Big week of MMA news, so lets get right into it.
UFC 208:
The week started out with UFC 208 in the Barclays Center in New York. The card overall was about as exciting as a convalescent home past 6 PM. Even UFC President Dana White couldn’t muster up any excitement over the event.
“Not one of our better events, I always feel like that if we come into a place, you’re going to have at least a few good fights that are going to get you up out of your seat. We didn’t have any of those.”
-(Dana White on FOX Sports 1’s post-fight show.)
But the real excitement came after the event was done. In the following days the losers of the two highest billed fights on the card, Holly Holm and Derek Brunson, both have come out and said the refs and judges got it wrong. Usually “The refs sucked” argument is somewhat of a copout, but in this instance it seems the only two disagreeing with them are the ones who beat them.
Holm has chosen to appeal the decision in hopes of possibly getting the decision reversed. Brunson on the other hand has decided aim his sights on the future.
There is no road like the high road.
George St. Pierre is Back
Everyone’s favorite Alien abductee has decided it’s time for him to step back in the octagon. St. Pierre hasn’t fought since 2013, when he stepped away and vacated his title. His return could end up being a God send for UFC president Dana White.. With Conor McGregor becoming bigger than the sport, Ronda Rousey being on the backside of her career, Jon Jones not being able to avoid the gas station viagra, and Brock Lesnar retiring, the UFC desperately needs some star power. And St Pierre can supply just that.
Dana White has mentioned a number of different fights we may potentially see St. Pierre take. One potential matchup, is the winner of the Tyron Woodley vs Stephen Thompson championship rematch. Both Woodley and Thompson have echoed the opinion that St. Pierre deserves to fight for the belt as soon as he’s ready. Another idea would be to reignite a former rivalry which could be done with either Nick Diaz or Michael Bisping. That would be my preference. It gives St. Pierre somewhat of a warm up fight before his title match, and also both Diaz and Bisping are spectacular shit talkers who I love seeing on big stages.
Brock Lesnar Retires
And when one legend decides to step back into the cage, another decides call it a career. I’m talking about former Heavyweight Champion, and descendant of Polyphemus, Brock Lesnar. The half bear half man was in the middle of serving a year long suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.
Who would’ve ever guessed a guy who looks like this may have taken a banned substance? (Photo via Miguel Discart at Wikipedia Commons)
Lesnar will leave one of the more unique legacies in UFC history. His unique physicality combined with the fact that he began his combat sports career in the WWE, always gave him somewhat of a freak show vibe. It was sort of reminiscent of watching deceased YouTube mega star Kimbo Slice fight in the UFC. It was like you were watching something that didn’t belong. One can also make the case that he is the biggest star to ever fight for the UFC. If you consider the massive audience he brings with him from the WWE, it makes a lot of sense why he received the highest UFC salary ever.
Conor McGregor GQ Article:
Saying Conor McGregor said some wild shit, is like saying the sun came up this morning. And his recent interview for GQ with Zach Baron was no different. Baron did a great job with the piece, it was a very thorough and in depth look into Conor’s life right now. But the downside of it being thorough and in depth, is that means it requires a fair bit of reading, something us millennials enjoy about as much as explosive diarrhea. But fear not young people, I’ve picked out just a few of my favorite and most absurd quotes from the piece to highlight.
“They all want to be me a little. That’s a Drake line. All them boys want to be me a little. And it’s true as fuck. I mean, I don’t blame them. If I wasn’t me, I’d want to be me, too
-Conor McGregor (In reference to a lot of the youth in Ireland beginning to idolize him.)
Conor came out of the gates hot, this was the very first answer he gave. And what an answer it was.
The second half of that sentence is just soaked in swagger and ego. Yet somehow, I don’t hate it. I almost find the absurdity of it alluring. I mean to say, “If I wasn’t me, I’d want to be me”, is not only preposterously arrogant, yet simultaneously; not that outrageous of a statement.
Think about it, why wouldn’t some young Irish lad not want to grow up to be McGregor?
- He’s a world wide mega star
- If this Mayweather fight goes down, he’s gonna be “buy a presidential election” rich.
- He’s got so much confidence, he makes Muhammad Ali look like the Cowardly Lion.
- He’s got the UFC by the balls. He’s got more power than any UFC fighter has ever had.
He’s got the life every young boy dreams of having. He’s posting pictures of himself on Instagram with the trifecta of boyhood desires, beautiful women, fast cars, and big guns. So why wouldn’t a young Conor want to grow up to be himself?
“Maybe I’ll search for Khloé’s big fat ass—she’s been floating around Malibu. I don’t give a fuck about them. I just like to see them in the flesh.” You mean…the Kardashians? “Yeah, just see what the big fat asses on them look like.”
-Conor McGregor (In refrence to his plans for his visit to California.)
Now I can understand how some with a bit more delicate sensibilities than I, may find this quote offensive. But before we get too outraged over it, lets analyze the situation.
On one side we have a guy who gives and receives brain trauma for a living. He is also known for being outrageous and over the top. Getting mad at Conor for spouting off some crazy shit would be like getting angry at Dice Clay for saying something offensive. It’s obviously an amped up persona to sell tickets.
The other is a family who is largely famous for their asses. And thats not a knock on them. If I had an ass like any of them you could bet your ass I wouldn’t be wasting my time with all this learning bullshit. I’d be posting tiny bikini pictures all over Instagram too (Thats a disturbing image). But it’s my personal belief that if you make something that much a part of your brand like the Kardashians have done with their asses, then there’s a chance a world class cage fighter is going to talk about hunting it like he’s Captain Ahab going after a great white whale.
And last but not least:
Picture via GQ Style
The other two quotes were fun, but this one is going to be iconic. “I break peoples faces for money and bounce.” That right there sounds like a line out of an action movie. There’s no way in hell Sylvester Stallone doesn’t use that line in his next Rocky movie. I think that someday when I’m bouncing my grandkids on my knee, regaling them with tales from my youth of watching Conor McGregor in his heyday, I’ll bring this quote up.
Also it’s 100% bullshit, he is obviously a celebrity. The reason he has become so wildly popular, is because he uses his celebrity to promote fights. Even screenwriter and Hollywood expert Brooks Ribeiro said, “I consider Connor McGregor a celebrity. He is to widely known throughout the public eye not to be.” But like I said put that out of your mind. This quote is way to cool to be bogged down by such trivial details such as facts.
And his fans ate up the interview per usual.
UFC fan Sean McCoy on his favorite MMA news of the week.
Well thats all I’ve got for this week. Hopefully next week I get a couple more fighters talking about reality tv stars butts so I have something else to write about (I’m looking at you Urijah Faber and Paris Hilton).
