Punching, kicking and choking people for a living doesn’t necessarily sound like the ideal career path to be a success on the dating scene, but there’s plenty of evidence out there to suggest that MMA fighters are able to punch above their weight in that regard. Cauliflower ears or not, that ‘bad boy/girl’ persona and
Punching, kicking and choking people for a living doesn’t necessarily sound like the ideal career path to be a success on the dating scene, but there’s plenty of evidence out there to suggest that MMA fighters are able to punch above their weight in that regard.
Cauliflower ears or not, that ‘bad boy/girl’ persona and ‘alpha male/female’ aura together with the athleticism, drive, discipline and self-confidence it takes to put it all on the line as a professional fighter attract potential partners to these modern-day gladiators like a moth to a flame.
Even other celebrities are not immune to this phenomenon, and as you’ll see in this article, over the years there have been a number of high-profile fighters who have dated famous singers, actresses and models.
(Roger Huerta destroys Christian Holley with the help of ONE FC’s “Sure, knee ’em in the head when they’re down, we don’t really care” rule. / GIF via ZP)
– Shina Aoki def. Kamal Shalorus via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:15 of round 1; Aoki retains the ONE FC lightweight championship
– Ben Askren def. Nobutatsu Suzuki via TKO, 1:24 of round 1; Askren becomes the new ONE FC welterweight champion, and secures his second-straight first-round stoppage. How ’bout that!
– Jadamba Narantungalag def. Koji Oishi via unanimous decision; Narantungalag becomes the new ONE FC featherweight champion
– Roger Huerta def. Christian Holley via TKO (knees & punches), 3:13 of round 1
– James McSweeney def. Cristiano Kaminishi via KO (punch & soccer kick), 1:17 of round 1
– Herbert Burns def. Hiroshige Tanaka via unanimous decision
– Mohamad Walid def. Vaughn Donayre via submission (armbar), 1:05 of round 1
– Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke def. Ali Yaakub via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:34 of round 1
– Ann Osman def. Ana Julaton via split-decision
(Roger Huerta destroys Christian Holley with the help of ONE FC’s “Sure, knee ‘em in the head when they’re down, we don’t really care” rule. / GIF via ZP)
– Shina Aoki def. Kamal Shalorus via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:15 of round 1; Aoki retains the ONE FC lightweight championship
– Ben Askren def. Nobutatsu Suzuki via TKO, 1:24 of round 1; Askren becomes the new ONE FC welterweight champion, and secures his second-straight first-round stoppage. How ’bout that!
– Jadamba Narantungalag def. Koji Oishi via unanimous decision; Narantungalag becomes the new ONE FC featherweight champion
– Roger Huerta def. Christian Holley via TKO (knees & punches), 3:13 of round 1
– James McSweeney def. Cristiano Kaminishi via KO (punch & soccer kick), 1:17 of round 1
– Herbert Burns def. Hiroshige Tanaka via unanimous decision
– Mohamad Walid def. Vaughn Donayre via submission (armbar), 1:05 of round 1
– Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke def. Ali Yaakub via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:34 of round 1
– Ann Osman def. Ana Julaton via split-decision
(Shinya Aoki chokes out Kamal Shalorus)
(Ben Askren beats the tar out of Nobutatsu Suzuki)
(TUF 10 vet James McSweeney, soccer-kicking the daylights out of Cristiano Kaminishi)
(Mohamad Walid armbars Vaughn Donayre with the quickness.)
(Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke sinks the RNC on Ali Yaakub)
(“It is a statement… a proclamation of the inner attitude of the alpha. It is about having the confidence that says ‘I am my own man, and will decide the rules for how I live my life according to how I see fit.” )
There are times, ‘taters, when we don’t have to put our own stamp on a post about something in pop culture that touches on the fight world in order to make it humorous.
This is one of those times.
Here’s what makes this relevant to CP – Former top UFC lightweight Roger Huerta once gave up MMA to pursue modeling and acting. He eventually returned to the sport, but not the UFC, and hasn’t been able to recreate the same success he initially he did. No shame in that and he’s not done yet if he doesn’t want to be.
But we’re fine with saying that just a tad of shame might be in order for his newest product endorsement – Alpha Nail nail polish marketed to men. Their marketing seems pretty strong (using images the fit, good looking Huerta surrounded by women while his nails, wow look at that, happen to be painted with polish) until digging deeper shows how sad it is (claims that it will make getting girls easier, ‘peacocking’ tips, etc.).
As they mention, many guys that don’t actually endorse the product, like Chuck Liddell, rock guitarist Dave Navarro and mother flipping Zac Efron (!!) paint their nails. So…you should, too. After the jump, check out the very helpful instructional video by MMA fighter Nick Gonzalez, incredible user testimonials, replete with their own douchebag lingo that takes some time to decipher and more images of cool guys being manly with nail polish on.
And, oh yeah, reason number three of why you should use Alpha Nail. Hint, it will help you have intercourse with females. Guaranteed.
(“It is a statement… a proclamation of the inner attitude of the alpha. It is about having the confidence that says ‘I am my own man, and will decide the rules for how I live my life according to how I see fit.” )
There are times, ‘taters, when we don’t have to put our own stamp on a post about something in pop culture that touches on the fight world in order to make it humorous.
This is one of those times.
Here’s what makes this relevant to CP – Former top UFC lightweight Roger Huerta once gave up MMA to pursue modeling and acting. He eventually returned to the sport, but not the UFC, and hasn’t been able to recreate the same success he initially he did. No shame in that and he’s not done yet if he doesn’t want to be.
But we’re fine with saying that just a tad of shame might be in order for his newest product endorsement – Alpha Nail nail polish marketed to men. Their marketing seems pretty strong (using images the fit, good looking Huerta surrounded by women while his nails, wow look at that, happen to be painted with polish) until digging deeper shows how sad it is (claims that it will make getting girls easier, ‘peacocking’ tips, etc.).
As they mention, many guys that don’t actually endorse the product, like Chuck Liddell, rock guitarist Dave Navarro and mother flipping Zac Efron (!!) paint their nails. So…you should, too. After the jump, check out the very helpful instructional video by MMA fighter Nick Gonzalez, incredible user testimonials, replete with their own douchebag lingo that takes some time to decipher and more images of cool guys being manly with nail polish on.
And, oh yeah, reason number three of why you should use Alpha Nail. Hint, it will help you have intercourse with females. Guaranteed.
Nail Polish Application and Removal Video Tutorial:
Click here for more amazing testimonials like this one:
taBOOM!
“Went out last weekend with a few buddies who are typical AFCs to try my hand at the now famous Austin, TX scene. I was in my normal mode but I recently acquired some cool new matte nail polish colors from AlphaNail. Normally I’ll sarge on chicks with various opening strategies but this time, something was a little different. Because of the taboo of men wearing nail polish, girls were actually approaching ME and using MY nails as THEIR opener. I quickly turned it around and made them instantly bond to my confidence regarding wearing the polish and most ended up revealing to me that they actually think nail polish is sexy on a man. I closed on a HB8 and 3 more # closes. I’m going to try their metallics next as I feel that will take it to the next level.”
-Robbie
On Thursday, ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) proudly announced the signing of Dream bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes and lightweight champion Shinya Aoki. Both fighters were standouts from Dream and were the last champions in their respective…
On Thursday, ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) proudly announced the signing of Dream bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes and lightweight champion Shinya Aoki. Both fighters were standouts from Dream and were the last champions in their respective weight classes.
We take a look at possible opponents for the duo, who are set to make their respective debuts in ONE FC: Pride of a Nation in Manila on August 31st.
Japanese Shinya Aoki is a submission specialist who is opportunistic with his submissions. Boasting a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 19 of his 30 wins have come via submission. However, he is coming to ONE FC following a TKO loss to Eddie Alvarez in April.
It would make sense for Shinya Aoki to face Zorobabel Moreira in the main event. Brazilian Moreira is coming off a knockout victory over ex-UFC fighter Roger Huerta via soccer kick. He is riding a five-fight winning streak, also defeating notables Felipe Enomoto and Andy Wang.
The only issue with a Moreira and Aoki bout is that they both train out of Singapore-based Evolve and might be hesitant about fighting a teammate. Perhaps debuting a lightweight championship and giving the fighters the opportunity to be the first ONE FC lightweight champion might be enough for them to accept the fight.
Another alternative opponent would be Ole Laursen. An accomplished kick-boxer, Laursen always puts on exciting fights such as his five-round war against Eduard Folayang in his last outing. Born in the Phillipines, he would have the support of the hometown crowd behind him in what would essentially a boxer vs. grappler match.
Bibiano Fernandes is the first, and only, Bantamweight Champion of Dream.
In Dream’s last card on New Year’s Eve last year, he defeated both Rodolfo Marques and Antonio Banuelos on the same night to be crowned champion. Hailing from Brazil and now fighting out of Canada, he is nicknamed “the flash” for his lightning-fast speed that has helped him defeat Joachim Hansen and Joe Warren, among others.
Two notable names stand out from the rest in ONE FC’s bantamweight division.
Kevin Belingon is the URCC Flyweight Champion and has a record of 9-1. Training out of Team Lakay in the Philippines, Belingon will prove a tough test for Fernandes. The other notable is Leonardo Issa. Issa defeated Masakazu Imanari in last Saturday’s ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors. A BJJ world champion, he displayed solid wrestling skills and a smart game plan to defeat Imanari via decision. With a record of 9-2, he is coming off a win, whereas Belingon lost to the aforementioned Imanari last March.
Both Fernandes and Aoki are huge additions to ONE FC’s growing stable of fighters, and it will be exciting to see how they fare on August 31st.
It may have been merely a footnote to most fans in an already sub-par chapter of MMA events, but this weekend’s ONE FC 4 gave fans a quick fix for soccer kicks, quick stoppages and some lesser-known talent making names for themselves.
But before we get to that, let’s talk about the names you’re already familiar with. Roger Huerta took to the cage at welterweight looking to rebound from an ugly TKO at the hands of War Machine. His initial opponent, Phil Baroni, was forced off of the card due to an ugly knockout loss at the hands of Chris Holland at Ring of Fire 43 earlier this month. Replacing “The New York Badass” was Zorobabel Moreira, a tall lightweight sporting a 6-1 record before the bout. If “El Matador” was looking to break out of his recent slump, Moreira was, on paper, the perfect opportunity.
It may have been merely a footnote to most fans in an already sub-par chapter of MMA events, but this weekend’s ONE FC 4 gave fans a quick fix for soccer kicks, quick stoppages and some lesser-known talent making names for themselves.
But before we get to that, let’s talk about the names you’re already familiar with. Roger Huerta took to the cage at welterweight looking to rebound from an ugly TKO at the hands of War Machine. His initial opponent, Phil Baroni, was forced off of the card due to an ugly knockout loss at the hands of Chris Holland at Ring of Fire 43 earlier this month. Replacing “The New York Badass” was Zorobabel Moreira, a tall lightweight sporting a 6-1 record before the bout. If “El Matador” was looking to break out of his recent slump, Moreira was, on paper, the perfect opportunity.
In reality, Huerta had his moments early on in the fight, using his aggressive striking against the jiu-jitsu black belt. But once Moreira started to catch Huerta with kicks of his own, he controlled the fight. The second round was all Moreira, as Huerta seemed tired, and was often hesitant to exchange. The fight was essentially over once Moreira caught Huerta with a knee, but since the referee didn’t stop the fight, Moreira capped things off with a brutal soccer kick. Retirement might be a good idea for Huerta, who has now lost six of his last seven outings.
The same cannot be said for Renato “Babalu” Sobral. When it was announced that Babalu would be making his return to the cage against the 11-7 Tatsuya Mizuno, we posited that the Sobral’s time away from the cage was the only thing keeping this fight from being a PRIDE-era mismatch. Well, we were wrong: The fight played out exactly as it would have two years ago, when Babalu was a consensus top ten light-heavyweight. It only took Babalu thirty one seconds to put away Mizuno with an armbar. I know, I’m just as shocked as you are.
Okay, enough of the chit-chat. We first have videos of just the Huerta/Sobral fights. Then we have a video of the entire main card, followed by a list of results if you’re feeling especially lazy today. Props to IronForgesIron.com for the videos.
Full Results:
Renato Sobral def. Tatsuya Mizuno by submission (armbar), 0:31 of Round One
Zorobabel Moreira def. Roger Huerta by KO (soccer kick), 3:53 of Round Two
Leandro Issa def. Masakazu Imanari by unanimous decision
Adam Kayoom def. Gregor Gracie by unanimous decision
Eric Kelly def. Bae Young Kwon by unanimous decision
Arnaud Lepont def. Brian Choi by submission (rear-naked choke), 1:38 of Round Three
Preliminary Card:
Mitch Chilson def. AJ Lias Mansor by submission (rear-naked choke), 1:39 of Round One
Marcos Escobar def. Rodrigo Praxedes by submission (D’arce choke), 1:40 of Round Three
Peter Davis def. Kim Quek Hong by TKO (knees and punches), 0:55 of Round One
Perhaps “cluttered” is the best word to describe this weekend’s action. After all, that’s the same word that you would also use for your bedroom floor: There’s a lot of stuff on it, but there’s not much there that you couldn’t live without. This weekend, we have a lot of MMA available to us, such as UFC on FX 4, UFC 147 and Bellator 71. But despite the quantity of the fights available to us, there seems to be very little in terms of fights with immediate significance. It’s one thing when ratings are slipping, it’s another thing when your promotion has to offer full refunds for an injury plagued card, and it’s yet another thing when the only attention your promotion gets for an upcoming card revolves around the wife beater you recently inked a deal with.
But have no fear; this floor isn’t entirely covered in dirty socks, empty bottles and condom wrappers. There are some interesting tussles worth watching (notice we didn’t say pay for), which we’ll make the argument for after the jump. Or you can just join us later for our liveblogs of UFC on FX 4 and UFC 147. That works, too.
Perhaps “cluttered” is the best word to describe this weekend’s action. After all, that’s the same word that you would also use for your bedroom floor: There’s a lot of stuff on it, but there’s not much there that you couldn’t live without. This weekend, we have a lot of MMA available to us, such as UFC on FX 4, UFC 147 and Bellator 71. But despite the quantity of the fights available to us, there seems to be very little in terms of fights with immediate significance. It’s one thing when ratings are slipping, it’s another thing when your promotion has to offer full refunds for an injury plagued card, and it’s yet another thing when the only attention your promotion gets for an upcoming card revolves around the wife beater you recently inked a deal with.
But have no fear; this floor isn’t entirely covered in dirty socks, empty bottles and condom wrappers. There are some interesting tussles worth watching (notice we didn’t say pay for), which we’ll make the argument for after the jump. Or you can just join us later for our liveblogs of UFC on FX 4 and UFC 147. That works, too.
#1: Let’s See How Gray Maynard’s Cardio Has Improved:
It seems odd to question the conditioning of a guy who has eight out of ten career victories coming by decision, but we can’t ignore Gray Maynard‘s last outings. When we last saw Gray, he was getting knocked out by then-lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 136. It was the first official loss of his career, coming in a rematch from a controversial draw from their earlier meeting at UFC 125. In both fights, Maynard started out strong, yet gassed out early, costing him what appeared to be a sure victory throughout the first two rounds of both fights.
Now, Maynard finds himself across the cage from Clay Guida, who is coming off of a loss himself. On paper, this is Maynard’s fight to lose. “The Bully” is the more powerful striker, a much better wrestler and should be able to outclass “The Carpenter” no matter where this fight ends up.
Yet if Gray Maynard’s conditioning is not up to par, he’ll be no match for Guida’s energetic attack. And before anyone mentions that Maynard’s last two efforts were five round fights, three rounds with Guida is comparable to five rounds with anyone, hair be damned. The bottom line here is simple: If we watch another dominant first round from Maynard followed by two rounds of wheezing, expect Clay Guida to walk away victorious and expect Maynard to return to the middle of the pack until his conditioning improves.
#2: Can Matt Brown Consistently Win The Fights He’s Supposed To?
As anyone who has ever placed a bet on a Matt Brown fight can tell you, “The Immortal” isn’t exactly the most consistent fighter out there. It seems like the fights that he’s supposed to win, he loses. After losing four out of five fights from 2010-2011, Brown has put together two straight victories in 2012; the most recent one being a very entertaining brawl with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson that he took by unanimous decision at UFC 145.
Brown now finds himself in familiar territory: A fight that he should win. Sure, he hasn’t won three straight fights since 2009, but Luis Ramos didn’t exactly look unbeatable during the forty second thrashing he took from Erick Silva in his UFC debut. If Brown wins tonight, perhaps we can finally stop questioning whether or not he can execute his game plan on a consistent basis. At least until his next fight.
#3: Is It Enough For Werdum To Just Win To Be A Contender Again?
When Fabricio Werdum made his return to the UFC, he did so in devastating fashion with a victory over Roy Nelson. He looked extremely impressive, as “Big Country” was unable to mount any significant offense. Werdum looked better than he had seemingly in ages, and some fans felt that his name should be in the mix for a title shot in the near future.
In other groundbreaking news, it’s hot in Louisiana today.
Of course Werdum looked good against Roy Nelson: “Big Country” is a good test for an unproven prospect or an aging legend, but he’s also about as hand-picked of an opponent as it gets for top-tier heavyweights. Nelson is pretty much the Aldo Montoya of the UFC heavyweight division.
Now Fabricio Werdum finds himself across the cage from Mike Russow, a fighter who has quietly won four straight fights in the UFC against mid-to-lower tier opposition. As the gambling lines indicate, Werdum is expected to crush Russow and earn a fight against a contender by the year’s end. But what happens if this fight actually goes to the judges? Does Werdum’s hype train get derailed if he doesn’t turn in another near-perfect performance, or will it just be a testament to how game Mike Russow actually is?
#4: Can Travis Wiuff Take The First Step Towards Claiming What Is Rightfully His?
Things got pretty awkward for Bellator back at Bellator 55. The promotion booked a “non-title superfight” with their newly-crowned light-heavyweight champion, Christian M’Pumbu, against veteran journeyman (and YAMMA Pit champion) Travis Wiuff. The fight was supposed to be another devastating knockout on the résumé of M’Pumbu, yet Wiuff managed to defeat the champion by unanimous decision.
Tonight, Wiuff takes the first step towards claiming the belt that we feel should already be his. Entering the Summer Series Light-Heavyweight Tournament, he has a pretty favorable matchup tonight in Chris Davis. If Wiuff is going to take the tournament and earn a rematch with M’Pumbu, it’ll start tonight in West Virginia.
#5: How does Tim Carpenter fair as a late replacement for Richard Hale?
In other Bellator tournament news, light-heavyweight standout Richard Hale has been forced out of the tournament at the last minute due to an illness. Replacing him against Beau Tribolet will be Philadelphia’s Tim Carpenter, who was originally scheduled to fight on the undercard of tonight’s event.
Carpenter is no slouch, having made a decent run in the Season Four Light-Heavyweight tournament before being knocked out by the eventual tournament winner Christian M’Pumbu. Since then, he has put together a first round TKO over Ryan Contaldi at Bellator 54. But will Beau Tribolet be too much for Carpenter, who came to yesterday’s weigh-ins expecting a much easier fight on the undercard?
The good news though is that there actually are some names you’ll recognize on their fourth installment tomorrow night: Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Roger Huerta. When we last saw Babalu, he was a consensus top ten light-heavyweight until Dan Henderson shut out his lights in December of 2010. The Brazilian submission specialist makes his return to the cage tonight against Tatsuya Mizuno, who enters the bout sporting an 11-7 record. On paper, it’s a PRIDE-era mismatch. But perhaps the Babalu’s time away from the sport will level the playing field a bit.
Likewise, in 2007, Roger Huerta was one of the baddest guys on the planet, having won six straight in the UFC and sporting a 20-1-1 (1 NC) record. Since that time, Huerta has been released by the UFC and lost five of his last six outings. His most recent loss was an all around tragic affair that ended in a TKO at the hands of the newly-released War Machine. If he loses to the 6-1 prospect Zorobabel Moreira, he may want to consider walking away for good from MMA.
On Thursday, ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) proudly announced the signing of Dream bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes and lightweight champion Shinya Aoki. Both fighters were standouts from Dream and were the last champions in their respective weight classes.
