Tag: UFC 163

The Milwaukee Mess: In the UFC’s Lightweight and Featherweight Divisions, Everyone Wants to Fight Each Other But No Match Ups Are Clear


(Admit it — you completely forgot about this guy. / Photo via MMAJunkie)

By Elias Cepeda

After ripping the lightweight world title away from Benson Henderson this past Saturday at UFC 164, Anthony Pettis immediately called out dominant featherweight champion Jose Aldo in the Octagon. The two have “unfinished business,” Pettis said.

Indeed they do. Pettis was supposed to drop down in weight and challenge Aldo for his belt a month ago, but injured his knee and pulled out of the fight. Then, when #1 lightweight contender T.J. Grant got concussed in training and had to pull out of his UFC 164 fight against Henderson, Pettis filled in for him.

The rest is history…as well as an exciting mess of future match-up possibilities. Just days after the lightweight division was shaken up by Pettis’ armbar win, every one seems to be calling out everyone else, but some how no one’s interests are quite matching up yet.

After UFC 164 and Pettis’ call out of Aldo, the featherweight’s manager and coach, Andre Pederneiras tweeted in Portuguese, “I believe now we will see Pettis returning his lightweight belt and moving down to fight Aldo at 145 [pounds],” according to MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz.

“We were not the ones who left the fight in Rio, and I want to see [Pettis] make 145. This fight will happen, don’t worry. We just want equal rights to the Brazilians,” he went on.

UFC President Dana White immediately reacted to Pederneiras at the post event press conference. “They are going to fight,” White said.

“I’ve known Andre for years. But when you come out and make a statement like that, you make it look like (Aldo) is afraid. And that might not be Aldo’s same opinion. It makes it look like he’s afraid of Anthony Pettis, which already gives Anthony Pettis an advantage.”


(Admit it — you completely forgot about this guy. / Photo via MMAJunkie)

By Elias Cepeda

After ripping the lightweight world title away from Benson Henderson this past Saturday at UFC 164, Anthony Pettis immediately called out dominant featherweight champion Jose Aldo in the Octagon. The two have “unfinished business,” Pettis said.

Indeed they do. Pettis was supposed to drop down in weight and challenge Aldo for his belt a month ago, but injured his knee and pulled out of the fight. Then, when #1 lightweight contender T.J. Grant got concussed in training and had to pull out of his UFC 164 fight against Henderson, Pettis filled in for him.

The rest is history…as well as an exciting mess of future match-up possibilities. Just days after the lightweight division was shaken up by Pettis’ armbar win, every one seems to be calling out everyone else, but some how no one’s interests are quite matching up yet.

After UFC 164 and Pettis’ call out of Aldo, the featherweight’s manager and coach, Andre Pederneiras tweeted in Portuguese, “I believe now we will see Pettis returning his lightweight belt and moving down to fight Aldo at 145 [pounds],” according to MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz.

“We were not the ones who left the fight in Rio, and I want to see [Pettis] make 145. This fight will happen, don’t worry. We just want equal rights to the Brazilians,” he went on.

UFC President Dana White immediately reacted to Pederneiras at the post event press conference. “They are going to fight,” White said.

“I’ve known Andre for years. But when you come out and make a statement like that, you make it look like (Aldo) is afraid. And that might not be Aldo’s same opinion. It makes it look like he’s afraid of Anthony Pettis, which already gives Anthony Pettis an advantage.”

Aldo himself went on the record with Brazilian TV show Planeta Nocaute, asserted that he is not afraid of Pettis or anyone else and defended his manager/coach’s statements. “I can fight Cain Velasquez if they want,” Cruz translates and reports.

It seems that Aldo and his camp are upset at having the tables turned on them. They say that White promised him a shot at the lightweight championship if he were to beat Pettis in their originally scheduled UFc 163 bout in Brazil a month ago.

“[Andre] is absolutely right,” Aldo said. “They forced us to do something and Andre wants something in return. I agree with everything Andre says, and I can fight anyone. Sometimes Dana says things that you better not pay attention. (Dana) knows he promised us things and he knows he has to give us, so that’s why he says those things. We’ll see what happens.”

Of course, Aldo would take offense to insinuations that he is scared to fight anyone but it is strange for him to insist on Pettis coming down in weight in order to fight. If Pettis wants to fight Aldo, and Aldo comes up, he can get the title shot he says White promised him without risking his own featherweight belt as he originally had to do first.

In any case, a fellow named T.J. Grant (you know, the lightweight division’s #1 contender?) isn’t too happy to have been taken out of the equation so summarily. He says that his concussion recovery is coming along well and that he’d be ready to fight in late December or at any point from January onward.

When he does return, Grant says that he deserves to fight Pettis next, though he understands the appeal of an Aldo/Pettis super fight. “I’m a fan,” Grant admitted to MMA Fighting. “I love watching UFC fights. I watch all of them, whether they’re people I’m potentially fighting or not, I enjoy it. Pettis against Aldo is an exciting fight.”

“But, hey, I just won my last fight in two minutes. I knocked [Gray Maynard] out. I knocked the guy out before that [Matt Wiman]. I feel like I’ve earned it. I feel like I’m the guy. I’ve been in the UFC a long time. I’ve never really gotten the push that I feel like I need but I’ve also built a lot of experience in fighting and haven’t been in the spotlight, which is nice too. But I’m ready to be there and I’m ready to go out there. Give me the opportunity man. I feel like I’ve earned it.”

And, as Grant points out, Aldo is injured right now anyway with a broken foot and won’t be able to fight for quite a long time. Thing is, Pettis also injured his knee during his brief fight against Henderson.

As of now, the extent of the new champion’s injury is not known or has not been revealed. If his required recovery time coincides with Aldo’s, then Grant really could be the odd man out for awhile.

If that’s the case, Grant has two other guys in mind to fight — Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson. Thomson has called out Grant and T.J. says that he’s been a fan of Melendez for years.

“I’m not specifically calling them out,” he specified. “I want a healthy Pettis, and I want a healthy me, and I want us to get in there and do battle.”

Which fight are you rooting for, nation? Aldo vs. Pettis? If so, what weight? Any underdog fans really want to see Grant get in there first? Personally, this writer is eagerly awaiting Cain Velasquez’s response to Aldo’s challenge. I think Aldo could beat up the heavyweight champ’s legs a bit and maybe land a knee before Velasquez eats him.

Vinny Magalhaes Was Just Kidding About Retirement, Will Fight Jeff Monson in November


(“A humiliating 14-second knockout loss? Nah…I definitely think I’d remember something like that.” / Photo via MMAFighting)

In case you’ve made the mistake of following the strange things Jiu Jitsu world champion and TUF finalist Vinny Magalhaes has said over the course of his career, here’s his latest verbal turn: He’s not retiring, and will fight this fall.

In the past, Vinny challenged Phil Davis and called him a relatively easy fight before backing out of the very matchup he proposed when it was offered to him, and eventually losing to Davis at UFC 159. (For the record, Vinny also predicted that Chael Sonnen was going to submit Jon Jones on that card.)

Following the Davis fight, the Brazilian was matched up with Australian veteran Anthony Perosh at UFC 163 in Brazil. Vinny said that the 41-year-old Perosh “sucks” despite the fact that “The Hippo” had three times as many UFC wins as Magalhaes had at the time. Vinny said that if he were to lose to the Aussie, he should be cut.

Well, he lost. Really fast and really easily. Then, Vinny said he would retire from the sport if he were cut by the UFC. Vinny was cut by the UFC and the world waited for the 29-year-old to keep his word and retire. Well, that’s not happening either, and so, another CagePotato ban has been shamefully defied.

“I never really thought of retiring,” Vinny told MMA Fighting recently. “I made those comments within twenty four hours after I had lost a fight, so I was still a little frustrated, and I was being too emotional with my responses. That’s why I haven’t said a thing since. I needed to clear my mind before starting to speak about my next moves.”


(“A humiliating 14-second knockout loss? Nah…I definitely think I’d remember something like that.” / Photo via MMAFighting)

In case you’ve made the mistake of following the strange things Jiu Jitsu world champion and TUF finalist Vinny Magalhaes has said over the course of his career, here’s his latest verbal turn: He’s not retiring, and will fight this fall.

In the past, Vinny challenged Phil Davis and called him a relatively easy fight before backing out of the very matchup he proposed when it was offered to him, and eventually losing to Davis at UFC 159. (For the record, Vinny also predicted that Chael Sonnen was going to submit Jon Jones on that card.)

Following the Davis fight, the Brazilian was matched up with Australian veteran Anthony Perosh at UFC 163 in Brazil. Vinny said that the 41-year-old Perosh “sucks” despite the fact that “The Hippo” had three times as many UFC wins as Magalhaes had at the time. Vinny said that if he were to lose to the Aussie, he should be cut.

Well, he lost. Really fast and really easily. Then, Vinny said he would retire from the sport if he were cut by the UFC. Vinny was cut by the UFC and the world waited for the 29-year-old to keep his word and retire. Well, that’s not happening either, and so, another CagePotato ban has been shamefully defied.

“I never really thought of retiring,” Vinny told MMA Fighting recently. “I made those comments within twenty four hours after I had lost a fight, so I was still a little frustrated, and I was being too emotional with my responses. That’s why I haven’t said a thing since. I needed to clear my mind before starting to speak about my next moves.”

Magalhaes will next fight fellow accomplished submission grappling world champion Jeff Monson November 9th in Hawaii at Global Warrior Challenge 2: USA vs. Brazil. The two will face one another in a heavyweight contest.

Monson, 42, has been fighting professionally since Magalhaes was 13 years old, and will be looking for the 50th win of his career. Monson, like Magalhaes, has lost two straight heading into the November fight, most recently a submission loss to Alexey Olenik. So, we’re not exactly talking about elite-level MMA here. But any event that gives Monson a reason to cut more unintentionally hilarious web-promos is good by us…

– Elias Cepeda

And Now *She’s* Fired: Sheila Gaff Axed by the UFC Following Consecutive First Round TKO Losses


(She might not have been the best fighter in the division, but Gaff had the best throwing-a-punch face in the biz. Photo via Getty.)

In a move signifying that equality in the octagon has finally been achieved, bantamweight Sheila Gaff has been released from the UFC. Following a pair of first round TKO losses to Sara McMann and Amanda Nunes at UFC 159 and UFC 163, respectively, Gaff’s departure was passed along by the German website GroundandPound.de yesterday.

After the two defeats in the heavily occupied bantamweight class Gaff must now make a fresh start elsewhere.

Disappointments and defeats belong to every fighter in this career, but I will go on,” said Gaff. “Most of all I am sorry that I could not show my fans what I can really do. In the last two weeks the love and uplifting words from many of my fans have helped. Thanks also for the support of sponsors MMA Spirit,  Geva and Olimp.

And it is here that we see the dichotomy of the UFC rankings system. The women’s bantamweight division currently consists of just 12 fighters. The men’s flyweight division has 18 fighters. Ian McCall, who went 0-2-1 in his first three UFC contests, was ranked #3 in the flyweight division going into his UFC 163 bout with Illarde Santos. Gaff, on the other hand, was ranked #10 and axed after two losses. There’s not much deeper of a comparison to be made here, but I just thought it was worth noting…

So…how about this weather?

–J. Jones


(She might not have been the best fighter in the division, but Gaff had the best throwing-a-punch face in the biz. Photo via Getty.)

In a move signifying that equality in the octagon has finally been achieved, bantamweight Sheila Gaff has been released from the UFC. Following a pair of first round TKO losses to Sara McMann and Amanda Nunes at UFC 159 and UFC 163, respectively, Gaff’s departure was passed along by the German website GroundandPound.de yesterday.

After the two defeats in the heavily occupied bantamweight class Gaff must now make a fresh start elsewhere.

Disappointments and defeats belong to every fighter in this career, but I will go on,” said Gaff. “Most of all I am sorry that I could not show my fans what I can really do. In the last two weeks the love and uplifting words from many of my fans have helped. Thanks also for the support of sponsors MMA Spirit,  Geva and Olimp.

And it is here that we see the dichotomy of the UFC rankings system. The women’s bantamweight division currently consists of just 12 fighters. The men’s flyweight division has 18 fighters. Ian McCall, who went 0-2-1 in his first three UFC contests, was ranked #3 in the flyweight division going into his UFC 163 bout with Illarde Santos. Gaff, on the other hand, was ranked #10 and axed after two losses. There’s not much deeper of a comparison to be made here, but I just thought it was worth noting…

So…how about this weather?

–J. Jones

Vinny Magalhaes Considering Unretirement Before He Can Even Retire

(Perosh saves his trash talking for the post-fight interview — it’s a strategy that Vinny should probably consider in the future.) 

Well, it finally happened. This whole “fighters announcing their retirement, then immediately unretiring” thing has finally jumped the shark.

You might recall that, in the weeks before his UFC 163 bout with Anthony Perosh, TUF 8 finalist Vinny Magalhaes told anyone who would listen that his 40 year old opponent “sucked” (not that he was trying to talk shit, he also reminded us) and that if he lost to Perosh, he “deserved to be cut.” Fourteen seconds and a big helping of humble pie later, Magalhaes laid down his gloves in the octagon, a universal symbol in the fight world for retirement.

While most of us were waiting for an official retirement announcement from Magalhaes any day now, it seems that Vinny is already recanting his retirement before it could even begin. Well, sort of. He recently spoke with MSN Brazil (via BJPenn.com), essentially changing his stance to “If the UFC cuts me, then I’ll retire.”

I have one more fight left in my contract, but we all know that it doesn’t mean much and there’s a chance that I get cut. Before this fight I said I deserved to get cut if I didn’t win. I’m waiting for UFC’s decision, anything can happen, but I really don’t care, man.


(Perosh saves his trash talking for the post-fight interview — it’s a strategy that Vinny should probably consider in the future.) 

Well, it finally happened. This whole “fighters announcing their retirement, then immediately unretiring” thing has finally jumped the shark.

You might recall that, in the weeks before his UFC 163 bout with Anthony Perosh, TUF 8 finalist Vinny Magalhaes told anyone who would listen that his 40 year old opponent “sucked” (not that he was trying to talk shit, he also reminded us) and that if he lost to Perosh, he “deserved to be cut.” Fourteen seconds and a big helping of humble pie later, Magalhaes laid down his gloves in the octagon, a universal symbol in the fight world for retirement.

While most of us were waiting for an official retirement announcement from Magalhaes any day now, it seems that Vinny is already recanting his retirement before it could even begin. Well, sort of. He recently spoke with MSN Brazil (via BJPenn.com), essentially changing his stance to “If the UFC cuts me, then I’ll retire.”

I have one more fight left in my contract, but we all know that it doesn’t mean much and there’s a chance that I get cut. Before this fight I said I deserved to get cut if I didn’t win. I’m waiting for UFC’s decision, anything can happen, but I really don’t care, man.

People say that the UFC doesn’t pay much to their fighters, but if you look to the other events it’s even worse. So if they cut me, I don’t see why I should keep fighting in other events. I’d rather open my own gym than fight for little money. I stopped fighting in Jiu-Jitsu because of the financial part, so it would make no sense for me to return now. If the UFC doesn’t renew my contract, I’ll stop. 

Meanwhile, Anthony Perosh is currently the greatest UFC fighter over 35 not undergoing testosterone replacement therapy (suck it, Vitor!). Let this be a lesson to all you up-and-coming fighters out there: Experience > arrogance.

–J. Jones

UFC 163 Drug Test Results: All 24 Fighters Tested in Brazil, All Return Negative

The drug test results from last weekend’s UFC 163: Aldo vs. The Korean Zombie card have been returned from Brazil with every fighter on the card undergoing testing.
According to a release from CABMMA, the Brazilian Athletic Commission, all 24 fighters …

The drug test results from last weekend’s UFC 163: Aldo vs. The Korean Zombie card have been returned from Brazil with every fighter on the card undergoing testing.

According to a release from CABMMA, the Brazilian Athletic Commission, all 24 fighters on the card were tested, and all came back with negative results.

“The Brazilian Athletic Commission (CABMMA) informs that all the fighters who participated in UFC 163 held in Rio de Janeiro on August 3, 2013, were submitted to tests of anti-doping control,” the commission stated in a press release on Friday. “The results of these tests did not reveal any illicit drug use, and/or to improve performance, stimulants or substances used to mask the use of the same by any of the athletes who participated in UFC 163.”

The Brazilian Athletic Commission is still fairly new by governing body standards, but it is starting to churn out results and testing in an orderly fashion after only a few major UFC shows in the area.

UFC 163 was the latest card to take place in Brazil, and with several more shows occurring there this year, the commission will definitely be busy.

The show was headlined by UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, who made another successful title defense by defeating “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in the main event.

The co-main event featured a bout between former 205-pound champion Lyoto Machida and Top 10 light heavyweight, Phil Davis.

The next card in Brazil will take place on September 4, when Glover Teixeira takes on Ryan Bader in the main event. CABMMA will be the governing athletic commission for that card as well.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dear God, The Injuries Just Keep Piling Up in This Zombie/Aldo Aftermath [UPDATED w/MORE INJURIES]


(“I was expecting more than a hodgepodge of moves just out there to titillate the taste buds. Where’s the twist-turns?! WHERE’S THE CHASSE CAPS?! 2 out of 10 stars.” / Photo via Getty) 

If you thought the broken foot and dislocated shoulder that Jose Aldo and Chan Sung Jung respectively fought through at UFC 163 were gnarly enough, then you probably didn’t hear that Aldo was also diagnosed with kidney stones shortly after the fight. And if you think that’s bad, you have probably yet to hear the latest development — turns out, “The Korean Zombie” also suffered a fractured orbital bone during the fight, as revealed yesterday by FoxSports.com.

The “Korean Zombie” also suffered a fractured orbital bone during the loss, his manager Brian “Shug” Rhee told FOX Sports.

Orbital bone breaks are often seen in combat sports like MMA and boxing. Treatment and recovery time vary depending on severity. According to Rhee, Jung is expected to visit specialists for both his shoulder and eye by the end of the week, and should have more information about his expected prognosis then.

Yep, Bob Sapp is still a pussy.

Honestly, we can’t recall the last time two men suffered so many in-ring and delayed injuries from a single fight. Unless you consider a Brazilian gas station a “ring,” which they obviously do, so we don’t know why we just made that last statement.

Update: This is unreal. One of these two gentleman just reported *another* injury, the details of which are after the jump.


(“I was expecting more than a hodgepodge of moves just out there to titillate the taste buds. Where’s the twist-turns?! WHERE’S THE CHASSE CAPS?! 2 out of 10 stars.” / Photo via Getty) 

If you thought the broken foot and dislocated shoulder that Jose Aldo and Chan Sung Jung respectively fought through at UFC 163 were gnarly enough, then you probably didn’t hear that Aldo was also diagnosed with kidney stones shortly after the fight. And if you think that’s bad, you have probably yet to hear the latest development — turns out, “The Korean Zombie” also suffered a fractured orbital bone during the fight, as revealed yesterday by FoxSports.com.

The “Korean Zombie” also suffered a fractured orbital bone during the loss, his manager Brian “Shug” Rhee told FOX Sports.

Orbital bone breaks are often seen in combat sports like MMA and boxing. Treatment and recovery time vary depending on severity. According to Rhee, Jung is expected to visit specialists for both his shoulder and eye by the end of the week, and should have more information about his expected prognosis then.

Yep, Bob Sapp is still a pussy.

Honestly, we can’t recall the last time two men suffered so many in-ring and delayed injuries from a single fight. Unless you consider a Brazilian gas station a “ring,” which they obviously do, so we don’t know why we just made that last statement.

[UPDATE] 

If you were somehow still doubting Jose Aldo’s destructive power, get this. According to a recent interview with yonhapnews, Chan Sung Jung believes that he also also fractured his right foot during his 4th round TKO loss to Aldo last Saturday. The following photo seems to confirm his suspicions.

In one fight, Jung has gone from “The Korean Zombie” to Mr. Glass. If there has ever been another UFC fight that produced more injuries than this, by all means enlighten us. At this point, Jung is looking at a longer recovery period than Corey Hill, Aron Ralston, that guy who Rousimar Palhares maimed and little Jimmy Pocket with rickets and the peg leg combined.

On the bright side, at least Jung now has plenty of time to catch up on Breaking Bad. If only I didn’t have such a demanding job, maybe I could do the same. *kicks can*

–J. Jones