Lordy, Lordy look who’s…. SIX! It’s MMASucka.com’s birthday today.
Yup that’s right, six years ago today I created this monster we call MMASucka.com and it has come with some highs and some lows. Definitely more highs, that’s for sure.
Instead of going through and thanking everyone like I’ve done in the past, (which I’m sure I’ll do before the end of this post) our past and present writing staff will give some of their favorite pieces that they have written for the site.
PREVIOUS WRITERS
Callum Leslie
I was one of the first MMA journalists to speak to Beneil Dariush, and got to find out early exactly why everyone now loves him. He’s humble, he’s driven, and he’s exceptionally talented.
The Team Player: Beneil Dariush prepares for Octagon debut
Way back in 2014, Ronda was already on the road to the Holly Holm-shaped road block. She was being burned out and had too many other irons in the fire. While the Rousey saga took even more twists and turns that couldn’t have been predicted, the signs of a downfall were already there.
Is the UFC burning out Ronda Rousey?
Shawn W. Smith
I chose these articles because I think they best showed off my abilities as a young writer and the spirit of what Jeremy and I had in mind for MMA Sucka while I was with the site.
These stories highlighted important personalities in the MMA community, as well as pertinent stories we felt the reader would enjoy.
Having this platform afforded to me by MMA Sucka has helped my career immensely and opened doors to other opportunities.
A lifetime of mixed martial arts, Duke Roufus discusses how to build the perfect team
Is the IOC to blame? Former Olympic alternate suggests otherwise
Carlin Bardsley
Happy anniversary Sucka! I enjoyed my formative years as an MMA writer there and glad to see it’s still standing. My favourite pieces to do at Sucka were the career retrospectives of fighters who had recently retired like Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz and others. It was cool going back and looking through all they had accomplished. Thanks to Jer and the team for giving me the opportunity.
A Look Back at the Career of Matt Hughes
Saying goodbye to a legend, Thank you Tito Ortiz
Ian Bain
This feels like it was a piece that I really thought about. And while Conor has hit the big heights; It is a real shame about the loss of Khabib on the UFC calendar.
McGregor and Nurmagomedov provide a lesson on how to grab public attention
Thinesh John
The man has not been active with Sucka in some time and it has been tough to get ahold of him, as he’s no longer on social media. So I figured I would choose a couple of my favorite pieces by Thinesh.
Dan Enson Hyatt on VALOR: ‘We are the number one organization in Australia’
Helen Harper: Back to Familar Territory, a Fresh Start
The Curious Case of Takedowns & Control vs. Activity
PRESENT WRITERS (Articles from this past year)
Jeremy Brand
This one from early in the year was a fun interview with UK fighter Andy Ogle.
Andy Ogle became institutionalized by MMA
Mike Fagan –
Jeremy asked me to pick out my favorite piece I’ve written for Sucka, so I did what any egomaniac would do and Googled my name. As I was reading my old work, I was (not) surprised when I found myself nodding to myself and thinking, “Damn, this is good and I nailed it.” I’m talking about takes on Yoel Romero’s gay Jesus debacle; not celebrating Ronda Rousey; the UFC doing Jose Aldo dirty; and the UFC drug policy not going far enough.
John Douglas
This article took me over 14 hours to write. This was a labour of love and I am very happy to say that the judges got this one right.
Thursday Time Machine: Brandon Vera vs Randy Couture
Jesse Schecker –
Before ever becoming a staff member at MMASucka.com, Jesse wrote this piece as a one off for the site. We decided to keep him around after that.
From Swansea to Alabama: Former Cage Warriors champ Brett Johns aims for Titan FC gold
Justin Pierrot
Justin doesn’t write as much as he used to, having become more of a podcaster, but he is still capable of cranking out a quality long form piece from time to time.His open letter to Ronda Rousey following her loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 may very well have been the most raw and honest reaction within the MMA media community.
An open letter to Ronda Rousey
Nick Baldwin
This is a piece I wrote earlier this year that I’m really proud of. I discussed why there is a lack of Canadians signed to the UFC’s roster, and what the local scene has to do to keep creating new Canadian talent.
Canadian Local MMA at an All-Time Low
I also wrote my opinions on why Jon Jones should be stripped of his UFC light heavyweight belt after his accident this past April, and was very happy with the outcome.
Jon Jones should be stripped of his UFC light heavyweight title
Suraj Sukumar
As a writer, I’ve been with MMASucka for quite some time and have discussed several issues in the mixed martial arts world. On a personal level, the UFC’s apparel deal with Reebok has become one of my most passionate subjects in the sport and this piece helped me shed some light on the issue.
Dethrone Still Confident After UFC-Reebok Deal
Tanner Russ
I enjoyed writing this piece because Raquel Pennington’s record, while apparently pedestrian, is misleading to a degree. She is an action fighter with all the capabilities to compete at the highest level, and exploring where she could go after her victory against Andrade was a fun exercise in speculation.
Raquel Pennington: Revenge and Rematches
Favorite episode of Sucka Radio from this past year
MMASucka.com has come a long way over the last six years and we are looking forward to many more. The addition of new staff members in 2015 has shown serious growth to the site and hopefully that will continue into 2016.
With growth comes change, so you may see changes to Sucka in 2016, but as they say, everything happens for a reason.
Thanks go out to everyone who has helped contribute to the site that wasn’t mentioned above. Also thanks to you the reader. Without you folks there is no MMASucka.com.
