In a classic example of their Run-Before-You-Can-Walk approach to business, the UFC held a press conference in Las Vegas this afternoon, auspiciously dubbed “The Time is Now.” The promotion had been teasing a quote unquote “huge announcement” for quite awhile in the lead-up to today’s conference, which was held in the legendary Smith Center as if to remind us that, yes, epic shit was about to go down. While the UFC has become nothing if not a river from which hyperbole flows like the mighty Ganges, their decision to name this conference what they did would lead you to believe that a) the event would start on time and b) something big was headed our way.
Of course, to assume either of those things would be to turn a blind eye to everything you’ve learned about MMA this year. So instead, Dana White kicked things off by announcing that Matt Brown vs. Tarec Saffiedine will headline “Fight Night Broomfield” in January, and when asked point blank what the big announcement (aka the reason the press conference was being held) was, said that they “didn’t get it done in time” and that everyone could go home.
Seriously. That’s what happened. No announcement was made, and not one “reporter” in attendance had either the interest or the spine to even press Dana further about what the announcement was supposed to be. Instead, what followed was an hour and half of awkward silences, occasionally punctuated by the MMA media’s usual brand of fluff and fan questions that made the MMA media’s fluff seem thought-out and insightful by contrast. It was the most MMA thing ever, basically, and a bright, blaring warning sign of what’s to come in 2015.
In a classic example of their Run-Before-You-Can-Walk approach to business, the UFC held a press conference in Las Vegas this afternoon, auspiciously dubbed “The Time is Now.” The promotion had been teasing a quote unquote “huge announcement” for quite awhile in the lead-up to today’s conference, which was held in the legendary Smith Center as if to remind us that, yes, epic shit was about to go down. While the UFC has become nothing if not a river from which hyperbole flows like the mighty Ganges, their decision to name this conference what they did would lead you to believe that a) the event would start on time and b) something big was headed our way.
Of course, to assume either of those things would be to turn a blind eye to everything you’ve learned about MMA this year. So instead, Dana White kicked things off by announcing that Matt Brown vs. Tarec Saffiedine will headline “Fight Night Broomfield” in January, and when asked point blank what the big announcement (aka the reason the press conference was being held) was, said that they “didn’t get it done in time” and that everyone could go home.
Seriously. That’s what happened. No announcement was made, and not one “reporter” in attendance had either the interest or the spine to even press Dana further about what the announcement was supposed to be. Instead, what followed was an hour and half of awkward silences, occasionally punctuated by the MMA media’s usual brand of fluff and fan questions that made the MMA media’s fluff seem thought-out and insightful by contrast. It was the most MMA thing ever, basically, and a bright, blaring warning sign of what’s to come in 2015.
Ah yes, 2015. The UFC did happen to announce their complete 2015 schedule before wasting everyone’s time with a standard pre-fight press conference, which you can check out above. The UFC plans to hold 45 events in 2015, comprised of 13 PPV’s, 4 FOX events, 18 FS1 events, and 10 Fight Pass events. Potential (potential!) areas of expansion include Poland, Holland, and…
…you know what, fuck this. The UFC literally just held an announcement to tell us that they didn’t get the announcement done in time. Then they released a schedule of a bunch of TBD events and talked about where they’d “like to go” in 2015. They invited us all over for Thanksgiving and forgot to cook a turkey, basically, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to waste anymore of my or your time on their measly side dishes (#relevant). Because we may be a mid-level MMA blog run by a bunch of cynical, anti-UFC h8ers, but even we care more about your time than the organization currently running shit.
If Ben asks, tell him I had a date and couldn’t get this article “done in time.” I don’t care if he doesn’t believe you.
For a highly anticipated fight card marred by injuries to its premiere fighters and an ongoing crisis in Mexico, UFC 180: “Werdum vs. Hunt” turned out to be quite the showcase.
UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who had a card built entirely around him for the promotion’s first trip to the country with support from Diego Sanchez and Erik Perez, had to bow out of a title fight against Fabricio Werdum a few weeks removed from the championship encounter. This was after both Perez and Sanchez were already out with of their respective scraps with wounds.
When it comes to the champion, there’s always a lingering concern about his injuries. Multiple setbacks which required surgery (including his latest) has seen Velasquez fight six times in four years, against three different opponents.
But the show must go on, which means the attention turned to Werdum and a combat sports legend serving as an unexpected title challenger in an interim heavyweight championship bout.
For a highly anticipated fight card marred by injuries to its premiere fighters and an ongoing crisis in Mexico, UFC 180: “Werdum vs. Hunt” turned out to be quite the showcase.
When it comes to the champion, there’s always a lingering concern about his injuries. Multiple setbacks which required surgery (including his latest) has seen Velasquez fight six times in four years, against three different opponents.
But the show had to go on, which means the attention turned to Werdum and a combat sports legend serving as an unexpected title challenger in an interim heavyweight championship bout.
Mark Hunt, the main event replacement fighter who lost his UFC debut to Sean McCorkle and presumably left Zuffa brass doing the triple facepalm after agreeing to serve him his owed fights, had the possibility of sending every UG alumnus into an ejaculation frenzy by winning a UFC belt in 2014.
Werdum, on the other hand, would solidify his status as a well-deserved second best heavyweight in the world by winning, really flourishing in his second UFC stint.
Right off the bat, the battle was on. Hunt dropped Werdum, and consistently blasted “Vai Cavalo” every time the latter would try to close the distance. It was looking like the former Pride and K-1 slugger was going to achieve the impossible.
Then, he died by the gun.
Werdum clocked Hunt with a flying knee, following up with punches and left Herb Dean no choice but to call it a night for the “Super Samoan.” It was the perfect conclusion to a surprisingly great night of fights. The result was a disappointing one for Hunt, however, at least he got his chance. It’s nice to see a veteran like him acquire a shot at glory when opportunities like that are so limited in today’s MMA game. It’s not like he’s one to talk his way into things.
Now, Werdum’s chin isn’t great, but he could take a bomb of a shot. This also solidifies Werdum as something pretty significant in terms of the greatest heavyweights of all-time in MMA, but it’s hard to say what. He’s not Muhammed Ali by any stretch of the imagination, yet in the world of MMA, you’ve got to give this guy a boatload of praise. He’s a decorated, multi-time world jiu-jitsu champion, he more or less sent Fedor Emelianenko into a downward spiral back in 2010 by doing something unheard of at the time, and since losing a lackluster bout in Strikeforce to Alistair Overeem in 2011, he’s on an impressive five-fight winning streak in the UFC, with finishes over Hunt, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and lopsided decision wins against Travis Browne and Roy Nelson. Obviously, we have to wait for Velasquez to come back in order to see where the Brazilian fits in the grand scheme of things. Truthfully, he’s best active heavyweight in MMA right now, after a lengthy career competing for the top organizations in the world.
Gastelum finished off Jake Ellenberger by rear naked choke in the co-main event, sending the latter into a downward spiral of his own. The Ultimate Fighter 17 winner is looking like one of the better prospects to emerge from the exhaustive and overdone reality show in recent memory, and it’s time for the old “step up in competition” treatment, which means a top five foe. As for the “Juggernaut,” he’s still good enough to beat anyone you could think of that lives on a Fight Pass prelim, but he’s in some hot water, suffering his third consecutive defeat. Then again, you try beating Rory MacDonald, Robbie Lawler, and a 23-year-old stud.
It’s nice to see the UFC mention Conor McGregor every time there’s a featherweight contest, and last night was no different. Before Ricardo Lamas and Dennis Bermudez engaged in warfare, the broadcast team talked about how these two heavy-hitters had to talk trash to generate interest, since the savior of Ireland does that. It certainly can’t be because they choose to fight for a living and maybe a psychological edge would be to get inside each other’s heads?
In the end, Lamas prevailed, choking out Bermudez with a guillotine, and proved he’s still a force in the 145-pound division — even if the champion Jose Aldo outclassed him at the beginning of the year at UFC 169.
With four first-round finishes and an exciting main event rounding up the main card, you could make the complaint that UFC 180 wasn’t worth the price tag after so many injuries. However, it really served its purpose. With the risk of lot of eyeballs being drawn to that free Spike TV broadcast, it was the best case scenario for the Las Vegas-based organization we have grown to love and (sometimes) hate.
Even those fights that opened up the card, featuring four fighters the average fan is probably unfamiliar with, were both over in the first round and proved to be appropriate fights setting the pace for the night’s flow. The live crowd should be acknowledged, too, as they soaked up every moment, and gave the impression that they were unaware of any sort of unfortunate occurrences, whether it be dealing with UFC 180 or otherwise.
Also, maybe competition helps in the long run, since everyone is talking about the ironically placed counter-promoted shows all at once. Bellator offered the fans a season 11 finale full of violence, nurses as valets to the fighters, and a freaking WCW circa 1992 ramp, while WSOF had an appealing yet darkened fight card, that saw an exiled UFC “gatekeeper” stopped in the main event at WSOF 15. But like you’d expect, UFC was the big winner last night, and they didn’t even win by default; its fighters deserve the praise for salvaging what looked like another average PPV offering. Hell, even the prelims were great. Quick and slick finishes, two TUF: Latin America finale bouts you probably overlooked, an ear explosion complete with a burst of bloodshed, and someone shitting his pants. Come on…we can’t possibly complain here.
And in retrospect, it was hard not to feel bad for Zuffa with the UFC 180 setbacks, even though it’s been more of a benefit of the doubt relationship at this point. But certain events went down the way they did, proving it was the best-case scenario for the brass. The UFC was dealt an ace with this one.
With UFC 180 and Bellator 131 taking the majority of the spotlight this past Saturday night, MMA enthusiasts sort of forgot to pay attention to the stacked WSOF 15, which took place at USF Sundome in Tampa, Fla.
The main event saw David Branch successfully defend his 185-pound title against former UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami, stopping the Japanese veteran in the fourth round with punches.
“Thunder” had the grappling advantage, yet the Renzo Gracie-trained combatant kept finding a home for his right hand. After three close rounds, Branch drilled his opponent with a solid right hand, dropping the challenger and continued to pounce on him until being awarded the stoppage victory. See the GIF after the jump.
With UFC 180 and Bellator 131 taking the majority of the spotlight this past Saturday night, MMA enthusiasts sort of forgot to pay attention to the stacked WSOF 15, which took place at USF Sundome in Tampa, Fla.
The main event saw David Branch successfully defend his 185-pound title against former UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami, stopping the Japanese veteran in the fourth round with punches.
“Thunder” had the grappling advantage, yet the Renzo Gracie-trained combatant kept finding a home for his right hand. After three close rounds, Branch drilled his opponent with a solid right hand, dropping the challenger and continued to pounce on him until being awarded the stoppage victory (GIF via Zombie Prophet).
Melvin Guillard, the A-list fighter competing in the B-list league, ruined his chances at securing a world title after failing to make weight prior to his bout alongside Justin Gaethje, but none of that truly mattered. The reigning lightweight champion got the better of his foe during the course of three rounds, winning the contest by split decision. It was a back and forth affair (mostly won by the undefeated slugger), contested mostly on the feet, and lived up to the billing. It’s a shame it was marred by Guillard failing to make weight yet again, taking a bit of the muster away from the bout.
Also on the card, Jessica Aguilar, arguably the best women’s strawweight fighter in the world, took care of business by beating Kalindra Faria and defended her title for the second time and earned her 10th consecutive victory. Credit Faria for going for broke early and trying to make it a dogfight against “Jag,” however, after winning the first round, the hopeful challenger was not match for the American Top Team standout.
To be fair, nobody in their right mind would have picked WSOF over the top two MMA promotions on Saturday evening, seeing how all three had fairly big events on the same night. But, Ray Sefo and the gang loaded the card with familiar names and backed the event with star power, delivering a pretty good night of fights from the Sunshine State. It’s a shame nobody watched it, yet you can pretty much access anything these days and spend your Sunday afternoon catching up. It’s kind of worth the squeeze.
WSOF 15 Main Card Results
David Branch def. Yushin Okami via TKO (punches) at 3:39 of R4
Justin Gaethje def. Melvin Guillard via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Jessica Aguilar def. Kalindra Faria via unanimous decision (49-45 x3)
Jorge Patino def. Eric Reynolds via unanimous decision (30-27×2, 29-28)
Under Card Results
Maurice Salmon def. Javier Torres via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 5:00 of R1
Andrew Hutchinson def. Troy Gerhart via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Ryan Keenan def. Jose Andres Cortes via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:16 of R3
Tony Way def. Fred Moncaio via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:03 of R3
Hector Ochoa def.. Robert Reed via split decision (28-29, 29-28×2)
Reggie Pena def. Joe Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:15 of R1
Matt Frevola def. Josh Zuckerman via submission (armbar) at 2:50 of R1
Fabricio Werdum took care of business as expected Saturday in Mexico City by defeating Mark Hunt to become the interim UFC Heavyweight champion at UFC 180, but it didn’t happen the way most would have expected. After a shaky first round that saw him hurt by a few hard shots from Hunt, Werdum picked the […]
Fabricio Werdum took care of business as expected Saturday in Mexico City by defeating Mark Hunt to become the interim UFC Heavyweight champion at UFC 180, but it didn’t happen the way most would have expected. After a shaky first round that saw him hurt by a few hard shots from Hunt, Werdum picked the […]
The 20th season of the UFC’s hit reality series The Ultimate Fighter trucked on Wednesday evening with Episode 8. After Team Gilbert Melendez earned its first win courtesy of Rose Namajunas’ handiwork in Episode 7, Bec Rawlings looked to keep her team’s momentum alive as she faced Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres of Team Anthony Pettis. […]
The 20th season of the UFC’s hit reality series The Ultimate Fighter trucked on Wednesday evening with Episode 8. After Team Gilbert Melendez earned its first win courtesy of Rose Namajunas’ handiwork in Episode 7, Bec Rawlings looked to keep her team’s momentum alive as she faced Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres of Team Anthony Pettis. […]
Team Melendez was in a tough spot heading into last night’s episode of TUF 20, after going winless in the first six preliminary fights. Luckily, they still had their ace in the hole — “Thug” Rose Namajunas, who stepped up in a big way and earned a first-round rear-naked choke submission against Alex Chambers.
Check out highlights from the fight above, which show an ever-evolving Namajunas frustrating Chambers with flashy kicks before taking her down and sinking the choke. Other than the heavy right hand that Rose eats at the 0:56 mark, it was a virtually flawless performance, and one that surely put her housemates on notice. Also on the episode…
– Team Melendez struggles with some infighting related to Heather Jo Clark and Lisa Ellis’s fraternizing with Team Pettis.
– Clark learns that she’s suffered a full ACL tear in her right knee, and will be out of action for the rest of the competition.
– Megan Rapinoe and Sydney Leroux from the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team stop by to say what up.
– Rose Namajunas discusses how she endured sexual abuse growing up in Milwaukee, and advises other females to seek help if they’re experiencing similar abuse in their own lives. Much respect to Rose for making this issue public.
After the jump: Rose and Pat Barry sit down with Karyn Bryant to discuss the episode on FOX Sports Live’s “TUF Talk.” Rose and Pat are still the best.
Team Melendez was in a tough spot heading into last night’s episode of TUF 20, after going winless in the first six preliminary fights. Luckily, they still had their ace in the hole — “Thug” Rose Namajunas, who stepped up in a big way and earned a first-round rear-naked choke submission against Alex Chambers.
Check out highlights from the fight above, which show an ever-evolving Namajunas frustrating Chambers with flashy kicks before taking her down and sinking the choke. Other than the heavy right hand that Rose eats at the 0:56 mark, it was a virtually flawless performance, and one that surely put her housemates on notice. Also on the episode…
– Team Melendez struggles with some infighting related to Heather Jo Clark and Lisa Ellis’s fraternizing with Team Pettis.
– Clark learns that she’s suffered a full ACL tear in her right knee, and will be out of action for the rest of the competition.
– Megan Rapinoe and Sydney Leroux from the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team stop by to say what up.
– Rose Namajunas discusses how she endured sexual abuse growing up in Milwaukee, and advises other females to seek help if they’re experiencing similar abuse in their own lives. Much respect to Rose for making this issue public.
After the jump: Rose and Pat Barry sit down with Karyn Bryant to discuss the episode on FOX Sports Live’s “TUF Talk.” Rose and Pat are still the best.
