(pictured Keith Jardine and Matt Hamill via MMAWeekly.com)
A total of $100,000 was handed out to four fighters from Saturday’s “The Ultimate Fighter 11″ Finale event. Earning $25K each were Matt Hamill, Keith Jardine, Chris Leben, and Court McGee for their work in the octagon.
The event, which took place at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, reportedly drew a total of 1,708 fans for a live gate total of $430,250.
All of the winners took part on the Spike TV televised portion of the event, with Matt Hamill and Keith Jardine earning the “Fight of the Night” award. While “Knockout of the Night” went to Chris Leben and the “Submission of the Night” went to “TUF 11″ tournament winner Court McGee.
Hamill and Jardine fought a three round battle that left both men bloody, but the saw the “Dean of Mean” take the most punishment due to several cuts. One in the middle of his forehead left the octagon mat as well as both fighters covered in blood. For that, both men received the “Fight of the Night” award.
Leben earned his second career UFC “Knockout of the Night” award after defeating Aaron Simpson late in the second round by TKO (punches). “The Crippler” looked very good against Simpson and showed the strength of his chin after taking several strong punches. After stopping a takedown, Leben opened up with some punches, catching Simpson and sending him stumbling across the octagon trying to escape. The referee was then forced to step in and stop the fight.
In the main event, Court McGee caught opposing Team Ortiz/Franklin fighter Kris McCray in the second round with a rear-naked-choke, after controlling the fight on the ground. For submitting McCray, as well as earning the only submission victory of the whole card, McGee was given the “Submission of the Night” award.
(pictured Court McGee and Kris McCray via MMAWeekly.com)
An emotional Court McGee dedicated his victory over fellow “The Ultimate Fighter” 11 finalist Kris McCray “to anyone who’s struggling,” in reference to his past issues with drug abuse, and to his coach Chuck Liddell, as part of his victory speech in the main event of Saturday’s “TUF 11″ Finale.
The Utah based fighter used takedowns to earn the nod in the first round, using his ground-and-pound and striking effectively. The second was similar, except McGee utilized his take downs to attempt a couple of submissions.
After taking McCray down with a double leg takedown near the cage, McGee was able to take his opponents back to sink in a rear-naked-choke, forcing the Team Oritz/Franklin fighter to tap at 3:41.
McGee had quite the journey to get to this point.
He went to a third round in the opening elimination bout against Seth Baczynski and was picked twelfth overall by Chuck Liddell. He lost to Nick Ring in the sixth prelim fight of the “TUF 11″ series in a close fight that had UFC president Dana White calling for a third round.
McGee stepped in for Rich Attonito in the quarter-finals after Attonito broke his hand. The Utah fighter defeated James Hammortree via submission in the second to move on to face fellow teammate Brad Tavares. Both men went to a third round in their semi-final bout which McGee ended with a rear-naked-choke submission.
McGee was presented with the “TUF” trophy and the six-figure contract by Dana White and was also awarded with the “Submission of the Night” bonus.
Talk about fighting through the pain: A broken arm was never going to be the reason Rich Franklin didn’t get his hand raised at the end of the night at UFC 115.
Whose performance stood out the most at UFC 115? Is it time for Tyson Griffin to dip down to 145 pounds? What WEC 49 bout has you more pumped than the others? Should Keith Jardine receive his pink-slip this weekend if he loses a fourth straight fight in the UFC?
Keyboard warrrrriors….come out to plaaaay-yay!
If you’re reading these lines you’ve made it through another work-week and are back in the friendly digital confines of “Grappling with Issues”, our site’s resident Friday feature highlighting insight and opinion from Adam Tool and myself on six subjects plucked from the Mixed Martial Arts landscape. However, just because we staffers get the fancy set-up, please don’t feel precluded from dishing out your own thoughts on each matter in the comments section at the bottom of the column…
True/False – Tyson Griffin needs to seriously consider dropping to featherweight.
Adam Tool: False. I find it kind of funny that people are talking about how small Tyson Griffin looks and how he needs to drop down, when he actually looks a bit bigger than current lightweight champion Frank Edgar (although both fighters are 5‘6“). Griffin and Edgar are on the shorter end of the lightweight spectrum, but they’ve each proven that they are more than capable of handling a number of other fighters at 155 lbs. Manny Gamburyan had two tough losses in the UFC before he decided to drop down, so let’s at least give Griffin the benefit of the doubt and see how he does in his next fight before declaring him too small for the lightweight division.
Besides, at this point what does Griffin stand to gain by moving down? He’d likely be accepting a paycut by going to WEC, and he would undoubtedly be fighting with far less exposure in the featherweight division. It’s much easier for a light heavyweight fighter to make the move to middleweight, since they know they’ll still be fighting in the UFC. For a lightweight fighter the move down in weight also means a move down in organizations, and I fail to see how that could be truly beneficial in this case. Griffin holds wins over a number of respected lightweight fighters, he’s well-known amongst the fan base, and he’s been one half of five different “Fight of the Night” match-ups. The loss to Evan Dunham certainly sets him back, but it’s much too soon to think that he can’t hang in the UFC anymore.
Brendhan Conlan: If Griffin’s motivation as a Mixed Martial Artist is to solidify his legacy in the sport as a great champion and pinnacle of his division he absolutely needs to give the move some thought; if his motivation is purely based on fame and fortune then he should sit tight in the UFC. I happen to believe he leans towards the former, as most fighters do, and as such I’ll be answering this topic as “True”.
Tool is right when he says Griffin has proven he can hang at lightweight. After all, the Xtreme Couture OG is 7-3 in the UFC. He’s also gone to the judges in eight of those ten bouts with his only finishes coming against David Lee nearly four years ago and a portlier-than-normal version of Hermes Franca at UFC 103 last September. Fighting smart is one thing; not being able to submit/TKO mid-tier competition is another.
What does Griffin stand to gain from a drop to 145 pounds? For one, a chance at being the best in the world at featherweight when such a goal is almost certainly unobtainable at 155. If Tyson can out-work larger opponents then imagine how he might perform against competition similar, even smaller, in size. For another, an opportunity to headline cards and be featured in marquee match-ups. WEC has already dipped their toes in the PPV market once with plans to do so again in the near future and it seems inevitable the promotion will end up on Spike TV at some point too. Griffin vs. Faber II, Griffin vs. Aldo, Griffin vs. Brown, etc. – the list goes on and on in terms of who he could be paired against, as WEC features the world’s deepest featherweight division. Yes, he would sacrifice some money and exposure in the short term, but there are still plenty of both to be had in UFC’s sister promotion. Also, let’s not forget there has been talk about the UFC absorbing the WEC featherweights, so if that ever happens then the finance/fame stuff becomes a moot point.
Long story short, if Griffin stays at lightweight he’ll win more than he loses but I don’t think it’s likely he’ll ever be champion. You can make comparisons to Edgar if you want but there are lots of people out there who think BJ Penn deserved to retain his belt (enough to where Frank’s first defense will come against the former champ). The title-shot was also a very fortunate opportunity for Edgar and lightning won’t necessarily strike twice with Griffin as the recipient. If he wants to really take a crack at making a significant impact in MMA he HAS to consider featherweight. After all, he’s shown he’s familiar with coming out on the favorable end of “decisions”. This is just one more he needs to deal with.
UFC 115 featured two more incidents where fans got “hands on” with fighters during an entrance. Is that aspect of “fighter safety” something the UFC needs to address or a situation not worth paying attention to?
Tool: While the stealing of hats may not be worthy of Zuffa’s attention, it’s just a short step to fans getting too close to the fighters and potentially doing something far more damaging. Arena security is supposed to be taking care of this sort of thing, but as we saw on Saturday the guys walking with the fighters to the cage aren’t necessarily doing their job. Stronger security measures are needed before something truly bad happens, and this may be a case where Zuffa needs to step in and do something about it themselves.
Conlan: In the words of Diego Sanchez, “Yes, yes, yes!!!” Last November I wrote a piece called “The Exit of the Entrance” based on a few similar incidents at UFC 105. Essentially, my concern is this:
We live in a culture where Average Joes and Janes will do nearly anything for fifteen minutes of fame. People have rushed the ring at WWE events, attacked on-field coaches in MLB, and streaked on countless fields across the world. If the audience at a UFC show is in close enough proximity to take an item of clothing from the fighters’ heads then they are also able to do a multitude of things with the pathetic hope of getting a reaction or making a highlight reel on cable/sports news. Do we need to see a drink poured on an athlete’s head or punch thrown before the issue is truly examined? Do we want to see a main event ruined because one of the participants is distracted by an unnecessary occurrence? The answer is clearly “no”, so why wait for something to happen when the odds dictate its almost guaranteed?
Should Keith Jardine receive his walking papers if he drops a fourth straight bout by losing to Matt Hamill at the Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale?
Tool: I believe so. Keith Jardine is the biggest enigma in the UFC. He’s got wins over respected opponents like Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, and Brandon Vera. He’s also had his share of crushing defeats to Thiago Silva, Wanderlei Silva, and Houston Alexander. He’s more than capable of putting on exciting fights, but at this point his chin has been more exposed than Britney Spears’ private parts. The UFC’s light heavyweight division is one of the most competitive weight classes in the world, and if Jardine can’t hang with most of his opponents than he really has no place in the organization. He’s got a winnable fight on Saturday so we’ll have to wait and see what happens then, but if he ends up unconscious in the octagon again it will probably be for the last time.
Conlan: No, but a fifth straight should merit the proverbial axe swing. With the exception of Alexander his losses have come to highly-touted opponents. Even Hamill is a respected competitor as far as wrestling and power goes. “The Dean of Mean” has lost five of his last seven fights, so he’s definitely on thin ice as is and being released on the heels of a possible loss to “The Hammer” wouldn’t surprise me, but I think he deserves a step down as far as adversaries go before the company makes the decision to cut him. Win or lose, putting him against a lesser-skilled fighter would give Jardine a chance to get a little confidence back or prove he’s a liability the UFC can’t keep around.
Of all the winners at UFC 115, whose performance impressed you the most?
Conlan: Evan Dunham with Rory MacDonland a very close second. I felt confident in Dunham’s ability to beat Griffin based on size and technique but he looked more convincing doing so than I’d expected. He’s definitely shown he deserves to make a lateral, if not vertical, move where competition is concerned. That could possibly mean a date with the loser of Ken Florian vs. Gray Maynard, or more likely the winner of a fight closer to occurring like Kurt Pellegrino vs. George Sotiropolous (UFC 116) or Takanori Gomi vs. Joe Stevenson (UFC on Versus 2). At 11-0, and with three consecutive wins against tough opponents, Dunham is definitely a 155-pounder that has to be watched and is in position for a nice push within the organization.
Tool: This is a tough one, because there were so many awesome performances on the show. Rory MacDonald and Chuck Liddell certainly get the nods for “Best Showing In A Losing Effort,” but as far as the winners go I’m going to have to cheat and pick two.
First up is Martin Kampmann. Like most everyone else I picked Paulo Thiago to emerge victorious on Saturday night, but apparently I had some sort of mental blockage that made me forget just how great Kampmann can be. We all knew he would likely have the edge in a striking battle, but what really impressed me was the way Kampmann continually threatened Thiago on the ground. Most fighters, when matched up with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, would simply do everything in their power to keep the fight standing while avoiding any ground action at all. Kampmann was not only willing to go with the mat with Thiago, he was the one attempting numerous submissions to try and end the fight. At no point did it look like Thiago was going to tap (seeing as how he’s fought out of these situations far too many times), but kudos to “The Hitman” for showing what a complete mixed-martial artist he is.
Secondly, I’d like to give some much-deserved props to Rich Franklin. In the days following UFC 115 there’s been so much focus on the end of Liddell’s career, with hardly anyone talking about what a dramatic victory this was for “Ace.” While some people will discount the win seeing as it’s coming at the end of Liddell’s career, it’s fair to say that Franklin was facing the best version of the “Iceman” that we’ve seen in years. Franklin took Liddell’s best shots and kept on coming. He broke his arm early in the fight yet powered through the injury and pulled off the win. On top of that he proved the doubters wrong that said he didn’t have KO power, and his $85,000 bonus check was the perfect icing on the cake.
Now that the season is coming to a close, rank the latest edition of The Ultimate Fighter on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being the highest).
Conlan: “6″, which is actually a full point below where I ranked TUF 11 in a previous GWI written a few weeks after the season started. A handful of episodes featured exciting in-ring action but for the most part there was little to get worked up about. Any momentum the season had after the opening round of qualifying fights was sucked dry by the remaining episodes’ one-sided decisions, disqualifications, injury-based substitutes, and Jamie Yager’s refusal to answer the bell and come out of his corner in a quarter-final match-up with Josh Bryant. Hell, both finalists lost earlier in the season. The personal rivalry between team-heads Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell flared up once or twice but remained tame for the most part and Ortiz’s eventual replacement as coach on the show came so late in the season it was somewhat anti-climactic. Overall, it was a vanilla season which was supposed to culminate in a fight nobody wanted to see and instead resulted in Liddell getting knocked out, and likely retired, by Rich Franklin. It’s not to say there weren’t a few positives as well, but definitely not enough to deserve a rating any higher than being slightly above average.
Tool: I’ll go with a “7,” as this was a relatively entertaining season overall. Jamie “Fro Cop” Yager was a constant annoyance, but otherwise the stuff at the house was just fine. Obviously the drama makes for more entertaining television, but I for one am glad that we didn’t get inundated with the kind of in-house shenanigans that have characterized past seasons. In terms of the fights we saw plenty of quality match-ups. The number of fighter injuries is proof that the various cast members left everything in the cage each time (unlike a certain rotund “TUF” champ that did the minimal amount of effort to win). The competitiveness of the tournament goes a long way towards making a quality season, and I’m genuinely interested in seeing who wins the various cast member match-ups on Saturday.
The only real knock I can give this season is the coaches. Chuck Liddell is a legend in the sport and one of the greatest light heavyweight fighters of all time. What he is not though, is a good on-camera performer. Chuck looked mildly uncomfortable in nearly every second he was talking on screen, and most of that time was spent pacing back and forth in small steps. Tito Ortiz was clearly much more comfortable on-camera, but that’s because he spent a good portion of the time talking about his favorite subject: Tito Ortiz. Their rivalry was hardly interesting due to two separate factors; we knew Chuck would almost certainly be winning their third fight, and we knew that fight wasn’t going to be happening anyways.
Which fight are you looking forward to the most at WEC 49 this weekend?
Conlan: There are a few solid match-ups on the card but without a doubt I’m looking forward to Josh Grispi vs. L.C. Davis more than the others. Their combined record is 29-3 with Grispi emerging victorious the last nine times he’s stepped in a ring and Davis winning seven of his last eight fights. Both have above-average striking and grappling skills as indicated by the almost 50/50 split between submissions/TKOs in terms of their finishing performances. Grispi, as a matter of fact, has rendered his opponents unable to compete in twelve of his thirteen wins including seven straight. Both are also 3-0 in WEC. Though I think the card’s main event (Jamie Varner vs. Kamal Shalorus) will be highly entertaining, as should Chris Horodecki vs. Ed Ratcliff, I think Grispi vs. Davis should be more competitive than both and involve more than one highlight-worthy moment.
Tool: I’m going with the slightly easy answer and taking the headliner as my pick. Varner vs. Shalorus may not be a fight worthy of the main event status its been given, but it will most likely be a solid contender for “Fight of the Night.” Varner got out-classed by Ben Henderson, but that doesn’t take away the fact that the former lightweight champion is still a serious threat in the WEC. He’s beaten everyone else he’s faced since coming over from the UFC and with his name value he’s likely just a win or two away from another shot at the belt. Meanwhile you’ve got Shalorus taking on the toughest opponent of his brief career, and a definitive victory on Sunday could shoot him right to the top of the list of 155 lbs. contenders. Looking past what’s at stake in this fight, stylistically these two match up real well. Shalorus has a wrestling background but has clearly favored the stand-up in both of his WEC fights, and we all know that Varner will go toe-to-toe with anybody.
In closing I’d just like to remind everyone that while the WEC 49 card may not be all that impressive on paper, it’s oftentimes the weakest looking cards that end up entertaining us the most. We were reminded of that fact again this past Saturday, so do yourself a favor and don’t miss another (potentially) great event this weekend.
When Team Liddell fighter Court McGee and Team
Ortiz/Team Franklin fighter Kris McCray meet to
determine "The Next Ultimate Fighter," they'll do so in a main-event
contest.
UFC officials today announced that McGee and McCray have been selected
as the featured contest for Saturday's The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale event in
Las Vegas, marking just the third time in 11 seasons of the Spike
TV-broadcast series that finalists have been featured in the finale's
main event.
The live finale of "The Ultimate Fighter 11" takes place June 19 at The
Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The main card airs on
Spike TV.
Welcome back to another edition of “MMA Link Club” where FiveOuncesofPain.com gets a little help from our friends to bring all of the latest ramblings from the MMA landscape to your front door. Enjoy…
Exclusive: Karo Parisyan Talks About Overcoming His Demons, His Meeting With Scott Coker and Asks For Another Chance (CagePotato.com)
A Phenom on One Good Leg, Now Josh Grispi’s Healthy. WEC, Beware (MMAFighting.com)
Rich Franklin toughs it out as a doctor cuts his glove away from his left broken arm. “Ace” suffered the broken appendage in his main event bout with Chuck Liddell at UFC 115, after blocking a kick from the “Iceman” in the first round.
Nobody does quitting like professional athletes. First there’s a stretch of wildly inconsistent performances, followed by an official retirement in a spectacle of touching ceremonies, heartfelt speeches and highlight-reels. Then they sniff out a bigger contract, come back the following year and do it again. Even when the career finally ends, there is still the rounds of cheating accusations—from steroids, to corked bats, to illegal handwraps—that block the road to the record books. Whatever the circumstances, a career in physical competition almost never ends on a high note.
However, most star athletes are remembered warmly by fans. All the awful statistics and scandalous headlines (usually collected during the last few years) are forgotten in favour of an identified “prime”. Furthermore, slipping talent is more subtle in team sports because the overall success of a franchise is more important than a specific player; that allows for a more gradual realization that the best days are past—though it will still come painfully late.
However, in fighting, entire storied careers can be buried underneath a couple humiliating defeats—Michael Bisping will never live down that knockout by Dan Henderson. Furthermore, faltering performances are not obscured throughout a long season amidst teammates. Rather, the reduced speed, sloppy timing and softening chin are clearly displayed through full HD widescreen and slow-motion replays.
Fighter’s careers rarely wind down with dignity; instead they are viciously beaten out of contention by young-up-and-comers. Former stars like Jens Pulver, Ken Shamrock and Kevin Randleman are struggling to stay relevant while being brutalized by the next generation. Some fighters even opt for a huge drop in competition in order to rack up some wins. Such as former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (26-6 MMA), who has been proving his legendary status by facing such challenges as Ray Mercer (0-0 MMA, with one exhibition loss to Kimbo Slice) and Marius Pudzianowski (2-0 MMA).
The UFC 115 main event featured two fighters who are passionately ignoring signs that it is time to gracefully retire. Chuck Liddell and Rich Franklin had great title reigns but are simply being outclassed in the autumn of their careers. Neither man has a chance of regaining the championship. And as the losses pile up, not only is their physical health at risk, but so is their legacy as fighters.
MMA has grown dramatically over the last five years. One the best results of that growth has been a tremendous increase in overall talent throughout the sport. As a result, being a champion means much more now than it did during the prime of Franklin and Liddell. Therefore, when former champs get destroyed by the next wave of talent, it begs the question of whether that prime was helped along by a lack of real competition.
Take the present UFC light-heavyweight class as an example: there are seven active former champions (Rich Franklin, Lyoto Machida, Quinton Jackson, Rashad Evans, Randy Couture, Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz ) competing to get a shot at the newly crowned Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Compare that to the division during Liddell’s reign, where he and Randy Couture were the only real forces, as most of the current big names were still emerging or fighting in Pride FC.
Truthfully, the fizzling of former MMA stars probably has more to do with age and physical deterioration than truly being outclassed. But because it’s impossible to say exactly what would have happened if things had been different in their prime, they’ll never be able to shake the notion of being champ before the divisions were truly stacked. And the longer they spend getting knocked around by new blood, the more fuel it gives to such doubts.
It is hard to say exactly why athletes refuse to retire. Part of the problem may be pure ego, but mental conditioning may also deserve blame. Competing at the highest level means pushing through injuries, rough training camps, struggles with confidence and personal tragedy—see Vitor Belfort fighting Randy Couture while his sister was being held by kidnappers. After years of telling yourself that quitting is not an option, it’s pretty hard to bow out. That’s the nature of MMA though; success requires being tough, stubborn and a little crazy. And those traits do not usually lead to dignified endings.
UFC President Dana White has guaranteed that Chuck Liddell will never again fight in the octagon following his first-round knockout loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 115. White, speaking with MMAFighting.com after the event, insisted his long time friend would now hang up the gloves for good.
“I thought Chuck looked great right up until it ended but I guarantee you that tonight was the last time” said White.
Despite dominating the majority of the bout with some vintage striking, Liddell was caught by a crisp Franklin lead hook late in the first round. The 40-year old former champion’s weakened chin abandoned him again as he suffered his third straight knockout defeat. Once widely regarded as the world’s best light heavyweight, he’s now dropped five of his last six fights.
Liddell is yet to make a formal announcement regarding his future.
Following a vicious first-round knockout of MMA legend Chuck Liddell at this past weekend's UFC 115 event, headliner Rich Franklin today joins MMAjunkie.com Radio to discuss the victory and his future at light heavyweight.
UFC welterweight contender Martin Kampmann also joins the show to discuss his equally impressive win over Paulo Thiago.
MMAjunkie.com Radio airs live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. Listen to and watch a video stream of the two-hour show at www.mmajunkie.com/radio.
(pictured Keith Jardine and Matt Hamill via MMAWeekly.com)
When Team Liddell fighter Court McGee and Team
Following a vicious first-round knockout of MMA legend Chuck Liddell at this past weekend's UFC 115 event, headliner Rich Franklin today joins MMAjunkie.com Radio to discuss the victory and his future at light heavyweight.