There was very little Anthony Johnson could have done last night to preserve his job in the UFC, and “losing” wasn’t on the short list. Every facet of Johnson’s battle with gravity has been a spectacle. On Friday night, he missed weight for the third time in his UFC career—that’s a first for the promotion. And when he stepped on the scales, he didn’t miss by a slim margin, either. He was closer to the light heavyweight limit than he was the middleweight. The eleven extra pounds he was sporting? That sets a UFC record as well.
Now we’ve already belabored Johnson’s lack of professionalism over the last two days, and whether it’s through a dinner invitation or a dismissive laugh, “Rumble” has made it clear that he doesn’t care what we the fans think. One person that does matter, however, is his boss. Here’s what Dana White had to say on the issue.
“And if you think *I’m* upset, young man, you just WAIT until your father gets home!” (Pic: MMAMania.com)
There was very little Anthony Johnson could have done last night to preserve his job in the UFC, and “losing” wasn’t on the short list. Every facet of Johnson’s battle with gravity has been a spectacle. On Friday night, he missed weight for the third time in his UFC career—that’s a first for the promotion. And when he stepped on the scales, he didn’t miss by a slim margin, either. He was closer to the light heavyweight limit than he was the middleweight. The eleven extra pounds he was sporting? That sets a UFC record as well.
Now we’ve already belabored Johnson’s lack of professionalism over the last two days, and whether it’s through a dinner invitation or a dismissive laugh, “Rumble” has made it clear that he doesn’t care what we the fans think. One person that does matter, however, is his boss. Here’s what Dana White had to say on the issue.
In an post-fight interview with MMAJunkie.com, the UFC President shared his unbridled thoughts on Johnson’s future:
“This is his third time. Three strikes and you’re gone.”
“That was one of the most unprofessional things I’ve ever seen. The guy was at 170 pounds. He moved up to 185 pounds so this wouldn’t happen anymore, and this is the worst weight cutting disaster he’s ever had. He almost ruined the co-main event here in Brazil. I don’t know what else to say about that one. I’m not happy about it.”
“I knew what the decision was when I talked to you on Friday,” White told MMAjunkie.com. “This is his third time. Listen, the guy was having problems making 170 pounds. He wanted to stay at 170 or whatever his deal was. You go to 185, and you blow it as bad as he blew it? That’s bad, man.”
“I don’t know who you blame in this one. Do you blame him? Do you blame his team? Do you blame his camp? I mean who takes the blame in this one? Ultimately, you’re a grown man. You’re responsible for your own actions.”
Johnson is a great fighter and it sucks to see him leave the promotion, but at the end of the day if you can’t be counted on to play by the rules, you don’t belong in a cage with the best. I’d expect Bellator and other organizations to pursue “Rumble” immediately, but don’t be surprised if we see him in Strikeforce or back in the Octagon soon enough. Dana’s been known to change his mind about this sort of thing.
The People’s Champion, showing Chael Sonnen how it’s done. Props: @CopperHeartCT
With the UFC’s quick return to Rio de Janeiro, the promotion had high expectations to live up to. Their last visit saw a nearly perfect performance from one of the sport’s most dominant champions, a local favorite earning a quick finish, and (most) Brazilian fighters outmatching their foreign opponents on their ways to victory. It was going to be difficult to entertain the local fans the same way that UFC 134 did, yet the UFC’s return to Brazil netted nearly identical results.
Heading into his title defense against Chad Mendes last night, critics were starting to say that Jose Aldo was beginning to coast his way through fights. That the fight finisher fans grew to love in the WEC had been replaced by a fighter content to go through the motions en route to a decision victory. In front of his home country, Aldo made an impressive statement by finishing “Money” Mendes in the first round.
Mendes displayed improved striking, but that means little when facing the lethal limbs of Jose Aldo. To win this fight–or even stay competitive–Mendes needed to put the champion on his back, yet time and time again his best efforts were thwarted. Though Aldo blatantly grabbed the fence to prevent one takedown, a follow-up attempt from the same position seconds later barely took his feet off the ground. Had he been deducted one point- or ten- it’s hard to imagine the fight going any other way. The brilliant takedown defense and impeccable timing he showed throughout the bout were on full display in the closing seconds of round one. Aldo’s transition to the fight ending knee was nothing short of perfection, something only a dominant striker of his caliber could dream of pulling off.
With the UFC’s quick return to Rio de Janeiro, the promotion had high expectations to live up to. Their last visit saw a nearly perfect performance from one of the sport’s most dominant champions, a local favorite earning a quick finish, and (most) Brazilian fighters outmatching their foreign opponents on their ways to victory. It was going to be difficult to entertain the local fans the same way that UFC 134 did, yet the UFC’s return to Brazil netted nearly identical results.
Heading into his title defense against Chad Mendes last night, critics were starting to say that Jose Aldo was beginning to coast his way through fights. That the fight finisher fans grew to love in the WEC had been replaced by a fighter content to go through the motions en route to a decision victory. In front of his home country, Aldo made an impressive statement by finishing “Money” Mendes in the first round.
Mendes displayed improved striking, but that means little when facing the lethal limbs of Jose Aldo. To win this fight–or even stay competitive–Mendes needed to put the champion on his back, yet time and time again his best efforts were thwarted. Though Aldo blatantly grabbed the fence to prevent one takedown, a follow-up attempt from the same position seconds later barely took his feet off the ground. Had he been deducted one point- or ten- it’s hard to imagine the fight going any other way. The brilliant takedown defense and impeccable timing he showed throughout the bout were on full display in the closing seconds of round one. Aldo’s transition to the fight ending knee was nothing short of perfection, something only a dominant striker of his caliber could dream of pulling off.
There is very little that can possibly be said about the co-main event at this point. To call it “Win big or go home” for Anthony Johnson would not only be a lazy, clichéd thing to do, but it would also be misleading. “Win big” would imply some type of reward for an impressive victory for Rumble, be it a title shot, an end of the night bonus or even a title eliminator fight against another top tier middleweight. When Anthony Johnson botched his weight cut as recklessly as he did, all of those options were taken off of the table. Replacing them was the best case scenario of adding a “W” to his record that would have an asterisk next to it in the minds of both fans and his employer.
As expected, Johnson was able to use his size advantage to handle Belfort early on. Also as expected, his medical issues that caused him to miss weight were brought on by a last minute weight cut led him to quickly gas out. Once Johnson began lunging at Belfort with desperate takedown attempts, Vitor Belfort was able to quickly take Rumble’s back and sink in the choke. The Phenom won’t be getting a title shot after a victory like that, but he’s earned coveted job security with the UFC. Likewise, an Anthony Johnson themed “And Now he’s Fired” will be published soon, as Dana White all but fired him Vince McMahon style during the post-event press conference.
While there were plenty of questionable decisions made by the referees last night, none were more cringe-worthy than the way Mario Yamasaki handled Prater vs. Silva. There’s really nothing to say about the fight other than “do over”. Silva looked to be en route to an early victory, landed some shots to the back of Prater’s head, kept fighting, as Yamasaki didn’t stop the fight to deduct points, and found himself disqualified when Prater was unable to continue. Unfortunately, a rematch is the only thing that makes sense for either fighter, although the UFC is still giving Silva his win bonus for his performance.
Last time Edson Barboza fought (coincidentally, in Rio), he predictably defeated a handpicked Ross Pearson in a surprisingly close fight. This time around, Barboza thoroughly outgunned Terry Etim on the feet and kept the fight off of the mat on his way to a flawless wheel kick knockout in the third round. The impressive showing from Barboza not only earned him a step up in competition, but also earned him $130,000- $65k for Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night with Terry Etim. The Submission of the Night honors went to Rousimar Palhares, who predictably added Mike Massenzio’s leg to his collection with a first round heel hook. Paul Harris has now won three straight fights, and should find himself back in the mix at middleweight.
And if there’s one in every crowd, the “one” from last night is Ricardo Funch. Much like Luiz Cane before him, Funch was the only Brazilian to lose to a foreign opponent in Rio de Janeiro, getting knocked out in the first round by Mike Pyle. Pyle improves to 5-3 in the UFC.
Full Results:
Main card
Jose Aldo def. Chad Mendes via first-round KO
Vitor Belfort def. Anthony Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke)
Rousimar Palhares def. Mike Massenzio via submission (heel hook)
Carlo Prater wins via disqualification vs. Erick Silva (illegal head blows)
Edson Barboza def. Terry Etim via third-round KO
Preliminary card
Thiago Tavares def. Sam Stout via unanimous decision Gabriel Gonzaga def. Ednaldo Oliveira via submission (rear-naked choke)
Yuri Alcantara def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision
Mike Pyle def. Ricardo Funch via first-round TKO
Felipe Arantes def. Antonio Carvalho via unanimous decision
In a recent interview given to Jim Rome, Dana White was a little more candid than we have seen when discussing Brock Lesnar’s recent retirement, specifically what was going through the former UFC Heavyweight Champion’s mind moments after becoming permanently incontinent compliments of an Alistair Overeem body kick. “It felt like I got kicked by a horse,” said Lesnar. Ok, so maybe that’s an exaggeration, but White states that Lesnar didn’t see himself taking down “The Reem” anytime soon, figuratively or literally:
The conversations I’ve had with Brock Lesnar since that fight, all indications point to it’s over. … Here’s what Brock said to me, he said ‘I’ll tell you what after my surgery from diverticulitis, this last surgery I had, I have never felt so good in my life.’ He said ‘I’ve had the best camp I’ve ever had, no injuries, I was in great shape, all the things that could go right, went right, that guy is just that much better than me and it’s time for me to retire.
Well, this pretty much seals the deal on that issue. If there were any doubts as to Mr. Lesnar’s heart and true investment in MMA, here you go.
In a recent interview given to Jim Rome, Dana White was a little more candid than we have seen when discussing Brock Lesnar’s recent retirement, specifically what was going through the former UFC Heavyweight Champion’s mind moments after becoming permanently incontinent compliments of an Alistair Overeem body kick. “It felt like I got kicked by a horse,” said Lesnar. Ok, so maybe that’s an exaggeration, but White states that Lesnar didn’t see himself taking down “The Reem” anytime soon, figuratively or literally:
The conversations I’ve had with Brock Lesnar since that fight, all indications point to it’s over. … Here’s what Brock said to me, he said ‘I’ll tell you what after my surgery from diverticulitis, this last surgery I had, I have never felt so good in my life.’ He said ‘I’ve had the best camp I’ve ever had, no injuries, I was in great shape, all the things that could go right, went right, that guy is just that much better than me and it’s time for me to retire.
Well, this pretty much seals the deal on that issue. If there were any doubts as to Mr. Lesnar’s heart and true investment in MMA, here you go.
And before you uproar with cries of “The man went through multiple surgeries!” and “You try and fight Overeem!”, please take note that we are not knocking the man for his toughness; anyone who could take the beating that Shane Carwin dealt him in the first round of their title fight back at UFC 116 and come out smiling in the second is surely more badass than anyone who wrote about it. But it seems so disappointing that Lesnar chose to retire when, in his own words, he was the best he ever felt. Whether or not he is truly as healthy as he claims is something we may never know, but considering what a groundbreaking achievement it was for a professional wrestler to be both signed by and be successful in the UFC, it’s a shame that ultimately Lesnar couldn’t break the stereotype that has existed for every professional wrestler who has tried to compete in MMA since; that they’re all just jumping ship, in it for the money. Brock Lesnar didn’t exactly convince us that the theory was ungrounded, especially with this line of reasoning.
Look at it this way, if every fighter retired because they had been beaten by a truly better opponent, what would have become of Rampage Jackson after Wanderlei Silva obliterated him back at PRIDE FC – Final Conflict 23? Surely not the man who, after suffering yet another KO via knees just one year later, would eventually knockout Wandy at UFC 92. THAT’S what separates true fighters from the rest. Desire. Come to think of it, Wanderlei would have ended the career of Kasushi Sakuraba as well, which might have been a good thing. At least he’d be able to remember who his kids are nowadays.
But it’s an issue of the past now, and we’ve already dwelled upon it too much. So we guess we should just be grateful for what Lesnar managed to accomplish, as brief as it may have seemed.
(Apparently Corassani treats tapping the same way he deals with flipping to the wrong page of a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Novel.)
This should come as no surprise, but none other than TUF 14 alum and all around jackwagonAkira Corassani has been booked to take on British striker Jason Young at the UFC’s inaugural trip to Sweden for its second UFC on FUEL event. Corassani, a Swedish born (the streets, specifically) Muay Thai striker, has trained with the likes of Siyar Bahadurzada, Frankie Edgar, and Eddie Alvarez, and made a name for himself on this past season of The Ultimate Fighter, bringing a combination of power punches and Jersey Shore-like swagger to the house before being choked into wonderland by eventual runner-up Dennis Bermudez in the semifinals.
Young, who has dropped a couple of close decisions to Dustin Poirier and Michihiro Omigawa in his octagon run, will likely be fighting for his job when he takes on Corassani. A word to the wise Jason: steer clear of the leg-locks on this one.
(Apparently Corassani treats tapping the same way he deals with flipping to the wrong page of a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Novel.)
This should come as no surprise, but none other than TUF 14 alum and all around jackwagonAkira Corassani has been booked to take on British striker Jason Young at the UFC’s inaugural trip to Sweden for its second UFC on FUEL event. Corassani, a Swedish born (the streets, specifically) Muay Thai striker, has trained with the likes of Siyar Bahadurzada, Frankie Edgar, and Eddie Alvarez, and made a name for himself on this past season of The Ultimate Fighter, bringing a combination of power punches and Jersey Shore-like swagger to the house before being choked into wonderland by eventual runner-up Dennis Bermudez in the semifinals.
Young, who has dropped a couple of close decisions to Dustin Poirier and Michihiro Omigawa in his octagon run, will likely be fighting for his job when he takes on Corassani. A word to the wise Jason: steer clear of the leg-locks on this one.
Also set for UFC on FUEL 2 will be a rematch between German kickboxer Dennis Siver and TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson. Their first pairing, which was contested at lightweight, saw Pearson walk away with a well earned unanimous decision; Pearson simply out struck the arguably more decorated striker, cutting Siver in several places and rocking him on more than one occasion. Siver would go on a four fight win streak thereafter, scoring wins over TUF 9 runner-up Andre Winner and Aussie grappling whiz George Sotiropoulus, among others. After suffering a first round submission loss at the hands of Donald Cerrone this past October, however, Siver recently announced that he would be dropping to featherweight.
Pearson, on the other hand, would see his hype train (and a 4 fight win streak) derailed in his next fight compliments of Cole Miller, who would score a come from behind submission victory on the Brit after being thrashed for the majority of two rounds. After splitting a pair of contests against Spencer Fisher and Edson Barboza, “The Real Deal” dropped to featherweight and scored a unanimous decision victory in his debut over Junior Assuncao at UFC 141.
To check out Pearson and Siver’s first battle, go here.
(I bet if that cameraman had been The Undertaker, Lesnar would have just let him do his job. Video props via MiddleEasy.)
OK, so maybe the above video was taken in the aftermath of Brock Lesnar’s first round TKO loss to Alistair Overeem, but we imagine he had a similar reaction when informed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission that he must have an abdominal injury cleared by a doctor before he can compete in any physical activity for the next 6 months. Remember, given his recent retirement, the “physical activity” that Lesnar would be limited from would be his two favorite things, illegally tag-and-bagging mule deer and “getting on top of his wife.” Livestrong, Mr. Lesnar. BTW, that was kind of a dick move, shoving a poor cameraman like that. Way to go out with class.
But Lesnar was not the only fighter who walked out of UFC 141 facing a possible 6 month suspension. Nate Diaz, who, after out landing Donald Cerrone by over 150 strikes, somehow faces a longer suspension than that of “The Cowboy” — Diaz must have his right eye cleared by an ophthalmologist or will also be out of action until June 28th.
Join us after the jump for the full list.
(I bet if that cameraman had been The Undertaker, Lesnar would have just let him do his job. Video props via MiddleEasy.)
OK, so maybe the above video was taken in the aftermath of Brock Lesnar’s first round TKO loss to Alistair Overeem, but we imagine he had a similar reaction when informed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission that he must have an abdominal injury cleared by a doctor before he can compete in any physical activity for the next 6 months. Remember, given his recent retirement, the “physical activity” that Lesnar would be limited from would be his two favorite things, illegally tag-and-bagging mule deer and “getting on top of his wife.” Livestrong, Mr. Lesnar. BTW, that was kind of a dick move, shoving a poor cameraman like that. Way to go out with class.
But Lesnar was not the only fighter who walked out of UFC 141 facing a possible 6 month suspension. Nate Diaz, who, after out landing Donald Cerrone by over 150 strikes, somehow faces a longer suspension than that of “The Cowboy” — Diaz must have his right eye cleared by an ophthalmologist or will also be out of action until June 28th.
UFC 141 medical suspensions:
Alistair Overeem: Suspended until Feb. 14; no contest until Jan. 30 for cuts on right eye
Brock Lesnar: Must have abdominal injury cleared by a doctor or no contest until June 28
Nate Diaz: Must be cleared by an ophthalmologist or no contest until June 28; minimum suspension, no contest until Jan. 30; no contact until Jan. 21 for right eye injury
Donald Cerrone: Suspended until Feb. 14; no contact until Jan. 30 for cut on lower lip
Jon Fitch: Suspended until Feb.29; no contest until Feb. 14
Alexander Gustafsson: Suspended until Jan. 30; no contact until Jan. 21 for right tibia contusion
Vladimir Matyushenko: Must have left knee cleared by an orthopedic doctor or no contest until June 28; minimum suspension, no contest until Feb. 14; no contact until Jan. 30
Nam Phan: Suspended until Feb. 29; no contact until Feb. 14 for cut on right eyebrow
Junior Assuncao: Suspended until Jan. 30; no contact until Jan. 21 for cut on right cheek
Dong Hyun Kim: Suspended until Jan. 30; no contact until Jan. 21 for left foot contusion
Diego Nunes: Suspended until Feb. 14; no contact until Jan. 30 for cut on left eye
Manny Gamburyan: Must have right shoulder x-rayed and cleared by an orthopedic doctor or no contest until June 28; minimum suspension, no contest until Jan. 30; no contact until Jan. 21
Spoilers after the jump, along with the Fedor/Ishii fight, the Sylvia/Le Banner “fight,” and the bantamweight tournament final match between Bibiano Fernandes and Antonio Banuelos.
Main Event:
Fedor Emelianenko def. Satoshi Ishii via knockout at 2:29 of round 1
Main Card:
Shinya Aoki def. Satoru Kitaoka via unanimous decision
Hiroyuki Takaya def. Takeshi Inoue via unanimous decision
Hayato Sakurai def. Ryo Chonan via unanimous decision
Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Kazuyuki Miyata via submission (arm triangle choke) at 4:55 of round 2
Megumi Fujii def. Karla Benitez via submission (armbar) at 1:15 of round 1
DREAM Bantamweight Grand Prix:
Bibiano Fernandes def. Rodolfo Marques via unanimous decision
Antonio Banuelos def. Masakazu Imanari via split decision
Yusup Saadulaev def. Hideo Tokoro via knockout (slam) at 0:42 of round one
Bibiano Fernandes vs. Antonio Banuelos via TKO at 1:21 of round 1
Mixed Rules Bout:
Katsunori Kikuno def. Yuichiro Nagashima via TKO in round two
Kickboxing Bouts:
Yuta Kubo def. Nils Widlund via knockout at 1:10 round three
Masaaki Noiri def. Kengo Sonoda via unanimous decision
Pro Wrestling Bouts:
Kazushi Sakuraba and Katsuyori Shibata def. Shinichi Suzukawa and Atsushi Sawada via submission (neck crank)
Kazuyuki Fujita def. Peter Aerts via submission (ankle lock)
Josh Barnett def. Hideki Suzuki via pinfall
Jerome LeBanner def. Tim Sylvia via TKO
