Brock is a former wrestling standout at University of Minnesota and WWE. He left WWE back in '03/'04 to try out for the Vikings. That didn't pan out, so after fighting WWE on a no-complete contract, he's venturing into MMA.
lol! see, i always thought that you had to be flexible and agile to be a good wrestler....
this guy can't even put his arms all the way down!
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
LOL... i'm such a loser... i just remembered - i can't go to Vegas for my birthday... i'm going to be in Banff for my shared birthday with my best friend! I already have a flight booked! how could i have forgotten?
does everyone lose their minds after they turn 30?!
ps. GSP!
yah, that's right... fight's over... i'm still cheering for him!
pps. where the f*** are you guys today?? i'm talkin' to myself over here!
ppps. i use too many smilies and exclamation points.
1) You are definitely not a loser!
2) I hope I don't lose my mind when I turn 30 ... that would somewhat inconvenient!
3) We should never stop cheering for GSP
4) Sorry you had to talk to yourself here today .... I've been working continuously for more hours than I can count. I didn't even have time to sneak a look at the thread today!
1) You are definitely not a loser!
2) I hope I don't lose my mind when I turn 30 ... that would somewhat inconvenient!
3) We should never stop cheering for GSP
4) Sorry you had to talk to yourself here today .... I've been working continuously for more hours than I can count. I didn't even have time to sneak a look at the thread today!
1) thanks!
2) oh, it'll happen! there's no way to avoid losing your mind... ask mookie!
3) or dreaming about him
4) meh, it's not the first time... refer to item #2.
i'm glad you finally got a break...
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
Yeah, well I don't watch it... but I was just wondering if there are other former wrestlers in the UFC
lots of former amatuer, collegiate, and olympic wrestlers, but no "pro wrestlers" that i'm aware of. there were quite a few in pride, however, that performed as wrestlers while in japan.
so far brock is 1-0 in MMA. he was originally slated to fight a korean giant and k-1 superstar, hong man-choi...but choi couldn't get medical clearance to fight in california. he defeated the replacement opponent, min soo kim, by submission due to strikes in 1:07 of the first round.
he would have to lose some weight and / or cut quite a bit to make the limit in the UFC of 265 lbs. i think he normally weighs around 300 or so. i can't recall who he was training with for his striking, but royce gracie was training him in BJJ for that first fight.
kurt angle's name has also been running around the rumour mills for some time now, but i doubt that will happen.
I don't know nearly as much as you guys about fighters, but I am surprised to see some of you with Rampage, Mirko, and Bisping losing. I guess their opponents are just awesome fighters I don't know about.
And I wonder if Randy Couture will get his cauliflower ears fixed as soon as his career in Hollywood takes off.
Or maybe he'll leave them if there's a new Star Trek movie.
FUEL AND RELEASE!!! happiness is good FOR AN hour... FUEL AND RE-LEASE!!! happines is good FOR an HOU-ER.
--P. Farrell
I don't know nearly as much as you guys about fighters, but I am surprised to see some of you with Rampage, Mirko, and Bisping losing. I guess their opponents are just awesome fighters I don't know about.
And I wonder if Randy Couture will get his cauliflower ears fixed as soon as his career in Hollywood takes off.
Or maybe he'll leave them if there's a new Star Trek movie.
proteus, sometimes you can know all there is to know about a fighter, and the result is not what you expect. that's one of the things i truly enjoy about the sport...two opponents face each other and there are so many ways to win the match that the outcome is often very unpredictable. other times, the match goes pretty much as expected.
the only one who would be classified by fans as an awesome fighter is dan henderson, rampage's opponent. (that's not to say that kongo and hamill aren't excellent at what they do)
dan's the pride MW and LHW champion...the first guy to hold a belt in two different weight classes. this one is a toss up for me. i went with henderson because i think his wrestling is better and his punching power is probably superior to rampage's. then again, it's always "probably" until someone gets hit. both guys are tough, experienced, and should put on a great show!
most would go with mirko and bisping, i think. mirko's opponent is cheick kongo, a muay thai world champion who has a size and reach advatage on mirko. his weakness is the ground game, but so is mirko's. it will be mirko's elite kickboxing skills vs. kongo's muay thai so it should be fireworks on the feet. bisping's opponent, matt hamill, is a tenacious wrestler with great takedowns and strength. he's the bigger of the two and it's probable that bisping's only way to win this one is with a ko. if he can scramble back to his feet after matt takes him down and not get tired or frustrated he could come away with the win.
to summarize..anything can happen!
as far as randy goes, those are his badges of honour, so i hope he doesn't get them fixed! haha
they could probably introduce a new vulcan-esque race to allow randy's ears to fit in...they'll just have to find some other wrestlers to play the other roles. then again, there's always make-up, right?
as usual, you're probably right about your predictions...
as far as the trip goes - i've had the whole day here to cool off....... but a little sweet talkin' wouldn't hurt...
nah, i'm just talkin' oot me arse with the predictions!
...and i couldn't think of a cooler ontarioan? who is a pearl jam fan with croatian heritage, and who paints beuatiful pieces of artwork, that i would rather go on a hip trip to the cape with! how that for sweet talking, eh?
1) You are definitely not a loser!
2) I hope I don't lose my mind when I turn 30 ... that would somewhat inconvenient!
3) We should never stop cheering for GSP
4) Sorry you had to talk to yourself here today .... I've been working continuously for more hours than I can count. I didn't even have time to sneak a look at the thread today!
...and i couldn't think of a cooler ontarioan? who is a pearl jam fan with croatian heritage, and who paints beuatiful pieces of artwork, that i would rather go on a hip trip to the cape with! how that for sweet talking, eh?
awww ... thanks mook!
swap ontarian/croatian with nova scotian/irish, and the same goes for me!
p.s. i wanna see a new painting from you, mister! :mad:
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
thanks mookie and ceg!!! wow this thread really blew up . . . I have lots to say about the upcoming fights and "assessing" the new TUF fighters, so I will try to post later tonight. (CEG - should we use arm hair, chest hair or the happy trail to "assess"?)
kurt angle's name has also been running around the rumour mills for some time now, but i doubt that will happen.
I think Brock is much more realistic than Kurt. Angle is nearing (if not in) his 40's. Plus, there is a lot of baggage that comes with him.
I think Brock can and will do well, if trained properly. Angle, not so much.
PBM
"We paced ourselves and we didn't rush through it and we tried to be as creative as our collective minds would let us be over some course of time instead of just trying to rush through a record"
thanks mookie and ceg!!! wow this thread really blew up . . . I have lots to say about the upcoming fights and "assessing" the new TUF fighters, so I will try to post later tonight. (CEG - should we use arm hair, chest hair or the happy trail to "assess"?)
PS GSP!!!!!
PPS Gray!!!!
i don't know about you, ReleasH, but i'm going to assess them solely based on their explosive kickboxing, superior takedown defence, keen grappling abilities, and aggressive ground 'n' pound.... :rolleyes:
NOT!
p.s. i just wanted type "ground 'n' pound"... sounds so dirty...
~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
i don't know about you, ReleasH, but i'm going to assess them solely based on their explosive kickboxing, superior takedown defence, keen grappling abilities, and aggressive ground 'n' pound.... :rolleyes:
NOT!
p.s. i just wanted type "ground 'n' pound"... sounds so dirty...
you know as much as I love the ground n' pound I think the ability to sink a rear naked choke is more important!!!
(seriously, who came up with that name?!)
you know as much as I love the ground n' pound I think the ability to sink a rear naked choke is more important!!!
(seriously, who came up with that name?!)
if i'm not mistaken, stephen quadros takes credit for inventing both the terms ground n' pound and lay n' pray. i believe he was referring to mark coleman's style for the ground n' pound, but i'm not sure who is was that caused him to coin the other one.
if i'm not mistaken, stephen quadros takes credit for inventing both the terms ground n' pound and lay n' pray. i believe he was referring to mark coleman's style for the ground n' pound, but i'm not sure who is was that caused him to coin the other one.
BABALU RELEASED FROM UFC
Thursday, August 30, 2007
by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
Renato “Babalu” Sobral has been released from his UFC contract after his behavior in the recent fight with David Heath as confirmed by UFC president Dana White during a media conference call earlier today.
Much speculation has gone into the possible punishment for Sobral after his actions in which he held onto a fight ending choke even after referee Steve Mazzagatti tried to get the fighter to release the hold.
Babalu may have sunk himself in an even deeper hole by making his post fight comments in which he stated he wanted to “teach him a lesson,” referring to Heath and their heated verbal exchange at the weigh-ins the day prior.
MMAWeekly spoke to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer on Monday and he confirmed that at that time they had held up Babalu’s fight purse of $25,000 pending the investigation into the incident.
Kizer stated that he planned on re-watching the bout between Sobral and Heath and then would make a decision whether or not to file a complaint against Babalu at that point.
MMAWeekly spoke to Kizer about Babalu's situation on Thursday afternoon and the Executive Director advised that Babalu and his management would be speaking in front of the commission during a meeting on Friday.
During that meeting, Babalu will have the chance to tell his side of the story, so to speak, to the commission and then at that point they will make a final decision as to whether or not to hold a disciplinary meeting to discuss punishment for Sobral.
Kizer also advised the possibility of the commission simply reprimanding Babalu for his actions and releasing his fight purse.
The final decision on the next step of action will come on Friday when Babalu appears in front of the commission.
This news comes on the heels of White’s original statement at the UFC 74 post fight press conference in which he stated, “I am not happy about it. If you have an arm or leg of somebody in a submission where somebody seriously injures somebody, you'll never be back in UFC again.”
Word from Heath’s camp on Monday was that the fighter was okay physically and was more upset about his own performance than anything surrounding the controversy at the end of the fight.
Babalu’s release sets a precedent in the UFC that actions that could potentially harm another fighter, especially when they are as blatant as what Sobral did and then said, can cause a fighter to be let go from a UFC contract.
White did follow up by not ruling out the possibility of Babalu returning to the UFC in the future, but did say the Brazilian fighter made a huge mistake with his actions last Saturday night.
No word has come out of Babalu’s camp since the dismissal from the UFC.
what a load of bullshit from josh barnett here. i guess that he forgot that he tested positive for anabolic steroids before and after the "win" over randy couture and that he left the country to go fight in japan where he wouldn't be tested. while there was conjecture about how the tests were conducted i found it hard to believe that barnett was not using, even though he claims he never did. i would say that josh is the coward here, not those that he points fingers at.
it sounds to me like barnett is desperate for press after realizing he's fucked himself over by not completely clearing up the matter with the NSAC or the UFC in the first place and bad-mouthing the organization for years while in japan. there's no question he's a good fighter, but not one that i would trust to be clean if he were to come back. it's no wonder the UFC doesn't offer him an amount that seems "fair" to him, given the way he handled the situation.
BARNETT CHALLENGES ZUFFA, WHITE RESPONDS
Thursday, August 30, 2007
by Jeff Cain - MMAWeekly.com
Josh Barnett, the number four ranked heavyweight in the world by MMAWeekly's worldwide rankings, took offense to UFC president Dana White's comments during the UFC 74 post-fight press conference that no one in the world can beat Randy Couture. Barnett issued a challenge to the UFC to make him a legitimate offer, and he'd prove White's statements false.
"At the press conference Randy didn't have anything particularly to say that was inflammatory, but Dana, on the other hand, had to putwords in his mouth and sort of write checks on Randy's behalf by saying, 'there isn't anybody in the world that can beat this guy.' And I'm standing right there, and he's already seen me. It's just bull crap. I already beat him within two [rounds], not to mention, nobody is invincible."
“That just goes without saying. Two of the absolute best heavyweights in the world aren't even in the UFC, and he claims they're going to get them all. I asked him when, and he said, 'soon.' B.S.," said the twenty-nine year old heavyweight contender.
Barnett doesn't think the UFC is trying or wants to sign certain highly ranked fighters. He commented, “They're not really making efforts to get them all, and that's because to get someone like myself or Fedor [Emelianenko] in there would ruin their entire propaganda that they've been trying to build up for so long that only what's within the UFC is really what counts, and is only the real truth of MMA. It's not MMA anymore, it's Ultimate Fighting, and that's crap."
He continued, "It's more of their whole UFC propaganda notion in that things that happened before the Spike TV explosion didn't really happen. I beat him. I took him out by TKO in under two rounds, and that's the truth of the matter. It wasn't that Randy was a bad fighter, or anything like that. I was the better person that night, and I know if we were to fight again I strongly believe that I'm still the better fighter."
Asked if the UFC has made him a serious offer, Barnett replied, "Not in my opinion, certainly not in my opinion. It's ignorant to think that someone like myself, or another high level heavyweight doesn't have an idea of what kind of figures, and contracts, and sorts of things that are offered to the top guys and top fighters in the world. So don't come at somebody with something less than that. Don't insult them by making a very patronizing offer and act like we're all that there is and you need us. I'm not down for that. If they want to be serious, I've already said before I'd fight in the UFC. I have no problem doing that. And besides the fact that Randy's got the title, whatever, even if he didn't have the belt, to say somebody is unbeatable, someone is going to say something about it."
He added, "They've got the money and ability to make what they want happen to have happen.... They say they want the best in the world, well, they actually have to have them. Even right now, if you ask me, their champ, he's not ranked any higher than five. There's already people out there ranked higher than him that they don't even have."
"I've been here from the beginning, not to mention, they have a title reign that has never been taken off of me. I left the UFC. No matter what, [Andrei] Arlovski never beat me for that belt, neither did Ricco [Rodriguez], neither did [Tim] Sylvia, for sure, and then Randy just comes out of retirement and steps in and gets an automatic title shot. Fine. If that's the way they want to do it, but from my perspective I don't need a title shot. All I need is, just put me in the ring. If you say he's unbeatable, let his arm heal, and we'll go out there and see how unbeatable he is."
Barnett would like to fight before the end of the year, but said it's not in his hands. Questioned how frustrating it is for him to be on the sidelines watching rather than competing, Josh responded, "It's incredibly frustrating because it's not a matter of anything that I am doing. It's just a matter of not, in my opinion, getting legitimate offers, simply put."
“Sitting back watching almost a decade's worth of MMA being re-written by some guys, and that's just a slap in the face of everybody who ever got into this in the beginning that didn't even make a dime when we first started fighting, and didn't even have promotions, and traveled the world to try to do everything we could to become mixed martial artists as we have today. It's just completely disrespectful."
“Not to mention, we're not retired. We're still friggen here, and training hard, and proving our mettle amongst the best in the world. Putting us on a back burner trying to act like we don't exist, that's either because they're scared, they're cowards and they don't want us to ruin their sand castle, or they're just spiteful."
Josh went on to say, "If Dana wants to make such a bold statement about the champ I've already beaten, then put his money where he mouth is. If he really believes he's unbeatable, and they don't want to lose their token belt they have right now, fine. Go ahead, make a deal. I'll go out and fight him. I don't need that belt. I've already got my own. I'm completely happy with it. Randy's a competitor and I know he'll fight anybody, so there's not going to be any issue on his side."
"Basically what it comes down to is if Dana wants to run his mouth, don't say something that you're not going to back up. You challenged all the boxing guys. You challenged Floyd Mayweather Jr. You make all these challenges, well, here, you said something; I'm putting a challenge to him. Step up. You claimed that they were all cowards and they didn't have the balls to step up and laughed about it. Well, now I'm saying, look, you're a coward. You're not stepping up, and you made this statement, and I'm willing to prove you wrong."
“Most people know that's an erroneous statement to make in the first place, so I wouldn't be completely surprised if he completely avoided it, backed away form it and tried to ignore it, and just forgot it ever happened because it's not something he wants and he knows it's something he can't win."
Barnett made it clear he has nothing personally against Randy Couture. His issue is with Dana White's statements. About Couture, Barnett said, "It was cool to see Randy go out there and prove that to be a champion you've got to have a bunch of fights under your belt, put under the pressure cooker, and have worked your way to the top. One big win does not make a title contention. ... He's a
Washingtonian, and I've been a fan of his for a long time. We've trained together."
Asked if he thought a rematch with Couture would play out any differently now than their first bout at UFC 36 back in March of 2002, Barnett said, "No, I don't. I think I can still finish him in either the first or second round, submission or stoppage. When he fights me, it's not the best person for him to fight. He can beat other people, but I'm not one of them."
When contacted for comment, UFC president Dana White responded, "Nobody gives a sh*t about Josh Barnett, especially me."
Assassin isn't in his "Baby Faced Assassin" moniker for nothing. It equally applies to Barnett's straight-forward nature as it does to his fighting ability. He says what he means and means what he says. Love him or hate him, believe him or not, what fan wouldn't want to see Josh Barnett back in the UFC?
I was glad to see Dana White set the precendent by releasing Babalu. It was totally out of line for him to hold on to that choke ... and then to say he did it to teach Heath a lesson. UFC doesn't need fighters like that. These guys have the ability to cause permanent physical damage or even kill the other fighter. If the other fighter doesn't tap, then I think it's okay to hang on to the submission. But once he taps, fighters should have enough respect for the sport and the other fighter to let go.
I was glad to see Dana White set the precendent by releasing Babalu. It was totally out of line for him to hold on to that choke ... and then to say he did it to teach Heath a lesson. UFC doesn't need fighters like that. These guys have the ability to cause permanent physical damage or even kill the other fighter. If the other fighter doesn't tap, then I think it's okay to hang on to the submission. But once he taps, fighters should have enough respect for the sport and the other fighter to let go.
i thought that i did...maybe naturist jiu-jitsu instead? i'm just speculating, of course.
i agree with what you say about babalu holding on to the choke for too long. he was definitely out of line, but i've seen other fighters do the same and not be penalized for it. i would like to see the post fight interview with him, because it sounds like that's what really did him in....saying that heath deserved it and that he wanted to teach him a lesson.
there have been some matches i have seen where a fighter taps and the other fighter lets go, only to have the fighter who tapped say that he didn't because the ref didn't recognize the tap. so i would say that most will hold on to something until the referee breaks it up. it was clear in this case that mazaggatti DEFINITELY recognized the tap and called the match. at that point, you said it well, releash...they should have enough respect for the sport and their opponent to let it go. babalu certainly didn't help his case by being unapologetic.
having had some time to think about it after i thought initially that the punishment was harsh, i think you're right about them setting this precedent, as long as they stay consistent with it.
it's just really unfortunate that such an experienced and talented fighter would act this way, even if he was provoked during the week. while i'm sad to see babalu go, i do think it's good to set a precedent for fighter safety. it's an unfortunate situation all around and i hope we don't see it again from any other fighter. if the consequences faced by babalu for his actions mean that other fighters will think twice before trying to "teach someone a lesson", then it's proabably a good thing.
i thought that i did...maybe naturist jiu-jitsu instead? i'm just speculating, of course.
i agree with what you say about babalu holding on to the choke for too long. he was definitely out of line, but i've seen other fighters do the same and not be penalized for it. i would like to see the post fight interview with him, because it sounds like that's what really did him in....saying that heath deserved it and that he wanted to teach him a lesson.
there have been some matches i have seen where a fighter taps and the other fighter lets go, only to have the fighter who tapped say that he didn't because the ref didn't recognize the tap. so i would say that most will hold on to something until the referee breaks it up. it was clear in this case that mazaggatti DEFINITELY recognized the tap and called the match. at that point, you said it well, releash...they should have enough respect for the sport and their opponent to let it go. babalu certainly didn't help his case by being unapologetic.
having had some time to think about it after i thought initially that the punishment was harsh, i think you're right about them setting this precedent, as long as they stay consistent with it.
it's just really unfortunate that such an experienced and talented fighter would act this way, even if he was provoked during the week. while i'm sad to see babalu go, i do think it's good to set a precedent for fighter safety. it's an unfortunate situation all around and i hope we don't see it again from any other fighter. if the consequences faced by babalu for his actions mean that other fighters will think twice before trying to "teach someone a lesson", then it's proabably a good thing.
Naturist jiu-jitsu ... I haven't heard of that before!
Well said, as usual mookie, about Babalu. I agree with you about initially feeling like releasing Babalu from the UFC was a little harsh because Heath didn't actually get hurt, but I think it came down to his intent. If a fighter accidentally gets hurt (like Randy's broken arm), that's part of the sport, but Babalu was out to intentionally hurt or embarass Heath. It's kind of like baseball ... pitchers do accidentally hit batters, but really only get ejected if they do it on purpose.
I was just watching the replay of UFC 74 and am still impressed by GSP in his fight. I loved how he asked for a fight in Montreal! Which btw, CEG and I have decided that we should all go to! And now Unleashed is on right now... what a good night!
Comments
lol! see, i always thought that you had to be flexible and agile to be a good wrestler....
this guy can't even put his arms all the way down!
"That wasn't even a take-down... that was 'Bitch, GET DOWN!'"
LMAO!
wow! that was quick! lol... and a breakdancer too? sweet!
1) You are definitely not a loser!
2) I hope I don't lose my mind when I turn 30 ... that would somewhat inconvenient!
3) We should never stop cheering for GSP
4) Sorry you had to talk to yourself here today .... I've been working continuously for more hours than I can count. I didn't even have time to sneak a look at the thread today!
1) thanks!
2) oh, it'll happen! there's no way to avoid losing your mind... ask mookie!
3) or dreaming about him
4) meh, it's not the first time... refer to item #2.
i'm glad you finally got a break...
orgy in cincy......?? You are a freak!!!
NEWAGEHIPPIE
Keep your eyes open, eventually something will happen....
lol! hippie... it's not how it sounds.... well.. ok... yah, it is...
you see, ReleasH and I kinda went off on a tangent in another UFC thread... i blame mookie... he started it!
NEWAGEHIPPIE
Keep your eyes open, eventually something will happen....
They have WWE wrestlers now doing Ultimate Fighting :eek:... is he the first one?
He's ripped and all, but can he fight?
Sammi: Wanna just break up?
Yeah, well I don't watch it... but I was just wondering if there are other former wrestlers in the UFC
lots of former amatuer, collegiate, and olympic wrestlers, but no "pro wrestlers" that i'm aware of. there were quite a few in pride, however, that performed as wrestlers while in japan.
so far brock is 1-0 in MMA. he was originally slated to fight a korean giant and k-1 superstar, hong man-choi...but choi couldn't get medical clearance to fight in california. he defeated the replacement opponent, min soo kim, by submission due to strikes in 1:07 of the first round.
he would have to lose some weight and / or cut quite a bit to make the limit in the UFC of 265 lbs. i think he normally weighs around 300 or so. i can't recall who he was training with for his striking, but royce gracie was training him in BJJ for that first fight.
kurt angle's name has also been running around the rumour mills for some time now, but i doubt that will happen.
i take full blame and / or credit!
And I wonder if Randy Couture will get his cauliflower ears fixed as soon as his career in Hollywood takes off.
Or maybe he'll leave them if there's a new Star Trek movie.
--P. Farrell
proteus, sometimes you can know all there is to know about a fighter, and the result is not what you expect. that's one of the things i truly enjoy about the sport...two opponents face each other and there are so many ways to win the match that the outcome is often very unpredictable. other times, the match goes pretty much as expected.
the only one who would be classified by fans as an awesome fighter is dan henderson, rampage's opponent. (that's not to say that kongo and hamill aren't excellent at what they do)
dan's the pride MW and LHW champion...the first guy to hold a belt in two different weight classes. this one is a toss up for me. i went with henderson because i think his wrestling is better and his punching power is probably superior to rampage's. then again, it's always "probably" until someone gets hit.
most would go with mirko and bisping, i think. mirko's opponent is cheick kongo, a muay thai world champion who has a size and reach advatage on mirko. his weakness is the ground game, but so is mirko's. it will be mirko's elite kickboxing skills vs. kongo's muay thai so it should be fireworks on the feet. bisping's opponent, matt hamill, is a tenacious wrestler with great takedowns and strength. he's the bigger of the two and it's probable that bisping's only way to win this one is with a ko. if he can scramble back to his feet after matt takes him down and not get tired or frustrated he could come away with the win.
to summarize..anything can happen!
as far as randy goes, those are his badges of honour, so i hope he doesn't get them fixed! haha
they could probably introduce a new vulcan-esque race to allow randy's ears to fit in...they'll just have to find some other wrestlers to play the other roles.
nah, i'm just talkin' oot me arse with the predictions!
...and i couldn't think of a cooler ontarioan? who is a pearl jam fan with croatian heritage, and who paints beuatiful pieces of artwork, that i would rather go on a hip trip to the cape with!
that commentary always gets a laugh! classic.
get some rest, releash!
p.s. GSP!
awww
swap ontarian/croatian with nova scotian/irish, and the same goes for me!
p.s. i wanna see a new painting from you, mister! :mad:
thanks mookie and ceg!!! wow this thread really blew up . . . I have lots to say about the upcoming fights and "assessing" the new TUF fighters, so I will try to post later tonight. (CEG - should we use arm hair, chest hair or the happy trail to "assess"?)
PS GSP!!!!!
PPS Gray!!!!
I think Brock is much more realistic than Kurt. Angle is nearing (if not in) his 40's. Plus, there is a lot of baggage that comes with him.
I think Brock can and will do well, if trained properly. Angle, not so much.
PBM
Wishlist Foundation: http://wishlistfoundation.org
i don't know about you, ReleasH, but i'm going to assess them solely based on their explosive kickboxing, superior takedown defence, keen grappling abilities, and aggressive ground 'n' pound.... :rolleyes:
NOT!
p.s. i just wanted type "ground 'n' pound"... sounds so dirty...
you know as much as I love the ground n' pound
(seriously, who came up with that name?!)
if i'm not mistaken, stephen quadros takes credit for inventing both the terms ground n' pound and lay n' pray. i believe he was referring to mark coleman's style for the ground n' pound, but i'm not sure who is was that caused him to coin the other one.
...or were you referring to the rear naked choke?
no gi jiu-jitsu?
Thursday, August 30, 2007
by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
Renato “Babalu” Sobral has been released from his UFC contract after his behavior in the recent fight with David Heath as confirmed by UFC president Dana White during a media conference call earlier today.
Much speculation has gone into the possible punishment for Sobral after his actions in which he held onto a fight ending choke even after referee Steve Mazzagatti tried to get the fighter to release the hold.
Babalu may have sunk himself in an even deeper hole by making his post fight comments in which he stated he wanted to “teach him a lesson,” referring to Heath and their heated verbal exchange at the weigh-ins the day prior.
MMAWeekly spoke to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer on Monday and he confirmed that at that time they had held up Babalu’s fight purse of $25,000 pending the investigation into the incident.
Kizer stated that he planned on re-watching the bout between Sobral and Heath and then would make a decision whether or not to file a complaint against Babalu at that point.
MMAWeekly spoke to Kizer about Babalu's situation on Thursday afternoon and the Executive Director advised that Babalu and his management would be speaking in front of the commission during a meeting on Friday.
During that meeting, Babalu will have the chance to tell his side of the story, so to speak, to the commission and then at that point they will make a final decision as to whether or not to hold a disciplinary meeting to discuss punishment for Sobral.
Kizer also advised the possibility of the commission simply reprimanding Babalu for his actions and releasing his fight purse.
The final decision on the next step of action will come on Friday when Babalu appears in front of the commission.
This news comes on the heels of White’s original statement at the UFC 74 post fight press conference in which he stated, “I am not happy about it. If you have an arm or leg of somebody in a submission where somebody seriously injures somebody, you'll never be back in UFC again.”
Word from Heath’s camp on Monday was that the fighter was okay physically and was more upset about his own performance than anything surrounding the controversy at the end of the fight.
Babalu’s release sets a precedent in the UFC that actions that could potentially harm another fighter, especially when they are as blatant as what Sobral did and then said, can cause a fighter to be let go from a UFC contract.
White did follow up by not ruling out the possibility of Babalu returning to the UFC in the future, but did say the Brazilian fighter made a huge mistake with his actions last Saturday night.
No word has come out of Babalu’s camp since the dismissal from the UFC.
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=4605&zoneid=13
it sounds to me like barnett is desperate for press after realizing he's fucked himself over by not completely clearing up the matter with the NSAC or the UFC in the first place and bad-mouthing the organization for years while in japan. there's no question he's a good fighter, but not one that i would trust to be clean if he were to come back. it's no wonder the UFC doesn't offer him an amount that seems "fair" to him, given the way he handled the situation.
BARNETT CHALLENGES ZUFFA, WHITE RESPONDS
Thursday, August 30, 2007
by Jeff Cain - MMAWeekly.com
Josh Barnett, the number four ranked heavyweight in the world by MMAWeekly's worldwide rankings, took offense to UFC president Dana White's comments during the UFC 74 post-fight press conference that no one in the world can beat Randy Couture. Barnett issued a challenge to the UFC to make him a legitimate offer, and he'd prove White's statements false.
"At the press conference Randy didn't have anything particularly to say that was inflammatory, but Dana, on the other hand, had to putwords in his mouth and sort of write checks on Randy's behalf by saying, 'there isn't anybody in the world that can beat this guy.' And I'm standing right there, and he's already seen me. It's just bull crap. I already beat him within two [rounds], not to mention, nobody is invincible."
“That just goes without saying. Two of the absolute best heavyweights in the world aren't even in the UFC, and he claims they're going to get them all. I asked him when, and he said, 'soon.' B.S.," said the twenty-nine year old heavyweight contender.
Barnett doesn't think the UFC is trying or wants to sign certain highly ranked fighters. He commented, “They're not really making efforts to get them all, and that's because to get someone like myself or Fedor [Emelianenko] in there would ruin their entire propaganda that they've been trying to build up for so long that only what's within the UFC is really what counts, and is only the real truth of MMA. It's not MMA anymore, it's Ultimate Fighting, and that's crap."
He continued, "It's more of their whole UFC propaganda notion in that things that happened before the Spike TV explosion didn't really happen. I beat him. I took him out by TKO in under two rounds, and that's the truth of the matter. It wasn't that Randy was a bad fighter, or anything like that. I was the better person that night, and I know if we were to fight again I strongly believe that I'm still the better fighter."
Asked if the UFC has made him a serious offer, Barnett replied, "Not in my opinion, certainly not in my opinion. It's ignorant to think that someone like myself, or another high level heavyweight doesn't have an idea of what kind of figures, and contracts, and sorts of things that are offered to the top guys and top fighters in the world. So don't come at somebody with something less than that. Don't insult them by making a very patronizing offer and act like we're all that there is and you need us. I'm not down for that. If they want to be serious, I've already said before I'd fight in the UFC. I have no problem doing that. And besides the fact that Randy's got the title, whatever, even if he didn't have the belt, to say somebody is unbeatable, someone is going to say something about it."
He added, "They've got the money and ability to make what they want happen to have happen.... They say they want the best in the world, well, they actually have to have them. Even right now, if you ask me, their champ, he's not ranked any higher than five. There's already people out there ranked higher than him that they don't even have."
"I've been here from the beginning, not to mention, they have a title reign that has never been taken off of me. I left the UFC. No matter what, [Andrei] Arlovski never beat me for that belt, neither did Ricco [Rodriguez], neither did [Tim] Sylvia, for sure, and then Randy just comes out of retirement and steps in and gets an automatic title shot. Fine. If that's the way they want to do it, but from my perspective I don't need a title shot. All I need is, just put me in the ring. If you say he's unbeatable, let his arm heal, and we'll go out there and see how unbeatable he is."
Barnett would like to fight before the end of the year, but said it's not in his hands. Questioned how frustrating it is for him to be on the sidelines watching rather than competing, Josh responded, "It's incredibly frustrating because it's not a matter of anything that I am doing. It's just a matter of not, in my opinion, getting legitimate offers, simply put."
“Sitting back watching almost a decade's worth of MMA being re-written by some guys, and that's just a slap in the face of everybody who ever got into this in the beginning that didn't even make a dime when we first started fighting, and didn't even have promotions, and traveled the world to try to do everything we could to become mixed martial artists as we have today. It's just completely disrespectful."
“Not to mention, we're not retired. We're still friggen here, and training hard, and proving our mettle amongst the best in the world. Putting us on a back burner trying to act like we don't exist, that's either because they're scared, they're cowards and they don't want us to ruin their sand castle, or they're just spiteful."
Josh went on to say, "If Dana wants to make such a bold statement about the champ I've already beaten, then put his money where he mouth is. If he really believes he's unbeatable, and they don't want to lose their token belt they have right now, fine. Go ahead, make a deal. I'll go out and fight him. I don't need that belt. I've already got my own. I'm completely happy with it. Randy's a competitor and I know he'll fight anybody, so there's not going to be any issue on his side."
"Basically what it comes down to is if Dana wants to run his mouth, don't say something that you're not going to back up. You challenged all the boxing guys. You challenged Floyd Mayweather Jr. You make all these challenges, well, here, you said something; I'm putting a challenge to him. Step up. You claimed that they were all cowards and they didn't have the balls to step up and laughed about it. Well, now I'm saying, look, you're a coward. You're not stepping up, and you made this statement, and I'm willing to prove you wrong."
“Most people know that's an erroneous statement to make in the first place, so I wouldn't be completely surprised if he completely avoided it, backed away form it and tried to ignore it, and just forgot it ever happened because it's not something he wants and he knows it's something he can't win."
Barnett made it clear he has nothing personally against Randy Couture. His issue is with Dana White's statements. About Couture, Barnett said, "It was cool to see Randy go out there and prove that to be a champion you've got to have a bunch of fights under your belt, put under the pressure cooker, and have worked your way to the top. One big win does not make a title contention. ... He's a
Washingtonian, and I've been a fan of his for a long time. We've trained together."
Asked if he thought a rematch with Couture would play out any differently now than their first bout at UFC 36 back in March of 2002, Barnett said, "No, I don't. I think I can still finish him in either the first or second round, submission or stoppage. When he fights me, it's not the best person for him to fight. He can beat other people, but I'm not one of them."
When contacted for comment, UFC president Dana White responded, "Nobody gives a sh*t about Josh Barnett, especially me."
Assassin isn't in his "Baby Faced Assassin" moniker for nothing. It equally applies to Barnett's straight-forward nature as it does to his fighting ability. He says what he means and means what he says. Love him or hate him, believe him or not, what fan wouldn't want to see Josh Barnett back in the UFC?
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=4597&zoneid=2
are you avoiding answering the question?;)
I was glad to see Dana White set the precendent by releasing Babalu. It was totally out of line for him to hold on to that choke ... and then to say he did it to teach Heath a lesson. UFC doesn't need fighters like that. These guys have the ability to cause permanent physical damage or even kill the other fighter. If the other fighter doesn't tap, then I think it's okay to hang on to the submission. But once he taps, fighters should have enough respect for the sport and the other fighter to let go.
i thought that i did...maybe naturist jiu-jitsu instead?
i agree with what you say about babalu holding on to the choke for too long. he was definitely out of line, but i've seen other fighters do the same and not be penalized for it. i would like to see the post fight interview with him, because it sounds like that's what really did him in....saying that heath deserved it and that he wanted to teach him a lesson.
there have been some matches i have seen where a fighter taps and the other fighter lets go, only to have the fighter who tapped say that he didn't because the ref didn't recognize the tap. so i would say that most will hold on to something until the referee breaks it up. it was clear in this case that mazaggatti DEFINITELY recognized the tap and called the match. at that point, you said it well, releash...they should have enough respect for the sport and their opponent to let it go. babalu certainly didn't help his case by being unapologetic.
having had some time to think about it after i thought initially that the punishment was harsh, i think you're right about them setting this precedent, as long as they stay consistent with it.
it's just really unfortunate that such an experienced and talented fighter would act this way, even if he was provoked during the week. while i'm sad to see babalu go, i do think it's good to set a precedent for fighter safety. it's an unfortunate situation all around and i hope we don't see it again from any other fighter. if the consequences faced by babalu for his actions mean that other fighters will think twice before trying to "teach someone a lesson", then it's proabably a good thing.
Naturist jiu-jitsu ... I haven't heard of that before!
Well said, as usual mookie, about Babalu. I agree with you about initially feeling like releasing Babalu from the UFC was a little harsh because Heath didn't actually get hurt, but I think it came down to his intent. If a fighter accidentally gets hurt (like Randy's broken arm), that's part of the sport, but Babalu was out to intentionally hurt or embarass Heath. It's kind of like baseball ... pitchers do accidentally hit batters, but really only get ejected if they do it on purpose.
I was just watching the replay of UFC 74 and am still impressed by GSP in his fight. I loved how he asked for a fight in Montreal! Which btw, CEG and I have decided that we should all go to! And now Unleashed is on right now... what a good night!