Chael Sonnen might very well be one of the nicest people in the sport of mixed martial arts. Wait, just hear me out before you begin foaming at the mouth and formulating a strongly worded reply in your head. Far too many people have bought into the ima…
Chael Sonnen might very well be one of the nicest people in the sport of mixed martial arts. Wait, just hear me out before you begin foaming at the mouth and formulating a strongly worded reply in your head.
Far too many people have bought into the image that Chael portrays to the media, conflating fantasy and reality. It is time to demystify the ubiquitous notion that Chael P. Sonnen and the character he plays are somehow equivalent.
As a liberal atheist who is firmly opposed to TRT, I am an unlikely member of the Chael Sonnen fan club. Despite this, I find myself compelled to defend a man who is slightly to the right of Glenn Beck.
It is a strange compulsion, no doubt. But a good man is a good man, and it is always worth clearing the name of a good man.
It is true that Chael hasn’t necessarily helped his image over the past couple of years, given his well-documented legal issues and the controversy surrounding his use of TRT. However, neither charge should necessarily be enough to write the man off as a felonious psychopath.
In reality, it seems to be well known within the industry that the self-proclaimed “Gangster from West Linn” is an absolute sweetheart when the cameras aren’t around—and even occasionally when they are around.
At the recent UFC 149 Fan Club Q&A, Michael Bisping appeared to blow Chael’s cover, telling the crowd what he really thinks of his former opponent:
Chael has a reputation, and I’m gonna ruin it right now. He’s actually one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet. He really is. When we fought in Chicago, he was a gentleman. He really was. I was a little pissed off because I wanted to really talk some trash, you know. But I couldn’t do it because he’s such a nice guy.
Coming from one of the UFC’s biggest heels, that is quite a statement. Bisping rarely minces his words, nor does he unduly heap praise on his fellow fighters.
Of course, that is just one person’s opinion. We need a little more evidence in order to prosecute this case.
Let me take you back to another Fan Club Q&A, this time at UFC 125.
A lady who was present that day decided to share a story about her grandson, who was suffering from a severe brain bleed and required surgery.
The day of the surgery, Chael called her grandson several times to check up on him. More telling still, Chael continued to call up and check on the boy in the days and weeks that followed.
There were no cameras present, no reporters and no means of relaying this deed to the masses. In fact, no one else would have known but for the lady’s decision to share this story with those in attendance.
My point? Chael did not get anything out of this, other than the satisfaction of doing something nice for a sick child.
My modest effort to tell the story probably does not do it justice. Go here to watch the emotional woman recall Chael’s gesture.
It would be fair to say that Chael has a soft spot for children, as evidenced by another story that flew under the radar.
Ty Costlow attended UFC 136 with his father and sought Chael Sonnen’s autograph. Instead of merely complying with this simple request, Chael lifted the boy over the security gate and gave him an experience to remember.
Chael invited Ty to join him in the post-fight photo sessions, took him to the locker room so that he could meet the fighters, had them sign various items for the boy and took him to Frankie Edgar’s locker room while he was warming up for his fight with Gray Maynard.
Chael then made sure that father and son got to watch the final two fights of the evening in the section that seated the various UFC fighters who were in attendance, capping off an unforgettable evening for the boy and his father.
Chael has made his share of mistakes, and many of them have been exposed for public scrutiny. However, the next time you witness an ill-informed fan attempt to denigrate Chael Sonnen’s character, assess that claim with a critical eye.
There is much more to the man than the pantomime villain that he portrays.
With Hector Lombard’s loss last Saturday night to Tim Boetsch—and don’t forget, I told you it was a possibility—the UFC’s middleweight title picture is more obscured than ever before.Going into UFC 149, it seemed a whole lot simpler than it…
With Hector Lombard’s loss last Saturday night to Tim Boetsch—and don’t forget, I told you it was a possibility—the UFC’s middleweight title picture is more obscured than ever before.
Going into UFC 149, it seemed a whole lot simpler than it does now. If Lombard had beaten Boetsch and done so impressively, he’d likely get a crack at Silva based on his impressive winning streak alone. But that winning streak is now gone, and so too is anything resembling order near the top of the division.
Dana White told the gathered media after UFC 149 that, if he had to name a contender for Silva immediately, it would likely be Chris Weidman.
In my eyes, that’s a good move. Weidman is the most deserving contender on the roster at the moment, and he should get the call if Silva is ready to return to action before the end of November.
But things get a tad bit trickier if Silva takes his customary 10 months to a year away from the cage, don’t they?
For starters, Brian Stann and Michael Bisping will hook up at UFC 152 this September in Toronto. The winner of that fight, at least for marketability purposes, has to be considered “in the mix” for a title fight. And for his part, Bisping believes he’ll earn a title shot with an impressive win:
“I’ve been told if I beat him [Stann] – and beat him well – I’ll get a title shot. But I haven’t gotten it in writing, so it probably doesn’t mean anything,”
Bisping’s right. That promise—if it ever actually happened—is pretty much worthless, even if it’s written on paper. We’ve repeatedly seen previously promised title shots evaporate faster than you can blink if they don’t fit the UFC’s plans.
But the ultimate question is this: Would Bisping even deserve a title shot with a dominant win over Stann?
I think he would. Bisping had a four-fight winning streak heading into his bout with Chael Sonnen. Dan Miller, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Jorge Rivera and Jason Miller aren’t exactly the cream of the crop—three of those four names are no longer in the division, after all—but they’re not easy outs, and Bisping was fairly dominant in all of the wins.
And then there’s the Sonnen bout. Sure, the “American Gangster” earned the unanimous decision win, but it was a lot closer than the scorecards reflected. Think back to the moment that decision was announced: If Bisping had earned the unanimous decision, would you have been all that upset? Or even surprised?
I wouldn’t have been surprised. Not in the least.
On top of that, Bisping has been in the UFC for a very long time, and aside from a few moments of hot-headed aggression—and dumb comments made during press conferences—he’s been a good company man.
He’s also a marketable star, and a potential fight with Silva would sell very well. They couldn’t do the fight in England due to the time differences between that country and North and South America, but I don’t think they have to. The fight would be marketable in any area the UFC chooses to hold it in.
In the end, Silva’s next opponent is all going to come down to the champion and when he decides to come back to the Octagon. If he’s looking to get back in the cage sooner than later, Weidman should get the opportunity.
But if he’s intent on waiting until 2013, the UFC should seriously consider giving Bisping the opportunity to earn his shot with a dominant win over Stann. He’s paid his dues.
Case in point — at UFC 152 on September 22nd in Toronto, Bisping is fighting Brian Stann in a bout that could have title implications in the middleweight division. Technically, it’s the co-main event that night, supporting the UFC’s first-ever flyweight championship fight between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson. (Whenever there’s a title match on a UFC card, it automatically gets main-event status, regardless of the relative popularity of those headliners compared to the card’s supporting players.) Anyway, here’s Bisping trying to sell his fight against Stann during an appearance on FuelTV on Saturday:
“In my opinion, and I think in most people’s, this is the main event. This is the real main event. Two big hard hitting guys. No one cares about little flyweights, this is the real main event, this is the real big fight, tune in cause someone’s getting knocked out, ain’t going to be me though.”
(“He didn’t mean it, Ian. Come on. You’re a star in my eyes, bro.” / Photo via Steve Mitchell/US PRESSWIRE)
Case in point — at UFC 152 on September 22nd in Toronto, Bisping is fighting Brian Stann in a bout that could have title implications in the middleweight division. Technically, it’s the co-main event that night, supporting the UFC’s first-ever flyweight championship fight between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson. (Whenever there’s a title match on a UFC card, it automatically gets main-event status, regardless of the relative popularity of those headliners compared to the card’s supporting players.) Anyway, here’s Bisping trying to sell his fight against Stann during an appearance on FuelTV on Saturday:
“In my opinion, and I think in most people’s, this is the main event. This is the real main event. Two big hard hitting guys. No one cares about little flyweights, this is the real main event, this is the real big fight, tune in cause someone’s getting knocked out, ain’t going to be me though.”
To say that “nobody” cares about “little” flyweights is both an exaggeration and a bit insulting. Some people do care about the 125-pound division, and having the two best flyweights in the world headline a pay-per-view is the kind of thing that UFC needs to do in order to build more interest in that weight class. (And yes Mike, you’re taller than Joseph and Demetrious; go ahead and pat yourself on the back.) Also, does Bisping really need to diminish other guys in the promotion in order to hype his own fight? I understand why he’d want to talk shit on Lombard, but publicly dissing the UFC’s newest weight division doesn’t do the company any favors from a business standpoint.
Then again…through his assholishness, Bisping manages to raise a valid point. Do all title fights deserve to get main-event status by default, when there are other fights on the card that would draw more attention? (Keep in mind that UFC 152 also features Rory MacDonald vs. BJ Penn, which is a more exciting matchup to me than Benavidez/Johnson or Bisping/Stann.)
Hardcore UFC fans will know that there are at least three interesting fights leading the UFC 152 lineup. But if you’re a casual fan and you just see “UFC 152: Benavidez vs. Johnson” on your cable listings, that probably won’t mean much to you — certainly not enough to shell out $55 on the spur of the moment. Like it or not, the main event has a significant impact on the overall interest level for a given card, and if that affects how many people turn out to see Michael Bisping fight Brian Stann, then the Count has a right to be salty about it.
What do you guys think? Does Benavidez vs. Johnson really deserve to be UFC 152′s main event? And when it comes to your interest level in MMA, how much does size matter?
Chris Weidman deserves the next shot at Anderson Silva, as Weidman is the only man currently in the division who has a legitimate chance at beating “The Spider.”What other fighters are really worthy?Should Michael Bisping get a title shot after beating…
Chris Weidman deserves the next shot at Anderson Silva, as Weidman is the only man currently in the division who has a legitimate chance at beating “The Spider.”
What other fighters are really worthy?
Should Michael Bisping get a title shot after beating Brian Stann at UFC 152? Bisping, aside from not beating anyone spectacular, is a horrible matchup for Silva and would be beaten decisively. Bisping is a striker with a questionable chin; just the type of fighter Anderson Silva eats for breakfast.
What about Brian Stann?
If Stann beats Bisping, should he get the shot? After all, he’ll be on a two-fight win streak if he beats Bisping. However, Stann, too, is at a stylistic disadvantage against Silva. Silva vs. Stann would resemble Silva vs. Leben or Silva vs. Griffin (an aggressive striker attacking Silva and then Silva moving out of the way and completely clowning them).
Alan Belcher, even though he’s been on a remarkable run, would suffer the same fate as Stann.
Vitor Belfort is still unworthy after losing to Silva in such dramatic fashion, as wins over Yoshihiro Akiyama and an overweight Anthony Johnson don’t make him worthy of a title shot.
Rashad Evans would have a chance against Silva should he choose to move down to middleweight, but giving Evans an immediate shot would hardly be fair to Weidman, who has earned his keep in the division and proven that he’s truly a force to be reckoned with.
Thus, Weidman is the only fighter at middleweight who truly deserves a chance at Anderson Silva. He has the wrestling, the submissions, the strength, the style and the tenacity to win.
Now is Weidman’s time for a title shot—not Bisping’s, not Stann’s, not Belcher’s nor anyone else’s.
According to Michael “The Count” Bisping, the UFC’s top brass have promised him a title shot if he decisively beats former U.S. Marine Brian Stann at UFC 152.”I’ve been told if I beat him [Stann] – and beat him well – I’ll get a title…
According to Michael “The Count” Bisping, the UFC’s top brass have promised him a title shot if he decisively beats former U.S. Marine Brian Stann at UFC 152.
“I’ve been told if I beat him [Stann] – and beat him well – I’ll get a title shot. But I haven’t gotten it in writing, so it probably doesn’t mean anything,” Bisping said, via ESPN.
The 33-year-old Bisping has been plying his trade in the Zuffa-based promotion for almost six years. And although he’s more or less always featured in the 185-pound top-10 rankings, he’s never had a shot at the Holy Grail.
That said, an opportunity did arise in the guise of Chael Sonnen. At UFC on FOX 2, in an eliminator bout, both combatants contested the right to face off against the division’s perennial titlist, Anderson Silva. It was not to be, as Bisping, to his chagrin, came up short.
Nevertheless, some observers watching the match believed he should’ve taken home the unanimous decision.
For Bisping, that’s as good as it has gotten.
Hector Lombard is scheduled to lock horns with Tim Boetsch at UFC 149. If he wins impressively, it’s more than likely he’ll get the next shot at the middleweight championship.
When the aforementioned situation was posed to Bisping, he wasn’t impressed in the least, citing Lombard’s shortcomings:
People are saying he’s going to be next for Anderson Silva? Come on. There’s just no way he can fight Anderson Silva, because Silva’s game is to use range. I think it will be a terrible match-up for Hector Lombard. He’ll never get near him.
With regards to a potential title tilt, Bisping (22-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) is of the impression that he can make things extremely difficult for “The Spider”:
Every time I watch him fight, I think he always looks mortal if you will. He always looks beatable. That’s the good thing about a champion: they find a way to win. Regardless of how bad the fight goes, how it ends is the important thing. Anderson always comes out the winner. My hat is off to him, but I see holes in his game.
Although, if he should get past Stann and the title shot he alluded to is endorsed by the UFC, Bisping believes the fight won’t be staged in his native England.
“It would be my dream to fight in England,” he said, “but we don’t have the pay-per-view culture in England. It’s as simple as that.”
(Photographer unknown. Level of badassery incalculable.)
For this installment of the CagePotato Roundtable, we invited a few of our photographer buddies over to discuss our all-time favorite MMA photos. Judging by our selections, shots of agony and defeat have a special attraction to them. I think it’s because they allow us to get close to an incredibly intense, transcendent moment, without having to experience the pain of it. And isn’t that why we love MMA in the first place? Our special guests for today are…
Disclaimer: There’s a short list of MMA photographers who have asked us to stop posting their work on this site due to copyright issues, and a couple of contributors to this week’s column happened to select photos taken by those photographers. We’ve used stand-ins in those cases, with links to the actual photos. Also, we don’t know why BJ Penn is so heavily represented in this column. The guy always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Lee Whitehead
(Click image for larger version.)
I have many favorite photos from all the years shooting MMA but this one has to rank amongst the very top purely because of all the flack and accusations of photoshop manipulation with the blood spurt; professionals can spot a ringer, and this ain’t one. The disappointing thing is that all negative comments detract from our main strength as MMA photographers — to understand the sport, spot smaller nuances, read the timing, and capture a key defining moment in a fight. To me, this brief slice of time from UFC 80 serves as the perfect reminder of how dominant BJ Penn was in his prime.
(Photographer unknown. Level of badassery incalculable.)
For this installment of the CagePotato Roundtable, we invited a few of our photographer buddies over to discuss our all-time favorite MMA photos. Judging by our selections, shots of agony and defeat have a special attraction to them. I think it’s because they allow us to get close to an incredibly intense, transcendent moment, without having to experience the pain of it. And isn’t that why we love MMA in the first place? Our special guests for today are…
Disclaimer: There’s a short list of MMA photographers who have asked us to stop posting their work on this site due to copyright issues, and a couple of contributors to this week’s column happened to select photos taken by those photographers. We’ve used stand-ins in those cases, with links to the actual photos. Also, we don’t know why BJ Penn is so heavily represented in this column. The guy always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Lee Whitehead
(Click image for larger version.)
I have many favorite photos from all the years shooting MMA but this one has to rank amongst the very top purely because of all the flack and accusations of photoshop manipulation with the blood spurt; professionals can spot a ringer, and this ain’t one. The disappointing thing is that all negative comments detract from our main strength as MMA photographers — to understand the sport, spot smaller nuances, read the timing, and capture a key defining moment in a fight. To me, this brief slice of time from UFC 80 serves as the perfect reminder of how dominant BJ Penn was in his prime.
Megumi Fujii entered her Bellator 34 fight against Zoila Gurgel with an undefeated record of 22 consecutive wins. This bout was a war; both fighter threw bombs at each other all night. In the end, Gurgel had her hand raised in a very controversial victory. I was lucky to have a position next to the gate, and After Fujii exited the cage, I was able to get this shot. It was one of the few shots I question myself about taking. Was I being voyeuristic in a moment of deep despair? Should I have allowed this person a private moment to feel their pain? I was very empathic to her feelings. By my account she had won that fight.
Although I wouldn’t really dub this my “favorite” MMA photo of all time, being that Chuck Liddell was and always will be one of the guys I would willingly storm the gates of Hell with, it’s easily the most iconic, and the first that came to my mind when this Roundtable topic was dropped in my lap. Let’s face it, before some guy called Anderson Silva arrived and decimated every UFC record known to man, Chuck Liddell was the scariest dude on the planet — the Governor to our Woodbury, if you will. Not only was “The Iceman” a champion, he abided by the Kenny Florian maxim of fight-finishing while Ken-Flo was still popping zits on his face and jacking off to the lingerie section of the Sears catalog.
The point is, Liddell was untouchable. And when the only man to actually defeat him (a fact that most fans weren’t even aware of at the time) without receiving a proper revenge beatdown in return (*cough* Randy Couture, Jeremy Horn *cough*) entered the UFC and managed to do so a second time at UFC 71, it was like watching a public execution of a beloved children’s cartoon. The Iceman era was over, never to return, and this photo captured that sickening realization all too well. As Big John huddles over a semi-conscious Liddell, it almost appears as if the fallen champ is still trying to grasp at, or is perhaps reflecting on, the fleeting remnants of his empire as they disintegrate around him. It’s a heartbreaking, yet beautifully composed and symmetrical shot, and portrays the conflicting mix of emotions present when the metaphorical torch is passed better than any other MMA photo I’ve ever come across.
*pours out a drink for the Iceman and cries into Kimiko-tan*
For years, we’ve watched what many consider modern-day Gladiators battle it out for honor, glory, and cold hard cash. And in the countless fights we’ve been witness to, only a select few, by comparison, have been etched in our minds and the history books forevermore. From the joy of winning to the agony of defeat. From snapped limbs and KO faces to fighters nearly falling out of the ring. At the end of the night when the blood has dried and the swelling has subsided, these warriors remain mortal men like the rest of us, men with families whom they love and cherish. No more emotionally charged (and controversial) photo in the MMA community exists than the one of Mark Coleman with his young daughters after losing to Fedor Emelianenko at Pride 32.
The above photo is my favorite in MMA because of what I remember when I look upon it. First you have Mark Coleman, a dad, enjoying his most precious “prize” — his daughters. Despite him losing and his deformed face at the time, Coleman got on the mic, called out for his daughters, and got down on their level to explain that he was okay. To hear “The Hammer” tell it, as soon as he saw his daughters he immediately had to turn into a father. Then you have his girls, whose love and concern for their father is far greater than any world championship or over-sized check. The father-daughter relationship is more important than trophies or medals, and he knew it. Knowing his kids just watched him get beat up, he made a bold (and great) decision to make sure he could console them as soon as he could. Good job, dad. How can you not be moved when looking at this picture? Sure, he collected a paycheck for the brutality he suffered in the ring, but he did it for us.
You sign a contract to fight a certain opponent on a certain night. Either you think you’re better than the other guy, or you think you can figure out a way to win. You train as hard as you can. You craft a game-plan. When the time comes, you do your absolute best. And in an instant, you realize that it wasn’t enough. Your confidence was a lie. None of it mattered.
Anybody can get caught with a punch they didn’t see coming, or snatched up in a submission hold because they left their arm out for a split-second too long. You can excuse those losses in your mind. “He was the better man that night,” etc. But to be dominated from bell to bell for 15 minutes, or 20 minutes, or 25 minutes — that’s tough. At a certain point you realize that the miraculous comeback isn’t going to happen. Plan A didn’t work, and Plan B didn’t work, and you never really came up with a Plan C. Your opponent is hurting you in ways that you simply don’t know how to defend, and he’s getting stronger as you get weaker. You’re losing. You’ve lost.
They say the eyes are the windows the the soul, right? I look at Sam Morris’s photo of BJ Penn being dominated by Georges St. Pierre, and I can’t find it. The spirit has left the body, and the body is just waiting for it to be over. Penn is one of those fighters — like Tito Ortiz, like Quinton Jackson — who used to be the best in the world, and has managed to convince himself that on some level, he’ll always be the best in the world, or at least capable of greatness on any given night. And I wonder what Penn was telling himself the moment this photo was taken at UFC 94, when reality was smashing him in the face.
Jason Wright
One of the most memorable MMA photos for me is this photo of Rashad Evans after he was KO’ed by Lyoto Machida at UFC 98 (I can’t find a version with the proper photo credits). There’s so much to like here. The swollen, bloody lips, the unevenly rolled down eyes — you can tell that no one is home. He looks more alien than human. Let’s face it, unless your name is Rashad Evans, your first reaction to the photo is probably one of laughter. And if you are not a fan of Evans, you may keep on laughing for a few. I still grin every time I look at his photo, and for me that is a key factor to a great photograph — it stirs emotion.
It’s a glimpse at what was once the inexorable consequence of attempting to dethrone the MMA world’s unstoppable force — Arlovksi’s chin was clearly not the immovable object. The Pitbull lies prone, eyes open but unseeing, not so much a vanquished victim as an obstacle that happened to be in the way of something that refused to divert course. Fedor casually walks away, seemingly indifferent to the fact that he has just knocked out yet another challenger and retained his place among the sport’s elite in front of a sold-out arena of screaming fans.
Along with his almost decade-long reign atop the heavyweight division, the perception of Fedor as a cool, emotionless enigma, contributed to his mythic status among MMA fans. he was the MMA equivalent of Anton Chigurh. Until, of course, he wasn’t anymore. This Sherdog photograph manages to capture not only that sense of invincibility and mystique Fedor possessed, but the inevitable outcome that accompanied his fights at the time. It didn’t merely capture the qualities of the fighter himself but also an era of the heavyweight division — and MMA in general — which that fighter managed to define.
Aaron Mandel
Francis Specker‘s photo of the H-Bomb being deployed on Michael Bisping is my favorite MMA photograph of all time. This bout went down at UFC 100 — arguably the biggest card in terms of hype and talent the promotion had ever put on — and it was the culmination of the “Ultimate Fighter: US vs. UK” season where Bisping came across to most viewers as a complete and total douchebag. When Hendo knocked him out standing up and then lined up the totally unnecessary, yet somehow totally awesome follow up shot that this photo captures, many fans went wild.
This photo also marks the moment when Dan Henderson, who has a title shot coming up next month, got his mojo back. When Henderson came over from Pride in 2007 and lost two title shots at both middleweight and light-heavyweight, his career momentum was seriously derailed. His next two fights were rather unexciting decision wins, and going into the Bisping fight, people were losing interest in this seemingly aging veteran. With his destruction of Bisping, Henderson put himself back on the map, and while he left the UFC over a contract dispute then lost a disappointing fight to Jake Shields, Henderson’s next three fights were violent finishes and his return to the UFC was one of the greatest wars ever seen.
If you have a topic idea for a future Roundtable column, please send it to [email protected].
Chael Sonnen might very well be one of the nicest people in the sport of mixed martial arts. Wait, just hear me out before you begin foaming at the mouth and formulating a strongly worded reply in your head.
