In an era where Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva are openly petitioning management for heavyweight fights, the idea of Tito Ortiz trying to chip away at the ego of Chuck Liddell should underwhelm you like nothing else.
“I think if I call him out enough times I think he’ll be a man and step up,” Ortiz told MMAWeekly. “Why wouldn’t he? That’s a huge fight and a big payday for him. It will be good.”
Why wouldn’t he? Because Liddell, unlike Ortiz, had a gamesman’s attitude toward the sport: taking bouts that risked his guaranteed title bids, never turning down a fight, and generally looking happy to be in there. He never headhunted graying fighters, something Ortiz does with alarming regularity.
After being slaughtered twice by Liddell, Ortiz has seen him softened up on successive occasions by Rashad Evans and Mauricio Rua: if you can’t beat a fresh Liddell -- and he clearly cannot -- then the next best thing must be to wait for a battered “Iceman” to age before pursuing a third fight. Picking at a carcass doesn’t flatter him.
Thursday, November 5 5:32 pm PT: Fedor Emelianenko will not risk his World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) heavyweight title this Saturday when he meets Brett Rogers at Strikeforce/M-1 Global “Fedor vs. Rogers” at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman, Estates, Ill.
Strikeforce officials and Emelianenko’s management both confirmed to Sherdog.com Thursday that the belt had been presented earlier that day during a pre-fight press conference for promotional purposes only, as WAMMA is a sponsor of Saturday’s event.
During the conference, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker had been asked if the title would be recognized that night, and he’d noted off-the-cuff that he believed it would. However, the promotion later clarified that the heavyweight matchup will remain a three-round, non-title bout.
Strikeforce recognizes its own heavyweight title, of which Alistair Overeem is the current champion.
Rogers is currently ranked No. 8 by WAMMA, an independent rankings organization comprised of voting MMA journalists. However, WAMMA is not recognized by all fight promotions, including the UFC.
Thursday, November 5 4:26 pm PT: It’s been more than three years since Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic has looked even remotely dangerous, but that isn’t preventing the UFC from capitalizing on his foreign-territory fame: the stoic kickboxer looks to have a date with Ben Rothwell in Australia February 21.
You know how this goes: Filipovic will swear up, down, and sideways that he’s changed his training, his mentality, or his diet, resulting in a “new” fighter. He will then proceed to deflate everyone with a lethargic, ineffectual performance that adds nothing to the heavyweight division or to his career. Considering his recent UFC appearances, this is pessimism he’s earned.
Thursday, November 5 12:59 pm PT: It’s a slow burn, but the sport and its participants are increasingly being perceived as something other than Neanderthals: Georges St. Pierre, who recently signed a deal with Gatorade, is now a spokesfighter for apparel brand Under Armour. The company had previously outfitted Frank Mir for his UFC 100 weigh-in.
What took them so long? St. Pierre is what the sport could use more of: a respected, respectful athlete who looks and moves like he comes from a different genetic area code. It’s good for St. Pierre, but it’s better for other athletes in the sport who may now benefit from the me-too companies following UA’s lead. Randy Couture gets his Wheaties box soon. It’s inevitable.
Thursday, November 5 10:50 am PT: There were many reasons Joe Frazier was upset at Muhammad Ali, but Ali drawing a cartoon of Frazier and writing “sucks balls” underneath was not among them.
This kind of layered psychological warfare is exclusive to mixed martial arts: specifically, the bored, barely-mature contestants of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Without exception, each episode is like having video surveillance of a community college dorm. Mike Wessel’s caption for opponent Jones -- which earned him a nasty armbar loss -- was among the more tasteful: later, Quinton Jackson’s image took another hit when he grabbed the breast of a male cast member, squealed the nickname “Titties,” and then appeared surprised when the man considered attacking him.
“Rampage” would have been well-advised to use his “A-Team” money to buy every available master of this season, burn them, and then consider a PR campaign that doesn’t end with apologies. Wessel’s sentiment applies, but only for describing Jackson’s attitude.
Thursday, November 5 1:50 am PT: MMA is only a “team sport” for the duration of a training camp: once you’re tying up with someone, the idea that you’ve got three guys in jerseys in your corner means squat. (Unless they have a stretcher.)
The International Fight League learned this lesson painfully and at considerable cost: promoter Roy Englebrecht is either very unaware of their implosion, or very stubborn. His Professional Mixed Martial Arts League (PMMAL, also known as BRKE) is set for a 2010 debut, with eight teams of amateurs on the West Coast. Wisely, Englebrecht is offering to sell the teams as “franchises” to owners in an effort to spread the risk around.
"I know the fun and profitability that an investment in a professional sports team can provide," Englebrecht said in a release. "I know about the dreams of most every sports fan to be just like Jerry Jones, Jerry Buss, Arte Moreno, or George Steinbrenner and own a pro sports team, as I realized that dream with the [minor league baseball team] Quakes. Now the dream of owning a professional sports team can become a reality with the purchase of a PMMAL team.”
Other realities: bankruptcy, soup kitchens, and medical bills. MMA will never be able to emulate mainstream ball games, and this is a concept without brakes or an airbag.
Thursday, November 5 12:00 am PT: Being physically fit is expected to protect you from the ailments of the paunchy, malnourished fast-fooders: Brock Lesnar, who looks like he could gore a bull with his bare hands, does not fit the profile of someone who has to think about the sniffles.
Yet here he is, via trainer Greg Nelson, floating the idea that the illness keeping him from a November 21 date with Shane Carwin is likely to cost him a January 2 booking -- and beyond.
“I’m not sure exactly what it is he has, mono or whatever, but I know that he was sick and couldn’t get a good, hard workout in,” Nelson told Yahoo’s Kevin Iole.
