The Boston Herald first passed along word of a potential issue, which relates to temporary Social Security numbers that must be attained by foreign-born fighters before they are allowed to compete in Massachusetts:
“This law has been in existence since we legalized mixed martial arts in the commonwealth of Massachusetts,” said Terrell Harris, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, which regulates prize fighting.
“It’s been brought to the attention of the UFC more than a few times since we legalized the fighting here. But they’ve chosen basically to ignore the law and hope that they could skirt it somehow,” Harris said.
When they bring in fighters that are not American citizens, there are exceptions that allow them to obtain a Social Security number,” Harris said.
“The Social Security Administration will issue a temporary work visa but it’s up to them to do their due diligence…the law is the law. The law doesn’t allow us to make exceptions.”
“Indeed it does not.” – Chad Johnson. “Occasionally it does.” – Lindsay Lohan
The Boston Herald first passed along word of a potential issue, which relates to temporary Social Security numbers that must be attained by foreign-born fighters before they are allowed to compete in Massachusetts:
“This law has been in existence since we legalized mixed martial arts in the commonwealth of Massachusetts,” said Terrell Harris, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, which regulates prize fighting.
“It’s been brought to the attention of the UFC more than a few times since we legalized the fighting here. But they’ve chosen basically to ignore the law and hope that they could skirt it somehow,” Harris said.
When they bring in fighters that are not American citizens, there are exceptions that allow them to obtain a Social Security number,” Harris said.
“The Social Security Administration will issue a temporary work visa but it’s up to them to do their due diligence…the law is the law. The law doesn’t allow us to make exceptions.”
“Indeed it does not.” – Chad Johnson. “Occasionally it does.” – Lindsay Lohan
The Herald article also states that applying for said SS numbers requires a ten day grace period, but thankfully…
[UPDATE]
Suckerpunch managing partner Shu Hirata has shed some light on the issue (via Hirata’s twitter):
Shu Hirata ?@ShuHirata if u don’t live in US then u can no longer get ss #. Only tax ID # and u have to send in actual passport to IRS to get this.
Shu Hirata ?@ShuHirata fill out form W7 and send in with passport, then u can get tax ID # in like a month so for Boston UFC show still got time.
Shu Hirata ?@ShuHirata I do tax filing for all my foreign clients so I am an expert in this topic But sending in passport makes everyone nervous.
According to other reports, the UFC is already in the process of addressing these legals snags. So crisis averted for now, we guess…
(CagePotato was sent, anonymously, this picture with this not-so-subtle note attached, “Dear CagePotato, This is Yuri Alcantara.” Photo via MMAWeekly.)
You might not know this, Potato Nation, but last week it was announced that the already stacked UFC on Fox Sports 1 card picked up another big name in the form of Urijah Faber, the former WEC kingpin and much-beloved UFC bantamweight title challenger. All the major MMA media outlets reported his booking on the August 17th-scheduled card, yet next to no one seemed to be discussing it. You might be asking yourself, “How could one of the WEC’s biggest stars (if not the biggest) — a former title challenger, TUF coach, and ambitious entrepreneur who has his own honorary day in Sacramento — be so unjustly overlooked on such a monumental card?”
The answer is simple: Nobody, including Faber himself, has the slightest idea who his opponent is, or why the fight was booked in the first place.
We are speaking of Yuri Alcantara, the one-fight WEC and five-fight UFC veteran who, even in light of this fight booking, is all but completely unknown by many of the sports casual fans. Hell, even the diehards would probably have to consult Sherdog before pretending to know who Alcantara is. We’re talking about a guy whose most notorious UFC moment came when his opponent faked an injury at UFC on FX 7and screwed him out of a victory for crying out loud. So he scores a quick KO over a UFC noob last month and suddenly he’s ready for a fighter of Faber’s caliber? Bitch, meet please.
(CagePotato was sent, anonymously, this picture with this not-so-subtle note attached, “Dear CagePotato, This is Yuri Alcantara.” Photo via MMAWeekly.)
You might not know this, Potato Nation, but last week it was announced that the already stacked UFC on Fox Sports 1 card picked up another big name in the form of Urijah Faber, the former WEC kingpin and much-beloved UFC bantamweight title challenger. All the major MMA media outlets reported his booking on the August 17th-scheduled card, yet next to no one seemed to be discussing it. You might be asking yourself, “How could one of the WEC’s biggest stars (if not the biggest) — a former title challenger, TUF coach, and ambitious entrepreneur who has his own honorary day in Sacramento — be so unjustly overlooked on such a monumental card?”
The answer is simple: Nobody, including Faber himself, has the slightest idea who his opponent is, or why the fight was booked in the first place.
We are speaking of Yuri Alcantara, the one-fight WEC and five-fight UFC veteran who, even in light of this fight booking, is all but completely unknown by many of the sports casual fans. Hell, even the diehards would probably have to consult Sherdog before pretending to know who Alcantara is. We’re talking about a guy whose most notorious UFC moment came when his opponent faked an injury at UFC on FX 7and screwed him out of a victory for crying out loud. So he scores a quick KO over a UFC noob last month and suddenly he’s ready for a fighter of Faber’s caliber? Bitch, meet please.
Not since Mendes vs. McKenzie (fine, Sonnen vs. Jones) have we seen a fight so transparently tilted in one fighter’s favor. The fact that Faber is coming off a pair of dominant performances against a former WEC title challenger in Scott Jorgensen (currently “ranked” #7 by UFC.com) and Ivan Menjivar (ranked #9) only adds to the confusion. It’s also a discrepancy that Faber took note of when he was originally made aware of his next opponent (via MMAJunkie):
The face didn’t pop into my head when they said his name, but I remember seeing the guy fight, and he’s very tough…but that’s where I’m at in my career – where I’m not necessarily gaining a ton from this fight other than the fight itself.
The hard part on my side is, nobody knows who the heck he is and there’s nothing really to gain.
Although he may be an unknown to most of the people tuning in on August 17th, to say that Alcantara does not pose some possible threats to Faber would simply be foolish. For starters, he’s a BJJ black belt and five-time Muay Thai state champion, according to his UFC profile. He was also the inaugural lightweight champion of longtime Brazilian promotion Jungle Fight and currently holds an equal knockout to submission ratio in his 28 victories at 12 apiece.
He’s a dangerous guy is what we’re saying, but “The California Kid,” at least on paper, is on an entirely different level. So much so that you might also ask why Faber accepted a fight that 90% of his-caliber fighters would turn down in today’s MMA landscape. Well, the answer to that question is simple as well:
There wasn’t much out there for me. So I can just be thankful I have a fight – I get paid when I have a fight, my name’s out there when I have a fight, I get to do what I love when I have a fight. So as long as I approach it like that – the thing to gain here is another win on my record and one step closer to getting that belt, which is my goal, and putting on a great show for the fans. That’s what this means.
I want to stay active. This is what I do, and I’m here to fight. That’s why I’ve dedicated the last 10 years of my life to mixed martial arts. That’s what I do, so sign me up, and I’ll scrap.
As has become the norm with Faber, his reasoning is not only straightforward and sound, but incredibly humble as well. A win is a win, and that’s all that Faber is concerned about. Rightfully so.
But still, when faced with such a…peculiar matchup, we as fans can’t help but question the ulterior motives of the UFC. Are they hoping to provide Faber with enough momentum to finally get his trilogy-securing fight against Dominick Cruz? Does the UFC assume that Cruz will best Renan Barao when the two eventually meet? Will Cruz ever be able to put in a full training camp without suffering a debilitating injury? Fuckin’ magnets, how do they work?
Obviously, we are getting ahead of ourselves a little here. Who knows if Faber and Alcantara will even make it to the fight without one of them suffering an injury? For now, we should just appreciate the fact that these two will most likely put on a great show (that ends in Faber choking this poor bastard unconscious inside the first round) come August 17th. At least, that’s how Faber views the opportunity:
At this point in my career, I’m fighting to put on amazing fights to climb the way to the top. This guy, they think the world of. And even though nobody knows who he is, it’s going to be a very tough and competitive fight. But I’m going to win.
Does anyone else see this fight going down any differently? If so, please raise your hand so we can make sure not to give you a gold star for the day.
After a rough start to his UFC career, dos Anjos will be riding a four fight win streak into this bout. His last fight was just over two weeks ago, where he edged out Evan Dunham in a very close fight at UFC on FX 8. Likewise, Cerrone last competed almost two weeks ago at UFC 160, where he absolutely dominated KJ Noons on his way to a unanimous decision victory.
This looks like a great fight that will have a direct impact on the UFC lightweight division. If you disagree, well, just realize that not every fight can be Fitch vs. Askren. Sometimes, people like to watch fights because they’ll be fun and entertaining.
Speaking of UFC on Fox Sports 1 booking updates…
(Stacked enough to mandate a *formal* paisley vest.)
After a rough start to his UFC career, dos Anjos will be riding a four fight win streak into this bout. His last fight was just over two weeks ago, where he edged out Evan Dunham in a very close fight at UFC on FX 8. Likewise, Cerrone last competed almost two weeks ago at UFC 160, where he absolutely dominated KJ Noons on his way to a unanimous decision victory.
This looks like a great fight that will have a direct impact on the UFC lightweight division. If you disagree, well, just realize that not every fight can be Fitch vs. Askren. Sometimes, people like to watch fights because they’ll be fun and entertaining.
Here’s a list of the announced bouts for UFC on Fox Sports 1: Shogun vs. Sonnen, which goes down on August 17th from the TD Garden in Boston:
Mauricio Rua vs. Chael Sonnen
Alistair Overeem vs. Travis Browne
Urijah Faber vs. Yuri Alcantara
Matt Brown vs. Thiago Alves
Uriah Hall vs. Nick Ring
Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Johnson
Brad Pickett vs. Michael McDonald
Mike Brown vs. Akira Corassani Daniel Pineda vs. Diego Brandao
Andy Ogle vs. Conor McGregor
Cody Donovan vs. Ovince St. Preux
Ramsey Nijem vs. James Vick
The only questions that remain are, will Fox Sports 1:1 be as good as it looks on paper? And when both cards fill up, which card will have the better fights? Let us know in the comments section what you think.
It’s official, Nation: Chael Sonnen vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua WILL headline UFC on FOX Sports 1:1, a.k.a “the best television card the UFC has ever done.” While at first glance, a fight between two guys coming off losses doesn’t seem like a great main event for a card this stacked (and makes you wonder if the UFC had a planned main event to begin with), it’s surely a matchup that fans can get excited about nonetheless. And if they aren’t, Sonnen will fondle every available Sportscenter anchor within a 500 mile radius to ensure that you are at least aware that the fight is going down.
The matchup was all but a done deal for next weekend’s UFC 161 card until visa issues forced Sonnen to bow out of the fight he had — like a true American Gangster — offered to take on short notice just days ago. Rua was thusly pulled from the card altogether, but hinted that a potential showdown with Sonnen could take place over the summer.
It’s official, Nation: Chael Sonnen vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua WILL headline UFC on FOX Sports 1:1, a.k.a “the best television card the UFC has ever done.” While at first glance, a fight between two guys coming off losses doesn’t seem like a great main event for a card this stacked (and makes you wonder if the UFC had a planned main event to begin with), it’s surely a matchup that fans can get excited about nonetheless. And if they aren’t, Sonnen will fondle every available Sportscenter anchor within a 500 mile radius to ensure that you are at least aware that the fight is going down.
The matchup was all but a done deal for next weekend’s UFC 161 card until visa issues forced Sonnen to bow out of the fight he had — like a true American Gangster – offered to take on short notice just days ago. Rua was thusly pulled from the card altogether, but hinted that a potential showdown with Sonnen could take place over the summer.
Speaking of the FS 1:1 card, the lightweight title fight between T.J Grant and Ben Henderson — which was also rumored for the Boston card — has been announced as the headliner for UFC 164. Featuring a heavyweight showdown between Josh Barnett and Frank Mir, as well as a pair of interesting featherweight bouts in Chad Mendes vs. Clay Guida and Dustin Poirier vs. Eric Koch, UFC 164 goes down in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 31st, making it the fourth UFC event to transpire in the month of August. This is normally where we’d accuse the UFC of spreading itself too thin, but with cards like these, we’ll just keep our trap shut for the time being.
And finally, it has recently been announced that TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum — like Jonathan Brookins, John Dodson, Mac Danzig, and a slew of TUF winners before him — will be dropping down a weight class for his first post-TUF fight. Gastelum will meet Paulo Thiago in a welterweight contest at UFC on FOX Sports 1: Kampmann vs. Conditon, you guessed it, August 28th in Indianapolis. Sheesh, looks like I’ll be working weekends in the near future.
(You fuck wit ChurchBoyz Wrestling and you best know you’re gonna get teased gently for it | ‘Shogun’ Rua’s Instagram)
A reported last-minute replacement bout between Chael Sonnen and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua for June 15th’s UFC 161 has been postponed due to visa issues on Sonnen’s behalf. As a result, Rua has been removed from the card entirely, lending a lot of credence to CagePotato reader Mr. Misanthropy’s theory that UFC 161 is UFC 149: Part II.
In fact, Rua and his team were watching tape on “The American Gangster” at the very moment they received the news that Sonnen would not be able to make the trip to Canada. Our friends at Globo and Google Translate have the story for us after the jump.
(You fuck wit ChurchBoyz Wrestling and you best know you’re gonna get teased gently for it | ‘Shogun’ Rua’s Instagram)
A reported last-minute replacement bout between Chael Sonnen and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua for June 15th’s UFC 161 has been postponed due to visa issues on Sonnen’s behalf. As a result, Rua has been removed from the card entirely, lending a lot of credence to CagePotato reader Mr. Misanthropy’s theory that UFC 161 is UFC 149: Part II.
In fact, Rua and his team were watching tape on “The American Gangster” at the very moment they received the news that Sonnen would not be able to make the trip to Canada. Our friends at Globo and Google Translate have the story for us.
The fight between Maurício Shogun and Chael Sonnen did not last more than a day at the UFC 161 card. The Brazilian posted late on Monday on Twitter that the duel will no longer be played in Winnipeg, Canada, on June 15. The Combate.com found to sources close to the organization that Sonnen had visa problems and, therefore, the Brazilian and the U.S. should be the main attraction of the show in Boston, USA, about two months later. This change of date and venue has not been officially announced, and the fighters did not get to sign the contract, but everything has been verbally agreed between the parties.
For his part, ‘Shogun’ posted on twitter early Tuesday: “I would like to tell my fans that unfortunately the fight vs Chael won’t happen next week. Sorry everyone we try as much we could. August 17.” That tweet, along with several rumors currently circulating the MMA blogosphere, seem to indicate that Sonnen vs. Rua could transpire at the already stacked UFC on FOX Sports 1:1 card, which goes down from the TD Garden in Boston on August 17th.
We don’t know the nature of Sonnen’s visa issues, but often times fighters with past criminal issues have had difficulty getting visas to leave their home countries. Sonnen, of course, is a felon.
We’ll keep you posted on any updates related to this match up. At the current clip, there will likely be fourteen more by tomorrow.
(Hall attempts the infamous “Cover Your Eyes and Pray the Scary Monster Goes Away” defense to no avail at the TUF 17 Finale. Photo via Getty Images.)
Perhaps the only thing more dangerous than accepting a coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighteris being heralded by Dana White as “the next Anderson Silva” while still participating on the reality show. Ten seasons ago, it was Phillipe Nover who drew the unjust and bombastic comparisons to the pound-for-pound king. Though a loss to Efrain Escudero — who would also become one of the show’s more notorious washouts — in the season’s finale may have not derailed his hype train entirely, his consecutive losses to Kyle Bradley (ouch.) and Robert Emerson (OH COME ON!) surely did. But just as every story has a happy ending, Nover now earns his living pushing the stretchers, not lying on them.
In any case, if Hall doesn’t want to end up changing bedpans for crotchety geezers in the future (not that there’s anything wrong with that), he better bring his A-game when he meets fellow TUF-finalist Nick Ring at the much anticipated UFC on FOX Sports 1:1 card in August. That’s right, Bostonians, not only do we get Overeem vs. Brown, Alves vs. other Brown, Lauzon vs. Johnson, and (potentially) Henderson vs. Grant, but now we get to see Uriah Hall’s make-or-break fight in the UFC. Expect some Eddie Gordo-level shit to go down in this one, Potato Nation.
(Hall attempts the infamous “Cover Your Eyes and Pray the Scary Monster Goes Away” defense to no avail at the TUF 17 Finale. Photo via Getty Images.)
Perhaps the only thing more dangerous than accepting a coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighteris being heralded by Dana White as “the next Anderson Silva” while still participating on the reality show. Ten seasons ago, it was Phillipe Nover who drew the unjust and bombastic comparisons to the pound-for-pound king. Though a loss to Efrain Escudero — who would also become one of the show’s more notorious washouts — in the season’s finale may have not derailed his hype train entirely, his consecutive losses to Kyle Bradley (ouch.) and Robert Emerson (OH COME ON!) surely did. But just as every story has a happy ending, Nover now earns his living pushing the stretchers, not lying on them.
In any case, if Hall doesn’t want to end up changing bedpans for crotchety geezers in the future (not that there’s anything wrong with that), he better bring his A-game when he meets fellow TUF-finalist Nick Ring at the much anticipated UFC on FOX Sports 1:1 card in August. That’s right, Bostonians, not only do we get Overeem vs. Brown, Alves vs. other Brown, Lauzon vs. Johnson, and (potentially) Henderson vs. Grant, but now we get to see Uriah Hall’s make-or-break fight in the UFC. Expect some Eddie Gordo-level shit to go down in this one, Potato Nation.
Ring is also coming of a disappointing loss — a split decision to Chris Camozzi at UFC 158 – and has dropped two of his past three fights. We don’t want to say that the chair will be kicked out from underneath him with a loss here, but the noose is surely tied around his neck and BROOKS WAS HERE has already been carved in the support beam above him, so to speak. Rita Hayworth.
Do any of you guys remember how Soa Palelei was pulled from UFC 161 for not being a big enough name and replaced by Roy Nelson? Well it looks like the move was ultimately a blessing in disguise for the Aussie, as he has been booked against octagon newcomer Nikita Krylov at UFC 164, which goes down from the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee on August 31st.
Palelei was originally scheduled to face the highly-touted Stipe Miocic on June 15th, a fight that he was a sizable underdog heading into, but now finds himself facing a guy who not only calls himself “The Al Capone,” but dresses like him in his fighter profile picture.
(I swear, officer, I’ve never even *heard* of this Roger Rabbit fellow you speak of. Photo via Sherdog.)
Known by the everyday world as Nikita Krylov (why anyone with the name of a James Bond supervillain would want a nickname in the first place is beyond me), this 21 year-old has gone undefeated in 14 contests, with not one of those fights making it outside of the first round. Sounds intimidating, right? Not to worry; a quick gander over Krylov’s list of opponents reveals nine…count ‘em, NINE opponents with no professional wins, ONE fighter with over six fights to his credit, and TWO winning records. Krylov may be the most feared can-crusher in all of the Ukraine, but Soa Palelei is on a whole. notha. level of can-crushing notoriety here. Expect Palelei to come in as a heavy favorite.
And in injury-shuffling news, the hotly-anticipated lightweight bout between Edson Barboza and John Makdessi at UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidmanhas suffered a minor setback, as Makdessi has gone down with an undisclosed injury. Replacing him will be Rafaello “Tractor” Oliveira, who has gone 1-2 in his second octagon stint. After suffering a particularly vicious and prolonged beating at the hands of Yves Edwards at UFC Live 6 in 2011, Oliveira fought just once last year, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Yoislandy Izquierdo at UFC 148. At least we will see a knockout is what we’re trying to say.
But sending in passport makes everyone nervous.
But sending in passport makes everyone nervous.
