White hoping Chuck Liddell takes business role with De La Hoya: I asked him to retire ‘for a reason’

Few things are as impermanent as a combat sports retirement. Ask just about any fighter in their 20s how long they’ll stay in the game, and they’ll be quick to give you an answer. Many say they’ll be done by their mid-30s, some earlier than that. Just about all of them will tell you that they won’t be fighting by 40. And everybody says they’ll know when it’s time to call it quits.

Talk to those same fighters as their mid-30s actually approach and the assurances seem to drop. Suddenly everyone has a lot more that they feel they need to prove. They’re still getting better. They’ve never felt healthier in their lives.

To put it simply, fighting seems like a bit of an addiction. And breaking away from it is rarely ever clean. It’s a mindset that brings former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell’s current situation into focus.

Liddell – once one of the best mixed martial arts practitioners in the world – was the poster-boy for the UFC in the mid-2000s. But, following a string of brutal KO losses between 2007 and 2010, Dana White urged his longtime friend to step away from the sport; to hang up the gloves and take a “lifetime” executive role with the promotion’s front office.

Eight years later and Liddell’s office job is gone – a victim of the UFC’s sale to WME-IMG and corporate downsizing. The strings cut on MMA’s version of a golden parachute.

So, what’s next? Years of talk about making a possible comeback sound like they’ve turned into an actual plan. It seems the ‘Iceman’ may be signing with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy MMA Promotions to take on long time rival (and fellow retiree) Tito Ortiz. He spoke about the potential decision on a recent episode of the MMA Hour:

“You know, when we had the meeting,” Liddell explained, “I thought [De La Hoya] was talking about doing a one-off. And we got an interview with him and he was like, ‘Yeah, no, I want to start an MMA promotion.’ We haven’t had any further talks on that yet, but we will be talking.”

Those are the kind of statements that may have led White to hope that Liddell’s interest in Golden Boy MMA was purely a business venture, rather than a sporting event.

“I hope he’s coming out of retirement to be partners with (Golden Boy Promotions owner Oscar) De La Hoya and not to fight. I hope he doesn’t fight,” Dana White told the assembled media during the UFC Liverpool post-fight presser (transcript via MMA Fighting).

If that’s what White is picking up, however, that’s not what Liddell has been putting down. The former champion made it clear in his interview with Helwani that, while the prospect of being business partners with De La Hoya may come in the future, lawyers are already working on making a deal for the Ortiz bout. “I will fight again,” Liddell said, flatly, when pressed.

“I miss it. I never stopped missing it,” Liddell said. “I hadn’t really thought about it much, and when [Tito] brought it up and we started to get going – I started training, I started doing stuff again, getting ready to try to take this on – it made me go, ‘You know what? What if he pulls out? Am I not going to fight? Am I going to do all this and not fight? Oh no, we’ve got to have somebody to back it up.’ If it doesn’t work out with him, I’m going to give it a shot. It’ll be somebody else. One of the guys from my past, most likely. And we’ll see where I’m at.”

And while Liddell sounds confident that this may be the start of something more long term with Golden Boy and MMA, White is making it clear that he’s incredibly skeptical. Both in Liddell’s potential to return to the cage, and in De La Hoya’s business acumen.

“I don’t know if De La Hoya’s that smart,” White said. “He isn’t the brightest bulb on the porch. Oscar De La Arum is not that bright, but I don’t know what he’s thinking. Hopefully Chuck’s going to be his business partner and not fight. The last thing I want to do is sh-t on Chuck Liddell, because I love him, but I asked him to retire 10 years ago for a reason.”

At the time of Liddell’s interview – back on May 14th – he and White had yet to speak personally about the UFC vet’s plans to return to MMA. But, as the UFC president has continued to make his opinion on the matter known publicly, Liddell gave his own thoughts on White’s concerns.

“With all due respect, yeah. Leave it alone. Leave me alone.” Liddell finally responded, when pressed, after attempting to be more diplomatic about White’s statements. “You promised something to me for a long time and it’s gone. But it’s not even that, it’s – I want to fight. I miss everything… People always ask me, ‘This must be a lot better than fighting?’ Mmm, no, no. I still… that was my favorite thing. My wife asked me, ‘How do you like doing that?’ Everyone asked me all the time. I still miss it. I miss everything. I miss cutting weight. I miss everything that goes with it, everything. The good, the bad, I miss all of it. I miss hanging out at the gym, going, working out every day. It’s fun to me.”

While no firm date or venue has been set for the potential Liddell vs. Tito III bout, Liddell did say they’re targeting November. And that the bout would most likely go down in either Las Vegas or California, where both men spent the majority of their careers fighting and training respectively. In the meantime, both White and Liddell will likely end up talking a lot more about the idea of retirement in MMA, and their relationship both as friends and professionals.

UFC Liverpool: Thompson vs. Till – Fights to make

At the end of the day, UFC Liverpool was simply a card. It had some high points and some low points, displays of skill, and bland grinds devoid of entertainment. The main event, which most of the marquee interest was riding on, largely failed to impress. But it did stir up a fair bit of controversy, with Darren Till taking a unanimous decision in a bout many thought he lost.

But, even if he had decidedly run away with his bout against Stephen Thompson, what comes next for the Liverpudlian would be no clearer. An interim title fight on the horizon, plus a now seemingly healthy champion, and at least one other rising contender means Till’s path to a title shot is still murky at best. So, what fight should he take?

To answer this question, among others, I’m using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking style. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent against one another. If you’d like to take your own shot at some fantasy matchmaking, leave a comment below starting with “… … … … [scouse swearing] … … …” I’ll pick one response to join me for the next event.

This week’s reader is BE reader “SlowGrappler”:

Hello and thanks to Zane for picking me this week. You may have seen me lurking around and commenting from time to time. I have been into MMA since Jones-Shogun and I am a blue belt in BJJ. I have recently decided to try my hand at writing and have a website I update from time to time, but thought this would be a great opportunity to test working to a deadline and hopefully get some feedback from you all.

DARREN TILL

Slow – Another victory for Till, but unfortunately overshadowed by him missing weight and then a controversial decision detracting. Not sure he is ready for a title shot yet and I am assuming he isn’t being banished to middleweight just yet. I am going to go for the loser of the Dos Anjos/Covington fight in the hope that the loser doesn’t put in a bad performance and the assunption that the winner will be facing Woodley. A chance at redemption for Till and the loser.

Zane – Till’s current best bet is likely to wait until Woodley vs. the Covington/RDA winner gets booked for a future event. If the newly crowned interim champ gets hurt, he could easily be first in line to get the next shot. Same goes for Woodley, if the champ’s injury return hits a snag, suddenly Till could be fighting for the interim belt. If however, it looks like everything is going to go ahead as planned, then at some point, Till will likely need to fight again to be the top contender. All that waiting around could put him on track for Kamaru Usman, provided his hands heal up quickly. If they don’t? Then Till vs. the RDA/Covington loser may be his only shot. First choice is Till waits and gets Usman. Otherwise everything’s up in the air. If the UFC ends up pushing him to middleweight, a fight against Kelvin Gastelum would be great.

STEPHEN THOMPSON

Slow – Tricky spot for Thompson. A controversial loss won’t lose him too much ground, but not exactly the road to the title he would hope. I am going with the theory that he needs to kill time and keep active until someone dethrones Woodley, so give him Kamara Usman. I am interested in seeing him against a wrestler again and it provides both with a chance to shine.

Zane – I don’t want to say this is good for Thompson, obviously he wants to get back to title contention, but losing to Till lines him up for some more action friendly potential fights in the future. Fights that might let him show off a bit more. He could take on Robbie Lawler, or Santiago Ponzinibbio? Maybe even Demian Maia or the winner of Edwards vs. Cerrone. I don’t like matching up injured fighters, especially not ones as badly injured as Lawler sounded like he was after the RDA bout, but Lawler vs. Thompson would be the fight to make if Thompson is willing to wait around. If he’s not, then book him against the Cerrone/Edwards winner for what should be a quality action bout.

NEIL MAGNY

Slow – Simple one for me, just re-book the Gunnar Nelson fight. This was an impressive performance, but not against someone who shows Magny’s true worth.

Zane – Magny had to win this fight the way he did to keep himself in any kind of standing in a rapidly changing welterweight division. With Covington, Usman, and Till all charging up the ranks, Magny has become a notably stagnant veteran contender. He called out Usman, and that would be a fine, sensible fight – even if I think Magny likely loses it. But Usman’s likely on track for bigger things. That means Magny either waits for an injured Ponzinibbio to return, or, in the immediate future goes winner/loser against Jorge Masvidal. I’ll say book the Masvidal fight, but only because it can happen sooner.

ARNOLD ALLEN

Slow – Allen made a nice comeback after being dominated, but it makes me think he needs to be developed slowly. So, I am going to go for Chas Skelly. Skelly is coming off a loss, but seems like it would be a good fight and give an idea of where they both are.

Zane – Another late win for Arnold Allen and he’s suddenly 4-0 in the UFC. That gives him a pretty strong head of steam. Fights against Gabriel Benitez and Enrique Barzola both make sense, as does a potential fight with Shane Burgos. Benitez is probably the best fight of all these. He’s not likely to out-wrestle or out-grapple Allen, but he may be the sharper, more powerful striker, and if Allen can’t get him down, that could make the fight becomes a dangerous range battle. Arnold Allen vs. Gabriel Benitez is my fight to book.

MAKWAN AMIRKHANI

Slow – Probably shouldn’t have been such a close decision, and Knight falls into the trap again of trying to play too much off of his back. There’s a small step up, with someone who has just had a fight, so they should be looking to get back in the cage at the same time, in Enrique Barzola.

Zane – Amirkhani called out Cub Swanson and… he’s not getting that fight. ‘Mr. Finland’ has put together a decent UFC record so far, but after at least a year off and with a couple recent grinding wins, his momentum as a potential top contender has ground to a halt. He’s coming off a loss, but I love the idea of pairing Amirkhani up with Kyle Bochniak. Bochniak’s game has made massive leaps each time out. And his tireless aggression would be a major challenge for a fighter in Amirkhani, who still looks like he gasses himself out inside three rounds. Amirkhani vs. Bochniak would be guaranteed entertainment. Book it.

TOM BREESE

Slow – Nice debut by Breese in the middleweight division, and it should help with some of his confidence issues he is reported to have. I like the idea of giving him another crafty veteran fight, and was toying with Dolloway or Boetsch, but I think Boetsch would be more fun, so lets go with that!

Zane – Middleweight is in a bit of a weird place. A division top heavy with long time veteran talent, that seems like it’s largely failed to bring along many new challengers. For a fighter like Breese, riding a hot streak, that tends to mean he either takes a big step up against a name veteran like Cezar Ferreira or Thiago Santos. Or he takes a step back against a raw prospect like Trevin Giles or Eryk Anders. But, there is one name lurking right around the middle of the division. Someone who can test Breese everywhere, and is coming off a remarkable recent victory. Jack Hermansson. The ‘Joker has rebounded from a couple poor showings in the Octagon to prove himself as an action talent to watch, and if he’s not too badly injured after his last fight, he’d line up perfectly for a bout with Breese right now. Hermansson vs. Breese is a must-book fight.

ELIAS THEODOROU

Slow – Clinch-y grind-fest for Elias and looking at the division I was a bit unsure of where to place him. Could go lower in the division to find an opponent, but I am going to go up and say a rematch with Thiago Santos for a solid main card fight.

Zane – It may not have been pretty, it may not have been smart, but Elias Theodorou took the fight right into Trevor Smith’s wheelhouse and won it there. He volunteered for a grinding clinch battle, and while it often turned against him, he out-hustled Smith out of the gate for a solid win. That moves him to an impressive 7-2 in the Octagon and means it’s time for another quality matchup. David Branch is out there, un-booked, even if he may want something bigger than the ‘Spartan.’ Otherwise Theodorou called out Machida, and that’s the smartest move he can make. However, I just don’t see Machida wanting the bout. So, Theodorou vs. Branch it is, unless Lyoto decides he wants someone lower profile than Michael Bisping.

OTHER BOUTS: White vs. Rainey, Burnell vs. Kennedy, Knight vs. S. Moraes, Silva vs. Luque, Taleb vs. Cummings, Stewart vs. Perez, Spicely vs. Bochnovic, Kelly vs. Leites, Lansberg vs. Correia/Aldana winner, Mazany vs. Moras, Pedersoli vs. Neal, Scott vs. Hyun Gyu, Robertson vs. Mueller, McCann vs. Cachoeira, Smith vs. Sobotta

UFC Liverpool: Thompson vs. Till 6th Round post-fight show

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Khabib Nurmagomedov warns Conor McGregor that he’ll ‘have to play like a grown up man’ now

Can Khabib Nurmagomedov really goad Conor McGregor into fighting him for the lightweight title? That appears to be the Dagestani’s hope.

Nurmagomedov recently defeated Al Iaquinta at UFC 223 to claim ownership of McGregor’s freshly stripped championship belt. The fight was Nurmagomedov’s first main event opportunity in the UFC. And while he used it to his best advantage, the story of the day largely still revolved around McGregor.

The Irishman made headlines across the US and UK when he showed up during fight week for the event, spurred apparently by a desire to wreak revenge on Khabib and his team for threatening longtime McGregor friend and training partner Artem Lobov. A dolly was thrown, a window was broken, multiple people were injured.

And while McGregor and Nurmagomedov didn’t get the chance to throw down during the fracas, the ‘Eagle’ took to Instagram recently to warn McGregor that the next time they meet, it will be on much more personal terms.

“When you see him, tell him:” Khabib wrote on the social media platform. “Conor the game has changed, now you have to play like a grown up man, there will no longer be locked buses with security inside and outside, now you have to solve these problems alone, and if you do not want it, just say so, everybody will understand.”

Khabib reiterated his ‘anywhere, anytime’ invitation to the fight with a “#sendmelocation.”

At the moment, McGregor’s next battle is with the New York courts. He’s due to appear before the judge on June 14th to face the fallout for his actions back in April. After that, there have been signs that the McGregor camp is interested in challenging Nurmagomedov. But, as with all big fights in the UFC these days, until both men step in the Octagon, nothing is certain.

The MMA Vivisection – UFC Liverpool: Thompson vs. Till picks, odds, & analysis

The UFC returns with a Liverpool Fight Night card that, once again, has one big feature fight and a bunch of ‘stuff.’ That’s not to say the result will be boring. After all, last week’s Santiago card was pretty good right up until the end, but if Stephen Thompson and Darren Till have a five round staring contest, then it doesn’t seem likely that anything else on the under card will carry the show.

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UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till starts at 10:30 am Eastern/7:30 am Pacific on Fight Pass, before continuing on to FS1 this Sunday, May 27th. Here’ s a look at the card as it stands now.

FS1 MAIN CARD
Stephen Thompson vs. Darren Till – 1:12:56
Neil Magny vs. Craig White – 1:06:34
Arnold Allen vs. Mads Burnell – 58:27
Jason Knight vs. Makwan Amirkhani – 48:32
Claudio Silva vs. Nordine Taleb – 42:25
Eric Spicely vs. Darren Stewart – 36:51

FS1 PRELIMS
Daniel Kelly vs. Tom Breese – 27:15
Bradley Scott vs. Carlo Pedersoli Jr. – 17:42
Gina Mazany vs. Lina Lansberg – 12:22
Gillian Robertson vs. Molly McCann – 7:29

FIGHT PASS PRELIMS
Elias Theodorou vs. Trevor Smith – 2:50

UFC Liverpool loses Grant vs. Bermudez due to staph infection

Davey Grant’s UFC career has been snakebit from day one. Runner up on Season 18 of the Ultimate Fighter, back in 2013, Grant has only competed twice in the Octagon during the five years since.

A torn meniscus one day out from UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa cancelled a planned bout against Roland Delorme, and a whole string of injuries followed. Grant finally returned in 2016 with two bouts, but in a submission loss to Damian Stasiak, the Polish bantamweight claimed he heard Grant’s arm crack twice. Grant hasn’t fought since.

Now it appears the comeback bid for SBG Mainline fighter out of Bishop Auckland, England, has been delayed again. MMA Fighting confirmed a report by MMANytt that Grant has been removed from this weekend’s UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till card in Liverpool, England. The cause? A recently diagnosed staph infection.

Grant posted a statement about the fight cancellation on Instagram.

“I am devastated to announce that due to an infection in my arm, the UFC doctors have decided that I am not able to fight at UFC Liverpool,” Grant wrote on the social media platform. “To everybody that has supported me throughout this fight camp and up to this fight – especially my coaching team, management, sponsors and family – THANK YOU.

“To Manny Bermudez, I am so sorry. I am gutted beyond words that we didn’t get the chance to fight. I have every respect for you, and wish you the very best. I hope we can meet again soon.

“To UFC, I promise to get past this and back into action – ready to go as soon as possible.”

As such, it appears the May 27th UFC Liverpool event will go forward with only eleven bouts. A previously scheduled prelim fight between Claudio Silva and Nordine Taleb has been moved to the main card. No word yet on whether Grant vs. Bermudez will be re-booked or whether or not either man will receive any portion of their fight purse due to the late cancellation.

UFC Chile: Maia vs. Usman – Fights to make

UFC Chile was almost one of those ‘sneaky good’ cards the promotion likes to crow about whenever fans fail to get excited for a perceived lack of name value. Then that main event happened, and having the only big fight on top of an otherwise totally un-prestigious event just be bad is a terrible impression. Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of fighters with places to go. Especially fresh talent who had something to prove.

What’s next for Tatiana Suarez? Where does Dominick Reyes go? What about Poliana Botelho? To answer all these questions, and more, I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby method of fight booking. That means matching winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent against one another. If you’d like to take your own shot at making a few potential fights, leave a comment below starting out, “ He does a good job blocking those shots with the frontal lobe. It hurt.” I’ll pick one winner from the responses to join me next time.

This week’s winner is BE reader ‘CuzKevo870’:

Good Afternoon fellow Bloody Elbow members and readers. I’m CuzKevo870, and will be joining Zane in this weeks fights to make. I’m a General Contractor and Builder by trade, enjoy turning wrenches on all things auto and motorcycle related, and have the same insatiable desire to see great fights and matchups as everyone else does. I believe that BossLogic should be responsible for the UFC Fight Poster design and publication, and also believe in kicks and knees to a grounded opponent. Also, all penalties should be a point deduction…ya got your warning in the backroom before ya made the walk.

If you’d like…give me a follow on my newly created twitter (@cuzkevo)…you will see fun building projects, and I’d enjoy offering advice for those pesky “honey-do” projects we are all tasked with…and if it wasn’t for Mr. Zane & my wife…I wouldn’t have a Twitter page. So, I would appreciate all the new followers. Now, let’s get to the brass tacks of the situation…we have some fights to create.

KAMARU USMAN

Kevo – While this appeared to be a typical Usman fight with an excuse following a win, I will not be taking it quite so easy on him for his next fight. We’ve seen “30% Usman”, and “Two-Broken-Hands Usman”. I feel he did a great job defending the takedown from an aging Maia, however, I felt his arch-nemesis (Covington) did better against Maia. Therefore, for his next fight, I want to see him fight someone who will (allegedly) bring the fight to him. I say let’s see him against the loser of Colby/RDA. It’s a big step-up in competition, and will show us right where he is in his progression as a fighter. Second option: The loser of Till/WonderBoy.

Zane – Most likely the first thing Usman does after this fight is spend a bunch of time on the sidelines nursing injuries. If he really did break both hands (and I don’t particularly doubt it) then he’s gonna need a while to heal up. That could mean that, when he gets back, Santiago Ponzinibbio will still be right there waiting for him. After all, Ponz has got his own hand injury to worry about. But, more likely, RDA & Covington will fight for the interim belt, and the winner will take on Woodley for the title. And in the meantime, the winner of Thompson vs. Till will have nothing to do. Especially if that winner is Stephen Thompson (if Woodely keeps his belt). Seems like the right place to slot in Kamaru Usman. If Usman can come away from that fight with a win, maybe people will forget about this last one. Kamaru Usman vs. the Wonderboy/Till winner.

DEMIAN MAIA

Kevo – I felt Maia did a fair job in the stand-up against Usman, however, he just couldn’t seem to get him down to implement his super-natural ability of being a backpack. I was also hoping before the restart in the first round, we would see the first ever “Standing Twister” submission. If anyone could pull that craziness off…it’s Maia. He’s dropped his last three fights to guys with a wrestling base. With his new contract and 3 loss streak; I feel he can still be a force/gatekeeper. He hasn’t taken a lot of damage. Let’s see if he can get his voo-doo ability back against Santiago Ponzinibbio who was originally scheduled against Kamaru Usman.

Zane – Part of me just says, after these last three fights I can’t really get excited about another Demian Maia bout. But that’s not really fair. He could easily still compete with a lot of the welterweight old guard (and honestly I might still pick him over anyone ranked below him). That being the case, two fights spring to mind, Dong Hyun Kim and Robbie Lawler. The DHK fight makes sense if Maia doesn’t want to wait around too long – assuming ‘Stun Gun’ is actually ready to go. But the Lawler fight would obviously be a much bigger deal. Lawler can have decent takedown defense, when he’s really in his element, but it’s inconsistent at best. But he also has the striking to really hurt Maia if Maia can’t get it to the mat. Should make for a more interesting dynamic than these last few. And if Maia really wants to play it safe, I guess there’s always Yushin Okami. Sill, Maia vs. Lawler has to be the top pick.

TATIANA SUAREZ

Kevo – I was quite impressed with her performance last night. However, let’s not move her along too fast. She showed great skills of getting the fight to the mat, and finishing with a vicious rear-naked choke against a game (but timid) Alexa Grasso. Michelle Waterson would be a reasonable step up in competition, I believe. Let’s hook ‘em up and see what happens. Book it: Suarez vs. Waterson.

Zane – There’s a very good chance the UFC rushes her after this win. After all, it should put Suarez in the top 10, so who’s to say she won’t be fighting Karolina Kowalkiewicz next. In the world where she gets to keep things moving a little more slowly and realistically, however, there are a couple decent options. Suarez could wait for the winner of Markos vs. Ansaroff, and keep in the churn of mid-level action fights, or she could take on fellow prospect Cynthia Calvillo. I feel like Calvillo is the more interesting fight here. The Team Alpha Male product has already hit a minor speed bump, so she’s got something to prove. And her blend of wrestling and high level scrambling could make a fantastic next test for Suarez’s smothering style. Win that fight, and bouts against women in the top 5 start to seem not just realistic, but winnable. Tatiana Suarez vs. Cynthia Calvillo should be next.

DOMINICK REYES

Kevo – This fella just flat out murked Jared Cannonier with a quickness…not to mention a beautiful hook. His clinch work reminded me of another fighter who doesn’t have a lot of time to mess around in the clinch, Mr. Volkan Ozdemir. Volkan got smashed by DC, and I’m assuming that he will do work against Shogun Rua. Reyes is the new hype-train at 205 according to the latest news reports of the morning. Therefore, Volkan has a date with Shogun in the near future, and could stand a couple wins before being back in title contention. Let’s pencil it in for Reyes vs. Volkan, and see who has the time or has run out of time to move up the charts.

Zane – He called out Jordan Johnson, and I don’t have any real problem with the fight. Johnson’s a great wrestler, who tends to favor a back foot heavy, busy striking style. It’d likely give Reyes a lot of opportunities to land with power, while carrying the danger of getting taken down and worked over with it. If the UFC doesn’t want to go unbeaten prospect vs. unbeaten prospect, however, a bout with Marcos Rogerio de Lima would be a surefire war. And a fight with Devin Clark might be a decent test of Reyes’ wrestling game as well. I’m going to say book the Rogerio de Lima fight, because no matter who wins that it’ll be guaranteed fun, the same can’t be said with the others.

ANDREA LEE

Kevo – I saw a few things that almost disturbed me in this fight. “KGB” was a very hyped prospect coming in to the UFC, and while she didn’t disappoint…she appeared to have some octagon jitters. She met a very formidable opponent for her debut fight, and I felt she passed the test with a solid “B-“. I didn’t find it to be the dominating performance I was expecting. Let’s see how she stands up against some of the women from the recent TUF 26 season. Lauren Murphy and Sijara Eubanks are set to fight soon, KGB to face the winner of that would be fun. KGB vs. the Murphy/Eubanks winner.

Zane – Lee picked up the win she was supposed to get, and more or less how she was supposed to get it. She’s not just a decent kickboxer, but simply a better trained, more well rounded fighter than someone like Macedo. So why not pit her well rounded striking kickboxing style against some power muay thai and face her off against Justine Kish. Kish was on the wrong end of a really bad split decision loss to Ji Yeon Kim, and could use the chance to bounce back from her two fight losing skid. Otherwise, while it seems like Kish is a way more seasoned vet, she actually has fewer pro fights in her eight years than Lee has in her four. And she’s only a year older. Give Lee the chance at a more established vet, give Kish a chance to prove she can be an action talent at this level. Andrea Lee vs. Justine Kish.

VICENTE LUQUE

Kevo – This was not a fun, nor pretty fight to watch. I do feel that Luque was the better fighter on the evening, and that he has a tendency to fight to his opponent’s level. I don’t think he had a very will dance partner last night. However, he did catch a clean win, and I ain’t mad about it. Let’s give him a chance to show off his improved striking against a fella that is more than willing to exchange with him. I think a fun fight would be against the “Stun-Gun.” It’s been a year since his last fight, so let’s ease him back into things. This fight will tell us what we need to know about both Luque and “Stun-Gun”. Book it: Stun-Gun vs. Luque.

Zane – Another KO win for Luque has him well back on track since his 2017 loss to Leon Edwards. With an overall record of 6-2 in the stunningly deep welterweight division, however, that may not mean he’s on the verge of a big fight. If the UFC just wants to book him based on record, fellow Brazilian Warlley Alves is right there, coming off his own solid victory. And there’s always the highly impressive Elizeu Zaleski. Tony Martin and Ryan LaFlare would make tough fights as well. Lots of options before Luque can likely start looking at ranked opposition. Of all those, I think a fight with Warlley alves is honestly the most interesting. Both men have developed a lot in their time with the UFC. Both have exciting, dangerous grappling games, and some powerful, dynamic striking. See who’s come further, who’s tougher, who’s closer to being elite right now. Warlley Alves vs. Vicente Luque is the fight.

MICHEL PRAZERES

Kevo – This was a close and ugly fight…like most Prazeres fights tend to be. However, the man has amassed a pleasant winning streak. Cummings was tentative, and it got ugly fast. I’m not the least bit mad at the split-decision. I think there’s a Viking that could use a fight after getting impregnated by “30% Usman”. I realize the rankings may be off, and it’s a winner vs. loser match. Let’s see what happens if we make the fight between Emil Meek & Prazeres. It should be a fun fight to watch, and either continue one’s streak or get a Viking back in the win column.

Zane – If Prazeres stays at welterweight then a bout against fellow former lightweight Drew Dober wouldn’t be a bad idea. Dober is coming off a couple strong showings and seems to have really improved his overall game, especially his power striking. I’d also be interested in seeing Prazeres take on Yushin Okami. Another hulking former middleweight whose tendency toward grinding control based decisions would make an interesting counterpoint to Prazeres’ power style. If he’s going back to lightweight, which he suggested he would, then there aren’t many great first options. Mostly likely would be the winner of Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Alex Hernandez, or he could wait for Rustam Khabilov to return. All those options given, Prazeres against the OAM/Hernandez winner seems best, assuming Prazeres can make 155 again.

ALEXANDRE PANTOJA

Kevo – This is what happens when you see the #16 seed vs. the #1 seed from the same TUF season. I hated seeing this fight go this way. Moreno has been a favorite of mine since the first fight of that show. However, he was just straight outclassed here by Pantoja. It was a great fight, Moreno was more than happy to be a punching bag for Pantoja, and it allowed us to see his (Pantoja’s) development. Therefore, a step-up in competition is in order for Mr. Pantoja… Pantoja vs. John Moraga.

Zane – Brandon Moreno never stopped trying, but Alexandre Pantoja got his number in the first couple minutes and then dialed it non-stop for the rest of the fight. A performance the suggests the ‘Cannibal’ could be a fighter to really watch out for long term in the flyweight division. Unfortunately for him, the flyweight division ahead of him is pretty booked up. Still, given Pantoja’s already lengthy career, there’s no reason to have him treading water against guys like Ryan Benoit. So, why not pit him against Ben Nguyen, even off Nguyen’s recent loss to Jussier Formiga. It’d be a good way to keep Pantoja moving up the rankings, and the dynamics of it seem like they’d make for an all-action thriller. Pantoja vs. Nguyen is a great fight. Book it.

POLIANA BOTELHO

Kevo – How about those liver kicks?!?! I sure wasn’t expecting that kinda excitement so early in the card. Too bad that didn’t carry over to the Usman/Maia fight. I fell asleep during the third round, and had to watch it on my DVR this morning while drinking Espresso coffee…and almost fell asleep, again. Anyways, we have what appears to be an exciting fighter on our hands here, and there’s another young lady who can’t seem to get the love from the ranking system due to a certain Flyweight, er Straweight, taking her spot. Angela Hill is always game for a throw down. I’ve never followed Botelho much at all, however, Angela Hill wants a fight and Botelho just spent less than a minute in the cage. No reason we can’t make…Angela Hill vs. Botelho.

Zane – The strawweight division is pretty booked up right now, and doesn’t have a lot of options for inexperienced prospects coming off a win. Botelho looked great in this fight, but like a lot of the other fresh talent at 125, it’d be easy to rush her in over her head. Bouts against Dern or Alexandra Albu would be decent (although I’d rather match those two against each other), and Hill would be a definite test if she wants a big step up. But I’m going to say she should take on the winner of Viviane Pereira and Xiaonan Yan. Which is another way of saying I think she should take on Viviane Pereira. Pereira looks like a good athlete with a solid grasp of MMA fundamentals, but not a lot of technical depth. Should make for a good chance for Botelho to show what she can do everywhere.

OTHER BOUTS: Grasso vs. Moroz, Cannonier vs. Fortuna, Cannetti vs. Sanders, Rivas vs. Ware, Macedo vs. Cachoeira, Laprise vs. Sobotta, Cummings vs. Garcia, Moreno vs. Reis, Kondo vs. Cooper, Benitez vs. Henry, Bandenay vs. Tucker, Barzola vs. Maynard, Davis vs. Burgos, Saenz vs. Yahya, Puelles vs. Frevoal, Silva vs. Horcher

Angela Hill: UFC rankings panel delivered ‘a big fat slap in the face’ by giving Mackenzie Dern a spot

It’s no secret that the UFC’s ranking system is kind of a mess. What was originally advertised as an unbiased method for providing divisional clarity to top contenders among a massive sea of talent, has become more of a consistent punchline – when it’s not being used as a negotiating tool by fighters and promotion alike.

With many notable media members backing away from potential participation in the rankings due to possible conflict of interest – and the UFC often removing fighter eligibility when it suits their needs at the bargaining table – the whole thing has a tendency to come off as a hodgepodge of semi-invested idealists. People who, be it out of desire, or a sense of duty, try to bring some order out of chaos. Each using their own systems and biases to create their idea of order, or maybe just ranking whoever they happen to recognize out of the names available.

It’s no surprise then, that many fighters have seen it fit just to ignore rankings altogether; leave them as the stuff of advertisements and fight promotion.

For those that choose not to do so, however, they can be a source of continuous consternation. That’s a place where Angela Hill finds herself, having been bumped from her #15 slot in the strawweight division and replaced by recently victorious newcomer Mackenzie Dern.

Well this is a big fat slap in the face. I’ve fought top competition, beat #14 and the rankings finally grace me with #15 ranking, just to get bumped by a fucking Flyweight. pic.twitter.com/ZYlP5Ogs6w

— Angela Hill (@AngieOverkill) May 17, 2018

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Dern failed to make weight for her bout against Amanda Cooper at UFC 224 – just her second fight in the Octagon – by a whopping 7 lbs. She then proceeded to club-n-sub Cooper for the quick win in round 1. That, it seems was enough to ensure she got a number next to her name, at Hill’s expense.

A former Invicta champion, Hill’s UFC runs haven’t been as dominant as her work outside the promotion. But, sporting an 8-4 record (3-4 in the UFC), it’s hard to argue against the idea that, at the very least, her level of competition has been consistently higher. ‘Overkill’ was joined by fellow 115er Felice Herrig, herself ranked at #8, in her criticisms of these latest rankings and of Dern along with them. She took the system to task in a lengthy post on Instagram.

I’m going to weigh in on the @ufc #strawweight rankings with at least 7.5lbs of factual perspective:

1- For the most part 1-5 are pretty accurate across all weight divisions, but after that the rankings are a crap shoot.

2- These days hype trains seem to be gifted rankings over actually having to fight to the top.

3- #McenzieDern misses weight by 7.5 pounds, which makes her closer to a #Flyweight than strawweight. She beats an unranked fighter and takes @angieoverkillwell earned #15 spot when her only actual win in the ufc as a #straweight was to #Ashleyyoder. McEnzie won by a very close split decision, while Angela won unanimously. So why does Angela get bumped??

4- Justine Kish isn’t even in the top 15, although she beat #14#NinaAnsaroff unanimously and #11#RandaMarkos. Justine did move up to Flyweight but so did #calderwood. So why is Calderwood even in the rankings anymore?

5- If #waterson is #7 & I’m #8 then 9, 10 & 11 are all out of order…

6- I beat #Grasso unanimous decision , I beat #casey split. Waterson beats casey split decision. Casey finishes Markos, while Grasso takes her to split. So the rankings should actually be: #7 Waterson#8 Herrig#9 Casey #10 Grasso #11 Markos Even if Dern made weigh there is no factual reasoning as to why or how she could take Angela’s spot other than a massive glitch in the matrix.

LBD out!

The UFC has claimed in the past that they were working to make their ranking system better. Perhaps something that would be less open to obvious criticism and potentially present fewer concerns over conflict of interest. But, if that project is still in the works, there haven’t been any signs of it. And until the system does change, those fighters that pay attention to UFC rankings are likely going to find themselves unhappy with what they see as often as not.

The MMA Vivisection – UFC Chile: Usman vs. Maia picks, odds, & analysis

This week’s UFC card in Santiago, Chile, looks to set off a run of events that seem promising, but offer little in the way of depth. Kamaru Usman vs. Demian Maia is an interesting Main event (just like Till/Thompson & Rivera/Moraes), but after that? Unless you love unproven prospects and mid-card filler these Fight Night cards are pretty unspectacular.

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Here’s the UFC Chile fight card as it stands right now:

FS1 MAIN CARD
Demian Maia vs. Kamaru Usman – 1:41:04
Alexa Grasso vs. Tatiana Suarez – 1:29:21
Jared Cannonier vs. Dominick Reyes – 1:19:17
Diego Rivas vs. Guido Cannetti – 1:14:25
Veronica Macedo vs. Andrea Lee – 1:04:40
Vicente Luque vs. Chad Laprise – 55:07

FS2 PRELIMS
Zak Cummings vs. Michel Prazeres – 45:36
Brandon Moreno vs. Alexandre Pantoja – 34:12
Poliana Botelho vs. Syuri Kondo – 27:56
Gabriel Benitez vs. Humberto Bandenay – 21:51

FIGHT PASS PRELIMS
Enrique Barzola vs. Brandon Davis – 15:05
Henry Briones vs. Frankie Saenz – 8:28
Claudio Puelles vs. Felipe Silva – 3:34

Graphic: Nick Diaz drains his elbow, and it’s extra gross

I’m not sure quite what it is about MMA, but this sport seems to deliver a regular supply of hard to watch videos and images. There’s the normal run-of-the-mill gaping cuts, and separated digits. Or the always gut-churning broken limbs. But the environments of MMA training seem to breed a whole other level of nauseating afflictions.

Cauliflower ears are formed and drained, staph infections run rampant, creating disturbing bumps, and eventually holes in flesh. And of course, there’s just the good old fashioned joint injuries and infections that come with years and years of twisting your arms and legs around. That’s what former UFC title contender & Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz is showing off in a recent post on social media.

Diaz posted a short video of himself, squeezing his elbow over a sink and… let’s just say that I’m pretty sure that’s not normal.

‼️Warning‼️
Elbows are not supposed to do this @nickdiaz209 pic.twitter.com/kapazNHgrg

— Dave Madden (@DaveMMAdden) May 14, 2018

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Recent reports say Diaz has been made eligible to return to UFC competition by USADA, and the drug testing program’s web site shows that he’s submitted three samples this year. Along with his brother Nate, there have been hints that both men may return to fighting sometime in 2018, but nothing too definite. In the meantime, fans will just have to settle with gems like this one to get their 209 fix.