(“So then Frodo was all like ‘Give me back the ring!’ and I was all like ‘No way, dude!’ Anyways, long story short, the sumbitch burned me. He burned me bad.” Photo via Getty.)
After unveiling that the next season of The Ultimate Fighter would feature a head-scratching, perhaps even nonsensical coaching matchup, the UFC Tonight gang actually hinted at and/or confirmed a few matchups that fans might actually give two shits about. It’s called progress, you guys. All three of these fights are being pegged for UFC on FOX 9, which goes down in Sacramento, California on December 14th, so let’s start with the only matchup to be confirmed last night.
Currently riding an impressive three-fight win streak, Urijah Faber will be facing an incredibly tough challenge in Michael “Mayday” McDonald at the aforementioned event. Both men are coming off wins over Yuri Alcantara and Brad Pickett, respectively, at Fight Night: Sonnen vs. Shogun. Fun fact: This four fight stretch marks the longest Faber has gone without receiving a title shot of some kind (or defending a title) since his first five fights as a professional. Dude’s like the Mick Jagger of MMA.
In other, more tentative fight booking news…
(“So then Frodo was all like ‘Give me back the ring!’ and I was all like ‘No way, dude!’ Anyways, long story short, the sumbitch burned me. He burned me bad.” Photo via Getty.)
After unveiling that the next season of The Ultimate Fighter would feature a head-scratching, perhaps even nonsensical coaching matchup, the UFC Tonight gang actually hinted at and/or confirmed a few matchups that fans might actually give two shits about. It’s called progress, you guys. All three of these fights are being pegged for UFC on FOX 9, which goes down in Sacramento, California on December 14th, so let’s start with the only matchup to be confirmed last night.
Currently riding an impressive three-fight win streak, Urijah Faber will be facing an incredibly tough challenge in Michael “Mayday” McDonald at the aforementioned event. Both men are coming off wins over Yuri Alcantara and Brad Pickett, respectively, at Fight Night: Sonnen vs. Shogun. Fun fact: This four fight stretch marks the longest Faber has gone without receiving a title shot of some kind (or defending a title) since his first five fights as a professional. Dude’s like the Mick Jagger of MMA.
In other, more tentative fight booking news…
UFC Tonight also hinted that the promotion is currently trying to book the lightweight title fight between Anthony Pettis and T.J. Grant for UFC on FOX 9 as well. The matchup hinders on whether or not Pettis’ knee will be healed up from the sprain he suffered in his title-winning effort over Ben Henderson at UFC 164 last month. All the signs seem to indicate that Pettis will be ready to go in a matter of weeks, so look forward to seeing this bout top what is already looking like another spectacular UFC on FOX card. The fight will also be Grant’s first since withdrawing from his fight with Bendo due to injury and being replaced by, you guessed it, Anthony Pettis. Let’s hope these two can stay healthy.
Additionally, a bout between Travis Browne and Stipe Miocic is also being put together for the December card. Browne is fresh off a come-from-behind KO victory over Alistair Overeem, also at Fight Night 26, whereas Miocic most recently bounced back from his first career loss with a three round beatdown of Roy Nelson at UFC 161. The only outside factor preventing this fight from being confirmed is that of the indefinite medical suspension Browne received after allegedly cutting his foot on Overeem’s glass chin (allegedly). Browne will need to be cleared for by an orthopedist and opthamologist before he can be given the go-ahead against Miocic.
Who do you like for this trio of sure-to-be-slugfests, Nation?
Grant, who has won his last five fights in the Octagon, was slated to challenge Benson Henderson for the lightweight title at UFC 164, but was replaced by Pettis after he suffered a concussion in training. And now, Grant is coming to collect on the title shot he was originally promised, and then not promised, and is now being promised again, I guess.
As for when this lightweight title fight will take place, it partially depends on the condition of Pettis’s knee. “Showtime” suffered a moderate knee sprain while checking a kick from Bendo during their fight last Saturday, and will be sidelined for 7-8 weeks to rehab it. Luckily, the injury won’t require surgery, and it’s likely that we’ll see him back in action early next year.
(Anthony’s a generous guy. He actually left behind that WEC belt as a tip. / Photo via instagram.com/showtimepettis)
Grant, who has won his last five fights in the Octagon, was slated to challenge Benson Henderson for the lightweight title at UFC 164, but was replaced by Pettis after he suffered a concussion in training. And now, Grant is coming to collect on the title shot he was originally promised, and then not promised, and is now being promised again, I guess.
As for when this lightweight title fight will take place, it partially depends on the condition of Pettis’s knee. “Showtime” suffered a moderate knee sprain while checking a kick from Bendo during their fight last Saturday, and will be sidelined for 7-8 weeks to rehab it. Luckily, the injury won’t require surgery, and it’s likely that we’ll see him back in action early next year.
After ripping the lightweight world title away from Benson Henderson this past Saturday at UFC 164, Anthony Pettis immediately called out dominant featherweight champion Jose Aldo in the Octagon. The two have “unfinished business,” Pettis said.
The rest is history…as well as an exciting mess of future match-up possibilities. Just days after the lightweight division was shaken up by Pettis’ armbar win, every one seems to be calling out everyone else, but some how no one’s interests are quite matching up yet.
After UFC 164 and Pettis’ call out of Aldo, the featherweight’s manager and coach, Andre Pederneiras tweeted in Portuguese, “I believe now we will see Pettis returning his lightweight belt and moving down to fight Aldo at 145 [pounds],” according to MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz.
“We were not the ones who left the fight in Rio, and I want to see [Pettis] make 145. This fight will happen, don’t worry. We just want equal rights to the Brazilians,” he went on.
UFC President Dana White immediately reacted to Pederneiras at the post event press conference. “They are going to fight,” White said.
“I’ve known Andre for years. But when you come out and make a statement like that, you make it look like (Aldo) is afraid. And that might not be Aldo’s same opinion. It makes it look like he’s afraid of Anthony Pettis, which already gives Anthony Pettis an advantage.”
(Admit it — you completely forgot about this guy. / Photo via MMAJunkie)
After ripping the lightweight world title away from Benson Henderson this past Saturday at UFC 164, Anthony Pettis immediately called out dominant featherweight champion Jose Aldo in the Octagon. The two have “unfinished business,” Pettis said.
The rest is history…as well as an exciting mess of future match-up possibilities. Just days after the lightweight division was shaken up by Pettis’ armbar win, every one seems to be calling out everyone else, but some how no one’s interests are quite matching up yet.
After UFC 164 and Pettis’ call out of Aldo, the featherweight’s manager and coach, Andre Pederneiras tweeted in Portuguese, “I believe now we will see Pettis returning his lightweight belt and moving down to fight Aldo at 145 [pounds],” according to MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz.
“We were not the ones who left the fight in Rio, and I want to see [Pettis] make 145. This fight will happen, don’t worry. We just want equal rights to the Brazilians,” he went on.
UFC President Dana White immediately reacted to Pederneiras at the post event press conference. “They are going to fight,” White said.
“I’ve known Andre for years. But when you come out and make a statement like that, you make it look like (Aldo) is afraid. And that might not be Aldo’s same opinion. It makes it look like he’s afraid of Anthony Pettis, which already gives Anthony Pettis an advantage.”
Aldo himself went on the record with Brazilian TV show Planeta Nocaute, asserted that he is not afraid of Pettis or anyone else and defended his manager/coach’s statements. “I can fight Cain Velasquez if they want,” Cruz translates and reports.
It seems that Aldo and his camp are upset at having the tables turned on them. They say that White promised him a shot at the lightweight championship if he were to beat Pettis in their originally scheduled UFc 163 bout in Brazil a month ago.
“[Andre] is absolutely right,” Aldo said. “They forced us to do something and Andre wants something in return. I agree with everything Andre says, and I can fight anyone. Sometimes Dana says things that you better not pay attention. (Dana) knows he promised us things and he knows he has to give us, so that’s why he says those things. We’ll see what happens.”
Of course, Aldo would take offense to insinuations that he is scared to fight anyone but it is strange for him to insist on Pettis coming down in weight in order to fight. If Pettis wants to fight Aldo, and Aldo comes up, he can get the title shot he says White promised him without risking his own featherweight belt as he originally had to do first.
In any case, a fellow named T.J. Grant (you know, the lightweight division’s #1 contender?) isn’t too happy to have been taken out of the equation so summarily. He says that his concussion recovery is coming along well and that he’d be ready to fight in late December or at any point from January onward.
When he does return, Grant says that he deserves to fight Pettis next, though he understands the appeal of an Aldo/Pettis super fight. “I’m a fan,” Grant admitted to MMA Fighting. “I love watching UFC fights. I watch all of them, whether they’re people I’m potentially fighting or not, I enjoy it. Pettis against Aldo is an exciting fight.”
“But, hey, I just won my last fight in two minutes. I knocked [Gray Maynard] out. I knocked the guy out before that [Matt Wiman]. I feel like I’ve earned it. I feel like I’m the guy. I’ve been in the UFC a long time. I’ve never really gotten the push that I feel like I need but I’ve also built a lot of experience in fighting and haven’t been in the spotlight, which is nice too. But I’m ready to be there and I’m ready to go out there. Give me the opportunity man. I feel like I’ve earned it.”
And, as Grant points out, Aldo is injured right now anyway with a broken foot and won’t be able to fight for quite a long time. Thing is, Pettis also injured his knee during his brief fight against Henderson.
As of now, the extent of the new champion’s injury is not known or has not been revealed. If his required recovery time coincides with Aldo’s, then Grant really could be the odd man out for awhile.
If that’s the case, Grant has two other guys in mind to fight — Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson. Thomson has called out Grant and T.J. says that he’s been a fan of Melendez for years.
“I’m not specifically calling them out,” he specified. “I want a healthy Pettis, and I want a healthy me, and I want us to get in there and do battle.”
Which fight are you rooting for, nation? Aldo vs. Pettis? If so, what weight? Any underdog fans really want to see Grant get in there first? Personally, this writer is eagerly awaiting Cain Velasquez’s response to Aldo’s challenge. I think Aldo could beat up the heavyweight champ’s legs a bit and maybe land a knee before Velasquez eats him.
(If you enjoy seeing someone immediately regret a decision they made on camera, it doesn’t get much better than this.)
For better or worse, we as a society have become completely incapable of accepting any information at face value. It’s why some of us simply can’t believe that, yes, if you drop your hands and clown around a little too much against a world class fighter, you might get knocked the fuck out even if you’re Anderson Silva. It’s also why some of us simply refuse to believe that T.J. Grant was actually injured when he pulled out of his title fight with Ben Henderson, despite all the evidence pointing to the contrary.
Well, conspiracy theory or not, the concussion Grant suffered while rolling will keep him out of action until at least November. Unfortunately for Grant, his stock will have plummeted so far by the time he returns that he will likely have to fight his way back to a title shot that he will never truly receive once again. That’s UFC politics, baby — greed, get the money, dollar, dollar bill, y’all.
During an appearance on yesterday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Grant spelled out what the future had in store for him and also detailed his decision to pull out of the fight. And again, he would like you to know that it was actually his decision to make:
I’m not scared to fight anyone. If I was healthy and I knew that I could get in shape, I would’ve [tried it.]. It’s a little scary. I wanted to kind of make the best decision for myself. I want to do what’s best for me.
(If you enjoy seeing someone immediately regret a decision they made on camera, it doesn’t get much better than this.)
For better or worse, we as a society have become completely incapable of accepting any information at face value. It’s why some of us simply can’t believe that, yes, if you drop your hands and clown around a little too much against a world class fighter, you might get knocked the fuck out even if you’re Anderson Silva. It’s also why some of us simply refuse to believe that T.J. Grant was actually injured when he pulled out of his title fight with Ben Henderson, despite all the evidence pointing to the contrary.
Well, conspiracy theory or not, the concussion Grant suffered while rolling will keep him out of action until at least November. Unfortunately for Grant, his stock will have plummeted so far by the time he returns that he will likely have to fight his way back to a title shot that he will never truly receive once again. That’s UFC politics, baby — greed, get the money, dollar, dollar bill, y’all.
During an appearance on yesterday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Grant spelled out what the future had in store for him and also detailed his decision to pull out of the fight. And again, he would like you to know that it was actually his decision to make:
I’m not scared to fight anyone. If I was healthy and I knew that I could get in shape, I would’ve [tried it.]. It’s a little scary. I wanted to kind of make the best decision for myself. I want to do what’s best for me. I want to fight for a long time. I want to live a long time. I want to enjoy my baby girl and all that stuff, so I thought about it a lot and talked to the UFC doctor and all the doctors here. The decision was 100 percent mine.
Additionally, Grant told Helwani that UFC matchmaker Joe Silva “never made any promises one way or the other” in regards to whether or not he would receive a title shot upon his return. However, Silva did tell Grant that “if [his next fight] was a step back, it would only be one step back.”
Oh, T.J., you ignorant slut. Ask Dan Henderson, Rashad Evans, or Lyoto Machida what it’s like to take a step back (and that’s just one division!). One day, you’re the top dog of the office, and the next, you’re fighting for the right to stay employed. It’s kind of like working at Walmart.
Judging from the immediate reaction to last night’s news that TJ Grant has withdrawn from his title fight against Benson Henderson, a lot of you seem to feel that Grant’s injury is somewhat less than legitimate. As the conspiracy theory goes, the UFC recognized that Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis would do much better business than Henderson vs. TJ Grant, and paid off Grant to fake an injury. (Who knows, maybe Pettis’s knee injury was bullshit as well?)
So let’s pump the brakes on this speculation right now. According to TJ Grant last night, the lightweight contender is recovering from a concussion suffered while grappling — an invisible injury, but still a real injury — and the UFC did not, and could not, pay him to give up his title shot. Okay? Can we all move on with our lives now? Oh, if only.
Here’s the deal: I actually believe that Grant’s not the kind of person who would sell the title shot he worked so hard for, but the almost universally-skeptical reaction that this situation produced tells us a lot about the UFC’s public perception — namely, that the promotion is a shady outfit that would pay its fighters to lie in order to set up more profitable fights.
Judging from the immediate reaction to last night’s news that TJ Grant has withdrawn from his title fight against Benson Henderson, a lot of you seem to feel that Grant’s injury is somewhat less than legitimate. As the conspiracy theory goes, the UFC recognized that Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis would do much better business than Henderson vs. TJ Grant, and paid off Grant to fake an injury. (Who knows, maybe Pettis’s knee injury was bullshit as well?)
So let’s pump the brakes on this speculation right now. According to TJ Grant last night, the lightweight contender is recovering from a concussion suffered while grappling — an invisible injury, but still a real injury — and the UFC did not, and could not, pay him to give up his title shot. Okay? Can we all move on with our lives now? Oh, if only.
Here’s the deal: I actually believe that Grant’s not the kind of person who would sell the title shot he worked so hard for, but the almost universally-skeptical reaction that this situation produced tells us a lot about the UFC’s public perception — namely, that the promotion is a shady outfit that would pay its fighters to lie in order to set up more profitable fights.
The UFC and TJ Grant have every right to be offended by this suggestion. Unfortunately, a century’s worth of dirty-dealings in the fight business have trained fans to expect the worst when things work out a little too conveniently for a promoter. It’s especially unfortunate for TJ Grant, a humble, hard-working guy who has been fielding some rather nasty accusations since last night, and may be hearing about this for a long time. That’s the reality. But since the UFC is an organization that has always valued secrecy in its business dealings, perceptions of unethical behavior will always linger among MMA’s more imaginative fans.
The bottom line is this: You can all feel free to call this a “work,” as long as you acknowledge that you have no actual proof to back that opinion up.
The bottom line is, Henderson is making his next title defense against the last guy to beat him, thanks in part to a legendary highlight-reel kick that haunts Henderson to this day. Now that’s a story the UFC can sell. We’ll pass along more details when we have them.
(Oh, don’t act so surprised. / Photo via Getty Images)
The bottom line is, Henderson is making his next title defense against the last guy to beat him, thanks in part to a legendary highlight-reel kick that haunts Henderson to this day. Now that’s a story the UFC can sell. We’ll pass along more details when we have them.
