Rory MacDonald Calls Out BJ Penn

The cool thing to do in the UFC’s welterweight division right now is to call out BJ Penn. Rory MacDonald is the latest to call out the retired champion, right behind Josh Koscheck. It seems everyone forgot that Jon Fitch has wanted this fight since the two first fought to a draw last February. Rory says he wants to fight BJ before Penn is done, apparently not understanding the definition of “retired”. BJ said he would consider a return if he saw a fight that would benefit him, but he gains nothing from a fight with Rory who is still two or three away from fighting for the title. So come on guys, BJ has done enough, give the man a break, and besides where was everyone two years ago when The Prodigy was still active? The chances of Penn Returning 50/50, the chances of MacDonald getting this fight: zero. 

Shoddy Reffing Needs to Stop

(Not All Ref's Are Created Equal; We Salute you, Herb Dean, you're the man)

As MMA evolves more focus is being put on referees. We all know what happened this weekend; Kim Winslow calling the Albert/Perez fight even though Albert did not tap, and Mazzagatti giving a rocked Kampmann an entire round to stall and recover then calling a TKO the moment he rocked Ellenberger with knees. During the Albert/Perez fight, Winslow had no business stopping the arm bar. If Albert chose to let his arm break, so be it, then stop the fight, until then it’s his decision. During Kampmann/Ellenberger Mazzagatti needed to stand them up in round one, doing so more than likely would have changed the outcome. It’s impossible to see a fight through the referee’s eyes, but mistakes like these need to cease. Their number one priority should be fighter safety but not to this extreme; in both cases the referee manipulated the outcome of the fight, and that cannot happen.

(This is NOT OK to stop)

(This NEEDS to be stopped, the elbow does not bend that way)

Check Out Martin Kampmann's Face Post-Ellenberger

For some reason when I post images of “Battle Scars” on my twitter page people think it is “weird” and “inappropriate” and tell me, “not to drink so much” etc. but when MMA fighters do the same thing it becomes “cool” and “legit” and a myriad of other words. Martin Kampmann did the same thing after his fight with Jake Ellenberger this past Friday and, shockingly, the damage is not as bad as you’d expect for someone who thought his face was best used blocking punches. Check out the picture below, Martin posted it so he clearly wants you to see it. 

Jon Fitch Injured; Off Upcoming UFC on Fuel Card

With Fitch out I heard the UFC is planning on matching Aaron Simpson up with a Snuggie and having him curl up underneath it for 15 minutes. But what a warm and comfortable fifteen minutes those would be, I envy him. I wish I had a snuggie but I guess I will just have to settle for wearing my bathrobe backwards since that’s essentially all it is. Have you ever seen the infomercial for Snuggies? At one point they show an entire family sitting around a fire wearing the same color Snuggie and it looks like a crazy cult. Fitch jokes aside I respect the man, you may not enjoy his style but dude wins fights. Here at MMA150 we wish him a speedy recovery and hope that he uses this time to brush up on his Skyrim skills because @FitchSkyrimTale really needs to take back twitter. 

TUF 15 - Kampmann/Ellenberger

Martin Kampmann used the Frankie Edgar method to win last night. By Frankie Edgar method I mean establish dominance in the opening round by showing your opponent it doesn’t matter how many times they punch you, you will not be KO’d. It’s a stupid method, something Kampmann acknowledged after the fight. None the less he handed Ellenberger his first loss since Condit in 2009.  Using MMA math not only did Kampmann defeat Ellenberger but he avenged his losses to Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields, because MMA fighters are not unlike Highlanders and when they defeat an opponent in battle they experience “The Quickening” and absorb all their fallen foes power, which includes their previous wins. Johnny Hendricks is definitely the MMA equivalent of The Kurgan; the more you think about it the less it makes sense so just go with it. Kampmann/Hendricks needs to happen by the end of 2012.

TUF 15 - Chiesa/Iaquinta

I have always kind of hated TUF. I like getting to know the fighters and coaches on a personal level that you don’t usually see from press conferences or interviews, but as a whole, I am not a fan. While on the show the fighters are ferocious because it is kill or be killed. Afterwards, most tend to fade fairly quickly or hover around the middle of their division (there are exceptions!). Maybe I would find it more interesting if they didn’t crank out a new TUF winner three times a year. The RNC Chiesa applied to Iaquinta was slick, but I wasn’t wowed by either man. Chiesa took several shots to the face in the round and almost went down; I doubt he will be able to hang with Cerrone, Guillard, Miller, or Guida anytime soon. But he is “The Ultimate Fighter” so I guess congratulations. 

TUF 15 - Lawrence/Cofer

Holy head kick, Batman! Justin Lawrence’s KO over John Cofer was one of those rare moments that happen every so often in MMA, similar to the Rashad Evans KO of Sean Salmon back in 2007. It was as if every star had aligned ever so perfectly resulting in the sweetest sound of bone-across-face. This entire fight was amazing and I was thrilled to find out it won Fight of the Night honors. Both men went back and forth for two solid rounds before Lawrence landed that beautiful head kick and put Cofer to sleep. Mirko Cro Cop was probably watching from his home in Croatia saying something along the lines of, “Back in my day I did that with both feet, and I didn’t wait until the third round either!” Outstanding fight and I can’t wait to see what the UFC has in store for Justin Lawrence. 

TUF 15 - Holloway/Schilling

I had to watch Tivo’d TUF last night because I was bartending. Pat Schilling knows what it’s like to bartend. He may not bartend but he knows what it’s like to lay on the ground begging for the agony to end, only to have someone ask for another drink, or in his case, to use you as a punching bag. That’s bartending in a nutshell, it sucks. Never did Schilling have control, it was all Max Holloway. While his stand up looked solid there is one aspect of his game that needs work: he needs to finish. I understand not going to the ground in round one, but by round three, Schilling was practically begging to be finished and Holloway kept waving him up. I thought that was in poor taste, Holloway should have put Schilling away and spared him the embarrassment. Either way, dominant performance by Max Holloway.

Ellenberger/Kampmann is Mere Hours Away

The only acceptable excuse for missing the TUF Finale tonight is that you are one of three MMA fans left in America without basic cable. You could also be in my boat; I will be bartending tonight because my boss doesn’t understand the "big deal” about combat sports, yet will talk for hours about the earthy robustness of a Malbec grape. Seriously, try explaining the implications of Ellenberger/Kampmann to someone who doesn’t know what MMA stands for and they will look like this. If you are part of this elite brotherhood, I feel your pain, and I too will be eating stale Cap’n Crunch and drinking warm Budweiser while watching Tivo’d TUF at 2am. Seriously though, if Ellenberger wins he is a lock for No.1 contender. If Kampmann wins I think he is one win away and will face Johnny Hendricks in a title eliminator. Either way, I love this fight. 

Shane Carwin is Back, Aims for Fall Return

After a year absence from MMA due to back surgery, Shane Carwin announced, that he is ready to return this fall. With the lack of any real competition for the top two in the Heavyweight division, I would not be surprised to find Shane fast tracked back to the title despite dropping his last two fights and being inactive since last summer. With JDS/Cain expected by the end of 2012 I could see Carwin/Werdum or possibly Carwin/Cormier (depending on when he is officially brought to the organization) going down around the same time to set up the next title fight sometime in spring of 2013. Of the course the UFC could think Shane is still two fights out from a title fight in which case Nelson or Bigfoot would make great candidates, or even the winner of Big Nog/Kongo. Whichever way his future unfolds, it’s great to have Shane back.