Wanderlei Silva Banned For Life from Competing in MMA

"The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva

The Nevada State Athletic Commission just banned Wanderlei Silva from competing in MMA for life and fined him $70,000. The reason? Silva ran away from a drug test.
I wonder what is worse: running away from a test or failing a test. Here is an example for you: Chael Sonnen tested positive for three (yes, not one, but three) different banned substances and got away with a two year suspension. On the other hand Wand never got caught with anything, but was banned indifinitely...
I don't know about you, but I'm thinking the UFC benefits the most from the situation. Wanderlei is no longer the draw that he used to be. He does have an army of loyal hardcore fans, however he's unknown to the Fox newbs that now represent the new casuals. So, with his not so stellar UFC record, he is no longer "moving the needle" for the organization, and what is important to note here is that the UFC profits from the masses of casual fans, not from the minority of hardcore MMA sycos.

With his recent attack on the UFC (see the video below), Wanderlei Silva declared war to his employers and now they are more than happy to see him go away. Things couldn't have turned better for Dana White & Co. - the Commission did their dirty work for them. Let's face it - a ban in Nevada is same thing as a ban in every other state. If you get banned in Nevada, no promoter would want anything to do with you.
Wand is now done with the UFC and he can't go compete elsewhere either, so no Bellator for him.

What's next for Wanderlei Silva, folks? I'd say a new year's eve freak show fight in Japan makes sense for him.
War Wand!

Shamil Zavurov vs Yasubey Enomoto - M-1 Challenge XXV

Shamil Zavurov (left) vs Yasubey Enomoto

Let's start with the obvious - the Unanimous Decision was a robbery.
All Zavurov did in this fight was lay on top of his opponent and that was it. And this was strange to watch because Shamil is a banger and loves the top position, has vicious ground and pound and so on... But this time he did zero damage from his "dominant position" and it looked like all he was trying to do is to score points from the takedowns. He really looked like a "GSP meets Jake Shields meets John Fitch" hybrid.
Even more - Shamil Zavurov was getting caught in submission hold after submission hold with every move he tried to do on the mat.
I guess initially Zavurov genuinely wanted to try to do something on the ground but Enomoto was shutting him down completely with every new attempt and Zavurov was unable to do anything from the top.
So, at one point it became obvious that Zavurov's takedowns were not gaining him anything.
Still, he kept taking Enomoto down and laying on top of him him while getting almost subbed in slick octopus grips every 30 seconds or so.
I'm watching the fight again and I don't see how even a super-biased-red-mafia-bribed Russian judge can score this fight for Zavurov.
That's insane!!!
Enomoto was totally dominating this fight from the bottom *AND* in the standup.
Oh!
And let's talk about the referee restarting the fight after Enomoto had Zavurov in a guillotine but got tangled in the ropes. The ref restarts the fight in the center of the ring but doesn't allow Enomoto to put Zavurov back in the guillotine choke.
Enomoto starts protesting - he wants his guillotine choke hold back.
The Russian referee thinks for a second, sees that he can't handle the situation and goes like: "You know what, I guess it would be best for all of us if I just stand you up, guys". And indeed - he fucking stands them up and restarts the fight from the standup!
I was outraged. Didn't know whether to laugh or to punch my monitor.
Fucking bush league reffing there.

The good news is there will be a rematch soon. And I welcome the idea. I'm sure everybody who saw this fight would do too.

Fedor Knocks Out A Movie Stuntman

It looks like some funny shit happened at the set of  Fedor Emelianenko's first movie - "The Salamander Key".
In this video interview Fedor tells the story and I took my time to translate it for you, you MMA weirdos. Next time learn Russian just like I learned English, you punks. Transcription is below the video:

Fedor:
You know, I actually liked acting in a movie - it was interesting, but I feel that at this stage I should not be doing this because I am a sportsman and I have to compete. 

Fedor:
There was a curious and not very pleasant situation involving me and a stuntman. The scene didn't go the way we rehearsed it.

Journaist:
What happened?
Fedor (smiles):
He suffered a light knockout.

Fedor:
I wish that people started thinking a little bit more and always tried to do good things, it doesn't matter whether in a movie or in real life.

Dana White / Zuffa refuse to renew Fedor Emelianenko's contract?

Fedor Emelianenko

I was browsing the internet a second ago when I saw this fucking news. Let me start by saying that this most probably is a bullshit rumor but one that is worth analyzing.
It was posted on somebody's Facebook wall  - a link to a Russian sports web portal: http://lifesports.ru/news/54627

Basically, what the news says is that a "source" close to Fedor told the Russian news agency that the Zuffa guys have refused to renew Fedor's contract.
The source's commentary was that Fedor's price has dropped down dramatically after his latest back-to-back losses in Strikeforce. The Russian article says that Fedor was offered two options: to serve as a stepping stone to young fighters or to leave.
Hmmm.. That sounds pretty fucking phony, if you ask me.

I really don't know if this fucking news is true or not, but if it is true, let's analyze the reasons why Zuffa wouldn't want the former Pride FC heavyweight champion's contract to be continued. They may be more complex than it seems.
And before all you nutcases start ripping on Dana White & Co. for being a bunch of Fedor "haters", please be aware that Dana never takes things personally - he doesn't give a flying fuck about what a person or a manager has to say about him. Dana only cares about Zuffa's market, Zuffa's business and about the money this or that fighter can generate for Zuffa.

So, one reasonable explanation may be that Zuffa sees M1 as the new competition on the MMA market. Especially now, when M1 have a Showtime deal. So why resign and build up M1's most prominent fighter? Why not kill M1's cash cow and thus make them die off? Why not erase Fedor from history and in this way solve a whole bunch of potential problems in the future?
Sounds like a good business plan to me.

Or maybe it is that Dana made a market research and it showed that Fedor is not that big of a draw as the fans think that he is and therefore is not worth the money his management is asking?

Maybe all of sudden Dana cares about fighters' legacies and Fedor's 1:2 record in Strikeforce is the reason? Haha, not likely, I know...

We have a lot of "maybe's" going on here but whatever the real reason is, I am sure that it is not a personal thing. It is something money-related. As it has always been the case - business as usual.
Dana's dirty business.

One more time: let's not forget that this whole shit is not confirmed yet. It could be just a fucked up-rumor. And most probably it is.

So stay tuned for confirmation or disapproval of this shit.

Scot Coker Speaks Up About The Zuffa Purchace of Strikeforce + Fedor's Next Fight

A great video interview with Scott Coker by the Inside MMA guys. Don't know how to comment on this. Just watch it.

Or maybe I'll just sum it up: 

- Scott Coker believes that the Strikeforce brand will not die off and will not get engulfed by the UFC.

- The relation between Strikeforce and the Japanese MMA promotion Dream remains intact.

- Women's MMA will be kept alive in Strikeforce.

- A Strikeforce / CBS deal is possible.

- Fedor has "multiple fights" remaining in Strikeforce and his contract is with the San Jose MMA promotion, not with Showtime.

- M-1 Global had to learn about the purchase from the news.

- UFC vs Strikeforce superfights will be happening. It is a matter of time.

- Looks like Dana White is not directly involved with Strikeforce. Lorenzo Feritta is.

 

MMA is on a different level now: Jon 'Bones' Jones Takes The UFC LHW Title as Mauricio Shogun Rua Taps To Strkes + Pride FC is Officially Dead.

UFC 128 was one of the MMA events that I anticipated with great interest. And it delivered big time. Don't have the time and the will to do a thorough review of the whole card, so let's focus on the main event - Rua vs Jones.

Mauricio Shogun Rua

Wow! Talk about turning the haters into believers. I was so *NOT* sold on Jon Jones before this fight. All that pre-fight Bones hype seemed to be without coverage to me. I knew that Jones had a ton of potential with his huge reach, his unorthodox style and everything but I never even suggested that he could be that dominant against a fierce fighter and an MMA legend like Mauricio Shogun Rua.
From the very beginning to the very end of the fight this lanky 23-yers-old kid was using Shogun for his toy. He totally outgamed the Muai Thai expert in the stand-up and successfully countered every BJJ attempt as well.
It was one of those ridiculously one-sided fights where you rub your eyes in disbelief and just wonder wtf is going on.

Jon Bones Jones

Jesus fucking Christ... Shogun looked BAD during the whole fight. He was slow as fuck and so fucking out of shape! He gassed in the first and from then on the question no longer was "if" he'd get smashed by Jones but "when" exactly it would happen. It happened in the third as Shogun was fighting for his life underneath Jones, getting pummeled with huge elbows. He managed to scramble out but on his way up he received a brutal knee to the liver. A short second later, while Shogun was backign up, Jones landed a left hook to the liver and as Shogun was collapsing down in pain, a fast and furious knee to the face shattered any hopes forcing Herb Dean stop the fight while Rua was tapping out.
This shit was surreal to watch.
Shogun tapped to strikes and it was just as bad as the shit Brock lesnar pulled when Velasques smashed his head in.

With Fedor Emelianenko losing two times in a row and sporting a 1:2 record in Strikeforce, with Mirko CroCop getting his ass KO-ed on a regular basis, with Wanderlei Silva's less than impresive performances in the UFC, Mauricio Shogun Rua was the last Pride FC fighter standing.
Him losing his UFC title tonight to Jon Jones means one thing: Pride FC is officially dead.
I will have to deal with it.

Mirko Cro Cop Is Done

Mirko Filipovich CroCop

To Mirko Cro Cop: Mr. Filipovich, Sir, you are done.
Getting KO-ed by Brendan Schaub
is as bad as it can get.
It's over.
You know it, the fans know it, Dana White knows it.
I don't expect Dana to cut you any near soon - he's not a cash cow butcher but still... Just stop making an embarrassment out of yourself.
You are an inspiration to us all. Don't sell out the legend for money (you already have lots of it).

VIDEO: Charles Krazy Horse Bennett Gives Details On How He Knocked Out Wanderlei Silva in a Unregulated MMA Backstage Brawl

Krazy Horse Charles Bennet aka Kid Khaos

Krazy Horse Bennett (who now goes by Kid Khaos) is controversial at best.From his drug dealing adventures, through his stay in jail to his antics in the ring, the guy just has this stigma of controversy attached to him.
But nothing stirs up more shit than his claims that he has knocked out the all time great MMA fighter and Pride FC Middleweight champion Wadnerlei Silva in a unregulated MMA brawl in one of the locker rooms of Saitama Arena, Japan. An almost mythical story...

Pride FC Middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva

It all started back in the Pride days with Krazy Horse getting involved in an locker room brawl against Chute Boxe fighter Cristiano Marcello. Funny to see guys in a street fight who still keep it to the MMA rules of fighting. Anyway, below is a video of this backstage fight where we see Bennet getting choked out unconscious by Marcello. End of story right?

Wrong!

Bennett claims that this was not the end of the fight and that right after he got choked out, he stood up and moved on to knock out Wanerlei Silva who at that time was in the locker room observing the brawl and supporting his Chute Boxe buddy - Marcello.
That's a story that has been floating around the MMA community for quite some time but no body knew any details about this and no body had the credentials to confirm it or to discredit its validity.
Up until today when Bennet finally revealed the whole story in great detail. Well, his side of the story... We don't have to believe him but on the other hand we should not be too quick to discredit his claims. Waiting for Wanderlei's reply. It looks like he may come up with a statement in the next "The Voice vs" episode.


That's right - Krazy horse confirms that he has knocked out Silva once again and blames the Chute Boxe guys for stealing the video footage from the Japanese person who was videotaping the fight and then editing out the part with the knockout.

Krazy Horse fights Marcello backstage.

Krazy Horse tells the whole story in detail:

Fedor Emelianenko's Latest Photo After The Antonio 'Big Foot' Silva Fight

Fedor's latest photo after the Antonio Silva fight. His eye still looks bad. Some serious hemorrhage is going on behind his iris. Damn, I hope he recovers soon. We all know that the greatest MMA fighter of all time will fight the loser of Overeem vs Werdum next. Wait, with the recent purchase of Strikeforce we actually don't know shit.

PS: Fedor's youngest brother is a huge Russian motherfucker. 

Click on photo for larger version.

Fedor Emelianenko

Kid Slams Bully Pro Wrestling Style. MMA Didn't Work Here.

What can I say to this? You get what you ask for, right? And it looks like the skinny little shit was asking for a body slam. Props to that fat kid for fighting back the bully.

What I don't get here is why isn't the fat kid the bully and the skinny one - the bullied? But that's not important.

Enjoy the video, it shows the power of wrestling  - the aspect of MMA that many fans complain about. The sound the skinny kid's knees make when they hit the concrete is worth hearing more than once.

Nothing better than watching kids get injured. War!

Sad day for MMA: Josh Barnett kisses Dana White's ass. That's not very Metal of you, Josh!

Josh Barnett

The feud between elite MMA fighter Josh Barnett and UFC's CEO Dana White has been going on for 9 years now. It's been a funny soap-opera-like thing that we all enjoyed following.
Barnett used to be one of the most outspoken Dana haters - in his interviews with fans and the media he never spared any heat and always brought it in Dana's face. And we loved him for doing this!
Dana didn't spare Josh any bashing as well. He never missed the opportunity to bring up the fact that Barnett has tested positive for steroids not just once, but a whole lot of three times.

It sure was a fun thing to witness one of the latest episodes of this drama: The Fight Nerd's recent video interview with Josh Barnett where Barnett declared that he would piss in Dana's mouth and thus convince him that he's clean of PEDs.

With the recent purchase of Strikeforce (Barnett's workplace) by Zuffa (Dana's company), things have changed dramatically in the Josh Barnett world.
The viking beard-sporting catch wrestler and an avid metalhead has changed the tune dramatically.
In his most recent interview for Sherdog he all of a sudden proclaims that, despite the beef, he has respect for Dana White. Wow, that's new.
Now Barnett suddenly says Dana White is quite "Metal" (means "solid" & "cool" in metalhead slang) and goes on to say that "If Dana White has an office that I have to write into every day, because that’s the person I report to for my business, well that’s what I’ll do"

Barnett doesn't stop here: “As much as I may have ever had difficulty with Dana at the end of the day there is a part of me that absolutely vibes with what he is does. Whether he wants to think about it or not, here and now, no bullshit, Dana White is pretty fucking metal and I am a metal dude… we’ll at least have that sort of respect that can’t be overlooked.”

All I have to say is: What the fuck, dude?
Is a world renowned fighter of your caliber really that scared of losing his job?
You say Dana White is metal now?
Hmm... I'm not sure Dana is Metal at all but I wonder what happened to your own Metal attitude, Josh.
Going from "I would piss in Dana's mouth" to basically saying "Dana is a kick ass guy that I admire" is not very metal of you. I mean, no body expects you to just quit the whole scene because it's now completely owned by Dana White, no body expects you to leave Strikeforce on your own before you get fired or something like that, but we didn't expect you to wimp out like that either! I mean, no body expects you to keep bashing Dana like you did before he became your new employer, but there is a huge gap between keeping your mouth shut about somebody that you don't like and blatantly KISSING HIS ASS!

So, what happened to your death metal "fuck the world" attitude, mate? Are you just a money-chasing Mercenary who doesn't have any Honour, Valour and Pride?
Or are you still in this whole shit ...For Victory?

This story just reminds me how bad for MMA the newly established Zuffa monopoly is.

Buy Train Fares Cheap

Was Scott Coker robbed by Zuffa & Dana White? Update on the UFC / Strikeforce purchase

Scott Coker.

In my recent blog post (here) I suggested that the Strikeforce crew must have been offered a ton of money to sell out their profitable and flourishing business.

But maybe there is more to it.
As time goes by, new details about the UFC's purchase of Strikeforce become apparent.
It is rumored that recently Scott Coker tried to gain control over the Strikeforce brand, the MMA brand that he created and built up, but was unsuccessful at doing that and as a result was forced to play the game his business partners wanted to play and basically to just give his company away to Dana White & Co.
Don't know if this is true or not but it sucks big time for MMA if it is.

Here:  http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=6209923

UFC / Zuffa purcase Strikeforce. Another step in monopolizing MMA.

Well, it's a fact that we all have to deal with. The UFC's owners, Zuffa, just bought Strikeforce. Good news for Dana & Co, bad news for the hardcore MMA fans.
But what the Strikeforce guys did doesn't make sense to me.
Granted, I don't know what their real goals were or what was going on behind the scenes of their organization.  Maybe their plan from the very beginning was to make a couple of Mil and call it quits? Maybe they were not ready to handle the monster that Strikeforce turned out to be? Fuck knows... But the fact remains - they just sold out a flourishing business, a business that by no means was in danger of bankruptcy, a business that was going up and up only, to their biggest competitor.
And in this case it may look like they just made a pile of fast/easy money. But the reality is that this must be the biggest loss a company can possibly suffer. A huge mistake.

It was not like the Zuffa purchase saved them from bankruptcy, was it?

Selling out your ass while you are having so much momentum doesn't make any sense. Because Strikeforce were doing more than good and Dana White himself admitted that in his interview with MMAFighting.com.
They had the best Heavyweight division, they had the better shows, with lots of action, lots of finishes and more importantly - they had the sympathy of the hardcore MMA fans, the portion of the MMA community that Dana White has been dreaming to put in his pocket for so long.
Congrats, Dana, that dream just came true. Not sure how many of us will still support Strikeforce after it is officially owned by Zuffa but I'm guessing a big portion of the hardcore MMA population will still root for them. Until they are gone in a year or two...
And until all the lay-and-pray, wall-and-stall, play-it-safe-or-lose-your-job shit starts happening in Strikeforce.

What the fuck happened?
The only explanation is that Strikeforce were offered A TON of money. It must be it.
Even if this was the case it doesn't compensate for all the missed opportunities that Strikeforce just sold out to Zuffa. Strikeforce could have become the N1 organization in a matter of 3 years. Easily!!! They had a great roster, a great and successful TV deal, great financial backup, they had all that was necessary to do that.
But I guess it all required a lot of work and dedication, so why bother? Why not just sell that shit and let other people do the hard work?
You guys are all delusional for believing the promise that you will keep your jobs.

R.I.P. Strikeforce.