UFC Champ Jose Aldo Not a Fan of the UFC-Reebok Deal, Calls for a Fighter Union

Add Jose Aldo to the list of those who have spoken out against the new UFC-Reebok Deal that is expected to go into effect this July. 

The UFC featherweight champion opened up to Combate (h/t Bloody Elbow's Lucas Rezende) as he explicitly states his feeling on the upcoming sponsorship changes:

First of all, it's s--t. Everybody has been talking about it. We, athletes, are losing a lot. They said we would be like NBA or NFL athlete, but that doesn't apply, because we are not paid monthly like they are.  It doesn't matter how much we will be paid, all athletes who had sponsors are losing money. That's a huge setback for us. We live for each fight, we have to keep fighting and nobody fights more than three times a year.  Not a champion, anyway. Even the value they measured doesn't match what our sponsors were paying us. That is great for the UFC, but not for the fighters.  I see a lot of athletes losing too much.

In a recent interview with SportsTalk Live's Chick Hernandez on Comcast SportsNet Washington (h/t Bloody Elbow's Steph Daniels), UFC President Dana White stated that the Reebok deal isn't all in cash but in product as well. Whether he meant fighters will be getting free gear or if they will be getting royalties on products sold is unclear. 

White compares this sponsorship plan similarly to the larger professional organizations and sees this deal as a way to legitimize the UFC on those same levels, according to ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto: 

It's no different than any other sport. In other sports, a lot of guys are sponsored by different brands -- outside the NFL or outside the NBA. It's no different. The UFC is just catching up now. There are going to be clothing companies and other sponsors where, if your business is MMA, you're going to want the best guys to represent your brand.

Fighters in the UFC make nowhere near the amount of money that a professional athlete in the major leagues make. Chris Weidman and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson both made $500,000 for their performances at UFC 187, which is barely close to the NBA and MLB league minimums for a yearly salary. Sure, Weidman and Rumble will break over $500,000 when they fight again this year, but these are two figures who have more visibility than their baseball or basketball counterparts making the same amount of money.

Also, unlike the major sports leagues, the UFC and other fight organizations do not have a union representing fighter interests. 

Aldo went on to state the importance of a fighters union, according to Combate: 

If we are going to talk about something, that does not depend on just me being the champion, or Cain Velasquez, or any other champion. If we had a union for fighters, and we were all together, like in the NBA, this would've been different.  But fighters are not united.  Today I have a price the event is willing to pay to have me, but there are other fighters out there willing to fight for spare change if I don't want to, and that is not even their fault. The UFC brought the sport to where it is today, great, that's their merit. But if athletes were more united and had a union to protect them, I don't think this would happen.

Nate Quarry echoed this need for a union, telling Bloody Elbow's John S. Nash, "They [fighters] have next to no negotiating power whatsoever. One big organization basically dictates whatever happens."

According to Fox Sports's Elias Cepeda, Brendan Schaub is another fighter who feels fighter unionization needs to happen soon, as he feels that the fighters have had no say in how much they earn in Reebok deal payouts or other royalties. Schaub feels that "the lack of union representation for UFC fighters is also standing in the way of MMA catching up to other sports in terms of professionalism and mainstream status."

Ultimately, fans don't care whether their favorite athletes are in a union or not. However, fans do care that athletes are being treated fairly and being paid what they are worth. The UFC-Reebok deal could be the catalyst in the birth of a fighter union in the near future.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dan Henderson vs. Tim Boetsch: A Full Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC Fight Night 68 was supposed to feature Daniel Cormier vs. Ryan Bader, but after Cormier replaced Jon Jones at UFC 187, a new main event was put in place.

Former PRIDE welterweight and middleweight champion Dan Henderson will take on No. 13-ranked contender Tim Boetsch in a middleweight tilt to headline the New Orleans card.

Henderson lost his last two outings to Daniel Cormier and Gegard Mousasi and will try to revitalize his career one last time this weekend. Boetsch remains a ranked middleweight, but he is 2-4 in his last six fights. This would appear to be their last hope at significance in the division.

This is a fight between two men in desperate need of a win. It does not hold much divisional importance, but it will mean a lot for their careers.

Their backs are against the wall. Could that produce an exciting brawl of a fight? Let's break down the UFC Fight Night 68 main event between Dan Henderson and Tim Boetsch.

Begin Slideshow

Ronda Rousey Confirms Shaquille O'Neal Could Last 45 Seconds with Her

Ronda Rousey has faith in Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal's abilities inside the cage. 

Speaking with TMZ Sports, Rousey responded positively to O'Neal's claim that he could last 45 seconds against her in a full-on mixed martial arts bout. 

"Yeah, you know, if a chick could last past 45 seconds, I don't see why Shaq couldn't," Rousey said. 

Lasting 45 seconds in the cage with Rousey—the undefeated and seemingly untouchable UFC women's bantamweight champion—is no easy feat. 

Her last two opponents, Alexis Davis and Cat Zingano, didn't last that long—combined. 

At UFC 175 in July 2014, Davis made it just 16 seconds with Rousey before the referee was forced to stop the contest. In that fight, Rousey immediately took the center of the Octagon, tossed Davis on her head and rained down punches until the man in charge waved the fight off. 

In her quest to constantly one-up herself, however, Rousey had something even quicker in mind for her most recent challenger, Zingano. At UFC 184 in February, Zingano flew out of the gates with a flying knee, and the bout was essentially sealed. 

Off balance from her attack, Zingano was forced into a scramble on the ground with Rousey, and the MMA savant snatched her arm in short order, ending the bout via armbar in just 14 seconds. 

While Shaq may not have professional fighting experience, he does dabble in MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. On top of this, he is a large, large man.

At 7'1" and somewhere around 350 pounds, Shaq weighs more than two-and-a-half times the bantamweight limit of 135 pounds under which Rousey holds her title.

He may not be as skilled as Davis or Zingano, but he's massive, insanely strong and a world-class athlete. 

For somebody like him, lasting 45 seconds with Rousey inside the UFC Octagon isn't so far-fetched. For the rest of us, though, it'd be surprising to see the clock hit double digits. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Women's Bantamweight Leslie Smith Beats Up Male Groper at California Club

One would hope that this would some day go without saying, but there are all sorts of reasons why groping someone you don't know is not a very strong play.

For male nightclub patrons in the San Francisco area, Leslie Smith just added another reason. That reason is Leslie Smith.

The UFC women's bantamweight brought the hammer down on an unidentified schmo who grabbed her friend's backside Saturday night at a San Francisco public house.

Smith, who was at the club with fellow UFC fighter Heather Jo Clark and some other friends, recounted the story to Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting in an article published Monday:

I followed him and I was like, 'Hey, you can't do that.' And he was like, 'I can do whatever I want.' And I was like, 'No, you can't.' Then he turned around and spit on me and threw a big right hand ... I pushed him against a building and then I double-legged him. I took him down against the cage and then I started to take his back, but his hair was really gross and it didn't quite feel right. I let go of that and just dropped elbows on him. He turned over and I just dropped elbows on him from mount against the building until he started saying, 'I'm sorry.' Then I stopped as soon as he said sorry, because that was really the only thing I went over there for.

The TKO is even more impressive given that Smith (7-6-1) is currently out of UFC action as she recovers from a torn meniscus. So she did this with at least one leg that was probably not quite 100 percent.

The 32-year-old Smith also garnered attention in her last official fight, which came in November and ended in a doctor's stoppage TKO win for opponent Jessica Eye.

A scene of particular violence arose when Smith's ear became partially detached (images NSFW) during the action. (Though certainly gruesome, the "cauliflower ear" condition common in many wrestlers makes fighters more susceptible to this, and thus it is not an unprecedented injury in MMA.) Smith, for her part, wanted to continue in the fight before the cageside physician waved off the contest. 

So, yes. This is a very tough woman.

Cesar Gracie, who coaches Smith as well as other UFC regulars like Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz and Gilbert Melendez, was the first to go public with the story in a Facebook post published Sunday. 

"Dirtbag decides to sexually harass group of females," Gracie wrote in part. "What he didn't know was that 2 of the women were MMA fighters currently in the UFC ... [Smith] delivered a series of elbows until the man, now having his face looking more like hamburger meat, yelled out that he was sorry and that he respected them.

"He left having learned a valuable lesson and the women returned to the club."

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 68: Reasons to Watch Henderson vs. Boetsch Fight Card

This past weekend, UFC Fight Night 67 gave MMA fans the much anticipated return of "The Natural Born Killer." If anyone had doubts as to whether or not Carlos Condit was still a top-shelf welterweight, they were put to bed by a bone-breaking elbow strike that flattened Thiago Alves' nose. 

After that violent display, we move to another Fight Night card with potential for more of the same. The main event originally boasted a light heavyweight contender's bout between now-light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and Ryan Bader. But Cormier filled in for the suspended Jon Jones at UFC 187, weathering an early storm from Anthony Johnson to capture gold. 

UFC Fight Night 68's headliner pits two hard-hitters against each other: Dan Henderson vs. Tim Boetsch. The pair are a combined 3-9 in their last 12 fights.

And the co-main event should provide us with a pummeling good time when bruising heavyweights Matt Mitrione and Ben Rothwell collide. 

Like most UFC Fight Nights, this card is far from stacked.

But it should offer some measure of action from a handful of compelling-enough fighters. So without further ado, let's highlight the reasons why you need to tune your TV to Fox Sports 1 on Saturday night.

 

The Heavyweights Are Always Worth Watching  

Fans of combat sports—be it MMA or boxing—have always been drawn to the men that weigh in north of 205 pounds. As a whole, we've always had a special fondness for larger-than-life characters like Mike Tyson or Brock Lesnar, which just doesn't exist in the smaller weight classes. It's science actually, and Isaac Newton nailed it with his second law: force equals mass times acceleration. 

When big dudes are throwing leather with bad intentions, the result is often violent. No doubt Newton would be tuning in to see Derrick Lewis vs. Shawn Jordan and Mitrione vs. Rothwell in the co-main event. All four men have dished out and been on the receiving end of some fight finishing force. 

Rothwell vs. Mitrione is a meaningful fight. They are ranked 10th and 12th in the division, and the winner would be in a position to call out one of the bigger fishes.

Rothwell got everyone's attention in a big way when he flattened Alistair Overeem back in the fall of 2014. Mitrione is riding a three-fight win streak that includes victories over Lewis and Jordan along with Gabriel Gonzaga.

The last time either of these brutes was involved in a fight that went to a decision was back in 2011. Hopefully their penchant for giving and receiving punishment continues; may the best man remain standing. 

As for Lewis vs. Jordan, while it is not nearly as meaningful, it may offer an even higher rate of return as far as barbarity is concerned. If these two aren't overthinking things, don't be shocked if this fight is over within the first frame. 

 

The Lighter Weight Fighters Should Provide Some Excitement 

The main card of Fight Night 68 is top-heavy with lighter weight fighters who are usually in the mood to entertain. 

Alex Caceres and Francisco Rivera both bring 10 career MMA wins into their fight, and of those 10 wins, both have seven finishes. If Rivera is beating you, it's usually by way of TKO, while Caceres tends to prefer the submission route. Both are in need of a big win; they are coming into this bout with two-fight losing streaks. 

And then there's Yancy Medeiros vs. Dustin Poirier.

Medeiros interestingly started out his career at light heavyweight, while Poirier has spent most of his at featherweight. Meeting at lightweight, Medeiros and Poirier combined have 23 finishes in 27 career victories.

Poirier was a top-five featherweight before getting taken out by Conor McGregor. He realized the weight cut to 145 was taking too much out of him, so he moved back to lightweight where he'd experienced some success earlier in his career. Provided he gets through Medeiros this weekend, Poirier could be poised to make a run in the talent-rich 155-pound division. 

 

Is This The End of the Road For an MMA legend? 

Dan Henderson is a Hall of Famer. At 44 years old though, he's nearing the end of his storied career. He's lost five out of his last six bouts, and he's had less bounce in his step each time out. Henderson was thrashed by Daniel Cormier last May, which convinced him to move back to middleweight one last time. 

He didn't have much luck in his return bout; Gegard Mousasi quickly proved he was not only the more agile and accurate fighter, but he also happened to be 15 years younger. Henderson has weathered the storm better than most men his age, but no man can shuck off the hands of time forever. 

But he seems to refuse to go quietly into that good night. On one hand, you have to love the No Country For Old Men grit from a guy who has one of the most impressive resumes the sport has ever seen.

But at what point does Dana White have a conversation with him like he did with Chuck Liddell a few years back?

If Henderson gets lit up and put on his back by Tim Boetsch, it might be time for that conversation.

Boetsch is not a world-beater, but he sure as heck didn't pick up the moniker "The Barbarian" by playing patty cake inside the cage. He put a hurting on a young and athletic Brad Tavares last August. He may have lost four of his past six fights, but he is still quite dangerous.

That said, Henderson could very well still have enough fight left in him to outgun Boetsch. It was only last year Henderson was getting carved up by Shogun Rua in their rematch before bouncing back and blasting the Brazilian. And it's not like Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida blew him out of the water in their light heavyweight affairs back in 2013. 

Perhaps Boetsch is the perfect foil for Henderson: A bear of a man who will likely go toe-to-toe with him, providing Hendo the opportunity for one more highlight-reel knockout. Or maybe Henderson will get his lights turned off, and find himself back in discussions that center on whether or not he should once and for all retire.

No matter how things play out for Henderson, the chance to see a pioneer who's been competing professionally in mixed martial arts since Bill Clinton's presidency is reason enough to tune in. 

Add in the power-punching heavyweight tilts and the action-packed lighter-weight affairs, and UFC Fight Night 68 provides enough reason to plop down on the couch and settle in for a tasty night of fisticuffs from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com