Six Days in Porto
Pacôme Gabrillagues has a montage from six days in Porto. Looks like they have some sick spots there.
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It had only been a few days since Randy Couture retired from mixed martial arts competition after his UFC 129 fight with Lyoto Machida when he returned home to Las Vegas, and one of his first stops was one of his most familiar ones: the cage. Couture walked into his Xtreme Couture gym, changed into his workout clothes and commenced training with a group of pro fighters. Comeback, anyone? "Everyone was scratching their heads looking at me going, 'You know, this is how rumors get started,'" Couture says with a laugh. Just three weeks into his post-fight life, things don't feel much different for the five-time, two-division UFC champion. He still works out, he still takes an active role in working with the fighters in his gym, and he remains a student of mixed martial arts. But, he insists, he is in fact retired for good. Professionally, he's already deep into other pursuits. He's getting ready to film a movie role, and reading scripts for other potential projects. He has a minority stake in a combat sports channel, Fight Now TV, that is preparing to launch later this month. He's got his gyms, clothing line and supplement line. Yes, in retirement, Couture is busier than most people are during their careers. "I don't know what a 'retired fighter' feels like," he said. "I feel great. I'm happy where I'm at in life. I think it was the right time to stop competing. I think I'll always train and I'll always be working with the guys and working in the sport in some capacity, but it was the right time for me to bow out of the octagon. I know there will be some bridges to cross. I think they will try to tempt me to come back in, but I'm comfortable with my decision. It's the right time for me." If Couture's final fight didn't end the way he and the majority of fans wanted -- he was knocked out in the second round by Machida -- at least the setting and reception were grand. Nearly 56,000 people crammed into Toronto's Rogers Centre, welcoming him for the last time with a roar, and sending him out with a standing ovation. It was the biggest Bon Voyage party MMA had ever thrown, and the mood was only barely dampened by the ending. Couture, considered a master strategist, tipped his cap to Machida, who used a rarely seen crane kick to end things 1:05 into the second. "I'm pretty rational, and it's not like I've never lost before," Couture said. "That's the fight game. I got caught with a good one. He set it up nice. It's not one we had seen him do in any of his other fights. He caught me by surprise. He's a great athlete and a great fighter." While his match was not the main event of the show, the legend's final fight will probably be the takeaway memory for most who were there live or watching on TV. Even as it occurred, there was a tangible appreciation of the moment and its historical implications past the sheer size and scope of what was happening. Before his match, Couture himself snuck out and walked halfway to the cage, just wanting to take in the crowd. But when it came to the fight, walking down the aisle for the last time was no different than the 29 times that came before it. "It was different because it was a huge venue and crowd, but it didn't feel any different," he said. "It felt like another fight. I was excited to be there and be part of it for all the right reasons, for the history of it. But the rest of it, it didn't feel different. There was no nostalgia or any of that going on for me. I'm sure that will come at some point down the road." Perhaps partly because of his unyielding schedule and partly because of the freshness of the situation, that wistfulness has yet to kick in. But Couture, who briefly retired in 2006 before coming back the next year, knows that will come. He's experienced the conflicting emotions that boil within and expects the first hurdle will come when he attends his next event. That will probably come later this month, as he expects to be at UFC 130 on May 28. "It's always hard when you go to shows and you're around fights and fighters to not get antsy, to not feel like you want to train," he said. "Those are the real tests and challenges." He's got enough now that he doesn't think there is any chance he'll be drawn back in. He's got plenty of business activities that keep him busy, and he and the UFC are still figuring out his future role in the organization. In his down time, whenever that is, he's looking forward to the opportunity to hunt and fish, two things he's done since he was a kid but has had little time for lately. But when it comes to athletics, there is, he says, "nothing I feel I need to chase." He accomplished nearly everything he ever set out to do. He helped build a sport. It's why looking back, Couture says he's not especially proud of any one moment or achievement. There were plenty of highlights along the way, but it was simply a career well conducted. There were other fighters, but he was in some ways MMA's first true professional. "I've just had an amazing run for 14 years," he said. "It's been a blast. I'm excited to have been part of all of it. I fought a bunch of tough guys. In some ways I'm excited and relieved that chapter's closed, and this new one is opening."
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Georges St-Pierre was far from spectacular, but champions find ways to win. The UFC welterweight champ couldn't take out Jake Shields, but he had enough to survive blurred vision in his left eye and post a unanimous decision win, 48-47, 50-45 and 48-47, in the main event of UFC 129 in front of 55,000 fans at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Even in front his home country faithful, GSP heard some boos, jeers and whistling in the final round. Because of a damaged left eye, he struggled at times to engage over the final two rounds. He finished the fight with blood dripping down his face and a swollen eye.
"I wasn't able to see. I think it's scratched inside. I can't see with my left. I just see a blur. It's very bad," St-Pierre said during a conversation with UFC color voice Joe Rogan, as he was blinking and testing the vision out of the left.
St-Pierre, as he often does following decision victories, apologized to the massive crowd.
"His striking was much better than I thought. He closed my eyes," GSP said.
St-Pierre (22-2, 17-2 UFC) said thought he'd dominate in the standup game, "and then put and put him down later in the fight. I couldn't deliver much with this [eye]. I wanted to make a KO or submission."
St-Pierre has won nine straight fights and defended the title six times in a row. A bunch of those wins (six) have come via decision. He's a smart fighter, so he's often unwilling to take the risk required to go for the kill.
Before GSP's eye was damaged late in the third round, Shields looked silly on the feet. The former Strikeforce middleweight champ looked silly and slow. Shields (26-5-1, 1-1 UFC) is a renowned jiu-jitsu practitioner, but he never came close to scoring a takedown. He simply lacked the athleticism to catch St-Pierre.
Nelson Hamilton and Richard Bertrand posted the 48-47 scores, while Doug Crosby called it a blowout at 50-45. The FightMetric numbers tell a different story. Shields actually outlanded St-Piere 96-92, but GSP was much more accurate making good on 36.5 to 22.6 percent. Shields downfall was his inability to get the fight to the ground. He was 0-for-6 on takedown attempts while GSP put him down 2-of-3 times.
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Filed under: News
Former UFC lightweight Hermes Franca turned himself in Monday at the Clackamas County Jail in Oregon City, Ore. on charges of sexual abuse and unlawful sexual penetration. Franca, whose bail is set at $250,000, has a trial scheduled for July 12, according to Sherdog.com. A report on Examiner.com, who first reported the arrest, also states Franca pleaded not guilty on all nine counts, but MMA Fighting was only able to confirm with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office that Franca is currently in jail and Franca's trial in July. Though the 36-year-old Franca currently lives in Florida, he had opened a Team Hermes Franca BJJ academy in Clackamas. The former WEC champion competed for the UFC in 2003-2004 and later in 2006-2009. Franca (22-12) was at the height of his MMA career in 2006 and 2007 when he scored notable wins over Spencer Fisher, Nate Diaz and Jamie Varner to earn himself a shot at the UFC lightweight belt. Franca ended up losing to Sean Sherk in the championship bout at UFC 73 that saw both fighters fail their drug tests following the fight. Franca recently signed a three-fight deal with Canada's Maximum Fighting Championship promotion and was scheduled to meet Drew Fickett at MFC 30 on June 10 for the MFC lightweight belt. Shortly after news of Franca's arrest circulated around the Internet, the MFC announced the release of Franca and a new opponent for Fickett is to be announced. "Mr. Franca's legal situation is a matter in the hands of law enforcement officials and soon to be going before the courts and because of that there will not be any further comment on those allegations, but I have taken immediate action to indicate that he is no longer going to be part of my organization," MFC president Mark Pavelich said in a statement. "We were informed about his arrest and pending trial, and as of 10:30 a.m. MT today, he has been released. These are serious allegations that he is facing and I do not want the Maximum Fighting Championship associated in any way with these matters."
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During Wednesday night's episode of "The Ultimate Fighter," Junior dos Santos fired his wrestling coach for contradicting and disrespecting him. Footage from the show appears to back dos Santos up, as Polley seemed to take a different tone than dos Santos in almost every situation.
Polley had a different take on the firing. He believes he was fired to free up room for another coach to come in.
If you watch the discussion between Junior and me, you will notice I asked, "Did I do everything you asked of me?" And Junior said "Yes." His said his reasoning was, "It was confusing and the vibe was bad." But he did not offer much in terms of reasons ... Back in the hotel room, I called my manager, and he told me he would reach out to Ed and the producers to see what if anything could be done. But Junior and his guys were telling me they needed my room and that I had to go.
Luiz Dorea, the coach who advised dos Santos to fire Polley, is Junior's longtime boxing coach and mentor. It's not surprising that dos Santos would follow his advice to relieve the tension. The room issue is surprising, because coaches come and go on TUF all the time. Also, they're staying in Las Vegas, the center of the MMA world. Was there really nowhere else for Polley to stay? Or did dos Santos want to show that he was the head coach?
Team dos Santos members are divided. Ramsey Nijem was happy to see Polley go.
I was glad -- that was a long time coming. I didn't have too many personal run-ins with Lew but he's just kind of an arrogant jerk. He thinks his way is the best way and I also thought he didn't give us the best advice for fighting. Lew said something about how Junior didn't like him because he's not Brazilian but that's not true. Junior is one of the nicest guys ever. None of us are Brazilian and he treated all of us fine because we're not jerks.
While Shamar Bailey, Nijem's roommate, said that he thought Polley was a good coach.
Lew was always making sure we were ready for our fights, mentally and physically. He always told us what we needed to work on to get better instead of just saying, "good job". He was a real dude through and through. Everybody is gonna act a little different while they get used to cameras being everywhere, including Ramsey. But to say Lew was just there for the cameras and disregard everything be did for us is pretty errant in my humble opinion.
The editing involved in pulling together a reality show means that viewers will never have the true story between dos Santos and Polley, but as head coach and the star of the show, dos Santos gets to do as he pleases in coaching. Polley may not like it, but in the process, he has picked up some notoriety. That's not too bad for a regional fighter with a 10-4 record.
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The Pro-tec Pool Party is going down this Saturday, May 21st and will be webcast live. Click through for a schedlue so you don't miss any of the action.
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Friday has come to mean Stay Gold B-Sides from Emerica. This week we get to see B-Sides from Kevin "Spanky" Long.
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