Over the past few days, we’ve witnessed a pair of rarely seen finishes in the octagon — a suplex KO and a flying reverse triangle — and after we here at CagePotato collectively picked our jaws up off the floor and found a clean pair of shorts, we got to thinking, what other techniques/finishes do we rarely come across in the MMA stratosphere? And more importantly, which of these techniques/finishes have we not devoted some sort of gif or video tribute to already?
Taking all of those factors into account, we came to the standing TKO, a finish so uncommon in MMA that we could only name a handful of occurrences before having to resort to the Interwebs for assistance. So in honor of the iron-jawed sumbitches who wouldn’t bow to defeat even when it was kneeing/punching/kicking them damn near to death, we’ve placed our favorite examples of this phenomenon below. Check ’em out after the jump and let us know which stoppages you thought were warranted and which ones could have gone on a little longer.
Over the past few days, we’ve witnessed a pair of rarely seen finishes in the octagon — a suplex KO and a flying reverse triangle — and after we here at CagePotato collectively picked our jaws up off the floor and found a clean pair of shorts, we got to thinking, what other techniques/finishes do we rarely come across in the MMA stratosphere? And more importantly, which of these techniques/finishes have we not devoted some sort of gif or video tribute to already?
Taking all of those factors into account, we came to the standing TKO, a finish so uncommon in MMA that we could only name a handful of occurrences before having to resort to the Interwebs for assistance. So in honor of the iron-jawed sumbitches who wouldn’t bow to defeat even when it was kneeing/punching/kicking them damn near to death, we’ve placed our favorite examples of this phenomenon below. Check ‘em out after the jump and let us know which stoppages you thought were warranted and which ones could have gone on a little longer.
(Quick poll – Which is funnier: Miller’s hair or Shields’ attempt at a mean mug?)
You can hate on the over-the-top theatrics of professional wrestling all you want, but there’s no denying the sport’s influence on the world of MMA. Do you think we would have ever seen Jonathan Ivey break out “The People’s Elbow” in a fight if The Rock hadn’t done it first? And how about that Chael Sonnen character, who we would all just write off as another boring wrestler if not for his Billy Graham-esque heel routine? The list goes on and on, but greater than the signature moves, greater even than the whimsical trash-talking pro wrasslin’ has inspired in our great sport, is the post-fight cage confrontation.
It has been responsible for some of the most unintentionally hilarious highs and Gus Johnsony lows that MMA has ever seen, yet we can’t seem to look away when such an inherently silly situation is presented in the aftermath of a fight. The UFC clearly understands this, and in an effort to set up everyone’s dream match of Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones Georges. St. Pierre, both the UFC and Silva’s manager have hinted that not only is the middleweight champ going to be in attendance at UFC 154, but should St. Pierre emerge victorious, the two will face off in the cage and lay the foundation for the next great MMA superfight. So with that in mind, we’ve compiled a brief, albeit memorable, video tribute to the post-fight confrontation. Enjoy.
(Quick poll – Which is funnier: Miller’s hair or Shields’ attempt at a mean mug?)
You can hate on the over-the-top theatrics of professional wrestling all you want, but there’s no denying the sport’s influence on the world of MMA. Do you think we would have ever seen Jonathan Ivey break out “The People’s Elbow” in a fight if The Rock hadn’t done it first? And how about that Chael Sonnen character, who we would all just write off as another boring wrestler if not for his Billy Graham-esque heel routine? The list goes on and on, but greater than the signature moves, greater even than the whimsical trash-talking pro wrasslin’ has inspired in our great sport, is the post-fight cage confrontation.
It has been responsible for some of the most unintentionally hilarious highs and Gus Johnsony lows that MMA has ever seen, yet we can’t seem to look away when such an inherently silly situation is presented in the aftermath of a fight. The UFC clearly understands this, and in an effort to set up everyone’s dream match of Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones Georges. St. Pierre, both the UFC and Silva’s manager have hinted that not only is the middleweight champ going to be in attendance at UFC 154, but should St. Pierre emerge victorious, the two will face off in the cage and lay the foundation for the next great MMA superfight. So with that in mind, we’ve compiled a brief, albeit memorable, video tribute to the post-fight confrontation. Enjoy.
We don’t quite understand why so many professional fighters feel they need to repeat themselves at least a dozen times in order to get their point across, but at UFC 96, Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans were going to do it anyway. Jackson had just defeated Keith Jardine via unanimous decision, and Evans — three piece and all — was called into the octagon to bicker with Rampage while Joe Rogan quietly played the role of Paul Heyman in the background.
“I’m getting that belt back. Think about it, know it, see it,” quipped Jackson, as if we needed any reminder of how badly The Secret had poisoned his fragile mind in the time since he lost the belt. And you gotta love that even while trash-talking, Rampage still manages to squeeze in a few excuses for his performance in the fight he literally just got done with. That’s a respectable dedication to bullshittery right there folks. Although Rashad seemed content to simply mumble “Yeah, yeah, we’ll see” until the audience entered a state of reduplicative paramnesia, he would score the victory over Jackson when the two finally met at UFC 114, so we guess his words were ultimately meaningless. That goes double for Jackson.
Blame this on “The Axe Murderer’s” lack of English tutelage if you must, but it’s clear that something was in the air when Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva faced off at UFC 61. The creepily-long staredown, the whispered threats, the fevered pacing; you might even say that sparks were flying between the two legends (specifically, Nicholas Sparks). The year was 2006: Wandy was still a killing machine over in PRIDE and Chuck was the undisputed king/poster boy of the UFC. It was an MMA fan’s match made in heaven, and one that was all but guaranteed after Chuck bested “Babalu” Sobral (again) at UFC 62.
Although “The Iceman” was successful on his end, negotiations unfortunately fell apart between yet another PRIDE star and the UFC, forcing us to wait two long years to see these two throw down at UFC 79. In that time, Wanderlei had been nearly decapitated by Mirko Cro Cop and Dan Henderson in back-to-back bouts and a sans title Liddell was coming off a loss to Keith Jardine at UFC 76. Despite the significant deflation of hype heading into it, Liddell and Silva managed to turn in a Fight of the Year-earning performance that pleased even the most cynical of cynics. It would be Liddell’s last win as a professional. Wanderlei, however, has vowed not to retire until the moment he is permanently disabled in the octagon. Then again, if that happens he will still be able to find work if he looks hard enough.
#3 – GSP Ez Not Empress
Now this one is a perfect of example of life imitating (mixed martial) art(s). Just two events after Wandy and Chucky Boy engaged in one of the greatest cage confrontations in MMA history, Georges St. Pierre proceeded to totally blow up Matt Hughes‘ spot at UFC 63. Hughes had just finished defending his welterweight title — and earning some much needed redemption — against B.J. Penn, while St. Pierre had attended the event to support his fellow Canuck David Loiseau in his fight against Mike Swick. In the aftermath of Hughes’ victory, St. Pierre would reveal a brash side of his personality that we have yet to see again, declaring that he was “not impressed” with Hughes’ performance. It was a bold statement to say the least, especially considering that Hughes had already beaten St. Pierre in their first title fight at UFC 50.
Three years later, Kanye West would totally steal St. Pierre’s (and Taylor Swift’s) thunder by pulling the same kind of shenanigans at the 2009 VMA’s, the scoundrel. As for the St. Pierre/Hughes beef, well, we all know how that one ended.
If you’ve ever found yourself entranced by a raspy, baritone voice calling out “We’re rollin!” from the locker rooms of a UFC event, then you are undoubtedly familiar with the UFC’s “babysitter to the stars,” Burt Watson. I will be the first to admit that in my infinite wisdom, I once failed to recognize one of the most crucial members of the sport’s highest promotion when he was caught on camera during one of Dana White’s infamous Danavlogs. It is to this date the biggest mindfart I have ever farted (which is saying something), but needless to say, without Watson shuffling fighters around, organizing them for press conferences, and getting them amped up for their fights, the UFC would be a shell of the “well-oiled machine” that it truly is.
Wanting to recognize the crucial role Watson plays in the UFC, Sportsnet recently dedicated a brief video to his greatness, reeling in such UFC stars as Georges. St Pierre (who does a hilarious Watson impression when prompted), Frank Mir, Junior dos Santos, and even the boss man himself to sing his praises. So check it out if you’ve got a couple extra minutes, and leave your own praises in the comments section.
If you’ve ever found yourself entranced by a raspy, baritone voice calling out “We’re rollin!” from the locker rooms of a UFC event, then you are undoubtedly familiar with the UFC’s “babysitter to the stars,” Burt Watson. I will be the first to admit that in my infinite wisdom, I once failed to recognize one of the most crucial members of the sport’s highest promotion when he was caught on camera during one of Dana White’s infamous Danavlogs. It is to this date the biggest mindfart I have ever farted (which is saying something), but needless to say, without Watson shuffling fighters around, organizing them for press conferences, and getting them amped up for their fights, the UFC would be a shell of the “well-oiled machine” that it truly is.
Wanting to recognize the crucial role Watson plays in the UFC, Sportsnet recently dedicated a brief video to his greatness, reeling in such UFC stars as Georges. St Pierre (who does a hilarious Watson impression when prompted), Frank Mir, Junior dos Santos, and even the boss man himself to sing his praises. So check it out if you’ve got a couple extra minutes, and leave your own praises in the comments section.
Here’s what Dana White had to say about the man behind the scenes:
Burt actually started from day one. I brought a lot of boxing guys into the UFC. Burt was actually a friend of a guy who used to work for us. We got introduced to Burt and he is literally the best in the business. He is a guy that all the fighters respect. He’s a guy that’s been in the fight game forever. He’s a good man. Whatever [the fighters] need, Burt’s there for them, and when Burt needs what he needs, they respect that and do what Burt tells them to do. [Ed. note: Unless they are Jason Miller.] Burt literally runs [the] backstage. He runs the show from backstage and people would be shocked to realize what a big job that is and how hard it is.
Really, everyone in the fight business could not speak highly enough of Watson.
Frank Mir: “[Watson] is definitely the general that keeps the machine running.”
Jake Shields: “He’s one of the more important people in the UFC that no one knows.”
Greg Jackson: “He’s an amazing individual. The UFC, honestly, wouldn’t be where it is if it wasn’t for Burt Watson taking care of all the fighters.”
Mark Bocek: “I really don’t think the UFC would be the same without him.”
When asked about Burt’s signature rally cry, guys like Roy Nelson, Donald Cerrone, and Carlos Condit all related it to “the work horn,” or that final bit of preparation that readies them for the cage. Nick Diaz, of course, is not a huge fan of it:
I don’t like it, but I mean, I’m used to it though. That’s where experience comes into play, and I’m ready for Burt. I’m like, ‘Come on Burt, where you at?’
I swear to God, Nick Diaz could hate the first ray of sunshine after a storm.
