UFC 230: The Unethical Return of Jon Jones

So we still don’t have an announced headline bout for UFC 230, an event that is taking place in six-and-a-half-weeks at Madison Square Garden. What we do have, however, is rumour and conjecture, which enables me to put pieces of a puzzle I don’t possess together, to come to a conclusion that probably won’t happen. Stay with me though, because if it does play out like I think it may, blimey, it raises a hell of a lot of questions.

On September 20th Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov will be in New York to attend a press conference to promote their upcoming fight. Everybody knows, when Conor is in town, it demands attention, which means the presser is bound to have a lot of mainstream media coverage. I can’t think of an opportunity as perfect as this to announce the main event of the card taking place in the very same city in a mere 45 days.

So, who’s actually fighting in this main event? The latest gossip doing the rounds is Jon Jones will make his return in a rematch with Alexander Gustafsson. Wait. Isn’t Gustafsson injured and Jones suspended? Precisely what I thought, so I set about finding out the facts.

Gustafsson was scheduled to fight Volkan Oezdemir in early August at UFC 227, a bout he pulled out of due to a ‘minor’ injury. In the most recent interview of his, that I was able to find on YouTube, Gustafsson spoke with MMAViking.com and he confirmed he’s no longer injured and is aiming to return in October/November. Perfect, one half of our rumoured main event is available.

Jon Jones is a bit more complicated. He had a hearing with the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) in February this year. He was fined, and his fighter’s license was revoked until he completes the suspension handed to him by USADA. The problem is, USADA hasn’t publicly issued Jones with a suspension yet.

The flagged sample was taken from Jones after he weighed-in on July 28th 2017, a day before he beat Daniel Cormier to regain the Light Heavyweight Title, a result that was consequently overturned and Jones was stripped of the title. The start date of the pending suspension Jones is facing is the date of his flagged sample, so Jones has effectively already served nearly 14 months.

The question is, if the rumours of a Jones return are true, when will USADA announce the length of his suspension, how will they explain why it took so long for them to come to this conclusion, and most importantly, how did it miraculously manage to line-up so Jones is able to make his return at one of the biggest cards of the year?

The introduction of USADA, randomly testing fighters, has had a largely positive impact. However, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, ask Josh Barnett…

The main bone of contention is the lack of rhyme or reason behind the processes USADA follow. Everything seems to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. In theory, this is good as it allows for the nuances of each violation to be accounted for, enabling USADA to levy suspensions or indeed exonerate each fighter on merit.

In my humble opinion, where this approach falls down, however, is when the person in charge of developing the USADA testing program; Jeff Novitzky is employed by the UFC. This is a clear conflict of interest. It gives the UFC the ability to influence the USADA decision-making process, enabling them to affect the outcome of individual cases their fighters are involved in. So in theory, if you’re in uncle Dana’s bad books, you get the maximum penalty for a violation. If you’re a big draw at the box office, maybe they go easy with your punishment.

Obviously, I’m in no position to accuse the UFC of foul play, however, it was their decision to issue Brock Lesnar with an exemption from the requirement to be in the USADA testing pool for four months before taking a fight. This enabled Lesnar to fight on the UFC 200 card at a month’s notice, and I’m sure you remember how that played out?

The precedent USADA has set is for someone in Jones’ position to be suspended for two years. Call me cynical, but it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that the UFC could influence USADA just enough so that one of their cash cow’s suspension fell short of the date of one of the biggest UFC cards of the year?

The premise of all this is all built off the rumours of Jon Jones returning at UFC 230. This is something that hasn’t been confirmed yet. If Jones’ return is made official in the coming days, however, it cast’s serious aspersions on the relationship between USADA and the UFC.

19 Sep 2018 0

The “Face Turn” of Woodley

I’d like to begin by apologising to the MMA purists for the title of this piece, some of you guys hate it when I use pro-wrestling terminology in MMA posts. Having said that, you have to admit, it seems the tide has begun to turn on the way the MMA community perceives Tyron Woodley. The reigning welterweight champion has finally begun to get his dues from fans and the press. I’d be a liar if I sat here and told you guys I felt this change in attitude is long overdue. Hell, I myself struggled to warm to the man outside the cage, even though I have the utmost respect for his craft within it…so what’s changed I hear you ask? Let me explain.

The general consensus on Tyron Woodley since the Wonderboy rematch was; T-Wood is a boring fighter who loves to moan. I’ve always found the ‘boring fighter’ tag massively unfair. I appreciate the Maia fight wasn’t the most exhilarating and the aforementioned Wonderboy rematch didn’t live up to the excitement of the first time they fought. However, we also need to appreciate the first Woodley Vs Thompson fight did win the fight of the night bonus, as well as the fact T-Wood won the strap by ruthlessly knocking out Robbie Lawler (see what I did there? 😉)

Indeed, before he challenged for the belt, Woodley was billed as an explosive, powerful and fast fighter with monstrous KO power. So why were we so quick to tar Woodley with the ‘boring’ brush?

I genuinely believe, Woodley’s inability to connect with the fans perpetuated the narrative of him being a boring fighter. I remember listening to Woodley during press-conferences and interviews, after winning the belt, continually knit-pick and moan. If it wasn’t about being promoted incorrectly, it was the fact he wasn’t being offered the ‘big money’ fights. That’s not how I want my champions to conduct themselves!

I’m not here to pass judgement or even comment on the validity of the issues he raised around race and treatment by the UFC, that’s a whole different topic and several cans of worms. The issue I had was the way he chose to do so. Constant. A constant barrage of focusing on external influences on the core of the situation – fighting to remain the best in the world. I very rarely heard T-Wood speak positively about being the champion or about the sport itself, and that’s where the disparity between fans and champion formed.

During the build-up to the Till fight, however, we saw a different T-Wood. A Woodley with a “Fuck it” attitude. A Woodley that knew the deck was stacked against him, but he had the confidence and self-belief to overcome the odds. A Woodley that knew the UFC wanted him to lose the title but guess what, he wasn’t going to let that happen.

This attitude shone through in his media engagements. No more moaning and no more acknowledgement of his perceived mistreatment by the UFC. Just a single-minded focus on beating up a formidable opponent. We saw a man who kept his cards close to his chest and spoke in a calculated manner using words doused in self-belief forming a compelling argument about why he will remain the UFC Welterweight Champion of the World.

We all know how the fight played out, (If you don’t, why have you even read this far?) and the performance by T-Wood was fitting of the persona of the man during fight week; confident, assured, measured and dominant.

Dana White’s absence from the post-fight press conference after taking every opportunity to berate Woodley before the fight spoke volumes. It became a news story. ‘Why didn’t Dana show?’ ‘Is it because he doesn’t want to compliment Woodley?’ ‘Is it because he called Woodley boring before the fight?’ ‘Is it because he said fans don’t like him but there were strong chants of “U-S-A” in support of him during the fight?’ Fact is we don’t know why he chose to give it a miss, but uncle Dana’s absence helped with the shift in attitude towards Tyron Woodley. A sense of injustice consumed members of MMA media and they set about the journey I’ve been on during this piece; trying to understand why T-Wood was downplayed and misjudged as a champion and as a fighter.

I’m about to use a pro wrestling analogy so MMA purists, skip this paragraph. We are basically at the precipice of when Vince McMahon (Dana White) began his feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin (Tyron Woodley). Stone Cold was a bad guy who didn’t ‘turn’ good. His actions remained largely the same. It’s the fans that started to understand and get behind him. The fans chose him and cheered him, making him a “face” by proxy.

Woodley is at this precise crossroad and the best thing about it is the fact the UFC have the perfect opponent In Colby Covington to help push Woodley further into the good graces of the MMA community. it’s just so obvious. A ‘lay-up’ as our American friends like to call an easy opportunity to positively influence a situation. Queue an Instagram post next week confirming Woodley’s next title defence in February next year in a random city in the States against Kamaru Usman 😐.

14 Sep 2018 0

UFC 226: Thoughts

So yesterday, I wrote 85% of a UFC 226 preview piece. When I write a post, I tend to write the majority in one day and then come back the next day to apply the finishing touches. I find it helps to look at my work with fresh eyes and edit the piece so it’s more concise and an all-around better read.

It just so happens, the majority of my preview was about the Max Holloway Vs Brian Ortega fight. I haven’t been this excited for a fight since Tony Ferguson booked himself some one-on-one Khabib Time, and we all know what happened there…

I woke up this morning excited to finish off my preview and publish it on The Battle Camp so the world could revel in the glory that is my perspective on an amazing fight. I had even earmarked a one-hour slot in my day that I was going to use to finish my preview (this one-hour slot is also known as my lunch break). Anyway, as I was lying in bed thinking of ways I could beautifully craft the closing sentence of my preview to leave you with that excited feeling filled with anticipation and mystery in the pit of your stomach, similar to how I’ve been feeling all fight-week, I decided to take a break and look at my phone.

I opened Instagram (@TheBattleCamp365 😉) and started scrolling down my timeline. Wait. Pause. Read it again…and again. The second post I saw on my timeline was from MMAJunkie. Breaking: Max Holloway has withdrawn from #UFC226 after showing ‘concussion like symptoms’.

Well, the feeling I had in the pit of my stomach changed from excitement and anticipation to the heavy sinking feeling I got when Ferguson was unable to make his Khabib Time appointment. To add insult to injury, the preview piece I had originally written was no longer relevant.

I thought better of writing about my thoughts of Holloway’s withdrawal just yet. Of course, the priority should always be the fighter’s health. With so much at stake, I’m glad those around him made the decision to prioritise safety. Until we know more about the circumstances around Holloway’s withdrawal, all we can do is wish him a full and speedy recovery.

So here I am, feeling quite shitty about how shitty the MMA Gods are treating us, looking at my laptop trying to think of ways to write another preview piece without being unjustly pessimistic about UFC 226 because let’s face it, although my personal main event has fallen through, the card itself is still super stacked with the actual main event still intact.

Let’s not get it twisted, the term “Super Fight” is bandied about way too often these days. Just because a fighter chooses to move weight-class and challenge the champion, it doesn’t make it a “Super-Fight”. For example, I intend no offence when I say this, but if Tyron Woodley moved up to face Robert Whittikar, I’d be damn excited to see it, but I wouldn’t file it in the “Super Fight” section in the area of my mind consumed by combat sports.

So what’s the recipe for a “Super Fight”? Well, in my opinion, Stipe Micoc Vs Daniel Cormier most definitely contains the right ingredients.

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, both champions have to have dominated their respective divisions by beating all available and deserving challengers. I’ve intentionally used the word “available” as I’m perfectly aware of Cormier’s losses to Jon Jones. The fact Jon Jones is serving a suspension with no sign of a return date, for me, his name must be removed from this equation.

Secondly, there needs to be a genuine air of uncertainty about this fight. It’s all well and good for a fighter to move up a weight class to challenge for the strap, but if said fighter is an overwhelming underdog with experts and analysts then I’m sorry, it isn’t a “Super Fight”. In the case of Miocic Vs Cormier, one can argue a strong and coherent case for either fighter winning.

Finally, the fight itself needs to have an “X Factor”, a certain jena se qua. For me, this fight has it in droves. Cormier has never lost a fight at heavyweight. In fact, I can’t recall him ever losing a single round when he operated in that division. He looked formidable. Ironically, the mystery in this fight is actually in the fact we’ve already seen Cormier dominate at heavyweight. So, the question isn’t ‘Can Cormier compete?’ because we know he can. The question here is ‘Can Cormier win?’ which is a realistic outcome but it’s extremely difficult to predict because…well…because Miocic.

Miocic is a guy who I always believed is a well-rounded, solid heavyweight. When he called for a title shot after defeating Arlovski in 2016, I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t convinced. Even after he blasted through Fabricio Werdum in Brazil to win the title I thought “He got lucky with that punch he landed”. I’m happy to admit, Miocic has shut me up, proved me wrong and then shut me up again with every victory since. He’s a deserving champion who has the opportunity to cement his legacy in a…yes, you’ve guessed it, a legitimate super fight.

Prediction? I can’t. Not because I enjoy removing splinters from my bum after a satisfying session of fence-sitting, but because I genuinely can’t decide who I think has a better chance of winning. What I will say is, Cormier is a 7/4 underdog on the betting app I use so I put a cheeky bet on him to win. I think the bookies have got it wrong by placing Miocic as a 4/9 favourite. The fight is a lot closer in my opinion.

Speaking of wagers, I also placed an accumulator on the weekend’s fights.

To call this optimistic, it would be an understatement. I look at these kinds of bets as more of a lottery where we get to apply some prior knowledge and logic to predict the outcome as opposed to a total game of chance.

I always try to pick at least one underdog. On this occasion, it’s Anthony Pettis. Although he’s been a shadow of his former self over the last few years and Chiesa has a style he struggles against on paper, I feel like Chiesa is a bit predictable in his offence. He’s also been inactive for a year and I get the feeling both of these factors will be an advantage for Pettis. I believe this is Pettis’ last chance to prove himself at this level and he knows it. If he’s able to avoid the takedown and pick Chiesa off with low kicks and strikes, I think he may just have enough to cause an upset.

That’s it from me. I’m looking forward to this weekend despite the loss of the co-main event. Let’s hope it’s the only one!!

5 Jul 2018 0

The Weight Debate

I was listening to Brendan Schaub’s podcast ‘Below the Belt’ during my evening run around my local park yesterday. I use the term ‘run’ loosely. I could see an old lady walking around the same track in the distance and I never once overtook her. It was more of a light saunter. Anyway, one of the guests on the podcast was none other than dietitian, nutritionist, body transformation specialist and the Guru of how to not be a fat ba$tard, Mike Dolce. Remember him?

There was a time in MMA where you would see Dolce stood behind at least one fighter, holding a bottle full of a peculiar coloured fluid during weigh-ins, on every fight card. The fighter would strip down to their boxers / matching knickers and bra set (depending on gender), stand nervously on a weighing scale and breathe a huge sigh of relief if the numbers on the scale were within the tolerance of their chosen weight class. Dolce would then scream a few Americanised words of encouragement like “Let’s get it” or “Eeeeeeeaaasssy money”, handover the bottle full of the peculiar coloured fluid to the fighter, and then station himself in a spot with a good view of the pending stare down.

I actually recently wondered why we had seen so little of Dolce recently. Had fighters turned their back on good ol’ Mike? Well, if you’ve been doing the same, listen to the podcast because this piece isn’t about that.

What I want to discuss is the current hot topic in MMA, what I like to call ‘The Weight Debate’. On one side we have the president of the UFC, Dana White. On the other, we have what seems to be every single fighter on the UFC roster. The bone of contention? Should weigh-ins remain in the current morning slot or be moved back to the old 4pm start time?

It’s not often the consensus amongst fighters on any given issue is universal. Weigh-ins remaining in the current morning time slot happens to be one. During the podcast, Dolce defended this position passionately. He mapped out how a fighter typically negotiates weigh-in day using the two scenarios, (morning weigh-ins Vs 4pm weigh-ins). Dolce spoke in detail about the rehydration process a fighter goes through once they’ve weighed in, highlighting the health benefits of remaining in the current slot. Echoing a sentiment many fighters have shared via social media. If you like to be entertained, Al Iaquinta’s take on the “MMA Hour” is a must watch.

After Yoel Romero missed weight for his fight at UFC 225, Dana White seemed to point the finger of blame at the early weigh-in time, arguing it gives fighters less time to cut weight before stepping on the scales. There is some credence to this outlook. Since the introduction of the early weigh-ins, missing weight has become a more regular occurrence, putting scheduled fights in jeopardy.

White went on to say he had spoken to ‘many’ fighters about the situation and they all want to go back to the old protocol. Only Dana knows which fighters he actually discussed this with because we haven’t seen a single one of them publicly come out in favour of the decision.

This got me thinking, has Dana White actually discussed this with anyone? I’m not just talking fighters. I’m talking the athletic commissions. I’m talking doctors. I’m talking physicians. I’m talking the Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance for UFC, Jeff Novitzky.

Novitzky was brought onboard to oversee the implementation of a year-round drug testing policy. Something that has been largely successful in combating the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the UFC. I may not be the sharpest tool in the box, but his job title alone tells me this is a matter Novitzky should not only have a vested interest in but should be at the forefront of the decision-making process.

Unfortunately, I don’t have his phone number or email address so I did a quick google search on whether Novitzky had commented on the matter. Nope. Nothing. Being the super geek that I am, I remembered Novitzky appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast a few months ago and vaguely recalled a brief discussion they had about weigh-ins. So, obviously, I opened the Youtube app on my phone and watched the episode.

As I listened to him speak, I got the sense Novitzky takes his job seriously. He comes across as a highly intelligent individual. If I’m right, it means the absolute priority for him as the VP of Athlete Health and Performance, is to ensure fighters are as fit and healthy as possible so they can perform at their optimum. When Rogan touched on the subject of weight-cutting, I can’t say I was surprised when I saw Novitzky speak about the health benefits of fighters weighing-in earlier in the day. He too seemed to be in favour of the morning weigh-ins.

It’ll be interesting to see how all of this plays out. It’s the first time since joining the UFC Novitzky has been put in a compromising position. Will he stick to his principals and be vocal about the dangers of moving weigh-ins? Or, will he simply tow the company line to appease his boss?

Right now it seems Dana White is on a collision course with the fighters on the UFC roster. The question is, will the real Jeff Novitzky standup?

20 Jun 2018 0

Note to Bellator: Stop Making It So Hard For Me To Follow

I love MMA. I really couldn’t care less about the promotion, if it’s a good fight, I’m watching. I felt the need to start with that sentence just to help you understand when I say, I’m a fan of Bellator, I mean it. I really want the organisation to succeed. I think it’s needed for the sport to grow. It’s a great platform that gives fighters options in a saturated marketplace when it comes to the ‘big leagues’.

Let’s start with the positives. I was at Bellator 200. I took half-a-day off work so I could watch the card in its entirety. Truth be told, things didn’t quite work out as planned, my friends and I got a bit carried away at the pub so we ended up arriving during the final prelim fight.

As I entered the arena, I was impressed. I like the way Bellator configure their set (not sure if ‘set’ is the right word but it’s what I’m going with). I’m a fan of the ramp. I enjoy watching the fighters walk-out and show a bit of character.

It was a great night of fights with some high calibre martial artists on display. I left the arena a happy man. More importantly for Bellator, so did my three friends, all of whom don’t really follow MMA.

So, if everything is rosy in the garden of Bellator, why the need for me to write this? Allow me to explain.

The other day, I was at work listening to Matt Mitrione on the MMA Hour. As the interview finished I thought to myself, “Man, I love that guy’s perspective on things. That fight with Bader is going to be crazy, I wonder when it’s happening.” So I minimised the spreadsheet I was ‘working on’ and fired up a web browser and proceeded to type www.bellator.com. The page loaded up and what I found was this:

A YouTube page. I was confused. So, I then googled ‘Bellator’ in case the official website URL is different and it gave me a couple of options.

So, I clicked on both Bellator.com and Bellator.com/events, and yes, you guessed it, I was led to the YouTube page.

Now there is a good chance it’s just me being an idiot. Perhaps there is a website with all the bells and whistles and I’ve somehow managed to miss it. If this is the case, I hold my hands up. Although I have my own website, I’m not very good at internet’ing or computers as a whole for that matter. Only God knows how I ended up as a project manager in IT.

The point is, it really shouldn’t be this hard to find a website. I don’t know about you, but if I want to know more about someone or something, the first port of call is the internet and their own website.

There’s a lot being said about how Bellator air coverage of their events. Being UK based, we’re restricted to watching coverage a week after the event takes place. I always record the events but more often than not, because I know the results and have usually seen footage on social media, I never actually get around to watching it on my T.V. I understand Americans have a similar issue with events that take place outside of the States.

I can live with this. How Television networks present content seems to be outside the control of Bellator. Scott Coker comes across like a stand-up guy and when he says it’s something they’re working on, I choose to believe him.

Web presence, however, is a different matter. If I can make a website, I’m sure Bellator can. I want access to the latest news and information about fighters and events. It’s something Bellator have the opportunity to control but are choosing not to. It’s a shame.

Bellator have an impressive roster of fighters. It’s a good mix of established veterans and young, hungry up and coming talent. Bellator is selling themselves short by not showing this off!

I’m a fan, let me in!!!

14 Jun 2018 2

Confession: I’m a Colby Covington Fan

The title kind of gives what this piece is about away and I feel all the better for it. I admit it. I’m a fan.

A year ago, I don’t think I’d ever heard or seen a Covington interview. If I had, you can’t blame me for the fact I can’t recall it. I mean, it is an interview at the end of the day. However, the fact I don’t remember any of his fights before he faced ‘The Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim tells a story of its own.

As the decisions made by the judges were read out, the referee raised Covington’s hand, I remember sitting there thinking; “Here we go, what’s this idiot going to say this time?” It turns out Covington didn’t really say anything too outlandish. He demanded Dana White give him a title shot and thanked the Singapore crowd in his own unique way. The fact is though, for the first time, I actually cared about Colby Covington.

Much like the rest of the MMA Twitterverse, during the year between the fight with Kim and the lead up to the Rafael Dos Anjos fight, I despised Covington. I despised everything about him. His demeanour at press conferences, his behaviour on Twitter, his words during interviews and his posts on Instagram. To borrow a phrase from Stone Cold Steve Austin, I just couldn’t wait to see RDA ‘stomp a mudhole in his ass and walk it dry’.

And then something happened. It clicked. We live in a world where there is a UFC event around three times a month. If you add big Bellator and boxing shows to this, there’s basically something happening every weekend that grabs the attention of combat sports fans like myself. This basically means if a fighter fights say three times in a year, they have three opportunities to take the limelight.

Covington had managed to weave himself into the MMA zeitgeist to a point where he’s either talking or being talked about on a weekly basis. As UFC 225 approached, it dawned on me, Covington Vs RDA was the fight I was emotionally invested in the most.

There’s an old adage in pro-wrestling that I’ll try to convey without screwing up. As a wrestler enters the ring, he’s succeeding if the crowd are either booing or cheering. He needs to worry if they’re indifferent or without an opinion. Unfortunately, the majority of the UFC roster fall into the camp that “need to worry” in this context. Covington had managed to navigate his way from this group of fighters and into the small minority that manages to garner an emotional reaction.

One of the things that irked me about Covington was the fact it was plain to see he was playing a character. During the road to the RDA fight, I remember watching Covington in interviews and I noticed moments where Covington let his ‘heel’ persona slip. A wry smile here, or a stutter there, I could tell Covington wasn’t “keeping it real”. It annoyed me that Covington had essentially talked his way into an interim title fight and I didn’t believe he deserved it.

All that disappeared when I watched the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 225. As Covington approached the scales, he got the biggest reaction from the crowd that day, albeit a chorus of boos. What actually changed my mind about Covington was what happened next. As RDA approached the stage, he received the biggest ovation I’ve ever heard any crowd give him. RDA, who in my opinion, falls in the “needs to worry” camp had entered the realm which Covington occupies and become a “face” by proxy. Covington had actually elevated RDA’s profile just because of the sheer hate people have for him. I was impressed.

Covington eventually won the fight and I watched his post-fight interview and press conference with interest. He seemed more familiar with the character he was playing and smoother on the mic. He exuded the kind of brash confidence all good “bad guys” need and had backed it up with his performance earlier that night.

As the conversation turned to a unification bout with Woodley, Covington dismissed him as a challenger to his belt…and I got to thinking. Thinking about how excited I am to watch this fight and how much I want Woodley to win. Which is when the penny finally dropped. When Covington was calling for a title fight six months prior, I really didn’t care to see this fight happen. Now though, I’d go as far as to say it’s one of the fights I’m anticipating the most. Why? Because of Colby “Chaos” Covington.

It’s a big ask trying to make people like you. Woodley and Cormier have had their fair share of troubles in this pursuit. Covington however, went a completely different route. By playing a pantomime villain, he’s made the MMA community universally hate him. He’s made us all want to see someone beat him which means we all will be tuning into his next fight. And for that reason, I’m a fan.

12 Jun 2018 1

UFC 225 – The Aftermath

It’s a beautifully sunny Monday morning here in London. The kind of morning that makes you want to jump out of bed and do stuff. Sadly, the stuff I’m due to be doing at work today isn’t quite the kind of thing you’d want to be doing on a beautiful, sunny morning…I’m sure you know the feeling. Anyway, I’m in the office early, there’s no-one about, so I thought I’d jot down a few thoughts about UFC 225.

If someone told me every fight on a main card went to a decision, I’d probably respond with “Fuck, sounds like a boring night”. In the case of UFC 225, my assumption would be wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed the event from top to bottom.

In my opinion, the standout performance came from Curtis Blaydes. If you read my pre UFC225 blog, you’ll know I completely underestimated young ‘Razor’ Blaydes. I felt Blaydes’ stand-up skillset was way behind Overeem’s. Because of this, I thought Blaydes would struggle to get in close and secure takedowns. I assumed Blaydes’ only route to victory would be to get Overeem on his back and work off top position. Boy was I wrong. Blaydes won most of the stand-up exchanges. He was quick and tenacious whilst displaying smooth boxing skills with seamless transitions into grappling positions. Blaydes was able to take Overeem down at will and eventually secure a finish with some vicious elbows from the top.

After the fight, Blaydes took the opportunity to “shoot his shot” as he demanded a crack at the title. It’s hard to argue against him. Looking at the rankings there isn’t really anyone in pole position for a title fight. I personally think Blaydes needs one more fight. Provided both Junior Dos Santos and Francis Ngannou win their scheduled fights in the coming weeks, I believe either of them will be great options for Blaydes. JDS is a former champion and a big name. Apart from also being a big name, a fight with Ngannou comes with the added incentive of avenging a 2016 defeat. A win in the main event slot on a Fox card against either of them will raise Blaydes profile exponentially.

The other big heavyweight fight between Arlovski and Tuivasa went as expected. It was a fun fight with Tuivasa getting his hand raised. Speaking of fun, how fun is Bam Bam Tuivasa? He’s a real character outside the Octagon. The number of people I saw celebrating his victory by partaking in ‘shoeeys’ (I’m not even sure if I’ve spelt that right) on Instagram was crazy. Bam Bam is unapologetically himself and I really think UFC know they have something special here.

I don’t want to see Bam Bam pushed into a fight with a top-five contender just yet. There is nothing wrong with a slow build and I’d be all for giving Tuivasa an opponent ranked outside the top 15. If, however, this isn’t a viable option, Marcin Tybura and Stefan Struve are scheduled to fight in July. The winner of this fight would be a good test for Tuivasa.

One thing I was right about in my pre-fight blog was Colby fucking Covington. Probably the only internet troll on the face of the planet who can actually fight, he really took it to RDA. Going into the fight, I felt whoever got the better of the grappling exchanges would have the advantage, which tuned out to be the case. What surprised me a little was the pressure Covington put on RDA. Covington was able to back RDA up with a mixture of strikes and takedown attempts. He’s a well-rounded fighter who will give Tyrone Woodley something to think about when they eventually get it on.

RDA seemed to struggle with Covington’s presence – his size and ability to apply pressure at close range. It’s a style of fighting I noted RDA hadn’t faced since moving up to 170lbs and unfortunately for him, he came up short on this occasion.

This loss by no means ends RDA’s title ambitions. The welterweight division has a host of names in the top 10 that make sense for RDA next and I fully expect him to return in a meaningful fight against one of them.

The main event, Robert Whittaker Vs Yoel Romero was a cracker. As I surmised during fight week, the weight cut was indeed an issue for Romero. He managed to get down to 185.2lbs before being told he was not allowed to continue his weight cut by the commission. The noise coming from his camp suggests he was fine and able to continue, the commission just stuck their nose in where it didn’t belong, not the first time that’s happened. I do feel for Romero. To miss weight by 0.2lbs and lose the opportunity to fight for the tile seems harsh, but them be the rules.

Come fight night, both these guys put on a show. What a display of heart, grit and determination. These two are by far the best middleweights in the division and they deserve all the plaudits they received after the fight. Not only was this the fight of the night but they also delivered a candidate for the round of the year. I was a fan of the first fight between them and I think this one was better.

Both Whittaker and Romero sustained a load of injuries. Whittaker broke a hand and Romero was bruised and bloodied. I think they will both be out for a while which is fine as I can’t really see a legit challenger for the middleweight title right now.

Right, that’s your lot for now. People have started to trickle into the office so it’s time for me to put my headphones in and stare intently at my screen in what will surely be a failed attempt at avoiding conversations with colleagues about their weekend. Joy.

11 Jun 2018 0

Pre UFC 225 Thoughts

It’s Fight WEEK!!!!! And what a stacked card UFC 225 is. Majority of the prelim fights are worthy of a PPV slot and likely would have been had they been booked on a show not called UFC 225. Actually, add UFC 226 to the list too as it’s shaping up to be equally as good. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, and let’s focus on this week’s event.

I literally don’t know where to start. Usually, there are a handful of fights where I haven’t even heard of the combatants as they are young, up and coming prospects or the fighters are ranked outside the top 15 so the result is largely non-consequential for the division. This is different. I feel like this card has been booked really well. All the fights matter and the result will have a big impact on what’s next for the winners and losers.

Unfortunately, as I have a day job, I don’t really have the time to research styles of fighters and how they match-up with one another enabling me to give you meaningful predictions. So rather than breaking down the entire card, I thought I’d share my opinion on the fights that intrigue me the most.

The Old Guard

The veterans Arlovski and Overeem have been booked against younger opponents that are yet to hit their peak. A loss will provide the biggest name on the résumés of Tuivasa and Blaydes. It will also continue the trend started by Volkov’s victory over Werdum with new names and faces moving closer to the title picture pushing the older guys out. Arlovski and Overeem will want to prove worthy of their current standings by winning.

I like the fight for both Arlovski and Tuivasa. Both men prefer to strike so it’s the kind of fight where Arlovski can deploy his stand-up skills without having to worry too much about defending takedown attempts. Arlovski also provides Tuivasa with exactly the kind of step-up he needs to see how far he’s come along in his short career. Having finished all his previous opponents in the first round, I think Arlovski will test Bam Bam in ways he hasn’t been previously. I’m interested to see if the hype is real.

Overeem Vs Blaydes is a fight that has more relevance to the heavyweight title. I was a little surprised to see Blaydes is a heavy favourite with the bookies. I haven’t seen a lot of him, but from what I have seen, I can’t see him outstriking Overeem. Blaydes strength is his wrestling. The question is, will he be able to successfully negotiate The Reem’s takedown defence? I’m not so sure, which is why I’ve had a cheeky punt on Overeem winning.

One of my all-time favourites Rashad Evans is back at 205lbs. he looked horrible during his 185lb experiment so I’m glad he has chosen to come back to the division where he made his name. Let’s face it, Anthony Smith is a decent test but he’s someone that has never operated to the level we’ve seen Evans perform. I really hope Evans wins and promptly calls it a day.

CM Punk

I was a fan of CM Punk in his WWE days. I thought it was absurd when he randomly popped up in a really nice suit during a UFC event to announce he had signed to the organisation. I was disappointed with his debut fight and surprised when he was given a second chance. I suppose his fight with Mike Jackson interests me because we got to see so little of what Punk can do during his fight will Gall. I know nothing about Jackson apart from the fact he has some kickboxing and boxing experience. Conventional logic suggests Jackson should win, but I’m curious to see what (if any) improvements Punk has made.

The Title Fights

I really enjoyed the first fight between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero and I think this will be more of the same. Whittaker displayed amazing takedown defence in the first fight so I think Romero will have made adjustments to the game plan he tried to implement. A couple of things to take into account – Whittaker fought the majority of the first fight with a knee injury so you’d have to say if he’s fully fit, he should perform at a higher level than previously. Also, Romero is a big guy who cuts a lot of weight to make the 185lbs limit. He failed to make weight in his previous fight which suggests it’s not something he is able to do easily. As Romero gets older, the cutting process may be taking more out of him which may then have an impact on his cardio and strength on fight night.

The fight I’m looking forward to the most is the Welterweight Interim Title bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington. Let’s ignore the fact it makes zero sense they are fighting for an interim title. I look at this as a fight between two legitimate fighters for the number one contender spot.

Covington has been talking a load of shit over the last year or so and to be fair to him, it’s worked. Although he had a decent record, his name was nowhere near title challenger conversations before he revealed this new persona of his. I wasn’t ever too impressed with him but that changed when I saw the way he performed against Demian Maia. Like it or lump it, Covington is a legit contender.

RDA, on the other hand, has beaten some big names since his move up in weight. What’s impressed me is he’s been able to carry his strength into the heavier division whilst maintaining his speed. Having said this, I do feel the opponents he’s had at 170lbs so far suit his style well. None of them are the strongest of grapplers, something RDA relies heavily on.

I’m really interested to see if RDA can deliver a dominant performance against Covington. I see this as a genuine 50/50 fight so I’m surprised to see so many people picking RDA for the win. I feel like both men have similar styles so whoever is able to impose their will during grappling exchanges will make it a very long night for his opponent.

It should be a really exciting night of fights and I cannot wait!!

7 Jun 2018 0

Was Thompson Vs Till A Let-Down?

UFC Fight Night: Thompson v Till — LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – MAY 27: (L-R) Darren Till of England hits Stephen Thompson with a spinning back fist in their welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at ECHO Arena on May 27, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

A week removed from the homecoming of the proud scouser Darren Till, A lot’s been made of the events preceding the fight and a load of opinions shared about the bout itself.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re fully up to speed with the chain of events that took place during the weigh-ins and the resulting negotiations where parameters were set to ensure the fight went ahead. As Gennady Golovkin would say, that in itself was a ‘big drama show’.

So, Till missed weight. We all know it’s a gruelling task that comes with extremely high mental and physical demands. Fuck, I wish I could cut weight. I’m sat in my back-garden typing this with my legs perched on a plastic chair identical to the one I’m sat on. Using my lap as a table for my laptop, as I look towards the screen, I can see the rotundness of my belly in my periphery. I digress.

We were told by the athletic commission guy at the eleventh hour of the two-hour weigh-in window, Darren Till had indeed been allowed a further hour to hit the scales due to extenuating circumstances. I must admit, I was watching this unfold live on a YouTube stream and the cynic in me couldn’t help but feel…well…cynical. The hometown hero, the big draw, the main event of the card and he hadn’t weighed in yet. Then, all of a sudden, “extenuating circumstances” emerge.

Sometimes, a fighter missing weight is down to bad discipline or poor planning which doesn’t reflect well upon said athlete’s desire or will to win. Not on this occasion. It seems the circumstances in which Till was making the weight cut were indeed extenuating. Although Till and Dana White tried to keep the precise reason private, Joe Rogan let it slip during his fight companion which is why I don’t feel the need to condemn the man.

The pre-fight hoopla successfully negotiated, it was now time for the main card to kick-off, safe in the knowledge our main event was still intact. I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed by the atmosphere in the Echo Arena. Having watched many big nights of boxing take place at that venue, I suppose I was expecting a wall of noise throughout the event. I think this is largely down to a lack of hometown fighters on the card. To add to this, Molly McCann, the only other scouse fighter suffered a 2^nd round submission lost. This was a prelim fight so it may have sucked some of the energy out the place. Who knows.

As the pre-fight promo thing rolled for the main event, I remember feeling quite nervous. Fuck knows why. I wanted Till to win but deep down I wasn’t sure if he could. As his music hit and we saw the first images of him making the walk, the crowd woke up. It finally felt like I was watching a fight at the Echo Arena.

Till pulled a masterstroke by veering away from his usual entrance music and going with Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’. Till isn’t stupid. The song is played on every single one of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom boxing events as a precursor to the main event. Irrespective of the city or arena, he will have seen everyone in attendance on their feet, singing along with arms raised in the air.

This occasion was no different. The crowd was electric. You don’t see this kind of thing on an American show unless of course Conor McGregor is fighting and he’s bought half of Ireland with him. I was quite glad there was a yank on the commentary team. The fact he was so impressed with the noise made me feel proud, even though I had fuck all to do with it.

As I watched Till stood outside the cage, looking around, taking in the atmosphere, I wouldn’t say I was surprised, but I was definitely impressed by the sheer confidence and swagger of the man. It’s like he didn’t know who or just how good Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson is!

I’ve seen prominent figures in MMA express their disappointment in the fight. Going into the fight, I feel like the general consensus was it was going to be an all-out blood and guts war. I wasn’t one of the people that subscribed to this school of thought.

Till rose to prominence by walking down and dismantling an accomplished kick-boxer in Donald Cerrone. With the taking of this big-name scalp, Till displayed just how skilled he is. Thompson, on the other hand, is known for how masterful he is in being elusive and the speed in which he is able to make his opponent pay once they miss. Because of this, I honestly didn’t think Till would be naïve enough to come in with the same gameplan that worked so successfully against Cerrone when facing Thompson.

In all honesty, I thought this fight would begin with Thompson getting the better of early exchanges setting the tone for the remainder of the fight. I felt it would end with a wide decision victory for Thompson or a stoppage if he was able to frustrate Till into making a mistake that he could take advantage of. Till on the other hand would leave the Octagon with his stocks raised but areas exposed where improvement was necessary to continue to operate at the top of a stacked 170lbs division.

What we got was this intricate dance between two high-level martial artists. With each power strike that narrowly whistled past a temple or chin, we saw two men operating in a realm where the stakes were high and margins for error low. As each round progressed, my interest grew and my arse shifted closer to the edge of my seat.

All said and done, we got a fight with two of the best strikers in the organisation that only delivered one moment where it was conceivable that the fight could be stopped, so I understand why people may feel it didn’t live up to expectations. For me though, as strange as it is to say, I found my entertainment in the strikes that didn’t connect. I appreciated how both men were able to play with fire by standing in striking distance and make his opponent miss. The high-fiving and hugging however, did get a bit annoying.

As the fight drew to a close, I genuinely had no idea who had won. All I knew was I wouldn’t mind seeing it again, and with that, I suppose I find my answer to the original question, was the Thompson Vs Till fight a let-down? No, no it wasn’t.

6 Jun 2018 0

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