SMG EXCLUSIVE: Details of Dana White’s Meeting With Anderson Silva Following UFC 112

New rumors have surfaced about the mysterious post-fight meeting between UFC President Dana White and middleweight champ Anderson Silva following April 10th’s UFC 112 main event in Abu Dhabi. A source familiar with the situation has contacted Sack Mike Goldberg with the juicy details.

According to the source, White entered Silva’s dressing room to find the champ sitting cross-legged on the floor, busy at the controls of a toy train. Candy wrappers lay scattered around the champion, who won his 11th straight bout in the UFC earlier in the evening. One corner of the room had been adorned with balloons reading “Awesome Job!” and “You’re Great!”

White asked Silva if the two could speak in private, which elicited no response from the Brazilian. Unperturbed, White repeated the question, which again went unanswered.

White then glanced over at Silva’s manager, Ed Soares.  Soares walked over to his client, knelt down, and asked (in Portuguese), “Anderson, Mr. White would like to speak to you. Is that OK?”

Reports differ on the champion’s exact reaction, but the general consensus is that Silva set into a tremendous temper tantrum. One version has Silva knocking over the train set, screaming that Soares had “promised [Silva] playtime” if he beat challenger Demian Maia.

Another version states that Silva began sobbing uncontrollably about wanting to play with his toys. Soares allegedly began dragging his man out of the room, angerly whispering, “You’ve made Mr. White mad. You’ve mad me mad. Don’t make this any harder on yourself.”

A final version has Silva telling Soares to “get that [expletive] playboy out of here,” and asking White “where his jiu-jitsu” was.

Regardless of the actual course of events, it is agreed that White apologized for the sudden entrance and remarked that he might have come at a bad time. He and Soares went on to arrange for a meeting at Silva’s home in Curitiba at a later date.

We’ll have more on this story as it develops.

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Strikeforce: Nashville — Outside the Cage

A collection of photos I took at Strikeforce: Nashville that involved activities outside of and around the cage.  Well, that and my obsession with spotting UFC almost-was Brandon Vera in the crowd.  I never got a good shot of him where his right eye was in clear view, but I saw it and it still looks messed up.

Click on the photos to get the full size.

Two pictures saved for the end.  The first one is set aside because it was easily the best picture I took all night.

Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields. Still better known for having a few seconds of TV time as an assistant coach on The Ultimate Fighter.

The other picture is part of the reason why (sorry, Jamie) I have no documentation of the post-fight brawl.  After the decision for the main event was announced (merely a formality, I assure you), I went to go say something to Ariel Helwani of AOL’s Fanhouse.  I got the following picture, but I totally was not ready to shoot any in-cage action as I did not expect there to be any.  I am totally not the professional photographer in the relationship.

Also, my peculiar stance on professional eye candy led me to no pictures of the ring card girls.  Having worked side-by-side with the Nashville Predators dancers for a year, my perspective changed.  Hard to explain; it is not that I do not notice them, just rather that I notice them exactly as much as I do everyone else.  And when you take into account that a few of Strikeforce’s ring girls are the same people that I worked with at the Predators, the effect doubles.

Coming up next: photos from inside the cage (duh).

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It’s Showtime! (Well, Actually, It’s CBS)

One more video from Strikeforce: Nashville before I get to photos and analysis.  Have work duties and a Stanley Cup Playoff game calling my name soon, so those might not come until tomorrow or so.

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Shot by the same dashingly handsome man as the previous video, this one features the fighter introductions for the Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson main event (or, “special attraction” if you are ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr.).  If I had known that referee Big John McCarthy’s famous “You ready?  Are you ready?  Let’s get it on!” would be mic’ed and audible throughout the arena, I would not have cut this video prior to that moment.

I must have a fascination with the introductions of main event fights, as if you visit my YouTube channel you will see that 50 percent of my uploaded videos are such.

Nevermind… I’ll give you one picture now for being such a nice audience.  Click on them to get the full size.

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The Uncrowned (Yet Still Crowned) King

Here’s my footage of “King Mo” Lawal’s entrance last night at Strikeforce: Nashville.

I think Strikeforce’s whole fighter entrance thing is pretty lame myself — while they do the ramp and the lights, they don’t go full-on show business with it.  Get some actual music, don’t have the ring announcer blow the big moment before they are even coming out, etc.

But people seem to love King Mo’s entrances.  So here ya go.

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More stuff from the show later; I just feel like crap right now.

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ONE MORE THING

TYLEEEEEEEEEER

PleasepleasepleasepleasePLEASE tell me you used your superbadass press ninja shit to get some really awesome shot of Mayhem getting punted by the Cesar Gracie Douche Team or something. Come on, man, you gotta have SOMETHING good, right? Right?

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No, Seriously: Are wrestlers losing their skill?

Above: Jake Shields prepares for Saturday's fight against Dan Henderson.

Dan Henderson was laughable on the ground. There, I said it.

Dan Henderson, two-time olympian, (and not some bullshit Olympian like Herschel Walker) dominant two-division PRIDE champion, dude who wasn’t embarassed by Anderson Silva, was reduced to a pathetic has-been in many eyes by Jake Shields. Shields’ best offensive techniques have been passed down to him by a snuggie. Shields is the #1 contender for Jon Fitch’s cuddleweight championship pillow. I’ll let this sink in for a minute.

Many people would be quick to claim that Hendo’s wrestling is overrated, or that he was just physically outclassed, or that he puts too much faith in his ridiculously overpowered right hand. Seriously, that shit is OP, God needs to nerf that shit in the next patch. Not so, if you ask me. I think Dan has forgotten how to wrestle.
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The Only Pound-for-Pound Rankings You Can Trust (Totally Serious and Objective)

Disclaimer: The following statements are paid advertisements by the mind of Tyler Clemmons and in no way reflect the opinions of Sack Mike Goldberg, Mike Fagan, any of the corresponding subsidiaries, or Mark Coleman.  All he did was take a picture with me.

I have nothing constructive to say about UFC 112 that anyone who visits any MMA website hasn’t already seen.  Anderson Silva can be frustrating but if he is not directly threatened in the cage, you really cannot stop him from doing whatever he wants.  I tried to convince myself that BJ Penn was simply in one of his crazy-man trances as he walked to the Octagon instead of already being completely out of it.  The undercard was fantastic and Matt Hughes finally got a win standing up (not counting the Rear Naked Joke incident).

In the past few weeks, we have seen several fighters who typically sit at or near the top of MMA pound-for-pound rankings receive criticism for their performances.  Georges St Pierre dominated in his victory at last month’s UFC 111, but did so in an arguably lackluster fashion.  Penn and Silva did nothing to help their cause on Saturday.

That’s why I have proposed we completely scrap any pound-for-pound rankings, and start completely over.  The following is my attempt at the next generation of meaningless lists.  I have disqualified anyone and anything from Japan because (1) this is a highly scientific and mathematical process, and you are a better man than I if you can formulate the Japanese, and (2) if I didn’t, then obviously every spot would be taken by Minowaman.

Without further ado, let’s get this underway.

10. The UFC’s multimedia crew
Last week’s #10: Minowaman

Photo courtesy of UFC.com and their tricky conspiracy theorists

The creative geniuses that work behind the scenes for the Ultimate Fighting Championship slip into the Top 10 after a stellar performance following UFC 112.  If you look at the picture they conjured on the left here, you might be led to think that the impossible happened with Frankie Edgar winning the UFC lightweight crown, instead of ignoring the truth that BJ Penn won at least three rounds (but no more than four).

The skills with Photoshop displayed in this exhibition of computer greatness exceed anything I think I have ever seen from someone.  I mean, if I did not know any better, if I had not seen the fight and knew in my heart of hearts that Penn had won to the point where I went to the restroom during the announcement of the judges’ decision, I would actually kind of believe it.  Oh wait; what?  Really?

REALLY!?!?

9. The elbow of Jon Jones
Last week’s #9: The elbow of Kenny Florian

I don’t know if one singular body part (on a male, at least — mind you) has ever brought more joy than the fast-rising, soon-to-be-superstar’s arm joints.  With his spinning back elbow on Stephan Bonnar, his assault on Matt Hamill that defines “totally illegal but completely awesome” better than anything since Grand Theft Auto, and his inhumanely righteous completion of Brandon Vera, Jon “Bones” Jones has effectively used his elbows to dispatch of three guys we are all really ready to not think about anymore.

8. Jose Aldo
Last week’s #8: Minowaman

He may not yet have the impressive longevity on his resume that other top fighters possess, but there is no denying that since he set foot in the WEC, Jose Aldo has been as electrifying and dominant of an individual as there is in the sport.  I just want you to take a look at this snippet from his fight record on Wikipedia:

DOUBLE FLYING KNEES?

Granted, this was just against Cub Swanson, and he still has a chance to ruin all his awesomeness in two weeks when he faces Urijah Faber on the WEC’s first ever pay-per-view event, but until then Aldo safely holds a place on the list.

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The Consequences of Being Completely Awesome

“It’s not my fault being the biggest and the strongest. I don’t even exercise.”My way's not very sportsmanlike.

– Andre the Giant in The Princess Bride

If you are reading this, chances are you do not care to argue that mixed martial arts is something other than completely awesome (perhaps not to the level of Andre, but still).  The sport contains head kicks and kneebars, performed with designs of causing loss of consciousness (or at least loss of “intelligent defense”) or severe joint stress.

While no one here is trying to undermine the frequent technical and/or artistic beauty in MMA — most of Lyoto Machida’s fights as well as Anderson Silva’s dismantling of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 come to mind — the fact remains that if someone along the way more than slightly fails to properly do their job, a participant can be placed in serious danger.

No matter how many rules and regulations are implemented and enforced, it’s still an extremely dangerous way to spend one’s evening.  While fighter safety is promoted to no end (thankfully and rightfully so), if every MMA competitor were guaranteed safety every time they step in the polygonal structure, the sport would suck.

Sometimes we see examples of officials doing their job extremely well.  Herb Dean and Josh Rosenthal’s performances at the UFC on Versus card received heaps of well-earned praise.  Dan Miragliotta this past Saturday night in Shane Carwin vs. Frank Mir?  Not so much.  Fighters have been known to blatantly cross the line, with the author’s favorite fighter Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral being no exception in his fight against David Heath.

Were Frank Mir and David Heath put in serious danger?  Yes.  There is little defense for the negligence (or in Babalu’s case, intent) displayed by the parties at fault.  What I want to look at after the jump, however, is an instance where there was less of an individual to blame and an unfortunate incident occurred as part of the sport’s burden as being completely, ridiculously, and utterly awesome. Read More »

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Hi God, it’s Jamie. Again.

UFC 112: SILHOUETTE VS TBA: THIS TIME IT'S SHADOWY

Heavenly Father, please don't send me to hell for this.

So I know that You and I don’t talk enough, and I swear too much, and there was that thing with that girl last summer too, so if You’re pissed at me, I’m really sorry and I totally understand. But if you’re feeling a bit light on the wrathful God deal, pleeeeeeeeease please please don’t let Brandon Vera win tonight, okay?

I know that I don’t really NEED prayer on this one. I mean, come on, it’s Brandon Vera. This dude couldn’t get out of his own talent’s way if there was a belt at the end of it, and I shouldn’t worry. But I bet my car, my dog, my comics, $86, and my anal virginity on Jon Jones, and if Vera suddenly remembered how not to suck, I’m kinda fucked, God. Literally. I mean, isn’t the whole pooper thing a sin too? So how’s it gonna be?  Are You really gonna FORCE me to sin? So yeah. Let nature take its course, and let Vera get a late abortion from Jones. I mean, I understand that You’re probably not too cool with Jonny beating the deaf out of Matt Hammil, but… Vera’s a dick. Tell me that’s not a sin. It fucking should be.

Oh, and if it’s not too much effort, please let Clay Guida learn to punch, have Fedor cut to middleweight and fight Anderon and GSP, let Alessio Sakara and James Irvin not kill each other too hard, and please hook me up with a real job, a slightly less shitty car, and how’s about a really hot girlfriend too, okay? Thanks God. You rock. Well, I dunno. Do You rock? Maybe You Gospel or something. Fuck, this is hard.

Oh, yeah, I forgot. Amen.

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Etymology of Mike Goldberg: DJ Spinege

Under the assumption that the idiocies known as Goldbergisms are not born from pre-game rituals with Joe Rogan and Eddie Bravo, we at Sack Mike Goldberg look to uncover the real reasons why Mike Goldberg and his contemporaries say the things they do.

This is clearly Goldie’s favorite club track, “Precise Precision” by DJ Spinege.

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[AUTHOR'S NOTE:] I am sure that Mike Goldberg’s ill-fated comment on Anderson Silva probably came before this, but I couldn’t help but make the joke anyway.

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