The name “Chael Sonnen” has become one of the most dubious in all of mixed martial arts. The former NCAA Division I All-American is one of the most hated men in MMA today.It is easy—and perhaps justified—to immediately dismiss Sonnen as a c…
The name “Chael Sonnen” has become one of the most dubious in all of mixed martial arts. The former NCAA Division I All-American is one of the most hated men in MMA today.
It is easy—and perhaps justified—to immediately dismiss Sonnen as a cheater and a criminal since, after all, he did get busted for highly elevated levels of testosterone and for money laundering.
Nevertheless, Sonnen has been in the sport—as well as under the Zuffa banner—for quite some time. He was even 1:50 away from being the UFC middleweight champion!
So, when it is all said and done, were the actions taken by Chael Sonnen in the UFC ultimately positive or negative in the long term? Read and find out.
UFC Hall Of Famer Mark Coleman is well aware of his capabilities at 46 years old and has strongly considered retirement.However, there is one bout Coleman would be willing to compete in before he calls it a career. “An opportunity to fight He…
UFC Hall Of Famer Mark Coleman is well aware of his capabilities at 46 years old and has strongly considered retirement.
However, there is one bout Coleman would be willing to compete in before he calls it a career.
“An opportunity to fight Herschel Walker would be something that I would drop everything [for] and try to train and prepare for him,” Coleman recently told MMAJunkie.com.
A bout against an opponent who is around the same age as Coleman wouldn’t exactly excite fans to watch or pay the price of admission to see. Fans saw Coleman already get battered and beaten up by another middle-aged veteran in Randy Couture at UFC 109, and Coleman said he hasn’t felt the desire to train and prepare since then.
However a bout with the former NFL star would motivate Coleman to get back in the gym and train accordingly, at this point it is only a rumour, and “The Hammer” tries not to think too much about it.
Coleman has been comfortable with his post-fight career, as he recently took a position at Ultimate Brand Management. The licensing company, which owns multiple MMA-related companies, allows Coleman to travel and make appearances and sign autographs.
It is not a role most fans would imagine Coleman in, but it helps him remain financially comfortable and provides him with a different outlook on life, which he said he envisioned completely different.
“You think you can fight forever. I thought I could fight forever. And really, it comes to an end quick,” he said.
And although he can’t claim any insurance from the new accident-insurance policy the UFC recently announced, Coleman is fortunate enough to afford his own health insurance and he believes it will benefit fighters competing in the organization.
“Guys that can afford it are lucky. But a lot of guys can’t afford it. It’s not a regular job here. This is ultimate fighting. You’re doing multiple high-risk training sessions, and the potential for injury is there. As a former fighter, I think it’s great,” he said.
Nothing new here, really. As they say, to each his own.To quote my first MMA article published online, “(M)ixed martial arts is not everyone’s cup of tea—served in hot water flavored by the spectacle of two athletes engaged in hand-to-hand combat…
Nothing new here, really. As they say, to each his own.
To quote my first MMA article published online, “(M)ixed martial arts is not everyone’s cup of tea—served in hot water flavored by the spectacle of two athletes engaged in hand-to-hand combat, each trying to dispose of the other using a variety of grappling and striking techniques. Physical pain is its main infusion, and blood and bruises are natural extractions.
“It is violence against a fellowman or woman but of an amoral kind, a contest between two consenting adults bound by legal contract to beat each other to submission. It is hyped as ‘the world’s fastest growing sport,’ its fan base growing exponentially since the first UFC event was televised in 1993, proof that it is now the entertainment of choice of millions of mostly adult males across the globe.” (Why do MMA fighters enter their profession? June 16, 2010)
Still, even among combat athletes from the other and more “specialized” sports, e.g. boxing, wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, there are those who do not necessarily take to MMA like fish to water. (Though, I assume most of them are happy watching, anyway.)
This leaves many to ponder on “what-if-this-and-that-great-athlete-trains-and-fights-in-MMA?”
We may have prospective Olympic medalists and top amateur athletes in mind who could give UFC titlists a run for their money, and belts, in the future.
But that’s if and only if they start to train, then fight and eventually register a distinguished winning record in professional MMA.
In case we wonder why there seems to be a dearth of top wrestlers from Russia—the world’s strongest wrestling country—transitioning to MMA, maybe we can find the answer from its most famous wrestler.
Alexander “The Experiment” Karelin, the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler ever, when asked about his past foray into MMA (some say it was a “worked” professional wrestling bout) against Akira Maeda, answered rather tangentially, “The top priority of any athlete is to win the Olympic gold medal.”
It could stem from a belief and fidelity to a different value system, like believing more in the Olympic movement and its ideals than in professional, and highly commercialized, sports.
In the same way that legendary Cuban amateur boxer and three-time Olympic gold medalist Teofilo Stevenson refused to turn pro and fight Muhammad Ali in the 1970s, saying,”What is one million dollars compared to the love of eight million Cubans?”
And that becoming a professional athlete is tantamount to betraying the Cuban revolution and socialism. (I won’t comment on that.)
Also, one plausible reason is that, in some countries, government support for elite amateur athletes could be more than enough to financially sustain them and their families.
Thus, the lure of venturing into another sport like MMA—amateur or professional—is not so appealing.
To some, it’s the “comparative safety” issue.
World-renowned Brazilian Jiujitsu Master Jean Jacques Machado would rather compete in BJJ than MMA because he finds the latter too brutal and damaging to the human body. He even cited the wear and tear suffered by Rickson Gracie from fighting in the sport.
Thousands of years ago, a wrestler (some say “champion”) of the Isthmian Games during the Ancient Greek Olympics commented that pankration, MMA’s predecessor, was ”devoid of aesthetics.”
And he is, “incidentally,” Plato, the great philosopher.
De gustibus non est disputandum. In English: “In matters of taste there is no dispute.”
So some love and fight in MMA, and some don’t and won’t.
Well, that’s just the way it is.
I think we have Manny Pacquiao’s future MMA equivalent lurking here somewhere…for those interested in Philippine MMA, check out here the official website of our country’s premier MMA organization, the Universal Reality Combat Championship and our top MMA online forum at PinoyMMA.com.
After earning a win over Gerald Harris in his debut at UFC 123, one would guess that Chute Boxe standout Maiquel Falcao would be on the rise in the UFC light heavyweight division, but it wasn’t meant to be. After being scheduled to appear at …
After earning a win over Gerald Harris in his debut at UFC 123, one would guess that Chute Boxe standout Maiquel Falcao would be on the rise in the UFC light heavyweight division, but it wasn’t meant to be.
After being scheduled to appear at UFC Rio this summer, Falcao heard the news that not only had he lost his spot on the card, but consequently he lost his job, too. Upon hearing the news from his trainer, Marcelo Brigadeiro, the Brazilian said he was determined to return to the organization.
“I know they all liked me and they could tell I can fight anyone in my weight class. I don’t have any doubts that I’ll be back in UFC soon,” Falcao said to TATAME.com.
An impressive, but controversial win for Falcao left a bad taste in UFC president Dana White‘s mouth. White was disinterested due to the lack of action that was put forth, particularly from Harris. The bout ultimately cost Harris his job.
But despite picking up the victory, Falcao’s past was brought up after learning of a lawsuit stemming from 2002 that saw Falcao get involved in an altercation at a nightclub in his hometown. The legal issues were enough to abruptly dismiss the Brazilian of his duties, which he said he was surprised upon hearing.
But Falcao said he can’t do anything but accept the company’s decision.
“How can I be against the decision of the greatest event on earth and the most successful sportive organization in the world?” he said.
“It’s up to me to deal with it and work so that I come back and become a UFC champion.”
Falcao said he was undecided on whether to still attend UFC Rio this summer, but for now, he intends to continue training and remain active.
“My plans are to keep training and winning,” Falcao said regarding his future.
“My role is to be prepared to win and when he tell me what my next step is, I’ll be there to do my job.”
It’s rare to find a fighter with the talent, personality and charisma of former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Over the years, Jackson has entertained fans with memorable interviews and highlight-worthy finishes. Unfortunatel…
It’s rare to find a fighter with the talent, personality and charisma of former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Over the years, Jackson has entertained fans with memorable interviews and highlight-worthy finishes.
Unfortunately, critics love to linger on the dark parts of his career, but the darkness can’t overtake the light in such a radiant career like Jackson’s.
If he truly decides to hang up his gloves at age 35, Jackson will go down as one of MMA‘s all-time greats.
Thankfully, Jackson is only 32 years of age, and fans will get another two years of possibly seeing him howl over downed opponents.
Jackson is set to main event UFC 130 against Matt Hamill. In preparation for the upcoming showdown, we celebrate and remember the top 10 fight moments in the storied career of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Is there anything that gets the fans more upset than seeing a fighter not competing to the best of their abilities?Go watch UFC 90, 97, and 112 for some examples.Or even worse, is there anything worse in combat sports when you know one of the fighters …
Is there anything that gets the fans more upset than seeing a fighter not competing to the best of their abilities?
Go watch UFC 90, 97, and 112 for some examples.
Or even worse, is there anything worse in combat sports when you know one of the fighters is there just to collect a paycheck?
For an example, watch UFC 130 next Saturday night.
In recent interviews, Rampage has made it well known that he is not thrilled about fight Matt Hamill. He has also made it clear that he is just about done with MMA period.
He would rather be hamming it up on the big screen. To Rampage, this whole MMA thing that made him famous is just something to tide him over until Hollywood comes knocking at his door again.
Apparently, headlining yet another UFC event is not enough to get Rampage excited about fighting again. Jackson recently told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour “…not a whole lot gets me excited.”
News flash Quinton—when your name is tied to the headline of a pay-per-view, it is your job to get excited. Or at very least, it is your job make the fans believe you are excited.
After all, if you can’t get fans excited about your fight, who is going to want to watch it?
Odds are if you are reading this, you have a job. It may not be the most glorious job, but it pays the bills. If you hate your job, you may not give it your all, you may complain to your friends about it, but would you ever tell your boss “this job sucks?”
Of course you wouldn’t. Because if you did that, you wouldn’t have a job.
What Rampage is doing is telling all the paying fans out there “this job sucks,” yet still expects us to pay $50 or $60 to watch him do something that he hates and do it at less than 100 percent of his ability, just so he can get another paycheck.
So fans, I would like to pose a question to you. Since Rampage has made it clear that he doesn’t care, do you care enough to fork over your hard-earned cash to watch him “fight?”
