We have all heard the legend of Rousimar Palhares. Born in a radioactive swamp deep in the Brazilian jungle, “Toquinho” was raised in captivity, locked in a dark, damp cellar that only received 15 minutes of sunlight a day. It was a cruel, traumatizing upbringing, but the townspeople agreed that it was the only way to maintain the utopia they had built. Living off bread crumbs and rage for the first 20 years of his life, Palhares vowed to seek revenge on those who had enslaved him. Unfortunately for the world, he could only see the ankles of his overlords through a crack beneath the bolted steel door that held him, so his curse did not have the luxury of extending to only those who entered Camp Crystal Lake, or she who read from the Necronomicon. If you were born with a pair of ankles, then Palhares is coming for you.
Thankfully, “Toquinho” celebrated his 32nd birthday last Sunday, so the appendages of mankind have been granted a reprieve for a couple more days. Why, you ask? Well as it turns out, this past Sunday went down as a particularly special birthday for the middleweight mangling machine, as it was the first one in which he was given a cake. Unfortunately, his friends and family decided to throw a surprise party for this glorious celebration. There were no survivors.
Check out Rousimar’s reaction to the surprise after the jump.
(What do you mean marrow is not a flavor?!!)
We have all heard the legend of Rousimar Palhares. Born in a radioactive swamp deep in the Brazilian jungle, “Toquinho” was raised in captivity, locked in a dark, damp cellar that only received 15 minutes of sunlight a day. It was a cruel, traumatizing upbringing, but the townspeople agreed that it was the only way to maintain the utopia they had built. Living off bread crumbs and rage for the first 20 years of his life, Palhares vowed to seek revenge on those who had enslaved him. Unfortunately for the world, he could only see the ankles of his overlords through a crack beneath the bolted steel door that held him, so his curse did not have the luxury of extending to only those who entered Camp Crystal Lake, or she who read from the Necronomicon. If you were born with a pair of ankles, then Palhares is coming for you.
Thankfully, “Toquinho” celebrated his 32nd birthday last Sunday, so the appendages of mankind have been granted a reprieve for a couple more days. Why, you ask? Well as it turns out, this past Sunday went down as a particularly special birthday for the middleweight mangling machine, as it was the first one in which he was given a cake. Unfortunately, his friends and family decided to throw a surprise party for this glorious celebration. There were no survivors.
Scheduled to face Alan Belcher at UFC on Fox 3 in May, Palhares said the celebration was short lived, as he had to get back to training, but he was thankful all the same:
That was really a big surprise for me. I became a child again because this was the first time in my whole life I celebrated my birthday with a cake. Everybody knows my family always had a very humble life. I thank my BTT partners to have given me this happiness. I hope this is going to be a year of much work and that God can continue giving me the opportunities to represent Brazil and show my talent inside the Octagon.
And believe it or not, Palhares was so touched by the gesture that he decided to pay it forward, offering to sign a few of the t-shirts purchased at his website, www.toquinhomma.com.br. So head over there if you want the chance to win the autograph of a man with a scarier reputation than Bill Brasky.
(And, yes, Dana has unblocked us on Twitter…Baby steps, right?)
UFC president Dana White announced this afternoon that a middleweight bout between Rousimar “The Kneejerk” Palhares and Alan “The Talent” Belcher has been signed for the May 5 UFC on Fox 3 card.
The event, which will take place at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will also feature Jim Miller versus Nate Diaz and Josh Koscheck versus Johny Hendricks on the main card.
(And, yes, Dana has unblocked us on Twitter…Baby steps, right?)
UFC president Dana White announced this afternoon that a middleweight bout between Rousimar “The Kneejerk“ Palhares and Alan “The Talent” Belcher has been signed for the May 5 UFC on Fox 3 card.
The event, which will take place at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will also feature Jim Miller versus Nate Diaz and Josh Koscheck versus Johny Hendricks on the main card.
5-1 in his last six outings, including a questionable split-decision to Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 100 in July 2009, Belcher returned from a serious eye injury that kept him out of action for a year to beat Jason MacDonald in September at UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger. A win over Palhares could put him in line for a title shot in 2012.
Paul Harris is no slouch himself, having won six of his last seven — including three nasty heelhook and one vicious kneebar submissions in that stretch. He was suspended for 90 days for failing to release a heelhook after Tomasz Drwal tapped out at UFC 111. During his UFC tenure, he has beaten Jeremy Horn, Ivan Salaverry and Dan Miller. He dropped a decision to Dan Henderson and also lost by brainfart TKO to Nate Marquardt after attempting to protest to referee Herb Dean mid-round about the latter having grease on his legs during their UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares main event bout. Marquardt capitalized on “Toquino’s” inattentiveness and caught the Brazilian off guard, stopping him with strikes.
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UFC on Fox 3 May 5, 2012 IZOD Center East Rutherford, New Jersey
Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller
Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks Alan Belcher vs. Rousimar Palhares
Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson
John Dodson vs. Darren Uyenoyama
Tony Ferguson vs. Dennis Hallman
Pascal Krauss vs. John Hathaway Danny Castillo vs. John Cholish
Mike Massenzio vs. Karlos Vemola
Louis Gaudinot vs. John Lineker
(The party is always always popping when Paul Harris is fighting.)
Astute reader Johnnyozone22 sent us a link today that officially confirms our suspicions that the gruesome photo of an alleged Rousimar Palhares leg break victim that made the rounds this week was a fake.
Well, the photo itself is real, it’s just that the unnamed man in the pic isn’t purported former Palhares heel hook victim Isaiah Ordiz. It’s actually a triage photo of an injured Mexican police officer who was injured in a gun fight outside of a Matamoros, Tamaulipas police station last week.
One bit of evidence that helped propel the manufactured story was the name of the alleged injury victim. According to reports, the dude in the photo is Isaiah Ordiz, who actually is a jiu-jitsu competitor. The problem is, Ordiz was a white belt back in 2010, so it’s very unlikely that he competed with Paul Harris last week in a random grappling competition.
It’s okay, Toquinho. We still think you’re a badass. Props to your PR team for arguing your case for a title shot. *slow clap*
If you have the stomach for it, you can check out the photo in question after the jump.
(The party is always always popping when Paul Harris is fighting.)
Astute reader Johnnyozone22 sent us a link today that officially confirms our suspicions that the gruesome photo of an alleged Rousimar Palhares leg break victim that made the rounds this week was a fake.
Well, the photo itself is real, it’s just that the unnamed man in the pic isn’t purported former Palhares heel hook victim Isaiah Ordiz. It’s actually a triage photo of an injured Mexican police officer who was injured in a gun fight outside of a Matamoros, Tamaulipas police station last week.
One bit of evidence that helped propel the manufactured story was the name of the alleged injury victim. According to reports, the dude in the photo is Isaiah Ordiz, who actually is a jiu-jitsu competitor. The problem is, Ordiz was a white belt back in 2010, so it’s very unlikely that he competed with Paul Harris last week in a random grappling competition.
It’s okay, Toquinho. We still think you’re a badass. Props to your PR team for arguing your case for a title shot. *slow clap*
If you have the stomach for it, you can check out the photo in question below..
Who is Milton Vieira, you ask? Well, other than a second degree black belt under Murilo Bustamante and a 13-7 veteran of such promotions as Deep, Strikeforce, and PRIDE, Vieira is also widely considered to be the inventor of the anaconda choke. A Brazilian Top Team standout who trains with the likes of Rousimar Palhares, “Miltinho” is credited as the creator of the submission popularized by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria in his early PRIDE days, specifically in his back-to-back victories over Hirotaka Yokoi and Heath Herring. Big Nog claims that he was taught the maneuver by Vieira back when he used to train at BTT in the early 2000’s.
Coming off a successful first round Brabo choke victory over Sterling Ford at Strikeforce Challengers 18, Vieira will be making his featherweight debut for his first UFC contest, though a date and opponent has yet to be named.
Who is Milton Vieira, you ask? Well, other than a second degree black belt under Murilo Bustamante and a 13-7 veteran of such promotions as Deep, Strikeforce, and PRIDE, Vieira is also widely considered to be the inventor of the anaconda choke. A Brazilian Top Team standout who trains with the likes of Rousimar Palhares, “Miltinho” is credited as the creator of the submission popularized by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria in his early PRIDE days, specifically in his back-to-back victories over Hirotaka Yokoi and Heath Herring. Big Nog claims that he was taught the maneuver by Vieira back when he used to train at BTT in the early 2000′s.
Coming off a successful first round Brabo choke victory over Sterling Ford at Strikeforce Challengers 18, Vieira will be making his featherweight debut for his first UFC contest, though a date and opponent has yet to be named.
In other fight booking news, the UFC has also signed middleweight prospects Sean “The Destroyer” Loeffler and Buddy Roberts to face one another at the UFC’s FuelTV debut in February. Since dropping a first round TKO to Brian Baker in his Bellator debut back in April of 2010, Loeffler has collected six straight victories, all by stoppage, including a seven second KO of Marcus McKnight in his last appearance. In fact, in 30 MMA appearances, “The Destroyer” has only seen the judges’ scorecards twice, going 1-1 in those contests.
Sean Loeffler Highlight
A fellow fight finisher, Buddy Roberts has also gone the distance just twice in his career, the last being a victory over tough veteran Tony Lopez in July. Roberts has collected seven of his eleven victories inside the first round, with four of those victories coming within the first two minutes. We weren’t able to find a highlight video for Mr. Roberts, but have added a video of a recent first round victory over B.J. Lacy below, so check it out.
Filed under: UFCIf I could look into my crystal ball into the future of one rising star on the UFC 142 card, it would be Edson Barboza. While I’m not ready to call him a surefire lightweight contender just yet, he certainly has flashed a skill set that…
If I could look into my crystal ball into the future of one rising star on the UFC 142 card, it would be Edson Barboza. While I’m not ready to call him a surefire lightweight contender just yet, he certainly has flashed a skill set that’s worthy of cracking the division’s top 5. Now he has to continue delivering.
So far throughout his UFC career, Barboza has used his skills the same way Chuck Liddell used to; his defensive wrestling keeping him upright where he has the advantage against nearly anyone he faces.
But there are still questions about Barboza. For one, will his wrestling hold up against the division’s best? Remember, this is a weight class heavy on former collegiate wrestling studs. From champ Frankie Edgar to No. 1 contender Ben Henderson to Gray Maynard and beyond, Barboza will have to prove himself able to handle a top level guy before we can anoint him the next great lightweight. That said, it’s been exciting to watch his educated limbs deliver violence in new ways.
The comparison has been made between Barboza and featherweight champ Jose Aldo, and in terms of style, it’s not all that far off. But lightweight is a much deeper division than featherweight, so Barboza has a long climb ahead.
On to the matchups…
Jose Aldo
It was nice to see Aldo flash the finishing instinct that made him a star in his early days under the Zuffa banner. While he’s been accused of playing it safe his last few fights, his perfectly timed knee to the face that led to the finish is a strictly offensive move. If he missed it, he would have been off-balance to defend the takedown that was coming as Mendes went low. Instead, Aldo landed it flush and closed out the show. While many would like to see him move up a weight class, he’s still just 25 years old and I’d like to see him cement a legacy at one division before moving up to another. Anderson Silva‘s become a huge star because he runs his weight class with an iron fist. Fans love dominance, and Aldo’s slowly but surely building himself that kind of aura. Prediction: Aldo fights the winner of February’s Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski bout.
Chad Mendes
The bad news for Mendes is that he lost, but the good news is that he’s not going to fall very far in the featherweight pecking order. While he struggled to take Aldo down — he was 0-for-7 by FightMetric’s count — at least we know Mendes still has room to grow his offensive arsenal. That’s because he’s only been in the sport for about four years. While he’ll still be in the upper tier of the division, he needs to work on his striking to be better equipped to deal with Aldo next time around. If there is a “next time.” Prediction: He fights Diego Nunes Vitor Belfort
We already know Belfort’s next assignment. He’ll be the head coach of the first Brazilian edition of The Ultimate Fighter, alongside Wanderlei Silva, and after the conclusion of the show, the two will face off in a rematch of their 1998 match, a bout which Belfort won by knockout in just 44 seconds.
Anthony Johnson
What a nightmare of a middleweight debut for Johnson, who pulled off a triple dose of fail by missing weight, losing by submission and getting cut. Despite the disastrous evening, Johnson is just 27 years old and has reached a level of popularity that will make him a sought-after commodity in other organizations. But Johnson also has to take a good hard look at himself, realize that he’s blown a couple of opportunities, and find a way to fix it, or otherwise risk never reaching the heights many expected him to. Prediction: Johnson signs with Bellator
Rousimar Palhares
It’s getting harder and harder to ignore Palhares as a contender after a third straight win. Amazingly, it was his fourth heel hook submission win in his last six UFC bouts. Most of the UFC’s 10 best has their date book filled, so Palhares might have to play the waiting game for a bit until something opens up. Two available fighters right now though are Chris Weidman and Alan Belcher. Prediction: Belcher gets the call to face Palhares
Erick Silva
It seems like every time we turn around, there’s another Silva advancing into the upper echelons of the MMA world. The latest is the 27-year-old welterweight who lost by disqualification due to punches that were ruled to be illegal. He’ll appeal the ruling, and regardless of the outcome, Silva will be treated as the winner when it comes to booking his next fight. Since he is still early in his UFC career, don’t expect Silva to be rushed into fights with major names just yet. Prediction: He faces Seth Baczynski
Edson Barboza
After four straight wins, the undefeated Barboza (10-0) looks just about ready to step into the shark tank against the lightweight division’s big guns. He looks to have the complement of skills that make him a scary proposition for anyone, particularly with killer standup and great defensive wrestling. The only potential issue I see from Barboza is that he sometimes tends to step off the gas pedal. I’d match him up against a fighter known for forward aggression and wrestling and see how he does. Prediction: He faces Danny Castillo
Gabriel Gonzaga
Kudos to Gonzaga, who returned to the UFC with a first-round submission win. Just as impressive was the fact that prior to the fight, he said he wanted to stop engaging in striking wars and return to his jiu-jitsu roots. He did just that. According to FightMetric, he wasn’t hit a single time by opponent Ednaldo Oliveira in the 3-minute, 22-second fight. That’s about as clean a win as you can hope for. It was a performance that was not only great for career longevity but also came with a finish, something that always makes fans and management happy. Prediction: He faces the winner of UFC on Fox 2’s Mike Russow vs. Jon Olav Einemo
(An artist’s depiction of what was going through Joe Rogan’s mind the moment he found out Eric Silva had been DQ’ed. And yes, Joe Rogan appears in his own fantasies.)
Much has been made of Joe Rogan‘s impromptu interview with referee Mario Yamasaki following his decision to disqualify Erick Silva at UFC 142 this past weekend. Some are saying it was a totally unprofessional move by Rogan, while others believe it would have been unprofessional of him not to question the seemingly botched ruling by the longtime UFC official. Whether or not you agree with Rogan’s decision (or Yamasaki’s, for that matter), we can all agree that the Silva/Prater fight proved the necessity for a stricter policy in regards to an instant replay in areas other than Nevada. Rogan, however, has already taken to the internet, specifically the UG, to explain why he chose to put Yamasaki on the spot:
He’s a great guy, and I’m always happy to see him. When I step into the octagon however, I represent the people watching at home that might have obvious questions, and when something is controversial I’m forced to confront it honestly because that’s what I would want to hear from a person in my position if I was a fan watching it at home.
I think Mario Yamasaki is one of the best in the world at refereeing MMA. No doubt about it. He’s got great insight to the sport, he’s a life long martial artist, and he’s a really smart guy. What I was acting from, is that I saw an incredible young talent get denied a KO victory for a questionable call. When I entered into the Octagon and was told of the official ruling that Silva was going to be disqualified for illegal blows to the back of the head everyone that I was around who heard the news opened their mouths in shock. Everyone said, “what?”
The people in the truck couldn’t believe it. I had to read it back to them because I thought it was a mistake, and when I leaned over to explain it to Goldie he couldn’t believe it either. I had to ask Mario about it. I didn’t know how he was going to respond, but I had to ask him.
Erick Silva is a very promising fighter and I felt like I had a responsibility to address the issue. No disrespect intended.
Join us after the jump for more interesting tidbits from around the MMA world, some of which may or may not be completely made up.
(An artist’s depiction of what was going through Joe Rogan’s mind the moment he found out Eric Silva had been DQ’ed. And yes, Joe Rogan appears in his own fantasies.)
Much has been made of Joe Rogan‘s impromptu interview with referee Mario Yamasaki following his decision to disqualify Erick Silva at UFC 142 this past weekend. Some are saying it was a totally unprofessional move by Rogan, while others believe it would have been unprofessional of him not to question the seemingly botched ruling by the longtime UFC official. Whether or not you agree with Rogan’s decision (or Yamasaki’s, for that matter), we can all agree that the Silva/Prater fight proved the necessity for a stricter policy in regards to an instant replay in areas other than Nevada. Rogan, however, has already taken to the internet, specifically the UG, to explain why he chose to put Yamasaki on the spot:
He’s a great guy, and I’m always happy to see him. When I step into the octagon however, I represent the people watching at home that might have obvious questions, and when something is controversial I’m forced to confront it honestly because that’s what I would want to hear from a person in my position if I was a fan watching it at home.
I think Mario Yamasaki is one of the best in the world at refereeing MMA. No doubt about it. He’s got great insight to the sport, he’s a life long martial artist, and he’s a really smart guy. What I was acting from, is that I saw an incredible young talent get denied a KO victory for a questionable call. When I entered into the Octagon and was told of the official ruling that Silva was going to be disqualified for illegal blows to the back of the head everyone that I was around who heard the news opened their mouths in shock. Everyone said, “what?”
The people in the truck couldn’t believe it. I had to read it back to them because I thought it was a mistake, and when I leaned over to explain it to Goldie he couldn’t believe it either. I had to ask Mario about it. I didn’t know how he was going to respond, but I had to ask him.
Erick Silva is a very promising fighter and I felt like I had a responsibility to address the issue. No disrespect intended.
Check out some more interesting tidbits from around the MMA world below, some of which may or may not be completely made up.
–Melvin Guillard wants in on this “Blackzilian” thing, leaves Team Jackson:
Both camps are great, both sets of coaches are awesome. It’s just a decision I had to make for myself professionally. Did I want to split the time? Yeah, I did, but it’s kind of like trying to work for Exxon and work for Shell. You won’t be able to split your time between both. Cause both of those companies wouldn’t allow it. So it came to one of those points in my life where I had to make a grown-up decision. Kind of an executive decision, and this is the decision I made. I didn’t leave Jackson’s in a bad way. I love those coaches to death, love that team, and if anything every occurs and I have to go back to Jackson’s, I hope I’m still welcome, because I didn’t leave in the wrong way. As fighters we have to make the decision who’s going to get us ready to take us to that next level. At the end of the day, all this hype about which coach is better than who, at the end of the day we’re the ones in there doing the job. We’re the ones that have to get in there and bust our butts. All they can do is give direction and make things go from there.
It’s real simple. I want the title. I want to be champion. I don’t want it just because I want a belt, I want to be the best. I want to look in the mirror and know I’m the best in the world. If I can’t beat Mark Munoz, then I’m not. Munoz and I aren’t fighting because this is the match that made sense. We’re fighting because Anderson doesn’t want to fight me. Anderson trained with Munoz, he got destroyed by Munoz, he doesn’t want to fight Mark. Ed Soares, Anderson’s manager, worked diligently behind the scenes to make Mark and I fight each other. So I don’t have a big problem fighting Mark. my resentment is that Anderson got his way.
-Terry Etim congratulates Edson Barboza on his amazing KO:
…e’saverytough opponint and i congratulate da’man forineggscellentmanhoovr, ajhgksahfakjhsjjkieiefknwheel kick to mebobsyouruncle…jkdsjhdkfsknickers…
If I could look into my crystal ball into the future of one rising star on the 