Rousimar Palharesis an asshole. He has always been an asshole. He was fired from the UFC, in fact, for being an asshole. That he has still been able to find gainful employment as a fighter is a testament to the desperation of mid-tier MMA organizations needing to boost their cards with somewhat recognizable talent.
At WSOF 22 last weekend, Palhares once again proved that he is an asshole, repeatedly eye-gouging Jake Shields before, and you’re never going to believe this, holding onto the fight-ending kimura for long after the referee had intervened and even longer after his opponent had tapped. This led to a somewhat dramatic exchange at the end of the fight, in which Shields punched Palhares after the bell while his corner had to be restrained from gang-stomping Palhares a new asshole.
In fact, the only person who you could argue was a bigger asshole than Palhares that night was referee Steve Mazzagatti — although he fell more into the “incompetent asshole” sub-category of assholes to Palhares’ “vengeful asshole.” Not only did Mazzagatti fail to dock Palhares points for his repeated, blatant eye gouges, but he made nothing of the fact that a man with a history of holding submissions to long, well, held yet another submission too long.
Thankfully, it looks like the WSOF has finally had enough of Rousimar Palhares’ assholishness. Head after the jump for the details.
Rousimar Palharesis an asshole. He has always been an asshole. He was fired from the UFC, in fact, for being an asshole. That he has still been able to find gainful employment as a fighter is a testament to the desperation of mid-tier MMA organizations needing to boost their cards with somewhat recognizable talent.
At WSOF 22 last weekend, Palhares once again proved that he is an asshole, repeatedly eye-gouging Jake Shields before, and you’re never going to believe this, holding onto the fight-ending kimura for long after the referee had intervened and even longer after his opponent had tapped. This led to a somewhat dramatic exchange at the end of the fight, in which Shields punched Palhares after the bell while his corner had to be restrained from gang-stomping Palhares a new asshole.
In fact, the only person who you could argue was a bigger asshole than Palhares that night was referee Steve Mazzagatti — although he fell more into the “incompetent asshole” sub-category of assholes to Palhares’ “vengeful asshole.” Not only did Mazzagatti fail to dock Palhares points for his repeated, blatant eye gouges, but he made nothing of the fact that a man with a history of holding submissions to long, well, held yet another submission too long.
Thankfully, it looks like the WSOF has finally had enough of Rousimar Palhares’ assholishness. Head after the jump for the details.
Despite claiming victory in what should have been his finest hour — submitting the previously unsubmittable Shields with a simply beautiful kimura — Palhares may have just fought his last fight in the WSOF. According to WSOF Vice President Ali Abdel-Aziz, an announcement on Palhares’ future with the organization will come tomorrow. Rumor has it that, however, that Palhares will be stripped of his title and likely receive a lengthy ban by NSAC, who has already withheld his win bonus.
We’ll have more on this story as it develops, but for now, let’s let this image of Shield’s mutilated eyes confirm once and for all that Rousimar Palhares IS AN ASSHOLE.
Rousimar Palhares (c) vs. Jake Shields: Palhares via sub (kimura) 2:02 R3.
Marlon Moraes (c) vs. Sheymon Moraes: Marlon Moraes via sub (RNC) 3:46 R3.
Clifford Starks vs. Mike Kyle: Starks UD 29-28 X2, 30-27.
Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Jorge Moreno: Nurmagomedov UD 30-26 X2, 30-27.
Jimmy Spicuzza vs. Islam Mamedov: Mamedov via TKO at 4:47 R1.
Jake Heun vs. Davin Clark: Heun via sub (head and arm choke) 2:46 R3.
Donavon Frelow vs. Carlos Garcia: Frelow via sub (guillotine) 2:49 R1.
Jimmy Jones vs. Marco Simmons: Simmons via sub (RNC) 2:23 R2.
Cory Hendricks vs. Julio Hinojosa: Hendricks via sub (guillotine) 1:08 R1.
Gil Guardado vs. Pete Martin: Guardado via sub (guillotine) 3:31 R1.
By now, you’ve all surely heard what Ronda Rousey did to poor Bethe Correia at UFC 190 on Saturday. The champ humiliated her, simply put, beating the Brazilian power puncher at her own game and flattening her with a right hand 34 seconds into the first round. As she has done countless times in the past, Rousey managed to both meet and defy our expectations in the method and ease in which she put away a clearly outmatched opponent.
But rather than do our usual post-fight recap, we’re just going to compile what have been a fantastic series of reactions to the Rousey-Correia fight, starting with the GTA 5-style “wasted” treatment above. Check out the rest after the jump, but do it quick, because these will likely be taken down within the hour.
By now, you’ve all surely heard what Ronda Rousey did to poor Bethe Correia at UFC 190 on Saturday. The champ humiliated her, simply put, beating the Brazilian power puncher at her own game and flattening her with a right hand 34 seconds into the first round. As she has done countless times in the past, Rousey managed to both meet and defy our expectations in the method and ease in which she put away a clearly outmatched opponent.
But rather than do our usual post-fight recap, we’re just going to compile what have been a fantastic series of reactions to the Rousey-Correia fight, starting with the GTA 5-style “wasted” treatment above. Check out the rest after the jump, but do it quick, because these will likely be taken down within the hour.
Being a big fan of Celebrity Deathmatch in its heyday, I found this claymation treatment of the Rousey vs. Correia to be particularly enjoyable.
Here we have a “Before & After” comparison of Correia’s trash-talk at the weigh-ins paired against Rousey’s cutting post-fight remark. There’s not a doubt in my mind that, should Correia be a r/MMA user, this will be the gif that keeps her up nights.
Here’s Lil’ Wayne attempting to convey his awe despite a his fundamental misunderstanding of the English language. Poor lil’ guy.
And finally, here’s a brilliant parody of Joe Rogan’s congratgulations/declaration of love to Rousey following the win.
Elsewhere on the UFC 190 card, the Nogueira brothers had a rough go of things, some TUF Brazil guys you’ve never heard of beat some other TUF Brazil guys you’ve never heard of, and Antonio Silva managed to not get violently KO’d, so check out the complete results from UFC 190 below.
Main card
Ronda Rousey def. Bethe Correia via first-round KO
Mauricio Rua def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via unanimous decision
Gianco Franca def. Fernando Bruno via submission (rear-naked choke)
Reginaldo Vieira def. Dileno Lopes via unanimous decision
Stefan Struve def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via unanimous decision
Antonio Silva def. Soa Palelei via second-round TKO
Claudia Gadelha def. Jessica Aguilar via unanimous decision
Undercard
Demian Maia def. Neil Magny via submission (rear-naked choke)
Patrick Cummins def. Rafael Cavalcante via third-round TKO
Warlley Alves def. Nordine Taleb via submission (guillotine)
Iuri Alcantara def. Leandro Issa via unanimous decision
Vitor Miranda def. Clint Hester via second-round TKO
Guido Cannetti def. Hugo Viana via unanimous decision
It’s hard to a remember a more meteoric rise to absolute dominance than that of TJ Dillashaw, the TUF 14 runner up who will almost certainly find himself in those ever-coveted “pound-for-pound” talks following his brilliant performance against Renan Barao at UFC on FOX 16 last Saturday.
To think that, a little over a year ago, Dillashaw was being given no chance against the former “pound-for-pound” king when they first clashed in the cage is almost absurd given his pair of performances against Barao. And in the rematch, Dillashaw was arguably even more impressive, eating almost everything his Brazilian rival could throw at him while returning fire with a fury. Dillashaw’s footwork was incredible, his combinations video game-esque, and his accuracy reminiscent of early Anderson Silva. How Barao was able to withstand the final flurry that came in the 4th round was a credit to his chin, his heart, and the abnormally slow hand of Herb Dean.
Elsewhere on the FOX 16 card, Miesha Tate overcame an early onslaught, Edson Barboza and Paul Felder threw spinning sh*t, and Joe Lauzon auditioned for his post-fight career as a referee, so check out all the highlights after the jump.
It’s hard to a remember a more meteoric rise to absolute dominance than that of TJ Dillashaw, the TUF 14 runner up who will almost certainly find himself in those ever-coveted “pound-for-pound” talks following his brilliant performance against Renan Barao at UFC on FOX 16 last Saturday.
To think that, a little over a year ago, Dillashaw was being given no chance against the former “pound-for-pound” king when they first clashed in the cage is almost absurd given his pair of performances against Barao. And in the rematch, Dillashaw was arguably even more impressive, eating almost everything his Brazilian rival could throw at him while returning fire with a fury. Dillashaw’s footwork was incredible, his combinations video game-esque, and his accuracy reminiscent of early Anderson Silva. How Barao was able to withstand the final flurry that came in the 4th round was a credit to his chin, his heart, and the abnormally slow hand of Herb Dean.
Elsewhere on the FOX 16 card, Miesha Tate overcame an early onslaught, Edson Barboza and Paul Felder threw spinning sh*t, and Joe Lauzon auditioned for his post-fight career as a referee, so check out all the highlights after the jump.
Miesha Tate may be a notoriously slow starter, but God damn if she doesn’t have resilience in spades. Against Jessica Eye, “Cupcake” appeared to be fighting on a time delay early, eating a hellacious series of right hands and offering next to nothing in return. But then, late in the round, Miesha seemed to decide on a dime that she was capable of doing something other than taking her opponents down. Tate landed a MONSTER right hand that floored Eye and set the tone for the rest of the fight, which Tate dominated both in the standup and grappling departments.
With the victory, Tate has once again earned the opportunity to be thrashed by Ronda Rousey at some point in the future, so, uh, yeah for that.
In the co-co main event of the evening, Edson Barboza and Paul Felder engaged in one of the most technical displays of spinning sh*t ever documented. Though Barboza’s speed advantage and hellacious shot to Felder’s testicles in the first round would ultimately lead him to victory, the fight undoubtedly earned both guys a heap of new fans.
In one of the more interesting moments of UFC on FOX 16, Joe Lauzon kicked off the main card by taking Takanori Gomi down, pounding him out, then doing Herb Dean’s job for him and calling off the fight mid-ass kicking. The resulting memes have been kind to J-Lau.
Oh right, and in judging news, no one still knows what the f*ck they’re doing.
Main card
T.J. Dillashaw def. Renan Barao via fourth-round TKO
Miesha Tate def. Jessica Eye via unanimous decision
Edson Barboza def. Paul Felder via unanimous decision
Joe Lauzon def. Takanori Gomi via first-round TKO
Undercard
Tom Lawlor def. Gian Villante via second-round KO
Jim Miller def. Danny Castillo via split decision
Ben Saunders def. Kenny Robertson via split decision
Bryan Caraway def. Eddie Wineland via unanimous decision
James Krause def. Daron Cruickshank via submission (rear-naked choke)
Andrew Holbrook def. Ramsey Nijem via split decision
Elizabeth Phillips def. Jessamyn Duke via unanimous decision
Zak Cummings def. Dominique Steele via first-round TKO (0:43)
UFC 189 was a glorious night of MMA. Attendance records, gate receipts and noses were shattered. Old favourites reclaimed their relevance while new prospects proved their hype. Flying knee knockouts seemed commonplace. Dana White’s never ending use of hyperbole actually rang true. To paraphrase Frank Mir, it was the greatest UFC card since UFC 100.
Now that the glow has faded and we’ve all had some time to decompress, let’s look forward to what might be next for the main card competitors.
UFC 189 was a glorious night of MMA. Attendance records, gate receipts and noses were shattered. Old favourites reclaimed their relevance while new prospects proved their hype. Flying knee knockouts seemed commonplace. Dana White’s never ending use of hyperbole actually rang true. To paraphrase Frank Mir, it was the greatest UFC card since UFC 100.
Now that the glow has faded and we’ve all had some time to decompress, let’s look forward to what might be next for the main card competitors.
It almost feels likes the UFC panicked and made McGregor the next coach of The Ultimate Fighter the moment Frankie Edgar ran to the cage and challenged Conor for the belt. This way McGregor is kept busy, the Aldo mega-fight can be rebooked in the fall, and Frankie can’t exploit the fact that Conor has the takedown defense of a domino. Jose vs. Conor is the fight we all want to see, now more than ever, and there’s no way the UFC books anything else for their golden boy.
‘Money’ Mendes got a raw deal this weekend (well, other than the $500,000+ payday). He obviously has the skills to defeat McGregor, but with only two weeks to prepare, he tired quickly and made a couple mistakes that cost him dearly. If he ever hopes to fight for gold again he’s going to need to take the Jon Fitch route and build a lengthy win streak. Dennis Siver is still a ranked featherweight and a fight with the German seems like a good way for Chad to regroup.
Hi kids, do you like violence? Robbie Lawler is perhaps the only true embodiment of the overused phrase ‘warrior spirit’. His demonstration of sublime technical skill and raw, guttural aggression at UFC 189 was absolutely breathtaking. The pecking order at 170 is now starting to come into place and Robbie’s standing at the top is looking more and more sturdy. Lawler deserves some time off to heal after his Fight of the Year performance, therefore any combination of Condit-Hendricks-Woodley in a number one contender match makes sense to find his next challenger.
It’s astonishing to think that if Rory could have held on for another four minutes, he would have won the belt, considering this gif and this photo. While Macdonald didn’t assume his place as the heir apparent to GSP, he certainly proved his toughness and heart. He’ll be on the shelf for some time but so will fellow rhinoplasty patient Thiago Alves. This matchup would result in an exciting striking affair and the winner could add another ranked opponent to their resume.
If Dennis Bermudez is to be believed, he was offered an immediate rematch with Stephens by Dana White. Considering Jeremy missed weight badly and Bermudez was likely winning the fight before the late knockout, a rematch makes a lot of sense. If not, Hacran Dias or Tatsuya Kawajiri would both make for fun top 15 matchups.
Dennis Bermudez should fight: Jeremy Stephens
Dennis looked absolutely fantastic in his bout with Stephens and seemed to have turned a corner in his progression as a top ten featherweight. Then the next thing you know, ‘tiger!’ and he’s asleep on the canvas. I hope the UFC gives him the mulligan they offered and Bermudez can try and snatch back the win he was so close to nabbing this weekend.
‘Gunni’ looked incredible in his fight against Brandon Thatch and appears to have learned a lot from his first career loss. Pairing him with another heralded striker will allow us to see whether he truly has improved his hands to elite level or if the Thatch knockdown was just a lucky punch. Stephen Thompson fits the description and with his recent destruction of Jake Ellenberger this bout could easily headline a Fight Pass show.
In a battle of prospects usually somebody comes out looking like a dud. The hype train was at full speed when Thatch took on Benson Henderson in February and even in defeat many were still impressed by his showing against the former champ. Now we all need to take a step back, Thatch included, and temper our expectations. The loser of the upcoming Patrick Cote vs. Josh Burkman fight would make a great next opponent as they both have name value, solid veteran skills and savvy, but both represent a return to the mid-tier were Brandon has likely been relegated.
Despite an extremely rocky first round, Almeida managed to hold on to the title of ‘next big thing at bantamweight’ with an insane flying knee knockout of Brad Pickett. After such a dicey showing against veteran competition it might be better to pump the brakes with Almeida rather than feed him to the top 5. Johnny Eduardo will be returning from injury shortly and would make for a great battle of top-ranked heavy-handed Brazilians.
The move back to bantamweight was looking like a wise decision for Pickett until he took that knee to the face. Now 1-4 in his last five, the long-time British standout is looking to be in a downward spiral. Bruce Leroy has not found much success in the Octagon lately either. A loser leaves town (or at least relevancy) tilt between these two could round out any card in need of a fun action fight.
Us MMA fans are a diverse and passionate bunch, which is why it’s truly a rare occurrence to see us unite in agreement over a given topic no matter how trivial. Whether it’s a simple fight pick or our reactions to something bigger — the Reebok deal, for instance — you will always find a broad range of reactions, from positive to incredibly negative (also, hurtful, misogynistic, and erroneously punctuated), strewn across every forum and comments section on the web. But not with UFC 189.
In my 5 years of covering the sport, I don’t know if I’ve *ever* witnessed an event quite like UFC 189. Over the course of the night, our reactions unanimously shifted from excited, to shocked, to overwhelmed, to an emotion that is not yet defined but can best be described as “HWAHHHNNNGGG!!!!” We were *all* the Just Bleed guy by the end of Saturday night, and two days later, I’m still not ready to wash the paint off my chest. It just feels right, you know?
UFC 189 was the kind of event that made us remember why we’ve stuck by this sport as it’s biggest promotion has made one disastrous decision after another. It was the kind of event that almost transcended combat sports in its ability to entertain and captivate. It was the kind of event that Matt Saccaro couldn’t find any holes in, you guys.
Us MMA fans are a diverse and passionate bunch, which is why it’s truly a rare occurrence to see us unite in agreement over a given topic no matter how trivial. Whether it’s a simple fight pick or our reactions to something bigger — the Reebok deal, for instance — you will always find a broad range of reactions, from positive to incredibly negative (also, hurtful, misogynistic, and erroneously punctuated), strewn across every forum and comments section on the web. But not with UFC 189.
In my 5 years of covering the sport, I don’t know if I’ve *ever* witnessed an event quite like UFC 189. Over the course of the night, our reactions unanimously shifted from excited, to shocked, to overwhelmed, to an emotion that is not yet defined but can best be described as “HWAHHHNNNGGG!!!!” We were *all* the Just Bleed guy by the end of Saturday night, and two days later, I’m still not ready to wash the paint off my chest. It just feels right, you know?
UFC 189 was the kind of event that made us remember why we’ve stuck by this sport as it’s biggest promotion has made one disastrous decision after another. It was the kind of event that almost transcended combat sports in its ability to entertain and captivate. It was the kind of event that Matt Saccaro couldn’t find any holes in, you guys.
I guess we should talk about Conor McGregor now, eh? At just 26 years old (and in less than two years), McGregor has accomplished more in the UFC than arguably any athlete before him — and before you freak out, understand that I’m talking about his accomplishments from a marketing perspective. The interim belt aside, McGregor has shattered damn near every attendance record the UFC has ever had — from weigh-ins to press conferences to Saturday’s sold out, 7.2 million dollar gate – and he did it against a replacement opponent. He’s united an entire nation of perhaps the most passionate fight fans of all, made believers out of (most of his) his doubters, brought megastar musicians to the octagon, and capped it all off with a simply remarkable performance against Chad Mendes on Saturday night.
Of course, McGregor’s rise to fame did not come without its costs. In a sobering moment following his win over Mendes, McGregor finally allowed his warrior facade (a poor choice of words, perhaps, but you get what I’m saying) to fade away, breaking down in tears as the interim strap was placed around his belt. In the evening’s post-fight press conference, McGregor was even more upfront, revealing that he had only spent 19 days home in the past year while breaking his back to promote a fight that has yet to come to fruition. He battled through injuries of his own and sacrificed more than most of us could ever imagine to compete last weekend, and my God did it pay off.
It’s so easy to forget (and MMA fans often do) that, behind the perpetual hype and trash talk, guys like McGregor are human beings trying to earn their way like the rest of us. And again, at just 26 years old, McGregor seems wise to this beyond his years. If the Irishman’s humble, inspiring words about there being “no such thing as a self-made man” in Saturday’s press conference didn’t make a fan out of you, nothing that McGregor will do probably ever will.
But of course, every great decision the UFC makes must inevitably be followed by an equally terrible one, and placing McGregor opposite Urijah Faber on the next season of TUF is about as boneheaded an idea as the UFC could have come up with. Putting your hottest prospect on the shelf for 6 months to film the umpteenth incarnation of a forgotten reality show…against a guy he won’t even fight in the end? STOP TRYING TO MAKE TUF A THING, UFC. IT’S OVER. That goddamn show is becoming like a zombie horde in its ability to continue ruining lives long after it has died.
But that’s about as far as I’m willing to dip into the negative. Instead, I suppose I should talk about the inevitable “Fight of the Year”-earning welterweight title fight between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald, but instead, I’ll just shares this moment that perfectly encapsulates my feelings about the fight:
Robbie. F*cking. Lawler.
What else did we learn on Saturday? Jeremy Stephens still hits like a truck, Gunnar Nelson hits a lot harder than Brandon Thatch probably gave him credit for, and Thomas Almeida fought through adversity and proved why everyone is so high on him right now. What a goddamn night for this brilliant, disheartening, uplifting, brutally frustrating, awesome sport.
Main card
Conor McGregor def. Chad Mendes via second-round TKO
Robbie Lawler def. Rory MacDonald via fifth-round TKO
Jeremy Stephens def. Dennis Bermudez via third-round TKO
Gunnar Nelson def. Brandon Thatch via submission (rear-naked choke)
Thomas Almeida def. Brad Pickett via second-round KO
Undercard
Matt Brown def. Tim Means via submission (guillotine)
Alex Garcia def. Mike Swick via unanimous decision
John Howard def. Cathal Pendred via split decision
Cody Garbrandt def. Henry Briones via unanimous decision
Louis Smolka def. Neil Seery via unanimous decision
Cody Pfister def. Yosdenis Cedeno via unanimous decision
With two fights remaining in the season and the American Top Team on the brink of elimination, could the Blackzilians finally clinch the season? Or, would ATT be able to tie things up going into the final fight? In the aftermath of Nathan Coy’s victory for ATT, the Blackzilians had a serious meeting in the […]
With two fights remaining in the season and the American Top Team on the brink of elimination, could the Blackzilians finally clinch the season? Or, would ATT be able to tie things up going into the final fight? In the aftermath of Nathan Coy’s victory for ATT, the Blackzilians had a serious meeting in the […]
