Tuesday, June 30

Ken Shamrock Exclusive: On UFC, Legacy and His Controversial Kimbo Slice Fight

There will be thousands of televised mixed martial arts fights this year. Between the UFC's ever-expanding schedule, Bellator's ascendance on Spike TV and the rotating collection of promotions featured on AXS TV, barely a week goes by without the cage door closing on two men looking to do each other grave physical harm.

It's a blessing and a curse for fans. There's more action that ever—but the bouts are all too often indistinguishable from one another, random and homogenous fighters colliding without a hint of fanfare, each quickly forgotten.

That was not the case for Bellator 138.

In one corner was Kimbo Slice, the street-fighting legend born Kevin Ferguson, his iconic beard and snarl doing nothing to belay his reputation as a fierce individual. In the other, Ken Shamrock. Legend. Hall of Famer. Grandfather.

Almost three million people tuned into Spike TV to see Slice escape a choke attempt and knock Shamrock out with a powerful right hand. It will end up being one of the most watched and most discussed fights on cable television this year, a record-setting fight for Bellator and part of a new strategy to ride the coattails of MMA legends while establishing a new generation of fighters.

For Ken Shamrock it was another day at the office—setting box-office and viewership records is just what he does. From literally the very first televised MMA card in America right up to 2015, Shamrock has set the standard, carrying the sport on his back promotionally for decades.

And he'd like a little credit if you don't mind.

"Even now, after this fight with Kimbo, the first thing I saw in the media was about how Kimbo was still a big draw," Shamrock told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. "I thought to myself 'why are people trying deliberately not to give any credit to me?' I realize I wasn't the only one in the ring and that Kimbo is a popular fighter. I know that. But I had a huge part in making that happen. I just don't understand it.

"I was able to, during my time and even now at this point, break records nearly every time I walked into the ring. I think a lot of people miss what I've done in the MMA world. How I was able to market and control the industry so that people wanted to watch my fights. If you look at the fights I've been involved in—in the SEG UFC, in Japan, for Zuffa and today, they have been fights that have turned companies around. Promoters do bigger numbers when Ken Shamrock's name is on the card."

At UFC 1 back in 1993, Shamrock turned heads helping change the world's perception of what a fight looked like. He became the first fighter to ever win a televised bout with a submission hold, forcing the proud kickboxer Pat Smith to squeal out in pain and frantically tap the mat with a heel hook. Though he lost to Royce Gracie in the semifinals, it was clear Shamrock was someone worth watching from the very beginning.

"The Gracies didn't want me to come back," Shamrock said. "They wanted to move on and push me aside. But Bob Meyrowitz (head of pay-per-view giant Semaphore Entertainment Group, which would eventually own the UFC) made it very clear that Royce was going to have to fight me again. He saw value after seeing the fans really buy into me. People seemed to be drawn to me. So he made the decision that they were going to bring me back."

The result was a Super Fight, a paradigm shift that upended the UFC model that had depended on eight-man tournaments to build drama and stars. Meyrowitz saw early on that the UFC's future was in clashes between compelling athletes, not between different styles of martial arts. The concept could sell a couple of times—but the ultimate goal was a sport driven by people.

"Meyrowitz saw that this was what the fans wanted," Shamrock said. "He said 'forget the tournament. For the first time ever we're going to do a Super Fight.' We're just going to match them up and let them go at it. I think he kept the sport alive by moving in that direction. If he doesn't do that, I'm not sure we'd have the UFC today. It might have just died off."

A series of astounding successes on pay-per-view helped. Shamrock and Gracie fought to a draw in their rematch, a new time limit and a lack of judges preventing a decisive result. But the shiner on Gracie's eye told the story—and Ken Shamrock became the sport's top star while Gracie faded from the MMA scene for years.

More superfights followed, each starring Shamrock against former tournament winners or established stars. The public appetite remained insatiable. But politicians and cable companies were circling, looking for a victim to sacrifice in the culture wars of the era. The UFC, without any established television partner or corporate conglomeration backing it, simply couldn't afford to keep fighting the good fight.

"Every time they would go into a town they would have to go to court," Shamrock said. "They were spending a lot of money just fighting the system. Bob got to the point where he couldn't pay me what I needed. As long as I could support my family and do what I loved, I was going to do it. But he had to cut my pay and I told him 'Listen, I just can't do it. I can't support my family with what's coming in.' And he understood. We had a great conversation. I had to make a move."

A stint in the WWE sharpened Shamrock's already top-notch skills as a performer and expanded his profile dramatically. When he returned to mixed martial arts three years later, he was ready, once again, to lead the floundering sport into a brighter tomorrow.

"I was a different kind of popular," he said. "Before I was popular in karate magazines and what parts of the MMA industry existed at the time. But when I got on Monday Night Raw, I was popular in the mainstream. People who didn't even follow sports knew who I was. It was another level of being famous. ... When I made the move back to the MMA world, I was the first guy to bring pro-wrestling fans back with me."

After an initial foray into the Japanese scene, helping Pride Fighting Championship launch in America on pay-per-view, Shamrock was once again asked to carry the UFC on his broad shoulders. The promotion struggled mightily under a new ownership group. Though it'd managed to fix MMA's regulatory and cable television problems, the new UFC hadn't been able to successfully capture lightning in a bottle the way Shamrock had in the sport's early days.

"Dana White came to me and he was begging me to come fight for them," Shamrock said. "Because they were dying. They were doing 30,000 buys on pay-per-view and he told me 'we just want to break 100,000.' I said 'I can get that for you easy.'

"He goes 'a lot of people say that, but they haven't been able to do it.' I told him 'I can do it.' They couldn't afford what I was asking, so I made a bet on myself and would get paid based on hitting those numbers. We went forward and did 140-150,000 buys. That's a huge increase."

His fight with that era's standard-bearer, Tito Ortiz, showed Zuffa and the UFC what was possible with the right promotion. Instead of closing up shop, they pushed forward, eventually landing a deal on Spike TV that launched the MMA business to new heights. With record-setting numbers as a coach on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter and a record performance on pay-per-view against Ortiz at UFC 61, Shamrock was again helping to blaze new trails.

"It took the UFC over the top," Shamrock said. "There was history there, going back to the early days with (Shamrock's fight team) the Lion's Den. There was a story there. It gave people something to care about. The big fights that I've had all had stories to tell.

"You can't do it alone. There has to be a guy across from you who's just as popular. And there has to be something there for the people to buy into.  The opponents helped—I was definitely in the right place at the right times."

The Shamrock who returned to the UFC, however, was not the same fighter who had left it. Age and injuries accumulated on the road with the WWE had hampered him physically, and he was no longer competitive against the kind of elite competitors his stature almost demanded he fight. When he retired in 2010, he had amassed just a 5-11 record since his second act started in 2000.

That, just as much as his age, led many to doubt the former champion going into his comeback fight with Slice. He shocked many by securing an early advantage on the ground and very nearly finishing the fight with a rear-naked choke. It's a position few escape from, causing many, including UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, to question the bout's legitimacy.

"When I first announced I was going to fight, people said I shouldn't be in the ring," Shamrock said. "They said 'He can't win that fight. He's 51. He's been out of the sport for years. There's no way.' The press was saying I was going to lose. The odds were saying I was going to lose. Now, after the fight, the same people are saying there's no way I should have lost. It had to be a work? I'm confused. Prior to the fight they were saying I couldn't win. Now they're saying I shouldn't have lost."

So what happened against Slice, where he went from glorious victory to horrendous defeat in a matter of seconds?

"I was a rookie. It was like my first fight. I got into a position to win and I didn't take my time. I forced it," Shamrock said. "I was stronger than him, I manhandled him and I felt in complete control of that fight. But, when I got his back, instead of trying to use my technique and slide the choke in, I tried to choke him to death. I tried to use all my strength and power to muscle it in. Because I felt so much stronger and so much more dominant than him. And I overdid it, man. That's the bottom line. It was a rookie move. I had him dead to rights and I screwed up. I tried to force it instead of just letting it work.  It got to a point I was squeezing it so hard that I turned it over and ended up sliding off his back.

"In training, I didn't work on finishing at all, other than some leg locks one day. I mostly worked on conditioning, movement on the ground and positioning," he continued. "I thought it was like riding a bike. When you do it you just do it. I worked on getting the position, on taking the back. But never on finishing, on applying the move until the guy tapped out. I just worked until I had it and then let go. And I think that's where the mistake was made. In training I never actually made anybody tap out. It was all catch and release."

For Shamrock, the loss isn't a warning sign or an indication that his body can no longer handle the rigors of the cage. Instead, he believes it shows quite clearly that he's ready to continue his martial arts journey, hopefully with a bout against Royce Gracie later this year.

"I came back at 51, I gave up 30 pounds and I hadn't been in the ring in years," Shamrock said. "And yet, I missed winning because of a mistake. A simple mistake that was due to me having ring rust. Now that I've knocked the rust off, I'm going to get better. 

"My timing, everything I do in the ring, is going to get better. Not worse. So why would I stop after a performance like I just had? I wasn't dominated. I dominated him. There's no way I'm stopping on that man. I've got more. I've got a lot more to give."

 

Jonathan Snowden covers Combat Sports for Bleacher Report.

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UFC-Reebok Uniform Deal: Social Media Reacts to New Uniform Kits

For the first time, UFC officials unveiled Tuesday what their fighters will wear as part of the company's apparel deal with Reebok.

The new uniform kits drew mixed reviews on social media.

Like it or not, the three different kits are what fighters will be required to wear as part of the deal, which has been widely criticized for potentially reducing fighter income.

Perhaps that fact played into the perceptions of the uniforms themselves. In any case, response was pretty varied and—hope you're sitting down—not always nice.

The three kits are a "country" kit, a "universal" kit and a "champion" kit, all of which bear the same fundamental characteristics, such as the UFC and Reebok logos and the fighter names on the back of the jersey. 

The UFC and Reebok were, not surprisingly, very enthusiastic about their own offerings, as were the fighters on hand in New York on Tuesday to help model the kits. 


Unfortunately, though, the rollout was not without hiccups, including some embarrassing name misspellings that fighters and others quickly noticed. One of those was lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez, who mocked a misspelling of his name in a since-deleted tweet.

Other reaction was mixed across the Twittersphere.

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Jose Aldo Expected to Train Tuesday, Make a Decision on Conor McGregor Fight

Judgment day could come on Tuesday for Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor.

Aldo is expected to train and make a final decision on whether he’ll defend his UFC featherweight title against McGregor over a week from now at UFC 189.

The reigning UFC featherweight champion injured his ribs during a sparring session nearly a week ago. Initial reports from Brazilian doctors were that Aldo had suffered a fractured rib, which would likely knock him out of the highly anticipated championship bout.

However, a second opinion from American doctors revealed Aldo’s rib wasn’t fractured. It was a bone bruise and cartilage injury, proving once again that Uncle Dana knows best.

Two-division Jungle fight champion Jonas Bilharinho, Aldo’s training partner, told Ariel Helwani during an appearance on The MMA Hour that a final decision could be made on Tuesday:

I think he will probably fight. And I hope so. I will be with him on Tuesday to see what he’s capable of doing during training or not, but my opinion right now is that he’s going to fight. I’m going to be optimistic about it because Aldo wants this fight so bad. I think this fight will probably happen.

Bilharinho, who was brought into Aldo’s camp to mimic the awkward style of McGregor, called Tuesday the “big day.”

The UFC has already revealed its contingency plan if Aldo is unable to compete next Saturday night. Top featherweight contender Chad Mendes has been alerted to be on standby to step in as a late replacement for an interim title fight against McGregor, depending on Aldo’s health.

But as of now, Aldo is still set to defend to his throne at UFC 189.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is theMMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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New Mexico District Attorney Lacks Key Evidence in Jon Jones Case

Prosecutors plan on taking the Jon Jones case to a grand jury.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion was arrested in April on a felony charge for a hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque.

MMAFighting’s Marc Raimondi reported that, after running a red light, Jones ran his rental vehicle into two other vehicles, causing a three-car pileup.

Vanessa Sonnenberg, a 25-year-old pregnant woman, sustained a fractured arm in the crash.

Jones reportedly ran to his vehicle to grab a handful of cash before fleeing from the scene on foot. Authorities found marijuana inside of a marijuana pipe in the vehicle. A day later, Jones turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He made bail a few hours later.

The district attorney presiding over Jones’ case was given 60 days to decide whether to indict, but the set deadline for that decision expired on Monday.

According to the public information officer for the Bernalillo County District Attorney, per MMAjunkie.com, the prosecutor is missing two pieces of key evidence needed before the case can be brought in front of a grand jury: dispatch reports from the Albuquerque Police Department and Sonnenberg’s medical records.

Kayla Anderson, the public information officer, claimed that without the two pieces of evidence, the case could be dismissed altogether. Despite the expiration of the 60-day deadline, prosecutors still have room to press charges against Jones.

“Proceeding on a case without complete discovery could result in the likely dismissal of the case altogether,” said Anderson. “We have requested both pieces of outstanding evidence and anticipate moving forward when we have a completed case investigation.”

After being arrested, Jones was stripped of the UFC title and suspended indefinitely. Mike Winkeljohn, Jones’ coach, recently told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour that Jones might never fight again. He is currently focused on helping those around him train and get better.  

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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Forgotten UFC Title Threats for Each Division

The UFC is comprised of an incomparable amount of different talents.

Derived from all corners of the globe, these admirable athletes take to the cage in their own unique fashion.

But along the way, through hard-fought Octagon battles and divisional shape-shifting, some names are lost in the sauce.

It is not a reflection of their skills, but more of the changing landscape around them that is often fueled by streaking opponents, popularity contests and media coverage.

However, the sport of mixed martial arts can serve as a catalyst in reminding the masses of one's potential and promise.

Here are forgotten, yet unwavering, UFC title threats for each weight class.

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UFC Fight Night 70 Results: Matches to Make for the Winners and Losers

At UFC Fight Night 70, Yoel Romero continued on his war path toward the top of the middleweight division.

Following two closely contested rounds, Romero exploded on Lyoto Machida in the third stanza. Immediately after scoring a takedown, Romero blasted Machida with a series of elbows, knocking the Brazilian unconscious and giving Romero a 6-0 UFC record.

Unfortunately, Romero's post-fight interview on Fox Sports 1 overshadowed his performance somewhat. With his thick accent, many took Romero to be making an anti-homosexual speech, but the Cuban later clarified during the post-fight press conference that he was not talking about that at all.

Either way, Romero is quickly becoming one of the biggest threats to 185-pound champion Chris Weidman. So, here is a look at what should be next for The Soldier of God and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 70 competitors.

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Al Iaquinta Embraces New Opponent, Bigger Opportunity to Shine at Fight Night 71

Fortunes can change rapidly in mixed martial arts.

Opportunities for a fighter to progress are frequently lost and found because of injury and additional circumstance, which has created an environment where those who are ready to step up to seize the moment can find tremendous benefit in the risks that are taken. 

Al Iaquinta's ambitions for bigger things have been "raging" since he arrived to the UFC in 2012, and the Serra-Longo representative has spent the past three years taking full advantage of whatever has come his way.

Over that stretch, the 28-year-old lightweight has climbed the ranks of one of the deepest divisions under the UFC banner, and his current four-fight winning streak is a major factor behind his continued rise in the 155-pound fold.

The New York native was poised to take the next step on his journey toward title contention against veteran Bobby Green at Fight Night 71 on July 15 before the scrappy Californian was forced out with an injured knee. His tilt against King was slated to be another high-profile opportunity for the Long Island-based fighter, and Iaquinta feared his chance to continue his push through the division would be put on hold for the time being.

Yet the ever-changing tides of MMA would ultimately bring an even bigger fight to The Ultimate Fighter alum, as former Strikeforce champion and two-time lightweight title challenger Gilbert Melendez stepped up to fill the vacancy in the card's co-main event.

Where the dance with Green was set to be a healthy scrap, suddenly Iaquinta finds himself in the highest-profile bout of his young career.

El Nino brings a hard-charging and entertaining style to every fight he's involved in, and the success he's enjoyed as the result of his tenacity has made him one of the best 155-pound fighters in the world over the past six years.

Iaquinta sees opportunity in every part of his matchup with Melendez and is excited to throw down with the Skrap Pack leader at Fight Night 71 in San Diego.

“I definitely think the fight got bigger when Gilbert [Melendez] stepped up to take it," Iaquinta told Bleacher Report. "The fight with Bobby Green was alright—and I was bummed when he got hurt—but I’m so much more excited to be fighting Melendez. I think this is a lot better fight for everybody. It’s going to be one that fans won't want to miss.

“Don't get me wrong, I was excited to fight Bobby Green as well, but I’m not really sure what his goal is when he’s fighting. He looks like he’s acting in there. He’s talking and doing everything but fighting. Gilbert is the complete opposite. He’s a warrior. He goes in there and puts it all on the line and gets it done. I’ve been watching him forever and have been a big fan of his ever since I got into the sport. I’ve always wondered where I stood up against the guys I’ve watched on television, and now I’m going to get to find out."

While Iaquinta's winning ways have helped him break through into a coveted top-10 position, a potential victory over Melendez would serve to push him into the elite tier of the lightweight fold.

The Northern California representative has held his position as a constant threat to the 155-pound crown since coming over from Strikeforce in 2013, but Melendez has suffered through the roughest waters of his career during his time inside the Octagon.

Where Melendez once went three years without suffering a setback during his title reign in the now-defunct San Jose-based promotion, just one victory in his past four outings has put his top-level status in jeopardy.

With that said, Melendez built a successful career by being as game as they come under the bright lights, and Iaquinta knows he's in for a war at Fight Night 71. And that's precisely what he wants.

The surging 155-pound knockout artist is ready to make the most of the biggest opportunity of his career, and that's what he plans to do in impressive fashion on July 15.

“This is a crazy sport where anything can happen," Iaquinta said. "I’ve been training hard to make sure I’m ready for every opportunity that comes my way so that I can step up to seize it and get the job done. And that's what I've been working so hard for. This is the kind of fight I've been waiting to get and I'm definitely going to give everything I have to make sure I make the most of it."

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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CM Punk: Slow Burn Toward UFC Debut Hurting Buzz

A year ago, CM Punk was one of the hottest names in combat sports. Not in professional wrestling. Not in MMA.

He was one of the hottest names in combat sports. 

The controversial superstar made a surprise exit from the WWE following the 2014 Royal Rumble with responses ranging from anger to disappointment to disbelief (both of the literal and figurative variety). It was a sudden ending for one of the most sensational figures in modern pro wrestling history.

While WWE fans are notorious for their forgetfulness, discussion of Punk lingered for months on end. Fans clamored for any information they could find, and when he appeared on the Art of Wrestling podcast alongside Colt Cabana for an epic bridge burning session (warning, NSFW language, via PWInsider.com), it turned the entire WWE Universe upside down. When it was announced just days later that Punk had signed with the UFC? Mass hysteria across both fanbases.

That, however, was in December 2014. In June 2015? You don't hear his name derisively chanted during boring Monday night Raw segments. You don't see UFC fans feverishly refreshing Roufusport-affiliated social media pages for news on him. You don't see him on any collector cups, on the cover of the programs or on WWE ice cream bars.

While the UFC had lightning in the palm of its hands when it first signed The Best in the World, Punkamania has started running mild, brother. And that is bad news for the world's largest MMA promotion.

So, what changed? What the heck happened?

Most obviously, time took its inevitable toll on hype related to a sporting event. There was an unsustainable level of interest in Punk in 2014 that nobody reasonably expected to carry on deep into 2015. Punk wouldn't have topics to discuss or quotes to drop or major sports networks to appear on forever.

The well dried up, and the world moved on, and his debut became a waiting game. And waiting games? That's the worst kind of game.

It isn't just an issue with fickle followers, either. Punk himself is substantially less compelling as a character right now.

The Straight-Edge Savior endeared himself with (or absolutely infuriated) viewers with his brilliant work on the microphone. His anti-authoritarian speeches, in-your-face irreverence and through-and-through arrogance made him a compelling, unavoidable character, and it's shtick that would translate perfectly to MMA.

Unfortunately, we haven't seen him sit cross-legged and drop pipe bombs on Dana White. We haven't seen him criticize the UFC's promotional practices. We haven't seen him audaciously tear into anyone who would dare question his place in MMA.

We've seen a happy, well-adjusted, humble Phil Brooks quietly honing his skills like any other boring UFC fighter.

Is any of this right? Is any of this fair? Of course not, but such is the nature of sports.

The more important question is: Can this be fixed? That, on the other hand, is a resounding yes.

When concrete details about Punk's debut start coming out, business will certainly start picking up to some degree. Right now, however, it doesn't feel like a clear date, an anonymous opponent and a definite landing spot would be enough to recapture the buzz his presence had six months ago. 

So how could they do that? Well, a season of The Ultimate Fighter centered around Punk would certainly be something.

The UFC and the series' producers have been actively trying to find new ways to attract viewers (none of which have worked, with TUF 21's live ratings averaging under 400,000, via MMAPayout.com), but nothing seems to work. Highlighting Punk the character, and/or Brooks the man, and showing his development under the tutelage of Duke Roufus, Anthony Pettis and Ben Askren would actually be an entertaining departure from the show's norm and could entice both UFC and WWE fans. 

Would Punk be on board for this? Would Fox Sports 1? Maybe, maybe not, but MMA and pro wrestling are both story-driven affairs. Right now there is no narrative with Punk, and that's somewhat foolish given the fact that he can easily be spun as a man leaving everything behind in order to pursue his dreams, rather than a run-of-the-mill UFC fighter.

The other option is to name his opponent as soon as possible and make it somebody with a big, foul mouth. It could be a broken down veteran like Phil Baroni (who seems like a potential conquest for Punk, given his 2-8 record since 2009) or a youngster who is just too big for his britches. Making his debut a true grudge match, and setting it to a low simmer for months on end, could build anticipation in a big way.

The UFC is paying a steep price for its acquisition of Punk, both in terms of pure dollars and in terms of its credibility as a sports organization. There needs to be some kind of return on that investment, and the UFC has done a poor job on ensuring that happens. If that doesn't change, the CM Punk experiment will wind up a resounding failure. 

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Monday, June 29

Ken Shamrock Swears Kimbo Fight Wasn't Fixed, Calls Out Joe Rogan

Weeks before Ken Shamrock was left plastered on the canvas like roadkill, the word in the MMA community was that the 51-year-old UFC Hall of Famer had no business being in the cage with Kimbo Slice, a 41-year-old street fighter turned MMA fighter.

It was the senior-citizen brawl that no one really wanted to see. Yet the fight smashed Bellator’s ratings record by 27 percent, according to MMA Fighting’s Dave Meltzer.

Oh, the hypocrisy.

After spending several years "hidden under the f--cking porch somewhere," as UFC President Dana White would say (warning: video contains profanity), Shamrock emerged back in the mainstream spotlight by agreeing to fight Slice in a fight that should have happened back in 2008.

You all know the story by now. Shamrock somehow managed to cut his eye during warm-ups, and Seth Petruzelli Kimbo-bombed the EliteXC off the map.

Seven years later, fans were equally as eager to see Slice lock horns with “The World’s Most Dangerous Man.” The pre-fight hype was magical from a pure promotional perspective. Age might have taken away his speed and timing, but nothing had taken away Shamrock’s ability to promote.

And then the fight happened.

Hardly any punches were thrown, aside from Kimbo’s right hand that dropped Shamrock in the first round. Shamrock even missed on a routine rear-naked choke attempt—hooks in and all—after securing one of the easiest takedowns in MMA history.

So the 51-year-old fighter who wasn’t supposed to be in the same ring with Kimbo became the face of controversy for not putting up a decent fight. The circus bout that everyone penned as atrocious leading in became the subject of ridicule when it actually was atrocious.

According to UFC commentator Joe Rogan, when speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast (warning: video contains profanity), the fight “looked fake as f--k.”

Speaking with Submission Radio, Shamrock swore on everything that the fight wasn’t fixed. He simply admitted he made a mistake, and Kimbo made him pay for it. As for Rogan, Shamrock claimed the commentator’s words could have ruined his career:

Being in a professional position, you have the people’s ear. You have a responsibility to make sure whatever you say you can back up, that you can prove and not just say it because you think it. Because you ruin people’s lives on something that you have no proof, and (Rogan’s) wrong in what he’s saying. He could have ruined my career and my life on what he’s saying.

Rogan wasn’t the only person to deem Shamrock’s performance scripted.

UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, who appeared alongside Rogan on the podcast show, was also suspicious of the fight. Fox Sports 1’s Katie Nolan, the host of Garbage Time, accused Shamrock of taking a “dive” while live-tweeting during the event:

Amid a cloud of suspicion, Shamrock vehemently asserted the fight was not fixed in any shape or form: "I swear on everything that I love—my family, my God, everything that I love—that fight was not fixed. And the people that are saying it are saying it because they’re angry or they lost a bet in Vegas or they’re just trying to be hurtful."

Imagine losing a massive bet after Shamrock missed that rear-naked choke attempt. I guess I’d feel salty, too.  

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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Prospect Doo Ho Choi Withdraws Again from a Bout with Sam Sicilia

A disappointing UFC career continues for The Korean Superboy.

Doo Ho Choi, the 24-year-old South Korean featherweight who made a name for himself with his highlight-reel knockouts, has again been forced out of a match with Sam Sicilia. That's according to a report from MMA Junkie, citing unnamed UFC officials. 

The bout was set for July 15 at UFC Fight Night 71. Officials gave no reason for the withdrawal.

However, Choi has an unfortunate history of injuries. He was originally set to face Sicilia in May 2014 at UFC 173, but that bout was scuttled when Choi fell injured. Since signing with the UFC in November 2013, he has only fought once.

But that one fight underlined why Choi (12-1) is such an exciting up-and-comer; he knocked out Juan Puig in only 18 seconds on the undercard of UFC Fight Night 57 in late 2014.

It was the ninth knockout Choi had notched in 13 pro MMA fights. It was also the sixth time he had finished an opponent inside the first round.

It was not immediately clear who might replace Choi against Sicilia. The veteran of The Ultimate Fighter season 15 has been inconsistent in his UFC career, alternating wins and losses over his past five contests. But Sicilia (14-5) got back on the right side of the ledger with a first-round knockout of Akira Corassani in January.

It is reasonable to suspect that the UFC will look to find a replacement for Sicilia rather than scrap the bout altogether given Sicilia's relatively high profile among fans and his propensity for knockouts. (Eight of his 14 professional wins have come by KO or TKO.)

Equally reasonable is the presumption that Sicilia and Choi will some day meet and deliver the slugfest that many fans would anticipate between these two. After all, bad luck can't last forever, right?

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Jessica Eye Ready to Make Statement, Earn Title Shot with Win over Miesha Tate

Jessica Eye is ready to make her case for a shot at the UFC women's bantamweight crown, and she plans to do that at the expense of Miesha Tate at UFC on Fox 16.

The scrappy Ohio native began campaigning for a title opportunity following her lopsided victory over Leslie Smith at UFC 180 last November, in a fight where her crisp striking literally forced her opponent's left ear to explode.

Granted, the visual effects of her work were a gruesome mess, but the talents she showed en route to her win in Mexico City started a groundswell of buzz that the proud Cleveland representative was ready for much bigger things in the women's 135-collective.

While the opportunity to face dominant champion Ronda Rousey would eventually go to Bethe Correia in the main event at UFC 190, "Evil" found herself rewarded with a high-profile bout of her own. The 28-year-old Strong Style fighter will face perennial contender Miesha Tate in the co-main event at UFC on Fox 16 in Chicago on July 25, in a high-stakes tilt that is highly likely to generate the next threat to the women's bantamweight crown. 

Where UFC gold is undoubtedly Eye's ultimate goal, she sees her upcoming fight against the former Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion as an even bigger opportunity than what a potential bout against Rousey could have provided. She feels overlooked and underrated by the passionate MMA fanbase, and that is a condition she intends to change when she steps into the Octagon against Tate.

Eye admits there is no shortage of motivation for her heading into the bout and plans to bring more than her opponent and the MMA community ever thought she was capable of.

“This fight is important to me on so many levels," Eye told Bleacher Report. "A win over Miesha [Tate] will put me next in line for a title shot, but I also believe it will prove what I’m capable of. I think a lot of fans and media look at my record, and they just don’t realize what I can do in there. They look at my record, but I'm not sure many of them have actually sat down and watched those fights.

"I don’t think they know what to expect from me. This fight against Miesha for me is actually bigger than fighting Ronda Rousey because it’s going to solidify what my abilities are in the eyes of fight fans. It’s going to solidify the fact that I’m an amazing fighter and a top contender."

There will be plenty on the line in regard to the race for title contention in the tilt between Eye and Tate at UFC on Fox 16, but the fight also presents an interesting matchup on the stylistic side of things.

Where the Washington state native has primarily relied on her grappling pedigree to find success throughout her career, Eye's versatile striking skills have been the key to her success inside the cage. Aggression is an attribute both women have in large supply, and those combinations have the makings for an exciting tilt at the top of the women's bantamweight fold. 

That said, while Tate may have more experience in high-profile tilts on her resume, Eye is confident she will present problems the former women's 135-pound title challenger has never faced under the bright lights of the sport's biggest stage. Eye believes her striking is simply on another level and that—in addition to the strength of her all-around game—will be too much for Tate to handle on fight night.

"I don’t think there is anyone in the UFC women’s bantamweight division that is using MMA striking the way I do," Eye said. "Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk definitely uses it and uses it well, but I’m talking about MMA striking in my division.

"I'm not talking about basic boxing and keeping a narrow stance, but about MMA boxing and being able to use it as it’s needed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone else in my division with the ability to throw hands the way I can in addition to throwing my kicks the way that I do.

“I don’t think anyone else has that ability, and I don’t think Miesha has ever fought anyone like me. Maybe in her head she thinks she has, but there isn’t another fighter who fights the way I fight right now in the women’s bantamweight division. There just isn’t. Ronda is the only one out there pulling off these crazy armbars, and she gets to claim that, just as I’m claiming to be the best at what I do in there.

“I’m very excited for the fans to see this fight," she added. "I don’t care who she is as a person in or outside of the cage; the only thing on my mind is going in there and collecting a paycheck and giving my fans a reason to smile. I think a win in this fight gets me the next shot at the title, and that's exactly where I want to be."

 

Duane Finley is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Sunday, June 28

UFC Fight Night Results: 5 Fights for Lorenz Larkin

Lorenz Larkin looked fantastic with his win over Santiago Ponzinibbio. So much so that he was able to walk out with a performance bonus of $50,000 (via Sherdog).

This is his second straight win via knockout since moving down to welterweight. It will be interesting to see how Larkin will be able to do in this weight class in the future. With that in mind, here are five fight suggestions that will help build intrigue in what Larkin has to offer at this point of his career.

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UFC Fight Night 70 Results: Burning Questions Going into UFC 189, TUF 21 Finale

UFC Fight Night 70 is in the books. The results are as follows (courtesy of Bleacher Report's FN70 play-by-play man, Nathan McCarter):

  • Yoel Romero defeats Lyoto Machida by KO at 1:38 of the third round
  • Lorenz Larkin defeats Santiago Ponzinibbio by TKO at 3:07 of the second round
  • Antonio Carlos Junior defeats Eddie Gordon via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:37 of the third round
  • Thiago Santos defeats Steve Bosse by KO at 0:29 of the first round
  • Hacran Dias defeats Levan Makashvili by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Alex Oliveira defeats Joe Merritt by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Leandro Silva defeats Lewis Gonzalez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Tony Sims defeats Steve Montgomery by KO at 2:43 of the first round
  • Sirwan Kakai defeats Danny Martinez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Next up? A double whammy of UFC 189 and the TUF21 Finale.

There's plenty to talk about here, given the volatile nature of the UFC 189 main event, the interesting headline in the TUF21 Finale and the generally talent-rich lineups underneath them. It was tough to limit this to just 10, but here are the most burning of questions heading into this dynamic duo of cards.

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UFC Fight Night Results: 5 Fights for Yoel Romero

Yoel Romero has established himself as a true contender at middleweight. After his smashing of Lyoto Machida, he will be pushed higher up the rankings and closer to a potential title shot if he keeps this momentum going.

Currently, champion Chris Weidman is set to face off against Luke Rockhold in the near future. With that match set, here are five suggestions for what the UFC could do with Romero in the meantime.

Begin Slideshow

UFC Fight Night 70: With Lyoto Machida, Timeless Does Not Mean Ageless

Everyone’s time comes. In everything.

In work, in life, in general. The clock is ticking on every person, all the time, in one way or another.

Saturday night against Yoel Romero in Florida, much of the evidence suggested that Lyoto Machida’s time had come. In a bout where he looked slow and lackluster in the midst of a more athletic brute a year his senior, his demise felt more of an inevitability than it ever had before.

When it came, few draws dropped the way they did when he had suffered defeats previously in his career. This was coming since April, when Luke Rockhold dissected him with similar enthusiasm. This was foreseeable.

That's not to eulogize a man still living, or even eulogize his career. Machida is still good—good enough to compete with high-end talent and win with some regularity. He just won’t win with the regularity he once did, when he was a Rubik’s Cube of a champion at light heavyweight or a surging contender at middleweight.

And that’s where an important distinction is born.

Machida, his talent and his accomplishments are timeless. He’s a surefire Hall of Famer, one of the few proven draws remaining in a UFC dangerously bereft of them and one of the most uniquely intriguing in-cage combatants the sport has known in the past decade.

Machida the man, however, is not ageless. He’s been violently stopped in consecutive bouts, is a stunning 6-7 since 2010 and looks like a properly shopworn 37-year-old for the first time in his professional career.

Timeless accomplishments don’t come with a guarantee of agelessness. They’re a separate entity entirely, their momentum halted almost exclusively by the reality noted above: Everyone’s time comes.

So you can be a nasty piece of business, a puzzle to be solved by UFC athletes who came out on the right side of a highlight-reel KO far more often than not over the years, but eventually the tide will turn. Those punches you once slipped and kicks you once responded with so swiftly don’t work the same. The punches hit you, the kicks don’t land.

Such is the case with Machida. It’s played out for the world to see in his past two fights.

The fact of the matter is that he’s still an elite middleweight and he’ll still beat a lot of guys on the roster. He’s taken care of himself for a long time in the gym and in the cage, and he’s been rewarded with longevity as a result.

Still, he’s pushing 40. This is a game designed to chew you up and spit you out, and no one gets out without that treatment no matter how well they care for themselves along the way.

As he proceeds to the next phase of his career, all of this is important to remember. He’s certainly got a few more fights left in him, as a decline so precipitous as the one suggested by the Rockhold and Romero results is an extreme rarity, but he won’t look like the man people remember from his prime.

That’s fine. It’s how the sport works.

It’s more important to remember the greatness of Machida for what it was and the fact that he’s produced so much excitement and accomplished so much as an athlete that he’s truly become timeless. There’s nothing he can do about the fact that he’s not ageless, and he shouldn’t be punished in the public eye for it by having his career achievements dismissed after a few bad nights where he looked older and slower.

Everyone’s time comes.

 

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

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The Good, Bad and the Strange from UFC Fight Night 70

The race for title contention in the UFC's middleweight division has never been hotter, and two of the major players in the championship mix stepped into the Octagon for a high-stakes affair at Fight Night 70.

Former light heavyweight champion and recent 185-pound title challenger Lyoto Machida squared off with surging powerhouse Yoel Romero in the showcase bout of Saturday night's card in Hollywood, Florida. The Dragon has been a threat to the middleweight crown since dropping down from the 205-pound fold in 2013, but a recent rough patch has put that elite status in jeopardy. Losses in two of his last three showings going into his tilt with the Soldier of God put Machida in an absolute must-win situation if he wanted to keep his future title hopes alive.

Though Romero came into his bout with the elusive Brazilian striker having won five straight fights inside the Octagon, there was little room for error where he was concerned as well. There are multiple contenders jockeying for a shot at Chris Weidman's middleweight crown at the present time, and a loss on Saturday night would undoubtedly cost the 38-year-old powerhouse valuable ground in the hunt for a championship opportunity. That said, a victory over the former two-divisional title challenger would keep him moving up the divisional ladder and put him one step closer to his ultimate goal.

Both Machida and Romero had a lot on the line at Fight Night 70, and it was the former Olympian who got the job done on Saturday. While Romero and Machida spent the first two rounds in a technical chess match on their feet, the Cuba native's confidence began to rise as he held his own with one of the most dangerous strikers in the game. Everything changed in the third round as Romero used his world-class wrestling to put Machida on the ground, where he unleashed a violent storm of elbows that left the former champion out cold on the canvas.

While defeating Machida is undoubtedly the most impressive win of Romero's career, the surging contender showed so many positive elements that his stock should go through the roof in the aftermath of Saturday night.

Let's take a look at the good, bad and the strange from Fight Night 70.

 

The Good

Yoel Romero is a beast.

The Olympic silver medal-winning wrestler turned mixed martial artist has been making noise in the middleweight ranks over the past two years, but he absolutely stamped his presence as a legitimate threat to the 185-pound crown at Fight Night 70.

The Soldier of God arguably put on the best performance of his career as he went toe-to-toe with the Dragon for two rounds before snuffing him out with a brutal flurry of elbows in the third.

The upper tier of the middleweight fold is a shark tank at the current time, and Romero confirmed his place on the title radar with his victory on Saturday night. Yet the most interesting thing about Romero's position is what will come next for the American Top Team representative. The 38-year-old was slated to face fellow contender Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza on two previous occasions, but injuries to both men forced those fights to be cancelled.

With champion Chris Weidman slated to face Luke Rockhold sometime later in 2015, that leaves Souza standing as the odd man out in the title mix. But after Romero finished Machida, picking up his sixth straight victory inside the Octagon, the Alligator is no longer alone in that picture. Romero versus Souza in a title eliminator needs to happen, and you have to believe that's what will be next for both men.

***

After a three-fight skid put him on the brink of unemployment, Lorenz Larkin made the decision to drop down to the welterweight division. It was the best decision of his career. Since moving down to 170 pounds, the California-born striker has looked like a wrecking machine, as the confidence that would sporadically appear in his game has surfaced as a full-time attribute.

Larkin dipped into that reserve as he came out on the winning end of a fierce slug fest with Argentinian Santiago Ponzinibbio in the co-main event at Fight Night 70.

While Larkin was able to establish his range in the early going, Ponzinibbio refused to take a backward step. He continued to press the action despite being peppered with counter punches and having his lead leg hammered with kicks. Even though Ponzinibbio showed resilience, Larkin poured on more than he could handle in the second round, as the Riverside native unleashed a beautiful combination that led to the second-round TKO finish. 

***

Some fighters are big for the weight class in which they compete, but Antonio Carlos Jr. looked like one of the largest middleweights in MMA in his fight against Eddie Gordon on Saturday.

Shoeface's monster frame smothered The Ultimate Fighter Season 19 winner in their tilt, and the size advantage was definitely something Gordon struggled to overcome. Carlos Jr. walked down the Serra-Longo product ever step of the way, and if he wasn't tagging him in the stand up game, he was landing shots when Gordon's back was on the canvas.

The 25-year-old Brazilian would go on to pick up the submission victory via rear-naked choke in the final minute of the fight, putting himself back into the win column in impressive fashion. 

***

Knockouts, by their very nature, are violent, but what Thiago Santos did to Steve Bosse at Fight Night 70 was an entirely different class of brutality.

Shortly after the referee stepped aside inside the Octagon, the former hockey player began his approach to start the ruckus and Marreta unleashed a devastating left-footed head kick that forced the Canadian into an abrupt sleep on the canvas. It took just 29 seconds for Santos to blister Bosse on Saturday night and pick up his third victory in his last four outings.

Santos' knockout was as explosive as it was ferocious, and he could very well be on his way to picking up $50,000 worth of bonus money because of it.

***

The featherweight division is a talent-rich collective in the UFC, and Hacran Dias wants to establish himself as a major player in the 145-pound fold. While he dropped two of his first three fights inside the Octagon, the Nova Uniao product has finally started to build some momentum, picking up his second straight victory in the featherweight ranks by defeating Levan Makashvili on Saturday night in Florida.

Though the 31-year-old Brazilian wasn't able to close out a pair of submission attempts he appeared to have locked up, Dias still did enough to take the fight on the judges' scorecards to pick up the split-decision victory. Although his performance was forgettable, whatever Dias' post-fight victory scream was garnered some attention.

***

Alex Oliveira continues to prove he doesn't need much notice to bring his best on fight night. The rangy Brazilian has competed three times inside the Octagon—all of which have come with little time to prepare. That said, Cowboy has operated with a high rate of success and picked up his most recent win on Saturday against newcomer Joe Merritt.

Oliveira used his grappling chops to control the former football player turned mixed martial artist en route to picking up the unanimous decision victory in what was already his third showing of 2015.

***

When both fighters are making their official debuts for the promotion, it's a good bet that some furious action will follow. That was definitely the case when Tony Sims and Steve Montgomery stepped into the Octagon on the preliminary portion of Fight Night 70, as neither man wasted a moment letting the bad intentions fly. While the Colorado native's crisp boxing made the American Top Team product's flowing mullet snap back with hard shots, the Creepy Weasel landed a perfectly timed knee that buckled Sims' legs.

Yet MMA is a game of sudden turns, and just as Montgomery hurried after his wounded opponent, Sims blistered him with a left hand that spelled the beginning of the end for Montgomery. The Team Elevation fighter landed two more shots for good measure and in doing so put an impressive stamp on his long-awaited showing under the UFC banner. 

 

The Bad

Combat sports is an unforgiving business, and Lyoto Machida will have some serious decisions to make following his loss at Fight Night 70.

There are few fighters on the current UFC roster who have more accomplishments or a better resume than the Dragon, but the past year has been a telling one in regard to where Machida stands in the bigger picture at the elite level of the middleweight division.

The 36-year-old Brazilian striker was handed his first loss at 185 pounds when he was edged out by champion Chris Weidman at UFC 175 last July. The Shotokan karate master rebounded with a victory over C.B. Dollaway, but suffering a second-round submission finish to Luke Rockhold back in April served to put his hopes for a rematch with the All-American on ice.

The Team Black House fighter went into his bout with Yoel Romero at Fight Night 70 with a firm understanding of the situation he was in. The former two-divisional title challenger knew a win over the Soldier of God would keep his dream of another championship alive, but a loss at the hands of the Cuban powerhouse would push him out of the middleweight title picture for the foreseeable future.

Those circumstances, mixed with a quick turnaround, made for a high-risk, high-reward affair. It was a gamble Machida lost in punishing fashion.

The former light heavyweight champion failed to make Romero respect his power during the first two rounds, which allowed the 38-year-old Florida transplant to continue pushing forward. It was only a matter of time before the former Olympian implemented his wrestling game, and he chose the third round to use that attack. Romero's first takedown attempt put Machida on his back before a rapid burst of elbow strikes separated the Brazilian from his consciousness.

The loss was the third setback Machida has suffered in his past four fights and the second consecutive defeat in which his opponent finished him. That's a rough stretch for a fighter who was once known as the most elusive competitor inside the Octagon and signals a change in status for the perennial contender.

What Machida has done during his time under the UFC banner has made him a surefire Hall of Fame inductee in the future, but his time within striking distance of another title came to a violent close on Saturday night.

***

Missing weight in your first UFC fight is a bad way to get things started, but Lewis Gonzalez pulled a double whammy by also being one half of a sloppy fight on his debut. Granted, his opponent, Leandro Santos, took the matchup on short notice, but the 15-minute bout felt more like 15 hours.

It was three rounds of lackluster action, with Buscape doing enough the unanimous decision on the judges' scorecards. And while neither man came out of the fight with anything to brag about, the loss and missing weight definitely put Gonzalez off to a rough start at the highest level of the sport.

 

The Strange

Let's talk about the card for Fight Night 70 for a moment.

While the UFC continues to blaze through the calendar year throwing out events at an incredible rate, there is always the argument that oversaturation has taken hold. Nevertheless, most events have at least several solid bouts in which the names are recognizable to casual MMA fans and are built around a headliner fight fans can typically get excited for.

The main event on Saturday night between Lyoto Machida and Yoel Romero certainly qualified in the anticipation category, but the supporting elements that are usually laced throughout the lineup were noticeably absent. On paper, Fight Night 70 appeared to have all the relevancy of a show put on by a smaller promotion that somehow managed to land a bankable name and a surging contender to draw fans in.

Saturday's card would have been a big deal for a smaller promotion, but this is the UFC we are talking about. It severely lacked in appeal in the lead up. Granted, there were other forces at play, and those elements certainly played a factor into how things would ultimately shake out where Fight Night 70 was concerned.

The card was originally slated to be the finale for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4 but was moved to Florida just weeks out from the June 27 date. This shake-up caused a huge fallout, as several Brazilian fighters were unable to secure visas in time for the event and were removed from the card.

The most notable of the group was welterweight finishing machine Erick Silva, who was going to face Rick Story in what was originally set to be the main event of TUF: Brazil 4 but was slotted as the co-main event at Fight Night 70 before it fell apart in the chaos.

With a handful of bouts removed on extremely short notice, Fight Night 70 never stood much of a chance. When you pair those conditions with the fervor created by Jose Aldo's rib injury and potential removal from his upcoming featherweight title tilt with Conor McGregor at UFC 189, there was simply no room in the minds of MMA fans for what was going to take place on Saturday night.

And that's strange because there is nothing fight fans love more than free squabbles. That said, the fighting faithful are also a sharp bunch, and Machida versus Romero wasn't going to be enough to spark the excitement that can usually be found attached to a UFC event.

There is no reason for fans to fret, however, because the five UFC cards coming in fast and furious fashion will go a long way toward erasing the memory of what happened at Fight Night 70.

On a final note let's talk about what is quickly becoming the biggest story to come out of Saturday night's event: Yoel Romero's post-fight rant following his victory over Lyoto Machida.

Given he's a devout Christian, it's nothing strange to hear talk of Jesus and the like coming out of his mouth, but when his speech appeared to mention homosexuality, things took a different turn.

The middleweight contender typically uses a translator because he doesn't speak strong English, but Romero told Jon Anik he was going to speak English in his interview and launched into whatever that was.

I say that because I honestly do not know what he said. The entire thing was pointed out to me by a fight fan on Twitter because the original run of this article made no mention of it, and after viewing the interview multiple times, I still have no idea of exactly what was said. Romero addressed the matter at the post-fight press conference, apologizing for any misunderstanding that took place.

Romero told the media in attendance he was speaking about the "American Dream," but that seems to be a stretch from starting out his post-fight interview with a pointed barb at America and asking "What Happened?" Romero would go on to mention Jesus several more times, and despite the fighter insisting he made no slanderous remarks, the message came just one day after the Supreme Court ruling that made gay marriage legal in the United States.

Props to @davidbix on the Vine, which is posted below for so you can all hear and decide for yourselves.

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

'Soldier of God' Yoel Romero Takes Out Lyoto Machida and 'Gay Jesus' in 1 Night

The stories coming out of Yoel Romero's destruction of Lyoto Machida should revolve around his ascendance to the top of the middleweight class. After a slow dance that took most of two rounds, Romero exploded early in the third round to crush Machida's future title aspirations with five perfectly placed elbows to the head.

On a card without much else going for it, this was a victory that was bound to drive the MMA discourse for several days. Machida, after all, is a former champion. Though he's in his declining years, he's not not yet at a stage where a win over him is meaningless. This win mattered. For Romero, it was the highlight of his short career.

Then someone stuck a live microphone in the Soldier of God's face.

"Hey. Hey, USA. Hey, Miami. Hey, Florida. Listen people. Listen. Listen. Listen," Romero said in broken English. "What happened to you, USA? What happened to you? What's going on you? Forget for the best of the best in the world. The name is Jesus Christ. What happened to you? Wake up USA. Go, go back for you. Go. Go for Jesus."

And then the bombshell.

"No for Gay Jesus people."

Did he or didn't he? It's the question that raged on Twitter after the fight. One day after the United States Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage throughout the land, the seemingly bizarre criticism of a homosexual deity might make a modicum of sense in that context.

Some are convinced he did indeed bring up the possibility of a gay Jesus. Scamps on Wikipedia quickly changed his nickname to "Gay Jesus." Others believe he actually said, "No forget Jesus people."  I've listened to it half a hundred times. What he actually said in the cage may never be known.

Later, at the post-fight press conference after prompting by a UFC official, Romero explained he wasn't attempting to reference gay marriage but rather the American experience.

"What I was trying to say—the United States, thank you," Romero, now speaking Spanish and using a translator said. "Thank you for giving me the American Dream. There is no better country than this one. Because it was blessed by God."

It's rare to hear a "thank you" begin by asking, angrily, "What happened to you?" But, due to a language barrier and post-fight adrenaline, maybe Romero deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Either way, the strange interview completely overshadowed all the other wacky stuff Romero did, including what appeared to be an Anthony Pettis-style cage-assisted punch that the former Olympic silver medalist turned into a takedown attempt to close the second round.

It was a sequence of events that underscored something that's getting harder and harder to deny—the man can do things in the cage no one else can even imagine.

"This is the kind of power and athleticism this man possesses. You are never safe when you're in the Octagon with him," Fox Sports commentator Brian Stann said after the show. "When you feel the kind of power Romero possesses you don't want to mess around too much."

The win pushes the 38-year-old fighter's UFC record to a perfect 6-0. All but one of those wins came by way of knockout. With another victory, particularly another finish over a top opponent, Romero could very well catapult himself right into title contention.

It turns out he's pretty good at the fighting part of his job. The public relations part? That could use a little work.

The UFC encourages fighters, even those just learning the language, to address the crowd in English. Perhaps, however, those messages should be shorter and more to the point—to prevent any unfortunate "misunderstandings."

 

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.

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Lyoto Machida vs. Yoel Romero: Video Highlights of UFC Fight Night 70 Main Event

UFC Fight Night 70 was generally lacking in star power, but nobody could deny that the main event, a critical middleweight tilt between Lyoto Machida and Yoel Romero, was an absolute treat. 

The bout was a compelling contrast of styles. Machida played the role of the matador: sticking, moving and counter-punching at every opportunity. Romero, naturally, was the bull: pressing forward, exploding into every attack and staying on offense for almost the entire match.

The first two rounds were likely split on the scorecards, with Machida taking the first based on his effective footwork and hands and Romero taking the second thanks to his non-stop aggression. The fight would not leave the third, though, as Romero wrenched Machida for a scary takedown and immediately rained down short, devastating elbows. The former light heavyweight champ was left in an unconscious heap shortly thereafter, prompting the ref to come in and wave the fight to a close at 1:38 of Round 3. 

Romero's victory shakes up the middleweight division in a big way and puts the Soldier of God on equal footing with fellow contenders Luke Rockhold and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza for a shot at reigning middleweight champ Chris Weidman. At age 38, Romero is poised to complete an unlikely run to the title, which could cap an impressive athletic career that includes a long list of international wrestling accomplishments, most notably a silver medal in freestyle wrestling from the 2000 Olympic Games. 

Unfortunately, it also marks the end of Machida's days as an elite fighter. Coming off back-to-back stoppage defeats, retirement feels like a very real possibility for the Dragon, who has lost three times in the last 12 months.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for both men. Keep an eye on Bleacher Report for news as it breaks.

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Headkick from Hell: Thiago Santos Viciously Knocks Out Steve Bosse at UFC FN70

Lyoto Machida and Yoel Romero may have headlined UFC Fight Night 70 on Saturday night, but the card's most impressive moment came much earlier, as Thiago Santos viciously knocked out Steve Bosse with a picture-perfect headkick. You can check out the cringe-worthy video above, courtesy of UFC on Fox Sports.

For years, Bosse was a highly regarded light heavyweight prospect, but a lack of commitment to the sport saw him fight just once since 2011. Visibly rusty, the former semi-pro hockey enforcer carried his hands low and held his chin high. Santos, an opportunistic finisher, identified the opening and cracked him with a brutal kick that landed shin-to-temple.

The win advances Santos to 3-2 in the Octagon (11-3 in his MMA career) and is his seventh career knockout. While the Brazilian has posted some solid performances over the years, this is by far the most impressive highlight to his name. This win doesn't vault him into title contention by any stretch of the imagination, but these are the moments that make fans come back for more.

On the flipside, this is an absolutely devastating blow for Bosse. The Canadian hadn't fought since 2013 and was lured out of retirement for a pay-per-view main card fight at UFC 186 opposite Fabio Maldonado. Unfortunately for him, the fight would be scrapped and he would then be demoted to the prelims of a free Fight Night card (but would later be elevated to the main card). 

The knockout earned Santos a big $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus check and will likely land him a legitimate opponent for his next fight. As for Bosse? Here is hoping he makes a quick, full recovery.

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Lyoto Machida vs. Yoel Romero: What We Learned from UFC Fight Night 70 Tilt

There's no disputing that Lyoto Machida is one of the most renowned mixed martial artists to ever step inside of the Octagon.

But The Dragon has come a long way since dominating the 205-pound scene for multiple years, combining unorthodox attacks and legendary counter striking to dismantle some of the best fighters in the business.

Having lost two of his last three, including a title fight opposite undefeated Brazilian assassin Chris Weidman and a one-sided beatdown at the hands of Luke Rockhold, Machida came into Saturday's main event bout opposite Yoel Romero at UFC Fight Night 70 in desperate need of a victory.

As arguably the most accomplished wrestler to ever compete under the Zuffa banner, the athletically clad Romero poised a unique threat to the Brazilian.

And in dramatic fashion, the 38-year-old Cuban steamrolled Machida and ended his bid for middleweight redemption via a third-round knockout.

Here is what we learned Saturday night as Romero officially cemented himself as a bona fide title contender:

 

What We'll Remember About This Fight

It took Romero nearly two full rounds to even attempt a takedown, let alone drag Machida to the canvas.

But once he found himself in top position, Romero rained short elbows in bunches that ultimately left the former UFC champion incoherent.

However, the even more interesting takeaway from this bout is that Romero didn't even need to finish the fight the way he did.

On the heels of patient striking, timely in-and-out pursuits and overall creativity, Soldier of God was able to thwart the usual effective countering of Machida.

In turn, Machida's only worthwhile offense included circling leg kicks and the occasional body blow.

Needless to say, the blistering knockout was Romero's exclamation mark on the last 26 months, in which he went 6-0 with five spectacular finishes.

 

What We Learned About Machida

At 37 years of age and countless wars inside of the cage, a 1-3 record over his last four bouts may be enough to consider Machida officially done.

While his skill set is extremely unique and often efficient enough to ward off offensive dynamos, it seems as if the Brazilian can no longer rely on his speed and precision.

It's a hard reality to bear, but Machida needs to make major adjustments heading into 2016 if he wants to remain on the outskirts of the Top 5 (assuming he drops down after this loss).

In any case, he was unable to utilize his counter left and at times seemed to mask his inabilities by uncharacteristic showmanship.

 

What We Learned About Romero

It may have taken Romero longer than expected to truly get going on Saturday night, eating an abundance of leg kicks in the process, but boy did he make up for lost time.

When it mattered most, whether in close quarters or as Machida reached for counters, Romero's athleticism allowed him to make the correct adaption to avoid damage and inflict his own.

The fact that he didn't have to rely on his wrestling (which is arguably the best we've ever seen) to stifle one of the best all-around pinpoint strikers of the past ten years suggests that Romero's evolution is firing on all cylinders.

If he can maintain his tactical approach and he even opts for more takedown attempts in order to open his striking moving forward, there's no telling how dangerous Romero can become on his feet.

 

What's Next for Machida

Like other fallen stars, such as Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Dan Henderson, Machida will have the opportunity to fight until he doesn't want to compete anymore.

But considering he's been finished decisively in back-to-back appearances, The Dragon may need a little time off to redefine his aging Octagon skill set.

When he returns, noteworthy middleweight draws like Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping could be waiting in the helm.

Not to mention that a historic showdown with Anderson Silva would serve as a perfect pardon from the sport for both Machida and The Spider.

 

What's Next for Romero

There's only one matchup to make for Romero, and that is a long-awaited bout with No. 2 ranked middleweight Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.

 

It's a fight that has already been scheduled twice, but it ultimately has fallen through on the heels of bad health.

It is the most obvious No. 1 contender's bout out there in the division and a classic collision of wrestler vs. grappler.

On paper, Souza's experience makes him the early favorite, but Romero's showing opposite Machida proves that he can adapt to almost any fight style.

 

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