by MMA Weekly Staff Writer
After the back and forth between Vitor Belfort and Alan Belcher on social media and in interviews over the past couple of days, it should come as no surprise that the two are now slated to square off at UFC 153 on Oct. 13 in Brazil.
UFC officials on Wednesday announced the bout, in addition to TUF Brazil finalist Sergio Moraes vs. Renee Forte.
“Right now, if I want to get something signed it needs to be against Vitor Belfort or Chris Weidman,” Belcher told MMAWeekly.com prior to the fight’s announcement. “Both of those guys are highly ranked, good fighters, very challenging for me and both of them could potentially be a top contender.
“I want to fight Vitor. He’s still an awesome fighter, still a top contender, but he’s also a legend.”
Although they had both been calling for fights, and eventually targeting each other, neither has been derogatory in his comments.
“He is an excellent fighter, a tough guy and good in all the basics,” Belfort remarked when the fight was announced on the UFC’s Portuguese website. “He comes from a very good win over Palhares. Surely this will be a great test for both (of us).”
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo headlines UFC 153 in Rio de Janeiro, putting his belt on the line against Erik Koch at the HSBC Arena.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Chris Weidman Doesn't Want to ‘Share the Cage' with Anderson Silva; He Wants to Finish Him
by MMA Weekly
Sometimes it’s the quiet ones you have to worry most about.
That seems to be the case when examining the short yet impressive UFC career of middleweight contender Chris Weidman.
Undefeated as a pro and now 5-0 in the UFC, Weidman has put together a decisive string of victories capped off most recently with a dominant TKO win over Mark Munoz at UFC on Fuel 4.
Prior to the fight almost every viable middleweight was calling and shouting for their name to be the one to face champion Anderson Silva next. From Munoz to Michael Bisping to Alan Belcher, middleweights were shouting left and right about how they should be the choice to face Silva next.
Meanwhile, Weidman was just putting his head down, focusing on training and getting ready to make his impact in the Octagon. On the Richter scale, Weidman hit with about a 9.0.
Now with five wins in the UFC, three finishes, and two wins over top ten opponents, Weidman believes he has the resume to make the case that it’s time to face Anderson Silva right now.
“Before the fight, there was literally five or six guys that were all trying to petition to fight Anderson Silva next, and I just kind of stayed quiet. I mean, I did just beat Demian Maia, who was a top five guy, and none of those guys have even beaten a top five guy I don’t think for the most part. Bisping hasn’t even beat a top ten guy I think,” Weidman said when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio.
“I was just really focused on making a statement in this fight. I really wanted to make it blatantly obvious that I was ahead of the pack, and I think I did jump past those guys that were a little bit better at talking before my fight than I was.”
Last weekend, UFC president Dana White said that there was no clear cut No. 1 contender to face Anderson Silva next, but if they had to declare someone it would be Chris Weidman.
Now the former Division-1 All-American is doing his part to put it in everyone’s ears that he not only is at the top of the list, he is the list.
“I feel like I really deserve it. I beat two top five guys and I think I’m a stylistic nightmare for Anderson Silva. I would love to get that shot. No one else is on a five fight win streak and beat the quality of guys I’ve beaten. I’m ready to speak up a little bit, just be confident in my abilities and respectfully call out Anderson Silva,” Weidman declared.
There is a certain honor and prestige that goes along with fighting for a title in the UFC because so few fighters actually get to that level. Add to that the fact that Anderson Silva is by far the most dominant champion to ever step foot in the Octagon, and as his career starts to wind down the selection of opponents to face him will get even slimmer.
Of course Weidman would consider it an honor to face Silva, but he’s not looking to slap gloves, get knocked out and say “I stood in the cage with Anderson Silva once upon a time.”
No, Chris Weidman wants to be the fighter that dethrones, chokes out, knocks out, and just plain finishes Anderson Silva.
“If I’m fighting Anderson Silva, I’m going in there knowing I belong in there. I’m not going in there to beat him, I’m actually going in there I’m going to try to make a statement. I’m going to try to finish him. I know a lot of people who can’t imagine that happening and think I might be crazy, but as a competitor that’s the way I compete, that’s the way I train to really be the best, and I think I am,” Weidman stated.
“On paper, I’m definitely a stylistic nightmare and he’s going to be going against a guy who’s in there to beat him, and not like some of these other guys that he’s fought that just want to share the cage with him.”
Since Silva’s last victory over Chael Sonnen, the champion’s camp have listed a few possible names of opponents that could interest the middleweight king. While the UFC ultimately makes the decisions, Weidman understands why his name may not be mentioned when it comes to Silva’s team.
Sure, he’s not the most well known guy in the sport, and he won’t sell a fight like Chael Sonnen by talking trash and building up a rivalry.
Weidman knows he would be a huge underdog, he knows he might even be the unlikeliest of contenders, but there is one indisputable truth that the New York native also truly believes.
He can beat Anderson Silva.
“I’m the only guy on a five fight win streak. I’m undefeated. I’m young. I want to be a young champion. I want to have this belt for a long time,” said Weidman. “You have to build names, you have to take risks as far as a company, as far as a promotion. You have to take risks with guys and I’m a good guy to do that with.”
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Sometimes it’s the quiet ones you have to worry most about.
That seems to be the case when examining the short yet impressive UFC career of middleweight contender Chris Weidman.
Undefeated as a pro and now 5-0 in the UFC, Weidman has put together a decisive string of victories capped off most recently with a dominant TKO win over Mark Munoz at UFC on Fuel 4.
Prior to the fight almost every viable middleweight was calling and shouting for their name to be the one to face champion Anderson Silva next. From Munoz to Michael Bisping to Alan Belcher, middleweights were shouting left and right about how they should be the choice to face Silva next.
Meanwhile, Weidman was just putting his head down, focusing on training and getting ready to make his impact in the Octagon. On the Richter scale, Weidman hit with about a 9.0.
Now with five wins in the UFC, three finishes, and two wins over top ten opponents, Weidman believes he has the resume to make the case that it’s time to face Anderson Silva right now.
“Before the fight, there was literally five or six guys that were all trying to petition to fight Anderson Silva next, and I just kind of stayed quiet. I mean, I did just beat Demian Maia, who was a top five guy, and none of those guys have even beaten a top five guy I don’t think for the most part. Bisping hasn’t even beat a top ten guy I think,” Weidman said when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio.
“I was just really focused on making a statement in this fight. I really wanted to make it blatantly obvious that I was ahead of the pack, and I think I did jump past those guys that were a little bit better at talking before my fight than I was.”
Last weekend, UFC president Dana White said that there was no clear cut No. 1 contender to face Anderson Silva next, but if they had to declare someone it would be Chris Weidman.
Now the former Division-1 All-American is doing his part to put it in everyone’s ears that he not only is at the top of the list, he is the list.
“I feel like I really deserve it. I beat two top five guys and I think I’m a stylistic nightmare for Anderson Silva. I would love to get that shot. No one else is on a five fight win streak and beat the quality of guys I’ve beaten. I’m ready to speak up a little bit, just be confident in my abilities and respectfully call out Anderson Silva,” Weidman declared.
There is a certain honor and prestige that goes along with fighting for a title in the UFC because so few fighters actually get to that level. Add to that the fact that Anderson Silva is by far the most dominant champion to ever step foot in the Octagon, and as his career starts to wind down the selection of opponents to face him will get even slimmer.
Of course Weidman would consider it an honor to face Silva, but he’s not looking to slap gloves, get knocked out and say “I stood in the cage with Anderson Silva once upon a time.”
No, Chris Weidman wants to be the fighter that dethrones, chokes out, knocks out, and just plain finishes Anderson Silva.
“If I’m fighting Anderson Silva, I’m going in there knowing I belong in there. I’m not going in there to beat him, I’m actually going in there I’m going to try to make a statement. I’m going to try to finish him. I know a lot of people who can’t imagine that happening and think I might be crazy, but as a competitor that’s the way I compete, that’s the way I train to really be the best, and I think I am,” Weidman stated.
“On paper, I’m definitely a stylistic nightmare and he’s going to be going against a guy who’s in there to beat him, and not like some of these other guys that he’s fought that just want to share the cage with him.”
Since Silva’s last victory over Chael Sonnen, the champion’s camp have listed a few possible names of opponents that could interest the middleweight king. While the UFC ultimately makes the decisions, Weidman understands why his name may not be mentioned when it comes to Silva’s team.
Sure, he’s not the most well known guy in the sport, and he won’t sell a fight like Chael Sonnen by talking trash and building up a rivalry.
Weidman knows he would be a huge underdog, he knows he might even be the unlikeliest of contenders, but there is one indisputable truth that the New York native also truly believes.
He can beat Anderson Silva.
“I’m the only guy on a five fight win streak. I’m undefeated. I’m young. I want to be a young champion. I want to have this belt for a long time,” said Weidman. “You have to build names, you have to take risks as far as a company, as far as a promotion. You have to take risks with guys and I’m a good guy to do that with.”
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Debut episode of ‘Sports Illustrated’ magazine show to feature UFC, Strikeforce fighters
by MMAJunkie.com Staff
"Sports Illustrated," a new monthly TV show based on the magazine, will debut Tuesday night on the NBC Sports Network.
The first episode, which airs at 9 p.m. ET, will feature a segment on MMA, focusing on the fighters and coaches at the Jackson/Winkeljohn gym in Albuquerque, N.M. L. Jon Wertheim, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, does the reporting from Albuquerque.
Fighters and coaches in the segment inclue Clay Guida, Tim Kennedy, Julie Kedzie, Keith Jardine, Cub Swanson, Josh Ferguson, Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.
"I think the knee-jerk reaction to the rise of the rise of MMA is that 'society is in the express lane to hell – this is just another example of the coarsening of society,'" Wertheim said in a video previewing tonight's segment. "I think a lot of this growth is people realizing what this sport is and what it isn't, and what they're seeing is that there's values and conduct and spirit among the fighters that, frankly, other sports would do well to emulate."
Wertheim will be a guest on Tuesday's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) to discuss tonight's segment and what he took away from the story.
NBC Sports Group and Time Inc. Sports Group announced the "Sports Illustrated" show earlier this month, saying the new program will feature original reporting and commentary from the journalists at Sports Illustrated. Future episodes of the show will air on NBC Sports Network, as well as NBC.
Replays of tonight's premiere episode will air throughout the week at NBC Sports Network.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
"Sports Illustrated," a new monthly TV show based on the magazine, will debut Tuesday night on the NBC Sports Network.
The first episode, which airs at 9 p.m. ET, will feature a segment on MMA, focusing on the fighters and coaches at the Jackson/Winkeljohn gym in Albuquerque, N.M. L. Jon Wertheim, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, does the reporting from Albuquerque.
Fighters and coaches in the segment inclue Clay Guida, Tim Kennedy, Julie Kedzie, Keith Jardine, Cub Swanson, Josh Ferguson, Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.
"I think the knee-jerk reaction to the rise of the rise of MMA is that 'society is in the express lane to hell – this is just another example of the coarsening of society,'" Wertheim said in a video previewing tonight's segment. "I think a lot of this growth is people realizing what this sport is and what it isn't, and what they're seeing is that there's values and conduct and spirit among the fighters that, frankly, other sports would do well to emulate."
Wertheim will be a guest on Tuesday's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) to discuss tonight's segment and what he took away from the story.
NBC Sports Group and Time Inc. Sports Group announced the "Sports Illustrated" show earlier this month, saying the new program will feature original reporting and commentary from the journalists at Sports Illustrated. Future episodes of the show will air on NBC Sports Network, as well as NBC.
Replays of tonight's premiere episode will air throughout the week at NBC Sports Network.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Monday, July 23, 2012
Price vs Harrison Confirmed for October 13th
by Danny Richardson
www.SplitDecisionBoxingNews.com
www.SplitDecisionBoxingNews.com
Earlier today, it was confirmed that unbeaten British heavyweight hope David Price, will tackle the most delusional fighter to ever grace the ring, Audley Harrison, on October 13th in Liverpool. Price, who many see as the rising star of the heavyweight division, will make the first defence of his British and Commonwealth titles against the Olympic gold medallist Harrison, who knocked out Ali Adams in his last contest on May 26th.
Price of course, is coming off an impressive victory over Sam Sexton, also in May, and seems to be developing hugely in each fight he has. His boxing ability and extreme power has seen him shoot up to the top of the British heavyweight scene, and he looks ready to step up another level. Although Harrison will provide a small step up in class, Price should wipe the floor with ‘A Force’, and I for one can’t wait to see him end the freak show.
I should make it clear that I can’t stand Audley Harrison, but I’ll try to judge this fight fairly. Let’s look at Harrison’s ‘qualities’. He’s a big heavyweight, he can sometimes land a lucky shot (his left hand) and he has a big mouth, so the promotion of the fight is pretty much sorted. He’s above the likes of Ali Adams and John McDermott, but in terms of boxing ability, I wouldn’t place him much higher than Sam Sexton.
After all, Sexton beat part time taxi driver Martin Rogan twice, whilst Rogan beat Harrison in their bout back in 2008. He is of a decent domestic level – he fits in with the likes of Danny Williams, Matt Skelton and Michael Sprott. He’s nothing special, but would beat a lot of the fighters in Britain without being able to take a step up, but could also lose against opposition he should be beating (like Rogan).
But, the reason this is a small step up in class for Price, is because Harrison has mixed it at a higher level, he has some attributes to match those of Price in terms of size, and he carries a name. Most boxing fans and even none boxing fans will know who Harrison is, so if Price can do a job on him, he will add a name to his CV. Harrison is a big heavyweight, so we’ll see if Price’s power can take him out. But when I say that, Harrison has been taken out before, so if Price is the real deal, he should get Harrison out of there.
I’m clutching at straws here. I’m trying to find reasons why this is going to be a competative fight. If I’m being totally honest though, it will be brutally one sided. Price is superior in ALL departments, he picks some lovely shots, has a terrific jab and his power is phenomenal. If he doesn’t do a job on Harrison, then he’s not as good as we’ve been making him out to be. But I don’t see anything other than a convincing Price win.
If Price can get Harrison out of there earlier than David Haye did back in November 2010, then he will send out a message, and fans will call for a Tyson Fury fight even more than they already are. Fury isn’t fighting the best opposition at the moment, in fact, his last fight with Vinny Maddalone was a shocking match up, despite how much Channel 5 wanted to build Maddalone up as a ‘C’ level world class fighter. The fight we all want to see is Price vs Fury, so hopefully, a convincing win over Harrison will push that fight one step closer. If Fury wants to take it that is.
As I said, Harrison will provide a test Price hasn’t faced before, but Price will have too much, and hopefully end Harrison’s career in the process. Harrison will end up as a journeyman if he carries on thinking he can win a world title (which he still believes he can), so let’s hope he retires after this fight.
The one question is Price’s chin, and Harrison has showed a degree of power on the past with the left hand he landed against Michael Sprott to win the European title. But, as far as I’m concerned, that was a once in a lifetime shot, after all, Harrison promised us he would knock David Haye out with the very same shot, and he failed miserably, by throwing it once in the fight against the Hayemaker and completely missing with it. You never know, but I can’t see Harrison landing his left hand decisively.
So the question is, how quickly will Price get Harrison out of there? As early as possible hopefully, so we don’t have to put up with ‘Fraudley’ any longer than we have to. As long as Price retires Harrison and looks good in the process, there will be some extremely happy boxing fans come October 13th.
Price of course, is coming off an impressive victory over Sam Sexton, also in May, and seems to be developing hugely in each fight he has. His boxing ability and extreme power has seen him shoot up to the top of the British heavyweight scene, and he looks ready to step up another level. Although Harrison will provide a small step up in class, Price should wipe the floor with ‘A Force’, and I for one can’t wait to see him end the freak show.
I should make it clear that I can’t stand Audley Harrison, but I’ll try to judge this fight fairly. Let’s look at Harrison’s ‘qualities’. He’s a big heavyweight, he can sometimes land a lucky shot (his left hand) and he has a big mouth, so the promotion of the fight is pretty much sorted. He’s above the likes of Ali Adams and John McDermott, but in terms of boxing ability, I wouldn’t place him much higher than Sam Sexton.
After all, Sexton beat part time taxi driver Martin Rogan twice, whilst Rogan beat Harrison in their bout back in 2008. He is of a decent domestic level – he fits in with the likes of Danny Williams, Matt Skelton and Michael Sprott. He’s nothing special, but would beat a lot of the fighters in Britain without being able to take a step up, but could also lose against opposition he should be beating (like Rogan).
But, the reason this is a small step up in class for Price, is because Harrison has mixed it at a higher level, he has some attributes to match those of Price in terms of size, and he carries a name. Most boxing fans and even none boxing fans will know who Harrison is, so if Price can do a job on him, he will add a name to his CV. Harrison is a big heavyweight, so we’ll see if Price’s power can take him out. But when I say that, Harrison has been taken out before, so if Price is the real deal, he should get Harrison out of there.
I’m clutching at straws here. I’m trying to find reasons why this is going to be a competative fight. If I’m being totally honest though, it will be brutally one sided. Price is superior in ALL departments, he picks some lovely shots, has a terrific jab and his power is phenomenal. If he doesn’t do a job on Harrison, then he’s not as good as we’ve been making him out to be. But I don’t see anything other than a convincing Price win.
If Price can get Harrison out of there earlier than David Haye did back in November 2010, then he will send out a message, and fans will call for a Tyson Fury fight even more than they already are. Fury isn’t fighting the best opposition at the moment, in fact, his last fight with Vinny Maddalone was a shocking match up, despite how much Channel 5 wanted to build Maddalone up as a ‘C’ level world class fighter. The fight we all want to see is Price vs Fury, so hopefully, a convincing win over Harrison will push that fight one step closer. If Fury wants to take it that is.
As I said, Harrison will provide a test Price hasn’t faced before, but Price will have too much, and hopefully end Harrison’s career in the process. Harrison will end up as a journeyman if he carries on thinking he can win a world title (which he still believes he can), so let’s hope he retires after this fight.
The one question is Price’s chin, and Harrison has showed a degree of power on the past with the left hand he landed against Michael Sprott to win the European title. But, as far as I’m concerned, that was a once in a lifetime shot, after all, Harrison promised us he would knock David Haye out with the very same shot, and he failed miserably, by throwing it once in the fight against the Hayemaker and completely missing with it. You never know, but I can’t see Harrison landing his left hand decisively.
So the question is, how quickly will Price get Harrison out of there? As early as possible hopefully, so we don’t have to put up with ‘Fraudley’ any longer than we have to. As long as Price retires Harrison and looks good in the process, there will be some extremely happy boxing fans come October 13th.
Weekend Review: Broner's tainted victory
by
BIGGEST LOSER
Adrien Broner: No one should be so presumptuous as to dismiss Broner as a loser … but he sure acted like one before and after his fight against Vicente Escobedo on Saturday. He in effect failed to make weight twice, once during the official weigh-in on Friday – after which he didn’t try to sweat it off — and again after agreeing to another weight limit on Saturday. And he didn’t seem to care a bit. He and his handlers bought his way out the dilemma by paying fines, thereby creating an unfair size advantage over a fighter who had the professionalism to make weight in the first place. Then, in an interview immediately after brutally knocking out Escobedo in the fifth round, he didn’t even hint at an apology. Broner should be ashamed of himself but I don’t think he knows what the word shame means. We all admire Broner’s unusual talent; he could turn out to be better than Floyd Mayweather Jr. I can guarantee you something, though: He has lost a lot of fans because of his behavior. The good news is that he has time to change his deteriorating image. The bad news is that I’m not sure he wants to. Playing the villain has worked for Mayweather. It could work for Broner too.
BIGGEST WINNER
Vicente Escobedo: One could argue that Escobedo (26-4, 15 knockouts) shouldn’t have stepped into the ring if he knew Broner (24-0, 20 KOs) had an unfair weight advantage; that was his choice. However, we shouldn’t be critical: The former Olympian trained hard the past six weeks or so and has a wife and new baby feed. I think most of us would do the same thing. And he fought gamely, giving all he had against a superior – and stronger – opponent. The former U.S. Olympian won our hearts and admiration after the fight, though. First, carrying himself like a true sportsman, he gave Broner credit for his sensational performance. And then, with emotion bubbling to service, he uttered words that dramatically captured the injustice of what had transpired: “I was away from my family, my wife … I don’t know … just to come here and net get a fair, fair fight … I just got emotional, as you can see … but I came to fight.” One thing that came out of the 11th-hour negotiations that allowed the fight to happen was WBO’s decision to have Escobedo fight for its now-vacant 130-pound title. Maybe there’s some justice after all.
BEST PROSPECT
Keith Thurman: Thurman’s power is obvious. Orlando Lora (29-3-2, 19 KOs) didn’t quit in the sixth round of their fight on the Broner-Escobedo undercard because he was embarrassed; he stopped fighting because he was in pain. Thurman’s record also is stark evidence that the young welterweight/junior middleweight has unusual power: 18-0, 17 knockouts. He started his career with a Jack Dempsey-like eight consecutive first-round stoppages. That ability to crack already is winning him a lot of fans. What might not be so obvious is the Floridian’s boxing ability and athleticism. He was an accomplished amateur – losing to Demetrius Andrade in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials – and it shows in his fights. The point is that a fighter with great power and both skill and athleticism could go a long, long way. Thurman, who is only 23, is definitely one to watch.
MOST IMPRESSIVE
Juan Carlos Burgos: The thing about Burgos’ performance against then-unbeaten Cesar Vazquez on Friday Night Fights that most impressed me was his patience and belief in himself. Vazquez (25-1, 16 KOs) was a dynamo for two-plus rounds, applying intense pressure on Burgos (30-1, 20 KOs) that might’ve overwhelmed a lesser opponent. Burgos, an eight-year pro, calmly withstood the onslaught, fired back enough to keep Vazquez honest and waited. He knew his opportunity would come. And it did in the third round, when Burgos landed a perfect left-right combination to the head of his rugged opponent and followed with a fearsome flurry that prompted referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight. The winner fought like a seasoned pro. Burgos, who has won five consecutive fights since losing in 2010 to Hozumi Hasegawa in his only title shot, is rated No. 2 by the WBO and could end up fighting Escobedo for that organization’s vacant championship. The opportunity would be richly deserved. And don’t be surprised if he wins.
BEST QUOTE
Broner, when asked on Sunday what he took away from this debacle: “I’m just growing up, you know? I’m still maturing in this game. I’m maturing mentally and physically. This is a growing process, and I’m going to be around for a long time.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
BIGGEST LOSER
Adrien Broner: No one should be so presumptuous as to dismiss Broner as a loser … but he sure acted like one before and after his fight against Vicente Escobedo on Saturday. He in effect failed to make weight twice, once during the official weigh-in on Friday – after which he didn’t try to sweat it off — and again after agreeing to another weight limit on Saturday. And he didn’t seem to care a bit. He and his handlers bought his way out the dilemma by paying fines, thereby creating an unfair size advantage over a fighter who had the professionalism to make weight in the first place. Then, in an interview immediately after brutally knocking out Escobedo in the fifth round, he didn’t even hint at an apology. Broner should be ashamed of himself but I don’t think he knows what the word shame means. We all admire Broner’s unusual talent; he could turn out to be better than Floyd Mayweather Jr. I can guarantee you something, though: He has lost a lot of fans because of his behavior. The good news is that he has time to change his deteriorating image. The bad news is that I’m not sure he wants to. Playing the villain has worked for Mayweather. It could work for Broner too.
BIGGEST WINNER
Vicente Escobedo: One could argue that Escobedo (26-4, 15 knockouts) shouldn’t have stepped into the ring if he knew Broner (24-0, 20 KOs) had an unfair weight advantage; that was his choice. However, we shouldn’t be critical: The former Olympian trained hard the past six weeks or so and has a wife and new baby feed. I think most of us would do the same thing. And he fought gamely, giving all he had against a superior – and stronger – opponent. The former U.S. Olympian won our hearts and admiration after the fight, though. First, carrying himself like a true sportsman, he gave Broner credit for his sensational performance. And then, with emotion bubbling to service, he uttered words that dramatically captured the injustice of what had transpired: “I was away from my family, my wife … I don’t know … just to come here and net get a fair, fair fight … I just got emotional, as you can see … but I came to fight.” One thing that came out of the 11th-hour negotiations that allowed the fight to happen was WBO’s decision to have Escobedo fight for its now-vacant 130-pound title. Maybe there’s some justice after all.
BEST PROSPECT
Keith Thurman: Thurman’s power is obvious. Orlando Lora (29-3-2, 19 KOs) didn’t quit in the sixth round of their fight on the Broner-Escobedo undercard because he was embarrassed; he stopped fighting because he was in pain. Thurman’s record also is stark evidence that the young welterweight/junior middleweight has unusual power: 18-0, 17 knockouts. He started his career with a Jack Dempsey-like eight consecutive first-round stoppages. That ability to crack already is winning him a lot of fans. What might not be so obvious is the Floridian’s boxing ability and athleticism. He was an accomplished amateur – losing to Demetrius Andrade in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials – and it shows in his fights. The point is that a fighter with great power and both skill and athleticism could go a long, long way. Thurman, who is only 23, is definitely one to watch.
MOST IMPRESSIVE
Juan Carlos Burgos: The thing about Burgos’ performance against then-unbeaten Cesar Vazquez on Friday Night Fights that most impressed me was his patience and belief in himself. Vazquez (25-1, 16 KOs) was a dynamo for two-plus rounds, applying intense pressure on Burgos (30-1, 20 KOs) that might’ve overwhelmed a lesser opponent. Burgos, an eight-year pro, calmly withstood the onslaught, fired back enough to keep Vazquez honest and waited. He knew his opportunity would come. And it did in the third round, when Burgos landed a perfect left-right combination to the head of his rugged opponent and followed with a fearsome flurry that prompted referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight. The winner fought like a seasoned pro. Burgos, who has won five consecutive fights since losing in 2010 to Hozumi Hasegawa in his only title shot, is rated No. 2 by the WBO and could end up fighting Escobedo for that organization’s vacant championship. The opportunity would be richly deserved. And don’t be surprised if he wins.
BEST QUOTE
Broner, when asked on Sunday what he took away from this debacle: “I’m just growing up, you know? I’m still maturing in this game. I’m maturing mentally and physically. This is a growing process, and I’m going to be around for a long time.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Dana White does the right thing in admitting that UFC 149 was a massive disappointment
by Kevin Iole
The UFC’s success in the last 11 years has been based upon deep cards filled with evenly matched fights in which the athletes took risks in a desire to put on a show.
None of that occurred on Saturday at UFC 149 in a very lackluster main card at the Scotiabank Saddledome, in which Renan Barão claimed an easy unanimous decision over Urijah Faber to claim the interim bantamweight belt.
Hector Lombard’s debut vs. Tim Boetsch was one of many sub-par UFC 149 fights. (US Presswire)
Fans in Calgary and in social media sites blasted Dana White before the fight for what they perceived as a poor card. A slew of injuries to high-profile fighters decimated the fight card, but White spent the week before the show angrily defending his men.
He said to anybody who would listen that “our guys always deliver.”
On Saturday, though, they did not and White wasn’t shy about sharing his displeasure. After Barão’s unanimous decision was announced, the crowd stuck around and booed loudly to let White know what it thought of the company’s first trip to Calgary.
Appearing on the post-fight show on Fuel TV, White said he was “not too excited about” how the card turned out, though he wasn’t nearly as upset with either Barão or Faber. The rest of the fighters on the main card, though, felt White’s wrath.
Heavily hyped middleweight Hector Lombard fell flat on his face, doing next to nothing in a split decision loss to Tim Boetsch. Cheick Kongo won a unanimous decision over Shawn Jordan only because he was slightly less horrid than Jordan. And James Head defeated Brian Ebersole by another split decision in a fight whose highlight was Ebersole giving a thumbs up while Head was trying to choke him.
Only Matthew Riddle, who defeated Chris Clements with a third-round arm triangle choke, put on the kind of effort in the main card that makes White smile.
“If the undercard didn’t suck so bad, they wouldn’t have been so [angry at] the main event,” White said.
Fights, no matter how good they look on paper going in, can turn out far differently than most expect. And, as White said, the UFC does routinely put on far more good fights than bad.
It was good, though, that White showed his anger on Saturday. One of the reasons that the fights are so routinely good, in addition to the outstanding matchmaking of Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, is White’s personality.
He won’t accept cards like Saturday’s very well and lets the fighters know it in no uncertain terms. It creates a culture in which the fighters compete with a sense of urgency.
The late boxing trainer, Georgie Benton, used to tell his fighters, “Win this one; look good in the next one.” And fighters, who know how much it means to win in the UFC, can slip into that mode if someone isn’t around to remind them that’s not acceptable.
Barão certainly wasn’t scintillating in his win over Faber, but he did everything right. He kept Faber on the outside with his kicks and fired punches and knees the few times the ex-World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion managed to close the distance between them.
They fought a tactical fight and Faber wasn’t able to find a way to get near to create the scrambles he’s so good in. As a result, Barão won by scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 49-46.
“I knew he was trying to keep me at a distance,” Faber said. “Those kicks were coming from pretty far out and it was difficult to get in for takedowns.”
But there was no excuse for the lack of action in the Boetsch-Lombard, Kongo-Jordan and Head-Ebersole fights. They were awful and weren’t nearly up to the UFC standards.
“I was excited about this card,” White said on Fuel’s post-fight show. “I didn’t just come down here and say a bunch of things I didn’t think were going to be true. I never expected Hector Lombard would look like that [against] Boetsch. I thought those two would go right after each other. Cheick Kongo and Jordan, that was disgusting.”
The card was awful but those things happen in sports. Not every fight can be Hagler-Hearns. Still, if you want to blame someone, blame White, since he’s the man at the top and he puts the shows together.
Give him credit, though, for not sitting back and looking past what was a poor show for the people who paid their $55. He made his feelings known, loudly, publicly and unequivocally.
White getting angry and blasting the show isn’t going to guarantee that every card will be hellacious in the future. It does, however, set a tone and reminds the fighters that there is a standard that has been set and expected to be followed in a UFC fight.
That was not the case on Saturday by any stretch of the imagination.
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The UFC’s success in the last 11 years has been based upon deep cards filled with evenly matched fights in which the athletes took risks in a desire to put on a show.
None of that occurred on Saturday at UFC 149 in a very lackluster main card at the Scotiabank Saddledome, in which Renan Barão claimed an easy unanimous decision over Urijah Faber to claim the interim bantamweight belt.
Hector Lombard’s debut vs. Tim Boetsch was one of many sub-par UFC 149 fights. (US Presswire)
Fans in Calgary and in social media sites blasted Dana White before the fight for what they perceived as a poor card. A slew of injuries to high-profile fighters decimated the fight card, but White spent the week before the show angrily defending his men.
He said to anybody who would listen that “our guys always deliver.”
On Saturday, though, they did not and White wasn’t shy about sharing his displeasure. After Barão’s unanimous decision was announced, the crowd stuck around and booed loudly to let White know what it thought of the company’s first trip to Calgary.
Appearing on the post-fight show on Fuel TV, White said he was “not too excited about” how the card turned out, though he wasn’t nearly as upset with either Barão or Faber. The rest of the fighters on the main card, though, felt White’s wrath.
Heavily hyped middleweight Hector Lombard fell flat on his face, doing next to nothing in a split decision loss to Tim Boetsch. Cheick Kongo won a unanimous decision over Shawn Jordan only because he was slightly less horrid than Jordan. And James Head defeated Brian Ebersole by another split decision in a fight whose highlight was Ebersole giving a thumbs up while Head was trying to choke him.
Only Matthew Riddle, who defeated Chris Clements with a third-round arm triangle choke, put on the kind of effort in the main card that makes White smile.
“If the undercard didn’t suck so bad, they wouldn’t have been so [angry at] the main event,” White said.
Fights, no matter how good they look on paper going in, can turn out far differently than most expect. And, as White said, the UFC does routinely put on far more good fights than bad.
It was good, though, that White showed his anger on Saturday. One of the reasons that the fights are so routinely good, in addition to the outstanding matchmaking of Joe Silva and Sean Shelby, is White’s personality.
He won’t accept cards like Saturday’s very well and lets the fighters know it in no uncertain terms. It creates a culture in which the fighters compete with a sense of urgency.
The late boxing trainer, Georgie Benton, used to tell his fighters, “Win this one; look good in the next one.” And fighters, who know how much it means to win in the UFC, can slip into that mode if someone isn’t around to remind them that’s not acceptable.
Barão certainly wasn’t scintillating in his win over Faber, but he did everything right. He kept Faber on the outside with his kicks and fired punches and knees the few times the ex-World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion managed to close the distance between them.
They fought a tactical fight and Faber wasn’t able to find a way to get near to create the scrambles he’s so good in. As a result, Barão won by scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 49-46.
“I knew he was trying to keep me at a distance,” Faber said. “Those kicks were coming from pretty far out and it was difficult to get in for takedowns.”
But there was no excuse for the lack of action in the Boetsch-Lombard, Kongo-Jordan and Head-Ebersole fights. They were awful and weren’t nearly up to the UFC standards.
“I was excited about this card,” White said on Fuel’s post-fight show. “I didn’t just come down here and say a bunch of things I didn’t think were going to be true. I never expected Hector Lombard would look like that [against] Boetsch. I thought those two would go right after each other. Cheick Kongo and Jordan, that was disgusting.”
The card was awful but those things happen in sports. Not every fight can be Hagler-Hearns. Still, if you want to blame someone, blame White, since he’s the man at the top and he puts the shows together.
Give him credit, though, for not sitting back and looking past what was a poor show for the people who paid their $55. He made his feelings known, loudly, publicly and unequivocally.
White getting angry and blasting the show isn’t going to guarantee that every card will be hellacious in the future. It does, however, set a tone and reminds the fighters that there is a standard that has been set and expected to be followed in a UFC fight.
That was not the case on Saturday by any stretch of the imagination.
http://fightmuseumlv.com
Saturday, July 21, 2012
UFC 149 results: Renan Barao dominates Urijah Faber, wins interim title
By Matt Erickson
CALGARY – The UFC has another Brazilian champion.
It’s an interim title, but a title nonetheless. Renan Barao dominated Urijah Faber for five rounds on Saturday to win the UFC’s interim bantamweight belt, which was up for grabs with champion Dominick Cruz on the shelf following knee surgery. Barao cruised to win a unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 49-46.
The interim bantamweight title fight served as the main event of Saturday’s UFC 149 event at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.
Barao joins Nova Uniao teammate Jose Aldo, the UFC’s featherweight champ; middleweight champ Anderson Silva; and heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos as current UFC champions from Brazil.
It was apparent early in the five-round title fight that Barao’s strategy was similar to that of Aldo’s when he fought Faber in the WEC – do damage to Faber with leg kicks. And though Barao didn’t do nearly the damage to Faber that Aldo did in April 2010, it still was a game plan that Faber could find little answer for.
Barao was able to land significant strikes in each round, sometimes with highlight-reel potential behind them. And though Faber never was in true danger, he found it hard to get inside on Barao and do any real damage himself.
Faber didn’t attempt a full-fledged takedown until midway through the third round, but he couldn’t land it. And though he was able to score some points with his counter-strikes, he never was able to get any real momentum going offensively.
“I knew he was good at keeping distance, and he was able to keep his kicks from pretty far out,” Faber said. “I knew he was tough. He hurt me pretty early with a knee to the rib, and I think I might have a broken rib. It was nothing like Aldo. Aldo really took my leg apart. I felt (Barao’s) kicks for sure, but it wasn’t the same thing.”
Barao jumped up and down and ran across the octagon shouting after the scores were read, then rubbed the interim belt as UFC president Dana White put it around his waist.
“I came very well prepared for everything,” Barao said through his translator. “I knew Faber was a great athlete and a great fighter. But I prepared myself very well, and that was the result. My coaches told me to keep [kicking the legs], but it was not only that.”
Barao (29-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) had his amazing unbeaten streak extended to 30 fights with 29 wins and a no contest over that stretch. Faber (26-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) again goes back to the drawing board, losing for the fifth straight time in a title fight – three featherweight title losses in the WEC and two bantamweight title losses in the UFC.
It’s an interim title, but a title nonetheless. Renan Barao dominated Urijah Faber for five rounds on Saturday to win the UFC’s interim bantamweight belt, which was up for grabs with champion Dominick Cruz on the shelf following knee surgery. Barao cruised to win a unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 49-46.
The interim bantamweight title fight served as the main event of Saturday’s UFC 149 event at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.
Barao joins Nova Uniao teammate Jose Aldo, the UFC’s featherweight champ; middleweight champ Anderson Silva; and heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos as current UFC champions from Brazil.
It was apparent early in the five-round title fight that Barao’s strategy was similar to that of Aldo’s when he fought Faber in the WEC – do damage to Faber with leg kicks. And though Barao didn’t do nearly the damage to Faber that Aldo did in April 2010, it still was a game plan that Faber could find little answer for.
Barao was able to land significant strikes in each round, sometimes with highlight-reel potential behind them. And though Faber never was in true danger, he found it hard to get inside on Barao and do any real damage himself.
Faber didn’t attempt a full-fledged takedown until midway through the third round, but he couldn’t land it. And though he was able to score some points with his counter-strikes, he never was able to get any real momentum going offensively.
“I knew he was good at keeping distance, and he was able to keep his kicks from pretty far out,” Faber said. “I knew he was tough. He hurt me pretty early with a knee to the rib, and I think I might have a broken rib. It was nothing like Aldo. Aldo really took my leg apart. I felt (Barao’s) kicks for sure, but it wasn’t the same thing.”
Barao jumped up and down and ran across the octagon shouting after the scores were read, then rubbed the interim belt as UFC president Dana White put it around his waist.
“I came very well prepared for everything,” Barao said through his translator. “I knew Faber was a great athlete and a great fighter. But I prepared myself very well, and that was the result. My coaches told me to keep [kicking the legs], but it was not only that.”
Barao (29-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) had his amazing unbeaten streak extended to 30 fights with 29 wins and a no contest over that stretch. Faber (26-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) again goes back to the drawing board, losing for the fifth straight time in a title fight – three featherweight title losses in the WEC and two bantamweight title losses in the UFC.
UFC’s Anderson Silva Challenges Strikeforce Champion Luke Rockhold
by Chris Hall
Immediately after UFC 148, it looked likeUFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva had completely cleared the 185 lb. division and should accept Rashad Evans’s challenge. Or he should move up to Light Heavyweight to fight Jon Jones. Then Chris Weidman decimated Mark Munoz at UFC On Fuel 4 and a brand new challenger was born with the “perfect style” to upset The Spider. Dana White has even said that former Bellator champion Hector Lombard could get a shot if he defeats wild card Tim Boestch in his UFC debut.
Last night, UFC Tonight gave the report from Anderson’s management on who his next opponent should be (Transcribed by MMA Mania):
For those who thought Silva had finally figured out how to sell a fight in the week leading up to his bout with Chael Sonnen, this completely shatters the notion. Of all the options open to Anderson, from incredible to great to predictable, he chooses the one that can’t happen and no one asked for
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Immediately after UFC 148, it looked likeUFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva had completely cleared the 185 lb. division and should accept Rashad Evans’s challenge. Or he should move up to Light Heavyweight to fight Jon Jones. Then Chris Weidman decimated Mark Munoz at UFC On Fuel 4 and a brand new challenger was born with the “perfect style” to upset The Spider. Dana White has even said that former Bellator champion Hector Lombard could get a shot if he defeats wild card Tim Boestch in his UFC debut.
Last night, UFC Tonight gave the report from Anderson’s management on who his next opponent should be (Transcribed by MMA Mania):
Hector LombardThat’s right, Anderson Silva wants a champion versus champion super fight with Luke Rockhold. Rockhold just decisioned Tim Kennedy in the second defense of his title this past Saturday. Rockhold is also completely bound to Strikeforce with a negligible chance of fighting in the Octagon in the foreseeable future. For his part, however, Luke did accept the challenge today.
He thinks he needs at least three more impressive wins in the UFC. He said that 85 percent of UFC fans don’t even know who Hector Lombard is, who is of course making his Octagon debut on Saturday night.
Chris Weidman
As for Chris Weidman, he said, ‘Well, there’s another great unknown fighter.’ He doesn’t see those match ups as being money making pay-per-view events.
Luke Rockhold
He did mention Luke Rockhold, who is the Strikeforce middleweight champion. Alas, Rockhold is contractually tied to Strikeforce, so that fight’s not happening. We’ll have to wait and see, but right now, the Anderson Silva camp not too excited about the options out there.
For those who thought Silva had finally figured out how to sell a fight in the week leading up to his bout with Chael Sonnen, this completely shatters the notion. Of all the options open to Anderson, from incredible to great to predictable, he chooses the one that can’t happen and no one asked for
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Friday, July 20, 2012
Adrien Broner Stripped of Title After Missing Weight
by Dan Rafael
Nicknamed “The Problem,” Adrien Broner had a big one on Friday.
Broner did not come close to making the 130-pound weight limit at weigh-in for his junior lightweight title defense against mandatory challenger Vicente Escobedo on Saturday night (HBO, 10 ET/PT), and he has been stripped of the title.
While Escobedo was right on the division limit of 130 pounds, Broner weighed 133½ pounds after hours of working out in the gym on a treadmill and sitting in a sauna.
Escobedo can win the vacant title assuming the fight at the U.S. Bank Arena in Broner’s hometown of Cincinnati goes ahead as scheduled.
Rolando Arellano, Escobedo’s manager, said he was negotiating the terms of a Saturday weight check to make sure Broner does not balloon in weight overnight, which woud give himself a significant size advantage against Escobedo.
“We’re going to try set up a second weigh-in for Saturday,” Arellano told ESPN.com. “We want him limited to 10 pounds over the contract weight, so he could have a maximum of 140 pounds. But if he comes in over that, then we want to start imposing fines. We want $10,000 a pound, but so far (the Broner camp) has not agreed. The ball’s in their court. We’re not considering pulling out, but Broner didn’t live up to his agreement, so we are giving him the flexibility to modify the initial agreement.
“If he is unable to satisfy those terms and conditions we are asking for, that’s on him. We came to his house, to his arena, to his show. We did everything we were supposed to do.”
Arellano said he was working with Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez to work out the details of the Saturday weight check and the financial penalties.
Arellano said he and Escobedo (26-3, 15 KOs), 30, of Woodland, Calif., heard on Thursday night that Broner was having trouble making weight.
However, Arellano said he was ticked off that Broner immediately got off the scale and began to drink water Friday rather than try to lose a little more weight.
“I think he should have acted more professionally,” Arellano said. “That’s not cool. That’s a lack of professionalism. We know he made an effort to make the weight because we knew he was in the gym working (Friday) morning. We just wanted him to try it again, but by running off he didn’t respect the game, he didn’t respect us or the people who work hard to put the event together.”
Arellano said the Ohio commission imposed a $60,000 fine on Broner — a percentage of his purse — for not making weight. He said half of the money would go to the commission, with the other $30,000 being added to Escobedo’s $150,000 purse.
The 22-year-old Broner (23-0, 19 KOs) said before what was supposed to be his second title defense that Saturday’s fight would be his final bout in the junior lightweight division before he moved up to the 135-pound lightweight division.
But he did not say his reason for the move was because he was having trouble making 130 pounds.
“I’m young. I’m 22. I’m still growing. I just feel like it’s time for me to go up,” Broner said on Wednesday. “After this fight, there really wouldn’t be a reason for me to stay. I’m just going to go up and give the lightweights hell.”
Welterweights Keith Thurman (17-0, 16 KOs) and Orlando Lora (29-2-2, 19 KOs) both were on weight for Saturday night’s 10-round co-feature. They both weighed 147½ pounds.
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Nicknamed “The Problem,” Adrien Broner had a big one on Friday.
Broner did not come close to making the 130-pound weight limit at weigh-in for his junior lightweight title defense against mandatory challenger Vicente Escobedo on Saturday night (HBO, 10 ET/PT), and he has been stripped of the title.
While Escobedo was right on the division limit of 130 pounds, Broner weighed 133½ pounds after hours of working out in the gym on a treadmill and sitting in a sauna.
Escobedo can win the vacant title assuming the fight at the U.S. Bank Arena in Broner’s hometown of Cincinnati goes ahead as scheduled.
Rolando Arellano, Escobedo’s manager, said he was negotiating the terms of a Saturday weight check to make sure Broner does not balloon in weight overnight, which woud give himself a significant size advantage against Escobedo.
“We’re going to try set up a second weigh-in for Saturday,” Arellano told ESPN.com. “We want him limited to 10 pounds over the contract weight, so he could have a maximum of 140 pounds. But if he comes in over that, then we want to start imposing fines. We want $10,000 a pound, but so far (the Broner camp) has not agreed. The ball’s in their court. We’re not considering pulling out, but Broner didn’t live up to his agreement, so we are giving him the flexibility to modify the initial agreement.
“If he is unable to satisfy those terms and conditions we are asking for, that’s on him. We came to his house, to his arena, to his show. We did everything we were supposed to do.”
Arellano said he was working with Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez to work out the details of the Saturday weight check and the financial penalties.
Arellano said he and Escobedo (26-3, 15 KOs), 30, of Woodland, Calif., heard on Thursday night that Broner was having trouble making weight.
However, Arellano said he was ticked off that Broner immediately got off the scale and began to drink water Friday rather than try to lose a little more weight.
“I think he should have acted more professionally,” Arellano said. “That’s not cool. That’s a lack of professionalism. We know he made an effort to make the weight because we knew he was in the gym working (Friday) morning. We just wanted him to try it again, but by running off he didn’t respect the game, he didn’t respect us or the people who work hard to put the event together.”
Arellano said the Ohio commission imposed a $60,000 fine on Broner — a percentage of his purse — for not making weight. He said half of the money would go to the commission, with the other $30,000 being added to Escobedo’s $150,000 purse.
The 22-year-old Broner (23-0, 19 KOs) said before what was supposed to be his second title defense that Saturday’s fight would be his final bout in the junior lightweight division before he moved up to the 135-pound lightweight division.
But he did not say his reason for the move was because he was having trouble making 130 pounds.
“I’m young. I’m 22. I’m still growing. I just feel like it’s time for me to go up,” Broner said on Wednesday. “After this fight, there really wouldn’t be a reason for me to stay. I’m just going to go up and give the lightweights hell.”
Welterweights Keith Thurman (17-0, 16 KOs) and Orlando Lora (29-2-2, 19 KOs) both were on weight for Saturday night’s 10-round co-feature. They both weighed 147½ pounds.
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Urijah Faber's positivity can't hurt in UFC 149 bantamweight title bout against Renan Barão
by Kevin Iole
Urijah Faber is the Norman Vincent Peale of mixed martial arts. Nobody puts the power of positive thinking to better, or more frequent, use than the UFC's bantamweight star.
Talk to Faber for any length of time and you'll hear the same phrases repeated incessantly: "I believe," "I can," "I will," and "I'm not worried."
Urijah Faber's positive attitude has a lot to do with his run of success. (Getty Images)Peale once wrote, "People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."
It's a phrase that Faber, a former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion, lives by.
He'll fight highly regarded Renan Barão for the interim bantamweight title Saturday in the main event of UFC 149 at the Scotiabank Saddledome and, typically, he expressed little concern about either the possibility of losing or the pressure to perform.
Barão is on an 18-fight winning streak, a 31-fight unbeaten streak and is regarded as one of the best finishers in the sport. Faber, though, has a ready answer when confronted with the problems Barão presents.
"He hasn't faced me yet," Faber says, chuckling. "He's done all these things to other guys, but he hasn't fought me. He's human like anyone else."
The walls in Faber's bedroom in his Sacramento, Calif., home are dotted with goals and motivational quotes. His primary goal now is, once again, to have a championship belt strapped around his waist.
It's been 3½ years since Faber held a world title, yet he's remained at the top of his class in terms of opportunity and performance.
He was set to meet arch rival Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title at UFC 148 on July 7 in Las Vegas after coaching opposite Cruz on "The Ultimate Fighter Live." But Cruz tore up his knee and could be out for more than a year.
As a result, Faber was pitted against Barão for the interim belt. Though many believe an interim belt is meaningless, Faber is not among that group.
As he would say, when he wins Saturday he won't feel like a phony champion. He lost an excruciatingly close decision to Cruz for the belt at UFC 132 a year ago that evened the series between them at a win apiece. Faber submitted Cruz in 2007.
"I basically go out there and I think that when I beat Renan Barão, I'll be the best fighter in the world," Faber said. "I feel Dominick and I had a super close fight last time. He got the nod from the judges, but I don't feel like he beat me up. I feel I definitely did some damage to him.
"It was a close fight, but I felt walking away, as a man, I handled business. I'll feel like the champion, for sure, but I definitely want the opportunity to make sure that's the case."
Faber has always sought the best opposition he can face, which has earned him the everlasting respect of UFC president Dana White.
When White was going through the process of choosing a replacement opponent for Cruz, there was no doubt where Faber stood.
Barão was the guy with the record and the reputation. And while several other names were bandied about, Faber was hopeful White would choose Barão.
"The guy is 30-1, [and] he's a tough guy; he's a very, very tough fighter," White said of Barão. "And Urijah Faber who went through that whole season of The Ultimate Fighter to fight Cruz, you know absolutely, 100 percent, [he] not only accepted the fight with Renan Barão, but before it was even announced said, 'I hope it's Renan Barão.' "
Faber's belief in his ability is so absolute that he won't accept less than the best opposition. Eight of his last 10 opponents were either WEC or UFC world champions.
It can be a daunting task, getting no break from the stream of top contenders, but it's why Faber is far and away the biggest star among the lighter weight fighters in the sport.
He's been beaten by Cruz, the bantamweight champion, and Jose Aldo, the featherweight champion, but his star shines much brighter than either of theirs.
"My goal is to be successful as a fighter, as a businessman and as a person, and I work on that all the time," he said. "There's no reason to worry when you know you've done everything you need to do to reach a goal. I'm confident, I believe in myself, because I know I have prepared and done what I need to do to reach my goals."
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Urijah Faber is the Norman Vincent Peale of mixed martial arts. Nobody puts the power of positive thinking to better, or more frequent, use than the UFC's bantamweight star.
Talk to Faber for any length of time and you'll hear the same phrases repeated incessantly: "I believe," "I can," "I will," and "I'm not worried."
Urijah Faber's positive attitude has a lot to do with his run of success. (Getty Images)Peale once wrote, "People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."It's a phrase that Faber, a former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion, lives by.
He'll fight highly regarded Renan Barão for the interim bantamweight title Saturday in the main event of UFC 149 at the Scotiabank Saddledome and, typically, he expressed little concern about either the possibility of losing or the pressure to perform.
Barão is on an 18-fight winning streak, a 31-fight unbeaten streak and is regarded as one of the best finishers in the sport. Faber, though, has a ready answer when confronted with the problems Barão presents.
"He hasn't faced me yet," Faber says, chuckling. "He's done all these things to other guys, but he hasn't fought me. He's human like anyone else."
The walls in Faber's bedroom in his Sacramento, Calif., home are dotted with goals and motivational quotes. His primary goal now is, once again, to have a championship belt strapped around his waist.
It's been 3½ years since Faber held a world title, yet he's remained at the top of his class in terms of opportunity and performance.
He was set to meet arch rival Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title at UFC 148 on July 7 in Las Vegas after coaching opposite Cruz on "The Ultimate Fighter Live." But Cruz tore up his knee and could be out for more than a year.
As a result, Faber was pitted against Barão for the interim belt. Though many believe an interim belt is meaningless, Faber is not among that group.
As he would say, when he wins Saturday he won't feel like a phony champion. He lost an excruciatingly close decision to Cruz for the belt at UFC 132 a year ago that evened the series between them at a win apiece. Faber submitted Cruz in 2007.
"I basically go out there and I think that when I beat Renan Barão, I'll be the best fighter in the world," Faber said. "I feel Dominick and I had a super close fight last time. He got the nod from the judges, but I don't feel like he beat me up. I feel I definitely did some damage to him.
"It was a close fight, but I felt walking away, as a man, I handled business. I'll feel like the champion, for sure, but I definitely want the opportunity to make sure that's the case."
Faber has always sought the best opposition he can face, which has earned him the everlasting respect of UFC president Dana White.
When White was going through the process of choosing a replacement opponent for Cruz, there was no doubt where Faber stood.
Barão was the guy with the record and the reputation. And while several other names were bandied about, Faber was hopeful White would choose Barão.
"The guy is 30-1, [and] he's a tough guy; he's a very, very tough fighter," White said of Barão. "And Urijah Faber who went through that whole season of The Ultimate Fighter to fight Cruz, you know absolutely, 100 percent, [he] not only accepted the fight with Renan Barão, but before it was even announced said, 'I hope it's Renan Barão.' "
Faber's belief in his ability is so absolute that he won't accept less than the best opposition. Eight of his last 10 opponents were either WEC or UFC world champions.
It can be a daunting task, getting no break from the stream of top contenders, but it's why Faber is far and away the biggest star among the lighter weight fighters in the sport.
He's been beaten by Cruz, the bantamweight champion, and Jose Aldo, the featherweight champion, but his star shines much brighter than either of theirs.
"My goal is to be successful as a fighter, as a businessman and as a person, and I work on that all the time," he said. "There's no reason to worry when you know you've done everything you need to do to reach a goal. I'm confident, I believe in myself, because I know I have prepared and done what I need to do to reach my goals."
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Roach: Ariza’s absence not a factor in Khan’s KO loss to Garcia
by Lem Satterfield
Five-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach says the absence of strength and conditioning guru Alex Ariza for only the second time in Amir Khan’s past 10 fights was not among the reasons that the former titleholder was knocked out in the fourth round by Danny Garcia in last Saturday night’s HBO-televised bout.
Garcia’s triumph added Khan’s WBA junior welterweight belt as well as the division’s RING championship to the WBC crown he already owned, this, after referee Kenny Bayless asked Khan if he still could continue before waving an end to the fight at 2 minutes, 28 seconds following the third knockdown — the second of the fourth round.
During an interview with RingTV.com, Bayless said that among the reasons was the fact that “in my opinion, Amir’s leg’s were shot, and his balance was off.”
Ariza, who has been replaced by Ruben Tabares, could not be reached for commment. But during an interview with RingTV.com nearly a year ago to the day, Ariza said that the strengthening of the legs is important in supporting the neck.
“I don’t think that [Ariza's absence was a factor.] The new strength coach is a hurdler,” said Roach, who has denied that Khan has specifically expressed the desire to end their association, contrary to reports.
“And I don’t think that Amir’s legs gave out in three rounds. I thought that the new guy did a very good job. But Ariza is very good at what he does also.”
In the past, Ariza contended that it was the strength in Khan’s legs that facilitated his survival through the treacherous 10th round of his unanimous decision victory over Marcos Maidana in December of 2010.
“When he was hurt by Marcos Maidana, I told Freddie that all we needed was about 15 seconds and that he would come right back. I think that the biggest misconception is that theory about the chin, and this is just a theory of mine, and that is that the strength of the chin has to do with something in the neck or the jaw muscles or things like that. But really, when you get hit, what’s the first thing that goes? The legs. So, so much of my work that I do for these fighters is that I concentrate on the legs,” said Ariza.
“So the drills, the balancing, the positions I put them in where the legs are stable when you’re completely fatigued, I think that that was the key element for Amir against Marcos Maidana. I knew that once Amir was able to get a few seconds in, moving around, that his legs would find their stability because they had been there before. Amir has been there where he feels like they’re not under him and things like that. So these are things that we’ve done before, so it was nothing new for him to feel like that and to recover from it.”
Khan began working with Roach and Ariza following his 54-second knockout loss to Breidis Prescott as a lightweight in Sept. of 2008.
From there, Khan won eight straight fights, four of them by knockout, and earned two title belts. That stretch also included knockouts of New Yorkers Zab Judah and Paulie Malignaggi, as well as victories over former beltholders Maidana, Marco Antonio Barrera and Andreas Kotelnik.
The loss to Garcia was the second in a row for Khan, whose winning streak under Roach ended with December’s controversial split-decision loss to Lamont Peterson.
Ariza was absent from Khan’s corner just one other time during the winning spree — that being Khan’s six-round, technical decision victory over Paul McCloskey in April of last year — but returned for Khan’s fifth-round stoppage of Judah.
Khan also shares Roach with eight-division titlewinner Manny Pacquiao and WBC middleweight titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., whose respective training regimens took place in preparation for title bouts they participated in last month.
First into the ring was Pacquiao, who dropped a controversial split-decision to then-WBO junior welterweight titleholder Tim Bradley that dethroned him as WBO welterweight beltholder on June 9. A week later on June 16, Chavez Jr. scored an impressive seventh-round knockout victory over southpaw challenger Andy Lee.
Roach said Khan chose to end his relationship during a stretch when Ariza left the Philippines, where Khan was training alongside Pacquiao, to be with Chavez Jr.
“Alex left Amir high and dry in the Philippines, and we had to make a choice. We had to go with someone else, and Ruben was available and Ruben did very well,” said Roach.
“He put Amir on a very, very good diet, Amir made weight very easily. He made weight four days before the fight. I thought that Ruben did a very good job.”
Chavez Jr. will be back in the ring on Sept. 15 for a defense against RING champion Sergio Martinez. Pacquiao has a targeted return date of Nov. 10, perhaps against Bradley or for a fourth bout opposite Juan Manuel Marquez, with whom Pacquiao has battled through a draw, as well as split- and majority decision victories, respectively.
Roach said that he expects Khan to return to the ring in December, adding that he would like to get a rematch with Garcia. Roach also said that he recently met with Khan and the fighter’s father, Shah Khan, regarding how to navigate the time spent working with Chavez Jr., Pacquiao and Khan in the future.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Photo by Tom Hogan, Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions
Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Photo by Tom Hogan, Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions
Five-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach says the absence of strength and conditioning guru Alex Ariza for only the second time in Amir Khan’s past 10 fights was not among the reasons that the former titleholder was knocked out in the fourth round by Danny Garcia in last Saturday night’s HBO-televised bout.
Garcia’s triumph added Khan’s WBA junior welterweight belt as well as the division’s RING championship to the WBC crown he already owned, this, after referee Kenny Bayless asked Khan if he still could continue before waving an end to the fight at 2 minutes, 28 seconds following the third knockdown — the second of the fourth round.
During an interview with RingTV.com, Bayless said that among the reasons was the fact that “in my opinion, Amir’s leg’s were shot, and his balance was off.”
Ariza, who has been replaced by Ruben Tabares, could not be reached for commment. But during an interview with RingTV.com nearly a year ago to the day, Ariza said that the strengthening of the legs is important in supporting the neck.
“I don’t think that [Ariza's absence was a factor.] The new strength coach is a hurdler,” said Roach, who has denied that Khan has specifically expressed the desire to end their association, contrary to reports.
“And I don’t think that Amir’s legs gave out in three rounds. I thought that the new guy did a very good job. But Ariza is very good at what he does also.”
In the past, Ariza contended that it was the strength in Khan’s legs that facilitated his survival through the treacherous 10th round of his unanimous decision victory over Marcos Maidana in December of 2010.
“When he was hurt by Marcos Maidana, I told Freddie that all we needed was about 15 seconds and that he would come right back. I think that the biggest misconception is that theory about the chin, and this is just a theory of mine, and that is that the strength of the chin has to do with something in the neck or the jaw muscles or things like that. But really, when you get hit, what’s the first thing that goes? The legs. So, so much of my work that I do for these fighters is that I concentrate on the legs,” said Ariza.
“So the drills, the balancing, the positions I put them in where the legs are stable when you’re completely fatigued, I think that that was the key element for Amir against Marcos Maidana. I knew that once Amir was able to get a few seconds in, moving around, that his legs would find their stability because they had been there before. Amir has been there where he feels like they’re not under him and things like that. So these are things that we’ve done before, so it was nothing new for him to feel like that and to recover from it.”
Khan began working with Roach and Ariza following his 54-second knockout loss to Breidis Prescott as a lightweight in Sept. of 2008.
From there, Khan won eight straight fights, four of them by knockout, and earned two title belts. That stretch also included knockouts of New Yorkers Zab Judah and Paulie Malignaggi, as well as victories over former beltholders Maidana, Marco Antonio Barrera and Andreas Kotelnik.
The loss to Garcia was the second in a row for Khan, whose winning streak under Roach ended with December’s controversial split-decision loss to Lamont Peterson.
Ariza was absent from Khan’s corner just one other time during the winning spree — that being Khan’s six-round, technical decision victory over Paul McCloskey in April of last year — but returned for Khan’s fifth-round stoppage of Judah.
Khan also shares Roach with eight-division titlewinner Manny Pacquiao and WBC middleweight titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., whose respective training regimens took place in preparation for title bouts they participated in last month.
First into the ring was Pacquiao, who dropped a controversial split-decision to then-WBO junior welterweight titleholder Tim Bradley that dethroned him as WBO welterweight beltholder on June 9. A week later on June 16, Chavez Jr. scored an impressive seventh-round knockout victory over southpaw challenger Andy Lee.
Roach said Khan chose to end his relationship during a stretch when Ariza left the Philippines, where Khan was training alongside Pacquiao, to be with Chavez Jr.
“Alex left Amir high and dry in the Philippines, and we had to make a choice. We had to go with someone else, and Ruben was available and Ruben did very well,” said Roach.
“He put Amir on a very, very good diet, Amir made weight very easily. He made weight four days before the fight. I thought that Ruben did a very good job.”
Chavez Jr. will be back in the ring on Sept. 15 for a defense against RING champion Sergio Martinez. Pacquiao has a targeted return date of Nov. 10, perhaps against Bradley or for a fourth bout opposite Juan Manuel Marquez, with whom Pacquiao has battled through a draw, as well as split- and majority decision victories, respectively.
Roach said that he expects Khan to return to the ring in December, adding that he would like to get a rematch with Garcia. Roach also said that he recently met with Khan and the fighter’s father, Shah Khan, regarding how to navigate the time spent working with Chavez Jr., Pacquiao and Khan in the future.
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Photo by Tom Hogan, Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions
Photo by Naoki Fukuda
Photo by Tom Hogan, Hogan Photos/Golden Boy Promotions
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Chael Sonnen fires back at Rampage Jackson: ‘Stick to violating female reporters’
Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE – Presswire
12 days ago: Jul. 7, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter Chael Sonnen in the ring prior to his fight against Anderson Silva (not pictured) during a middleweight bout in UFC 148 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE
Browse more photos »12 days ago: Jul. 7, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFC fighter Chael Sonnen in the ring prior to his fight against Anderson Silva (not pictured) during a middleweight bout in UFC 148 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE
You just knew he was going to have an answer.
By that, I am, of course, referring to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight fighter and part-time television analyst Chael Sonnen, who was recently called out by Quinton Jackson during an interview where he had many unflattering things to say about Sonnen.
Specifically, “Rampage” commented on Sonnen’s recent loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 148 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., July 7, 2012, going so far as to say that Sonnen “sucks” and should quit and leave the UFC for good.
Apparently, “The American Gangster’s” ears were burning, and he had a response ready to go when asked about “Rampage’s” tirade, during a recent segment on “UFC Tonight:”
Those comments after the jump.
“Rampage has one fight left in the UFC and he isn’t fighting me. I give you that answer because I am sitting here wearing my fancy suit, with an ear piece on and I have been branded an analyst on the number one UFC show on TV today. But if you had asked me outside, in my kingdom and I was wearing my sponsor’s shirt, I would have told him that he should stick to violating female reporters. He should stick to making box office disasters and driving the wrong way on the freeway ramped up on Mountain Dew, because he’s not on my level. But, you didn’t ask me outside, you asked me inside. So let’s keep this professional, I don’t want to get that message out there.”To see Jackson “violating female reporters” click here and here.
The Memphis native will end his rocky relationship with the world’s largest fight promotion when he makes what is widely-believed to be his final appearance inside the Octagon opposite Brazilian import Glover Teixeira at the UFC 153 event from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Oct. 13, 2012.
And then?
The future for the former PRIDE superstar is a bit cloudy, as “Rampage” has teased a transition to the “sweet science” in order to put butts in boxing seats. Perhaps he can join his old pal Kimbo Slice on the pugilistic circuit?
Or should he stick around for a one-off against Sonnen?
www.FightMuseumLV.com
Martinez and Chavez Jr. have a war of words
Martinez and Chavez Jr. have war of words
by Dan Rafael
Sergio Martinez, the real middleweight champion, has wanted to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for more than a year, ever since Chavez won a belt -– which had been stripped from Martinez -- from Sebastian Zbik.
Chavez Jr. has also wanted to fight Martinez in order to shut him up and show he’s for real.
Top Rank, Chavez’s promoter, understandably didn’t want to make the fight until it felt that Chavez was ready for such a gigantic step up in competition. But after seeing how Argentina’s Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KOs) has had at least some struggles in knockout wins against Darren Barker and Matthew Macklin in his past two bouts, and how good Mexican star Chavez (46-0-1, 32 KOs) has looked in his past two defenses -- a points rout of Marco Antonio Rubio and a seventh-round knockout of Andy Lee (a southpaw to boot, like Martinez) -- the fight has finally been made.
They’ll hook up in one of the biggest fights of the of the year on Sept. 15 (HBO PPV) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in what is shaping up to a be a serious war or words before the actual fight.
Martinez and Chavez don’t seem to like each other much. Martinez, 37, feels like the 26-year-old Chavez has been handed everything he has because of his famous name as the son of all-time great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. That has rubbed Junior the wrong way.
Before any major pay-per-view, the fighters go out on tour to promote the event, which Martinez and Chavez did, hitting the road last week with stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York followed by a final news conference on Tuesday in Mexico City.
Throughout the tour, they sounded like they were ready to throw down already.
"This is the fight I've always wanted,” Chavez said during the tour. “Martinez has said a lot of bad things. Let's see if he wants to go to the center of the ring and fight like a man. I have real one-punch knockout power. I don't think Martinez has that power. After all his verbal bravado, I just hope he stands in the middle of the ring and fights like a man.
"I have this great opportunity to shut Martinez's mouth. On Sept. 15 he will finally realize he has underestimated me -- when the referee is counting to 10 over him. My dad always stressed body punching. I have a very good chin. I can take a good punch and I can throw a good punch and those will be two very hard lessons Martinez will learn on Sept. 15.”
Martinez has never been one to talk smack before his fights, but he has for Chavez. He seems as pumped up for the fight as any he’s had.
“There is no way Chavez Jr. can beat me,” he said during the Mexico City tour stop. “I will knock him out inside seven rounds. I gave his father a baby bottle (at the press conference) so he can take it to his baby after I give Junior a real beating. He won’t be eating solid food with the few teeth remaining after I get through with him."
Earlier on the tour, Martinez said, “I am a much better fighter now than when I won the middleweight titles. Chavez Jr. cannot match up to the knowledge and experience I have acquired in the ring. Chavez may think the sun rises with him in Culiacan (Mexico) but on Sept. 15 he's going to find out that it's going to set on him in Las Vegas."
Martinez also addressed Chavez Sr., who turned 50 last week while accompanying his son on the tour.
"Mr. Chavez, take a look at your son now because you will not recognize his face without DNA after we have fought. I will beat him up."
by Dan Rafael
Sergio Martinez, the real middleweight champion, has wanted to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for more than a year, ever since Chavez won a belt -– which had been stripped from Martinez -- from Sebastian Zbik.
Chavez Jr. has also wanted to fight Martinez in order to shut him up and show he’s for real.
Top Rank, Chavez’s promoter, understandably didn’t want to make the fight until it felt that Chavez was ready for such a gigantic step up in competition. But after seeing how Argentina’s Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KOs) has had at least some struggles in knockout wins against Darren Barker and Matthew Macklin in his past two bouts, and how good Mexican star Chavez (46-0-1, 32 KOs) has looked in his past two defenses -- a points rout of Marco Antonio Rubio and a seventh-round knockout of Andy Lee (a southpaw to boot, like Martinez) -- the fight has finally been made.
They’ll hook up in one of the biggest fights of the of the year on Sept. 15 (HBO PPV) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in what is shaping up to a be a serious war or words before the actual fight.
Martinez and Chavez don’t seem to like each other much. Martinez, 37, feels like the 26-year-old Chavez has been handed everything he has because of his famous name as the son of all-time great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. That has rubbed Junior the wrong way.
Before any major pay-per-view, the fighters go out on tour to promote the event, which Martinez and Chavez did, hitting the road last week with stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York followed by a final news conference on Tuesday in Mexico City.
Throughout the tour, they sounded like they were ready to throw down already.
"This is the fight I've always wanted,” Chavez said during the tour. “Martinez has said a lot of bad things. Let's see if he wants to go to the center of the ring and fight like a man. I have real one-punch knockout power. I don't think Martinez has that power. After all his verbal bravado, I just hope he stands in the middle of the ring and fights like a man.
"I have this great opportunity to shut Martinez's mouth. On Sept. 15 he will finally realize he has underestimated me -- when the referee is counting to 10 over him. My dad always stressed body punching. I have a very good chin. I can take a good punch and I can throw a good punch and those will be two very hard lessons Martinez will learn on Sept. 15.”
Martinez has never been one to talk smack before his fights, but he has for Chavez. He seems as pumped up for the fight as any he’s had.
“There is no way Chavez Jr. can beat me,” he said during the Mexico City tour stop. “I will knock him out inside seven rounds. I gave his father a baby bottle (at the press conference) so he can take it to his baby after I give Junior a real beating. He won’t be eating solid food with the few teeth remaining after I get through with him."
Earlier on the tour, Martinez said, “I am a much better fighter now than when I won the middleweight titles. Chavez Jr. cannot match up to the knowledge and experience I have acquired in the ring. Chavez may think the sun rises with him in Culiacan (Mexico) but on Sept. 15 he's going to find out that it's going to set on him in Las Vegas."
Martinez also addressed Chavez Sr., who turned 50 last week while accompanying his son on the tour.
"Mr. Chavez, take a look at your son now because you will not recognize his face without DNA after we have fought. I will beat him up."
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Amir Can't
Amir Can't
by Danny Richardson
As you will know by now, on Saturday night, Olympic
silver medallist and former world champion Amir 'King' Khan was
shockingly knocked out in four rounds by WBC champion Danny 'Swift' Garcia, at
the Mandalay Bay resort, Las Vegas. Khan, who suffered the third defeat of his
career, was caught with a huge left hand in the third round, and never really
recovered as he went on to be stopped after a torrid fourth session. Garcia, who
extended his unbeaten record, had struggled for the first two rounds of the
contest, the American having no reply for Khan's superior speed and footwork in
the opening stages.
However, Garcia showed his power by landing a peach of a shot on the Bolton man, leaving an all too familiar site, Khan on unsteady legs as he had been in previous contests against Marcos Maidana and Breidis Prescott. The shocking defeat has left some in the boxing world calling for Khan to retire, while some question his relationship with Freddy Roach and others point out Khan's weakness in the chin department. There are a lot of questions to be asked of Khan following Saturday night, and I'm not sure whether he'll ever recover.
We shouldn't forget that Khan started like a house on fire though. For the first 7 or so minutes, he swarmed Garcia with shots, buzzing in and out of range and causing some damage to Garcia's face after the very first round. His sublime speed caught Garcia out, and until the fateful left hand which sent him crashing to the canvas, it looked for all the world like Khan would force a stoppage in the later rounds.
However - as is always the case with Khan, his defence deserted him. For a man who has a glass jaw, he keeps his hands perilously low, and when he's caught flush, his legs do a silly dance. That was the case again on Saturday, as he never really recovered from the knockdown. Don't get me wrong, it was a peach of a shot and Garcia has a reputation as a big puncher, but at the level Khan is at, particularly with his chin worries, he shouldn't be getting caught with shots like that. You have to wonder, when will he ever learn?
I say that, because he has all the attributes to be a good boxer. He has decent power and a decent boxing ability, but with his blinding speed and terrific jab, he should be keeping fights at range and peppering opponents with shots. That type of style would make him difficult to beat (but not unbeatable) and he'd be beating fighters like Garcia and Lamont Peterson comfortably. He doesn't need to sit down on his shots and aim to get fighters out of there early, because he would overwhelm opponents with punches, forcing stoppages late on.
But for some reason, ever since the Prescott defeat, Khan seems to set out to prove that he has a chin and can stand and trade with big punchers. He wants to get involved in tear ups, he wants to prove that he can take a shot. Why? The whole boxing world knows that he can't stand and trade, we all know that he can't take a shot, we all know that he takes a while to recover after getting hurt. So why take the risk of getting blown away? In the fourth round on Saturday, he egged Garcia onto him when he was clearly hurt. He wanted to stand and trade, he didn't hold or run for his life like he should have done, and he was eventually stopped. He's brave yes, but he's too brave for his own good.
This is a problem he's had for all of his career. It's not like this has just come to light, he's been getting hurt in fights even before Prescott. He was floored early in his career against Michael Gomez and Willie Limond, and after Prescott, he was rocked against Maidana and Peterson. Khan cannot take a shot, yet he wants to prove that he can. He should start by getting that ridiculous mentality out of his head, because until he learns he doesn't need to stand and trade or take a risk, he won't go very far. He might lose some of the entertainment value, but at least he'll be winning.
The other problem he has is his attitude. In my opinion, he's too big for his boots. There's nothing wrong with confidence or ambition, but all we've heard before his last two fights, is "I'm a superstar" "I'm more known in America than Kell Brook is in England" "I want Floyd Mayweather" "I can beat Floyd Mayweather" and "Younger fighters hang onto my name". This type of attitude isn't doing him any favours whatsoever, because in England, his home nation, there are a hell of a lot of people who want to see him lose. I'll be honest, I don't like Khan either, particularly because of his attitude. After another defeat, he'll most likely come back to England and hope to rebuild, but will he have as big as a fan base as he thinks he does? I don't think he will, in fact, if he goes on to fight Kell Brook, I think Brook would be the fan favourite.
Also, he won't be getting a fight with Mayweather any time soon, in fact he shouldn't even be mentioning 'Money' in the same sentence as himself. He isn't in Mayweather's league, so to talk about fighting him and beating him is ludicrous. Also, he hasn't been focusing on the task in front of him when he's mentioning Mayweather, and for me, he's underestimated opponents, particularly in the case of Lamont Peterson. He's been guilty of looking past opponents, and that's added to his list of problems. He needs a reality check, and I hope that Saturday has done that for him, because the way he's been talking, you'd think he was already at the top of the game, when he has a hell of a long way to go.
So what's next? He'll almost definitely fight in England, because he won't be able to headline a Vegas show coming off a defeat like Saturday's. But who against? I've heard rumours that Ashley Theophane may be in the mix, as well as Kell Brook - which everyone in England wants to see. That of course would mean a step up to welterweight - but would that do Khan any favours?
If Khan has been getting put down as a lightweight and light welterweight, then a move up to welterweight won't help. There are some big punchers at welterweight, and I can guarantee you, if Khan was to move up to 147lbs, he will find his legs doing a silly dance again. He hasn't got the power to blast away welterweights, and he hasn't got the chin to take some of the shots. If he isn't the best in the light welterweight division, he hasn't a prayer in the welterweight class. With fighters such as Kell Brook, Victor Ortiz, Andre Berto, Manny Pacquiao and of course Floyd Mayweather, I can safely say Khan won't dominate a weight class as he wants to.
I would love to see Khan face Kell Brook now, because after all the things Khan has had to say, he's coming off a loss and I think should he move up a weight, he will be begging to face Brook. It's the biggest fight domestically out there for him, so it all of a sudden makes a lot of sense. I would love Brook to beat Khan personally, and I hope the fight comes off.
He may chase a rematch with Garcia, even maybe Lamont Peterson should he be allowed to fight following his positive drugs test, but I don't see either of those happening. All of a sudden, the suggestion that Khan should retire doesn't look as stupid as it first sounds. Glen McCrory, the Sky pundit, reckons Khan should retire now, and I have to agree with his argument. Khan can't mix it with the elite in my opinion, and never will be able to. He is a world level fighter, but can he ever be regarded as one of the best? Not for me, because let's be honest, Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia will never be Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Timothy Bradley dominated Peterson, while Garcia didn't look the best in beating an ancient Erik Morales.
If I'm honest, Khan shouldn't retire, because I still feel he has something to offer - but only to a certain degree. He will never be one of the elite fighters, because he simply hasn't got the ability. When you look at it, he has blinding speed, but that's about it. He hasn't got a boxing brain - he's only showed he can follow instructions against Andriy Kotelnik to win the world title, but apart from that, he seems to do whatever he wants, and although he may be exciting, he doesn't look terrific in doing it. Khan will always be one of those fighters who may be in and out of a world title, but he will never be a dominant champion.
I've heard suggestions he should leave Freddie Roach, and I don't think that's a bad idea. He will always play second fiddle to Manny Pacquiao, and although Roach has improved Khan as a fighter, he is an offensive minded trainer, while Khan clearly needs to work on his defence. Maybe a change in camp wouldn't be the worst thing, and don't be surprised if Khan splits from Roach in the near future.
I've tried to be fair in my analysis of Khan, but if I'm brutally honest, I'm not a fan of his and maybe that has played a part in my opinions. But, I genuinely believe that Khan isn't good enough to be a permanent fixture at world level, and that's the bottom line. I think he's been over hyped to a certain extent, and his attitude hasn't won him many fans in Britain and I doubt he'll ever be a massive fan favourite.
Even following his defeat, he has come out and said he's in a better division and fought better fighters than Carl Froch, following quotes from Froch that he would retire if he was in Khan's shoes (Froch was misquoted however, he meant he would retire if he had been knocked out like Khan was). That type of comment from Khan isn't winning him fans and it's delusional. Let's be honest, the opposition he's beat have been good, but not at an elite level. Khan can come back and be at a good level, but it's about time he realised, he will never be great.
However, Garcia showed his power by landing a peach of a shot on the Bolton man, leaving an all too familiar site, Khan on unsteady legs as he had been in previous contests against Marcos Maidana and Breidis Prescott. The shocking defeat has left some in the boxing world calling for Khan to retire, while some question his relationship with Freddy Roach and others point out Khan's weakness in the chin department. There are a lot of questions to be asked of Khan following Saturday night, and I'm not sure whether he'll ever recover.
We shouldn't forget that Khan started like a house on fire though. For the first 7 or so minutes, he swarmed Garcia with shots, buzzing in and out of range and causing some damage to Garcia's face after the very first round. His sublime speed caught Garcia out, and until the fateful left hand which sent him crashing to the canvas, it looked for all the world like Khan would force a stoppage in the later rounds.
However - as is always the case with Khan, his defence deserted him. For a man who has a glass jaw, he keeps his hands perilously low, and when he's caught flush, his legs do a silly dance. That was the case again on Saturday, as he never really recovered from the knockdown. Don't get me wrong, it was a peach of a shot and Garcia has a reputation as a big puncher, but at the level Khan is at, particularly with his chin worries, he shouldn't be getting caught with shots like that. You have to wonder, when will he ever learn?
I say that, because he has all the attributes to be a good boxer. He has decent power and a decent boxing ability, but with his blinding speed and terrific jab, he should be keeping fights at range and peppering opponents with shots. That type of style would make him difficult to beat (but not unbeatable) and he'd be beating fighters like Garcia and Lamont Peterson comfortably. He doesn't need to sit down on his shots and aim to get fighters out of there early, because he would overwhelm opponents with punches, forcing stoppages late on.
But for some reason, ever since the Prescott defeat, Khan seems to set out to prove that he has a chin and can stand and trade with big punchers. He wants to get involved in tear ups, he wants to prove that he can take a shot. Why? The whole boxing world knows that he can't stand and trade, we all know that he can't take a shot, we all know that he takes a while to recover after getting hurt. So why take the risk of getting blown away? In the fourth round on Saturday, he egged Garcia onto him when he was clearly hurt. He wanted to stand and trade, he didn't hold or run for his life like he should have done, and he was eventually stopped. He's brave yes, but he's too brave for his own good.
This is a problem he's had for all of his career. It's not like this has just come to light, he's been getting hurt in fights even before Prescott. He was floored early in his career against Michael Gomez and Willie Limond, and after Prescott, he was rocked against Maidana and Peterson. Khan cannot take a shot, yet he wants to prove that he can. He should start by getting that ridiculous mentality out of his head, because until he learns he doesn't need to stand and trade or take a risk, he won't go very far. He might lose some of the entertainment value, but at least he'll be winning.
The other problem he has is his attitude. In my opinion, he's too big for his boots. There's nothing wrong with confidence or ambition, but all we've heard before his last two fights, is "I'm a superstar" "I'm more known in America than Kell Brook is in England" "I want Floyd Mayweather" "I can beat Floyd Mayweather" and "Younger fighters hang onto my name". This type of attitude isn't doing him any favours whatsoever, because in England, his home nation, there are a hell of a lot of people who want to see him lose. I'll be honest, I don't like Khan either, particularly because of his attitude. After another defeat, he'll most likely come back to England and hope to rebuild, but will he have as big as a fan base as he thinks he does? I don't think he will, in fact, if he goes on to fight Kell Brook, I think Brook would be the fan favourite.
Also, he won't be getting a fight with Mayweather any time soon, in fact he shouldn't even be mentioning 'Money' in the same sentence as himself. He isn't in Mayweather's league, so to talk about fighting him and beating him is ludicrous. Also, he hasn't been focusing on the task in front of him when he's mentioning Mayweather, and for me, he's underestimated opponents, particularly in the case of Lamont Peterson. He's been guilty of looking past opponents, and that's added to his list of problems. He needs a reality check, and I hope that Saturday has done that for him, because the way he's been talking, you'd think he was already at the top of the game, when he has a hell of a long way to go.
So what's next? He'll almost definitely fight in England, because he won't be able to headline a Vegas show coming off a defeat like Saturday's. But who against? I've heard rumours that Ashley Theophane may be in the mix, as well as Kell Brook - which everyone in England wants to see. That of course would mean a step up to welterweight - but would that do Khan any favours?
If Khan has been getting put down as a lightweight and light welterweight, then a move up to welterweight won't help. There are some big punchers at welterweight, and I can guarantee you, if Khan was to move up to 147lbs, he will find his legs doing a silly dance again. He hasn't got the power to blast away welterweights, and he hasn't got the chin to take some of the shots. If he isn't the best in the light welterweight division, he hasn't a prayer in the welterweight class. With fighters such as Kell Brook, Victor Ortiz, Andre Berto, Manny Pacquiao and of course Floyd Mayweather, I can safely say Khan won't dominate a weight class as he wants to.
I would love to see Khan face Kell Brook now, because after all the things Khan has had to say, he's coming off a loss and I think should he move up a weight, he will be begging to face Brook. It's the biggest fight domestically out there for him, so it all of a sudden makes a lot of sense. I would love Brook to beat Khan personally, and I hope the fight comes off.
He may chase a rematch with Garcia, even maybe Lamont Peterson should he be allowed to fight following his positive drugs test, but I don't see either of those happening. All of a sudden, the suggestion that Khan should retire doesn't look as stupid as it first sounds. Glen McCrory, the Sky pundit, reckons Khan should retire now, and I have to agree with his argument. Khan can't mix it with the elite in my opinion, and never will be able to. He is a world level fighter, but can he ever be regarded as one of the best? Not for me, because let's be honest, Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia will never be Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Timothy Bradley dominated Peterson, while Garcia didn't look the best in beating an ancient Erik Morales.
If I'm honest, Khan shouldn't retire, because I still feel he has something to offer - but only to a certain degree. He will never be one of the elite fighters, because he simply hasn't got the ability. When you look at it, he has blinding speed, but that's about it. He hasn't got a boxing brain - he's only showed he can follow instructions against Andriy Kotelnik to win the world title, but apart from that, he seems to do whatever he wants, and although he may be exciting, he doesn't look terrific in doing it. Khan will always be one of those fighters who may be in and out of a world title, but he will never be a dominant champion.
I've heard suggestions he should leave Freddie Roach, and I don't think that's a bad idea. He will always play second fiddle to Manny Pacquiao, and although Roach has improved Khan as a fighter, he is an offensive minded trainer, while Khan clearly needs to work on his defence. Maybe a change in camp wouldn't be the worst thing, and don't be surprised if Khan splits from Roach in the near future.
I've tried to be fair in my analysis of Khan, but if I'm brutally honest, I'm not a fan of his and maybe that has played a part in my opinions. But, I genuinely believe that Khan isn't good enough to be a permanent fixture at world level, and that's the bottom line. I think he's been over hyped to a certain extent, and his attitude hasn't won him many fans in Britain and I doubt he'll ever be a massive fan favourite.
Even following his defeat, he has come out and said he's in a better division and fought better fighters than Carl Froch, following quotes from Froch that he would retire if he was in Khan's shoes (Froch was misquoted however, he meant he would retire if he had been knocked out like Khan was). That type of comment from Khan isn't winning him fans and it's delusional. Let's be honest, the opposition he's beat have been good, but not at an elite level. Khan can come back and be at a good level, but it's about time he realised, he will never be great.
2012 Unofficial UFC Knockout of the Year
Edson Barboza KOs Terry Etim
by Thomas GerbasiWe only go with a Top Five for the unofficial half-year awards, and without fail, the best knockout category is always the toughest to narrow down to single digits. In 2012, it seems like it’s even harder to pick, but hey, here they are, and let the debates begin… 5 – Stephen Thompson KO1 Dan Stittgen When it was announced that Stephen Thompson was making his Octagon debut at UFC 143 in February, diehard combat sports fans were excited to see the unbeaten kickboxing star getting his shot in the big show in MMA. Cynics, on the other hand, were waiting for him to fall so they could say that a pure kickboxer just couldn’t compete at the elite level in this hybrid sport. Thompson answered many of those questions against Dan Stittgen, the main one being, if he hits you flush with a kick to the head, it doesn’t matter who you are – you’re going down. That was the end result for Stittgen, who was knocked out with a picture perfect head kick at 4:13 of the first round (Watch Here).
4 – Dan Hardy KO 1 Duane Ludwig Dan Hardy needed a win bad. Loser of four in a row, the former world title challenger was on the brink of UFC extinction when he stepped into the Octagon to meet up with Duane “Bang” Ludwig at UFC 146 in May. The good news was that he wasn’t going to be facing a smothering wrestler; the bad news was that Ludwig is one of the best technical strikers in the sport today. So with all the pressure on, “The Outlaw” bit down on his mouthpiece, landed a sizzling left hook on the button, and finished “Bang” at 3:51 of the first round (Watch Event). Awesome knockout? Yes. A redemptive one as well? Absolutely. 3 – Michael McDonald KO1 Miguel Angel Torres While former WEC bantamweight champion and pound for pound list entrant Miguel Angel Torres was quietly crafting a comeback, California’s Michael McDonald was loudly crashing the UFC’s bantamweight division with increasingly impressive performances. At UFC 145 in April, these two diverse paths collided in Atlanta, and the 21-year old “Mayday” not only proved that he was ready for prime time by beating Torres (Watch Event), but he proved that he may even be ready for a shot at the title with a crushing first round knockout of the Indiana veteran. If you could think of a better coming out party, I’d sure like to hear it, because this one would be hard to top.
2 – Anthony Pettis KO1 Joe Lauzon Let’s not mince words here. The Anthony Pettis that showed up against Clay Guida and Jeremy Stephens just wasn’t the “Showtime” we had come to know and love from his flashy days in the WEC. But at UFC 144 in February, the king of the highlight reel returned in style, knocking out fellow contender Joe Lauzon with a left kick to the head in just 81 seconds (Watch Event). After the bout, the gracious and self-effacing Lauzon simply tweeted “I’m in Japan for a few more days and was gonna look at buying a sword, but I think I’m gonna invest in a helmet instead.” The rest of the lightweight division would be wise to do the same. 1 – Edson Barboza KO3 Terry Etim The ESPYs may have gotten it wrong in not awarding this its Play of the Year award, but the finalist there is a winner here, and in a year with some spectacular knockouts thus far, Edson Barboza’s wheel kick finish of Terry Etim at UFC 142 in January is far and away the best of the half-year. It had it all – speed, power, technique, accuracy, and pure ‘wow’ effect (Watch KO Watch Event). Etim was out the second he got caught by Barboza, and the scary part is that when asked about the finisher, the Brazilian Muay Thai expert said, “To be honest, no, I don’t train that kick much. I like to train the basic things like body kicks or low kicks. But I’ve known how to do that kick since I was eight years old, when I started training Muay Thai. I think I have been keeping it inside of my mind, and when I need it I throw it out.” Wow.
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Alvaraz and Lopez focus on each other
by Doug Fischer
LOS ANGELES – For many who follow the boxing industry closely the “big fight” on Sept. 15 isn’t the Julio Cesar Chavez-Sergio Martinez middleweight championship or the junior middleweight title bout between popular beltholder Saul Alvarez and the sport’s latest “Rocky” story, Josesito Lopez, but rather the battle between the promoters and networks who are putting the opposing shows on in the same city and at roughly the same time.
Chavez-Martinez headlines an HBO Pay Per View show from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Sept. 15. Alvarez-Lopez headlines a Showtime-televised event from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the same night.
Chavez-Martinez is a Top Rank promotion. Golden Boy Promotions is putting on Alvarez-Lopez. Even casual boxing fans know these two companies don’t get along. Hardcore fans knew neither promotional firm would back off from staging an event during the coveted Mexican Independence Day weekend – which has hosted a major Mexican- or Mexican American-headlined PPV event since Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya was still fighting for Top Rank.
Both companies think they promote the bigger Mexican star and put on better fight cards, so both went forward with their Sept. 15 plans, putting hardcore fans and the boxing media in the awkward and annoying position of having to choose which show to watch or cover.
Top Rank has the more significant headlining matchup, a 160-pound fight that fans believe will be competitive. Golden Boy had lined up three competitive opponents for the popular Alvarez, who holds the WBC 154-pound title, but one by one those viable pay-per-view B-sides were eliminated. Paul Williams, the first choice, had his career tragically ended by a debilitating motorcycle accident. James Kirkland, who suffered a shoulder injury in his last fight, didn’t feel he would be ready to fight on Sept. 15 and wanted more money to take the risk. Victor Ortiz was upset by Lopez on June 23.
Golden Boy, who was just as shocked as most fans were when the late sub (for Andre Berto) broke Ortiz’s jaw to earn a ninth-round TKO, figured the rugged 27-year-old slugger from Riverside, Calif., was dangerous enough to make for a Showtime-level opponent for “Canelo.”
However, many hardcore fans and members of the media dismiss the matchup. They say Lopez, who has fought most of his career at 140 pounds, doesn’t belong at junior middleweight or in the ring with Alvarez (40-0-1, 29 knockouts).
Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer says he’s heard that opinion before.
“Some people say Josesito Lopez is too small to fight Saul Alvarez,” Schaefer said during a public press conference at Placita Olvera-Father Sera Park on Tuesday. “These are the same people who gave him no chance against Victor Ortiz.
“These are the same people who said Danny Garcia could not beat Amir Khan. This is boxing, and in boxing you never know.”
De La Hoya also chimed in with the “Ya-just-never-know” line:
“They said Manny Pacquiao was too small to fight me and look what happened. He destroyed me.”
For the skeptics who refuse to consider Alvarez-Lopez a competitive fight, Golden Boy has sweetened the Showtime offering with two “legitimate” matchups: a featherweight title bout between WBC beltholder Jhonny Gonzalez and former 122-pound titleholder Daniel Ponce de Leon and a surefire welterweight shootout between sluggers Marcos Maidana and Jesus Soto Karass.
The aggressive styles of the headline fighters and ridiculously high KO percentages of Gonzalez (52-7, 45 KOs), De Leon (43-4, 35 KOs) and Maidana (31-3, 28 KOs) have led Golden Boy to christen this event “Knockout Kings” and the promotional company is encouraging the fighters to live up to the name.
De La Hoya announced during Tuesday’s presser that fans watching the Showtime broadcast at home can vote on the ‘KO of the Night’ and the fighter who scored it will earn a $100,000 bonus.
The promise of extra cash will no doubt entice the participants of the card to give their all once in the ring, but will that promise of action be enough to sway fans to tune into Showtime during the Chavez-Martinez pay-per-view broadcast?
This question was posed to Alvarez.
“I’m not worried at all about sharing the night with Chavez,” Alvarez said through Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez. “He’s got his date and I’ve got mine. I’m only worried about my promotion.
“I don’t think much about ratings. I have my followers and (Chavez) has his. I know my fans will come out to support me. The only thing I worry about is training. I let my team and Golden Boy Promotions select my opponent.
“I’m motivated to fight Lopez because I know that he earned a title shot with his last fight.”
Alvarez promises that his fans won’t be treated to any rude surprises as Ortiz’s fans were recently.
“The problem with Ortiz was that he was overconfident,” he said. “I don’t do that. I know that I have to approach (Lopez) with the same respect that I would have had for Williams or Kirkland or Ortiz.”
Lopez (30-4, 18 KOs) says Alvarez would be wise to do that. The near 6-foot contender told RingTV’s Dominic Verdin that he walks around at middleweight and will likely feel stronger than ever not having to sweat off his customary 20 pounds during camp.
Lopez also believes that his vaunted chin, which was able to absorb the best shots that Ortiz could deliver, will hold out against the red-headed Mexican’s heavy hands.
“I always spar with much bigger guys,” he said. “I’m used to getting hit by middleweights, light heavyweights, even heavyweights. So I don’t think about whether I can take Canelo’s punch.
“The ability to take a punch has a lot to do with conditioning. If you’re not in great shape you’ll feel the punch more.”
Lopez, who hasn’t had time to get out of shape since the Ortiz fight, says he’ll be in the best condition of his career for Alvarez.
The result may or may not be another upset but Lopez promises an entertaining main event.
“If you’ve ever seen me fight and you’ve seen him fight you know it’s going to be a good fight,” he said. “We leave everything in the ring.”
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