With an expanding roster and bottomless bank account, the UFC is able to tactically market promotional newcomers, rising prospects, and evolving contenders like no other mixed martial arts (MMA) outlet in the world. The organization’s efforts are understandable to say the least. In order to continuously grow into the billion dollar company that it is
With an expanding roster and bottomless bank account, the UFC is able to tactically market promotional newcomers, rising prospects, and evolving contenders like no other mixed martial arts (MMA) outlet in the world.
The organization’s efforts are understandable to say the least. In order to continuously grow into the billion dollar company that it is today, the UFC must stand by its readily-available talent.
But in many cases, the promotion’s abundant marketing schemes, self-assuring build ups, and over-the-top billings prove downright futile. Whether it’s a young prospect incapable of scaling his talent against higher competition or a recently acquired veteran succumbing to the overwhelming pressure of the Octagon, the UFC has struck out more than it would like to admit.
In accordance with those gutter balls, here are the top seven failed hype trains in promotional history.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is just as much based on business, marketing, and promotion, as it is on actual fighting inside of the Octagon. With that being said, we often see certain fighters receive huge promotional pushes from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) simply because they possess the looks, the charisma, or the media power
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is just as much based on business, marketing, and promotion, as it is on actual fighting inside of the Octagon.
With that being said, we often see certain fighters receive huge promotional pushes from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) simply because they possess the looks, the charisma, or the media power in order to become a mega star.
However, these fighters don’t always have what it takes to succeed in the cage, or in other words, live up to the massive hype that has been placed on them.
Of course we have seen tremendously promoted combatants rise through the ranks, and demolish competition on their way to the superstardom the UFC had paved for them.
In just the last few years, we have seen many young up and coming fighters pushed by the UFC, noting four in particular.
The interesting part here, however, is that only one remains on top, at least for now.
Rising UFC women’s strawweight contender Paige “12 Guage” VanZant suffered a slight set back in her last bout when she took on former title challenger “Thug” Rose Namaunas in the main event of December 10, 2015’s UFC Fight Night 80 from Las Vegas. Despite being on the short end of a brutal and bloody five
Rising UFC women’s strawweight contender Paige “12 Guage” VanZant suffered a slight set back in her last bout when she took on former title challenger “Thug” Rose Namaunas in the main event of December 10, 2015’s UFC Fight Night 80 from Las Vegas.
Despite being on the short end of a brutal and bloody five round beating, “12 Guage” recently called the loss “awesome”:
“I think it’s awesome,” VanZant told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I don’t know. I thought it was awesome. I was just looking to see how bad the cut was or where it was, because I wasn’t really sure. I saw it was under my eye, so it was good to go for the next five rounds or four rounds.”
Namajunas would go on to score a submission victory in the final frame, proving to the world that was a legitimate threat at 115-pounds, while also making it clear that the 21 year old VanZant has some holes in her game to improve on.
Although the fight was fairly one sided, PVZ has received quite a bit of praise and support regarding her pure heart, grit, and toughness, something she didn’t necessarily expect:
“I really didn’t expect that much support,” VanZant said. “I thought I embarrassed myself out there and I put on an embarrassing performance. But then afterward I had all these positive articles. I was reading all these positive things after the fight. It felt really good, especially after taking a loss not to take a ton of criticism for it. It was really neat that I still had a lot of fans come forward and my stock grew even after a loss.”
While Namajunas’ skill set was clearly the superior on fight night, VanZant was also a bloody mess from the first round on, something that may have hindered her performance as well. Not making any excuses, the Team Alpha Male product admitted the she had blood in her ears for weeks after the scrap:
“Especially because we did go to the ground a lot, I couldn’t see at all,” VanZant said. “And the blood completely filled my ears. I was cleaning blood out of my ears for three weeks after the fight. So I couldn’t hear anything. I couldn’t hear anything, I couldn’t see anything. No excuses. But yeah — a lot of blood.”
At the end of the day, VanZant proved that while there’s obviously room for improvement, she isn’t one to give up too easily:
“I have a no-give-up attitude,” VanZant said. “It didn’t surprise me in that sense, but it was definitely a good test.”
While looking through the lense of hindsight, it’s almost impossible to imagine how Paige VanZant was ever listed as a 2-to-1 favorite over Rose Namajunas heading into their Fight Night 80 main event. Yet she was, and we can only imagine that a lot of people made some money off a rare miss by the Vegas bookies.
Over the course of five rounds, our girl Rose utterly dismantled VanZant in every department. Her striking was impeccably crisp, her takedowns came at will, and her submissions were what ultimately won her the day. Vanzant looked completely outmatched from start to finish, repeatedly latching onto to hapless headlock throws THAT NO FIGHTER SHOULD EVER ATTEMPT AGAIN. But what she lacked in polish, VanZant more than made up in grit. On multiple occasions throughout the fight, a bloodied and battered Vanzant appeared to be caught in what any logical person would consider a fight-ending submission — first it was a rear-naked choke, then an armbar so brutal that it may have rearranged her DNA — but not once did she stop pressing forward and throwing nything she could think of at her clearly superior opponent. So on this day, we raise a glass to both competitors and say, congratulations on one epic goddamn war.
But the main event wasn’t the only fight that delivered, so head after the jump for a full list of Fight Night 80 results.
While looking through the lense of hindsight, it’s almost impossible to imagine how Paige VanZant was ever listed as a 2-to-1 favorite over Rose Namajunas heading into their Fight Night 80 main event. Yet she was, and we can only imagine that a lot of people made some money off a rare miss by the Vegas bookies.
Over the course of five rounds, our girl Rose utterly dismantled VanZant in every department. Her striking was impeccably crisp, her takedowns came at will, and her submissions were what ultimately won her the day. Vanzant looked completely outmatched from start to finish, repeatedly latching onto to hapless headlock throws THAT NO FIGHTER SHOULD EVER ATTEMPT AGAIN. But what she lacked in polish, VanZant more than made up in grit. On multiple occasions throughout the fight, a bloodied and battered Vanzant appeared to be caught in what any logical person would consider a fight-ending submission — first it was a rear-naked choke, then an armbar so brutal that it may have rearranged her DNA — but not once did she stop pressing forward and throwing nything she could think of at her clearly superior opponent. So on this day, we raise a glass to both competitors and say, congratulations on one epic goddamn war.
But the main event wasn’t the only fight that delivered, so head after the jump for a full list of Fight Night 80 results.
In the co-main event of the evening, TUF Live winner Michael Chiesa took on the always game veteran Jim Miller in a back-and-forth banger so sweet that it managed to snatch “Fight of the Night” awards away from Namajunas vs. VanZant. Sadly, it’s starting to look like the younger of the Miller brothers is also starting to lose a little pep in his step, and worse, he’s more vulnerable to the submission than he’s ever been in his career. Given, he’s only been submitted three times in the past three years (well, two if we exclude the Healy fight) and only by insanely talented grapplers, but it’s kind of like how Dan Henderson went from an iron-jawed beast to a guy who gets shut down the first time he’s hit almost every fight.
In any case, enjoy these Chiesa-Miller highlights set to some blasting EDM, because the UFC is too cheap to provide embeddable highlights for their Fight Pass Events.
Finally on the highlight front, here’s Sage Northcutt‘s finish of Cody Pfister in the second round of their main card scrap. Oh, you hadn’t predicted that Sage Northcutt would beat a guy whose last name is Pfister and whose nickname is “The Pfist”? You silly, silly sonofabitch, you.
The complete Fight Night 80 results are below.
Main card
Rose Namajunas def. Paige VanZant via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:25 of R5
Michael Chiesa def. Jim Miller via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:57 of R2
Sage Northcutt def. Cody Pfister via submission (guillotine) at :41 of R2
Thiago Santos def. Elias Theodorou via unanimous decision
Undercard
Tim Means def. John Howard via KO (left hook) at :21 of R2
Omari Akhmedov def. Sergio Moraes via TKO (punches) at 2:18 of R3
Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Kevin Casey ends in no contest (eye poke) at :11 of R1
Aljamain Sterling def. Johnny Eduardo via submission (guillotine) at 4:18 of R2
Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Andreas Stahl via TKO (punches) at 4:25 of R1
Danny Roberts def. Nathan Coy via submission (triangle) at 2:46 of R1
Zubaira Tukhugov def. Phillipe Nover via split decision
Kailin Curran def. Emily Kagan via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:13 of R2
At this point, it seems that flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is forever destined to be one of the most dominant, yet simultaneously unbankable fighters in the history of the sport. Last Saturday was no exception, as the man they call “Mighty Mouse” turned in one of his best performances to date against rival John Dodson while headlining the lowest live gate for a UFC pay-per-view in 11 years. No respect, no respect, I tells ya.
Either the UFC has absolutely no idea how to market him, or casual fans are simply refusing to warm up to “little flyweights” (Ed note: My God, maybe Michael Bisping was right). Regardless, the UFC might want to start relegating Johnson to the FOX/FS1 cards, or at the very minimum, placing him in the co-main spot on a pay-per-views, because something just isn’t clicking with the UFC’s “f*cking idiot” fanbase.
Of course, Johnson wasn’t given much support in the form of a noteworthy undercard, which, save for a few noteworthy moments, didn’t really do much to entice those seated at the MGM Grand.
At this point, it seems that flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is forever destined to be one of the most dominant, yet simultaneously unbankable fighters in the history of the sport. Last Saturday was no exception, as the man they call “Mighty Mouse” turned in one of his best performances to date against rival John Dodson while headlining the lowest live gate for a UFC pay-per-view in 11 years. No respect, no respect, I tells ya.
Either the UFC has absolutely no idea how to market him, or casual fans are simply refusing to warm up to “little flyweights” (Ed note: My God, maybe Michael Bisping was right). Regardless, the UFC might want to start relegating Johnson to the FOX/FS1 cards, or at the very minimum, placing him in the co-main spot on a pay-per-views, because something just isn’t clicking with the UFC’s “f*cking idiot” fanbase.
Of course, Johnson wasn’t given much support in the form of a noteworthy undercard, which, save for a few noteworthy moments, didn’t really do much to entice those seated at the MGM Grand.
Highlights after the jump.
Three round heavyweight fights, amiright Nation? Seeing one that entertains from the opening bell to the judges’ decision is kind of like seeing a double rainbow, on Mars, at night, and UFC 191′s co-main event was no exception. Both Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir were riding a pair of emphatic first round knockouts heading into their UFC 191 clash, leading both fans and pundits alike to all but slap a #1 contender label on the bout. As it turns out, that “first round” qualifier might have been the key to both men’s feelgood comeback stories.
To say the fight underwhelmed would be an understatement, so I’ll just leave it to the UFC studio analysts to explain. Arlovski did manage to come out with the decision win, however, improving his UFC win streak to four in a row.
While Arlovski vs. Mir might not have lived up to expectations, Anthony Johnson vs. Jimi Manuwa sure as hell did. “Rumble” started off strong early, landing some heavy leg kicks and surprisingly taking Manuwa down on a couple occasions, then flattened the Brit like he had been doing yoga in the weight room early in the second. Say what you want about Johnson, but he is possibly the hardest hitting fighter in the entire UFC and a goddamn nightmare matchup for anyone in the light heavyweight division.
Elsewhere on the main card, Paige VanZant once again proved that a limitless gas tank and endless aggression often lead to victory. VanZant was all over opponent Alex Chambers from the opening bell until the effortless armbar finish she secured in the third round. While her striking still has a way to go if she is ever to stand a chance against Joanna Champion, there’s no denying that VanZant is a prospect to watch in the strawweight division.
Of course, the UFC has neglected to upload any highlights from UFC 191′s most entertaining fight: Francisco Rivera vs. John Lineker, but I believe this gif best sums up how we all reacted to what was 2 minutes of absolute, unbridled insanity.
The full results for UFC 191 are below.
Main card
Demetrious Johnson def. John Dodson via unanimous decision
Andrei Arlovski def. Frank Mir via unanimous decision
Anthony Johnson def. Jimi Manuwa via second-round KO
Corey Anderson def. Jan Blachowicz by unanimous decision
Paige VanZant def. Alex Chambers via submission (armbar)
Undercard
Ross Pearson def. Paul Felder via split decision
John Lineker def. Francisco Rivera via submission (guillotine)
Raquel Pennington def. Jessica Andrade via submission (rear-naked choke)
Tiago Trator def. Clay Collard via split decision
Joe Riggs def. Ron Stallings via DQ (illegal upkick)
Joaquim Silva def. Nazareno Malegarie via split decision
UFC on FOX: Machida vs. Rockhold always looked incredible on paper, but few would have expected its impact on three separate divisions. Yes, three out of the four favourites on the main card won, but the manner in which they dominated their opponents was completely unexpected. There’s a new pecking order laid out and more entries in Dana White’s proverbial mix than a Girl Talk setlist (Is he still cool? No? OK, that’s what I thought).
With so much fresh blood in the water, let’s take a look at the most logical next fights for our main card competitors.
UFC on FOX: Machida vs. Rockhold always looked incredible on paper, but few would have expected its impact on three separate divisions. Yes, three out of the four favourites on the main card won, but the manner in which they dominated their opponents was completely unexpected. There’s a new pecking order laid out and more entries in Dana White’s proverbial mix than a Girl Talk setlist (Is he still cool? No? OK, that’s what I thought).
With so much fresh blood in the water, let’s take a look at the most logical next fights for our main card competitors.
Luke Rockhold – Should fight: Weidman-Belfort winner
Does “Jacare” deserve a title shot? Absolutely. But when you stack up his last 4 wins (Camozzi, Mousasi, Carmont, Okami) against Rockhold’s (Machida, Bisping, Boetsch, Philippou) it’s obvious who is more deserving. Even beyond strength of record, no one has crushed Machida like that other than Jon Jones. Not even Weidman. Luke Rockhold against either Weidman or Belfort is a compelling matchup and one that will have fight fans frothing.
Machida had a terrible night. Maybe age has finally caught up to him, or perhaps Rockhold is just that good. Either way Lyoto deserves another reset fight similar to his bout against Dollaway. Tim Kennedy might be tempted out of his self-imposed exile for a bout against a former champ and if Bisping knocks himself out somehow and loses to Dollaway, that matchup could still headline an event despite the losing streaks.
Souza is a deserving contender with a lengthy win streak, but he still needs another marquee name to really make his case. A fight against the #6 ranked Yoel Romero isn’t dangerous enough to risk his spot in line but a win would put the cherry on top of an assured title shot. Third times the charm right?
You have to admit, the guy’s got balls. What he doesn’t have, is much of a chance against anybody but the lower tier of the middleweight division. Tom Watson is in a similar place with a 3-3 UFC record and shaky standing in the weight class. A loser leaves town fight should bring the best out of both of them.
Max Holloway – Should Fight: Winner of Lentz-Oliveira
Perhaps the most surprising performance of UFC on FOX 15 came from the young Hawaiian Holloway. Not only did he upset the #5 ranked Swanson, but he destroyed him. Max has always been a developing prospect, but appears to have turned the corner towards contention. A bout against Mendes seems rushed, but he should definitely be fighting top 10 opponents from here on out. Lentz and Oliveira are expected to fight at the end of May. The winner should face Holloway.
Cub Swanson – Should Fight: No one. (broken jaw/hand)
Not only did Cub leave Jersey with a broken jaw and hand, but he may have shattered his fighting spirit too. Two lop-sided drubbings in a row can really mess with your psyche. Some time off to heal and grow would be beneficial.
It wasn’t long ago that pundits were calling Rose Namajunas the ‘strawweight Ronda Rousey’, perhaps they picked the wrong young, attractive woman. Van Zant isn’t the next Rousey, but what she does have in common with the bantamweight champ is a ferocious intensity that has carried her into the top ten in just two UFC fights. A bout against the 23 year-old Maryna Moroz, who just upset Joanne Calderwood would be a hell of a lot of fun and create an instant contender.
Speaking of Calderwood, Jo-Jo would make a great next opponent for Felice Herrig. Both women suffered bad losses to young rookies and desperately need a win to stay in the elite class. They haven’t fought before (either on TUF or in competition), which is a rarity in this division, and it’s a great stylistic matchup and easy main card fight.
