Don’t drink and: drive, dial, text, facebook, or photoshop.-Anonymous
Let’s face it, Nation. The lightweight field in the UFC is a hopeless clusterfoxtrot. Half of the names in the top ten last summer are either not at 155 anymore, or suddenly non-factors. Six months ago, the WEC-UFC roster merger was supposed to clear up, once and for all, who the best fighters were.
Well….
The UFC title fight between Gray Maynard and champ Frankie Edgar was supposed to coincide nicely with the WEC’s own lightweight title fight at the December 16th event, the last by the promotion. Anthony “Showtime Kick” Pettis defeated champion Ben Henderson by a close (but stupifyingly impressive) decision, something you would assume gives Henderson some legitimate claim to a title shot, or at least a number to get in line.
Don’t drink and: drive, dial, text, facebook, or photoshop.-Anonymous
Let’s face it, Nation. The lightweight field in the UFC is a hopeless clusterfoxtrot. Half of the names in the top ten last summer are either not at 155 anymore, or suddenly non-factors. Six months ago, the WEC-UFC roster merger was supposed to clear up, once and for all, who the best fighters were.
Well….
The UFC title fight between Gray Maynard and champ Frankie Edgar was supposed to coincide nicely with the WEC’s own lightweight title fight at the December 16th event, the last by the promotion. Anthony “Showtime Kick” Pettis defeated champion Ben Henderson by a close (but stupifyingly impressive) decision, something you would assume gives Henderson some legitimate claim to a title shot, or at least a number to get in line.
So now Showtime is bumped back. And so is Bendo. Kenny Florian, the fighter’s union VP in charge of Runner-Upism and Bridesmaidery, is a smart guy, so he announces he’s going to featherweight. (That’s forty pounds lighter than he was when he was second place to Diego Sanchez on the first season of TUF, for those who lost track at home.)
So WEC-champ-but-not-really Pettis takes a fight with Clay Guida, and Ben Henderson draws a tough matchup with Jim Miller. Pettis feels like if he can’t beat Guida, he doesn’t deserve the shot, and everyone nods and goes along. Guida doesn’t like the presumption, so The Carpenter Dude goes out there and grinds out a win and spoils everything.
So…Guida is the new WEC lightweight champ, right? Which is cool and all, except it’s pretty fresh in everyone’s mind how Guida got handled by Kenny Florian, the guy that just up and bounced from the division altogether.
On top of that, Dana White is saying that Jim Miller is next in line for a shot at the UFC 155 strap, and not the sorta-WEC-champion. Of course, that shot is itself contingent on Miller winning over Ben Henderson, a guy that has to be in the top 10 fighters that WILL! NOT! TAP! (Note to self: not a bad idea…) So that couldn’t possibly go wrong.
So Miller and Henderson will play Combat Twister at UFC Live: Lytle vs Hardy on August 14, which will hopefully get us a contender. That’s not even taking into account who Guida will defend his WEC not-there belt against. Melvin Guillard could make a case for himself on July 2nd … or perhaps Jeremy Stephens will get a shot. Or Evan Dunham. Hell, Sherk could show back up.
Who knows? This division is nuts.
Fingers crossed, we’ll get a UFC championship fight sometime in September or October. After that, we’ll start sorting this mess out. We’re way past the point of suggesting that they have a battle royale. Give us six more months, and we’ll be ready to endorse steroids and one-night tournaments.
Not that we’re complaining, you understand. Just keep them fights coming, fellas.
George Roop may be considered one of the more quiet MMA fighters. He served his time on TUF 8: Nogueira vs. Mir, going virtually unnoticed, while more outspoken cast members like Junie Browning and “Diamond” Dave Kaplan stole the spotlight with emotional outbursts, peeing in food, and drunkenly getting knocked out. Yet […]
By:Joyce Lynda Valdes
George Roop may be considered one of the more quiet MMA fighters. He served his time on TUF 8: Nogueira vs. Mir, going virtually unnoticed, while more outspoken cast members like Junie Browning and “Diamond” Dave Kaplan stole the spotlight with emotional outbursts, peeing in food, and drunkenly getting knocked out. Yet since the TUF 8 season aired in 2008, Browning and Kaplan’s MMA careers have fallen quite far away from the public eye. And even TUF 8 Winner, Efrain Escudero has been cut from the UFC. But George Roop, who just rejoined the promotion as a Featherweight, has been soldiering on in the WEC with a much talked about DRAW in his fight with Leonard Garcia and an impressive head kick knockout of Chan Sung Jung. Fitting with his humble persona, Roop has taken the time to answer our questions in his own written words as he prepares for his January 22nd UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 bout against Team Tompkins teammate, Mark Hominick.
1. You have trained with your opponent, Mark Hominick for a couple years under Team Tompkins and Shawn Tompkins tutelage. Are you confident that you know every game plan Hominick will have in store for you and in that same regard will he be likely to know and expect all of your moves, as well?
GR: Yes, I believe that I know what he will bring to the table for this fight and he also knows what I bring. Which is going to make for an exciting fight.
2. You had a stellar performance against “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung. Did you plan the head kick that knocked him out or were you as surprised as he was? How much of a fight is game plan and how much is in the moment?
GR: I did plan on kicking the Korean Zombie in the head multiple times but I did not anticipate it to end the fight the way it did. I believe in Mixed Martial Arts you have to be prepared for where ever the fight takes you. Yes, it’s a good idea to come into the fight with a game plan but things change in the fight and you have to adapt in split seconds notice.
3. Did you speak to Shawn Tompkins and Mark Hominick before accepting your fight with Hominick? Despite this fight against Hominick, do you still consider yourself a part of Team Tompkins?
GR: Yes, I spoke with both of them before I accepted the bout. And yes I do consider myself part of Team Tompkins still. I plan on going back there and training after this fight. Tompkins is one of the best coaches in the world and we have a great team there to train with. I understand the relationship that Tompkins and Hominick have. But I am gonna use what he has taught me to win this fight.
4. You have said to me on occasion that if you weren’t fighting you’d have joined the military. Can you tell us what it means to you to fight for the troops?
GR: I’m a very patriotic person, so it means a lot to me to fight for the troops and to raise $$ for the Intrepid fund. The crowd is going to be unbelievable!
5. This fight with Hominick at UFC Fight for the Troops 2, also marks your return to the UFC since the WEC merger. How do you feel to be back with the promotion and is it added pressure now that some say there is a crowding of fighters and the chance to be cut seems that much higher?
GR: It feels great to be back with the UFC and to be fighting at my natrual weight class. It’s about time us smaller guys are going to get the recognition that we deserve. There is no added pressure for this fight. I’m just going to go in there and do my best. And win of course.
6. Josh Grispi was going to be the next contender against Jose Aldo, but Aldo pulled out due to injury and Grispi instead faced a virtual unknown in Dustin Poirier at UFC 125. Did that fight surprise you and what does that tell you about the talent in your division right now?
GR: Actually Hominick was offered the fight with Aldo before Grispi. Hominick opted out of the fight so that he could get his thumb fixed and it would not give him enough time to prepare for a title bout. So to me I feel like Hominick is the #1 contender. I was very impressed with Poirier in his fight with Grispi. He proved that he is going to be a force in the featherweight division. There is a huge amount of talent in my division right now and that makes it just that much more exciting for me to be able to test myself against the best in the world.
7. What do you think about the current Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo and who do you expect will be next in line for the champ? Who would you like to fight next?
GR: I WANT TO FIGHT ALDO NEXT. I think Aldo is a great champion and an amazing fighter. But I dont play into all the talk of him being unbeatable. He’s just another man and he can be beaten and he can be finished. Just like the Korean Zombie can be knocked out.
8. You have bounced around in the lighter weight divisions, having fought in the UFC previously at Lightweight, and even went down to the 135lb division in WEC, are you most comfortable at 145 and why did it take you some time to figure out what division works best for you?
GR: 145lbs has always been my fight weight. I fought at 145lbs before the ultimate fighter show. But when you get a chance to fight in the UFC, you take that opportunity and run with it. The UFC didn’t have a 145lbs division then. I also flirted with 135lbs for one fight. And that will be the last time I ever do that. Making 135lbs was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. 145lbs is a great fight weight for me and I have found my home.
9. Tell us about your training camp for your upcoming fight. What are the benefits and what are the sacrifices in training you have experienced with not training at a bigger known gym like TapouT with one of the better-known coaches, Shawn Tompkins?
GR: I’ve moved my training camp back home to Tucson, AZ. I’m training at Apex MMA and Boxing Inc. I don’t think that I have made sacrifices being back in Tucson. We have a lot of talent here in AZ. And although Tompkins is one of the best coaches in the world and has taught me a lot, I also have great coaches and training partners here in Tucson.
10. There was a lot of criticism surrounding Leonard Garcia’s Split Decision win over Nam Phan. Dana White even awarded Phan his win bonus. What are your thoughts on that fight? With Garcia as a Draw on your record, would you say the two of you have some unfinished business? (*NOTE: Since this interview was written, Garcia vs. Phan II was announced.)
GR: I thought that Nam won that fight. I’m looking forward to there next fight coming up in March. I think Garcia will be more prepared for the next fight against Nam. As far as me having un finished buisiness with Garcia; I’m not interested in a remach right now. Everybody who saw that fight knows I won and I feel like it would be taking a step backwards in competition. I’m not opposed to fighting him down the road if the UFC and the fans want to see me knock his head off.
(Propers: Versus.com)
Nineteen-year-old bantamweight phenom Michael McDonald officially became the youngest fighter on the Zuffa, LLC roster on Thursday night with his debut on the undercard of WEC 52. The results no doubt raised some eyebrows in th…
Nineteen-year-old bantamweight phenom Michael McDonald officially became the youngest fighter on the Zuffa, LLC roster on Thursday night with his debut on the undercard of WEC 52. The results no doubt raised some eyebrows in the soon-to-be UFC 135-pound division. If not for Cub Swanson’s epic battle with Mackens Semerzier, this one would’ve been a shoe-in for some TV time. McDonald rolled into this bout with seven straight T/KO victories and a record that would seem to indicate he’s been fighting as a pro since age 16. Is that shit even legal? Anyway, his most recent back-to-back victories over WEC vets Manny Tapia and Cole Escovedo at Taichi Palace were good enough to score him a contract with the big show and the kid doesn’t disappoint here.
McDonald looks a little bit like a very emaciated Joe Riggs during his pre-fight interviews, as he laughs off opponent Clint Godfrey’s suggestion that he won’t be ready for this level of competition. The South Dakota boy Godfrey — who trusty CagePotato commenter Karma Ate My Cat told us not to sleep on before we started taping this week’s Bum Rush – looks game, but ultimately overmatched in his second fight in the big blue cage. Obviously you know who wins but some play-by-play spoilers are after the jump, so if you’re gonna pitch a bitch about that watch the video before reading on.
(Video courtesy ESPN/MMALive) Kenny Florian and Miguel Torres co-hosted last night’s episode of MMA Live and it was surprising to hear both fighters praise Zuffa for making the decision to merge the WEC and UFC brands.
The reality is that the p…
(Video courtesy ESPN/MMALive)
Kenny Florian and Miguel Torres co-hosted last night’s episode of MMA Live and it was surprising to hear both fighters praise Zuffa for making the decision to merge the WEC and UFC brands.
The reality is that the promotion will likely not hold as many events per year as both organizations did in the past, so for both fighters to say that the move is a positive one is curious to say the least.
It’s understandable that Torres, who revealed during the show that he will face Manuel Banuelos at UFC 126, would be excited about the merger as will likely see more lucrative paydays and will get more mainstream exposure fighting on the bigger stage, but Florian doesn’t stand to gain much from the move.
Not only will there be fewer slots on each card for him to potentially fight on with 20-plus, he will have to face an influx of tough fighters like Jose Aldo and Torres who will inevitably move up to lightweight in the future.
Also on the segment, Roy Nelson and his magnificent mullet discussed being called out by Brock Lesnar and his feelings on the fight, which he has coveted for some time.
