Tag: UFC on FX 2

B/R Exclusive Interview with Ian "Uncle Creepy" McCall

Ian McCall is a relatively new name to the UFC, but has become very well-known from his first bout inside the Octagon against Demetrious Johnson. His highly controversial bout that was miscalculated by the judges has left McCall and Johnson with only o…

Ian McCall is a relatively new name to the UFC, but has become very well-known from his first bout inside the Octagon against Demetrious Johnson. His highly controversial bout that was miscalculated by the judges has left McCall and Johnson with only one solution: rematch. The two will face off again to determine Joseph Benavidez’s opponent for the inaugural UFC Flyweight championship title. Bleacher Report’s Gregory Chase spoke with Ian McCall on the aftermath of his fight, his background, and the man behind the mustache!

 

GC: UFC on FX 2 was a great night of fights, but the biggest story came from your bout with Demetrious Johnson. Quite a unique situation, how did you think the fight was playing out, going into the third round? 

IM: Going into the third round, I thought it was one round to one. I thought I had won the first round and he won the second. You know, my coach said “You have to win this round,” so I went out there and did what I had to do, and I thought that was enough to win. 


GC: Now after the event, there were videos of both you and Johnson being informed by Dana White of what had occurred with the scorecards. When he told you that what had happened, what was going through your head? 

IM: I thought I was laughing to be honest with you! I really thought I was laughing, and then I watched the video and I was just staring at him. Maybe I was laughing on the inside [laughs], I’m not really sure! You know, I had a big **** eating grin on my face, and everyone keeps saying I just asked where my money was! 


GC: Now you’ll have your chance to get a decisive win at the next UFC on FX event in June when you rematch Demetrious Johnson. In what ways are you preparing differently for the rematch? 

IM: There’s not much difference. The gameplan is a little bit different, but not too much. We know where my strengths are against him, so we’re just kinda going to employ that stuff. You know, I wanna finish the fight. I like battles and stuff, but if I can really show my dominance and finish him, then that’s obviously what I want to do. 


GC: Do you feel more confident in facing Johnson this time around, now that you know what his speed and style is like? 

IM: Yeah. I was confident to begin with, I never doubted myself about the fight, but now I know that I am the better fighter than he is. I’m stronger, physically stronger, more aggressive; things like that. I know I can finish him, I know I can beat him up. 


GC: So everyone is excited for this rematch, but because of the controversy, do you feel that you have gained a new level of popularity? 

IM: Oh of course, you know, controversy does that. Any press is good press. So luckily I haven’t really gotten any bad press out of this. I think I’ve maybe heard one or two people say that he won out of however many thousand people. So I’m happy about it all. 


GC: Let’s get to know Ian McCall a little better. Let’s start with the nickname “Uncle Creepy”. What’s the story behind that? 

IM: My friend, his son calls me “Uncle Ian”, he just ended up calling me “Uncle Creepy” one night when I was trying to put him to bed. He wanted to play with a skateboard at like three in the morning, and he just called me Uncle Creepy and everybody heard. You know, I’m not a fan of nicknames. I think they’re stupid, but it’s one of those things where I always make fun of people with nicknames; especially people whom give their nickname to themselves. You know, if you give yourself a nickname, I already don’t like you. 

 

GC: Now what got you into MMA? What drew you to it? 

IM: I’ve been doing martial arts my whole life. I saw UFC 1, UFC 2, you know, all the ones I could see. If I didn’t see them live, I rented them. I just always wanted to do it. I liked fighting as a kid, it always interested me. I always got in fights as a kid. I think I was always a little quick to throw blows. I like fighting. If someone, when you were a kid, especially as small as I was; people always want to talk ****. It was like they didn’t expect me to be ready to fight at the drop of a hat. You know when little kids go back and forth and they just push each other…well if someone pushed me, I would punch them. I was never the kid who was getting into a shoving match. I was “Okay, you pushed me, I’m punching you in the mouth” [laughs]. Maybe that was just because it is what I was taught, but I still obviously enjoy it; it’s the ultimate test of MAN. It makes me feel good. 

 

GC: The mustache is a symbol for you, why did you pick that style? And what does the Mrs. think of it? 

IM: Oh, my wife hates it! But she knows it pays the bills. She knows that it pays my rents and she’s okay with it. It kinda just happened one day. You know, the nickname just happened, the mustache…I think I just grew a beard out, I was being lazy, I just grew out a huge beard. Then I just trimmed it, and it just ended up happening like that and I thought it was funny so I kept it. The joke turned into more than a joke, and now I can’t shave the freakin’ thing! People won’t let me! 

 

GC: Now you are a father to an adorable baby girl, is that a future fighter in the making? 

IM: No no no! [Laughs] She won’t be a fighter. I mean, maybe she’ll do a little bit of jiu-jitsu or something growing up just because she’s with me at the gym. 

 

GC: Everlast did a promotion once where they asked people the question “What do you fight for? Finish the sentence, I fight for [blank]. 

IM: Man…I fight for my family. I fight for my wife, daughter, and my two dogs that I have to feed. That’s what I fight for. 

 

GC: Now aside from fighting and rocking the mustache, what do you enjoy doing outside the Octagon? Any hobbies or interests? 

IM: You know, I live fast. I like the beach, I grew up on the beach. I don’t surf as much anymore, but just being at the beach. Just being in the water is like church, man, you know….that’s holy ground. During training camp and stuff, I don’t go as much. But when it’s the summer time, especially now that I have a little girl, I go to the beach as much as possible. 

 

GC: Now you have a few different tattoos, what are they and what do they mean? 

IM: On my leg and my ribs it says “War” in Japanese, and I got three Japanese Gods of war on my side. On my leg it’s a snake, a Japanese snake with another God of war. Basically all my Japanese tattoos are war-based. And I’m sure I’ll connect my rib to my leg and my arm. Then on my chest I have “Capulet.” I’m a big Romeo and Juliet guy. Then I got the sacred heart from Romeo and Juliet on my chest. I got a new one on my hand that’s Shakespeare: “These violent delights have violent ends.”  I just found out that it’s the same [laughs]…the girl says it in Twilight. I saw one of the Twilights for the first time last night and realized; yes, I have a twilight tattoo. 

 

GC: Is that something you are saying in pride or disappointment? 

IM: Kinda disappointment, like “Oh man, really?!….REALLY? No one told me that before I got it? [Laughs] 

 

GC: As a fighter, I want to get your thoughts on the whole TRT, PED, any drug under the sun in MMA. What do you think of the whole Overeem situation for example? 

IM: You know, I don’t think steroids give you an advantage in MMA at all. Like honestly, I don’t think they give you a tactical advantage. Being buff isn’t….you know…muscles are for ****ies. Like, I have low testosterone; I’ve gotten this far with low testosterone, I don’t’ really care. If someone wants to do that stuff and I’m going to fight them, I don’t care, they can do it all they want. You know, I think especially if someone is hurt, they should do it. You know, we’re here for entertainment; it’s our job to do what we have to do to recover as fast as possible so we can put on a show. 

 

GC: Now because you have low testosterone, is TRT something you would consider? 

IM: Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. Obviously I have to go to the UFC about it. I don’t know, like I said, I’ve gotten this far without it…I don’t know if I need it. I just found out, not too long ago; before my last fight. I’m not too sure if I want to do it or what. I have to talk to my coaches and my doctors about it, and talk to the UFC about it too. 

 

GC: Last thing, give me the official prediction for the highly anticipated rematch between Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall and Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Who wins, what round, what method? 

IM: Hmm…well….I’m going to win obviously. Third round, ground and pound. Just like last time, but I’ll finish him this time.

 

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5 Reasons Ian McCall Will Defeat Demetrious Johnson in Their Rematch

Think back to the last UFC event on March 3. It had Joseph Benavidez knock out Yasuhiro Urushitani. It had Martin Kampmann submit Thiago Alves and it had the Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson fight get called a majority decision.Then, it was later anno…

Think back to the last UFC event on March 3. It had Joseph Benavidez knock out Yasuhiro Urushitani. It had Martin Kampmann submit Thiago Alves and it had the Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson fight get called a majority decision.

Then, it was later announced that it was actually a majority draw, which would force McCall and Johnson to have a rematch later in 2012.

It was a very close fight, and had there been a fourth round, Ian McCall probably would have earned the victory, as he had all the momentum on his side.

Here are five reasons why McCall will defeat Johnson in their rematch.

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UFC on FX 2 Results: Martin Kampmann Pulls Off Amazing Comeback

Martin Kampmann made the most of the opportunity in a last-ditch effort to defeat Thiago Alves this past weekend at UFC on FX 2.Alves would out-strike and dominate Kampmann for a majority of the fight but the Danish welterweight would capitalize on the…

Martin Kampmann made the most of the opportunity in a last-ditch effort to defeat Thiago Alves this past weekend at UFC on FX 2.

Alves would out-strike and dominate Kampmann for a majority of the fight but the Danish welterweight would capitalize on the Brazilian’s strategic mistake of attempting a takedown as he submit Alves in the final minute of the bout.

The win results in a big opportunity for Kampmann, who has now recorded two straight victories, and will remain in title contention in the UFC welterweight division.

However, while the win might have vaulted him near the top of the division, Kampmann’s overall performance didn’t enlighten his spirits.

“It was in my mind that I had to step it up, because I was behind,” Kampmann told Sherdog.com. “I was disappointed in my performance, but I was happy to get the submission.”

Alves, who has dropped the last three of his past five bouts, looked every bit as dominant throughout the bout, even having many chances to end the fight. 

The 29-year-old Kampmann will now see his stock rise as he likely finds himself in a title eliminator bout, while Alves will hope to regain some momentum and attempt to climb back up the divisional rankings.

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UFC: What Will Be Different in the Rematch of Johnson vs. McCall

UFC on FX 2 played host to the start of the first UFC flyweight tournament, and will eventually lead to crowning the inaugural UFC Flyweight champion. Joseph Benavidez and Yasuhiro Urushitani came and went as many expected them to, but the matchup betw…

UFC on FX 2 played host to the start of the first UFC flyweight tournament, and will eventually lead to crowning the inaugural UFC Flyweight champion. Joseph Benavidez and Yasuhiro Urushitani came and went as many expected them to, but the matchup between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall did not run quite as smoothly. 

The two 125-pounders squared off and put on a fantastic battle. The pace was fast and the movement was even quicker. After the three grueling rounds, everyone listened in to hear what the decision would be. It was declared that Johnson won via a Majority Decision (29–28, 29–29, 29–28). Many fans voiced their disapproval or approval for the decision, but it wouldn’t be until the post-fight press conference that fans would learn that the commission got it wrong, thus changing up their perspectives. 

The fight was supposed to be a Majority Draw, since the judges had it scored (29–28, 29–29, 28–28). The cards were read incorrectly, resulting in the stoppage of what should have gone to a fourth “sudden death” round. Now with this new information, a rematch will be issued to determine Benavidez’s opponent for the title match. 

The two men will face each other, and one would think this will be a different fight. Not so much physically, but more so mentally.

When two opponents fight each other for the first time, there is a sense of uncertainty of what they are like to fight. For someone to step into the cage vs. Jon Jones or Anderson Silva, it is hard to emulate them with training partners. Now both Johnson and McCall have had a little taste of what the other brings to the table. An advantage of familiarity could go to either fighter. 

McCall fighting Johnson for the first time was an interesting UFC debut in its own right. It was the first time he was on the biggest stage in MMA, and was fighting one of the fastest, if not the fastest, fighters in the UFC. That speed, pace and movement that “Mighty Mouse” uses in his fights is unique, and certainly is respected by McCall. He knows the striking now of Johnson and knows that his ground game is a sizeable advantage. 

Demetrious Johnson will certainly prepare differently for this rematch, after matching up well for two rounds, and then being pummeled for the third. Johnson has the knowledge of where he needs to improve and to work on getting off his back, or just how to stay away from the mat in general. Not that Johnson will improve his takedown defense drastically over one camp, but his strategy is much more informed. His pace and striking helped him implement his game plan for the most part, but he will want to improve in every aspect as to get a definitive win over “Uncle Creepy.” 

One of the biggest things that McCall should take away is to not assume he is winning the fight. McCall has since been criticized for his crowd-pumping at the end of the third round while he had the back mount on Johnson. Many feel that if he had continued to batter and ground-and-pound Johnson, he could have gotten a TKO, or done enough to convince the judges to score it more in his favor.

In the rematch, Johnson should show, or at least his efforts of, improved takedown and ground bottom skills. McCall will want to continue to use those ground skills, but much more effectively in looking for the finish. It was clearly a great advantage for McCall, and despite what Johnson learns before the rematch, he still might be able to take him down and hold him there. 

Mentally, McCall is now no stranger to the big crowd and lights from the UFC stage, and the ambiguity of a fresh opponent. This takes away a part of what Johnson had working for him, but the rematch will tell if it really matters or not. Both men will be motivated not only to get a shot at facing Benavidez and a shot at the title, but also to leave no doubt in the minds of the fans as to who was supposed to win the first fight. 

This writer’s prediction will be that Johnson wins the rematch, but by no means does that mean it will be an easy ride for him. A Unanimous Decision win seems to be a good choice for the outcome, regardless. If McCall is the one to learn more from the first bout, then a TKO victory will go to him. 

The most interesting aspect to any rematch is to see how each fighter has learned from the first meeting, and uses that to improve. Especially rematches from close decisions, it adds anxiousness of who really understands what they need to do to definitively win the fight, and who actually goes out and does it. 

Aside from all the controversy and the twists in plot over the past months, the UFC has still managed to trudge on and put on great shows for fans. While we are sidelined for a bit, minus The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC should be shelving out more upcoming matchups and when the rematch will be for Johnson and McCall. Fans can rest assured they will get another exciting fight from these two men. 

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UFC Morning Update: Miesha Tate’s Arm Not Broken, Big Country to 205

It was quite the weekend in mixed martial arts action, wasn’t it?Friday night brought plenty of flyweight action and judging ineptitude/controversy from the UFC on FX show in Australia. Saturday night saw the crowning of a new Strikeforce women’s banta…

It was quite the weekend in mixed martial arts action, wasn’t it?

Friday night brought plenty of flyweight action and judging ineptitude/controversy from the UFC on FX show in Australia. Saturday night saw the crowning of a new Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion and the potential ascension of MMA‘s next big superstar, male or female included.

Let’s get to the first morning update of the week, shall we?

 

Miesha Tate’s Arm Isn’t Broken, Just Sore

Miesha Tate tells MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani via text message that her severely mangled left arm isn’t broken, but that there might be some damage.

“I had X-Rays last night,” Tate told MMAFighting.com via text message. “No bones are broken, which I already knew. Other than that, I have to get an MRI to find out anything further.”

That Tate suffered zero broken bones in that arm is a bit of a shocker to those of us who actually saw what Ronda Rousey did on Saturday night. It was one of the nastier armbars in the history of the sport. The crazy thing? Tate brought it entirely on herself because of her refusal to tap once the armbar was obviously locked in.

Later today, I’ll have more on Tate’s decision to allow her arm to be injured rather than tap out. I’m far from done discussing this subject.

 

Dana White Fumes Over Johnson/McCall Controversy

One of the positive things coming from Friday’s controversial split-decision-turned-into-a-draw result in the Demetrious Johnson/Ian McCall bout was the fact that we’ll get to see Johnson and McCall step in the cage and go at it one more time. It was an awesome, action-packed fight and every MMA fan in the world will be glad to see it again.

Everyone but Dana White, that is. White told John Morgan from MMAjunkie.com that the result doesn’t help the UFC at all.

“There is nothing positive about that result,” White told MMAjunkie.com. “I would rather have ended it tonight. We had two badass fights that everybody loved that would have led into the title fight. That would have been best-case scenario.”

I see where White is coming from. The perfect result would’ve seen the two winners meet a few months down the line for the flyweight title.

But seeing Johnson and McCall roll it back one more time next month in Atlanta — White said that the rematch would likely take place at UFC 145 — isn’t such a bad thing. The winner of the rematch will have even more momentum going into the finals and a great performance might actually make some fans believe they have a real chance at beating Joseph Benavidez. 

 

Ohio Athletic Commission To Launch Brandon Saling Investigation

The one black mark from an otherwise excellent weekend of fighting action was the inclusion of neo-Nazi sex offender Brandon Saling on Saturday’s Strikeforce preliminary card. As I relayed in a piece over the weekend, Zuffa was unaware of Saling’s past when they booked him on short notice to take on Roger Bowling. They simply needed a guy at Bowling’s weight who lived in Ohio and who would fight on extremely short notice, and Saling fit the bill.

Strikeforce figurehead Scott Coker told the media gathered at the post-fight press conference on Saturday night that the Ohio athletic commission would be launching an investigation into Saling’s past on Monday.

“We had no knowledge about that until someone brought it up to us this evening,” Coker said of Saling’s background. “It came to our attention during the course of the fights.”

 

Roy Nelson Says He’ll Go To 205…If You Like Him

Roy “Big Country” Nelson has slimmed down quite a bit over the past eight months, but he says he’ll go even smaller if he’s able to get 100,000 fans to “Like” his Facebook page over the next two weeks.

Bet is I will try to get to 205 if I can add 100k to Facebook.com/RoyNelsonUFC in two weeks. I love to win bets….fb.me/16yMoPVPm

I desperately want Nelson to win this bet, just so I can see him at the weight he should have been fighting at for the last ten years. 

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UFC on FX 2 Results: Thiago Alves Wants Martin Kampmann or Diego Sanchez Next

After controlling the fight for 14 minutes, it seemed as if former UFC welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves was well on his way to victory against his always-tough Xtreme Couture opponent, Martin Kampmann. However, as “The Pitbull” won yet a…

After controlling the fight for 14 minutes, it seemed as if former UFC welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves was well on his way to victory against his always-tough Xtreme Couture opponent, Martin Kampmann. 

However, as “The Pitbull” won yet another exchange on the feet, he went for an ill-advised takedown where Kampmann was able to latch on a guillotine, which he continued to secure from the mount position as the fight hit the ground. 

Alves choices were clear: tap out or pass out, and the Brazilian chose the former. 

While the massive 170-pounder is understandably looking for some redemption, he has thrown another interesting name into the mix: Diego Sanchez. 

Early Sunday evening, Alves tweeted: 

 

 

While an immediate rematch with “The Hitman” is not impossible, after back-to-back wins over Rick Story and now Alves, it is likely Kampmann will get a top 10 opponent next. 

Prior to working his way back into the win column, Kampmann suffered consecutive, albeit controversial, losses, to Jake Shields and Sanchez. 

As for Alves, he is now just 2-3 since challenging UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 100, losing to Jon Fitch, Story and now Kampmann during that time.

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