In typical Chael Sonnen fashion, the outspoken whateverweight recently issued a challenge to Wanderlei Silva with a 24-hour expiration date. Apparently Sonnen’s ability to lose fights yet subsequently talk himself into main events has confused him to the point that he believes he is a UFC matchmaker. Sure, Silva is coming off of an impressive knockout win and yes, Sonnen has lost two in a row. But when has being on a career downturn ever stopped the “American Gangster” from getting fights with more famous fighters who are actually winning before?

“I gave him the timeline…if he doesn’t answer, I’m done and I’ll move on,” Sonnen said from his Fuel TV analyst’s seat this week.

Wanderlei finally responded to Sonnen’s challenge yesterday, and thankfully not on Twitter. Silva told Ariel Helwani that he’s never been offered the Sonnen fight by, you know, the people who offer fights in the UFC. Sonnen also apparently didn’t realize that the communication medium of choice for twelve year old girls would mean little to Wanderlei.

When Fuel TV called up Silva for comment on Sonnen’s challenge, Wanderlei took things from the world of Twitter to a much weirder and more frightening place. First off, Helwani said that Silva “laughed uncontrollably” — which, if you’ve ever heard him laugh, is scary enough – before adding that, “Jon Jones and Anderson Silva have been too nice to Chael. I want to suck his blood. I want to smell it. Not just fight. Not just fight. I want to hurt him…”

(Photo via esporte.uol.com.br)

After burying most of the UFC middleweight division in his last Yahoo! Sports column — including that poor, poor Chris Weidman, who has done nothing to deserve such rough treatment — angry MMA blogger Michael Bisping returned last night with his latest missive, which attacks pretty much every aspect of Vitor Belfort‘s character, from the Brazilian’s physical appearance, to his controversial history of rabbit-punching, to his Rex Ryan-esque affection for his wife’s feet. (Meanwhile, Belfort claims that talking trash is dangerous because it can infect the person doing the talking as much as it can hurt the target. Pffft, whatever!)

Here are some choice highlights from the Count’s latest blog, in order of brutality…

On embarrassing fetishes:
“A fan tweeted me a link to Vitor in some Brazilian reality TV show, a clip where he’s in a bath kissing someone’s feet. [Ed. note: In case you've somehow never seen this clip before, those feet belonged to Vitor's wife, Joana Prado.] It was pretty fruity stuff but, if he enjoyed sucking toes, he’s going to have the time of his life on January 19 because I’m going to kick him in the face all night long.” [Ed. note: You son of a bitch.]

On TRT and illegal punches:
“I’m thinking of asking Randy Couture if I can use him old nickname ‘the Natural’ just to make it clear I’m not one of these guys who is on TRT or any of that junk. Whenever someone asks me if I am on it, I give them a straight answer and if they ask me what I think of TRT I always say: ‘I think it is legalized cheating’…I don’t think it has a place in our sport and wish my opinion — and I think the majority of fans’ opinion — was shared by certain other fighters and the people who regulate our sport.

I was disappointed Vitor Belfort started talking in tongues when asked about TRT recently. He had a little more to say on Monday when he was asked directly about my concerns that all his recent UFC fights were won by illegal punches to the back of the head. In between lengthy references to the New Testament, Belfort basically said he doesn’t care if he hits opponents behind the head…

(From left to right: Ronda Rousey, Blaze Ya Dead Homie. / Ronda image via CombatLifestyle)

With her Strikeforce title defense against Sarah Kaufman coming up this weekend, Ronda Rousey’s latest bit of fight-hype was so violently over-the-top that it made Frank Mir look downright sportsmanlike in comparison. Here’s what Rowdy told reporters during yesterday’s Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman press conference:

“Sarah Kaufman should be thanking her lucky stars that MMA is properly regulated in California. I respect her so much that I’m not taking any chances: If i get her in an armbar I’m going to try and rip it off and throw it at her corner, if I get her in a choke I’m going to hold it until she’s actually dead. And if I get a knockout I’m going to actually try and pound her face into the ground. She’s relying on the competence of the California athletic commission to walk out of that cage alive. That has nothing to do with whether I like her or respect her, she seems like a nice chick, but I go into every fight like my little sister’s life is depending on it. And in that kind of situation, no one can ever beat me.”

Wow. If this fighting thing doesn’t work out, Ronda might have a future as an artist signed to Psychopathic Records. Luckily, Kaufman was relatively cool and insightful about the whole thing, saying:

(“Well, this little red-and-white number is my killing shirt, and if you see it, that usually means this is your last day on earth.”)

The UFC held a conference call today hyping UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen 2 (you can listen to the full audio here), and somebody replaced the normally composed and respectful Anderson Silva with a murderous, rage-fueled psychopath. Fed up with all of Chael Sonnen‘s bullshit over the last couple years, Silva unleashed a torrent of chilling threats during the call that went beyond the usual boundaries of trash-talk, and were totally out-of-character for the smooth Burger King pitchman. Here are the highlights:

“First of all, Chael is a criminal. He’s been convicted of crimes. He doesn’t deserve to be inside the Octagon. And when the time is right, I’m going to break his face and break every one of his teeth in his mouth.”

“The playtime is over. I’m gonna beat Chael like he’s never been beat before. There’s no more talking. I know he’s on the line listening, and the game’s over. I’m going to beat his ass out of the UFC. He’s never gonna want to fight again after I’m done with him.”

“It doesn’t matter if I’m on the bottom, the side, the top, it doesn’t matter. Chael Sonnen’s gonna get his ass kicked like he’s never gotten his ass kicked before. What I’m gonna do inside the Octagon is something that’s gonna change the image of the sport. I’m gonna beat his ass like he’s never been beaten before. I’m gonna make sure that every one of his teeth are broken, his arms are broke, his legs are broke. He’s not going to be able to walk out of the Octagon by himself. I can guarantee that. And I know that he’s listening. The game’s over. No more shit-talking. It’s on now.”

Video: CSS-Sports.com (Part II after the jump)

Their battle has been a long time coming, and with a date finally set the war of words between Rashad Evans and Jon Jones is starting to heat up. Fresh off the heels of their UFC 145 presser, the two sat down with the crew of SportsNite to verbally squab once more.

Jones dutifully stuck to the script, referring to this bout as just another chapter in “his storyline” and flattering himself whenever possible. Rashad seemed content to lay back and paint ‘Bones’ as a fraud and a hypocrite. No one got KTFO, but both men scored with the jab—here’s a quick look at some of the exchanges.

(Skip to the 4 minute mark for the true trash talking, and give your prayers to the poor man that is apparently being sodomized off camera.) 

It seems a day rarely goes by in the MMA blogosphere that doesn’t yield another hilarious, if somewhat polarizing quote from Ronda Rousey. She’s made dick jokes about her colleagues, she’s threatened to kill an entire audience with her bare hands, and now it seems she’s honed in on none other than that B-boying sonofabitch, Georges St. Pierre. About half way through the above interview, Rousey asks the reporter who his favorite fighter is, after declaring that hers is “The Last Emperor” himself, Fedor Emelianenko. When he states that his is GSP, Ronda reacts with a classic “Oh no you di-int” face before letting her feelings about the current welterweight champ be known:

I think [fighting] is about finishing your opponent. It’s about entertainment. It’s not the Olympics; it’s not about coming home and bringing a metal and just getting the win. It’s about pulling more fans in and be entertaining, and I think that fighters that just try to win by points and come away with a win are actually bad for the sport.

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(Video via IronForgesIron)

During a guest spot on Inside MMA last night, Michael Bisping took his anti-Sonnen trash-talk to new, anatomical levels:

“Let’s start with the obvious. One, he’s not the middleweight champion. He’s been beaten many, many times. He’s been submitted more times than I care to mention…the last time he lost a fight by submission, there was some issue involving performance enhancing drugs. Now, I don’t know what the deal is, you know, apparently he has one testicle. One testicle. This is why he uses performance enhancing drugs. I’m sorry…that’s not enough balls to fight me next week!”

Okay, can we set the record straight? Chael Sonnen has two testicles, just like anybody else. It’s just that Sonnen’s testicles never developed properly, which is why he has to undergo hormone replacement therapy and wear special underwear. The question is: How much impact will Sonnen’s genitals have on his UFC on FOX 2 meeting with Bisping this Saturday?

(Video via MMA Mania)

Brock Lesnar: “He’s in over his head. He doesn’t really understand the beast that he’s gonna enter the Octagon with…I’m gonna defeat Alistair Overeem. That’s the bottom line, and there’s nothing else to say…At the end of the day, he’s gonna get his ass beat…it’s gonna come down to will, and who wants this fight more, and Brock Lesnar wants this fight more than Alistair Overeem.”

Alistair Overeem: “I’m gonna tear this guy apart, piece by piece…I’m gonna beat up Brock Lesnar, and it’s gonna take me no more than two rounds to do that…Brock definitely doesn’t like to get hit. I’m gonna hit him, and I’m gonna hit him as hard as I can. And I’m pretty good at it…I would put my money on a knockout in the first round, but personally I can guarantee a knockout in the second…If you guys think Cain Velasquez hits hard, wait ’til you see what I’m gonna do to him.”

The UFC 141 video trailer also previews the lightweight feature between Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone. It seems there’s already a bit of tension between the two (starting at the 6:53 mark)…

(Video courtesy of YouTube/FightersOnlyMagazine)

Heads up: last week’s Fighters Only World MMA Awards will air tomorrow night at 8pm (ET) on FSN. Judging by their selection of Chael Sonnen as this year’s host, the show’s producers are hoping to add a little heat to their event much like the Golden Globes did courtesy of host Ricky Gervais.

If you needed further evidence that somebody’s going to get all butthurt tomorrow, the above video featuring UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and light-heavyweight contender Phil Davis doesn’t pull any punches. As they climb through a storage unit, the duo take shots at Arianny Celeste, Jon Jones, Cecil Peoples, Wanderlei Silva, and more. It’s definitely worth a couple of minutes of your time.

Yesterday’s skit probably reminded you that a good chin doesn’t always equate to strong acting chops. Then again, there’s only so much you can do with the script you’re handed. Speaking of which, the comedic stylings of Frank Mir await you after the jump.

(Props: KnuckleGame via Fightlinker)

Ultimate Fighter 14 coaches Michael Bisping and Jason Miller took shots at each other for over 30 minutes at a media call held yesterday to pump up the show. Here’s how the conversation ended (skip to the 35:28 mark to hear it):

Miller: [Bisping's] coaching staff are a lot of guys that I trained with back in the day and [I] moved on because they weren’t up to par for what I needed. So that just goes to show you Mike’s level of coaching staff.

Bisping: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’d just like to elaborate that Jason brought a chiropractor as one of his staff. He refers to himself as a doctor, but we all know a chiropractor isn’t a doctor, and certainly isn’t an MMA coach. But good for crackin’ your back.

(We know, Nick. It’s crazy what you have to put up with. Photo via MarkJRebilas.)

Last night, MMAJunkie posted a lengthy sit-down with press-conference dodging UFC welterweight Nick Diaz, in which Nick shared his thoughts on getting bumped from his UFC 137 title fight against Georges St. Pierre, and subsequently re-booked against BJ Penn. Obviously, he’s pissed and none of it is his fault. To summarize: If Nick had known that the fight was dependent on him showing up to press conferences, he would have attended them, and he didn’t even know what he was being asked to attend in the first place, and he’d already requested that all of his PR obligations take place in California, so what the hell, right?

In Nick’s ever-warped perception, the real bad guy in the situation is Georges St. Pierre, who didn’t protest when the UFC canceled the fight. And now, friends and neighbors, it’s personal:

“I really don’t appreciate this mother [expletive] sitting there at that press conference and laughing at me,” Diaz said. “That’s some real bitch [expletive]. He’s sitting there laughing like it’s funny or something. If I saw Georges on the street and called him a bitch, I bet you he wouldn’t do [expletive]. I bet you if I walked up and gave him a slap, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t do [expletive]. But you can’t do that to me. That’s not how it works for me. That’s something to fight about.

(“‘aters gonna ‘ate.” Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.)

George St. Pierre‘s genius as an MMA fighter is his ability to put his opponents exactly where they don’t want to be. Against strikers (see: Alves, Hardy), that usually means St. Pierre taking top position on the mat and not giving them an inch of space. Against wrestlers (see: Koscheck, Shields), it usually means keeping the fight standing and jabbing them into a living death.

But in both cases, it hasn’t translated into dramatic finishes recently. Aside from his corner-stoppage win over BJ Penn at UFC 94, the last time that GSP has legitimately TKO’d or submitted an opponent was during his rematch with Matt Serra, over three years ago. Now two months away from his UFC 137 title defense against Nick Diaz, St. Pierre has picked up a reputation among some fans and observers as a “safe” fighter. One of his recent critics is Diaz’s trainer/manager Cesar Gracie, who shared some less-than-kind words to Full Contact Fighter:

With only one week to go until the last-resort rematch between Tito Ortiz and Rashad Evans, the hype is in full swing. Rashad made an appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night and came off very well. During his interview he performed impressions of his mother and Randy Couture and even sang a litte impromptu karaoke.

If you were hoping for some heated trash talk about his opponent, the above video won’t suit your needs. But don’t get it twisted: Rashad may be all smiles with Jimmy Fallon but he’s still willing to “go there”. Join us after the jump to get your fix as the two fighters trash talk it up for our viewing pleasure.

(Screen-cap via ProMMANow)

From a ShootMedia video profile on Miesha Tate (starting at the 4:44 mark):

“I’m gonna try to kill her. [laughs] I really am. I’m gonna try to get to the point where the referee is fearful of her life and stops the fight. That’s my goal.”

Miesha Tate leaves no room for ambiguity when discussing her title fight against 135-pound champ Marloes Coenen at Fedor vs. Henderson this Saturday. It’s a good thing that Dana White has zero interest in Strikeforce or its fighters, or else Tate might be getting chewed out right now, Frank Mir-style.

VidProps: Ariel, Esther, E Casey, and MMAFighting

As Chael Sonnen’s utterly superfluous PR agent/hype man (because really, he can do that himself), i had to share this. Ariel Helwani sat Sonnen down last week to talk to him about his suspension and Hormone Replacement, and he wound up with 20 minutes of comedy. If you don’t understand why some people love Sonnen after watching this, i do not know what to tell you.

The interview starts off with a few fairly serious minutes of PED discussion, but as soon as UFC 132 and Wanderlei Silva come up, Sonnen’s voice gets louder and the gold starts pouring out of him. (Maybe the Jack and Coke kicked in.) After that, just hold on and enjoy the ride.

One note to Sonnen though: Batman would absolutely beat Superman. He’s got a Kryptonite ring that Superman gave him just in case Supes went off the deep end and started nuking cats with his heat vision and soccer kicking babies into the Sun. This is elementary stuff, player; it’s the titular example of a popular trope in fiction. How does he not know that?

[RX]

Only days removed from his suspension, MMA’s best trash talker is eager to get his mug back in the spotlight. When asked his thoughts on tonight’s battle between fellow middleweights Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva, Chael wasted little time in slinging some mud and continuing his verbal tirade on Wanderlei.

Neither Chael’s desire to face the “Axe Murderer” in his return bout nor his delusion that he is the Middleweight Champion have waned. The short video is peppered with gems which prove that Sonnen isn’t suffering from the dreaded mic-rust.

(He could be anyone. Your next-door neighboor. Your son’s wrestling coach. But behind that friendly smile lies the heart of a madman.)

As reported by MMAFighting, UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen has successfully completed his six-month suspension from the California State Athletic Commission. Sonnen was originally facing a one-year penalty for abnormally high testosterone levels following his UFC 117 loss to Anderson Silva, but got his suspension reduced to six months when he showed up to the appeals hearing with a tragic tale of hypogonadism and miscommunication. Sonnen has also paid the $2,500 fine that went along with the suspension.

But he’s not completely in the clear yet. CSAC executive officer George Dodd told MMAFighting.com that Sonnen will have to make an appearance before the commission at some point in order to regain his license. And as we learned from Josh Barnett — who showed up to his last hearing without a lawyer and left dumbfounded and license-less when the board demanded that he show “rehabilitation” for his last positive steroid test — that step is not just a mere formality. Plus, Sonnen currently has his contract frozen by the UFC due to his money-laundering charges, so it’s not clear when he’ll actually return. (For the record, Sonnen’s sentencing is scheduled for 11:30 am PT on March 28th, and he’s likely to receive two years’ probation on the recommendation of the U.S. government.)

And in Sonnen’s latest bit of Bisping-bashing…

(Ryan Jimmo‘s epic victory-robot from Friday night. Props: Card)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

- Tongue Wrestling: The 25 Greatest Trash-Talking Affairs in MMA History (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- Kampmann Looks to Correct Mistakes of the Past at UFC Live (Versus MMA Beat)

- Compustrike: UFC 127 by the Numbers (LowKick)

- Chris Lytle to Consider Retirement After Secret Surgery, UFC 127 Loss (MMA Fighting)

- Now You Can Train MMA — Inside Your Local Wal-Mart (MiddleEasy)

- Michael Bisping’s Camp Points Finger At Jorge Rivera’s Boxing Coach For UFC 127 Incidents (MMA Convert)

- Gracie Breakdown: BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch (MMA-Scraps)

- Strikeforce Title Contender Liz Carmouche: “Jitters Aren’t Something That You Can Have When You’re Out in Iraq With Your Weapon.” (Five Ounces of Pain)

- Dana White: “Fedor Emelianenko Looks Old and It’s Over” (5thRound)

- FIGHT! RANKINGS: Penn Proves Ranking Correct, Siver & Bisping Enter Top 10 (FightMagazine)

(The fun starts at 5:28)

Just in case you missed it, there’s a little bit of heat between Jorge Rivera and Michael Bisping as they head into tonight’s bout. Check out the video above for a Dana-eye view of the face off at yesterday’s weigh ins.

(If this fence wasn’t here, Nick Diaz would be in *trouble.* Pic Props: ProMMANow)

It started out funny, quickly got silly and the latest news out of the Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Nick Diaz tiff just makes us feel tired and sad and a little bit annoyed. The weirdly unclickable GracieFighter.com – which according to its own time sigs has been updating its news section about once a month since Jake Shields beat Martin Kampmann back in October – posted an update on Sunday so spinny that it reads like an out-of-work Republican political strategist wrote it after a couple cocktails. Essentially the website is taking it upon itself to call off any potential fight between Diaz and Miller, which – as far we knew – wasn’t happening anyway. It’s probably best if we just let you read it in its entirety but don’t worry, the Gracie camp wrote it, so it’s pretty short.

(Props: FearNo12012)

…okay, he doesn’t really call 911. He pretends to, as part of an improvisational comedy routine titled "Randy Couture, I’mma Beatcho Ass." It’s kind of amazing, actually, and a lot more focused than Toney’s previous insane YouTube callout efforts. See, when Frank Mir threatens to kill somebody in the Octagon, he loses his WEC color-man gig and is forced to apologize to Brock Lesnar. When James "Lights Out" Toney does it? Pure magic.

Of course, there are a few other things that stand out in the video. First off, Toney is training at the M-1 Global gym in Chatsworth, California — which puts the Dark Emperor just one degree of separation away from the Last Emperor — and yeah, that’s Juanito Ibarra creeping around back there. Toney also mentions that he has a boxing match scheduled against WBA heavyweight champ David Haye on October 1st, just five weeks after the Couture fight at UFC 118. Talk about optimistic. And yes, Toney plans on murdering Haye as well. And getting away with it. And getting paid for it. A lotta money. Mucho dinero. Mucho mugambo. Mmm.

After the jump: Even more of James Toney shouting at a hand-held camera.

(Props: SNETCF)

It’s one thing to deny responsibility for your own Twitter page when your creative insults start to draw attention on mainstream news outlets — particularly when you’re trying to lead a double-life as a shit-stirring heel and a respectable business owner and candidate for the Oregon State Legislature. Sure, it’s a lie that’s easily disproven, but at least we understand the motivation. What we can’t understand is the way Chael Sonnen constantly lies about everything. His record, his opponents, general details about things that happen to him in his daily life, you name it. Obvious, shameless lies. My God, they just keep coming.

So far, I’ve been a fan of Sonnen’s verbal abuse of Anderson Silva, because Silva kind of deserves it, and nobody else has had the stones to disrespect the Spider the way Sonnen has. But watching the above MMA Connected clip this morning, I couldn’t help but feel that Sonnen’s schtick has officially jumped the shark — and that he might not even be in control of himself anymore. Let’s run down this interview appearance, point-by-point…

(Joe Stevenson and George Sotiropoulos break down their main-card matchup. Props: YouTube.com/UFC.)

— During a UFC 110 press conference held yesterday in Sydney, UFC president Dana White announced that the winner of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez could potentially get the next shot at Brock Lesnar‘s heavyweight belt. "Mir and Carwin are going to fight for the interim title because that fight was already made before Brock said he was coming back," White explained, "[but] the winner of this fight [between Nogueira and Velasquez] puts them right in the mix because something could happen to either Shane or Mir in that fight where they couldn’t fight Brock, so the winner of this fight would fight Brock."

— After the UFC’s first trip to Australia sold out the first day, White stated that Australia could be an annual stop for the UFC. Also, a season of TUF hosted Down Under is "absolutely possible."

— Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping‘s professional rivalry is getting personal. At yesterday’s press conference, Silva said "We’re going to have a great show, and I’m going to kick your ass." Bisping took it in stride, but later needled Silva about his recent losses. Silva told Bisping to shut up, and said "100 percent of the guys that talk to him, (talk to me and say) kick him…Everybody don’t like him." To which Bisping responded, "That’s nice. Fortunately, I couldn’t give a [expletive]." In an earlier interview, Silva said that seeing Quinton Jackson in Bisping’s corner will only make him more motivated to beat The Count: "Maybe I’ll beat the one and then after, the other. Two for the price of one."

(Images courtesy of The UG.)

Who knows what will happen when Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley mix it up at UFC 113 (May 8th, Montreal), but Semtex has scored a first-round KO in the battle of insulting pre-fight Photoshops. Peeved at Koscheck’s recent Twitter outbursts, Daley stopped by The UG earlier today to post this call to arms:

The UG’ers quickly got to work whipping up a batch of photoshop destruction, the highlights of which you can see above and after the jump. (See, we told you that forum was the shit.) Enjoy, and if you have your own Joshoshops to add, please post links in the comments section or e-mail ‘em to us…

Personally, I blame Chael "Epic Troll" Sonnen, who recently proved that even if you have a somewhat dull fighting style, MMA fans will start caring about you as soon as you accuse Anderson Silva of being an overrated punk who’s fluent in both English and Spanish. Sonnen’s recent success in playing the heel is only encouraging trash-talkers to get bolder with their call-outs, and the latest instigator is UFC welterweight contender Josh Koscheck, who has been on Twitter the last couple of days demanding that Tito Ortiz fight him. Considering that Koscheck is two weight classes smaller than Ortiz, this seems like a fight that Ortiz would actually take, although the HBBB hasn’t responded yet.

Obviously, the matchup would never be approved by the UFC or any athletic commission in this country*, even if Kos went on an all-Bojangles diet for the next three months. And in that sense, the call-out is virtually useless, outside of the fact that it gets us talking about Josh Koscheck for a few minutes one Tuesday afternoon. It’s like when somebody says "I’d kick your ass if my friends weren’t holding me back." In this analogy, the "friends" represent the 35-pound weight differential. You’re talking shit with a safety net. Yes, Josh, in the old days of the UFC, you’d occasionally see a guy like Keith Hackney beating the crap out of a guy like Emmanuel Yarborough. But I’m not sure that argument’s strong enough to convince Dana to toss out the unified rules on your behalf.

* Wait a minute. Are they just building up heat for a future headlining fight in Abu Dhabi? Oh God, no.

(Your daughter’s prom date is here…)

When I called Junie Browning to see how he was feeling a week before his first UFC fight since “The Ultimate Fighter” finale, he was out shopping for video games.  It might not seem like it at first, but this is apparently a sign of how much his life has changed since moving to Las Vegas to train at Xtreme Couture and getting serious about his fighting career.  Now he trains full-time.  Despite living in Sin City, he doesn’t go out much.  Instead he stays home and plays Killzone or Resident Evil 5 in between training sessions.  It occupies his time.  And it keeps him out of trouble.

“All I do is train now,” he said.  “I’m in awesome shape right now.  Better than I’ve ever been, training harder than I ever have.  I’ve done more for this than I have for any other fight.”

At next week’s Ultimate Fight Night in Nashville Browning takes on former TUF contestant Cole Miller, who has vowed to “expose” and “smash” him.  You’d think that kind of language would get a reaction out of the volatile kid from Kentucky we saw on TUF, but oddly, you’d be wrong.

(Riggs shows off his green "Diesel" tattoo, otherwise known as the call for eco-friendly transportation solutions that was a little ahead of its time.)

When Strikeforce decided to call off a bout between Jake Shields and Joe Riggs in favor of matching Shields up with Robbie Lawler, we were pretty pleased with the change.  Joe Riggs is not.  Not only does he seem to feel that he’s missing out on an opportunity to “expose” Shields and get himself back in the top ten, he tells Ariel Helwani at Versus.com that he’s also being straight-up dissed by Shields, and he is maaaaad.  As in, like, Dana White when you ask him about Affliction mad.  Check it:

“(Expletive) Jake Shields’ (expletive) (expletive),” Riggs said. “I have done enough in this sport to be (expletive) treated with a certain amount of respect, and to talk about me like I am a (expletive) Pat Smith or Tank Abbott…For one, I am like six years younger than that punk (expletive) (expletive). So, (expletive) him. People forget that I am (expletive) 25 [Ed. note: Really?  Just 25?  He’s right, I totally did forget that.  Is he sure he's not at least 32?]. (Expletive) that guy. I would really, really fight Jake Shields for free just to shut his mouth up.”

(Tim Sylvia-as-mongoloid sketch courtesy of tim-sylvia.com)

Perhaps trying to make himself look tough after being portrayed as a total feeb in Matt Hughes’ book, Tim Sylvia has been on a trash-talk streak lately. In Gary Herman’s post-UFC 79 column on 15rounds.com, the Maine-iac addressed Fedor Emelianenko’s decision to fight in M-1 Global rather than the UFC:

“I think he’s being a (expletive). I think Fedor is very good, but you have to fight the top level competitors all the time to keep that status, and he is just not doing that.”

(Plugging the column on Five Ounces of Pain, Herman revealed that the expletive in question was “pussy.”)

Calling Fedor a pussy is basically like spitting in the face of a member of the vory v zakone. I’d imagine an exchange like this went down before Tim dared to open his mouth…

Tim Sylvia: [knocking on Dana White's office door] Hey boss, gotta minute?
Dana White: [to self] Fuck. [to Tim] Yeah, what.
TS: Hey, yeah, you know that Fedor guy? The crazy Russian, Enemanenko or whatever?
DW: Yeah, what about him.
TS: He’ll never fight in the UFC, right?
DW: No fuckin’ way, him and his manager are dead to me.
TS: So you’re saying there’s no chance he’ll ever fight me?
DW: Fuck no, not on my watch.
TS: That’s aaaall I needed to know. Thanks boss! [leaves]
DW: [to self] Christ, what an asshole.

“I’m not sure that he would be a contender anytime soon. I don’t think he would beat Rich Franklin. He certainly wouldn’t beat Anderson Silva or Dan Henderson. Not sure he’ll make a big impact.” — Jason MacDonald on Michael Bisping’s drop to middleweight

“I guarantee you that if I would have fought Silva both times in the UFC, I would have won. Not [because of] the cage, [because of] the referees. I guarantee I would have beaten him.” — Quinton Jackson on Wanderlei Silva