CM Punk Post UFC 203 Loss

CM Punk Taps; UFC 203 Results

MAIN CARD:
Stipe Miocic (c) def. Alistair Overeem via KO (Round 1, 4:27) for UFC Heavyweight Title
Fabricio Werdum def. Travis Browne via unanimous decision 
Mickey Gall def. CM Punk via submission (rear-naked choke) (Round 1, 2:14) 
Jimmie Rivera def. Urijah Faber via unanimous decision 
Jessica Andrade def. Joanne Calderwood via submission (guillotine) (Round 1, 4:38) 

UNDERCARD:
Bethe Correia def. Jessica Eye via split decision 
Brad Tavares def. Caio Magalhaes via split decision
Nik Lentz def. Michael McBride via TKO (Round 2, 4:17) 
Drew Dober def. Jason Gonzalez via TKO (Round 1, 1:45) 
Yancy Medeiros def. Sean Spencer via submission (rear-naked choke) (Round 2,  0:49) 

The Evolution of CM Punk

Good stuff as CM Punk trains for his first career MMA fight.

Alistair Overeem on CM Punk

Two of my favorites here, but clearly Overeem is not expecting much out of CM Punk. Either way, I'm definitely watching/buying UFC 203 on September 10th.

Mark Hunt KOs Frank Mir

Yikes. Mir does not look great.

Fights to make after sorting through the carnage of UFC 196

It's been over a week since UFC 196 so I know we're late the game here. I have a full time job, so don't give me shit.

That being said, I feel like every journalist, blogger, and fan boy under the sun has written a recap and given their hot take on what the fuck happened. So I won't bore you with a traditional recap, nor will I spend this entire blog pontificating about how much money the UFC lost or why or why not McGregor and Holm should've taken the fights they did.

Did the UFC lose out on some massive PPV blockbusters? Of course they did. Had McGregor won it would've added even more allure to a showdown with RDA for the 155-lb strap or set up an even bigger fight with Robbie Lawler at UFC 200 for the 170-lb belt. For Holm, the rematch with Rousey was always the big money fight. Problem is, no one knew when Rousey was coming back. So yea, those are out the window after the massive upsets, but I actually think it positions the UFC even better b/c it's opened up and entirely new set of fights that bring a whole new level of intrigue and theater to the game. Here's my list of the fights I want to see coming out of last weekend's card - within each, you'll also get a sense of where my head is at for future matchups and how these help build for that:

Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo 2
After losing his test at 170, the logical thing for McGregor to do is return home to 145 and defend his belt. It gives him a chance to reassert himself as the king and fire back up the hype train on his way to another history-making fight.

With apologies to Frankie Edgar, who is incredibly deserving of a fight against McGregor, he's just not a big enough draw for the casual fan. For hardcore fans like myself and Keefe, we would LOVE a McGregor-Edgar fight to see how Frankie's movement, volume, chin, and wrestling match up against the 145-lb champ. But half the world saw McGregor dribbling Aldo's head on the canvas back in December, and a rematch against the former champ, who held the title for 10 FUCKING YEARS, is big money.

Should McGregor win, it sets up another move up in weight to 155. Should he lose, we have ourselves a trilogy fight that will be incredibly important for McGregor and the UFC.

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Nate Diaz 2
These two fought back in December 2014. Diaz hadn't fought in a year and RDA was coming off two stoppage wins over Jason High and former champ Ben Henderson. RDA won a decision and went on to take the belt from Anthony Pettis in his next fight. This is as good a time as any to book the rematch as both men are at peak status - Diaz coming off the huge stoppage of McGregor on less than two weeks notice, and RDA has won five straight including his recent 1st round stoppage over the tough Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.

I love this fight for two reasons: 1) both guys are extremely marketable right now for the reasons listed above and 2) it becomes an elimination fight of sorts for the winner should McGregor take care of business against Aldo as I proposed above. Imagine the money they'd make if both McGregor and Diaz win - Diaz defending the strap as McGregor moves up and they fight at 155 vs. the 170-lb limit from UFC 196. And if both guys don't win? So what - there's still a lot to be gained in terms of matches to make from there. But if you aren't making fights with potential match-ups in mind, I don't know what the fuck you're doing.

Miesha Tate vs. Holly Holm 2
These two need to mix it up again. Holm was likely winning that fight but Tate's grappling in the 2nd had people on the edge of their seats, and her comeback win in the 5th was incredible, especially without it ended watching Holm punching the very thing she ran out of: air.

A lot of people are talking about the trilogy with Rousey, but I think this would be a mistake for a few reasons: 1) Rousey has dominated Tate is their previous two fights; 2) Rousey was talking about not coming back until end of this year - suddenly she's chomping at the bit w/ Tate as the champ because of my first point which seems so fucking disingenuous to me; and 3) I still think Holm-Rousey 2 is the bigger fight, but for the title. Holm can beat Tate with a better game plan - read: don't get taken down in the 5th round up 3-1 on the cards again - and set up the blockbuster rematch. Plus, keeping Rousey on the sidelines a bit longer while we wait for the results of this rematch makes us long even more. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Don't you ever forget that.


In terms of when these happen, I'd love to see them all on the UFC 200 card in July. They want it to be huge, and putting these three title fights on one card would do the trick. And all of the participants should be cleared and able to get in a full camp by then. The variable in all this is Robbie Lawler. He's not booked for UFC 197, 198, or 199. MacDonald and Thompson fight in June, so you can count those guys out. Thus, you have to assume they're either talking with Condit about a rematch or trying to lure GSP out of retirement to headline 200 which would be massive. But I also don't think they'd want to stack the card with four title fights.

That being said, I do think if you make the first two fights noted above, they have to be on the same card. It helps align camps for a future fight and being able to build/promote that fight throughout the night and via post-fight interviews would be good for business. Plus McGregor is built for that UFC 200 card. So that drops the Tate/Holm fight out, which they could have a main or co-main in August. I think UFC 198 in May, as a co-main to Werdum-Miocic could be too quick of a turnaround, and UFC 199 in June already has two title fights with Rockhold-Weidman 2 and Cruz-Faber 3.

So that's where I'm at. We've got a great lineup of UFC events over the next few months and still a lot to be sorted out with some of the big names mentioned above. Should be fun to see how it all shakes out. And don't forget Hunt vs. Mir this weekend - both guys are pretty far back in the title picture at this point, but Hunt always brings the thunder and Mir showed his ability to take out a big puncher in his fight against Todd Duffee, so I'm expecting fireworks in this one. Prediction: Hunt via manslaughter due to punch.

UFC 196 McGregor vs. Diaz Fight Predictions

Yesterday the main and co-main events were made official as all participants hit the scales, and made weight, for their respective fights tonight at UFC 196. And with that come fight predictions from The Sports Brief's self-proclaimed, resident MMA expert blogger. Keefe tweeted out our predictions for the two headliners last night, but below is an analysis as well as a bonus breakdown from tonight's card.

UFC 196 Picks:
Besse: McGregor RD1 KO, Holm RD2 TKO
Keefe: McGregor RD2 KO, Holm decision

— The Sports Brief (@TheSportsBrief) March 4, 2016

Main Event: Conor McGregor (C-FTW) vs. Nate Diaz (#5 LW)
As Mystic Mac has said himself, one goes down, another steps in. It's the fourth time in eight UFC fights McGregor has seen a late fill-in due to injury, though the last two have gotten much more publicity due to the enormity of both fights. First it was Aldo dropping out of their title bout at 189 and Mendes stepping in. Now it's dos Anjos bowing out of what could've been a historical moment - McGregor vying to become the first UFC fighter to hold two belts simultaneously - and Diaz stepping in.

One of the biggest challenges for a fighter stepping in on short notice is cardio - we saw this with Mendes as he took McGregor down in the 1st and seemed to be positioned well, only to gas in the 2nd where he ultimately fell due to strikes. But with Diaz, I'm less concerned for a couple reasons - a) he and his brother typically stay in relatively good shape between fights. Though Nate is the big triathlete, Nate is known to train with him. And b) I don't see this fight going beyond the 3rd round as both men love to strike, and strike well.

McGregor will obviously need to combat Diaz's reach and heavy volume of striking, particularly the jab that allows him to keep opponents on the outside, in his range, and break down them down over the course of the fight. Once Diaz starts putting combinations together and following up the jab with a straight and some hooks, the cumulative toll of the shots makes up for what Diaz make lack in one-punch power.

But McGregor's movement, particularly under the tutelage of Ido Portal, has made him a significantly improved striker who does possess the one-punch knockout power. Just ask Aldo.

So you've got two guys who love to strike and motherfuck anyone within an earshot, and that'll certainly give us fireworks. But where things particularly interest me is on the ground. I don't anticipate McGregor taking the fight to the floor - Diaz working from his back is a magician. Nor do I think Diaz tries to take McGregor to the mat due mostly to arrogance but also because I think McGregor's strength of wrestling defense will help negate that. I go back to the movement, however, and whether McGregor at any point throws an exotic type of kick or movement that misses the mark and leaves him off balance. It happened to Weidman in his fight against Rockhold, led to Rockhold gaining control on the ground, and was the beginning of a long sequence of punishment that carried into the 4th round before Weidman succumb to strikes. In this case, I think McGregor needs to be cautious of finding himself in a similar position, involuntarily taking the fight to the mat where Diaz suddenly has an opening to put his jiu-jitsu to work. I think it would end quickly if this happens. But let me clear in that I don't necessarily foresee this happening, I just think this is a possible scenario in which the fight does in fact go to the mat where Diaz holds a HUGE advantage.

In terms of the outcome, I'm going McGregor by 1st round KO. I think these guys will feel each other out for the 30 seconds or so with pawing jabs and feints, then they'll go to work and it will be fireworks. I see McGregor utilizing the movement to create an angle that opens up a big shot, a left uppercut or overhand right, that stuns Diaz before the featherweight champ pounces and puts an end to the fight.

McGregor by 1st round KO

Co-Main Event: Holly Holm (C) vs. Miesha Tate (#2 BTW)

I love Miesha Tate. Everything about her except for the nickname Cupcake. And as much as she claims she's the perfect opponent to defeat Holm, I actually think she'll play right into her hands moreso than Ronda Rousey did. Tate's game is all about aggressiveness and turning it into a dogfight. There's a reason that, before Holm stopped Rousey, she had given the former champ the most problems and lasted longest inside the cage with her. She's tough, durable, and fights with a reckless abandon that creates matchup problems. 

But I said it before the Holm-Rousey fight and will say it again - Holm's striking is far superior than anyone the women's side of the sport has ever seen. She's a former multi-time boxing and kickboxing champ. And she has excellent takedown defense as we saw against Rousey. I'd go so far as to say she's a better version of Chuck Liddell was in his time b/c her striking is crisper and sharper - but the skill set is the same.

I think Tate comes out and looks to make it ugly, and while her striking might be more polished than Rousey's, she'll get picked apart much like Ronda did. Holm will use her movement and angles to avoid the clinch, and her strength to keep Tate off her for extended periods. While I don't see this one ending as quickly as the main event, I also don't believe we go to a 3rd round. Tate will make it fun while it lasts, but by the end of the 2nd she'll be fading from the cumulative toll of Holm's work before combination staggers her to the floor where Holm follows with more punishment before the ref steps in to save the challenger.

Despite the loss, it won't change how I feel about her.

Holm by 2nd round (T)KO stoppage due to strikes

Gian Villante (#13 LHW) vs. Ilir Latifi (NR)

There are three reasons I'm even bothering to weigh in here: 1) I love Villante from Weidman's camp during Embedded leading up to the fight against Rockhold. 2) Villante had a sick KO of Anthony Perosh in his last fight.

And 3) Latifi knocked a dude out by punching him in the neck in his last fight.

I have no prediction for this fight except for fireworks and I can't fucking wait.

Bonus Pick for Gamblers

I got McGregor (-450) and Holm (-270) as a parlay at -148. I'm making it a 4-unit bet for tonight's fight.

Should be a great night of fights. Enjoy!!!

UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz

MCGREGOR vs DIAZ!!! pic.twitter.com/jsOqcsrK9Y

— Dana White (@danawhite) March 5, 2016

McGregor vs. Diaz... Here We Go

McGregor vs Diaz on March 5 at #UFC196 pic.twitter.com/JIdEDuwIt8

— Dana White (@danawhite) February 24, 2016

CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall in UFC Debut?

Dana White said that Mickey Gall will fight Michael Jackson on the prelims of UFC 196 next month.  If Gall wins, he will face CM Punk.

Gall is 1-0 as a professional (no UFC fights), he's 23 years old and fought as a welterweight in his only pro bout.

CM Punk is 37 and expected to be a middleweight.

I'm looking forward to seeing Punk in the octagon... and clearly they aren't throwing him any world beaters to start his career.

Alistair Overeem TKOs Junior Dos Santos

UFC on Fox: dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2 took place last night in Orlando. My man Overeem picked up a huge win over the #2 (contender) Heavyweight Junior Dos Santos.

Main Card Results: 
Rafael dos Anjos def. Donald Cerrone TKO Round 1 (defends Lightweight Title)
Alistair Overeem def. Junior Dos Santos TKO Round 2
Nate Diaz def. Michael Johnson unanimous decision
Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Randa Markos unanimous decision

Rich Keefe with Tito Ortiz

I talked with Bellator Light Heavyweight (former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion) Tito Ortiz leading up to Bellator's Unfinished Business (Ken Shamrock - Kimbo Slice). I asked him about that fight, his relationship with Shamrock, his future in Bellator, and what fight would he tell someone to watch who had never seen a Tito Ortiz fight.

My prediction on who Tito will fight next?

1. Fedor (he's in St. Louis, could come out of retirement)
2. Liam McGeary (current Bellator Light Heavyweight Champ)
3. King Mo
4. Phil Davis
Last. Tito vs. Shamrock IV

Keefe's Wild Card Weekend Picks

Cardinals (+6)

Steelers (-3)

Bengals (+3.5)

Cowboys (-7)

Bonus Pick:

Daniel Cormier (+160) over Jon Jones at UFC 182

Keefer Madness: CM Punk Joins UFC

Click Here for Keefer Madness: CM Punk Joins UFC

CM Punk Joins the UFC

I'm a CM Punk fan. I'm a UFC fan. (I'm still a reluctant WWE fan.)  So needless to say I am wildly intrigued by this move.   We've known Punk was interested in MMA for awhile based on his attendance at a few events and his relationship with a number of fighters and trainers including Rener Gracie.  But Punk as a fighter?  Well it's happening in 2015. 

News came out last night at UFC 181 that CM Punk signed a multi-fight deal with the company. He also did a 20 minute interview with Ariel Helwani (Google that, solid stuff). 

I know the immediate reaction by many will be "He's going to get killed."  "Does he know this is real?" Etc. etc.  But he's not stupid.  And neither is the UFC.  I do question if they are struggling with PPV numbers and with the loss of Brock Lesnar (more on him in a minute) and the long lay off of Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva, they're just trying to add a popular figure.  

Is it a publicity stunt a la Kimbo Slice?  To be fair Dana White put Kimbo through the reality show before his chance in the octagon and he's not nearly as popular, however a guy who many felt didn't belong and turns out they were right. 

I think Punk is different.  And maybe that's the fan in me talking, but his training in ju jitsu and knowledge/passion for the sport gives him a leg up (in my mind) over a dude who beat the shit out of guys in his back yard. 

Punk has seen countless fights and knows what those fighters go through leading up to and during the fight.  He won't be surprised and he won't be expecting to land a one-punch KO (see Slice, Kimbo). 

As optimistic as I am, there are still a number of questions and concerns.  CM Punk is 36 years old. He has never had a mixed martial arts fight and his first will be at the highest level.  That's like you playing your first football game in the NFL.  

He's listed at 6'2, 218 pounds.  (Where I found it.)  Of course Ultimate Warrior was from Parts Unknown so...

What division will he be in?  He mentioned in his interview with Helwani it might be Middleweight (185) but didn't rule out Welterweight (170). 

For those not familiar with MMA but may recognize names...

Middleweights include: Chris Weidman (champ), Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort. 

Welterweights include: Robbie Lawler (champ), Johny Hendricks, Georges St. Pierre. 

He's obviously not fighting those guys anytime soon (perhaps ever).  Who does he fight?  Do they throw tomato cans at him for awhile?  Are they looking to protect him?  

He will be a big name and help with pay-per-views. He told Helwani that his first fight would definitely be on a PPV (UFC sprinkles in free fights on FOX channels as well.) But he's here for PPVs.  

How long can you have him fight bums?  Probably a little while, assuming he wins. If he goes 0-2, 0-3 he's probably done. Although the UFC emphasizes wins, they also demand entertaining fights.  If he loses a thrilling fight by decision that could keep him around we well. 

Good news is the UFC is not revolving around him.  Not to keep bringing up Kimbo Slice but we all remember EliteXC and all the eggs they put in the Kimbo basket.  Well a loss on free TV to Seth Petruzelli (who was an injury replacement for Ken Shamrock) all but shut down the company.   Again, this won't be an issue with Punk.  Good gamble by the UFC and great challenge for Punk.  

So he's old, inexperienced, and uncertain of weight class.  What about others who have gone from the WWF/WWE to the UFC?

Brock Lesnar (5-3, UFC)

Far and away the most success for a wrestler turned mixed-martial-artist. He was a dominate collegiate wrestler which made the transition smooth.  In fact almost all the best guys in the UFC are exceptional wrestlers or ju jitsu practitioners.  Lesnar was at one time the UFC Heavyweight Champ, but lost his last 2 fights in brutal fashion and returned to the WWE.  Rumors swirl of a possible UFC return however.  

Bam Bam Bigelow (0-1)

The late great Bam Bam Bigelow had one career MMA bout.  He got choked out by the legend Kimo Leopoldo in the 1st round. He was 35 at the time. 

Bart Gunn (1-1)

One half the Smoking Guns took his success from "Brawl for it All" (forget the Butterbean fight, he doesn't remember it and neither should you) and had two MMA bouts.  He beat Cabbage Correira via TKO (cut) in 2006 and followed that up with a loss to Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa by decision at Pride Bushido 13 (I have the DVD, need to go back watch that one.)

Bobby Lashley (12-2)

Lashley, another elite college wrestler, has had MMA success.  He has not faced the level of competition that Brock Lesnar has, in fact all 14 of his fights have been outside the UFC. He had some bouts in Strikeforce and is currently signed to Bellator.  He's taking this smart and not going after the biggest names right away. If he continues to win a move to the UFC makes sense. 

Batista (1-0)

All due respect to something called Vince Lucero, Batista had one MMA fight where he picked up a 1st round TKO win. He was 43 at the time.  This counts I guess.  

Obviously a mixed bag here.  Lesnar and Lashley have made that transition and looked good doing it.  The others?  Not as much.  The big challenge for Punk is coming from the wrestling world while not having that elite wrestling skill.  He has his work cut out for him.  

I'll be rooting for him and I'll be watching. Say what you want, but you have to respect a guy for getting in there.  I hope he does well, and who can difinivedly say he won't?  I haven't seen him train and neither have you.  Be skeptic all you want but I'm not going to rule him out.  

UFC 181 Results

Main card:
Robbie Lawler def. Johny Hendricks via split decision (for Welterweight Championship)
Anthony Pettis def. Gilbert Melendez via submission (guillotine) (for Lightweight Championship)
Travis Browne def. Brendan Schaub via first-round TKO
Todd Duffee def. Anthony Hamilton via first-round KO
Tony Ferguson def. Abel Trujillo via submission (rear-naked choke)

Undercard:
Urijah Faber def. Francisco Rivera via submission (bulldog choke)
Josh Samman def. Eddie Gordon via second-round KO
Corey Anderson def. Justin Jones via unanimous decision
Raquel Pennington def. Ashlee Evans-Smith via submission (bulldog choke)
Sergio Pettis def. Matt Hobar via unanimous decision
Clay Collard def. Alex White via unanimous decision

Thanks to MMAFighting.com for complete results.  

More on CM Punk joining the UFC later here on The Sports Brief...

Jones vs. Cormier Postponed To January 3

.@dc_mma will be joining us NEXT to talk about his fight being postponed! #UFC178 Find FS1 http://t.co/GxXtqbpauz pic.twitter.com/dmRP5u9zZn

— America's Pregame (@AmericasPregame) August 12, 2014

BREAKING NEWS: Jones out of #UFC178 w/ leg injury. Jones vs Cormier moves to #UFC182. @MightyMouseUFC vs @chriscariasomma moves to #UFC178.

— UFC (@ufc) August 12, 2014

Weak. So Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title gets postponed from September 27th to January 3rd because of a leg injury suffered by Jones.

Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz January 31st

The UFC announced that Anderson Silva will fight Nick Diaz, in his first fight back in the UFC, on January 31 in Las Vegas. 

Silva is coming off a disgusting injury while Diaz has been away from the UFC for years.   I'm excited about the fight, but a small part of me fears rust. This could be one of the best fights of all-time.  Or maybe it's gets hyped up beyond belief and can't live up to it. 

How will Silva respond to the injury?  Is Diaz still elite?  Either way, I'll be watching to find out.  

Easy one of the most anticipated fights I can remember.  

Do we need another countdown timer?

UFC 174 Results

MAIN CARD:

• Demetrious Johnson def. Ali Bagautinov via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
• Rory MacDonald def. Tyron Woodley via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Ryan Bader def. Rafael Cavalcante via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Andrei Arlovski def. Brendan Schaub via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Ovince Saint Preux def. Ryan Jimmo via verbal submission (kimura) – Round 2, 2:10. 

UNDERCARD:

• Kiichi Kunimoto def. Daniel Sarafian via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:52
• Valerie Letourneau def. Elizabeth Phillips via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Yves Jabouin def. Mike Easton via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Tae Hyun Bang def. Kajan Johnson via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 2:01
• Michinori Tanaka def. Roland Delorme via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jason Saggo def. Josh Shockley via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:57

How about Andrei Arlovski being back in the UFC for the first time since 2008.  The fight was not anything special and he may not have deserved the win but hey, he's back.  Check out some of the other places he's fought in the meantime, you may have seen him in a parking lot or bar you frequent. But good for him. Always liked him. 

Not the best card going in and not the best card going out.  Lots of decisions.  Only a couple of Top 10 guys.  

Thanks to MMAJunkie.com for the official results. 

Anderson Silva's Leg

WARNING: Graphic Pictures Below

Brutal night for Anderson Silva as he snaps his leg in the 2nd round of his title fight against champion Chris Weidman.   This could spell the end for the greatest fighter I have ever seen.  

I went back and forth all week long and ultimately thought The Spider would get this win to set up a trilogy fight. But it was not to be.  He got dominated in the 1st round.  He looked better in the 2nd before snapping his leg in disgusting fashion. 

Here are a few intense pictures.