(See, Viacom? There ARE some things that are too stupid for pro-wrestling fans to watch.)
Remember when we told you guys on Sunday that Bellator is going through some hard times before its (extremely misguided) inaugural PPV? Well, with a brand new episode of TNA Impact scheduled to air tonight, we decided to look into how Viacom’s other promotion is doing. Try not to act too surprised, but here’s the short version of the story:
Believe it or not, the professional wrestling outfit that’s been repackaged as an infomercial for an MMA PPV that no one cares about is in some pretty dire straights. Over the course of the past year, TNA Impact has been making some drastic budget cuts, which have included firing numerous young prospects and veteran wrestlers alike (leading to somehilarioussatiricalstories from Kayfabe News). Okay, no problem with trimming the fat, right? Well, once main players in the company start getting cut, it’s not exactly a good sign. Follow us after the jump, and we’ll explain…
(See, Viacom? There ARE some things that are too stupid for pro-wrestling fans to watch.)
Remember when we told you guys on Sunday that Bellator is going through some hard times before its (extremely misguided) inaugural PPV? Well, with a brand new episode of TNA Impact scheduled to air tonight, we decided to look into how Viacom’s other promotion is doing. Try not to act too surprised, but here’s the short version of the story:
Believe it or not, the professional wrestling outfit that’s been repackaged as an infomercial for an MMA PPV that no one cares about is in some pretty dire straights. Over the course of the past year, TNA Impact has been making some drastic budget cuts, which have included firing numerous young prospects and veteran wrestlers alike (leading to somehilarioussatiricalstories from Kayfabe News). Okay, no problem with trimming the fat, right? Well, once main players in the company start getting cut, it’s not exactly a good sign.
Two weeks ago, TNA Impact actually had to fire Hulk Hogan as a cost cutting measure. On the surface, Hogan’s dismissal from the company has been long overdue — he’s an overpaid sixty year old being used as an on-air authority figure because he physically can’t wrestle anymore. But for TNA Impact to finally part ways with the guy? Brother, that’d be like Dana White firing Chuck Liddell from his vaguely-defined job; even though it would make sense financially, it would never happen unless the company was circling the drain.
To make matters worse, the promotion’s first show without Hulk Hogan since 2009 only managed to bring in only 1.08 million viewers last Thursday, which is nearly an all-time low for the promotion. To put that into perspective, more people watched a midnight rerun of Pawn Stars than TNA Impact. But they did manage to pull in a few more viewers than an American Dad rerun that aired at 1:30 in the morning, so that’s a plus, I guess.
I’m not writing that the situation is hopeless, but I am writing that it may very well be hopeless if Bellator’s pay-per-view flops. Viacom has invested the futures of both promotions into this card. If it doesn’t end well, it’ll take more than Tim Sylvia to fix the ensuing fiasco.
On Friday, MMAJunkie’s John Morgan tweeted that the PPV had sold only approximately 1,700 tickets, with another 2,000 on consignment. Matt Roth of MMAMania noted just how dire the situation really is. He pointed out that the venue can hold over 13,000 people, meaning that Bellator would have to sell in the neighborhood of 10,000 tickets in less than 20 days to secure a sellout. That probably isn’t going to happen — not even if Tito Ortiz and Rampage Jackson became giants like in the awful trailer for the PPV.
Bjorn Rebney better be prepared to get a job at his dad’s Winnebago dealership; winter is coming for Bellator. Nobody is going to attend their PPV, and it’s probable that, at an expected price between $35-45, nobody is going to purchase their PPV either. Nobody gives a fuck about their product and their titles are considered worthless. If the UFC stacked three title fights on a card, you’d expect success, even if it were the titles for the three lightest weight classes. But with Bellator, which is offering three title fights on its PPV (although one is a dubious interim title), nobody knows or cares. Hell, we’re a site whose fanbase is comprised pretty much of entirely hardcore fans, and judging by the front page poll, a third of you never even watch Bellator. If they can’t get the hardcores, what fucking chance do they have at getting the casual fans to drop money on this PPV?
Even more concerning is a recent report from MMAPayout about Bellator 102, which UFC “star” Cheick Kongo headlined. The show’s gate was only $73,410.43. A paltry 1,482 people attended the show but nearly half of those tickets (604 of them to be precise) were comped. Now, are you ready to be really amazed? Let’s look at the salaries…
On Friday, MMAJunkie’s John Morgan tweeted that the PPV had sold only approximately 1,700 tickets, with another 2,000 on consignment. Matt Roth of MMAMania noted just how dire the situation really is. He pointed out that the venue can hold over 13,000 people, meaning that Bellator would have to sell in the neighborhood of 10,000 tickets in less than 20 days to secure a sellout. That probably isn’t going to happen — not even if Tito Ortiz and Rampage Jackson became giants like in the awful trailer for the PPV.
Bjorn Rebney better be prepared to get a job at his dad’s Winnebago dealership; winter is coming for Bellator. Nobody is going to attend their PPV, and it’s probable that, at an expected price between $35-45, nobody is going to purchase their PPV either. Nobody gives a fuck about their product and their titles are considered worthless. If the UFC stacked three title fights on a card, you’d expect success, even if it were the titles for the three lightest weight classes. But with Bellator, which is offering three title fights on its PPV (although one is a dubious interim title), nobody knows or cares. Hell, we’re a site whose fanbase is comprised pretty much of entirely hardcore fans, and judging by the front page poll, a third of you never even watch Bellator. If they can’t get the hardcores, what fucking chance do they have at getting the casual fans to drop money on this PPV?
Even more concerning is a recent report from MMAPayout about Bellator 102, which UFC “star” Cheick Kongo headlined. The show’s gate was only $73,410.43. A paltry 1,482 people attended the show but nearly half of those tickets (604 of them to be precise) were comped. Now, are you ready to be really amazed? Let’s look at the salaries.
Kongo made $60,000 for his fight against Mark Godbeer, who made $15,000. So the main event alone accounted for more money than the entire show made in ticket sales. The total salary payout for the entire card, including Kongo and Godbeer, was $308,000.
Subtract the gate from the salaries and you get $234,589.57 — that’s what Bellator lost on the show, or at least that’s the amount of money that Bellator needs to make up through sponsorships and other deals. “Well Viacom is rich and can take a loss on Bellator,” you say? True enough, it seems at first that Viacom could pull off the whole Ted Turner-WCW thing, but Viacom already paid $50 million for an inferior product and a Dana White lookalike. And that product is proving that it’s not financially sustainable. How much longer will Viacom decide to keep the sick man of MMA on life support?
It’s rare, but we’re going to have to agree with Dana White here: There’s no value to Bellator. The promotion still features some insanely talented fighters, but financially, they’re worse in the shit than Enron or WaMu. Get ready for Dana to add another name to the tombstone.
It’s a none-too-subtle reference to how BIG this fight is, at least for Bellator, whose long-term health as a promotion could be strengthened by a respectable buyrate in their first PPV outing. But as a cynical observer, I’m not expecting an epic clash of monsters in the main event. I’m expecting guys like Michael Chandler, Eddie Alvarez, and Pat Curran to steal the show as usual, while two old relics smush up against each other for 15 minutes before slithering back into the dark and mysterious waters of the Pacific Ocean.
It’s a none-too-subtle reference to how BIG this fight is, at least for Bellator, whose long-term health as a promotion could be strengthened by a respectable buyrate in their first PPV outing. But as a cynical observer, I’m not expecting an epic clash of monsters in the main event. I’m expecting guys like Michael Chandler, Eddie Alvarez, and Pat Curran to steal the show as usual, while two old relics smush up against each other for 15 minutes before slithering back into the dark and mysterious waters of the Pacific Ocean.
In celebration of the possibility that deplorable scumbag Joe Son may be getting the death penalty, we’ve decided to update our blatantly outdated “Most Despicable People in MMA” list in the form of our newest roundtable discussion. Read on for our picks, and please continue to send your ideas for future Roundtable topics to [email protected].
MMA can be a sordid, awful business — a wretched hive of scum and villainy, as Obi-Wan Kenobi would say. Some characters are worse than others though. The classless fighters and “let me bang bro” douchebags that litter the landscape are only small time. The real people you need to watch out for are the promoters, for they’re the ones pulling the strings, greasing the wheels, and killing the dogs.
Yes, killing dogs. You read that right. And that’s the main reason why I have to throw Bjorn Rebney’s name into the “who is the most despicable person in MMA” discussion: He was allegedly involved in the brutal murder of a rival’s dog.
It’s quite a tale so here’s the abridged version: Back in Rebney’s boxing promotion days, he was partners with a man named Seth Ersoff. Eventually, they found themselves at odds and a lawsuit developed. As Ringtalk noted, the situation escalated and somehow Ersoff’s dog wound up with a metal spike through its head.
But there’s no definitive proof of Rebney murdering this poor, innocent dog, so I can’t judge him solely on that action — something that he might not have been responsible for. But there are other bad actions that make him a perfect candidate for CagePotato’s “Worst Human Being in MMA” award…
In celebration of the possibility that deplorable scumbag Joe Son may be getting the death penalty, we’ve decided to update our blatantly outdated “Most Despicable People in MMA” list in the form of our newest roundtable discussion. Read on for our picks, and please continue to send your ideas for future Roundtable topics to [email protected].
MMA can be a sordid, awful business — a wretched hive of scum and villainy, as Obi-Wan Kenobi would say. Some characters are worse than others though. The classless fighters and “let me bang bro” douchebags that litter the landscape are only small time. The real people you need to watch out for are the promoters, for they’re the ones pulling the strings, greasing the wheels, and killing the dogs.
Yes, killing dogs. You read that right. And that’s the main reason why I have to throw Bjorn Rebney’s name into the “who is the most despicable person in MMA” discussion: He was allegedly involved in the brutal murder of a rival’s dog.
It’s quite a tale so here’s the abridged version: Back in Rebney’s boxing promotion days, he was partners with a man named Seth Ersoff. Eventually, they found themselves at odds and a lawsuit developed. As Ringtalk noted, the situation escalated and somehow Ersoff’s dog wound up with a metal spike through its head.
But there’s no definitive proof of Rebney murdering this poor, innocent dog, so I can’t judge him solely on that action — something that he might not have been responsible for. But there are other bad actions that make him a perfect candidate for CagePotato’s “Worst Human Being in MMA” award.
First, he sued Sugar Ray Leonard’s company, Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing, into oblivion in 2004. Like all legal struggles, this one was kind of messy and each side claimed they had the right of it. Leonard said that Rebney was “a cancer” and that the company could’ve blossomed but Rebney ruined it. Rebney asserted that it was Leonard’s fault. Rebney said that Leonard turning his back on the promotion bearing his name to sign a deal with NBC’s The Contender is what made the company come crashing down.
Second, Rebney seems to love the questionable oddities of the Bellator roster, the ones that lack moral turpitude. The most egregious example is War Machine. Remember the “rape tweet” debacle? Remember Bjorn Rebney’s pathetic, flaccid statement about it? Oh, and did you see Rebney’s reaction to War Machine’s tweet about how glad he was to pass by a cop’s funeral the other day? No? Well that’s because he didn’t respond to it all. Apparently, Rebney is cool with it.
Then, of course, there’s the whole Eddie Alvarez thing. Personally, I don’t demonize Rebney for this since it was just a business move. Why would he let one of his only known, talented fighters slip away to a competitor?
Even without the Eddie Alvarez lawsuit, that’s still some pretty strong evidence for Bjorn being a real d-list: He allegedly murdered a dog, he’s got a history of shady litigation, he doesn’t care that there’s a weird, brash criminal in his employment making his company look bad, and he can be a bit of an asshole sometimes.
Anthony Gannon
Word association is a fun and educational game that can be used to deepen the bonds of family and friendships — well, unless you drunkenly blurt out “My filthy whore of a wife” when the word ‘skank’ is in play. In that case it could create quite a tense situation. For the most part though, it’s a constructive activity that unites, not divides. And because the possibilities are endless, it can be applied to any genre and is great fun for all age groups.
In MMA, for instance, if we said “unevolved cranium,” you might think of Tito Ortiz. If we said “self-righteous Bible thumper,” you might choose Matt Hughes. You get the point.
Now, who immediately comes to mind when we say “festering dickbag?”
If you said Michael Bisping then you’ve been paying attention and win a prize. Well okay, no you don’t actually win a prize, but dammit you do merit a prize. So the next time you’re at the boardwalk arcade and you spend $300 collecting those stupid little prize tickets and all you can get with them is either a back scratcher or a Velcro wallet, just think of it as a gift from your good pals here at CP. We care.
So, why is Bisping a dick? Oh you jest. Everyone from the no-nonsense Dan Henderson, to the batshit crazy Jason Miller, to the old man Jorge Rivera has put Bisping on blast as a total dick. Hell, Rivera even made a YouTube video about it. Guys Bisping hasn’t even fought, such as Hector Lombard, have described Bisping as a dick after “The Count” attacked his height. Little did Bisping realize at the time though that he was about to be served with a vicious comeback. Lombard described an encounter where he shook Bisping’s “little girl hands,” which everyone knows is just an indirect way of implying that a guy has a crayon dick. Game. Set. Match.
Bisping deserves every bit of hate he receives. The man is simply incapable of talking smack like a regular fighter. He even took aim at the 125 pounders for having the temerity to respond to his initial attacks — and that’s really the story of Bisping. He loves to dish it out but he can’t take it. Plus, he’s arrogant and hypocritical about his dickishness. Before his loss to Vitor Belfort, Bisping became enraged when Vitor called him a “hooligan” in a press conference, and used that as a justification to take the customary shit-talking down a few notches — as if Bisping could even come close to taking the moral high-ground when it comes to bad-mouthing an opponent.
But what really set him apart from the crowd was UFC 127. Calling Jorge Rivera a “faggot mother fucker” was the least messed up thing he did that weekend. There was the blatantly intentional knee to a downed Rivera’s grill, spitting at Rivera’s corner, then getting in his defeated foe’s face and demanding an apology for making him act like a such a gargantuan dick. Granted, Jorge instigated the situation with his YouTube videos mocking Bisping. And a response was certainly in order. But the knee, the spitting, I mean shit, who does that?
You see, there is a huge divide between a garden variety asshole and being a dick. Being a dick is a natural state and requires intrinsic features that not everyone possesses. You just have to have a way about you; a smugness; an aura of douchiness that’s difficult to explain but impossible to miss, that makes likeability a virtual impossibility. An asshole has to put forth some effort. For a dick, it just comes naturally.
Bisping came up in an era when TUF winners were coddled with main card billing and hand-fed opponents to build them up as contenders. Yeah, he’s a very good fighter — 14-5 in the UFC — but he’s fallen against every top tier opponent they’ve put him against. In fact, the only Top 10 fighter Bisping has beaten is Brian Stann, and Stann’s placement on that list was largely due to a victory over the supremely overrated Jorge Santiago. Yet still, Bisping has this dickish sense of entitlement about where he actually stands in the division, often saying he’s paid his dues and deserves a title shot. Forget that he loses to every great fighter he faces. That’s an inconvenient fact, and those are easily brushed aside by dicks the world over.
Lately ”The Count” has been employing a less pugnacious strategy. He’s kind of like a psychotic Eddie Haskell – saying the right things in front of the right company, but you just know that innate dickishness is lurking very close to the surface, dying to get out. My guess is someone got in his ear after the Rivera incident and basically told him that it’s good to be kind of a dick. Hell, Bisping is one of highest paid guys in the UFC because of it. But being such a humungous, ooze festering dick may not be the best way to proceed.
Luckily we have this to watch over and over and over again to make it all okay. Thank you, Dan Henderson, for providing us with this beautiful highlight, especially the totally unnecessary diving forearm smash. Because hey, one dick move deserves another.
Really, you guys? You think Baby Bjorn or Count Bisping are the most despicable people in MMA because they what, intentionally destroy the occasional fighter’s career or say some nasty things about flyweights?
In 2010, Jarrod Wyatt got high on mushroom tea, cut out his friend’s heart and tongue and peeled the skin off his face. Police described the scene as “Like Lost Highway but with significantly less eroticism.” Wyatt had just one amateur fight to his credit, but that didn’t stop every newspaper, online publication, radio station, television station, train station and Brownsville Station song from referring to him as “an MMA fighter.” Therefore, he is one of us. The living embodiment of Stephen Crane’s “In the Desert” is one of us. And he makes Joe Son look like a pussy.
In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, “Is it good, friend?”
“It is bitter—bitter,” he answered;
“But I like it
“Because it is bitter,
“And because it is my heart.”
Among MMA stars, Rampage’s profound level of self-delusion is only matched by Tito Ortiz and Nick Diaz. And while those guys have done plentyto embarrassthemselves andthe sport, Quinton Jackson has always come across as a broader threat to humanity, because he has a history of being actively hostile to those around him. His reaction to seeing a tiger in captivity is to hump it, for God’s sake, egged on by the ever-present giggles of his sidekick, Tiki.
I have a separate theory on Rampage’s unearned “funny guy” persona. At some point early in his career, terrified Japanese people and terrified white people began laughing nervously at everything Jackson said or did, in order to avoid a potential raping. Emboldened by the laughter, he became convinced that he’s a comic genius. (Mike Tyson’s post-boxing career has followed the same arc, by the way.) Still, that doesn’t explain how in the fuck Rampage ever thought he had musical talent.
I am breaking a pseudo-CagePotato ban right now, but this is NOT a troll piece by any means. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wanted to mention, and because a wise man insinuated that I probably have “nothing to lose and no reputation to worry about,” I will be the one jumping on this grenade. So allow me to just come right out and say it: Fallon Fox belongs on the list of despicable people in MMA.
This is neither a case of gender equality nor equal opportunity, and it hardly has anything at all to do with the fact that Fox is a transgender fighter competing in women’s MMA. It also has nothing to do with my personal beliefs concerning her punching other women for a living even though she still has both X&Y chromosomes. The reality is that Fox came out publicly on March 5, 2013 just prior to some confusion about her licensing between the California State Athletic Commission and the Florida Athletic Commission.
Did she come out publicly on her own accord? Maybe.
Was her hand forced because she lied/incorrectly claimed on her Florida MMA licensure that she was already licensed in California and the information was going to become public due to the licensing issues? Possibly.
Did she already (T)KO two opponents who had no knowledge that she was born as Boyd Burton? Absolutley, and that is the part that is despicable.
Although she has been licensed in Florida since her revelation — and she claims to be in compliance with the International Olympic Committee’s rules on postoperative transsexuals — it doesn’t change the fact that two competitors had no idea that she walked around as a man for 31 years prior to her medical procedures. Fox beat both Alisha Helsper via TKO (injury) and Ericka Newsome via KO (knee) when neither had any inclination of Fox’s past. Sure, Hesper and Newsome may have still fought Fox had they known all the facts, but it is appalling that they were never given a chance to weigh all the variables and make that decision themselves.
After The Queen of Swords made her medical history public, her next opponent, Peggy “The Daywalker” Morgan, promptly backed out of their upcoming bout — making it clear that she was under the impression that Fox had a physical advantage. In a previous CP post, Morgan is quoted in a statement from Relentless Sports Marketing saying:
Until I am presented with conclusive evidence that a fight with Fallon would, in fact, be fair, I will not be entering the cage with her.
Morgan was replaced by willing participant Allana Jones. Jones lost to Fox via third round submission, but sprinkled into that bout were several Koscheck-esque eye pokes by Fallon as well as a perceived cheap shot by Fox during a “mutual” glove tap. Several weeks after Fox defeated Jones, Invicta FC strawweight Bec Hyatt came forward with an interesting story about Fox doing a decent Nick Diaz impression at the hotel some of the fighters were staying at prior to the Invicta FC 5 event.
Though these last few details are trivial in comparison to Fox’s lack of full disclosure during the beginning of her MMA career, I believe a picture has already begun to paint itself and it isn’t pretty. Albeit I have never “wrapped her in my arms,” Fox seems to have earned her spot on this list even if there are those that turn a blind eye to her prior indiscretions and simply want to champion her efforts as progress. That is pretty despicable, too.
I don’t know why I’m even bothering to contribute at this point. For one, I’m pretty sure that everyone stopped reading after Nate picked Fallon Fox and ran straight for the comments section. I could write pretty much anything here, throw in a semi-related GIF (as I often do), and no one would call me on it. And even if anyone actually is still reading this, as far as I’m concerned, the “Who is the most despicable person in MMA?” mystery was already solved months ago by none other than…Nate Diaz?
I mean, just look at that tweet up there. What sort of douchebag justifies battery as “the consequence for acting like a dude?” If you answered “that rare breed of douchebag who elbows a woman in the back of the head at a UFC weigh in,” then go ahead and pat yourself on the back, because you figured out exactly where I was going with that one.
Granted, there’s no concrete evidence that he intentionally elbowed Cat Zingano in the back of the head before the TUF 17 Finale, but Caraway’s complete lack of an apology — or even an explanation of what actually happened — paints a pretty ugly picture: We have a guy who elbowed a woman in the back of the head who openly admits that he thinks it’s okay to hit a woman who “acts like a dude.” No wonder there are whispers that he might be abusive towards Miesha Tate (who, let’s be real here, is way too hot to be stuck with him).
During the summer, Bellator signed a number of new fighters that will make their promotional debuts during season nine, and we wanted to highlight a few of these hungry young prospects that fans should keep an eye on starting with tonight’s event in Temecula, California.
So, without further ado, here are nine Bellator prospects to watch out for during this coming season of fights.
The first fighter to keep an eye on this season is veteran John Alessio, who has been fighting professionally since 1998. After making his name as a top prospect fighting for SuperBrawl in Hawaii, the UFC fed Alessio to the sharks when, at just 20 years of age, he fought Pat Miletich for the UFC welterweight title. And while Alessio would get tapped out in just 1:43 and leave the UFC immediately afterwards, he returned in 2006 and fought both Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves, losing to both and losing his spot on the roster again. Never perturbed, Alessio then carved out a solid run in the WEC, MFC, Dream, and a few other promotions to get yet another crack in the Octagon in 2012, but after losing to Mark Bocek and Shane Roller — becoming the only fighter in UFC history to go 0-5 — he was cut for good. Bellator then picked him up and he’s been installed as a participant in the season nine lightweight tournament. Winning it, he says, is his destiny.
During the summer, Bellator signed a number of new fighters that will make their promotional debuts during season nine, and we wanted to highlight a few of these hungry young prospects that fans should keep an eye on starting with tonight’s event in Temecula, California.
So, without further ado, here are nine Bellator prospects to watch out for during this coming season of fights.
The first fighter to keep an eye on this season is veteran John Alessio, who has been fighting professionally since 1998. After making his name as a top prospect fighting for SuperBrawl in Hawaii, the UFC fed Alessio to the sharks when, at just 20 years of age, he fought Pat Miletich for the UFC welterweight title. And while Alessio would get tapped out in just 1:43 and leave the UFC immediately afterwards, he returned in 2006 and fought both Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves, losing to both and losing his spot on the roster again. Never perturbed, Alessio then carved out a solid run in the WEC, MFC, Dream, and a few other promotions to get yet another crack in the Octagon in 2012, but after losing to Mark Bocek and Shane Roller — becoming the only fighter in UFC history to go 0-5 — he was cut for good. Bellator then picked him up and he’s been installed as a participant in the season nine lightweight tournament. Winning it, he says, is his destiny.
Another UFC veteran to look out for this season is Paul Sass, the British submission wizard who was picked up by Bellator after two-straight losses in the Octagon, although his 3-2 overall UFC record wasn’t too bad. Sass, in my opinion, was cut far too early by the UFC as he was one of the best submission guys in the entire 155-pound division and seemed to be coming along a bit with his striking. Although Bellator’s lightweight division is very good, I do believe that Sass had it rougher in the UFC’s 155-pound shark tank and so I expect him to pick up some nice undercard wins in Bellator and then maybe get a shot in a future lightweight tournament.
Vladimir Matyushenko, who at 42 years and eight months old is almost the oldest fighter on the Bellator roster, was cut by the UFC earlier this year after a 4-3 second run in the Octagon that culminated with back-to-back stoppage losses to Ryan Bader and Alexander Gustafsson. Not too long after, Bellator reached out to the former IFL light-heavyweight champion and he signed a deal with the promotion. According to Matyushenko, he still has something left in the tank and wants to prove it to both himself and to the fans in the circled Bellator cage tonight at Bellator 99. The Janitor will be making his promotional debut against Houston Alexander, with the winner of the fight getting an immediate shot against Keith Jardine (just kidding about the Jardine part).
As stated above, Alexander recently signed with Bellator after two-straight wins on the regional circuit and the 41-year-old will take on Matyushenko in a battle of two hard hitters who have been knocked out a combined nine times. Something tells me that one of these two men is going to wake up to a doctor’s flashlight – or maybe even both will, for the rare double KO – and, in a fight between two fighters with a combined age of 83, it wouldn’t be surprising if this match marks the end of one or both of these fighters’ careers. Or, maybe they’ll just keep dragging along. Isn’t 40 supposed to be the new 25?
I had no idea until I was looking through the official Bellator roster (forgive me, I don’t do it often) that they recently signed Mighty Mo, who is currently on an eight-fight losing streak in kickboxing, turns 43 next month, and is most fondly remembered in MMA for getting kicked in the groin by Josh Barnett and then getting to return the favor after the fight back in DREAM. Mo, who is just 3-2 in mixed martial arts competition, hasn’t fought in MMA in over three years, and I’m puzzled why Bellator signed him. I guess they were impressed by his knockout of Ruben “Warpath” Villareal back at Dynamite!!! USA in 2007 – his last win in MMA – and think he has the power to cause problems in the Bellator heavyweight division. Truth be told, he can still probably compete with guys like Ron Sparks and Rich Hale, and he could definitely be involved in some sloppy, groin-shot-filled Bellator heavyweight bouts in the near future.
On the next page:A legit featherweight contender, and some big names you love to hate.
For some MMA fighters, professional wrestling was just a one-time cash grab. For others, it became a second career. Inspired by yet another week of TNA Impact Wrestling’s efforts to get anyone to care about the professional wrestling experiments of two broken-down MMA legends, we’ll be examining fighters who took up professional wrestling after they made their names in MMA in our newest installment of The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.
Bear in mind that this article is focusing on mixed martial artists who transitioned to professional wrestling careers, and not fighters who started off as professional wrestlers. So that means fighters like Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock, Bobby Lashley, Giant Silva, Bob Sapp, Dos Caras Jr. (aka Alberto Del Rio), Dan Severn (Google it) and Sakuraba will not be covered here — although a few of these men will make appearances in this article. Let’s start off on a positive note…
The Good
The Professional Wrestling Career of Josh Barnett.
When you’re thinking of good instances of an MMA fighter turning to professional wrestling as a second career choice, Josh Barnett should immediately come to mind. There have been other fighters who dabbled in professional wrestling, but Barnett is one of the only ones to be just as popular and successful in it as he was in MMA.
Before his transition, Barnett became the youngest heavyweight champion in UFC history by defeating Randy Couture at UFC 36. After being stripped of his title due to a positive drug test, Barnett set his sights on the Japanese professional wrestling scene, where the fans value legitimacy and toughness from their wrestlers more than mic skills and charisma (although Barnett has both in spades). He immediately challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and although he came up short, he went on to enjoy the most relevant crossover career of any fighter on this list before his return to the UFC earlier this year put a halt to the wrasslin’ for the time being.
For some MMA fighters, professional wrestling was just a one-time cash grab. For others, it became a second career. Inspired by yet another week of TNA Impact Wrestling’s efforts to get anyone to care about the professional wrestling experiments of two broken-down MMA legends, we’ll be examining fighters who took up professional wrestling after they made their names in MMA in our newest installment of The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.
Bear in mind that this article is focusing on mixed martial artists who transitioned to professional wrestling careers, and not fighters who started off as professional wrestlers. So that means fighters like Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock, Bobby Lashley, Giant Silva, Bob Sapp, Dos Caras Jr. (aka Alberto Del Rio), Dan Severn (Google it) and Sakuraba will not be covered here — although a few of these men will make appearances in this article. Let’s start off on a positive note…
The Good
The Professional Wrestling Career of Josh Barnett.
When you’re thinking of good instances of an MMA fighter turning to professional wrestling as a second career choice, Josh Barnett should immediately come to mind. There have been other fighters who dabbled in professional wrestling, but Barnett is one of the only ones to be just as popular and successful in it as he was in MMA.
Before his transition, Barnett became the youngest heavyweight champion in UFC history by defeating Randy Couture at UFC 36. After being stripped of his title due to a positive drug test, Barnett set his sights on the Japanese professional wrestling scene, where the fans value legitimacy and toughness from their wrestlers more than mic skills and charisma (although Barnett has both in spades). He immediately challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, and although he came up short, he went on to enjoy the most relevant crossover career of any fighter on this list before his return to the UFC earlier this year put a halt to the wrasslin’ for the time being.
With Frye’s “rematch” against Yoshihiro Takayama being one of the few exceptions, the professional wrestling careers of Don Frye and Bas Rutten have been exactly what you’d expect them to be. If I need to explain why that’s a good thing, you’reobviouslynewhere.
The Polar Bear Fights Taz at ECW Hardcore Heaven.
(Enjoy the video while it lasts. Seriously, WWE’s lawyers will probably have it taken down soon.)
By 1996, a stocky, Brooklyn-born judoka by the name of Peter Senercia — better known as Taz — was one of the most talented, respected wrestlers on the independent circuit. Dubbed “The Human Suplex Machine,” Taz brawled his way through most of the ECW roster and was looking to take on some credible new opponents. This led to a problem for ECW owner Paul Heyman: Despite its success among hardcore wrestling fans, ECW was still very much an independent promotion that couldn’t afford to bring in established wrestlers just to job to one of their top stars. Always one to embrace new ideas, Heyman solved this dilemma by bringing Paul “The Polar Bear” Varelans in from the upstart Ultimate Fighting Championship to challenge Taz to a “real” fight at Hardcore Heaven.
At 6’8” tall and tipping the scales at 300 pounds, Varelans was the perfect fighter for Heyman to utilize. He was big enough to be seen as a formidable opponent, but his MMA record wasn’t too impressive for anyone to buy that Taz could actually beat him. The strong-style nature of the match hid The Polar Bear’s lack of professional wrestling training, yet also wasn’t out of place in ECW — especially not while Taz was in the ring. And while Taz obviously won the fight, he relied on outside interference. Having heels bend the rules in order to defeat larger, more skilled opponents is not only a common way to generate heat, but it also makes the ending more realistic in the eyes of the ECW fans who were familiar with those early UFC events. Well, at least as realistic as a fight that ends by Tazmission after an outsider dropkicks one of the fighters can look, I guess (work with me, people). Basically, everyone involved benefited from the situation and the fans actually cared about the angle — something that rarely happens when MMA fighters infiltrate the world of professional wrestling.
Bonus: According to wrestling legend, it was Taz who brought tapping out to professional wrestling. Taz was a huge Royce Gracie fan, and thought it would be more authentic if wrestlers tapped out at the end of their matches instead of just verbally submitting. If you think wrestling looks fake now, just imagine what it looked like when wrestlers verbally submitted to choke holds.
Brian Johnson Reinvents Himself in Japan
I’m willing to bet that, like most MMA fans, you’ve all but forgotten about Brian Johnson — the man who punched out a hapless Reza Nasri in under 30 seconds at UFC 11 before being emphatically tackled by Big John McCarthy. In terms of his real fighting career, you didn’t miss much — Johnson retired barely one year after he started fighting and lost to everyone he’s fought that you’ve heard of. However, with few other career options available for hulking spandex-clad athletes, Johnson turned to fake fighting and quickly excelled at it. He enjoyed success as a tag-team wrestler, pairing up with guys like Don Frye and Kazuyuki Fujita in the Japanese professional wrestling circuit.
Unfortunately, Johnson’s professional wrestling career would eventually serve as a brutal reminder that even though the fights are fake, the injuries that plague wrestlers are all too real. A series of concussions led him to retire in early 2001, and later that year, at only thirty-two years old, he would suffer a severe stroke. Though Johnson is alive and well today, he has wisely stayed away from the squared circle.
Hit that “next page” link for god awful gimmicks, the career that should have been, and the partnership that never should have…
