The Ranger Up crew are known for two things: making hilarious/awesome t-shirts and making hilarious/awesome/creepy videos starring either Tim Kennedy or Jorge Rivera. They’ve parodied everything from Monty Python to Katy Perry, but more often than not, their videos amount to little more than a dose of anti-Michael Bisping propganda. We would be quick to declare these videos an undeniable success had they not severely backfired on Bisping’s opponents in each instance, but they were at least moderately entertaining in failure nonetheless.
And today, Kennedy and the gang have decided to shift their focus from that of public humiliation to that of social responsibility. We’re talking about voting, people. It kicks ass. And regardless of your stance on the candidates at hand, the economy, gay rights, abortion, or having binders full of women, you should probably vote, because if you don’t, you could end up like the poor gentlemen above.
The Ranger Up crew are known for two things: making hilarious/awesome t-shirts and making hilarious/awesome/creepy videos starring either Tim Kennedy or Jorge Rivera. They’ve parodied everything from Monty Python to Katy Perry, but more often than not, their videos amount to little more than a dose of anti-Michael Bisping propganda. We would be quick to declare these videos an undeniable success had they not severely backfired on Bisping’s opponents in each instance, but they were at least moderately entertaining in failure nonetheless.
And today, Kennedy and the gang have decided to shift their focus from that of public humiliation to that of social responsibility. We’re talking about voting, people. It kicks ass. And regardless of your stance on the candidates at hand, the economy, gay rights, abortion, or having binders full of women, you should probably vote, because if you don’t, you could end up like the poor gentlemen above.
Personally, I will be penciling in my vote for Al Donnelly this year, because I’ve been told that since both voting and Al Donnelly kick ass, when you put the two together, you’ve got yourself some kick ass shit. That’s all the motivation I could ever really need.
(“Gettin’ clean before we get dirty, I see? Alright then, baby, that’s…[*vomits*]”)
Katy Perry‘s latest video for “Part of Me” tells the story of a young woman who decides to enlist in the Marines after seeing her boyfriend canoodling with a co-worker. (Bear with us, this gets better.) So, she chops her hair off, embarks on an epic training montage, and when she gets a letter from her old beau, she burns it like the worthless trash it is. In the end, she is in a world of shit, yes, but she is alive, and she is not afraid.
God only knows why Ranger Up and actual-member-of-the-United-States-Armed-ForcesTim Kennedy decided to do a scene-by-scene parody of the video. Kennedy seems to be mocking the idea that joining the military is a logical response to having a bad day, but we think Tim just needed an excuse to put on a cheap wig and dance around with his friends. The point is, this happened, it really exists, and you can watch it below.
(“Gettin’ clean before we get dirty, I see? Alright then, baby, that’s…[*vomits*]“)
Katy Perry‘s latest video for “Part of Me” tells the story of a young woman who decides to enlist in the Marines after seeing her boyfriend canoodling with a co-worker. (Bear with us, this gets better.) So, she chops her hair off, embarks on an epic training montage, and when she gets a letter from her old beau, she burns it like the worthless trash it is. In the end, she is in a world of shit, yes, but she is alive, and she is not afraid.
God only knows why Ranger Up and actual-member-of-the-United-States-Armed-ForcesTim Kennedy decided to do a scene-by-scene parody of the video. Kennedy seems to be mocking the idea that joining the military is a logical response to having a bad day, but we think Tim just needed an excuse to put on a cheap wig and dance around with his friends. The point is, this happened, it really exists, and you can watch it below.
We’ve considered inviting the think lab at Ranger Up Clothing if they’d consider coming to work for us, but we didn’t for fear that they’d laugh at us and punch us in the face just for asking.
We’ve considered inviting the think lab at Ranger Up Clothing if they’d consider coming to work for us, but we didn’t for fear that they’d laugh at us and punch us in the face just for asking.
The latest one takes *another* shot at brash brit Michael Bisping, who isn’t even fighting one of their boys. In fact, “The Count” is fighting one of Ranger Up sponsored fighter Tim Kennedy’s longtime rivals, Jason Miller, which says a lot since even Tim appears in the video proclaiming his desire for “Mayhem” to punch Bisping in the face. Kennedy actually rallied for a fight with Bisping, but it never came to fruition, so it’s no surprise he’s rooting for his opponent, especially since he could get the winner.
We’ll find out Saturday if Miller does his part to save the planet.
The Marines, enjoying someone fighting for them for a change. (Photo: MMAOnTap.com)
There is no shortage of military metaphors in the world of MMA. “War Diaz.” “War Penn.” Our athletes don’t just compete, they go to battle. Even that shirt you claim not to own is ‘an expression of combat known worldwide’.
But these are mere words. For a select few of the sport’s elite, the challenges they encounter inside of the cage are nothing compared to the trials they signed up for by enlisting in the armed forces. It turns out the reasons MMA fighters serve their country, and their experiences in the military, are as varied as anyone else’s. As we celebrate Veteran’s Day, check out a quick glimpse of their lives in uniform.
Thanks to the folks at Ranger Up for making their crew available.
The Marines, enjoying someone fighting for them for a change. (Photo: MMAOnTap.com)
There is no shortage of military metaphors in the world of MMA. “War Diaz.” “War Penn.” Our athletes don’t just compete, they go to battle. Even that shirt you claim not to own is ‘an expression of combat known worldwide’.
But these are mere words. For a select few of the sport’s elite, the challenges they encounter inside of the cage are nothing compared to the trials they signed up for by enlisting in the armed forces. It turns out the reasons MMA fighters serve their country, and their experiences in the military, are as varied as anyone else’s. As we celebrate Veteran’s Day, check out a quick glimpse of their lives in uniform.
Thanks to the folks at Ranger Up for making their crew available.
Sergeant, United States Marine Corps (5 years), three tours to Iraq
What drew you to enlist in the armed forces?
I was drawn to the military because I love a challenge and I love to travel, two things I thought the marine corps could offer me. I was going to school full time and working full time and I couldn’t afford college anymore. I had done my research and knew that I could get the gi bill which would pay for school. All the stories I heard about missions and boot camp sounded amazing. Everything just seemed to add up that the military was my best option.
On a typical day in service you’d find me…
A typical day in the military consisted of little sleep and sacrificing that little to sleep to lift weights and run. In Iraq after my workout I’d walk to work with my weapon and gear. As a unit we’d do morning fod walk then work off the aircraft maintenance in our shift. While I was working and waiting for equipment to test I’d usually do pushups, squats, lunges, and curls with the tools I had. After my 12-16 hour workday I’d do my long walk home. It was chill time alone to relax and mellow out from the workday. By the time I got back to the can or hut I lived in I would just shower then listen to music or try and watch a movie on a friends working laptop.
What has your time in the military meant to you?
My time in the military was opportunity. I met people I never would have met and saw things I never would have seen. It also opened up doors that previously weren’t even possible. College, something previously taken off the shelf was made possible again. I met people that introduced me to sports I had always been interested in like snowboarding and skydiving. My time in the military represented a lot growth for me.
Ranger Qualified Special Forces Sniper (2003-Present), Bronze Star recipient
What drew you to enlist in the armed forces?
9-11 had a really big impact on me in the sense that it gave me an opportunity to look at my life and I thought it was a very pointless, pathetic, narcesis, ethnocentric existence. I wanted to do something important, so I enlisted to change my life.
On a typical day in service you’d find me…
My unit, we’re shooters. So we spend three days of the week at the range. So Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, we’re at the range, and Monday we’re getting ready for the range and Friday cleaning up after the range.
What has your time in the military meant to you?
Having the honor to defend our country is something that every single person should do in their life. I’m not saying everybody has to be a shooter, but it changed me in every way. A shit head in 2002 to a hard working, productive member of society within two years. It changed my life in every way. So now when people are using their constitutional first amendment right—even if it’s things that make my blood boil—when it happens I know I’ve done my job because I’ve fought for the constitution and to defend this country and now they’re using that right that I’ve defended. So I love seeing people do things that I’ve fought for.
Private First Class (E-3), U.S Army (1990-1992) Montgomery G.I. Bill
What drew you to enlist in the armed forces?
I enlisted in the army because I was coming out of high school with no real plans and had gotten my girlfriend pregnant so I had to do something to provide.
On a typical day in service you’d find me…
On a typical day you would find me in the motor pool working on our M-1 tank.
What has your time in the military meant to you?
I’ve found that it’s helped with life in general. I’ve also found a much deeper appreciation for my country as well.
—————-
Today is about more than bitching that you can’t go to the bank and the ability to speed through school zones. If you see a man or woman in uniform, let them know that they are appreciated.
“This Sunday marks the ten-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The way America looked at itself was altered immensely on that date, and a decade later the world is a very different place. Memories of panic and uncertainty are still present, but the urge to keep moving forward is even stronger. In remembrance of this anniversary, TheFightNerd.com, has released an exclusive short-film that commemorates this event alongside the New York MMA community. ‘A Fighting Spirit’ is a video memoir that interviews members of the NY martial arts community and discusses where they were when the Towers collapsed, how they have coped, and how New York and America have grown stronger.
Directed by Kahleem Poole-Tejada (director of the full-length documentary ‘New York MMA’) and produced by Matthew Kaplowitz (Editor-in-Chief of TheFightNerd.com) in association with Ranger Up, the film takes viewers around a tour of downtown Manhattan and provides a glimpse inside several of New York City’s top MMA gyms. It features many NY-based fighters, such as Renzo Gracie, Chris Weidman, Pete ‘Drago’ Sell, and Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribeiro, as well as Stephen Koepfer of NY Combat Sambo, Mark Yehia of ‘Elite Plus MMA,’ Rob Constance of ‘The Renzo Gracie Academy’ and President of the ‘Ultimate Absolute’ grappling tournament, and Emilio Novoa, President of ADCC North America. Also appearing is UFC middleweight fighter Jorge Rivera, as well as Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy, who adds the voices of members of the U.S. Armed Forces to this emotional piece.”
As a New York resident since August 2002, the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 has put me in a reflective mood all week. Maybe you feel the same. If you have any recollections or tributes to share from that day, please leave them in the comments section. Here, I’ll start…
“This Sunday marks the ten-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The way America looked at itself was altered immensely on that date, and a decade later the world is a very different place. Memories of panic and uncertainty are still present, but the urge to keep moving forward is even stronger. In remembrance of this anniversary, TheFightNerd.com, has released an exclusive short-film that commemorates this event alongside the New York MMA community. ‘A Fighting Spirit’ is a video memoir that interviews members of the NY martial arts community and discusses where they were when the Towers collapsed, how they have coped, and how New York and America have grown stronger.
Directed by Kahleem Poole-Tejada (director of the full-length documentary ‘New York MMA’) and produced by Matthew Kaplowitz (Editor-in-Chief of TheFightNerd.com) in association with Ranger Up, the film takes viewers around a tour of downtown Manhattan and provides a glimpse inside several of New York City’s top MMA gyms. It features many NY-based fighters, such as Renzo Gracie, Chris Weidman, Pete ‘Drago’ Sell, and Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribeiro, as well as Stephen Koepfer of NY Combat Sambo, Mark Yehia of ‘Elite Plus MMA,’ Rob Constance of ‘The Renzo Gracie Academy’ and President of the ‘Ultimate Absolute’ grappling tournament, and Emilio Novoa, President of ADCC North America. Also appearing is UFC middleweight fighter Jorge Rivera, as well as Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy, who adds the voices of members of the U.S. Armed Forces to this emotional piece.”
As a New York resident since August 2002, the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 has put me in a reflective mood all week. Maybe you feel the same. If you have any recollections or tributes to share from that day, please leave them in the comments section. Here, I’ll start…
The summer of 2001 is when I first fell in love with New York City. I came here for a two-month internship doing grunt-work for a dearly departed men’s magazine called Stuff. At the time, some of the editors on the payroll included Seth Kelly (who’s now the editor-in-chief of UFC Magazine), Laura Gilbert (who now runs UFC.com), Jon Small (who later moved to Break Media and hired me to launch CagePotato.com in 2007), and Greg Gutfeld (then the magazine’s editor-in-chief, now the wacky host of Red Eye). I’d never been around such a talented collection of smart, funny motherfuckers in my life. I think the majority of my days were spent transcribing interviews, but still, it was a dream job.
The experience helped me decide two things that had already been in my mind: 1) I wanted to write for a living. And 2) I wanted to live in New York while I did it. It’s hard to match the exhilaration of being 20 years old and spending two months in a crazy-ass city with nobody watching you. On one of my first nights there, I walked 25 blocks to CBGB, just to see the place and pay my respects. Napalm Death and Isis were headlining a death-metal showcase. At one point, I got slammed so hard by a mosh-pitter that I fell onto the stage. It was awesome. Now CBGB is gone, and I feel like an old man.
After my crash course in the lad-mag biz, I went back to Ann Arbor to finish my last year at the University of Michigan. Just a week into classes, my roommate woke me up and told me that something really bad had happened, and I should come look at the TV. Like most people, it took me a long time to process what I was seeing. “Holy shit,” I said. “I was just there.” Over the next few days, I contacted everybody I’d met at Stuff, checking to see if they were all okay. They were, but they knew people, and they knew people who knew people, and it was all very fucked up.
Obviously, nothing like this had ever happened in my lifetime. My heart broke for the victims, and for the multitudes who had lost children, parents, spouses, and friends, and for those who kept searching for their missing loved ones, past the point of hope.
But it was inspiring watching some of the news coverage that followed in the subsequent weeks. The tragedy united New Yorkers in an unprecedented way, and it was clear that the city would heal and become “stronger at the broken places,” so to speak. It seemed to me that New Yorkers were keeping their heads while the rest of the country was freaking out, and that made an impression.
So I finished school, kicked around Ann Arbor for a couple months, then rented a U-Haul with my girlfriend at the time and rolled the dice. I had friends and family members advise against the move because they didn’t think New York was safe. And maybe they were right, but I was young and adventurous, and I had faith that this big, ferocious city would protect me.
In November, my wife and I will be leaving New York to move back to the Midwest and raise our first child. I’m already bracing for the homesickness. In nine years, this place has never let me down.
(Off camera, Mike Goldberg is just another golden-voiced hobo.)
This week’s caption contest brought in 235 entries — or about 140, if you take out all the spam comments and painfully obvious references to Menace II Society. After careful consideration, we’ve chosen three winners, who will be scoring new t-shirts from Ranger Up. But first, some honorable mentions…
Horror Fighter: With his camouflage coat, Goldberg was confident that he could steal Matt’s beer unseen.
FightZen: “Matt ‘The Law’ Lindland, is, unquestionably, the most accomplished beer drinker in the middleweight division.”
DangadaDang: One thing that’s amazing about Guinness beer is that its hoppiness is so…hoppy.
RWilsonR: “Hey Matt, want to see what’s on a meteoric rise right now? I’ll give you a hint… it’s in my pants.”
Naked Rear Poke: MG: Now, try not to look too shocked because I know he’s a LOT shorter in real life, but he’s a huge fan of yours. Matt, meet Eminem! Naked Rear Poke (again): MG: Hey Matt, do you think this necklace makes me look less like someone with the surname ‘Goldberg’?
And now, your winners…
(Off camera, Mike Goldberg is just another golden-voiced hobo.)
This week’s caption contest brought in 235 entries — or about 140, if you take out all the spam comments and painfully obvious references to Menace II Society. After careful consideration, we’ve chosen three winners, who will be scoring new t-shirts from Ranger Up. But first, some honorable mentions…
Horror Fighter: With his camouflage coat, Goldberg was confident that he could steal Matt’s beer unseen.
FightZen: “Matt ‘The Law’ Lindland, is, unquestionably, the most accomplished beer drinker in the middleweight division.”
DangadaDang: One thing that’s amazing about Guinness beer is that its hoppiness is so…hoppy.
RWilsonR: “Hey Matt, want to see what’s on a meteoric rise right now? I’ll give you a hint… it’s in my pants.”
Naked Rear Poke: MG: Now, try not to look too shocked because I know he’s a LOT shorter in real life, but he’s a huge fan of yours. Matt, meet Eminem! Naked Rear Poke (again): MG: Hey Matt, do you think this necklace makes me look less like someone with the surname ‘Goldberg’?
And now, your winners…
Vera: ‘Ok so I do feel a small lump over to the left but everything else seems virtually identical’
Horror Fighter: Faced with the moral conundrum of whether to finish his beer or help a stroke victim, Matt Lindland made the obvious choice.
grinch_20: Pssst, I hear you know a good money launderer?
Oh yeah! If your name has been called, please e-mail [email protected] with your name, address, shirt size, and preference of the three designs pictured below. Thanks everybody…
