Well, it seems that, despite missing weight for 25% of his UFC bouts, “Rumble” still has an outside chance of getting back into the sport’s highest promotion. When questioned about the issue following the UFC on Fox 2 press conference, White stated:
[Johnson] needs to go fight somewhere else, get some wins and come in on weight. He needs to prove to me that he can be a professional, show up on weight and do the things that he needs to do. [If] he gets a few fights under his belt and does that, we’ll talk.
(Jesus Christ Rumble, pull yourself together, will you?)
Well, it seems that, despite missing weight for 25% of his UFC bouts, “Rumble” still has an outside chance of getting back into the sport’s highest promotion. When questioned about the issue following the UFC on Fox 2 press conference, White stated:
[Johnson] needs to go fight somewhere else, get some wins and come in on weight. He needs to prove to me that he can be a professional, show up on weight and do the things that he needs to do. [If] he gets a few fights under his belt and does that, we’ll talk.
As we all know, DW has pulled this kind of maneuver before, and perhaps it is too early to discuss Johnson’s possible return, but it is still intriguing to see Dana switch gears on the issue just a couple of weeks after Johnson nearly cost him a co-main event, in Brazil nonetheless.
Love him or hate him, Johnson is a damn entertaining fighter, and if he can begin to take his weight cutting a LOT more seriously, it would be nice to see some more of his “handiwork” (see what I did there?) in the near to distant future. Then again, we hear Man v. Food is seeking a new host for a spin off, so he always has that to fall back on. What do you think of this, Potato Nation? Does Johnson deserve another shot, granted he can get his weight under control? Before you write him off altogether, consider the following:
(“Ha ha ha. But seriously, though? OJ did that shit.”)
After going 2-0 last year following his upset loss to Chad Griggs in Strikeforce, Bobby Lashley is still moving forward with his cage-fighting career. In fact, the former WWE star is weighing some very attractive options right now. One possible scenario is a contract with Bellator, whose heavyweight division is desperate for some star power. And then there’s this (via FightersOnly):
Lashley also spoke about the possibility of a fight with the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. “The guy’s got a tremendous amount of fights under his belt… I’d like to fight him.”
According to Lashley, Fedor’s managers are currently looking for the Russian MMA veteran’s next opponent, and his name is on the list of potential matchups. “I’m going to throw everything at him that I can. Of course, my wrestling’s there, I don’t give a damn what he’s doing. I’d put my wrestling up there with almost anyone right now.”
(“Ha ha ha. But seriously, though? OJ did that shit.”)
After going 2-0 last year following his upset loss to Chad Griggs in Strikeforce, Bobby Lashley is still moving forward with his cage-fighting career. In fact, the former WWE star is weighing some very attractive options right now. One possible scenario is a contract with Bellator, whose heavyweight division is desperate for some star power. And then there’s this (via FightersOnly):
Lashley also spoke about the possibility of a fight with the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. “The guy’s got a tremendous amount of fights under his belt… I’d like to fight him.”
According to Lashley, Fedor’s managers are currently looking for the Russian MMA veteran’s next opponent, and his name is on the list of potential matchups. “I’m going to throw everything at him that I can. Of course, my wrestling’s there, I don’t give a damn what he’s doing. I’d put my wrestling up there with almost anyone right now.”
“I think that my wrestling would trump some of the things that he has. I know he’s a great fighter, but if I fought him then of course I’m going to try and wrestle him down… If it was Dave [Bautista], I’m standing and banging with him. I’ve been doing a lot of boxing.”
A potential bout between Lashley and fellow former WWE star Dave Bautista, aka Batista, is something that has been on the minds of fans and reporters for quite some time now. Though it remains to be seen if that fight will ever happen, the ATT heavyweight is still interested in the idea.
“I know a lot of people are looking at that fight and saying I shouldn’t take it, but that’s the entertainment aspect of [MMA]. If the wrestling fans want that then it’s an opportunity for me to have a fight, which will probably warrant a good amount of money…I’ll take that fight, no problem.”
“I wanna fight the best, so if I have an opportunity to fight Fedor, let’s do it. If I have an opportunity to fight anyone right now let’s just damn do it.”
With Fedor riding back-to-back wins over Jeff Monson and Satoshi Ishii, Bobby Lashley seems like just the kind of high-profile-yet-beatable opponent that Emelianenko’s management would happily book him against for an M-1 event.
As for Bautista…what? Yeah, we know, he’s a respected gym owner who has trained with Cesar Gracie. He’s also 0-0 in MMA, and despite what the Fighters Only report claims, the MMA community has NEVER expressed interest in seeing the two pro wrestlers go toe-to-toe for real. (How could you even trust that they wouldn’t work their fight?) Get Vince McMahon to book the matchup on a WWE pay-per-view, slap on the tights, and leave us out of it.
It’s become a symbiotic train of thought that when you think about UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, you associate the welterweight great with that of Greg Jackson and Co. Such is not the case anymore as it appears that the Canadian has since…
It’s become a symbiotic train of thought that when you think about UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, you associate the welterweight great with that of Greg Jackson and Co. Such is not the case anymore as it appears that the Canadian has since severed ties with the Albuquerque crew and will now be doing all of […]
(Oh, you DID NOT just deny my Facebook friend request, Reilly.)
In an interview given to MMAFightCorner,Dana White didn’t beat around the bush when discussing the possibility of finally legalizing mixed martial arts in New York. If you recall, the UFC recently filed a law suit against New York, claiming that the “Empire State” was in breach of their first amendment rights to peacefully assemble. Specifically, Zuffa lawyers have been attempting to prove that mixed martial arts is a form of entertainment, like any other sport, and therefore cannot be criminalized.
Well, it seems we may have finally reached the mountaintop, so to speak, as the UFC President seems more than confident that 2012 will be the year that New Yorkers near and far will finally be able to sit down and watch MMA from somewhere other than their couches:
We’re so close. It’s going to happen, and I guarantee you it’s going to happen this year. It’s going to depend on when it happens, timing and everything else, but obviously, it would be nice to go in there with, probably, Jon Jones.
(Oh, you DID NOT just deny my Facebook friend request, Reilly.)
In an interview given to MMAFightCorner,Dana White didn’t beat around the bush when discussing the possibility of finally legalizing mixed martial arts in New York. If you recall, the UFC recently filed a law suit against New York, claiming that the “Empire State” was in breach of their first amendment rights to peacefully assemble. Specifically, Zuffa lawyers have been attempting to prove that mixed martial arts is a form of entertainment, like any other sport, and therefore cannot be criminalized.
Well, it seems we may have finally reached the mountaintop, so to speak, as the UFC President seems more than confident that 2012 will be the year that New Yorkers near and far will finally be able to sit down and watch MMA from somewhere other than their couches:
We’re so close. It’s going to happen, and I guarantee you it’s going to happen this year. It’s going to depend on when it happens, timing and everything else, but obviously, it would be nice to go in there with, probably, Jon Jones.
Let us be the first to say, it’s about fucking time. In June, the New York State Senate voted an overwhelming 42-18 to pass Bill S.1707-A, which would legalize the sport once and for all. This came after a similar bill was passed in the NY Assembly Committee with a vote of 14-6 back in 2009, all at the disgust of NY State Assemblyman Bob Reilly, who may or may not have received campaign contributions for his efforts to kill the bill before it gained any steam *cough* he did *cough*. Since then, several NY legislators have come forward in favor of legalizing the sport, including Buffalo Senator Mark Grisanti, who stated that it would not only help create jobs in a stagnant market, but could help boost tourism, being that New York is just an earshot away from Toronto.
And bringing in a guy like Jon Jones, who is not only a native of the state (he was born in Rochester), but a near guarantee in terms of putting on an exciting fight, seems like the best move for the UFC. But although DW seems confident, which by all means he should, we are going to hold off on our celebrations, because if history has proved one thing, it’s that it only takes one misinformed d-bag to ruin a party, also known as the Andy Dick Effect.
“[Jones] called up four days ago and said ‘okay, let’s go I’m done with vacation.’ He said he wanted to take all this time off and then they were calling me four days ago saying he wants to fight as soon as possible. He’s ready to go…What could end up happening is Dan Henderson fights Jon Jones first, and then it would be close to the time that Rashad (Evans) fights. Or we see how things go with Rashad and Rashad fights him first.”
(Great, like we need another reason to hate this guy. IT’S RUDE TO POINT, JON.)
“[Jones] called up four days ago and said ‘okay, let’s go I’m done with vacation.’ He said he wanted to take all this time off and then they were calling me four days ago saying he wants to fight as soon as possible. He’s ready to go…What could end up happening is Dan Henderson fights Jon Jones first, and then it would be close to the time that Rashad (Evans) fights. Or we see how things go with Rashad and Rashad fights him first.”
Rashad Evans‘s UFC on FOX 2 headlining match against Phil Davis — which has already been promoted as a #1 contender bout — goes down on January 28th, which means that the winner probably wouldn’t be ready to challenge for the light-heavyweight title until April. If Jones insists on fighting sooner, a meeting with Hendo at UFC 145 in March seems like the most logical situation. Henderson has won his last four fights, including his Fight of the Year unanimous decision against Mauricio Rua at UFC 139, and his first-round TKO of Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce.
And since Rashad Evans is eternallycursed, here’s what we think will happen: Jon Jones fights Henderson at UFC 145 and beats him, but gets injured in the process, and once again, Evans loses the opportunity to face his nemesis for the title. As usual, Evans will publicly blast Jones for ducking him. To stay active, Evans will accept a fight against Shogun or a rematch with Lyoto Machida. He will lose, and get bumped down the ladder, Jon Fitch-style. Sound about right?
Perhaps you guys remember a time…oh, let’s say around 9 months ago, when former welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy had just dropped his third straight match to Anthony Johnson. In desperate need of a win, Hardy decided that he should call out a fighter by the name of Chris Lytle. You see, Lytle was on the tail end of his career, and plus, Hardy knew that “Lights Out’s” style would play perfectly into his strengths. Hardy claimed however, that he chose Lytle out of the need for “an old school shootout with a guy that wants to throw down.” We saw through the bullshit.
But then, after getting his wish and finding himself on the wrong end of a good old fashioned Lytle ass-whooping, Hardy dove in for a takedown at the end of the third round, and was promptly submitted. He claimed he needed some time off to think about his future, even though he knew it was safe in the UFC.
Well, it seems that Hardy has spent a good deal of time thinking about a solid, game opponent for which he should begin his comeback. A young, feisty up and comer by the name of…Matt Hughes? Hardy told ESPN:
Perhaps you guys remember a time…oh, let’s say around 9 months ago, when former welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy had just dropped his third straight match to Anthony Johnson. In desperate need of a win, Hardy decided that he should call out a fighter by the name of Chris Lytle. You see, Lytle was on the tail end of his career, and plus, Hardy knew that “Lights Out’s” style would play perfectly into his strengths. Hardy claimed however, that he chose Lytle out of the need for “an old school shootout with a guy that wants to throw down.” We saw through the bullshit.
But then, after getting his wish and finding himself on the wrong end of a good old fashioned Lytle ass-whooping, Hardy dove in for a takedown at the end of the third round, and was promptly submitted. He claimed he needed some time off to think about his future, even though he knew it was safe in the UFC.
Well, it seems that Hardy has spent a good deal of time thinking about a solid, game opponent for which he should begin his comeback. A young, feisty up and comer by the name of…Matt Hughes? Hardy told ESPN:
I’ve mentioned Matt Hughes to Lorenzo. He’s been on a rough streak as well recently, he’ll look at me and see I’ve lost four fights and think he can outwrestle me. I also genuinely don’t like him. I need a fight to get up for and I’d take great pleasure in smashing him in the face. I won’t talk about why I don’t like him, it’s some knowledge I have about him away from the sport. Even students around where he lives bet against him. Lorenzo would love to see it; more than anything he just likes a good fight! That’s why I’ve not been cut yet because I come to fight. I think Matt Hughes would be an entertaining fight.
If anything, this without a doubt proves that Hardy lives up to his nickname, because only a true outlaw would choose to rebuild himself using the fragile, osteoporosis-ridden bones of the elderly.
Now, we here at CP understand that it sometimes takes a couple lower level fights to build a fighter’s confidence back up; it’s part of the game. And we definitely understand that someone could clash heads with Matt Hughes, but you gotta be kidding with this one, Dan. Not only has Hughes been discussing retirement for like 3 years now, but the man is coming off back-to-back knockout losses for Christ’s sake. And don’t give us this “entertaining fight” routine again; what’s next, you want to fight Renzo Gracie to show us how far your ground game has come?
And we’re just going to brush over the fact that Hardy had the balls to mention an opponent to Lorenzo Fertitta, a man whom he should be thanking each time he looks down at his plate and sees that there is still food on it. It would be like if we all quit work today, only to come back a year from now and request a raise along with some stock options.
Perhaps even more ironic is the possibility that if Hardy was somehow given this fight, we could see him being listed as the underdog considering that Hughes presents the exact kind of gameplan that just one fight ago, Hardy was complaining about having to deal with.
Does anyone out there think this is a legitimate, respect based request by Hardy, or are y’all calling shenanigans like us?
