Although Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks earned enthralling decision wins in the card’s main and co-main events, UFC 158 wouldn’t have been deemed such a success without the five fights that ended via knockout. Truth be told, any U…
Although Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks earned enthralling decision wins in the card’s main and co-main events, UFC 158 wouldn’t have been deemed such a success without the five fights that ended via knockout.
Truth be told, any UFC card that includes no submissions better have at least a handful of memorable KO’s.
After patiently sitting through back-to-back decisions on the main card, over 20,000 fans at Montreal’s Bell Centre were brought to their feet when Jake Ellenberger brutally KO’dNate Marquardt to garner “Knockout of the Night” honors.
Here’s a ranked list of the best stoppages from UFC 158.
MONTREAL — The rules Nick Diaz lives by are a bit different than the principles that most people adhere to in their everyday lives. We were all certain of that fact before he dropped yet another bomb on us at the post-UFC 158 press conference. Fr…
MONTREAL — The rules Nick Diaz lives by are a bit different than the principles that most people adhere to in their everyday lives. We were all certain of that fact before he dropped yet another bomb on us at the post-UFC 158 press conference.
Fresh off his five-round loss to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, Diaz took to the microphone and let the assembled press in on a little secret: “I can’t be jumping teams. I just have to invest a little bit more, now that I have a little bit more money. You know what? I’ve never paid taxes in my life. I’m probably going to go to jail.”
That little tidbit left many of us inside the Bell Centre wondering and perhaps hoping that this wasn’t true. If there’s one group of people that will get their money from you, and if not their money, then a little bit of your time, it’s the Internal Revenue Service.
After the fight was over, UFC president Dana White offered his take on the subject.
“Nick wanted a shot at the UFC title, and he got paid a lot of money for it,” White said. “He better go pay his taxes when he gets his check. That’s no shit.
“He came out here publicly tonight and said he’s never paid taxes in his life? Holy shit. Somebody better handle that with this check and make sure this kid doesn’t end up with nothing.”
The UFC president went on to say that he may get involved in seeing that Diaz does pay his taxes. “There’s a guy I’ve been talking to—he’s Nate and Nick’s lawyer; he seems like a decent guy who’s looking out for them. I’ll probably give this guy a call and tell him that Nick said he’s never paid his taxes in his life and you might want to start working on that Sunday.”
As for how much money Diaz has made, his UFC 143 loss to Carlos Conditearned him $200,000 in salary. Odds are good that he earned the same amount or perhaps more for his fight against St-Pierre.
White also made his feelings on the IRS clear: “I would rather have f***ing ninjas after me than the IRS. I’d rather have the mob after me than the IRS. They don’t play.”
There’s never a dull moment with Diaz, and if what he said is true, don’t expect this story to quietly fade into the background.
These days, the desire for instant gratification is the norm. Everyone seems to want their every whim or desire fulfilled right now. Even worse is the fact that many individuals seem to also feel that they deserve the object of their desire. The …
These days, the desire for instant gratification is the norm. Everyone seems to want their every whim or desire fulfilled right now. Even worse is the fact that many individuals seem to also feel that they deserve the object of their desire. The sports world is not immune to this type of thinking. In the world of mixed martial arts, this usually manifests itself in the form of fighters feeling that they somehow deserve a title shot.
UFC middleweight contender Chris Weidman has learned that sometimes being patient has its benefits. Well, being patient and having a little luck.
After Weidman defeated Mark Munoz in July, he said, “I want Anderson Silva. Every time I’ve had a full training camp, I’ve gotten a finish. Every single time. Give me a full training camp, and I’d love a shot at the man, Anderson Silva. I really think I could do pretty good. So give me a shot, please.”
Weidman’s initial pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears as he was not given his wish, instead he was booked to face Tim Boetsch, a fight that Weidman was forced from due to a shoulder injury, and that’s where luck began to play a part for Weidman.
Not that the injury was lucky, after all, Weidman had to undergo surgery to repair his shoulder, but the way the middleweight division sorted itself out was lucky for Weidman. While he rehabbed, top-ranked contenders Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher both lost, and Bellator import Hector Lombard just couldn’t seem to get any traction in the UFC. It also helped that victorious fighters such as Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami had fought and lost to Silva in the not-too-distant past.
With all the pieces falling in place for Weidman, it was announced that he would get his desired shot at Silva, facing the champion at UFC 162.
The time off seems to have done nothing but increase Weidman’s confidence, something Dana White revealed during the post-UFC 158 media scrum, which was attended by Bleacher Report. “I spoke to Chris Weidman,” White said. “He looked me right in the eye and said ‘I’m telling you, I apologize, but I’m going to f**k up all your superfights, but I’m going to win this fight. I’m going to f**k up all your superfights and be your next champion.’”
Weidman’s point being: Once you take Silva out of the mix, the superfights the UFC has been talking about for some time all disappear or at least lose a great deal of appeal.
However, Weidman did say he would do the UFC a favor after he claimed the UFC middleweight title, telling White that he would offer Silva an immediate rematch in New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Some strong words form a fighter with less total fights to his name than Silva has title defenses.
Nick Diaz just doesn’t know when to quit. After being thoroughly beaten for all five rounds of his contest with Georges St-Pierre, it appears the former Strikeforce champion wants a little more.Diaz made some headlines with his post-fight talk and expr…
Nick Diaz just doesn’t know when to quit. After being thoroughly beaten for all five rounds of his contest with Georges St-Pierre, it appears the former Strikeforce champion wants a little more.
Diaz made some headlines with his post-fight talk and expressed his interest in a rematch with GSP.
“I want a rematch. Georges St-Pierre, if you’d give me a rematch, I‘d appreciate it because I could beat you. … I’m trying to retire. I’m trying to get out of this gig. But I’d like a rematch. I think I can stop the takedowns and beat him. I’m not hurt. He hits like a woman. He hits like a girl because he’s too scared to let go to get a real punch in” (MMAMania.com).
I’ll give Diaz some dap based on the fact he was able to thwart some of GSP‘s takedown attempts in the later rounds but that could also be contributed to St-Pierre visibly slowing down. And you could also move past Diaz‘s successful attempts and look at how many times (and how many minutes) Diaz spent on his back during the 25 minute fight.
The challenger was even defeated on the feet which was an area Diaz was expected to be the better fighter.
In short, Diaz had no answer for anything St-Pierre threw his way. Still, Diaz doesn’t want to go away quietly and will no doubt begin a new campaign for a rematch against GSP.
MMA fans shouldn’t expect that to come to fruition however as it’s clear the UFC is moving on from Diaz. Dana White has repeatedly told anyone and everyone that Diaz is incredibly difficult to work with and I’m sure the UFC President won’t mind having one less headache each day.
The promotion is also firmly behind giving Johny Hendricks the next shot at GSP. With Hendricks’ hand injury and St-Pierre expressing his wish to take some time off, we could be more than a few months away from seeing GSP-Hendricks.
Without all the factors from outside the Octagon, there’s the facts from the actual fight between Diaz and GSP.
Diaz lost in every facet of MMA during his contest with St-Pierre and who’s going to buy in that Diaz can do anything different in a rematch? Grinding, top-heavy wrestlers have always had great success against Diaz and it’s apparent that Diaz hasn’t fixed that gaping hole in his game.
If Diaz would’ve mounted some form of offense or at the very least took a round or two then perhaps he’d have some credibility in calling for a rematch. But instead he sounds like the sore loser he’s always been and I expect Diaz to give up the smoking habits before White gives the Stockton bad boy another shot at St-Pierre.
There was little doubt that Georges St-Pierre would pitch a perfect performance at UFC 158, and once again, the champion retained his title in stellar fashion.But even though “Rush” walked away with the win, Nick Diaz stole plenty of the spotlight.Coul…
There was little doubt that Georges St-Pierre would pitch a perfect performance at UFC 158, and once again, the champion retained his title in stellar fashion.
But even though “Rush” walked away with the win, Nick Diaz stole plenty of the spotlight.
Could the Stocktonian retire? Is Diaz really done with mixed martial arts?
And even without talking about the main event, there was still plenty else to chew on once the night was done. New contenders, stellar prospects and future matchups all came to the forefront during Saturday’s blockbuster MMA event.
So, which moments were the best?
Read on as we recap scenes from Montreal’s Bell Centre, calling back 10 of the best interviews, highlight finishes and amazing exchanges from UFC 158.
Nate Marquardt did not look like himself Saturday night at UFC 158 opposite the heavy-handed Jake Ellenberger.Sure, Marquardt stepped in for Johny Hendricks who moved up to fight Carlos Condit, but fans expected much more from “The Great” in his Octago…
Nate Marquardt did not look like himself Saturday night at UFC 158 opposite the heavy-handed Jake Ellenberger.
Sure, Marquardt stepped in for Johny Hendricks who moved up to fight Carlos Condit, but fans expected much more from “The Great” in his Octagon return. He didn’t deliver.
Now, as a 33-year-old veteran riding a two-fight losing streak, Marquardt will be forced to either reinvent his approach to fighting or look for greener grasses
Here are five things the former Strikeforce welterweight champion can do next on the heels of a devastating defeat.
These days, the desire for instant gratification is the norm. Everyone seems to want their every whim or desire fulfilled right now. Even worse is the fact that many individuals seem to also feel that they deserve the object of their desire. The sports world is not immune to this type of thinking. In the world of mixed martial arts, this usually manifests itself in the form of fighters feeling that they somehow deserve a title shot.