Following UFC 141 on December 30, 2011, Brock Lesnar’s stint with the UFC looked like it was finally coming to an end as he announced his retirement following a big loss to Alistair Overeem. Earlier.
Following UFC 141 on December 30, 2011, Brock Lesnar’s stint with the UFC looked like it was finally coming to an end as he announced his retirement following a big loss to Alistair Overeem. Earlier in 2011, he was having medical issues that pointed to a possible retirement for the fighter. Fans were devastated. Brock Lesnar was finally being recognized as a top fighter in the sport, and his controversial WWE background wasn’t influencing his performance. After announcing his retirement, however, it looked like he was headed back to the WWE. As it turns out, he will have his day in the octagon once again.
It is rumored that Brock Lesnar will make a comeback appearance as early as this year. While a future opponent hasn’t been discussed, it has been stated that it won’t be Frank Mir. While the two have faced each other twice in the octagon, each securing a win, a rubber match doesn’t seem to be in the future. Frank Mir’s future with the UFC is uncertain at this point as well, mainly on whether he will retire or move weight classes.
The main question being asked is who Lesnar will fight next, if not Mir. My best guess would be a second match up with Alistair Overeem. While it was the last loss of Lesnar’s career, speculation has been drawn due to the fact that Overeem failed a drug test following the bout. Many believe that it should have been called a draw, much like similar cases in the past. Overeem was suspended for the failed drug test, but is expected to return to the octagon in December of this year. If Lesnar really does plan on having a comeback in 2012, that may be the perfect scenario. It will make for good ratings, and whether fans love or hate Lesnar, his name on a card always makes produces hype.
Whether Lesnar returns to the octagon this year or at a later date, rest assured, it will be quite a comeback.
Ok, so last year when my brother texted me the catastrophic news that George St. Pierre had sustained a knee injury and would no longer be fighting to defend his title, I may have taken.
Ok, so last year when my brother texted me the catastrophic news that George St. Pierre had sustained a knee injury and would no longer be fighting to defend his title, I may have taken it a little too hard, but after speaking with the crisis hotline, I put down the can of gasoline and decided that not burning the whole world down would probably work out better for me in the long run.
More than six months later, and the guy is still in rehab with no set date for his return. For MMA fans, this sucks, but luckily for us, there are plenty of other badasses ready to beat the living hell out of each other for our viewing pleasure.
That said, the crazy ass Diaz-Condit affair—for those of you who don’t know what I’m referring to, please see the internet—offered a temporary distraction from our suddenly GSP-less world. Well, that sh*t is old now and I want to see more epic violence!!!
My solution to the problem is simple.
Martin Kampmann and Rory Macdonald should fight for a shot at Condit’s belt:
Here are my top 10 reasons why:
1. Welterweight god, George St. Pierre, straight up told UFC Central in an interview that he does not realistically expect to be in the cage before November, which is pretty much another six months. He won’t even be training full out until July. Weak…
2. If the “Natural Born Killer” waits until GSP’s return, he will have held the interim title for 10 months without a single defense…that is a long time to not defend a belt plenty of people (all Nick Diaz fans) think he shouldn’t have in the first place. Hey I’m a huge Condit fan but let’s be honest, the fight with Diaz could have been scored either way. If NBK wants to be widely recognized as a legitimate UFC champion—I say this knowing full well that Condit viciously defended his WEC title several times, and is in fact totally legit—he needs to fight a motherf@!*er or two.
3. GANJA! Nick “F*ck You” Diaz’ unbridled love of the marijuana combined with an unforgiving NSAC hearing completely screwed up the rematch that was supposed to go down with Condit, robbing fans of what would have surely been a very entertaining spectacle of brutality.
4. Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann has been on an insane tear lately, choking out Thiago Alves (dude was coming off his own submission victory) and KO’ing Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenburger, who, by the way, has 17 tko/ko victories of his own in 27 professional victories. What is really impressive is when you consider that, besides Kampmann, NO ONE ELSE HAS DONE THIS TO HIM in over 30 pro fights.
5. The Hitman has already beaten Carlos Condit once before, which definitely supports his case for at the very least a shot at the number one contender spot.
6. Rory “Ares” MacDonald is also on a crazy winning streak, absolutely dominating guys like Nate Diaz and Che Mills. These are some very scary men and yet MacDonald freaking molested them on national television almost effortlessly. For God’s sake man, he suplexed Nate “I ain’t no b*tch” Diaz three times in like .04 seconds.
7. MacDonald lost by tko to Condit already. But, hey what?!?! Wait a minute, how does that help your argument, John? Well if you were paying attention to that fight, the first two rounds clearly belong to Rory. Referee Kevin Dornan’s controversial stoppage with only seven seconds left in the final round gave Condit the win, but the scorecards show that had he not stopped it when he did, MacDonald would have picked up the split decision from the judges. So while not quite as good as Kampmann’s decision win over Condit, at the very least it raises the question, “How much better is Rory now and could he take the rematch?”
8. I know this probably would never happen because Rory and GSP are BBL’s (Best Bros for Life) but how crazy would it be if MacDonald took the title and then GSP came back and there was all this Jon Jones/Rashad Evans style drama about how they don’t want to fight each other but then maybe they develop bad blood or something…I don’t know. They could sell it…I leave the marketing to the UFC. At the very least it would open the door for some very interesting matches down the road i.e Koscheck/MacDonald, Hendricks/Condit etc. In the end whoever has the interim title is really only keeping it warm until GSP has healed up.
9. It would probably win the “Fight of the Night” award.
The sport of mma has become exceptionally amplified in the past few years in regards to women in the sport. Not only does this appeal to the male audience as a new image and ideal.
The sport of mma has become exceptionally amplified in the past few years in regards to women in the sport. Not only does this appeal to the male audience as a new image and ideal of what women should look like and strive for, but also appeals to a broader range of the female audience as a new sense of “girl power”. As a female fan of mma, one may feel the sport is sexist, as it shows men fighting and girls in scantily clothed ring girl costumes parading around the octagon. However, with the rising publicity of women fighting in mma, in contrast to women walking around with booty shorts showing off their assets, it appeals to a wider range of fans. As an avid mma fan, I have never had a problem with watching men fight, and the women viewed as sex symbols as the octagon girls. But with new women fighters gaining momentum in mma, it does give you a sense of “girl power”, and a greater sense of pride of being a female.
Ronda Rousey is the epitome of every girl’s fantasy of what they would be like as an mma fighter. She is the current bantamweight champion of Strikeforce, has a killer six-pack and biceps, and could scrap with any man, any day of the week. She gives a sense of urgency to the octagon, and empowers women to stand up for themselves. I would never underestimate her ability to stand up against a man or any woman for that matter. In this sense, if I was a guy I would never double cross her in any way. One man discovered the outcome of this scenario the hard way. As a former fling, the anonymous man behind this exchange made a big mistake in contacting Rousey only after she became famous.
Once again, I believe this only strengthens her reputation. Some may say she has become hardened the more famous she has become, but honestly, this is once again every woman’s fantasy. Who wouldn’t want to have the guts to say this to a man who has treated you like trash? I believe women athletes like Rousey are continually strengthening the sport of mma. She gives a new idealistic image for women everywhere. This only broadens the sport, and gives empowerment to female mma fans and women alike.
The media has largely covered the subsequent arrest of miss Arianny Celeste (legally named Arianny Lopez) following a domestic violence report. I would bet money that every MMA viewer has already been exposed to this.
The media has largely covered the subsequent arrest of miss Arianny Celeste (legally named Arianny Lopez) following a domestic violence report. I would bet money that every MMA viewer has already been exposed to this ‘news’, but just in case, here’s a quick recap:
On May 26, 2012, UFC octagon girl Arianny Celeste was arrested early in the morning in Las Vegas, after hotel managers called the police following a fight between Celeste and her boyfriend, Praveen Chandra. While Celeste claims that Chandra was trying to choke her, Chandra claims that the alleged fight occurred vice versa, as common with most domestic violence cases, stating that Celeste kicked him and was throwing objects at him. Celeste made her $3,000 bail the same day, just in time to catch the tail end of UFC 146. Following the news, Dana White stated, “Arianny is our baby. She has been with us for over five years. She is a good girl and an amazing ambassador for UFC. I don’t know all the details of what happened but we have her back and support her 100 percent.” Celeste and Chandra were both due for court yesterday, June 1, 2012.
However, the court date has been pushed back.
Celeste pleaded her case to the justice of the peace, stating that the attack was completely self defense. Prosecutors are looking into her accusations, and she will be expected in court on July 2nd (don’t worry, there are no UFC events scheduled for that day, so fans won’t have to miss their favorite octagon girl in action).
The expected verdict: with most ‘he said-she said’ cases involving domestic violence, without incriminating evidence on either party, juries tend to side with the female. What it boils down to is that they both blame the other, and have subsequent stories and scratch marks to match. So who do you choose to believe? Arianny Celeste, of course. Not only is she gorgeous and famous, but fans absolutely adore her, as well as executives in the UFC. If she cries assault, most people will believe her over her previously unknown boyfriend. Even though she is an avid pursuer of mixed martial arts herself, she is just a tiny girl, who is portrayed as not having a chance against a male attacker. Whether or not this is the case, it doesn’t really matter. No one wants to see Celeste with a guilty verdict. And honestly, no one will care if another domestic violence case gives the male victim another guilty verdict.
The other matter on the minds of fans is whether or not she will see repercussions from the UFC. While White stated that the UFC will fully support her, we will see if this holds true. The way I see it, she simply avoided two submissions and finished with a leg kick to her opponent’s face. Moral of the story: Don’t get into physical altercations with girls. Especially not gorgeous, famous supermodels with extensive fan bases and support systems who also happen to pursue mixed martial arts. Just a tip. Nevertheless, we’ll be hearing a decision from the judges’ scorecards sooner than later. We can only hope that the biased mentality towards women will hold true once again.
As I sit here day dreaming I can’t help but feel a little sad as I recall the fun of Memorial day weekend and how at this point it’s already ancient history…Friday night was spent.
As I sit here day dreaming I can’t help but feel a little sad as I recall the fun of Memorial day weekend and how at this point it’s already ancient history…Friday night was spent sparring in the gym in preparation for my second amateur fight on June 30th. Saturday, I was fortunate enough to attend a Brazilian jiu-jitsu seminar featuring multiple time world champion grappler Pablo Popovitch. On Sunday, my brothers and I made the trip to the Monster training facility in Miami for a FREE grappling tournament hosted by our generous friends at FXG. Monday I enjoyed a healthy dose of ice, ibuprofen, and household cleaning. Tuesday, my first day back on the job, I seem to have blacked out completely. Now Wednesday, my selective awareness has acknowledged my surroundings and I somehow find myself back on the grind.
Before the suffocating tediousness of the rat race sucks away the joy of life for the next few days—I’m writing this at my real job instead of doing what I’m supposed to be doing—I thought I would share some thoughts (maybe too strong of a word) I had during my kickass holiday weekend.
First, let’s spend a few moments considering what makes a good MMA fighter: decent jiu-jitsu, and kickboxing are definitely the utmost barestestEST of essentials. Add three spoonfuls of wrestling, throw in a heaping helping of strength & conditioning, a shake of mental toughness and four hundred pounds of solid technique and you might even have the ingredients for a champion.
Now let’s consider what makes a SUCCESSFUL MMA fighter……….anyone?? Besides all of the above you could probably make pretty good use of outstanding genetics, in the reach and chin departments a la Jon Jones and Dan Henderson. Having rich parents would probably help as well, as BJ Penn, Carlos Condit and Donald Cerrone can all attest. Maybe you just have to be really really good friends with Steven Seagal…look I don’t know that’s why I’m asking. I just want to point out that skill and success don’t necessarily go hand in hand.
To better illustrate my point—or more likely my lack of one—let’s talk about the Popovitch seminar. For those of you who don’t know, Pablo Popovitch is one of the most badass submission grapplers on the planet. He is an Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling Champion as well as a multiple time no-gi world champion. People call this guy “Weapon X,” yeah as in THE “Weapon X”, as in this guy would b*tchslap Wolverine in his mouth and make him say thank you. It’s true….google it.
All that jive aside, the guy was NICE. I mean REALLY nice. After the seminar, I bothered him for a picture while he was eating and then had to go back twice because my technologically challenged friend Moses took terrible pictures. He just smiled and said ‘no problem buddy’. He could quite possibly be the coolest badass on the planet not named Morgan Freeman. Ok back to my original train of thought: what makes a SUCESSFUL MMA fighter?
Popovitch had his MMA debut in 2010 against Jeff Savoy and beat the living hell out of him, scoring a fantastic 2nd round submission due to strikes. Right about now you may be thinking, “yeah dude, he’s a world champion grappler big surprise he won, he probably fought some scrub.” While this might be true, it does offer some interesting insight into our question. Let’s look at a similar case with a totally different result.
Marcelo Garcia is widely considered one of the best grapplers alive. Arguably the pound for pound best, he has personally beat Popovitch twice in competition (although I believe Popovitch eventually beat Garcia to win ADCC). For his MMA debut, Marcelo squared off with CMA Korea’s Kim Dae-Won—a guy with four first round submission losses. Several sloppy takedown attempts later and Garcia is smothering his opponent with constant pressure from the top. Fast forward to the end result and we have a 2nd round TKO doctor’s stoppage when Marcelo’s face explodes after winding up on the wrong side of Kim’s fists. What the f*ck happened? Maybe he had a bad night? Maybe he ran into some bad luck? He was winning the fight handily right up until fate said, “No, not today Marcelo…today you bleed.”
At the end of the day who or what, if anything, is responsible for an individual’s success in the cage? Is it the men themselves, boldly snatching victory from the hands of destiny? Is it the team rallying behind an individual, carrying a fighter to greatness? The training then perhaps, forging hardened monsters through blood and sweat? Could it be some all-inclusive mix of socio-economic and physiological factors? Shit maybe nothing can ensure success in the cage and everything that occurs within is at the mercy of total random chance. After all, it’s MMA, anything can happen, right? Maybe that’s the whole reason we love it.
Maybe the very nature of MMA is defined by this idea: An endless number of variables offering an equally infinite number of potential paths to both victory and defeat, in a way that it then becomes possible for a great fighter to be overcome by a lesser one. So I leave you all with this: one world champion prevails while the other falls…why? Is MMA the great equalizer? All theories/other examples welcome, comment section, go!
The UFC promotion is comprised of not only the fighters, but the colorful characters beyond the octagon that fans have come to know and love. Inside the mindset of any fan is the evident realization.
The UFC promotion is comprised of not only the fighters, but the colorful characters beyond the octagon that fans have come to know and love. Inside the mindset of any fan is the evident realization that fighters have a shelf life; at any time, they could get severely injured, choose to retire, or get released from the UFC. So what makes the sport timeless? Of course it’s the octagon, thrill, and competition, but we find a sense of permanence and shared passion with the executives and voices of the UFC. Joe Rogan, Mike Goldberg, Bruce Buffer, the lovable President of the UFC, Dana White, the referrers, and cut men are as much the sport as the fighter. I couldn’t imagine the UFC without these personalities present. However, just as every fighter, we have to accept that everyone has a shelf life. And the irreplaceable Dana White has been hinting at the end of his.
Dana White is UFC. He has been with the UFC since 2001, when ZUFFA took over the promotion, and has since resurrected and expanded the organization in unimaginable ways, making it the fastest growing sport in the world. As of August 2011, the UFC made a seven year deal with FOX, airing the sport on network television for the first time. Dana White has described what will become of the UFC during this time; he wants to see the promotion go to every country, and even the forbidden state of New York. The president of the UFC believes he will reach his goals for the promotion at the end of the deal with FOX. And this has led him to consider retiring after it’s done. As stated, he has had a long run with the UFC, and has tremendously developed the promotion. There comes a point in everyone’s career, however, when you feel you have reached your maximum potential, and I think the end of the FOX deal is just that for Dana White. His recent medical illness must also be considered in this recent development. He has been diagnosed with Meniere’s disease, an affliction in the inner ear affecting balance and hearing. This leads to tinnitus, vertigo, and hearing loss. This would be incredibly hard news for anyone to hear, but especially someone in a career where hearing is such a vital component. All the traveling necessary for Dana White’s career would also put an unbelievable amount of stress on anyone’s body. Dana White has a plethora of responsibilities including: conferences, speeches, traveling, vlogs, fans, obligations with fighters, media appearances promotional events and of course appearing at every live UFC event. He has to deal with all this, and much more, on a daily basis.
Every career has to come to an end eventually, so why not quit when you are at the pinnacle of it? Whatever the reason behind Dana White’s contemplation of retiring, he will never be able to be replaced. His personality and whimsical charisma is unmatchable, his extreme love for the sport and respect for the fighters is undeniable, and what he has turned the sport into is unforgettable. Whether you love him, or love to hate him, the UFC will never be the same. And on behalf of all MMA fans out there, Dana White will be greatly missed.
