After a brief absence due to illness, Mike Goldberg will be back in his regular broadcast duties alongside Joe Rogan at UFC on Fox 6.
UFC officials confirmed Goldberg’s return to MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday.
In short, come next Saturday, the little eagle will soar again. Precisions, they will be precise. Books, they will be taken out of other people’s chapters. Japanese and Portuguese will combine into one beautiful, indistinguishable language. So prepare yourselves, Potato Nation, for a great deluge of cliched phrases and verbal diarrhea is coming.
(“Hey Joe, now that I’ve put the kibosh on those pesky Adderall rumors…wanna do some blow?”)
After a brief absence due to illness, Mike Goldberg will be back in his regular broadcast duties alongside Joe Rogan at UFC on Fox 6.
UFC officials confirmed Goldberg’s return to MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday.
In short, come next Saturday, the little eagle will soar again. Precisions, they will be precise. Books, they will be taken out of other people’s chapters. Japanese and Portuguese will combine into one beautiful, indistinguishable language. So prepare yourselves, Potato Nation, for a great deluge of cliched phrases and verbal diarrhea is coming.
Personally, I quite enjoyed the Anik/Rogan pairing at UFC 155, but will welcome Goldberg’s intensity back with open arms. I don’t know, there’s just something about the way the dude screams “IT IS ALL OVER!” that takes the average knockout/submission and kicks it up a notch, like a shot of Sriracha in your BBQ sauce, or whiskey in your Cheerios. Am I alone on this one?
(As you can tell by the above photo, Junior was feeling a little self-conscious about his looks that night as well.)
Perhaps it’s because he’s one of the nicest guys in the sport, but we’d like to think that most MMA fans hold Junior Dos Santos to a higher standard than that of most fighters. We sure as hell do. Regardless of who you were rooting for at UFC 155, we defy you to declare that you didn’t weep for the battered former champ as he asked Joe Rogan “Why they do that?” while being met with a chorus of undeserved boos in his post-fight interview. It was like watching a child’s face sink with the unexpected revelation that that there was no Santa. On Christmas Eve.
So it is with heavy hearts that we must bring you the inevitable next chapter in the book of any fallen fighter: The Excuses. To be fair, the problems Junior cited in a recent interview with Brazil’s Esporte were not the typical kind of nonsense you’d hear from 90% of MMA fighters attempting to diagnose a loss, but the fact that we hold Junior in such high regard makes his recent allegations all the more disappointing:
Really was my head. I had some personal things going on, a bit of my attention was lacking because of it. And another thing. Soon after the fight I went to the hospital and had a scan, which showed my creatine was too high. The normal level is up to 300, mine was in 1400. I also had trouble in the urine and kidneys.
The explanation of the doctors is that I pushed over the line, I over trained, and problems could have happened even before the fight… I was so good that I ended up crossing the line. That was the explanation of doctors. Mine is that I was not good with my head, was having personal problems and did not go well mentally in the fight.
(As you can tell by the above photo, Junior was feeling a little self-conscious about his looks that night as well.)
Perhaps it’s because he’s one of the nicest guys in the sport, but we’d like to think that most MMA fans hold Junior Dos Santos to a higher standard than that of most fighters. We sure as hell do. Regardless of who you were rooting for at UFC 155, we defy you to declare that you didn’t weep for the battered former champ as he asked Joe Rogan “Why they do that?” while being met with a chorus of undeserved boos in his post-fight interview. It was like watching a child’s face sink with the unexpected revelation that that there was no Santa. On Christmas Eve.
So it is with heavy hearts that we must bring you the inevitable next chapter in the book of any fallen fighter: The Excuses. To be fair, the problems Junior cited in a recent interview with Brazil’s Esporte were not the typical kind of nonsense you’d hear from 90% of MMA fighters attempting to diagnose a loss, but the fact that we hold Junior in such high regard makes his recent allegations all the more disappointing:
Really was my head. I had some personal things going on, a bit of my attention was lacking because of it. And another thing. Soon after the fight I went to the hospital and had a scan, which showed my creatine was too high. The normal level is up to 300, mine was in 1400. I also had trouble in the urine and kidneys.
The explanation of the doctors is that I pushed over the line, I over trained, and problems could have happened even before the fight… I was so good that I ended up crossing the line. That was the explanation of doctors. Mine is that I was not good with my head, was having personal problems and did not go well mentally in the fight.
So Junior kind of psyched himself out is basically what he is saying. It’s understandable, we guess, although one would think that he would be riding a wave of confidence considering how his first fight with Velasquez went down. But Junior’s most recent declaration, besides being a clear ploy to set up a trilogy fight with Velasquez (even though those notions have been all but squashed by Dana White for the time being), kind of feels below him, honestly.
I don’t know, maybe I’m just sick of all these sports stars continuously crushing my unrealistic expectations in regard to their characters. First Lance Armstrong finally admits to PED use and now this; it’s getting too goddamn depressing. So please, Junior, no more of this. And please, future interviewers of Junior, stop pressing him for these kind of excuses. Because excuses are like a drug. One day, you’re simply brushing off your loss as the result of a nagging injury, or a mental issue, and convincing yourself that things will be different the second/third time around. But before you know it, you’re carrying around a fake belt and calling yourself the “true champion” of the division to any two-bit reporter who will entertain your continuously tiring act. It’s a slippery slope.
Former UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos doesn’t credit his loss at UFC 155 to Cain Velasquez being the better fighter that night. In fact, dos Santos offered a litany of reasons as to why he came up short in his second title defense. “…
Former UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos doesn’t credit his loss at UFC 155 to Cain Velasquez being the better fighter that night.
In fact, dos Santos offered a litany of reasons as to why he came up short in his second title defense.
Aside from his purported psychological impairment heading into the fight, dos Santos had other, more corporeal problems: His creatine levels and his kidneys.
“Soon after the fight I went to the hospital and had a scan, which showed my creatine level was too high. The normal level is up to 300, mine was in 1400,” said dos Santos.
“I also had trouble in the urine and kidneys,” he said. “The explanation of the doctors is that I pushed over the line, I overtrained and problems could have happened even before the fight…I was so good that I ended up crossing the line.”
However, despite these physical maladies, dos Santos primarily blames the loss on his head being elsewhere.
“[The kidney and creatine issues] was the explanation of doctors. Mine is that I was not good with my head, was having personal problems and did not go well mentally in the fight.”
Angsty fans might be tempted to bash dos Santos for resorting to “excuses.” However, let’s remember the first fight between JDS and Velasquez.
Dos Santos knocked Velasquez out in 69 seconds. A Velasquez knee injury was the primary culprit for causing him to lose so decisively. After destroying dos Santos for five rounds in the rematch at UFC 155, everyone who hadn’t believed in the knee injury believed in it—Velasquez looked like an animal.
Thus, it’s totally possible that the reasons dos Santos offered for his poor performance were totally legitimate. Let’s not sacrifice him on the altar of public outrage just yet. After all, it’s totally possible that he earns a rubber match with Velasquez and crushes him just as badly as he did in their first fight.
Mauricio Rua, Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop are just a few of the many legendary fighters who have physically gotten a lot slower because of the high amount of prolonged, brutal, back-and-forth wars they have participated in throughout their length…
Mauricio Rua, Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop are just a few of the many legendary fighters who have physically gotten a lot slower because of the high amount of prolonged, brutal, back-and-forth wars they have participated in throughout their lengthy careers. As exciting as these epic battles are to watch, they take a significant toll on a fighter’s body and on their ability to move as fast as they should for their age. It’s like over-training, taking in so much damage that it makes the body weaker instead of stronger.
These fights have had such a significant effect on the aforementioned competitors’ performance rate that it prevents them from fighting with the energy that an athletic male in his late twenties-early thirties usually contains.
That explains why the next victim of this tragic transformation is only twenty-eight years old. Five Fight of the Night bonuses later, Joe Lauzon’s thrilling match with Jim Miller at UFC 155 gave a lot of fans the impression that the grappling wizard has already begun to fade.
Joe Lauzon let Jim Miller take complete control of the fight in the first round, primarily because he was being overwhelmed by Miller’s intensity and speed. Even before Lauzon sustained that horrific cut over his eye, it’s safe to say that he was doing a pretty poor job defending Miller’s opening barrage of strikes. Rather than quickly circling away or countering the attack with his own arsenal of combinations, Joe literally just let Miller get right in his face, grab the back of his head and proceed to batter him with vicious elbows and punches.
Not to take anything away from Jim Miller, but it simply shouldn’t be that easy to gain the upper hand on a top contender like that. Joe Lauzon just did not seem like he was fighting back with the same intelligence and athleticism that he usually showcases inside the octagon.
Once the number of unforgettable wars that Lauzon has been through in the UFC is taken into consideration, however, we really shouldn’t be too surprised by his newly-slowed reaction time.
While various other lightweights such as Gray Maynard or (former lightweights) Frankie Edgar and B.J Penn have been involved in several incredibly strenuous clashes that went the distance, Lauzon’s reputation for back-and-forth fights filled with scrambles, knock-downs and blood is hard to rival at 155 lbs. His fights are action-packed, strenuous tests of will for both fighters, that tend to feature thrilling shuffles of dominance and momentum until the very end.
Lauzon always seems to have an answer for any strategy that gets thrown at him, which is why most believed that he was just caught off guard by Miller’s aggression, almost like the way he didn’t see Anthony Pettis’ kick coming last February. Yet we have seen Lauzon deal with similar offensives in the first moments of a fight with much more efficiency in the past.
Take his matches with George Sotiropoulos and Sam Stout for example. When Stout and Sotiropoulos immediately closed the distance with punches or a take down in round one, Joe either used his agility to evade their presence or pushed right back with a takedown or flurry of his own. These bouts were roughly two years ago, and there is a blatant difference in the way Lauzon countered his opponents’ attempts to impose their will in those fights compared to his lack of urgency displayed in the beginning of the co-main event of UFC 155.
The Joe Lauzon of 2010 or 2009 wouldn’t have taken all that punishment from Miller when he was fresh and full of energy. He would be able to quickly move away, strike back with technical precision or most likely bring the fight to the ground with his superior grappling.
The idea of someone slowing down at such a young age would seem a lot more ludicrous if Lauzon was the only lightweight in his twenties currently facing this dilemma. Sam Stout, also twenty-eight, is known for his ability to swiftly weave in and out and to rapidly fire off punches in close quarters at an intimidating pace throughout the fight.
But after fourteen fights in the UFC, Stout is no longer as fast or consistently light on his feet as he was in 2007 or 2008. John Makdessi easily timed Stout’s movements at UFC 154, avoiding his punches and continuously scoring with his own straight jab. Stout’s history of fifteen minute cardio-fests has come back to haunt him, and that’s why he recently lost to a mid-tier fighter he would have definitely out-pointed in his prime.
If Lauzon keeps getting in more of these wars, his body will soon refuse to respond to his will to fight vigorously and intensely when he needs to most. Joe Lauzon is fading, and it’s almost inevitable that the many, up-and-coming lightweights will collectively use this disadvantage against him in the not-so-distant future. Hopefully, Lauzon will notice this hole in his game and focus on finishing his opponents as soon as possible, as it is difficult to imagine how much slower Lauzon will become in 2013 if he finds himself in yet another incredibly grueling fight.
After dialing in a late 2012 candidate for “Fight of the Year” against Jim Miller at UFC 155, the submission specialist has a long road to recovery ahead of him after the bloody and brutal matchup. Luckily for fight fans, he doesn’t mind documenti…
After dialing in a late 2012 candidate for “Fight of the Year” against Jim Miller at UFC 155, the submission specialist has a long road to recovery ahead of him after the bloody and brutal matchup.
Luckily for fight fans, he doesn’t mind documenting the process via his Twitter and Instagram page.
On Instagram, “J-Lau” posted a photo collage of his face from the time he got 40 stitches right after the fight, up until Sunday morning.
While certain scratches and bruises have healed considerably, the stitches above his right eye and the bruising underneath both eyes remain pretty noticeable.
The large gash over his right eye was opened up within a minute of his matchup with Miller, but Lauzon showed an incredible amount of heart by battling back in Round 2 and Round 3—nearly pulling off a miracle submission at the end of the fight.
Interestingly, the Nevada State Athletic Commission only gave Lauzon a medical suspension that lasts until Feb. 28, not being cleared for contact until Feb. 13.
If his brawl with Miller was a little too reminiscent of a horror movie for your taste, he is also getting strong consideration for “Fight of the Year” with his high-paced, grapple-heavy affair with Jamie Varner at UFC on FOX 4 in August.
Lauzon ended up winning that bout in Round 3 via triangle choke, after going back-and-forth with the former WEC lightweight champion for the majority of the match up.
In 30 professional fights, Lauzon has only seen the judge’s scorecards determine the winner twice.
Additionally, In 13 fights under the UFC banner, the Massachusetts native has earned an impressive 11 “Fight Night” bonuses.
If you think that Jamie Varner is content simply sitting back and waiting to see Joe Silva’s name pop up on Caller ID, you would be wrong. Less than two weeks out from his UFC 155 victory over Melvin Guillard, the former WEC champion has volunteered hi…
If you think that Jamie Varner is content simply sitting back and waiting to see Joe Silva’s name pop up on Caller ID, you would be wrong. Less than two weeks out from his UFC 155 victory over Melvin Guillard, the former WEC champion has volunteered himself for bouts with several members of the UFC lightweight division.
The name sitting atop his list is none other than fellow UFC 155 fighter Joe Lauzon.
Lauzon and Varner had a tremendous scrap at UFC on Fox 4 in a match considered to be a leading candidate for 2012’s Fight of the Year until Lauzon outdid himself against Jim Miller later in the year.
“I want to start my retribution tour,” Varner told the Sherdog’s “Cheap Seats”. “I want to start fighting the guys that I’ve lost to. First would definitely be Joe Lauzon. I’d really like to fight Joe again.”
Varner made it clear that he wasn’t looking to take anything away from Lauzon, but still feels that he can avenge the only blemish on his 2012 record.
Joe’s awesome and he had an amazing game plan for me. The fact that he broke me down so technically, to the littlest move, like my head position on my double leg, and was able to capitalize on it, that’s incredible. It speaks volumes about him as a fighter and as a technician. I definitely feel that if we were to fight again and I had a full training camp, I would win that fight. I think it would be different.
If successful, Varner would then like a rubber match with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. While fighting in the WEC, the two met twice with each man having his arm raised once. On both occasions, the duo took home Fight of the Night honors, so we should expect nothing but fireworks in a trilogy bout.
Other than those fights, there aren’t many losses that Varner can avenge. UFC champion Benson Henderson is his current training partner while Shane Roller retired in 2012 after losing four of his final five fights.
Unless he plans on making a pit stop in the Oregon correctional system, Varner will be unable to take on current inmate Hermes Franca. The longtime UFC veteran defeated Varner in his promotional debut, but is serving a 42-month sentence related to a sexual relationship with an underage jiu-jitsu student.
The final two losses on Varner‘s record came at the hands of regional fighters Dakota Cochrane and Jesse Moreng.
This so-called “Retribution Tour” must have been a recent revelation for Varner, who went to JunkieRadio late last week with four completely different opponents in mind. That short-list included Rafael dos Anjos, TJ Grant, Matt Wiman and Ultimate Fighter winner Ross Pearson.
“I think Dos Anjos is on a streak, so he may be on my radar more so than anyone else, but Grant, I’ve been hearing his name pop up a lot, as well.”
In any situation, Varner‘s 2012 comeback was the feel-good story of the year for MMA fans. When he returns this spring, expect to see another exciting clash, regardless of who stands across from him inside the Octagon.
Mauricio