…TO BE CLEANSED BY THE HOLY FLAME OF OUR LORD ALMIGHTY. For I, “The Dream,” am his vessel, the grail from which his vengeance is spilled unto the meek, uncultivated swine of this forsaken planet. Yes! Yeessssssss!!
I AM A SAVAGE. A savage who has returned to the 155 pound division to prove to the world that it is physically possible to love something to death. My enthusiasm is a river which shall break the levy of your insolence.
What must I do to draw your attention, Nate? I called you out when I announced my return to lightweight, and just yesterday, I even resorted to your species’ archaic, Godless device of social communication to further needle you. Yet still you do not respond. Is it because you KNOW and FEAR that which is “The Dream?” That whose spirit can not be broken? CONFESS AND YOU SHALL BE SAVED. YESS!!
Forget your upcoming fight with Mr. Maynard, for we both know that your heart is not invested in that little escapade. Your heart will have no such option when we tangle, for I will expose it from your chest, hold it betwixt my fingers and show you His light. And in that fragile, fleeting moment, you will thank me. You will say, “I am grateful for your friendship, Diego. God bless you.” You will SURRENDER to my influence and join the army of DREAMERS I have amassed over the years!! YES!
…TO BE CLEANSED BY THE HOLY FLAME OF OUR LORD ALMIGHTY. For I, “The Dream,” am his vessel, the grail from which his vengeance is spilled unto the meek, uncultivated swine of this forsaken planet. Yes! Yeessssssss!!
I AM A SAVAGE. A savage who has returned to the 155 pound division to prove to the world that it is physically possible to love something to death. My enthusiasm is a river which shall break the levy of your insolence.
What must I do to draw your attention, Nate? I called you out when I announced my return to lightweight, and just yesterday, I even resorted to your species’ archaic, Godless device of social communication to further needle you. Yet still you do not respond. Is it because you KNOW and FEAR that which is “The Dream?” That whose spirit can not be broken? CONFESS AND YOU SHALL BE SAVED. YESS!!
Forget your upcoming fight with Mr. Maynard, for we both know that your heart is not invested in that little escapade. Your heart will have no such option when we tangle, for I will expose it from your chest, hold it betwixt my fingers and show you His light. And in that fragile, fleeting moment, you will thank me. You will say, “I am grateful for your friendship, Diego. God bless you.” You will SURRENDER to my influence and join the army of DREAMERS I have amassed over the years!! YES!
I have literally been running up and down flights of stairs since Saturday’s decision. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING? Complaining about the sounds your opponents make when they’re kicking your ass? Rest assured that the only sounds you will hear when we dance the sacred dance will be that of your spine imploding in my grasp as I channel the fury of A THOUSAND SUNS. For I may be The Dream now, but I WILL ALWAYS BE A NIGHTMARE WHEN THE CAGE LOCKS. YES! YEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!
* Editor’s note: This post may or may not have been written by Diego Sanchez himself. In fact, it may have been written by a certain CagePotato staff writer under the influence of sherm sticks. We’re not naming names. But we like to think it captures the *spirit* of Diego Sanchez.
(Take another look at the moment in round 3 when Herb Dean “almost stopped the fight.” It turns out he was just trying to yank Cain’s right hand off the fence. Good work, Herb. The fans paid for a five-round beating, and they deserve to get their money’s worth. / Props: Reddit_MMA)
The heavyweight war between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos at UFC 166 already feels like ancient history, but there are a bunch of related news items popping up this week that you should still be aware of. So let’s dump ’em, shall we?
– UFC 166 medical suspensions are out, and JDS is suspended indefinitely pending clearance from an ear, nose and throat doctor. (Shawn Jordan and Tim Boetsch were also given indefinite suspensions due to the damage they took in their fights.) Velasquez is medically suspended through April 18th due to a possibly broken jaw, though he could return earlier pending clearance from a doctor.
(Take another look at the moment in round 3 when Herb Dean “almost stopped the fight.” It turns out he was just trying to yank Cain’s right hand off the fence. Good work, Herb. The fans paid for a five-round beating, and they deserve to get their money’s worth. / Props: Reddit_MMA)
The heavyweight war between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos at UFC 166 already feels like ancient history, but there are a bunch of related news items popping up this week that you should still be aware of. So let’s dump ‘em, shall we?
– UFC 166 medical suspensions are out, and JDS is suspended indefinitely pending clearance from an ear, nose and throat doctor. (Shawn Jordan and Tim Boetsch were also given indefinite suspensions due to the damage they took in their fights.) Velasquez is medically suspended through April 18th due to a possibly broken jaw, though he could return earlier pending clearance from a doctor.
– Despite the savage whooping that Dos Santos received at the hands of Velasquez, Cigano’s cornermen never considered throwing in the towel. As his jiu-jitsu coach Yuri Carlton explained:
“I was hoping for the knockout all the time. In the fifth round, ‘Cigano’ went for that choke. Anything can happen. We see a guy lose the whole fight and then win in the last round. It happens all the time. We’re not impressed by blood or anything like that, neither is ‘Cigano’. He always fights for the win, no matter what…We hoped he could land a good punch even if he was completely tired, but it didn’t happen…After the second round, he was fighting in the autopilot mode but he didn’t tell me he thought he lost in the second round. But that’s normal. Sometimes you go out with a punch or a good elbow but keep fighting automatically. That’s normal.”
It’s crazy what we accept as “normal” in this sport. Personally, I’d like to see a fighter’s team show a little more concern about the kind of sustained head-trauma that will haunt an athlete later in his life.
– And finally, here’s the GIF of the the damage that Junior’s face sported in each round, via 8BitSports. Maybe it’s not as nasty as the original, but it’s still pretty horrific. It kind of looks like Dos Santos’s hairline is receding in terror as the fight goes on.
Although the fight records officially list Cain Velasquez‘s 5th round TKO of Junior Dos Santos at UFC 166 as coming by way of “Slam and Punch,” the credit should rightfully be given to Dos Santos for executing a picture perfect ninja-choke-into-faceplant KO. It was truly the most spectacular self-destruct sequence ever carried out in the octagon, and one that got us thinking: What are the Most Brutal Self-Inflicted KO’s in MMA History?
Matt Lindland will be discussed at some point in this article.
As Ben previously noted, it’s a good thing that the 2002 Mark Kerr documentary, The Smashing Machine, ended when it did, because we wouldn’t have been able to sit through the tale of woe that Kerr’s career became from 2004 onward.
Following a pair of losses to Igor Vovchanchyn and Heath Herring at PRIDE 12 and 15, respectfully, Kerr would take a three year break from the sport before returning against Yoshihisa Yamamoto (who held a modest 13-16 record at the time) at PRIDE 27. Forty seconds into the fight, Kerr would knock himself out during a takedown attempt. He would walk away from PRIDE shortly thereafter and lose 7 out of his next 9 contests, all by first round stoppage.
This post has gotten off to an unexpectedly depressing start, but such is Mark Kerr. Let’s lighten things up a bit…
Although the fight records officially list Cain Velasquez‘s 5th round TKO of Junior Dos Santos at UFC 166 as coming by way of “Slam and Punch,” the credit should rightfully be given to Dos Santos for executing a picture perfect ninja-choke-into-faceplant KO. It was truly the most spectacular self-destruct sequence ever carried out in the octagon, and one that got us thinking: What are the Most Brutal Self-Inflicted KO’s in MMA History?
Matt Lindland will be discussed at some point in this article.
As Ben previously noted, it’s a good thing that the 2002 Mark Kerr documentary, The Smashing Machine, ended when it did, because we wouldn’t have been able to sit through the tale of woe that Kerr’s career became from 2004 onward.
Following a pair of losses to Igor Vovchanchyn and Heath Herring at PRIDE 12 and 15, respectfully, Kerr would take a three year break from the sport before returning against Yoshihisa Yamamoto (who held a modest 13-16 record at the time) at PRIDE 27. Forty seconds into the fight, Kerr would knock himself out during a takedown attempt. He would walk away from PRIDE shortly thereafter and lose 7 out of his next 9 contests, all by first round stoppage.
This post has gotten off to an unexpectedly depressing start, but such is Mark Kerr. Let’s lighten things up a bit…
(If the slam itself doesn’t make you laugh, the sound effects surely will.)
Matt Lindland is a man of many masks: Mixed martial artist. Olympian. Coach. Politician. Professional rafter. All of these masks are certifiably goofy as fuck. Hence Lindland knocking himself out while attempting to take down Falaniko Vitale at UFC 43. The incident ranks just beneath Tim Sylvia shitting his pants on the UFC’s list of All Time Most Embarrassing Moments.
But Matt Lindland is a man of character. Matt Lindland is a fighter’s fighter. Hence why he rematched Vitale at UFC 45 and literally did not stop punching until his opponent tapped out. Lindland also cut Fedor that one time, which was pretty cool. In short, there are those of us who choose to rise from the ashes of defeat and those of us who choose to drown in them. The former are referred to as “Lindlands.” The latter are referred to as “VanOrmans.”
According to the “About” section of this video’s Youtube page, uploader Cr125rmxr “just had some fun with a UFC highlight.” I’m not so much angry that this poor fellow has never experienced true joy, I’m just disappointed that the best available free footage of Gray Maynard vs. Rob Emerson was uploaded in 2008 and features Intro to Garageband hip-hop beats, beats that dramatically cut out halfway through the video, leaving you to suffocate beneath your thoughts in the impending, deafening silence.
It’s a societal issue, really. Back in the day, computer nerds had ambition, had honor. They’d see an opportunity like Gray Maynard knocking himself out cold while slamming fellow castmate Rob Emerson at the TUF 5 Finale and just go to town: A gif parade here, a Benny Hill-themed remix there; it was glorious. But now, thanks to copyright claims, lawsuits, and general laziness, this crappy, home shot video of Gray Maynard breaking noted scumbag Rob Emerson’s ribs and simultaneously knocking himself out in his UFC debut is all that remains.
Everything’s a meme now. You’re a meme. I’m a meme. This human experiment is pointless.
Boris Miroshnichenko vs. Herman Yakubov – ProFC 50
In Russia, there is only suffering. Herman Yakubov knew this, which is why he made sure to KO himself twice for every time his opponent KO’d him at ProFC 50. From last week’s article:
While Yakubov, a Russian, was KO’d in the first round by his Belarusian counterpart, he also made sure to knock himself out *again* with his own knee on the way down, lawn chair style, and a third time when his head hit the canvas — as if to say, “Although you have damaged me, comrade, know that your damage holds not a candle to those wrought by my own devices. For what is life but the prolonging of inevitable death? And what is death, if not a face at peace…”
Randleman’s fall was so dramatic that not only did he come away from it with an actual cracked skull (*shoots visual daggers at Tito Ortiz*) but an injured shoulder to boot. And just like that, “First Defense” became “No Defense” — Randleman was pulled from his scheduled fight with Pedro Rizzo and the people of Lake Charles, Louisiana would set their city ablaze in rageful protest by nightfall.
Although many innocent lives were lost on that tragic evening of March the 10th, 1999, “The Monster” would receive his fight with Pedro Rizzo at UFC 26 in June of 2000. Randleman successfully defended his belt by way of unanimous decision and rode off into the sunset a champion…until he was defeated by Randy Couture in his next bout. Meep morp.
The CagePotato CMS is trying to autocorrect “Randleman” with “Manhandle.” That detail bears mentioning.
Tim Means – UFC on FOX 5
This one is kind of like the Kevin Randleman incident, but bonus points go to the omnipresent force that is Death for trying to take out Means in a sauna. You almost got him, Death. And according to Final Destination rules, you pretty much own him at this point.
You could argue that Forrest Griffin volunteered to be brutally knocked out as soon as he agreed to fight Anderson Silva. We’re sure he would agree with you.
After a grueling and massively entertaining three-round battle with top contender Gilbert Melendez at UFC 166 on Saturday, Diego Sanchez is already thinking about a five-round rematch with the former Strikeforce champ.
Check out what “The Dream” …
After a grueling and massively entertaining three-round battle with top contender Gilbert Melendez at UFC 166 on Saturday, Diego Sanchez is already thinking about a five-round rematch with the former Strikeforce champ.
Check out what “The Dream” tweeted at Melendez last night:
@GilbertMelendez it was fun going to war, you have pettis and Josh’s number get the belt I’ll be climbing the rankings WW2 will happen 5rds
Thankfully for the fans, “El Nino” was quick to respond and made it clear he is also looking forward to a championship rematch somewhere down the line.
For any fight fan who still hasn’t seen Sanchez vs. Melendez, the bout is a must-see. The Cesar Gracie fighter picked apart the original Ultimate Fighter for 10 minutes, yet the underdog refused to stop coming forward and throwing his own shots.
Clearly well ahead on the scorecards after two rounds—turning his opponent into a bloody mess in the process—Melendez refused to take the easy way out and continued to trade leather with his fellow Mexican-American adversary for one more round.
As the fans at Houston’s Toyota Center clapped and cheered in appreciation and astonishment, Sanchez nearly scored the comeback of a lifetime by dropping Melendez with an uppercut.
For better or for worse, Sanchez attempted to end the fight with a guillotine choke. However, it was to no avail, as both fighters ended up swinging for the fences for a few seconds longer after they climbed back to their feet.
The front-runner for 2013 “Fight of the Year”—and a blatantly obvious choice for UFC 166 “Fight of the Night”—has UFC President Dana White strongly considering giving Melendez the winner of Anthony Pettis vs. Josh Thomson at UFC on FOX 9 in December, per BJPenn.com.
Melendez fought then-champ Benson Henderson at UFC on FOX 7 in April, losing a heavily disputed decision.
While White has been non-committal about what’s next for Sanchez, the entertaining brawler has thrown former title challenger Nate Diaz‘s name into the equation.
Needless to say, Sanchez doesn’t feel three rounds will do this matchup the justice it deserves.
Im thinking maybe natediaz for the next fight would be a epic 5 rounder.
Diaz is booked to face Gray Maynard at TUF season 18 finale next month, entering the bout on a two-fight losing streak with a 3-4 record in his past seven fights.
Sanchez holds a victory over Nate’s brother Nick, a welterweight contest that mostly took place on the ground all the way back in November 2005.
Does Sanchez have what it takes to work his way back into the title picture at lightweight, or is any hope of Sanchez vs. Melendez II simply wishful thinking?
JohnHeinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
UFC 166 was described by UFC boss Dana White as, “The greatest card in UFC history.” That may have come at a price for some of the performers.
The medical suspensions were released for UFC 166, with three major performers earning indefinite suspensions…
UFC 166 was described by UFC boss Dana White as, “The greatest card in UFC history.” That may have come at a price for some of the performers.
The medical suspensions were released for UFC 166, with three major performers earning indefinite suspensions. Those three men were main-card performers Junior dos Santos and Shawn Jordan, as well as prelim headliner Tim Boetsch.
Boetsch, of course, was the recipient of multiple eye pokes, which is the reason he took such a long layoff. Jordan and dos Santos were on the receiving end of brutal performances, as Jordan was destroyed quickly by Gabriel Gonzaga, while dos Santos took a five-round stomping at the hands of Velasquez.
Speaking of Velasquez, he also took a long medical suspension himself. He is suspended until at least April for a possible broken jaw suffered during his bout with dos Santos.
Those four men are all top performers in their respective divisions. Obviously, three of those men are heavyweights, which will put things on hold for a bit, especially the title picture if Velasquez is out until midway through 2014.
Another notable suspension was given to TJ Waldburger, who was stretchered out of the Octagon and sent to the hospital immediately following a brutal KO at the hands of AdlanAmagov. He will be out until mid-January for precautionary reasons.
All 26 men and women on the card were given suspensions. The shortest suspensions went to seven fighters, who were all suspended until October 27, or this Sunday.
Here are the complete medical suspensions.
Junior dos Santos suspended indefinitely pending clearance from ear, nose and throat doctor
Shawn Jordan suspended indefinitely pending clearance from ear, nose and throat doctor
Tim Boetsch suspended indefinitely pending clearance from ophthalmologist
Cain Velasquez suspended until April 18 due to possibly broken jaw
Diego Sanchez suspended until January 18 due to cuts
Darrell Montague suspended until January 18 for precautionary reasons
TJ Waldburger suspended until January 18 for precautionary reasons
Nate Marquardt suspended until December 19 for precautionary reasons
Andre Fili suspended until December 19 due to cuts
George Sotiropoulos suspended until December 4 due to cuts
Gilbert Melendez suspended until November 19 for precautionary reasons
CB Dollaway suspended until November 19 due to cuts
Dustin Pague suspended until November 19 for precautionary reasons
Daniel Cormier suspended until October 29 for precautionary reasons
Roy Nelson suspended until October 29 for precautionary reasons
Jessica Eye suspended until October 29 for precautionary reasons
Sarah Kaufman suspended until October 29 for precautionary reasons
KJ Noons suspended until October 29 for precautionary reasons
Jeremy Larsen suspended until October 29 for precautionary reasons
Gabriel Gonzaga suspended until October 27 for precautionary reasons
John Dodson suspended until October 27 for precautionary reasons
Hector Lombard suspended until October 27 for precautionary reasons
AdlanAmagov suspended until October 27 for precautionary reasons
Mike Rio suspended until October 27 for precautionary reasons
Tony Ferguson suspended until October 27 for precautionary reasons
KyojiHoriguchi suspended until October 27 for precautionary reasons
At UFC 166 this past weekend, Hector Lombard — he of the disappointing 1-2 Octagon record in his first year with the organization — made his 170-pound debut after nine years as a middleweight, and it was a good one, as he absolutely obliterated former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nate Marquardt with brutal left hooks in under two minutes to save his job with the UFC.
According to Lombard, the UFC told him “take it or leave it” in regards to a potential drop to 170, meaning he could either make the move down to welterweight or get his walking papers after putting together a losing record as a UFC middleweight.
After all, the former Bellator middleweight champion was a huge signing for the UFC last summer, but after losing two disappointing split decisions to Tim Boetsch and Yushin Okami (with a KO win over Rousimar Palhares sandwiched in between), it was clear that “Lightning” was too small to compete with the bigger 185-pounders in the Octagon.
So Dana White and Joe Silva told Lombard to make the cut to 170, and if last Saturday night in Houston was any indication, this man is going to be an absolute force to be reckoned with in the UFC welterweight division.
In fact, I would even go as far as to say he’s an instant title contender.
Sure, a win over Marquardt these days doesn’t mean as much as it used to. After all, “The Great” has gone 0-3 in 2013, including a previous KO loss to Jake Ellenberger and a decision loss to Tarec Saffiedine. But still, he’s a former Pancrase/Strikeforce champion, a former top-three ranked middleweight, and a huge name in the sport.
So while a KO win over Marquardt in 2013 isn’t as special as it may have been three years ago — hell, even one year ago, when he was wrecking Tyron Woodley’s brains in Strikeforce — it’s still a good win on paper, and it’s the type of victory that will put Lombard on the fast track to a title shot at 170 pounds, if mostly because of his combination of muscles and hefty price tag.
At UFC 166 this past weekend, Hector Lombard — he of the disappointing 1-2 Octagon record in his first year with the organization — made his 170-pound debut after nine years as a middleweight, and it was a good one, as he absolutely obliterated former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nate Marquardt with brutal left hooks in under two minutes to save his job with the UFC.
According to Lombard, the UFC told him “take it or leave it” in regards to a potential drop to 170, meaning he could either make the move down to welterweight or get his walking papers after putting together a losing record as a UFC middleweight.
After all, the former Bellator middleweight champion was a huge signing for the UFC last summer, but after losing two disappointing split decisions to Tim Boetsch and Yushin Okami (with a KO win over Rousimar Palhares sandwiched in between), it was clear that “Lightning” was too small to compete with the bigger 185-pounders in the Octagon.
So Dana White and Joe Silva told Lombard to make the cut to 170, and if last Saturday night in Houston was any indication, this man is going to be an absolute force to be reckoned with in the UFC welterweight division.
In fact, I would even go as far as to say he’s an instant title contender.
Sure, a win over Marquardt these days doesn’t mean as much as it used to. After all, “The Great” has gone 0-3 in 2013, including a previous KO loss to Jake Ellenberger and a decision loss to Tarec Saffiedine. But still, he’s a former Pancrase/Strikeforce champion, a former top-three ranked middleweight, and a huge name in the sport.
So while a KO win over Marquardt in 2013 isn’t as special as it may have been three years ago — hell, even one year ago, when he was wrecking Tyron Woodley’s brains in Strikeforce — it’s still a good win on paper, and it’s the type of victory that will put Lombard on the fast track to a title shot at 170 pounds, if mostly because of his combination of muscles and hefty price tag.
The fact is the UFC hasn’t gotten the return on investment with Lombard that they hoped to get. Let’s face it, the UFC wanted him to beat Boetsch at UFC 149, up his record to 26-straight fights undefeated, and then set up a champion vs. champion fight against former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
But Boetsch leg kicked his way to a head-scratching decision win, and, even though many observers feel the judges blew that one, it still wasn’t the kind of dominating performance that we’ve come to know (and love) out of Lombard, and there’s no doubt in my mind it was a loss that left UFC brass extremely disappointed.
After the loss to Boetsch – which reportedly cost the UFC a whopping $700,000 due to paying Lombard PPV points – Lombard was shifted to free TV cards so the UFC didn’t have to pay him that huge bonus. That’s why his last three fights against Palhares, Okami, and Marquardt have all been on free television. Let’s face it, in the UFC’s mind, paying Lombard $300,000 instead of $700,000 is a lot easier to swallow. And it’s even possible that with the move to 170, the UFC not only told Lombard to cut 15 pounds, but they also cut his salary (official salaries for UFC 166 have not yet been released).
But after Lombard’s destruction of Marquardt, his stock is way up now and I expect him to be back on pay-per-view for his next outing. And I expect him to be paired up with a top-10 opponent.
There are lots of interesting matchups for Lombard at 170 pounds, but the fighter I believe that Lombard will be paired up against is Jake Shields, who recently upset Demian Maia via split decision in the main event UFC Fight Night 29.
Even though most consider him “boring,” Shields’s name still carries weight in the sport. He’s a former Strikeforce champion, a former UFC title challenger, and, most importantly, a winner. If Lombard can go in the cage with him and wreck house, it could put him one fight away from a title shot, in my opinion.
With his Herculean-esque physique (especially at 170), cerebral demeanor, athletic background, and ridiculous KO power, Lombard is a guy who the UFC can market as a title contender, and now that he’s in the proper weight class, there’s a very good chance that he can go all the way to the top in the division.
When Lombard came to the UFC, many believed he was overrated and that he had been padding his record while fighting second-tier fighters in Bellator and CFC in Australia. I disagreed, though. I had been watching Lombard since the PRIDE days, and with his mix of knockout power, submissions, and strong takedown defence, I believed he could make a run to the top of the UFC middleweight division.
Unfortunately, Lombard’s fight against Yushin Okami in March proved that competing at 185 pounds wasn’t doing him any favors — he was just too small to compete at middleweight, and Okami “Okami’d” him to a decision win. Though he was essentially forced to drop to welterweight by his employers, the move to 170 pounds was exactly what he needed — and it’s why I think many were too quick to attach the “bust” label to him.
Looking at Lombard and his skillset, it’s my opinion that he could legitimately make a run for the title at 170 pounds. Now, let’s see him try to do it. At 35 years of age, the clock is ticking, but as we saw against Marquardt, Lombard’s time is not up. In fact, it might just be starting.
