Tag: ufc



Colby Covington: When a Bad Guy is No Longer Believable

Colby Covington

I’ll keep this short since there’s not much analysis to be had here. It’s just a short note on the current predicament of Colby Covington, the one-time interim UFC Welterweight Champion and now three-time title challenger. He lost all three title shots, and he’ll not likely get a fourth at the age of 35. How he carried himself and insulted his opponent Leon Edwards before the fight, handled his decision loss to the champion, and how fans reacted to his apparent lack of self-awareness is a case study for anyone looking to use antagonism for their own public image. (more…)

Dipping Jab: The Noob Tube of Fighting

Julianna Peña vs. Amanda Nunes

Jack Slack is one of the best combat sports writers out there, known for insightful analysis. He never fails to educate even veterans who have been training for decades, and I recently experienced the Jack Slack effect for myself. His analysis of Julianna Peña’s upset victory over Amanda Nunes for the UFC women’s bantamweight title greatly informed my viewing of their rematch. The way Peña flummoxed Nunes in that first fight was ridiculous, especially for Nunes. Let’s talk about the dipping jab, a technique that borders on cheesy. (more…)

Boxing, Betrayal, and a Bus Attack

Conor McGregor Bus Attack

The past two weeks have been quite interesting for the fight game, and I wanted to talk about it in a show. However, with the amount of production needed and lack of time due to work, preparation for MWF 1: Kasaysayan, and chronic procrastination, I finished writing a script with neither the time nor patience to produce the actual video. I thought it would be a really good show since I’d get to talk about a lot of boxing, a freak injury, and even a bus attack. (more…)

UFC 211 — To Be in Limbo

UFC 211: Miocic vs. Dos Santos 2

Lately, whenever I’ve written about the UFC, I get a sense of urgency, but not outright fun. UFC 211 has made me confront these feelings because of how much in limbo the company seems to be at the moment, as well as many of those who competed in this event. I’m not one to talk bad about anything related to pro wrestling (other than those in it who are named Vince), but maybe I’m starting to change my mind when it comes to pro wrestling-style promotion of combat sports. (more…)

UFC on Fox 24 — Setting a Record on Free TV

UFC on Fox 24: Johnson vs. Reis

Be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world and tie Anderson Silva’s record for the most number of consecutive title defenses in the UFC, but be made to do it on free television. That’s Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s predicament in this event, and it doesn’t help that Dana White likes to shove it into people’s faces that they know best when questioned why their champions tend to not get promoted properly. It’s understandable how he doesn’t want to be told how to do his job, but it’s also ridiculous how some of their champions are not made to look strong at all. (more…)

UFC 210 — Bizzarotown Buffalo

UFC 210: Cormier vs. Johnson 2

This one was pretty damn weird, and it took me a while to write a post about it. Perhaps it’s the growing pains of MMA in New York since it only became legal in that state recently. From the whole weigh-in controversy with Daniel Cormier and the breast implant fiasco that did get reversed at the last moment, this UFC was just weird. While it’s good that UFC 210 took place in Buffalo, New York, it did highlight just how behind the times the state is in terms of MMA regulation. (more…)

UFC Fight Night 106 — Fumbling in Fortaleza

UFC Fight Night 106

This is an interesting card, filled with some recognizable names. Many of them have past glories, while some were seemingly destined for glory but had gotten into slumps. Being in this Fight Night card means they’re still hanging on as UFC fighters, but most of them have been backed to a corner as far as their careers are concerned. Some may be questioning why they’re still doing it, while some may even be contemplating retirement. However, most of them are just trying to get back on the winning side of things, and winning in UFC Fight Night 106 could turn things around. (more…)

UFC 209 — Dark Cloud with a Silver Lining

UFC 209: Woodley vs. Thompson 2

Well, this one was weird. There could’ve been a lot of things done right here, but it just unraveled. UFC 209 was so unlucky, I thought that bad luck would pass onto me, so I didn’t immediately watch this event live. Actually, my net was being poop during that time. But there was no way I couldn’t write about this because the pre-fight developments were more interesting than much of the event itself. That’s just too bad; if only this were a Fight Night instead. (more…)

UFC Fight Night 105 — Struggle for Relevance

UFC Fight Night 105: Lewis vs. Browne

The main story in this UFC Fight Night Halifax card is of two bearded and balding former top contenders who used to be the scariest fighters in the UFC but are now languishing and potentially in danger of being released from the UFC. Their falls from grace had been mostly due to what fans perceive as personal failings and ill-advised decisions taken during their period of relevance. They now have to fight for survival in a UFC Fight Night card. (more…)

UFC 208 — The Bell is Supposed to Save You

UFC 208: Holm vs. de Randamie

In what seems to be the very first official post I’ve published here on the blog that’s related to combat sports, I might as well talk about the last two UFC events as of this writing—UFC Fight Night 104 and UFC 208. While most of the focus of this post is on the latter, I thought I should still talk about the former since it was actually pretty good. Hopefully, this becomes a regular thing and I write a post after every MMA, boxing, kickboxing, or whatever event I get to watch. (more…)