Tag: The Lineup

Muhammad Ali Tweets at UFC Pres. Dana White About Being ‘Original MMA Fighter’

If there’s one man who can humble UFC President Dana White, it’s Muhammad Ali.
Ali, of course, needs no introduction. Nicknamed “The Greatest,” the 72-year-old boxing legend is one of the most revered athletes of all time. Apparently, he is also a…

If there’s one man who can humble UFC President Dana White, it’s Muhammad Ali.

Ali, of course, needs no introduction. Nicknamed “The Greatest,” the 72-year-old boxing legend is one of the most revered athletes of all time. Apparently, he is also an active social media user:

The picture Ali tweeted was of his 1976 fight against Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki in Tokyo, Japan. The fight was fought with special rules and is considered a precursor to modern MMA.

Dana White seemed positively giddy about the Twitter interaction:

[Twitter]

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Scene of Ronda Rousey Going Crazy in ‘Entourage’ Movie Leaks

A number of sports stars are slated to appear in the upcoming Entourage movie from Warner Bros. Pictures, including undefeated UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. A scene was recently  leaked of Rousey going postal. She appea…

A number of sports stars are slated to appear in the upcoming Entourage movie from Warner Bros. Pictures, including undefeated UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. 

A scene was recently  leaked of Rousey going postal. She appears to take exception to the fact that Turtle and Co. are following her, and she doesn’t hold back. 

[YouTube, h/t MMA Mania]

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Anderson Silva Training to Become a Police Officer

Just when you think Anderson Silva couldn’t possibly come closer to resembling a real-life superhero, he goes out and starts training to become a cop.
Hoping to follow in his family’s footsteps, the former UFC middleweight kingpin has decided to become…

Just when you think Anderson Silva couldn’t possibly come closer to resembling a real-life superhero, he goes out and starts training to become a cop.

Hoping to follow in his family’s footsteps, the former UFC middleweight kingpin has decided to become an officer for the Los Angeles Police Department.

“I train every morning, take my kids to school and go to the police school,” Silva told Folha de Sao Paulo in Brazil (h/t Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting). “I’m studying at the Los Angeles School Police Department. I’m studying to become a police officer.”

The 38-year-old has been making a miraculous comeback after shattering his left leg in a championship rematch with Chris Weidman back in December at UFC 168.

Since the horrific incident, “The Spider” has been making monumental strides. Whether it’s been lifting weights, hitting pads or rolling with teammates, the Brazilian seems to be making moves from the very second he steps out of bed.

But a cop? Are we to believe the greatest mixed martial artist of all time is seriously considering a career in law enforcement?

According to the man himself, you better believe it.

“It’s a personal wish, something that will make my uncle happy,” said Silva. “He thought it was a little weird that I’m not doing this here (in Brazil), but it wasn’t the right time. My brothers are police officers, my nephews are police officers. It’s a family thing.“

There you have it.

On a day when the whole world is aiming to fool, this news doesn’t seem to fall under the category of a cruel social prank. However, it does raises one very important question: Who in their right mind would dare run from Anderson Silva?

Besides maybe Bruce Lee, Silva is arguably the most intimidating and dangerous martial artist to ever walk this planet. Committing a crime in his presence or challenging his authority would result in one of the most brutal one-sided beatdowns—or arrests—this country has ever seen.

In any case, let’s hope this personal accomplishment only fuels his return to the cage.

 

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Wanderlei Silva Nearly Quit TUF Brazil After Chael Sonnen Refused to Apologize

Chael Sonnen wasn’t the hero The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil deserved, but he was the one it needed when Wanderlei Silva nearly walked off the set of the reality TV show.
The self-proclaimed “Oregon Gangster” has a knack for getting unde…

Chael Sonnen wasn’t the hero The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil deserved, but he was the one it needed when Wanderlei Silva nearly walked off the set of the reality TV show.

The self-proclaimed “Oregon Gangster” has a knack for getting under the thickest of skin with his quick-witted humor and nonchalant gibes. It wasn’t any surprise when Silva went all “Axe Murderer” on Sonnen after hearing some of his past satirical wisecracks about Brazil.

“The promotion is good, but you need to respect some things. [The Nogueira brothers]; and the country, you know. We need to have good conduct about that. Don’t do that anymore,” Silva had warned Sonnen during a van ride to a promotional event for the UFC back in 2010.

Fast forward a couple of years later, and Sonnen was onstage at a Q&A for UFC 145, still hurling verbal jabs at the country Silva calls home: “I packed a suitcase full of gifts, full of things from America that [Brazilians] don’t have. I’m trying to merge the two countries in a way that we can work together. For example, I brought packets of soap for them. I brought shampoo, I brought them dental floss.”

Sonnen knew his path would converge with Silva sooner or later, but it definitely came as a surprise when the UFC announced the two would serve as opposing coaches on TUF Brazil, which would actually be filmed in Silva’s home country.

This wasn’t Sonnen’s first rodeo on TUF. He wowed in Season 17 by turning in one of the best coaching performances in the history of the show.

But would anybody care once his plane touched down on Brazilian soil? How would the native fighters react to Sonnen after some of the controversial things that were said?

There was no denying Silva’s reaction upon meeting with his longtime rival—complete disdain and utter disgust. In a recent UFC promo of one episode, Silva approaches Sonnen in front of the entire cast and asks him to apologize for past comments about Brazil. When Sonnen refuses, Silva threatens to walk out on the show.

“Well, I gave him an opportunity to redeem himself at that moment about everything he said regarding our country, not about me or any other athlete,” says Silva. “I believe that making fun of a country’s issues and joking about poor kids, it really made me upset. I was not in the mood to stay on the show. I was going to quit it and wait for a few days until he decides to redeem himself and apologize.”

Initial assumptions of the show penned Sonnen as the bad guy who was heading into enemy territory, but fans tuning in could be in for a bit of a surprise.

As Silva briefly walks out on his team, Sonnen sets the tone by showing the young fighters that he is strictly there for them, not to aggrandize his feud with Silva.

The coaches will have their day to settle everything in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 42 on May 31, but for now, their primary focus should be on honing the abilities of the fighters and maximizing their opportunities.   

Still, Sonnen is shocked that Silva would even consider walking out on his own countrymen during filming.

“I don’t know that he was wrong. I just thought it was really confusing,” Sonnen says in the TUF Brazil promo. “I thought, ‘Wanderlei, I’m the bad guy, you’re the good guy. We’re now switching roles. You’ve become the bad guy, and now I’ve got to talk you into coming in and coaching a show of your countrymen. This isn’t how this was supposed to go.’”

One more win for Chael Sonnen, the good guy?

Things are already beginning to heat up just three episodes into TUF Brazil. Each new episode is available every Sunday at 9 p.m. PT/12 a.m. ET only on UFC Fight Pass.

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Dan Henderson Destroyed Shogun Rua’s Nose

Warning: Image of a graphic injury below
“Does it look broken?”
After two strong rounds, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua walked away from UFC Fight Night 39 with a crooked nose and a ninth loss under his belt.
Dan Henderson caught the Bra…

Warning: Image of a graphic injury below

“Does it look broken?”

After two strong rounds, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua walked away from UFC Fight Night 39 with a crooked nose and a ninth loss under his belt.

Dan Henderson caught the Brazilian light heavyweight with a devastating series of punches in the third round, two of which appeared to turn Rua’s nose sideways.

That brand of ugly might have to be handled by a specialist. You can’t always Steve Nash your nasal septum back into place.

The injury comes as no surprise, considering the three flavors of hell Henderson unleashed on the Brazilian’s sinuses before referee Herb Dean called the match. Robert Littal of BlackSportsOnline.com crafted a GIF of Henderson’s face-mashing flurry:

Fox analyst Brian Stann foreshadowed the match-ending punches, according to Mike Chiappetta of Fox Sports: “Henderson appeared to be living a nightmare against Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua when UFC on FOX analyst Brian Stann presciently noted that all was not lost for the 43-year-old. ‘As we all know, Henderson holds a big stick of dynamite in that right hand.’ Ten seconds later, the…main event was all over.”

Indeed, Henderson throws bricks with his right, and they’ll break a few windows if they land true.

As someone who has had his nose broken (headbutt, don’t ask), I harbor a deep and abiding respect for fighters like Rua who stand in the ring post-fight like their nose wasn’t just forcibly turned into lasagna. He grimaced through the end-of-match formalities, looking grim but undaunted.

He wasn’t alone in his pain. Henderson claimed Rua hurt him early in the going, per Chiappetta.

“He definitely dung me, he rang my bell a tad in the first round and then the second, too,” Henderson said. “I decided to be patient, too patient. I wasn’t very offensive. In the third round we decided to get after it and pick it up where we left off the last fight.”

Noses break, but we must not break with them. As for Rua, he’ll be icing that nose for a while.

Surgery is generally the only fix for a break this bad, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. He’ll go through the motions, ice the swelling and live to fight another day. Rua is 32, and judging by Henderson’s performance, he could be breaking young bucks’ noses more than a decade from now.

 

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Ronda Rousey Talks Love of CM Punk, Interest in Pro Wrestling

Ronda Rousey is the UFC women’s bantamweight champion and, to some people, the best pound-for-pound female fighter on the planet. Usually, she’s pretty witty when it comes to trash talking an opponent, but it seems as though that ability doesn’t t…

Ronda Rousey is the UFC women’s bantamweight champion and, to some people, the best pound-for-pound female fighter on the planet. Usually, she’s pretty witty when it comes to trash talking an opponent, but it seems as though that ability doesn’t translate when discussing the opposite sex.

Rousey got a bit tongue-tied when she met her man-crush, former WWE star CM Punk. Rousey spoke with media (per Fox Sports) on Friday at the UFC 171 weigh-ins about meeting Punk after UFC 170 and her interest in possibly heading to the world of pro wrestling.

“I think the first thing I said to him was ‘I love you,’ which was terrible and not smooth at all,” Rousey said.

Rousey and her roommates—Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke—were all in awe of “The Best in the World” upon meeting Punk. The four watch WWE’s ‘Monday Night Raw’ as a weekly ritual, and Rousey and Baszler even recreated some pro wrestling moves in the gym.

“Professionally, who knows?” Rousey said. “Me and all the girls are huge fans. If they were all down to do something, I’d be happy to jump in with them. But I have the most hectic schedule ever with the fights and the movies right now and adding a whole other career on top of that right now is a tall order.”

The women’s champ does indeed have a very busy schedule with filming for the upcoming Entourage movie along with The Athena Project. Rousey will also likely be heavily involved with promoting the upcoming release of The Expendables 3.

However, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen an MMA fighter cross over into the pro wrestling world. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Tito Ortiz and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson immediately come to mind, although their stints were nothing short of disappointing. But hey, that’s what happens when you compete in TNA.

If Rousey wanted to dabble inside the squared circle, she’d arguably be among the best wrestlers of the WWE Diva’s division. A.J. Lee, Natalya and others can put on exciting matches at times, but they’re not Trish Stratus or Lita.

Other athletes who’ve competed in grappling sports have fared well in pro wrestling, as Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle can attest to. I’m sure there are a few fans who wouldn’t mind seeing Rousey judo toss one of the Bella twins or Eva Marie.

Rousey would also enjoy quite a bit of fans following her from the Octagon to WWE if she were to make appearances in the pro wrestling world.

Rousey is among the most marketable fighters in the game today, and she’s taking full advantage of it. She’s got the looks along with the incredible talent in the cage, both of which have made her very special to the UFC and women’s MMA as a whole.

She may not be the first star to be born under the Zuffa banner, but she could end being the brightest by the time her career is over. Dana White certainly thinks so.

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