Videos - Page 7

(Props: Giovani Brugnago via DamnSevern)

This quick ‘n’ nasty video was taken two Saturdays ago at a regional Brazilian promotion called Hawk Fight Championship, and features a dude named Anderson “Adele” Ramos (seriously?) knocking out his opponent with the kind of high-altitude body-slam that you don’t usually see outside of a pro-wrestling match. Though the move looked eerily familiar, I wasn’t sure what to call it, so I asked our resident pro-wrestling historian Seth Falvo if he could lend some assistance. After doing a bit of YouTube research, he directed me to this video of a “Back Suplex Side Slam,” and further explained via e-mail:

“It turns out no one used it as a finisher/trademarked a name for it that I can tell. I checked Undertaker, Dr Death, Bam Bam, Backlund, Taz, Kane, DDP…fucking no one named it anything. Vince McMahon’s famous “Whattamaneuver!” is probably it’s unofficial name.”

So there you have it. The Back Suplex Side Slam. Cue shooting star/piano music.

(And just like that, the inspiration for Mean Street Hair Care & Boutique was born.) 

For a dead man walking, Chael Sonnen sure seems to be enjoying the hell out of his final days on death row. The UFC’s favorite hypeman appeared on ESPN’s flagship program, Sportscenter, just hours ago to plug his upcoming public execution at UFC 159 and appeared to be channeling the great Bobby Knight during his brief interview, leaving Sportscenter anchor (and all around fox) Sage Steele grasping at straws in attempt to steer things in any other direction but that of a complete farce. She tried, dammit.

The segment began in typical Sonnen-fashion – interrupting/patronizing the interviewer, throwing a couple WWE-esque threats at Jones, arms, charms, rinse, repeat — but quickly took a turn for what people in the television industry refer to as “What-the-fucks-ville” after Sonnen promised to put Bones “on his ass” on live television. Sure, it was a pretty mild offense given the current spectrum of television, but the remark incurred the subtle wrath of Steele nonetheless. But if there’s one thing Chael P. Sonnen doesn’t understand, it’s subtlety. And being that Chael is mere days away from being beaten into a coma at best, he figured he might as well check off one last item from his bucket list: feeling an African American woman’s hair. It was a weird moment for everyone involved.

Video after the jump. 

(Video courtesy of vk.com. Check it out before it gets taken down.) 

Heading into last Saturday’s card-opening fight with Clifford Starks at UFC on FOX 7, former Olympic wrestler Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero wasn’t exactly held in high regards by the few MMA fans who actually knew who he was. Despite starting his career with four straight (T)KO’s, Romero’s first and only “mainstream” appearance could not have possibly gone worse. Matched up against former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion (and enemy of the State of California) Rafael Cavalcante at Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov, the fight saw Romero fiercely evade yet simultaneously taunt his opponent until he was rightfully knocked the fudge out with 9 seconds left in the second round.

Needless to say, Romero was in need of a strong performance last Saturday if he was hoping to redeem himself amongst casual fans, or in most cases, make a solid first impression. Luckily for everyone but Clifford Starks, Romero did just that, landing a beautifully timed flying knee a minute and a half into the opening round that had Starks backpedaling for the nearest exit. A few follow up punches sealed the deal and a $50,000 KOTN bonus for Romero. Not a bad way to kick off your UFC career, but if you ask us, having the last name Romero without some sort of zombie pun for your nickname is downright criminal.

On the off chance you missed Romero and Starks’ Facebook fracas, we’ve managed to find a full video of the fight and have placed it above for your convenience. So check it out before it gets taken down.

-J. Jones

(Insert toothpick gag. Video via YouTube.com/UFC)

Who says romance is dead? In case you missed the end of the UFC on FOX 7 broadcast on Saturday, Benson Henderson celebrated his title defense against Gilbert Melendez by proposing to his girlfriend Maria. Now, whether you support public marriage proposals or not — I don’t, way too risky — Henderson definitely miscalculated the goodwill of the San Jose crowd, who booed the fight’s decision as soon as it was read, and booed even harder when Bendo dropped to one knee, furious at seeing the enemy walk away with a title belt and a fiance.

“I’m not perfect, I never have been,” Henderson told his lady. “But you make me happier every single day, more than any man has a right to be. I love you. Will you marry me?”

Maria accepted, and then hung out in the background for a minute while Henderson finished off the interview. By the way, this was the first time that Henderson didn’t start off a UFC post-fight interview by quoting Philippians 4:13. Let’s hope this doesn’t lead to any awkward moments at the next Zuffa Christmas party.

We’re just one day out from watching knockout artist Jordan Mein take on the resurgent Matt Brown in a bout that appears to have an end of the night bonus all but locked up. Even though Mein is stepping in to fight on short notice, his impressive knockout over Dan Miller during his UFC debut last month has helped make him a 3-1 favorite to win. While we personally think that Brown has a better shot at winning than the oddsmakers are giving him, we wouldn’t be surprised if Mein picked up his eighteenth first round stoppage tomorrow night, either.

What would surprise us is if “The Immortal” got starched as quickly as Hollis Huggins did when he fought Jordan Mein back in 2008. At the time, Huggins was a former minor league football running back who transitioned from being one of the more competent semi-pro footballers to being a horrifically incompetent semi-pro fighter. Huggins spent the first fifteen or so seconds leading with his head while holding his hands around his nipples in a manner that suggested he didn’t realize that Mein was allowed to throw the head kick that should have ended the fight. It took a few completely unnecessary follow-up punches for the referee to finally waive off the action just twenty seconds into the first round.

Video is after the jump

If you recall, the tryouts for The Ultimate Fighter 18: Rousey vs. Zingano transpired earlier this week, featuring such talent as Tara Larosa, Shayna Bazler and the incorrigible Kim Couture. Today, however, we actually get to take a first look at some of the lesser known ladies trying out for the groundbreaking season, as well as some of the veterans, courtesy of our friends over at MMAFighting. The most surprising appearance? Tonya Evinger, who I was positive had taken up a career in professional bull riding some years ago. Learnin’ something everyday.

With contestants spanning across all 50 states and even our neighbors to the North, the Grand Ballroom of the Palace Station Hotel was positively packed with young, excitable talent looking to prove themselves on the world’s biggest stage. Check out the video above, and let us know who you think we will be seeing come September 4th in the comments section.

-J. Jones

(All praises be to MiddleEasy for the find.) 

Alright, you guys, this is the last time we’re going to explain this.

We understand that six months of sprawl training can fill you with a previously unimaginable sense of self-confidence. Hell, throw in a couple BJJ lessons and a month or so of P90X and most of us would probably feel damn near invincible. It’s understandable to a degree, for we are a fragile-minded species that are easily influenced and oft corrupted by our own power, no matter how fleeting it may be.

But as fragile as our minds truly are, our bodies usually pale in comparison (*cough* Kevin Ware *cough*). And in the MMA game, taking one’s body for granted is a surefire way to wind up on the wrong end of a knockout — an embarrassing moment made all the more embarrassing when it comes just moments after you dare your opponent to test your otherworldly chin strength. Just ask our winner for the Biggest MMA Fail of 2012 or the Diaz wannabe who got front-kicked into never-neverland what showboating leads to. Hint: It’s pain. Only pain.

(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

It’s as simple as this — Saturday’s UFC on Fox 7: Henderson vs. Melendez card features top-ranked fighters and heavy stakes. As such, we love getting a lil’ something extra in anticipation of it. This UFC on Fox 7: Road to the Octagon documentary gives us just that, including behind-the-scenes footage with Benson Henderson (competing at a Jiu Jitsu tournament with his mom, working out with the NFL’s Larry Fitzgerald), Gilbert Melendez (at home and at work with his ex-fighter fiance and business partner, chilling with his tight-knit ‘Skrap Pack’), Frank Mir (crying, and on a flight to New Mexico to conduct the first training camp of his career away from his wife and twenty kids) and more pre-fight action from Josh Thomson, Nate Diaz, and Daniel Cormier.

It’s a good way to waste your lunch hour today — better, at least, than talking to that weird guy at the office who always just eats a can of soup for lunch, like, every day. (Seriously? Get some protein in there, you’re a grown ass man.) Anyway, watch it and tune in Saturday. It’s free, so you’ve got no excuse not to, fight fans.

-Elias Cepeda

(Props: fueltv via MMAConvert)

Going head-to-head against UFC promo king Chael Sonnen would be a tall order for anybody — but you’d think that Jon Jones would at least try to make it competitive. In case you missed it, here’s Jon and Chael’s interview segment from the TUF 17 Finale broadcast, in which Jones acts like a 15-year-old whose weed stash was just discovered by his stepdad. The first words out of Jones’s mouth are a slurred jumble of Ortizian proportions. He can’t stop swinging his arms. He won’t make direct eye contact. He refuses to address Sonnen — who continues his carnival-barking, undeterred — even though this segment was specifically arranged to generate interest in their UFC 159 fight in two weeks. As David Letterman might say, “Jon, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight.”

This clip unfortunately leaves off the very end, in which Jones sulks off stage left at his first opportunity, while Sonnen remains standing next to Jon Anik; Jones may still be the light-heavyweight ruler of the Octagon, but Sonnen has rightfully claimed his territory in front of the camera. We’ll give Jon the benefit of the doubt and say he was trying to come off as intensely focused, instead of bored, or pissed off, or half-drunk. Either way, it was a missed opportunity to spark some more fan-interest in a fight that is completely uninteresting from a competitive standpoint. That’s no way to get some fans, bro.

(The shark vs. the fishing net. Brilliant analogy, you guys.)

Reddit_MMA user alphahouse44 dug up this old clip of Alexander Shlemenko and Robert “Bubba” McDaniel‘s fight at ShoXC 9 back in October 2008, and it’s a must-see for fans of flying knees to the body and barely-competant regional referees. At the time, Shlemenko was already a well-traveled 28-5 veteran who was making his U.S. debut that night, and McDaniel was an 11-4 prospect coming off a quick win over Kale Hose four months prior.

Bubba takes control of the fight early, dragging Shlemenko to the mat and smashing him with body shots from the top. He’s tenacious in his efforts to stay body-to-body with the Russian striker, and secures back mount on multiple occasions in the second half of the first round. With about 20 seconds left, Shlemenko escapes to his feet, whiffs on a spinning backfist, but finds his mark with a jumping knee to McDaniel’s chest. Bubba crumples to the mat in agony, and the bell sounds for the end of the round.

Since Bubba can’t continue, it should clearly be ruled a TKO, right? Unfortunately, the ref is legally blind, and thought the knee landed to McDaniel’s groin. (Skip to the 7:04 mark for a replay of the strike in question.) Bubba’s own cornermen clear up what really happened, and the referee wanders around aimlessly for a moment before finally calling the fight off.

Shlemenko would go on to become the middleweight champion of Bellator, while McDaniel would go on to make tons of new fans on TUF 17. Ah, we kid with Bubba because we love him.