, and so is Beltran, who has lost three of his last four.
The UFC also made a few other fight announcements on Tuesday afternoon:
— Featherweight Erik Koch has suffered an injury and is out of his planned UFC 143 fight against Dustin Poirier. Koch and Poirier are two of the best young featherweights in the sport, and that fight should have been a big one. The UFC will seek a replacement to fight Poirier.
— The 5-0 Brazilian prospect Caio Magalhaes has been signed and will make his Octagon debut in his home country against Fabio Maldonado at UFC 142. Maldonado had previously been scheduled to face Stansislav Nedkov, but he was forced to withdraw from the fight.
— John Albert, a bantamweight who competed on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter and beat Dustin Pague in the Finale, will return and take a step up in quality of competition when he takes on Ivan Menjivar at the February 15 UFC on Fuel TV card in Omaha.
Filed under: UFCMusings, ramblings, questions, and predictions abound in the final hours before UFC 136 in Houston. Here are just a few of them, for your consideration.
I. After the first Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard fight, who’d have guessed we’d want …
Filed under: UFC
Musings, ramblings, questions, and predictions abound in the final hours before UFC 136 in Houston. Here are just a few of them, for your consideration.
I. After the first Frankie Edgar–Gray Maynard fight, who’d have guessed we’d want to see two more? Certainly not me. I remember well the feeling of dull obligation when the main event at UFC 125 rolled around. I was at home, watching the pay-per-view with my wife and some friends. After the Leben-Stann fight most of my friends went home (or to the bars that might as well be their homes), and my wife went to bed. If it hadn’t been my job to stay up and write, I might have DVR’d the final fight and followed her. Thankfully, I had no choice but to watch it live, and by the end of the first round I was debating waking her up and telling her she just had to see what was happening. I didn’t (my wife’s a fan, but she doesn’t mind waiting until the morning to catch the recorded version), and it was probably the right call for the sake of domestic bliss. Still, that fight served as a reminder that no matter how many events you’ve seen, you never know for sure what you’re going to get. That’s a sword that cuts two ways, of course, and with the Edgar-Maynard trilogy we have no way of telling whether the end will be fittingly satisfying or disappointingly mediocre. Maybe the best we can hope for is that finally, after months of waiting, it will really and truly be over.
“I really can’t get into it because I don’t fully understand it myself. It’s one of those things you try to learn as best you go but I’m not the guy who handles that. I’m not a manager. And they don’t make it extremely clear. There’s not a web site or anything we can go to to find out. …It would be helpful if the commissions told us more. It makes it tough on a guy to follow a rule when nobody is willing to clarify what the rule is.”
Now who’s elusive?
IV. Gray Maynard hasn’t finished a fight inside the distance since 2007. Edgar hasn’t done it since 2009, and that was against not-so-distinguished competition in Matt Veach (who’s now riding a two-fight losing streak in the minor leagues, last time I checked). For the fans who crave finishes and berate champions who don’t deliver them, is this a kiss of death? Will they continue to care about and/or pay to see UFC lightweight title contests if it’s almost a given that it will end up in the hands of the judges? I don’t know, but personally I’ve never understood the line of reasoning that claims the only good fight is a finished fight. Granted, draws like the one we saw last time leave us feeling cold, but who can say they didn’t have a great time watching that fight? Just because no one tapped or got knocked out, that doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t money well spent.
V. Joey Beltran has never lost to a fighter making his UFC debut. Okay, so he’s only fought two of them so far — Rolles Gracie and Aaron Rosa — but he won both. Now he’ll try to keep the streak intact against undefeated newcomer Stipe Miocic, who the UFC reportedly has high hopes for. Can Beltran play spoiler again? Oddsmakers don’t think so. Most have Miocic as a 3-1 favorite. But then, they’ve been wrong about Beltran before.
VI. We’re about to find out a lot about Anthony Pettis‘ potential. He dazzled us with the Showtime kick in the WEC, then squandered his promised title shot with a loss to Clay Guida in his UFC debut. Now he’s relegated to the prelims in a fight against Jeremy Stephens, who is the exact sort of fighter you simply must be able to beat if you want to be a contender at this level. Stephens is a resilient scrapper with knockout power, but he’s no world-beater. He’s someone who, on paper, Pettis ought to be able to handle. But Stephens never makes it easy on you, and he’s never more than one good punch away from ruining your night. If Pettis can’t beat him, we’ll know that “Showtime” isn’t quite ready for primetime.
VII. Jorge Santiago doesn’t need to panic just yet, but he should be at least a little concerned. His last UFC run ended after two consecutive losses in 2006. Now he’s 0-1 in his return, and facing a heavy favorite in Demian Maia. A loss here doesn’t necessarily mean he’s gone — Stann and then Maia is a heck of a one-two punch in your first fights back in the UFC — but it doesn’t bode well for his future either.
VIII. Melvin Guillard didn’t have to take this fight, but why wouldn’t he? After five straight wins, he could have probably opted to sit around and wait for either a title shot or at least a clear number one contender bout. But the way the lightweight division is looking right now, on the sidelines is no place to be. By continuing to take fights Guillard not only keeps his skills sharp and his bank account full, he also keeps himself in the conversation about top UFC lightweights. When the UFC does finally get around to promoting a 155-pound title fight that doesn’t include both Maynard and Edgar, Guillard’s recent triumphs will still be fresh in people’s minds. That is, if he is indeed triumphant here. Naturally, nothing’s guaranteed, but if you didn’t think you could beat Joe Lauzon 99 times out of 100, what would make you think you could be UFC champion?
Filed under: UFC
If you have a computer and a Facebook account — and the mere fact that you are reading this suggests that you have at least one of those things — you might want to be sure and tune in to Saturday’s UFC 136 prelims. If several train…
Filed under: UFC
If you have a computer and a Facebook account — and the mere fact that you are reading this suggests that you have at least one of those things — you might want to be sure and tune in to Saturday’s UFC 136 prelims. If several trainers and MMA insiders are to be believed, that’s where you could catch a glimpse of a very bright prospect in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
Stipe Miocic (pronounced: steep-eh) is only 6-0 as a professional, but the former Golden Gloves boxer and college wrestling standout already has much of the fight world buzzing.
“I believe that guy could take it all the way. I really do,” said trainer Trevor Wittman, who worked with Miocic during the fighter’s visit to the Grudge Training Center in Denver recently. “He’s the next great heavyweight coming into the UFC. His composure, his attitude, his willingness to learn and be open to things, his toughness — it’s just all there.”
Marcus Marinelli, who is Miocic’s coach at the Strong Style Fight Team in Independence, Ohio, said that even the videos of his MMA fights that have made the rounds on the internet recently don’t necessarily do him justice.
“I think at times he’s fought down to the level of his opponent, so you don’t always see what I see in the gym,” Marinelli said. “But that’s going to change on Saturday night.”
Miocic first walked through the doors of the Strong Style gym after he’d been recruited to help former Pride and UFC fighter Dan Bobish prepare for a bout. He’d been a two-sport athlete at Cleveland State University, wrestling in the 197-pound class and drawing the attention of Major League scouts as a third baseman, but it was mainly his ability to help Bobish improve his wrestling and takedown defense that caught Marinelli’s eye at first, he said.
“He really helped Dan out a lot, but right away I saw his potential with his wrestling and athleticism. So little by little, he started training with us.”
As Miocic remembered with a laugh, he walked in as a training partner, “and then I never left the gym.”
Marinelli began slowly adding weapons to Miocic’s arsenal, he said, but soon the 6’3″, 240-pound fighter fell in love with boxing. The next thing Marinelli knew, Miocic was headed for the national Golden Gloves tournament in Salt Lake City.
“He made it as far as the quarterfinals, and I think he could have won the whole thing, but he just didn’t have as much boxing experience as some of those guys,” said Marinelli. Miocic had only been boxing for a little over a year at that point, but “still people were looking at him going, where did this kid come from?”
Now the 29-year-old is on the verge of his UFC debut against Joey Beltran at UFC 136 after less than two years as a professional. It was a bit of a surprise to him to get the call from the big show so soon in his career he said, but his coach wasn’t.
“Most people, you’d want them to have more fights, but he’s the exception to the rule,” Marinelli said. “He’s still got to come in and perform, but he’s got all the tools.”
Of course, it’s one thing to look good when you’re fighting bar bouncers and training room heroes in front of a couple thousand people in Cleveland. Taking on an experienced heavyweight on a UFC pay-per-view event isn’t even in the same zip code as far as nerves go, and the dreaded “Octagon jitters” have, more than once, turned prospects into flops before our very eyes.
It’s something Miocic has considered, he said, but has tried not to dwell on.
“I talked to Forrest Petz, who fought in the UFC, and he told me, ‘Man, it’s still just you and another guy,'” Miocic said. “That part doesn’t change.”
As Marinelli put it, “Nobody can say [jitters are] never a concern. Sure it’s a concern. But that’s what I’m here for and that’s what the other coaches are here for, to ensure that he walks in there he shows the true Stipe Miocic that we know.”
The Stipe they know just happens to be an undefeated wrecking machine who’s put away all six of his opponents, with none lasting beyond the second round. If they can get that same guy to show up in the UFC — and against UFC-caliber opponents — there’s no telling how far he could go.
(Stipe Miocic vs. William Penn, 4/16/11)
Out of the 22 fighters competing on this Saturday’s UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III card, only one will be stepping into the Octagon for the first time. That man is Stipe Miocic, an undefeated 29-year-old Croatian-American from Ohio who will be facing Joey Beltran during the prelims. So how does a guy with just six fights, who’s beaten nobody you’ve ever heard of, get an invitation to the big show? By being one of the most decorated blue-chip prospects the UFC heavyweight division has seen since Cain Velasquez. Seriously. Just check out his credentials…
(Stipe Miocic vs. William Penn, 4/16/11)
Out of the 22 fighters competing on this Saturday’s UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III card, only one will be stepping into the Octagon for the first time. That man is Stipe Miocic, an undefeated 29-year-old Croatian-American from Ohio who will be facing Joey Beltran during the prelims. So how does a guy with just six fights, who’s beaten nobody you’ve ever heard of, get an invitation to the big show? By being one of the most decorated blue-chip prospects the UFC heavyweight division has seen since Cain Velasquez. Seriously. Just check out his credentials…
While attending Cleveland State University, Miocic was an athletic phenom, earning a national rank as a Division I wrestler at 197 pounds and attracting the MLB’s attention due to his talents as a third baseman. Following college he pursued boxing, picked up a Golden Gloves title, and also went 5-0 as an amateur MMA fighter.
Miocic made his professional MMA debut in February 2010, and went on to win his first five pro fights by KO/TKO within two rounds. He won the NAAFS heavyweight title in June by leg-kicking Bobby Brents into submission, and landed a UFC contract less than two weeks later.
Miocic currently trains with Ohio’s Strong Style Fight Team, which includes Chris Lozano, Forrest Petz, and Jessica Eye. He spits a lot. Check out his knockout reel below, and let us know how you think he’ll do against the more-seasoned Mexicutioner this weekend.