MMA Link Club: Nate Marquardt sees fighters criticizing him as bullies
By Zach Arnold | July 15, 2011
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Video of the week
This week’s MMA Link Club featured stories
Five Ounces of Pain: From Striking Out to Striking Others, the journey of Shah Bobonis
“As a pitcher you have to have a very short memory,” Bobonis explained. “If you have a bad outing you have to come back out and clear that from your head. In fighting it’s the same thing – if you have a bad round you have to come back out. You can’t dwell on the last round, thinking, ‘Oh no, I got my butt kicked!’”
He also learned to avoid a lifestyle often linked to late nights, partying, and a lack of dedication in the gym.
“To be completely honest, other than a little bit of the mental side of athletics, baseball to me is the worst sport as far teaching discipline and things like that. In combat sports you have to make weight, constantly stay in shape. You have to be a lot more disciplined and focused.”
MMA Fighting: Tito Ortiz’s UFC 133 dilemma spotlights reward vs. risk in late-notice fights
So let’s look at it this way: What would Ortiz gain by winning, and what would he lose out on if he fell to defeat?
When you examine it in these terms, it becomes clear that Ortiz has more to gain than to lose.
NBC Sports: Exclusive interview with Jon Jones talking about Rampage & Rashad
Cage Potato: Nate Marquardt and Bellator flirt, have awkward date, go home early
Wait, so, a week ago, Bellator was interested, but now, it’s just doesn’t feel right?
Very interesting, indeed. Let us read in between the lines for a bit, if we may.
MMA Mania: Phil Davis’ injury wasn’t enough to keep him out of fight against Rashad Evans
“The reality is the kid is hurt,” White said on a special conference call. “He’s a young guy, he’s undefeated, he can’t even train in kickboxing for the next couple weeks. He can wrestle to some extent, but … why would I want to do that to a young, up-and-coming kid? To do that to a young guy who is up and coming, who is undefeated, made no sense.”
5th Round: Lyoto Machida says ‘all stories have two sides’
A day after UFC president Dana White claimed Lyoto Machida accepted a last-minute fight with Rashad Evans, only to later demand “Anderson Silva money,” the former light heavyweight champ decided to break his silence and reveal his perspective of the drama. Oddly, his tale didn’t deviate too far from what White recollected, but it did contain additional information.
Bleacher Report: Timing and opportunity have been key to UFC LHW division
The fact that [Machida or Ortiz] would turn down this chance is puzzling to me. I realize that fighting on three weeks notice isn’t ideal, but it’s a low risk, high reward situation—Machida has already knocked out Evans once and has been searching for a fight, while Ortiz is fresh off a submission victory over Ryan Bader. A win for either could vault them right back into the title hunt. Let’s not forget that this is also Rashad’s first fight in over a year.
Middle Easy: Alistair Overeem is considering moving to boxing and fighting Vitali Klitschko
Lowkick: Photo gallery — Nam Phan trains for his UFC 133 fight with Mike Brown
Our photographer Scott Hirano visited Nam Phan’s MMA Academy in Garden Grove, California to capture Phan’s final preparations for the fight against Mike Brown. Please make sure you visit Scott Hirano’s official website at ScottHirano.com and give him props by liking his Facebook page.
The Fight Nerd: An open letter to Dana White on MMA in New York
You once told me, on the record, after a press conference that you don’t follow New York politics too closely but that the UFC has hired all the right people and that they know what they are doing. While delegating work to specialists makes perfect sense, it means that you have been answering questions from the media about New York based on information provided by Global Strategy Group. This information ranges from misleading to outright lies and is costing New York MMA valuable potential allies for next year.
MMA Convert: Q & A with Bellator Boss Bjorn Rebney
The sustainability of this brand and the growth of this brand has been planned. It was orchestrated, it was planned, it was projected. I can go back and point to projections I had made two or three years ago and they ended up coming true in terms of economic projections, brand growth projections and movement projections. I spent a lot of years in this space and I understood it.
MMA Payout: Two part interview with T. Jay Thompson on the revival of Pro Elite (here and here)
My job is to put ProElite in a position to capitalize on any opportunities that present themselves in the future. So we won’t rule anything out at this point. Stratus Media has talented people and many have worked in/with the TV industry, so we feel pretty confident we will be on a TV outlet by our second event.
Topics: Bellator, Media, MMA, Pro Elite, UFC, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Mike Schmitz: Will Dan Hardy’s change up in training put him on the winning track in UFC?
By Zach Arnold | July 14, 2011
By Mike Schmitz
For years, Dan Hardy has lived (and died) by his reputation as a brawler. Moving away from his striking-heavy MMA training style was never an option, no matter the opponent. However, with Hardy’s back against the wall in his upcoming bout against Chris Lytle at UFC Live 5, he’s pulling out all the stops.
As he said recently on the ESPN UFC Podcast, Dan Hardy’s slimmer, more refined on the ground and even sporting a new version of his infamous Mohawk. The 6-foot, 170-pound welterweight has fallen from grace since his title fight loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111. He followed up the GSP defeat with back-to-back losses to Carlos Condit (KO) and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson (Unanimous) and is a loss away from being cut by UFC.
He admitted he tried to get bigger after his loss to GSP, and it hurt him in his next two fights.
“In the last two fights, I haven’t done my skill set any justice. I’ve been really disappointed with my performance in the gym and inside the Octagon,” Hardy told the ESPN UFC Podcast. “I gained a lot of weight ever since the GSP fight, doing things like power-training, and a lot of it has been detrimental to me.”
With that stated, Hardy’s altered his MMA training for a bout he described as “the kind of fight that can define your career around.” He’s been training with Roy Nelson in Las Vegas to improve his ground game and is as fast as he’s been since coming to the UFC. However, Hardy fought Johnson less than four months ago. Will Nelson be able to improve his ground game in such a short time frame? Nelson certainly thinks so.
“I think you’re going to see a more refined Dan where he’s going to be confident in every strike that he throws, without worrying about getting taken down,” Nelson told MMAWeekly. “And if he wants he can take somebody down.”
It remains to be seen how quickly Nelson can turn what Hardy called a “gaping hole in my game,” into a strength, but there’s no doubt The Outlaw has to improve leaps and bounds based on his last fight against Johnson. Rumble wore Hardy out with the ground and pound and took him to decision, where he’s 8-4 in his career. Although Lytle can scrap when necessary, if Hardy can’t combat the ground and pound he could be in for another long and grueling night.
Lytle is a submission specialist (21-0) with two of his last three victories coming by way of ground submissions. If Hardy doesn’t want to spend three rounds on the ground and wait for yet another UD loss, he needs to pick his spots very carefully.
Although he calls himself a brawler, Hardy must fight smart and make sure he doesn’t go after Lytle like a chicken with his head cut off or he’ll get caught and spend the night on the ground. Hardy’s clearly fighting to revitalize his UFC career and working to add a ground game at least gives him a chance to defy odds and defeat Lytle. Why exactly should you think Hardy has a chance against Chris “Lights Out” Lytle?
Hardy can easily hang with Lytle in terms of striking. I’d actually give Hardy the advantage in that department, although with two dangerous strikers anything could happen at any time. Secondly, this is a fight Hardy wanted for a reason. He thrives in these types of fights – an all-out war. Eleven of Hardy’s 23 wins have been by KO and he’s only been knocked out once. Although Lytle is a dangerous striker and a pros pro, he hasn’t faced the level of competition Hardy has in his most recent fights, and only 10% of his wins are by way of knockout.
So, if this fight does end in a knockout as most expect, the 29-year-old Hardy has to be the favorite. If he’s going to secure the KO, Hardy needs to use his combos carefully, keep his distance and ultimately connect. If he’s against the cage clinching he gives Lytle too much of a chance to bring him to the ground, plus Hardy has a six-inch reach advantage on Lights Out (74-to-68).
Lytle is a 6-to-5 favorite and given his recent success (4-1 in last five fights) compared to Hardy’s struggles, it makes sense to take Lytle as the winner. Hardy’s back is against the wall. His UFC career could be over (according to popular belief), and everyone saw how that motivated Tito Ortiz in his win over Ryan Bader.
Even if Hardy doesn’t secure a win, he doesn’t deserve to get the hook from the UFC. He’s still 29 years old, brings a ton of draw and excitement with his knockout prowess and hasn’t faced pushover opponents by any means. Consider this Hardy’s second-to-last chance.
If he walks away victorious, Hardy moves back into the mix into the welterweight division. No he won’t be taking on GSP, Carlos Condit or even Rumble in his next fight like he used to, but he leapfrogs Lytle and jumps from on the fringe of irrelevance to the third tier of welterweights.
Hardy knows what he has to do to win the fight, he has much more to lose than Lytle and he has a striking advantage in a fight most expect to end in knockout. Before it’s all said and done, Hardy’s hand will be raised, his altered MMA training style will pay off, and his UFC career will be revived.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, UK, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Will the issue of sexuality be the next ‘strike’ used against women’s MMA by critics?
By Zach Arnold | July 14, 2011
Yesterday on Sherdog radio, the estimable Jack Encarnacao and Jon Luther were interviewing Strikeforce female MMA fighter Liz “Girl-rilla” Carmouche about her upcoming fight with Sarah Kaufman on July 22nd in Las Vegas for a Challengers event to air on Showtime.
The interview was largely standard fare, talking about the differences between facing Marloes Coenen and facing someone like Sarah Kaufman. Liz said that Kaufman is a much more aggressive fighter, which she says is similar to her fighting style. During the conversation, Liz was asked about balancing her school life and finals while preparing for the Coenen fight. She mentioned how her girlfriend has been a big supporter of her MMA career in terms of providing positive reinforcement.
Listening to her comments, I didn’t flinch at all in regards to her bringing up ‘her girlfriend.’ However, it obviously caught the attention of a lot of listeners, so the interviewers asked her about it and why she decided to be open about her sexuality.
“Being in the military, I was forced to hold back and to not really find that part of myself. It’s not something that I want to do again in my life. My team and my coaches have been accepting and encouraging and they joke around about it and at no point have I ever felt like it’s something that I’ve had to hide. And I don’t want to be the type of fighter who is hiding parts of myself that eventually come out and come to surprise. I want to be open and honest with my fans. I want to be open and honest with everybody so they know who I am and at no point is that going to throw anybody off or disgust them or just anything, I don’t want any negative repercussions for who I am. I want it to be open and honest from the get go so that I can be the best fighter and person that I (can be).
“I definitely think that they’re much more accepting of it. I mean just if you look at society in general, a few years ago it wasn’t accepted. The military, everything, you could see it looked down upon and I definitely think that people are becoming more open to it and more aware of what’s going in the world, so they’re accepting. They want to connect with the fighters and they want to understand them on every level and I think that being honest with their sexuality helps them understand who they are and connects with them.”
At that point of the interview, I thought that was that and didn’t think much about it. However, after the interview Jack & Jon brought up a (depressingly) fair point: will the media start asking questions regarding the sexuality of not only Liz’s future opponents but also of all female MMA fighters? If so, is this going to be used as another ‘strike’ against supporting women’s MMA on a large promotional scale?
I know what my personal opinion on the matter is, but what I think versus what major power brokers think may differ substantially (and not in a good way for women’s MMA).
Topics: Media, MMA, StrikeForce, Zach Arnold | 31 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
History Channel casting call for MMA fighters for new Jousting TV show
By Zach Arnold | July 14, 2011
(Press Release)
NOW CASTING: HORSEMEN and WARRIORS for History Channel’s FULL METAL JOUSTING
You could win $100,000!!!
HISTORY and the producers of Top Shot and The Ultimate Fighter are looking for America?s toughest and bravest for their new competition series Full Metal Jousting. Yes, we said JOUSTING. If you are a skilled horseback rider and have the heart of a warrior, then you might have what it takes to become America?s first Full Metal Jouster and win the $100,000 grand prize. This hard-hitting competition will recreate the raw, crushing force of 13th Century jousting battles by arming 16 fierce competitors with lances, 200 pounds of armor and a 2,000-pound war horse — all charging through an arena with one goal in mind… to become champion.
You don?t need to be an experienced jouster, but you DO need strength, determination and the desire to win.
We teach you how to joust. You crush the competition.
APPLY TODAY!
To apply, send an email to [email protected] with your name, phone number, a recent photo and a brief description of why you think you can be History?s first Full-Metal Jouster. Visit www.pilgrimfilms.tv and click on “CASTING” to get more information. Call our casting hotline if you have any questions: 818-478-4570.
Deadline to apply is JULY 20, 2011
* Candidates must be at least 21 years of age, proficient in horseback riding, and a resident or citizen of the United States of America.
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
The financial troubles & image blows won’t stop for K-1
By Zach Arnold | July 13, 2011
Image of Tokyo Sports newspaper (July 10, 2011 edition) uploaded online by Ray Sefo. Copyright: Tokyo Sports shimbun.
Ray Sefo was booked this past weekend for Antonio Inoki’s IGF event at Tokyo Dome City Hall. Sefo, along with former K-1 fighters like Jerome Le Banner & Peter Aerts, are now booked in high-profile positions for Inoki.
Kazuyoshi Ishii’s former fighters continue to make claims in the Japanese press (in a rather aggressive fashion) that K-1 owes them a lot of money. Mr. Sefo claims he is owed $700,000USD. Tokyo Sports ran an article on Ray’s claims, including further claims of up to 20 big named fighters who are allegedly disgruntled with K-1.
Before we approach the politics of Inoki & Ishii, I think there is one (unfortunate) observation that needs to be pointed out in regards to all the fighters who are crying foul right now about K-1. You knew who you were working for and you knew the politics of the Japanese scene there in terms of declining business and just who is involved. Your claims of financial harm may very well be justified but those same claims are also tempered by who you were doing business with.
Take note of recent reports about Kazuyoshi Ishii claiming that he will run a non K-1 event next year with ‘new backers.’ K-1 is still his baby, so for him to say he’s going to run a separate event is basically shifting from one deal to another in order to avoid the image baggage.
As for Antonio Inoki, Inoki never does anything without political consequence. He’s not booking Ray Sefo, Jerome Le Banner, Peter Aerts, and other former K-1 fighters because he’s a benevolent man looking to burn through someone else’s money. Mr. Inoki and Mr. Ishii go way back, decades, in terms of business dealings. Remember, Inoki is backed by Tatsuo Kawamura, the entertainment agent/broker who used to go to school with the late Hiromichi Momose (the original backer of PRIDE). It’s a small world.
Le Banner is set to face Josh Barnett in the main event of Inoki’s 8/27 Tokyo, Ryogoku Kokugikan event. He is running this as a protest event to the multi-promotional Tokyo Sports event in Tokyo at Nippon Budokan featuring NOAH, New Japan, and All Japan. That show is supposed to be a charity show, although I don’t know how much of a charitable mood All Japan is in given their recent dust-up with Tokyo Sports.
Right now, the political scene in the Japanese fight game is becoming more derisive as the pool of money shrinks. The claws are out everywhere.
As for the DREAM event this weekend in Tokyo at Ariake Colosseum, there has been zero mainstream media coverage for the upcoming event this weekend. (Tim Leidecker event preview here.) I can’t fathom how many paid tickets they will be for that event. The misery never stops.
Topics: Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, Pro-Wrestling, Zach Arnold | 21 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Ken Shamrock compares criticism of him fighting to denying 60 year olds medication
By Zach Arnold | July 12, 2011
“Well, I think it’s funny how people call something we that call entertainment ‘disgraceful.’ I mean, you’re talking about writers who are sitting on the outside looking-in who have never stepped in the ring and never competed that are writing things like this, calling it disgraceful, they should not do this, boxers shouldn’t get in the ring… you’re talking about competitors, guys that challenge themselves every single day in the gym, they get up every morning, they live and breathe this stuff and you’ve got writers sitting on the sidelines criticizing warriors. How does that pan out? I’d like to grab a pen and poke them in the eye. I mean, I don’t get it, how can you criticize people like that who are CHAMPIONS, have proved themselves over and over again and you sit them with a pen and criticize them. And hurt them!
“If someone came up to you and you got to be about 60 years old, if you someone came up to you and said, ‘you know what? you’re 60 years old and you’re too old for us to give you medication, we need to give it to people that are younger because they’re healthier and they got more to live for.’ How does that feel? You’re not important, nobody cares about you any more. That’s wrong! First of all, we’ve done it for years entertaining people and we did what we were supposed to do for those years. Now, we have an opportunity to enjoy ourselves, compete in it the way we want to compete in it and have no absolutely boundaries on us and absolutely nothing on us that says we have to win! … We do this for the entertainment now. I enjoy the competition. That’s what they have a hard time understanding when you’re sitting on the outside of the ring pushing a pen. You don’t know what it’s like to have to stop something you love doing. It’s like stopping breathing, it’s like telling me to stop breathing. It’s not going to happen, not as long as I’ve got two legs and two arms that I can still swing. I’m going to continue to keep doing as long as I can and as long as the fans want me to. And you pen pushers, put your pens back in your pocket and wait for something more exciting to write about.
“Well, that’s funny how when I got to all these places and you know the most important people that you look at are the fans, the ones that are actually paying the tickets to come watch the show, not the ones that get the free tickets to write about it. They’re the ones that count, but yet you got the pen pushers who get the free tickets sitting in the front row bashing the guys that the fans love. Does that make any sense at all? The reason why you have a job is because of guys like us and then you want to turn around and write bad things about us because we get a little bit old and a little bit slow. Well, I go to tell you, when your time comes and someone tells you you’re too old to write any more and you’re too old to get medication to or you don’t deserve medication because you ain’t worth it, we need to give it to younger people… let’s see how that feels. Right now, you’re young and pushing pens and you’re hurting people with those pens because you get to write what you want.
“I’ll say this — as long as the fans are there and they’re supporting you and they continue to want to see you get in there and give it a good try and do your best and they support you over the years, then if that’s what you want to do don’t let nobody try and embarrass you out of your right. You keep fighting and you keep doing what you want to do and don’t let anybody embarrass you not to do it. If you want it and the fans are still behind you and you’re still wanting to do it and you have the love for it, you continue to do it.”
Jonathan Snowden: UFC’s Chael Sonnen Not The First MMA Star To Try Pro Wrestling Shenanigans
Topics: Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 28 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Rashad Evans: “When Jon Jones loses (in the UFC), he’s going to quit in a fight”
By Zach Arnold | July 12, 2011
Click on the image (copyright – Crave Online) to visit Fight Week on Sherdog for more interviews & content
GREG SAVAGE: “It seems like you’ve been around forever now. You look at your record, you look at your age, you’re 31 years old, man. You’re a young guy in this sport, you’ve already been a champion. I’m sure you’ve got a lot of aspirations and goals still in this sport, but you’ve come a long way. Rate your career so far.”
RASHAD EVANS: “You know, I’ll give it a, if I was to give it a grade, I’ll probably give it a B+, you know what I’m saying? It’s not quite where it could be or where I think it, you know, really should be. But it’s about the journey and it’s about taking those pitfalls and the ups & downs and ebbs & flows that’s going to make me achieve those goals so when I’m finished with my career I can say I got an A+.”
GREG SAVAGE: “You talk about winning at Light Heavyweight, your next move was to go to Heavyweight. You were a tiny, tiny Heavyweight. You muscled your way through The Ultimate Fighter, won a split decision over Brad Imes to claim that title, and that was it for you. You went back down to Light Heavyweight. Everyone still said, maybe you should be a Middleweight, though. I mean, you fought that assertion for a long time. Why not?”
RASHAD EVANS: “You know… I’m always one of those fighters that never looks as big as they really are, you know what I’m saying? I always look small and, you know, I figure I’m doing well at 205, so what’s the point going down to 185? You know, if I got smashed up at 205, then I might think that maybe I should go (down) but for the most part, I never really got into a fight where I felt somebody at 205 and I was just like, man, this guy’s just above average strong and I think to find, you know, go down to 185 where I can be, you know, the stronger guy. But I haven’t found that at 205, yet.”
GREG SAVAGE: “The Ultimate Fighter was a springboard for your career, it was an amazing platform for you. But it seems like what happened on that show started the whole ‘Rashad’s this bad guy, Rashad’s this cocky guy who really doesn’t care about anything else’ and it’s gone downhill since then for you. It seems like you’re fighting an image battle, at least you were. Now, it seems like you threw in the towel. Do you even care? And is that, you know, the flashpoint for this?”
RASHAD EVANS: “At some point I used to be like, ah, man, I really care about being a good guy because I can’t be any further than the public perception in real life, you know what I’m saying, anybody who ever met me in real life is like, you’re not like nothing how I thought and it’s the craziest thing because it’s just so funny how I’m portrayed and I’m seen but I do think it was, you know, Matt Hughes saying that I’m a cocky fighter and some of the things I did when I did fight, people are like, ‘Ah, man, this guy is cocky and arrogant and this is the way he is.’ But you got to understand. like. when you go out there and fight, you can’t go there and be like, you know, for me, myself, I can’t go out there and be, you know, too like, you know, submissive or too, you know, not trying to be a certain way.
“When I go out there and compete, my main thought is like, I don’t compete from the (angry) point of view. For me, it’s like I want to go out there and embarrass somebody. I want to go out there and just like make them be like, what was I even thinking fighting this guy? You know and there’s where I compete my best from and so when I go out there I’m bringing that attitude, that’s my attitude, that’s my mindset. You know, when I’m out there with somebody, I don’t just want to beat them, I want to try to embarrass them, you know I want (them) to be like, ‘I never want to fight this guy again.’ And when you’re out there fighting, the fight is won on two levels — one is on the physical and the other one is on the mental. And if I get my guy second-guessing himself, if I can get my guy hitting me with his hardest punch and I look at him and smile or, you know, do something when he doesn’t expect it, then I’m winning on the mental level and then the physical is going to come after that.”
GREG SAVAGE: “So, you’re sitting there in March going to the UFC (in New Jersey) thinking, you know, had to pull out because I got injured, you know, Jon Jones goes in and wins his fight and, next thing you know, he’s going to be fighting Shogun and you’re just like, what are you thinking sitting there cage side?”
RASHAD EVANS: “Well, I had an idea before the fight that they were going to, if Jon Jones won (against Ryan Bader) that he was going to get the title shot and I spoke to Jon the night before the fight and I told him that, you know, what was said and I’d told him he’d be a fool if he didn’t take the opportunity. So, it was kind of a little bittersweet because at the time I was really digging Jon. I was like, man, you know, I’m excited for this kid and I think that, you know, if he gets the title shot he’s going to win it, you know, and I knew he was going to smash Bader, I knew Bader didn’t stand a chance. So, I just knew that, you know, here’s a kid who worked hard and he works hard and he’s going to get a shot at the title and I was happy for him, you know. I was surprised the way they did it, you know what I’m saying, that was kind of cold blooded the way they did it but, you know, all’s fair.”
GREG SAVAGE: “You say you were still digging him then. When did you, you know, start to not dig him? When did you see these character flaws you talked about?”
RASHAD EVANS: “Well, the first thing that happened, you know, because I took a lot of shit from everybody like saying, ‘oh, man, you’re not going to fight your teammate,’ because I still buy it because I wanted to extend the same respect that I was wanting him to extend to me if I would have won a championship and I wasn’t going to fight him. You know, I got blasted by Dana White and by all the fans and everybody’s talking that I’m scared and all this crap.
“But what bothered me and made me start seeing things differently is when Jon did an interview on Versus with Ariel Helwani and asked a question if he would fight me, he was, yeah, I would fight him. I mean I wouldn’t want, you know, I wouldn’t want to get fired, I wouldn’t want if Dana White said so. Of course Dana White is going to say so, that’s his job to put the best fights on, so… that, to me, answer was kind of like, you know, saying Dana White made me do it, that’s kind of a cop out. For him to say it like that was just kind of like, okay, you know, it’s kind of a smack in the face. But the simple fact that he did a pre-recorded interview and didn’t even have, you know, the respect to give me a call and say, listen, I did an interview and this is what it may sound like, this is what I really meant by it, and just saying don’t take it personal or whatever, bye. Then I would have been cool.”
GREG SAVAGE: “What was it like when he came out and did another interview and talked about, ‘you know I used to handle Rashad in practice, I’m not worried about it.’ I mean, that’s a cardinal rule for fighters, you don’t talk about what happens in the room. I mean, he broke it. What was it like for you, what was it like for other fighters you talked to about it?”
RASHAD EVANS: “You know, just the simple fact that he even said that was kind of like… like… it’s mind-boggling to me to even bring that up, you know what I’m saying, especially since the fact that, uh, if he even did get the better of me in any practice, it was intended for him to get the better of me.”
GREG SAVAGE: “Mike Van Arsdale said it was you portraying Ryan Bader, trying to help him out.”
RASHAD EVANS: “Yeah, me trying to be Ryan Bader, so that may be the only reason why he may have got the better of me or even one day he might have been having a good day and I might have been having a bad day, it happens in practice. Practice is practice, you know what I’m saying? That’s why you got to practice and you try different things because some days you’ll be the shark, some days you’ll be the bait. The greatest fighters in the world had days where they got got by somebody or something like that and they’re just like, really, we’re training together, we’re supposed to be brothers. We’re training partners and then you’re going to brag because you took me down or you caught me with a punch? Are you serious, it’s practice, you know what I’m saying? It’d be one thing if you did it in a live fight or something like that but if it’s at practice, that’s like, you know, to me it was just childish. It showed to me where his mind was at.
“The simple fact that he did is just like, man, so this kid is going around telling people that got me in practice but that’s funny, he never brings up when I got him in practice. He was like, you know, begging me to get up and then he’s like, you know, for like 5 minutes just slapping him in his face, hitting him, hitting him like this…
‘get up! get up!’
‘can you help me up?’
‘no, I can’t help you up, you got to get up, you got to earn your way up.’
“And then I’m hitting him some more.
‘uh, uh, uh, well, well, uh, the bell’s rung.’
“I said, listen, if you quit now, you’re going to quit in a fight. Work your way back up. And I made him work his way back up because I was trying to help him. I wasn’t trying to dominate him. I was like, if this kid is going to quit now, he will quit in a fight.
“And I know he’ll quit in a fight. Mark my words — when Jon Jones loses, he’s going to quit in a fight.”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 16 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Chael Sonnen: Because I got punished for TRT, expect many fighters to hide their drug usage
By Zach Arnold | July 10, 2011
MMAFighting.com interview by Ariel Helwani with Chael Sonnen at UFC 132
Whenever Chael Sonnen does a media interview these days, it’s hard to find much of what he says to be substantive. He’s all gimmick, at this point, and given the many folks in the media who are willing to be enablers in order to get a few hits at the expense of being humiliated, Chael takes advantage of it. Fine. My scope of interest for his interviews is often limited.
In this (now) famous interview that was uploaded online a couple of days ago, Sonnen turns his gimmick on full blast when trashing Brazil and the Brazilian contingency in the UFC. He dumped all over Wanderlei Silva being employed by the UFC with a 2-8 record (his words) and claiming that it’s the worst record ever for a UFC fighter both in the SEG days and under Zuffa ownership. He went on to say that ‘the Japan circuit’ (PRIDE) was essentially fake and that the outcomes of fights for Fedor, Cro Cop, Nogueira, and Wanderlei were rigged and that the referees had earpieces to tell the opponents when to take dives. If you’re into Sonnen ‘comedy,’ then I suppose you’ll be interested in this. To me, Chael Sonnen ‘comedy’ is about as enticing as WWE ‘comedy.’
With all of that stated, there was one part of this interview that did catch my attention and has flown under the radar in many circles. The opening context here starts with Ariel discussing Chael’s suspension just ending. This interview was taped before UFC announced that Sonnen would be facing Brian Stann in October in Houston, Texas.
ARIEL HELWANI: “Does it feel as though a weight has been lifted off your shoulders here?”
CHAEL SONNEN: “If you’re a professional athlete, you don’t have the right to complain about anything. I hear these guys come out and they’re crying and they’re whining and it’s ‘poor me’ and I always thought, what a wonderful world you must live in if that is a big deal, you know, with all the things that are going on and the adversity a person has to face and you’ve got to learn to deal with that stuff and, uh… you know, just because you get a little negative press or you end up in a little red tape here and there, you got to know how to deal with that if you’re going to get anything done in this world. I can’t imagine, I mean I watch just the average folks have bigger problems with a day being a good husband or being a good father, uh… look, I’m a professional athlete, I’m not entitled to do that. I have an opportunity to do it, it’s a luxury, and nobody owes that to me and I’ve never felt like a victim in this whole thing. It was a nuisance, but that’s where it ends.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “You say it’s a luxury, though, but was there a point where you thought you might never get a shot to fight again, another shot, because it seemed as though for a while one thing after the next was piling on you?”
CHAEL SONNEN: “Well, yeah, probably, it’s hard to completely remember all the different emotions you go through. You get a call one day that says one thing and makes you think, well, looks like it’s the end of the line, and then understanding the rules is tough, too. Somebody tells you you’re suspended, you get information from one state and trust that and then you learn that’s not exactly right or maybe that was relayed to me wrong or maybe I interpreted it wrong. So, the rules and the process constantly changes and so does your mentality, you know, so, yeah, there were times where I thought this might be the end of the road. It was up and down and that was probably the hardest part was the emotional, it was highs and it was lows, it was so drastic, there was nothing ever steady about it, you know, it was either ‘aw, man, I got some really good news today,’ ‘oh, wow, did I get some bad news.’
ARIEL HELWANI: “Your name has obviously been in the news (recently) because your suspension expired and you’re free fight. You also came into the news because people started to link your story to Nate Marquardt’s because Testosterone Replacement Therapy came up and you are kind of the first fighter where this really came up and we started to learn more about it. What’s your take, if you have any, on what happened to Nate Marquardt with him getting released and suspended and whatnot in Pennsylvania?”
CHAEL SONNEN: “Well, let me preface any statement I make with two things. First off, all I can really do is kind of guess to say, well, this is what I think because I don’t actually know. And secondly, to say Nate is a very good guy, um… behind everything you see, he’s a good guy, he loves his family, he’s good to his wife, if he tells you something you can trust him, he’s a good, nice, kind person and… all I know about it is what I saw on your show and I think that Nate was very forthcoming and honest, I think it’s important to understand Nate did not break any rules… he did not fight with an illegal substance or a banned substance or any kind. At the same time… I left that interview thinking, okay, Nate, I believe you, I believe everything you just said, I also think there’s a couple of things you haven’t said. I don’t know that, but for my own opinion from my office watching that on my laptop, I thought there was a couple of things that probably still haven’t come out.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “Are fighters abusing TRT in your opinion? Because you’ve talked about it, this is a medical condition, you need this. Are there people, in your opinion, in this sport and in sports in general who are abusing this and using this as a PED?”
CHAEL SONNEN: “I can tell you the frustration I have with mine is when you look at the rules and you say, okay, I’m a rule guy, I’m a rule follower, I’m going to follow this rule. Here’s what I need to do if I’m going to be on this medication. So, you come forward and you start the big fire, you wave the big flag. You show, this is what I’m doing. Then they use that against you. That’s where it becomes very frustrating. I think, because of that, there’s a lot of guys (now) that are going to say, ‘hey, listen, I’m going to do this, I’m just not going to come forward like Chael did, I’m not going to do it correctly, I’m going to hide it because these guys at the commission are going to punish me, they’re going to use it against me.’ And so… I think I’ll leave it at that but I think that… you know, if the commissions don’t like the rule then, please, by all means, change the rule. But don’t allow somebody to do something and then turn the gun on them and say, ‘you did this and you shouldn’t have,’ when you go, wait a minute, you said that I could, it’s right there in your rules. So, I think that makes it tough.”
Juxtapose this to the comments Dennis Hallman made to Bas Rutten about TRT usage. I’m not sure where all of this is heading in terms of either further discussion or action but it certainly is gaining some traction publicly.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 31 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Urijah Faber, motivational machine, on his new book deal with HarperCollins
By Zach Arnold | July 9, 2011
MIKE STRAKA: “You’ve accomplished so much in MMA. You’re almost above the belt and I don’t mean to say that to kiss your ass or even to take away from anybody who has a belt, but the things you’ve done in MMA you’ve really pioneered things that other guys aspire to do. One is you were the fact of WEC, you were one of the guys who created the lightweight divisions and certainly created a business for lightweights. You started Form Athletics, your own t-shirt & apparel company, you went into business with K-Swiss, you do mainstream commercials with K-Swiss, Pepsi, and all these different brands that you represent. How do you have time to do everything and did you go into this sport with a grand plan?”
URIJAH FABER: “Um… you know, I think I just went into this sport ready to conquer, you know, and I definitely don’t feel like I’m above the sport by any means but I do recognize that I’ve done a lot and it’s been just through the back of not being scared to do anything. If I have an idea, I believe I can do it, I’ll make it happen, I’ll get the right people on the team, I’ll go after it, and I’m a guy who likes to stay busy. I mean, you can only train so much during the day, you only sleep so much at night, and then there’s a lot of time left over. So, I fill my time, I’ve always been like that. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve been busy, busy, busy and it’s just resulted in a lot of good things.”
MIKE STRAKA: “I understand you have a book coming out or you’re working on a book with a major publishing company. Can you talk about that?”
URIJAH FABER: “Yeah, I actually sold a book to HarperCollins and, um, I’ve got a great concept that I’ve been working on for years, you know, I was a Human Development major at UC Davis and I’ve been really introspective and kind of looked at a lot of people that I admire in my world and taken some laws about, you know, success and weakness and everything else along that line, so it’s kind of a motivational book but a lot to do about my life as well… It’s great that we’re having more and more materials inspired by our sport.”
MIKE STRAKA: “When you talk about being a motivational speaker and having a book that’s’ going to be of motivating value, I was talking to your cousin, Peter, who’s actually shooting this, he’s actually a Sundance Film Festival award-winning cinematographer, so thank you Peter for shooting this for me, but he was telling me when you guys were in first grade you were the same personality, you were the same very confident kid. What do you attribute to that confidence? Is it your upbringing? Is it your parents? Is it Little Man Syndrome? I mean, what is it?”
URIJAH FABER: “I think it’s just a combination of things, but if I had to point one thing in particular it’s got to be undying love and support from family and people have that, you know they talk about in Human Development that kids that are successful from all these different areas have somebody, whether it’s an aunt or uncle or grandparent or the parents or even the teacher sometimes that believes in them and has their back unconditionally and I had that in abundance, my parents were awesome. You know, my mom Suzanne, my dad Theo, my older brother Ryan. … My Italian mom (was) just like, ‘My boys can do anything,’ and always talking about how great we are and if anybody said anything bad about us it’s because their jealous and almost built an unrealistic confidence and I’ve seen that in other guys, I’ve seen that in guys like BJ Penn is one in particular I met his parents and I get the same sense, Jon Jones, you have that from him, Chuck Liddell, even, his confidence has been something that’s been a lifetime, so I got to say thanks to my parents.”
MIKE STRAKA: “I want to go back to your business and also motivating people and believing in people because Joe Benavidez & Chad Mendes, even Mark Munoz, guys who you’ve sort of taken and said, ‘I believe in you,’ and if people don’t know at home, in Sacramento there’s a block and Urijah lives like several homes on the same block and you put up fighters who come in and train at your camp and you put them up and let them live there for free, and you know they work off maybe they clean the gym or whatever, they earn your time with you, but a lot of guys love you because you believe in them. I mean, I interviewed Joe & Chad on Fighting Words and I said, ‘do you ever get sick of hearing the words Urijah Faber’ and, you know, I kind of thought they’d be like, well, you know, yeah, but they didn’t. I mean, they were like sincerely, no, the guy, we wouldn’t be here without the guy and there’s no animosity and no jealousy, I just can’t believe you’ve cultivated that environment. How did you do that?”
URIJAH FABER: “You’re going to buy my book about it but there’s a chapter in there about building a Who’s Who network and it’s basically looking for potential in people and helping people reach their goals instead of, you know, trying to get ahead or being jealous or things like that and I genuinely enjoy that stuff, you know, and I feel like there’s power in numbers and I do everything in my power to help those guys out. I would gladly take a back seat had Joseph got the belt and just gone a different path, you know, and I’m cheering for those guys and they know it. You can’t fake something like that, so they know genuinely and we’ve been through things in life and those guys have been there for me, also, so it’s more a family thing. I’ve talked to Munoz over the years and he just really understands, we have something that you can’t really explain because it’s been through experiences and so, um, I don’t know. I think it just comes from the background I came from, you know, my adolescence was in a Hippie Christian environment where there’s a lot of people around all helping each other get energy and kind of recreated that without the religion.”
MIKE STRAKA: “I know you believe in wrestling, you went to (UC Davis) and a lot of the people, a lot of the programs you work with are about saving wrestling programs in high schools and colleges. How important is wrestling to adolescence and to kids growing up and kids who aspire to be MMA fights?”
URIJAH FABER: “I think it’s really important and I’m actually on a really cool project with Phil Davis that’s going to help kind of highlight some of the amateur side, that’s what we’re working on…”
MIKE STRAKA: “Phil Davis, a great Penn State wrestler…”
URIJAH FABER: “Yeah, he was a national champion, two-time, and a really smart guy also but what it comes down to is… wrestling is one of the main backbones for our sport, it’s a simulated fight, the same regiment, the same attention to detail and technique and, you know, it takes the same type of individual that enjoys a fight that enjoys wrestling, so it’s huge and we need to really grow the programs. It’s a shame that California college programs are dwindling, you know, with the wrestling programs because of budget cuts and stuff but the California high school programs are almost double the nearest state as far as participation goes and there’s a lot of Latino kids competing and it needs to keep growing, man, and Dana & Lorenzo I think can maybe get behind it a little bit with Zuffa and realize that’s the proving ground, that’s the breeding (grounds) for the future of MMA.”
MIKE STRAKA: “Speaking of Dana & Lorenzo, they just released the UFC Kinetics video game which is a training thing for I think its the XBox, right?”
URIJAH FABER: “It’s a THQ video game but its available for Nintendo Wii and, uh, XBox and, you know, all those video games where you’re basically you’re the remote control, you stand in front of the screen, you move, you do the workouts.”
MIKE STRAKA: “Phenomenal.”
URIJAH FABER: “Yeah, it’s incredible, and that’s actually why I’m here in New York talking about that, you know, I’m one of the spokesguys for the brand and I really believe in it and it’s, uh, it’s cool to see Mark Dellagrotte and Greg Jackson and Javier Mendez in there instructing you, it’s their voice, it’s their image, and they’re showing you how to punch, how to kick, and you can pick fighters, you can pick me and have me tell you ‘good job, homie’ and ‘c’mon,’ stuff like that. It’s a great way to get in shape and learn about the sport.”
MIKE STRAKA: “So, one thing that I always laugh is when I see the K-Swiss commercial with Kenny Powers and he calls you Shirtoff and he cracks me up, man. But you do, in his defense, like to take your shirt off a lot.”
URIJAH FABER: “Well, you know what? I’m at home in California, the sun’s out, the shirt’s off, man, I spend a good portion of my day covered in sweat, go through about three shirts a day, drenched in sweat, and, you know, it just feels normal. I spent most of my adolescence running around on the beach in Santa Barbara and then the streets in Sacramento, you know, just in flip flops and shorts and it just feels normal to me. I’ve had the same lifestyle since I was a little kid.”
MIKE STRAKA: “I just want to get your thoughts on the sports of MMA and UFC in particular, you know you started a long, long time ago now, it’s been like 7 years since you started fighting?”
URIJAH FABER: “7, almost 8 years.”
MIKE STRAKA: “Almost 8 years and you’re obviously one of the pioneers of the lightweight divisions, I Mentioned your accomplishments earlier but, you know, the sport has grown and you’ve, I said it earlier, grown further than most fighters have grown but everybody’s risen with the sport as the sport’s risen, anybody who makes a living in MMA has the UFC to thank for that. But guys like you really took it to the next level, but what are your thoughts on the UFC today, where it’s heading, and how far its come in these 10 years.”
URIJAH FABER: “Well, first off, it’s been incredible the rise and when I first started it was illegal in California, I was fighting on Indian reservations, there was really no opportunity for the sport in general let alone the lightweight fighters, the UFC didn’t have 135, 145, 155 wasn’t even an issue, it didn’t exist, so the biggest thing is… we have incredible people behind it now that are developing the sport, we have smart guys like Dana & Lorenzo & the Fertitta business and their business savvy and they’re passionate about the sport and then we have all these passionate fighters that are developing, you know, their talent and making fighting their lives so you’re getting these warriors that are dedicating their life to it and pouring their heart out and making these exciting shows. We’ve got intelligent guys backing it financially and putting a system behind it so, um… you know, the sky’s the limit, really, they’re really planning on taking over the world and making this the best sport in the world and it makes sense, it’s the oldest sport in the world. Fighting’s been around since day one, man, that’s how I used to get women back in the day.”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Bas Rutten’s had enough of lousy officiating & TRT usage by steroiders in MMA
By Zach Arnold | July 9, 2011
OVINCE ST. PREUX: “I mean, when I was playing football some type of guys were on some type of supplements just to give them that extra edge. Everybody wants that extra edge. I mean, with football, if you’re with the third team or second team and you know this guy right here’s is first team and what separates you between him and you, you need that extra edge and once you get that extra edge it kind of help you a lot. Unfortunately, in a situation like that, I mean in the long run it’s going to hurt you, in the short term it’s not. So, a lot of times you end up getting caught. I know with football I know what they do a lot is do random drug testing, which is they show up and, hey, you got to take a drug test.”
KENNY RICE: “And they regulate it more in college football than in any of the MMA world.”
FRANK TRIGG: “Well, it’s different, too, in college football because you’re basically… this is going to sound bad the way it comes out of my mouth… You’re basically owned by the university that you play for, if they give you a scholarship to play…”
KENNY RICE: “You’re not owned by the UFC when you’re in the UFC?”
FRANK TRIGG: “But remember, you’re not at the dorm, you’re not living at campus. They don’t know where you’re at 24 hours a day.”
KENNY RICE: “In MMA, you can say one thing in any organization and be booted. In college football, you could take a stand and they say freedom of speech, they may reprimand you.”
FRANK TRIGG: “True, true, you know, but it’s still… it’s easier in college football because they know what dorm you’re staying at. They know where he was, every moment of the day. They don’t know where I am every moment of the day.”
KENNY RICE: “Nobody does.”
OVINCE ST. PREUX: “Basically you get a phone call from the training room and be like, ‘Ovince, we need you down in the training room.’ ‘For what?’ You come down, you got to take a drug test.”
KENNY RICE: “Does it come down to what Bas said last week, you know, he never had any worries about this because he ate food and drank water. And that was kind of the end of the story.”
BAS RUTTEN: “Plus, I feel good about myself. The moment you’re taking it, you’re weak in the mind, that’s what I’m saying. If it’s up to you that you have to take all that shit, that’s what I call it, to compete with the other ones, then don’t compete. Know your fight.”
DENNIS HALLMAN: “Hey Bas, what if you’re weak in the body?”
BAS RUTTEN: “If you’re weak in the body?”
DENNIS HALLMAN: “Like… first, you have to be educated and understand…”
BAS RUTTEN: “Oh, so, we have the doctor on the thing and the low testosterone that it comes from prior use, that’s what you mean?”
DENNIS HALLMAN: “No, no, no. Okay, testosterone is metabolized from cholesterol, okay, cholesterol is made in your small intestines and your liver. Okay, say you have an intestinal disease like I have, celiac, and now your body is not producing the right cholesterol which metabolizes into Pregnenolone, which will then metabolize into your hormones and now you have low hormones because you have an intestinal disease. Does that mean that you’re weak in the mind or does it mean you’re weak in the body?”
BAS RUTTEN: “What I said on this show is if you’re taking it for an injury, it’s cool. If you’re lower testosterone and you want to be average, that’s cool. If you take it for performance-enhancing drugs, you’re a loser. That’s what I’m saying. You see a lot of guys doing it and then they get armbarred or choked. It doesn’t improve your techniques. It doesn’t improve, for me it shows the bigger they are… When I was fighting in Japan, the bigger they are they say for me it shows weakness. For me it shows, oh, this guy is not happy with himself and that’s why he’s doing it.”
DENNIS HALLMAN: “So, we should have two standards then, the people that are on Hormone Replacement Therapy and then the people that are taking steroids illegally.”
BAS RUTTEN: “I say just don’t cross the line. I think that Nate Marquardt crossed the line because he did it, he took the choice to do it and he wrecks up a main event, that’s a serious thing. Not if you’re a lower card guy, then I say, okay, if you do it, do it and don’t get caught. But that’s what I’m saying, you got to do Olympic testing. Go test in between also, do the HRT, let them make sure that you never get over that certain amount for testing.”
DENNIS HALLMAN: “If you’re on HRT, you should get tested every six weeks. If you have a legitimate doctor, then you’re tested every 6-8 weeks for your hormone levels to make sure that your hormones, your body could be producing hormones again by themselves, you don’t know the extent of the damage to your body.”
As a bonus, here’s Kenny Rice talking about how bad the state of MMA officiating is. So bad, as he puts it, that fighters ‘can be shooting up in the corner’ and nobody cares. He’s referring to an online MMA Junkie poll on the matter.
KENNY RICE: “I mean, three out of four people say it’s officiating and judging, that’s some serious stuff.”
BAS RUTTEN: “It is serious and it is true, you know, they should put the paychecks higher, let ex-fighters judge because they can’t do it right now is because they don’t make anything.”
KENNY RICE: “There’s nothing to gain in there, is it? There’s nothing to gain out there.”
BAS RUTTEN: “It’s like being a cop, you know, those people deserve more money.”
KENNY RICE: “I say it’s going to take this, it’s going to take another 4-5 years down the road maybe when one of you guys decide to retire and say, this is what I’m going to do possibly and where you get more guys who have actually competed where you don’t have the boxing background guy or the wrestling background guy but the MMA background guy that’s going to be sitting there judging the fights. It may be a while off but I don’t know, what other solution can anybody come up with immediately?”
DENNIS HALLMAN: “Well, in my state, you’re allowed to be a fighter. I’m a licensed judge and referee and inspector, I just can’t judge or referee anybody that I have anything to do with in training or been affiliated with, so that helps a lot. But for up-and-coming fighters, you know, it lets them have a experienced judge or referee. I think the biggest problem is you got these judges that make horrendous decisions and then they can continually get put back in there judging fights over and over.”
KENNY RICE: “Do they have anybody on deck, though? That’s what I wonder. I don’t know how competitive is it out there where somebody says, you know, I can do better, I want to be the next judge? I mean, who’s out there? Bas is making movies, Frank is doing commentating for us and fighting as well, Ovince is busy with his career, Dennis is busy with his career.”
FRANK TRIGG: “I agree with you, Kenny, it’s going to be one of us having to retire and go, look, we’re going to step into the judging and, you know, someone who’s got a legit, full-time background in MMA to become a judge and kind of clean it up, not clean it up but make it better, improve it. You know, Keith Kizer of Nevada is doing the best job he can with what he has and he stands behind all his judges, stands behind all his refs because he really tries with what he’s got but what you got is what you got, you’re right, there’s no one in the wings waiting to come in and step in and once you get a better guy, people are going to start asking for, hey, I need Bas Rutten as my judge, this is the guy, I want him as my judge and people start requesting him, then other people start coming in as well. But it’s not going to be (at least) 4-5 years…”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 16 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
A look at the latest UFC sportsbook favorites & underdogs
By Zach Arnold | July 8, 2011
We often rely on the sage wisdom of Nick Kalikas of BetonFighting to help us traverse through the various lines set for major MMA fights. It’s no different this time and we’ll take a look at some of the major lines for upcoming fights and discuss whether the favorites are too strong or just right.
Fedor (-220) vs. Dan Henderson (+180)
The line has gone down on Fedor as seemingly more money has been coming in on Henderson. I always believed in Henderson having a legitimate shot of winning this fight (as opposed to bettors who believe in ‘betting on value’ which is an oxymoron).
At -220, Fedor is an 11-to-5 favorite (69%) to win. Yes, Henderson plans on fighting near the 210 pound range, but what have we seen lately from Fedor to indicate that he should be this strong of a favorite heading into the fight?
Marloes Coenen (-120) vs. Miesha Tate (+110)
Since it’s a championship fight and that means 5 rounds, I would expect Coenen to be a higher favorite despite her last fight with Liz Carmouche. A 6-to-5 favorite is not exactly a ringing endorsement of her winning by the ‘books.
Rashad Evans (-140) vs. Phil Davis (+115)
The lines on Evans are wildly fluctuating. He was -120 earlier in the week and now has inched up to -140. A 7-to-5 favorite, that still puts Rashad as only a 58% favorite against Phil Davis at 42%. Yes, Rashad has switched up his training camp and is coming off of a knee injury… and has not been active recently… but Greg Jackson is right, what Phil Davis does best Rashad does better. Phil Davis has a high learning curve still on the offensive end of his game and I definitely see this fight going to a decision.
Vitor Belfort (-280) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (+240)
Despite the brutal KO loss to Anderson Silva, Vitor opens up as nearly a 3-to-1 favorite here to win. He should win, but this line is too high for me (if I was a bettor).
If Akiyama loses, is his career in the UFC done?
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (-160) vs. Rich Franklin (+140)
The line for this fight has been tilting towards Rogerio. Rogerio was at -140 earlier in the week and is now at -160, meaning he’s a solid 8-to-5 favorite (62%) to Rich Franklin (38%). I still am not sure why Franklin is such an underdog here. The conventional wisdom here is that Rogerio will win a decision.
Chad Mendes (-600) vs. Rani Yahya (+400)
Chad goes into this fight as a 6-to-1 favorite (85%). He took this fight because he didn’t want to wait for Jose Aldo while Aldo was recovering from injury after his bout at UFC 129 with Mark Hominick.
Any possibility of this being a trap fight for Mendes or is it (more or less) another decision victory?
Chris Lytle (-120) vs. Dan Hardy (even)
This line surprised me. Hardy’s fighting for his career here against a guy who should, flat out, beat him. The only way Lytle loses is if he does the same thing that he did against Marcus Davis and get into a sloppy C-level kickboxing match. Lytle as a 6-to-5 favorite?
Jim Miller (-150) vs. Ben Henderson (+125)
Jim Miller has been, seemingly forever, a dream for bettors in both single bets and parlays. He just wins. He has been the favorite since day, despite the protests of the estimable Luca Fury who is completely sold on Henderson winning.
Miller as a 3-to-2 favorite sounds about right.
Anderson Silva (-450) vs. Yushin Okami (+350)
Anderson is a 9-to-2 favorite here (82%) pretty much makes this a ‘parlay only’ bet.
Mauricio Shogun (-220) vs. Forrest Griffin (+180)
This line has stayed steady throughout the week, but it certainly got more interesting given recent reports of Forrest needing to lose a lot of weight in order to get ready to make the weight cut here. Both guys are flawed deeply, it’s just a matter of whether or not Shogun is healthy (or as healthy as can be).
Brendan Schaub (-220) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (+180)
Schaub’s line has risen steadily as we get closer to the fight. As an 11-to-5 favorite (69%), the line on him sounds about right. Nogueira is talking about how Dana White isn’t God and can’t retire him. He’s wrong. After Schaub likely beats him on his home turf, this could very well be the end.
Josh Thomson (-200) vs. Maximo Blanco (+170)
Consider this line based on ‘The Japan Factor” of Blanco being another foreigner who has ripped through competition in Japan. Thomson has looked kind of shaky in his last few fights, so to see him as a 2-to-1 favorite here is a little surprising.
Jon Jones (-380) vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (+300)
Jones as nearly a 4-to-1 favorite to win (79%) is not a big surprise. It all depends on which Rampage shows up and how motivated he is. If he couldn’t beat Rashad last year, it’s hard to see how he’ll beat Jones this time around.
Diego Sanchez (-200) vs. Matt Hughes (+175)
This may be my favorite line to analyze. Sanchez as a 2-to-1 favorite is basically an indictment on where the oddsmakers think Hughes currently stands. I thought Kampmann beat Diego in their Louisville fight (despite the fact that Martin didn’t fight the smartest fight he possibly could). Hughes will be physically stronger here but certainly slower and I could see Diego outpointing him. On the ground, will he really be able to submit Matt?
Chael Sonnen (-250) vs. Brian Stann (+200)
Talk about everyone being in Sonnen’s corner here for the return bout. For a guy of his record & skill set, that’s a pretty high number (5-to-2 favorite, 72%). Stann is not going to submit Sonnen, so it likely will go the distance. Given that it’s Texas, we know the drug testing standards/protocols there so all’s fair in love & war on that front.
Georges St. Pierre (-370) vs. Nick Diaz (+300)
The line is basically in the same ball park as they always are for St. Pierre fights against the Jon Fitchs and Josh Koschecks of the world. St. Pierre as a 79% favorite.
Cain Velasquez (-150) vs. Junior dos Santos (+125)
The $64,000 question here is whether or not Velasquez will be able to fully recover from the rotator cuff surgery. It’s a major surgery and recovery time usually takes much longer than expected. JDS’s best shot here is to try to get Cain in a slug fest early and get him caught up emotionally (like Brock Lesnar initially did).
Velasquez as a 60% favorite actually sounds a little low to me here.
Michael Bisping (-200) vs. Mayhem Miller (+165)
Bisping as a 2-to-1 favorite is not exactly a vote of confidence for Miller facing a mid-card level fighter in the Middleweight division.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
MMA Link Club: The return of Chael Sonnen
By Zach Arnold | July 7, 2011
Member sites of the MMA Link Club
- Five Ounces of Pain – http://fiveouncesofpain.com/feed/rss
- MMA Fighting – http://www.mmafighting.com/rss.xml
- NBC Sports – http://www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/42363531/device/rss/rss.xml
- Cage Potato – http://www.cagepotato.com/feed
- MMA Mania – http://feeds.feedburner.com/sportsblogs/mmamania.xml
- 5thRound – http://www.5thround.com/feed
- Bleacher Report – http://bleacherreport.com/articles/feed?tag_id=3007
- MiddleEasy – http://middleeasy.com/index.php?format=feed&type=rss
- LowKick – http://www.lowkick.com/newrss
- The Fight Nerd – http://www.thefightnerd.com/feed
- MMA Convert – http://feeds.feedburner.com/mmaconvert
- Fight Opinion – http://feeds.feedburner.com/fightopinion
- MMA Payout – http://feeds.feedburner.com/Payout
This week’s MMA Link Club featured stories
Cage Potato: Five of the worst weight cuts in MMA history
Apparently there’s this thing called the 17 Day Diet that allows you to lose your hideous gut as long as you eat nothing but Fritos for 17 days. Or something like that. I can’t be bothered to do actual research. But the point is this: It’s just another
bullshitfad. As MMA fighters have proven for years, the only way to effectively take off pounds is to dehydrate yourself until you nearly die – a miracle diet known as “brutal weight cutting.” Here are some of the sport’s greatest success stories.
Middle Easy: Cooking with Tim Kennedy & cutting weight
As we are cutting weight getting ready for a fight we limit our calories. This is a big issue with allot of fighters. They end up eating the same thing every night. Chicken one night, and fish the next get kind of boring.
Just because you have you loose 30lbs in a month doesn’t mean that you can’t do it with style. From BBQ chicken sandwiches, turkey bacon BLT’s, to Shrimp Ceviche a little bit of imagination can to a long way with a starving MMA fighter.
NBC Sports (Ariel Helwani): July 2011 MMA fighter rankings — Alistair Overeem comes in as the #3 Heavyweight & Chael Sonnen is #2 ranked Middleweight
Not the most dominant win over Fabricio Werdum, but he did what he had to do. Up next is Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
5thround.com: Josh Koscheck looking to jump to UFC Middleweight division
On Thursday afternoon, Koscheck was asked by his clothing sponsor, Dethrone Royalty, who he was interested in making his comeback fight against. While most assumed he was eyeballing the Octagon’s debut in San Jose this coming winter, the controversial wrestler also decided to drop the 185-pound bomb on the Twitter universe.
Bleacher Report: Nate Marquardt gets challenged by Ben Askren and scolded by BJ Penn
“It’s pretty obvious. I’ve been around the block. I travel a lot to gyms. I think cheating with performance enhancing drugs runs rampant in the MMA world, and I’m okay with that. That’s their decision,” Askren told MMAWeekly Radio.
“I wouldn’t do it. I think there are long-term ramifications in your career, and the fact that they’re choosing to take the easy way out as opposed to training themselves naturally, that’s also going to have an effect on them long-term, that they didn’t do it themselves, that they had something helping them.”
Five Ounces of Pain: Uplifting featherweight “Rad” Martinez joins Bellator foster
“When I step in that cage, and even when I get to go to practice, that’s when the shackles come off,” explained Martinez of his chosen career. “That’s when I’m free to be me – to think about me and what I have to do right now.”
Lowkick: Mayhem Miller’s words of smack for Anderson Silva
Miller is confident in his ability to beat any fighter in the world at his weight class and says if given a shot at reigning Champion Anderson Silva, “he will take his a– down and choke his a– out.”
MMA Convert: Why Tito Ortiz winning is a good thing
Of course, none of that means you’ve ever had to like Ortiz. But whether you’ve loved him or hated him over the years, the undeniable common denominator with the Huntington Beach Bad Boy is that he’s capable of evoking emotion. That trait alone has made him resilient in terms of long-term employment. His long-term employment, in turn, has made him one of the legends of the sport.
Also featured (Jim Genia): MMA in Brazil — a quick rundown
MMA Fighting: Should Bellator sign Nate Marquardt?
Fowlkes: Absolutely Bellator should rush in. To stick with your increasingly troubling analogy, Mike, it’s the best chance for them to date out of their league, if only for a short time. Never underestimate the power of the rebound, especially when your ex is out there spreading negative information about you. Marquardt’s vulnerable right now, and Bellator could use him. Slick down that cowlick, throw on some cologne from the bathroom vending machine, get over there and throw out your best opening line, Bellator!
MMA Mania: Is Chael Sonnen’s return good for MMA?
Regardless of your opinion of him and/or his character, he sells tickets, turns heads, and gets a reaction. Brock Lesnar had (and hopefully will continue to have) the same kind of polarizing effect. They both sell tickets and get people to tune in.
I agree that that, in of itself, does not make him good for the sport. People tune in to the Jerry Springer Show. That doesn’t mean it’s good entertainment, or anything I’d want to associate myself with. People listen to Ke$ha and she sells a lot of records.
MMA Payout: UFC 132 Payout perspective on the business of the event
The Fight Nerd: ‘Bruce Lee Lives’ first episode
The first thing I need to make very clear is that this is not a documentary about Bruce Lee as much as it is an homage. I had to get over that fact very quickly and change my expectations, and I suggest you do the same before we move on. With that knowledge in your head now, the show starts off with a very visually exciting sizzle reel that catches your eyes and just looks spectacular. Great attention to detail and great visuals which continue to pop up through out the 22-minute long debut episode.
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 17 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quick quote: Victor Conte on how steroids & testosterone can help with endurance
By Zach Arnold | July 6, 2011
Eddie Goldman recently talked about the usage of steroids in the combat sports world with Dr. Margaret Goodman. He pointed out that the conventional wisdom in boxing circles is that steroids help increase power but hurt speed for fighters. (He brought up Fernando Vargas vs. Oscar De La Hoya.)
In response to the whole topic of steroids & testosterone usage in the combat sports, Eddie received a note from the one and only Victor Conte on the matter.
“Trainers have told him that anabolic steroids help a fighter with power but not with endurance. That’s not correct. They can also help with endurance. As you know, steroids can increase red blood cell production and significantly increase Hematrocit levels. This has been the case with many professional bodybuilders that I’ve worked with. I’ve seen Hematocrit levels between 54% & 59% in bodybuilders that were not using EPO. So, steroids can help a fighter’s endurance by increasing their Hematocrit levels.
“Steroids help to promote anabolism, in part, by increasing cell volumnization and this can create muscle tightness or a pump. Sprinters actually run slower on steroids due to tightness compared to after they come off and return to a normal water balance. My experience is that a sprinter is about 2 meters faster over 100 meters once they come off steroids compared to when they are actually on steroids. A fighter would be slower when using steroids compared to after they come off steroids. In the old days, drug coaches used to use a 10 day taper period. However, most educated drug coaches have their sprinters go off for two weeks before competition. This is when the athletes run the fastest times.
“In short, testosterone can increase Hematocrit levels and after an adequate taper period can not only increase power and speed but also improve a fighter’s endurance as well.”
In other news, Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann has been reportedly booked by the UFC for an October show slated for Texas.
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 36 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |