Issue 102
June 2013
Morsels of Fighters Only musings on everything MMA
3 ROUNDS OF ACTION
ULTIMATE FIGHTER 18 WILL BE FIRST TO FEATURE MEN AND WOMEN, ROUSEY TO COACH
For the first time in eight years of The Ultimate Fighter, the UFC’s Trojan horse reality series will feature female fighters, and female coaches. Bantamweight male competitors will join the 135lb female contestants on the series, and in the TUF house – both of which are series’ firsts.
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will coach opposite either longtime foe Miesha Tate or promising Cat Zingano. UFC president Dana White announced the news on FX during the UFC 158 event in March.
FO SCORE: It’s a radical move, but it will clearly breathe even more life into the show following its documentary-style revamp for season 17. We’re all for it, and, in fact, it’s not too far off our suggestion of an all-female TUF we mentioned on our news pages 11 issues ago. The show has struggled for eyeballs in recent years, which this series will address, if not for its increased potential for drama then for the likelihood of attracting female viewers.
It’s worth noting, however, that this might not be a long-term solution to TUF registering the ratings expected of it; a shallow pool of quality female talent means the cross-gender format isn’t one that can be quickly repeated.
WEIDMAN TO CHALLENGE FOR SILVA’S 185LB UFC TITLE IN JULY
New York middleweight Chris Weidman will fight for the UFC middleweight strap of pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva at UFC 162 in Las Vegas. Set for July 6th, Independence Day weekend in the US, it will mark Silva’s first title defence in a year, following his TKO of Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 in July 2012. Injuries have meant Weidman hasn’t been seen in the Octagon since he knocked out Mark Munoz inside seven minutes, also in July of last year.
FO SCORE: Although it would have been nice to see a little more of Weidman before he challenged for the title, it’ll be intriguing to watch ‘The Spider’ tackle another wrestler – a skill-set he’s typically struggled with (Sonnen, Dan Henderson).
ST PIERRE’S TRAINING UNSUSTAINABLE, SAYS TRAINER
The intense training regime of UFC welterweight champion Georges St Pierre might force him to consider retirement soon, says ‘Rush’s longtime trainer Firas Zahabi. Speaking to Sherdog, Zahabi noted that the physical demands mean GSP’s “training camps are not sustainable forever,” and added: “Can he live this lifestyle for another four or five years? I don’t know. Because it’s not a balanced lifestyle.”
FO SCORE: This comes on the heels of rumors St Pierre plans to only fight twice more before calling it a career: bouts with Johny Hendricks and Anderson Silva. Hard work has placed St Pierre in his current position as one of the best mixed martial artists of all time, so it’s no surprise that’s taken a toll on his body. Whether it’s sooner or later, it’ll be exciting to see what a student and athlete like St Pierre can achieve before he hangs them up.
ON THE RADAR
Three red-hot prospects worth keeping an eye on...
Joshua Sampo, 9-2
Fast, athletic and powerful, Joshua Sampo is one of the few prime Western flyweight prospects not already on the UFC’s books. He’ll doubtless be on the promotion’s radar however, having most recently decisioned former WEC mainstay Antonio Banuelos and choking out tipped Bellator contender Alexis Vila in round five of a bout he was potentially losing on the scorecards to become CFA flyweight champion. His aggressive striking hasn’t earned him any stand-up stoppages, but his aggressive jiu-jitsu has handed him five. Expect the former college wrestler to be snapped up by the UFC shortly.
Marina Shafir, 3-0 (Amateur)
So, Marina Shafir is a former international-level US judoka (born in Moldova) who was then, and is now a teammate of UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Want to guess how she’s won all her three amateur bouts? Yep, armbar, first round. Shafir is worth a watch.
Jan Blachowicz, 17-3
KSW light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz might have some unwieldy stand-up but he has a tight ground game, as his last four wins discovered – all of whom UFC veterans. At 30 years of age, several injuries under his belt and no finishes in two years it might take some convincing for the world’s bigger promotions to take a chance on him – but he could pose an awkward challenge given the chance.
QUOTES
“Everybody wants to know what Georges (St Pierre) thinks, and what Georges says and wants to look like how Georges looks, and wear tight shorts like Georges, and get strong, and forget about jiu-jitsu, forget about boxing, let’s do a Superman punch like Georges. F**k mixed martial arts, f**k the martial arts aspect and the jiu-jitsu…That’s disrespectful. If you want disrespect, that’s it right there.”
Just your average Nick Diaz sound bite
“I think maybe I tempted fate a little bit by signing to meet Wanderlei (Silva) in Japan, and it was just his night. My hat’s off to him. He’s one of the greatest fighters, ever, and I’m proud to be a part of his legacy.”
Pure, grade ‘A’ gentleman-quality blood runs through Brian Stann’s veins
“To me, he’s the epitome of an English fighter: gritty, determined, hard-nosed and lacking a sun tan.”
To think Australian commentator Michael Schiavello’s appraisal of Bellator and BAMMA veteran Jimmy Wallhead nearly got lost in the press release black hole. FO to the rescue!
“Guys don’t like to quit, wrestlers or fighters. You don’t tell MMA when you want to retire. It tells you when you’re done.”
After a 14-year career, first-ever UFC heavyweight champ Mark Coleman would know
“I talked to Chris Weidman myself. Guy looks me right in the eye and says, ‘I’m telling you, I apologise that I’m going to f**k up all your superfights and I’m gonna be your next champion.’”
UFC middleweight Chris Weidman fancies his chances against champion Anderson Silva, says UFC president Dana White
STAR SIGHTING
CLAY MATTHEWS
Who? Linebacker, Green Bay Packers
Where? UFC 157, Anaheim, California.
On the scene for Ronda Rousey’s historic first-ever UFC bantamweight title defence, Super Bowl winner Matthews does his off-season training via the MMA Athletics program designed by Randy Couture and Fox’s Jay Glazer.
REWIND / FAST FORWARD
Legend reborn: linking two combatants – one past, one present
DAN HENDERSON
Likes: Shooting animals
Waited most of his career for: A UFC title shot
JOHNY HENDRICKS
Waited two years for: A UFC title shot
Likes: Shooting animals
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