Feast or Famine: March is a UFC/Bellator drought

Starting off the month we get a Bellator card with Caldwell defending his newly minted belt and Warren fighting a fight to stay busy I guess. Remember when he had the belt? Bellator, I'll say this, the fights are almost always entertaining. The rest of the card is meeeeeeeeh, but hey, not every card can be the HW grand prix et cetera. I'll tune in because it's such a painfully slow MMA month as a fan.

The real throwdown for the month is Cyborg beating up another UFC debuting non-featherweight. I assume Nunes will be after this (yet another non-featherweight). Cyborg complains no one respects her but she'll fight people imported from outside the organization but will avoid the UFC champ in the weight class below her. C'mon buddy, be serious. The co-main was supposed to be Edgar vs Holloway but he's injured which is no one's fault. The plug in fight of Ortega is Edgar just doing what he does and fighting a dangerous dude and risking his shot at the belt by doing so. My hat off to him. Not a ton of dudes in the game like that these days. The card also features Arlovski (yep, he still has a job) versus Struve (yep, he still has a job). 

2 weeks later we get a solid fight night card with Werdum vs Volkov. Manuwa is chiming in again after disappearing for a bit to ice the pain of getting No Time'd by Oezdemir who got crushed by DC in a title defense after that. I mean, that DC would've done exactly the same to him doesn't probably make Manuwa any less salty about it. Just file it under another MMA fighter talks about crossing over to boxing to face a big name and gets slept in his next MMA fight, yikes. The card has some notables like Dodson, Beneil Dariush, Zaleski De Santos, and CB Dolloway. 

I can get through March because I'm looking forward to that Khabib vs Ferguson fight in April that is gonna be bonkers. What we do get in March other than Cyborg beating up another non-featherweight, is the debut of Mackenzie Dern. Be interesting to see if she makes weight (had some issues previously) and how she fares. The division is thin so she'll make waves with a series of submission wins (ala Rousey). 

It's gonna be a slow month outside of a full blown ppv with cyborg fighting another non featherweight and UFC debuting fighter, and what should've been Edgar vs holloway, but was salvaged via Edgar facing Ortega. Not the UFC's fault.

Brock Lesnar Teaser Headlines - Le Sigh

Eye roll. C'mon man. Got as obviously as possible got an exemption and then got popped for the Roids. If UFC's goal it to be the A squad of mma, that's a no go. People gotta be the poster boy from time to time and is that time. 

Craig Jones Joins Kasai Middleweight Grand Prix

Reebok Outfitting Pay no more? But kind of still?

Read the full write-up HERE
Basically, they're rolling in the concept of fighter outfitting pay with fighter conduct and fight week media obligations. Calling these guys independent contractors but having that much control over them outside of fight night is basically a farce at this point. Paying someone $3500 for a weeks worth of obligations/media and essentially the opportunity cost of controlling/preventing them from acquiring sponsors who would pay them more for broadcast visibility especially when they hit the main card or even televised prelims on Cable TV, is a pretty meeeeh deal all around.

Inside the Octagon 222: Cyborg vs Kunitskaya & Edgar vs Ortega

They only spend 8 minutes breaking down Cyborg vs Kunitskaya. Pretty much tells you that Yana was imported to be sacrificed at the Cyborg "I'm going to defend my belt against only folks not in my weight class" altar.
God, they didn't even try to hide it in this piece.
Anyhow, enjoy: 

ACB JJ 11 This Weekend - March 3rd: Ramos, Najhmi, Calasans, Langhi, Frazatto, Doederlein, Sousa....et al

These guys are really bringing the heat.

The list of guys competing really is pretty ridiculous for something outside of the Worlds or Pans. It's kinda breathtaking the list of guys they've signed in the past two years. This should definitely hold us over til the May 5th event which features Gordon Ryan vs Vinny Magalhaes. Looking forward to Ryan facing some notables that might otherwise *cough cough* avoid him by pricing themselves out of matches et cetera.
The event this weekend features something like 10 world champs Gi/NoGi if not more just off the top of my head scanning the list as well as multiple ADCC champs as well. Absurd.

On the smaller side of the weight classes, I'm excited to see Bruno Frazatto in action, Doederlein, Laercio Fernandes, and Hashimoto who in particular looked very crafty against Samir Chantre in NoGi last time pummeling legs for some heel hooks et cetera. He's def one to watch in the coming years.
The title fight of Davi Ramos vs Najmi alone is a big push for the card's worth.

"TITLE FIGHTS:  Davi Ramos vs Edwin Najmi 75kg 

Otavio Sousa vs Isaque Bahiense 85kg 
Claudio Calasans vs Yan Cabral 85kg
Michael Langhi vs Marcio Andre 75kg
Bruno Frazatto vs Gabriel Marangoni 65kg
Lucas Rocha vs Alex Cabanes 75kg
Victor Honorio vs Erberth Santos 95+kg
Daud Adaev vs Luan Carvalho 75kg
AJ Sousa vs Arnaldo Maidana 85kg
Vinny Magalhaes vs Moku Kahawai 95+kg
Kim Terra vs Isaac Doederlein 65kg 
Samir Chantre vs Laercio Fernandes 60kg
Tomoyuki Hashimoto vs Mayko Araujo 60kg
Rodrigo Caporal vs Marcelo Mafra 75kg"

UFC 222 Countdown Episode: Cyborg vs Non-Featherweight Kunitskaya, Edgar vs Ortega

Half the main event is Cyborg rather than facing Nunes, facing someone who's never even been in the UFC (sound familiar?) , the other half is Edgar being Edgar & taking a dangerous fight instead of waiting to face Holloway who's out with an injury. Wild. Edgar is as fighter mentality as they come man. At any rate, I guess we can call Cyborg's fight againstsomeone imported to the UFC and not in her weight class a title fight  but that feels borderline disingenuous. At any rate, Dern's UFC debut, Beneil Dariush, and Dodson are all ppv level names, but are sort of smattered across the broadcast elements like prelims and main card making for a long ass night if you want to see the name value fights.

It's a good broadcast with some mid-level fights for consideration in terms of the debut of a women's prospect: Mackenzie Dern, and Beneil getting back up toward the momentum nearing a title shot. John Dodson tries to climb toward a title shot not against Demetrious Johnson, at 135. Dolloway and Lombard are winding down their careers and relevance but professionals nonetheless, so we'll see if they have much left in the gas tank. 

Onnit Invitational 7: March 17th

Featuring Women's 105 lbs & Men's Absolute. Haven't come across any names attached to it you, but they've had plenty in the past. Fingers crossed.

 

Underdog on Fox Last Night

Man. Barao, Perry, OSP...all took a loss last night. Barao is moving even further down the totem pole. OSP got guillotined which ironic Bc from top he loves the Von Flue choke. Perry is going the way of Houston Alexander. Emmett got wilted by the forward pressure of an increasingly dangerous Stephens. 

Andrade did as expected and won with forward stalking pressure. Alvey picked up another win. Yahya poured on the positional control and got an RNC to stamp another win on his lengthy UFC resume. Problem is, his ability to fade after even a relatively slow first round like last night is concerning. In a 5 round title fight, this would be curtains. At any rate, losing to Stephens doesn't mean Emmett isn't the real deal, just not ready for the experience level of Stephens. Saunders looked rough last night, which sucks because I've always enjoyed watching him fight. 

UFC on FOX 28 Fight Card Predictions & Shots in the Dark

Alvey, Yahya, Barao - Should all pick up wins today/tonight. Alvey continues to fight whoever they put in front of him. Yahya also plugging along picking up unheralded UFC wins. He's actually been with the promotion for quite awhile just flying under the radar. He's only been stopped by Benavidez and lost a couple decisions to guys with names like Chad Mendes and a split decision to Niimaki, and also a decision loss to Mizugaki before he started dropping a bunch of fights.
Yahya is actually 9-3 in the UFC (with a couple losses to name guys in the WEC before it was consumed by the UFC. No doubt should pick up a win here.

Saunders vs Jouban - I've always liked Saunders for his willingness to strike and grapple. He's the kind of a guy who can toss a fight out the window with a minute left in round 3 so he's been frustrating to support over the years. Jouban if he fights smart should cruise to a stoppage or a decision win, but if he gets reckless, Saunders can easily suck him into a grappling exchange and get the tap. It's hard to say which Saunders will show up but I'll go with Saunders by submission round 3.

Emmett vs Stephens  - how good is Emmett? Hard to say with that counter strike KO of Ricardo Lamas. We didn't see a lot of fighting that night and he did capitalize on a golden opportunity. Stephens is a known quality: aggressive, good takedown defense, punches and kicks in combination if not particularly packing finesse. I don't think Stephens is a hard puzzle to figure out, I think Emmett takes this one in a split decision. Emmett strikes me as being smart enough to play matador and pick apart an increasingly frustrated Stephens over the course of the fight.

Andrade vs Torres - too much forward pressure and overhand rights from Andrade. Torres will wilt under the pressure like most of Andrade's opponents and this will be a 2nd or 3rd round stoppage win for Andrade

OSP vs Latifi - this is another known quality vs known quality type of fight. OSP's size and range and movement versus Latifi's smother wrestling, press against the cage, and overhand right bulldozer style. That being said, OSP's resume is a murderer's *&^%ing row of the LHW division: Teixeira, Oezdemir, Jon Jones, Manuwa, and  his last 3 wins are Okami, Anderson, and de Lima. OSP seems to lose big fights but is Latifi a "big fight"? Latifi has only lost to Blachowicz, Bader, and Gegard Mousasi, so it's basically two guys with impressive resumes but OSP edges him out in having faced arguably the top 5 in the LHW division, or guys that comprised the top 5 in the LHW at one point or another. OSP is the pick here. 

Perry vs Griffin - Perry's hype train and slugger unstoppable aura faltered a bit in his last outing against Ponzinibbio. Both guys talked a lot of pre-fight talk about going for broke and one of them would end up face down ass up on the canvas. That kinda was the case in round 1 but both seemed to content to not entirely press for a HL reel finish as the fight wore on. Ponzinibbio and Perry both faced adversity and showed they're not just front runners. Griffin's losses to Colby Covington and his fight with Zaleski dos Santos both suggest to me Perry will likely put him away unless he can really grind through Perry's offense and take a decision. 

If the TShirt Fits?....Russian Bobsledder caught doping

I mean....I used to be against JiuJitsu in the Olympics but if it busts these fake Jesus loving dudes who are insanely jacked at nearly 40 years old, I'm all for it. Bring on the testing. Tired of the charade. 

Gordon Ryan Announced Next Match: Vinny Magalhaes May 5th

It's going down. Excited to see him in the Gi, but also excited to see him take on another ADCC champ. ACB putting together serious matches. After that last insane card with arguably almost as much talent at black belt as the Worlds, interested to see who all they have on that card. 

Thursday Night Free MMA Fights: Fight Night Global

ACB Continued Signing Biggest Names: Gordon Ryan

Well, add him to the list of high profile signees in the past two years: word is hell face Vinny Magalhaes up first in NoGi and eventually shift to gi matches. 

Kasai Brings Dante Leon to MW Grand Prix

EBI 15 Featherweights Recap & Analysis: Calestine Cruises

I picked 6 of the 8 first round match-ups correctly. Called Calestine cruising through to the win. I doubt Geo does 145 again and I def don't think he wins it again. He had the easier side of the bracket and still seemed to struggle to get to the final. He's tough to finish and has some solid parts to his game with the leg drag/truck entry style back take position but would have really struggled on the opposite side of the bracket. Yet again, guys (Domingos and Honstein) lost matches by not preparing for the arm crush/leg lace bicep armbar position that Geo popularized against Eddie Cummings in his win at 135. 

Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Several cannon fodder matches in the first round for some very slick leg lock finishes but for anyone who trains at RGA, honestly, not very high end. That sounds condescending but it's the cold, hard truth. Guys spinning the wrong way to get out or basically falling directly into the leg lace position. It was another event that seemed to suggest that very few squads have benefitted much if at all from the dearth of Internet experts breaking down RGA squad footage and various tournaments. This arms race is still not even competitive for the most part. The leg lock entries and finishes were not spectacular instances of breaking through smart resistance, but rather first or second wave responses. Keep studying that footage guys, a long way to go. Calestine made it look easy. Having trained with the guy and seen the work and time he's put in through injury, letdown, and otherwise, my hat off to him. 

EBI 15 Brackets & Predictions/Eddie Cummings Out-Calestine in

My quick thoughts: Calestine takes the left hand side of the bracket. Outside of Geo on the right hand side, the right hand side of the bracket is a tad easier. Domingos looked flat his last outing, Berbrich and the others haven't blown me away in any past footage I've seen. Sergio may catch someone with his strange guard that he gets to from a donkey guard like entry, and win his first round match. It's a tough game to prepare for or adjust to on the fly (was fortunate enough to roll with him at Baret Yoshida's school whilst visiting San Diego last fall. Calestine is my pick, not because  he's RGA associated but because I've rolled with him, and recall him skating through the Onnit and Finishers Sub Only Invitaionals. First round picks are: Calestine, Hayden, Battle, Davila, Geo, Sergio, Domingos, and Berbrich. 2nd round  Davila beats Battle, Calestine beats Hayden, Geo beats Sergio, and Domingos beats Berbrich. Calestine beats Davila, Geo beats Domingos, and Calestine beats Geo. 

Attack the Back Profiles Polaris 6 for This Upcoming Weekend

CLICK HERE for a solid run down of the various competitors filling out this card this weekend: 

EBI 15: Featherweights - Countdown Special

Polaris 6: Prologue Episode 1

Imagine if every woman who signed the petition to open the Masters 1-7 at IBJJF (where already a ridiculous amount of medals given out are participation or show up and face no one medals), actually ordered this PPV and supported an event paying women competitors to do JiuJitsu. That would make waaaaay too much sense. Anyone complaining about the IBJJF in its varying degrees and not shelling out their money to support other events is just that....a complainer.

Polaris 6 Card Order & Broadcast Times

Kasai Confirms Craig Jones, Matheus Diniz, DJ Jackson, & Boogeyman Martinez for April MW Event

They'll also be hosting a qualifier as they did for the 155 Grand Prix.

Fight2Win Pro pays out 1/4 of what Reebok Pays Sponsorship

A grappling promotion pays out $46,000 to its competitors. Reebok pays $170,000 for sponsorship on a global PPV broadcast in the world's premier mma organization. God, what a &$@?ing joke man. They scalping these fighters like it's the Wild West. 

Here Comes the Fear Parade: Points VS Sub Only

Been waiting for it to start, frankly, as the pace of matches/events like EBI appeals more to casual grappling/mma fans than does for example the black belt GI worlds matches at the IBJJF each year. The arrival of EBI/sub only formats will of course engender some naysayers and detractors as does anything in human life that challenges the status quo. 

The IBJJF and its format (aside from every other year's ADCC) was the only real show in town for decades. It took me quite awhile in training JiuJitsu to even watch black belt GI matches. The pace of matches at times is excruciating and the gentlemen's agreements across teams et cetera proves hard to stomach for an audience, and even as a competitor because it feels anticlimactic. 

I don't have much emotional investment in the argument beyond being interested to watch the ping pong argument of varying rule sets put forth by devotees of ether side. 

It's interesting though to see the bleak reality that for years and years guys complained the IBJJF didn't pay for winning Worlds, but remain unwilling to compete in EBI where there is upwards of $20,000 to be won for less matches (4) and arguably less talent (so they say) for winning at the black belt level. There's a lot of talk about EBI and the skill level et cetera, but as of yet, it's proved a tough nut to crack...and if the skill level is lower, why don't more world champs show up to win cold, hard cash? What has also arguably become clear is that positions given such prominence in scoring like the mount or passing the guard or knee on belly don't translate into high finishing potential against skilled grapplers (in NoGi anyway). Combat JiuJitsu is an interesting addition in watching how strikes, even just palm strikes change the game and the dynamic. 

This isn't an exhaustive waxing poetic about the shortcomings or accolades of either, just my current thoughts as the debate begins to to speed up. 

Shields Bests Kit Dale by Decision

As part of a two week Shields vs Australia double header, Shields faced Kit Dale last night. Shields picked up a decision win via more submission attacks and will now face Kit Dale's partner in crime Craig Jones next week. Excerpts below via flograppling.com.

Dale's been busy pumping out lots of grappling blueprint and diet content via social media and training with Craig Jones. We'll see how their time stacks up compared to Shields' time spent under the tutelage of Danaher. Having trained with Jake, I'll tell you what I tell everyone who's asked me what it's like: remember the scene in The Revenant where Leo gets mauled by the grizzly bear? Yeah, that's what it feels like. 

Great Moments in Leg Lock History: Oleg Taktarov

Forgot about this one, until I saw Eddie Bravo post it on IG: 

Straight ankle lock, preceded by and inversion to roll through from standing: 

Romero misses weight: No* Title

Le. Sigh. Well Rockhold can win the title, Yoel even if he wins doesn't get the interim title. Soldier of God sure does have a problem staying within the rules and confines of the sporting contest. 

Big MMA and Grappling Names for Kazushi Sakuraba - Quintet

Sakurab is bringing the heat: the team element of bringing guys who have competed on certain pro grappling events is also awesome. Polaris facing off with the Japan crowd and featuring some MMA guys but borrowing some elements of the Judo Team Championships format is interesting. I will definitely be watching...but as I mentioned last time...I'm bummed about the no heel hooks. Le sigh. When will the discrimination end? Free the heel hooks!

Alert News Media: Cyborg Fighting Another Bantamweight

It's kinda just like who cares at this point. They're bringing in bantamweights from other organizations who are facing Cyborg in their UFC debut to face her. I do like the ever increasing irony of her avoiding Nunes who is at least a champion of UFC caliber, whilst Cyborg faced someone unknown outside of the UFC. Amazing times, folks. Amazing times. 

Teaser: Kazushi Sakuraba Putting Together Pro Grappling Event

Yo. This is happening. Not thrilled at the lack of heel hooks considering what a catch wrestling wizard he is...but le sigh, it is what it is. 

Polaris Bringing Top Notch Women's Matches: Gezary Matuda, Ffion Davies

The IBJJF recently bowed to pressure and opened up a ton of Masters 1-32 or however many old people divisions there are for the female competitors. Looks like a ton of participation medals and folks posting on Instagram with their 3rd place medal (when all they did was show up and lose a match - le sigh). At any rate, I guess it's fine. There's push back from the women for equal pay in the IBJJF for payouts, which is a related debate: the competition level is not even comparable, nor there even enough women to fill many of the divisions. Call it what you want, call me sexist, but it's not much different than the fact that the WNBA doesn't pay what the NBA does. The EBI did a women's event and the ratings were terrible. The same folks with visibility and big social media complains about women's treatment in JiuJitsu weren't plugging the event or making a big show of going to support an event paying real cash to women. Male JiuJitsu athletes have been plugging away lining up sponsors and brands and growing the sport for decades. I don't see why with all the athleisure wear and fashion brands and combat sports athletic wear companies started by women and in fashion they act like they can't find monetary support for women's events. If you don't like the landscape, change it.
Start your own event. I competed something like 40x at purple belt in 4 years. I've been spending every spare dollar I have on JiuJitsu and working and reffing and travelling and paying to train for 8 years. Everyone has their hand out, and wants to complain but I don't see the same folks doing things to bring money into the sport. They're always complaining about how it is and how unfair it is but nothing is stopping them from lining up sponsors and financial support or simply pooling all of that to build a women's only event. I've digressed, but my point is POLARIS is actually choosing 2 slots of it's event to plug 4 women athletes so I better see the same women complaining about the IBJJF and how unfair it is actually ordering the Polaris PPV. 

The Cardinal Sin of Combat Sports

Watching your fighter take 230 punches to landing 3......let that sink in. 

This guy is a clown. Period. The purpose of a coach is to throw in the towel so a fighter who may be concussed or prideful has a way out of a fight they cannot win. THEIR JOB is to do what the fighter is perhaps unwilling to do. Fans who are all about the go out on your shield mentality aren't the ones who can't remember where their car is parked after going into the mall. I remember the memory problems and mood swings I had when I was fighting and several serious concussions I suffered in various training camps. One of the things I appreciate about MMA is the concept of submitting. Is taking 230 punches to land 3 any less untenable than a joint lock or a strangle hold? Insanity. This was a total failure on the part of the "commission", the referee, and the corner of the fighter with absolutely zero chance of winning. 

Never Forget

UFC 221 Countdown: Romero vs Rockhold, Hunt vs Blaydes

UFC Belem: It Happened, I guess That's Something...?

Catching up on the UFC that happened last night because I was sitting in Baltimore at the smallest Greyhound bus station I've been in headed back to the home front after reffing and competing. Thiago Santos vs Anthony Smith basically saved the broadcast. Man. That dude Anthony Smith has already been in some barnburners this early in his UFC career.  Some quick thoughts: Tim Means vs Moraes is what I hate about sloppy kickboxing bouts in MMA. Just that. Reread that sentence. Moraes looked much better than when he wilted against Usman, in fact, he looked like a totally different fighter/competitor. He's been on and off for me in various fights, all the more frustrating due to his legit grappling resume. Check out his fight with Davi Ramos for another sloppy kickboxing bout with minimal grappling to shake your head and pound the table with your fists in frustration. 

I guess Machida beat Anders. I find it hard to put rounds in the bank for a guy who's continually backpedaling and scoring check leg kicks to the inside of the thigh. Anders pressed the pace and did some legit damage IMHO. I'm not even an Anders fan, I just had a hard time giving rounds to Machida with his backpedal style. I had forgotten Machida was the original "elusive" UFC guy, before people hated on Thompson, there were people decrying Machida pretty vociferously. 

Schevhenko's fight was a glaring admission and proof of how lacking in depth the UFC's female divisions are. It's kinda blah as an argument to say "oh well we just opened up this division so there will be mismatches while we see who belongs" when the rationale for creating a division is sorta the obvious "we're creating a division to showcase the amount of fighters who currently exist." I'm a huge Schevchenko fan but seeing her pound on a human target was not sporting, wasn't gratifing, wasn't even laughable as a presentation of professional mixed martial arts with women fighters on a broadcast. The rest of the card was what I've come to expect from various UFC Brazil cards (I truly racked my brain for a good card to counter this narrative I'm spinning, but honestly couldn't). Holloway beating up Aldo in Brazil was a good marquee fight that comes to mind, but otherwise I'm shooting blanks. Iuri Alcantara picked up a convincing stoppage with with a body kick/knee? that led to a quick ground n' pound stoppage win. With this many events, there's bound to be builder events where watching some new main card faces prove if they should move up is part of it, and every season pro sport has just that...the regular season and even pre-season, but this felt a bit below the mark even for that. Anyhow, I'm probably just salty because I spent 3 hours in a bus station rather than watching the fights from the comfort of my bed, but a complete mismatch, Machida shucking and jiving for 5 rounds, and a total blowout of a women's fight was just not much to sit and sip coffee to today upon waking up. Overall, we've got a dearth of legit match-ups through April (even with the 2nd time we've lost an Edgar/Holloway title fight) and it's still an amazing first 1/3 of the year to look forward to and appreciate. 

2 of My Matches from Yesterday: Outside Heel Hook and Back Triangle + Armbar

So I'm catching up on the Finishers 5 Sub Only event which featured a several of the guys I train with both on the undercard portion, the bracket, and the superfight.
Worked til 11pm Friday night, caught the bus at Port Authority and made it to Maryland about 8am, did my weight class for the advanced division, then reffed til 7 when I had to catch a bus back to NYC, got back at 4am and slept a few hours because I'm working 10am-midnight today. I reffed for US Grappling for several years and getting to compete in trade for reffing was a big chunk of my purple belt experience. I owe a big debt to them in terms of just mat time competing and exposure to new grappling areas/guys outside of where I was living and training locally. They run a tight ship, I personally think the reffing is among the best of the companies/tournaments I've been to and worked for (not naming any names......). Was an incredibly long day but was glad to pick up some straight Danaher/what we work on in class on a regular basis stuff that was never part of my game previously.

Won 2 matches by submission and lost a match on points (gave up inside position with my butterfly hook when chasing an ashigarami/leg entanglement and he ran up some points. Glad to see that in each of my matches I was chasing and hunting for submissions and implementing some transitions. Some areas for improvement include: handfighting, better head control/front headlock opportunity recognition, and perhaps I was a bit too relaxed (fatigue? I dunno, I was tired). My guard felt exceptionally unthreatened (may sound condescending but that's a frank assessment/reflection). At any rate:

 AND
 

Throwback to my 2nd MMA Fight

UFC in Brazil this Weekend: Nearly Extinct Karate Dragon Faces Import Athlete

Word is Dodson won't be receiving show money after he declined to take a fight with an opponent who came in nearly half a weight class overweight (anyone out there doubting Dodson's resolve probably isn't a pro fighter and Dodson opting to fight a guy coming in heavy and possibly taking a loss on the last fight of his contract just doesn't get the fight business nor the reason why fighters have to be astute in weighing out bargaining power. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Dodson move on over to Bellator when contract negotiations stall. It's interesting that an organization saving so much money/partitioning out money via the Reebok aqueduct is gonna penalize Dodson for simply expecting his opponent to do as was agreed. They would cry bloody murder if Dodson didn't meet his contractual obligations, but expect him to fight a guy who hasn't met the agreed to previously demands. Anyway, if there's money to invent a women's featherweight division for Cyborg (who has yet to actually fight a featherweight) there's money to pay Dodson his show money.

Machida is coming off of 3 stoppage losses. The time away from the sport did him no favors, nor did a PED positive suspension, and we're left now watching him slide into obscurity. Anders is the guy we're seeing imported from other pro and semi pro athletic pursuits now that there's more money in MMA back when guys really did it despite the lack of financial incentive, not as a legitimate avenue toward a financially rewarding career path.

I'm not psyched about this card. I'll actually be on my way back from reffing a tournament and competing and I kinda don't really care. Dodson was one of the only other reasons to see this card other than an execution style loss by Machida (probably). Schevchenko fights in her rightful weight class and she is my favorite female fighter, so there's that. Desmond Green faces Prazeres who is a tough fight for anyone if not entirely entertaining, and the prelims actually feature some worthy fare: Tim Means faces Sergio Moraes, and Joe Soto faces Iuri Alcantara. It's about what we've come to expect from a non-PPV event in Brazil which is kinda sad considering all the great fighters Brazil has given the UFC and being the birthplace of Vale Tudo as we know. Oh, here you go guys, here's a fading past his expiration former champ probably picked to lose and build a new name in the division. Enjoy guys!

At any rate, it's a Saturday night and there are a TON of huge UFC events in the coming months, despite Cyborg dragging her feet about facing a fellow Brazilian (which would be the best she's going to get since there's no way Rousey is gonna face her). 

Hypnotik Podium Payday

In addition to singing Gordon Ryan ahead of his IBJJF GI debut, Hypnotik has unveiled a program whereby they reward you for wearing their brand and making the podium.

It's about as direct a form of compensation for actually doing something in JiuJitsu as lower tier guys should expect. Guys in JiuJitsu walk around with their hand out, wanting to be sponsored for being good in JiuJitsu and/or training semi full-time. In what other sport a couple years in do you expect people to fund your training? There are Olympic level athletes in various sports that are barely getting by. I don't fault anyone for having their hand out, but there are also plenty of guys in JiuJitsu complaining about compensation then signing up for the same organization that has only recently started paying athletes at their Pro events (IBJJF *cough cough*) and even then it was only after high profile guys were leaving to fight MMA and join other organizations, guys like Buchecha were skipping the Pans to do the Abu Dhabi Pro et cetera. What do you actually do for the brand? You post some pics of you in a rash guard? Tag the brand in an IG post (something you would be doing whether you were repping their brand or not? Sponsorship like most things in life is a two way street. At any rate, I'm impressed Hypnotik has put together this direct a form of compensation as they have, it makes it very clear their end of the bargain and yours and it's as egalitarian as it could possibly be. Just do it, regardless and this is in black and white how you will be compensated.