Junior Dos Santos earned a questionable decision over Stipe Miocic at UFC on Fox 13. The fight main-evented one of the more “stacked” (please forgive the cliche) Fox cards in recent memory.
How did these matches play out? Check out the video highlight packages below and see for yourself after the jump.
Junior Dos Santos earned a questionable decision over Stipe Miocic at UFC on Fox 13. The fight main-evented one of the more “stacked” (please forgive the cliche) Fox cards in recent memory.
How did these matches play out? Check out the video highlight packages below and see for yourself.
In the opening bout, Matt Mitrione out-hustled a plodding Gabe Gonzaga, scoring an early TKO. Mitrione even did a bit of meta-gaming by backing off when Herb Dean moved closer to Gonzaga would think the fight was stopped. Once Gonzaga rose to his feet, defenseless, Mitrione pounced in and unloaded with even more punches. A shrewd move.
Alistair Overeem took on Stefan Struve in the next fight. The contest was as one-sided as people thought it would be, though it did feature more takedowns than anyone expected. Overeem dragged Struve to the mat, and proceeded to bash his head in Gregor Clegane style until “Big” John McCarthy stopped the fight.
Nate Diaz and Rafael Dos Anjos fought in the night’s co-main event. Diaz looked flat and uninterested. Meanwhile, Dos Anjos looked more fierce than the raptors in that Gatorade Fierce commercial from 1999. This proved to be a recipe for an extremely one-sided affair. Dos Anjos battered a hobbling Diaz with leg kicks. Dos Anjos likely could’ve finished Diaz with leg kicks but instead he opted for the tired MMA trope of taking your opponent down and smothering them when they’re in danger of being TKOd. Dos Anjos won a unanimous decision victory. Diaz blamed his loss (and failure to make weight for the fight) on an injury.
And, as we stated above, JDS and Stipe Miocic faced off in the main event. JDS didn’t look like himself. About 1,000 people on Twitter claimed Cain Velasquez had taken his soul, and while it’s a cliched expression, it looked pretty accurate last night. JDS ate lots of punches, wasn’t as accurate as he has been in the past, and was slower. The JDS of 2-3 years ago would’ve knocked out Stipe Miocic in a round. Today’s JDS couldn’t even finish him.
The entire fight card’s results are below:
Main Card
Junior Dos Santos def. Stipe Miocic via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46).
Rafael dos Anjos def. Nate Diaz via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27).
Alistair Overeem def. Stefan Struve via knockout (punches) (R1, 4:13).
Matt Mitrione def. Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO (punches) (R1, 1:59).
Preliminary Card
Joanna Jerdzejczyk def. Claudia Gadelha via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
John Moraga def. Willie Gates via submission (rear-naked choke) (R3, 4:06).
Ben Saunders def. Joe Riggs via submission (injury tapout) (1, 0:57).
Drew Dober def. Jamie Varner via submission (rear-naked choke) (R1, 1:52).
Bryan Barberena def. Joe Ellenberger via TKO (strikes) (R3, 3:24).
David Michaud def. Garret Whiteley via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Henry Cejudo def. Dustin Kimura via unanimous decision (30-27 x3).
Ian Entwistle def. Anthony Birchak via submission (heel hook) (R1, 1:04).
Perhaps the nicest thing we can say about Mike Goldberg’s stint as an NFL play-by-play announcer (and subsequent Twitter tirade) was that it was shortlived. While Goldberg has already been pulled from this week’s Vikings-Bills game, he was quick to apologize for his social media retaliation via, you guessed it, Twitter:
I just want to apologize to everyone at FOX and elsewhere for my momentary lapse of reason Sunday night,” Goldberg wrote on Twitter. “I let some mean-spirited folks on twitter get to me and I should have had thicker skin instead of reacting so quickly and emotionally. I don’t want to be a distraction on the upcoming broadcast Sunday, so we mutually agreed that it would be best to sit this next one out. I’m not happy about it personally but, professionally, it’s the right thing to do after my mistake. Thank you to FOX and to others who have been so great to me and understanding.
Oh, I can’t stay mad at you, Goldie. I can, however, revel in your shortcomings via this lowlight reel of your one-off gig last weekend, via SportsGrid.
After the jump: You know.
Perhaps the nicest thing we can say about Mike Goldberg’s stint as an NFL play-by-play announcer (and subsequent Twitter tirade) was that it was shortlived. While Goldberg has already been pulled from this week’s Vikings-Bills game, he was quick to apologize for his social media retaliation via, you guessed it, Twitter:
I just want to apologize to everyone at FOX and elsewhere for my momentary lapse of reason Sunday night,” Goldberg wrote on Twitter. “I let some mean-spirited folks on twitter get to me and I should have had thicker skin instead of reacting so quickly and emotionally. I don’t want to be a distraction on the upcoming broadcast Sunday, so we mutually agreed that it would be best to sit this next one out. I’m not happy about it personally but, professionally, it’s the right thing to do after my mistake. Thank you to FOX and to others who have been so great to me and understanding.
Oh, I can’t stay mad at you, Goldie. I can, however, revel in your shortcomings via this lowlight reel of your one-off gig last weekend, via SportsGrid.
You guys might have heard that longtime UFC announcer Mike Goldberg was recently given a shot at calling some plays for the NFL — specifically, the Lions-Vikings game last Sunday. You might also have heard that it did not go well. Following several flubs involving yardage gains, player’s names, and what teams those players were on, the online community lashed out at Goldberg, for they in their infinite wisdom know not what it is to err and treat those who do accordingly. The Lions fan website “Pride of Detroit” was even harsher in its criticism of Goldie:
FOX managed to outdo itself on Sunday with the worst broadcast of a football game I have ever witnessed in my life. The announcers, Mike Goldberg and Brendon Ayanbadejo, had no business calling an NFL game, as evidenced by their constant mistakes. They repeatedly misidentified coaches and players — no, Golden Tate and Sam Martin aren’t on the Vikings — and it felt like they did zero preparation for this game. Actually, it felt like they were reading from an error-filled script and had no prior knowledge of either team. It was painful to listen to them on Sunday.
Things only got worse for the man behind such infamous catchphrases as “The Progidy” and “Diaz smells the opening” from there, as he proceeded to lash out at several of his critics in a less than professional manner via Twitter (which is always a smart move if career longevity is your endgame). As such, NFL officials announced earlier today that Goldberg has been relieved of his scheduled play-by-play duties for this week’s Vikings-Bills game. A statement is expected to be released shortly.
(More like “And It Is Alllll Over!!!”)
You guys might have heard that longtime UFC announcer Mike Goldberg was recently given a shot at calling some plays for the NFL — specifically, the Lions-Vikings game last Sunday. You might also have heard that it did not go well. Following several flubs involving yardage gains, player’s names, and what teams those players were on, the online community lashed out at Goldberg, for they in their infinite wisdom know not what it is to err and treat those who do accordingly. The Lions fan website “Pride of Detroit” was even harsher in its criticism of Goldie:
FOX managed to outdo itself on Sunday with the worst broadcast of a football game I have ever witnessed in my life. The announcers, Mike Goldberg and Brendon Ayanbadejo, had no business calling an NFL game, as evidenced by their constant mistakes. They repeatedly misidentified coaches and players — no, Golden Tate and Sam Martin aren’t on the Vikings — and it felt like they did zero preparation for this game. Actually, it felt like they were reading from an error-filled script and had no prior knowledge of either team. It was painful to listen to them on Sunday.
Things only got worse for the man behind such infamous catchphrases as “The Progidy” and “Diaz smells the opening” from there, as he proceeded to lash out at several of his critics in a less than professional manner via Twitter (which is always a smart move if career longevity is your endgame). As such, NFL officials announced earlier today that Goldberg has been relieved of his scheduled play-by-play duties for this week’s Vikings-Bills game. A statement is expected to be released shortly.
This was pretty much a disaster all around for Goldberg, FOX, and the UFC — a one-and-done stint on par with Rolles Gracie, if you will — and honestly, I kind of feel bad for the guy. While he should never have responded to his critics in the way he did, let’s not act like he was being set up for success here. MMA fans have had it out for Goldberg for some time now and were going to pounce on his every mistake, which makes it all the bigger a shame that he provided so many opportunities for us to do so.
At least Goldberg will always have his regular UFC gig to fall back on, but in the meantime, can we all start rallying for FOX to give Joe Rogan a shot? The five minutes he would last before laying into Roger Goodell, Adrian Peterson, and Ray Rice with the fury of a thousand suns would be glorious I tells ya.
Gentlemen, rejoice, because everyone’s favorite ball-bustin’, cold cut connoisseur just landed himself a FOX analyst gig! HeeYEEAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
During last night’s edition of UFC on FOX, it was announced that none other than Long Island’s own Matt Serra (and also Jake Ellenberger) will be serving as a guest analyst for this Saturday’s Fight Night 49: Henderson vs. dos Anjos card. Finally, the era of awkward on-camera fighters stuttering out base-level advice between fights will be over, as the former welterweight champion and TUF 4 alum has become somewhat infamous for his jabberjaw skills. We can only hope now that FOX doesn’t force him to pull in the reigns (or pull out his teeth).
To celebrate what will surely be the funniest night in UFC on FOX history, join us after the jump as we look back at some of “The Terra’s” finest moments.
Gentlemen, rejoice, because everyone’s favorite ball-bustin’, cold cut connoisseur just landed himself a FOX analyst gig! HeeYEEAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
During last night’s edition of UFC on FOX, it was announced that none other than Long Island’s own Matt Serra (and also Jake Ellenberger) will be serving as a guest analyst for this Saturday’s Fight Night 49: Henderson vs. dos Anjos card. Finally, the era of awkward on-camera fighters stuttering out base-level advice between fights will be over, as the former welterweight champion and TUF 4 alum has become somewhat infamous for his jabberjaw skills. We can only hope now that FOX doesn’t force him to pull in the reigns (or pull out his teeth).
To celebrate what will surely be the funniest night in UFC on FOX history, join us after the jump as we look back at some of “The Terra’s” finest moments.
In which “The Terra” receives some strange advice from Rich Franklin
Of all the armchair advice I’ve heard Affliction shirt-clad dudebros give out at bars while watching a UFC event (“Bro, Silva needs to go for the figure 4 leg lock!” — actual dialogue from a supposed “brown belt”), nothing even comes close to Rich Franklin’s strategic words to Serra on TUF 4.
Paired against Pete Spratt in his quarterfinal matchup, Serra was looking to take things to the ground as quickly as possible. Franklin, who was the UFC’s middleweight champion at the time, suggested that Matt drop to one knee as soon as he touched gloves, because Spratt then couldn’t “kick him in the head.” How Serra, an undersized welterweight by any standard, could possibly benefit from further adding to his reach disadvantage is anyone’s guess, and Serra simply could not let such an insane piece of advice go without ridicule.
In which “The Terra” continues to berate Rich Franklin’s lemon advice
“And he says, ‘I got the idea from a kid who’s a wrestler, never been taken down. He has no legs, he’s never been taken down.’ I’m like oh, I see, you’re retarded.”
In which “The Terra” mocks the work ethic of Ken Shamrock (or lack thereof)
Matt Hughes might’ve had a good laugh over the “one knee” story, but his reaction to Serra’s verbal destruction of UFC HOFer Ken Shamrock can best be summed up in gif form.
In which “The Terra” channels a poor man’s Andrew Dice Clay
Robert Santa: “You know, did you ever think of doing stand-up?”
From spinach shakes to expressos to General Tsao’s chicken, there is literally no food item that Serra cannot craft a two-minute comedy routine around. He’s basically the Weird Al Yankovic of MMA. Or maybe the Rodney Dangerfield. Or maybe what would happen if those two had sex with a Koopa Troopa and taught the bastard offspring to fight. Yeah, definitely that last one.
In which “The Terra” is an awesome coach
Serving as the trusty sidekick to Ray Longo, Matt Serra’s cornerman work has become the thing of legend since his time on TUF 6. His voice can often be heard cutting through the empty arenas of many of today’s Fight Night cards, and is usually good for a laugh or two when he’s particularly fired up. This all culminated in the night he and Longo told Chris Weidman to “punch a hole” in Anderson Silva’s chest before reacting to Silva’s leg break by saying “Good, fuck him.” Insensitive? Sure. Unnecessary? Most definitely.
Alright, let’s move on…
In which “The Terra” takes down that smug bastard Marc Laimon
Perhaps Serra’s greatest moment: The infamous “Expert swimmer who’s never been in a pool” takedown of Jiu-Jitsu instructor Marc Laimon on TUF 4. I had never heard that specific analogy used before this season, but have used it no less than 1000 times since. Let it be known, Nation, an angry Matt Serra is the sharpest-tongued Matt Serra.
The Rodney Dangerfield-Weird Al-Koopa Troopa of MMA, ladies and gents.
(“Nice win, Nate, but I’m also going to need you to come in on Sunday, mkay? Thaaanks.” Photo via Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Two months after being removed from the UFC’s rankings out of spite, Nate Diaz is still M.I.A. Well, he’s not missing in the traditional sense, as much as he’s taking an extended break from MMA competition (a “Stocktation”, if you will) until the UFC meets his likely insane salary demands. Well, not *insane* salary demands, but something much higher than his longtime promotion is willing to fork over.
But seeing as Dana White has *never* ended a relationship on good terms (“Mrs. Janice from 8th grade Chemistry is a f*cking joke!”), it means that now is about the time for him to start discrediting Diaz using as many fudged numbers and blatant lies as he can fit into a media scrum before his head starts glowing red with rage. You know, kind of like how he treats the history of mixed martial arts.
From his interview with MMAFighting published earlier today, here are just a couple of the lies White spun in an attempt to convince us that Nate Diaz was never that good anyway.
Dana White: “You realize he’s like 1-3 in his last three fights? He’s 1-3, he’s nowhere near a title fight, he’s never won a title, and he doesn’t move the needle.”
Reality: Well, one cannot be 1-3 in their past three fights, because math, but Diaz is 1-2 in his past three fights, with his sole win coming over former title challenger Gray Maynard. So, you know, a tomato can.
…
(“Nice win, Nate, but I’m also going to need you to come in on Sunday, mkay? Thaaanks.” Photo via Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Two months after being removed from the UFC’s rankings out of spite, Nate Diaz is still M.I.A. Well, he’s not missing in the traditional sense, as much as he’s taking an extended break from MMA competition (a “Stocktation”, if you will) until the UFC meets his likely insane salary demands. Well, not *insane* salary demands, but something much higher than his longtime promotion is willing to fork over.
But seeing as Dana White has *never* ended a relationship on good terms (“Mrs. Janice from 8th grade Chemistry is a f*cking joke!”), it means that now is about the time for him to start discrediting Diaz using as many fudged numbers and blatant lies as he can fit into a media scrum before his head starts glowing red with rage. You know, kind of like how he treats the history of mixed martial arts.
From his interview with MMAFighting published earlier today, here are just a couple of the lies White spun in an attempt to convince us that Nate Diaz was never that good anyway.
Dana White: “You realize he’s like 1-3 in his last three fights? He’s 1-3, he’s nowhere near a title fight, he’s never won a title, and he doesn’t move the needle.”
Reality: Well, one cannot be 1-3 in their past three fights, because math, but Diaz is 1-2 in his past three fights, with his sole win coming over former title challenger Gray Maynard. So, you know, a tomato can.
White: “Lowest rated FOX show ever. Lowest rated FOX show ever. His numbers, he doesn’t pull the numbers in.”
Reality: Diaz’s two FOX headlining gigs, UFC on FOX 3 and 5, drew 2.25 million and 3.41 million, respectively. The lowest rated FOX show actually belongs to Demetrious Johnson (obviously), whose UFC on FOX 8 title defense against John Moraga drew just 2.04 million viewers*. Diaz’s victory over Maynard at the TUF 18 Finale drew 1,129,000 viewers, however, which is significantly higher than many Fight Night cards.
A (occasionally hilarious) dumbass? Yes. A homophobe? Maybe. Suffering from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome? Some of the signs are there. The point ith, Nate Diaz may be many things, but to claim that he isn’t one of the bigger stars in a division whose champion hasn’t fought in nearly a year is poppycock. Pure, unadulterated, poppycock.
The saddest part is, no self-respecting (re: credentialed) MMA journalist will ever have the cojones to call out The Baldfather on his BS, not even when it takes the absolute minimum amount of research to do so. His ability to present reality as he sees it is second to none, and we just soak that shit up like a sponge. But to sum up what we’ve learned today: Nate Diaz isn’t a star, Royston Wee is, and Dana White’s ego has seen yet another fighter removed from the roster. Maybe he’ll eventually figure out that the common denominator in all of his hostile relationships is himself.
It’s starting to become a tradition to bring the UFC to Chicago in January, and this time it was particularly cold in the Windy City for UFC on FOX 10. While the preliminary fights provided a lot of excitement, the main card was dragged down by some dull moments. Nevertheless, there’s still quite a lot of stuff to talk about so join us for a final look back at the event with a Clint Eastwood-esque squinty-eyed glare.
The Good
• UFC on FOX Production. At this point, the production of the UFC on FOX series is crisp, well-paced, and truly hitting its stride. The broadcast-introduction they’ve been doing with Ving Rhames narrating the story of the main event fighters while suspenseful music plays in the background was intense, as always. (It kicks the ass of the nu-metal “Bring the Pain” intro from the UFC pay-per-views, at least). Hopefully they keep Marsellus Wallace around.
The Fox analyst crew also did a great job, adding even more professionalism to the proceedings. The enthusiastic Daniel Cormier sounded like a seasoned pro joking about gumbo and jambalaya next to old staples Brian Stann and Curt Menefee. The only drawback about the analysts was that they weren’t used enough. The more time they spend breaking down the fights and analyzing the fighters’ skill-sets, the better. In fact, I’d love to see the broadcast kick back to the desk in between every fight, which would help new fans get more familiar with the fighters and wrap their heads around what they just saw.
• Cowboy.Donald Cerrone‘s performance was one of the few highlights in an otherwise lackluster main card. Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg were doing their best to hype Adriano Martins as a worthy opponent, but despite the fact that Martins looked pretty good for a guy Cowboy had never heard of, Cerrone completely out-classed him. Cerrone was patient, picking his shots in the first round until he finally caught Martins with his hands down and landed a knockout shin kick to the head.
After the KO, Cerrone could have landed another shot to his unconscious opponent but to his credit he held back and didn’t follow up with an unnecessary punch. In fact, his calmness after the fight was chilling. The old adage in football when you score a touchdown is to act like you’ve been there before; that’s exactly what Cerrone did, looking like a stone-cold killer.
(Adriano Martins’s kick-face: Ugly, but fantastic. / Screen-shot via CP reader 5knuckleshuffle)
It’s starting to become a tradition to bring the UFC to Chicago in January, and this time it was particularly cold in the Windy City for UFC on FOX 10. While the preliminary fights provided a lot of excitement, the main card was dragged down by some dull moments. Nevertheless, there’s still quite a lot of stuff to talk about so join us for a final look back at the event with a Clint Eastwood-esque squinty-eyed glare.
The Good
• UFC on FOX Production. At this point, the production of the UFC on FOX series is crisp, well-paced, and truly hitting its stride. The broadcast-introduction they’ve been doing with Ving Rhames narrating the story of the main event fighters while suspenseful music plays in the background was intense, as always. (It kicks the ass of the nu-metal “Bring the Pain” intro from the UFC pay-per-views, at least). Hopefully they keep Marsellus Wallace around.
The Fox analyst crew also did a great job, adding even more professionalism to the proceedings. The enthusiastic Daniel Cormier sounded like a seasoned pro joking about gumbo and jambalaya next to old staples Brian Stann and Curt Menefee. The only drawback about the analysts was that they weren’t used enough. The more time they spend breaking down the fights and analyzing the fighters’ skill-sets, the better. In fact, I’d love to see the broadcast kick back to the desk in between every fight, which would help new fans get more familiar with the fighters and wrap their heads around what they just saw.
• Cowboy.Donald Cerrone‘s performance was one of the few highlights in an otherwise lackluster main card. Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg were doing their best to hype Adriano Martins as a worthy opponent, but despite the fact that Martins looked pretty good for a guy Cowboy had never heard of, Cerrone completely out-classed him. Cerrone was patient, picking his shots in the first round until he finally caught Martins with his hands down and landed a knockout shin kick to the head.
After the KO, Cerrone could have landed another shot to his unconscious opponent but to his credit he held back and didn’t follow up with an unnecessary punch. In fact, his calmness after the fight was chilling. The old adage in football when you score a touchdown is to act like you’ve been there before; that’s exactly what Cerrone did, looking like a stone-cold killer.
The performance earned Cowboy the Knockout of the Night bonus — his third such award in the UFC — and put Cerrone ahead of Anderson Silva and Joe Lauzon for the most amount of fight bonuses in Zuffa promotions: 13, when you count his WEC bumps. It was a clear highlight in a card that did not have a lot of them. Next up? Give Cowboy a top-five opponent and let’s see if he can work his way into title contention.
The Bad
• Missing Corner Commentary. In an earlier column, I criticized Fox for failing to provide a translation for Edson Barbosa’s corner in between rounds at UFC on Fox 9. The Fox crew blundered again this time around during Jeremy Stephens vs. Darren Elkins when they failed to provide audio for Stephens’s corner in between the first and second round. It’s a small quibble, but as somebody who really enjoys hearing the advice given by the corners during the fight, it was annoying. There’s absolutely no point in even showing the corners if we’re just going to look at the fighters and their trainers. In between rounds is one of the few times we get to hear actual strategy in the midst of the battle, and I wish we’d get to actually hear it.
• No title shot for Henderson. After a questionable split-decision win was announced for Benson Henderson, Dana White told the media that a title shot was not likely for Bendo. While I’m certainly not dying to see a third fight between Anthony Pettis and Ben Henderson, the UFC has developed a ranking system [Ed. note: LOL] and guess who the number one lightweight contender is? That’s right, it’s Mr. Smooth himself. Regardless, of whether you like his fighting style or not, Henderson is next in line.
Dana White has said many times that he wants the UFC to be like the NFL and other major league sports. Well let me ask you this: if the Denver Broncos had barely beaten the New England Patriots in a rather boring game do you think they would be prevented from competing in the Super Bowl because Roger Goodell didn’t think it was an impressive performance? Of course not. A win is a win and Bendo earned his title shot. If the UFC wants to match guys up completely subjectively than they should be a bit more honest about it and get rid of the ranking system. Otherwise the rankings are entirely illegitimate. Regardless, it’s clear that one of the biggest stories coming out of Saturday night’s fights is that the UFC has a Benson Henderson problem.
The Ugly
• Fox Robots. As mentioned above, the UFC on Fox was really tight and professional from a production standpoint. However, there was an element of production that was just horrible: those damn robots. They’re like something out of that horrible kids’ movie starting Hugh Jackman. The robots have become a staple of Fox Sports programming and as MMA fans we should be getting used to them. However, no matter how many times I see them, I just can’t get over how stupid they are. At UFC on Fox 10, they were out in full force, shadowboxing with the UFC ring girls. Thanks to Mike Goldberg, we learned that the boxing robot has a name: Beatus. Wow. Even company-man Joe Rogan couldn’t hold back his feelings on the robots, lamenting on-air that they should “throw that thing in the garbage.” And that’s one of the reasons people love Joe Rogan so much. He’s not afraid to call it like it is, whether it’s bad refereeing, horrible judging or stupid robots.
• Safety issue. With about 40 seconds left in his fight against Darren Elkins, Jeremy Stephens got his foot caught in the gap between the cage and the mat. Rogan and Goldberg were talking about how it appeared that Stephens hurt his leg, and my guess is he was hurt because he briefly caught his foot in the gap. This isn’t the first time fighters have slipped into the crack, and it’s something the UFC really needs to address. If they don’t, somebody’s going to break an ankle, twist their knee, or otherwise get seriously hurt.
