Tag: Scott Jorgensen

Renan Barao Puts Life at Risk, Makes $0.00


(Photo via Getty.)

Dana White lobbed a financial insult at Renan Barao in the wake of UFC 177.

In case you’ve been away from the Internet for the last few days: The main event of UFC 177 was supposed to be bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao–an unnecessary rematch of their bout from May. Barao botched his weight cut, which caused him to fall and hit his head in the shower. He was rushed to the hospital and couldn’t fight. Weight cutting is a serious health issue, but Dana White and the UFC apparently don’t care.

Insults to the ego are one thing, insults to the wallet are another. The former is naught but the buzzing of flies, but the latter stings like Head and Shoulders in the eye. Renan Barao will probably get over Joe Rogan essentially calling him an embarrassment to himself and the UFC. But will Barao get over Dana White refusing to pay him his show money? Because that’s what Dana White is doing. He’s not paying Barao.


(Photo via Getty.)

Dana White lobbed a financial insult at Renan Barao in the wake of UFC 177.

In case you’ve been away from the Internet for the last few days: The main event of UFC 177 was supposed to be bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao–an unnecessary rematch of their bout from May. Barao botched his weight cut, which caused him to fall and hit his head in the shower. He was rushed to the hospital and couldn’t fight. Weight cutting is a serious health issue, but Dana White and the UFC apparently don’t care.

Insults to the ego are one thing, insults to the wallet are another. The former is naught but the buzzing of flies, but the latter stings like Head and Shoulders in the eye. Renan Barao will probably get over Joe Rogan essentially calling him an embarrassment to himself and the UFC. But will Barao get over Dana White refusing to pay him his show money? Because that’s what Dana White is doing. He’s not paying Barao.

“Barao’s not making any money,” Dana White said at the post-UFC 177 media scrum. “I’m not paying Barao. Barao showed up and didn’t fight.”

Henry Cejudo, who also messed up his weight cut and couldn’t fight, did not get paid. In the scrum, White referred to Cejudo as a “kid.”

First: Don’t call an OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST “kid.” That’s denigrating and stupid.

Second: What the fuck, Dana?

So Cejudo and Barao don’t get paid for draining their bodies of precious nutrients because Dana White is mad at them? It wouldn’t be a shameful Dana White moment without weapons-grade hypocrisy.

Alessio Sakara got paid when he withdrew from UFC 122 the day of the event due to “flu like symptoms” but Barao and Cejudo don’t get paid? Nick Ring got paid when he had to withdraw from his UFC 154 fight when he got sick, but not Barao and Cejudo? Stefan Struve got paid at UFC 175 when he couldn’t fight, but not Barao and Cejudo?

This is as bad as when EliteXC paid a guy $1. White could have at least given Barao and Cejudo a Harley Davidson for his troubles…

Obviously, Henry Cejudo Has Pulled Out of UFC 177 Due to ‘Medical Reasons’


(Photo via Getty)

The most unreliable fighter in mixed martial arts has done it again, folks. UFC.com confirms that former Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo has withdrawn from his scheduled UFC 177 match against Scott Jorgensen “due to medical reasons.”

This is the same guy who no-showed the weigh-ins for Legacy FC 25 last November due to a reported stomach flu, blew weight by 3.5 pounds before his win over Elias Garcia in January, pulled out of a Legacy FC title fight against Damacio Page this past May due to “personal reasons,” then withdrew from the main event of Legacy FC 34 last month for undisclosed reasons, just before signing with the UFC. In retrospect, it’s kind of baffling that the UFC signed this flake in the first place — although the promotion hedged its bets by burying Cejudo vs. Jorgensen on the UFC 177 prelims.


(Photo via Getty)

The most unreliable fighter in mixed martial arts has done it again, folks. UFC.com confirms that former Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo has withdrawn from his scheduled UFC 177 match against Scott Jorgensen “due to medical reasons.”

This is the same guy who no-showed the weigh-ins for Legacy FC 25 last November due to a reported stomach flu, blew weight by 3.5 pounds before his win over Elias Garcia in January, pulled out of a Legacy FC title fight against Damacio Page this past May due to “personal reasons,” then withdrew from the main event of Legacy FC 34 last month for undisclosed reasons, just before signing with the UFC. In retrospect, it’s kind of baffling that the UFC signed this flake in the first place — although the promotion hedged its bets by burying Cejudo vs. Jorgensen on the UFC 177 prelims.

That turned out to be a wise move, because at least the UFC doesn’t have to scramble to replace yet another main card bout for Saturday’s event. On the other hand, UFC 177 now features just nine fights, and is made up of 38.9% non-wiki fighters, which is friggin’ awful. (UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Le still holds the modern non-wiki record, at 65%, but at least that card didn’t come with a $55 price tag.)

We can’t tell whether Cejudo’s struggles are purely physical — as in, he should really be competing at bantamweight, and his body is rebelling against him — or psychological, as past critiques of his motivation and commitment have suggested. Maybe he saw this GIF and got nervous. At any rate, it’s possible that this MMA thing just isn’t for Henry Cejudo, at least not at the highest level.

Henry Cejudo out Against Scott Jorgensen at UFC 177 Due to Medical Concerns

If you were looking forward to seeing Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo face Scott Jorgensen at UFC 177, grab a stuffed animal and some warm milk. I have bad news for you. 
According to Fox Sports’ Damon Martin, Cejudo was forced out of the bout …

If you were looking forward to seeing Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo face Scott Jorgensen at UFC 177, grab a stuffed animal and some warm milk. I have bad news for you. 

According to Fox Sports’ Damon Martin, Cejudo was forced out of the bout due to “medical reasons.” He tweeted the following message Friday, confirming the news. 

While a UFC debutant (Cejudo) versus a gatekeeper (Jorgensen) is not necessarily the highest-profile bout ever, UFC 177 is already a relatively abysmal card, and Cejudo‘s ceiling as a mixed martial artist is high…if he can ever make it to the cage again. 

The undefeated Olympic wrestler last fought in January 2014, but his career is littered with inconsistency and problems following through on bout agreements. In the past nine months, as pointed out by MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, Cejudo has withdrawn from four fights (UFC 177 included). 

In addition, he’s repeatedly failed to make weight, missing the 125-pound flyweight limit by 2.5 pounds in his most recent fight at Legacy Fighting Championship 27. 

As noted by Bloody Elbow’s Coach Mike R, the warning signs surrounding Cejudo were in place before he even began his MMA career. In the article, Coach Mike R points out that Cejudo took lengthy absences during his wrestling career as well, appearing unmotivated and generally disinterested at times. He was a strange case then, and after five straight victories as a professional mixed martial artist, a strange case he remains. 

Neither the UFC, the California State Athletic Commission nor Cejudo‘s management has clarified the exact reason for Cejudo‘s withdrawal at this time, but Mike Chiappetta tweeted the following minutes after the initial report broke. 

If confirmed, Chiappetta may have a point. When a fighter repeatedly misses weight, it’s probably time to either reconsider your pre-fight preparations or take a stroll up a weight class. 

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as more updates emerge regarding his condition and his future with the UFC. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Henry Cejudo Signs With the UFC, Will Meet Scott Jorgensen at UFC 177


(Henry Cejudo wrestles a crazed MMA fan. / Photo via Getty)

Well, Potato Nation, it appears we may have been…wrong.

Emphasis on may have been.

A few months ago, we called Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo the biggest bust in MMA history. At the time, there was plenty of evidence to support it–specifically his apparent lack of focus (and sanity) as far as MMA was concerned. Then there was his involvement with a cult of weird, new age, self-help loons.


(Henry Cejudo wrestles a crazed MMA fan. / Photo via Getty)

Well, Potato Nation, it appears we may have been…wrong.

Emphasis on may have been.

A few months ago, we called Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo the biggest bust in MMA history. At the time, there was plenty of evidence to support it–specifically his apparent lack of focus (and sanity) as far as MMA was concerned. Then there was his involvement with a cult of weird, new age, self-help loons.

The UFC doesn’t share our misgivings about Cejudo. They just signed the 2008 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medal winner. They also booked him in a fight against a proven quantity in Scott Jorgensen.

Cejudo is 6-0 over Wikipedia-less jobbers. His most recent fight was back in January–a flyweight fight where he missed weight by three pounds. Jorgensen, too is coming off a victory. He defeated Danny Martinez at UFC Fight Night 42. Prior to that, he had dropped three fights straight.

This is an interesting signing, Potato Nation.

The biggest question is whether Cejudo can mentally cope with the big leagues. Judging by the fact that he had trouble dealing with the likes of Legacy FC, we’re not optimistic.

However, the UFC is willing to take the risk–and why not? The flyweight division is devoid of anyone that can even remotely be considered a draw. And, as Luke Thomas noted, Cejudo’s ability to speak Spanish would be a boon to the UFC’s efforts in Latin America provided he string a few wins together.

But even if Cejudo loses, it doesn’t matter. This fight is taking place on UFC 177–the card TJ Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao is headlining–so it’s unlikely anyone will see it happen.

‘UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Henderson 2? — Fight Highlights, Bonuses, And Event Recap

(Shogun vs. Henderson 2 highlights via Fox Sports)

Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua fought for the second time last night in Natal, Brazil, and though we weren’t treated to another five-round dogfight, the rematch turned out to be nearly as incredible as their first meeting. This time, it was Henderson who was getting beaten up in the early rounds, as an energized Shogun Rua came close to finishing the American legend on more than one occasion. It seemed like Henderson’s heart, experience, and still-solid chin were the only things keeping him alive going into round three. And then…boo-yah.

All it took was one right hand directly across the chin to snap Shogun’s head back and send him into a backwards somersault across the mat. Arguably, referee Herb Dean could have stopped the fight as soon as Shogun went ass-over-teakettle, but he allowed Hendo to follow up the knockdown with some controversial blows to the back of the head, as Shogun groggily clung to Henderson’s leg. To those of you who expected Herb Dean to penalize Henderson during the finishing sequence: You haven’t been watching MMA for very long, have you?

Henderson and Rua each earned $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses for their headlining battle, and Dan Henderson also scored a $50,000 Performance of the Night award. (The unofficial Broken Nose of the Night award went to Shogun.) The other Performance of the Night bonus went to Godofredo “Pepey” Castro, who wrecked Israeli UFC newcomer Noad Lahat with a flying knee in the first fight of the night.

The Pepey/Lahat KO was just one of five matches at UFC Fight Night 38 that ended in the first round. Notably, middleweight vet CB Dollaway TKO’d TUF Brazil 1 winner Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira in just 39 seconds with an impressive display of counter-punching, which you can watch below…


(Shogun vs. Henderson 2 highlights via Fox Sports)

Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua fought for the second time last night in Natal, Brazil, and though we weren’t treated to another five-round dogfight, the rematch turned out to be nearly as incredible as their first meeting. This time, it was Henderson who was getting beaten up in the early rounds, as an energized Shogun Rua came close to finishing the American legend on more than one occasion. It seemed like Henderson’s heart, experience, and still-solid chin were the only things keeping him alive going into round three. And then…boo-yah.

All it took was one right hand directly across the chin to snap Shogun’s head back and send him into a backwards somersault across the mat. Arguably, referee Herb Dean could have stopped the fight as soon as Shogun went ass-over-teakettle, but he allowed Hendo to follow up the knockdown with some controversial blows to the back of the head, as Shogun groggily clung to Henderson’s leg. To those of you who expected Herb Dean to penalize Henderson during the finishing sequence: You haven’t been watching MMA for very long, have you?

Henderson and Rua each earned $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses for their headlining battle, and Dan Henderson also scored a $50,000 Performance of the Night award. (The unofficial Broken Nose of the Night award went to Shogun.) The other Performance of the Night bonus went to Godofredo “Pepey” Castro, who wrecked Israeli UFC newcomer Noad Lahat with a flying knee in the first fight of the night.

The Pepey/Lahat KO was just one of five matches at UFC Fight Night 38 that ended in the first round. Notably, middleweight vet CB Dollaway TKO’d TUF Brazil 1 winner Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira in just 39 seconds with an impressive display of counter-punching, which you can watch below…

Speaking of fights that lasted less than a minute, Thiago Santos TKO’d Ronny Markes in 53 seconds during the prelims, thanks to a well-placed body-kick. Considering that Markes missed weight by five pounds for the match, and he was already coming off a loss to Yoel Romero, his days in the promotion might be numbered.

“Possibly Early Stoppage of the Night” goes to the Steven Siler vs. Rony “Jason” Bezerra main card fight, which Jason won by first-round TKO after knocking Siler down with punches. The ref jumped in as soon as Siler hit the mat, drawing an immediate protest from the American featherweight. Not that Siler wasn’t hurt — but clearly there was some inconsistency in the officiating last night, when you consider how many opportunities Dan Henderson was given to recover after being rocked.

Speaking of controversial endings, Scott Jorgensen succumbed to a first-round rear-naked choke in his latest appearance at flyweight against Jussier Formiga. Jorgensen thought he was dropped by a head-butt. Formiga denies it. It doesn’t really matter because the ref didn’t see it. Jorgensen has now lost five of his last six fights.

As for fights that went the distance, Norman Parke cost himself a victory against Leonardo Santos by getting a point deducted for shorts grabbing during their main card fight. Instead, the match ended in a majority draw. And in other point-deduction news, prelim fighter Mairbek Taisumov became just the second UFC fighter to have two separate point-deductions in a fight that went to the judges. (Taisumov was docked points for an illegal head-kick in round one and fence-grabbing in round two.) As a result, he lost a unanimous decision with scores of 30-25 across the board.

And finally, Will Chope — the guy who was kicked off the card at the last minute when his history of domestic violence was uncovered — will fight for ProFC on May 25th in Taiwan.

Once again, here are the complete results from UFC Fight Night 38: Shogun vs. Henderson 2…

Main Card
– Dan Henderson def. Shogun Rua via TKO (punches), 1:31 of round 3
– C.B. Dolloway def. Cezar Ferreira via TKO (punches), 0:39 of round 1
– Leonardo Santos vs. Norman Parke ends in majority Draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
– Fabio Maldonado def. Gian Villante via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
– Michel Prazeres def. Mairbek Taisumov via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-35)
– Rony Jason def. Steven Siler via TKO (punches), 1:17 of round 1

Preliminary Card
– Thiago Santos def. Ronny Markes via TKO (body kick and punches), 0:53 of round 1
– Jussier Formiga def. Scott Jorgensen via submission (rear naked choke), 3:07 of round 1
– Kenny Roberston def. Thiago Perpetuo via submission (rear naked choke), 1:45 of round 1
– Hans Stringer def. Francimar Barroso via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
– Godofredo Castro def. Noad Lahat via KO (flying knee), 2:39 of round 1

UFC Rankings Expand to Include Top 15 Contenders, Basically Because of Tyron Woodley


(Photo via Getty)

Earlier this week, the UFC’s award-winning media rankings (officially known as the “UFC Rankings presented by RAM“) expanded from a list of the top 10 contenders in each division to a list of the top 15 contenders in each division. So why is this important? It’s not. Nothing about the UFC rankings is important in any way whatsoever. But the timing is awfully convenient.

As you may recall, welterweight contender Tyron Woodley is facing Carlos Condit in a #1 contender fight at UFC 171 in March. Originally, UFC president Dana White dismissed this matchup because Woodley wasn’t ranked. But shortly thereafter, Woodley got the fight anyway, mostly because he was the best 170-pounder available at that exact moment.

It would seem silly to put on a #1 contender match between the current #2 welterweight contender and a guy with (NR) next to his name. And so, the UFC arbitrarily expanded their rankings to include the top 15 contenders in each division — and that, my friends, is why Tyron Woodley is now officially ranked at #11.

In related news, Scott Jorgensen is currently ranked as the #12 flyweight contender in the UFC, despite a lifetime record of 0-1 at 125 pounds, and Chael Sonnen is still ranked higher at light-heavyweight than he is at middleweight. Don’t even get us started.


(Photo via Getty)

Earlier this week, the UFC’s award-winning media rankings (officially known as the “UFC Rankings presented by RAM“) expanded from a list of the top 10 contenders in each division to a list of the top 15 contenders in each division. So why is this important? It’s not. Nothing about the UFC rankings is important in any way whatsoever. But the timing is awfully convenient.

As you may recall, welterweight contender Tyron Woodley is facing Carlos Condit in a #1 contender fight at UFC 171 in March. Originally, UFC president Dana White dismissed this matchup because Woodley wasn’t ranked. But shortly thereafter, Woodley got the fight anyway, mostly because he was the best 170-pounder available at that exact moment.

It would seem silly to put on a #1 contender match between the current #2 welterweight contender and a guy with (NR) next to his name. And so, the UFC arbitrarily expanded their rankings to include the top 15 contenders in each division — and that, my friends, is why Tyron Woodley is now officially ranked at #11.

In related news, Scott Jorgensen is currently ranked as the #12 flyweight contender in the UFC, despite a lifetime record of 0-1 at 125 pounds, and Chael Sonnen is still ranked higher at light-heavyweight than he is at middleweight. Don’t even get us started.