MMA Fighting: All Posts by Dave Doyle

Roundtable: UFC 160, retired fighters' grievances, and Vitor Belfort

2013-05-22T18:34:03Z

The UFC's big heavyweight doubleheader, featuring current champion Cain Velasquez and former titleholder Junior dos Santos, is just days away. But that's just one item in an eclectic array of subjects on our plate here at The MMA Roundtable this week.

Former fighters came out of the woodwork to air their grievances, from the recently retired John Cholish, who gave his thoughts on the UFC's pay structure, to Luke Cummo, who posted a YouTube rant against the entire sport.

Oh, and we also have the latest chapter in the ongoing saga of Vitor Belfort and TRT.

It's my pleasure, then, to have MMAFighting.com senior editor Luke Thomas join me for the latest edition of the Roundtable.

1. Is there any reason to believe that when the dust settles after Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva and Junior dos Santos vs. Mark Hunt on Saturday, we won't have a Velasquez-dos Santos trilogy fight lined up?

Doyle: It's pretty easy to look at the two top matches at UFC 160 and assume that by Sunday, the Velasquez vs. dos Santos trilogy will be etched in stone. After all, you saw the first Velasquez-Bigfoot fight, right? And you do recall that, even though we all tend to judge fighters by their last performance prior to his title loss to Velasquez, dos Santos mowed down everyone in his path over the span of five years, right?

Sounds like a cut-and-dried case. But then I remember that in the week leading up to Velasquez-dos Santos II, nearly everyone picked dos Santos to win and swore Velasquez had no realistic path to victory. In fact, Mike Bohn's pre-fight media poll on MMAMania.com had unanimous dos Santos picks. And you all saw what happened there.

Bottom line? I still think Velasquez-dos Santos III is a fairly safe bet. But we're still talking about heavyweights here. One punch changes everything. Bigfoot unleashing his wrath is one of the sport's scariest sights. What happens Silva avoids Velasquez's takedown this time? Or, what is dos Santos is gun shy in his first fight back after taking a horrific beating? If either happens, all bets are off.

Thomas: I suspect we will and for many of the reasons Dave lists. It is a heavyweight fight, which means it doesn't take much for change to be affected.

I'd also add that Bigfoot is a limited fighter, but one with pretty technical skills and a decent fight IQ. His poor strategy cost him against Velasquez (partly), so that's something he can correct. And it was good strategy that helped him win the Alistair Overeem bout.

The problem, though, is that strategy wasn't the only reason Bigfoot lost to Velasquez the first time. He came up short because of his inability to get up off the bottom. Most importantly, there's a monstrous speed differential between the two heavyweights. There's really not much Silva can do to narrow that gap. He's just short on that end. Given the athletic differences here and Velasquez's superior wrestling, I'd say Silva's road to a title here is not so obvious.

2. From John Cholish to Jacob Volkmann to Chris Weidman to Matt Riddle, there are a ton of complaints about UFC and Bellator payouts and contracts. Is there any big picture takeaway from this?

Thomas: I'd say that there's probably some element of paranoia and incorrectly-articulated information. How much? Likely a very minor share, but every actor in this play has an axe to grind. And as they say, there's two sides to every story. I also have a bit of skepticism for accusations of sleight of hand or contractual malfeasance.

What I do believe, however, is that the current climate of MMA contracts from the UFC to Bellator to even regional shows favor the promoter. The only real leverage a fighter has is there popularity or status, e.g. middleweight champion. If a fighter has little of either, then they have little of anything. There is no collective bargaining agreement or legal minimum standard or the like. It's true in any line of work that the only thing you contractually get is what you can negotiate, but it's also true what you can negotiate is a function of one's own might. Most fighters have little.

Until that changes, I suspect complaints about contracts and pay and similarly related items won't be going away any time soon.

Doyle: I'm with Luke here. I know it sounds cold, but it comes down to the basics of supply and demand. It's not like anyone was going to make a decision on staying in to watch UFC on FX 8 based on whether John Cholish was on the card. I don't mean to pick on Cholish, he just happens to be the person who spoke up in this particular situation. It could apply to anyone. If you're an undercard fighter in the UFC making $6,000 to show and $6K to win, and you don't like the terms of your deal, there are dozens of other fighters who will accept the opportunity and take your spot in a heartbeat.

Tuesday, ESPN announced it was laying off several hundred people, despite the fact that parent corporation Disney makes money hand over fist. Is that fair? We live in an economic climate in which a few people rake in all the money and everyone else fights for the crumbs. "Fair" doesn't enter the equation, regardless of the industry.

It's up to their fighters to improve their lot. Wholesale changes would require the ones at the top of the heap, those making the most money, to rock the boat. Can you see any of the headliners on the upcoming pay-per-views boycotting a fight card in order to make sure John Cholish gets paid better? I think we know the answer to that one.

3. Eccentric retired fighter Luke Cummo recently posted a diatribe against mixed martial in which he said, among other things, "It's a mindless, stupid industry profiting from the spilled blood of the innocent, honest to God." Is this just the bitterness of someone who didn't make it to the top, or is there validity to his words?

Doyle: I don't want to disparage anyone who's stepped into the cage and competed. I can imagine it's frustrating to look back at all the years of effort and sacrifice and wonder if it was worth it, especially in a sport with such a heavy physical toll.

Still, it's not like Cummo wasn't given a fair shot. He trained with an elite gym in the Serra-Longo Fight Club and competed in the UFC for thee years. He was retained by the company even after dropping two of his first three UFC fights. He was 3-4 in the UFC and 6-6 overall when he was let go in 2008, which is where his career ended. He had his chance and he simply didn't get there.

Cummo's right about one thing: MMA is a heartless business. Like any other large sports or entertainment enterprise, the big machine carries on without you. But no one forced Luke Cummo to become a mixed martial artist. We're all adults responsible for making our own choices. Maybe this was just Cummo being Cummo. Maybe this is really how he feels. But we're all ultimately responsible for our own life's paths and Cummo's rants sound a bit too much like blaming the system for one's own choices.

Thomas: Other than saying Luke Cummo has an opinion here, I'm not sure what else to say. I'm also certainly no doctor or psychologist, but did anyone feel something was 'off' about Cummo when he talked? Like, did no one else get the sense he wasn't all there? Could just be me, but his never before seen underbite pausing between breathy sentences seemed a bit detached from it all.

Still, it's his opinion. It's not one I share, but we also don't share the same value system. If we're asking to what extent MMA contributes objectively toward human flourishing, one can make an argument both ways. I tend to think the good outweighs the bad.

Either way, I don't think this has much to do with Cummo's success or lack thereof at the elite level. He seems to have grown apart from MMA and is in a completely new phase of his life. Whatever the merits of his argument, I think they're genuine if rather misguded. No sour grapes. Plenty of weird grapes, though.

4. Will the amount of scrutiny Vitor Belfort is raising about TRT spill over onto other fighters who up to this point haven't been as criticized?

Thomas: I've been thinking about this all weekend and as of now, I'm inclined to say yes.

I find the charges that the English-speaking, Anglo media is focused on Vitor Belfort because he isn't one of 'us' to be a really poor argument. Belfort's situation is unique for any number of reasons, most notably the physical alteration and dramatic career success he's having at this late juncture in his career. If there's a poster child for TRT, Belfort is it. It's true others have had far more uneven experiences on the drug, but all of that sort of underscores my point.

I do suspect the level at which Belfort has lifted the pretension and phoniness that used to surround the conversation around TRT will have an effect on other uses. Just how much is anyone's guess, but I think it's probably fair to say there's a more open atmosphere about TRT's effects and the reasons for a fighter's usage now. But the truth is also that Belfort's erratic behavior exacerbates inquiries into his own use. Dan Henderson gets around the issue by basically dodging it and keeping his nose clean. Ditto for Chael Sonnen (albeit to a slightly lesser extent). So yes, other fighters should be prepared for more forced inquiries, but as long as they don't duck and dodge or threaten the physical safety of other reporters, they'll probably be just fine.

Doyle: I don't know that it necessarily will. The main crux of the problem is that Belfort's case is so blatant. He's the one with a steroid suspension on his record. He's the one who has been fighting outside of commission purview. He's the one with the most blatant "before and after" photos this side of Barry Bonds. And he's the one who's been most flippant about the whole process. Frankly, if whomever wins the Anderson Silva-Chris Weidman bout in July refuses to fight Belfort, I wouldn't blame either of them.

My guess is Belfort is going to continue to take the brunt of it. Sonnen seems to be out of the title picture once and for all. Henderson's not going to be around a lot longer, and the fact he lost his past fight to someone a decade his junior also deflects some of the heat. Belfort's the poster boy for TRT at the moment. And similar to how the baseball players who put up astronomical home run numbers became the focus of steroid attention, the fighter who has most benefited from TRT will likewise be the biggest magnet for attention.

Former heavyweight champion Josh Barnett returning to UFC

2013-05-22T05:03:01Z

More than a decade after winning the company's heavyweight title, Josh Barnett is set for his UFC return.

The 35-year-old heavyweight has agreed on contract terms for his return. USA Today originally reported the news on Tuesday night.

Barnett stormed onto the UFC scene in 2000 and won the title from Randy Couture at the age of 24 at UFC 36 in 2002 via second-round TKO.

However, he was later stripped of the title after testing positive for banned substances. This was not his only scrape with flunked tests, as a failed 2009 pre-fight steroid test in California led to the cancelation of his bout with Fedor Emelianenko on a planned Affliction card in Anaheim.

The Seattle native, who is now based in Fullerton, Calif., earned his position as MMA's leading maverick after leaving the UFC. Barnett did his own thing and earned big contracts in promotions from PRIDE to Affliction to Dream to Strikeforce. He's also participated in staged Japanese professional wrestling along the way.

Barnett ran his record to 32-6 with a first-round submission win over Nandor Guelmino on the final Strikeforce card on Jan. 12. Since then, Barnett bided his time, before finally deciding to make his UFC return after an 11-year absence.

No word yet on potential opponents for Barnett's debut.

Ben Askren defends Bellator welterweight title against undefeated Russian

2013-05-21T20:25:14Z

Undefeated welterweight Ben Askren is set for his latest challenge.

Bellator MMA's 170-pound champion returns to action on July 31 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M., a suburb of Albuquerque. His opponent on the evening is fellow unbeaten Andrey Koreshkov.

Askren (11-0), the former U. of Missouri wrestling standout, has held the title since 2010 and will be making his fourth title defense. His most recent victory was a doctor stoppage TKO over Karl Amoussou on Jan. 24.

"I'm really looking forward to getting back into that cage and putting on a show," Askren said. "I feel like I've continued to mature and get better in every one of my fights, and July 31^st should be no different. I don't think Andrey has any ability to stop my wrestling and ground attack, so this will be another successful title defense."

Korsehkov, meanwhile, has a sizzling 2012 in which he went 5-0. His year was capped with decision over Lyman Good on Nov. 30 to claim the tourney title.

"I'll be 110 percent ready for this fight," Koreshkov said. "I'll make sure that Askren's tactics to put everybody in the audience to sleep won't work this time. Instead, I'll keep everybody entertained by putting him to sleep."

The Rio Rancho card will also feature the postponed season eight welterweight tourney final, as Douglas Lima takes on Ben Saunders. The bout, originally scheduled for March 21, was delayed when Lima (24-5) suffered a broken hand.

"It's an honor to fight a fighter like Ben again," Lima said. "With the time off I've been able to fully heal to 100 percent and like always, will be looking to finish the fight early."

Lima vs. Saunders is a rematch of the Bellator season five tournament, won by Lima on a second-round KO.

Matthew Riddle enters Bellator season nine welterweight tournament

2013-05-20T23:11:36Z

Matthew Riddle has a new gig. And no, he hasn't opened a marijuana dispensary.

MMA's most vocal pro-pro advocate this side of Nick Diaz has found a home in Bellator MMA. The company officially announced Monday that the welterweight standout will compete in their season nine tournament.

Riddle (7-3, 2 no-contests) had his hand raised after each of his past four UFC fights. But twice in that span, his post-fight drug tests turned up positive for marijuana, causing the results to be overturned to no-contests. After the second, originally a split-decision win over Che Mills on Feb. 16, the UFC released Riddle.

The Las Vegas-based fighter had signed with the Texas-based Legacy Fighting Championship, but Bellator bought out Riddle's contract.

"I had so many options after I left the UFC, but knowing that I was able to compete in a tournament against guys like Paul Daley, Ben Saunders, and Douglas Lima, signing with Bellator was an easy decision," Riddle said in a statement. "This division is just so stacked, and being able to fight in a tournament makes it even better. Bellator is doing a lot of great things right now, and I want to be a part of it."

In a press release, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney noted concerns with Riddle's marijuana use -- he carries a Nevada medical marijuana card -- but ultimately decided Riddle was worth the risk.

"Matt's got all the tools to be a force in our welterweight division," Rebney said. "When I saw Matt get released from the UFC coming off 4 straight wins including his dominant win over Mills in February, we took notice. We both realize that Matt will have a target on his back for his past indiscretions. But having discussed it with him, I'm comfortable that he's in the right place to enter the Bellator cage this fall in what will be the most loaded Bellator Welterweight Tournament in the promotions history."

Riddle laid out his Bellator goals.

"No questions asked, I want to win the next Bellator Welterweight Tournament, get my shot at the title and take my beautiful wife to the MTV Awards and meet Snoop Dogg," Riddle remarked. "I've seen all the pictures of Bellator guys walking red carpets and it's something I want to earn and be able to do. What could be better than that?"

Rory MacDonald says he'll 'figure it all out' on a potential Georges St-Pierre fight

2013-05-20T21:09:46Z

UFC contender Rory MacDonald will never, ever fight his Tri-Star Gym teammate, welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

Except when he would.

MacDonald, who will meet Jake Ellenberger in a main-card bout at UFC on FOX 8 in Seattle on July 27, was asked the "will you or won't you?" question on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour about potentially meeting St-Pierre.

In the course of his response, MacDonald said he wouldn't fight St-Pierre, since they were friends. Then he abruptly changed course.

"We're not fighting," MacDonald said. "Me and Georges are friends, we're training partners. We'll have our own arrangements and figure it all out when the time comes. It's not going to come to us fighting. Friends, teammates, you know? We're here to help each other."

When asked to clarify his "arrangements" comment, MacDonald reiterated his ultimate goal in the sport is to become a champion.

"We'll just figure it out," MacDonald said. "I'm not there yet. I'm more focused on Jake than anything, I'm taking it one step at a time. I'm sure at one point I'll be champ in this division, that is my goal. I'm not just here to be No. 3 guy or No. 4 or whatever I'm ranked. Eventually I'll get there."

Such talk, of course, is premature, as first he has to get past Ellenberger, winner of eight of his past nine fights. This will be MacDonald's first bout since he dismantled B.J. Penn in December. The British Columbia native had to pull out of his planned March rematch with Carlos Condit due to a neck injury.

"I'm just going to try to train similar to the fight against BJ," MacDonald said. "I think I was too anxious when it was announced I was going to fight Carlos again. I'm just going to try to relax a little bit and just train smart, try not to be a big musclehead again, not try to be a caveman. Sometimes I overtrain and I just have to settle down I guess sometimes."

The 23-year old MacDonald compared the changes in his body in recent years to going through puberty.

"I just I put a lot of pressure on myself and I don't know, what it's about. I've been training for so long and I have a certain, I'm still learning my body, I'm growing," he said. "I feel like I'm getting bigger, my body's always changing and stuff now, it's like I'm going through puberty or something. Man, that was stupid to say. I feel like, my recovery's always different this year from last year, you know what I mean?"

Meanwhile, Ellenberger started a fire in a recent online interview The MMA Digest, implying that MacDonald is overhyped due to his connection with Tri-Star and doesn't belong in the Top 10 at welterweight.

Appraised of Ellenberger's comments, MacDonald said his opponent's words might mask a lack of confidence. "When I hear stuff like that I just feel like he's trying to build himself up and his confidence," MacDonald said. "Self-conscious people have to somertimes build themselves up to give themselves confidence. Maybe he's right, he has some points that I haven't really fought anyone in the top 10, but, I mean, you gotta to get there somehow. I've been winning, and I have fight top 10 guys eventually and he's one of them. I guess he'll be my breakthrough fight."

As for whether Ellenberger might be looking past the fight, MacDonald said "Maybe he is, maybe he's talking bulls---. I don't know, I never really listen to his interviews, but I don't really care, really. At the end of the day it's just going to be a fight, I really don't have any beef with him, I really don't know the guy, I like watching his fights. We're professional fighters and we signed a contract to fight."

For his part, MacDonald (14-1) insists he focuses more on bettering himself than his opponents' strengths and weaknesses.

"I'll be prepared for everything," he said. "He's obviously a pretty well-rounded guy, heavy handed, he's probably the most heavy-handed guy I've ever fought, so that would be a big thing to watch for I guess. I'm just worried about myself, I just like to think Rory, [you have to] get yourself to the best of your abilities in the jiu-jitsu area, boxing, kickboxing, everything, got to be able to put everything together perfectly. I don't think this guy's a black belt in jiu-jitsu, I'm not so much into that, I just like to be like, I gotta get to where I gotta be, and everything else will figure itself out in the cage. That's the way I look at it.

Should MacDonald get past Ellenberger, he wouldn't mind getting another crack at Condit, who handed MacDonald his only career defeat back at UFC 115. But whatever comes his way, MacDonald is just happy to be finally in the mix with the welterweight elite.

"If everyone in the top five fought each other, I'm sure there would be winners on different days, you know what I mean?" MacDonald asked. "No one would win 100 percent of the time, it's a very close division and everyone is super challenging. I have a lot of respect for all of the guys out there. I'm excited to finally be fighting these guys. It's a long road to get here and I'm finally getting to fight some of the best days in the world."

Fightweets: T.J. Grant vows to 'get people's attention'

2013-05-17T17:19:45Z

T.J. Grant heard the critics after the announcement that the winner of his UFC 160 bout with Gray Maynard would get the next shot at Benson Henderson's lightweight championship.

Several observers, including this reporter, questioned whether a title shot for Maynard or Grant was the wisest decision, given the top of the lightweight division still features the likes of Gilbert Melendez, who many feel deserved the decision in his bout last month against Henderson; and Josh Thomson, who just became the first UFC fighter to knock out Nate Diaz.

Grant, though, knows that in mixed martial arts, one strong night can be all you need to get your bandwagon rolling.

"In this sport, all it takes is one fight to turn people's opinion around," Grant said in a recent phone interview with MMAFighting.com. "You get judged off your last fight in this sport. If I beat a guy like Gray Maynard, who's so well-respected and has been around a long time, that will get people's attention."

The Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native has a point. He's 4-0 since dropping to 155 pounds, the most recent victory an impressive finish of veteran Matt Wiman at UFC on FOX 6.

It only took Chris Weidman one sizzling stoppage over a name fighter, Mark Munoz, to be anointed the next big thing at middleweight. With a high-profile victory at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas over Maynard, who has just one career loss, Grant could do the same.

"I heard what people were saying on Twitter and everything," said Grant, whose first child, daughter Casey, was born last month. "How Gray hasn't fought in a year and how there are so many other guys in line and all that. I understand how it goes. I haven't had the time in the spotlight that some of the other fighters have had."

"This is a big deal, I fought on national television last time and now I have my first chance to show the fans on pay-per-view what I can do. I'm not going into this acting like I've got something to prove, but I hope to be able to show the fans who maybe haven't seen me that I belong with the top guys in the division."

Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold

@ynneKrepmatS: if Belfort knocks out Rockhold on the 18th, Where would he go from there? Title shot or another contender?

Interesting question. If Belfort wins, the UFC is in a tough spot on a couple levels. The first being that Belfort has defeated everyone in his path at middleweight except Anderson Silva, but Silva isn't likely to be interested in a rematch against a fighter he already easily dispatched. Silva's clearly not a huge fan of rematches. There's always been an enticement for his rematches: Against Rich Franklin, it was simply the basic professional courtesy of giving the former champ his title shot; against Yushin Okami, it was a chance to fight in Brazil while avenging a controversial disqualification; and against Chael Sonnen, it was the chance to show his previous win wasn't simply a lucky submission. There's no such incentive for Silva to again face Belfort.

The other half of the equation, of course, is the growing brushback to Belfort's continued success as a TRT user who has been previously suspended for steroid use. The fact UFC president Dana White did an immediate about-face on TRT after Belfort finished Michael Bisping tells you all you need to know.

If Belfort manages to pick off yet another hot fighter who's perhaps one win away from a title shot in Rockhold, then what do you do with Belfort? The champ doesn't want him and you can't afford to keep having him run over contenders. Maybe the next move, should Belfort win, is to basically dare him to come fight in a commission state and see what happens.

@Dpop2: If Rockhold finishes decisively any chance he gets title shot over Weidman?

Well, no. The Silva-Weidman fight is already announced and tickets are on sale. But I'd say 10 consecutive wins by the final Strikeforce champ should be enough to make him next in line after Silva-Weidman. And in the interim, perhaps Rockhold should be given some sort of medal for solving The Belfort Problem.

Pat Healy's marijuana suspension

@CMooreMMA: Where does Pat Healy's failed drug test put him in the division? Do you still characterize his 159 win as a win?

Technically, the bout against Jim Miller now goes into the books as a no-contest. But realistically, no one except maybe Bryan Caraway is walking around thinking that if Healy hadn't smoked a joint sometime during his training camp, Miller would have ran all over him.

Healy-Miller should go down in the memory banks similar to Nick Diaz's PRIDE fight with Takanori Gomi. Seven years later, you remember Diaz's sick gogoplata finish and mentally chalk it up as a Diaz win, not the fact the fight was later overturned for the same reason as Healy's.

It's unfortunate that Healy's losing his bonus money. The UFC has made it pretty clear they're going to lobby the commissions to change the rules regarding marijuana. Hopefully light will dawn on the ABC and they'll make changes. This issue has been hashed through so often that that there's really not much left to add at this point, beyond Healy's situation shining a spotlight on the absurdity of the rules in and of itself.

As for how this affects Healy going forward, I can't speak for anyone else, but I had Healy at No. 6 in the most recent SBNation lightweight rankings, which is also where he finished in the overall poll. He'll be ineligible for the 90 days of his suspension, but on day 91, he goes right back in at No. 6, as far as I'm concerned.

And since the UFC has demonstrated that 1. They're going to follow the rules laid out by the commissions but 2. they know the rules suck in this case, I'm guessing they'll book Healy for his next fight in a manner commensurate to his ranking.

Bellator's PR battles

@Futch6: Am I the only one that thinks Bjorn Rebney's lack of promoting fights/lack of social media skills is horrific?

Rebney's biggest strength is getting things done behind the scenes. You have to give Rebney credit for simply getting Bellator into the position it's in now. Bellator debuted during the peak of a crowded MMA marketplace, even when he could only land a clearance on Spanish-language television. The company continually improved its position when common sense seemed to indicate the MMA market was collapsing for everyone except the UFC. And it was in position to capitalize when Viacom was looking to stay in the sport after losing their UFC deal.

That doesn't translate so well when Rebney's running a press conference or behind a microphone, because everyone inevitably compares other promoters to Dana White. Rebney might not have White's brashness, Vince McMahon's carnival-barker skills or Don King's, well, Don King-ness, but Bellator doesn't get as far as it has without him.

@Breadandwater94: If Bellator wins and keeps Alvarez.. Wouldn't that be a very weird relationship bcuz he publicly trashed them?

It would. There's simply no way for a huge conglomerate, which main Bellator owner Viacom is, to take on a fighter in the court of public opinion and win. That's why Rebney stayed quiet until he felt he simply had to speak, and even then, that didn't work so well. Clearly Viacom and Bellator feel they need to make an example of Alvarez. Should Bellator win in court, I mean, if you're Alvarez, and your options are a Bellator contract which still pays you significantly more money than you will make anywhere else, or going back to pouring concrete, which one do you think he's going to choose? It would be awkward for sure, but if push came to shove, even Alvarez has said he'd go back to Bellator if he has to.

Change the channel

@MooksInsight: Have u looked at how bad the undercards are for the next few UFC events? Trash, really really bad.

I never fail to be amazed at how much people complain about things for which they don't have to pay a dime. Whether it's web content you read for free, a video you're watching on YouTube, etc., the amount of griping we collectively do as a society about stuff we get for no cost must make people in lesser developed countries want to wretch.

Don't like undercard fights that are available in various combinations on Facebook and basic cable (yes, I understand that you pay for basic cable)? No one's forcing you to watch them. Change the channel. Problem solved. If enough people share your opinion that the undercards are bad, and enough people stop watching, then the UFC would have no choice but to improve the quality of their undercards.

Urijah Faber, flyweight?

@GHS_Forever: How realistic is Faber going to 125?

I asked him that once and he laughed and said "C'mon, man." Faber's in his 30s and he looks like a skeleton when he's weighing in at 135. Nuff said.

Got a question for a future Fightweets? Go to my twitter page and leave me a tweet.

Liz Carmouche says Miesha Tate fight 'has been a long time in the making'

2013-05-16T22:09:14Z

Liz Carmouche has been a trailblazer in her short-but-eventful mixed martial arts career. Carmouche was the first openly lesbian fighter to compete on a major MMA stage and was part of the first women's fight in UFC history.

The San Diego-based fighter will add another first to her resume on July 27 at FOX 8 in Seattle. Carmouche will meet former Strikeforce bantamweight champion Miesha Tate on the main card at Key Arena in what will go down as the first UFC women's fight on network television.

The way Carmouche sees it, the bout's been a long time in the making. Carmouche fought and won a reserve bout in the 2010 Strikeforce title tournament, which Tate won.

"It's a matchup I feel like has been a long time in the making," Carmouche said on a recent edition of The MMA Hour. "I started off fighting in Strikeforce in the tournament that she ultimately won, so it seems like our paths have been crossing our entire careers, so it seems like this is finally our day."

It's been a whirlwind year for Carmouche, who has gone from relative unknown to headlining UFC 157, where she nearly finished UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey before Rousey rallied and finished her in a manic 4:49 of action. Although the bout brought with it the pressures of an unprecedented wave of publicity, Carmouche barely took any time off before getting back into the gym at the San Diego Combat Academy.

"I took about a week off strictly because I had my family in town and I wanted to spend time with them, but other than that it was life as usual, working and training full time. If anything I wanted to keep my pace and keep things going with how things were."

Part of that motivation to get right back into the gym has been a simple matter of knowing how close she came to unseating the biggest star in women's MMA.

"I'm still not getting over it," Carmouche said." I'm my hardest critic, I expect the best of myself, I'm a perfectionist. So it's one of those things, unless I have a chance to reclaim it, I won't be happy with myself."

Gay and lesbian athletes have been a popular topic in 2013. While Carmouche had her turn in the spotlight leading up to the Rousey fight, more recently, NBA veteran Jason Collins became the first person in the four major North American team sports to come out while still an active player. Carmouche was cheered by the development.

"Everything I've seen is a lot of positive feedback, and for that I'm grateful," she said. "We're in a position now where it's something we can do, where in the past people were ridiculed. It's great that now people can be accepted and the LGBT community can open up and share with the people where they come from.

"Maybe the four major sports is probably the first step in coming out," Carmouche later added, "But I think in MMA, one gym at a time, one athlete at a time there's going to be some changes."

In the meantime, Carmouche continues to prepare for her bout with Tate, who is looking to rebound for her loss to Cat Zingano in April.

"She's a really well-rounded fighter," Carmouche said of Tate. "I respect her a lot as an athlete. I think our styles are going to matchup really well. It's going to be back and forth, I think it's going to be who has the most heart, who puts the most work in. That's whats ultimately going to decide it."

Bryan Caraway retroactively awarded UFC 159 Submission of the Night

2013-05-15T17:30:31Z

Backstage at Newark's Prudential Center during UFC 159, Bryan Caraway convinced UFC president Dana White to up the evening's bonuses from $50,000 apiece to $65,000.

Weeks later and in a roundabout way, Caraway is the beneficiary of his own lobbying efforts.

Wednesday, Caraway's third-round guillotine choke submission victory over Johnny Bedford on April 27 was retroactively named Submission of the Night.

The bonus money became available after the New Jersey Athletic Control Board announced Pat Healy tested positive for marijuana following his victory over Jim Miller. Healy was awarded both Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night for his efforts. However, the UFC withholds bonus money pending the results of post-fight drug tests, and does not award fighters who fail the tests.

White announced the change over Twitter in response to a fan question. "Brian Caraway get the SON now," White tweeted. "Healy did himself dirty."