There is mounting evidence to suggest that the city of Vancouver – and indeed the entire province of British Columbia – views MMA and its fans as a roving band of savages who are going to storm the town with torches and two-by-fours, burning every building and raping every damsel before climbing on their snarling horses and moving on to pillage the next village. At least that’s the impression we get from a number of local news reports leading up to June’s UFC 131. First there were reports from the Vancouver Courier that the police chief in The Couv was asking the UFC to foot the bill for extra cops outside the Rogers Arena during the event. The UFC rightly said no to that request last week. Now older reports are beginning to surface that the local government squashed a planned MMA expo last year and even one (from our own M-Russ in his previous incarnation at The Fight Network) alleging that area nightclubs tried to ban Affliction clothing as far back as 2007.

So, what gives? Why so petrified, Vancouver? Did somebody forget to tell them Brock Lesnar’s probably not even going to show up now? We hate to break the news this way, but the UFC has actually been doing shows all over the world for kind of a lot of years now and all of them – as far as we know – are still standing and operational as, you know, cities. From where we’re sitting it seems way more dangerous to say, have your team win the NBA championship than host a UFC event. Oh, wait. Sorry. Forgot. Anyway, more on this story, the UFC’s reaction and the possible roots of Vancouver’s MMA phobia after the jump.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/CharlieSpaniard)

UFC  welterweight Charlie Brenneman decided to video blog from the Zuffa Fighter Summit the past couple of days to give us mortals a glimpse of what goes on behind closed doors at this yearly meeting of extraordinary gentlemen and gentlewomen.

In the clip above UFC president Dana White opines about his bitter nemeses — the much maligned “so called MMA media,” offers suggestions on how to make money after retirement and recommends that his employees embrace social media as a free tool to increase their star power.

(“Let’s see here: High kick, low kick, body kick, side check kick … yep, I think I’ve got them all scouted.” Pic: LasVegasSun)

Some three days later, I’m still not sure if it makes it better or worse that Randy Couture’s MMA career ended via insane, never-before-seen crane kick knockout. On one hand, it was certainly sad to see the legend’s body slump lifelessly to the canvas after the UFC’s resident Karate Kid blasted him in the face just a minute into the second round of their bout in Toronto. On the other hand, maybe the kick really just saved us nine more minutes of watching Couture take potshots to the face at the hands of notorious counterpuncher Lyoto Machida. It had taken just a few moments after all to realize this bout wasn’t going to go Couture’s way. All 47 of his hard-earned years were apparent as we watched “The Natural” hopelessly chase Machida around the Octagon like a dog trying to hunt down its own tail for the full extent of the first round. Granted, he didn’t look Chuck Liddell-bad or anything, but the performance was enough to confirm that it’s high time for Couture to walk away – and this time to stay gone.

It got us thinking. When you’re in the game for 14 years, compile a 19-11 career record, essentially shepherd a sport from its dark ages into the white hot light of mainstream acceptance – when you are arguably the most important athlete ever to compete in your chosen field – there are going to be a few ups and downs. In light of that and by way of career retrospective for a guy who absolutely deserves one, after the jump we give you our picks for the five greatest and five worst moments in the MMA career of Randy Couture, presented here in chronological order …

(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

For all of you who thought Chuck Liddell’s new role of vice president of business development with the UFC was a paper position with the promotion, think again.

It turns out “The Iceman” does a hell of a lot more in a day than Jager shots and beer bongs at afterparties with Clay Guida and Chris Leben.

(“That’s a great question, Fabricio. Actually, Chuck and I have found that through careful investment research it’s possible to locate dependable mutual funds that can average as much as 12 percent annual growth over the long term.”)

Look, we gotta believe there are a limited number of fake jobs that Zuffa, LLC can possibly make up for aging former fighters as the company’s way of saying, “Thanks for getting punched in the head for so many years so Dana could buy a new Ferrari.” Chuck already has one, Matt Hughes obviously wants one and now MMA grandpa Randy Couture is making noise about wanting one too. Not for nothing, but if we were Liddell we might be getting a little nervous right now. I mean, if you could choose to have Couture as your phony Vice President of Business Development instead of THIS GUY, you’d do it in a heartbeat, right? Office politics can be a bitch that way.

(The funny thing is, this photo was taken at Chuck’s church.)

If you haven’t been following the custody case between former UFC light heavyweight champ and current Executive Vice President of Business Development, Chuck Liddell and his ex, Lori Geyer, it basically amounts to a bunch of finger pointing and he-said, she-said.

Apparently Chuck’s 12-year-old son Cade called “The Iceman” last week to tell him that he wanted to come live with him in California. Sensing that Cade was being neglected and possibly abused, Liddell paid an impromptu visit to Colorado to take his son, back to San Luis Obispo. After telling Geyer that he wanted to hang out with Cade for a few days in Colorado, Chuck immediately flew back to Cali and had his lawyer petition the courts to award him full custody.

Geyer in turn called police to say Chuck had kidnapped their son and that he was an absent father who took little interest in Cade. She the proceeded to tell TMZ that Liddell is not a capable guardian for Cade since he is a drug user. Instead of using the obvious clip of Chuck tripping balls on the Texas morning talk show, Geyer instead pointed to the viral Reebok commercial Liddell appeared naked in in alongside fiancee Heidi Northcott as demonstrating “clouded judgment” as a result of his addiction.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

Damn, New Yorkers are crazy for the UFC — that and free shit. I can’t imagine begging Dana and the fighters for their clothes, tickets or autographs. Maybe it’s just me.

The Cliffs Notes of this episode are after the jump.

(Props: twitter.com/HeidiNorthcott)

Looks like somebody‘s already celebrating. Got any wild St. Paddy’s Day plans, Potato Nation? Who’s drunk already?

Winning — it feels good, man. Lots more fighters enjoying the moment, after the jump.

(In his next fight, Bader would like to face someone of great historical significance. Anybody got Kimo’s number? Pic: MMA Convert.)

Contrary to popular belief, the UFC middleweight division has not quite cornered the market on making strategically advantageous call-outs. While the world’s 185-pound fighters are lining up to let everybody know how much they’d all love to fight Michael Bisping – which is like so 2010 – their light heavyweight brethren are also making requests of UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. It seems that at least a couple of 205-pounders have been spending some time on the “Fighters” page over at UFC.com and thinking to themselves, “Let’s see here, who can I beat?”

Ryan Bader, for one, emerged this week from whatever dark room he’s been huddled in, rocking back and forth since UFC 126 to tell ESPN.com he’d very much like to fight Tito Ortiz. Cuz, why not? Sure, just a withered shell of his former self, Ortiz hasn’t won a fight since 2006, is barely clinging to his career and seemingly can’t make it to the cage without a serious back injury, cracked skull or giant laceration over his eye, but still … fighting him would mean A LOT to Bader. You know, on a personal level.

(Photos courtesy of DayLife via worldfightfan)

No, that’s not just some drunken Cheesehead with a green mohawk — it’s none other than UFC Hall of Famer/VP of Business Development Chuck Liddell, who rushed the field following Super Bowl XLV last night in order to fist-pose with victorious Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and whoop it up with a dumbfounded Clay Matthews. More pics of Chuck’s Super Bowl adventure can be found here. If you’re a fan of the Pack, feel free to gloat in the comments section.

Chicks dig fighters — even the ones who talk funny. But even with the natural advantages that come with muscles, scars, and fame, we’re still occasionally surprised by the lady-killing ability of some mixed martial artists. Of all the MMA PUA‘s, these six are the most accomplished…

DEAN LISTER

  
Notable conquests: WWE star Milena Roucka (aka ‘Rosa Mendes’), model Flavia Mazoni
Notes: ‘The Boogeyman’ is semi-retired from the sport these days, choosing instead to spend his time training hopeless cases. But in his prime, Dean Lister was just as notable for his ability to attract exotic beauties as he was for his in-cage exploits. Grappling ability plus a cartoonishly strong-looking jawline is a combination that women can’t resist, apparently.

MATT HAMILL

  
Notable conquests: Bikini model Wendy Foster, a super-hot former fiance named Brittany, an old girlfriend that was apparently down for whatever.
Notes: Snagging a Hooters Girl of the Year would be an accomplishment for any man. But to do it without the use of one of your five senses? Bro, that’s legendary. (Then again, deafness is probably an asset when you’re pretending to be interested in your girlfriend’s stories.) Matt Hamill’s ex-fiance, a bartender from upstate New York, was just as hot, and of course there were those rumors of Hamill’s partner-swappin’ lifestyle with a freaky old flame. Respect the Hammer.

(Props: Cyberplex)

"Ryan’s mentioning that he thinks that I’ll cut down on my flashiness? That’s what he’s afraid of. So that’s exactly what I’ll probably give him the most, is a lot of weird, unorthodox techniques that he’s never seen, even in wrestling."

So says light-heavyweight contender Jon Jones, who’s set to face off against Ryan Bader in a high-profile matchup at UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort on Super Bowl weekend. In his most recent fights against Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, and Matt Hamill, Jones simplified his gameplan so that he was pretty much just taking guys down with his Greco throws then smashing them with elbows and punches until the ref pulled him off. Bader will be expecting that, which may be why Jones is promising brand-new techniques. But what can he throw that he hasn’t shown us already? Is there such a thing as a spinning-flying-knee?  

After the jump: Chuck Liddell‘s guest-spot on Blue Mountain State (damn right it’s horrible!), Michael Schiavello repeats his catch-phrase over and over again, and MMA makes it onto Comedy Central’s brand-new Sportsdome series. Sort of.

(Video courtesy YouTube/MMAPromo)

When Chuck Liddell isn’t looped on Nyquil and ether, or teary-eyed from announcing his retirement, he’s actually pretty well spoken and has incomparable knowledge about the sport of MMA.

In this interview with HDNet’s Mike Straka, The Iceman talked about his recently announced retirement, reflected on his career and talked about about how he can’t stand when non-fighters and reporters criticize the men who put it on the line in the ring or cage.

Well, that explains why he refused to do an interview with us last summer…that or he’s read the site.

Hopefully Chuck’s fancy new position with the UFC doesn’t entail him "having a word with" bloggers who aren’t a friend of theirs.

Part two is after the jump.

(Quit playing it so safe, Frenchy. PicProps: SBNation)

Uh-oh! We ain’t saying no names, but it looks like at least one aging UFC superstar might be a little bit jealous about Chuck Liddell’s new “job” as the UFC’s Executive Vice President of Business Development. We’ll give you a hint … let’s see here … it’s a guy who … ah fuck it, it’s Matt Hughes. Yeah, we were conducting our bi-monthly spin by Hughes’ blog this week to make sure we filled our quota for smug, semi-coherent unchristian Christian blather when we stumbled upon this gem. Country Breakfast’s latest entry, headlined simply “Chuck’s Retirement,” is so textbook Hughes that it makes you wonder if the former welterweight champ is really even still writing these things himself or if it’s just some computerized algorithm that will continue to publish blogs in Hughes’ name long after the human race has faced the wrath of his vengeful God.

In this case, the algorithm is something like: Act like a dick, act like a dick, holiday snapshot of the kid, Bible verse, end. It’s interesting to note here that in this entry ostensibly about Chuck’s retirement, Hughes spends just a couple short paragraphs on Liddell before segueing straight into an out-of-the-blue indictment of Georges St. Pierre’s “boring” performance against Josh Koscheck at UFC 124. Shit. Now, that’s just sour grapes, plain and simple. First the Liddell stuff …

(Video courtesy Vimeo/MMANews.se)

Our Swedish friends from MMANews.se caught up with Chuck Liddell following the UFC’s announcement yesterday that "The Iceman" retired and effective immediately would be taking on the role of Executive Vice President of Business Development with Zuffa LLC and it seems that the former UFC light heavyweight champion is unsure about what his job will entail.

Chuck attempted to explain his role as diplomatically as he could from what little details he had been given about the job, but the iconic UFC fighter admitted he wasn’t quite sure what he would be doing from day to day.

"Well, we’re gonna get more into the details of it, but it’s business development, so I’m gonna be working with all the new projects and different things trying to help and promote the sport and the UFC. I’m gonna be doing that. I need something. I’m competitive and I need something to keep me driven. I need something to go after and do. I think this is probably the best way that I can keep continuing to grow the sport."

("Well boys, it’s been fun, but I have some partying to do. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it." Pic props: Adam Fogarty)

It looks like Chuck Liddell’s retirement didn’t last long.

At today’s press conference for UFC 125 today, UFC president Dana White announced that Liddell was officially done with fighting and that effective immediately, the mohawked former fighter will be taking on the role of executive vice president of business development for the Vegas-based promotion.

When a fan requested a hug from and a photo with Liddell at the presser, White obliged, quipping that the embrace would be Chuck’s first official duty in his new role. Somehow, I don’t think that "The Iceman" will be doing a hell of a lot more than handshakes and photo-ops, which wouldn’t be a bad thing for the organization as he has arguably become the most recognizable fighter in the world and the face of the Zuffa-owned incarnation of the UFC similar to how Colonel Sanders did with KFC and Ronald McDonald did with McDonald’s.

White gave few details about what the role will entail and Liddell made only a brief acceptance/retirement speech in which he thanked the fans for their support and White and UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta for ensuring that he has an active role in the company that he helped cross over to the mainstream.

(Ortiz and Liddell will settle their grudge once and for all on New Year’s Eve…OR WILL THEY?? / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle)

One of my weekly MMA must-reads is the "Sunday Morning Rumor Mill" column on MiddleEasy, which features a bunch of juicy stories that just might be true. In homage to our pals, we’d like to start a similar feature on CagePotato — except ours will work a little differently. Of the eight items you see below, seven have been pulled directly out of our asses. The other one is absolutely, positively, 100% true, and has been confirmed by inside sources. Which one is it? We’d rather not say, due to legal reasons. You’ll have to figure it out yourself…

– Vinicius Quieroz wasn’t the only fighter who was caught by the UFC’s independent drug-testing at UFC 120. There was a second guy who pissed hot for the same steroid, but the company decided to let him off with a private (but very stern) warning. Hint: Main card, but not main event.

– Arianny Celeste has been dating a former UFC fighter for the past year, but has kept the relationship hidden from the public, in order to protect the fantasy that she’s "available" to her fans. We can’t reveal her boyfriend’s name, but his initials are Tiki Ghosn.

(Puts your hands on your hips, suck in your gut, and squint like you’re Clint Eastwood. It’s not rocket science, Harry. / Photos courtesy of Zimbio. Thanks to rusty balls for the tip.)
   

UFC president Dana White and former light-heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell played the role of enforcers yesterday during an early voting rally for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at the University of Nevada. A supporter of the UFC and a Nevada senator since 1986, Reid is currently trying to score a fifth term amid opposition from Republican Sharon Angle, who recently complimented a Hispanic audience by telling them they looked Asian.

The unholy White/Liddell/Reid triumvirate reunited today at a rally headlined by Vice President Joe Biden. According to this Reno Gazette-Journal report, "The crowd broke into a roar after Reid, the former boxer, said ‘I can fight a little bit too.’"

(Hick-Jitsu is no match for Drunken French Muay Thai.)

Alex Caceres has gone full heel. For some reason, he decides to put bleach in Nam Phan‘s fabric softener. Michael Johnson borrows it to do a load of delicates, and freaks out when he learns the truth. "Why would you run the risk of fuckin’ up someone’s whole wardrobe like that?" he asks. Caceres explains that it was meant for Nam, which begs the question — what the hell did Nam Phan ever do to you, bro? "I got a love/hate personality," Caceres says later. "That’s why I don’t have many friends." 

As Team GSP rides to practice, Cody McKenzie spits dip-juice into an empty Red Bull can. It’s the most country thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

GSP brings in another special guest for his guys. Very special. Jean Charles Skarbowsky is a French kickboxing savant who sleeps three hours a night and gets drunk before every practice. Georges advises the guys that if you respect him, he’ll respect you; if you go hard to prove a point, he’ll kill you. "Please be careful, he had a long ride from Paris to get here," GSP says. Hmm, he doesn’t look like much. But there he is, tossing around the entire team and dropping everybody with liver shots. "You cannot have the same lifestyle as Jean Charles and be an MMA fighter. In Thailand they smoke and drink and fight every day." And let’s not even get into the transsexual thing…

(Jimmo’s a tough dude, but his mean-mug needs work.)

Imagine spending more than three years working for a company and putting in countless gallons of your blood sweat and tears in equity to be given the opportunity to compete for a promotion within the organization. Now imagine if the company’s president decided to bring in a talented, but underrated go-getter to interview for the role you worked frenetically and incessantly to earn in your 44 months under his employ.

Chances are you might not be too receptive of the proposition.

That’s exactly the situation Ryan Jimmo found himself in the past few weeks when negotiating his next fight with the Canada-based Maximum Fighting Championship.

(Hawk or no hawk? That’s the question.)

I was in high school during the height of the "grunge" music scene, and like many guys my age, I had long hair, was in a band and had earrings. That was 17 years ago and I’ve since cut my hair, quit the band and mysteriously while I was at jiu-jitsu class one evening, my earrings disappeared.

After a bit of questioning, the truth came out. "You’re not a kid any more," my younger wife explained to me as if I were ancient. "You’re almost 34. You don’t want to be "that guy."

By "that guy," she meant the guy we’d often elbowed each other in the ribs about while walking through the mall or while eating dinner. You know the type: mullet, dangly cross earring, leather cowboy boots and head to toe denim and leather. Dressed exactly like he did in high school…35 YEARS AGO.

Needless to say, the "missing" earrings have not been located.

When photos and video surfaced last week of former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell getting his iconic mohawk shaved off for charity, I couldn’t help but wonder if "The Iceman" will become "that guy" or will he say, "Enough is enough" and grow out his hair into a more age appropriate hairstyle for a 40, 50 or 60-year-old?

We feel just awful that we don’t do this every week, but you guys deserve some CagePotato t-shirts for all the hard work you’ve been putting in lately. The first honoree is Brooklyn-based artist Patrick Francisco, who e-mailed us some MMA-themed highlights from his body of work, including the above interpretation of Chuck Liddell painted onto a vinyl toy. We thought it was worth sharing, so thanks Patrick.

As for the rest of the winners, we’ll just pick a few of the recent comments about how boring Jake Shields is. (Ed. Note: CagePotato.com doesn’t necessarily agree that Jake Shields is a boring fighter, but we can appreciate a good one-liner.) Here we go…

(Video courtesy YouTube)

To say Jeremy Horn is "just a fighter" would be a major understatement.

The man is the epitome of what a fighter should be: A no-excuses guy who fights whomever, whenever.

We’ve all heard the stories about Horn driving from a fight in Illinois on to one in Indiana the next night, not for the money, but because he loved to fight and that’s where he had to go to do it.

(Todd S.)

(Adam F.)

Thanks to everybody who submitted entries for our first-ever Facebook photoshop contest! Y’all gave us some legit LOL’s, for real. And if we could give CagePotato t-shirts to all of you, we totally would, but instead we’re just going to choose our eleven favorites, which continue after the jump. If your work has been posted, hit up contest@cagepotato.com with your shirt size and address, and we’ll get you sorted. We hope your summers are going this well…

("Could you make it out to ‘the guy that ended my career’?")

According to Rich Franklin’s business manager, J.T. Stewart the former UFC middleweight champion will not require surgery for the broken ulna he sustained in his UFC 115 knockout win over Chuck Liddell last month.

Stewart told MMAJunkie that Franklin could be back in the Octagon as soon as December.

"He needed to make sure it healed correctly," Stewart said. "He was feeling good. A few days before (the doctor’s appointment), he was telling some people, ‘I don’t think I’m going to need surgery. It’s feeling pretty good.’"

This week’s caption contest brought in 241 entries — but only five of you will walk away with your very own copy of The Crazies, which is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray. So who made the cut? Our hand-selected winners are after the jump. Laugh, complain, do what you’re gonna do. Props to Anchor Bay Home Entertainment for making this happen…

(Dana may want to skip right to dessert.)

During a media scrum following today’s UFC 116 pre-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White made his feelings about his longtime friend Chuck Liddell continuing to compete in the Octagon crystal clear.

"He’ll never fight in the UFC again. Can Chuck Liddell still make money? Could I make money off of Chuck Liddell? Yes. I don’t want that money. I don’t want to make that kind of money," White asserted. "I’m not interested in that. He won’t do it again. He cannot do it again. It will not happen again."

("It’s like looking in the mirror…four years ago." Photo props Joe Ferraro via Facebook)

UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell got his first peek of himself ever-immortalized a champion in wax, as Madam Tussauds unveiled his statue at an induction ceremony today in Las Vegas.

The figure, which is purportedly valued at over $300,000 US was first unveiled at the UFC Fan Expo in May, but "The Iceman," who was unable to attend didn’t get a chance to see the sculpture until the ceremony today at The Venetian Resort, Hotel and Casino.

(Chuck demonstrating the moves that got him voted off Dancing With the Stars)

Chuck Liddell was in Toronto and Peterborough, Ontario over the weekend to help out his 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu instructor, Scott Epstein in a pair of training seminars taught by his TUF 11 assistant coach in the two Canadian cities.

Although he declined our request for an interview (not sure why), he did speak with Mike Davies from the Peterborough Examiner about the crossroads he is facing in his career after his knockout loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 115 — his third KO in as many fights.

"I haven’t talked about it at all. I still don’t plan to for a little bit. I have to talk to Dana and my guys and see what I’m going to do," Liddell said Sunday afternoon. "It’s a lot harder decision when I thought I looked great until I got caught. I was winning the fight and winning the fight pretty good, I thought."