According to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, Matt Brown will not need surgery to repair his injured back. Helwani learned the news from Brown’s wife, Colleen, on Monday.
Brown recently pulled out of a much-anticipated UFC on Fox 9 matchup against…
According to MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani, Matt Brown will not need surgery to repair his injured back. Helwani learned the news from Brown’s wife, Colleen, on Monday.
Brown recently pulled out of a much-anticipated UFC on Fox 9 matchup against Carlos Condit, citing herniated discs as the reason.
The nature of Brown’s injury—combined with UFC President Dana Whitesaying that he didn’t expect the fighter to return anytime soon—led many to believe that “The Immortal” would need surgery and face a lengthy layoff.
Now, however, doctors are optimistic that the welterweight standout can return to training as soon as February, meaning that Brown could fight in late spring or early summer.
According to Brown’s wife, “The Immortal” would fight tomorrow if the decision were left to him.
“If it’s up to him, it’ll be sooner,” she said. “He’s very restless. Can’t wait to get back in there.”
Brown posted a 5-5 record in his first 10 fights under the UFC banner, but has since found his groove and racked up an impressive six-fight winning streak over names such as Mike Pyle, Mike Swick and Jordan Mein.
Because of this impressive career turnaround, Brown placed himself in the thick of the crowded welterweight division and his previously scheduled matchup with Condit looked to be a title eliminator when it was booked.
Since that time, however, 170-pound champion Georges St-Pierre left the sport and the UFC lined up a fight between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler to fill the championship void.
Making matters worse for Brown, his previous opponent, Condit, will fightTyronWoodley in the co-main event slot at UFC 171.
Brown’s injury undoubtedly delayed his ascent to the top of the welterweight ladder, but he has battled back from adversity throughout his career and his recent performances suggest that he can do it again.
Until then, “The Immortal” will rest his back and prepare for battle against one of the many talented 170-pound fighters dotting the UFC’s roster.
(2014: The year that Dana White buys this dog. For Bjorn Rebney. Too soon?)
When former CagePotato.com contributor Jason Moles announced his retirement in 2013, it appeared that there wouldn’t be a “Crazy Enough to be True” predictions column for 2014. Rather than let the opportunity to make outlandish assumptions about the state of our favorite sport pass us up, we’ve decided to offer our wildest ideas in the form of a CagePotato Roundtable. Read on for our picks, share yours in the comments section, and please continue to send your ideas for future CagePotato Roundtable topics to[email protected].
The problem is, none of these upcoming markets have the talent pool available to produce a world champion in the foreseeable future. Or a top contender. Or a fighter who could credibly compete anywhere on a pay-per-view main card. That’s why I’m predicting that 2014 will see the unveiling of individual UFC titles for countries/continents. I mean, Vitor Belfort is already the middleweight champion of Brazil, right? They might as well give him a belt and make it official.
(2014: The year that Dana White buys this dog. For Bjorn Rebney. Too soon?)
When former CagePotato.com contributor Jason Moles announced his retirement in 2013, it appeared that there wouldn’t be a “Crazy Enough to be True” predictions column for 2014. Rather than let the opportunity to make outlandish assumptions about the state of our favorite sport pass us up, we’ve decided to offer our wildest ideas in the form of a CagePotato Roundtable. Read on for our picks, share yours in the comments section, and please continue to send your ideas for future CagePotato Roundtable topics to[email protected].
The problem is, none of these upcoming markets have the talent pool available to produce a world champion in the foreseeable future. Or a top contender. Or a fighter who could credibly compete anywhere on a pay-per-view main card. That’s why I’m predicting that 2014 will see the unveiling of individual UFC titles for countries/continents. I mean, Vitor Belfort is already the middleweight champion of Brazil, right? They might as well give him a belt and make it official.
Case in point: TUF Chinadebuted last month. Coached by a UFC near-washout and a guy you’ve never heard of, the season will produce a completely irrelevant winner, who’s only fit to beat up other irrelevant curtain-jerkers from countries that aren’t the U.S., Brazil, Canada, or England. While the novelty of seeing native Chinese fighters (or Turkish fighters, or Polish fighters, etc.) will get local fans tuning in, eventually the UFC will have to throw these people a bone to keep them happy, because watching your home country’s fighters get smashed as soon as they face legitimate competition isn’t fun.
And so, the UFC will do the smart thing and have these guys/gals fight exclusively within their own borders for secondary titles. And maybe, if one of these regional champs goes on a long win streak, he/she will be called up to the prelims of a UFC on FOX Sports 1 card, where you might actually get to see them compete. Until then, us North Americans will only be able to watch the UFC’s new regional superstars on that digital subscription service thingy they’re selling, and if you think we’re coughing up any more money to the UFC for that bullshit, you are out of your got-damn mind.
It is well known that UFC President Dana White is a loose cannon when he is in front of a camera or a microphone. The “Baldfather” has no filter and basically shoots from the hip no matter the topic, the fighter, or the reporter in his crosshairs. He has taken some heat for profanity-laced rants in the past, but there has never been any real punishment from the Fertitta brothers (at least not publicly).
After Georges St. Pierre’s somewhat cryptic and confusing comments with Joe Rogan following his UFC 167 victory, Dana White launched into a diatribe at the post-fight press conference saying that GSP owed the UFC something more. Fast forward a day or two and Lorenzo Fertitta backtracked on White’s words by basically apologizing (even though he never actually said “Sorry”). In the past, Fertitta has never come to cover White but after the amount of flack being thrown because of White’s comments, it was evident that some things needed to be clarified.
Though White’s obscenity-filled tirades have been far and few between as of late, it is only a matter of time before Mount Dana erupts. When he does — because of falling ratings, a network deal that has not produced as expected or a slew of other factors — I believe that the Fertittas will in fact publicly chastise White. Whether it is a fine or a suspension or just a good old fashioned public tongue lashing, White will finally be the one on the other end of a heated lecture (and he will have earned it after the years of insensitive comments he has made).
Between 2010 and 2011, Matt Brown went 1-4 in the octagon, with all of those losses coming via second round submission. Although not one member of the MMA media dared say it to his face, they had all but written him off as just another slightly above-average TUF alum who couldn’t hack it in the big leagues. “Get out of here!”they’d shout once he had turned his back, “Why can’t you just go back to where you came from?
I don’t know if Brown wished upon a shooting star or sold his soul to the SKOAL Gods in return for Jax fists, but something amazing happened when he reemerged in 2012. Something…supernatural. Come to think of it, it was probably voodoo.
In the past two years, Matt Brown has gone 6-0 in the octagon with 5 TKOs. Five. Brown has fought like a man possessed (by voodoo), scoring wins over young guns (Jordan Mein), crafty veterans (Mike Swick), and previously undefeated hype machines (Stephen Thompson) alike. His last performance against Mike Pyle was, by definition, a flawless victory. Of all the career comebacks we witnessed in 2013, Brown’s was far-and-away the most impressive, if only because of the utter mediocrity that preceded it. In fact, of the nominees we listed in our “Most Unexpected Career Comebacks” roundtable last March, only Brown and Cub Swanson have managed to remain undefeated to this day. No, GSP *doesn’t* count, because he was defeated by both Johny Hendricks and old age.
What is the point of all this hyperbolic, redundant, and mostly fabricated backstory? Only that Brown has entered the prime of his career and is destroying whoever is placed before him with a combination of Zen-like tranquility and Pedro Lopez-like brutality. The dude is untouchable, “Immortal” you might even say (*crickets*). Like Bernie in Weekend at Bernie’s 2 when conga music is playing (which again, voodoo). And now that GSP has decided to step away from the sport, the UFC’s welterweight division has transformed from a grappler’s purgatory into a brawler’s paradise. Lawler vs. Hendricks will most likely be a slugfest for the ages, and when title fights are suddenly being decided by who can stand and trade leather the longest, Brown is as good a candidate as any to get that gold.
Believe it or not, things are actually much worse for TNA Impact! Wrestling than they were merely two months ago when I first wrote about their sad state of affairs. As in, “holding shows in high school gymnasiums” worse. I firmly believe that 2014 will be the year that this company finally kicks the bucket, to the apathy of nearly every wrestling fan on the planet. And the wrestlers proudly featured in the company’s final pay-per-view main event when this happens? Don’t hold your breath waiting for one of them to be AJ Styles. Same goes with Jeff Jarrett. Ditto Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Abyss, and anyone else whose name was once synonymous with the company.
No, Rampage Jackson and Tito Ortiz will be the ones headlining TNA Impact! Wrestling’s final pay-per-view.
Yeah, I know how everyone this side of Parts Unknown rolled their eyes at Rampage and Tito’s appearances in TNA last year, but the company is losing so much money and has so few wrestlers left that I think Viacom sends these two once-strong pay-per-view draws back to TNA Impact! Wrestling as a last-ditch effort to find people willing to buy a TNA pay-per-view. Sure, even the most brain-dead among us *looks directly at Jared…who is holding up a mirror. Well played.* can see the holes in this logic, but desperate times call for desperate measures; this is especially true when you consider that Viacom brought in Rampage and Tito to headline a pay-per-view in the first place. This will obviously end badly — even for a company that considers 50,000 buys a smashing success — leading TNA Impact! to close its doors shortly afterwards.
Sure, the idea of Rampage Jackson and Tito Ortiz headlining the final TNA Impact! Wrestling pay-per-view is completely ludicrous, but if you expect anything different from Dixie Carter, you’ve clearly never actually watched one of her company’s shows. Oh how I envy your ignorance.
Frustrated by dwindling PPV buys, Dana White starts hinting at “big fucking changes, like, huge” coming to Fox. Speculation abounds.
Zuffa announces that it is resurrecting Strikeforce for a new weekly primetime show on FS1. In a stunning move, Scott Coker returns to captain the ship, and “Wednesday Night Strikeforce” is born. His decision to include occasional kickboxing bouts in the broadcasts is hailed as visionary, as “WNS” quickly outstrips viewership numbers from the TUF lead-in. Meanwhile, UFC PPV cards are cut back to eight per year, and buy rates promptly skyrocket.
Coker leads the fight for better pay of fighters, proposing a tiered salary system that guarantees a minimum $48K to fighters under the Strikeforce banner. He suggests a format change to the now-ubiquitous Ultimate Fighter program, which now sports no less than eight spinoffs across the world. His idea, a weekly interview and highlight show recounting the various incarnations of TUF worldwide, is embraced by the blogosphere, but roundly rejected by White, as is the salary gambit.
Tensions between Coker and White continue to mount for the remainder of 2014. In December, Dana White and Scott Coker both start hinting at “big fucking changes, like, huge” coming to Zuffa. Speculation abounds.
Have your own “crazy enough to be true” predictions for 2014? You know what to do.
Last week, UFC welterweight contender Matt Brown herniated two discs in his back and was forced to pull out of his scheduled fight against Carlos Condit this Saturday at UFC on Fox 9. As he explained to CagePotato, he initially hoped a cortisone shot would help him feel well enough to fight, but that didn’t pan out.
Now, he’s benched from most physical activity for a month other than his therapy exercises. The good news is that if rehab goes well, Brown could be back training full contact in two months.
“The prognosis for me is basically that for one month I’ve got nothing but rehab. There’s no bending over to pick anything up and I can’t have any impact in any shape or form. No running. Nothing like any of those types of things,” Brown says.
“After two months, assuming rehab goes well, I’ll get a second cortisone shot and should be able to go full contact again.”
If Brown does his physical therapy to a ‘T’, he says he’s told that he should be able to avoid surgery on his back. Despite being so badly hurt, Brown says that he couldn’t bring himself to pull out of the fight on his own.
“I knew in my heart I wanted to do it,” he says.
(Brown smashes up Jordan Mein at UFC on FOX 7 in April. / Photo via Getty)
Last week, UFC welterweight contender Matt Brown herniated two discs in his back and was forced to pull out of his scheduled fight against Carlos Condit this Saturday at UFC on Fox 9. As he explained to CagePotato, he initially hoped a cortisone shot would help him feel well enough to fight, but that didn’t pan out.
Now, he’s benched from most physical activity for a month other than his therapy exercises. The good news is that if rehab goes well, Brown could be back training full contact in two months.
“The prognosis for me is basically that for one month I’ve got nothing but rehab. There’s no bending over to pick anything up and I can’t have any impact in any shape or form. No running. Nothing like any of those types of things,” Brown says.
“After two months, assuming rehab goes well, I’ll get a second cortisone shot and should be able to go full contact again.”
If Brown does his physical therapy to a ‘T’, he says he’s told that he should be able to avoid surgery on his back. Despite being so badly hurt, Brown says that he couldn’t bring himself to pull out of the fight on his own.
“I knew in my heart I wanted to do it,” he says.
“In my head I knew it probably wasn’t the best idea but I couldn’t get myself to say it out loud. I needed [my family and coaches] to push me to pull out of the fight.”
Brown admits that watching or even talking about fights right now is a bit of a bummer for him, given that he was so close to a huge fight and now can’t even move without pain. He doesn’t allow for self-pity to set in, however.
“I can’t change it so I just need to go about my way and enjoy the fights,” he says of the UFC on Fox 9 card.
As for when he does return to fighting, Brown’s immediate target hasn’t changed.
“Carlos Condit is still on my mind,” he says. “I definitely want to still fight him if that works out.”
(If only the discs in Brown’s back could’ve been “immortal” too. / Photo via Getty)
We don’t want to freak you out, but curses are real. Our last five posts about UFC on FOX 9 have all been injury related. Our sixth post about the event is worst of all: Matt Brown is out of his fight with Carlos Condit due to a back injury.
The best fight left on the card after a series of injuries ravaged it is gone now. If you’re not keeping score, here’s a rundown of how injury-plagued this fight card has been:
(If only the discs in Brown’s back could’ve been “immortal” too. / Photo via Getty)
We don’t want to freak you out, but curses are real. Our last five posts about UFC on FOX 9 have all been injury related. Our sixth post about the event is worst of all: Matt Brown is out of his fight with Carlos Condit due to a back injury.
The best fight left on the card after a series of injuries ravaged it is gone now. If you’re not keeping score, here’s a rundown of how injury-plagued this fight card has been:
Either way, UFC on FOX 9 is a shadow of its former self. There are still some decent to above-average fights on it, but it’s no longer a must-see, free-card-of-the-year. Bummer.
(“I’ve been at the bottom. When I lost three in a row I thought I was cut for sure. I have no fear of that. I can look at it and say there’s worse things in life that could happen.” / Photo via Getty)
A real-life Rocky if there ever was one, Matt Brown is not your typical MMA fighter. He didn’t wrestle in college and he doesn’t have the polished good looks that will land him on posters. He turned to mixed martial arts as a way out of a lifestyle that was killing him, and it has been anything but a smooth ride to the top of the UFC welterweight division. Three straight losses in 2010 had many, including him, questioning whether or not he was a UFC-caliber fighter.
Now with six straight wins in the UFC, Brown will get the most challenging opponent of his career. On December 14th at UFC on FOX 9, he’ll take on former title contender Carlos Condit in what is sure to be an explosive bout. We recently spoke to Matt to get his thoughts on the fight that could launch him into title contention, how MMA saved his life, his experience on TUF, what he thought about Georges St. Pierre‘s controversial win over Johny Hendricks, and so much more. Enjoy.
CAGEPOTATO.COM:What was it about mixed martial arts that drew you to the sport?
MATT BROWN: The first time I saw it was Tank Abbott way back in one of the first UFC events. That got me kind of interested. The first one that really got me was Sakuraba vs. Royce Gracie in Pride. I thought “man, this is freaking amazing.” It was something I wanted to be a part of in some way.
The draw is mainly the intensity and the authenticity of the sport. The UFC says it best: It’s as real as it gets. That’s a rare thing in life and in sport.
I find it funny you say Sakuraba and Gracie because they were so grappling-based and you’re more of a knockout guy.
At that time with the knowledge I had of MMA, Royce was unstoppable. He was the epitome of a UFC fighter. He was this mysterious guy who came in and did all these things that no one had seen before. It was amazing. The fact that [his fight against Sakuraba] lasted an hour and a half, it was like watching a movie. I don’t know what it was about that fight, but even to this day it’s a pretty amazing fight to me.
(“I’ve been at the bottom. When I lost three in a row I thought I was cut for sure. I have no fear of that. I can look at it and say there’s worse things in life that could happen.” / Photo via Getty)
A real-life Rocky if there ever was one, Matt Brown is not your typical MMA fighter. He didn’t wrestle in college and he doesn’t have the polished good looks that will land him on posters. He turned to mixed martial arts as a way out of a lifestyle that was killing him, and it has been anything but a smooth ride to the top of the UFC welterweight division. Three straight losses in 2010 had many, including him, questioning whether or not he was a UFC-caliber fighter.
Now with six straight wins in the UFC, Brown will get the most challenging opponent of his career. On December 14th at UFC on FOX 9, he’ll take on former title contender Carlos Condit in what is sure to be an explosive bout. We recently spoke to Matt to get his thoughts on the fight that could launch him into title contention, how MMA saved his life, his experience on TUF, what he thought about Georges St. Pierre‘s controversial win over Johny Hendricks, and so much more. Enjoy.
CAGEPOTATO.COM:What was it about mixed martial arts that drew you to the sport?
MATT BROWN: The first time I saw it was Tank Abbott way back in one of the first UFC events. That got me kind of interested. The first one that really got me was Sakuraba vs. Royce Gracie in Pride. I thought “man, this is freaking amazing.” It was something I wanted to be a part of in some way.
The draw is mainly the intensity and the authenticity of the sport. The UFC says it best: It’s as real as it gets. That’s a rare thing in life and in sport.
I find it funny you say Sakuraba and Gracie because they were so grappling-based and you’re more of a knockout guy.
At that time with the knowledge I had of MMA, Royce was unstoppable. He was the epitome of a UFC fighter. He was this mysterious guy who came in and did all these things that no one had seen before. It was amazing. The fact that [his fight against Sakuraba] lasted an hour and a half, it was like watching a movie. I don’t know what it was about that fight, but even to this day it’s a pretty amazing fight to me.
You received your nickname “The Immortal” after surviving a heroin overdose. It sounds melodramatic, but would you credit mixed martial arts with saving your life?
Absolutely, 100 percent. There wasn’t anything else that grabbed my attention like the martial arts did. Nothing else created that drive in me to improve myself. That just gave me a reason and motivation to improve myself and it was something to wake up everyday and look forward to. It saved me.
You got your start in the UFC after being on The Ultimate Fighter. What are your thoughts on that experience looking back?
It was a great experience. I had a good time for the whole show. I think I was fortunate to be on one of the seasons where we had a lot of serious guys. We didn’t have a lot of jokers and no one was trying to cause any problems. I enjoyed it up until I lost. I hurt my ankle pretty bad and when I lost the fight I couldn’t train, so I basically was sitting around the house with nothing to do.
Knowing you as a quiet person, it seems an odd decision that you’d want to compete on the reality show. What was it about TUF that was appealing to you?
Just the chance to fight in the UFC, there was nothing else to it. I didn’t expect to get picked on the show. I was surprised and shocked when they chose me. I didn’t think I had the personality, but I guess they saw something else.
Were you a fan of The Ultimate Fighter before joining the cast on season 7?
Yeah, absolutely. I was a fan since the first season.
We’re almost 10 years into The Ultimate Fighter now. Do you think it’s still the best avenue for fighters to enter the UFC?
I guess it depends on your situation. Everybody is a little different. It can definitely be a positive thing and a good way to do it.
At one point in your UFC tenure you had lost three straight fights, and four of five. What if anything was going on in your life at that point that led to those defeats?
I can look back and find many reasons, but I don’t think they’re good reasons. I was going through a hard time and had some things going on in my life, but there’s no reason it should have caused me to lose fights. I think it was more about reacting to situations and how I let them affect and distract me. I’ve learned from that since. I’ve learned how to control my mind a little better and handle things a little better.
Do you think you’re a better fighter because of that experience?
In some ways, yeah. I’ve been at the bottom. When I lost three in a row I thought I was cut for sure. I have no fear of that. I can look at it and say there’s worse things in life that could happen.
Did you ever question yourself as to whether or not you were a UFC-caliber fighter?
There were times when I said “look, if I can’t beat these fighters then I don’t deserve to be here anyways.” I knew I had it in me to beat them, but that doesn’t really matter. If you’re not winning, you’re not winning. I was just fortunate to be given a second chance and everything has worked out since.
You’ve now won six fights in a row in arguably the most talent-filled division in the UFC. What do you credit with the turnaround?
I don’t really credit one specific thing. It’s more a matter of going into the gym and working hard. I pride myself on working as hard, if not harder, than anybody else. I stay consistent and I don’t get out of shape or fat. I don’t have to cut insane amounts of weight. I watch my diet as well. I’m a believer that if you work hard enough at anything, good things will happen and that’s what has happened. I didn’t really change much of anything. I just kept working hard and kept my eyes on the road ahead.
How important do you see the mental aspect of fighting?
The mental aspect is gigantic. During training camp you’re building your physical shape for the fight. When it comes down to the fight itself, as long as you did everything physically proper, then the fight is 90 to 100 percent mental.
You keep busier than most fighters on the roster, with this being your seventh fight since February of 2012. Do you think staying busy makes you a better fighter?
If I’m not hurt and I have the ability to fight, then I want to be in there fighting. I don’t see the point in sitting around. I’m not getting any younger. I keep working hard and keep testing myself. I am in this sport to fight. I take a week or two off after every fight. That’s three vacations a year. That’s more than 99 percent of other jobs out there.
You’ve said on multiple occasions that you’re in this sport to build a legacy and be one of the best ever. Where does that drive to be successful come from?
Gosh, I don’t know where it comes from. It’s just natural for me. It’s human nature, I guess. We all want to be successful, we all want to be the best at what we do. It’s just in my blood.
You talked about getting into the sport to get away from bad habits. When did it switch from a hobby to something you wanted to be very good at?
The first day I walked in the gym I wanted to be very good at it. I don’t really do anything that I don’t want to be really good at.
Nearly all of your losses have come by submission. As a veteran of the sport, is it difficult to make the changes necessary to fill that void in your game, or is that just part of the job?
It’s not difficult. I’m constantly working on my grappling, my wrestling and my jiu-jitsu. It’s just one of those things. I don’t pick it up as quickly as I do striking and boxing. I think my jiu-jitsu is getting a lot better. I think my jiu-jitsu was good enough where I shouldn’t have been getting submitted when I was. Basically, I was doing everything I could to not end up in a grappling match and that was the reason I was getting submitted. Rather than properly trying to fight my way out or grapple with the guys, I was constantly trying to find a way not to be grappling. That wasn’t necessarily the right way to go about it.
So now you try and be ready for the fight to go anywhere.
Exactly. I try and be more open-minded in a fight and be willing to fight from all positions, rather than being stubborn and dead set on one style of fighting.
Now you’ve got the most difficult test of your career in Carlos Condit. What do you bring that he hasn’t seen before? What makes you different?
I don’t know, that’s hard to say. He’s fought a lot of really tough top guys. I don’t know if I’ll bring anything he hasn’t seen before. Just because you’ve seen it before doesn’t mean I’m not going to do it better.
What difficulties does he present?
He definitely brings a lot to the table. I think the biggest thing is his toughness and composure, whether he’s being beaten up or not. He’s never finished until he’s finished. You’re going to have to fight him from bell to bell.
I would argue the same attributes could be said about you. Do you see yourselves as similar fighters?
Yeah, I think we’re really similar. We’re similar in a lot of different ways. The only difference is that he has fought higher-level guys and succeeded where I haven’t. To me this is a big step up in my career and a chance for me to get into the upper echelon.
There’s an argument to be made that you were an underdog in your last three bouts, and you’re certainly an underdog against Carlos Condit. Do you relish in the role of underdog?
To be honest, I don’t even think about it that much. It’s irrelevant to me.
To you it’s just two guys who have skills and are competing?
Yeah, I see him as a guy across the cage from me who wants to fight. It’s irrelevant to me if other people think I’m going to lose the fight. Obviously I think I’m going to win, so what does it matter what other people think?
Once again you’ll be fighting on a FOX main card bout. Do you take that as a compliment to your exciting style?
Yeah. Dana nicknamed me “Mr. FOX”. It’s pretty flattering to me, I think it’s pretty cool.
Do you like fighting on FOX?
Yeah, but it’s pretty much all the same. Every arena, every locker room, every hotel. They’re all pretty much the same thing.
You really seem to look at this as a job and it doesn’t seem to be about the fame. Do you come from a blue-collar family?
I would actually disagree with that. I don’t actually look at this as a job. I do come from a hard working family. When I talk about it, I do say it’s my job and I take it seriously. Ultimately, it’s not really a job. I get up everyday and I do what I want to do. I do what I love to do. It’s more of a lifestyle. A job, you go to work and come home and forget what you did. I live this.
After your victory over Mike Pyle, you uncharacteristically called Georges St. Pierre out. What sparked those comments?
That’s the fight everybody wants. If I have to ask for it, I have to ask for it. I’m on a six-fight winning streak. Guys have gotten title shots for less than that. Why not ask for it?
Does a win over Carlos Condit make you the number one contender?
I think it should. He’s at number two and a win over him should put me at number two. A seven-fight win streak and beating the number two contender — I don’t know what else I’d have to do, really.
Out of curiosity, how did you score the controversial GSP vs Hendricks bout?
I watched it, but I didn’t actually score it. I don’t know who should have won on the judges’ scorecards, but at the end of the fight I had the feeling that Hendricks won that fight. Whether he won the points, I don’t know. He won the fight.
(UFC lightweight Pat Healy, daring us to make a HHNNNGGGG reference in two consecutive posts. Nice try, buddy. / Photo via Getty)
UFC on Fox 9 is shaping up to be a straight-up excellent card. The latest solid matchup was just announced as Pat Healy and Jamie Varner square up opposite one another in a lightweight contest. Both men are coming off losses but, on paper, this looks like yet another exciting and evenly-matched bout for the December 14th event in Sacramento.
Varner lost his last outing against Gleison Tibau via split decision. Before that, Varner bested Melvin Guillard and before that, he lost a thrilling bout to Joe Lauzon via submission, which won Fight of the Night honors at UFC on FOX 4. Healy recently returned after a marijuana-metabolite suspension that turned his incredible UFC-debut win over Jim Miller into a no-contest, and recently lost a decision to fellow Strikeforce vet Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 165. (Yes, I had to copy and paste Khabib’s name. No, I will never remember how to spell or pronounce it.)
Joining Healy and Varner on the December 14th UFC on Fox 9 card are new lightweight champion Anthony Pettis defending his strap against Josh Thomson, and Carlos Condit and Matt Brown trying to tear each other’s hearts out in a welterweight contender showdown. Also, Court McGee and Kelvin Gastelum do battle in one of those, TUF vs. TUF type contests. Your predictions, please.
(UFC lightweight Pat Healy, daring us to make a HHNNNGGGG reference in two consecutive posts. Nice try, buddy. / Photo via Getty)
UFC on Fox 9 is shaping up to be a straight-up excellent card. The latest solid matchup was just announced as Pat Healy and Jamie Varner square up opposite one another in a lightweight contest. Both men are coming off losses but, on paper, this looks like yet another exciting and evenly-matched bout for the December 14th event in Sacramento.
Varner lost his last outing against Gleison Tibau via split decision. Before that, Varner bested Melvin Guillard and before that, he lost a thrilling bout to Joe Lauzon via submission, which won Fight of the Night honors at UFC on FOX 4. Healy recently returned after a marijuana-metabolite suspension that turned his incredible UFC-debut win over Jim Miller into a no-contest, and recently lost a decision to fellow Strikeforce vet Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 165. (Yes, I had to copy and paste Khabib’s name. No, I will never remember how to spell or pronounce it.)
Joining Healy and Varner on the December 14th UFC on Fox 9 card are new lightweight champion Anthony Pettis defending his strap against Josh Thomson, and Carlos Condit and Matt Brown trying to tear each other’s hearts out in a welterweight contender showdown. Also, Court McGee and Kelvin Gastelum do battle in one of those, TUF vs. TUF type contests. Your predictions, please.
(If only the discs in Brown’s back could’ve been “immortal” too. / Photo via Getty)
