Conor McGregor represents a new kind of superstar in the UFC.
Apparently fine-tuned in a laboratory deep below the streets of Dublin, Ireland, the budding featherweight contender fuses athleticism, execution and charisma into one magnetic persona.
His …
ConorMcGregor represents a new kind of superstar in the UFC.
Apparently fine-tuned in a laboratory deep below the streets of Dublin, Ireland, the budding featherweight contender fuses athleticism, execution and charisma into one magnetic persona.
His appetite for destruction has never been seen at the 145-pound level, which in turn has transformed the 26-year-old into one of the most popular entities around.
But despite an unflappable presence inside and outside of the Octagon, McGregor may not exemplify the be-all and end-all of rising superstars.
Here are five growing UFC talents capable of being groomed for similar excellence.
For one night, Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice captured the world’s attention.
The Bellator 138 main event saw the 51-year-old Shamrock come just a hair shy of finishing the fight with an early rear-naked choke. Remarkably, Slice survived and would escape…
For one night, Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice captured the world’s attention.
The Bellator 138 main event saw the 51-year-old Shamrock come just a hair shy of finishing the fight with an early rear-naked choke. Remarkably, Slice survived and would escape from Shamrock’s back mount. From there, it was all Kimbo, as he nailed Shamrock with a volley of right hands and earned the shocking knockout victory.
Now, Shamrock returns to his mobile home with a great deal to consider. While a return to the cage is far from a certainty with Shamrock, it remains a legitimate possibility. If he opts to get back into the cage, who are some potential challenges for the World’s Most Dangerous Man? Read on!
Another Aged MMA Legend
When Shamrock approached Bellator President Scott Coker about coming out of retirement, he wasn’t angling for a fight against Kimbo. He wanted a crack at old rival Royce Gracie. While Slice may have punched some of the motivation out of the former UFC heavyweight champ, a fight against another aged legend might just be enough to lure him back into the cage.
So who could it be? Well, Gracie is the most obvious candidate. While he is currently employed as the Bellator “promotional brand ambassador,” the three-time UFC tournament winner certainly seems like a man looking for a fight given his recent grappling match with KazushiSakuraba and his Angus-level beef with Eddie Bravo.
There are plenty of other candidates too, judging from Coker‘s ability to attract MMA pioneers. Ten-years-too-late superfights against Randy Couture, FedorEmelianenko or (gulp) Frank Shamrock all feel far, far more possible than they should with Bellator.
Jeff Jarrett
While MMA fans remember Shamrock for his time in the original UFC tournaments and his rivalry with Tito Ortiz, WWE fans remember him for his feuds with the Rock and the Undertaker and for winning the 1998 King of the Ring tournament. With Shamrock looking pretty darn good from a physical standpoint right now, a return to the squared circle may not be a bad idea.
While the rigors of a full-time pro wrestling schedule are likely too much for any 51-year-old, even Shamrock, part-time gigs are all the rage right now. A renewal of his rivalry with Jeff Jarrett in the recently founded Global Force Wrestling could work depending on the organization’s direction.
Herschel Walker
There is a very real chance Shamrock becomes the second-oldest fighter in Bellator very soon. Speaking with Luke Thomas of MMAFighting.com, former Strikeforce fighter and 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker expressed his interest in returning to the cage. With Bellator still actively looking to sign anyone with name value, it’s hard to imagine it turning down his service.
A Shamrock vs. Walker fight makes sense for all parties, as both men are seeking big-name opponents while Bellator is looking for a solid, plug-and-play main event to lure in fans. This fight would fit perfectly into the headlining spot for a standard-issue Friday night card. This is one worth making for the promotion and a bout worth taking for Shamrock, if he is still up for it.
Bellator 138 was an amazing event for Scott Coker and company on Friday night.
Was it a showcase of true MMA talent? No, given the card’s numerous blatant squash matches. Did it bolster Bellator’s reputation as a home to top-notch fighters? No, Not wit…
Bellator 138 was an amazing event for Scott Coker and company on Friday night.
Was it a showcase of true MMA talent? No, given the card’s numerous blatant squash matches. Did it bolster Bellator‘s reputation as a home to top-notch fighters? No, Not with a main event of Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock.
So what did it do well? For one night, it captured the world’s attention.
#Bellator138 hit No. 2 on the worldwide trends on Twitter. It was No. 1 in the United States. It had mainstream media members tweeting about it. Those are all huge feats for the second-largest promotion of a niche sport.
Was all the talk positive? Not even close. But as many have said, there is no such thing as bad publicity.
Bellator, by far, was the biggest winner of Friday night. Who else triumphed? Read on and find out.
Although other fight organizations have fallen by the wayside during the UFC’s promotion of Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor this summer, there are still good fights to be found throughout the vast land of mixed martial arts.
Whether those are entranc…
Although other fight organizations have fallen by the wayside during the UFC’s promotion of Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor this summer, there are still good fights to be found throughout the vast land of mixed martial arts.
Whether those are entrancing matchups of mirror-image skill sets or showdowns between some of the sport’s most prolific finishers, MMA has a lot of offer over the next few months.
While it’s often difficult for outlets to match the oomph put forth by the UFC on a month-to-month basis, big names still exist beyond the Zuffa walls.
Here are the five best fights scheduled to take place beyond the Octagon this summer.
Despite oversaturated cards and crowded divisions, the UFC still puts on the best fights around.
But unless you’re looking for the right matchup, some worthwhile Octagon encounters will fall by the wayside.
Fortunately, the promotion’s upcoming lineup …
Despite oversaturated cards and crowded divisions, the UFC still puts on the best fights around.
But unless you’re looking for the right matchup, some worthwhile Octagon encounters will fall by the wayside.
Fortunately, the promotion’s upcoming lineup has already been fine-combed for these entrancing dynamos. Some of these bouts stand out among the rest and possess the ability to steal the show.
Here are eight under-the-radar fights we are looking forward to watching, even if we don’t realize it.
Most MMA pundits didn’t think it could be done. The notion of Cain Velasquez falling down—and not getting back up—was something our binary brains registered as inconceivable.
The chink in Velasquez’s seemingly impenetrable armor w…
Most MMA pundits didn’t think it could be done. The notion of Cain Velasquez falling down—and not getting back up—was something our binary brains registered as inconceivable.
The chink in Velasquez’s seemingly impenetrable armor was that he’d been out of action for 20 months, due to injury upon injury. And also the fact that Velasquez, despite his infamous cardio, maybe hadn’t given himself enough training time in Mexico City’s punishing altitude.
Fabricio Werdum was confident heading into this fight, so much so that it was a bit unnerving. Did he have some sort of ace up his sleeve? He clearly knew something that the rest of us didn’t.
It turns out what he knew was that he’d simply go out there and outwork and outpace Velasquez; he’d outstrike him and break him down, and the ace up his sleeve was his guillotine choke—the same high card he used to foil the great FedorEmelianenko.
Following his jaw-dropping performance, Werdum told Ariel Helwani of FoxSports.com that he’d like to offer Velasquez a rematch. Perhaps the UFC goes that route, but there are other worthy contenders out there who deserve their shot at Werdum.
Velasquez can lick his wounds and bounce back by taking a fight with a heavyweight that’s a little bit farther down the totem poll. Whom should that be? Let’s explore three potential options.
Travis Browne
Oftentimes, the UFC likes to pair up two fighters who are both coming off losses. The highest-ranked heavyweight coming off a loss, after Velasquez, is No. 5-ranked Browne.
The 6’7″ striker was most recently on the losing end of one of the greatest rounds in MMA history. Browne has lost two of his last three, having beaten down Brendan Schaub and gotten beaten up by Werdum.
The opportunity to knock off an all-time great in Velasquez would be a huge opportunity for Browne. But it also might be a nightmare matchup, and a loss would leave him reeling. For Velasquez, though, a win over Browne might be just what the doctor ordered.
Mark Hunt
Hunt is coming off back-to-back (TKO) losses to Werdum and StipeMiocic.
A fight with a vengeful Velasquez would probably be the worst thing in the world for seventh-ranked Mark Hunt right now. But this article is about what makes sense for the fallen champ, and facing off with a fighter who doesn’t have the world’s best takedown defense could translate into a walk in the park for Velasquez.
The Roy Nelson vs. Josh Barnett Loser
This fight may actually be a loser-leaves-town match.
Nelson has taken a ton of punishment over the course of his career, and he has lost four of his last five. Barnett last fought back in December 2013, and it felt like he might never come back before taking this fight out of nowhere.
If Barnett loses, he may ride off into the sunset. If Nelson loses, he may be put out to pasture. But if the loser is a glutton for punishment then they could be fed to a Velasquez who’d likely have little trouble grinding either out.
For one night,