Recently, Caros Fodor and “Phoenix Jones” squared off in a meeting of “brothers” at World Series of Fighting 32.
Prior to the bout taking place on NBC Sports Network, an emotional interview with Ben Fodor was shown to hype the fight. After seeing it, many questioned the booking of WSOF president Ray Sefo and staff to have two fighters compete that didn’t seem to want to.
That isn’t the case, according to Sefo.
“In the week since our card, I’ve seen some backlash about why we decided to promote this fight, and I honestly think much of it is unfair,” Sefo wrote online. “This fight was not our idea. In truth, these two brothers have been at odds for years, and both Phoenix and Caros have talked about the possibility of meeting in the cage on several occasions. After years of discussing the potential, both men finally decided it was time. With both athletes on the World Series of Fighting roster, it only made sense for us to book the fight, but I can assure you, this contest would have happened with or without our involvement.
“Phoenix was featured in a very emotional pre-fight interview on the day of WSOF32, and some observers took that as some type of sign that Phoenix was unhappy about the situation, but I can tell you that simply was not the case. Phoenix is a very emotional guy, there’s no question, and as a fighter myself, I can tell you that all of us get even more emotional on the day of a fight. For that fight to be against someone who you grew up with must certainly even amplify that emotion. However, Phoenix and Caros both very much wanted this fight. This was not something we forced either man to accept.
“In the end, Caros wound up winning a decision at WSOF32. Whether or not the feuding between the two will come to an end, I don’t know, but I have no regrets providing them with a platform to contest the prizefight they had been discussing for years.”
Recently, Caros Fodor and “Phoenix Jones” squared off in a meeting of “brothers” at World Series of Fighting 32.
Prior to the bout taking place on NBC Sports Network, an emotional interview with Ben Fodor was shown to hype the fight. After seeing it, many questioned the booking of WSOF president Ray Sefo and staff to have two fighters compete that didn’t seem to want to.
That isn’t the case, according to Sefo.
“In the week since our card, I’ve seen some backlash about why we decided to promote this fight, and I honestly think much of it is unfair,” Sefo wrote online. “This fight was not our idea. In truth, these two brothers have been at odds for years, and both Phoenix and Caros have talked about the possibility of meeting in the cage on several occasions. After years of discussing the potential, both men finally decided it was time. With both athletes on the World Series of Fighting roster, it only made sense for us to book the fight, but I can assure you, this contest would have happened with or without our involvement.
“Phoenix was featured in a very emotional pre-fight interview on the day of WSOF32, and some observers took that as some type of sign that Phoenix was unhappy about the situation, but I can tell you that simply was not the case. Phoenix is a very emotional guy, there’s no question, and as a fighter myself, I can tell you that all of us get even more emotional on the day of a fight. For that fight to be against someone who you grew up with must certainly even amplify that emotion. However, Phoenix and Caros both very much wanted this fight. This was not something we forced either man to accept.
“In the end, Caros wound up winning a decision at WSOF32. Whether or not the feuding between the two will come to an end, I don’t know, but I have no regrets providing them with a platform to contest the prizefight they had been discussing for years.”
The question of “who would win?” is one we’ve all inevitably asked ourselves when comparing some of MMA’s more famous brothers. The Nogueiras, the Freires, the Millers, the Brothers Diaz…we know that arbitrary things like weight classes and “love for one another” would keep most of these pairs from ever throwing down outside of the occasional family BBQ, but would a promotion even book such a fight if given the chance?
We’re kidding, of course. This is a sport that puts 68 year-old women and quadriplegics in ostensibly life-or-death scenarios without batting an eye, so the thought of booking a real-life Warriorscenario would be enough to make them shit their collective britches. As luck would have it, the World Series of Fighting appears to have shit those very britches.
The question of “who would win?” is one we’ve all inevitably asked ourselves when comparing some of MMA’s more famous brothers. The Nogueiras, the Freires, the Millers, the Brothers Diaz…we know that arbitrary things like weight classes and “love for one another” would keep most of these pairs from ever throwing down outside of the occasional family BBQ, but would a promotion even book such a fight if given the chance?
We’re kidding, of course. This is a sport that puts 68 year-old women and quadriplegics in ostensibly life-or-death scenarios without batting an eye, so the thought of booking a real-life Warriorscenario would be enough to make them shit their collective britches. As luck would have it, the World Series of Fighting appears to have shit those very britches.
According to Bloody Elbow, the promotion has recently announced that Caros Fodor will be taking on none other than his brother, Ben Fodor (better known around these parts as Phoenix Jones) on the main card of WSOF 32 in July. Being that Caros primarily competes as a lightweight while Ben fights at 155, the bout will be contested at a catchweight of 162 pounds.
How and why did this fight get booked, you ask? Good old fashioned hatred! Speaking with Yahoo following the announcement, the member of the Fodor family who doesn’t get his kicks dressing like a leather wombat and pepper-spraying drunks (can you tell that I think Phoenix Jones is a clown?), admitted that his brother’s alter-ego was largely at the root of their dislike for one another, ”It’s [strange]. I think it’s a gimmick for attention, if you want to know the truth. He started out meaning well, but, I don’t know.”
“He’s a liar and he just makes stuff up and throws it out there,” said Caros. “He’ll say almost anything. He likes to say he was raised in a foster home, but that’s not true.”
Jones, on the other hand, attempted to hype up the fight by saying that, “One hundred percent, it’s going to make our Mom cry. That’s a guarantee. But we’ve been circling each other for years. This was inevitable.”
Well if we weren’t stoked enough at the thought of potential fratricide, we sure as heck are now! (*begins “Make Mom Cry!” chant*)
As for how these brothers stack up against each other, well, it should come as little surprise that big brother Caros will enjoy a distinct experience advantage. Currently 10-5 as a pro, Caros has competed under the UFC, Strikeforce, and One FC banners, scoring wins over James Terry and Justin Wilcox and dropping contests to Sam Stout and Pat Healy. Ben, on the other hand, recently rebounded from a unanimous decision loss in his WSOF debut by submitting Alberto Young back in September, improving his record to 6-1-1 overall.
WSOF 32 is set to transpire on July 30th at the Xfinity Arena in Everett, Washington. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to watch the final fight from Warrior and cry like little girls.
Now that he’s been profiled by ESPN, it would be safe to say that Phoenix Jones (aka Ben Fodor) is quite the hot commodity right now. His recent Twitter postings seem to back this notion, as does the fact that he’s recently gone full War Machine and changed his name. With a 15-2 ammy record and 5-0-1 pro record at just 26 years of age, it’d also be safe to say that the guy’s made enough noise *and* proven himself enough to be called up to the big leagues. (looking at you, guy whose name rhymes with Bee Phlegm Skunk).
Regardless of how you feel about Jones, WSOF President Ray Sefo told MMAjunkie today that the undefeated welterweight has signed a multi-fight deal with World Series of Fighting, with his debut expected to take place at WSOF 20 on April 10. No opponent has yet to be named, but our bet is on Afro Ninja.
Now that he’s been profiled by ESPN, it would be safe to say that Phoenix Jones (aka Ben Fodor) is quite the hot commodity right now. His recent Twitter postings seem to back this notion, as does the fact that he’s recently gone full War Machine and changed his name. With a 15-2 ammy record and 5-0-1 pro record at just 26 years of age, it’d also be safe to say that the guy’s made enough noise *and* proven himself enough to be called up to the big leagues. (looking at you, guy whose name rhymes with Bee Phlegm Skunk).
Regardless of how you feel about Jones, WSOF President Ray Sefo told MMAjunkie today that the undefeated welterweight has signed a multi-fight deal with World Series of Fighting, with his debut expected to take place at WSOF 20 on April 10. No opponent has yet to be named, but our bet is on Afro Ninja.
Our sport is a freakshow, is what we’re getting at.
The brother of Strikeforce vet Cerberus Smith Caros Fodor, Jones last fought at Super Fight League 37, picking up a third round submission via Hadouken rear-naked choke over Jason Novelli. And you know what they say, if you can prove yourself in Super Fight League, that’s pretty neat.
Personally, I think that anyone who slaps on a costume and calls themselves a “crime fighter” — either in this world or any fictional one — is a tool, especially so when pepper spraying complete strangers is involved. But Fodor seems to have some legitimate skills, at least when he’s fighting shithammered club rats with a proclivity for saying “dawg”, so let’s see how it translates to the cage.
(“Can you guys hurry this up? My Mom…I mean The Phoenix signal is calling.”)
If you are an MMA fan, a comic book fan, or just a really lonely guy, then you’ve probably heard the story of Phoenix Jones a.k.a Ben Fodor, the amateur MMA fighter/”superhero” that according to his Wikipedia page “is an American leader of a ten-member citizen crime-prevention patrol group who call themselves the Rain City Superhero Movement.” So basically, a bunch of dudes who never met a Friday night they couldn’t squander formed a neighborhood watch group and dressed in cosplay. Because as we all know, the best way to be taken seriously is to dress up like a bumblebee and hand out life lessons to the drunks who happen to stumble out of the bars each night.
In any case, the world’s least anonymous superhero encountered one such drunk last weekend. After informing the police of the situation, Fodor challenged the drunken fellow to “mutual combat,” which is apparently a law dictating that if two parties have expressed an equal desire to fight one another, they can do so without the threat of legal action as long as neither participant uses unreasonable force. Awesome.
Video after the jump.
(“Can you guys hurry this up? My Mom…I mean The Phoenix signal is calling.”)
If you are an MMA fan, a comic book fan, or just a really lonely guy, then you’ve probably heard the story of Phoenix Jones a.k.a Ben Fodor, the amateur MMA fighter/”superhero” that according to his Wikipedia page “is an American leader of a ten-member citizen crime-prevention patrol group who call themselves the Rain City Superhero Movement.” So basically, a bunch of dudes who never met a Friday night they couldn’t squander formed a neighborhood watch group and dressed in cosplay. Because as we all know, the best way to be taken seriously is to dress up like a bumblebee and hand out life lessons to the drunks who happen to stumble out of the bars each night.
In any case, the world’s least anonymous superhero encountered one such drunk last weekend. After informing the police of the situation, Fodor challenged the drunken fellow to “mutual combat,” which is apparently a law dictating that if two parties have expressed an equal desire to fight one another, they can do so without the threat of legal action as long as neither participant uses unreasonable force. Awesome.
I’ve watched this video five times since it was passed along to us and I still don’t know what to make of it. All I’ve taken away from it is that Washington State easily has the coolest police force I’ve ever encountered.
Although you can skip ahead to the 6:40 mark for the actual fight, I’d suggest you watch the entire video for some context. It begins with the sane member of Drunk Dude’s crew questioning Fodor on the legality of whatever he has just done, which I’m guessing involved pepper spray. Fodor responds by saying that he “can do whatever he wants,” which should raise some concerns about this man’s state of mind right away. This is when Drunk Dude steps in and completely absorbs all the negative qualities about Fodor in one fell swoop, opting to mutter racial slurs in between “Come at me, bro” poses with effortless vitriol. The police arrive around the 2:30 mark to sort things out and ultimately decide that letting these two morons throw down would probably be in humanity’s best interest. Like I said, awesome.
But it isn’t until these two decide to square off that everyone realizes how screwed Drunk Dude truly is. Fodor may be a delusional schizophrenic with a God complex, but the man can throw a freakin’ beautiful leg kick. So much so that after about three or four of said kicks, Drunk Dude is pretty much ready to call it a day. But because we know leg kicks don’t finish (street) fights, Fodor makes sure to put Drunk Dude’s lights out with a straight right, possibly after he had already called quitsies. And with that, Seattle’s wannabe dark knight retreats into the darkness.
Now to be clear, I am not taking Drunk Dude’s side in this, because he and his ghetto-speaking, take-my-shirt-off-at-the-mention-of-a-fight friend were asking for a worse ass-kicking than they actually received. But I can’t say that I appreciate the idea of some self-righteous looney tune deciding that he is the new Sheriff in town either. This isn’t Vietnam, Smokey, there are rules here. And while Ben appears to know his way around the law, he also “has a history of injecting himself in these incidents” as the SeattlePi put it when he was arrested a little over a year ago for pepper spraying a group of people involved in an alleged fight. Just watch this video of that incident and tell me that this guy doesn’t add to the problems he is supposedly trying to solve. After you stop laughing, of course.
I’m sure Fodor has been responsible for actual resolving/averting a crisis or two in his day, but does anyone else think the necessity of his antics should be called into question when he becomes responsible for more police reports than he helps thwart? Should I be ridiculed for even questioning the legitimacy of a man who dresses up in a costume to fight crime? Is this real life? Anyone?
Most ‘crimes’ in MMA take the form of inept judging and flagrant rule breaking, but this past year many professional fighters were caught up in activities that landed them inside of a very different sort of cage. Get ready for a trip down memory lane in our most depressing “booking roundup” of the year. Here’s your run down of 2011’s biggest arrests, convictions, acquittals, and sentencings.
Most ‘crimes’ in MMA take the form of inept judging and flagrant rule breaking, but this past year many professional fighters were caught up in activities that landed them inside of a very different sort of cage. Get ready for a trip down memory lane in our most depressing “booking roundup” of the year. Here’s your run down of 2011’s biggest arrests, convictions, acquittals, and sentencings.
Random Assaults
Ben Fodor (aka“Phoenix Jones”)
Elements of the Crime: You almost get the feeling that some of the fighters on this list go looking for trouble. In the case of Ben Fodor, that’s entirely accurate. The brother of Strikeforce fighter Caros Fodor, Ben has only had one professional fight, preferring instead to wage his battles on the mean streets of Seattle under the moniker “Phoenix Jones”. The would-be super hero tried to break up a street fight earlier this year by dosing the parties with pepper spray. In addition to enraging the “bad guys”, Fodor’s actions caught the attention of local authorities. It turns out that when you pepper spray a crowd you’re committing a crime, unless you have a written note from Commissioner Gordon.
The Charges: Assault
The Sentence: Though Fodor was summoned to court, no charges were filed.
Career Fallout: Well, a fighting career isn’t really his focus. His crime-fighting career, however, may have taken a hit. Jones’s ‘super-secret’ identity was revealed as a function of the court process. Now anyone he’s ever loved is at risk.
Ricco Rodriguez
Elements of the Crime: When Ricco Rodriguez wants to party, Ricco Rodriguez wants to party. It’s caused him plenty of trouble in his life, from becoming the first UFC fighter suspended for coke abuse to a little incident where he dragged his not-quite-yet-dead girlfriend’s body behind the wheel of his wrecked car. After an appearance on “Celebrity Rehab”, things were looking up for the former champ, but then he short changed a cab driver after being dropped off a bar and slammed the cabbie to the ground when he called the authorities. Unfortunately “Suave” hadn’t calmed down by the time the cops arrived; as they tried to place him under arrest, he shoved one of them into the wall.
Elements of the Crime: Compared to most of the drunken women that fell prey to MMA fighters this year, Hong Man Choi’s victim got off pretty easy. The 20 year old refused to pay what she considered to be an inflated tab after having drinks at the K1 & MMA fighter’s pub in Gwangjin, Korea. Choi was said to have punched the woman after she cursed at him during their brief argument. The 7’2” giant admitted to pushing the woman aside after she had struck him, but no more.
Career Fallout: If fighting Jose Canseco doesn’t kill your career, nothing can, bruh.
Junie Browning
Elements of the Crime: Attention whore Junie Browning came correct with a dramatic, last minute entry to our rap-sheet wrap-up. The aptly-named “Lunatik” took a break from training in Phuket, Thailand to have a few drinks with friends at a local watering hole. Trouble must have a passport, because it promptly tracked Junie down and a massive bar, street, and hospital brawl ensued. What exactly prompted the melee and who was the aggressor is a matter of whose story you believe. It’s your classic case of “drunken-insane-MMA-washout-said/drunken-bar-owner-potential-plane-bomber-said. What we do know is that Browning went into hiding, either from authorities or the Thai mafia. More details poured in, but they hardly shed light on the matter.
The Charges: Multiple assault charges
The Sentence: In the midst of a massive manhunt, Junie turned himself in to authorities, who opted to work with both parties to find a resolution to the squab rather than press criminal charges. Thus far those efforts have proven fruitless.
Career Fallout: Junie only fought once in 2011, picking up his fourth straight loss on a regional card in Albuquerque, New Mexico. While this recent legal dust-up won’t endear him to any big league promoters, neither will his fighting.
