Reader rants: Cagereaders speak up on Rousey, the Edgar/Henderson rematch and ?Rampage?

MMA fans are nothing if not passionate and opinionated. Cagewriter appreciates those passionate opinions, and wants to give them a home. Welcome to "Reader Rants," the best reactions to MMA's biggest stories on Cagewriter's Facebook page.

Opinions differed on the UFC giving Frankie Edgar a rematch for the lightweight belt against Benson Henderson.

I see Frankie winning this fight. He always displays an underdog mentality when he is out there fighting. Even when he was the champion! Now that he doesn't have the belt I feel like we are going to see even more heart and determination from him, if that was even possible. -- Christian Hagopian

BENDO .. another UD. It is not going to change. Edgar should have taken another fight before this. after losing twice to BENDO he will have his hand forced to move down a weight class. -- Jason Tellier

Ronda Rousey's first-round win over Miesha Tate impressed quite a few Cagereaders.

Ronda Rousey practices armbars on steel beams. -- Michael Rds Adams

Sickest armbars in MMA. That may not have been the best submission ever, but I can't remember one that looked more painful. -- Gabriel Martinez

But nothing moved more people to speak than Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's tweets about his next fight being his last one in the UFC. Instead of drawing sympathy, Jackson drew the ire of quite a few Cagereaders.

He hasn't done anything significant in the octagon since 2008. He has shown a complete lack of interest & dedication as well. Now he is going to complain about $$$. Adios homey! Vince McMahon can probably line something up for you. -- Frank Fazio

He wants more pay? Bader walked all over him! I think the UFC/Boxing/and contact sport like this should go to a winner take all purse maybe then some of these guys would take their train a little more serious and make weight. -- Edward Kelly Fiori

This guy misses weight, can't win a fight and is [expletive] about pay? Make weight and you won't lose 20% of your purse. Then win some fights and then maybe you will get more sponsors. This guy is a joke in MMA now anyways. Go make more terrible movies -- Chris Stephens

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/reader-rants-cagereaders-speak-rousey-edgar-henderson-rematch-143817017.html

Tank Abbott Hiroyuki Abe Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah 

Bellator?s Joe Warren ready to move on and ?pummel Pat Curran?

HAMMOND, Ind. -- Bellator featherweight champ Joe Warren admits he does not take losses well, but he was forced to deal with it after getting knocked out by Alexis Vila in the Bellator bantamweight tournament.

Luckily, he doesn't have to relive memories of that 1:04 fight. He doesn't have any memories of the fight at all.

"After that last fight, I don't remember it. I hate to say it. I'd never been knocked out or submitted in practice to the point where I went out," Warren told Cagewriter.

He admits that he was emotional in the loss because fighting means so much to him.

"You put everything you have in one basket, when it doesn't work, it's emotional. When I lose it takes a piece of my heart away. I don't take losses well."

The last memory MMA fans have of Warren is of him laid out from Vila's punch, but he's ready to stop that losing streak in his title bout against Pat Curran on Friday night.

"The reason I'm a champion is that when I'm down, I push back up. What's done is done. I can't go back and change it. Now I have to focus on the task at hand, and that's to pummel the [expletive] out of Pat Curran," Warren said.

"The only thing I'm worried about for me is to impress myself. I've worked as hard as I can in the room. I'm still a young fighter. I haven't really had a fight yet where I've impressed myself."

Though fans may wants a spectacular knockout or submission, getting the win is most important for Warren, even if that means grinding out a decision.

"Keep my hands up, my chin down, and winning a five-round war. I'm here to win. I know you guys want knockouts and submissions. I need a win to keep my belt and take care of my family."

After Friday night, Warren will get ready for the U.S. Olympic Trials, where he will try to make his first Olympic team. Warren won a world championship as a Greco-Roman wrestler but was suspended for the Beijing Olympics. He also wants to return to Bellator's bantamweight tournament because it's a better weight class for him.

Even with all that on his plate, he isn't worried about focus.

"I'm constantly focused. I believe in myself, I believe in my training. I have a great support system, so all I have to worry about is taking a deep breath and pressing myself and putting on a show."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/bellator-joe-warren-ready-move-pummel-pat-curran-151615725.html

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves 

The latest from ?Rampage:? good-bye UFC, hello rap career

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson took to Twitter and HDNet's "Inside MMA" to make his case for the UFC to let him go so he can fight elsewhere, or not fight at all. Last week, Jackson called the UFC  "U fight cheap." Now he says it's not about the money. It's all about the love.

First, he spoke up on Twitter. "I'm not complaining about money, cause I'm about 2 make a lot less money now,but at least the people I fight 4 will appreciate what I do 4 mma."

See? He just wants someone to say thank you. He later added in the HDNet interview:

"The UFC talks about being in a billion homes. They're making all this money. Yet I'm making less money than I used to make with the UFC. The UFC is getting bigger, which means I'm getting bigger, but I'm making less money. Why?"

So it might be a little bit about money. He also is not happy with matchmaking, and wanted to throw some violence UFC matchmaker Joe Silva's way.

"I think (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva needs to be slapped in the face," he said. "I'm sorry, (but) you've got a fighter like me who likes to go out there and fight fights, so why do you keep giving me wrestlers who are going to take me down and hump me?"

Four of Jackson's last five opponents wrestled collegiately. He lost three of those fights.

But not all is bad in Jackson's world. He tweeted that he is going to put out some of his own music soon. Cage Potato found footage of him singing rapping in a Japanese nightclub. It's only 20 seconds long, but it does manage to have NSFW language.

It's no "SUPA FIGHT LEEEEEG." Perhaps fighting is the better career path for Jackson.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/latest-rampage-good-bye-ufc-hello-rap-career-125413285.html

Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger 

Video: Anderson Silva Back to Training for Chael Sonnen

UFC middleweight champion has been out of action since successfully defending his title against Yushin Okami at UFC 134 in August of last year. The consensus pound-for-pound king has been sidelined since then to rehab a nagging shoulder injury. Finally cleared to return to the cage, Silva is back on the mat to prepare himself to face his chief rival, Chael Sonnen, this summer.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/27960/anderson-silva-back-to-training-for-chael-sonnen/

José Aldo  John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez

?Rampage? Jackson unhappy with pay, wants to fight outside the UFC

From the department of biting the hand that feeds you, Quinton Jackson complained on Twitter about the UFC and said his next fight in the UFC will be his last.

"I feel sorry for my next opponent, no matter who or what it is," Jackson wrote via Twitter. "I will fight whoever they put in front of me ? I always have ? but it will be my last fight in the UFC.  I have other things on my mind. I didn't say I would be done fighting; I just said I'm not fighting for the UFC (u fight cheap)."

Jackson's most recent salary information was from UFC 96 in 2009, where he made $325,000. It doesn't count locker room bonuses, sponsorship money or a cut of the pay-per-view. As a headliner, it's likely Jackson's contract calls for pay-per-view money.

To review, the UFC stood by Jackson as he went on a hit-and-run driving rampage, as he took a break from fighting to film "The A-Team" plus do all the publicity required for the movie, during the many times he treated media like a punching bag, and when he insulted their own color commentator and another fighter working as an analyst.

Before UFC 144, the UFC's doctor sent him to an age specialist, who gave him testosterone therapy and helped make him healthy enough to fight and enjoy himself more in the bedroom.

There are fighters who have a legitimate reason to be unhappy with their pay and treatment by the UFC. Jackson is not one of them.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/rampage-jackson-unhappy-pay-wants-fight-outside-ufc-170057099.html

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves 

First bouldering at Stanage Plantation, Derbyshire, UK

Location: Stanage Plantation Date: Sunday 27 July Sunday shone this weekend. A planned trip to the gym was quickly canned and instead we made a trip out to a new bouldering spot. After a recommendation that Stanage plantation had some good climbing (thanks Jonny!) we checked my bouldering guide book and set out. If you’re reading this wondering [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rock-climbing-blog/~3/PAQVWyt9-Yc/philsheard

Dean Amasinger  Jimmy Ambriz Matt Andersen  Alex Andrade  Jermaine Andrè 

Bjorn Rebney?s top five fights for Bellator?s upcoming season

Bellator's spring season starts on Friday with a featherweight championship bout between Joe Warren and Pat Curran plus four featherweight tourney bouts. Cagewriter caught up with Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney and found out which fights he's most looking forward to this season. Here they are, in no particular order, complete with Rebney's comments.

-- Joe Warren vs. Pat Curran on March 9 for the Bellator featherweight title: "Joe has so much at stake, and Pat has built such a resume fighting under our banner," Rebney said.

-- Ben Askren vs. Douglas Lima on April 6 for Bellator welterweight title: "It's kind of an old-school MMA match-up. You know exactly what Ben's going to try to do. It reminds me of the old days when you thought, I know. He's going to try to take him down and submit him. Ben's going to try to put him on his back, and Lima's going to try to stand and knock him out. He just made a couple folks' top 10, of which he is deserving."

-- Eddie Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki on April 2o: "For obvious reasons. I'm a huge fan of Ed, and he's just jumping out of the frying pan into the fire with that one."

-- Megumi Fujii vs. Jessica Aguilar, which sources close to the bout say is May 18: "It's No. 1 vs. No. 2, and it's two wickedly talented women who rely on no spin, no promotion. They're just two women who fight at the highest level in the world and they're going to get to face each other."

-- Giva Santana vs. Bruno Santos on March 16 in the middleweight tournament: "Being a southern California guy, Giva Santana is a guy I followed for a while. He's an old-school guy who has deserved a shot on a big stage but because he's perceived as being one dimensional, because everything ends via armbar, he hasn't been given that shot. Him and his Santos fight. I never pick a guy because I always want everyone to have an equal shot but I look at a guy like that, and he really is reminiscent of the old-school guys. He's got a discipline that he relies on and believes it heart and soul, and it almost has a spiritual connection to it. His fight in the first round of the tournament because he's a terrific human being. This is his opportunity."

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/bjorn-rebney-top-five-fights-bellator-upcoming-season-171217392.html

Cyril Abidi  Daniel Acacio Bernard Ackah  Terrance Aflague Yoshihiro Akiyama 

Ronda Rousey already has world champion swag available

After a Super Bowl or World Series win, teams immediately sell shirts announcing their big win, but MMA had not caught up to the big four in terms of merchandising. That is, until new Strikeforce bantamweight champion started selling world championship tees from her website minutes after taking the belt from Miesha Tate with a first-round win.

Rousey showed her business savvy when pushing Strikeforce for a title shot after five fights. Why wouldn't she extend that to merchandising?

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/ronda-rousey-already-world-champion-swag-available-060117363.html

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