More so than any of the punches ‘The American Gangster’ landed on the champion during their first encounter, it’s been his incessant jabs since that evening that have caused the most damage. It may have taken a couple of years of unrelenting taunts, but Chael Sonnen has finally gotten under Anderson Silva’s skin. Never underestimate the heart of a pretend champion.
Two weeks ago we saw Anderson’s cool demeanor begin to fade with promises of extreme violence against Sonnen. Things escalated on Tuesday with the champion violating Sonnen’s personal space, a press conference faux pas if ever there was one. Last night, however, the uncannily smooth Brazilian officially lost his cool, popping Sonnen with a shoulder to the face as the two squared off at the weigh-ins. I’m not sure if Brazil has area codes, but if so it’s safe to say which one Silva’s repping.
If you aren’t pumped for this fight, you’re dead inside. Actually, if you read this site, you’re probably already dead inside. So…just enjoy the fight, alright?
More so than any of the punches ‘The American Gangster’ landed on the champion during their first encounter, it’s been his incessant jabs since that evening that have caused the most damage. It may have taken a couple of years of unrelenting taunts, but Chael Sonnen has finally gotten under Anderson Silva‘s skin. Never underestimate the heart of a pretend champion.
Two weeks ago we saw Anderson’s cool demeanor begin to fade with promises of extreme violence against Sonnen. Things escalated on Tuesday with the champion violating Sonnen’s personal space, a press conference faux pas if ever there was one. Last night, however, the uncannily smooth Brazilian officially lost his cool, popping Sonnen with a shoulder to the face as the two squared off at the weigh-ins. I’m not sure if Brazil has area codes, but if so it’s safe to say which one Silva’s repping.
If you aren’t pumped for this fight, you’re dead inside. Actually, if you read this site, you’re probably already dead inside. So…just enjoy the fight, alright?
(Damn, Junior…give away your gameplan much? / Photo courtesy of MMAFighting.com)
After a preliminary card dominated by relatively normal-sized men — borrrrring! — we’ve finally arrived at tonight’s central theme: Big sons-of-bitches. That’s right, UFC 146‘s main card features five consecutive heavyweight fights, most of which look pretty damn entertaining on paper. Can massive underdogFrank Mir pull off Impossible Career Comeback #2, or will he succumb to the buzzsaw-like boxing of Junior Dos Santos, just like so many before him? Can Lavar Johnson score two knockouts in the same month (!), or is he in over his head — figuratively, and otherwise — against Stefan Struve? And does Roy Nelson really think he’s doing himself any favors with that ratty-ass gray beard?
(Damn, Junior…give away your gameplan much? / Photo courtesy of MMAFighting.com)
After a preliminary card dominated by relatively normal-sized men — borrrrring! — we’ve finally arrived at tonight’s central theme: Big sons-of-bitches. That’s right, UFC 146‘s main card features five consecutive heavyweight fights, most of which look pretty damn entertaining on paper. Can massive underdogFrank Mir pull off Impossible Career Comeback #2, or will he succumb to the buzzsaw-like boxing of Junior Dos Santos, just like so many before him? Can Lavar Johnson score two knockouts in the same month (!), or is he in over his head — figuratively, and otherwise — against Stefan Struve? And does Roy Nelson really think he’s doing himself any favors with that ratty-ass gray beard?
Live-blogging the UFC 146 main card for us is Anthony Gannon, who will be stacking round-by-round results after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page for all the latest, and throw down your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for being here, guys.
Well, shit. Due to a poorly timed server meltdown, we weren’t able to do the liveblog tonight; our deepest apologies. Hopefully most of you caught the pay-per-view because it was entertaining as hell, and none of the five heavyweight fights made it out of the second round. In short: Junior Dos Santos is still the UFC heavyweight champion, thanks to a dominant striking performance against Frank Mir, and Cain Velasquez made Antonio Silva‘s face look bloodier than anyone’s since Joe Stevenson. The full UFC 146 results are below; we’ll talk more tomorrow.
Main Card
Junior dos Santos def. Frank Mir via TKO, 3:04 of round 2
Cain Velasquez def. Antonio Silva via TKO, 3:36 of round 1
Roy Nelson def. Dave Herman via KO, 0:51 of round 1
Stipe Mio?i? def. Shane del Rosario via TKO, 3:14 of round 2
Stefan Struve def. Lavar Johnson via submission (armbar), 1:05 of round 1
Preliminary Card on FX
Darren Elkins def. Diego Brandao via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3) Jamie Varner def. Edson Barboza via TKO, 3:23 of round 1
C.B. Dollaway def. Jason Miller via unanimous decision, (29-28 x 2, 30-26) Dan Hardy def. Duane Ludwig via KO, 3:51 of round 1
Preliminary Card on Facebook
Paul Sass def. Jacob Volkmann via submission (triangle armbar), 1:54 of round 1
Glover Teixeira def. Kyle Kingsbury via submission (arm-triangle choke), 1:53 of round 1 Mike Brown def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
We’ve still got a week to go before our heavyweight title fight at UFC 146, but all of the excitement already has people losing their damn minds. Frank Mir and Junior Dos Santos will clash to determine who is the ‘baddest man on the planet’…at least for another 3-4 months until he inevitably loses the title to the next challenger. Enough dilly-dallying, let’s get to this week’s installment of UFC Primetime.
“Frank was very self-destructive. Drugs, alcohol. I think Frank was pretty much intoxicated for a whole year-and-a-half of his life. It was depression and then falling into a deeper spiral.” Mir’s wife, describing his life after the motorcycle wreck that nearly ended his fighting career, which sounds uncannily like the life of most CagePotato contributors.
We’ve still got a week to go before our heavyweight title fight at UFC 146, but all of the excitement already has people losing their damn minds. Frank Mir and Junior Dos Santos will clash to determine who is the ‘baddest man on the planet’…at least for another 3-4 months until he inevitably loses the title to the next challenger. Enough dilly-dallying, let’s get to this week’s installment of UFC Primetime.
“Frank was very self-destructive. Drugs, alcohol. I think Frank was pretty much intoxicated for a whole year-and-a-half of his life. It was depression and then falling into a deeper spiral.” Mir’s wife, describing his life after the motorcycle wreck that nearly ended his fighting career, which sounds uncannily like the life of most CagePotato contributors.
“To be at such a mercy of others, to have sit there and ask my wife to go get me a glass of water because it was too painful to get up and go in the kitchen to get a glass of water. My back was against the wall, so I was like, you know, I’ll just go and get a job, and I’ll work, and that’s a new life now. And my wife didn’t like that. She felt that I was throwing the towel in too soon. We have to keep striving at getting this until we get it back.” Mir, making me feel bad for asking my girlfriend to get me a beer just because I’m lazy. Aaaaand, I’m over it.
“That’s why I take care of myself. I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t go out at night and do those stupid things, you know. I don’t like those things. I don’t need that.” Dos Santos, stating the painfully obvious.
“My training is very, very hard. In the sparring session we go 100%. I try to do what I’m going to do in the fight.” Dos Santos, describing his five round sparring sessions against five different men. Wait, where on earth does he find five dudes willing to spar with him throwing down at 100%?
“I was always a little out of place as a child, I think due to my size, I was always the biggest kid. In eighth grade I was already over 200lbs and six foot. If you are an individual or there’s something that sets you out of the pack of course you’re going to be the butt of some jokes. I remember one time in sixth grade I was getting pegged with rocks and one of them caught me pretty good in the skull. I had to go home and mom had to drive me to go get some stitches.” Mir, on being bullied in school. That’s what you get for pulling the fire alarm, Frank.
“Dos Santos pretty much does the same thing every fight. He’s undefeated in the UFC and he’s the current holder of the belt. But as far as tricky and surprising, I don’t think you can really put that on him. I know his footwork and his speed, it’s things that are simulatable.” Mir, once again painting a one-dimensional portrait of his opponent.
“I think Dos Santos wants to end it quickly, because you’ve got to be realistic. I heard his corner saying, ‘the only chance Mir has is if it goes to the ground’. Well, the only chance he has is if it doesn’t go the ground. It goes back and forth. He goes to the ground with me, he’s dead. You might as well go ahead and start calling the orthopedic surgeons and prep the room.” Mir, haven’t we been down this road before?
(Let’s be honest, you’d pay to watch these three knuckleheads do *anything*.)
As Danga pointed out yesterday, injuries and surprise drug tests have led to all five of UFC 146‘s main card bouts being altered since they were first announced, which puts “Dos Santos vs. Mir” right up there with MMA’s most cursed events of all time. But let’s be fair — the UFC originally promised us ten aggressive heavyweights bashing the hell out of each other, and they’re still giving us just that. So is UFC 146 a rag-tag bunch of scab-fights, or a compelling lineup in itself? Let’s break it down…
Original main event: Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem Current main event: Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir Advantage:Even. Luckily, our schizophrenic contributor Josh Hutchinson has already presented bothsides of this issue, and I’m leaning towards the idea that Mir as a main-event replacement isn’t a total disaster. At first, we had the two best heavyweight strikers in MMA slugging it out for supremacy. Now, we have…well, who knows? Mir’s brilliant ground game opens up a whole new set of outcomes for this one. And isn’t MMA at its best when it’s chaotic and unpredictable? (I know, some of you just watch for the big muscles, but I’m a true fan, okay bro?)
Original co-main event: Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir Current co-main event: Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva Advantage:Original. And I only say that because Velasquez vs. Mir felt like less of a squash match. Bigfoot really could have used a softer landing in the Octagon; making his UFC debut in a pay-per-view co-main event against a juggernaut ex-champ like Velasquez smells like serious trouble for the Brazilian, who already failed a chin-test against Daniel Cormier in September.
(Let’s be honest, you’d pay to watch these three knuckleheads do *anything*.)
As Danga pointed out yesterday, injuries and surprise drug tests have led to all five of UFC 146‘s main card bouts being altered since they were first announced, which puts “Dos Santos vs. Mir” right up there with MMA’s most cursed events of all time. But let’s be fair — the UFC originally promised us ten aggressive heavyweights bashing the hell out of each other, and they’re still giving us just that. So is UFC 146 a rag-tag bunch of scab-fights, or a compelling lineup in itself? Let’s break it down…
Original main event:Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem Current main event: Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir Advantage:Even. Luckily, our schizophrenic contributor Josh Hutchinson has already presented bothsides of this issue, and I’m leaning towards the idea that Mir as a main-event replacement isn’t a total disaster. At first, we had the two best heavyweight strikers in MMA slugging it out for supremacy. Now, we have…well, who knows? Mir’s brilliant ground game opens up a whole new set of outcomes for this one. And isn’t MMA at its best when it’s chaotic and unpredictable? (I know, some of you just watch for the big muscles, but I’m a true fan, okay bro?)
Original co-main event:Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir Current co-main event: Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva Advantage:Original. And I only say that because Velasquez vs. Mir felt like less of a squash match. Bigfoot really could have used a softer landing in the Octagon; making his UFC debut in a pay-per-view co-main event against a juggernaut ex-champ like Velasquez smells like serious trouble for the Brazilian, who already failed a chin-test against Daniel Cormier in September.
Original main card bout #3:Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva Current main card bout #3: Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman Advantage:Original. See above; Nelson vs. Silva made a lot of sense as a matchup, and I was looking forward to it. Plus, after his February loss to Stefan Struve, I’m not sold on Dave Herman as main-card material.
Original main card bout #2:Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shane Del Rosario Current main card bout #2: Stipe Miocic vs. Shane Del Rosario Advantage:Current. Unless you’re a big Gabe Gonzaga fan (?), this match just became a lot more relevant. Miocic and Del Rosario are both undefeated up-and-comers with a combined finishing ratio of 94.7%, and the winner of this fight follows in the footsteps of Travis Browne and Lavar Johnson as the hot-shot heavyweight prospect to watch. Personally, I think Miocic is going to emerge from this one as a rising star.
Original main card bout #1:Stefan Struve vs. Mark Hunt Current main card bout #1: Stefan Struve vs. Lavar Johnson Advantage:Even. Look, I’m almost as depressed about Mark Hunt’s injury as Mark Hunt is. Plus, if I’m not mistaken, Struve vs. Hunt represented the greatest height differential in UFC history (13 inches!), which would have been awesome to see, just on an anthropological level. But I think we’re simply replacing one awesome Cinderella story (Hunt’s) with another just-as-good one (Johnson’s). Johnson came to the UFC riding back-to-back losses in Strikeforce, which followed nearly getting shot to death. Few expected him to make an impact in the UFC — and yet he’s already scored first-round knockouts of Joey Beltran and Pat Barry, picking up $130,000 in bonus money in the process. Now he’s re-entering the cage with just a three-week layoff between the Barry fight and this one. Do you believe in miracles?
Final analysis: If the original card was a 9 out of 10, the current card is at least a strong 7.5. Yes, we lost Alistair Overeem, and yes, we gained Dave Herman. But in terms of entertainment value, UFC 146 hasn’t given up a whole lot. Agree or disagree? (Sorry Hutchinson, you can’t do both…)
It’s not the match we were promised, but it’s the one we’re going to watch. We’re only weeks away from UFC 146 and the heavyweight title bout between Junior Dos Santos and Frank Mir. In addition to the twelve pounds of gold at stake, we are witnessing a former champion’s quest to return to the top of his division and the familiar story arc of redemption and payback for a fallen master. There’s also a shooting range and lots of big guns. Whichever strikes your fancy, this Primetime comes correct.
Things open up with Junior Dos Santos’ mentor, Big Nog, showing up at his gym in Salvador, Brazil. The surprise appearance provides an emotional boost to the young champion.
“It wasn’t pain. I was very disappointed.” – Big Nog, on having his arm snapped by Frank Mir.It’s easy to write this off as a mistranslation, but English or Portuguese, it doesn’t matter; Minotauro doesn’t know the definition of pain in any language.
It’s not the match we were promised, but it’s the one we’re going to watch. We’re only weeks away from UFC 146 and the heavyweight title bout between Junior Dos Santos and Frank Mir. In addition to the twelve pounds of gold at stake, we are witnessing a former champion’s quest to return to the top of his division and the familiar story arc of redemption and payback for a fallen master. There’s also a shooting range and lots of big guns. Whichever strikes your fancy, this Primetime comes correct.
Things open up with Junior Dos Santos’ mentor, Big Nog, showing up at his gym in Salvador, Brazil. The surprise appearance provides an emotional boost to the young champion.
“It wasn’t pain. I was very disappointed.” – Big Nog, on having his arm snapped by Frank Mir.It’s easy to write this off as a mistranslation, but English or Portuguese, it doesn’t matter; Minotauro doesn’t know the definition of pain in any language.
“I don’t know why everybody worships this guy. His ground game is very simple. It’s only his attacks that are a little dangerous.” – Big Nog, telling Junior Dos Santos that he has little to fear from Frank Mir. Later, he explained that cobras are only dangerous if they bite you and that fire only burns you when it’s hot.
“He’s not a man. He gives up. Against Shane Carwin, he pretended he was hurt. He’s full of it.” – Junior Dos Santos, questioning Mir’s heart. In Frank Mir’s defense, Carwin ‘pretended’ to hit him very, very hard.
“There’s no ego anymore. I could care less. It’s like, yeah, you’re tough. I’m tough. Everybody’s tough.” – Frank Mir, on his new attitude. I for one will miss the swagger and incredible self-confidence, but I guess I’ll just have to get used to the New Frank Mir, as I’m certain he won’t say anything cocky or over-the-top from this point on in his career.
“I have three kids, but I have two belts. So when I pass away and they have to divide it up I don’t want them to have an argument about who doesn’t get a belt, so I have to make sure that before I retire I get a third one so it makes that argument easy.” – Mir, on troubles in his household.Sure, that’s a unique problem for a family to have, but I’d like to see how things are settled in his house when Frank gets up to use the restroom and forgets to ‘call’ his seat.
Mir’s father, wife, and young kids maintain a strong presence at his gym, and they take precedence over his training partners. It sounds like his children are an incredible motivation, but when he’d potentially sacrifice aspects of his training for their play time I have to wonder if they’re a distraction at the gym as well. Still, it’s great to see him in the role of loving father. I only wish his twitter-loving step-son had been there to share his thoughts on this match up.
Back in Salvador, Brazil, Dos Santos is getting his props as the people’s champ.
“I was from a very poor family, so I didn’t have very good opportunities. I discovered a way for me to be bigger than I ever dreamed before.” – Dos Santos, on his climb to the top. Many people have found a way to be bigger than they’d ever dreamed; let’s just hope his way consists of acai smoothies and hard work.
“I feel that protecting yourself and protecting my family is the obligation of every father.” – Mir, shooting off some big guns at the firing range. Hey, we respect that kind of fire power.
“The one thing I possess is versatility. I always try to find a way to win. JDS has, I think, a great tool. I think his boxing is top notch, but whenever he’s seen obstacles in his fights he just keeps using the boxing. You’ve got to remember this is mixed martial arts; there’s more to this than just boxing.” – Mir, on his opponent’s weapons.Mir really hits the nail on the head here. He’s simply too versatile to lose to a ‘one-dimensional’ fighter.
“Every fight it seems like I’m almost doubted. The naysayers say I shouldn’t be there. Somehow I keep pulling out victories. I have the most wins out of any heavyweight in the division. I have the most submissions. I have all these accolades to prove that, hey, you know, I’m not just talking it, I’m backing it up.” – Mir, on his apparently unsung credentials. It’s good to see that the New Frank Mir hasn’t forgotten his accomplishments.
“JDS is a young guy. If I catch him in a hold and he taps, he lives to fight another day. If I catch him in a hold and he decides not to tap, that limb, is it ever going to be the same again? I have enough of a history about me now that if you get locked in a hold of mine and you choose not to tap, that’s something you’ve trained for for weeks coming up to and you’ve watched my videos and you’ve studied me…if you make that mistake that’s your fault, that’s not mine. What is your life going to be like afterwards? What is your career going to be like afterwards? I’m bigger and stronger. One wrong mistake and now he’s in trouble and has to tap or deal with the consequences.” – Mir, on torquing a limb beyond its breaking point.And just in time for the closing credits, it’s official: the Old Frank Mir is back!
(In defense of Dana’s flip flop, who could say no to that face?)
By Josh Hutchinson
As some of you may remember, I recently attempted to make a case for why Alistair Overeem vs. Junior Dos Santos had to happen at UFC 146, testosterone-levels be damned. And though that fight didn’t quite pan out, we’ll instead be treated to an even better fight that evening in Frank Mir vs. Junior Dos Santos (assuming that no other weird shit happens beforehand). That’s right, I said even better. “But you just tried telling us why the UFC needs to keep Overeem vs. Dos Santos,” I hear you screaming. To that extent I have two retorts. The first being that apparently my hypocrisy knows no bounds. The second being that a quick look at Frank Mir vs. any of the other potential replacements makes the case loud and clear. Take for instance the man that Mir is officially replacing…
Yes, Overeem and Dos Santos would have been an epic slugfest, with a near-guarantee of someone being knocked stupid, but if you look at the quality of opponents the two men have faced in recent years, the nod clearly goes to Mir. Since moving up to heavyweight full time, Overeem has compiled a record of 12-1-1, which while sounding impressive, is actually rather deceiving. The majority of the fighters he beat in those twelve wins resemble less of a contender list, and more of a “MMA Fighters: Where Are They Now?” list. I of course am talking about guys like Paul Buentello, Tony Sylvester, James Thompson, Brett Rogers, you get the point. Frank Mir on the other hand, has been wading through the UFC’s heavyweight elites since UFC 34 back in 2001, picking up big name wins like Tim Sylvia (before he was a joke), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (2x), Cheick Kongo, and others. Besides there is still a great chance of seeing someone get knocked the hell out. We all know Dos Santos likes to do it, and if you ask guys like Cro Cop and the aforementioned Nogueria, Mir likes to dabble as well.
(In defense of Dana’s flip flop, who could say no to that face?)
By Josh Hutchinson
As some of you may remember, I recently attempted to make a case for why Alistair Overeem vs. Junior Dos Santos had to happen at UFC 146, testosterone-levels be damned. And though that fight didn’t quite pan out, we’ll instead be treated to an even better fight that evening in Frank Mir vs. Junior Dos Santos (assuming that no other weird shit happens beforehand). That’s right, I said even better. “But you just tried telling us why the UFC needs to keep Overeem vs. Dos Santos,” I hear you screaming. To that extent I have two retorts. The first being that apparently my hypocrisy knows no bounds. The second being that a quick look at Frank Mir vs. any of the other potential replacements makes the case loud and clear. Take for instance the man that Mir is officially replacing…
Yes, Overeem and Dos Santos would have been an epic slugfest, with a near-guarantee of someone being knocked stupid, but if you look at the quality of opponents the two men have faced in recent years, the nod clearly goes to Mir. Since moving up to heavyweight full time, Overeem has compiled a record of 12-1-1, which while sounding impressive, is actually rather deceiving. The majority of the fighters he beat in those twelve wins resemble less of a contender list, and more of a “MMA Fighters: Where Are They Now?” list. I of course am talking about guys like Paul Buentello, Tony Sylvester, James Thompson, Brett Rogers, you get the point. Frank Mir on the other hand, has been wading through the UFC’s heavyweight elites since UFC 34 back in 2001, picking up big name wins like Tim Sylvia (before he was a joke), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (2x), Cheick Kongo, and others. Besides there is still a great chance of seeing someone get knocked the hell out. We all know Dos Santos likes to do it, and if you ask guys like Cro Cop and the aforementioned Nogueria, Mir likes to dabble as well.
It’s easy to understand why so much attention was focused on Hunt after Overeem shit the bed. The man is a world renowned kickboxer with most of his MMA wins coming via KO/TKO, and since he is currently riding a three-fight win streak, he would have been a great replacement for the “stand and exchange till someone drops” fight we’d been looking forward to. Now I mean this with the utmost respect, but had this fight happened, it would have been nothing more than feeding Dos Santos a quick victory. I know, I know, blasphemy, but hear me out: Six out of Hunt’s seven MMA losses have come in the form of a submission. Since Dos Santos has been knocking fools out left and right, people have a tendency to forget that he also has a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the Nogueiras. Would Hunt have a punchers chance? Absolutely, but you can damn well bet that if Dos Santos was rocked in the stand-up he’d move to Plan B on the mat. While that would most likely spell disaster for Hunt, it won’t be a problem for Mir.
After Velasquez and Dos Santos first squared off, a lot questions arose. Was Cain hit with a lucky punch? Is Dos Santos’s striking impossible to deal with? Why the hell were we so excited for UFC on Fox in the first place? All questions that at this time are impossible to answer. I wholeheartedly believe Velasquez should get another shot at the heavyweight title, but not immediately. It’s not like we’re talking about a five-round Maynard vs. Edgar-esque draw here. Being trounced in roughly a minute hardly warrants an rematch. Let Velasquez pick up a win or two, then throw him back in the mix.
Have you guys ever day-dreamed so hard that shit just spiraled out of control? I’m talking about starting off with a normal one like, say, beating the guy in front of you in line to death with his own shoes for taking the time to write a three-dollar check, and then just letting your mind wander. When unregulated, the human brain goes to some very weird places. Before you know it your brain has set up a fantastical universe where you not only put that check writing asshole in his place, but also the cashier that always takes a little too long to count back change, the bully you had in high school, and a squad of no less than 20 ninjas, before carrying off a beautiful blonde for days worth of mind numbing sex.
Well that’s the kind of thing the MMA world did when left to its own devices in regards to a replacement for Overeem. I must have heard twenty different suggestions, all as horrible as the one before it. At this point in his career there is a snowman’s chance in hell of Fedor taking this fight. Hendo is more than content to wait for his light heavyweight shot. Werdum is guaranteed to fight in Brazil next, and the rest of the suggestions were so damn stupid I refuse to even address them. But hey, it’s fun to dream.
So Nation, we now have a fight between Mir and Dos Santos, for better or worse. Will Frank get knocked out as fast as Velasquez? Will we finally see Junior’s ground game tested? Most importantly, who will walk away the champ? Tune in to UFC 146 on May 26th to find out.
