The Word “Retirement” and its Diminishing Impact in the Fighting and Grappling World

I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this, but there are a bunch of fighters who claim they are retiring, and then…. well, don’t. I could have sworn Gordon Ryan mentioned retirement at one point, but he’s recently competed (and then of course we all heard about the argument and slap afterwards) and I just had to look up how many times Conor McGregor retired, because it was certainly more than once.

So what gives? You could argue that they have a change of heart, I guess. I’m not totally sold on that explanation though: I have to wonder if more grapplers and fighters are “retiring” simply because they want to be more picky about the kinds of matches they engage in. Rather than a true admission to hanging it up and calling it a day, it has become a point of leverage for these competitors- they are technically “retired”, so you need to pay them or offer some sort of extra incentive to get them back on the mat. Obviously that may not be the case for everyone, but it is an interesting thought.

And really, I can’t blame them: whether it’s grappling or MMA, it’s not just the match itself that is taxing, it’s everything else that goes with it: the diet, the extra training and sparring, the supplementary strength and conditioning that goes with it. And if the reward of winning a match is not matching the effort and risk that go into it, then I can totally see why these athletes look for some kind of opportunity to take more control of their careers.

Unfortunately, the other side to this though is that when they claim retirement and then get back to competing, it then weakens the impact of someone else claiming retirement and really meaning it. As I mentioned, Conor McGregor -according to the internet- has “retired” at least twice now. When it comes time for him to truly retire and not come back, which is inevitable, are we going to believe him? I guess time will only tell.

Just some thoughts I wanted to share- have a great weekend!

Diego Sanchez and his Only Fans Account

So, you may have heard that Diego Sanchez set up and is currently promoting his Only Fans account… If you are not sure what Only Fans is, it’s like an alternative to Patreon- content creators ask fans to sign up and pay a monthly fee for exclusive content. Only Fans however has made a name for itself however by being a site that is popular with online sex workers and content creators who specialize in that niche.

I quickly checked out what I could without signing up for it, and I’m honestly trying to decide if it was an honest interpretation of the platform (oh, this is for only fans, and only my fans will sign up- great!) or if this was a brilliant strategy to get people to check out the site and sign up for his channel…. While I would love to think it’s the latter-just some brilliant publicity move- I would not be surprised if it was just the former.

Anyway, at face value it does not appear Diego is selling anything too salacious on the site, he’s really just offering a space for his fans to subscribe and keep up with his training, interviews, and (I sincerely hope) his “Yes” cartwheels.

Have a great day everyone!

MMA Fighter Israel Adesanya Receives Purple Belt

I know, I’m a little late to the party in delivering the news, but Israel Adesanya just received his purple belt form Andre Galvao. Congratulations! Honestly I really haven’t watched him fight, I’ve just seen his super fun walk out routines. (you can find one of his routines here if for some reason you haven’t seen them) – I’m sure I’ll get around to watching one of his matches…. at some point….

Anyway, I’m sure however that it’s well earned- congrats to him!

UFC Fighter Matt Brown Attacked by Former BJJ Coach After UFC 198

Yikes.

After Matt Brown lost in UFC 198, apparently his old BJJ coach popped out of the woodwork and attacked him. According to the story on 411 Mania, the coach was Rodrigo Botti, who attended the event to corner Cyborg for her fight.

The UFC issued a statement saying they are investigating the matter. Geez…

Anyway, check out the article and have a great day everyone!

 

Interesting Article on Mackenzie Dern

Hey Everyone,

Sport 360 has an interesting article on Mackenzie Dern, her decision to start a career in MMA, among other things.

Check it out, let me know what you think- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

Article on McGregor and Bravo’s Sort of Offer to Teach Him Jiu Jitsu, With a Catch

So MMA Junkie posted an article about how Conor McGregor has trained a couple of times at Eddie Bravo’s gym. Bravo states he would be willing to train McGregor in jiu jitsu, but with a caveat.

What’s the catch? I read the article, and it sounds like Bravo wants McGregor essentially to drink the 10th Planet Koolaid:

“…But my style isn’t something you can come by for a couple of days and pick up some stuff. My style, you’ve got to make it a lifestyle to make it work. It takes a while.”

Check out the article, let me know what you think- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

Gabi Garcia MMA Fight Tonight (or Today? Right Now?)

Oh, it already happened. Garcia won, MMA Junkie reports:

“The anticipated MMA debut of 10-time jiu-jitsu world champion Gabi Garcia (1-0) played out like the spectacle many had expected when she stopped Seini Draughn (0-1) by first-round TKO after a sloppy, back-and-forth women’s heavyweight fight… After some wild striking exchanges, Garcia clipped Draughn with a backhand that caused a knockdown. Garcia got on top and pounded away with hammerfists until referee John McCarthy called an end to the contest.”

Feel free to check out the rest of the rest of the article, which includes the rest of the summary of Garcia’s fight, as well as the results for Kron Gracie and Feder Emelianenko’s fights.

Have a great day everyone, and see you in the New Year!

 

Rousey Lost to Holm in UFC 193

Well, that happened. While I can’t say that I’m surprised that Rousey lost (it was bound to happen- no one is unbeatable indefinitely) I was actually surprised that it was to Holm. The last time I saw her fight, she did fairly well in the ring, but while she hit her opponent, her striking lacked power which I honestly thought was going to be her problem with this match. It’s great that she was able to correct this weakness in her game.

Anyway, let me know what you all thought of the match, and have a great day everyone!

Gabi Garcia MMA Debut: She’s Fighting a Pro Wrestler on New Year’s Eve

Well, at least they’re the same height.

This past Friday apparently the two met in St. Louis, MO (I’m still not sure why Missouri,but hey, whatever) and the announcement was made that the two will fight in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve.

Garcia’s opponent- Lei’D (pronounced Lady?) Tapa, is a jiu jitsu blue belt, in addition to her pro wrestling background. Both apparently had words to say about the event, Garcia stating, “I’m ready. I was born to be challenged.”

Tapa also had her own statement, claiming how she is the “Queen of Rings” and “destined for greatness”.

So, I guess we’ll see how this plays out on New Year’s Eve: who do you think will win? Garcia or Tapa? Let me know- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

Women’s Jiu Jitsu and MMA News, and Vice -Versa

Well, this is interesting- apparently I missed that Rhonda Rousey announced that she wants to be the best at jiu jitsu. That’s cool, I guess. I think she has the potential to do well in jiu jitsu, but it sounds like she feels it’s going to be a breeze, where I feel it’s going to be more difficult than she may realize. But then again, she may enjoy the challenge: it gives her something to aspire to while she currently holds her title in UFC.

And then on the other side of the fence, jiu jitsu black belt Mackenzie Dern apparently just announced her intentions to move to MMA, which sounds pretty cool. I don’t really have anything to say on the subject, so we’ll just have see how that plays out.