Forrest Griffin Forced Off UFC 155 Card With Knee Injury

Once again the injury bug has dropped a bomb on the UFC. Just a few short weeks outside of UFC 155 it has been announced that former light heavyweight champion and TUF season 1 winner, Forrest Griffin, will be forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout with Phil Davis.

Dana White revealed today (Dec. 5, 2012) via his trusty twitter account that Forrest has been taken off the December 29^th card due to a knee injury. Here is what White tweeted:

Dana White 
@danawhite

Forrest Has MCL tear and ACL strain. 20 cc's of blood removed from his knee and the saga continues at the UFC!! 

Reply · Retweet · Favorite
46 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

Although Dana White did not specifically state that Forrest has been removed from the card it would only make sense considering he would not be able to pass the pre-fight physical in order to fight Davis on the scheduled UFC 155 card on December 29^th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It is still unclear whether Davis will be paired up with a replacement for the night or if the fight is going to be postponed and pushed back to a later date and card.

So what do you think Penn Nation!? Should Dana White find a replacement or should he push the fight back a few months and let the two scrap at a later date? Let's hear some suggestions, fight fans…

-Jake Chastain

Josh Grispi vs. Any Ogle in Works for UFC on FX 7

Strap yourselves in, fight fans…we have another explosive fight brewing on the horizon. According to Fighters Only the UFC is in negotiation with featherweight stars Josh Grispi and Andy Ogle to square off on February 16, 2013 in London when the organization heads overseas to host the upcoming UFC on FX 7 event.

Grispi (14-4), once considered one of the top prospects at 145 pounds, is in desperate need of a win insde the octagon. He is riding the tail of a three-fight losing streak that includes a submission loss (north-south choke) to Rani Yahya and a body shot knockout at the hands of George Roop. Grispi will enter the fight with his back undoubtedly against the wall and will be enter into hostile territory as he takes on the local London boy and TUF vet, Andy Ogle. If Grispi doesn’t leave London with a victory we could very well be watching him make his last appearance inside the octagon. This is what they call a “do-or-die” fight for “The Fluke”.

Andy Ogle (8-2) will be looking to spoil the second-coming late push of Grispi and leave with a victory in front of his home crowd. Ogle had his featherweight debut ruined by Hamid Corassani in a losing effort as he dropped a split decision to "Akira" at the UFC on FUEL TV 5 even just a few months back. Ogle will also be looking to keep his UFC career afloat and I guarantee both competitors are feeling the pressure heading into this fight. This will surely be a great addition to the UFC on FX 7 card in London and is a promising treat for the fans.

UFC on FX 7 is scheduled for February 16^th, 2013 at the Wembley Arena in London, England. For more information and news leading up to this event be sure to stay glued to BJPenn.com.

-Jake Chastain

MacDonald Dishes Out Words For War at UFC 154 Q&A

The anticipation continues to rise as we approach the December 8^th return of “The Prodigy” BJ Penn. Standing opposite of Penn in the UFC octagon on that upcoming December night will be the rising Tri-Star gym standout, Rory “Ares” MacDonald. The fight, which will be featured on the main card of the upcoming UFC on FOX 5 event in Seattle, Washington, will be a battle of old school vs. new school as Penn will be playing the role of the experienced and battle-tested vet looking to tame the young, fiery stallion in MacDonald. Both men knowingly admit that they will have their hands full on the 8^th but MacDonald recently had the opportunity to let his feelings toward Penn and the fight be heard on a larger stage as he took questions from the media and fans at the UFC 154 Q&A.

When asked about Penn’s training and his mindset toward this fight MacDonald made it clear that he doesn’t care what kind of BJ Penn steps in to the cage that night because he is going to fight him the same way regardless of how prepared Penn is.

“I don’t really care, I just see a body in front of me to tell you the truth. It doesn’t matter if he’s in shape or not. It’s gonna be best for you guys if he’s in shape, cause it will probably be a better fight,” MacDonald explained.

Rory also spoke about the all around skill-set that he and Penn posses. Although Penn clearly has the experience advantage coming into the fight “Ares” still feels that he has sharper tools than Penn in every position of the fight game. He made it very clear that he is not afraid to fight Penn from anywhere.

“I just think that I’m a better fighter. I’m not really scared to fight him anywhere. He’s obviously very good on the ground, and a good striker; you have to be competent in all areas of mixed martial arts, and I am,” MacDonald said.

He continued by stating, “I feel I’m a better striker, a better wrestler and better on the ground as far as MMA jiu-jitsu. Probably not straight jiu-jitsu because we all know what he’s done there, but I feel in a straight mixed martial arts fight, I’m a little more well rounded than he is.”

Interesting thoughts considering Penn has been in the game much longer than MacDonald and has almost twice as many fights. Still, it seemed the confidence “Ares” displayed during the press UFC 154 Q&A continued to grow as he spoke with the fans and media. He even explained some things about Penn that were “annoying” to him, such as the VADA testing that he and BJ are participating in prior to their fight. When asked about how the testing or even the comments Penn was making affected him MacDonald explained that he doesn’t let those things bother him and could care less about the head games BJ is trying to induce.

“He’s got a lot of excuses that guy. He likes to start (expletive); he likes to get people excited. I don’t really think about it too much. He asked me to do the VADA random testing and I accepted it,” MacDonald explained. “I’ll prove to him that I’m a clean fighter. At the end of the day, he can say whatever he wants to say, get people excited, but I’m still going to beat his ass.”

Those, my friends, are fighting words. It’s a good thing this is going to be settled in just a couple of short weeks because it seems that the boiling point is just about to be reached. We’ll see who truly gets the ass-beating on December 8^th at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. Don’t miss it fight fans!

And for more news, updates, and information on UFC on FOX 5 stay glued to BJPenn.com and follow us on twitter @bjpenndotcom & @jchastain45

The Champ Returns; RUSH Looks to Reclaim His Throne

UFC welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre is finally set to make his long awaited return from ACL knee surgery tonight in front of his home crowd at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and to be completely honest the stakes could not be any higher. The organization is not giving GSP an easy fight to ease his way back into the sport after the 18 month layoff due to his injury. St. Pierre will be entering the octagon tonight against a man that could very well be the biggest threat he’s ever faced while defending his crown. On this frosty November night in 2012 that will likely go down in MMA history he’ll be taking on “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit; the interim UFC Welterweight Champion.

The big question that everyone is curious to find the answer to is whether GSP will come back as explosive and athletic as he was before having one of the most serious operations an athlete can undergo in his ACL knee repair. The word out of Georges’ camp is that he is stronger and faster than he was before the operation, but let’s get real for a second: the reality is that no athlete is ever stronger and faster than before such a major operation to such a critical part of what makes premiere athletes so dominant. Some athletes never return from similar operations, some come back and never find their full stride again…and some come back only to watch themselves lose all that they once had in a tragic passing of the torch.

However, we are indeed talking about Georges St. Pierre, one of the most dominant and explosive athletes we’ve ever seen in any sport, let alone in MMA. Georges has explained on several occasions that he was nervous about his return but then realized that he had nothing but the best doctors and rehabilitation specialists working with him around the clock to get him back to the top of his game. So the question everyone wants to know is, “will Georges be the same fighter?”

My guess is yes. St. Pierre has never failed to blow my expectations out of the water. He improves in every single appearance, he never stops growing, learning, and he continually becomes a better professional. As much time and money as the UFC has put in to making Jon Jones the face of the company their efforts will never elevate Jones to the level of Georges St. Pierre, not because he is not as talented or full of potential, but because St. Pierre is the most humble, honest, and respectful champion I have ever seen in any sport. The way he carries himself in and outside of the cage is unmatched by anyone and that type of professionalism does not lead to a sudden collapse after a single injury, regardless of the severity. St. Pierre is here to stay and his resurgence of dominance will be on display for the MMA world to see tonight as he battles Carlos Condit in a Champion vs. Champion bout that will tell us more about Georges St. Pierre than any of his past fights have combined. The task may not come easy but my gut tells me that GSP will, like he always has, exploit the weakness of his opponent and attack it without restraint.

Condit, although he is a dangerous fighter in every position known to the fight game, has always had a weakness in defending the takedown. Well, it just so happens that GSP has the highest takedown percentage of any fighter…ever. That should give fans a better understanding of the probability that Condit may fight the majority of this fight from his back…and the stats show that if St. Pierre is successful in taking Condit to the ground that this could be a very long, brutal night for “The Natural Born Killer”. This is not to say that Condit will not be able to stop St. Pierre’s takedown attacks. After all, Condit implemented an outstanding game plan that saw him outpoint, out speed, and outsmart Nick Diaz to claim the interim welterweight strap last February. His footwork in that fight proved to the world that Condit is surely the threat to GSP. His talent and veteran experience will test Georges, but I still have to believe that “RUSH” will be too dominant in every aspect of the fight. Condit may give GSP a run for his money, but when all is said and done St. Pierre will unify the two welterweight straps and walk away King of the UFC welterweights once again.

Tonight, the Champion will reclaim his spot atop the MMA world and leave the MMA community in awe at how great he can still look even after so much time.

-Jake Chastain

TUF 15 Finale Results

Cofer vs. Lawrence: Round One: The two get in to an early scramble, they come back to their feet, both men find range and land. Both men land, good footwork. Round one goes to Lawrence. Round Two: The two scrapped throughout, I score the second to Lawrence by cage control, pace, strikes and footwork, and he ended the round on top. Round Three: Lights out! Justin Lawrence lands a beautiful right head kick to the jaw! It was the third time he threw the kick in the fight; the first was blocked, the second connected slightly, then the third landed clean for the KO! Great fight! Big step for Justin Lawrence. Max Holloway vs. Schilling (featherweight) Round One: Schilling works hard for takedowns after Holloway boxes his face in. Round one goes to Holloway; 10/9 by pure, crisp striking. Round two: More dominant boxing and takedown defense by Holloway. Clean 10-8 round from excellent boxing/striking; body shots, jabs, straights, hooks. Round Three: Dominant boxing by Holloway, cuts open Schilling, 54% of significant strikes landed in the fight. Brilliant performance put in by Holloway in his UFC debut (18 years old/ youngest in organization history). Who should this kid get next? Charles Oliveira vs. Jonathan Brookins (featherweight) Round One: Oliveira lands a few strikes and starts to get comfortable. Brookins takes him down after a good scramble. Oliveira gets back to his feet, the two start to scrap (applause from the crowd), the horn sounds, the two smile. I score it Oliveira by a slight margin, 10-9. Round Two: the two exchange, clinch, Brookins goes for a guillotine but ends up on bottom, scrambles, gets choked against the cage by a beautiful guillotine put on by Oliveira. Oliveira wins by way of submission. Michael Chisea vs. Al Iaquinta (TUF Finals) Round One: Chisea finishes the fight in dynamic fashion after getting hit a few solid times by the bombs of Iaquinta in the opening minutes. He managed to create a scramble and clinch the back of Iaquinta against the cage, transition to sink in two hooks, gain a tight body triangle, then secure a deep rear-naked choke that put the lights of Iaquinta out. A great performance put in for Chisea to gain the TUF 15 title and a three-fight contract with the UFC. Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann (Main Event/ Welterweight) Round One: An explosive left hook drops Kampmann in the opening moment, Jake leaps into Martin’s guard and somehow Kampmann survives and early, vicious onslaught by Ellenberger. Kampmann keeps Ellenberger at bay with several guillotine attempts and uses it to eventually come back up to his feet, reverse position pressing Jake against the cage and turns the tide of the fight as the horn sounds for round one. I score it 10/9 Ellenberger for the big shot that rocked Kampmann and the majority of control from the top. Round Two: Both fighters come out swinging, brawling, banging, and Kampmann gets rocked again, this time coming out of the exchange extremely bloody from a busted nose. Still, he’s right in front of Ellenberger, taking the center of the cage! Suddenly, Kampmann clips Jake with a straight right and charges him. The two end up against the cage and Kampmann comes out with a nice Muay Thai clinch. With it he lands three precise knees with the third dropping Ellenberger to the canvas like a sack of potatoes. The fight is over! Kampmann wins by KO in by way of knees/strikes. After the fight it was announced that Kampmann is now in line to scarp with the surging Jonny Hendricks in a title contention eliminator. Huge, exciting news and a great cap to a solid TUF Finale card. -Jake Chastain

The Modern Relevance of "The Ultimate Fighter"

So, at this point it is no secret that MMA is the world’s fastest growing sport, popularity-wise as well as competition-wise. Everywhere you turn there is a new MMA gym opening up with prospective fighters moving through its ranks, a new television program that wants to host an MMA promotion, and fans continue to spill over the already-packed railings of the MMA community. This is a great thing for those of us that love the sport so much. New clothing lines and sponsors are spawned, new fan events and expos are becoming more abundant, and most importantly; the absolute best fighters in the world are finally making their way into the sport as full time professional athletes.

MMA is rapidly sweeping the globe with popularity and the cause is not by luck or accident. The UFC has become such an amazingly successful sporting promotion that it almost puts every other MMA promotion to shame. I’m even confident enough to say that it puts other sporting promotions to shame in some aspects as well. What the UFC has singlehandedly done for the sport is remarkable. The way it has steadily grown, taken baby steps when necessary and giant leaps when it was able to, the way it held itself so professionally as “THE NUMBER ONE” MMA promotion on earth, and the way it still continues to flourish and grow in so many different areas, is astounding. And if you ask any fan or UFC executive what originally helped launch this ongoing growth they will all tell you the same thing: although it was a combination of several things done right, the debut of the UFC’s reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, was what sparked the raging fire we now see blazing across the sporting globe.

This show, which for the first 14 seasons aired on the “man-channel” of SPIKE TV, gained enormous popularity after its first season aired back in 2005. The finale featured one of the most popular and important fights in UFC history as Forrest Griffin scrapped with Stephan Bonnar for three rounds of non-stop stand-up action. The two solidified their place in MMA history after that fight, which was broadcasted over record breaking viewership numbers across the country. That season set the stage for a revolution in the MMA industry. Since season one the UFC has aired 13 other seasons, some of which showcased multiple weigh classes and an abundance of future talents. The Ultimate Fighter reality show has produced three UFC champions and an overwhelming number of other talents that are still vying to hold the UFC strap one day, and it wouldn’t be crazy to think that the reality show could produce another champion in the near future.

The UFC is now at a huge turning point in its ongoing evolution. The promotion recently signed a huge 7 year deal with FOX TV and has already begun making the many transition that they feel will take the sport and the promotion to an entirely new level. For starters, FOX is now in control of the reality show we were just talking about. The first season under the new FOX contract (which is the 15th installment in the reality series) is now airing on FX and is broadcasting every fight live on Friday nights. The transitions and adjustments made to the show have been abundant and at times hard to swallow, but as time goes on the changes will become less noticeable and the many adjustments will start paying off.

My point is that as the UFC has steadily grown and overtaken the sporting industry in such a rapid manner that there have been many things that have changed and have been adjusted to better suit the growth and popularity expansion of the UFC. However, one thing has not faded away: The Ultimate Fighter reality show.
In a business mindset one must always be willing to cut losses and move on to new and expansive ideas, but in order to stay legitimate over a long period of time one must also realize that the working pieces of a machine must be kept fresh, oiled, and running smoothly. This is exactly what the UFC is doing in its latest installment of the reality show. Small tweaks have been made to the show over time, some things that fans sometimes don’t even catch…but the important thing is that the show is producing new viewers, expanding its popularity, and is fishing out the best talent that the MMA community has to offer.

Here is something to think about: last season (season 14) showcased bantamweights and featherweights. It was the first time the show had played host to either of the two weight classes. At the season’s end I found it easy to say that the show had produced at least four or five legitimate UFC caliber fighters from its cast. These are promising numbers considering both the featherweight and bantamweight classes are newly adopted in the UFC, meaning the talent is still not as deep as most of the other weight classes. My point is that although many fans felt that last season was not as interesting or exciting as some of the seasons past, the main goal of the show was still reached: new talents were found…and both winners of season 14 could very well be title contenders in the future.

So even as old-school fans start to feel as if each season is the same thing re-spun over and over again the reality is that the show is still extremely successful in what it is setting out to do, and that’s to find all the hidden gems that are scattered and buried within the MMA community.

Now the UFC finds itself hosting its first “LIVE” season in Las Vegas (The Ultimate Fighter: Live) while it is also hosting its first ever TUF season abroad (The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil), which is being coached by legendary Brazilian fighters, Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva. Not only is the show continuing to grow and transform in the U.S. but Dana White and the UFC brass have decided to take it a step further and take the show overseas. Brazil is the perfect stop for the first TUF season abroad because it has been widely considered by many to play home to many of the best MMA talents. This hosting a TUF season in the heart of Brazil seems like the perfect way to discover the best Brazilian talent. This is not only huge for the promotion and the sport but this will finally give the fans a chance to compare the fighting talent abroad to that produced here in the U.S. This is a giant step for MMA because there is often a debate about how many great fighters get passed over just because they never get the chance to showcase their skills on a big stage…well, it seems as if that problem is now solved.

Brazil is the first stop, with the show currently airing as we speak, and White has expressed interest in taking the show to several other countries including India, the UK, and many more. I never would have imagined that 15 seasons into the reality series that I would have the ability to say that “this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
I felt that this was a relevant topic to discuss because I’ve recently noticed that the viewership ratings for TUF have dropped slightly and many fans have voiced their displeasure with how the series has started to transform its image and how the show has become less interesting with each passing season. Now, I’m not one to say that The Ultimate Fighter is not obligated to hook fans and keep us intrigued, but I just feel that I need to point out that the show is not solely for the fans. The Ultimate Fighter has become one of the easiest ways for the UFC to find new MMA talents and contenders while also creating characters that the organization can market in the future. The MMA evolution continues to transform and as it does so does The Ultimate Fighter reality show. As long as the show is being produced we can rest easy that new, competitive fighters are indeed on the rise. Keep your eyes open, fight fans…you don’t want to look over the next big thing in the sport. After all, he may just come from the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.

-Jake Chastain

The Day in MMA with Jake Chastain

Welcome back, fight fans. Another day has passed and sure enough the MMA world did not skip a beat. Although today was a fairly slow day for fight announcements and shocking news there were still a few things that are worth mentioning.

First, and what I feel is the biggest news to hit the media stream today, was a UFC fight announcement in which we found out that Mike Pierce would be squaring off with Eduardo Rocha at UFC on FX 3. Both men are top welterweights in the UFC but are both coming off of close decision losses to fellow top ranked welterweights (Koscheck and Ellenberger, respectively). This is going to be a huge fight between two very talented, athletic welterweights. The event is rumored to be on tap for June 8th but no official announcement has been made yet.

We also heard a little bit from UFC middleweight, Mark Munoz, today. In a n interview Munoz expressed his surprise in the recent announcement that Michael Bisping would be fighting Tim Boetsch next. Munoz stated that he felt he and Bisping were on “a collision course,” but then went on to say it doesn’t matter and the Bisping is going to have his hands full with Mr. Boetsch. I think that a lot of people agreed with Munoz in thinking that the two would meet, but because Bisping is now set to face Boetch who does that leave for Mark Munoz to face next? We’ll see what the UFC decides to do.

Mirko Cro-Cop made top news today by explaining that after his recent K1 victory over Ray Sefo that he is in negotiation talks with K1 and several other MMA promotions, which means that the Croatian is not going to retire like many thought he would after leave the famed octagon. This is risky business, in my opinion. CroCop is obviously riding high after getting a much need victory but he is not getting any younger and the talent in every organization is only rising. We’ll keep a close eye on what Mirko decides to do with his future.

And in other news we heard that Rampage still wants out of his last fight with the UFC, in which he is set to take on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The verbal war between Jackson and the UFC continues to rise and I’m sure we’ll hear more about this subject tomorrow. We also saw another interview with UFC Lightweight Champion, Benson Henderson, get released today. In the interview Henderson once again explained that he wanted to break Anderson Silva’s record for most UFC title defenses and wants to beat everyone on the UFC 155lbs roster. It seems that the confidence of the new champ is unwavering and unshakable. But before he starts looking down the lightweight roster he’ll have to get past Edgar one more time.

Jon Jones released a blog today that touched on his sudden rise to MMA stardom, his growth over the past year as champion, and how Rashad Evans is sorely wrong for assuming that he has Jones’ number. The entire blog can be viewed at BJPenn.com

And to close out today’s top MMA news we heard that Alistair Overeem will be a guest making his debut at the 2012 MMA Weekender at SENI, Ross Pearson doesn’t want his coaching on this season of TUF to prevent him from getting a fight, and Revel, Atlantic City’s newest hotel and resort casino, will be playing host to the upcoming UFC on FX 4 event in July.

And that wraps up today’s top news in the MMA world. For more in depth coverage, interviews, and videos be sure to visit BJPenn.com or follow me on Twitter @jchastain45

Until next time, fight fans; stay classy

-Jake Chastain
@jchastain45