(It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, with one lucky winner picking up a six-figure UFC contract and an immediate shot at Aaron Riley. / Photo courtesy of Facebook.com/TUF)
In case you weren’t able to watch Friday night’s marathon premiere of The Ultimate Fighter Live — or read our thoroughly detailed recap — here’s the short version: The porn-star will not be moving into the house, Jon Tuck nearly got his toe ripped off, and half of the 16 one-round fights ended via stoppage. Follow us after the jump, and we’ll show you every single one of those stoppages, in a series of GIFs courtesy of IronForgesIron. Enjoy, and let us know who you think will go all the way…
(It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, with one lucky winner picking up a six-figure UFC contract and an immediate shot at Aaron Riley. / Photo courtesy of Facebook.com/TUF)
In case you weren’t able to watch Friday night’s marathon premiere of The Ultimate Fighter Live — or read our thoroughly detailed recap — here’s the short version: The porn-star will not be moving into the house, Jon Tuck nearly got his toe ripped off, and half of the 16 one-round fights ended via stoppage. Follow us after the jump, and we’ll show you every single one of those stoppages, in a series of GIFs courtesy of IronForgesIron. Enjoy, and let us know who you think will go all the way…
(Joe Proctor def. Jordan Rinaldi via guillotine choke)
(Cristiano Marcello def. Jared Carlsten via rear-naked choke)
Though Chael Sonnen claims to be “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” the title could very well go to long time UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. The man can turn an ice spill into comedy gold. He will put any referee with a last name sounding like Maserati on the spot without a seconds notice. And God forbid you try and diss him during one of his stand up routines. When he turns his hat backwards, it gives him a feeling of super strength that would make Lincoln Hawk piss his pants. Simply put, the man is a DMT tripping, BJJ grappling, spin kick throwing force that rarely fails to entertain when placed in front of a camera.
With the first ever live season of The Ultimate Fighter kicking off tonight, Rogan sat down and shared some of his favorite moments in the show’s history. Go figure, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar‘s war at the TUF 1 Finale was the first thing to be discussed. Here’s what he had to say:
The first season was the first time reality television was integrated with such an exciting and intense growing sport, and it came together in the most beautiful and poetic way possible with the finals … The estimations were that there were as many as eight million people watching this fight. That’s unfathomable! People are at home, and they were calling their friends up, and they’re like, ‘Dude! You’ve gotta watch this. There is a crazy fight going on and these two white guys are beating the fuck out of each other!’ And that was the birth of modern mixed martial arts. That was the fight that put it on the map.
Though Chael Sonnen claims to be “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” the title could very well go to long time UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. The man can turn an ice spill into comedy gold. He will put any referee with a last name sounding like Maserati on the spot without a seconds notice. And God forbid you try and diss him during one of his stand up routines. When he turns his hat backwards, it gives him a feeling of super strength that would make Lincoln Hawk piss his pants. Simply put, the man is a DMT tripping, BJJ grappling, spin kick throwing force that rarely fails to entertain when placed in front of a camera.
With the first ever live season of The Ultimate Fighter kicking off tonight, Rogan sat down and shared some of his favorite moments in the show’s history. Go figure, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar‘s war at the TUF 1 Finale was the first thing to be discussed. Here’s what he had to say:
The first season was the first time reality television was integrated with such an exciting and intense growing sport, and it came together in the most beautiful and poetic way possible with the finals … The estimations were that there were as many as eight million people watching this fight. That’s unfathomable! People are at home, and they were calling their friends up, and they’re like, ‘Dude! You’ve gotta watch this. There is a crazy fight going on and these two white guys are beating the fuck out of each other!’ And that was the birth of modern mixed martial arts. That was the fight that put it on the map.
(What transpired that day on Laguna Beach would forever change DW’s outlook on his usage of the F-word. No, the other F-word.)
UFC President Dana White recently sat down with Spencer Lazara among others for a brief interview, and among the topics to come up was that of a possible Frankie Edgar/Ben Henderson rematch. Edgar, who lost his belt to Henderson at UFC 144, has been bombarding White with talks of a rematch since losing the belt, despite the fact that Dana has outwardly stated a desire for Edgar to drop to 145 and face Jose Aldo. When asked if there was any update on the rematch, DW had the following to say:
No, not yet. Frankie Edgar’s manager has been blowing me up for the last two days. I know he flew to Las Vegas and met with Lorenzo. They thought I was going to be there too, but I’m not. Frankie owes me a phone call. I called Frankie again yesterday and he didn’t answer so we’ll see what happens.
When asked if Dana was growing discouraged with Edgar’s persistence, White was quick to commend the former champ:
Frankie Edgar has given every guy a rematch that we said deserved a rematch. Again, my only beef is, with him being at a higher weight class, you have these decisions that are so narrow that people are on both sides of the fence. I’d rather see him at 145.
I mean, look at these guys at 125. Benavidez said it tonight, he said, ‘Listen, I used to crack guys at 135 pounds, and it was tough to put them away at that bigger weight class.’ What do you think Frankie Edgar’s going to do? Everybody thinks there’s no competition for Jose Aldo. I disagree…and I’d like to see [Edgar] go there.
Join us after the jump for the full video, which includes White’s thoughts on TUF 15’s Dakota Cochrane.
(What transpired that day on Laguna Beach would forever change DW’s outlook on his usage of the F-word. No, the other F-word.)
UFC President Dana White recently sat down with Spencer Lazara among others for a brief interview, and among the topics to come up was that of a possible Frankie Edgar/Ben Henderson rematch. Edgar, who lost his belt to Henderson at UFC 144, has been bombarding White with talks of a rematch since losing the belt, despite the fact that Dana has outwardly stated a desire for Edgar to drop to 145 and face Jose Aldo. When asked if there was any update on the rematch, DW had the following to say:
No, not yet. Frankie Edgar’s manager has been blowing me up for the last two days. I know he flew to Las Vegas and met with Lorenzo. They thought I was going to be there too, but I’m not. Frankie owes me a phone call. I called Frankie again yesterday and he didn’t answer so we’ll see what happens.
When asked if Dana was growing discouraged with Edgar’s persistence, White was quick to commend the former champ:
Frankie Edgar has given every guy a rematch that we said deserved a rematch. Again, my only beef is, with him being at a higher weight class, you have these decisions that are so narrow that people are on both sides of the fence. I’d rather see him at 145.
I mean, look at these guys at 125. Benavidez said it tonight, he said, ‘Listen, I used to crack guys at 135 pounds, and it was tough to put them away at that bigger weight class.’ What do you think Frankie Edgar’s going to do? Everybody thinks there’s no competition for Jose Aldo. I disagree…and I’d like to see [Edgar] go there.
Of course I knew. Listen, the kid’s a fighter. He did what he did. He didn’t break any laws, he didn’t do anything illegal. When we do background checks on guys, we look for stuff that’s illegal, we look for criminal stuff, we look for stuff we just don’t like. You can have your own opinion of him…but the kid’s a fighter, he’s got a good record, and he’s earned his way into The Ultimate Fighter.
(UFC 148 will settle the centuries old debate once and for all. Which is stronger, the widow’s peak or the Leno chin?)
ThoughThe Ultimate Fighter 15 is still a couple weeks away from airing, it seems that Urijah Faber has already begun the war of words with opposing coach, bantamweight champ, and long time rival Dominick Cruz. Set to square off for a third time at UFC 148 in June, the trash talking between these two has reached an all time high, with Faber recently setting the bar at a hole ‘notha level during a recent appearance on Inside MMA. Angered over comments that Cruz made regarding his fighting style, Faber was unrelenting in his analysis of the bantamweight champ:
That’s what fighting’s about, right? And that’s how I approach the fight. Let’s finish this fight! And he’s doing ‘point fighting.’ This isn’t a karate tournament. I mean, do you wanna take hits to the head away next? He’s alive right now because there’s rules in MMA and I had to release his neck and let him breathe! You’re welcome, Dominick Cruz, for giving you life and letting you live! Next time, I’m gonna do the same thing. I’m gonna let you live, but it’s gonna be painful.
Something tells us that we’ll be in for more than “stank bref” jokes this season.
Join us after the jump for more interesting tidbits from around the MMA world.
(UFC 148 will settle the centuries old debate once and for all. Which is stronger, the widow’s peak or the Leno chin?)
ThoughThe Ultimate Fighter 15 is still a couple weeks away from airing, it seems that Urijah Faber has already begun the war of words with opposing coach, bantamweight champ, and long time rival Dominick Cruz. Set to square off for a third time at UFC 148 in June, the trash talking between these two has reached an all time high, with Faber recently setting the bar at a hole ‘notha level during a recent appearance on Inside MMA. Angered over comments that Cruz made regarding his fighting style, Faber was unrelenting in his analysis of the bantamweight champ:
That’s what fighting’s about, right? And that’s how I approach the fight. Let’s finish this fight! And he’s doing ‘point fighting.’ This isn’t a karate tournament. I mean, do you wanna take hits to the head away next? He’s alive right now because there’s rules in MMA and I had to release his neck and let him breathe! You’re welcome, Dominick Cruz, for giving you life and letting you live! Next time, I’m gonna do the same thing. I’m gonna let you live, but it’s gonna be painful.
Something tells us that we’ll be in for more than “stank bref” jokes this season.
While we’re on the subject of heated rivalries, let’s talk about the possibility of a Ben Henderson/Anthony Pettis rematch, shall we? After starching Joe Lauzon at UFC 144, it seems Pettis is all but destined to rematch the newly crowned lightweight champ, whether or not the general public feels he deserves it. And by “general public,” we mean none other than the champ himself. In an interview with MMAFighting, Henderson put it all into perspective:
I think there’s a line. I don’t think he is first in line. I’m going to handle my business, you know, defend the belt a couple times. He’s going to handle his business. I’m sure he’ll get two or three more wins, maybe highlight reel wins, maybe sturdy wins against solid wrestlers where he can show and work on his take down defense or whatever. But he’s going to do his thing and I’m going to do my thing. I’m sure well match up one day and I’m sure it will be for my UFC belt. I don’t know if he’ll be next, but I’m sure it will happen.
Pettis was quick to retort when questioned on the issue in an interview with Pro MMA Radio, stating that Henderson was more or less afraid of him considering how their lightweight tilt back at WEC 53 went down:
If I was him, I would say the same thing too. I mean, he just won the belt and he doesn’t want to give it up that quick and if he fights against me, he’s not going to hold on to that belt for awhile, I mean, I match up bad for him, and for (him to say) for me to work on my takedown defense, last year he couldn’t take me down and we went five rounds and I won that decision. So, if I was him, I wouldn’t want to fight me either.
The last WEC Lightweight Champion went on to say that “there is no clear number one contender at lightweight” except himself, and that the upcoming UFC on Fox 3 clash between Jim Miller and Nate Diaz is simply too far away to let Henderson sit that long. And he makes a good point. Aside from possibly setting up an immediate rematch between Frankie Edgar and Henderson, there are really not that many, if any, current lightweights that should be in line for a shot. But does a win over Lauzon, who is 3-3 in his last 6, warrant a title shot, especially considering the win only improved Pettis’ UFC record to 2-1? Discuss, Potato Nation.
“We’re producing ground-breaking television with The Ultimate Fighter Live and we can’t wait to kick this season off with FX. It’s going to be can’t-miss TV,” UFC president Dana White said of the upcoming season. “Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber are two amazing guys who also happen to be two of the best fighters in the world. They genuinely dislike each other and I expect this to make for the best season yet.”
Season 15 of TUF will run for 13-consecutive weeks and will feature live fights every show, including 16 qualifying bouts in the two-and-a-half-hour-episode on Friday, March 9 at 9:00 pm ET.
The championship bout will air live on June 1 during the three-hour finale on FX.
A second season of the show for the year will air this summer on FX.
“We’re producing ground-breaking television with The Ultimate Fighter Live and we can’t wait to kick this season off with FX. It’s going to be can’t-miss TV,” UFC president Dana White said of the upcoming season. “Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber are two amazing guys who also happen to be two of the best fighters in the world. They genuinely dislike each other and I expect this to make for the best season yet.”
Season 15 of TUF will run for 13-consecutive weeks and will feature live fights every show, including 16 qualifying bouts in the two-and-a-half-hour-episode on Friday, March 9 at 9:00 pm ET.
The championship bout will air live on June 1 during the three-hour finale on FX.
A second season of the show for the year will air this summer on the Fox-owned network.
———-
TUF 15′s lightweight and middleweight competitors are:
“This is a historic moment,” remarked Wanderlei Silva in broken English when attempting to describe the groundbreaking, upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter set to take place entirely in Brazil. And indeed, it is pretty amazing to see how far the reality show, and therefore the UFC, has come in the past few years; UFC 144 really sent this notion home. A sport once considered a passing trend by its critics has now grown to the point that it can simultaneously broadcast two different reality shows from two different countries, folks, so let’s join in on the celebration.
Set to air on March 25th, The Ultimate Fighter: Brazilhas already made huge waves in the Mecca of mixed martial arts, receiving overwhelming support from the country as documented in the above video. Set to coach opposite Vitor Belfort, “The Axe Murderer” recently made one of several appearances to plug the upcoming show, and was greeted with open arms and cries of “When are you going to kill Chael Sonnen?” by the legions of fans lined up around the block. Man, those dudes carry a grudge. Never a man of many words, Silva could only reply, “SOON.”
As we know, TUF Brazil will feature featherweight and middleweight classes doing battle (unfortunately, not against one another) over the course of a twelve episode season, with the rematch between Silva and Belfort to transpire on a separate PPV card, likely in June. Being that this season will feature up and coming Brazilian talent, we would imagine MMA fans will be paying especially close attention, because we are likely looking at future champions in their respective divisions.
Join us after the jump for some more TUF video hype.
“This is a historic moment,” remarked Wanderlei Silva in broken English when attempting to describe the groundbreaking, upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter set to take place entirely in Brazil. And indeed, it is pretty amazing to see how far the reality show, and therefore the UFC, has come in the past few years; UFC 144 really sent this notion home. A sport once considered a passing trend by its critics has now grown to the point that it can simultaneously broadcast two different reality shows from two different countries, folks, so let’s join in on the celebration.
Set to air on March 25th, The Ultimate Fighter: Brazilhas already made huge waves in the Mecca of mixed martial arts, receiving overwhelming support from the country as documented in the above video. Set to coach opposite Vitor Belfort, “The Axe Murderer” recently made one of several appearances to plug the upcoming show, and was greeted with open arms and cries of “When are you going to kill Chael Sonnen?” by the legions of fans lined up around the block. Man, those dudes carry a grudge. Never a man of many words, Silva could only reply, “SOON.”
As we know, TUF Brazil will feature featherweight and middleweight classes doing battle over the course of a twelve episode season, with the rematch between Silva and Belfort to transpire on a separate PPV card, likely in June. Being that this season will feature up and coming Brazilian talent, we would imagine MMA fans will be paying especially close attention, because we are likely looking at future champions in their respective divisions.
Speaking of heated rivalries carried out through The Ultimate Fighter, check out this video promo for the fifteenth season of TUF, which will see bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz square off against rival coach Urijah Faber. We really don’t know what to think of it, aside from the fact that it will probably piss Creationists right the hell off. And whoever decided to use the Red Hot Chili Peppers version of “Higher Ground” instead of the Stevie Wonder original should be tarred, feathered, and hung by their testicles from the nearest tree branch.
