4/29/2017 Anthony Joshua Defeats Wladimir Klitschko by TKO to Retain Heavyweight ChampionshipRead NowBy DjackThe highly anticipated heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko took place in London, England, today. What looked like a fight that was going to be won by Klitschko pretty early on, turned out to be one of the best boxing fights in years. Joshua was able to fight his way back into it eventually defeating Klitschko by TKO. Joshua had never faced an opponent of Klitschko's talent prior to this fight, exactly the reason he had so much trouble early on. It was the first time in career that he had to go past 7 rounds and the first time he has been knocked down. Joshua never gave up, fought back harder, and improved to 19-0 with 19 of those coming by knock out, savage. This was easily the most impressive fight yet by the young star, he faced adversity, never seemed panicked, and eventually got his opportunity taking full advantage of it. This fight was a huge step forward for Joshua, now he's the holder of two championship belts.
The bigger picture here is this could lead to the most highly anticipated boxing fight since Mayweather-Pacquiao. Except this fight will actually be light years better than that shit show. When Joshua won the fight he also won WBA Championship belt to go along with his IBF championship belt, which only leaves one major championship belt out there, the WBC championship, held by Deontay Wilder. This is the fight that needs to happen, Wilder-Joshua for all the gold, fuck this three different belt's bullshit, unify the titles, and bring some glory back to boxing. A fight like this could start swaying people back to the sport that was once beloved by Americans. Wilder wrecking opponents starts to lose it's appeal after the 40th time, putting him in the ring with some real competition is the only way to get the absolute most out of the sport's biggest star. Boxing isn't completely dead yet, if there's a way to start saving it this is it. Now, will the boxing executives make it happen, unlikely, and that's why the sport will continue to go down the gutter.
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By MukThe never ending saga of Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier is once again heating up, as Daniel Cormier has not necessarily called out, but demanded that Jon Jones accept the UFC 214 rematch that Dana White has offered him, claiming that he is the champ now and it's "his rules". Dana White said last week that Jon Jones was offered the UFC 214 fight in July, but that if he wanted a "tune-up" fight instead, then the fight would be offered to Jimi Manuwa. But it seems as if DC wants Jon Jones to come face the music, rather than fight Manuwa who we have seen DC beef with for weeks on twitter after Cormier defended his belt vs. Rumble.
I've said this once, and I'll say it 1,000 more times, I hate Daniel Cormier. I truly do not like him one bit, I think he has the biggest mouth in the UFC for a guy who was dominated for 5-rounds by Jon Jones, and has used Jones' recent mishaps and out of competition debacles as ammunition in his war with Jones, but that's all he has - out of competition issues. There is no way in hell DC truly believes Jon Jones actually took steroids, and anyone who does is just looking to bash Jones for his other mishaps. But for once, I do actually agree with Daniel Cormier, and as he simply put it, "there are no tune-up fights in the UFC". I agree with DC because I do think it would be a better move for Jon Jones to just come right back and go get that title that has for so long been his, and for too long has been wrapped around that fat-waist of DC. I think Jones' will accept the fight within the coming days or weeks, and I pray he does, because the last thing we need is a longer title-reign for DC, because once Jon Jones comes back and dominates him once again, this rivalry can finally be put to rest and DC can fade into the darkness, as he could never beat the one true champion of the 205-pound weight class during his time in the UFC. 4/25/2017 Dana White Sat Down With Snoop Dogg, & They Talk Nick Diaz, Joe Rogan, and The UFC's SuccessRead NowBy MukOne of the things I love the most about the UFC and Dana White is that because this organization and sport is so unconventional, that it allows Dana White to do things like this, and interact with celebrities and people in a completely honest way. Snoop Dogg has been a big UFC fan for a while, and has sat down with UFC Boss Dana White a few times, and has even done a few promo videos for the UFC, and this interview (preview) did not disappoint.
The main takeaway from this for me, was the Nick Diaz part of the conversation. As everyone on earth knows, Snoop Dogg loves his weed, and as everyone who follows MMA knows, so does Nick Diaz. Diaz has been suspended several times because of weed, and most recently after his January 2015 fight against Anderson Silva, where he was originally hit with a 5-year(!!!!!!) suspension by the USADA, but after almost everyone in the UFC and fans around the world spoke out in favor of Diaz, the suspension was reduced to just over a year. So when Snoop Dogg and Dana White began talking about Diaz, and White revealed that all Nick Diaz has to do is not smoke for 24-hours before the fight or drug test, Snoop Dogg completely changed his narrative from "the UFC needs to chill with the weed restrictions" to "c'mon Nick!!!!", and I do agree. Listen, athletes who participate in contact, combat sports, absolutely should be allowed to use marijuana or cannabis or some kind of weed product, because prescription drugs are not the answer, but that's a fight for another day. In this case, Dana White and Snoop Dogg are right, Nick Diaz and any other guys who fail the in-fight test for weed are only to blame themselves. You have to stop for 24-hours, 3 times a year if you fight 3 times a year - that's it. Even Snoop could do that! We all want to see Nick Diaz fight as often as possible, he's a fan favorite, a great fighter, and a great showman, so please Dana White and Nick Diaz, get him back into the Octagon sometime soon. #209 The rest of the preview for the interview was as you'd expect, Snoop being Snoop, and Dana White being real and honest, so give it a watch if you want and you can download the full interview on MERRY JANE'S Apple Music page. By MukWell the question of who will be the next Light Heavyweight title challenger has finally been answered, and it's all up to Jon Jones. Dana White told ESPN that Jon Jones decides the fate of the 205-pound division, and if he is ready to go in July for UFC 214 on July 29th, we will finally get the long-awaited rematch between him and Daniel Cormier.
Jones is scheduled to be available to fight come July 9th, following his 1-year suspension for speculated steroid use, but after a year long layoff, and the almost 2 and 1/2 year madness where he has only fought once, he may not want to jump right back into the Octagon with DC. If Jon Jones is not ready come July, and wants a tuneup fight first, Daniel Cormier will defend his belt again Jimi Manuwa, likely at UFC 213 in early July. Manuwa and DC have been trading blows on twitter all week, and there is no question that DC wants to fight Manuwa, and maybe would even rather fight him first compared to Jones, but we will have to wait on Jones decision and word from Dana White before we know officially. This long and never ending saga of Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier may finally be coming to an end, and I pray that we get to see Jon Jones' hand raised come July and that belt rightfully wrapped around his waist once again. By MukWhen UFC and MMA veteran Tim Kennedy announced his retirement from the sport in January, many people believed that his life journey would head back to the world where he feels so comfortable - war.
Today, Tim Kennedy officially announced (although he said he last week on instagram what his plans were) that he would be reenlisting in the U.S. Army. He said today on Fox that the decision was based off the change in military leadership from President Obama to President Trump, and he praised Secretary of Defense General James Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster for their leadership thus far. Kennedy said that the military "got our teeth back", after seeing how the Military handled Isis last week with the largest bomb being droppped. Kennedy will deploy within the next few weeks, and although he couldn't say where, he said that he would in fact get the chance to fight terrorists, something he genuinely loves to do. He has publicly welcomed Isis to come to his home in the U.S. and has been more than openly critical of the Terrorist Organization, and truthfully, they should be worried. He has said numerous times that the thing he was put on Earth to do is to fight in war, and I couldn't be more proud to call myself an American when I see people like Tim Kennedy. Tim Kennedy joined the Army in January of 2004, and by 2007 he was a member of the Special Forces Group. He deployed overseas multiple times, and served almost every role possible, before transitioning from active duty to the Texas Army National Guard in 2009 to serve in the position of Special Forces Weapons Sergeant. By MukWell after last night's absolutely dominant performance over Wilson Reis, Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson has certified himself as the greatest champion in MMA history. Flawless performance after flawless performance, we have not seen Mighty Mouse be truly tested in the Flyweight division, no matter the direction the fight goes, standing, clinch, on the ground or in decision, it's all Mighty Mouse all the time.
By submitting Wilson Reis via arm-bar, Mighty Mouse once again proved to the world that no matter your strength, he can and will beat you any way. Reis is considered one of the most dominant grapplers in the 125-pound division, and Mighty Mouse showed how little that matters when it comes to fighting him. In his post-fight press conference, Mighty Mouse said that he is the greatest champion ever, and it's very hard to argue against that. "St Pierre, Anderson Silva -- they were great champions. But I'm the best champion to ever stand in this Octagon." And even Dana White said it's real hard to disagree with that. “He’s already the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, and he strives to be better each time, and he gets better each time, literally destroying people,” White said. “Yeah, this kid could be considered the G.O.A.T. right now, or to give Anderson Silva the true respect, you wait until he actually breaks the record. It’s hard to not call this guy the greatest of all time.” Mighty Mouse was uncharacteristically outspoken after the fight, but for good reason. He said he needs to make a Million $ in his next fight, and there's no way you can dispute that. He is the greatest fighter on the UFC's roster and although he's fighting at a lower weight class and against opponents who can't even touch him, he still deserves the payday. “I’m a great company guy,” he said. “I don’t bash (the UFC). I don’t bash my opponents. Never missed weight. Never done any drugs. Not at home beating my wife, crashing my car, do(ing) cocaine and all that stuff. Come home, drink beer, play video games — that’s all I do. And change diapers.” Mighty Mouse can and will beat anyone, anywhere, and with the title defense record right within his reach, I'm very excited to see just how things go. He's truly the Pound-For-Pound King and should be treated as such. By MukWith a win on Saturday night, the UFC's Pound-For-Pound King can tie Anderson Silva's record of 10 title defenses. Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson will face off Saturday against Wilson Reis, and look to defend his Flyweight Belt for a 10th time. Johnson has held the 125-pound strap for the entirety of the divisions existence, and has not lost since he fought Dominick Cruz for the 135-pound belt in 2011.
Mighty Mouse is hands down the best P4P fighter on earth right now, especially with Jon Jones being suspended and not around over the last two years, Johnson has certified himself as the P4P King. He is truly the most well-rounded fighter I have ever seen compete in the UFC, with the ability to finish opponents with strikes or in the clinch, along with incredible wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills he can submit opponents with ease, not to mention that he is no stranger to fighting in the 4th and 5th rounds, so beating him in a decision is virtually impossible as well. He has never been finished, by strikes or submission, and at this point, it seems that beating him in decision is almost harder than finishing him. Since the UFC created the Flyweight Division in 2012, there has been only one Champion, Demetrious Johnson. He has defended his belt 9 straight times, winning in every way possible, and with another win on Saturday he would tie Anderson Silva's All-Time record of 10 straight title defenses. Mighty Mouse says however, that tying the record, "is only the beginning". So far, we have not seen anyone who can dethrone the great Mighty Mouse, and I doubt Wilson Reis will be the one come Saturday. I fully expect the P4P King's reign to continue this weekend, and his sights will then be set on grabbing that spot at the top of the All-Time defense record. After he breaks Silva's record, and maybe adds a few wins to bolster that record, he does have intentions of moving up to the Bantamweight division and challenging Cody Garbrandt, or whoever is the champ at the time. I'm real excited for Mighty Mouse this Saturday, because you won't find a more respectful and humble champion, and he backs down from no challenges. By MukJust four months after his final fight and retirement, Urijah Faber, "The California Kid", will soon be inducted into the UFC's Hall of Fame. Faber was announced as the first member of the 2017 class on Saturday Night, and there is said to be three more inductees who will be announced in the coming weeks, as the members will all be officially inducted in July ahead of UFC 213.
Although he was never able to capture the elusive UFC Championship, Faber is one of the most important fighters in all of MMA history, and one of the true pioneers of the sport. Because of Faber, the lighter weight classes became some of the most popular in all of the world of MMA, and he is basically the sole reason that the UFC brought the WEC into their organization. Faber finished his career with a record of 34-10, fighting from 2003 to 2017, and collecting Bantamweight and Featherweight Championships in the WEC and King Of The Cage (KOTC), all while facing some of the greatest competition the lighter weight classes had to offer. In 2004 he founded Team Alpha Male, which has produced some of the best fighters in all of the lower weight classes in the UFC. TAM members, current and former, include current champ Cody Garbrandt, former champ TJ Dillashaw, stars like Chad Mendes and Joseph Benavidez, and rising stars like Paige VanZant and Cynthia Calvillo. Hats off to Urijah Faber for an incredible career, and I'm happy he will be rightfully honored and enshrined forever in the UFC's Hall of Fame, one of the greatest, and classiest fighters of all-time. By MukSaturday's UFC 210 was slightly disappointing in content, but had no shortage of drama, during and after the fights. The Buffalo card, that was headlined by DC vs. Rumble 2, created a ton of headlines and storylines, and I'll get into the biggest ones.
First, the two opening fights of the main card, Will Brooks vs. Charles Oliveira and Patrick Cote vs. Thiago Alves, were truly very solid fights. Oliveira defeated Brooks by submission, and has moved into 4th all-time in the UFC for submission victories. The win over Brooks sets Oliveira up in good shape to try and throw his name into the top Lightweights in the UFC. Thiago Alves defeated Patrick Cote via unanimous decision and he looked awesome in doing so. It was the best I've seen Alves in a long time, and it looks like his return to Welterweight from Lightweight was a great choice. Patrick Cote, in somewhat of a shocking move, announced his retirement from the sport after his loss last night, leaving his gloves in the Octagon and telling Joe Rogan that after almost 20 years of fighting, it is time for him to move on. Salute to Cote on an awesome career in the UFC and in MMA in general, and best of luck in his next venture. Next up we had the battle between two of the Strawweight's rising stars, Cynthia Calvillo and Pearl Gonzalez, (the fight that almost didn't happen because of Gonzalez's breast implants). Calvillo weathered the early striking flurries of Gonzalez, and used her excellent ground game to grind away at Gonzalez, and finally lock in a choke in the 3rd round. Cynthia Calvillo has proven herself to be a star in her first two UFC fights, earning two wins in just a 35-day span, and looking ready for a big-name fight next. She has however only been a pro for 9 months, but so far, she looks to be the real deal, but the UFC may want to slow her down a little bit and avoid another Paige VanZant situation, where she's exposed for being not quite ready, but we shall see. The Co-main between Gegard Mousasi and Chris Weidman was a bizarre one. The fight was ended in the second round and Mousasi was named the winner via TKO, but it wasn't so simple. The fight was stopped after Mousasi landed a pair of knees to Chris Weidman's face, because the referee thought the second knee that Mousasi landed occurred while Weidman had two hands on the mat, which means that he is a downed opponent and those knees would be deemed illegal. However, upon review, it was clear to us all that Weidman's hand was off the mat, and the knee was legal, but instead of the fight continuing, Weidman was ruled the loser via TKO. He was visibly upset and has already filed an appeal and has asked repeatedly for a rematch, but Dana White and Gegard Mousasi both seem uninterested, as both felt the fight was near over regardless, because those knees did leave Weidman dazed and very confused. A rematch would suck for Mousasi who is trying to push for a title shot, but this Middleweight division is moving in slow-motion so I don't know what the next move truly is for these guys. One thing is for sure and that is that Weidman has fallen off the map, big time. Finally, our main event, the long-awaited rematch between Daniel Cormier and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson for the Light Heavyweight Championship. This fight, in short, sucked. Rumble immediately went off of his gameplan, and rather than standing and trading and keeping the tempo on his terms, he attempted to WRESTLE DC. Yes, that's right, Rumble, attempted to wrestle Daniel Cormier, that is not a typo. I lost my mind when I was watching the fight, completely unaware of what Rumble was doing. Late in the first round, when the two were standing and striking, Rumble landed a beautiful headkick that for sure broke DC's nose, yet, he came out in the second round and instead of going right at the injury, he strayed right back into the wrestling nonsense that he was going for, and before we knew it, he was dropped to the mat and choked out once again. What came next was even more shocking than his performance. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, the most dangerous man in the history of the UFC, retried from the sport. I was heartbroken when I heard him say it, because there has truly never been a more exciting and entertaining fighter in the UFC, a man who could take anyone's head off with a uppercut or head kick, putting fear in every opponent. The sport lost a true warrior and monster, and I will continue to hope for his return one day. Thank you for the memories and highlights that will last forever, and good luck to you Rumble. DC had his own drama after the fight, which was expected, with Jon Jones and Jimmie Manuwa both in attendance. Manuwa has stated recently he feels he deserves the next title shot, and while it may be possible, if Jon Jones' return comes around the same time the fight with Jimmie Manuwa would be scheduled, then Manuwa will take a back seat. Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier is the most highly anticipated rematch that I have ever waited for, not because of the content the fight will produce, but so Jon Jones can shut DC up once and for all, and he can take his crown back once again. We will have to wait and see how things play out between now and July, but lets hope we get DC vs. Jones ASAP. 4/8/2017 Kelvin Gastelum Pulled From His June UFC 212 Fight With Anderson Silva, What's Silva's Move?Read NowBy MukYesterday Kelvin Gastelum was flagged by the USADA for violations stemming from a positive drug test for marijuana. The test came from his in-competition test from March 11th when he defeated Vitor Belfort, which will be expected to be overturned to a No-Contest. Gastelum was scheduled to fight Anderson Silva at UFC 212, after he called for Silva in his post-fight interview, and "The Spider" accepted. However, now with Gastelum out for UFC 212, what's the move for Silva?
Last night Yoel Romero, the man everyone in the Middleweight division feels is the one who rightfully deserves the title shot, called for an Interim Title shot between himself and Anderson Silva, knowing that Michael Bisping vs. GSP may be delayed. I like this fight a lot because I think Silva has a good shot at beating Romero, his striking might be enough to propel him to a decision or even TKO victory. Romero's power and wrestling would certainly cause some trouble for the Spider, and it's possible that leads Romero to a victory. Either way, both guys winning this fight and becoming Middleweight Interim Champ would be huge, because Yoel Romero truly deserves a title shot, so if he loses, it's on him, or if he wins that next shot is all his. If Anderson Silva wins, we may get to see him rematch Bisping and avenge that loss and rightfully regain his long-held belt, or we will get to see the fight people called for every year for years, Anderson Silva vs. GSP, with the coveted Middleweight Belt on the line - yeah, I'm in. |
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AuthorDjack- Chief editor Archives
February 2018
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