A heavyweight bout with title shot ramifications has been added to UFC 195. Contenders and top-five ranked fighters Stipe Miocic (13-2, 7-2 UFC) and Andrei Arlovski (25-10 1 NC, 14-4 UFC) will meet in the co-main event of the January 2 event from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC confirmed the news on Wednesday following an initial report by the Los Angeles Times.
Miocic was scheduled to fight on this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 76 event from Dublin, Ireland, against Ben Rothwell, but was forced out of the bout due to injury. Miocic said he wouldn’t be out of action for long, and was quickly booked for a different fight against Arlovski. Rothwell campaigned for the fight with Arlovski, but ultimately didn’t get it, and he is rumored to be on stand-by in the event Junior Dos Santos or Alistair Overeem are forced out of their scheduled bout on December 19.
Miocic is coming off a dominant fifth-round TKO win over Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 65 in May. He is 4-1 in his last five fights, with the lone loss coming to Junior Dos Santos in a close fight that won “Fight Of The Night” honors at UFC On FOX 13 in December.
Arlovski will go into the bout riding a six-fight win streak, one that was thought to have secured him the next potential title shot. However, after his lackluster win over Frank Mir at UFC 191 in September, he will be looking to solidify his title shot opportunity with a win over Miocic. Arlovski is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion who found himself out of the promotion for years, but he has won four straight fights since returning to the company in 2014.
UFC 195 will air on pay-per-view and be headlined by UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler making his second title defense, this time against former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit.
Due to unfortunate circumstances, I have decided not to fight on November 7th against Fabio Maldonado in Sao Paulo, Brasil, as part of a UFC Fight Night event. During a training session Saturday, I suffered a small cut over my left eye after a head-to-head clash after a takedown. The cut suffered was deep, though not deep enough to jeopardize my ability to fight in November. I returned home to spend time with my newborn son and watch some of my teammates compete in a World Series of Fighting event later that night.
While watching the fights and a Boston College football game, it became increasingly harder to focus on what was in front of me. I have very good eyesight. However, it was taking longer for the blurs and lights to go away as I watched on TV. As time passed, I became more mindful of the vision problems I was experiencing and I began to think about the fortunes of a fighter I share the same initials with: TJ (Thomas Joseph) Grant. Once a former top lightweight contender, TJ now works in potash mines in Saskatchewan, Canada. While working a “real” job is a fine way to make a living, I long ago decided that I have no desire to go back to that world.
I grew up as a fervent professional wrestling fan, and my UFC introduction was as a 10-year-old watching UFC 2 on a VHS tape at a friend’s house. As I grew older, I was more than an avid fan. I was in high school and my spare time was filled with activities that no teenage male likes to admit in public: playing wrestling video games and competing in E-feds. But it wasn’t just the easily accessible WWE, WCW, and ECW stuff I was watching. At the time, UFC was hardly a household name. Not easily found on PPV and relegated to tape trading, the UFC had a future that was uncertain at best.
But in Japan, the stakes were just raising and I was ordering events like RINGS Kings of Kings ’99 and Pride 8 through Internet websites. As if that wasn’t enough, I would even go to such great lengths as staying up until 4 AM to read people type results in ICQ chat rooms as they watched the events live!
I’ve had what some would say is a successful career in the UFC. As of today, I hold a UFC record of 6-4. Two of those losses are somewhat controversial split decisions, I lost to a grizzled veteran in his home country, and I was soundly defeated by the current 185-pound champion in minutes. But to me, I am both a success and a failure. The young boy that I once was, the onne that still resides in me, is happy and ecstatic for me every time I get to drive to the gym to twist, wrench, and wreck my body for the next two hours.
But the adult who has just watched the birth of his first child can’t help but feel as if there isn’t enough money for the future.
Fortunately (and I truly do thank them for this), the UFC has been generous to me with performance bonus money which has allowed me to continue living this dream for the past seven years. Like most dream sequences that seem too good to be true, now is not the time that I want to wake up and live in the “real” world. Unfortunately for now, there is a constant headache that has woken me up long enough to be advised not to compete due to a concussion suffered from the previously-mentioned head crash.
There is no doubt in my mind that three weeks ago, whoever votes in the UFC rankings finally had it right, and I was listed amongst the top fighters in the world. I also realize that by fighting in this state, I risk my future ability to continue climbing those ranks, which would finally serve both masters (my young and adult selves) adequately. With more wins comes greater compensation, and the birth of my son has finally given my adult self the motivation that was needed to turn that sense of failure into one of success.
I just traveled a long two years off to come back, score a win over a top 15 fighter, and earn a Performance of the Night award on July 25th in Chicago, IL. But that was never the goal; the goal was always to keep living that young boy’s dream. To raise my hands, hear the roar of the crowd, and become intoxicated in the moment. It is a moment that it is unforgettable, surpassed only by the unexplainable joy that seeing your son or daughter for the first time can provide. It seems as if now my life revolves around the dreams about this sport that I had as a young boy and the dreams that I possess for one’s future. And that is absolutely okay with me.
Next year will mark another return for me on the way to a longer and more productive career because of this decision. My motivation for fighting will continue to grow, as will my skillset and understanding of life. It has to. I’d hate for my son to grow up and dare to live a dream because I set an example that resulted in having to stop living mine.
So in 2016, look for me to be back in the Top 15, beating Top 10 opponents, and proving to every young boy who has to watch the UFC behind his parent’s back and every adult that worries about their family that dreams can and do come true.
In a weekend somewhat reminiscent of the old WWE “Black Fridays”, UFC did a massive housecleaning of contracted fighters over the last several days as news started to leak out Friday as Marcus Brimage, Matt Van Buren, and Cristos Giagos announced their own cuts via Twitter.
Eddie Gordon, a castmate of Van Buren on season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter, also announced his own release from the company via Facebook earlier in the day. Chris Clements and Roger Narvaez subsequently announced their releases as well. More names, rumoured to be as many as 50, are expected to become public by Tuesday.
Some notes on the released fighters:
– Gordon won the TUF 19 middleweight tournament, knocking out Dhiego Lima in the finals. He also beat Cathal Pendred in the previous round. He went on to lose his next three fights, including two by finish. Gordon is 32 and will have to be really impressive on the regional circuit to earn his way back.
– Brimage was a TUF 14 cast member, losing in the 2nd round of that tournament to Bryan Caraway. He went on to win his first three UFC official UFC fights before being Conor McGregor’s first UFC victim in April 2013. That kicked off a 1-4 stretch with three of the losses being by KO that led to his release. The American Top Team product is 30 and should get back at some point as he has a lot of personality and a fun fighting style.
– Van Buren made it to the finals of TUF 19 before being KO’d in the first round by Corey Anderson. The former Bellator fighter lost his follow-up fight, also by KO, to Sean O’Connell. Despite being just 29, Van Buren would be a longshot to make it back to UFC. He was even a longshot to get as far as he did in the TUF tourney.
– Giagos was a veteran of the California regional scene when he got a call as a late replacement for a fight against the tough Gilbert Burns in October 2014. He was submitted in the first round but won his follow-up fight in March before losing via decision to Chris Wade in June. At just 25, he’s almost a lock to get back to UFC at some point if he puts a few wins together.
– Clements is a Canadian fighter who opened eyes in 2011 with a win on the Score Fighter Series over Rich Clementi. He made his UFC debut the following year against Matt Riddle, being submitted in the 2nd round. The result was later overturned due to a drug test failure by Riddle. Clements went 1-2 in his next 3 fights, losing by decision to Nordine Taleb at UFC 186 in his last fight. Clements is 39 and this could be it for him.
– Narvaez was an undefeated prospect when he made his UFC debut last year against Patrick Cummins. He went 1-2 in UFC with both losses coming by KO. His last fight was on the UFC 185 prelims against Elias Theodorou. He’s 32, but only started in the sport in 2011 so it’s a young 32. Expect him back at some point.
On Monday’s “The MMA Hour”, UFC hopeful CM Punk said that he dodged a bullet by avoiding shoulder surgery, and will re-evaluate when his UFC career will begin in January.
During his interview with Ariel Helwani, Punk said he suffered the injury at the end of August doing some grappling training as he was adjusting his position, put all of his weight on his elbow, and it popped, causing everyone to stop as they thought something serious had happened. He said he still finished the workout and mopped the mats like he always does, but knew it wasn’t good. He thought he tore his labrum or rotator cuff, but the MRI was inconclusive.
Neither Dana White nor Lorenzo Fertitta knew about the injury, finding out the same time everyone else did. Punk said he assumed the doctors had talked and everyone was in the know, but that White and Fertitta called him to check in and make sure everything was ok.
Punk said he is going to start some light striking on a heavy bag this week to test the injury, but that he is paranoid about injuring it grappling. He is biking about 20-30 miles a day, is jumping rope to help stay in shape, and that the strength is coming back. He said the most frustrating part about the injury was that he felt he had turned the corner on certain aspects of his training. However, the injury didn’t prevent an announcement on his first UFC fight as head coach Duke Roufus was pretty strict about him training for a year before even considering a potential date, hence the evaluation this January.
He admitted wishing the news of the injury hadn’t come out, and said he had talked to Roufus about it. He definitely came off as frustrated and angry with Internet coverage of his injury and how he’s being covered and fan interaction in general. “I don’t know why people are so concerned about what the f*ck I’m doing…If you don’t want to watch me fight, don’t watch me fight.”
Back in Chicago while he’s been recovering, Punk said he spent three days filming a post-apocalyptic horror movie with his wife A.J. and took issue with those fighters, fans, and media that gave him grief for doing so. He said he’s been “paid a ridiculous amount of money” to do the movie and didn’t feel like it would hurt his career. He stressed the importance of not getting paid until he fights, so he needs to make money while he waits.
Even with all of this, Punk said he will still fight in the UFC.
“I know I’ll get my day in the Octagon and will have fun doing it.”
In a special Sunday conversation edition of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, we delve into the history of the Roots Of Fight brand with co-founder and president Jesse Katz. In just a few years, Roots Of Fight has developed a distinct look and a line of gear that can be seen on plenty of celebrities like Dana White, Ronda Rousey, Dwayne Johnson, Jeremy Botter, and more.
Josh and Jesse talked for 30 minutes about how the brand came to be, how it looks to stand out from other similar brands, who they compare themselves to and who they dont, how they were able to secure the rights to use Muhammed Ali and Bruce Lee, some exclusives on who is next to be featured, what’s next for the company, and plenty more.
Josh gives you an Opening Round about how WWE/UFC are not always related, a beer & TV show of the week, and plenty more.
Enjoy this Columbus Day edition of Josh Nason’s Punch Out now!
On Wednesday, the UFC announced two fights for their 12/19 big FOX show in Orlando, headlined by UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos against Donald Cerrone.
The first is the featherweight debut of Myles Jury as he drops down a weight class to face Charles Oliveira. Jury comes into his new division having gone 15-1 as a lightweight, his only loss coming at the hands of Cerrone in January. Oliveira was last seen awkwardly losing a first round affair against Max Holloway in Saskatoon, Canada, due to a freak torn esophagus injury that stopped the fight early.
Also announced was the UFC debut of Karolina Kowalkiewicz, a 7-0 fighter from Poland, against Randa Markos. Markos went to the semifinals in the TUF women’s strawweight title tournament, losing to eventual title challenger Jessica Penne. Markos last won a decision over Aisling Daly at UFC 186.
It’s a whole new season and Conor McGregor is the reason, as he and Urijah Faber go toe to toe as coaching foes on The Ultimate Fighter. They won’t duke it out after the season is done, but there’s still pride on the line, not to mention Conor’s reputation as the newest badass on the block.
Join us each episode for “The Notorious Quote of the Week” as Conor puts his mouth where UFC’s money is! We’ll also spice things up with some predictions for week two about who could go all the way this season – two “Fighters to Watch” for each recap.
The Notorious Quote of the Week is Conor McGregor at the bar: “Is this the menu? That’s it? Just give me everything – thanks.”
Marcin Wrzosek handed the U.S. team their first loss last week with a two round decision. Team Europe is going to try to capitalize by having Saul Rogers face Billy Quarantillo. Rogers is more experienced so UFC is promoting it as an “upset” if Quarantillo wins.
McGregor on why he picked Rogers: “I paid attention to whose energy is right, whose body is right, who’s ready to go.” He felt Saul was showing all the signs of being ready. Meanwhile at the house Tom Gallicchio makes no excuses for losing his fight last week. He admits he was beaten by the better man.
Saul Rogers talks about his two kids, and he says the one thing he hopes to impart to them is “Whatever you love doing stick with it” because that’s his approach to fighting. He also says he doesn’t make a game plan for opponents – he just tries to be as sharp as he can be for each opponent.
McGregor shows his team some takedown techniques, and says the position of the head when you’re clinched up is the key. Everybody’s happy with the drilling but apparently after the commercial break he takes them all out for SAKE BOMBS.
Billy Quarantillo talks about how he got hooked the first time he learned a submission, and that he feels like Rogers won’t want to stand and trade with him. Faber: “Billy has a lot of tenacity and he tries really hard, but his technique is far behind.” Faber gives him some personal instruction on how to move off his back and get good positions.
Martin Svensson and Mehdi Baghdad are both thrilled to be learning from the best fighter in the world. Going out for drinks turned out to be a c–ktease – nobody gets crazy. I have to be honest that 20 minutes into the show this isn’t a great episode.
Rogers and Quarantillo are my “Fighters to Watch” this week just because nobody else is standing out or doing noteworthy. Svensson may have had more lines than anybody else this episode but all he says is McGregor is great and Rogers is great. Yawn.
McGregor is teaching Team Europe more techniques for staying balanced on your feet when someone has your leg high in the air. Saul weighs in at 156. Quarantillo weighs in at 155 even. Both teams are equally confident in their man.
Finally something interesting is happening – Chris Gruetzemacher is starting to crack under the pressure of being on the show. He says he misses his coaches, his lifestyle, his ability to take time away FROM training when he wants. He’s saying he wants out in the worst way.
Lightweight: Saul Rogers (Europe) vs. Billy Quarantillo (USA)
Rogers is in the gray trunks, Quarantillo the blue. There are 22 minutes left so we’re in for at least two full rounds. Quanantillo’s first takedown is stuffed and Rogers is on top in half guard as it goes to the ground. Rogers hammers away with unchecked lefts to the head as he tries to get up, and nearly throws him back to the ground. Quarantillo is warned not to grab the fence. Rogers is on top again in half guard with 2 minutes gone and stands up to drop bombs, then he’s the one warned not to grab the fence. Rogers takes the back as they scramble and McGregor warns him not to rush and keep his position – but he does and winds up on top of Quarantillo as he tries to keep distance with butterfly guard. Rogers finally pushes his way back into full guard and almost finishes R1 in side but Quarantillo gets back up right before the bell. 10-9 Rogers.
Rogers has a takedown 21 seconds into R2. Quarantillo is warned about fingers in his face. He tries to heel hook Rogers but Rogers just gets back on top in guard. I don’t feel like we’re going to a third round unless Quarantillo does something crazy… and soon. Rogers takes his back halfway through the round, Quarantillo stands up off it, and Rogers takes him right back down. He’s got side at 3:15. Rogers is really pouring it on with hammers and elbows against the fence with 30 seconds left. Quarantillo never did anything.
Dana White: “He manhandled Billy. He showed he’s one of the favorites to win this thing.”
20-16, 20-17 and 20-17 all for Saul Rogers. McGregor announces Mehdi Baghdad (Europe) vs. Julian Erosa (U.S.) as his pick. Join us next week!
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer returns tonight to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA including tons of thoughts from Monday’s Raw, all the matches and angles, Dixie Carter’s big TNA announcement, CM Punk injured, Rampage Jackson, Fedor Emelianenko, questions and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Former WWE Champion and prospective UFC fighter CM Punk has been out of action for the past few weeks due to a shoulder injury, reported his coach Duke Roufus in an article today on ESPN.com. Punk injured the shoulder a few weeks ago, and is scheduled for an a diagnosis on October 14th.
“He got caught in a scramble, so right now he’s taking a little time off,” Roufus said. “He was doing great before that. His progress has been good. He’s got a great attitude and he’s a hard worker.”
Roufus said they don’t want him back training until fully healed. Since there is no date for a first fight, there is no rush to get him back. He estimated it would be six to ten months before he feels Punk would be ready to debut. He thought it would make the most sense for his debut to be at UFC 200 on July 9, 2016, in Las Vegas, NV.
You still have time to catch a preview of tonight’s UFC 192 with yours truly and SI.com and the Washington Post’s Jeff Wagenheim with this week’s Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, free this week for non-subscribers!
*****
I gotta say it: Rashad Evans is one of the most underrated and underappreciated fighters in UFC history.
When he was more active, Evans was one of those guys who got more boos than cheers and didn’t carry the fanbase that many other top fighters at the time did. I never understood that. He dresses well, is a great talker, knocks people out, and generally has that NFL quarterback swagger that we love in our athletes.
He fought the best of the best in Chuck Liddell, Michael Bisping, Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin, the infamous rivalry with both Jon Jones and Rampage Jackson, and more. And he’s won. A lot, only losing three times over a span over an 18-fight UFC career that started 10 years ago. He’s won a UFC light heavyweight title, lost the title, and fought for it again.
Maybe him being overlooked is because he’s also been part of a few stinkers in recent years, notably a dreadful loss against Lil’ Nogueira, and a blah affair against Dan Henderson. It could be because he was so aggressively KO’d by Machida and never got that immediate validation rematch in a time when the belt was trading waists quite frequently. Unfortunately, it also could be because of Evans’ skin color. Maybe it’s a combination of all of the above.
He returns tonight after a two year absence due to multiple knee injuries, and we don’t know exactly where the 36-year-old fits in the grand scheme of things. Even with a win, he may be waiting in line for a title shot depending on when Jones is ready to return. The age is a concern. The knee is a concern. The excitement level in his fights is a concern.
But what shouldn’t be a concern is Evans’ place in history. His accomplishments deserve a lot more recognition than what they’re getting. Hopefully Saturday night is the beginning of a few more sweet ones for ‘Suga’.
*****
Our panel:
– Jack Encarnacao (87-35 | .713): Sherdog Rewind host, The Lapsed Fan podcast co-chair
– Josh Nason (72-50 | .590): Wrestling Observer digital media and content guy, WON Twitter enabler
*****
Note that because Tyron Woodley vs. Johny Hendricks was canceled due to Hendricks’ unfortunate weight cut issues, we’re doing just four picks on the main card tonight. Joe Benavidez is a fairly big favorite, so it didn’t seem that interesting to throw that in there for everyone to pick Benavidez.
*****
> UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Champion Daniel Cormier (16-1) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (16-3)
We talk a lot about this fight on the JNPO show with Jeff, but this fight is a lot closer than even myself originally gave it credit for. Gustafsson’s takedown defense is great (86.67% takedowns defended) and if Cormier can’t get this to the ground and the big Swede finds his range, we could have a new champion. I’m assuming this is going to be our most competitive 205-pound title fight since Jon Jones vs. Gus.
> Ryan Bader (19-4) vs. Rashad Evans (19-3-1) Light Heavyweights
With four straight wins, the 32-year-old Bader earned a title shot but his fighting style (all straight decisions) puts him in the co-main event slot instead. Evans returns for the first time in two years after several knee injuries kept him on the shelf, and there’s a lot of questions about who we’ll see on Saturday. There’s a really good chance this is a 15-minute grinder that have the fans booing.
> Shawn Jordan (18-6) vs. Ruslan Magomedov (13-1) Heavyweights
The 30-year-old Jordan is back on a roll, and has picked up three straight wins — all by T/KO. He’s coming off a June 2nd round beatdown of Derrick Lewis, and is doing just fine beating up the dregs of the division. Magomedov is riding an eight-fight win streak, and is 2-0 in the UFC with a pair of forgettable decisions.
> Julianna Pena (6-2) vs. Jessica Eye (11-3-0-1) Bantamweights
For the love of God, I hope they don’t rush Pena into a Ronda Rousey buzzsaw title match if she wins. Pena is talented, but needs a few more wins before getting into the Rousey conversation. She returned after a near two-year absence and dusted Milana Dudieva in four minutes. She faces Eye, a loser in two of her last three. She’s coming off a decision loss to Miesha Tate in July, and I think people believe she could get a title shot with a win.
