Jon Jones managed to find his way into the news despite Conor McGregor’s well-publicized trip to New York City. After former UFC lightweight Tyson Griffin tweeted at Jones regarding his botched Nike sponsorship, Jones snapped back in the worst kind of way. See the exchange for yourself: Well there goes @TheNotoriousMMA lossing his @BurgerKing deal […]
Jon Jones managed to find his way into the news despite Conor McGregor’s well-publicized trip to New York City. After former UFC lightweight Tyson Griffin tweeted at Jones regarding his botched Nike sponsorship, Jones snapped back in the worst kind of way.
Jones didn’t let that shade slide, and promptly put it all into perspective for Griffin, so to speak:
@TysonGriffin my dream was to be sponsored by Nike as a high school wrestler, became an adult and made it happen. Even had my own sneaker which sold out within a day.
@TysonGriffin You can tell by the tone of your tweet that you’re happy Connor may be losing his deal. Disguise yourself as an MMA coach or a MMA personality, I just see a bitter bitch who’s the size of my dick
Jones even private messaged Griffin to further make his point, as evidenced when Griffin posted those private messages in a very public tweet.
2 years ago I kept this private because I almost felt bad for @JonnyBones but now I’ll just let you all judge for yourselves. pic.twitter.com/s4eZfv8M25
@TysonGriffin It’s hilarious that you reposted our private messages, I meant every word I said. At first I thought your hatred was DC related but now I’m starting to think you are just an envious little bastard.
@TysonGriffin At the end of the day, I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty fun shitting on you. Just because I’m the bigger man doesn’t mean I have to sit back be quiet and listen to your cyber attack.
@TysonGriffin hope this has gained you a few more followers. I’m sure you were reply to my last message. Be quiet for a while and come out with more hatred in a few more months. It’s your pattern. You’re cute, my little pet
@TysonGriffin last thing, don’t call me brother. My brothers are over 6 feet and champions… Hitting me with that soft shit after getting verbally body bagged. Stop throwing tomatoes from the sidelines bro, you’re whack
It’s safe to say that Jones buried Tyson Griffin on this one, but in a way, Griffin still has a point. Bones’ defense is just brutal though. If you start with him, he’ll be sure to finish it.
Like many kids, young Nick Newell dabbled in a number of sports as a child. First, there was soccer, then karate and baseball.
Nothing really stuck with him, however, until he joined his high school’s wrestling team as a freshman. The fact that he was missing the lower portion of his left arm didn’t seem to matter to Newell.
His family had always encouraged Nick to take part in whatever interested him, like all the other kids, and now his interest was in combat sports. “I really loved one on one aspect,” he tells CagePotato in the days leading up to his fight against Keon Caldwell on tonight’s World Series of Fighting 4 event in California.
“I don’t like depending on anyone else to get the job done. At the end of the day, you have no excuses no one to blame.”
That Newell lost his first fifteen wrestling matches didn’t put a damper on his enthusiasm for wrestling, and it also didn’t bring scorn of teammates mad that he was losing so much. “I was the team’s only 103 pounder so if I went out there and got a forfeit win it was better than nothing,” he tells with a laugh.
“I got my balls busted because I was a freshman but that was about it. The wrestling team is a family. And the coach had a lot of faith in me expected a lot out of me, even when I sucked. He always believed in me. Everyone saw how hard I worked as well. You’re together six days a week and you develop a bond.”
During college Newell decided that he wanted to fight MMA because, well, he saw MMA fights and knew that he could be good enough to do it. “I knew that I wanted to fight when I went to see fights for the first time,” he says.
“There were some fights around where I was training wrestling in college and some friends asked if I wanted to go see some fights. I said, ‘yeah, I’ll go.’ When we were watching I thought to myself, ‘I could beat these guys.’ So, instead of just talking about it, I went out and started training and did it.”
Indeed he has. The lightweight has put together a perfect 9-0 record as a professional over the past four years and became the XFC champion.
Tonight, he makes the step up to The World Series of Fighting.
Like many kids, young Nick Newell dabbled in a number of sports as a child. First, there was soccer, then karate and baseball.
Nothing really stuck with him, however, until he joined his high school’s wrestling team as a freshman. The fact that he was missing the lower portion of his left arm didn’t seem to matter to Newell.
His family had always encouraged Nick to take part in whatever interested him, like all the other kids, and now his interest was in combat sports. “I really loved one on one aspect,” he tells CagePotato in the days leading up to his fight against Keon Caldwell on tonight’s World Series of Fighting 4 event in California.
“I don’t like depending on anyone else to get the job done. At the end of the day, you have no excuses no one to blame.”
That Newell lost his first fifteen wrestling matches didn’t put a damper on his enthusiasm for wrestling, and it also didn’t bring scorn of teammates mad that he was losing so much. “I was the team’s only 103 pounder so if I went out there and got a forfeit win it was better than nothing,” he tells with a laugh.
“I got my balls busted because I was a freshman but that was about it. The wrestling team is a family. And the coach had a lot of faith in me expected a lot out of me, even when I sucked. He always believed in me. Everyone saw how hard I worked as well. You’re together six days a week and you develop a bond.”
During college Newell decided that he wanted to fight MMA because, well, he saw MMA fights and knew that he could be good enough to do it. “I knew that I wanted to fight when I went to see fights for the first time,” he says.
“There were some fights around where I was training wrestling in college and some friends asked if I wanted to go see some fights. I said, ‘yeah, I’ll go.’ When we were watching I thought to myself, ‘I could beat these guys.’ So, instead of just talking about it, I went out and started training and did it.”
Indeed he has. The lightweight has put together a perfect 9-0 record as a professional over the past four years and became the XFC champion.
Tonight, he makes the step up to The World Series of Fighting. In his opponent Caldwell, Newell will be facing a man previously selected for The Ultimate Fighter. If Newell wins, the plan is for him to take part in the WSOF lightweight tournament to crown a champion.
That tournament could also include Dan Lauzon, JZ Calvacante and Tyson Griffin. Lauzon and Griffin are UFC veterans and Calvacante was a top-ranked international champion for years.
Newell has said he wanted better competition and he’s certainly getting it at WSOF. “I take it one fight at a time,” he says.
“My goal is always to fight better and better competition. If keep winning I’m gonna force people to recognize me. Everyone in the WSOF is a fantastic fighter. I’m happy with any fight I get. I’m ready to raise my stock. If I win this fight and I win the tournament, I’ll definitely be up there.”
Even though Newell hasn’t yet won his WSOF debut, the promotion announced that a win over Caldwell would earn Newell a spot in its upcoming lightweight tournament, which will crown the promotion’s inaugural 155-pound champion. If Newell does indeed enter that tournament, he’ll have a chance to prove once and for all that he’s truly a UFC-caliber fighter.
Why, you ask? Well, simply because the tournament is stacked with top international lightweights including a number of UFC veterans. Dan Lauzon will be in the tournament, as will the winner of an excellent WSOF 4 match up between Tyson Griffin and Gesias Calvacante.
Of course, all this doesn’t sit so well with Keon Caldwell’s camp, who tell MMA Junkie that they are worried of unfair treatment from the WSOF. While Newell has been publicly guaranteed a spot in the lightweight tournament if he’s victorious this weekend, Caldwell has been given no such offer. (“I just think they’re on the Nick Newell hype train,” said Caldwell’s trainer Richard Cox.)
Also fighting this Saturday will be kickboxing star Tyrone Spong, who will be headlining WSOF 4 against California-bred knockout artist Angel DeAnda. It will be Spong’s second World Series of Fighting appearance following his beat-down of Travis Bartlett in November. You can check out a lil’ video of Spong hitting people and acting cocky after the jump. Above, you can enjoy a mini documentary show on Newell’s life that takes you inside his camp, family, and home.
(Learn more about lightweight rising star Nick Newell and the challenges he’s overcome | Video via MMA World Series Youtube page)
Even though Newell hasn’t yet won his WSOF debut, the promotion announced that a win over Caldwell would earn Newell a spot in its upcoming lightweight tournament, which will crown the promotion’s inaugural 155-pound champion. If Newell does indeed enter that tournament, he’ll have a chance to prove once and for all that he’s truly a UFC-caliber fighter.
Why, you ask? Well, simply because the tournament is stacked with top international lightweights including a number of UFC veterans. Dan Lauzon will be in the tournament, as will the winner of an excellent WSOF 4 match up between Tyson Griffin and Gesias Calvacante.
Of course, all this doesn’t sit so well with Keon Caldwell’s camp, who tell MMA Junkie that they are worried of unfair treatment from the WSOF. While Newell has been publicly guaranteed a spot in the lightweight tournament if he’s victorious this weekend, Caldwell has been given no such offer. (“I just think they’re on the Nick Newell hype train,” said Caldwell’s trainer Richard Cox.)
Also fighting this Saturday will be kickboxing star Tyrone Spong, who will be headlining WSOF 4 against California-bred knockout artist Angel DeAnda. It will be Spong’s second World Series of Fighting appearance following his beat-down of Travis Bartlett in November. You can check out a lil’ video of Spong hitting people and acting cocky after the jump. Above, you can enjoy a mini documentary show on Newell’s life that takes you inside his camp, family, and home.
(Griffin pops Nik Lentz a good one at UFC 123. / Photo via Getty Images)
From Anthony Johnson and Jon Fitch to Josh Burkman and Miguel Torres, World Series of Fighting seems to have no problem with raiding the UFC’s leftovers for usable scrap. Their latest acquisition is Tyson Griffin, the tenacious lightweight/featherweight contender who spent five years in the UFC — and collected five Fight of the Night bonuses along the way — before being cut in October 2011 following a 1-4 stretch that ended in a blown weight-cut and knockout loss to Bart Palaszewski.
Griffin announced the news of his World Series of Fighting signing this morning via twitter, saying that he hopes to compete on WSOF’s August card (date/venue TBA); Griffin’s opponent hasn’t been confirmed yet. Currently training at American Kickboxing Academy, the 29-year-old last competed in November 2012, scoring a unanimous decision over fellow UFC castoff Efrain Escudero in the headliner of Resurrection Fighting Alliance 4 in Las Vegas.
Semi-related: Light-heavyweight kickboxing ace Tyrone Spong has been forced out of his WSOF 3 co-headlining matchup against Angel DeAnda due to visa issues. His return will likely be postponed to the promotion’s August card. Wait a minute…are you thinking what I’m thinking? WSOF 4: Spong vs. Griffin. It’s not like they’re above a good freak show.
(Griffin pops Nik Lentz a good one at UFC 123. / Photo via Getty Images)
From Anthony Johnson and Jon Fitch to Josh Burkman and Miguel Torres, World Series of Fighting seems to have no problem with raiding the UFC’s leftovers for usable scrap. Their latest acquisition is Tyson Griffin, the tenacious lightweight/featherweight contender who spent five years in the UFC — and collected five Fight of the Night bonuses along the way — before being cut in October 2011 following a 1-4 stretch that ended in a blown weight-cut and knockout loss to Bart Palaszewski.
Griffin announced the news of his World Series of Fighting signing this morning via twitter, saying that he hopes to compete on WSOF’s August card (date/venue TBA); Griffin’s opponent hasn’t been confirmed yet. Currently training at American Kickboxing Academy, the 29-year-old last competed in November 2012, scoring a unanimous decision over fellow UFC castoff Efrain Escudero in the headliner of Resurrection Fighting Alliance 4 in Las Vegas.
Semi-related: Light-heavyweight kickboxing ace Tyrone Spong has been forced out of his WSOF 3 co-headlining matchup against Angel DeAnda due to visa issues. His return will likely be postponed to the promotion’s August card. Wait a minute…are you thinking what I’m thinking? WSOF 4: Spong vs. Griffin. It’s not like they’re above a good freak show.
With UFC 137 in the books and the spookiest day of the year now upon us, let’s all grab a mini-Snickers and sort through the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from Saturday night’s action in Las Vegas.
Biggest Winner: Nick Diaz
I remember around this time last year, before Diaz fought KJ Noons, watching him put on the boxing gloves and headgear in his gym in Lodi, Calif., and walk down one sparring partner after another. In the beginning, most of them did pretty well against him. They landed some punches, circled away, and you could see their confidence growing. But Diaz never slowed down, never stopped coming, and eventually he’d end up backing every single one of them against the fence and digging into their ribs with hooks that you could hear over the constant stream of Tupac songs that blared from the stereo. One by one, he wore them down with sheer pace and pressure until they quit, both mentally and physically.
Diaz performed the exact same act of will against Penn on Saturday night, and it was just as effective. He started slowly and gradually cranked up the volume, confident that his opponent would wilt before he would. He took it and he dished it out, and by the end of three rounds there was no doubt that he was the better fighter. Of course, as soon as the fight was over, he went back to being the bizarre, mercurial person we’ve gotten to know (and yet not know) over the last several years. Even when things had gone well for him, he remained unhappy. Even when he was offered the title shot he’d recently squandered, he remained utterly convinced of his own status as the permanent victim. What can you do with a guy like that? Put him up against the champ, I suppose. Let him do what he does best, which is fight, and hope the rest of us can tolerate what he does worst, which is just about everything else.
Biggest Loser: B.J. Penn
The nicest thing you can say about Penn’s performance is that he didn’t quit. Even though he didn’t look thrilled about it, he got up off the stool for round three and took his medicine for five more minutes. Other than that, the bright spots were few and they dimmed in a hurry. I can understand why Penn, a nearly 33-year-old former champ, thinks it would be better to hang it up than continue on as some novelty act or gatekeeper, but beware of any retirement announcement that comes in the emotional moments just after a bad beating. This is the same Penn who licked blood off his gloves and promised death to future opponents while jacked up on post-fight adrenaline. If those were the highs, this could simply be the low. Calling it quits in the cage immediately after a loss is a little like breaking up during an argument. The chances of it sticking are inversely proportional to how long you’ve been together. Six months? Sure, one bad argument might do it. But Penn and MMA have had a lengthy, sometimes rocky relationship. Seems unlikely that they won’t try to patch things up at least once or twice.
Hardest Working Man in the Fight Biz: Donald Cerrone
His submission of Dennis Siver was his sixth straight win and his fourth of 2011. Apparently he’s not content with that, because he immediately turned around and lobbied for another fight before the end of the year, which it now looks like he’ll get against Nate Diaz at UFC 141 in December. I’m not sure if Cerrone is putting title shots and other typical concerns out of his mind because he’s savvy enough to see the situation for what it is in the crowded lightweight division, or if he’s driven only by the reckless pursuit of a paycheck. Either way, he’s at his best when he’s busiest, and 2011 is turning out to be a banner year for his career and his bank account. After all the paper he’s stacked via purses and bonuses, this is one year when you really want to be on “Cowboy’s” Christmas list.
Most Impressive in Defeat: Eliot Marshall Brandon Vera came into the fight with Marshall as a 5-1 favorite, then nearly got his head knocked off and his arm snapped in half, but still somehow emerged with the decision victory. It goes down as a loss for Marshall at a time when he can’t afford it, but will the UFC brass see the process rather than the result? It might not have been a spectacular fight, but for Marshall it was clearly a step in the right direction. It would be a shame for the UFC to cut him after a third round like that, which just might have been the single best round of his UFC career. If he sticks to his promise to retire after another UFC release, that’s the kind of finish that could keep a man up at night for years to come. If only he’d had just a few more seconds. If only he’d landed one or two more punches. You can play that game for a long time, particularly if it cost you your career.
Least Impressive in Victory: Hatsu Hioki
He did just enough to get the decision over George Roop, but not much more. At least Hioki started off his stay in the UFC with a win, which is more than you can say for a lot of his compatriots. Though if that’s the best you can do against a mid-level featherweight like Roop, how far can you really go in this organization? Maybe Hioki struggled with nerves, and maybe Roop’s size and strength gave him more problems than he expected. I don’t know. What I do know is that the Hioki we saw on Saturday looked like just another fighter, not some big name acquisition. You hate to judge a guy too harshly on the basis of one performance, so let’s just say that Hioki still has plenty of work to do to make a name for himself on this side of the Pacific.
Let’s Hope We’ve Seen the Last Of: Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
He acquitted himself well in what he’d have us believe was the final fight of his career. He took some of Roy Nelson’s best shots and even fired off a few of his own (though with that beard he probably had to guess at the location of Nelson’s chin). Even if he didn’t have enough to pull out the win, he still did better than most of us expected and ended on a classy, dignified note in his post-fight remarks. Unlike Penn, his retirement declaration didn’t seem driven by emotion. It was clearly something he’d given a lot of thought to before the fight, and he did what he said he’d do if he came up short. The question is, will he disappear from the fight game entirely, or just the UFC? Cro Cop wouldn’t be the first man to have a hard time turning down an easy buck from some small-time promoter looking to sell what’s left of his name. You couldn’t exactly blame him if he gave in to a tempting offer from M-1 Global or ProElite somewhere down the line, and he clearly still has at least a little bit of gas left in the tank. Still, no matter how many times you see that particular drama playing out with an aging fighter, it never gets any easier to watch. For the sake of his legacy and his health, let’s hope Cro Cop really does know when it’s time.
Most Disappointing: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione
In retrospect, it seems silly. This was the co-main event? The UFC seemed to be banking on some heavyweight fireworks to help out a flagging fight card after the injury to GSP, but what it got instead resembled a staring match more than a slugfest. If you could knock a man out just with crazy eyes and feints, Mitrione would be the heavyweight champ by now. But once Kongo finally realized that the “Meathead” blitz wasn’t coming, he settled down and managed to wrestle his way to a decision win. It was a fight both men might rather forget, albeit for different reasons. Kongo looked tentative and overly defensive in his first fight since the comeback win over Pat Barry. Mitrione never got started at all, and showed his inexperience on the mat in the final frame. In the end, it was a bummer of a fight that likely reminded the UFC why these two aren’t quite ready for the top of a pay-per-view card just yet. Meanwhile, Donald Cerrone will just be over here, kicking people in the head on Spike TV for free.
Begging for His Walking Papers: Tyson Griffin
He missed weight (by a lot), looked flat and uninspired from the opening bell, and got himself knocked out in a little under three minutes for his fourth loss in five fights. I know he said he was under the weather coming into this fight, but I don’t see how Griffin doesn’t get cut after this terrible weekend. After he missed weight, he was on Twitter basically shrugging his virtual shoulders and explaining that he had “no excuses.” Okay, so he’s taking responsibility for his mistakes. That’s a good sign, right? Then he gets knocked out and he’s back on there telling his followers about his after-party at the Luxor. I’m not saying he needs to post pictures of himself crying into an appletini at Cathouse, but if he’s not feeling a sense of desperation about his career now, what’s it going to take?
Best Quick Change: Roy Nelson
He showed up to fight looking like a roadie for Foghat, then showed up to the post-fight press conference looking like a henchman from a James Bond movie. That’s versatility, right there. Okay, so maybe that, plus his current one-fight win streak, isn’t enough to get him that title shot he asked for, but at least it keeps him in the conversation at heavyweight. The guy’s a character, and he can fight a little bit. Now his physique is even moving in the right direction, though there’s still work to be done in that department before he appears in an Under Armour ad alongside GSP.
With UFC 137 in the books and the spookiest day of the year now upon us, let’s all grab a mini-Snickers and sort through the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from Saturday night’s action in Las Vegas.
Biggest Winner: Nick Diaz
I remember around this time last year, before Diaz fought KJ Noons, watching him put on the boxing gloves and headgear in his gym in Lodi, Calif., and walk down one sparring partner after another. In the beginning, most of them did pretty well against him. They landed some punches, circled away, and you could see their confidence growing. But Diaz never slowed down, never stopped coming, and eventually he’d end up backing every single one of them against the fence and digging into their ribs with hooks that you could hear over the constant stream of Tupac songs that blared from the stereo. One by one, he wore them down with sheer pace and pressure until they quit, both mentally and physically.
Diaz performed the exact same act of will against Penn on Saturday night, and it was just as effective. He started slowly and gradually cranked up the volume, confident that his opponent would wilt before he would. He took it and he dished it out, and by the end of three rounds there was no doubt that he was the better fighter. Of course, as soon as the fight was over, he went back to being the bizarre, mercurial person we’ve gotten to know (and yet not know) over the last several years. Even when things had gone well for him, he remained unhappy. Even when he was offered the title shot he’d recently squandered, he remained utterly convinced of his own status as the permanent victim. What can you do with a guy like that? Put him up against the champ, I suppose. Let him do what he does best, which is fight, and hope the rest of us can tolerate what he does worst, which is just about everything else.
Biggest Loser: B.J. Penn
The nicest thing you can say about Penn’s performance is that he didn’t quit. Even though he didn’t look thrilled about it, he got up off the stool for round three and took his medicine for five more minutes. Other than that, the bright spots were few and they dimmed in a hurry. I can understand why Penn, a nearly 33-year-old former champ, thinks it would be better to hang it up than continue on as some novelty act or gatekeeper, but beware of any retirement announcement that comes in the emotional moments just after a bad beating. This is the same Penn who licked blood off his gloves and promised death to future opponents while jacked up on post-fight adrenaline. If those were the highs, this could simply be the low. Calling it quits in the cage immediately after a loss is a little like breaking up during an argument. The chances of it sticking are inversely proportional to how long you’ve been together. Six months? Sure, one bad argument might do it. But Penn and MMA have had a lengthy, sometimes rocky relationship. Seems unlikely that they won’t try to patch things up at least once or twice.
Hardest Working Man in the Fight Biz: Donald Cerrone
His submission of Dennis Siver was his sixth straight win and his fourth of 2011. Apparently he’s not content with that, because he immediately turned around and lobbied for another fight before the end of the year, which it now looks like he’ll get against Nate Diaz at UFC 141 in December. I’m not sure if Cerrone is putting title shots and other typical concerns out of his mind because he’s savvy enough to see the situation for what it is in the crowded lightweight division, or if he’s driven only by the reckless pursuit of a paycheck. Either way, he’s at his best when he’s busiest, and 2011 is turning out to be a banner year for his career and his bank account. After all the paper he’s stacked via purses and bonuses, this is one year when you really want to be on “Cowboy’s” Christmas list.
Most Impressive in Defeat: Eliot Marshall Brandon Vera came into the fight with Marshall as a 5-1 favorite, then nearly got his head knocked off and his arm snapped in half, but still somehow emerged with the decision victory. It goes down as a loss for Marshall at a time when he can’t afford it, but will the UFC brass see the process rather than the result? It might not have been a spectacular fight, but for Marshall it was clearly a step in the right direction. It would be a shame for the UFC to cut him after a third round like that, which just might have been the single best round of his UFC career. If he sticks to his promise to retire after another UFC release, that’s the kind of finish that could keep a man up at night for years to come. If only he’d had just a few more seconds. If only he’d landed one or two more punches. You can play that game for a long time, particularly if it cost you your career.
Least Impressive in Victory: Hatsu Hioki
He did just enough to get the decision over George Roop, but not much more. At least Hioki started off his stay in the UFC with a win, which is more than you can say for a lot of his compatriots. Though if that’s the best you can do against a mid-level featherweight like Roop, how far can you really go in this organization? Maybe Hioki struggled with nerves, and maybe Roop’s size and strength gave him more problems than he expected. I don’t know. What I do know is that the Hioki we saw on Saturday looked like just another fighter, not some big name acquisition. You hate to judge a guy too harshly on the basis of one performance, so let’s just say that Hioki still has plenty of work to do to make a name for himself on this side of the Pacific.
Let’s Hope We’ve Seen the Last Of: Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
He acquitted himself well in what he’d have us believe was the final fight of his career. He took some of Roy Nelson’s best shots and even fired off a few of his own (though with that beard he probably had to guess at the location of Nelson’s chin). Even if he didn’t have enough to pull out the win, he still did better than most of us expected and ended on a classy, dignified note in his post-fight remarks. Unlike Penn, his retirement declaration didn’t seem driven by emotion. It was clearly something he’d given a lot of thought to before the fight, and he did what he said he’d do if he came up short. The question is, will he disappear from the fight game entirely, or just the UFC? Cro Cop wouldn’t be the first man to have a hard time turning down an easy buck from some small-time promoter looking to sell what’s left of his name. You couldn’t exactly blame him if he gave in to a tempting offer from M-1 Global or ProElite somewhere down the line, and he clearly still has at least a little bit of gas left in the tank. Still, no matter how many times you see that particular drama playing out with an aging fighter, it never gets any easier to watch. For the sake of his legacy and his health, let’s hope Cro Cop really does know when it’s time.
Most Disappointing: Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione
In retrospect, it seems silly. This was the co-main event? The UFC seemed to be banking on some heavyweight fireworks to help out a flagging fight card after the injury to GSP, but what it got instead resembled a staring match more than a slugfest. If you could knock a man out just with crazy eyes and feints, Mitrione would be the heavyweight champ by now. But once Kongo finally realized that the “Meathead” blitz wasn’t coming, he settled down and managed to wrestle his way to a decision win. It was a fight both men might rather forget, albeit for different reasons. Kongo looked tentative and overly defensive in his first fight since the comeback win over Pat Barry. Mitrione never got started at all, and showed his inexperience on the mat in the final frame. In the end, it was a bummer of a fight that likely reminded the UFC why these two aren’t quite ready for the top of a pay-per-view card just yet. Meanwhile, Donald Cerrone will just be over here, kicking people in the head on Spike TV for free.
Begging for His Walking Papers: Tyson Griffin
He missed weight (by a lot), looked flat and uninspired from the opening bell, and got himself knocked out in a little under three minutes for his fourth loss in five fights. I know he said he was under the weather coming into this fight, but I don’t see how Griffin doesn’t get cut after this terrible weekend. After he missed weight, he was on Twitter basically shrugging his virtual shoulders and explaining that he had “no excuses.” Okay, so he’s taking responsibility for his mistakes. That’s a good sign, right? Then he gets knocked out and he’s back on there telling his followers about his after-party at the Luxor. I’m not saying he needs to post pictures of himself crying into an appletini at Cathouse, but if he’s not feeling a sense of desperation about his career now, what’s it going to take?
Best Quick Change: Roy Nelson
He showed up to fight looking like a roadie for Foghat, then showed up to the post-fight press conference looking like a henchman from a James Bond movie. That’s versatility, right there. Okay, so maybe that, plus his current one-fight win streak, isn’t enough to get him that title shot he asked for, but at least it keeps him in the conversation at heavyweight. The guy’s a character, and he can fight a little bit. Now his physique is even moving in the right direction, though there’s still work to be done in that department before he appears in an Under Armour ad alongside GSP.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Fighting caught up with Tyson Griffin after his first-round knockout loss at UFC 137. Griffin discusses why he missed weight by three pounds, what happened during his fight against Bart Palaszewski and what’s next for him.
LAS VEGAS – MMA Fighting caught up with Tyson Griffin after his first-round knockout loss at UFC 137. Griffin discusses why he missed weight by three pounds, what happened during his fight against Bart Palaszewski and what’s next for him.
more problems
more problems 
With