Former UFC welterweight Seth Baczynski will leap into the unknown this week. Baczynski is due to compete in the main event of World Lethwei Championship’s upcoming show WLC: King Of Nine Limbs. The 7-bout card takes place on August 2 in the Mandalar Thiri Indoor Stadium, Mandalay, Myanmar. For those uninitiated in the ‘Art Of […]
Former UFC welterweight Seth Baczynski will leap into the unknown this week. Baczynski is due to compete in the main event of World Lethwei Championship’s upcoming show WLC: King Of Nine Limbs. The 7-bout card takes place on August 2 in the Mandalar Thiri Indoor Stadium, Mandalay, Myanmar.
For those uninitiated in the ‘Art Of Nine Limbs,’ Lethwei is similar to Muay Thai, except under Lethwei rules, headbutts are legal, and fighters compete without gloves. The sport is arguably the purest form of stand-up combat there is and dates back centuries.
Founded in 2015, the team at WLC have made it their mission to introduce Lethwei to the world. Friday’s event will be their biggest show yet.
Baczynski will face off against Canada’s Dave Leduc for the right to be called the promotion’s inaugural Cruiserweight World Lethwei Champion. Leduc is a household name in Myanmar, and the 27-year-old has been competing in Lethwei since 2016.
The Quebec native made his name in the sport by becoming the first foreigner to capture the Openweight Lethwei Golden Belt. He is undefeated inside the Lethwei ring and will pose a serious challenge for newcomer Baczynski.
However, “The Polish Pistola” is looking forward to testing himself against one of the sport’s biggest stars.
“They needed someone to take on Dave Leduc and beat him, so they came to me. I am the type of person that always wants to take on new challenges so to be able to take down the ‘King Of Lethwei’ is super exciting. It will be the ultimate moment in my career, “Baczynski said speaking to LowKickMMA.
“He’s done great for himself out there, but he has not faced someone like me. He had a significant reach advantage over his past opponents, but that will not be the case anymore. I’ll be able to get inside and do some of my best work,” he added.
The contest presents an opportunity for fans to see Leduc square off against a fighter with elite MMA experience. While Leduc has fought some of the biggest names in Lethwei, such as Tun Tun Mun, his opponents, while skilled fighters, would not be known to the average combat sports fan.
An impressive win over a veteran fighter like Baczynski would help fans new to Lethwei appreciate how good Leduc is. Similarly, if Baczynski hands the French-Canadian his first loss, the 37-year-old could find himself becoming one of the faces of WLC. It is a contest that could potentially be life-changing for both men.
One thing that is for certain is that Baczynski is not flying to Myanmar just to collect a check.
“Training has been going great. I’m currently ramping it up for the last week and get myself in peak physical condition. I know what I’m getting myself into, and I’m ready for everything. Headbutts don’t scare me! “Baczynski said.
“I’ve heard so many great things about the country and its people. To be able to showcase myself in their sport, [with]50 million people in the country tuning in, it is something I’m super excited about,” he added.
Baczynski’s last UFC bout took place in 2015. Since then, he has fought for multiple regional promotions. Still, even in his wildest dreams, it is unlikely he pictured himself traveling across the globe to compete in a centuries-old sport in a bout likely to be watched by millions.
“A career in martial arts is a true adventure that brings you great opportunities. I’m just blessed to have this shot at competing for the biggest bare-knuckle fighting organization in the world.”
If Baczynski flies out of Myanmar with a championship belt, the next chapter of his career could be his most interesting one yet. For those wishing to watch the event, it will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.
(Alves and Martin Kampmann trade fisticuffs during their epic battle at UFC on FX 2. Photo via Getty.)
After nearly two years away from the game, Thiago Alves finally has his next fight booked. The one-time welterweight title challenger has been out of action since suffering a last-second submission loss to Martin Kampmann in their headlining bout at UFC on FX 2, subsequently pulling out of fights with Siyar Bahadurzadaand Matt Brown at UFC 149 and Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen, respectively.
However, it was revealed last month that Alves was finally healthy again and hoping to return at UFC 171 in March. Yesterday, word was passed along that Alves will actually be returning in April when he faces TUF 11 standout Seth Baczynski at UFC on FOX 11.
Baczynski has a had a rough run of things since putting together a six-fight win streak between 2010 and early 2012. “The Polish Pistola” was decisioned by Mike Pierce at UFC on FX 6 before getting KO’d by the now-retired Brian Melancon in the last second of the first round at UFC 162, and only recently returned to the win column with a unanimous decision over Neil Magny at Fight for the Troops 3 last November.
Also booked for UFC on FOX 11…
(Alves and Martin Kampmann trade fisticuffs during their epic battle at UFC on FX 2. Photo via Getty.)
After nearly two years away from the game, Thiago Alves finally has his next fight booked. The one-time welterweight title challenger has been out of action since suffering a last-second submission loss to Martin Kampmann in their headlining bout at UFC on FX 2, subsequently pulling out of fights with Siyar Bahadurzadaand Matt Brown at UFC 149 and Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen, respectively.
However, it was revealed last month that Alves was finally healthy again and hoping to return at UFC 171 in March. Yesterday, word was passed along that Alves will actually be returning in April when he faces TUF 11 standout Seth Baczynski at UFC on FOX 11.
Baczynski has a had a rough run of things since putting together a six-fight win streak between 2010 and early 2012. “The Polish Pistola” was decisioned by Mike Pierce at UFC on FX 6 before getting KO’d by the now-retired Brian Melancon in the last second of the first round at UFC 162, and only recently returned to the win column with a unanimous decision over Neil Magny at Fight for the Troops 3 last November.
Also booked for UFC on FOX 11…
Speaking of hype trains that came to a sudden halt, Jordan “Young Guns” Mein was flying high after becoming the only man to ever stop Dan Miller inside the distance (in the first round, no less) in his promotional debut at UFC 158. Unfortunately, the Strikeforce vet was paired with the beast that is Matt Brown in his next contest and saw his three-fight win streak broken via a hellstorm of elbows. Said Evangelista Santos while watching the fight from his couch, “Good, now he knows how it feels.”
In any case, Mein will also attempt to get back in the win column at UFC on FOX 11 when he faces Santiago “El Rasta” Ponzinibbio, an 18-2 TUF Brazil 2 alum who dropped a decision in his promotional debut against Ryan LaFlare at Fight Night 32. I have no clue who this Ponzinibbio fella is, but he did just remind me of how versatile and excellent ponzu sauce is, so perhaps the beatdown he will inevitably at the hands of Mein will not be completely in vain. Little victories, Nation.
Finally, TUF 17 vet Josh Samman will face Caio Magalhaes on the FOX 11 undercard as well. Please try and contain yourselves.
UFC on FOX 11 goes down on April 19th from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Anyone who knows anything about UFCs and MMAs knows that the best fights are never found on the hoity-toity main card or even the highfalutin FX undercard on a channel that takes two of your friends a TV guide and Encarta ’97 to find. No, it’s a well known fact amongst us MMA media types that the best fights *always* go down during the Facebook preliminaries. “That’s where the real action is,” Ariel Helwani once told me, Danga, while pointing to the champagne room of a Tijuana strip club called La Mula Triste, but I think his words of wisdom can be applied to FB prelims as well.
Anyways, I just took a popper and feel like drunkblogging my way through the Fight for the Troops 3: Kennedy vs. Natal because there’s fuck all to write about besides. In my apartment I have: A bottle of Beam, a 12-pack of Lagunitas IPA, a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and a nip of Svedka, so lets do this!
(Just a typical 5 p.m. in the life of Danga.)
Anyone who knows anything about UFCs and MMAs knows that the best fights are never found on the hoity-toity main card or even the highfalutin FX undercard on a channel that takes two of your friends a TV guide and Encarta ’97 to find. No, it’s a well known fact amongst us MMA media types that the best fights *always* go down during the Facebook preliminaries. “That’s where the real action is,” Ariel Helwani once told me, Danga, while pointing to the champagne room of a Tijuana strip club called La Mula Triste, but I think his words of wisdom can be applied to FB prelims as well.
Anyways, I just took a popper and feel like drunkblogging my way through the Fight for the Troops 3: Kennedy vs. Natal because there’s fuck all to write about besides. In my apartment I have: A bottle of Beam, a 12-pack of Lagunitas IPA, a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and a nip of Svedka, so lets do this!
Derek Brunson vs. Brian Houston
Round 1: Fight for the Troops cards are notoriously violent so let’s see how this goes-HOLY SHIT! Brunson nails Houston with a picture perfect roundhouse to the dome and follows him to the mat where, after a little struggle, he finishes Houston off with a rear-naked choke.
Brunson def. Houston via rear-naked choke 0:48 of round 1.
And the bottle of Beam is open.
Jesus, that was so fast I wasn’t even able to explain the rules of the drinking game I will be playing for these prelims. They are as follows:
Additionally, I will take a swig for each Goldberganism, each Rogan freak out and each time the name “Yancy” is spoken. Yancy.
Neil Magny vs. Seth Baczynski
Round 1: Baczynski with a pair of leg kicks and a nice right to start. Fuck that name, I’m calling him Bski. Bski pushes Magny into the fence. Big John McCarthy separates the two after a minute and Bski fires off an overhand right that lands. Magny clinches and they battle for position before BJ separates them again. Bski snags a double and slams Magny to the mat but gets hit with a good shot from the bottom. Bski to half guard then full mount, landing a few body shots before the bell ends. 10-9 Bski.
Round 2: Man, this crowd is fired up. They’re treating every landed punch like an ultimate diss in a Yo Momma episode. Remember that show? God it was terrible. Anyways, the first minute and a half of this one is all clinch before Big John separates them. Bski lands another nice right hand and tries for a takedown but is reversed and were back to a clinch battle. Magny with a right. Bski dives for another takedown but appears to be fading. Big John calls for a time as Magny’s glove tap is loose. Bski gets his takedown on the restart. After landing a couple elbows, Bski moves to half guard and lands some elbows as the rounds ends. 10-9 Bski
The soldiers are literally counting down the final five seconds of each round in unison. SHould a fight end via spinning heel kick, I’m quite certain the roof will ‘splode. Anyways, I just ripped another popper because fuck you.
Round 3: Magny lands a right and the two clinch up. Knees to the midsection from Bski. They break briefly and Bski goes for another takedown. He gets Magny down for a second before he is reversed. Magny with some nice knees now. Big John breaks ‘em up and Bski with another nice takedown. Joe Rogan is really impressed with Magny’s hand strength, so I’ll call it a half freak out and take a swig of some wine. The two get back to their feet and Magny lands a big takedown but Bski pops back up. Magny unloading with some nice shots and snags another takedown. Bski gets to his feet and the two swing to the finish. 10-9 Magny
Seth Baczynski def. Neil Magny via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Yves Edwards vs. Yancy Medeiros
Oh boy, they’ve already said Yancy twice. This fight is going to be rough on my liver. Three times. CURSE YOU YANCY!!!!
Yves Edwards’ walkout music sounds like Shaggy is being rectally force fed a steel drum.
Round 1: Yancy comes out aggro for a guy named Yancy, trading low/body kicks with Edwards. Left hook Yancy. Body kick Yves. Edwards with a nice left hook. Yancy is throwing front kicks and Yves is answering with right hooks. Yancy tells Edwards to bring it and Edwards does with a few more rights. Out of nowhere, Yancy clips Yves with an uppercut and pounds him out for the victory. Son of a bitch, Yancy.
Yancy Medeiros def. Yves Edwards via KO at 2:47 of round 1
Well, there goes the nip of Svedka. Ditto for Yves’ UFC career, one would assume, as that’s three straight for the longtime vet. At this time, I’d like to personally thank Yves for a ridiculously entertaining caree-APACHE HELICOPTER SHOT. Drink drink!
Chris Camozzi vs. Lorenz Larkin
Chris Camozzi looks like a guy who knows where that good crystal is at, know what I’m saying? Larkin, on the other hand, is coming out to James Brown’s “Living in America” which makes me think that he is going to get beat to death in this fight. THROW IN THE TOWEL, ROCK!
Round 1: Herb Dean is our ref, which reminds me that I need to re-up with my weed guy. Inside leg kick Camozzi. The two trade front kicks, then oblique kicks like a couple ‘a pussies. Counter left from a retreating Larking, then a straight right that drops him! Camozzi recovers and is back up and lands a leg kick. Front kick to the body by Larkin. Inside leg kick Camozzi, who is getting off first. Flying knee Camozzi and a left hook. I’m not scoring this because I stopped paying attention to pack a binger halfway through this.
Round 2: Camozzi with some more leg kicks. Larkin appears to be aiming for Camozzi’s gloves like he is hitting mits. Nice straight right by Larkin that jacks back the head of Camozzi. Camozzi tries another flying knee and they clinch. Larkin with a weak leg kick on the break. Camozzi’s nose is bloodied up but they trade leg kicks. Nice left by Camozzi. Larkin cuts Camozzi with a left and they clinch again. A couple nice standing elbows from Larkin have really busted up Camozzi, who simply will not stop coming forward. Probably on account of the meth. 10-9 Larkin
Round 3: The two trade body kicks to start the round. Larkin with a nice jab and the two trade leg kicks. Huge right hand by Larkin, who is just the quicker man. Camozzi whifs a head kick. Camozzi is visibly worn down but refuses to quit. Some brutal elbows and rights from Larkin in the clinch. Camozzi has Larkin pinned against the fence and Larkin lands some more elbows. My God this crowd is awesome, and Camozzi cheers them on while getting beat up in the clinch. I’ll have what he’s having, amiright? *crickets* Larkin lands some spinning shit to close things out and that’s all she wrote. 10-9 Larkin
Lorenz Larkin def. Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision (30-27 x2 29-28)
Well, that’s it for me, Nation. I’m going to go take a piss off the balcony and yell at stray cats. Enjoy your fancy FS1 fights you bunch ‘a bitches.
(Double chin-smush. So intense. / Video via YouTube.com/UFC)
Are Chris Weidman‘s chances for an upset as good as everybody seems to think they are? Is Tim Kennedy better at talking than he is at fighting? Does UFC 162 feature the most stacked Facebook prelims in the history of curtain-jerking? And Dave Herman‘s getting fired, right? Read on as CagePotato founding editor Ben Goldstein and staff writer Jared Jones debate these topics — and so much more — and be sure to come back tomorrow night for our “Silva vs. Weidman” liveblog, beginning with the FX prelims at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Chris Weidman has become the fashionable pick for an upset against Anderson Silva. You don’t actually believe he’ll pull it off, do you? I mean, you’re not a moron, right?
JJ: Now,I may be a moron, but there is one thing I am not, sir, and that, sir, is a moron.
If we were to have this debate immediately after Weidman had finished knocking Mark Munoz into an ice cream cake-induced depression, I would have told you that Anderson Silva was a dead man walking. “Weidman brings the kind of grappling prowess that, like Chael P. Sonnen before him, will all but completely suffocate Andy’s offense,” I would say whilst smoking a corncob pipe and farting into a wine glass, “And his striking, while clearly not on Silva’s level, has improved enough to keep the soon-to-be former champ hesitant in those rare moments when he won’t be fighting off his back.” I would have mocked you for daring to claim otherwise, then had security escort you out of my chalet bungalow when you inevitably lost your cool like a common miscreant.
And honestly, not a lot has changed since Weidman punched (and punched and punched) his way to #1 contender status almost a year ago to the day. That’s the problem. Weidman has been recovering from shoulder surgery and Silva has been retiring roided-up LHW’s in between increasingly shitty movie appearances. Am I crazy enough to pick a Chris Weidman coming off a year layoff to upset ANDERSON FREAKING SILVA? What do I look like, a moron?
BG: I feel like this wave of Weidman-support isn’t so much based on realistic analysis of the matchup, so much as fans’ natural desire to see some change after seven years of having the same champion dominating the competition, and other UFC fighters’ totally understandable self-interest in having that dominant champion go away for a while. It’s wishful thinking, basically.
Instead of discussing what Chris Weidman could theoretically do to Silva, you only need to consider Silva’s body of work in the UFC to understand that this fight probably won’t go the challenger’s way. And that’s fine. Weidman is still a young athlete who only started competing as a professional mixed martial artist in 2009. Experience counts in this sport, and Weidman just doesn’t have it. Whatever work he’s been doing in the gym, it won’t prepare him for that moment when he realizes — perhaps too late — just how talented and fearless Anderson Silva really is. I will now link you to the greatest GIF in MMA history.
The good news is, Weidman has a long career still ahead of him. Three years from now, Anderson Silva might be retired, and Chris Weidman will still be beating up top contenders. He’ll have his moment. Saturday night will not be that moment.
Tim Kennedy seems to talk a lot for a guy without many significant wins. Will Roger Gracie silence him for once, or will Kennedy finally live up to his own hype?
(Double chin-smush. So intense. / Video via YouTube.com/UFC)
Are Chris Weidman‘s chances for an upset as good as everybody seems to think they are? Is Tim Kennedy better at talking than he is at fighting? Does UFC 162 feature the most stacked Facebook prelims in the history of curtain-jerking? And Dave Herman‘s getting fired, right? Read on as CagePotato founding editor Ben Goldstein and staff writer Jared Jones debate these topics — and so much more — and be sure to come back tomorrow night for our “Silva vs. Weidman” liveblog, beginning with the FX prelims at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Chris Weidman has become the fashionable pick for an upset against Anderson Silva. You don’t actually believe he’ll pull it off, do you? I mean, you’re not a moron, right?
JJ: Now,I may be a moron, but there is one thing I am not, sir, and that, sir, is a moron.
If we were to have this debate immediately after Weidman had finished knocking Mark Munoz into an ice cream cake-induced depression, I would have told you that Anderson Silva was a dead man walking. “Weidman brings the kind of grappling prowess that, like Chael P. Sonnen before him, will all but completely suffocate Andy’s offense,” I would say whilst smoking a corncob pipe and farting into a wine glass, “And his striking, while clearly not on Silva’s level, has improved enough to keep the soon-to-be former champ hesitant in those rare moments when he won’t be fighting off his back.” I would have mocked you for daring to claim otherwise, then had security escort you out of my chalet bungalow when you inevitably lost your cool like a common miscreant.
And honestly, not a lot has changed since Weidman punched (and punched and punched) his way to #1 contender status almost a year ago to the day. That’s the problem. Weidman has been recovering from shoulder surgery and Silva has been retiring roided-up LHW’s in between increasingly shitty movie appearances. Am I crazy enough to pick a Chris Weidman coming off a year layoff to upset ANDERSON FREAKING SILVA? What do I look like, a moron?
BG: I feel like this wave of Weidman-support isn’t so much based on realistic analysis of the matchup, so much as fans’ natural desire to see some change after seven years of having the same champion dominating the competition, and other UFC fighters’ totally understandable self-interest in having that dominant champion go away for a while. It’s wishful thinking, basically.
Instead of discussing what Chris Weidman could theoretically do to Silva, you only need to consider Silva’s body of work in the UFC to understand that this fight probably won’t go the challenger’s way. And that’s fine. Weidman is still a young athlete who only started competing as a professional mixed martial artist in 2009. Experience counts in this sport, and Weidman just doesn’t have it. Whatever work he’s been doing in the gym, it won’t prepare him for that moment when he realizes — perhaps too late — just how talented and fearless Anderson Silva really is. I will now link you to the greatest GIF in MMA history.
The good news is, Weidman has a long career still ahead of him. Three years from now, Anderson Silva might be retired, and Chris Weidman will still be beating up top contenders. He’ll have his moment. Saturday night will not be that moment.
Tim Kennedy seems to talk a lot for a guy without many significant wins. Will Roger Gracie silence him for once, or will Kennedy finally live up to his own hype?
I mention all that to say this: I really don’t know if he’ll beat Roger Gracie, but his job might depend on it. The reason why the UFC continues to do business with Roy Nelson is because Nelson gives the fans what they want to see, every single time: A devastating knockout, or a fat guy getting the shit beaten out of him for 15 minutes. That’s entertainment. But if Tim Kennedy is unpopular with his boss, not a huge viewership draw, and not particularly cheap to have around, he’d better win on Saturday, or lose in a spectacular dogfight.
Alright, I know that’s a cop-out. Here’s my official prediction: Kennedy manages to keep the fight standing and wins by unanimous decision; the performance won’t do much for him, one way or the other.
JJ: My problem with Tim Kennedy isn’t that he shoots his gums off every now and again, it’s that for all the shit-talking he does, he’s never really impressed me all that much in the ring. He’s got a pair of decent victories over Robbie Lawler and Melvin Manhoef, but he was little more than a walking punching bag for Luke Rockhold and was similarly outgunned by Jacare back at Strikeforce: Houston. If Kennedy wants to continue trashing everyone and everything, he’d best score an impressive victory in his UFC debut.
Thankfully for Kennedy, I don’t think the bookies are giving him his due credit. Kennedy is a solid wrestler with decent standup skills to match, which makes him the Kryptonite of Roger Gracie (or really, any modern-day Gracie). I mean, did you even see Roger’s fight against King Mo? It was like watching a MacGruber sketch; you knew that a bomb was gonna go off at some point, it was just a matter of how long you could suspend your disbelief.
Is there anybody on the card whose odds of getting fired afterwards are greater than Dave Herman‘s?
JJ: Short answer:No. Long answer: Noooooooooope.
BG: Definitely not, and I’m a little shocked that Herman hasn’t already been fired, what with his three-straight stoppage losses and the multiple marijuana-relatedmisunderstandings. But hey, it’s not like Gabriel Gonzaga has been the most consistent heavyweight on the UFC’s roster; maybe Herman can pull off the win here and save his job. I’d say that the next guy on the danger-list might be Chris Leben, whose history of drug suspensions and other mayhem far overshadows Herman’s — but Dana White simply loves him too much. So I’ll just point out that Rafaello Oliveira has gone 1-2 in his latest UFC stint, and he’s facing Edson Barboza on Saturday. Never a great combination.
On the next page:Is Cub Swanson a legitimate title contender, what’s the most profitable bet you can place on this card, and why are Seth Baczynski and Mike Pierce stuck on Facebook?
– Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira: Following his unsuccessful title challenge against Jose Aldo — which gave Edgar his third decision loss in a row — “The Answer” returns to the featherweight division to face dangerous grappler Charles Oliveira. Though Oliveira hasn’t competed since his knockout loss to Cub Swanson at UFC 152, his two previous fights resulted in submission victories over Jonathan Brookins and Eric Wisely. It’s a logical rebound fight for Edgar, and a huge opportunity for Oliveira.
– Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver: Speaking of Swanson, the Jackson’s MMA product is red-hot lately, with four straight victories in the UFC (three by KO/TKO). Fresh off his recent decision win over Dustin Poirier, Swanson will try to add to his streak against the hard-striking Dennis Siver, who is 2-0 since dropping to featherweight, with decision wins over Diego Nunes and Nam Phan.
– Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira: Following his unsuccessful title challenge against Jose Aldo — which gave Edgar his third decision loss in a row — “The Answer” returns to the featherweight division to face dangerous grappler Charles Oliveira. Though Oliveira hasn’t competed since his knockout loss to Cub Swanson at UFC 152, his two previous fights resulted in submission victories over Jonathan Brookins and Eric Wisely. It’s a logical rebound fight for Edgar, and a huge opportunity for Oliveira.
– Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver: Speaking of Swanson, the Jackson’s MMA product is red-hot lately, with four straight victories in the UFC (three by KO/TKO). Fresh off his recent decision win over Dustin Poirier, Swanson will try to add to his streak against the hard-striking Dennis Siver, who is 2-0 since dropping to featherweight, with decision wins over Diego Nunes and Nam Phan.
– Meanwhile in the middleweight division, Chris Leben will attempt to snap his two-fight losing streak against 8-1 prospect Andrew Craig, who most recently lost a decision to Ronny Markes at UFC on FX 7.
– With his four-fight win streak snapped by Mike Pierce in December, welterweight Seth Baczynski will welcome Strikeforce vet Brian Melancon into the Octagon.
We here at CagePotato have literally taken every possible step in order to rid the MMA world of the great injury curse of 2012: we’ve prayed (lol!), we’ve had our cleaning lady Concepcion rid the office of evil spirits, we’ve resorted to Pagan rituals involving pentagrams, we’ve even had Rex track down “thisredengine” and sacrifice his virginal body to the Gods. And after all that fell flat, we tried to go Freddy Kruger on the curse and simply stop talking about it in the hopes that it would eventually just leave us be and move on to some other, less important sport. Like women’s ______.
But alas, our efforts were a complete failure. In the past few days, at least four fighters have come down with a case of the injury bug, leading to some small yet noticeable changes in several of the UFC’s upcoming cards. And we wonder why even Canadian fans are cautious to buy a ticket these days. (Author’s note: You see, Dana? THIS is what happens when you read from the Necronomicon. Side effects include nausea, meniere’s disease, Saturday night palsy, and possessed hand.)
We shall begin today’s trip down injury lane with Kyle Noke…
We here at CagePotato have literally taken every possible step in order to rid the MMA world of the great injury curse of 2012: we’ve prayed (lol!), we’ve had our cleaning lady Concepcion rid the office of evil spirits, we’ve resorted to Pagan rituals involving pentagrams, we’ve even had Rex track down “thisredengine” and sacrifice his virginal body to the Gods. And after all that fell flat, we tried to go Freddy Kruger on the curse and simply stop talking about it in the hopes that it would eventually just leave us be and move on to some other, less important sport. Like women’s ______.
But alas, our efforts were a complete failure. In the past few days, at least four fighters have come down with a case of the injury bug, leading to some small yet noticeable changes in several of the UFC’s upcoming cards. And we wonder why even Canadian fans are cautious to buy a ticket these days. (Author’s note: You see, Dana? THIS is what happens when you read from the Necronomicon. Side effects include nausea, meniere’s disease, Saturday night palsy, and possessed hand.)
We shall begin today’s trip down injury lane with Kyle Noke, who is coming off a first round blistering of Charlie Brenneman at UFC 152 that, although a little premature in its stoppage, led to “The Spaniard’s” current place in the Zuffa unemployment soup line. Noke was scheduled to face streaking Polish powerhouse Seth Baczynski at UFC on FX 6, but withdrew earlier this week. He has been replaced by Mike Pierce, who is on the heels of a come-from-behind KO of Aaron Simpson at UFC on FX 5. Baczynski is coming off a skull-shattering knockout win of his own against Simeon Thoreson at UFC 152, so expect fireworks here.
Next up, we have a welterweight matchup that features neither of its original participants, as everyone’s favorite stoner, Matt Riddle, and “butter-toothed Brit” John Maguire have stepped in to replace Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Besam Yousef, respectively, at UFC 154. Due to his positive test for marijuana, Riddle’s previous UFC 149 submission victory over Chris Clements was recently changed to a no-contest, moving his record to 1-2 1 NC in his past four fights. You could argue that Maguire is in an even worse position, however, despite the fact that he has only lost one of his three UFC bouts. That loss came to fellow Brit John Hathaway at UFC on FUEL 5 in the worst possible fashion: a dreadfully boring three round affair that was forgotten about before the judges could declare a winner. I blame the general politeness of the British for that one.
And in bantamweight injury news, TUF 14 runner-up T.J Dillashaw has been replaced in his upcoming UFC on FOX 5 bout against Mike Easton by fellow castmate Bryan Caraway. The Canadian has scored two straight rear-naked choke victories in the UFC since getting the tar beat out of him by Diego Brandao on the reality show, while Easton is coming off his third consecutive octagon victory over Ivan Menjivar at UFC 148. It’s an incredibly tough fight for “Kid Lightning,” but something tells us that the Caraway household could use the money right about now.
