(The Daily Haymaker is a daily series that takes a look back and covers the news, fights being made, and all the other insanity revolving around combat sports. The Haymaker’s purpose is to keep you up to date with the ever changing combat sports world and also provide thought-provoking [hopefully] analysis from yours truly.)
Thanksgiving and What I’m Thankful For in the Combat Sports World
Food is great. That’s probably why I love Thanksgiving. My grandmother makes the best ham, my aunt makes a mean plate of macaroni that abuses my cholesterol, and my mom does a good job of bringing the forks and plates to the dinner. I also love Thanksgiving because it reminds us to give thanks for the life that we have. Sure, there is a lot of shitty aspects of our lives, but there’s more great things that I’m thankful for.
That thanks transcends to Mixed Martial Arts. Without this sport, my life would be considerably less boring, and I’d probably be in college right now studying how to get a job that I’ll grow to hate. Instead, here I am writing about MMA, and one day I’ll be able to call this a career. I’m confident about that because if you’re passionate about something, you’ll achieve whatever goal you set. That’s why so many fighters achieve their dreams and become professional fighters for UFC or Bellator or Invicta or any other organization that allows them to make a living doing something they love. Without MMA I doubt I would have a passion for anything. Writing and talking about Mixed Martial Arts is something that gives I strive to get better at everyday I wake up, so for that, thank you Mixed Martial Arts.
The News
1. There have been multiple reports both on websites and through social media that UFC heavyweight Shane Del Rosario suffered a heart attack that led to him being put in cardiac arrest on Tuesday. He’s currently in the hospital, although his condition isn’t aware at this time.
At the end of the day, one of the reasons I love Mixed Martial Arts is because I consider this community strong. We’re like a family that loves this sport and the individuals involved, and it sucks to see one of our family members go through a hard time like this. On behalf of Undercard Superstar, I would like to say that Shane Del Rosario is in our thoughts and prayers, and that we wish him a speedy recovery. Get well, Shane.
2. Early yesterday in Australia, Shane Mosley (47-9-1) injured his back after the sixth round, giving Anthony Mundine (45-5) the victory. This was the first time Mosley has ever lost a fight that hasn’t gone to a decision.
3. Combate.com reported that Jake Ellenberger injured his leg and could be out the January 4th fight against Tarec Saffiedine. That bout is currently slated to be the main event of the Fight Night card that’ll take place in Singapore. (Original Report: http://glo.bo/1ihfWcI).
4. Multiple media outlets are reporting that Mirko Cro Cop has signed with Glory. As an astute viewer of combat sports, it’s hard for me to get excited to watch Cro Cop fight high-level kickboxers like Remy Bojansky, but it does make sense for Glory to sign fighters with names.
5. A report from Kurt Andrew of SuperKarate.ru says that Alexey Oleinik (48-9-1) has been signed by the UFC. The 36 year-old Russian is riding a nine fight win streak and most recently submitted Mirko Cro Cop with a neckcrank. Prior to that Oleinik also finished Dion Staring, Jeff Monson, and Tony Lopez with submissions. (Original Report: http://bit.ly/1gkJodE)
6. Jason Floyd of The MMA Report has reported that Bellator has signed NCAA wrestling champion Darrion Caldwell (3-0). Caldwell won his championship at NC State. The featherweight has won all of three of his fights inside the Legacy Fighting Championship cage. (Original Report: http://bit.ly/188Pf02).
7. Jason Floyd as talked to Bjorn Rebney about Bellator’s plans for 2014. Rebney announced that the promotion plans to run 25 events in 2014 which one would assume means three regular seasons or three seasons plus a summer series. (Original Report: http://bit.ly/1eCgZiA).
8. Yesterday was Bruce Lee’s birthday. I’d like to wish a happy birthday to a legend whose legacy will remain as long as the fire of martial arts does.
Fights Made
The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale – November 30th
Women’s Bantamweight TUF Final
Julianna Pena (4-2) vs Jessica Rakoczy (1-3)
Women’s Bantamweight Bout
Raquel Pennington (3-3) vs Roxanne Modafferi (15-10)
Ultimate Fight Night 36 – February 15th
Featherweight Bout
Charles Oliveria (16-4, 1 NC) vs Andy Ogle (9-3)
UFC on FOX 10 – January 25th
Bantamweight Bout
Hugo Viana (7-1) vs Ramiro Hernandez (13-5)
ONE FC 13 – December 6th
Featherweight Bout
Edward Kelly (5-0) vs Major Overall (4-1)
Must Reads:
1. Damon Martin of FoxSports.com wrote about the perils of weight cutting on The Ultimate Fighter. Read it here: http://foxs.pt/18IcmT0
2. MMAOddsBreaker’s Adam Martin previews the opening odds of the light heavyweight fight between Mauricio Rua and James Te Huna. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/IrctbU
3. Jeremy Wall wrote a piece on FightOpinion about the fall of George St. Pierre and the UFC’s welterweight division here: http://bit.ly/It81sb
4. Josh Rosenblatt wrote a piece on Women’s MMA and capitalism here: http://bit.ly/1c97qHr
That’ll do it for today’s Haymaker. Thanks for reading, and have a Happy Thanksgiving! I’ll leave you with a quote from Colette.
“What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.”
-Dan can be reached at [email protected] or @danielgal.
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