(“I hope to in the future and nowadays come off as the best type of role model I can be. You know, even though I’m missing a Wednesday on a big event like this, you know, kids, remember to brush your teeth.” — actual quote from Nick Diaz.)
Whether you’re a fan of his or not, it’s hard to deny that Nick Diaz is one of the most intriguing/confounding figures in our sport. In a sea of wolf ticket-slinging jabronis, he’s the anti-bullshit superhero that MMA wants, and dare I say it, needs. And my God is the man quotable to no end, whether intentionally or otherwise.
Having now watched his UFC 183 media scrum three times in a row, I can only compare the experience to that of a David Lynch movie — it’s long, rambling, ambiguous bordering on incomprehensible, and by the time it’s over, I’m both completely unsure of what I saw and ready to watch it again. Such is Stockton’s finest. Conor McGregor may be able to capture our attention with his arrogant, self-inflating and occasionally witty takedowns of every fighter in his division, but Diaz’s ability to captivate an audience by saying absolutely nothing while using as many half-uttered words as possible is second to none.
Check out Diaz’s full UFC 183 media scrum after the jump to see what we mean.
(“I hope to in the future and nowadays come off as the best type of role model I can be. You know, even though I’m missing a Wednesday on a big event like this, you know, kids, remember to brush your teeth.” — actual quote from Nick Diaz.)
Whether you’re a fan of his or not, it’s hard to deny that Nick Diaz is one of the most intriguing/confounding figures in our sport. In a sea of wolf ticket-slinging jabronis, he’s the anti-bullshit superhero that MMA wants, and dare I say it, needs. And my God is the man quotable to no end, whether intentionally or otherwise.
Having now watched his UFC 183 media scrum three times in a row, I can only compare the experience to that of a David Lynch movie — it’s long, rambling, ambiguous bordering on incomprehensible, and by the time it’s over, I’m both completely unsure of what I saw and ready to watch it again. Such is Stockton’s finest. Conor McGregor may be able to capture our attention with his arrogant, self-inflating and occasionally witty takedowns of every fighter in his division, but Diaz’s ability to captivate an audience by saying absolutely nothing while using as many half-uttered words as possible is second to none.
Check out Diaz’s full UFC 183 media scrum after the jump to see what we mean.
Random Thought: How hilarious would it be if the UFC started employing a translator for all of Nick’s various media appearances?
Diaz: “It’s like, you know, motherfuckers need to take notice, you know? You never know what’s going to happen. I don’t know, I don’t mean to sound like … this is … you know … people need to grow up and be mature enough to handle this shit.”
“Mr. Diaz feels that his employers undervalue him as a commodity and asset to the continued growth of the UFC brand. The security of his financial future remains uncertain at the time being, and he hopes to peacefully resolve this with his employers in as timely a fashion as possible. He thanks you all for your time and wishes you a good day.”
You’ve probably heard by now of the near meltdown Dana White suffered while hosting a media luncheon the other day. In case you didn’t, MMAWeekly’s Erik Fontanez was on hand and live-tweeted the entire thing. Although we are still waiting on the full audio of the luncheon, a brief video has recently surfaced showing one of White’s more heated moments.
What started off as a typical scrum of sorts with select members of the MMA media quickly turned into an f-bomb filled back-and-forth between White and a reporter (later identified as TJ Simers of the OC Register) who called bullshit on The Baldfather’s claims that the UFC would be bigger than the NFL and was already bigger than the NBA. The Rock could not be reached for comment but offered this rebuttal.
From there it was all downhill. However, White was able to restrain from his usual mix of faux-threats and strawmen arguments for the most part, especially when the topic of boxing — more specifically, White’s new boxing-centric reality show, The Fighters — came up.
Apparently not a fan of boxing, MMA, or the concept of someone punching someone else in general, Simers relentlessly needled White over key issues both sports are currently facing. Issues like “Would you let your kid be a boxer?” and “Fighting is not in our DNA.”
Eesh. You *sure* you don’t have anything to add, The Rock?
Check out the video above, then sound off in the comments section.
You’ve probably heard by now of the near meltdown Dana White suffered while hosting a media luncheon the other day. In case you didn’t, MMAWeekly’s Erik Fontanez was on hand and live-tweeted the entire thing. Although we are still waiting on the full audio of the luncheon, a brief video has recently surfaced showing one of White’s more heated moments.
What started off as a typical scrum of sorts with select members of the MMA media quickly turned into an f-bomb filled back-and-forth between White and a reporter (later identified as TJ Simers of the OC Register) who called bullshit on The Baldfather’s claims that the UFC would be bigger than the NFL and was already bigger than the NBA. The Rock could not be reached for comment but offered this rebuttal.
From there it was all downhill. However, White was able to restrain from his usual mix of faux-threats and strawmen arguments for the most part, especially when the topic of boxing — more specifically, White’s new boxing-centric reality show, The Fighters – came up.
Apparently not a fan of boxing, MMA, or the concept of someone punching someone else in general, Simers relentlessly needled White over key issues both sports are currently facing. Issues like “Would you let your kid be a boxer?” and “Fighting is not in our DNA.”
Eesh. You *sure* you don’t have anything to add, The Rock?
Check out the video above, then sound off in the comments section.
If Barao goes out and stops Faber, he’s probably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Well that was fast.
Barao, who is currently ranked #6 pound-for-pound on the UFC’s much-maligned rankings system, will catapult himself past the likes of Chris Weidman, Jon Jones, and Cain Velasquez should he defeat a guy he’s already beaten before. In what will officially be considered his first title win at 135 lbs. That’s the takeaway here.
(White, seen here wearing the pound-for-pound best t-shirt from the pound-for-pound best Rocky film of all time. Pound-for-pound.)
If Barao goes out and stops Faber, he’s probably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Well that was fast.
Barao, who is currently ranked #6 pound-for-pound on the UFC’s much-maligned rankings system, will catapult himself past the likes of Chris Weidman, Jon Jones, and Cain Velasquez should he defeat a guy he’s already beaten before. In what will officially be considered his first title win at 135 lbs. That’s the takeaway here.
Look, I’m not going to get upset here, because it’s just one man’s opinion, and White has every right to say it. You could make the case for Barao as the top pound-for-pound fighter given his near ten-year unbeaten streak, I guess, but there’s also this guy named Jon Jones who has actually defended his belt some 6 times (see also: Silva, A. and St. Pierre, G.). Call me crazy, but me thinks this is a classic case of White attempting to oversell a fight that didn’t have that much hype surrounding it the first time around. Which again, swing away, Merrill.
Honestly, this is why pound-for-pound discussions are among the worst things about being an MMA fan. For starters, we all know that that title belongs to Fedor Emelianenko (*dodges brick*), and secondly, the P4P ranking system is one based on hypotheticals, therefore making it little more than a useless marketing tool. Is Barao a better fighter than Weidman, or Jones for that matter? Who the hell knows. They’re never going to face off in the cage and settle it, that’s for sure, so discussing pound-for-pound rankings is ultimately as pointless as debating who would win a fight between Batman and Superman…
You gotta love us MMA media types. All we need is a snippet of not news to throw our spin on and suddenly, the internet is afire with ridiculous rumors based on the smallest semblance of evidence. Take the current “reports” of a potential Brock Lesnar return to the UFC. When asked about the possibility of seeing Lesnar (who will be in attendance at UFC 168) making a triumphant octagon return at the UFC 168 scrum, here was DW’s *verbatim* response:
I honestly don’t know. Honestly. I don’t know.
That’s it. Yet what headline is dominating every MMA website out there? Oh, something along the lines of “Is Brock Lesnar returning to the UFC?”, citing the exact quote I just provided you with. Well allow me to answer the question on (apparently) everyone’s mind for you: No, dumb-dumb, Brock Lesnar is NOT coming back to the UFC. Here’s why:
(HELL YES I’D LIKE SECONDS. Photo via Getty.)
You gotta love us MMA media types. All we need is a snippet of not news to throw our spin on and suddenly, the internet is afire with ridiculous rumors based on the smallest semblance of evidence. Take the current “reports” of a potential Brock Lesnar return to the UFC. When asked about the possibility of seeing Lesnar (who will be in attendance at UFC 168) making a triumphant octagon return at the UFC 168 scrum, here was DW’s *verbatim* response:
I honestly don’t know. Honestly. I don’t know.
That’s it. Yet what headline is dominating every MMA website out there? Oh, something along the lines of “Is Brock Lesnar returning to the UFC?”, citing the exact quote I just provided you with. Well allow me to answer the question on (apparently) everyone’s mind for you: No, dumb-dumb, Brock Lesnar is NOT coming back to the UFC. Here’s why:
While it’s a given that “honestly” is a somewhat skewed term in the mind of Dana White (often out of necessity), you’d have to be a fool to buy into these rumors. If you recall, Lesnar retired after getting beat down by Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 at the end of 2011. Why exactly? Because, as Lesnar stated, “[Overeem] was just that much better than me.” It should be noted that Overeem has not scored a UFC win since. Lesnar entered the UFC’s heavyweight division at a time when a natural light heavyweight (and current movie star) was champion, and nowadays, the skill level of the division is arguably the highest it has ever been. Which makes it all the more impressive that Cain Velasquez, the man who humiliated Lesnar in their previous title fight at UFC 121, is still dominating the division he would be attempting to reclaim.
But maybe Lesnar isn’t coming back for a title run. Maybe he just wants a one-off fight/cash grab to fill the void left behind by Georges St. Pierre. No, just no. You see, Lesnar is in this place in his career where his popularity actually serves as a detriment when compared to his skill level. He’s a high-profile fighter who can’t hang with high-level fighters. Could you honestly see the 36 year-old Lesnar standing a chance against the likes of Junior Dos Santos or Josh Barnett? And if not them, then who? Brendan Schaub? Pat Barry? His old pal Roy Nelson? Lesnar is a marquee kind of fighter based on his name alone, but there’s simply no fighter in the UFC’s heavyweight division that it would make any sense to match him up with. Unless you want to see him fight Frank Mir again, which, come on.
Further quelling these rumors is the fact that, in his post-fight speech at UFC 141, Lesnar also mentioned his continuing struggles with diverticulitis as a reason for his retirement, This is perhaps the most telling statement of them all. Simply put, there is no way in hell that Lesnar is going to risk his health again to make less money than he is currently making in the WWE.
OK, so we have an incredibly vague response from DW at a media scrum, the fact that Lesnar is not up to par with the current heavyweight division, and some diverticulitis thrown in for good measure. I’m going to go as far as to say that if Lesnar returns to the UFC, I will down a bottle of ipecac, as is tradition.
(White, seen here liking the idea of that thing we just told you about.)
Ahh, the Dana White post-fight media scrum, where fighters big and small are heralded for their gutsy performances inside the octagon or (rightfully) raked over the coals for the game of pattycake they played earlier in the evening. Tis truly the UFC’s answer to a “performance review.” Indeed. And for the reporters brave enough to withstand this gauntlet of guffaws, this marathon of misinformation? Surely the treasure that is insider info lies in store.
Take this potential nugget of knowledge, for instance, which was dropped by DW during the aforementioned Fight Night 26 media scrum over the weekend. When Matt Brown defeated Mike Pyle by murder as I predicted he would, “the media” jumped on the idea of a potential slugfest between Brown and Robbie Lawler next. Palms got sweaty, pants got tighter — you know the deal. His Whiteness was quick to shoot the matchup down, however, commenting that “he liked” the idea of Lawler instead facing perennial contender and collector of human flesh masks Rory MacDonald next, although he had no location or date for the potential fight in mind.
Lawler is coming off back-to-back KO’s of Josh Koscheck and Bobby Voelker, whereas MacDonald was last seen eeking out a unanimous decision in a snoozer over Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FOX 8, his fifth straight in the UFC. Do you like this fight, Potato Nation, or will MacDonald’s wrestling pedigree spell the end to Lawler’s dynamite second run in the UFC?
(White, seen here liking the idea of that thing we just told you about.)
Ahh, the Dana White post-fight media scrum, where fighters big and small are heralded for their gutsy performances inside the octagon or (rightfully) raked over the coals for the game of pattycake they played earlier in the evening. Tis truly the UFC’s answer to a “performance review.” Indeed. And for the reporters brave enough to withstand this gauntlet of guffaws, this marathon of misinformation? Surely the treasure that is insider info lies in store.
Take this potential nugget of knowledge, for instance, which was dropped by DW during the aforementioned Fight Night 26 media scrum over the weekend. When Matt Brown defeated Mike Pyle by murder as I predicted he would, “the media” jumped on the idea of a potential slugfest between Brown and Robbie Lawler next. Palms got sweaty, pants got tighter — you know the deal. His Whiteness was quick to shoot the matchup down, however, commenting that “he liked” the idea of Lawler instead facing perennial contender and collector of human flesh masks Rory MacDonald next, although he had no location or date for the potential fight in mind.
Lawler is coming off back-to-back KO’s of Josh Koscheck and Bobby Voelker, whereas MacDonald was last seen eeking out a unanimous decision in a snoozer over Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FOX 8, his fifth straight in the UFC. Do you like this fight, Potato Nation, or will MacDonald’s wrestling pedigree spell the end to Lawler’s dynamite second run in the UFC?
(Shogun vs. Sonnen/Dana White media scrum video, via KarynBryant.)
Uriah Hall isn’t the first TUF finalist to terrify his housemates and then fall apart as soon as a paying crowd is watching him. Remember when Vinny Magalhaes was (allegedly) the second coming of Royce Gracie? Or when TUF 8‘s lightweight finalist Phillipe Nover was supposed to be the next Anderson Silva? And when was the last time you heard the name “Tommy Speer“?
After two official fights in the Octagon, it’s looking like Hall may join the ranks of TUF‘s all-time greatest flashes-in-the-pan. Just ask UFC president Dana White, who verbally buried Hall following his decision loss to John Howard at UFC Fight Night 26, saying that Hall simply doesn’t have the mentality to be a fighter:
“I love Uriah Hall. I have a great relationship with this kid. He’s one of the nicest human beings you can ever meet. He’s not a fighter, man…If I could take Brad Pickett‘s brain and heart and put it inside Uriah Hall’s body, holy shit there’d be some damage done. Because Uriah Hall has all the physical attributes to be amazing. He’s got speed, he’s got power…he’s just unbelievable. He doesn’t have what it mentally takes to fight here. You know what I mean?
“That was the high-five competition. Listen, you’re a nice guy, I get it. We’re not here to fuckin’ high five, we’re not here to shake hands. You can do all that shit when the fight’s over. You’re here to fight.”
White wasn’t prepared to make any decisions about Hall’s future so soon after the fight, but later on during the media scrum, he dumped more hate on the affectionate nature of Howard vs. Hall (skip to the 6:50 mark of the vid):
(Shogun vs. Sonnen/Dana White media scrum video, via KarynBryant.)
Uriah Hall isn’t the first TUF finalist to terrify his housemates and then fall apart as soon as a paying crowd is watching him. Remember when Vinny Magalhaes was (allegedly) the second coming of Royce Gracie? Or when TUF 8‘s lightweight finalist Phillipe Nover was supposed to be the next Anderson Silva? And when was the last time you heard the name “Tommy Speer“?
After two official fights in the Octagon, it’s looking like Hall may join the ranks of TUF‘s all-time greatest flashes-in-the-pan. Just ask UFC president Dana White, who verbally buried Hall following his decision loss to John Howard at UFC Fight Night 26, saying that Hall simply doesn’t have the mentality to be a fighter:
“I love Uriah Hall. I have a great relationship with this kid. He’s one of the nicest human beings you can ever meet. He’s not a fighter, man…If I could take Brad Pickett‘s brain and heart and put it inside Uriah Hall’s body, holy shit there’d be some damage done. Because Uriah Hall has all the physical attributes to be amazing. He’s got speed, he’s got power…he’s just unbelievable. He doesn’t have what it mentally takes to fight here. You know what I mean?
“That was the high-five competition. Listen, you’re a nice guy, I get it. We’re not here to fuckin’ high five, we’re not here to shake hands. You can do all that shit when the fight’s over. You’re here to fight.”
White wasn’t prepared to make any decisions about Hall’s future so soon after the fight, but later on during the media scrum, he dumped more hate on the affectionate nature of Howard vs. Hall (skip to the 6:50 mark of the vid):
“[Howard] usually doesn’t fight that way. That’s not how he fights. It’s like, Uriah’s so nice, that he makes the other guy really nice. ‘This is a really nice guy, I really get the feeling that this guy doesn’t want to punch me in the face or do me any harm. I’ll high-five him. We’re both getting paid tonight, let’s just high five for three rounds if that’s what we’re gonna do.’ You know what I mean? You’ve seen that before, you’ve seen when guys get into that whole high-fiving thing and they kinda get…you’re in a fight. You’re here to use your martial arts to win this competition and move forward. You’re not here to high five and hug.
“That’s great, one of the things I love about this sport is the sportsmanship that is displayed sometimes before, during, and after a fight. But it gets to a point where it gets ridiculous. And that’s not what people are sitting home to watch, that’s not what people paid to come into this building to watch, two guys hug and high five for fifteen minutes.
“It’s a mental thing. He was this killer on TUF, and then he comes into the big show where it really matters and this is going to make your livelihood and everything else, and he turns into this different person — this super nice guy. He was telling me after the Kelvin [Gastelum] fight, he’s like, ‘You know, I just really like him, he’s a really nice guy.’ OK, well that really nice guy just took every fucking thing you ever wanted. Do you understand what I’m saying to you? Do you get that? Does that make sense to you? And I guess it doesn’t make sense to him.”
We didn’t appreciate all the lovey-doveyness during Howard/Hall either, but you have to admit — the match contained more “Oh shit, what if that landed??” moments than any other fight in UFC history. So what do you think of Dana’s assessment? Does Uriah Hall run into a mental block when the pressure’s on? Does he lack a true killer instinct? Or do his tricks simply not work against higher-level opponents?
