Nick Diaz was a no-show at the UFC 137 press conference in Las Vegas - just like he was a no-show at the press conference in Toronto the day before. Dana White decided enough is enough and axed him from the card, giving Carlos Condit the title shot in his place. In this interview with MMA:30's Dave Farra; Dana White talks about the trust lost, why he thinks he'll never heard from Diaz again, and touches on Overreem vs. Lesnar and the UFC's return to Japan. See more videos at MMA30.com
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Dana White talks after UFC 137 "I Will Never Trust Nick Diaz Again" - Dana White
Nick Diaz was a no-show at the UFC 137 press conference in Las Vegas - just like he was a no-show at the press conference in Toronto the day before. Dana White decided enough is enough and axed him from the card, giving Carlos Condit the title shot in his place. In this interview with MMA:30's Dave Farra; Dana White talks about the trust lost, why he thinks he'll never heard from Diaz again, and touches on Overreem vs. Lesnar and the UFC's return to Japan. See more videos at MMA30.com
Demian Maia Prepares for UFC 131 - UFC 131
Demian Maia's journey to Vancouver starts in his home country of Brazil. Take a quick glimpse into his life as he prepares to face Mark Munoz at UFC 131Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-131/demian-maia-prepares-for-ufc-131-video_bd49f1b7a.html
Alistair Overeem Talks Brock Lesnar: 'I'm Going to Kick That Guy's [Expletive]'
Filed under: UFC
While the UFC has been busy promoting the size of the two heavyweights in its UFC 141 main event, one of those two big men says there are some big stakes to go along with the December 30 bout.According to what former Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem told Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour, the winner at UFC 141 will get the next crack at the UFC heavyweight title.
"The winner of the fight between me and Brock [Lesnar] will fight the winner of Cain [Velasquez] and [Junior] dos Santos," Overeem said. And though he declined to pick a winner in this Saturday night's heavyweight tilt, he was not so shy about making a prediction for his own bout.
"You know what? I'm going to be bold," said Overeem. "I'm going to kick that guy's ass."
But the supposed number one contender fight with Lesnar isn't the only topic of conversation for the Dutch heavyweight these days. There's also the issue of his split from longtime management team Golden Glory, which Overeem addressed in today's episode of his web series, "The Reem."
According to Overeem, he left Golden Glory because of a "major breach of trust," and has now settled at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas as his new training home. As Overeem told Helwani, "I left the trainers [at Golden Glory] on very good terms, but the management not. The management, we left on bad terms."
Overeem went into slightly more detail in the new episode of "The Reem," explaining that the split was the result of many small communications leading up to one big one.
"Something happened that I found out by myself, which was not told [to] me, that was kept secret from me," Overeem said in the video, before explaining that Golden Glory manager Bas Boon was not present for his final contract negotiations with the UFC.
"Because Bas wasn't there, I hired a lawyer to go through the contract with me, step-by-step. What me and the lawyer found out was there were details in the contract which were to my disadvantage and to the advantage of Golden Glory, and which also were not explained to me by Golden Glory and particularly by Bas."
Though Overeem did not specify exactly what that contractual "disadvantage" pertained to, he told Helwani it was "very serious and very sad," and explained in his video exactly why he felt he needed to part ways with Golden Glory over it.
"This UFC contract is the biggest contract in my life. It's the biggest moment in my life. The biggest fights are coming now, in the UFC. It's going to be a very exciting couple of years coming ahead, and there cannot be miscommunications. It's got to be clear. ...Despite that they are good management to other fighters, maybe, I can't judge about that. But for me they are not good management. They are bad management. They are harmful management."
On the surface, it seems like a tricky time to change management and training camps. The fight with Lesnar at UFC 141 could very well be the most important fight of Overeem's career, and he'll be forced to prepare for it with new sparring partners in a foreign land.
As Overeem explained to Helwani, not only has Xtreme Couture welcomed him "with open arms," but he's not quite as reliant on an outside management team as some people might think.
"It's not been a real burden, because basically I already did all the stuff myself. I formed my own team around me that basically took care of all my little headaches, my needs. I was already fixing up my own sparring partners, my website's been done by my own team, I have my own guy getting me sponsors, 'The Reem' online is something done by my own team. Basically, I was already doing all my own stuff. People think that it is going to be a big deal for me to leave Golden Glory. Golden Glory did have a hand, of course, because they had some sparring partners and they were doing fight contract negotiations, but basically my own team already took care of it, so it's not going to be a real big deal."
As for Lesnar, Overeem insisted he was confident that the two would meet in the cage as promised, regardless of Lesnar's recent struggles with illness. And while some fans might be obsessing over a video that showed a notably smaller version of the former UFC heavyweight champ, Overeem is expecting the same ferocity and power we've always seen from Lesnar.
"Brock is an amazing athlete. He's a very strong guy, a very strong dude. He's going to be at UFC 141 125 percent. That's what I'm expecting. He's going to be there full force, so some clip shot who knows when, where, whatever -- I've not even seen it. I've got to imagine that if you're going to accept the fight against me, you will be there 100 percent. In his case I expect 125 percent. He's going to be motivated."
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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/11/07/alistair-overeem-talks-brock-lesnar-im-going-to-kick-that-guy/
Video: A wolf, sword, and a chesty submission from Romania
Alexandru Lungu is listed at 360 lbs., nearly 100 over the upper limit of heavyweights as governed by the unified rules of MMA here in the U.S. There is not much of a chance that American fight fans will see him fight locally any time soon. In the meantime, we can only enjoy him through the magic of YouTube.
There is much to enjoy from Saturday's bout in Romania against Chris Mahle. Lungu's walk-in involves the pelt of a wolf-esque animal and a sword, he has excellent takedown defense and a good headlock, and he ended the fight with what was best described as a "boob choke."
It is officially listed as an arm triangle, but I didn't spot an arm in. It appeared to be all chest. Do you think we'll see a choke like that in Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem's bout at UFC 141?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Cerrone moves into title picture by smashing Siver at UFC 137
LAS VEGAS - The new Donald Cerrone is one scary individual.
The former WEC star continued his assault on the UFC lightweight division by destroying a previously hot Denis Siver in less than three minutes.
Cerrone (17-3, 4-0 UFC) rocked Siver on the feet several times before finishing him with a rear-naked at the 2:25 mark of the first round in the second fight on the UFC 137 Spike broadcast.
[Related: UFC 137: Penn, 'Cro Cop' set to retire after losses]
Cerrone's now won six straight fights and last two have come via brutal knockout. The list of title contenders is long at 155 pounds, but Cerrone has certainly earned himself a shot at one of the guys in the top six.
Both fighters came out throwing, but it was Cerrone who was able to deal with getting hit. He fired back hard shots and when he landed a huge left kick to the head, it was the beginning of the end for the Russian fighting out of Germany. Siver's legs were lost. He wobbled for several seconds before grabbing a Cerrone leg and slowing the down the fight along the cage.
The fighters separated and Cerrone landed another right straight down the pipe. Siver went down to his knees where Cerrone jumped on his back and quickly got his hooks in. Seconds later, he slapped on the rear-naked choke and Siver tapped almost immediately.
"Donald hits very hard. Both shots got me pretty wobbled and I was unable to collect myself after the second one. That made it very easy for him to sink in the submission and there was nothing I could do."
Cerrone loves to fight so he may not wait until one of the big boys is free to fight. He said before and after the fight, he'd like another bout before the end of 2011. He's 4-0 this year.
"There were a couple of things I should have done differently, but I'll work on it," said the extremely self-critical Cerrone. "I want to fight one more time this year - bring it on. I don't want to wait."
Siver (19-8, 8-5 UFC) had won four straight coming in.
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UFC: Chuck Liddell and Rampage Meet for a Rubber Match
Former UFC light heavyweight champions Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson closed the book on their rivalry in a "rubber match" that ended in surprising fashion.
The legendary UFC superstars stepped onstage before the UFC 137 weigh-ins to play against one another in THQ's upcoming "UFC Undisputed 3" video game.
There was no shortage of entertainment either. The event had entrances, Mike Goldberg calling the action, and a Pride world title.
The storied rivalry between Liddell and Jackson began at Pride Final Conflict in November 2003.
Jackson used his world class striking to dominate the standup exchanges and close the distance for takedowns. In the second round, Liddell's corner was forced to throw in the towel after the light heavyweight superstar took a barrage of unanswered body shots on the ground.
After the bout, Liddell returned to the UFC, where he would win a world title and go on a seven-fight win streak.
The streak was finally snapped in May 2007 at UFC 71, where Jackson defeated Liddell once again in the rematch to claim the light heavyweight title.
Who wins the rubber match?
We'll leave out the spoilers and let you find out for yourself in the video above.
The release date to "UFC Undisputed 3" has been pushed back to February 14 in North America and February 17 in Europe. The game will be featured on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
Along with a star-studded roster of over 150 fighters, the game will also host a plethora of new options, including fighter entrances and competing under the Pride banner and rules.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/930938-chuck-liddell-and-rampage-meet-for-a-rubber-match
BJ Penn and 7 Fighters We Were Sad to See Retire from MMA
In the short history of mixed martial arts, there are only a few fighters who can actually be classified as legends. BJ Penn, without question, is one of them.
A former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion, Penn is one of only two fighters in the company’s history who has held titles in multiple weight classes. This amazing feat helps spotlight the incredible versatility and longevity that “The Prodigy” has displayed during his time in the sport.
Unfortunately for fans, in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan after his disappointing loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 138, Penn strongly indicated that it might be the last time we see him compete in the cage. We have seen Penn make vague references to retirement before, but it never felt anything like this.
The emotion poured through the television screen as the dejected former champion shook Rogan’s hand, who praised him and thanked him for his accomplishments. If his retirement does stick, as many believe it will, it will be the latest in a string of sad retirements in this sport, still in its teenage years.
Penn’s retirement is the latest, but these seven MMA legends also had also had heart-wrenching retirements for themselves and their fans.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/930420-bj-penn-and-7-fighters-we-were-sad-to-see-retire-from-mma
UFC on FOX: Did Clay Guida's Tendency To Bleed Cost Him a Spot on FOX?
Blood.
Some MMA fans love it (perhaps a bit too much), while others consider it a necessary evil in a violent sport.
But for those in the media who are uneducated and unwilling to give the sport a chance, blood is just another reason to call the sport little more than “human cockfighting."
The UFC is looking to shed the human cockfighting label for good this weekend when they make their debut on FOX, airing a one-hour special event featuring a heavyweight title fight between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
But fans have been left wondering why only one fight is eligible to make the broadcast, especially since a fight between lightweight contenders Clay Guida and Ben Henderson could result in the winner getting a crack at Frankie Edgar’s title.
Guida’s manager, John Fosco, said in a recent interview with MMAjunkie.com that the UFC would have preferred to have shown the fight if possible, but FOX decided against it.
But why?
According to Fosco, the head honchos at FOX thought that Guida would be unable to draw viewers, but is that really an issue at this point?
The main event with Velasquez and Dos Santos has been hyped and promoted to the point that fans would have only been talking about the main event regardless or who else was on the card, so Guida and Henderson would basically be expected to put on an exciting fight and nothing more, something that both men do almost every time they step into a cage.
The only reason to not put the Guida fight on the televised broadcast is fear.
Guida is a fighter who has been busted open pretty frequently throughout his career, and in a fight with a guy like Henderson, it seems even more likely that there will be a bit of blood flow.
Perhaps FOX is afraid of a bloodbath on the first card of their new sports franchise, and it makes sense from a business standpoint if they are.
This is the first fight card in a long-term deal with the UFC, and the first step in making the UFC into a sports franchise that rivals the NFLs and NBAs of the world is to change the public’s perception of the sport.
A three-round fight that ends with two guys covered in blood probably isn’t going to do much to change that perception.
You can make the argument that FOX knew what they were getting into when they decided to throw a combat sport on their network, but maybe it’s better for the sport as a whole if they do everything they can to avoid a public backlash immediately.
So while having to watch Guida and Henderson fight one of the most anticipated non-title bouts of the year on Facebook isn’t ideal, it may end up helping the growth of the sport in the long run.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
UFC 139: Dan Henderson's 10 Greatest Knockouts
A powerhouse wrestler, it took him a while before Dan Henderson relied in the power behind his leather to finish his fights.
Six of his first nine fights ended by decision, but after a while, the touted Olympian soon became one of the hardest-hitting men, barring any division, as he has since proved that same power across three different weight classes.
Henderson takes on fellow Pride veteran Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on November 19 as the former Strikeforce champion makes his return to the Octagon for UFC 139.
The stakes are high for Henderson, because if the Californian does prove successful in his next outing, he becomes one of the top contenders in the organization, seeking refuge in either the middleweight or light heavyweight class—pretty much, Henderson's future is at his discretion.
He has come a long way since his debut in 1997, producing some memorable bouts with equally-memorable finishes over some of the best fighters in the world today.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/928885-ufc-139-dan-hendersons-10-greatest-knockouts
Monday, November 7, 2011
Alves makes a non-story of weight issues and annihilates Abedi at UFC 138
Thiago Alves answered all the questions about potential weight issues, by coming out strong and storming through Papy Abedi in a little over three and a half minutes at UFC 138.
Alves used his lethal striking to set up a rear-naked choke finish at the 3:35 mark of the second round against the UFC newcomer in Birmingham, England.
"It feels amazing. I love England and this is one of the highlights of my career. I had an amazing training camp and can't wait for the next one," Alves said. "I'd love to fight in Brazil, that is my dream."
Alves (19-8, 11-5 UFC) needed this one badly. He was a minus-385 favorite Abedi, but was coming off a lackluster performance in a loss against Rick Story at UFC 130.
Tonight, Alves put on the type of show that earned him a title shot in 2009 at 170. His kicking game can be sick at times if he has the stamina to keep throwing. The gas tank was there. It turned out that missing weight yesterday at 172 pounds may have been a fluke, not a sign that he lacked discipline.
Alves peppered Abedi with low kicks over the first few minutes. He also took the best from the Zaire-native fighting out of Sweden had to offer. Give Abedi credit, he chose to stand and slug with a tough striker.
It finally cost him when he got nailed by a right over the ear and a left hook. The off-balance Abedi hit the floor seconds later where he was mounted. Alves rained down heavy punches and elbows before Abedi (8-1, 0-1 UFC) spun to give up his back.
The UFC is set to return to Brazil with UFC 142 in January.
UFC 138?s Three Stars: Terry Etim, Renan Barao and Che Mills
UFC 138 was overlooked. Sandwiched between Nick Diaz at UFC 137 and the UFC's first foray into network television, it's no surprise that a tape-delayed card without a title fight would not get the same love as those events, but the fighters still delivered with exciting performances. Here are Cagewriter's Three Stars. Tell us your in the comments or on Facebook.
No. 1 star -- Terry Etim: The British fighter's last trip to the Octagon was a loss at UFC 112. He must have spent the past 19 months thinking about that loss, and how to get back on the right foot in his next fight. He did that by submitting Edward Faaloloto in just 17 seconds, causing the crowd in Birmingham to erupt in joy. He was awarded a $70,000 Submission of the Night bonus for his work, which eased the frustration of a 19-month layoff.
No. 2 star -- Renan Barao: How do you quiet a crowd full of Brad Pickett supporters? By knocking him down, beating him up, and then jumping on his back and securing a rear-naked choke, all in the first round. Barao and Pickett both won Fight of the Night bonuses for their efforts. Barao may want to use that money to take some gymnastics lessons, as his one misstep was a fall on his celebration aerial.
No. 3 star -- Che Mills: While watching the fights, my internet suddenly went out during Chris Cope's walk in. It took barely two minutes to get my internet working again, and I was ready to start watching Cope's woo-filled fight. I was too late. In his UFC debut, Mills took less than a minute to take out Cope with a brutal knee and ground and pound. He, too, earned an extra $70K for his trouble for the Knockout of the Night. Not a bad way to start out with the UFC.
Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum Preview - Strikeforce
Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum Preview Video by StrikeforceSource: http://mmalice.com/strikeforce/strikeforce-overeem-vs-werdum-preview-video_68946046e.html
With Viacom?s purchase of Bellator, the future looks bright
Media conglomerate Viacom, the company that owns both Spike TV and MTV, has jumped into the MMA game with the purchase of Bellator Fighting championships. USA Today reports that Viacom now has a majority stake in Bellator, and their fights will start airing on Spike in 2013, moving from MTV2.
Spike had a longtime relationship with the UFC, beginning with "The Ultimate Fighter" in 2005. That will end this December when the 14th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" comes to a close, and the UFC jumps to Fox networks. Spike will have rights to the UFC library until the end of 2012. When that agreement ends, Spike will have Bellator and its tournament-based fights in place.
Bellator began airing preliminary fights on Spike's website earlier this year, and CEO Bjorn Rebney told Cagewriter in a previous interview that he was excited to work with Spike because they already understand MMA.
"We're a great position in that our deal is with MTV networks, so it's that larger corporate umbrella. They control Spike, MTV, MTV2. You never know what the future will bring. The foreseeable future will be what it is, which is MTV2 and Spike.com for the prelims, but Spike is better than anyone in this space. They get it better than anyone."
This is nothing but good news for fans. It ensures that Bellator will be viable for years to come, giving fans more choices for MMA. With the UFC on Fox networks and Bellator with Viacom, there will be a greater volume of fights. Though the move to Spike is more than a year away, it will also give fans the option to watch in HD, a choice that doesn't exist with MTV2.
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UFC 138 Results: Chris Leben Still Has Much To Offer to MMA
Washed up, bum, overrated, gatekeeper...
When asked to describe the present day Chris Leben, these are the terms that are generally being thrown around, but are they fair assumptions of where the "Ultimate Fighter" Season 1 alumnus is at in his career?
Since entering the UFC in April 2005, Leben has been quite a character. His trademark has always been his hair, which he usually dyes blood-red before every fight.
Along with the red hair, fans have grown accustomed to seeing "The Crippler" adorning black toenail polish and a plethora of interesting tattoos. Still, you can never judge a book by its cover.
Just when you think you have him figured out, Leben is the type of individual who enters a sold out arena to RHCP's "Roller Coaster of Love" or Gary Jules' "Mad World."
He is a unique individual, and his time in MMA has been invaluable.
Regardless of his troubled past, people have always respected Leben as a fighter. Sure, his brawling style has hampered his progression, but it isn't just about world titles and rankings when dissecting the career of Chris Leben.
He fights solely for the fans. When Leben steps into the octagon, he always comes with the mindset of either knocking someone out or getting knocked out. This same berserker-like mentality has been tied to MMA legend Wanderlei Silva, who Leben knocked out at UFC 132.
Leben may never be a world champion or even a highly ranked middleweight, but what's wrong with that?
He's still an exciting fighter and one of the tougher guys in the entire middleweight division. In all sports, there can only be one world champion. This doesn't mean those who have fallen should tuck their tails and run for cover.
As long as people are still willing to watch him compete, Leben will always have a place in MMA.
His UFC 138 loss to Mark Munoz speaks volumes to that sentiment. People trashed Leben and Munoz for weeks as an unsuitable headliner for a major fight card, and both middleweights went out and put on a better showing than most "blockbuster" main event bouts on pay-per-view.
Unfortunately, the bout had to be stopped at the end of the second round due to a badly placed cut, which prevented Leben from seeing.
Leben may not have been born with the athletic gifts of Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre or Jon Jones, but he was born a fighter.
As long as he's entertaining and picking up an occasional win, fans of the sport should expect nothing more or less from the red-headed brawler.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/927739-ufc-138-results-chris-leben-still-has-much-to-offer-to-mma
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Pre-fight Press Conference - UFC 131
Hear from Dana White, Junior dos Santos, Shane Carwin, Kenny Florian, Diego Nunes, Sam Stout and Yves Edwards at the UFC 131 pre-fight press conference held June 9 in Vancouver, BC.Source: http://mmalice.com/ufc-131/pre-fight-press-conference-video_8a40ea583.html
UFC 137 video: Diaz says Penn is the much tougher fight over GSP
Nick Diaz knows he has a big challenge in front of him on Saturday night at UFC 137. In fact, he believes it's a tougher fight than the one he's was originally scheduled for against Georges St-Pierre.
"I wouldn't have picked this fight for sure," Penn told HDNet's Inside MMA. "I think he'll probably try to slip the jab and throw the overhand right (then) make a body lock or (go for a) single leg takedown. Maybe push me against the fence."
Diaz knows he could ward off the Penn attack with a safety-first mentality, but that's not in his DNA.
"I'm going to have to deal with a lot of that stuff. It's B.J. Penn so it's a real difficult fight especially for somebody like me who's going to go and try to fight, and not try to hold him and win rounds," said Diaz.
Diaz truly believes Penn is a tougher fight than the UFC welterweight champ would've presented, but you can hear he's still wants thate on an eventual GSP tilt.
"If I lose to B.J. Penn, he's either going to take me out with a right hand or he's going to go on top in some way and end in some position. He'll probably want to put a mount, take the back and put a choke. You know, finish the fight," Diaz said.
"Georges would look to just do enough to win the fight. Every fight that he does (is like that). I doubt that would've worked out with me the same way it does with a lot of the other fighters. I have the tool and what it takes to make something other than that happen in there."
Even though it's a three-rounder on Saturday, Diaz believes his big advantage may be in the cardio department. Penn has had stamina issues int he past at 170 pounds.
Alves makes a non-story of weight issues and annihilates Abedi at UFC 138
Thiago Alves answered all the questions about potential weight issues, by coming out strong and storming through Papy Abedi in a little over three and a half minutes at UFC 138.
Alves used his lethal striking to set up a rear-naked choke finish at the 3:35 mark of the second round against the UFC newcomer in Birmingham, England.
"It feels amazing. I love England and this is one of the highlights of my career. I had an amazing training camp and can't wait for the next one," Alves said. "I'd love to fight in Brazil, that is my dream."
Alves (19-8, 11-5 UFC) needed this one badly. He was a minus-385 favorite Abedi, but was coming off a lackluster performance in a loss against Rick Story at UFC 130.
Tonight, Alves put on the type of show that earned him a title shot in 2009 at 170. His kicking game can be sick at times if he has the stamina to keep throwing. The gas tank was there. It turned out that missing weight yesterday at 172 pounds may have been a fluke, not a sign that he lacked discipline.
Alves peppered Abedi with low kicks over the first few minutes. He also took the best from the Zaire-native fighting out of Sweden had to offer. Give Abedi credit, he chose to stand and slug with a tough striker.
It finally cost him when he got nailed by a right over the ear and a left hook. The off-balance Abedi hit the floor seconds later where he was mounted. Alves rained down heavy punches and elbows before Abedi (8-1, 0-1 UFC) spun to give up his back.
The UFC is set to return to Brazil with UFC 142 in January.
Chael Sonnen Needs to Up His Game with Nick Diaz in the UFC
If you really think Chael Sonnen is going for the gusto with Anderson Silva, you probably have not heard much of Nick Diaz.
That's right, I said it.
Going for the gusto—in between fairly comprehensible interviews that make people think he wants out of MMA when he's actually seen as one of the elite in the sport—is what Diaz does.
He finds things about certain guys he has a beef with, and he sets it off from there by finding ways of proclaiming that they aren't who or what they claim to be.
He didn't do it against Hayato Sakurai or B.J. Penn because he respects them, which is fine because Sonnen doesn't care to trash guys like Yushin Okami or Brian Stann or the like when all they're saying is that they're going to beat Sonnen.
However, what has Sonnen really said to Silva?
He wants to slap Silva's wife on the butt, he thinks Silva sucks, he doesn't understand how Silva could get beaten up for five rounds and win a fight based on what he did in eight seconds of the last round, he wants to beat up Vitor Belfort—who Silva kicked in the face on Super Bowl Weekend in 2011—and he believes Silva is a phony that Ed Soares was protecting.
There are other things that he's said in the past regarding Silva, from downplaying his black belt and his fan base to calling the UFC middleweight title "12 pounds of tin", but if anything, it's Silva that's played Sonnen.
He's shaken Sonnen up by not really responding to him and he's viewed Michael Bisping—of all dudes, the TUF 14 Finale headliner that got knocked out by a man who tapped out to Silva in Round 2—as a more credible challenge.
Sonnen could challenge the image of Silva, he could challenge the record of guys Silva has fought, he could yell, "Where you at, motherf**ker?" in a camera before being announced the winner of his fight, and he could piss Silva off royally by claiming that Silva is faking a shoulder injury in order to avoid the rematch, but instead, he tells Silva what Silva critics could say in 15 seconds and he goes the WWE-PG route in order to goad Silva into the rematch.
Now, if Sonnen had done it original ECW style and challenged Silva to a Barbed Wire Match in the cage—with barbed wire around the gloves, if possible—or a Taipei Cage Fight, where both fighters' wraps were dipped in glue and covered in shards of broken glass before they stepped in the Octagon for the title fight, then I would be nice to Uncle Chael.
In any case, I digress...
Diaz is known for causing some controversies one day at a time, and the fighter fans love to hate outside of the cage has gotten all the way underneath the skin of the GSP fan base with his actions and his behavior.
Calling one of the best fighters in the sport right now a faker while he's injured? No wonder GSP got pissed.
One of the most dominant members of MMA's pound-for-pound ranks goes up against the man some might consider in time to be the best pound-for-pound fighter—emphasis on "fighter"—on the planet, and it's all because Diaz dared to say that St-Pierre was scared, homie.
Sonnen should consider something similar to what Diaz is done if he wants us to take him seriously as a guy that can do in Silva again, win the fight, and test clean afterwards.
Now, I'm not saying Sonnen should start a brawl or flip off Silva through a YouTube video or tell Ariel Helwani that people get slapped in West Linn if a guy like Helwani conducts himself the way he does, but if he wants to not get dethroned by the baddest boy in MMA since Tito Ortiz as far as being the best trash-talker in the sport, he's going to have to steal a page or two from Diaz's playbook.
If he can do so without getting into more money laundering issues or more failed drug tests for abusing his TRT, then maybe we can dial back on Diaz's claim toward being the baddest dude in MMA now.
So, come on, Chael—if you want Silva that badly, don't be scared, homie!
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
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