The majority of MMA fans weren’t surprised when Brock Lesnar signed with the WWE last week. Lesnar’s return may have happened a bit faster than most anticipated, but it seemed it was inevitable and most took it in stride and even tuned in t…
The majority of MMA fans weren’t surprised when Brock Lesnar signed with the WWE last week.
Lesnar’s return may have happened a bit faster than most anticipated, but it seemed it was inevitable and most took it in stride and even tuned in to watch him send the live crowd into a frenzy last Monday on Raw.
While Overeem isn’t officially out of the UFC 146 main event, it is extremely unlikely that he will be cleared to compete on May 25th and the UFC now is being forced to try to find a replacement for an event that’s not even two months away.
The replacement that seemed most logical, Frank Mir, has already seemingly been ruled out by UFC president Dana White, who said that the fight between Mir and Cain Velasquez would go on as planned as the co-main event of the 146 card.
With both Mir and Velasquez locked into a bout, the UFC is left with an extremely thin roster of heavyweights that could step in and take on Dos Santos.
Fans have started to rally behind streaking K1 and Pride veteran Mark Hunt, saying his three-fight win streak should be enough to push him into the title fight, but in all honestly he should have to win another fight or two before getting anywhere near a title fight.
Other options include Dan Henderson, a light heavyweight who has even made the cut to middleweight for portions of his career, or Fedor Emelianenko, a guy not even under UFC contract at the moment.
Simply put, the UFC’s heavyweight division needs some firepower, and oddly enough the man that they could use most just returned to television with another company.
Lesnar was the most popular fighter in MMA the second he stepped inside a cage, and with the UFC’s heavyweight super card in shambles they could use him now more than ever.
If Lesnar had stuck around, they may have been able to throw him into the main event or used him to replace Mir and fight Velasquez in a rematch that he’s wanted for quite some time. But without him the division just feels like it falls flat.
Dos Santos, Overeem, Mir and Velasquez are the only truly elite fighters in the UFC’s heavyweight division right now. And while help is on the way with Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett moving over after their Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix final, the fact that the UFC is seemingly left without any viable options for Dos Santos is troubling.
It’s not Lesnar’s fault that the UFC’s most popular division has taken a hit just months after he decided to hang up his gloves, and the UFC had to have known that they wouldn’t be able to ride his popularity for too much longer. But ultimately Lesnar’s return to the WWE came at the worst possible time for the UFC.
Lesnar was one of the few guys on the UFC roster that was famous enough that they could promote an event on his name alone, and seeing him aligned with another company, despite the fact that he was always known more as a wrestler than a fighter, still makes the UFC look like it lost one of it’s biggest stars to a company that they compete with for PPV buys and fans.
The loss of a high-profile title fight and seeing Lesnar reemerge as a star in the WWE proves what we knew all along, that the UFC needed Brock Lesnar far more than Brock Lesnar needed the UFC.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan appears to add himself to the ever-growing list of support for UFC heavyweight contender Mark Hunt.Since the Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed Alistair Overeem’s test results last week, the Dutchman’s title bout agains…
UFC commentator Joe Rogan appears to add himself to the ever-growing list of support for UFC heavyweight contender Mark Hunt.
Since the Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed Alistair Overeem’s test results last week, the Dutchman’s title bout against Junior dos Santos has been put in doubt and Hunt has been considered one of the possible contenders to replace him, due in large part to the online petition on Twitter.
Rogan recently wrote on The MMA Underground forum that he supports the idea of seeing Hunt challenge the Brazilian in the main event at UFC 146.
“Style wise that might be the most exciting match up,” Rogan said. “Either way, even if Hunt doesn’t replace the reem I would still love to see this matchup down the road, especially considering how good Hunt looked against (Cheick) Kongo.”
Hunt is currently on a three-fight winning streak, including victories over Cheick Kongo and Ben Rothwell, and traditionally it would put a fighter within title contention.
Prior to Hunt, former UFC champions Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir were possible replacements to face dos Santos, but UFC President Dana White denied the rumors and confirmed via Twitter that both contenders are still expected to meet in the co-main event.
Hunt continues to receive overwhelming support from UFC fans, and it’s evident that even with Rogan’s input on the potential bout, fans are interested in witnessing an entertaining matchup between two of the heavyweight division’s most powerful strikers.
Overeem is expected to apply for a license and meet the NSAC later this month, and although White has yet to announce a replacement at this time, Hunt is the only likely candidate to headline the event outside of Overeem, Mir and Velasquez.
There was a time when the UFC’s heavyweight division was considered one of the weakest in the promotion. It seemed like every pay per view was headlined by Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia duking it out in a best of 75 series. Those days thankfully …
There was a time when the UFC’s heavyweight division was considered one of the weakest in the promotion. It seemed like every pay per view was headlined by Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia duking it out in a best of 75 series.
Those days thankfully long behind us as the UFC has made it a point to improve the extremely shallow division. From the champion all the way down to the fighters making their UFC debut, the level of talent is exponentially greater in today’s UFC.
With UFC 146 just around the corner, let’s take a look at the current state of the heavyweight division and find out who are contenders and who are pretenders.
(We know, Joe, this fight would blow our minds too.)
Now that Alistair Overeem’s botched drug test has officially thrown UFC 146 and the heavyweight division into a state of anarchy, everyone from Frank Mir to, believe it or not, Fedor Emelianenko, have been rumored as The Reem’s potential replacements for the May 26th showdown with current champion Junior Dos Santos. But one campaign that would have made 90 percent of the MMA world piss their pants with laughter as little as a year ago is really starting to gain some steam. We’re talking, of course, about #RallyforMarkHunt.
Yes, it seems the iron jawed, soft spoken “Super Samoan” has captured the hearts of MMA fans around the world, who have in turn organized a Twitter campaign to have Hunt fill in for Overeem despite already being booked to take on Stefan Struve at the same event. Perhaps it is our love for a good old fashioned Cinderella story that has been the driving force behind a movement rivaling Occupy Wall Street in terms of actual demands met, or perhaps it is simply Hunt’s legendary status with the hardcore (re: true) fans of combat sports. In either case, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has officially drank the Kool-Aid, posting the following message on The UG:
There are some wise people on this board, and I support this movement.
Style wise that might be the most exciting match up. Either way, even if Hunt doesn’t replace the reem I would still love to see this matchup down the road, especially considering how good Hunt looked against Kongo.
Has anyone started a twitter bomb campaign for this?
(We know, Joe, this fight would blow our minds too.)
Now that Alistair Overeem’s botched drug test has officially thrown UFC 146 and the heavyweight division into a state of anarchy, everyone from Frank Mir to, believe it or not, Fedor Emelianenko, have been rumored as The Reem’s potential replacements for the May 26th showdown with current champion Junior Dos Santos. But one campaign that would have made 90 percent of the MMA world piss their pants with laughter as little as a year ago is really starting to gain some steam. We’re talking, of course, about #RallyforMarkHunt.
Yes, it seems the iron jawed, soft spoken “Super Samoan” has captured the hearts of MMA fans around the world, who have in turn organized a Twitter campaign to have Hunt fill in for Overeem despite already being booked to take on Stefan Struve at the same event. Perhaps it is our love for a good old fashioned Cinderella story that has been the driving force behind a movement rivaling Occupy Wall Street in terms of actual demands met, or perhaps it is simply Hunt’s legendary status with the hardcore (re: true) fans of combat sports. In either case, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has officially drank the Kool-Aid, posting the following message on The UG:
There are some wise people on this board, and I support this movement.
Style wise that might be the most exciting match up. Either way, even if Hunt doesn’t replace the reem I would still love to see this matchup down the road, especially considering how good Hunt looked against Kongo.
Has anyone started a twitter bomb campaign for this?
Over the last two years, Hunt has had one of the most improbable career comebacks in MMA history, rebounding from a six fight losing streak that dated back to 2006 by scoring consecutive wins over Chris Tuchscherer, Ben Rothwell, and Cheick Kongo. His record may stand at a mediocre 8-7, but Hunt’s well documented striking prowess and damn near unbreakable chin would make for a hell of a fight if he were paired against someone like JDS.
But the question likely on White’s mind is that of PPV sales. Hunt’s name does not carry a lot of weight in the casual MMA crowd, as sad as it is to say that, so placing him in the headlining bout of the biggest card of the summer could potentially mean disaster for the UFC, money wise. Then again, they could always play up the aforementioned Cinderella story if they really wanted to sell this thing.
And for those of you who will be quick to complain that Hunt’s win streak is not significant enough to earn him a title shot, you can simply suck it. Maybe you recall a time, about four years ago, when a young buck from the fake fighting world was awarded a title shot after going 1-1 in the UFC, with that lone win coming by way of decision over a now retired fighter. Does one injustice warrant another? Obviously not, but Hunt has paid his dues, has notched up a few impressive wins in a row, and since the UFC has thrown the rankings aside before, why not make another exception for “The Super Samoan?”
Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Alistair’s future has yet to be determined, but needless to say when a fighter is caught juicing, it doesn’t look good. And besides, you all know that the mere possibility of Mark Hunt becoming the UFC heavyweight champion would be enough to give you an erection lasting more than four hours. So let’s make this happen.
It all started with Alistair Overeem. Whether it was the cream, the clear, a needle or simply the product of being something more than human, a surprise Nevada State Athletic Commission drug test showed the Dutch kickboxer had 14 times the normal amoun…
It all started with Alistair Overeem. Whether it was the cream, the clear, a needle or simply the product of being something more than human, a surprise Nevada State Athletic Commission drug test showed the Dutch kickboxer had 14 times the normal amount of testosterone in his body. That is, needless to say, against the rules.
With his title fight against Junior dos Santos subsequently in jeopardy, fans began looking ahead, trying to figure out who would replace Overeem in the UFC 146 main event.
Brock Lesnar was out. He had recently signed with the WWE and those close to him suspect he will never fight again.
Frank Mir, fresh off a huge submission win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, seemed a logical choice. But UFC president Dana White put the kibosh on that, saying Mir’s fight with Cain Velasquez, presumably a title eliminator, would go on as planned.
Looking up and down the Bleacher Report heavyweight rankings, it seemed like slim pickings. Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier were tied up in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Fedor Emelianenko and Cole Konrad aren’t signed to a Zuffa contract. Shane Carwin has lost twice in a row. Fabricio Werdum doesn’t quite feel ready for dos Santos.
Who’s left? A “Gal’s Guide to MMA” writer saw one heavyweight he thought would be perfect for a title shot. The ultimate underdog story. What, he posited, about Mark Hunt, the former kickboxing champion on a three-fight win streak? From that simple question, a movement was born.
“I jumped on hearing that Alistair Overeem was out of the bout and thought of likely replacements,” Gal’s Guide to MMA writer Nolan Howell said. “To me, the only logical ones are Frank Mir and Mark Hunt. However, Mir has had four title shots already and would play right into the hands of Junior dos Santos’ boxing. Mix in a little love for Mark Hunt since he got me into the sport via K-1 and PRIDE clips on YouTube, and there you have the recipe for #RallyForMarkHunt.”
You may have seen them on your Twitter feed. If you follow enough people in the MMA community, you certainly have. The hashtag #RallyforMarkHunt spread like wildfire, even trending at one point. And it all started with a handful of hardcore fans.
Say this for them—whether you support Hunt’s candidacy or not, the folks behind #RallyforMarkHunt are meticulous and organized. Their marching orders leave little to the imagination:
People you need to tweet: @danawhite, @lorenzofertitta, @ufc, and any other MMA fighters, media, fans, etc.
People you need to follow: @markhunt1974, @rally4markhunt, and any other supporters and people that would like to learn about #RallyForMarkHunt
Persistence, more than sheer numbers, seemed to pay off. The tweets came, and came, and came. It was non-stop. All the while, they plotted their attack on the MMA Internet in the comments sections of various websites.
“I basically just wanted to start this out as a Twitter bomb,” Howell said. “Just annoy Dana White as much as possible. Myself and a lot of the community on BE kind of did a domino attack. Get MMA fighters, media and personalities, then move on to celebrities who are fans of the sport, although we didn’t get much support from the likes of Justin Bieber and David Spade! In the end, people saw it and jumped on it. I guess you could say we got really lucky!”
Which celebrities have ever expressed the slightest interest in MMA? They rooted out the answer and tried to get a retweet from them all. Progress was carefully tracked. Each retweet or mention was documented, especially if it came from a fighter or MMA media personality. Even my own meager contributions were noted.
Soon, high-profile figures were on board. Michael Schiavello, the HDNet announcer with ties to the kickboxing world and a longtime Hunt supporter, was perhaps the most vocal. Schiavello has called Hunt’s fights since 1999 and even coined his famous catchphrase “the Big Kabosh” for the New Zealander.
“It is very cool. It shows how much fan power has a true online voice in MMA,” Schiavello told Bleacher Report. “Let’s hope UFC is fan friendly and actually takes this amazing twitter movement on board and gives Mark the shot. I’m proud to be on the #RallyForMarkHunt bandwagon.
“I was probably one of the first media people to go public with the whole Mark Hunt for the title shot campaign when I appeared on MMA Junkie Radio earlier this week. So all aboard! Grab your placards, grab your signs and grab your buckets of KFC and let’s march in the Rally for the Cinderella Story, the People’s Fighter, the Common Man.”
Joining Schiavello as he rallied the troops was UFC announcer Joe Rogan. He told the Underground, a popular MMA message board, that he was down with a Hunt versus dos Santos throwdown:
There are some wise people on this board, and I support this movement. Style wise that might be the most exciting match up. Either way, even if Hunt doesn’t replace the reem I would still love to see this matchup down the road, especially considering how good Hunt looked against Kongo.
Whether Hunt actually deserves a title shot is a complicated bit of calculus. He’s won three in a row, including fights with legitimate gatekeepers like Ben Rothwell and Cheick Kongo. But before his improbable run of success, the 38-year-old had lost six consecutive MMA fights.
In a perfect world, Hunt would probably need one more big win to secure a shot. But Overeem blew up that perfect world with his test failure. It may be that Hunt’s Cinderella story is, believe or not, the best thing going.
“If the UFC really knows how to market a fight then Mark Hunt is the most marketable candidate for a title tilt. He is a former K-1 World Grand Prix Champion who won that 2001 GP championship in one of the greatest Cinderella stories of modern sport,” Schiavello said.
“Everyone thought Mark would be fodder for the K-1 greats, especially Jerome LeBanner, but Mark came out and shocked the world, beating LeBanner with a 16 punch KO combination in the quarters then winning the tournament. What does this say about Mark? He doesn’t care about reputation. He doesn’t care to prance about and score points. He doesn’t care what your record is or if people say you’re unstoppable.
“He’s going to go in there and go for your chin and hurt you and pressure you. You know Mark may not beat JDS but he will give the champ a helluva shake up. Everyone loves a Rocky story and Mark is just that.
“Mark throws a new spanner in the works completely. He is a man capable of withstanding enormous punishment, so could wear JDS awesome right hand, and then give it back. He has been so impressive in his last three fights and he is not one of the usual suspects who we have seen time and time again in the championship fights like Mir and Cain. Mark’s takedown defence continues to improve, his groundwork continues to improve, but on the feet is where him vs JDS becomes so tantalizing. “
No one will no for sure how this will work out in the end. Overeem will meet the Nevada Commission head-on on April 24. Although he seems unlikely to be licensed, until his fate is sealed, the UFC will remain mum on the issue. But if (or most likely when) Overeem is denied a license to fight in Nevada, it may be Hunt’s day after all. If it is, Howell should be first in line for a pat on the back.
“To know you are getting an idea out there and affecting a situation somewhat is a pretty good thing,” Howell said. “The interaction thing is really cool. It really shows that these guys you see on TV or in the cage or ring aren’t these untouchable demigods that media can often push them to be. They are fans, just like us. They support the same things, the same fighters.
“…MMA media, just have fun with it. If Overeem is gone, the PPV will be dead in the water anyway. So if you look at it that way, do you really want a Fabricio Werdum rematch or Frank Mir’s fifth title shot?…Why not just throw in Mark Hunt and have a feel good story and a fight that will be a guaranteed closer on Ultimate Knockouts 10?”
It seems as if the UFC is going to let Alistair Overeem fight even though his testosterone levels were 16 times higher than the set limit.More than likely it will hide behind the athletic commission. Perhaps Dana White will say something like “My hands…
It seems as if the UFC is going to let Alistair Overeem fight even though his testosterone levels were 16 times higher than the set limit.
More than likely it will hide behind the athletic commission. Perhaps Dana White will say something like “My hands were tied,” because it is not willing to give up on the biggest fight of the year just because one of the fighters involved was using PEDs.
Imagine if Darren Elkins, who fights on the UFC 146 undercard, had tested positive for a super high testosterone count. He would have been cut, banned, condemned and never allowed to enter the octagon again.
White would have happily thrown the book at him, made an example of him and used him to show that the UFC has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to PEDs. Of course, Elkins isn’t about to make the UFC millions of dollars in pay-per-view income, so taking him off the card would make no difference to the buy rate for UFC 146.
Overeem is irreplaceable and the UFC knows it. The best possible outcome would be if the commission had made some sort of administrative error so that even though everyone knew he was guilty, the fight could still go ahead.
The whole thing stinks. Overeem has applied for a license to fight in Nevada, but has not applied to have the sample he gave tested again. There was also talk that the commission had made a mistake by announcing that he had failed his test before testing the B sample.
How much income does the Nevada State Athletic Commission get from the UFC? Does Keith Kizer get reimbursed for his weekly appearances on the The Ultimate Fighter? At a time when the commission and the UFC appear to be conspiring to allow a fighter to fight who did not just fail a drug test, but flunked it big time, these are legitimate questions.
I wanted to see Alistair Overeem fight Junior Dos Santos as much as anyone, but Mark Hunt is a model professional who is much more deserving of a title shot. Let’s see how this thing plays out, but all signs point to the UFC and the NSAC conspiring to make sure the main event at UFC 146 goes ahead as planned.
Remember that the UFC has the power to cut fighters for just about any reason it wants. Even if the NSAC has made some sort of administrative error that stops it from banning Overeem, there is nothing to stop the UFC from taking action of its own.
The UFC needs to show that it is serious about having fighters who don’t use PEDs, not just fighters who don’t get caught.
The majority of MMA fans weren’t surprised when Brock Lesnar signed with the WWE last week.