SB Nation User Blog: Brandon Jones

Fan Poll: Do You Support Local Shows

Brandon Jones — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:49:16 -0000

Im really curious to see how many of the readers on this site attend local shows. I find it interesting that many bars in the area I live are standing room only for UFC pay per view events while many of the local live events go by with only a few hundred in the seats. So, are you a fan of the big events or do you support the local guys as well? If you dont go to live shows, please comment and explain what keeps you from attending.

Poll

Do you attend local live MMA shows in or near your hometown?

Yes

10 votes

No

5 votes

There are no local shows in my area

5 votes

20 votes | Poll has closed

Jeff Monson To Be Arrested

Brandon Jones — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:21:21 -0000

KOMO 4 news in Seattle reported this evening that Jeff Mosnon will be arrested when he returns to the state of Washington. Apparently Monson is currently being jailed in North Carolina on his assault charges. The piece ran with a picture of Monson tagging the state capital building with an anarchy symbol. Authorities are planning to arrest Monson for vandalism. It appeared to be the same picture that was recently ran in ESPN the Magazine.

Bobby Lashley To Fight For PFC Feb. 6th

Brandon Jones — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:41:43 -0000

MMAmania has the scoop.

The California-based mixed martial arts promotion, Palace Fighting Championships (PFC), today confirmed that recently acquired former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley (1-0) will do battle against CageSport veteran Mike Hayes (4-0) at a joint mixed martial arts and boxing card at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California on February 6.

Mike Hayes is a well known fighter for the White Buffalo Warrior fight team out of Redmond, WA. Hayes is a very intelligent fighter who can submit you just as easily as he can knock you out and will most likely test the chin of Lashley at some point in this fight.

T.U.F. Finale Preview

Brandon Jones — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:46:35 -0000

Time for some fight predictions for The Ultimate Fighter Finale.

Matt Riddle 0-0 vs. Dante Rivera 10-2

This one ain't gonna be pretty folks. Riddle is younger, stronger, faster, and in my opinion tougher. He was so raw on the show but showed amazing toughness and strength. He has been training the last few months in Arizona with C.B. Dolloway and you can bet he is going to be a best in the octagon. Rivera gets the edge for experience, but that's about it.

Prediction: Riddle by knockout, first round.

Spencer "The King" Fisher 21-3 vs. Jeremy "Lil Heathen" Stevens 15-2

Fisher has had a rough go of late posting a 3-3 record in his last 6 fights. He is a well rounded fighter out of the Miletich camp in Betandorf, Iowa and boasts notable wins over Thiago Alves and Matt Wiman. Stephens is a puncher who is currently riding a 3 fight win streak. When having trouble predicting a fight, I always go with the boxer. Plus, I just cant get behind a guy who chose a bird for his nickname.

Prediction: Stephens by TKO, second round.

Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez 21-2 vs Luigi Fioravanti 14-3

Sanchez appeared to be on the fast track to a title fight following his dominating performance in The Ultimate Fighter. Losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch have derailed those plans momentarily. Make no mistake though, this guy has the goods to be a champion. He has vicious ground and pound and is a world class wrestler. Fioravanti is a striker out of American Top Team. He also saw back to back losses knock him down in the rankings. This should be a great showing of MMA skills and is my pick for fight of the night.

Prediction: Sanchez by submission, second round.

Amir Sadollah 0-0 vs. C.B. Dolloway 6-0

This is a really tough fight to call. Experience and technique heavily favors C.B., but I cant get away from a few facts. A. Sadollah finished every one of his fights on the show, B. Sadollah doesn't appear to feel pain, C. I love rooting for the underdog. Regardless of how this ends up, I think both guys are going to have great careers in the UFC. Prediction: C.B. Dolloway by split decision.

Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove 10-5 vs. Evan "Grizzly Adams" Tanner 34-8 (OK the nickname was a joke but have you seen this guys beard this week?)

Grove is another T.U.F. champion who has hit a rough spot in the UFC with back to back loses to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera. To his advantage, he trains with some of the toughest guys in the sport at Team Punishment. Grove is a submission specialist who at 6'6" holds a major height advantage over his opponents. Tanner is also a submission artist and a former UFC champion. His experience is a huge advantage and Grove certainly has his work cut out for him. The T.U.F. Finale has always been about young fighters and I think this night will be no different.

Prediction: Grove by TKO, second round.

This is a very entertaining card with a lot of fights that could go either way. I think we will see Diego Sanchez and Kendall Grove with impressive victories as both begin their climb to the top of their divisions.

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Jesse Taylor - Fallen Angel

Brandon Jones — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:51:51 -0000

Watching Jesse Taylor throw away a 50/50 lottery ticket last night, I couldn't help but hear one of my favorite 80's hair band songs screaming in my ear.

Just like a lost soul caught up in the Hollywood scene
All the parties and the limousines
Such a good actress hiding all her pain
Trading her memories for fortune and fame

Win big--Mama's fallen angel
Lose big--livin' out her lies
Wants it all--Mama's fallen angel
Lose it all, rollin' the dice of her life

OK, so you have to sub out a few words but you get the picture. Seeing Taylor self destruct was a real shame. For those that didn't see it, J.T. (as he is known on the show) indulged in a few spirits the night the show was over. He got drunk, kicked out the window of a limo (see lyrics above) and made a jerk of himself in the hotel and casino. As everyone knows, cameras are everywhere in Vegas, and to top it off J.T. ran around screaming "Don't you know who I am? I'm a UFC fighter!" The security staff sent the tapes to Dana White and the handwriting was on the wall for poor Jesse. Dana White kicked him out of the finals, off the show, and out of the UFC. After hearing about the incident my knee jerk reaction was to be upset. The source for my frustration was simple, here was just another reason for the naysayers to drag my favorite sport through the mud. The more I started to think about it though, I felt sorry for the kid. In fact, J.T. himself predicted something would go down.

"I have a good feeling it’s going to hit me tonight," he said. "It’s definitely going to hit me tonight."

Jesse is a great young fighter with tremendous skills. He is a guy the common fans can relate to with his junk food diet and quirky antics. He seemed generally well liked in the house and many fighters commented that he was a great training partner. Quite simply, he made a mistake. I for one hope that Dana White can forgive him for his mistake and give him a shot in a few months. I think he deserves a second chance.

Where Does Chris Leben Fit In?

Brandon Jones — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:31:19 -0000

Where exactly does a fighter like Chris Leben fit in the UFC 185 pound division. In my book, near the top.

Granted Leben got destroyed by current champ Anderson Silva, but who doesnt? Trust me, I know what you are going to say next. What about the back to back losses to Jason MacDonald and (gulp) Kalib Starnes?

Lets analyze those two losses for a second. First off, I believe Kalib Starnes was treated unfairly. Yes he ran, but the dude had a broken foot. A lot of guys would have quit. His strategy was to continue the fight in hopes of catching his opponent in a submission. It didnt work for him. MacDonald on the other hand has made a great showing in the UFC, losing only to former champ Rich Franklin and the only UFC fighter to beat Silva, Yushin Okami.

A closer look tells us what is even more impressive about Leben. The guy stepped into the cage 5 times in 2006. With that kind of pace, a loss or two is almost expected.

In short, Chris Leben may be one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, regardless of whether he ever gets the chance to fight for the title again or not. Leben attacks the cage like few fighters do. Seldom does he ever take a step back. He never stops working, never stops throwing punches until the horn sounds. That is what fighting is all about. Rest assured, when I see Chris Leben on the card, I shell out the $45 to watch the fight and you should too. A fighter like him is much better suited for primetime TV than the likes of Kimbo Slice.

UFC 85 Post Fight Honors

Brandon Jones — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:05:37 -0000

The UFC has released the winners of the post fight bonuses for UFC 85.

Thiago Alves, Kevin Burns, Matt Wiman and Thiago Tavares received performance-based awards worth $50,000 each for their efforts Saturday at UFC 85: Bedlam in London.
As if upsetting future Hall of Famer Matt Hughes wasn't enough, Alves won the "Knockout of the Night" award for his flying knee that ended the night of the UFC's most dominant former welterweight champion.

The "Submission of the Night" went to UFC newcomer Kevin Burns, who stepped in as a little-known fighter out of the Midwest in place of the injured Ryo Chonan. Proving that mixed martial arts is more than just grappling, Burns, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt, tapped out Roan Carneiro, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, with a triangle choke.

Despite being on the undercard, Wiman and Tavares fought a technical ground battle before letting their hands fly for an incredible finish that saw Wiman leaving Tavares out cold courtesy of a right cross. The "Fight of the Night" was strong enough to air on the pay-per-view directly after the main event.

Not only did that knee end Hughes' night, it also ended the storied career of the most dominate welterweight fighter in the history of the UFC. Hughes will fight again, and in my opinion will deliver a beating to Matt Serra, but it wont be the Hughes we used to know.

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Elite XC and UFC

Brandon Jones — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:10:00 -0000

With the help of Mike Dolce and his recent blog posting on mmaweekly.com we learned that maybe the UFC isnt all that different from Elite XC in its production of its televised shows. Sure, we have seen some great fights, but there are also a few other things you can count on each and every season....

1. Drunken behavior
2. Destruction of property
3. Fisticuffs in the house

I'm not sure why Dolce was shocked. TUF has never been about finding the next great star of MMA. Obviously the UFC benefits when guys like Forrest, Rashad Evans, Joe Stephenson, and Michael Bisping emerge from the shows. But if the six previous seasons have taught us anything its that the show is there to get ratings and not necessarily to produce great fights. The funny thing is, and nobody ever mentions this, but why does the UFC get a pass for this type of thing when most writers, (even yours truly come to think of it), blasted Elite XC for their dancing girls and over the top entrances? What is the difference? Do they each not magnify an already negative stigmatism that hangs over this sport? Does one cast any more or any less of a negative outlook than the other?

For the most part, the UFC has done a better job this season of focusing on the fights and showing much less of the antics in the house. Yet because of this, many are calling it the most boring season yet.

Make up your minds fellas, which way do you want it?

Rothwell To Fight Arlovski At Affliction Banned

Brandon Jones — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:30:01 -0000

Ben Rothwell now has an opponent for the Affliction Banned event.

Rothwell's long rumored opponent was formally announced today as former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski, who phoned in to speak with Donald Trump during the Affliction press conference held at the Trump Tower in New York City.

This is an intriguing match up. Rothwell, a dominate fighter in the IFL can really put his name on the map with a win over a top ranked heavyweight. This PPV event should be very entertaining.

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Tito Ortiz Radio Interview

Brandon Jones — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:12:32 -0000

Tito Ortiz was a guest on the BJ Shea Morning Experience on 99.9 KISW Rock in Seattle. Unfortunately, the hosts of the show know nothing about MMA and did not ask a single question regarding his past with the UFC or his future plans. He talked about his new book, "This Is Gonna Hurt, The Life Of A Mixed Martial Arts Champion", his girlfriend Jenna Jameson, and his support of our U.S. Troops.

The full interview can be heard here.