I haven’t seen this anywhere else, so I thought I would pass it along.
Truth be told, I have no idea what is being said in this video, but I do find it fascinating that such a large press conference was held to announce the Yoshihiro Akiyama’s arrival in the UFC last month.
Remember when Wanderlei Silva signed with the UFC? All we got was a video of him signing his contract in Dana White’s office. This seems a lot more impressive.
Cena does seem intent on calling out “The Rock” any chance he gets. Hey, John, I dig what you are doing by calling out “The Rock,” really, I do, but you gotta step things up in the trash-talking department. Look below, you could learn a thing or two from “The Hayemaker.” This whole “one insult, two compliment routine” just isn’t working.
Best news I’ve heard all week? David Haye will be facing Wladimir Klitschko on June 20.
This is the first heavyweight boxing fight that I’ve looked forward to since, oh, Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson in 2002. And if all goes well, I think this could be the fight that propels boxing back into the limelight.
That’s right, forget about Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton. Haye vs. Klitschko is a hell of a lot bigger in more ways than simply the size of the fighters involved. And apparently the boxing world agrees, because this IBF and WBO title fight will be held in Schalke’s soccer stadium, which seats more than 60,000 spectators. Amazing.
The reason I have such high hopes for this fight is simply due to David Haye’s involvement in it. He’s young, brash, exciting, good-looking, and British. Essentially, he’s the anti-Klitschko. But it takes a little more than to dethrone the methodical Klitschko. This will only be Haye’s second fight as a heavyweight (he defeated Monte Barrett in his November debut), and he will be facing arguably the best heavyweight in the world. So, it remains to be seen if he can out-muscle Klitschko.
One thing’s for certain, though: Haye can beat Klitschko in the trash-talking department. Take a look at the above video. Notice the spectacle he was able to create when he tracked Klitschko down at a press conference last year. This is exactly what boxing needs, and I am not ashamed to say that I’m desperately hoping that see Haye save the boxing world from the long nightmare that has been the Klitschko era.
After the jump, “Dr. Steelhammer” tries to talk some trash, but fails miserably.
When it comes to MMA television commentators, there is no one better than Joe Rogan. His love for the sport coupled with his vast knowledge make him number one in my books.
Case in point: MMARingReport.com asks him one question about why Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans aren’t fan favorites, and he goes on a four-minute diatribe about Machida, Evans, Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, Patrick Cote…Don’t get me wrong, his answer makes total sense, but only Rogan can discuss Machida with so much passion and enthusiasm. God bless him.
After the jump, my favorite Joe Rogan interview of all-time.
I’m going to try to post one of these “memories” every day. Let’s see if it lasts longer than three days.
The date: April 6, 1987
The place: Caesers Palace, Las Vegas, Nev.
The moment: “Sugar” Ray Leonard defeats Marvin Hagler via split decision.
A fight that is still being argued in barber shops across the country. A bitter Hagler would never fight again after claiming the judges robbed him of a victory.
This has got to be some kind of fetish video that I just don’t get. Here’s current UFC Octagon girl Edith Labelle eating on camera. That’s it. Just eating.
To be fair, I fast forwarded through most of the clip because, well, the whole eating thing just wasn’t doing it for me, but I bet some people will get a kick out if it.
Consider me unimpressed with Mickey Rourke’s appearance at Wrestlemania 25 last night. He spent months learning how to wrestle and all we get is some lame boxing routine? C’mon, couldn’t we have gotten at least one elbow drop?
Of course, the highlight of the segment was seeing Frank Shamrock sit next to Rourke. No doubt Shamrock was feeling all giddy inside throughout the angle. I mean, not only is he outlasting his brother, Ken, in MMA, but now he is slowly creeping into the world of wrestling? Somewhere Ken Shamrock has to be seething.
(By the way, is it me or did Rourke look like Mideon circa 2001 out there?)
I’m not ashamed to admit that that I fell in love with Takeya Mizugaki last night. No, not in THAT way, of course. I just loved watching him attempt to shock the MMA world by coming this close to defeating Miguel Torres. Everything from his jovial demeanor in the days leading up to the WEC bantamweight title fight against Torres, to the way he graciously accepted his defeat (even though you could tell he was hurting inside at the post-fight press conference) was admirable.
Following the loss, one of Mizgugaki’s cornermen walked right by me balling as though he had just found out that his mother passed away. I also noticed tears in Mizugaki’s eyes immediately after the judges’ scorecards were announced. When Torres first laid his belt on the table at the post-fight press conference, I noticed Mizugaki stare at it for a moment. I bet he was thinking, “Man, so close.”
It’s safe to say that the vast majority of North American MMA fans had never seen Mizugaki fight live before last night. It’s also safe to say that that same community is anxiously awaiting his next appearance in WEC. Ultimately, he deserved better, but you gotta do just a little more in the champ’s hometown to take his belt away.
I’ve often said that challengers should not receive a title shot after losing to the champion, but I would absolutely waive that rule to see Mizugaki vs. Torres II right away. Takeya Mizugaki definitely deserves another chance. I also agree with Michael David Smith of MMA Fanhouse when he writes that despite the loss, Mizugaki is now the second best 135-pound fighter in the world. Brian Bowles certainly has a tough act to follow.
Above is footage of Mizugaki vs. Masahiro Oishi from Cage Force 9 last December. This was Mizugaki’s last victory to date. Notice how he consoles his opponent after defeating him. If he isn’t the best MMA offer, I don’t know who is.
Tons of goodness at VERSUS.COM from the last few days. I would post the vids here, but for some reason you can’t post multiple Versus vids on the same page. So for now, here’s my one-on-one with WEC bantamweight fighter Brian Bowles from yesterday’s weigh-ins.
We got interviews with Torres, Mizugaki, Palaszewski, Curran, Benavidez, WEC GM Reed Harris and more. Check ’em out HERE.
A solid night of fights last night. I spewed out all my thoughts at VERSUS.com, but here’s a taste:
“* TYSON GRIFFIN (13-2) DEF. RAFAEL DOS ANJOS (11-4) VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) I have mixed emotions about this fight. On the hand, I must applaud Tyson Griffin for escaping an awkward leg compression by dos Anjos in the first round. Honestly, I didn’t think he would escape that hold. Once he did, I also didn’t think he would be able to stand on his feet for another two rounds. But he did, and even survived a second round armbar attempt by dos Anjos, as well. However, this was Griffin’s seventh fight in row that went the distance. If he wants to be considered a top lightweight contender in the UFC, he needs to start finishing fights, and this was a good place to start. dos Anjos is fresh off of getting knocked out by Jeremy Stephens at UFC 91. Stephens is nowhere near the kind of fighter that Griffin is. And I know every fight presents different opportunities, but until Griffin starts finishing his opponents, I don’t think he will be receiving a title shot. Just compare his resume to Kenny Florian’s. Not much difference, right? So, why is Florian facing BJ Penn for the lightweight title in August and not Griffin? Simply put, Ken-Flo finishes fights.”
That’s right, I wasn’t all that impressed with Griffin. I was impressed with Cole Miller and Martin Kampmann, though. Click here to read my full UFN 18 rewind.
Also, this is sort of old news at this point, but in case you are interested in hearing my appearance on yesterday’s edition of Fight Network Radio, you can do se by clicking below. I will share the audio from yesterday’s ESPN Radio 11oo post-fight show when it becomes available.
