Tag: WSOF

Justin Gaethje: Why Are You Sleeping on the Best Lightweight in the World?

We can work out the details later. For now, just know that Justin Gaethje is the greatest lightweight MMA fighter on this planet, and he is hereby inviting you to watch him paste Melvin Guillard this Saturday at World Series of Fighting 15.

“He&…

We can work out the details later. For now, just know that Justin Gaethje is the greatest lightweight MMA fighter on this planet, and he is hereby inviting you to watch him paste Melvin Guillard this Saturday at World Series of Fighting 15.

“He’s fast and he hits hard, but he doesn’t like going deep into fights. He’s not willing to get injured in there,” Gaethje said of Guillard, a former training partner. “I’m going to knock him out. If he gives me his back, I’m not even going to choke him. I’m going to knock him out.”

Gaethje is aware that you have a lot on your plate, what with UFC 180 and Bellator 131 and it being the weekend and you being a normal person and all. He knows that Guillard, with 21 career knockouts and a redemption story to unfurl, may possibly have something to say about his claims. So might other people. But the 25-year-old reigning WSOF lightweight champion, the only person to ever wear the belt, is facing the most famous opponent of his young career, and if you listen to him, the manner of the action is not in doubt. Neither is he.

“As long as he shows up, it’s going to be a good fight for me, for World Series of Fighting and for MMA and for the fans,” Gaethje said. “We like to hurt people…Do I think people are sleeping on me? Absolutely.” 

It probably sounds like some fast talk at first, easy to let run right out of your ears, especially in this rapid-fire, post-Chael society of ours that we all share here. And when you glance at Gaethje (pronounced “GAGE-ee,” for your information) on paper, he’s impressive, but not unique when compared with other prospects. The 25-year-old is 12-0, with 10 knockouts on the record sheet. He’s five for five since joining up with WSOF nearly two years ago.

And like a lot of MMA fighters, he first got some shine as a college wrestler. When he found he had power in his fists, he found he had a career as a pro fighter. But he’s more than just a heavy-handed wrestler. He has serious stopping power. And at such a young age, he’s still improving, starting to throw more combinations and body shots to complement his admittedly formidable head-hunting.

“My timing is going to be what people realize most in this fight,” Gaethje said. “And with Melvin, people will realize I don’t move back from a punch. I can take shots and give shots.”

Has he faced the highest caliber of opponent? No. But is he justified in his jawing? He just might be. And he knows the business end of the game, too, based on his talk. He knows what people want out there.

“I know plenty of wrestlers who are 15-0 and going nowhere,” Gaethje said. “This is a making-money business, and the only way to make money is knocking people out. Lying on someone? That’s pathetic to me. You gotta drop a bomb.”

Speaking of business, if he really wants to fight the best and make the biggest money, questions about the UFC are unavoidable. But for now, he’s more worried about the fights he has left on his contract.

“I don’t care about [the UFC],” he said. “I’m 25 years old. I don’t even know if I have a champion’s clause. I have three fights left on my contract…I absolutely believe I’m the best in the world. They can call my bluff when I get to fight the top 10. Someone’s going to have to take that fight. I feed off that energy.”

Scott Harris writes about MMA and other things for Bleacher Report and other places. Follow Scott on Twitter if desired.

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WSOF 15: Preview and Predictions for All Three Title Fights

This weekend, World Series of Fighting returns with its 15th show to bring you a great card Saturday night. Live on NBC Sports Network, the card boasts a deep lineup that includes three title fights. The middleweight, lightweight and women’s strawweight titles will all be on the line, as the triple title defense marks a […]

This weekend, World Series of Fighting returns with its 15th show to bring you a great card Saturday night. Live on NBC Sports Network, the card boasts a deep lineup that includes three title fights. The middleweight, lightweight and women’s strawweight titles will all be on the line, as the triple title defense marks a […]

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WSOF Releases Ex-Champ Steve Carl in the Wake of Scheduling Concerns

Seven months ago, Steve Carl was the World Series of Fighting welterweight champion. On Thursday, he was unemployed in professional MMA.

After significant protest from the fighter and his management team, WSOF officials have released Carl from hi…

Seven months ago, Steve Carl was the World Series of Fighting welterweight champion. On Thursday, he was unemployed in professional MMA.

After significant protest from the fighter and his management team, WSOF officials have released Carl from his promotional contract. The former champion was purportedly upset because he was not fighting frequently enough for his liking under the promotion’s banner. 

The release was first reported by Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie.

Carl has not been shy about his displeasure with and desire to leave WSOF, and he used social media as a tool to express that desire in public:

Carl has only fought four times since debuting for WSOF in November 2012. It was a very successful run at the beginning, as he upset Josh Burkman in October 2013 to capture the WSOF welterweight strap.

People wondered whether Carl had the stuff to be great. In March 2014, Rousimar Palhares disproved those notions for the moment with an inverted heel hook. Palhares needed only 69 seconds to dispatch Carl and claim the WSOF title.

That was in March 2014. Carl hasn’t fought since, though that can partially be explained by the time he missed recovering from the Palhares fight.

The 29-year-old Carl is 21-4 overall and 3-1 with WSOF. All three of his wins came by submission, including the title-winning technical chokeout of Burkman.

Rousimar Palhares is now scheduled to defend his new title in December against Jon Fitch, himself a former UFC grinder who lost to Burkman in his WSOF debut but had actually defeated Burkman several years prior while both men were in the UFC.

Carl has never fought in the UFC.

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David Branch Looking to Make Dominant Title Defense Against Yushin Okami

By his own admission, David Branch is a late bloomer.
While that term is most often directly tied to a fighter’s success in mixed martial arts—something Branch has found in solid clips the past few years—the New York native used those words…

By his own admission, David Branch is a late bloomer.

While that term is most often directly tied to a fighter’s success in mixed martial arts—something Branch has found in solid clips the past few years—the New York native used those words to describe the versatile fighting style he’s crafted during the most recent chapter of his career.

Branch has expanded his arsenal to a point where the 33-year-old middleweight is not only able to handle everything that comes his way inside the cage, but he’s confident of the danger he brings from start to finish once the action goes live.

Proof of this progress came in the form of Branch becoming World Series of Fighting’s inaugural middleweight champion.

He earned the promotion’s 185-pound strap by submitting veteran Jesse Taylor in the first round of their title tilt at WSOF 10 back in June 2014—his fourth consecutive victory since signing with the upstart organization back in 2012. And while earning the first major title of his seven-year career was a defining moment for Branch, the Brooklyn-based fighter isn’t willing to rest on that accomplishment.

Although winning the WSOF middleweight title was one of his goals, Branch knows the true measure of a champion comes in his ability to defend his crown. The Renzo Gracie-trained fighter’s first opportunity to do so will come against former UFC title challenger Yushin Okami in the main event of WSOF 15 on Nov. 15 in Tampa, Florida, in what is undoubtedly the highest-profile fight of the champion’s career.

“It feels really good to be in this position,” Branch told Bleacher Report. “Winning the title and putting together a winning streak over a tough competition has put me in a good spot. It’s an honor to be the middleweight champion for WSOF. I still have a lot more great things to come. Ray Sefo (WSOF CEO) told me winning the title is one thing, but retaining the title is something completely different because it’s much harder. But I’m up for the challenge and I’m going to prove that on Nov. 15.

“[WSOF] gives me dates to perform in front of the world and I have the opportunity to do great things for my career. I just need to show up and execute like I have been doing and will do again on Nov. 15. It’s an awesome feeling.”

Although a rough patch cost Okami his place on the UFC roster, “Thunder” has won four of his last five showings inside the cage, including the Japanese veteran making a successful promotional debut for WSOF back in March.

Yet, while Okami is eager to reach champion status in short fashion in his new promotion, Branch has much different plans. He’s not taking anything away from the accomplishments and impressive resume Okami has amassed throughout his career, but Branch has a different perspective on the matter. 

“It’s an honor to fight him and it’s going to be even more of an honor to beat him,” Branch said. “I think that Yushin is a great fighter, but he’s coming in there and trying to take something away from me. That’s like taking food out of my children’s mouth and and trying to take away all the things that I’ve worked very hard for. And that’s not going to happen. I’m not going to let anyone take anything away from me.

“I believe that Yushin had his time,” he added. “This is my time right now. I’m not going to let Yushin take my thunder. I’m going to take his thunder on Nov. 15.”

In addition to Branch and Okami scrapping it out for the WSOF middleweight title, the main event tilt will also bring an interesting stylistic clash. Okami has found consistent success throughout his career working behind a wrestling-heavy attack where he’s used his size and power to overwhelm his competition inside the cage.

While he’s never been known to be a versatile fighter, Okami‘s straightforward approach has proven difficult to best, and only a few have done so throughout his 38 fights as a professional.

Nevertheless, Branch believes he will have the tools necessary to turn back the Japanese powerhouse. Where he originally began his career relying on his jiu-jitsu to find victory, Branch has worked diligently to expand his game into a well-rounded skill set where he can adapt, adjust and attack in the heat of battle inside the cage.

Where that particular ability wasn’t something that came right away for Branch, it is now a powerful weapon in his arsenal, and one he is confident will help him make his first successful title defense at WSOF 15.

“I think I’m a late bloomer in the sense that being able to constantly adjust to what is happening in the fight took me awhile to be able to do, but it’s something I can definitely do now,” Branch said. “I sometimes see things in slow motion when they are happening and can slow down and put it all together.

“I’ve said this before in previous interviews, but I have no weakness inside the cage. There is no area I can be put in where I’m going to be weak so there’s nothing he can do to exploit me. I’m strong in all areas and I’m going to show that again against Okami.

“I think my overall skill set, and my overall concentration in the heat of the moment is going to overwhelm him. That’s what I honestly feel, but I can’t wait to show it instead of talking about it.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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GSP’s ‘UFO Story’ Corroborated by WSOF Matchmaker Ali Abdelaziz

Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has an uncanny connection with the unknown. …Or so he says.  GSP recently appeared on an episode of fellow former UFC superstar Chael Sonnen’s podcast, You’re Welcome, and the subject turned to aliens and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).  This is, of course, not the first time GSP has talked about […]

Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has an uncanny connection with the unknown. …Or so he says.  GSP recently appeared on an episode of fellow former UFC superstar Chael Sonnen’s podcast, You’re Welcome, and the subject turned to aliens and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).  This is, of course, not the first time GSP has talked about […]

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WSOF 14: Why Ryan Ford Fought Jake Shields with a Broken Right Arm

Former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields scored his first submission victory in over five years when he defeated Ryan Ford with a rear-naked choke Saturday in Edmonton during his promotional debut at WSOF 14.
The former UF…

Former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields scored his first submission victory in over five years when he defeated Ryan Ford with a rear-naked choke Saturday in Edmonton during his promotional debut at WSOF 14.

The former UFC welterweight title contender didn’t know it at the time, but heading into the bout, he enjoyed a major advantage over Ford, one that had nothing to do with Shields bending the rules.

The 32-year-old Ford broke his ulnar (the bone opposite the radius in the forearm) in his right arm during a sparring session on Sept. 30. The injury came just 11 days before arguably the most significant fight of his career.

In this Oct. 2 video (per MMAjunkie), the Tristar Gym stalwart explained the unfortunate circumstances that prevented him from postponing his fight Saturday with Shields:

You know, I don’t have a choice but to fight. You know, it’s funny. I have the toughest challenge ahead of me on Oct. 11 against Jake Shields. And now I get thrown with another challenge: fighting him with a broken arm. We’re not in a sport where insurance is available, where if you get injured nine days, 10 days up to a fight, then you get paid. It don’t work like that. You step into the cage, you get paid. This is how I feed my wife and my two kids. I put a roof over their heads, so the only option I have is to step into the cage, put on a hell of a fight and get paid—broken arm or not.

WSOF president Ray Sefo told Sherdog on Sunday that he and his staff didn’t find out about Ford’s broken ulnar until after the fight.

Neither I nor any of my staff at World Series of Fighting had any prior knowledge of Ryan Ford’s condition until he went on the record about it after last night’s fight. Like all of the other fighters who competed last night, Ryan went through all of the steps necessary to receive clearance by the athletic commission to fight. Had we been aware that Ryan was suffering from an arm injury, we would have immediately pulled the plug on his matchup with Jake Shields and secured another suitable opponent for Jake.

Ford fought Shields in an orthodox stance, throwing only low kicks and left hands at the 35-year-old Californian.

Just 36 seconds into the bout, Ford clipped Shields on the chin with a stiff left jab that dropped him momentarily. But in atypical fashion, the usually opportunistic Ford failed to capitalize on the knockdown and allowed Shields to regain his footing and ultimately recover.

In an impressive display of intestinal fortitude, Ford stuffed Shields’ first takedown attempt and succumbed to his second, only to pop back to his feet almost instantly. 

The two exchanged knees before Ford pushed Shields up against the fence in the clinch, a move that marked the beginning of his demise.

Shields quickly established an overhook on Fords’ broken arm and used it to throw The Real Deal onto his back. And with over three minutes left in the round and having just one functional arm, Ford had little chance to escape the round without tapping.

Shields needed the better part of those three minutes to set up the finish, but at the 4:29 mark of the opening round, he slapped on a rear-naked choke to pick up his first submission since June 2009 (a guillotine choke of Robbie Lawler).

The loss snapped a six-fight winning streak for Ford that began in February 2012. Ford had finished five of his six previous opponents, including Joel Powell, who he knocked out with a front kick and punches in his promotional debut at WSOF Canada 1 in February.

Shields got released from the UFC after falling via unanimous decision to the streaking Hector Lombard at UFC 171 in March. Shields finished with a 4-3-1 mark in the UFC.

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