Tag: SportsCenter

CM Punk Defends His UFC Existence on SportsCenter, ESPN MMA Live [VIDEOS]

(Props: Zombie Prophet)

Serious question: Are you guys tired of hearing about CM Punk already? The former WWE superstar (known to his momma as Phil Brooks) has a long road of training ahead of him before he makes his UFC debut sometime next year, but he’s been keeping his name in the streets with some media appearances here and there. Yesterday, he visited the ESPN studios to cut promos — or “interviews,” whatever — for SportsCenter and MMA Live. Some notable quotes from the SC spot…

– “Am I ready [to fight] today? I mean, probably not, but I’d fight anybody right now. Whether that’s a smart decision or not remains to be seen…I used to not be able to walk or swim, and I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but I’m gonna get there, and I’m excited to climb that mountain.”

– “I’m comfortable on the ground. Whether I get taken down and I’m on my back, I’m confident in my ability to stand back up, I’m confident in my jiu-jitsu, and it’s only gonna get better from now until the day I fight.”

– In response to Matt Brown’s recent criticism of his UFC signing: “There’s probably a lot of fighters that are…they’re just upset. And I can understand that, and more power to you, I understand your point of view. My job is to do what’s good for me and my family, and along the way if I change your mind, Matt Brown, awesome.”

– On Vince McMahon and Dana White: “They’re both driven, they’re both set in their ways, they both have an idea of what is best for their company, and everything like that, and I think that’s how they’re the same. How they’re different, I think, is the difference in the generation. Vince is very old-school, Dana is more open-minded, there’s more of a warmth on the UFC side that I’m experiencing. And Dana’s more open-minded, obviously — he hired me.”

– “Listen, there’s always people throughout my entire life who have told me that I can’t do something. Nobody ever thought I would make it to the WWE, nobody ever thought I’d be the champion. And nobody ever thought I’d be in the UFC…and I very much use the negativity that comes my way to fuel me, to prove people wrong.”

The MMA Live video is after the jump.


(Props: Zombie Prophet)

Serious question: Are you guys tired of hearing about CM Punk already? The former WWE superstar (known to his momma as Phil Brooks) has a long road of training ahead of him before he makes his UFC debut sometime next year, but he’s been keeping his name in the streets with some media appearances here and there. Yesterday, he visited the ESPN studios to cut promos — or “interviews,” whatever — for SportsCenter and MMA Live. Some notable quotes from the SC spot…

– “Am I ready [to fight] today? I mean, probably not, but I’d fight anybody right now. Whether that’s a smart decision or not remains to be seen…I used to not be able to walk or swim, and I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but I’m gonna get there, and I’m excited to climb that mountain.”

– “I’m comfortable on the ground. Whether I get taken down and I’m on my back, I’m confident in my ability to stand back up, I’m confident in my jiu-jitsu, and it’s only gonna get better from now until the day I fight.”

– In response to Matt Brown’s recent criticism of his UFC signing: “There’s probably a lot of fighters that are…they’re just upset. And I can understand that, and more power to you, I understand your point of view. My job is to do what’s good for me and my family, and along the way if I change your mind, Matt Brown, awesome.”

– On Vince McMahon and Dana White: “They’re both driven, they’re both set in their ways, they both have an idea of what is best for their company, and everything like that, and I think that’s how they’re the same. How they’re different, I think, is the difference in the generation. Vince is very old-school, Dana is more open-minded, there’s more of a warmth on the UFC side that I’m experiencing. And Dana’s more open-minded, obviously — he hired me.”

– “Listen, there’s always people throughout my entire life who have told me that I can’t do something. Nobody ever thought I would make it to the WWE, nobody ever thought I’d be the champion. And nobody ever thought I’d be in the UFC…and I very much use the negativity that comes my way to fuel me, to prove people wrong.”

The MMA Live video is after the jump.

– On the timing of his UFC debut: “We’re saying 2015, which is very vague, but that’s kind of how we want to keep it right now. It’s 100% up to me when I feel like I’m as ready as I’m gonna get, without pushing it to 2016. So it’ll probably be at the earliest fall, at the latest sometime around this time next year.”

– On Brock Lesnar: “Brock’s a lot like me in the respect that he doesn’t care what people think of him…the whole attitude of, ‘Yeah, I get it, you’re mad that I’m here, you’re upset, I haven’t earned the UFC fight yet,” but my goal is to prove everybody wrong, and I think that was Brock’s mentality too.”

– On where he’d like to train: “I want to train with the best. I need a comfortable, but not comfortable environment, if that makes any sense to anybody out there. Staying close to home is also important, but I’m also willing to uproot everything and move, too. So again, vague answer. Up in the air.”

– On his UFC debut: “I think the pressure will be monumental, but it’s nothing I haven’t experienced before…I think those jitters will be there, but they will be substantially less than somebody who’s never performed in front of almost 90,000 people at one time. I’ll be able to handle and manage the crowd better than most people making their UFC debut.

– On luck: “Luck’s for losers, Phil.”

Video: Chael Sonnen Breaks Down Fabricio Werdum vs. Mark Hunt on SportsCenter

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for — Chael Sonnen‘s debut appearance as a professional sports-talker on ESPN. In this clip that aired earlier today on SportsCenter, Sonnen breaks down tomorrow night’s UFC 180 main event between Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt, answering discussion questions from some random stiff* who mispronounces Werdum’s name, disses Roy Nelson’s gut, and ends the segment by bringing up the return of Brock Lesnar. Actually, that part spurred Chael’s best line:

“I called [Lesnar’s] manager Paul Heyman this morning. I said, ‘Paul, it’s Chael. I’ve got a new job on SportsCenter. If you give me a quote regarding Brock, it’ll really make me look good.’ He said ‘Chael,’ and I quote: ‘I’m sleeping,’ and then he hung up.”

* I mean, I’m sure some of you people watch ESPN and know who Chael’s straight-man is, but I don’t, and he’s not worth googling.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for — Chael Sonnen‘s debut appearance as a professional sports-talker on ESPN. In this clip that aired earlier today on SportsCenter, Sonnen breaks down tomorrow night’s UFC 180 main event between Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt, answering discussion questions from some random stiff* who mispronounces Werdum’s name, disses Roy Nelson’s gut, and ends the segment by bringing up the return of Brock Lesnar. Actually, that part spurred Chael’s best line:

“I called [Lesnar’s] manager Paul Heyman this morning. I said, ‘Paul, it’s Chael. I’ve got a new job on SportsCenter. If you give me a quote regarding Brock, it’ll really make me look good.’ He said ‘Chael,’ and I quote: ‘I’m sleeping,’ and then he hung up.”

* I mean, I’m sure some of you people watch ESPN and know who Chael’s straight-man is, but I don’t, and he’s not worth googling.

[VIDEO] Daniel Cormier Slams “Bully” and “Liar” Jon Jones During ESPN Sportscenter Interview

Mere hours after their media day staredown erupted into an all out brawl, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier appeared on ESPN’s Sportscenter to issue the standard apologies/continue shit-talking each other, and boy oh boy did the champ change his tune. I mean, literally. For a guy who was nearly inciting a riot during the scuffle and taunting Cormier on Instagram in the moments afterward, Jones sounded as if he was on the verge of falling asleep while atoning on ESPN’s flagship program:

You know, first of all, I’d like to give an apology to the MGM Grand, and all the fans, and all the kids who saw that. Definitely not proud of what happened today. What happened was, we had a face-off, and in the UFC it’s very common to see two athletes get very close in their face-offs; our heads touch, our nose rubs together, it’s very intimate, very passionate moment for a lot of fighters. I’ve actually never had a fighter put his hands on me by squeezing my throat. I reacted in self defense by beating up Daniel.

As you might expect, Cormier was having none of Jones’ patented fakeness and plain creepy understanding of pre-fight faceoffs…

Mere hours after their media day staredown erupted into an all out brawl, Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier appeared on ESPN’s Sportscenter to issue the standard apologies/continue shit-talking each other, and boy oh boy did the champ change his tune. I mean, literally. For a guy who was nearly inciting a riot during the scuffle and taunting Cormier on Instagram in the moments afterward, Jones sounded as if he was on the verge of falling asleep while atoning on ESPN’s flagship program:

You know, first of all, I’d like to give an apology to the MGM Grand, and all the fans, and all the kids who saw that. Definitely not proud of what happened today. What happened was, we had a face-off, and in the UFC it’s very common to see two athletes get very close in their face-offs; our heads touch, our nose rubs together, it’s very intimate, very passionate moment for a lot of fighters. I’ve actually never had a fighter put his hands on me by squeezing my throat. I reacted in self defense by beating up Daniel.

As you might expect, Cormier was having none of Jones’ patented fakeness and plain creepy understanding of pre-fight faceoffs…

First off, I have actually never heard a fight get described as intimate and passionate; I have no idea what Jonny Jones is talking about. First off, you’re right. People do get close to each other. But they don’t put their head against yours and nudge you forward. In my lifetime, I will never, ever, allow a man, I don’t care if it’s Mike Tyson in his prime, I don’t care if it’s Vladimir Klitschko, no one will ever nudge me forward with their head and not expect a reaction.

I have a son; I will teach my son to never allow anyone to bully him. Jon Jones will never bully me. Jon Jones is apologizing, hey I’m glad he apologized; I apologize for our actions, but it’s so fake. Jon Jones, he’s a fake individual and he’s a fake person, and I’m going to beat him up on September 27.

Whatever. He’s weak. He’s a punk, he’s a liar, he’s a whole bunch of things he shouldn’t be proud about being.

BOOM ROASTED.

We’ll update you on the fallout from this passionate lovers quarrel as it develops. In the meantime, check out this email floating around that was allegedly sent from Dana White to Jones calling for today’s brawl. It is most likely fake, by which I mean it is 100% fake, but still, funny nonetheless.

–J. Jones

Video: Ronda Rousey Swears During SportsCenter Interview for UFC 168

Emotions run high before every fight. No matter who you are, it’s difficult to stay grounded through and through. In Ronda Rousey‘s case, mental slip-ups are just part of the game. Watch the UFC women’s bantamweight champion accidentally swear during an interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter to promote her upcoming rematch with Miesha Tate this Saturday […]

Emotions run high before every fight. No matter who you are, it’s difficult to stay grounded through and through. In Ronda Rousey‘s case, mental slip-ups are just part of the game. Watch the UFC women’s bantamweight champion accidentally swear during an interview on ESPN’s SportsCenter to promote her upcoming rematch with Miesha Tate this Saturday […]

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[VIDEO] Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate Go Head-to-Head on SportsCenter, Zero Birds Flipped

After witnessing the non-fight that was Jake Ellenberger vs. Rory MacDonald at UFC on FOX 8, Dana White vehemently declared that “fights with trash talk always suck.” It was an odd thing to hear coming from a fight promoter, especially one who made enough money off the Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz trilogy alone to purchase a chalet bungalow overlooking the finest waterfalls in all of Elysium (TOPICAL!). Also, Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen was a thing that happened.

In any case, let’s hope that the second incarnation of Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate — which is being billed as the biggest rivalry in ALL of MMA Rrrrrrrr *catfight sounds* Snap into a Slim Jim oh yeah! — lives up to the additional pressure it is stacking on the already weighed-down shoulders of WMMA. In the past few days, the champ has flipped off Tate during a staredown, labeled her an Anti-Armenian and allegedly threatened to “cram an entire Lincoln Logs set up her boyfriend’s asspussy.” Allegedly. Anything less than an in-ring decapitation or double KO will be an utter disappointment at this point and the show hasn’t even started yet.

Thankfully, the two were able to keep it together during a recent face-to-face appearance on SportsCenter to hype their upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. You’d think that these two have said all they can say about each other, yet Rousey is still finding new reasons to dislike Tate. Mainly, that smug look of (sexy) disinterest she is always wearing. If DW’s statements about how batshit crazy the both of them are this season have any truth to them, we should expect this conversation to play out several times over the course of TUF 18. 

–J. Jones

After witnessing the non-fight that was Jake Ellenberger vs. Rory MacDonald at UFC on FOX 8, Dana White vehemently declared that “fights with trash talk always suck.” It was an odd thing to hear coming from a fight promoter, especially one who made enough money off the Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz trilogy alone to purchase a chalet bungalow overlooking the finest waterfalls in all of Elysium (TOPICAL!). Also, Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen was a thing that happened.

In any case, let’s hope that the second incarnation of Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate — which is being billed as the biggest rivalry in ALL of MMA Rrrrrrrr *catfight sounds* Snap into a Slim Jim oh yeah! — lives up to the additional pressure it is stacking on the already weighed-down shoulders of WMMA. In the past few days, the champ has flipped off Tate during a staredown, labeled her an Anti-Armenian and allegedly threatened to “cram an entire Lincoln Logs set up her boyfriend’s asspussy.” Allegedly. Anything less than an in-ring decapitation or double KO will be an utter disappointment at this point and the show hasn’t even started yet.

Thankfully, the two were able to keep it together during a recent face-to-face appearance on SportsCenter to hype their upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. You’d think that these two have said all they can say about each other, yet Rousey is still finding new reasons to dislike Tate. Mainly, that smug look of (sexy) disinterest she is always wearing. If DW’s statements about how batshit crazy the both of them are this season have any truth to them, we should expect this conversation to play out several times over the course of TUF 18. 

–J. Jones

Chael Sonnen’s WWE Shtick Now Includes Swearing on Sportscenter and Feeling Up Their Anchors [VIDEO]


(And just like that, the inspiration for Mean Street Hair Care & Boutique was born.) 

For a dead man walking, Chael Sonnen sure seems to be enjoying the hell out of his final days on death row. The UFC’s favorite hypeman appeared on ESPN’s flagship program, Sportscenter, just hours ago to plug his upcoming public execution at UFC 159 and appeared to be channeling the great Bobby Knight during his brief interview, leaving Sportscenter anchor (and all around fox) Sage Steele grasping at straws in attempt to steer things in any other direction but that of a complete farce. She tried, dammit.

The segment began in typical Sonnen-fashion — interrupting/patronizing the interviewer, throwing a couple WWE-esque threats at Jones, arms, charms, rinse, repeat — but quickly took a turn for what people in the television industry refer to as “What-the-fucks-ville” after Sonnen promised to put Bones “on his ass” on live television. Sure, it was a pretty mild offense given the current spectrum of television, but the remark incurred the subtle wrath of Steele nonetheless. But if there’s one thing Chael P. Sonnen doesn’t understand, it’s subtlety. And being that Chael is mere days away from being beaten into a coma at best, he figured he might as well check off one last item from his bucket list: feeling an African American woman’s hair. It was a weird moment for everyone involved.

Video after the jump. 


(And just like that, the inspiration for Mean Street Hair Care & Boutique was born.) 

For a dead man walking, Chael Sonnen sure seems to be enjoying the hell out of his final days on death row. The UFC’s favorite hypeman appeared on ESPN’s flagship program, Sportscenter, just hours ago to plug his upcoming public execution at UFC 159 and appeared to be channeling the great Bobby Knight during his brief interview, leaving Sportscenter anchor (and all around fox) Sage Steele grasping at straws in attempt to steer things in any other direction but that of a complete farce. She tried, dammit.

The segment began in typical Sonnen-fashion – interrupting/patronizing the interviewer, throwing a couple WWE-esque threats at Jones, arms, charms, rinse, repeat — but quickly took a turn for what people in the television industry refer to as “What-the-fucks-ville” after Sonnen promised to put Bones “on his ass” on live television. Sure, it was a pretty mild offense given the current spectrum of television, but the remark incurred the subtle wrath of Steele nonetheless. But if there’s one thing Chael P. Sonnen doesn’t understand, it’s subtlety. And being that Chael is mere days away from being beaten into a coma at best, he figured he might as well check off one last item from his bucket list: feeling an African American woman’s hair. It was a weird moment for everyone involved.

Video after the jump. 

Now that’s how you go out on a high note, ladies and gentlemen.

As you would expect, some of the more politically correct websites out there (by which I mean the overly sensitive, soapbox-hopping ones that love to throw gas on the smallest of fires) are attempting to turn Sonnen’s awkward but completely harmless interview into some sort of racist diatribe. Thankfully, Steele recently commented on the incident via Big Lead Sports, and aside from finding the whole thing rather odd, stated that she could not have been less offended:

It was definitely one of the more awkward interviews I’ve done – the first and hopefully last time I’ve had some ask to touch my hair – but it’s not like anything could mess it up more than it already is! I’ve met Chael before and knew going in that he was a wild man. You just have to know your subject. He’s a character … I think he’s hysterical and totally harmless

You can find the full video of Sonnen’s interview here. Personally, I still found it to be leagues below any of Jon Jones’ Sportscenter interviews in terms of awkwardness. That dude could have Neil Hamburger faking an urgent cell-phone call to get out of the room.

That’s it for me, everybody!

–J. Jones