The Juggernaut MMA News Report 07.22.09: Misplaced Brock Lesnar Hate
Posted by Jonathan Solomon on 07.22.2009
The Juggernaut tries to figure out why most in the MMA world are pissed at Brock Lesnar for nothing in particular. DREAM 10 is in the books with a surprising finish and the returns of former Zuffa fighters Paulo Filho and Jesse Taylor. Your healthy dose of news includes special appearances by a living Kimo, Stephen Colbert, Rampage Jackson and King Mo to round out the report.
DREAM Shocker, Aoki Bores
DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix Finals
Wow. After 2:22 went by in the finals of the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix final between Jason High and Marius Zaromskis, the highlight reels were rolling. In a surprising match-up, Zaromskis knocked High out with a beautiful head kick, to become the champion.
Earlier in the night, Zaromskis first shocked Japan by defeating Hayato Sakurai via TKO in the first round. Sakurai was nailed with a head kick to the chin and finished with Zaromski's ground and pound. The two bouts were a bookend to the night. In the first Zaromskis fight, it was a war between two strikers. In the finals, Jason High attempted to take Zaromskis down and keep him there. That strategy did not work, to say the least.
Filho vs. Manhoef
Other fights on the card were equally as explosive. In Paulo Filho's first fight since the abomination with Chael Sonnen in WEC last November, he defeated Melvin Manhoef via first round submission. Early on, Manhoef rocked Filho with an array of strikes and went with his ground and pound. He did not go in for the kill though, allowing Filho time to recover. Filho took the fight back to the mat, mounted Manhoef and locked his arm in an armbar submission to get the tapout. Filho did look impressive by showing perseverence while Manhoef just let this one go.
Former UFC and Ultimate Fighter competitor, Jesse Taylor was also on the card. Since losing to C.B. Dolloway last year, Taylor has gone 6-0 in all sorts of smaller promotions, including a win over Drew Fickett. His opponent at DREAM 10 was Dong Sik Yoon who could not handle Taylor's wrestling skills. Taylor took him down although Yoon did return to his fett, Taylor sent him back down to the mat after a shot. However, Yoon was injured, as he pointed to his left ankle and the referee was forced to call the fight. Jesse Taylor was awarded the victory by TKO in just over a minute of work after the injury.
In perhaps the most anticipated fight of the night, highly ranked lightweights Shinya Aoki and Vitor Ribeiro fought and could not put on a great show for the fans. The first round was mostly offense from Aoki as he threw tons of kicks as Ribeiro was forced to defend them all. While Ribeiro did attempt to take the fight to the mat, Aoki would not allow it and instead tried to punish the Brazilian even more. The second round saw Ribeiro finally able to take Aoki down and the rest of the round was spent as Ribeiro tried to land shots through Aoki's guard. The fight left a lot to be desired although Shinya Aoki was awarded the unanimous decision victory, handing Ribeiro his third professional loss.
Franklin vs. Henderson 2
Saturday night, September 19th in Dallas Texas at the American Airlines Center will see the sequel to what proved to be a close fight between two light heavyweight contenders earlier this year. In the main event of UFC 103 in September, Dan Henderson will fight Rich Franklin.
Henderson won the split decision in their first meeting, a fight that some thought could have been ruled a draw. Towards the end of the fight, Henderson accidentally poked Franklin in the eye leaving "Ace" without the ability to see clearly for the final minutes. Henderson is confident he would have won without the eye-poke but Franklin believes otherwise.
This fight is interesting for a number of reasons. They will battle each other at light heavyweight which means Henderson will continue his movement between 185 (middleweight) and 205. After his UFC 100 win, Henderson was the most vocal fighter regarding what he wants in the near future; a second title shot at middleweight champion Anderson Silva. As it turns out, the UFC power brokers in terms of match-making, Dana White and Joe Silva did not think that planning for that fight at this point in time was too smart. I can see some reasons for that line of thinking. Henderson is healthy and Anderson Silva is preparing for his UFC 101 fight with Forrest Griffin (also at light heavyweight). It is likely that Silva may fight only one more time in 2009, assuming he is not injured in his upcoming fight.
With a main event necessary for UFC 103 and nobody else acting as a clear choice, why keep Henderson on the sidelines for a fight you may not even make in the fall?
The outcome of this fight will pose an interesting challenge for the UFC in the near future. If Rich Franklin wins, then should there be a rubber match between the two in 2010? If Henderson should lose at light heavyweight, it would seem to be tough to be able to book him in another main event title shot, even if it is in a smaller weight class. However, if Henderson should win, with four consecutive UFC wins (over Rousimar Palhares, Michael Bisping and two over Franklin), it would add some momentum behind a title push for Henderson. For Franklin, a loss would halt his momentum again.
Their first fight at UFC 93 held the stipulation that the winner would act as coach on The Ultimate Fighter for Team USA against Michael Bisping's Team UK. Leading up to the fight, Franklin made no bones about it, he was not all that enthused about the possibility of coaching on the SpikeTV series again. However, for the rematch, no such hinderance hangs over any fighter's head.
A win may put the winner on the path to a potential title shot, for Franklin, he would likely need another major win to be among the challengers to Lyoto Machida. For Henderson, a win almost certainly throws him at the head of the middleweight line knocking on Mr. Silva's door.
Why can't a brother get some love?
Brock Lesnar is apparently the most controversial champion in the UFC, among fans and fighters themselves. One of the main criticisms I have read/heard over the past two weeks about Brock is how he disrespected the sponsors and the fans with his post-victory promo and antics. Lesnar is criticised for bringing his WWE "background" into the UFC and the "real sport" should not house any such antics.
WHAT?!
Mike Swick, Shane Carwin and all the other fighters who have talked about Brock disrespecting everyone under the sun need to stop being radio/keyboard warriors.
What we see on TV or PPV during the hyping period of a fight or the fight itself and its aftermath, that is all real. There is no fake Brock Lesnar we see on television. He has been known forever to be a man who gets emotional, sometimes too emotional. If anything, he's one of the most sincere fighters in the sport of MMA. While he knows how to sell a fight like few others in the sport (Frank Shamrock and Phil Baroni are kings in that regard, as is Frank Mir after his awesome job), there is no "on-camera" Brock Lesnar and then the real life version is a 180 change.
We see it all the time, two fighters will hype a fight and talk about their mutual hate for each other and everything they can imagine to pummel each other with (verbally). Once that fight is over, they will get on the mic and take it all back saying how it was all for business purposes and they have no real personal beef with anyone. If you go by Swick's and other people's anti-pro wrestling barbs, shouldn't they be pissed off at those people? You know, Frank Shamrock and Nick Diaz? Even one of the most famous rivalries in the sport ended up with an epic hug-fest between Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz.
As fans I thought we were taught to expect anything and everything to be thrown out there to sell a fight but nothing is personal. Just business. That sounds a lot like pro wrestling.
Brock Lesnar wears his heart on his sleeve and does not have a real sense of holding back any thoughts in his head. It's not a pro wrestling character, it's the man.
That's why I don't understand the hate towards Brock for "pro wrestling antics" or anything like that.
Stephen Colbert shares his thoughts on Brock Les-NAR at UFC 100 during his Sport Report from earlier in the week. You can fast forward in the video to about the 3:08 mark, when he starts talking about MMA.
- In a story that appears false, the fighter known simply as Kimo (Leopoldo) did NOT have a heart attack and is very much alive. Word broke among the internet message boards Tuesday morning and spread to such mainstream sites such as TMZ, NY Daily News and The Sun by the afternoon. Kimo made his MMA debut at UFC 3 in a losing effort against Royce Gracie. The battle left Gracie exhausted and unable to compete in the next fight which led to Gracie's first MMA loss. Kimo last fought in the UFC at UFC 48 in 2004 and lost to Ken Shamrock. He last fought for PRIDE in 2005, losing to Minowaman. His highest profile victory came at UFC 43 when he submitted Tank Abbott. The MMA Zone wishes Kimo Leopoldo a continued healthy and accomplished life.
- A 15-year-old girl was arrested last week on charges including murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, among others, stemming from the shooting that injured Lavar Johnson and members of his family. One family member was killed at the scene of a July 4th family party when a group of teenagers allegedly opened random fire at the house. Lavar Johnson is still hospitalized after undergoing surgery in the days following the attack.
- There's no rest for the wicked. Despite being viciously knocked out at UFC 100, according to MMAJunkie, Michael Bisping is tentatively planned to fight on the UFC 105 show in Manchester, England in November. Bisping wants to fight a top-named fighter and wants a rematch with Dan Henderson ASAP. Also tentatively planned for their return to the U.K. will be TUF9 season winners Ross Pearson and James Wilks, both members of Team U.K. last season. UFC 105 is slated to air (on a tape-delay) on SpikeTV in the United States. As of now, no opponents have been confirmed for either man.
- Another bout for UFC 104, set for Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The middleweight division shall be featured when top contender Yushin Okami fights fellow veteran, Chael Sonnen. Okami is still looking for that title shot at Anderson Silva that he has yet to receive in the UFC. Now he will be healthy after suffering an injury earlier in the year. Sonnen subbed for Okami in May to defeat Dan Miller by decision. In a division that appears to be one big cluster, this fight may go a long way in helping the UFC decide who goes where next at 185.
- According to a report from MMAWeekly, at least one of Dana White's famous rivals may be headed towards peace with the UFC President. Top MMA trainer and current Strikeforce announcer Pat Militich has stated he is "working with White" to get together and talk in person. The two have not had the best relationship in recent years, stemming largely in part to Militich feeling lied to for not getting a coaching gig on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter. Those spots ended up going to Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock. Whether this move is an honest move on both men's part to quell any heat and start a fresh relationship or a mostly business move, it's good to hear they're trying to patch things up.
- Georges St. Pierre's groin injury, sustained at UFC 100 earlier in the month and after an MRI, will not need surgery to repair it. He will go through some rehab and is expected to return to the gym sooner than expected.
- DREAM 11 is officially slated for Tuesday, October 6th at Yokohama Arena in Japan. While no fights are official, rumored fights for the show include the continuation of the infamous SUPER HULK TOURNAMENT~! That's right, the semi-finals of the tournament may happen in October. That means Hong Man Choi will fight Minowaman (awesome) and Gegard Mousasi will fight Sokoudjou. The winners of the two fights will fight at a later date to decide the SUPER HULK CHAMPION. Other fights rumored for the show include a rematch for the vacant DREAM Middleweight belt between Mayhem Miller and Jacare Souza as well as the semi-finals and finals of the Featherweight Grand Prix.
Also set for DREAM 11 is the long awaited rematch between Joachim Hansen and Shinya Aoki for the DREAM lightweight championship. It would be the third fight between the two with each man having a win over the other. At PRIDE Shockwave in 2006, Aoki submitted Hansen with a gogoplata. At DREAM 5 last July, Hansen (subbing in the Grand Prix Finals) defeated Aoki by TKO.
- Randy Couture has talked about the possibility of dropping back to 205 in an effort to challenge champion Lyoto Machida. In a radio interview, Couture said he could make the weight cut if the UFC were interested in the fight. I would love to see the fight and like most of you, would have trouble picking against Couture. The problem here is it seems Couture is on pace for a rematch with Brock Lesnar, assuming he can get past Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira next month without injury. Who would you want to see Couture fight more, Lesnar or Machida? Tough question, indeed.
- In a story that proves MMA is a business, Tito Ortiz and Dana White have spoken recently to try and bury their problems in an effort to do business together. Ortiz says while he and White may never be friends again, he hopes they can do business. While over the past year since Ortiz has had back surgery, he has talked publicly about possibly signing with either Affliction or Strikeforce, he has not done so. It's always been rumored that Ortiz could return to the UFC because it would be tough for him to earn a major pay day from any other promotion. Rumors swirled regarding the possibility of Ortiz challenging Rich Franklin at UFC 103, but those proved to be false. Where there is smoke there's fire, so keep an eye on this potential story.
- Jon Fitch has a desire to fight GSP again and become the new champion at 170 in the UFC. However, his teammate Mike Swick is also in the running for a title shot. Swick will fight Martin Kampmann at UFC 103 with the winner receiving a title shot. Fitch has said if Swick should win the championship, Fitch would not be willing to fight for the belt. This stance would probably run him into some trouble with Lorenzo Ferttita who last week publicly said he would not accept such an excuse (Ferttita was not talking about Fitch specifically, but about the teammate situation in general).
- Muhammed "King Mo" Lawl is slated to fight Don Frye on August 28th at the Los Angeles Convention Center on a show promoted by M-1 Global. Lawl, a solid wrestler, is 4-0 in MMA. He last defeated Ryo Kawamura at Sengoku 7 in March. Don Frye will turn 44-years old this November and holds a career MMA record of 20-7-1. He last defeated Ritch Moss via first round submission on a Shark Fight show in May.
- Alistair Overeem, the Strikeforce heavyweight champion will not fight and defend the belt on August 15th against Fabricio Werdum. Overeem suffered a hand injury stemming from an Amsterdam bar brawl in May that is still giving him problems. Strikeforce announced the cancellation of the fight yesterday and has yet to announce a replacement fight for Werdum. So that's one title fight off the stacked Strikeforce card. Still scheduled are the women's title fight (main event) pitting Gina Carano against Cyborg Santos, the lightweight title fight when Josh Thomson defends against Gilbert Melendez and the vacant welterweight belt between Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs.
- UFC Fight Night 19 has another fight on the card, one with some history. Whether it airs on TV or not, the Fight Night special will air directly before the debut of the new TUF season. Brian Stann (0-1 in the UFC) will fight Steve Cantwell (1-1 in the UFC) in the rubber match of their little series. Stann originally defeated Cantwell in WEC and Cantwell returned to hand Stann his first pro loss and take the WEC light heavyweight belt. Stann may be fighting for his UFC future having lost his debut to Krzysztof Soszynski. Other fights on the Fight Night card (set for September 16th) include a main event of Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard, Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta, Tim Credeur vs. Nate Quarry and Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle, among other fights.
JUGGERNAUT VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Presented from the folks at FightLaunch.com, this video is part two (of four) segments featuring Rampage Jackson, King Mo Lawal and Bobby Lashley inside a van. The hilarity ensues immediately as Rampage refers to King Mo as "James Toney on crack."
If you can't stand the cussing, don't bother as Rampage alone would make a truck driver blush. Perhaps as hilarious as anything else, for the most part, Lashley keeps out of the talking letting the other two spout at each other.
That's it for this week and thanks for reading. See you next week as we close out July and head closer to FEDOR/Barnett.
ppl bash on lesnar, you can now bash on Rampage, spread the word
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmEBCvPzu1I
Posted By: bobo (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 02:01 AM
I agree about not understanding all of the hate towards Lesnar.
The only thing he did wrong as far as I am concerned was shitting on Bud Light.
Getting in Mir's face was okay, because Mir gloated about a victory that he got lucky with for over 15 months and continuously insulted Lesnar during it.
Flipping off the fans was okay too (although tasteless) I guess it is okay for pot smoking thugs like the Diaz brother to do (and nobody is bothered by it) but for Lesnar to do it, it is a felony. Most people haven't given Lesnar his due solely based on his past in WWE, which was 4 years compared to the 16? years he spent honing his amateur wrestling skills?
Making the comment to get on his wife vs the normal "let's go party at Club XYZ and get drunk". Hmmm, a married man with a hot wife would rather go back to his hotel room and celebrate with her than party with a bunch of nobodies like me and get shit faced... Now this is a tough one, I really can't figure out which is more honorable and conservative. Gimme a sec.. /sarcasm
Really people, he came, he saw, he conquered. The only time he acted like an ass after a fight is when the fighter he fought (and just got done kicking their ass) talked shit before the fight.
He was very respectful towards Randy Couture after their fight. If he was a total asshole, he woulda buried Randy. But he was respectful to Randy because Randy had been respectful to him BEFORE the fight.
I swear, people who can't see both sides and realize the difference are just stupid keyboard warriors.
Nice article, well said.
Posted By: Guest#6246 (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 02:02 AM
I agree with ya 100% about Brock, that's why I think he's awesome. I think most people hate him 1. for the wrestling, and 2. To act "smarter" than everyone else. Its funny how all of these "hardcore" UFC fans hate him, yet they were the same people that hated Mir up until he fought Brock because Mir beat up their beloved Noguiera. Seriously, the "hardcore" MMA fans are a bunch of posers at heart. The true fans respect greatness.
Posted By: Butters4Prez (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 02:25 AM
lesnar is the man haters are idiots how could you not love what he is doing in the ring at least his g and p isnt boring go brock
Posted By: dustin (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 08:11 AM
"True fans respect greatness"
Just as like true greats respect their opponents.
While I agree that the Lesnar hate is a little bit out of control nowadays,but now suddenly Lesnar is a God,while Swick and Carwin (and Nog and Randy and Brown and nearly everyone else) are heels,because they respect their opponents?
Yeah,respect is fake,liars like Demian Maia and Shogun are much much worse than a good guy like Lesnar,right? WRONG!
jeeesus,why cant you just silently agree that what Brock did was bad,and dont give a damn about this whole thing.
grow up people
Posted By: Guest#8056 (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 08:32 AM
I agree about not understanding all of the hate towards Lesnar.
The only thing he did wrong as far as I am concerned was shitting on Bud Light.
Getting in Mir's face was okay, because Mir gloated about a victory that he got lucky with for over 15 months and continuously insulted Lesnar during it.
Flipping off the fans was okay too (although tasteless) I guess it is okay for pot smoking thugs like the Diaz brother to do (and nobody is bothered by it) but for Lesnar to do it, it is a felony. Most people haven't given Lesnar his due solely based on his past in WWE, which was 4 years compared to the 16? years he spent honing his amateur wrestling skills?
Making the comment to get on his wife vs the normal "let's go party at Club XYZ and get drunk". Hmmm, a married man with a hot wife would rather go back to his hotel room and celebrate with her than party with a bunch of nobodies like me and get shit faced... Now this is a tough one, I really can't figure out which is more honorable and conservative. Gimme a sec.. /sarcasm
Really people, he came, he saw, he conquered. The only time he acted like an ass after a fight is when the fighter he fought (and just got done kicking their ass) talked shit before the fight.
He was very respectful towards Randy Couture after their fight. If he was a total asshole, he woulda buried Randy. But he was respectful to Randy because Randy had been respectful to him BEFORE the fight.
I swear, people who can't see both sides and realize the difference are just stupid keyboard warriors.
Nice article, well said.
aS I BEGAN TO READ THIS ARTICLE I IMMEDIATLY STARTED THINKING " THIS GUY IS SO WRONG, HE IS A PRAT " BUT YOUT NOT, IM WRONG AND GREAT COMMENT, DIAZ BROTHERS WAS A GREAT PRECIDENT, SO GOOD ON YOU ! ( AND IF YOU KNEW WHO I WS YOU'D BE AMAZED )
Posted By: Guest#2911 (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 09:03 AM
these fans are so protective of UFC's sponsors, I love it when MMA fans act more illogical then wrestling fans. And this guest who says other fighters are heels because they respect people is a great ezample of random lies used to attack wrestling fans and real MMA fans who respect Brock for obvious reasons, pathetic.
And to all you MMA marks who say "wrestling fans don't know MMA, they started watching because of Brock..." well that shows what kind of uniformed circa 2004 fans they are. Wrestling fans help build MMA in the early 90's buying PPV's, same in Japan so get real and start loving Brock(and soon BOBBY) because you are all looking stupider and stupider each faight.
Posted By: L I A M (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 11:13 AM
PLs answer me one question. Only one,it shouldnt be so hard:
Why every Brock fan feel offended when somebody doesnt like his favourite fighter?
Remember,when Diaz flipped the bird to Frank,people bashed him heavily because of that,so its not like its allowed for Diaz but not for Brock. Its just that Diaz fans somehow seemed intelligent enough to accept that there are people who hate Nick. Thats it. Thats the difference.
ohhh,one more thing: "If you dont like Brock,you shouldnt like Diaz either". Why? MMA is not about the antics,only if you are a...you know...WWE fan. MMA is about the fights,Diaz and Brock is completely different fighters with completely different styles,so again: why should I hate Diaz if I dont like Lesnar?
Instructions: read my post -> think about it -> THEN respond!
Posted By: Guest#6973 (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 11:41 AM
ohhh,one more thing: "If you dont like Brock,you shouldnt like Diaz either". Why? MMA is not about the antics,only if you are a...you know...WWE fan. MMA is about the fights,Diaz and Brock is completely different fighters with completely different styles,so again: why should I hate Diaz if I dont like Lesnar?
Instructions: read my post -> think about it -> THEN respond!
Posted By: Guest#6973 (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 11:41 AM
If you are not a fan of dominating HW world class wrestlers with punches like car accidents then I understand.
I think the hypocrisy of the fans/critics is the offensive part. I mean you say that MMA is not about antics then why not judge the mans in octagon work?
Maybe because shit talk and antics are a part of MMA, like it or not, if you don't then start training because it might be a while until Brock steps down as champ.
Posted By: Guest#2051 (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 07:09 PM
You know what's worse than the Lesnar's hate ? Talking about how lame it is on loop and giving credits and publicity to the said haters.
JUST IGNORE THE HATE, and as far as I'm concerned, the more they hate him the better to me .
Carwin is shocked ? Just go to the fact of Lesnar and tell him so Shane.
I can't wait to see The Pain ripping you apart in a future title match just for what you've said via keyboard.
Posted By: Who Cares For The Haters (Guest) on July 22, 2009 at 07:34 PM
That's video was awesome. Everyone is just laughin and talking. Then the white boy opens his mouth and it gets all quiet.
White persons rule #1. never discuss the n word. Pretend u didn't hear it. Never repeat it.
Posted By: condrab (Guest) on July 23, 2009 at 10:12 AM
In my opinion The reason people hate lesnar is the fact that ufc in a way is seen by it's fans as the anti wwe, so the fact a "fake" athlete comes to "our" sport and becomes a champion pisses the off, these so called fans are to blinded by ignorance to see this guys legitimate wrestling backround. Those actions he pulled at ufc were not a result of working at the wwe, any guy could have gone off like that if they got jeered like this guy. one can argue that his pro wrestling fame is what brought him to the ufc, but no doubt it's his skill that's keeping him there. I once thought that Internet wrestling fans were retarded but this lesnar controversy has shown me that Internet mma fans can sometimes be even more retarded
Posted By: Guest (Guest) on July 24, 2009 at 03:23 AM
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