Every now and then MMA presents fans with bouts that cause an immediate face-palm reaction. Whether they are rematches, trilogies or “circus” bouts, there are just some fights that should never happen. Mariusz Pudzianowski versus former UFC heavyweight…
Every now and then MMA presents fans with bouts that cause an immediate face-palm reaction.
Whether they are rematches, trilogies or “circus” bouts, there are just some fights that should never happen.
Mariusz Pudzianowski versus former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia is a fine example of a circus bout.
After about 30 seconds of offensive effort, Pudzianowski, a winner of five World’s Strongest Man titles, suffered a cardio meltdown that allowed Sylvia to get the upper hand and pound the Polish phenom into submission.
Who could ever forget about the Jose Canseco and Hong Man Choi bout?
The controversial Major League Baseball superstar made it 1:17 into the bout before balling up into the fetal position to avoid any damage.
“Blockbuster” rematches can also make little to no sense.
Former champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz were scheduled to duke it out after finishing their coaching duties on The Ultimate Fighter: Season 11.
While both legends have tremendous pay-per-view draws, Liddell had already defeated Ortiz soundly on a couple of occasions. Regardless of how strong the rivalry is, sometimes you just have to let go and move on.
These were just a few examples, but the best are soon to follow.
Chael Sonnen was in his element, again, when he was recently interviewed by Bruce Buffer for the Sherdog Radio Network’s show, “IT’S TIME!!!”During the interview, he had choice words to say about his MMA colleagues Anderson Silva (griping f…
Chael Sonnen was in his element, again, when he was recently interviewed by Bruce Buffer for the Sherdog Radio Network’s show, “IT’S TIME!!!”
During the interview, he had choice words to say about his MMA colleagues Anderson Silva (griping for the nth time), Tito Ortiz (uncharacteristically nice on this one) and Ken Shamrock (his new trash-talk target).
Here are his words on each fighter (courtesy of Jason Moles of Cage Potato), and my humble thoughts.
A couple of weeks before UFC 133 in Philadelphia, Dana White made an appearance on Philly’s Preston and Steve show on WMMR to promote the show. Preston and Steve, being the wacky morning radio show duo they are, invited local comic and YouTube star Ed Bassmaster down to meet the Baldfather as one of his many alter-egos. Dana obviously had no idea who this guy was, as he completely bought that Skippy was just your average TUF fan in khakis and comically thick glasses.
So what happens when you ask Dana why he frequently seems upset and angry?
Well, Dana was so amused that he decided to have Ed wander the locker rooms and hallways at the event, doing interviews and trying to put some moves on Chandella. Of course, what he really wanted to do was get Skippy in the same room with Lorenzo Fertitta and sit back and watch the big guy squirm.
A couple of weeks before UFC 133 in Philadelphia, Dana White made an appearance on Philly’s Preston and Steve show on WMMR to promote the show. Preston and Steve, being the wacky morning radio show duo they are, invited local comic and YouTube star Ed Bassmaster down to meet the Baldfather as one of his many alter-egos. Dana obviously had no idea who this guy was, as he completely bought that Skippy was just your average TUF fan in khakis and comically thick glasses.
So what happens when you ask Dana why he frequently seems upset and angry?
Well, Dana was so amused that he decided to have Ed wander the locker rooms and hallways at the event, doing interviews and trying to put some moves on Chandella. Of course, what he really wanted to do was get Skippy in the same room with Lorenzo Fertitta and sit back and watch the big guy squirm.
Props to Dana, Lorenzo, Chandella, and the fighters for being patient with the funny guy.
But hey, if Dana likes comedians, why does he hate us so much? Hey Dana, call us; we’ll punk anybody you want. If all it takes to make Dana laugh is “make Lorenzo uncomfortable”, we should be able to get backstage access for a decade.
Tito Ortiz defeated Ryan Bader at UFC 132 in what was labeled as one of the greatest upsets in MMA history. He appeared to be working his way back into the mix, and the world in general was stunned. A little over one week later, he accepts a fight on s…
Tito Ortiz defeated Ryan Bader at UFC 132 in what was labeled as one of the greatest upsets in MMA history. He appeared to be working his way back into the mix, and the world in general was stunned. A little over one week later, he accepts a fight on short notice to face No. 1 contender Rashad Evans, losing by way of TKO. Many say this was a major step back for Tito, but in all actuality, it hurt his stock in no way whatsoever.
Tito is one of the highest paid fighters in MMA today, and he wants to prove that he still has what it takes to be one of the best. Taking that fight with Rashad really showed that his heart is 100 percent back in the right place. That fight wasn’t about money for him, it was all about respect, and he earned a lot of that in his fight at 133.
So where does this loss put him?
Tito is a top 15-20 fighter at the moment, but in all truth, he may be a top 10-12 in the eyes of the UFC bosses. So who should he fight next?
Rich Franklin. Rich is coming off a loss against Forrest Griffin. Rich has been around the game for a long time and has defeated a who’s who list of competition. He told Dana White that he only wants to fight the best of the best because his career is coming to an end. Well, a fight with Tito would make total sense here. Both fighters are well rounded, with Tito having the advantage in the wrestling department. There is no telling how this fight would go down, but no matter what, it is guaranteed to be an entertaining war. So, that is the first fight that makes sense.
Another option would be Forrest Griffin 3. Forrest and Tito are a great fit for each other in the cage. The two have met twice before and both fights were a split decision, with each fighter having one win. The only way that this fight could happen is if Forrest loses in his rematch with Shogun. Forrest and Tito haven’t really evolved much since their last fight, but both appear to be in the best shape of their lives. Tito could use wrestling to his advantage, but on the ground, Forrest is the more superior grappler (his grappling is highly underrated). This fight would not only be very entertaining, but it would complete another legendary trilogy under the Zuffa banner.
In a way, those two fights are must sees when it comes to a Tito Ortiz fight. Tito has a couple of years left and probably three to six fights before he hangs up his gloves for good. When a fighter is in that stage of their career, nothing is better than to see them face another legend and add yet another memory to their legacy. Be on the lookout in the next couple of months, because there is a high chance that one of these fights will be made.
Well people, hopefully you are enjoying a day off with some barbecued animal carcass and a nice cold beer (or some grilled zucchini and tofu scramble, whatever scratches your itch). Join us as we look back on the action from UFC 132 and what we can take away from a card that as wild and unpredictable as this one. If a story comes out that some guy hit an eleven fight parley, we’re going to track him down and burn him as a sorcerer. Seriously, there’s playing a hunch, and then there’s invoking demons to influence the reality on our plane of existence.
First, some things must not be spoken of.
Like Wanderlei Silva losing, or Tito Ortiz winning. Sometimes, great reflection is required to glean the lessons of life from events that at first seem incomprehensible. Sometimes, understanding must elude us forever.
Come on in and let’s talk five things.
No caption needed, really.
Well people, hopefully you are enjoying a day off with some barbecued animal carcass and a nice cold beer (or some grilled zucchini and tofu scramble, whatever scratches your itch). Join us as we look back on the action from UFC 132 and what we can take away from a card that as wild and unpredictable as this one. If a story comes out that some guy hit an eleven fight parley, we’re going to track him down and burn him as a sorcerer. Seriously, there’s playing a hunch, and then there’s invoking demons to influence the reality on our plane of existence.
First, some things must not be spoken of.
Like Wanderlei Silva losing, or Tito Ortiz winning. Sometimes, great reflection is required to glean the lessons of life from events that at first seem incomprehensible. Sometimes, understanding must elude us forever.
Come on in and let’s talk five things.
1. Best card EVAR?
Well, no — probably not. Wanderlei lost, so it can’t be best card ever. We might have to do some research to decide which ones were better, though. The card was ludicrously stacked on paper; even the undercard fights were charged up with guys like Anthony Njokuani, Melvin Guillard, and George Sotiropoulos ready for action, plus Bowles-Mizugaki was an opportunity for someone to claim dibs on the next bantamweight title shot. And holydamnshitwow it delivered. If you were one of those people that complains about lackluster shows before anyone gets their hands wrapped, slap yourself. Now do it again, but harder. Between UFC 132 and UFC Live: Kongo vs Barry, we hope you’ve learned not to try to play jaded psychic MMA fan anymore. Seriously, you look like a tool.
2. Hey, these WEC guys are pretty alright.
Both in terms of carrying the marquee, and in terms of how they stack up in the UFC. Anthony Njokuani got bumped up to the Spike broadcast for Tekkenizing Andre Winner, which we were happy to see. One-time WEC middleweight champ Chris Leben is working to carve out a top five spot for himself in the division, despite being written off pretty much always. Aaron Simpson is a WEC vet; he was exciting there. Plus this Condit fellow with the knee is pretty outstanding. If MMA followed BJ Penn’s rules, Carlos Condit would be 26-3 and in the GOAT conversation. Ok, Shane Roller had a rough fight, but he’ll be back.
3. MMA Judging is …. whatever, man these guys might as well flip coins.
We as much as anyone are willing to complain hysterically about bad decisions, but really, with fights as close as Cruz-Faber or Siver-Wiman, we’re willing to concede that it is possible that judges can turn in scores that are diametrically opposed to our own, without being under the influence of blindness, insanity, mental incompetence, or cash money. Tiny differences in how individuals see a fight account for total disagreement in who won the bout, and we’re just going to have to resign ourselves to that under the current judging criteria. (More liberal use of 10-8 and 10-10 rounds could be a relatively low impact experiment, though, right?)
4. What’s up with Brian Bowles?
People from West Virginia are crazy. All of ‘em, crazier than KhaosWar Machine von Datsik on whatever it was that Rampage was drinking. Yet even fueled by what we assume to be reality-altering powers of psychoenergy, Bowles didn’t impress with his anything Saturday night. The former champ is going to need the eye of the tiger to get back to title contention. Plus, player, did you break your hand again? Someone never took their kung fu movies seriously. Calcium supplements aren’t on the banned list, are they?
5. Cue up Cruz-Faber 3.
The casual crowd is still catching on to these lighter weight classes, and chances are they enjoyed the bout. Why not go ahead and finish the best of three series? Cruz and Faber are so evenly-matched and so exhaustingly energetic that we’d sign on to watch those two fight three times a year. The dislike between the two doesn’t hurt either. Yes, Sean Shelby is talking about maybe Mighty Mouse, who we like, but the rubber match would generate way more interest. Strike when the iron is hot, people.
(We know, Urijah. Sometimes we spend an entire hour working on a blog post, and our browser decides to crash just as we’re finishing it up, and when we go back into the CMS the post has completely vanished and we’re struck with that feeling of pure disappointment and frustration, knowing that we have to do it all over again. So, yeah, we can totally relate. / Photo courtesy of MMAFighting)
UFC 132 was as bizarre as it was thrilling. Now that we’ve wrapped our heads around it for the most part, it’s time to look ahead and see if we can think up some future matchups for Saturday’s notable winners and losers. Let us know how you feel in the comments section — and hey, happy 4th of July!
Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber: Immediate rubber match. It’s not the most essential of immediate rematches, but the fight was close enough to warrant it, and there’s really no bantamweight contender right now who deserves it more than Faber. Brian Bowles thinks he’s the guy, but I can’t forget that two fights ago he was beaten up by Dominick Cruz worse than anybody’s been beaten up by Dominick Cruz, ever.
The other name being thrown around in the aftermath of UFC 132 is Demetrious Johnson, who’s coming off decision wins over Miguel Torres and Kid Yamamoto. Impressive? Of course. Still, Johnson has never been on the main card of a UFC event, and promoting him as a headliner could be a tough sell. Give Mighty Mouse one more fight to establish himself — or hurry up and create that long-rumored flyweight division so the diminutive Johnson can dominate there.
Chris Leben: There’s no limit to the brawling abilities of a sugar-free Cat Smasher. Leben vs. Wandy was a bit of a stunt-fight, and now that Leben has emerged victorious, he should return to a more conventional contender track. The first name that comes to mind is Mark Munoz, who’s riding a three-fight win streak, most recently outpointing Demian Maia last month at UFC 131 — although Vitor Belfort could also be a great matchup for Leben, as long as the Phenom can get past Yoshihiro Akiyama next month in Philadelphia.
(We know, Urijah. Sometimes we spend an entire hour working on a blog post, and our browser decides to crash just as we’re finishing it up, and when we go back into the CMS the post has completely vanished and we’re struck with that feeling of pure disappointment and frustration, knowing that we have to do it all over again. So, yeah, we can totally relate. / Photo courtesy of MMAFighting)
UFC 132 was as bizarre as it was thrilling. Now that we’ve wrapped our heads around it for the most part, it’s time to look ahead and see if we can think up some future matchups for Saturday’s notable winners and losers. Let us know how you feel in the comments section — and hey, happy 4th of July!
Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber: Immediate rubber match. It’s not the most essential of immediate rematches, but the fight was close enough to warrant it, and there’s really no bantamweight contender right now who deserves it more than Faber. Brian Bowles thinks he’s the guy, but I can’t forget that two fights ago he was beaten up by Dominick Cruz worse than anybody’s been beaten up by Dominick Cruz, ever.
The other name being thrown around in the aftermath of UFC 132 is Demetrious Johnson, who’s coming off decision wins over Miguel Torres and Kid Yamamoto. Impressive? Of course. Still, Johnson has never been on the main card of a UFC event, and promoting him as a headliner could be a tough sell. Give Mighty Mouse one more fight to establish himself — or hurry up and create that long-rumored flyweight division so the diminutive Johnson can dominate there.
Chris Leben: There’s no limit to the brawling abilities of a sugar-free Cat Smasher. Leben vs. Wandy was a bit of a stunt-fight, and now that Leben has emerged victorious, he should return to a more conventional contender track. The first name that comes to mind is Mark Munoz, who’s riding a three-fight win streak, most recently outpointing Demian Maia last month at UFC 131 — although Vitor Belfort could also be a great matchup for Leben, as long as the Phenom can get past Yoshihiro Akiyama next month in Philadelphia.
Wanderlei Silva: It sounds like Dana wants to retire him. I say, fuck that. Silva and Chael Sonnen have already laid so muchtrash-talkgroundwork, it would be a shame if that fight didn’t happen as Sonnen’s post-suspension return. Do it for Brazil’s honor, Wanderlei.
Tito Ortiz: And so, the Huntington Beach Bad Boy has secured his employment for at least one more fight. I’m sure he’s already hounding Dana for a title shot, but I’d like to see Ortiz against someone else on Bader’s level just to get a sense of how “back” Tito really is. UFC 133 presents two interesting possibilities: Rich Franklin if he beats Lil’ Nog, or Phil Davis if he beats Rashad Evans. And if fate conspires to nix those options? There’s always Mauricio Rua, no matter how he does against Forrest Griffin in Rio.
Ryan Bader: Jesus, who knows. A TUF 8 reunion match against the streaking Kyle Kingsbury? Whatever.
Carlos Condit: Due to timing, Condit might have to fight again before getting his first crack at the UFC welterweight title, which is just as well, considering Dong Hyun Kim wasn’t one of those dudes being discussed as an imminent title contender. The winner of Jake vs. Jake would make sense, but I’d much rather see Condit go three wild-ass rounds against Diego Sanchez, assuming the DreamNightmare Vision can slice through Matt Hughes at UFC 135.
Melvin Guillard: I’m thinking Clay Guida. The logjam at 155 isn’t going to clear up until 1) the Edgar/Maynard trilogy concludes, and 2) Jim Miller fights Ben Henderson next month in Milwaukee, but in the meantime, Guillard vs. Guida will go a long way in determining who’s really at the top of the food chain. Both of these guys have looked like future champs lately, and you know they go hard. If Guillard can’t avoid being blanketed for three rounds, he doesn’t deserve to think of himself as the world’s #1 lightweight in the first place.
(BG)
Got any other suggestions for UFC 132′s fighters? Let us know in the comments section…
Tito Ortiz defeated Ryan Bader at 
