Cage Talk – MMA – All The Latest Mixed Martial Arts News

Jon Jones is a beast.  His remarkable rise to fame in the UFC is nothing short of incredible.  He gets better each time he gets into the cage and is seemingly unbeatable!

In the business of professional fighting confidence is extremely important.  However, one loud mouth fighter is upset with the rest of the 205 pound weight class and issued a huge statement!

In an extended interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, Chael Sonnen said this nice quote…

“If you’re all scared of a 23-year-old kid, turn your gloves in, sign your pink slip and show yourself the door.”

If you think about it, the lack of opposition is for a couple of reasons.  first off, Jones is already slated to fight Rashad Evans.  Why would anyone step up and challenge the new champ when he is already scheduled for a fight.

Second off, everyone loves this guy.  No one is looking at Jones as a fluke.  They see him as an improving talent that will be a staple of the division for a long time to come.  He is respected just as much as any other fighter in the UFC.

I have to disagree with Chael.  Three weeks after this particular fighter won gold was not the time for someone to call him out.  In due time, someone will step up and be the anti-Jones, but not now.

I will post the entire 45 minute interview later today, it is a pretty good watch if you have the time.

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Russian light heavyweight Viktor Nemkov will battle BJJ specialist Vinny Magalhaes for the vacant M-1 light heavyweight championship in Russia. The championship fight will take place during M-1 Challenge 25 at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia — serving as the card’s co-main event.

Nemkov is an accomplished sambo specialist and brown belt in judo, with a 2011 Russian Combat Sambo Championship also on his resume. The 24-year-old Russian trains at the Red Devil camp alongside the likes of Fedor Emelianenko and Maxim Grishin.

“I have been training very hard and reviewing as much video on Vinny as possible in order to choose the right tactics for my gameplan,” Nemkov recently told MMA Opinion. “I expect him to put me on the ground and wrestle (for submissions) … and of course I expect to win!”

Although Nemkov is a strong grappler himself, a fast-paced slugfest may be an ideal way to get Magalhaes off his gameplan. Honestly, I expect Nemkov has to turn this fight into more of a brawl, as he doesn’t want any parts of Magalhaes’ elite ground game.

“That would be the best situation since I know he has an advantage on the ground. If it turns into a boxing match – I will box and do my best fighting him standing up.”

Nemkov doesn’t expect to have an advantage fighting in his own nation, as Magalhaes is an extremely experienced competitor.

“He is a well-prepared fighter and has fought oversees before and knows what to expect. The only advantage I have from fighting in Russia is fan support, that’s all.”

The possibility of lingering jet-lag should lead to Nemkov trying to push the pace a bit more, but the fight outcome will come down to one simple thing: whether or not Magalhaes is able to get the fight down to the ground.

To finish our interview, Nemkov wanted to thank the fans for their continued support, but will wait until after the fight to make a full statement. I recently interviewed Vinny for a custom article on Squabbles.com, a sister site of MMA Opinion, which is available here.

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I am in a video mood today. Check out this one from Keith Jardine. Earlier today I posted saying that Gegard Mousasi was the events biggest loser because he couldn’t finish Jardine.

While I can’t say that I believe Jardine should get a free pass back to the UFC because of the draw, I do think he deserves a ton of respect for stepping up for the fight and showing up ready to compete.

The first thing you will notive is how bad Jardine was beaten up. I understand that draws are important to MMA, and rules are rules, but really? His face looks terrible!

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Dana What was available for an interesting interview with MMAfighting.com.  Its well worth the watch as he is candid regarding Nick Diaz, Strikeforce, and the future.

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Nick Diaz defeated Paul Daley in impressive fashion.  He was able to out strike the striker and KO the heavy handed Brit.  After the fight he was in a very weird mood.  In his interview with Ariel at MMAFighting.com

FOUND HERE

Throughout the entire interview Nick seemed disinterested, upset, and like his mind was going a million miles a minute.

One of the key things he mentioned was a rumor that he is going to get suspended for his in fight actions.  He never actually says what he is talking about, but it has to be about his in-fight antics.

Now, at no point during the fight did I think his actions were that bad.  Maybe a bit distasteful, but this is Nick Diaz.  I was more surprised that he wasn’t covering up against a powerful puncher than his taunting.

In terms of disrespect, the hands in the air was about a 4 out of a 10.  It wasn’t anywhere near what we have seen from Anderson Silva or Brock Lesnar.

Moving on…  Nick Diaz has now won ten straight fights.  Without a doubt he is one of the top fighters in the world.  Time has come where the stars have aligned and he may have the chance to return to the UFC. 

Throughout the MMA world, a ton of fans have stated that it is time for him to fight GSP.  While, GSP is the ultimate grading scale to test your skill set, you can’t just step in and get a shot at the champ.

If and it still may be a long shot, IF Nick is allowed to compete in the UFC, then he will have to prove himself first.  He will have to step up in competition and take on at least a gate keeper.

One large obstacle keeping Diaz from the UFC is his constant attitude and inability to follow leadership.  He is the type that seems to push back against authority and his constant diarrhea of the mouth doesn’t sit well with the UFC brass.

Nick Diaz could be a huge star inside of the UFC.  He skill set is extremely rare and he could be a huge asset inside of the Octagon.  However, if this is to happen then he needs to clean up his act.  That and not smoke weed…

One failed urine test would all but get him the boot, but if he can stay clean (in all sense of the word) then he could make a run for a UFC title.  If not, he could join Paul Daley and fade away into the sunset.

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Watch out, Strikeforce has talent!!!  Prior to last night’s event a ton of people doubted the entire existence of Strikeforce, but today they may have a few more believers.

The Strikeforce crew may have rolled out the red carpet in their large scale Zuffa debut, but they did not disappoint.  Now that we have time to recollect on the evening we can determine who was the biggest winner and biggest loser of the night; both of which may surprise you. 

Biggest Loser:  Gegard Mousasi

Keith Jardine was left for dead.  Taking the fight on short notice was impressive and courageous, but everyone thought he was going to get destroyed by Mousasi.  On paper they may have fought to a draw, but in all honesty Jardine got worked.  Jardine’s face told most of the story, he just got beat up. 

Mousasi may have tied due to an illegal upkick, but the fight as a whole puts him in a curious situation.  He was a fighter who was supposed to be able to make the transition and be one of the top talents in the org, but instead he was pushed by a has-been UFC fighter who has a suspect chin.

Although Gegard may have dominated the majority of the last two rounds, he was unable to finish an in trouble Keith Jardine.  It is not enough for me to question his killer instinct, but it is enough for me to question his level.

If he can’t defeat a person who lost his last four in the UFC, how can you handle the current roster?

Biggest Winner:  Gilbert Melendez

Growth in this sport is incredibly important.  Gilbert Melendez showed that he has been growing and is more than ready for the UFC light weights.  In his destruction of Kawajiri, he fought like an American who was dedicated to dominance.  Gilbert had arguably the best showing out of every fighter on the night and is in great shape to step into the Octagon this summer and take on one of the top fighters in the division.

In the UFC you have to be able to stand and bang or go to the ground.  Melendez proved that he has the skill set to stand and bang!  It will be very interesting to see if the UFC wants to unify the belt, or push Strikeforce as a separate entity.  One option is to have journeymen UFC types to cross into S’Force and see how well the talent carries over.

During the event there were even more winners and loser, but these are the biggest!  Some would argue that Diaz is the biggest winner, but he was litterly a punch away from a stoppage throughout the entire round.  Some would argue that the fight should have been stopped (I am not one). 

It was a surprisingly good event on the night.  I didn’t expect much and was pleasantly pleased with the entire event.

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Last night the Strikeforce crew put it all on the line.  In what some believe will be their last major promotion, they put on a great night of fights.

If you missed them, here are the fights.

Diaz vs. Daley

Mousasi vs. Jardine

Melendez vs. Kawajiri

Aoki vs. Beerbohm

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To enter go to MMAHQ’s Facebook and click Like.

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Later today we will have a ton of backlash and conversation ragarding last night’s fights, but in the mean time here are the results.

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As fight day slowly sneaks up on us, I find myself wondering what is going to be different tomorrow night.  Are there going to be any huge differences that we will be able to see?  While that is yet to be determined, one thing for certain is that Zuffa is making their presence felt.

If you don’t believe me, just ask the guys at Sherdog….

Two specific groups of people will be left watching the event from home that may surprise you.  Lorretta Hunt and MA site Sherdog will be missing from press row.

Sherdog is spinning it in a positive manner.  They will make a push so that their absence will be transparent compared to the various other fight cards that they cover.

Honestly, being credentialed does not make or break a website.  Sherdog is a strong site with their share of top notch coverage.  They often lack opinion that we have here, but I am partial.

I for one am credentialed through most organization but the UFC (and now Strikeforce) are not on that list.  I have some favors I could call in if needed, but not being there only limits immediate fight coverage from the venue.

To be honest, it is extremely surprising that Sherdog is as quite about it as they are.  I expected them to push back a bit.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is Loretta Hunt. 

Mass media is extremely important to the growth of MMA.  While CBS Sports is not the biggest and baddest among the press world, it is a large media outlet.

Personal problems aside, she shouldn’t necessarily be held out.  I am not certain whether CBS Sports was still credentialed or if it was just her who was denied, but if it was CBS then I feel the UFC should have over looked their differences.

This is no longer the second tier MMA organization.  It is now owned by the big boys who make their own rules.  They have the right to invite whoever they want to their party.  If they decide to only let purple elephants into the event then that is perfectly fine.  However, in the future they may need to swallow a bit of pride or miss out on a huge large scale chance to pull in more fans.

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Opinion fans, you be the judge!!!

Now I can’t say for certain that this is not fake…but it looks pretty real to me!

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“Inconsistent with human urine.”  That was the comment from the Nevada State Athletic Commission regarding Thiago’s pee.  In other words, his urine test was taken from…well…something other than him…

Brandon Vera thought that Thiago Silva was stronger than normal in their bout.  Vera originally lost the fight,  but in the end the fight will be scored a No Contest.

Turns out it is illegal to fake your urine sample and take steroids (just ask Barry Bonds).

Thiago Silva will also not be allowed in the Octagon until 2012.  He will also be fined $75,000 in all and has lost his license.

Additionally he will have to provide clean samples prior to receiving his license and being allowed to fight after his suspention is up.

Thiago has a solid MMA record of 14-2 but only has one win in his last four fights.

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Rumors…  You have to love them!  They go from one side of the spectrem to the other in the hopes that someone will bite.  Sometimes they are worse than others with zero source or backing…for example.

Chuck to make MMA return against Fedor…

Anderson Silva to give up title to pursue acting career…

BJ Penn’s family purchases the UFC, moving headquarters to Hawaii…

Speaking of BJ Penn, rumors are starting to circulate that he has suffered an injury and may be forced to withdraw from his upcoming fight at UFC at UFC 132.  Said fight is already in question due to an injury to John Fitch, but an injury to Penn all but drops the fight all-together.

Details about the Penn injury have not been released, and the rumor itself are on about every MMA forum around.  Seems like The Wrestling Observer is the common source being quoted.

Once Fitch was dropped from the card, all signs pointed to Carlos Condit getting his chance against arguably the best American BJJ practitioner in the UFC.  Instead it looks like Condit will have to wait for the next person in line.

UFC 132 could do okay without Penn as it already has the star power of Urijah faber, Wanderlei Silva, and Chris Leben.

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