(Matt Hughes doesn’t need to say it. But yes, it’s whatever.)
Reaction GIFs are the world’s most perfect means of communication. Why waste time typing out actual words about how you’re feeling when you can just link to other people’s facial expressions? The next time you find yourself in a heated comments section, fire off one of these MMA-related reaction GIFs. Use the next page links to move through the list, and enjoy…
When you’ve defeated a bitter rival:
When you just laughed at something you shouldn’t have laughed at:
(Matt Hughes doesn’t need to say it. But yes, it’s whatever.)
Reaction GIFs are the world’s most perfect means of communication. Why waste time typing out actual words about how you’re feeling when you can just link to other people’s facial expressions? The next time you find yourself in a heated comments section, fire off one of these MMA-related reaction GIFs. Use the next page links to move through the list, and enjoy…
When you’ve defeated a bitter rival:
When you just laughed at something you shouldn’t have laughed at:
When you need to let the haters know that they ain’t bringing you down:
If you recall, Okami was released from the UFC last September (to make room for the Jumabieke Tuerxuns of the world) despite going 3-1 in his last 4 fights, because whatever, fuck you. “Thunder” was quickly snatched up by the WSOF but has been sitting on the shelf ever since his signing for reasons unknown. Regardless, it was announced earlier today that Okami will make his promotional debut against Bulgarian Svetlozar Savov at WSOF 9 on March 29th.
With 11 finishes in his 12 victories, Savov is pretty much the antithesis of Okami, who collected just 4 stoppages in his 18-fight UFC career. That being said, expect Okami to come in as a huge favorite here. Not Cormier vs. Cummins huge, but somewhere around that. Thankfully, this squash match will likely slip completely under the radar once Rousimar Palhares inevitably maims Steve Carl in the evening’s main event.
Seriously, I cannot begin to comprehend why the WSOF is essentially rewarding Paul Harris for his repeated acts of douchebaggery in the cage by giving him an immediate title shot — it’s like giving a convicted arsonist a book of matches, a gallon of kerosene, and the keys to the home of the judge who sentenced him. “Tickets got to be sold,” I guess.
If you recall, Okami was released from the UFC last September (to make room for the Jumabieke Tuerxuns of the world) despite going 3-1 in his last 4 fights, because whatever, fuck you. “Thunder” was quickly snatched up by the WSOF but has been sitting on the shelf ever since his signing for reasons unknown. Regardless, it was announced earlier today that Okami will make his promotional debut against Bulgarian Svetlozar Savov at WSOF 9 on March 29th.
With 11 finishes in his 12 victories, Savov is pretty much the antithesis of Okami, who collected just 4 stoppages in his 18-fight UFC career. That being said, expect Okami to come in as a huge favorite here. Not Cormier vs. Cummins huge, but somewhere around that. Thankfully, this squash match will likely slip completely under the radar once Rousimar Palhares inevitably maims Steve Carl in the evening’s main event.
Seriously, I cannot begin to comprehend why the WSOF is essentially rewarding Paul Harris for his repeated acts of douchebaggery in the cage by giving him an immediate title shot — it’s like giving a convicted arsonist a book of matches, a gallon of kerosene, and the keys to the home of the judge who sentenced him. “Tickets got to be sold,” I guess.
After signingRousimar Palhares in November, World Series of Fighting is fast-tracking the unpredictable heel-hook artist to a title fight against the promotion’s reigning welterweight champ, Steve Carl. MMAJunkie reports that Carl vs. Palhares will headline WSOF 9, March 29th at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The event will be co-headlined by the inaugural WSOF bantamweight title fight between Marlon Moraes and Josh Rettinghouse.
Palhares’s upcoming fight against Carl will be a much-needed opportunity to prove that he can behave like a professional, and we truly hope he can straighten out his head. But either way, kudos to World Series of Fighting for getting us to actually care about a Steve Carl title defense. This one should be interesting, folks…
After signingRousimar Palhares in November, World Series of Fighting is fast-tracking the unpredictable heel-hook artist to a title fight against the promotion’s reigning welterweight champ, Steve Carl. MMAJunkie reports that Carl vs. Palhares will headline WSOF 9, March 29th at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The event will be co-headlined by the inaugural WSOF bantamweight title fight between Marlon Moraes and Josh Rettinghouse.
Palhares’s upcoming fight against Carl will be a much-needed opportunity to prove that he can behave like a professional, and we truly hope he can straighten out his head. But either way, kudos to World Series of Fighting for getting us to actually care about a Steve Carl title defense. This one should be interesting, folks…
(Palhares would later describe this moment as “the first time I’ve ever been on an airplane.” / Props:@ToquinhoMMA)
When it comes to picking up the UFC’s leftovers, World Series of Fighting and Bellator have displayed two very different approaches. While Bellator tends to sign the most washed-up UFC castoffs in order to make their home-grown fighters look impressive when they beat the UFC guys (or to create negative buzz around a surely-doomed PPV), World Series of Fighting tries to pick up the best UFC castoffs available, in the hopes that fighters like Anthony Johnson, Miguel Torres, Jon Fitch, and Yushin Okami are famous enough to draw fans on their own. Bellator would rather avoid having champions who weren’t good enough to keep their jobs with Zuffa. For World Series of Fighting, having a UFC veteran win a belt is the kind of promotional hook they’ve been working towards all along.
Palhares is expected to make his WSOF debut in March, against an opponent to be named later. Jon Fitch has already pre-emptively turned down the fight, but matching Toquinho up against another American wrestler is a possibility. As MMAJunkie reports:
(Palhares would later describe this moment as “the first time I’ve ever been on an airplane.” / Props:@ToquinhoMMA)
When it comes to picking up the UFC’s leftovers, World Series of Fighting and Bellator have displayed two very different approaches. While Bellator tends to sign the most washed-up UFC castoffs in order to make their home-grown fighters look impressive when they beat the UFC guys (or to create negative buzz around a surely-doomed PPV), World Series of Fighting tries to pick up the best UFC castoffs available, in the hopes that fighters like Anthony Johnson, Miguel Torres, Jon Fitch, and Yushin Okami are famous enough to draw fans on their own. Bellator would rather avoid having champions who weren’t good enough to keep their jobs with Zuffa. For World Series of Fighting, having a UFC veteran win a belt is the kind of promotional hook they’ve been working towards all along.
Palhares is expected to make his WSOF debut in March, against an opponent to be named later. Jon Fitch has already pre-emptively turned down the fight, but matching Toquinho up against another American wrestler is a possibility. As MMAJunkie reports:
WSOF officials recently expressed interest in signing former Bellator champion Ben Askren, who parted ways with his former home earlier this week. With the UFC apparently not interested in signing Askren…sources close to the WSOF said the organization is interested in booking him against Palhares, though nothing has been signed.
Yeah, I’d watch that. Otherwise, WSOF could just give Palhares an immediate title shot against welterweight champion [*checks Wikipedia*] Steve Carl. Why the hell not? Are you telling me Palhares needs to break the legs of two nobodies who don’t even have Wikipedia pages in order to “earn” a fight against [*checks Wikipedia again, just to be sure*] Steve Carl?
(Let’s just say that the cake with a stripper in it ended in a goddamn bloodbath.)
Much has been done to try and explain away the assholish behavior of Rousimar Palhares in the wake of AnkleGate ’13. Although “Toquinho” — which means either “Tree Stump,” “The Brazilian Ankle-Eating Sasquatch,” or “OH GOD, I TAP! I TAP!!” depending on who you ask — has been notoriously dubbed a dirty fighter for his inability to release a submission hold when prompted, it was his knee-obliterating heel hook of Mike Pierce at Fight Night 29 that truly took the blood-filled cake, forcing the UFC to release Palhares back into the jungles of Brazil forevermore.
Recently, it was announced that Palhares would emerge from hiding to take on UFC veteran Dean Lister in a submission-only match at the 2013 World Jiu-Jitsu Expo. The MMA world reacted with equal parts fear and excitement — kind of like how Rousimar reacts when he catches his reflection in a puddle. Sadly, WJJE president Renzo Gracie broke the news earlier today that a shoulder injury has forced Palhares out of the match. That is not the must-read material. Renzo’s analysis of Rousimar Palhares the person, however, absolutely is:
Palhares is like a 12 years old kid. He was raised in a farm in Brazil, and you can’t picture a farm in Iowa. He’s so naive. The reality is, he has a completely different mindset. They’re born like Indians, and it’s like getting an Indian from the jungle and expect them to live here.
(Let’s just say that the cake with a stripper in it ended in a goddamn bloodbath.)
Much has been done to try and explain away the assholish behavior of Rousimar Palhares in the wake of AnkleGate ’13. Although “Toquinho” — which means either “Tree Stump,” “The Brazilian Ankle-Eating Sasquatch,” or “OH GOD, I TAP! I TAP!!” depending on who you ask — has been notoriously dubbed a dirty fighter for his inability to release a submission hold when prompted, it was his knee-obliterating heel hook of Mike Pierce at Fight Night 29 that truly took the blood-filled cake, forcing the UFC to release Palhares back into the jungles of Brazil forevermore.
Recently, it was announced that Palhares would emerge from hiding to take on UFC veteran Dean Lister in a submission-only match at the 2013 World Jiu-Jitsu Expo. The MMA world reacted with equal parts fear and excitement — kind of like how Rousimar reacts when he catches his reflection in a puddle. Sadly, WJJE president Renzo Gracie broke the news earlier today that a shoulder injury has forced Palhares out of the match. That is not the must-read material. Renzo’s analysis of Rousimar Palhares the person, however, absolutely is:
Palhares is like a 12 years old kid. He was raised in a farm in Brazil, and you can’t picture a farm in Iowa. He’s so naive. The reality is, he has a completely different mindset. They’re born like Indians, and it’s like getting an Indian from the jungle and expect them to live here.
Renzo also might want to reconsider how he uses the term “Indian.” All I’m saying is, if there are enough homeless junkie MMA fans out there to cause an uproar when Ian McCall bashes them on Twitter, there’s gotta be enough Native Americans left on this planet to take Renzo to task for insinuating that they couldn’t function in a civilized society. Although now that I think of it, the 1997 Tim Allen vehicle, Jungle 2 Jungle, does lend some credibility to Renzo’s hypothesis.
(After seeing this photo, Palhares could only ask why Lister “didn’t require a referee to yank him off his opponent like a normal person.”)
The emotional effects of post-UFC life on the average fighter is a subject that has both been vigorously discussed and tremendously explored. In the nearly 10 years since the promotion held its first event, several brave souls have attempted to shed a light on what it means to be a UFC fighter (or to have been), be it through autobiographies, documentaries, or a series of increasingly depressing public appearances. There was also Bar Brawler, but that tale of insanity is in a class of its own.
Kenny Florian is a good example of a fighter who has successfully adjusted to life outside of fighting, having parlayed his extensive career with the UFC into a multitude of desk jobs including UFC on FOX analyst, MMA Live and UFC Tonight co-host, and the sole speck of personality present during a UFC on FUEL broadcast. Veterans like Luke Cummo, on the other hand, left the UFC on a spaceship to live with the Bull Pegasus on Planet Bathsaltia forevermore.
What I’m getting at is, there are fighters who have followed the KenFlo path of post-UFC life and there are those who have followed the Mayhem Miller path of self destruction. Based on the news passed along by Graciemag last night, it seems we can assume that UFC veteran Dean Lister falls into the latter category, as he has *voluntarily* accepted a short-notice, submission-only Jiu-Jitsu match with Rousimar Palhares at this year’s World Jiu-Jitsu Expo on November 9th.
(After seeing this photo, Palhares could only ask why Lister “didn’t require a referee to yank him off his opponent like a normal person.”)
The emotional effects of post-UFC life on the average fighter is a subject that has both been vigorously discussed and tremendously explored. In the nearly 10 years since the promotion held its first event, several brave souls have attempted to shed a light on what it means to be a UFC fighter (or to have been), be it through autobiographies, documentaries, or a series of increasingly depressing public appearances. There was also Bar Brawler, but that tale of insanity is in a class of its own.
Kenny Florian is a good example of a fighter who has successfully adjusted to life outside of fighting, having parlayed his extensive career with the UFC into a multitude of desk jobs including UFC on FOX analyst, MMA Live and UFC Tonight co-host, and the sole speck of personality present during a UFC on FUEL broadcast. Veterans like Luke Cummo, on the other hand, left the UFC on a spaceship to live with the Bull Pegasus on Planet Bathsaltia forevermore.
What I’m getting at is, there are fighters who have followed the KenFlo path of post-UFC life and there are those who have followed the Mayhem Miller path of self destruction. Based on the news passed along by Graciemag last night, it seems we can assume that UFC veteran Dean Lister falls into the latter category, as he has *voluntarily* accepted a short-notice, submission-only Jiu-Jitsu match with Rousimar Palhares at this year’s World Jiu-Jitsu Expo on November 9th.
I know, Bruce — it’s shocking, it’s horrifying, it’s borderline masochistic. But let us not forget that Lister is a former three time ADCC world champion, as well as a Four-time Machado National BJJ champion and a National Gracie BJJ champion. In fact, Lister is coming directly off a silver medal-earning run at this year’s ADCC Championships in the -99 kilograms division, hence why he agreed to the match on such short notice. Lister is also something of a leglock specialist in his own right, so let’s everybody take a chill pill here.
Of course, one can’t help but ask: Who in their right mind allowed Paul Harris to participate in a BJJ tournament when the man clearly has no understanding of what it means to submit?
What’s that? It was Renzo Gracie who made the call, you say? Well, I’m sure he had his reasons (via MMAFighting):
I already wanted to get ‘Toquinho’ in the event, but wanted even more after everybody started criticizing him and I wouldn’t let that happen. He’s a great guy, an incredible grappler, and I respect him a lot. He represents jiu-jitsu all the time.
Dean has done some epic fights at ADCC and took this fight on short notice, but he was already in shape after his fights this weekend. He’s a great talent and accepted the challenge as soon as we offered it. They are both great leg lock guys and this fight will be amazing.
Yes, amazing. As in, “You will be amazed that this fight was ever allowed to happen should Palhares get ahold of Lister’s leg and continue cranking until he has broken it off at the knee.”
Personally, I’m praying that the above scenario is played out in reverse, if only so Paul Harris can experience the following epiphany while laid up in the hospital:
