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Chael Sonnen is many things. Gangster from West Linn, Oregon, the true UFC middleweight champion, and everyone’s favorite uncle are all things that Sonnen has described himself as. Now Sonnen can add awards show host. According to F…
Chael Sonnen is many things.
Gangster from West Linn, Oregon, the true UFC middleweight champion, and everyone’s favorite uncle are all things that Sonnen has described himself as.
Now Sonnen can add awards show host.
According to Fighter’s Only Magazine, Sonnen will host the World MMA awards in November.
Sonnen is one of the most known personalities and perhaps one of the best choices for hosting the event.
Here’s a look at the other top personalities in MMA.
There’s a silver lining in every bad situation.After being yanked from his previously-scheduled title bout with Georges St-Pierre, Nick Diaz firmly believes he drew a much tougher opponent in former two-division champion BJ Penn.”I think BJ is a lot be…
There’s a silver lining in every bad situation.
After being yanked from his previously-scheduled title bout with Georges St-Pierre, Nick Diaz firmly believes he drew a much tougher opponent in former two-division champion BJ Penn.
“I think BJ is a lot better to be honest with you, on a technical standpoint. He’s much better at Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, even on a physical level I wouldn’t count him out,” Diaz said on a media conference call. “I don’t think he should be fighting at this weight. I think he’s a much better fighter than GSP all around.”
Diaz was initially set to face St-Pierre at UFC 137, but he was removed from the bout after missing two scheduled pre-fight press conferences. Welterweight contender Carlos Condit took his place, and Diaz was demoted to the co-main event to face another MMA legend and former training partner.
“I’m not happy about it at all. I’m fighting a guy that’s my friend, or was my friend, and now I’m fighting this guy,” Diaz said. “I’ll be set to fight. I signed to fight a certain guy [St-Pierre]. I thought we had a deal. That’s kind of where I’m at on it.”
Instead of challenging St-Pierre for the UFC title, Diaz will now face Penn, who is coming off a first-round knockout win over UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes and a draw with perennial welterweight contender Jon Fitch.
In MMA, it’s tough to compete against friends, training partners or family members.
Still, Diaz understands what’s at stake. If he gets past Penn, he will likely be rewarded with another title shot against the winner of St-Pierre and Condit.
“I’m going to deal with it. This is hard times, just like it’s been. I’m not expecting it to get any easier,” Diaz said. “This definitely doesn’t make it any easier. I don’t like fighting people that I already know, or I’ve already met, or trained with, or have video on me. We’ve spent a lot of time training together. It’s kind of shady feelings going into fights like that. I’m just doing what my manager says.”
Diaz is focused on the job at hand, and he plans on going into UFC 137 and defeating Penn. Even so, he is still upset at the fact that St-Pierre won’t be standing across from him.
For months, Diaz has talked about facing St-Pierre, and when he finally was awarded the opportunity, he let it slip through his hands.
St-Pierre may be one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but Diaz feels like he has the tools to topple the champion and take his place among MMA’s all-time greats.
“I think I have the right skills and the right tools to do the job in that fight. I don’t know if this fight is going to make me come off any better or worse,” Diaz said. “I know that I think that Georges comes out; he’s a little bigger than BJ size-wise, so he’s able to hold BJ and stall for the rounds. I don’t think he would have been able to do that to me, especially in a five-round fight.”
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
It’s been a wild ride for Nick Diaz.First, the former Strikeforce titleholder was bumped from his championship tilt against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137, thanks to his penchant for missing several pre-fight press junkets.Next, Diaz was re-booked for th…
It’s been a wild ride for Nick Diaz.
First, the former Strikeforce titleholder was bumped from his championship tilt against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 137, thanks to his penchant for missing several pre-fight press junkets.
Next, Diaz was re-booked for the pay-per-view event opposite of BJ Penn, who was left without an opponent was Carlos Condit took over headlining duties to fill in for the Stockton native.
Then, the Canadian champ was sidelined due to injury and Diaz will now serve as the headlining act alongside the Hawaiian.
What makes matters worse is that both Diaz and Penn have a history.
The former two-time UFC champion was gearing up for his title defense against Kenny Florian at UFC 101 in August of 2009, where he brought both Nick and Nate Diaz into his camp in preparation for his pivotal bout.
From there, both Penn and the Cesar Gracie product fast became friends, which makes matters now both awkward and deceiving.
“I’m not happy about it at all”, said the elder Diaz, who spoke to the press earlier this week concerning his impending bout with “The Prodigy”.
“I’m fighting somebody who’s my friend, or was my friend, and now I’m fighting this guy.”
The Cesar Gracie black belt has usually found motivation for fights in cultivating anger and hatred towards his opponents, though now Diaz will look to draw his desire to win from an entirely different place.
Friend or not, Diaz does as he’s told and will not let victory escape his grasp, despite how unsettling the circumstances surrounding the 170-pound contest are.
“This definitely doesn’t make it any easier for me”, said the 28 year old.
“I don’t like fighting people that I already know, or have already met, or trained with, or have video on me. We spent a lot of time training together. It’s kind of a shady feeling going into a fight like that, but I’m just doing what my manager says.”
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
When it comes to Nick Diaz, there is no middle ground.MMA fans either love him for his outspoken, “nothing matters but the fight” attitude or they label him as a crazy, immature, ungrateful miscreant who squanders opportunities and blames others for hi…
When it comes to Nick Diaz, there is no middle ground.
MMA fans either love him for his outspoken, “nothing matters but the fight” attitude or they label him as a crazy, immature, ungrateful miscreant who squanders opportunities and blames others for his missteps.
With Diaz, as with most people, things are not just black and white, there are shades of gray, whether his detractors as well as his supporters want to admit that or not.
It’s hard to deny that Diaz is an interesting figure. Like many “personalities,” he is extremely hard to ignore. When he does consent to an interview or participate in a press conference there are bound to be some noteworthy moments.
However, unlike someone like Chael Sonnen, you never get the feeling that Diaz is doing anything with a wink and a nudge, instead he comes off sincere to a fault; without a filter and possibly without a clue as to the repercussions of his words and actions.
That fact was made evident when he blew off two scheduled media events for UFC 137. Diaz was originally booked to face UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in the main event of the Oct. 29 fight card.
The fight, for St-Pierre’s welterweight crown, was one that fans had been looking forward to for some time, but the matchup fell apart when Diaz no-showed media events in Toronto and Las Vegas.
Those acts of insubordination resulted in the UFC pulling him from the fight. Carlos Condit, who had been booked against BJ Penn in the co-main event, was then slotted to replace Diaz.
The next we heard from Diaz was via a video blog the he had recorded as he drove back to his home in Stockton, Calif., the day of the missed Vegas press conference.
In the video, Diaz took no ownership for his actions. He apologized for not making it “to the beauty pageant,” but other than that, he offered nothing in the way of an explanation as to why he failed to fulfill his press obligations for UFC 137.
Fate then smiled on Diaz when he was not only allowed to stay with the UFC, but also given the spot that Condit had left vacant, facing off against Penn in the evening’s co-main event. Earlier this week, Diaz and Penn had their fight become the main event, when St-Pierre withdrew from the card due to an injured knee.
The promotion held a media call for the new main event earlier this week and guess who was missing in action for the first half of the call? If you said Nick Diaz, you would be absolutely correct.
He eventually made the call, but his temporary absence did cause Neil Davidson of The Canadian Press to (jokingly?) inquire if Diaz would remain on the card.
Through all of this, there have been three schools of thought on Diaz and his actions. The first group is flatly dismissive of him, waving him off like an insolent child.
The second group consists of those that blindly support his actions, giving him a big thumbs up each time he acts out in a way that they see as some type of modern day Johnny Strabler, Marlon Brando’s character from the The Wild One.
Lastly, there is the seemingly smallest group, those who are curious as to what makes Diaz tick.
Diaz’s manager, Cesar Gracie, has claimed that his fighter suffers from social anxiety disorder. Social anxiety disorder is one of those psychiatric disorders that some find easy to dismiss, seeing it as an excuse or an imaginary condition.
However, it is a legitimate problem that can be almost incapacitating to those that suffer from it. The disorder can cause sufferers to make irrational decisions that leave others scratching their heads, decisions like avoiding the probing questions of a press conference that will be streamed via the Internet across the world.
Diaz never seems comfortable when he does get roped into an interview or a press conference. When this occurs, he acts out, taking the defensive and attacking perceived threats. Like Cesar Gracie’s amateur diagnosis of Diaz’s social anxiety disorder, one could easily view these moments as acting out to cover up a bigger issue.
Social anxiety disorder may be one explanation for Diaz’s actions; another may be that his focus is so intense that he cannot comprehend or consider the fact that there is anything to worry about other than getting ready for the fight and competing.
Any profile of Diaz usually focuses on the time he spends training, the time spent in the gym, the time spent competing in triathlons or as Diaz himself proclaimed during this week’s media call, “I’m not sitting here by my phone, waiting for a call. I’m waiting to train. I’m trying to become the best in the world. That’s what you’re dealing with, here. This is the whole world out there. Ain’t nobody can beat me.”
In the business world, someone like Diaz would be applauded. They would be called “driven” and admired for their single-minded focus on being the best in their particular field. Instead of being commended for his focus on becoming the best fighter he can be, Diaz faces derision and taunts.
None of this is meant to dismiss the actions of Diaz. Instead it’s meant to look at them and consider them with an open mind, without labeling him a rebel without a clue or some kind of countercultural hero, depending on which side of the fence you fall when considering Diaz.
Diaz, like many of us, is a flawed human being who just happens to perform his job on a much larger stage than most of us.
No matter the reason behind his actions, whether they are the result of social anxiety disorder or just a bad attitude, Diaz shouldn’t be looked at as anything other than a person who just wants to do his job and be left alone outside of his work hours, not too different than many of us.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
On October 29th, the UFC’s welterweight division is front and center. With four of the top 10 welterweights in the world set to step into the octagon, there has never been more more division altering possibilities.Could we see the end of a four-champio…
On October 29th, the UFC’s welterweight division is front and center. With four of the top 10 welterweights in the world set to step into the octagon, there has never been more more division altering possibilities.
Could we see the end of a four-championship reign and the start of a brand new era of welterweight fighting? Could we see Carlos Condit capitalize on yet another Nick Diaz screw-up and shock the world? Could we see Nick Diaz prove himself, again, that he is a true threat to the welterweight throne?
So many possibilities, such little focus on the biggest question of them all.
For four years (five if we forget about Matt Serra) Georges St.Pierre has run through every challenger that has tried to dethrone him.
That long of a reign is almost unprecedented in the world of MMA where upsets are more likely to happen than any other sport. Stack on the combined total of 178 wins against 55 losses for his opponents (a win-loss ratio of 3.24:1), and GSP’s reign becomes even more impressive than that of his Middleweight counterpart Anderson Silva, although only slightly (combined opponent record of 219-70 for a 3.13:1 win-loss ratio).
However, in all eight fights of his current reign St.Pierre has been able to utilize his 76-inch reach to keep opponents at bay with an almost constant barrage of jabs. Shockingly, never before has St.Pierre had to defend his title against an opponent with a comparable reach.
At UFC 137 St.Pierre will defend his title against a man with the same 76 inch reach, the first time he has not had a reach advantage. It may be nitpicking, but just remember this. Chuck Liddell held the tile for two years and never fought a man with definitive KO power to match his. The first time he did, he lost the title.
Carlos Condit was originally slated to fight BJ Penn in a welterweight title eliminator. Fortunately for him Nick Diaz still doesn’t know how to “play the game” and was stripped of his opportunity to fight for the championship. Being that BJ has gotten more than his fair share of title opportunities in the past and former WEC champion Carlos Condit has no doubt earned a chance at UFC gold, we will now see Condit VS St.Pierre face of for welterweight supremacy.
As I previously mentioned, Condit sports an identical reach in comparison for GSP. In addition to that, Condit knows what its like to be in a five round fight. However, Condit has never actually gotten to that fifth round. St.Pierre has been there in five of his eight title fights during his current reign—including his last four consecutively. Fighters that have been there before will tell you, the fifth round is where champions are made.
Can Condit handle it if it gets that far?
Nick Diaz. Go ahead, let out your sigh of disappointment. Not since the disaster that has become Karo Parysian have MMA fans seen so much talent go to waste. It seems like every time Diaz is given a chance to flourish, he fails. It astonishing that a fighter that hasn’t lost cleanly, emphasis on “cleanly”, since 2006 isn’t considered the best in the world.
Twice in his career he’s managed to get himself pulled out of a championship fight. In 2009 he was stripped of a chance to fight for the Strikeforce welterweight championship but was pulled off the card for failing to show up for a pre-fight drug test.
Fast forward to 2011, Diaz is pulled out of a title fight for failing to appear at pre-fight pressers. For such a well-rounded fighter, it appears his only weakness he has is the ability to just show up.
Luckily, when Diaz was ousted from the title fight and Condit took his place, that left a certain MMA legend without a dance partner.
Insert Nick Diaz.
In what might be his last chance to prove to the world that he is a UFC championship caliber fighter, Nick is going to have to do a lot more than show up against BJ Penn. BJ is a former champion and knows what it takes to be champion. Great hands and great submissions, Nick Diaz is slated to fight a miniature version of himself, a version that has held UFC gold, unlike himself.
BJ Penn is a legend. No doubt about it. “The Prodigy” has held UFC gold in two different weight classes and has fought a plethora of great fighters. In his last fight he fought perennial top five welterweight Jon Fitch to a draw, an impressive but not outstanding feat. If not for a knockout win against fellow legend Matt Hughes, BJ Penn’s recent track record looks shaky at best. In what may very well be the last meaningful fight of his MMA career, BJ is in a must-win situation.
With a killer instinct that a certain current Welterweight champion lacks, BJ is still a very dangerous opponent for any man. His submissions are some of the best in the world, something he can attribute to his almost frightening flexibility, Penn can punch you into oblivion or make you tap for your life. However, the only man that has ever stopped Diaz is a doctor that told the referee to stop the fight. It seems as though BJ’s best chance of winning is by decision, something he’s only done three times in 25 fights.
Now that we’ve weighed the pro’s and con’s of each fighter in each fight, it’s time to address the elephant in the room. That elephants name is Anderson Silva. The current middleweight king’s name has been linked to the welterweight champion Georges St.Pierre for quite a while now. With the always growing list of fans that want to see what would be the biggest superfight in the history of mixed martial arts, it seems like Anderson Silva is as big a factor in who will be welterweight champion in 2012 as any current welterweight fighter.
Georges St.Pierre has already verbally agreed to the superfight as long as he has ample time to gain the necessary weight needed to make this fight happen in a healthy way. If the UFC opts to make this dream a reality, St.Pierre will have no choice but to drop the belt and make a permanent move to 185.
That being said, the only way he would have to drop the belt is if he actually has it. If Carlos Condit can pull off the upset, he would then fight the winner of BJ Penn and Nick Diaz. Lets look at all of the scenarios that could come out of UFC 137:
Has your head exploded yet? Those are seven possible outcomes of UFC 137.
Which one is the most likely? I won’t say because I simply don’t know. Nobody does. Only one thing is for sure, the UFC welterweight division is shaping up to have its biggest year ever in 2012, and the fans are the only ones that are guaranteed to win.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
“Look into my eyes, Keith Kizer…look deep into my eyes. You are getting very sleepy. You hate drug tests...” (Photo: ESPN)
Chael Sonnen has clearly distanced himself from his peers in the art of the interview. His sound bites, validity aside, are second to none. Perhaps gearing up for his hosting duties at next month’s ‘Fighters Only World MMA Awards”, Sonnen joined Jon Anik and Kenny Florian on last night’s episode of “MMA Live”. As expected, Chael did not disappoint, and we’ve got the highlights…
Host Jon Anik asks if Carlos Condit, having taken the title fight on short notice, has actually caught a break with GSP’s injury in that he’ll now have more time to prepare for his opponent and a five round affair (video) :
“I don’t think so, and I don’t think this fight’s going to come back for quite some time. Listen, if you’re the champion, you remain champion until you lose the title. If you’re the number one contender, you absolutely are not ingrained in any type of stone. As a matter of fact, not only do I believe he has lost this opportunity, I believe the winner of Diaz-BJ Penn will get the next opportunity against GSP.”
“Look into my eyes, Keith Kizer…look deep into my eyes. You are getting very sleepy…you hate drug tests...” (Photo: ESPN)
Chael Sonnen has clearly distanced himself from his peers in the art of the interview. His sound bites, validity aside, are second to none. Perhaps gearing up for his hosting duties at next month’s ‘Fighters Only World MMA Awards”, Sonnen joined Jon Anik and Kenny Florian on last night’s episode of “MMA Live”. As expected, Chael did not disappoint, and we’ve got the highlights…
Host Jon Anik asks if Carlos Condit, having taken the title fight on short notice, has actually caught a break with GSP’s injury in that he’ll now have more time to prepare for his opponent and a five round affair (video) :
“I don’t think so, and I don’t think this fight’s going to come back for quite some time. Listen, if you’re the champion, you remain champion until you lose the title. If you’re the number one contender, you absolutely are not ingrained in any type of stone. As a matter of fact, not only do I believe he has lost this opportunity, I believe the winner of Diaz-BJ Penn will get the next opportunity against GSP.”
Chael brings up an interesting point. Dana has already stated that Diaz is on deck if he gets past Penn, and he was obviously the first choice to begin with. Is there any chance that Condit gets Rashad’d if the pride of Stockton puts on an impressive performance next week?
Chael’s thoughts on the gamesmanship of the Diaz camp lobbying to extend his bout with Penn to a five-round tilt. (video) :
“Let’s not miss what’s really happening here. If you’re a Diaz fan, you got to swallow real hard when he tries to change the parameters that have already been agreed to. What he really just did was he came out and said, ‘Look, I can’t get the job done in fifteen minutes. Let’s change the agreement’. BJ comes back and simply says, ‘Hey, I got no problem with it. I can put you away in fifteen minutes.’ The third side of this is as a fan. Listen, guys, I want to see you compete but you’re getting fifteen minutes of my life and that’s it. After three rounds, fade to black, roll the credits, I got other things to do…You don’t change a deal once a deal’s in place.”
Sage words from the “American Gangster”. When a man challenges someone and lays out the stakes, he lives or dies by his words.
Never one to hide his feelings, Chael shares his thoughts on the newest addition to the UFC’s heavyweight division (video) :
“I’m on the other side of the fence with Overeem. Look, the guy’s built for show, not for go, ok? He’s made for a poster. He looks like he’s made out of clay, I understand all of that stuff. He’s not a very good fighter. And as far as the K-1 being this great striking event, the K-1 is a striking only event. If you’re in the K-1 you’re allowed only to strike, but I’ve never seen a great striker there. I can discredit the K-1 with two syllables: Bob Sapp.”
“Built for show”? If there’s one person I’d expect to appreciate the fine art of body building it would be the owner of the “largest arm in West Linn, Oregon”.
Sonnen’s thoughts about Ed Soares’ recent statements that, although Chael doesn’t deserve a rematch, a bout with Michael Bisping “could be a good opportunity” for Silva. (video)
“Apparently the ‘Ed Soares Excuse Factory’ is open for business. There’s a couple of things going on here. First off, a champion doesn’t call somebody out. If you’re the champion you get called out. So I think it’s a little odd and unprecedented that Anderson is now trying to pick a fight. Secondly, he’s doing the same thing I am. He’s calling Bisping out because he’s an easy fight. Well, I want an easy fight too and that’s why I’m calling him out. So I get it.”
If Chael wants a rematch so badly, he’s going to have to drop the subtlety and just flat out ask for it.
To close the show, Chael gets in the Halloween spirit and takes one last shot at his nemesis. (video) :
“Let me ask a question, instead of fact or fiction, let me make it A or B. A) Will Anderson Silva go as a duck for Halloween this year or B) will he dress as a chicken? I’m going to go B. I think he goes as chicken because he already has the costume.”
“The People’s Champion” has given us a lot to chew on. What are the most credible, and least credible, of his assertions?