It’s been a long time since there has been this much of a gap between UFC events. Thankfully, the organization, as well as others have been able to keep us all satisfied with a variety of headlines to digest.
As debated on the most recent Fightful podcast between Sean Ross Sapp and yours truly, there is a potential court battle brewing between The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Georges St-Pierre. If you missed it, Sapp and I respectfully disagree.
In case you missed it, let bring you up to speed: GSP has declared himself a free agent, stating his lawyer terminated his contract with the UFC. To wit, the UFC has stated quite simply: St-Pierre is still under contract. All signs are pointing to a courtroom in Vegas.
Sapp expressed his that he believes GSP has the money to beat The UFC in court. My take was that the UFC’s contract is just about air-tight and that I don’t like Georges’ chances, especially if you look at this from a historical perspective.
Randy Couture tried to take the UFC to task regarding a similar issue. On Wednesday, “The Natural” explained it cost him $500,000 to take on the sport’s biggest promotion, ending up in a settlement and not what he was originally hoping for.
Is Georges willing to spend that kind of money? Maybe. Is he willing to spend more? Perhaps so. But while I don’t believe he will win, there silver lining here is the ultimate legacy which would cement St-Pierre as one of the greatest living people to ever grace MMA.
His legacy as a fighter would be catapulted exponentially by the mere fact that should he win in court, it may set a precedent that all fighters could replicate. It all could make a true fighter union possible or better yet, aid in changing the Muhammad Ali Act to incorporate the words MMA into it, effectively evening out the playing field between fighters and promoters. The UFC’s power diminish greatly. To this, I say stay tuned, as whatever Georges decides, could have massive implications on the sport forever.
In somewhat similar news ...
Antonio “Big Foot” Silva is officially a free agent. The heavyweight may have some interesting options forthcoming, one of which we discussed at length here at FightFul.com: Rizin FF could be the new home of Silva. While I am affiliated with Rizin FF, this is purely speculation on my part … please do not consider it fact.
In other news …
Conor McGregor told Sports Illustrated that should he defeat Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, he would be willing to relinquish one of the two titles he would then own. Which one? No one knows at the moment, but first, he would like to enjoy being a two-division champ. He would make history as the only man to do so, so took a backhanded shot at his employer, asking them to stop talking about doing something before he has the chance to even do it. He wants to see himself in pictures with the two belts, enjoy his place in UFC history, then make the decision to relinquish one of the two titles.
Personally, I wish I could be next to Eddie Alvarez as he reads these headlines. He’s either burning up inside or salivating at the fact to prove to the world that he was overlooked from day one. As the champ, he’s currently listed at +130, so he’s getting some respect, but perhaps in his eyes, it should be more. The guy is a blue collar fighter … have to respect his skills and work ethic.
I’m also glad to see the story circulating that TUF 25 could feature an all-star type cast, similar to season 4, which featured former UFC vets, vying to get back with the promotion. It eventually had Matt Serra winning at welterweight, which he parlayed into championship title, defeating GSP at UFC 69. This, along with the champions edition being showcased this season is something I’ve preached about for years, alongside many within the MMA media. Smiles all around should TUF 25 actually follow through with the rumor.
It also appears as if Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson could be wearing the same shirt … at this very moment, with the caption “You Mad Bro?”, as they stare at Jon Jones.
Both “DC” and “Rumble” stated “Bones” was now irrelevant. Jones took exception to this and returned to social media after an extended (kind of) absence, blasting both fighters and warning that one of them would suffer a demise upon his return.
But when … when is this return going to happen? We were teased by it a few months ago, with many of us not biting the bait. When? When is Jones actually going to return? Until that day, we all can pick who side of the fence we’re on: The “You Mad Bro” side or “The Bones is going to destroy them” side.
Whether there’s a UFC event on or not, there never seems to be a shortage of drama and storylines in the world of MMA. Thankfully, Bellator will satisfy our fight fix this weekend.
