Demetrious Johnson finally has an established manager in Malki Kawa. For years, Matt Hume had served as Johnson’s manager. The problem was, Hume is a busy individual. From running a gym, to being an executive, Hume has his hands full. Serving as the pound-for-pound best fighter’s manager is enough to keep someone busy. That’s why […]
Demetrious Johnson finally has an established manager in Malki Kawa. For years, Matt Hume had served as Johnson’s manager. The problem was, Hume is a busy individual. From running a gym, to being an executive, Hume has his hands full. Serving as the pound-for-pound best fighter’s manager is enough to keep someone busy. That’s why […]
Jon Jones’ return fight has yet to be confirmed, but he’ll be eligible to fight again July after his one year USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) suspension is up. There have even been rumors that Jones could return at UFC 214 on July 29, 2017 for a rematch with bitter rival and current 205-pound champion
Jon Jones’ return fight has yet to be confirmed, but he’ll be eligible to fight again July after his one year USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) suspension is up. There have even been rumors that Jones could return at UFC 214 on July 29, 2017 for a rematch with bitter rival and current 205-pound champion Daniel Cormier.
Either way, UFC President Dana White has remained adamant that Jones will not headline another card, which “Bones’” manager, Malki Kawa, thinks is ridiculous:
“It’s the funniest thing ever. Listen, to be honest with you, it’s funny and my personal opinion, I think it’s ridiculous because at the end of the day, I mean, yes he missed out on UFC 200, and I think the whole situation behind it was stupid and ridiculous,” Kawa said on a recent edition of The MMA Hour.
Jones was schedule to rematch Cormier at UFC 200 last July, but he was forced to withdraw from the highly anticipated fight just days prior after being notified by USADA of a potential anti-doping violation. Kawa, however, says that Jones had no intent for that situation to take place:
“Listen, I always look at everything people do with intent, so if somebody intends to do something, to harm someone, then that makes that person messed up. Jon didn’t intend to cancel UFC 200. Listen, we are all sitting here everyday training, cutting weight,” he added. “We find out Wednesday or Thursday before the fight and no one wanted that to happen.”
Jones has indeed gave the UFC some headaches in the past and Kawa says that he understands why White can’t trust “Bones”, but he was also sure to point out that Cormier has had some setbacks of his own:
“Remember, Cormier got hurt one time. Jon got hurt once, he had a situation with his knee and it got postponed, it happened. Then he fought, It was time for the rematch and then Cormier got hurt and it got postponed. Then after that, Jon had the whole UFC 200 thing,” explained Kawa.
“So, at the end of the day, when he (Dana White) says ‘I can’t trust him,’ look, I understand what you’re saying from your end because you’re upset, pissed off and I get it, but it is what it is. But from our end, if you think you’re going to sell better by saying Jon Jones is a co-main event or it protects you better, then you got to do what you got to do. It doesn’t affect us one way or another financially, he is still going to get pay-per-view points, his money and none of that matters.”
Do you expect Jones to return in peak form against Cormier?
Michael Bisping doesn’t hold Yoel Romero’s manager, Malki Kawa in high regard. With the return of Georges St-Pierre being made official, Bisping finds himself in an interesting spot. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White has said that Yoel Romero will be the number one contender for Bisping’s middleweight title. With “Rush” back in the […]
Michael Bisping doesn’t hold Yoel Romero’s manager, Malki Kawa in high regard. With the return of Georges St-Pierre being made official, Bisping finds himself in an interesting spot. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White has said that Yoel Romero will be the number one contender for Bisping’s middleweight title. With “Rush” back in the […]
Malki Kawa is one of the more notable managers in mixed martial arts.
His ties run deep within Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA and other camps, including the likes of Jon Jones, Alistair Overeem…
Malki Kawa is one of the more notable managers in mixed martial arts.
His ties run deep within Jackson-Winkeljohn MMA and other camps, including the likes of Jon Jones, Alistair Overeem and others under the First Round Management banner.
With talk of a big fighter union being announced Wednesday, Kawa sounded off on one notable name attached to it all: former Bellator president Bjorn Rebney.
“Lol if Bjorn rebney is in, I’m out,” Kawa posted on social media. “He was the most anti-fighter promoter I ever met. Contract worse than ufc, and he was a nightmare compared to ufc to deal with.”
Back in 2010, the brain trust at CagePotato HQ compiled a list of the 25 most essential MMA Twitter feeds to follow. Boy, do we sure know how to pick ’em. Miguel Torres, Kimbo Slice, Mayhem Miller, Reed Harris, Shane Carwin, and Strikeforce have all since faded out of relevance or gone off the deep end. Wait, Reed does what now? Are you sure? Nevermind — we’re back with an updated list of who you should really be following on Twitter, and this time we’ve actually put some thought into it instead of blindly tossing darts at our screen while simultaneously using a Shakeweight. Please note, this is 2013 and if you don’t already know you should be following Dana White, Arianny Celeste, or Ariel Helwani, you’re probably the reason Jon Jones is defending his title against Chael Sonnen this Saturday at UFC 159. Speaking of the gangster from West Linn…
Bio: “Godfather of integrity; dual masters in dominance and modesty; once outboxed Hemingway; & author of this year’s bestseller, available NOW on Amazon”
If you thought Sonnen refused to break kayfabe only when the cameras were rolling, you must not have been paying attention because his gimmick is boundless. The People’s Champion maximizes his 140-character limit with every emasculating jab at his opponents, peers, and detractors in the MMA media. The American Gangster is the only man on Twitter to follow absolutely no one, not even his own mother.
Sample Tweet: “15 – the number of letters in the word hydropneumatics as well as Chael beats Jones. #UFC159 #4/27/13″
(Despite what your grandmother thinks, Twitter is not a euphemism and does not warrant a squirt of Dawn in your mouth.)
Back in 2010, the brain trust at CagePotato HQ compiled a list of the 25 most essential MMA Twitter feeds to follow. Boy, do we sure know how to pick ‘em. Miguel Torres, Kimbo Slice, Mayhem Miller, Reed Harris, Shane Carwin, and Strikeforce have all since faded out of relevance or gone off the deep end. Wait, Reed does what now? Are you sure? Nevermind — we’re back with an updated list of who you should really be following on Twitter, and this time we’ve actually put some thought into it instead of blindly tossing darts at our screen while simultaneously using a Shakeweight. Please note, this is 2013 and if you don’t already know you should be following Dana White, Arianny Celeste, or Ariel Helwani, you’re probably the reason Jon Jones is defending his title against Chael Sonnen this Saturday at UFC 159. Speaking of the gangster from West Linn…
Bio: “Godfather of integrity; dual masters in dominance and modesty; once outboxed Hemingway; & author of this year’s bestseller, available NOW on Amazon”
If you thought Sonnen refused to break kayfabe only when the cameras were rolling, you must not have been paying attention because his gimmick is boundless. The People’s Champion maximizes his 140-character limit with every emasculating jab at his opponents, peers, and detractors in the MMA media. The American Gangster is the only man on Twitter to follow absolutely no one, not even his own mother.
Sample Tweet: “15 – the number of letters in the word hydropneumatics as well as Chael beats Jones. #UFC159 #4/27/13″
Bio: “Born and raised in Los Angeles. Don’t Tread On Me.”
One of the sport’s most seasoned journalists has articulated what many people couldn’t (and frankly still don’t) understand about what they witnessed in the cage since 2000. His name is Josh Gross and he will not play nice if it compromises the integrity of his craft or the oath he took upon entering the profession — even if it means getting blackballed by the Dr. Evil UFC President himself. Gross always offers interesting insight with a wealth of knowledge to back it up.
Sample Tweet: “Least surprising headline in a while: NY won’t regulate MMA in 2013. So bye-bye UFC 20th anniversary in Madison Square Garden. #pipedream”
Bio: “Actress/Bellator/FHM/Maxim/Playboy/Pacsun For pretty eyes see best in others.For pretty lips spk kindly.For poise walk knowing not alone.Live a beautiful story”
After interviewing Ms. Bryce at the end of last year, I realized that she is one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever met. She’s one of the Bellator MMA ring card girls and she’s trying to feed the starving kids in Africa. No, seriously, she is. Twitter is Jade’s way of giving back to her fans and it shows. Male and female followers alike love her photo shoot pics and inspirational quotations. We’re sure you will too.
Sample Tweet: “Sharing a hotel room with a drunk psycho model. ???? Seriously think she might hit me. I’m trying to just play dead.”
Bio: “The MMA Curmudgeon loves the sport of mixed martial arts. The MMA Curmudgeon hates dirtbag reporters and reprehensible fighters. Beware”
We have our suspicions about who is at the helm of this brutal Twitter troll, but at the end of the day, it just doesn’t matter. As the name suggests, following this guy is like listening to a crotchety old man talk about this generation’s lack of aptitude. MMA Curmudgeon says what most are thinking but too afraid to tweet for fear of the Baldfather wrath. Retweet at your own risk.
Sample Tweet: “Only MMA media would make @danawhite the secret hero of the Ronda Rousey story. If White has a dry spell, he can count on Yahoo for a BJ.”
Bio: “Dropping science in the cage with #UFC statistics & analytics. Quantifying underlying drivers of the fight game, and ending barroom disputes everywhere. #MMA”
Over the last several months, Reed “The Fight Scientist” Kuhn of Fightnomics has been dropping databombs on cage potatoes like you on this site — breaking down everything from submission success rates to striking performance by division. But over on his social media home-base he takes it a step further and laces you with timely truths about the guys you’re watching on the big screen at Hooters. Bonus: Fightnomics’ pithy tweets enable you to sound like you actually know what you’re talking about.
Sample Tweet: “In over 61 total minutes in the Octagon and 859 total strikes attempted, Darren Elkins has yet to throw a single leg kick #commitment”
This is the guy who was behind Teh Gifs, amazing little video snippets of the most gnarly action in the cage, so we won’t hold it against him for collecting a paycheck from one of our competitors. If you like watching incessant KO kicks and flying submissions, this guy has you covered.
Sample Tweet: “GIF – We end todays trip down memory lane with Edson Barboza vs. Terry Etim http://twitpic.com/87gd7e”
Bio: “World / Olympic medalist in judo, Strikeforce / UFC Champ in MMA”
“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey is many things, as you can glean from her bio, but she’s more than that. She’s the first female fighter to ink a deal with UFC, she took the cover spot on ESPN the Magazine‘s Body Issue, and she’s undefeated! When she’s not trash-talking her opponents or putting the Kardashians on blast, Rousey is sharing her journey to superstardom with all of her 278K+ followers through instagram. It’s there you’ll get the access not even puppets are privileged to. Expect the arm snatcher to amp up her game throughout the next season of TUF.
Sample Tweet: “A guy wearing his cell on his belt is the male equivalent of a chick wearing uggs #itwasnevercool”
Bio: “Leading source for news and analysis of the business of MMA. From financials to marketing and from the latest business deals to regulation.”
You will know you have transitioned from casual fan to serious fan when you start caring about numbers. We’re talking PPV buys, TV ratings, and fight purses — the stuff the big boys talk about while others sit at the kiddie table and play UFC Undisputed. Every day you’ll be provided the latest news whenever money changes hands in the MMA world. What’s more is the “Payout Perspective” you get that will help you better understand the way the game is played backstage.
Quite possibly the second most influential man in all of mixed martial arts, Bjorn Rebney never lets the spotlight blind him like it has others. Follow the face of the Toughest Tournament in Sports for fight announcements, personal commentary, and as of late, giveaways. Even if you’re not one to follow a “suit,” you should tag along until the lawsuit with Eddie Alvarez is over just to see it unfold firsthand.
Bio: “We provide an alternative sponsorship platform for fighters that empowers them to execute their next MMA project, funded by fans.”
Inspired by Evan Tanner’s simple approach to sponsorships, MMA trainer Firas Zahabi and company launched FundaFighter. You the fan can sponsor your favorite fighter on their way to the top of the division. Maybe you help buy new equipment, and another time it’s supplements. Once the goals are reached, rewards are given out based on how much you donated. If you’re looking for a worthy cause and want to help support the sport, give these guys a follow.
Bio: “Happy wife, NFL and MMA writer for SI, NYT bestselling author. Thank you, readers, and God bless.”
Along with a few others that pop up on this list, Loretta Hunt is a consummate professional who has lent a great deal of credibility to our sport. She is one of the pound-for-pound best sports writers today. When you follow the right people, you’ll be privileged to “listen in” to the pros. Imagine Midnight in Paris but from your apartment at three in the afternoon.
Sample Tweet: “Just caught Mr. @mattlindland on @HLNTV, as part of its “Making It In America” series, following a TQ fighter’s prep for bout in Moscow”
Bio: “just your average joe, trying to live the american dream…oh yeah and my best friend was born in a manger…”
When he’s not defeating the best Zuffa can throw at him, Benson “Smooth” Henderson is retweeting anything and everything anyone writes about him. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing, because as champion his game should be winning. Let the other guy hype the fight. Oh, wrong guy. I apologize. Henderson also shares quite a few pictures for the fans. Follow his training and words of inspiration right here.
Sample Tweet: “The thing about dieting guys, is that every1 is unique, what works for me won’t work for everyone…#SlowIsSmoothSmoothIsFast”
Bio: “Video Interviewer, Company Man, Beef Squashing Propagandist, Professional stirrer of the pot. People love me because I don’t make them read.”
I swear this is the last parody account on the list of top 25 essential MMA Twitter feeds to follow. Okay I take that back. Kind of. You be the judge. Subconscious Helwani is exactly what I’d expect an alter ego of an admitted smart mark pro wrestling fan to be like. Essentially, it’s one big trash talk marathon and no one is safe. While it’s eerily similar to @MMACurmudeon, the tone is a bit more personal. If you’ve ever wanted to see a video journalist snap at people he feels are inferior in every way, here’s your chance.
Sample Tweet: “If you reported the Wandy story, and feel like your reputation took a “hit” . you have bigger issues than a tricky Brazillian. #dummies”
Bio: “UFC commentator/play-by-play voice for events on FX/FUELTV. Host, ‘The Ultimate Fighter Live’ on FX. Identical twin. Riley’s Dad.” (This will soon be updated to say “Riley and Tatum’s dad.” On behalf of Potato Nation, congrats!)
On top of all his duties listed above, Jon Anik also hosts UFC Ultimate Insider on Fuel TV. On Twitter, you’ll notice his love of all things Boston (his hometown) and his ever-growing bromance with @KennyFlorian. He tweets betting lines and retweets some of the day’s best stories from around the net.
Sample Tweet: “For those who’ve inquired, of course Josh Thomson deserved a post-fight interview in the Octagon. Simply a timing issue when we’re on FOX.”
FRB has had run ins with the likes of Ariel Helwani, Luke Thomas, and Nate Quarry. Regardless of what side of the fence you sit on, watching the verbal sparring could get you through the worst of bad days. If that weren’t enough, he’s scooped more than his share of journalists and broken news on the UG days before anyone else caught wind of it. FRB isn’t your average fan, but he’s not exactly a journalist either. To hear him tell it, he’s a character in the MMA community who tweets what’s on his mind. From UFC locker room stories to WWE pop culture references, FRB brings his A game every day and seems to enjoy fielding his followers questions.
Sample Tweet: “If Nate Diaz wants to want fight at 170 and stay gainfully employed, he better consult Vitor Belfort’s gimmick doctor. Really poor decision”
For over 25 years, Dave Meltzer has written the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, an insider’s perspective at professional wrestling. Since UFC 1, Meltzer has also parlayed MMA coverage into his analysis, sometimes drawing the ire of Vince McMahon and Dana White. Meltzer’s reputation as an analyst of the cable TV and pay-per-view businesses is well established as evidenced by his impressive resume. At the end of the day, if you’re not following @davemeltzerWON you’re missing out on incredible “combat sports entertainment” commentary.
Sample Tweet: “Lots of name women fighters trying out for TUF right now, including Invicta fighters. Shannon Knapp told them they all could”
Bio: “UFC Tonight is the official weekly news and information show of the UFC. Tuesday nights at 10/7p ET/PT on FUEL TV.”
Since most of you don’t have Fuel TV, following UFC Tonight is an absolute must. Tweets come in heavy on Tuesday night as they do their best to keep you in the loop on late breaking news and fight announcements during the show.
Sample Tweet: “Cruz on Faber – “He’s had 5… I’m not here to give more title shots. I’m here to beat the best guys. I’m going to fight Renan Barao next.””
Bio: Future UFC Women’s champ (She left it blank, so I took it upon myself to connect the dots.)
Pat Barry’s thugged-out girlfriend, Rose Namajunas, is undefeated and currently fighting under the Invicta FC banner. She finishes fights in spectacular fashion and is sponsored by this site. What’s not to love?
Bio: “MMA Jokes by Comedian Adam Hunter. Ronda Rousey said it’s her new fav follow. Hope you enjoy. Check out http://www.adamhunter.com”
We’ve all seen some fading celebrity with enough moxie to endure the publicly humiliating spectacle that is the Comedy Central Roast. Take that kind of humor/vitriol and aim it at everyone in the MMA community and you’ve got the MMA Roasted Twitter feed. Come for the funny, stay for the irony.
Sample Tweet: “Bendo’s fiance just hired Stripper Ramsey Nijem for her bachelorette party. #UFC”
As President and CEO of First Round Management, Malki Kawa has knowledge of many facets of the fight game outside the cage. Continually sitting at the negotiating table, Kawa represents the likes of Jon Jones, Frank Mir, Benson Henderson, and Miesha Tate, giving him one of the most talent-rich stables since D-Generation X. Follow him for news on the happenings of his fighters and find out what he thinks of the competition on fight night.
Sample Tweet: “Whoop his ass no problem “@mmafan31: @malkikawa would you be able to take out @EdSoares in a three round fight?””
Bio: “Combat Sports Broadcaster for Showtime Boxing, InvictaFC. Host of #theshow with Mauro Ranallo on my website.”
Mauro Ranallo is affectionately known as the “Bi-Polar Rock & Roller” whose rap sheet spans four decades including notable stops in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the legendary Hart family’s “Stampede Wrestling,” Saitama, Japan for Pride FC, San Jose, California for Strikeforce, and most recently, Kansas City for Invicta FC. Tweeting at you with all the Chi power one can muster, Ranallo fill your need of WWE, MMA, and boxing opinions and notes all in one place.
Sample Tweet: “Fathers of Boxers have taken over for the Bobby “The Brain” Heenans, Jim Cornettes & Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Harts of the world.”
Women’s MMA is here to stay and Shannon Knapp knows it. Invicta FC is the world’s premiere female MMA promotion and if you want to keep your finger on the pulse, you’ll need to check out Knapps’s feed. You can usually find her using social media to share interviews and articles about her ferocious ladies.
Sample Tweet: “@InvictaFights I just got word from CEO of @ustream and we had the most ppv ever sold on Ustream! So proud of our athletes and staff! ”
Bio: “Youngest world Champion in UFC history, Fighting toward Greatness, Glorifying Christ, Breaking down walls, Living amazed, Will YOU be a witness? #607 #585 #505″
Not only is Jon Jones arguably the greatest fighter of all time (of all TIME!), but he also speaks English. That’s +100 in my book. (Sorry Anderson, but no one understands what you’re saying. Obrigado!) Take Jones’s twitpics detailing his diet and free time combined with tweets of inspiration and greatness and you’ve got a refreshing tweet mixed in with the rest of the garbage you read. The cherry on top is a carefully protected behind the scenes look at the life of a young champion.
Sample Tweet: “Okay I’ll stop I don’t want to come across as preachy.. I respect everyone’s beliefs, just sharing a few of my own #Jesusisalive”
Bio: “Host of TTTHS! I’m a cartoon character! New shows every Wednesday! Inquiries, fan mail, or anything else: [email protected]”
Tommy ToeHold is the funniest real fake guy in the Twitterverse. His weekly talk show is half TMZ, half Dr. Phil. Each episode recaps the highlights and low lights of the past week in MMA including interviews with champions, up-and-comers, and media personalities from around the globe. Hit him up on Twitter and bust his chops. Best insult wins Viewer Comment of the Week on the TTHS.
Following Rory MacDonald‘s three-round assault of BJ Penn at UFC on FOX 5, the 23-year-old welterweight contender made it clear that he wanted a rematch with Carlos Condit, who previously TKO’d him with seven seconds remaining in a fight that MacDonald might have won on points. (You can revisit MacDonald’s darkest moment right here.) As Rory told Ariel Helwani on Fuel TV, “I was humiliated and embarrassed after that fight, and I think about that fight all the time, it haunts me, and I really need to get past that chapter in my life. My challenge is out there, it’s up to Carlos to accept my challenge…he’s coming off a loss, he’s gotta fight somebody, it might as well be me.”
Makes sense to us. But does it make sense to Condit? According to his manager Malki Kawa, hell yes. “Carlos Condit doesn’t back down from any man,” Kawa told MMAWeekly. “If the UFC asks us to fight Rory MacDonald, Carlos will take the fight.”
Following Rory MacDonald‘s three-round assault of BJ Penn at UFC on FOX 5, the 23-year-old welterweight contender made it clear that he wanted a rematch with Carlos Condit, who previously TKO’d him with seven seconds remaining in a fight that MacDonald might have won on points. (You can revisit MacDonald’s darkest moment right here.) As Rory told Ariel Helwani on Fuel TV, “I was humiliated and embarrassed after that fight, and I think about that fight all the time, it haunts me, and I really need to get past that chapter in my life. My challenge is out there, it’s up to Carlos to accept my challenge…he’s coming off a loss, he’s gotta fight somebody, it might as well be me.”
Makes sense to us. But does it make sense to Condit? According to his manager Malki Kawa, hell yes. “Carlos Condit doesn’t back down from any man,” Kawa told MMAWeekly. “If the UFC asks us to fight Rory MacDonald, Carlos will take the fight.”
There is one point of contention, however — the venue where the fight would take place. Though their first bout took place at UFC 115 in Vancouver, MacDonald mentioned during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan on Saturday that he’d like the rematch to take place in his home-base of Montreal. As you can imagine, that’s not an ideal scenario for the Condit camp; Kawa counter-proposed that the rematch happen in Las Vegas — neutral territory, though much closer to Condit’s home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
So how would a Condit vs. MacDonald rematch go down in 2013? MacDonald clearly has the firepower to give Condit a bad night — and maybe he’s gained the poise and maturity since their first meeting to avoid another ill-timed implosion.
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