I’m the New Guy on MMA. A lot of the ‘Old Guys’ on the MMA Beat are too afraid to lose their media credentials to give you much in the way of real opinion. Instead they are forced to stick to the status quo of factual regurgitation, giving you the ‘proper’ opinion. Yuck. I’m done holding my vomit, I’m not that guy, and that’s all you need to know about me.
You don’t need it either.
The New Guy – Day One
Let’s start with GSP retiring. Yes, he retired. That’s what stopping doing something is. If a form of victory can be called ‘retirement’ when an opponent can’t continue between rounds, it’s damn sure retirement when someone vacates the belt, walks away from the sport, and looks like a giddy school girl within five minutes of making the announcement. Let’s not dress it up.
I’ll get back to some other MMA Clichés that have me reaching for razor blades later.
Back to GSP.
It’s clear the proverbial ‘weight’ has been lifted from his mighty shoulders, and good on him for it. Congratulations Georges, not only on all your success, but even more so for having the smarts to start protecting that frontal lobe and enjoying life for a while. Dana said you have ‘Fuck You’ money. I don’t know how much that is, but I do know we all wish we had it. If you say you don’t, you sir, or madam, are a liar.
So what does this do to the Welterweight Division?
The Welterweight Title being vacated was the main by-product of this decision, and that Title is an injured fawn in the sights of a pack of bloodthirsty wolves. Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks are going to solve the first question in March, and from then on it’s going to be a hot potato until 1 of these guys leave the pack behind.
Whether it’s Carlos, Rory, Matt Brown (Always say his first and last name, it’s terrifying), Tyron, Hector, or the smoggy return date of ‘Spliff’ Diaz the Welterweight Gold could get passed around more than the aforementioned cigarette.
It also opens up a chance for someone new to wave Canada’s flag in the UFC. I told you earlier that all you needed to know about me was that I’m the New Guy, well I’m also Canadian. I have my own igloo and everything. That is now all you need to know about me. I want to throw a few candidates at you, some are no-brainers, a couple are guys you need to become familiar with.
The clear #1 Candidate is Trail BC’s Rory MacDonald, but he’s also clearly got some growing to do in and outside the cage before he is in contender territory. Dropping the psycho act wouldn’t hurt either, the guy comes off like a bit of a weirdo both on TV and in person.
Then you have TJ Grant if he can catch a break with his health, no pun intended. The Maritimer could conceivably take the Lightweight Title back to Coal Harbor, snap a few shots next to one of Sid the Kid’s statues and become the country’s next UFC Champion.
Alberta’s Jordan Mein looked to have a bright future, but was halted by Matt Brown’s ‘not legal anywhere but a cage fight’ type of assault.
I can’t see the likes of Mitch Gagnon, Sean Pierson or Jesse Ronson having the steam to get there either.
Francis Carmont might wave our flag before all is said and done, or perhaps more appropriately he’ll wave a pillow as a tribute to his yawn-inducing style. Not to mention the fact Jacaré will have something to say about that. Add to that the fact he is also not born and bred here and it all paints a thick shade of gray.
So what are we left with?
A few killers coming out of the usual factory of violence in Montreal. Alex Garcia, who is of Dominican descent rearranged Ben Wall’s facial features in a little under one minute in his UFC debut. Then you have Kajan Johnson, who will be featured on the upcoming TUF Nations show alongside Tristar teammate Nordine Taleb, who is long overdue for his shot on the big stage .
The latter 3 names are ones to etch on the chalkboard in your melon. Taleb (8-2) is a French kick boxer, Garcia (11-1) an all around physical machine, however both share Carmont’s lack of roots in the country.
Enter natural Lightweight ‘Ragin’ Kajan Johnson (19-9-1).
With nearly 30 fights under his belt and only a pair of defeats in his last 16 contests (one to Rory at WW), clearly he doesn’t lack experience, and to my knowledge has only missed out on opportunities with the UFC due to timing and injury issues.
Not anymore.
This guy is the clear cut favorite even though it will be a natural weight class above his norm, mark my words. Jake Matthews is a young prospect on the Aussie side, but he’s just that, a young prospect. KJ is a man, and a warrior. Not like ‘Oh he’s such a warrior for fighting 5 Rounds…’ He is the son of a First Nation’s Chief on the West Coast of Canada, and he is a real life fucking WARRIOR from his name to his heart.
Go ahead, ask perennial cherry picker of opposition Sheldon Westcott how he feels about knowing he’s not the toughest guy on his own team? None of them have enough to deal with the Bibiano Fernandes standout student. They are all eventual bride’s maids. It kicks off January 15th on SN360 in Canada, so don’t miss it.
Last weekend was a gong show.
Holy shit did DJ and the ‘California Grown Man’ as Jonny ‘Bones’ addressed him at weigh ins, look ridiculously good. Anyone else sick of hearing that Joe B. Won, MayDay and The Carny will ‘Be back stronger than ever’ though? Through no fault of their own this became the most over used phrase of Saturday night, and for that matter all of MMA. I, for one, have heard it enough.
It made me think about some others that make my heart angry.
‘I’ll fight whoever the UFC wants me to fight’ is another one.
Anyone ever get the opportunity at work to tell your boss what you want to do for work instead of getting the next shit assignment? Jesus you guys, GET NOTICED, everyone complains about how Chael’s talking head has gotten him fights, I bet no one would complain about having the guy’s bank account.
Wake up fighters, it’s the digital age and your brand as a fighter’s buying power comes in the form of retweets and YouTube views, like it or loath it. Either get a manager that understands it, or educate your damn self.
Back to FOX 9, DJ and Faber went right to the end in a battle for fighter of the year, and if Weidman doesn’t stop Andy again it has to be between the two of them. Yeah they are 125 and 135 Pounds respectively, and for me all these Black Belt keyboard warriors telling them that they are little midget pussies who can’t finish is beyond tired.
Cut the shit.
These guys are full of fireworks, that goes for the 2 fellas who got stopped too. Joe Jitsu has some thinking to do. He might think about adopting Tonya Harding’s regiment of ‘ahem’ training as it relates to Mighty Mouse. I also have a feeling MayDay is going to end up fighting half the ‘family’ in SacTown, it’s going to be like growing up in the trailer park having to deal with the O’Doyle’s.
Anyway folks that’s enough for Day 1, Merry Christmas from the Great White North. We’ll chat again on the 29th after UFC 168.
Oh yeah and shout out to Cody McKenzie for making a mockery of a professional organization showing up with no shorts or mouth guard and competing in Nike Ball shorts with pockets and tags attached. Like are you fucking kidding me?! UFC Officials should be embarrassed, as should Mr. McKenzie. Having said that, his is more due to his appearance, and living up to the reputation you’d expect of someone with his appearance.
At least he’s consistent with that aspect of his ‘show’.
– The New Guy
Follow ‘The New Guy’ on Twitter @NewGuyOnMMA
