Tag: Tyron Woodley

GIF-Ranking the ‘UFC 167: St. Pierre vs. Hendricks’ Main Card Fights By Interest Level

gsp georges st. pierre dancing tv show funny mma gifs gif gallery
(If there was ever a time for GSP and Anderson Silva to form a 90’s R&B group, it is now.)

Despite the UFC’s best efforts to protect their pretty boy welterweight champion (SARCASM), Georges St. Pierre will in fact be facing top contender Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 this weekend. The fight headlines what is primed to be one of the UFC’s more stacked cards of the year (*fingers crossed*), which isn’t saying much when considering the cards that have preceded it, but still.

In any case, we’re not always the Debbie Downers you guys make us out to be, so we decided to rank the UFC 167 main card fights using only the power of optimism and the almighty gif. Enjoy.

#5 – Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen

In terms of pure drawing power, it makes sense that Sonnen vs. Evans would find itself as the co-main event of the evening. But when we step back and consider what a win would mean for either fighter in terms of their division, it becomes a significantly less intriguing fight to say the least. (Ed note: I know, it’s not exactly the “glass half full” mentality we were hoping to establish, but baby steps, you guys.)

Simply put, both Sonnen and Evans have done about as much as they can do at 205 lbs: they’ve fought and been dominated by Jon Jones, they’ve picked up wins over aging legends in recent bouts, and they stand about a snowball’s chance in hell of receiving another title shot. Not that every fight needs to be a “#1 contender bout” to interest us, but throw in the fact that Sonnen was already supposed to have returned to middleweight after fighting Shogun, that Evans is coming off a pair of less-than-entertaining affairs and that these guys are friends/co-hosts and you’ve got all the ingredients for a snoozer.

Oh yeah, and Sonnen has admitted that he isn’t exactly thrilled to be fighting Evans in the first place. When The American Gangster can’t even muster up the energy to throw a slightly racist death threat his opponent’s way, look out, brother. Official Ranking:

gsp georges st. pierre dancing tv show funny mma gifs gif gallery
(If there was ever a time for GSP and Anderson Silva to form a 90′s R&B group, it is now.)

Despite the UFC’s best efforts to protect their pretty boy welterweight champion (SARCASM), Georges St. Pierre will in fact be facing top contender Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 this weekend. The fight headlines what is primed to be one of the UFC’s more stacked cards of the year (*fingers crossed*), which isn’t saying much when considering the cards that have preceded it, but still.

In any case, we’re not always the Debbie Downers you guys make us out to be, so we decided to rank the UFC 167 main card fights using only the power of optimism and the almighty gif. Enjoy.

#5 – Rashad Evans vs. Chael Sonnen

In terms of pure drawing power, it makes sense that Sonnen vs. Evans would find itself as the co-main event of the evening. But when we step back and consider what a win would mean for either fighter in terms of their division, it becomes a significantly less intriguing fight to say the least. (Ed note: I know, it’s not exactly the “glass half full” mentality we were hoping to establish, but baby steps, you guys.)

Simply put, both Sonnen and Evans have done about as much as they can do at 205 lbs: they’ve fought and been dominated by Jon Jones, they’ve picked up wins over aging legends in recent bouts, and they stand about a snowball’s chance in hell of receiving another title shot. Not that every fight needs to be a “#1 contender bout” to interest us, but throw in the fact that Sonnen was already supposed to have returned to middleweight after fighting Shogun, that Evans is coming off a pair of less-than-entertaining affairs and that these guys are friends/co-hosts and you’ve got all the ingredients for a snoozer.

Oh yeah, and Sonnen has admitted that he isn’t exactly thrilled to be fighting Evans in the first place. When The American Gangster can’t even muster up the energy to throw a slightly racist death threat his opponent’s way, look out, brother. Official Ranking:

 

#4 – Tim Elliot vs. Ali Bagautinov

While it’s somewhat surprising that a fight between two relatively unknown (albeit talented) flyweights would be bumped to the PPV portion of the card over the guaranteed barnburner that is Donald Cerrone vs. Evan Dunham, our expectations are still pretty high for this bout. Elliot has looked as formidable as any flyweight out there in his victories over Louis Gaudinot and Jared Papazian — the latter of which earned him a FOTN bonus — and was barely edged out by former title challenger John Dodson in his promotional debut. He also KO’d Jens Pulver in 28 seconds back in 2011, but we won’t hold that against him.

As for Bagautinov, well…he has only fought once in the UFC (at Fight Night 28), where he KO’d Marcus Vinicius in the third round after being dominated in the first. He’s also Russian, which means he has a granite chin and is perpetually fueled by despair. This fight has the potential to be a truly overlooked scrap, but we’ve also seen promising fighters choke under the brights lights of their first PPV fight time and time again, so let’s give this fight a tentative Official Ranking of:

 

#3 – Josh Koscheck vs. Tyron Woodley

Can anyone explain what the hell has happened to Josh Koscheck: Master Troll? It used to be that a week couldn’t go by without the guy calling us media types “retards” or publicly wishing that his former teammates would all die in a fire, yet we haven’t heard a peep from him in what feels like ages. It could be that he’s dropped his past two fights, it could be that he’s been battling injuries for the better part of 2013, but damn it, we’re starting to miss the brash, overconfident, ass-motorboating Josh Koscheck of old. Which is why we’re relatively excited to see him return to the cage this Saturday against Woodley.

Both Koscheck and Woodley hail from wrestling backgrounds and have shown that they can knock a motherfucker out when need be, so we’re hoping that this fight turns into a good old fashioned banger once they have soundly negated each other’s grappling attacks. I can’t believe I’m typing this, but I’m actually pulling for Koscheck to score a big KO here. Although he’ll never be in the title picture as long as St. Pierre is around, there’s no denying that Fraggle Rock still has some fight left in him. Official Ranking:

 

#2 – Georges St. Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks

What’s that, you say? St. Pierre is fighting a heavy-handed brawler with a solid wrestling base? No. Fucking. Way. WILL HE HAVE TO GO TO HIS “DARK PLACE” (for reals this time) TO DEFEAT A FIGHTER UNLIKE ANYONE HE HAS EVER FACED BEFORE, YOU GUYS? TELL ME MORE ABOUT THIS “PUNCHER’S CHANCE” YOU SPEAK OF!!

Don’t get us wrong, we’re as excited to see St. Pierre vs. Hendricks as we were for any of St. Pierre’s recent fights, but we all know how this fight is going to go down. St. Pierre via decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-43). Don’t even act like that last score is not a possibility given the quality of today’s MMA judges. Official Ranking:

 

#1 – Rory MacDonald vs. Robbie Lawler

Out with the old, in with the new. It’s as simple as that.

There have been rumors floating around that St. Pierre might just retire following his inevitable victory over Hendricks this weekend, rumors that were started by St. Pierre’s own mentor, no less. While we’re not biting hook, line and sinker (more on this later), it’s become quite apparent that St. Pierre is looking to pass the torch to his understudy/everyone’s favorite serial-killer-in-training, Rory MacDonald.

It’s not hard to see why. MacDonald has looked absolutely outstanding in 6 of his 7 octagon appearances, dominating former champion BJ Penn, former prospect Che Mills and Mike Pyle among others. That he’s on the heels of his lone disappointing appearance against Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FOX 8 (which he still walked away from with a victory) will only serve as motivation for MacDonald to skin Robbie Lawler alive and wear him as a suit come Saturday night.

On the other hand, Lawler has experienced something of a career resurgence since re-entering the UFC, KO’ing Josh Koscheck and Bobby Voelker in back-to-back appearances. Lawler will be riding some serious momentum into the octagon on Saturday and will surely be looking to capitalize on the lack of pressure being placed on his shoulders against a hype monster like MacDonald. And if by chance, he is able to knock out Rory, expect the interwebs to respond as such…

You know what? Let’s just declare that as our Official Ranking for this fight, because I’ve been looking at it for almost a half hour straight and cannot stop laughing.

How would you rank these fights in terms of pure excitement, Potato Nation? Give us a holler in the comments section. 

–J. Jones

Josh Koscheck to Motorboat the Ass of Tyron Woodley at UFC 167


(“I guess, just don’t play truth or dare with Rakishi is the main point of my story, Joe.” Photo via MMAPro.)

It appears as if Josh Koscheck has recovered rather quickly from the undisclosed injury that forced him to pull out of his fight with Demian Maia scheduled for UFC 163. In fact, the former welterweight title challenger and “five star guy” according to Ronnie from the Jersey Shore (unconfirmed) has already been booked to face former Strikeforce welterweight title challenger Tyron Woodley at UFC 167.

It’s probably the best news old Fluffin Top has heard in the better part of a year. After dropping back-to-back fights for the first time in his MMA career, many assumed that Koscheck’s pairing with the win-streaking Maia was the UFC’s way of putting the TUF 1 alum in a do-or-die situation. While that could still be the case for his fight with Woodley, at least Koscheck has been given a far more winnable matchup (or so it would seem). Are we insinuating that Koscheck faked an injury to duck Maia and get an easier opponent? Yes, that’s exactly what we’re saying.

Woodley has also seen some mixed results since transitioning the UFC back in February. After KO’ing Jay Hieron in his promotional debut at UFC 156, “The Chosen One” (whose nickname doesn’t hold a candle to “The Nsane 1“) was stifled by the ultimate stifler, Jake Shields, at UFC 161. It was a decision that some saw as controversial and most saw as “Oh, I was grabbing a ten dollar hoagie during that one.”

Who you like, Taters?

–J. Jones


(“I guess, just don’t play truth or dare with Rakishi is the main point of my story, Joe.” Photo via MMAPro.)

It appears as if Josh Koscheck has recovered rather quickly from the undisclosed injury that forced him to pull out of his fight with Demian Maia scheduled for UFC 163. In fact, the former welterweight title challenger and “five star guy” according to Ronnie from the Jersey Shore (unconfirmed) has already been booked to face former Strikeforce welterweight title challenger Tyron Woodley at UFC 167.

It’s probably the best news old Fluffin Top has heard in the better part of a year. After dropping back-to-back fights for the first time in his MMA career, many assumed that Koscheck’s pairing with the win-streaking Maia was the UFC’s way of putting the TUF 1 alum in a do-or-die situation. While that could still be the case for his fight with Woodley, at least Koscheck has been given a far more winnable matchup (or so it would seem). Are we insinuating that Koscheck faked an injury to duck Maia and get an easier opponent? Yes, that’s exactly what we’re saying.

Woodley has also seen some mixed results since transitioning the UFC back in February. After KO’ing Jay Hieron in his promotional debut at UFC 156, “The Chosen One” (whose nickname doesn’t hold a candle to “The Nsane 1“) was stifled by the ultimate stifler, Jake Shields, at UFC 161. It was a decision that some saw as controversial and most saw as “Oh, I was grabbing a ten dollar hoagie during that one.”

Who you like, Taters?

–J. Jones

Jake Shields Slated for Do-or-Die Fight Against Tryon Woodley on June 15th


(Looks like T-Wood traded his lay-n-pray for some float-n-gloat. / Photo via Getty Images)

In terms of job security, Jake Shields has every strike against him right now. He’s coming off a six-month drug-suspension, his UFC appearances have been either forgettable or memorable for the wrong reasons, his official Octagon record is an uninspiring 2-2, and he’s even more expensive than Jon Fitch. It’s safe to assume that Shields will need to win his next match to avoid the axe — and according to new reports, that’s not going to be easy.

As first revealed by MMAJunkie, a welterweight bout between Shields and Tyron Woodley is being targeted for a June 15th UFC event in Canada (city/venue TBA). The fight will mark Shields’s return to the 170-pound division after his brief trip back up to middleweight at UFC 150, where he defeated Ed Herman by decision before that victory was overturned.

Like Shields, Tyron Woodley has endured “boring fighter” criticisms in the past for the way he’s used his suffocating wrestling to prevent opponents such as Paul Daley from standing and banging. But in his UFC debut earlier this month at UFC 156, Woodley showed off his tremendous knockout power, blitzing Jay Hieron in just 36 seconds. T-Wood’s previous fight against Nate Marquardt in Strikeforce was also an entertaining scrap, although it ultimately led to the first loss of Woodley’s career.

So will Shields fight any differently when it’s clear that his job is at stake? How do you see this one going down?


(Looks like T-Wood traded his lay-n-pray for some float-n-gloat. / Photo via Getty Images)

In terms of job security, Jake Shields has every strike against him right now. He’s coming off a six-month drug-suspension, his UFC appearances have been either forgettable or memorable for the wrong reasons, his official Octagon record is an uninspiring 2-2, and he’s even more expensive than Jon Fitch. It’s safe to assume that Shields will need to win his next match to avoid the axe — and according to new reports, that’s not going to be easy.

As first revealed by MMAJunkie, a welterweight bout between Shields and Tyron Woodley is being targeted for a June 15th UFC event in Canada (city/venue TBA). The fight will mark Shields’s return to the 170-pound division after his brief trip back up to middleweight at UFC 150, where he defeated Ed Herman by decision before that victory was overturned.

Like Shields, Tyron Woodley has endured “boring fighter” criticisms in the past for the way he’s used his suffocating wrestling to prevent opponents such as Paul Daley from standing and banging. But in his UFC debut earlier this month at UFC 156, Woodley showed off his tremendous knockout power, blitzing Jay Hieron in just 36 seconds. T-Wood’s previous fight against Nate Marquardt in Strikeforce was also an entertaining scrap, although it ultimately led to the first loss of Woodley’s career.

So will Shields fight any differently when it’s clear that his job is at stake? How do you see this one going down?

Friday Link Dump: The Definitive Mike Goldberg Blooper Reel, Thiago Tavares Reacts to Failed Drug Test, Steven Seagal’s Latest Adventure + More

(“Progidy.” “The 30-something Randy Couture of the 40-something crowd.” “I don’t speak-a the Portuguesa.” “Leg kick to the midsection.” All the classics are here. / Props: zombie00713 via MiddleEasy)

Thiago Tavares ‘Surprised’ By Recent Failed Drug Test Following UFC On FX 7 (Fightline)

‘Bigfoot’ Silva’s Manager: Cain Velasquez Rematch Possible, but Slower Path to Title Preferred (MMAFighting)

Johny Hendricks Calls Georges St. Pierre an ‘Idiot’ for Thinking Nick Diaz Deserves a Title Shot Over Him (MMA Mania)

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and the Evolution of Mixed Martial Arts (BleacherReport)

If Condit Gets Hurt, Tyron Woodley Wants to Fight Rory MacDonald at UFC 158 (MMAConvert)

Jack Slack’s Greatest Strikers: A Brief Look At Giorgio Petrosyan (BloodyElbow)

Pictures: Joe Lauzon Competes In Food Decathlon (FightDay)

Steven Seagal and Joe Arpaio Are Training a ‘Posse’ of School Shooting First Responders (FilmDrunk)

The 40 Softest Athletes in Sports History (Complex)

2013 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide (MensHealth)

7 Must-See Photos That Haven’t Been Photoshopped (DoubleViking)

Everyone Is Doing the Harlem Shake Right Now (Break)

50 Horrible Photos Taken By Horribly Professional Photographers (WorldWideInterweb)


(“Progidy.” “The 30-something Randy Couture of the 40-something crowd.” “I don’t speak-a the Portuguesa.” “Leg kick to the midsection.” All the classics are here. / Props: zombie00713 via MiddleEasy)

Thiago Tavares ‘Surprised’ By Recent Failed Drug Test Following UFC On FX 7 (Fightline)

‘Bigfoot’ Silva’s Manager: Cain Velasquez Rematch Possible, but Slower Path to Title Preferred (MMAFighting)

Johny Hendricks Calls Georges St. Pierre an ‘Idiot’ for Thinking Nick Diaz Deserves a Title Shot Over Him (MMA Mania)

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and the Evolution of Mixed Martial Arts (BleacherReport)

If Condit Gets Hurt, Tyron Woodley Wants to Fight Rory MacDonald at UFC 158 (MMAConvert)

Jack Slack’s Greatest Strikers: A Brief Look At Giorgio Petrosyan (BloodyElbow)

Pictures: Joe Lauzon Competes In Food Decathlon (FightDay)

Steven Seagal and Joe Arpaio Are Training a ‘Posse’ of School Shooting First Responders (FilmDrunk)

The 40 Softest Athletes in Sports History (Complex)

2013 Valentine’s Day Gift Guide (MensHealth)

7 Must-See Photos That Haven’t Been Photoshopped (DoubleViking)

Everyone Is Doing the Harlem Shake Right Now (Break)

50 Horrible Photos Taken By Horribly Professional Photographers (WorldWideInterweb)

‘UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar’: The New Guys

(Bobby Green vs. Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennet at KOTC – Fight 4 Hope.)

For obvious reasons, the main focus of Saturday night’s UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar card is on both the headlining title fight and the title implications of an Alistair Overeem win, but that is not to say that there aren’t plenty of intriguing matchups to be had on the undercard as well. Featuring the UFC debuts of a couple Strikeforce veterans and an undefeated Hawaiian prospect, UFC 156 promises to deliver from top to bottom, so join us after the jump to get the inside scoop on all of the unfamiliar faces that will be stepping into the octagon Saturday night.

(Green vs. Dan Lauzon at Affliction: Day of Reckoning.) 

Bobby “King” Green (LW)


(Bobby Green vs. Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennet at KOTC – Fight 4 Hope.)

For obvious reasons, the main focus of Saturday night’s UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar card is on both the headlining title fight and the title implications of an Alistair Overeem win, but that is not to say that there aren’t plenty of intriguing matchups to be had on the undercard as well. Featuring the UFC debuts of a couple Strikeforce veterans and an undefeated Hawaiian prospect, UFC 156 promises to deliver from top to bottom, so join us after the jump to get the inside scoop on all of the unfamiliar faces that will be stepping into the octagon Saturday night.


(Green vs. Dan Lauzon at Affliction: Day of Reckoning.) 

Bobby “King” Green (LW)
Experience: 19-5 (7 KO, 8 Sub), including notable victories over TUF 15 alum Daron Cruickshank, Charles Bennett, and Matt Ricehouse. Multiple appearances under the Strikeforce and KOTC banners, the latter of which he was the junior welterweight champion and undisputed lightweight champion.
Will be facing: Jacob Volkmann (15-3, 6-3 UFC, 0-1 Secret Service)
Lowdown: Although he is perhaps best known for having two points deducted for low blows in the first round of his fight with Dan Lauzon (see above), Green is a legitimately well-rounded fighter who poses all sorts of problems for Volkmann. A solid submission artist who attacks from any position he is in, look to see Green’s bottom game tested against the smothering top game of Volkmann. Although personally, I think Green’s best chance of victory here will be on the feet, where he could easily stun and possibly finish Volkmann if he can avoid the inevitable takedown.


(Vallie-Flagg, seen here dropping a first round TKO to a waxed linoleum floor.) 

Isaac Vallie-Flagg (LW)
Experience: 13-3-1 record (5 KO, 3 Sub), including a notable split decision win over Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier and a notable loss to Rudy Bears. Compiled a 4-1 record under the King of the Cage banner.
Will be facing: Yves Edwards (42-18-1, 10-6 UFC)
Lowdown: A measured, technical striker with a solid submission game, this Jackson’s MMA product will likely be looking to stick and move his way to a decision victory over the heavy-handed Edwards, who will enjoy both a tremendous experience and grappling advantage heading into this one. Check out a full video of Vallie-Flagg’s Strikeforce debut victory over Cavalcante here.


(Highlights from Kimura’s most recent KO victory over Guy Delumeau at PXC 34.)

Dustin Kimura (FW)
Experience: 9-0 (2 KO, 6 Sub), including one appearance under King of the Cage that resulted in a first round submission via rear-naked choke victory over Toby Misech.
Will be facing: Chico Camus (12-3, 1-0 UFC)
Lowdown: There’s not honestly much out there about this kid, but Kimura has gained notoriety for his solid submission and grappling game, and based on his most recent fight, has made some strong improvements to his standup as well. He’ll be facing a talented grappler and Duke Roufus product in Camus, who demonstrated some fierce ground-n-pound (but some subpar striking) in his UFC debut victory over Dustin Pague at UFC 150. This fight could very well be determined on the feet, with Kimura using his grappling in reverse to showcase his newfound striking prowess.


(See! I told you guys Woodley was in an entertaining fight once!) 

Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley (WW)
Experience: 10-1 (1 KO, 5 Sub), including an 8-1 run under the Strikeforce banner. Notable victories include Jordan Mein, Paul Daley, and final Strikeforce welterweight champion Tarec Saffeidine.
Will be facing: Filling in on short notice for Erick Silva against Jay Hieron (23-6, 0-3 UFC)
Lowdown: Honestly, if you don’t know what Tyron Woodley’s gameplan is by now, then you’ve clearly never seen a Tyron Woodley fight. This fight will be determined by one sole factor: whether or not Hieron can stuff Woodley’s endless takedown attempts. Based on his luck in the UFC, I’m betting “The Thoroughbred” wont be able to. Woodley by UD.

–J. Jones

Erick Silva Out, Tyron Woodley in Against Jay Hieron at UFC 156


(“Come on, you guys, give him a hand for trying.”)

If you were looking over the UFC 156 fight card and thinking to yourself “Hey, this card is almost too stacked. I could really use a lackluster fight to make a sandwich or go to the bathroom during,” well then do we have some great news for you. Now that Erick Silva has fallen victim to the great injury curse of 2012 (2013 status pending), it appears that Strikeforce welterweight Tyron Woodley has been called over to the UFC in his absence. As was the case with future highlight reel victim Lucas Martins, Woodley will be making his promotional debut on short notice against a much more experienced opponent. However, unlike Martins, Woodley actually finds himself in a matchup that he stands a good chance of winning.

Woodley will be squaring off against Jay Hieron, a Bellator/IFL/Strikeforce veteran who has simply not been able to put it together in the octagon, going 0 for 3 in the promotion thus far. After we hyped the hell out of his UFC return, Hieron put on an incredibly disappointing — not to mention tepid — performance against Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FX 5, resulting in a unanimous decision victory for the Omaha native. You guys remember that fight, right? Anyone? Who am I kidding, not even Hieron’s mom remembers that fight.


(“Come on, you guys, give him a hand for trying.”)

If you were looking over the UFC 156 fight card and thinking to yourself “Hey, this card is almost too stacked. I could really use a lackluster fight to make a sandwich or go to the bathroom during,” well then do we have some great news for you. Now that Erick Silva has fallen victim to the great injury curse of 2012 (2013 status pending), it appears that Strikeforce welterweight Tyron Woodley has been called over to the UFC in his absence. As was the case with future highlight reel victim Lucas Martins, Woodley will be making his promotional debut on short notice against a much more experienced opponent. However, unlike Martins, Woodley actually finds himself in a matchup that he stands a good chance of winning.

Woodley will be squaring off against Jay Hieron, a Bellator/IFL/Strikeforce veteran who has simply not been able to put it together in the octagon, going 0 for 3 in the promotion thus far. After we hyped the hell out of his UFC return, Hieron put on an incredibly disappointing — not to mention tepid — performance against Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FX 5, resulting in a unanimous decision victory for the Omaha native. You guys remember that fight, right? Anyone? Who am I kidding, not even Hieron’s mom remembers that fight.

Anyway, considering he’s fighting one of the most prominent lay-n-pray artists in the sport in Woodley, expect this one to go down in similar fashion to Hieron’s Bellator 56 title scrap against Ben Azzzzkren. In other words, Hieron will spend most of the fight fending off takedowns and scoring minimally from the outside, his jabs doing little to stifle the chorus of boos from the audience. By the end of three rounds, he will have emerged a clear victor, yet the fight will be scored a split decision in favor of Woodley. Hieron will then walk away in disgust and rant and rave in his post-fight interviews that Woodley “Didn’t come to fight” and yadda yadda yadda I’m really tired today.

Who do you like for this one, Potato Nation? And more importantly, how do you plan on entertaining yourself for the loong fifteen minutes this fight will ultimately last?

–J. Jones