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Doubted, Ignored, Never Left bored: The Stipe Miocic Story

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UFC 220 marked the first time since the UFC’s inception that the heavyweight title was consecutively defended more than twice. And, as accolades go, Stipe Miocic holds the best in the business; The most dominant UFC Heavyweight Champion of all time. But hindsight is a wonderful thing, and many doubters of Stipe’s skills existed before his dismantling of “The Predator” Francis NGannou, in Boston’s TD Garden.

The context of the Francis NGannou hype train needs to be addressed to fully understand why Miocic was doubted since the announcement of this fight. Francis makes no bones about his history; He was homeless as recent as five years ago, and worked in a sand mine as a child. His dream was to escape the poverty of Cameroon and find a better life. His dream became a reality and he found himself working towards developing his craft in a French MMA gym. Five years on, he fought for a UFC Heavyweight title.

The world loves a fairytale, and the Francis NGannou story was set to rival “Rocky” for its dramatic undertones. Since arriving at the UFC, NGannou dismantled all in his path with his devastating power and unforgiving explosiveness. But the romanticism of the Francis NGannou story faded on January 20th 2018, as Stipe Miocic physically neutralised N’Gannou for five rounds, leading to a decisive decision. Miocic shut the doubters down and exposed the world to the sobering reality of Miocic’s mastery.

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AND STILL: Miocic defeated NGannou by decision at UFC 220.

But lets not forget; UFC 220 wasn’t the first time Stipe Miocic was doubted in his career. Fights against Fabricio Werdum and Junior Dos Santos saw Stipe Miocic being severely doubted by fans across the board.

Is Stipe Miocic personally responsible for this lack of faith by the fans? No. Doubt comes with consistently fighting top-level opponents, and in a sport like MMA, the endless possibilities and outcomes leaves fans with severe migraines and scientific hypothesis’ concerning fights.

And six months on, and we’re in the same position.

Light Heavyweight UFC Champion Daniel Cormier has stepped up to challenge Cleveland native Stipe Miocic in arguably the biggest superfight the UFC has ever seen. Cormier is a legend in his own right; He’s dominated the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions since debuting in MMA in 2009 and has held championships in both. He’s also an accomplished wrestler, competing in the 2004 Olympics for the United States as a Freestyle wrestler and captaining the 2008 team. As a mixed martial artist, his only loses have came to Jon Jones (arguably the greatest talent in MMA history). Those loses are marred in controversy and many consider these defeats illegitimate due to Jones testing positive (on multiple occasions) for PED’s and banned substances.

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THE CHAMP: Daniel Cormier challenges Stipe Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 226.

For me, it’s extremely commendable (and refreshing) that a combat champion is willing to fight the most elite of the elite, on a consistent basis. Stipe Miocic deserves praise for this. Similarly, Daniel Cormier deserves praise for stepping up and taking a fight outside light heavyweight. Don’t dismiss the fact that there are easier fights for DC to take. At 39 years old, he’s chosen to take this heavyweight endeavor on as a way of cementing his legacy as one of the greatest of all time.

The fight itself presents endless possibilities, and I’m simply not qualified to put my white lab coat on and start breaking down the thousands of variables that will ultimately lead to the fight’s outcome. I’m just happy that for the first time in a long time, a fight has been promoted on the basis of its own merit and not by witty punch-lines and embarrassing scandals. The “Reality TV” approach to fight promotion has become extremely stale for purists, and facilitates casual fans with endless sound bites to back up their widely uneducated opinions.

This fight is a throwback to the old school mentality; The unstoppable force meets the immovable object. A manipulative rankings system and phrases such as “the money fight” have diluted the way in which fights are constructed and no matter who the victor, this fight represents the return to the ideal that the best fight the best.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship; As real as it gets. And that’s the way it should be.

Younger, Faster, Disaster; Michael Bisping vs Kelvin Gastelum.

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As the smoke begins to settle from UFC Fight Night 122, many fight fans are left questioning the motives of Michael Bisping for taking a short-notice fight just three weeks removed from being choked unconscious by current UFC Middleweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. But like many actions in the fight game, it’s all about context.

Michael Bisping is one of the last of his kind. I can’t remember a single time Bisping was reported to have refused or pulled out of a contest, something that’s extremely rare in 2017. He lives by an old school code and thinks an old school way; “This is what I do, I fight”.

The risks involved were abundantly clear, and although pre-fight Gastelum was placed much lower in the UFC Rankings than Bisping (Gastelum was ranked 9th before the fight), rankings don’t mean much in a sport that entire careers can be altered via a single punch to the face.

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CHAMPION: The former UFC Middleweight Champion aimed for a quick turnaround after his 3rd round submission loss three weeks ago.

Kelvin Gastelum has looked reinvigorated since his move to Middleweight. The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 winner holds notable stoppage wins against Tim Kennedy and Vitor Belfort, two consistent contenders throughout their careers and two men that previously caused Bisping a world of problems. Gastelum is also twelve years younger than Bisping, who has clocked plenty of fighter miles in his grueling eleven year UFC career.

But who can blame Michael Bisping for acting like Michael Bisping? He’s always been game for a fight, and was seemingly confident going into this contest; “Everybody wants to get paid. Two paydays, one training camp”. Bisping’s logic seemed rudimentary, and I’m sure looking back on this contest he wishes this fight was as straightforward as that. But in his heart of hearts, I have to believe he knew better than to think that his bravery and nobility is all it would take to force a win against a dangerous opponent. Put simply, life isn’t as easy as that.

Contrary to popular belief, the fight itself was close right up until the final exchange. Both fighters had their high points, landing solid punches and kicks. But the final exchange has quickly gone viral; a crisp weave, followed by a right straight/left hook combination seen “The Count” collapse. The fairytale ended right at that moment and the brutality of MMA was realised once again. Sporting romanticism out the window.

Credit where credit is due to Michael Bisping for being the company man that he is and resurrecting a fight card thats entire existence was threatened by Anderson Silva’s apparent USADA violation. He flew to China and rolled the dice, and although he didn’t experience the luster or reward of a win, he should be recoginsed for his huge heart and endless valor. Bisping was all class after the fight: “I was enjoying myself; he caught me with a good shot. God bless Kelvin, he’s young. I’ve done this for a long time, man. I’m getting old”.

But combat, in its nature, is unpredictable and MMA doesn’t follow a Hollywood script. Gastelum’s incredible knockout will surely move him on to bigger and better things, and Bisping’s loss may accelerate his retirement plans (although he has hinted his plan for one last fight in London on March 2018 will go ahead). And for the fight fans who’ve been left slack-jawed by the manner of Gastelum’s explosive dispatching of Michael Bisping, this fight was a sobering look into the savage reality of MMA.

MMA is as good as it gets. The UFC is as real as it gets. And quite simply, it’s the most gruesomely honest sport on the planet.

CM Punk Broke the Internet.

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CM Punk

As UFC 203 drew to a close, it was difficult to take my mind off the cataclysmic failure in which Phil Brooks had just endured.

For those wondering who Phil Brooks is, he’s known by most as CM Punk, a former professional wrestling champion and self proclaimed “Cult of Personality”.

The reason I call him by his real name, rather than his stage name, is to differentiate his past from his present. Nothing in his past could have prepared him for the stark realization that, when it comes to mixed martial arts, you’re either born with it or you’re the other 99.9% of the world.

Brooks got battered. There’s no debate about that. The bout lasted two and a half minutes and there wasn’t a second in the fight when he wasn’t being dominated.

BATTERED: Phil Brooks being pummelled by welterweight prospect Mickey Gall.
BATTERED: Phil Brooks being pummelled by welterweight prospect Mickey Gall.

It was hard to watch at times. Just seconds in, it was abundantly clear that this experiment wasn’t going to have a happy ending for the Chicago native. And although the fight proved brutal, it also proved necessary.

This fight, along with other examples (James Toney VS Randy Couture & Jose Canseco Vs Hong Man Choi immediately spring to mind) are reminders to the general public that, although the term “mixed martial arts” has the word “art” in it, there’s nothing artistic about being punched in the face.

MMA is savage. On the same card, viewers witnessed a man’s finger becoming so badly dislocated that, when the footage is paused, you can clearly see a bone sticking out. Viewers also witnessed Alistair Overeem, a man with over 15 years of MMA experience, being unapologetically knocked unconscious. This isn’t a game folks.

The Phil Brooks experiment, if nothing else, provoked opinions. On one side, many admired the man for chasing his goals and following his dreams. On the other, many seen his move into professional fighting as cocky, arrogant and ignorant. He’s always been considered a controversial character and his move into MMA was cut from the same cloth.

Brooks said, “In life, you go big or you go home” after the fight. It was an admirable act of courage to step into the octagon and the man deserves respect for that alone. But there’s nothing more humbling in life than a punch to the face. And unfortunately for Brooks, he learned that the hard way on several occasions.

His Rocky story didn’t have a happy ending. His face and ego were left battered and bruised. And his reputation? Well, he’s always been known as an entertainer and his journey has certainly entertained fans and spectators alike. So, credit to him.

It’s not clear if we’ll see Phil Brooks back in the octagon. But if we do, I hope it’s to promote a Wrestlemania, rather than to venture into a world that rewards the few and condemns pretenders through violence.

His record reads zero wins, one loss. And with his 38th Birthday fast approaching, I just can’t see that improving anytime soon.

Gary Neville: Lost in Translation?

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The news that Gary Neville had been sacked as manager of Valencia has not come as a shock to many. His disastrous run saw only 10 wins in 28 games, with the former Manchester United captain actually losing more games than he had won. Valencia’s league performance was especially worrying, with Neville only winning 3 of his 16 games in La Liga.

The statistics surrounding his managerial tenure are for dire reading. But, like most sports, although results are what go on to define you, they really don’t tell the full story.

Valencia is a club in turmoil and has been for many years. They’ve not came close to winning a trophy since winning the Copa Del Rey in 2008 (that’s 2907 days for all you statisticians). They’ve also had 7 managers in the last 4 years and seem reluctant to give any of these managers the time or space to set a footballing philosophy. Managers simply don’t have the time to turn it around, and when you consider the fact they’ve not won silverware in such a long time, it begs the question; Why?

Gary Neville was always subject to an uphill battle. The nationalistic Spanish press was all over him from day one, with him eventually saying, “I said before I came that I would be judged in five months. I have been judged in six weeks”.

He often seemed shaken at press conferences, often looking unsure of himself when he was fielded questions in Spanish. When he gave his answers in English, which subsequently had to be translated to Spanish for the Spanish Press and fans to understand, the moment was gone. His passionate answers seemed to lose their effectiveness. “I’ve only ever been one way in football and that’s to win every match”, he claimed in his first interview as Valencia Manager. Many were cynical from the beginning.

Maybe it was a case of the job being “too much, too soon” for Neville to cope with. He perhaps could have come better equipped for the job. As previously mentioned, his lack of experience with the Spanish language (or Spanish football for that matter) meant he would have problems. He couldn’t take team talks or even communicate effectively with his predominantly Spanish team due to the language barrier. Instead he relied on translators and pre-prepared liaison to get his messages across. Perhaps his words of wisdom lost their magic.

His team tactics were often subject to both experimentation and injuries. With a manager coming in halfway through a footballing season, it is expected he has a concrete idea of how the team are going to play and line out. This didn’t seem to be the case, as Neville opted to experiment with five different formations in his first eight league games, trying out 4-3-3, 5-3-2, 4-4-2, 4-1-4-1 and 4-2-3-1. Injuries to Diego Alves, Enzo Perez, Jose Gaya and Sofiane Feghouli also didn’t help team performances.

And with faltering team performances came the impending passionate response from Neville. But this response ended up being his eventual undoing.

His downfall came from his own words. His own beliefs. He set himself up for scrutiny by basing his employment on the ideal that he’d turn it around, and turn it around quickly. He wasn’t shy about telling the fans of his plans to make the club great again. His claims of immediate success unfortunately didn’t happen, and the cool, calm and collected Neville was made to look foolish with his words of optimism.

Fan support wavered. Once believers in Neville, they began boo’ing the Englishman venomously. They didn’t see the product Neville had professed about. They didn’t care for his passion. All they had seen was their football club in crisis mode, losing games to lesser opposition on a consistent basis. And with club legends such as Santiago Cañizares and Gaizka Mendieta openly condemning Neville, it was only a matter of time before he was shown the door.

When taking the Valencia job, he claimed. “If I’d have turned down this job, I could have said goodbye to credibility in football because it’s a massive club”. This quote in itself describes Neville; A fierce competitor with huge wells of confidence. He believed this was his chance to shine.

His final game, a lacklustre 2-0 defeat at home to Celta Vigo was the final nail in the coffin. His team looked uninspired. He looked lost. And the fans, with their white handkerchiefs at the ready, boo’d Neville out of the Mestalla Stadium.

The real sadness from this story is the “what could have been” factor of the sacked football manager. Managers are often in and out of a job before anyone can even process what’s going on. It’s a fickle sport, with fickle fans and fickle businessmen. Realistically, four months is not nearly enough time to prove your worth in any line of work. Neville may feel hard done by, but in the long run, if Valencia don’t drastically transform their entire club, it may prove to be the luckiest break he’s ever had.

Conor McGregor: The Uncrowned UFC King?

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The takeover is complete; on the 9th October 2014, history was made as a huge banner displaying an image of UFC Featherweight contender and Irish patron Conor McGregor was displayed on Dublin’s famed “O’Connell Street”.

NOTORIOUS: (Left to Right) Aisling Daly, Paddy Holohan, Cathal Pendred and Conor McGregor posing in front of banner displaying image of Conor McGregor seen on O"Connell Street.
Left to Right: Aisling Daly, Paddy Holohan, Cathal Pendred and Conor McGregor posing in front of banner displaying image of Conor McGregor on O’Connell Street.

The significance of this event is staggering. London is known for Soho. New York is known for Fifth Avenue. Dublin is known for O’Connell Street. And yet most people still consider mixed martial arts a largely underground sport. In Ireland however, the reach of the UFC has came leaps and bounds as a result of one man and one man only; “The Notorious” Conor McGregor. RTE channel “3e” has become the official Irish platform for Conor’s most recent UFC fights, much to the delight of Irish fight fans that get to view these events for free. Furthermore, the UFC is delighted to keep the freebies coming, with McGregor and the UFC signing a deal to broadcast his next fight on 3e (free of charge, of course). TV3 Group Head of Sport Kieran Holden commented on this, saying “(McGregor’s last fight) reached a massive 600,000 viewers, proving how quickly Mixed Martial Arts has grown in Ireland. Conor McGregor has quickly become one of the biggest names in Irish sport and we are thrilled to be able to show his next fight to the free-to-air viewers in Ireland.”

And yet, there’s a level of mystique and allure to the attraction that is, Conor McGregor. How did this happen? How did McGregor single handedly galvanise an entire country into viewing a sport favourably? And furthermore, how did McGregor provoke pre-existing UFC fans into “believing the hype” and following the fighter so relentlessly? For a start, there’s no question that the guys got talent, and his accolades speak for themselves. He was crowned an Irish amateur boxing champion at a young age, and was Cage Warriors first and only two-division champion. Partner that with the fact that he’s got a 16-2 MMA record, with 14 of his wins coming by way of knockout. It’s worth noting that his 2 loses came quite early in his career, and he’s evidentially improved dramatically since then.

But to suggest his talent for fighting is the only reason behind his native nation’s interest in the fighter (and the sport) would be ridiculous. McGregor is blessed with what’s known by many as “the gift of the gab”. His speeches are incredible. He hypes fights with a passion like no other. His poetic linguistics often hypnotises viewers into watching his fights. To summarise, he creates interest through what he says and how he says it. And let’s not get it twisted. This isn’t completely unheard of. It’s been done before. Muhammad Ali did it. Prince Naseem Hamed did it. Chael Sonnen did it. Floyd Mayweather continues to do it. Talking gets people into the tent. People tune into McGregor’s fights for two conflicting reasons; either they want to see the cocky, brash, Irish dude get his head knocked off his shoulders OR they want to see him triumph with a level of flair and confidence rarely seen in fighting.

There’s entertainment value to his words. There’s also entertainment value to his style of fighting. His managing of distance on the feet, as well as his crisp punching and acrobatic kicks are an enigma. He fights with the mentality that he has to finish his opponent, to the delight of his fans. And what’s amazing about McGregor, is that he usually does. You can’t tie down the reasoning behind McGregor’s meteoric rise in the UFC to one action or event. He’s a multifaceted character that appeals to an entire nation, and provokes dialogue from an entire sport. What’s most interesting about Conor McGregor though, is that he’s just getting started. At 26 years old, he’s ranked number 5 in official UFC Featherweight rankings, and seems to be posturing strongly for a title shot. He’s got everyone talking, including UFC President Dana White, who recently said: “If you go down the list (of UFC Featherweights), every one of those guys has fought Jose Aldo already. Conor hasn’t. So who do you line up next for the champ other than Conor?” He’s become Ireland’s most interesting man in less that 3 years, and continues to grow in popularity. And with whispers of the Aviva Stadium being mentioned as the venue for his next fight, it’s worth paying attention to how the next few months play out.