One of the biggest moments in recent UFC fight promotion was Jon Jones’ infamous press conference brawl with Daniel Cormier. Their dust up at a pre-fight media event caught the attention of fans everywhere, and eventually made its way into the UFC’s own promo vids. It was a big sales booster, but a moment that UFC president Dana White said he would have broken up, had it gone down on his watch. Looks like Jon Jones and Anthony Johnson were eager to give him the opportunity.
Both fighters were on hand for the UFC’s “Welcome to the Show” press conference, to promote their title fight at UFC 187. But, when they squared off for a stare down, things started to get heated… or not.
Just to confirm the good vibes all around, Anthony Johnson was on Twitter, shortly afterward, seeing if he could find a picture of Dana’s face, in the heat of battle:
We’re back for another round of the MMA Prospectus, and there’s a lot to talk about this week… just, most of it’s not on UFC 184. There are a few prospects here and there on that card, Valmir Lazaro could show something, Holly Holm should show something, and Rich Walsh may surprise a lot of people. But there was a ton to talk about from last week. The UFC event saw prospects made (Marion Reneau & Frankie Saenz) and broken (William Macario & Tiago Trator). This time around we’re also taking a look at recent BAMMA and KSW events and some of the prospects therein.
So, check it out. And if our Ooyala player isn’t working for you, you can watch the video on YouTube as well. While you’re there, give this video a “like” if you enjoyed it and remember to subscribe to MMANATIONDOTCOM.
Fans are often cautioned, when UFC salaries are reported, that the numbers put on paper may not reflect the amount that fighters are actually going to pocket. Whether it’s locker room bonuses, PPV points, or sponsorship dollars, MMA salaries are always something of a mystery, even when we have the official athletic commission numbers right in front of us. Case in point, UFC 184 and more particularly Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano. LA Times Sports Reporter Lance Pugmire Tweeted out, today, that Rousey is expected to pull in $65,000/$65,000 for her spot in the PPV main event. The big surprise is that her opponent, Cat Zingano, will be reportedly making $100,000/$100,000 to take on the champ.
California commission tells me @RondaRousey guaranteed purse is 65,000 dollars and 65,000 more with a win.
The reason for the challenger to be making so much more than the champ? PPV points. Pugmire also reported that Ronda Rousey is expected to earn over a $1 million off the UFC 184 PPV.
Told by @ufc official that @RondaRousey pay per view back end cut will allow her to surpass 1 million in earnings for this fight.
Rousey’s contract is reported to include PPV points that are paid on a tiered basis. We have been told from a source that she can expect to make around half a million dollars if the show sells 300,000 or more PPVs. In addition, sources tell Bloody Elbow that she has a side agreement with the UFC that should guarantee she makes over $1 million tomorrow night.*
UFC 184 takes place this Saturday, Feburary 28th in Los Angeles, California. The card is headlined by the women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Ronda Rousey and challenger Cat Zingano. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news, analysis, and results.
*Bloody Elbow has edited our original post after conferring with a source. The text originally read: “Rumored side deals suggest that Rousey gets between $2-3 per PPV Buy over 100,000. So, if UFC 184 pulls in 350k viewers, she’d be making about $800,000. Factor in her endorsement deals with the UFC and Reebok, and it’s not hard to see her crossing that million dollar mark.”
When Josh Thomson bowed out of UFC Fight Night Rio de Janeiro with an injury, it was almost assured that a new fighter was going to be brought in to face rising prospect Gilbert Burns. Lightweight is an incredibly talent rich division world wide. And, indeed, MMAFighting announced today that a replacement for Thomson has been named, UFC newcomer Alex Oliveira will make his debut on March 21st. There’s no word yet if the fight will remain in the co-main event slot.
Joining Oliveira in the UFC, reportedly, is another Brazilian newcomer. Jungle Fight featherweight champion Alexandre de Almeida has apparently signed a contract with Zuffa according to the website Olimpo MMA. No official announcement has been made at this time, and no debut date or opponent is known. On the more formal side of things, however Polish newcomer Izabela Badurek most certainly has a debut date and opponent. She’s been scheduled to face another debuting fighter, the long injured Alexandra Albu, at UFC Fight Night Krakow on April 11th. The UFC made the booking official via their website. So…
Who is Izabela Badurek?
The 23-year old Badurek was the only Polish fighter picked up for the UFC’s debut show in her home country. She trains out of Klub S4 Warszawa fight camp, working alongside veteran talent Robert Jocz and the rising Bartosz Fabinski. She’ll be bringing a 5-2 record with her into the Octagon, having competed exclusively in Poland. As such, all of her past opponents come from the Eastern European scene and none of them have had more than three professional fights. On record alone, Badurek is extremely untested. Outside of MMA competition, she also has brown belts in Judo and Kudo (full contact Karate) as well as a blue belt in BJJ.
What you should expect:
The most obvious parts of Badurek’s game are her strength and consistency of application in her offense. At range, she seems like she’s still working out the basics of her striking game. Her boxing is especially poor and she reaches out over her feet a lot, taking power off her strikes and leaving her open to hard counters. However, once she moves into the clinch, her powerful frame and judo skills really show up. She’s actually a pretty decent dirty boxer, and unlike a lot of women favors a trip and drag takedown game over low percentage head and arm throws. She has a postitionally solid and decently chained ground game, mostly based on maintaining top control and hunting for high percentage submissions to create transitions or end the fight. That clinch to grappling skill set makes her more dangerous than she first appears, but still leaves her very susceptible on her feet at range.
What this means for her debut:
This is really tough to know. Alexandra Albu’s UFC signing has been something of a case of hype over substance. A former bodybuilder with a background in Karate and Judo, she definitely seems to favor more of a range game than Badurek. How skilled she is at maintaining range and/or landing punches and kicks consistently? That’s anyone’s guess. Officially she’s 1-0? If Badurek can get inside and compete with her physically once she’s there, I could easily see her dragging Albu down and out-grappling her on the mat. If she can’t get the takedown, this could be an ugly battle of whether or not Albu can stay off the fence, or whether Badurek can create enough offense striking to win.
To get us better acquainted, here’s Badurek’s last bout against Zaira Dyshekova:
Who is Alex Oliveira?
“Cowboy” as he is also known, is a 26-year old Brazilian and former welterweight, who will be making his debut in the UFC at lightweight against Gilbert Burns. He trains out of Tata Fight Team, alongside Thiago Santos and Wagner Silva and has apparently spent time at ATS Team as well. He’ll be bringing a record of 10-1-1 (1 NC) with him into the UFC, with 8 wins coming by KO. He has wins over other decent rising fighters in Joilton Santos and Rogerio Karranka (which was later overturned due to illegal blows) as high points of a generally solid (if not quite exceptional) record. His only loss comes to current UFC welterweight Wendell Oliveira, by decision.
What you should expect:
Cowboy is an interesting point of reference for the development of an MMA striking skill set. He’s obviously got some Muay Thai basics, in the same way Anderson Silva has a lot of Muay Thai basics (I’m not saying he’s as good as Anderson Silva, but it’s obviously a model for his style) but he fights with a wide base, emphasizing hand movement to set up his striking angles as he comes in. One combination, in particular, that I’ve seen him set up a few times, is a looping lead right hand, to single collar tie, after which he’ll bomb his off balance opponent with a series of short left uppercuts. Really fun stuff. To back that up, he’s got a persistant, if not technically amazing double leg takedown game as well as some really brutal ground and pound, even from the guard (helped by his long arms). If he can keep from eating too many counters standing, Cowboy could do some fun things in the UFC.
What this means for his debut:
This should be a fun debut for Cowboy, and I hope he shows some good competitive ability, because I’m not seeing him beat Gilbert Burns. Burns is a legit top tier prospect, a great athlete, with lethal grappling and a really nicely developing striking game. Cowboy’s striking, at times, is insanely reckless, just winging punches with wild abandon. Cowboy also doesn’t seem to have muli-stage takedown defense. He’s got the basic sprawl and underhook game down, but against fighters willing to change angles and grips on their shot attempt, he tends to end up on his back. Agaisnt Burns that’s going to cost him, no doubt about it.
To get better acquainted, here’s Cowboy’s 2013 bout against Denilson Neves at WOCS 32:
Who is Alexandre de Almeida?
Alexandre “Capitao” as he is more often known, is a 26-year old Brazilian fighter and current Jungle Fight featherweight champion. The latest of many Jungle Fight champions, he makes his way to the UFC training out of Orion Fight Camp alongside Rayner Silva. Capitao holds a fairly impressive record on paper, standing at 16-5, the majority of which were under the Jungle Fight banner. His strongest wins come over fellow prospect Talison Soares Costa and Bruno Dias, but in general his wins are all against solid regional vets. By similar token, Capitao’s losses are pretty legit, dropping a split decision to Jacarezinho and a unanimous decision to Fabiano Soldado, both solid regional fighters. And an early loss to Renato Moicano looks especially forgivable, given moicano’s recent performances. Outside of MMA, Capitao is a black belt in BJJ.
What you should expect:
Capitao is definitely a BJJ first fighter. He will look to shoot in for singles and doubles as a way of getting in on a takedown from distance, but seems much more comfortable working trips and drags from the bodylock position. Those takedowns don’t always leave him on top when he goes to the ground, but his bottom grappling game is incredibly aggressive and he transitions between triangle and armbar attempts with wicked speed and fluidity. His high work rate doesn’t necessarily leave him well prepared for long grappling battles however, and he can end up taking some GNP as he slows down. Still, Capitao maintains his aggression really nicely, and is very quick to jump on advantageous positions. When he has the chance, he can throw some decent knees in the clinch as well, but his striking game otherwise seems pretty limited. If he can improve his cardio he could be an action grappler, otherwise he may end up in the long line of submission artists without a lot of success in the UFC.
To get us better acquainted, here’s his last win, over Rafael Gogo at Jungle Fight 62, back in 2013:
Bellator is back with another “tent pole” event. Bellator 134, also dubbed the “British Invasion” will feature a light heavyweight title defense in the main event, as champion Emanuel Newton takes on Brit Liam McGeary. In the co-main, slugger Paul Daley returns to the Bellator cage for the first time in two years, to take on Brazilian Andre Santos. Title challengers Cheick Kongo (heavyweight) and King Mo (light heavyweight) will face off in a showcase bout in the heavyweight division, and recent light heavyweight title challenger Linton Vassell returns against action fighter Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Its a night that promises a lot of fun action.
Which is why Dallas and I are breaking it all down for you, as well as a couple of bouts on the undercard, complete with picks, odds, and analysis. If for some reason you can’t watch our Ooyala version above, check it out on YouTube. While you’re there, be sure to give the video a like, and Subscribe to MMANATIONDOTCOM.
Bellator 134: Newton vs. McGeary Main Card (Spike TV at 9:00 p.m. ET) Emanuel Newton vs. Liam McGeary — for light heavyweight title Paul Daley vs. Andre Santos Cheick Kongo vs. Muhammed Lawal Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Linton Vassell Curtis Millender vs. Brennan Ward
Preliminary Card (Streaming live on Bloody Elbow at 6:45 p.m. ET) Matt Bessette vs. Josh LaBerge Randy Costa vs. Carlos Hernandez Raphael Butler vs. Josh Diekmann Jesse Juarez vs. opponent TBA Jason Butcher vs. Tamdan McCrory Bobby Flynn vs. Neiman Gracie Marvin Maldonado vs. Blair Tugman
UFC 184 goes down this weekend, on Saturday, February 28th. In the main event, women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey takes on Cat Zingano, in the 5th defense of her title. In the co-main event former boxing champion, and UFC debutee Holly Holm faces off against Raquel Pennington; a bout that seems tailor made to push Holm as a potential top contender.
Rousey was on hand at the UFC Gym in Torrence on Wednesday, to take part in open workouts for the assembled fans and media. Rousey showed off a number of her takedown to armbar transitions, as well as a lot of her ever improving boxing skills, so check out the highlights above.
Here’s a look at the full UFC 184 fight card, taking place this Saturday, in Los Angeles, California:
Proper diet, nutrition, and training are hot button issues in MMA. This is a young sport and there’s still a lot of experimenting going on, as to what makes for the perfect fight camp. Unlike more rigorously controlled (and unionized) sports, there’s not a lot of oversight as to how camps are run and what rules guys need to adhere to. As long as fighters are passing drug tests and gyms aren’t falling afoul of commissions by letting suspended fighters train (or handing out beatings that commissions want to investigate) there’s a lot of room to experiment. One of the biggest areas that MMA fighters seem to be constantly working on improving is weight cutting and weight management.
To that end, the UFC has taken on Mike Dolce to help work with some of their biggest names fighters with the most difficult weight cuts. Former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks has used Dolce off and on for several years. But not at UFC 185, as Fox Sports reports:
“We didn’t have a fallout, but I’m not using Mike for this fight,” Hendricks revealed. “Here’s the thing: I feel like I’m leaning on somebody else too much. He’s a great guy and it’s a great program, and I’m still using it in a sense because a lot of his stuff I am still using, but I wanted to take it in my own hands.
“Me and my wife, instead of worrying about somebody else doing this or doing that, why don’t we just take it over?”
So maybe he’s not quite “off the Dolce diet.” As for what his current routine looks like, Hendricks provided a few details.
“We have meal prep on Sundays after church, that’s what we do. We’ll go grocery shopping on Saturday, and after church we’ll come home, we’ll do everything, make my meals, set them up and then as the week goes on all I have to do is heat it up and eat away,” Hendricks said. … “All my coaches, they like it. Instead of worrying about the weight, we’ve been worrying about the technique or power or weight lifting, all the other aspects of the camp except my weight,” Hendricks said. “It’s been a huge weight off my shoulders.
Apparently, Hendricks’ new target is to keep himself at 193lbs and about 13% body fat. He stated that he was able to make 165 in the past, at that weight, and that he hopes that will leave him with a relatively easy cut to 170 for the future. As for whether it all works out that way. Only the UFC 185 weigh ins will tell the story.
UFC 185 takes place on March 14th in Dallas, Texas. The card will be headlined by a pair of title fights, as Anthony Pettis makes the second defense of his lightweight belt against Rafael dos Anjos, and Carla Esparza makes the first defense of her strawweight title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
It looks like another name fighter could be on their way out of Invicta, as Ariel Helwani reported on UFC Tonight that the UFC is apparently in talks with Michelle Waterson’s camp for a deal that would bring the former atomweight champion into their strawweight division. Waterson recently lost the 105 lb title to Herica Tiburcio back at Invicta FC 10, on December 5th. She’d defended the championship once successfully, after besting Jessica Penne for the belt, in a stunning upset win in 2013. While champion, Waterson quickly became one of the most notable and high profile fighters for Invicta, it’s not surprising that the UFC would come calling for her, even off a loss.
Apparently, Waterson is still under contract to Invicta, so the UFC would have to buy her out of the organization. But, considering that similar buyouts account for the bulk of their strawweight roster, it doesn’t seem unlikely that they’d be able to get a deal going for her. While she would move up in weight for the UFC, there’s no guarantee that the move would be an especially bad one for her. Jessica Penne and Seo Hee Ham are both former atomweights currently in the division and Waterson’s listed height of 5′ 4″ would put her pretty squarely in the average range for the current UFC 115lb roster.
Most of the division is pretty booked up at the moment, but Randa Markos, Angela Magana, Tina Lahdemaki, and Juliana Lima are all still without a fight (as well as several others). Who would you like to see the “Karate Hottie” face out of the gate?
Invicta FC is back again, after a little more than two months on the sidelines. The world’s largest women’s MMA promotion has returned for Invicta FC 11: Cyborg vs. Tweet. The card will air on UFC Fight Pass, on February 27th, starting at 10pm EST. As a special offer, the undercard will air free for those without a Fight Pass Subscription, both on Fight Pass and on YouTube. Taking you through all the potential action right now is me (Zane Simon) and BE moderator DEO.
Since Invicta has scaled back a bit in scope from the days when they were running stacked 14 fight cards, we’re not going to spend a lot of time on the prelims for this one. Obviously we’ll be looking at the main event, as Cristiane Justino looks to make the first defense of her featherweight title against Charmaine Tweet, and we’re definitely excited for Alexa Grasso to take on Mizuki Inoue. There are some highlights beyond that, but it’s definitely not their deepest offering.
If, for some reason, our Ooyala player isn’t working for you, you can find the video over on YouTube. While you’re there, be sure to give it a like if you enjoyed it, and remember to subscribe to MMANATIONDOTCOM for more Bloody Elbow interviews and analysis.
Jose Aldo is all set to take on Conor McGregor at UFC 189 this coming July. The two men will square off in Las Vegas for the 8th defense of Aldo’s UFC featherweight title. A win for Aldo would keep him one behind Jon Jones (assuming Jones defends his title successfully at UFC 187) and Georges St-Pierre, and two defenses behind Anderson Silva on the all time list. But those numbers and that title defense aren’t all that’s been on the champion’s mind lately, as he recently sat down with Globo’s Combate to talk about the UFC’s recent drug test failure problems and the potential PED epidemic in MMA (translation via Fernando Arbex):
“From the sports side, we tend to look at them favorably. I see no problem. If you have problems, you need a supplement and use it because a doctor prescribed it, then that is fine. Nobody stays young forever. But I think it’s wrong when you try to gain an advantage over [someone] who is clean. However, if you investigate all sports, very few are 100% healthy, training and only eating rice and beans. If you look at the Olympics, a lot of guys have said that they were doping and there was no grand campaign [against PEDs] until after they retired. For me, I see no problem with that. On one hand the sport suffers, but on the other I don’t see any issue. I never suspected any of my former opponents, I just think of me and my training and doing the best with that. If an athlete uses something or not, I don’t see any problem. I’m not going to crucify the guy if he is or isn’t doped. That changes nothing to me. The same punch that hits a clean face hits a doped one.”
Of course that doesn’t mean he isn’t thinking about the McGregor fight too, just maybe not in the same way as fans might be. From the sound of it, Aldo is looking forward to fighting McGregor, not because he’s the biggest challenge, but because he offers the biggest payday.
“I’m getting a taste for [trash talking]. We have to be provocative to sell fights, talk more, to know we’ll be more profitable. It’s important. The financial side is great for me, for the UFC, and for him. But, if you talk about rankings, I think he’s undeserving. But, the rankings serve no fucking purpose, nobody fucking respects it, so this fight is good for me because of the money.”
Simple truths. UFC 189 takes place on July 11th. The card will be headlined by the featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, with welterweight champion Robbie Lawler defending his belt for the first time, against Rory MacDonald, in the co-main event.
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