(“Dear God, please let the lab lose my sample.” / Photo via MMAJunkie)
Recent flyweight title challenger Ali Bagautinov has been suspended for one year following a positive test for erythropoietin (EPO), a unapproved hormone that increases red blood cell production. (See also: Lance Armstrong, Chael Sonnen.) The British Columbia Athletic Commission on Thursday confirmed the news today.
Bagautinov failed a random drug test that was administered on June 2nd, 12 days before his unanimous decision loss to Demetrious Johnson at UFC 174 in Vancouver. As BCAC Commissioner Dave Maedel explained (via MMAJunkie):
“These results were not available prior to the UFC 174 event due to lab processing times…I have suspended Mr. Bagautinov’s licence to compete in British Columbia for a period of one year.”
So not only was UFC 174 the poorest-selling PPV in nine years, it also produced one more victim of MMA’s newest supervillain — the random drug-test. Seriously, increased drug testing is wiping out high-profile fighters left and right lately, which tells you all you need to know about how widespread the doping problem is in this sport. Keep fighting the good fight, athletic commissions.
(“Dear God, please let the lab lose my sample.” / Photo via MMAJunkie)
Recent flyweight title challenger Ali Bagautinov has been suspended for one year following a positive test for erythropoietin (EPO), a unapproved hormone that increases red blood cell production. (See also: Lance Armstrong, Chael Sonnen.) The British Columbia Athletic Commission on Thursday confirmed the news today.
Bagautinov failed a random drug test that was administered on June 2nd, 12 days before his unanimous decision loss to Demetrious Johnson at UFC 174 in Vancouver. As BCAC Commissioner Dave Maedel explained (via MMAJunkie):
“These results were not available prior to the UFC 174 event due to lab processing times…I have suspended Mr. Bagautinov’s licence to compete in British Columbia for a period of one year.”
So not only was UFC 174 the poorest-selling PPV in nine years, it also produced one more victim of MMA’s newest supervillain — the random drug-test. Seriously, increased drug testing is wiping out high-profile fighters left and right lately, which tells you all you need to know about how widespread the doping problem is in this sport. Keep fighting the good fight, athletic commissions.
The MMA world peered at Tyron Woodley‘s ass and saw “DUDE WIPES” emblazoned across his most private chasm. In that moment, an MMA meme was born.
Dude Wipes, in some ways, are the ultimate expression of the ridiculous Dude-Bro culture ingrained in MMA–or that marketers think is ingrained in MMA. Whether through derision, revulsion, or legitimate curiosity, Dude Wipes became one of the top trends on Twitter during the fights. While some were happy to simply laugh at Dude Wipes and write them off as some kind of oddity, CagePotato wanted to know more. Myself and everyone else on the CagePotato editorial staff will never let it be said we won’t go to any heights (or depths) to the get stories that matter most to MMA. Dude Wipes, we believed, was one of those stories.
Thus, I went out to Walgreens and Target the morning after UFC 174, but found no Dude Wipes. Dejected, I resorted to making a post about them citing several Amazon reviews. But fate tossed me a life preserver in the shape of a Dude Wipe. Dude Products, makers of Dude Wipes, found out about my dilemma and hooked me up. I was excited to get my hands (and butt cheeks) on some Dude Wipes. Check them out:
I also got two wristbands that say “Fresh ass dude” and “#DudeWipes” on them; they’re shown in the video.
So how did they measure up to my expectations? Find out after the jump.
(Unboxing the care package Dude Wipes sent CagePotato. Thanks, Dude Products!)
The MMA world peered at Tyron Woodley‘s ass and saw “DUDE WIPES” emblazoned across his most private chasm. In that moment, an MMA meme was born.
Dude Wipes, in some ways, are the ultimate expression of the ridiculous Dude-Bro culture ingrained in MMA–or that marketers think is ingrained in MMA. Whether through derision, revulsion, or legitimate curiosity, Dude Wipes became one of the top trends on Twitter during the fights. While some were happy to simply laugh at Dude Wipes and write them off as some kind of oddity, CagePotato wanted to know more. Myself and everyone else on the CagePotato editorial staff will never let it be said we won’t go to any heights (or depths) to the get stories that matter most to MMA. Dude Wipes, we believed, was one of those stories.
Thus, I went out to Walgreens and Target the morning after UFC 174, but found no Dude Wipes. Dejected, I resorted to making a post about them citing several Amazon reviews. But fate tossed me a life preserver in the shape of a Dude Wipe. Dude Products, makers of Dude Wipes, found out about my dilemma and hooked me up. I was excited to get my hands (and butt cheeks) on some Dude Wipes. Check them out:
I also got two wristbands that say “Fresh ass dude” and “#DudeWipes” on them; they’re shown in the video.
So how did they measure up to my expectations?
I talk about it a bit in the above video detailing my initial reaction to them, but I hadn’t used them at that point. That video was just an appetizer.
After filming, I made sure to put myself into two distinct scenarios where Dude Wipes would be most useful: A bout of so-called “mud butt” diarrhea and an episode of excessive sweat–both without possibility of showering afterwards.
I trekked up to Taco Bell, America’s greatest guarantor of gastrointestinal malaise, and ordered enough fuel to give the bathroom at Castle CagePotato a new paint job. I especially liked the new Quesarito dish they have. I ordered mine without sour cream and chipotle sauce. I also indulged in a churro for good measure. Delicious.
Within an hour or two, the whirring of my intestines let me know I’d need my Dude Wipes soon. I’ll spare you the next set of details.
Once the intestinal aftershocks from the Taco Bell subsided, I broke out my bike and rode it around long enough to break out into a good sweat–and then some. I got back home, whipped out some Dude Wipes, and pretended I was a 13-year-old in gym class who was too shy to use the showers. The Dude Wipes performed well enough here. I definitely felt fresher from them.
Final Impression:
Some might say Dude Wipes are a needlessly gendered product. They’re right, but it doesn’t have to be this way. My biggest complaint about the Dude Wipes is that there’s nothing “Dude” about them outside of the sleek, modern, masculine packaging. They’d be great if they smelled like, I don’t know, cologne? Let me put it another way: After I use a Dude Wipe, I want to feel like a 7-foot tall lumberjack who just fucked the prom queen. I didn’t necessarily feel that way after I used them yesterday.
Furthermore, after the Taco Bell’s migration out of my colon, I was really pumped up to see how Dude Wipes would perform, only for them to be indistinguishable from baby wipes. It’d be in their best interest to make their product standout rather than just the angle at which the product is marketed.
Dude Wipes, from what I can tell, are aiming to simultaneously fulfill the functions of both baby wipes and deodorant body spray. They want to create a product that can freshen you up (either after a nasty crap or just when you’re sweaty/dirty but can’t shower) and also make you smell manly. While it succeeds in making you feel clean–I wanted to wear my “clean ass dude” wristband with pride because I was a clean ass dude thanks to the Dude Wipes–it leaves a bit to be desired in the smell manly part.
To reiterate: I would quite like Dude Wipes if they had a good–but not overpowering–masculine scent.
In terms of pure function, Dude Wipes work fine. The “crib edition” is essentially a pack of baby wipes, however. Still, their individualized, portable wipes are extremely handy and discreet. I’ll definitely be bringing a handful with me every day before I go to work as long as I have them.
TLDR: Dude Wipes has the wipes part down but needs to work on the dude aspect. Nevertheless, they can be pretty convenient. Pick up one of the to-go packs containing 30 Dude Wipes and see how you like them. You never know when diarrhea will rear it’s ugly, malformed, liquidy, corn-flecked head!
Yesterday, MMAFighting’s Dave Meltzer reported that UFC 173: Barao vs. Dillashaw pulled an estimated 200,000-215,000 pay-per-view buys. While that number is certainly on the low end of UFC buyrates, it’s not a disaster by any means. Keep in mind that UFC 169 — a card that featured a Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber rematch, Jose Aldo defending his featherweight belt against Ricardo Lamas, and a high-profile heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir — only earned an estimated 230,000 buys back in February. On paper, UFC 173 was arguably a weaker offering, but the buyrate wasn’t that far off. Basically, it could have been a lot worse.
“It’s too early to get accurate numbers, but every indication we’ve gotten was very bad, and that it showed a steep decline from UFC 173, which was among the lower numbers of the last eight years. UFC PPV shows usually range from 200,000 to 500,000 Google searches after the event, and are usually in the top few searched for items in the country. A bad show may only do 100,000. Bellator’s show last month hit 100,000. A big show can top 500,000, with the shows that hover around 1 million buys usually doing anywhere from 1 million to 5 million searches. This show did less than 20,000, unheard of for a PPV…
(*crickets* / Photo via Getty)
Yesterday, MMAFighting’s Dave Meltzer reported that UFC 173: Barao vs. Dillashaw pulled an estimated 200,000-215,000 pay-per-view buys. While that number is certainly on the low end of UFC buyrates, it’s not a disaster by any means. Keep in mind that UFC 169 — a card that featured a Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber rematch, Jose Aldo defending his featherweight belt against Ricardo Lamas, and a high-profile heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir — only earned an estimated 230,000 buys back in February. On paper, UFC 173 was arguably a weaker offering, but the buyrate wasn’t that far off. Basically, it could have been a lot worse.
“It’s too early to get accurate numbers, but every indication we’ve gotten was very bad, and that it showed a steep decline from UFC 173, which was among the lower numbers of the last eight years. UFC PPV shows usually range from 200,000 to 500,000 Google searches after the event, and are usually in the top few searched for items in the country. A bad show may only do 100,000. Bellator’s show last month hit 100,000. A big show can top 500,000, with the shows that hover around 1 million buys usually doing anywhere from 1 million to 5 million searches. This show did less than 20,000, unheard of for a PPV.
Unlike UFC 173, which looked weak on paper and everyone knew wasn’t going to draw much, it still had Dan Henderson and Daniel Cormier in the No. 2 spot. They brought some star power in what was really the main event. It also had a lot to talk about after, due to T.J. Dillashaw’s upset win over Renan Barao.
This show didn’t have much interest going in. But most of the time, those type of shows deliver good action. This had none of that. It wasn’t terrible, but there was no fight you needed to see. As a likely sign of how the show went, Dana White didn’t even attend the post-fight press conference.”
In response to Meltzer’s story, our twitter friend @Niko138 added some inside information that suggests the UFC 174 buyrate was beyond dismal. Treat this as a rumor for now, but holy crap:
I’ve heard from a couple of people who would know, that early estimates of 174 buys have it just a bit under 100k. The sole reason I am posting about this (I normally try not to be one of those ratings/buys posters who everyone hates) is because if the show truly did this bad, it will be a good thing for us fans who complain about watered down cards. The UFC’s core audience was really being tested with this card, to see how much they could get away with buys wise, for a card with absolutely no drawing power to the casual viewer.
If this is the case, it sends a strong message to the UFC that the watered down cards are no longer going over with fans. For me, considering the cards are $60 and there is 14 a year…this is great news.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the number that comes out in the press is just above that, like 125…If you see the number come out around that area, then trust me, it did under 100k. This has to piss Dana off to no end considering the Bellator show did do a legit 100k
This is really interesting stuff to me, because like I said.. if true, the UFC is going to realize they can’t keep putting on shows like this as a numbered PPV, and expect its fans to continuously just blindly shell out the cash.
That’s a step in the right direction.. they know they are losing PPV buys, and hopefully they step their game up to fix it, by putting on more big fights per card. We can hope anyway.
So, a couple things. MMAPayout’s PPV Blue Book only dates back to UFC 57 in February 2006, and doesn’t show any UFC pay-per-view doing less than 140k buys. But according to Wikipedia (I know, I know), the last UFC PPV that did under 100k buys was UFC 53: Heavy Hitters, which took in just 90,000 buys in June 2005. In other words, you have to go back nine years to find a UFC PPV that performed as terribly as UFC 174 allegedly did.
My other thought is this: “Putting on more big fights per card” is not necessarily the answer. After years of seeing these UFC buyrates ebb and flow, my totally non-scientific conclusion is that 1) casual UFC fans only care about who’s fighting in the main event, and 2) nobody cares about little flyweights. Seriously. Non-Rousey bantamweight and featherweight title fights have always underperformed on pay-per-view, and it should come as no surprise that the first time the UFC tried to put a flyweight title fight in a pay-per-view main event, it would pull record-low numbers.
So, if the 100k buyrate is accurate — or even close to accurate — it’ll get the UFC’s attention. But don’t expect the promotion to start putting together more stacked PPVs in response; remember they have like 50 events/year to fill out, and they simply don’t have the manpower for it. Instead, the UFC’s major takeaway will probably be this: If we have to put a flyweight title fight on a pay-per-view card, there had better be a bigger fight on top of it.
In a way, we picked a great event to kick off our semi-recurring Snapchat contests, since most of you spent UFC 174 bored off your asses and looking for a way to pass the time. As promised, we’re giving away packs of Topps’ UFC Knockout 2014 cards to the best three snaps sent to cagepotatomma during the fights…
First place:girafarig, who sent us some amazing illustrations of the night’s winners, laid on top of her own face/body. Damn gurl, you killed it. We’re going to send you two packs of Knockout cards for your efforts. In fact, I’d like to post all of girafarig’s entries before we go any further…
In a way, we picked a great event to kick off our semi-recurring Snapchat contests, since most of you spent UFC 174 bored off your asses and looking for a way to pass the time. As promised, we’re giving away packs of Topps’ UFC Knockout 2014 cards to the best three snaps sent to cagepotatomma during the fights…
First place:girafarig, who sent us some amazing illustrations of the night’s winners, laid on top of her own face/body. Damn gurl, you killed it. We’re going to send you two packs of Knockout cards for your efforts. In fact, I’d like to post all of girafarig’s entries before we go any further…
Great work, gang. I will message all three of you with instructions on how to claim your prize.
DISCLAIMER: galliesp and Smokey5000 also sent in amazing snaps that were probably prize-worthy, but I wasn’t able to screencap ‘em before they expired. I’m still getting the hang of this thing, guys. But in the future, please set the expiration time for like 20 seconds, at least.
Tyron Woodley seems to be the kind of fighter who always disappoints whenever there’s a big fight to be won, according to Dana White.
In speaking with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani (h/t Dave Doyle of MMAFighting), the UFC presi…
TyronWoodley seems to be the kind of fighter who always disappoints whenever there’s a big fight to be won, according to Dana White.
In speaking with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani (h/t Dave Doyle of MMAFighting), the UFC president was highly critical of Woodley’s performance Saturday night against Rory MacDonald at UFC 174. It was a complete rout from start to finish, as MacDonald forced Woodley into a defensive shell and dissected the former Strikeforce champ en route to a lopsided unanimous decision.
“He choked in the big fight tonight,” White told Helwani. “He needed to come out and try to rip that head off in the third round and he didn’t even do that. He threw a few punches, missed and didn’t knock him out. He just sort of sat back into the way he fought the rest of the fight.”
The old adage about sticks and stones and words not hurting was likely an afterthought for Woodley after hearing White’s follow-up comments. According to the UFC president, these kind of letdown performances are becoming a common occurrence for Woodley.
He even went as far as insinuating that “T-Wood” chokes in big fights.
“He got beat tonight. He got beat mentally. He got beat physically. Tyron’s got a ways to go. He seems like he chokes in the big fights,” said White.
It should be noted that Woodley is coming off back-to-back wins over Josh Koscheck and former interim UFC champ Carlos Condit. His only losses in the UFC have come against MacDonald and in a highly controversial split-decision loss to Jake Shields.
What gets swept under the rug in the latest hiccup is the technical brilliance displayed by MacDonald. The 24-year-old protege of former UFC champ Georges St-Pierre has stepped from beyond the shadow of his mentor and into the spotlight.
Chants of “Rory” echoed throughout Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada, as the young contender put on a stand-up clinic. He even managed to secure a takedown in the final round on the NCAA Division I All-American wrestler.
Woodley loaded up on all of his punches and even attempted several takedowns. But his typically aggressive fighting style was completely nullified by MacDonald’s ability to control the Octagon and keep him on his heels.
The notion that Woodley is a choker may seem a bit premature and harsh, but there’s no question Saturday night’s loss set him back a ways in the welterweight title picture.
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
Schaub confirmed late Saturday night that he was medically cleared before he left the arena, and his only serious injuries were psychological ones. (Schaub will be sharing his thoughts about the fight on today’s installment of his podcast, so keep an ear out for that.) Meanwhile, Andrei Arlovski isn’t exactly in a celebratory mood either. After the fight, the Pitbull lamented his performance and tried to explain why it was so flat:
(Photos by Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports, via MMAJunkie)
Schaub confirmed late Saturday night that he was medically cleared before he left the arena, and his only serious injuries were psychological ones. (Schaub will be sharing his thoughts about the fight on today’s installment of his podcast, so keep an ear out for that.) Meanwhile, Andrei Arlovski isn’t exactly in a celebratory mood either. After the fight, the Pitbull lamented his performance and tried to explain why it was so flat:
“I still feel like really horrible and um…it’s good that Dana White’s not here because he’s probably so pissed at me. He gave me great opportunity. I didn’t like my performance, my fight tonight. But for some reason I [was] nervous a lot, like you know, before the fight when I step inside the Octagon, my legs, my hands, like shook for some reason. I [was] just nervous, like [my] first time when I fought back fourteen years ago almost. But next time I promise it’s gonna be much better.”
Speaking of Dana White, the UFC president expressed his own regrets after the fight, wondering why he didn’t stick it on the prelims. But hindsight is 20/20, right? This fight had the potential to be a slugfest, just like every other fight on the UFC 174 main card. It just didn’t work out that way. On the bright side, only the most hardcore, devoted, and bored UFC fans were even watching this PPV in the first place. Schaub vs. Arlovski may be the most forgettable fight of the year, which is good news or bad news, depending on how you look at it.
