Punts And Bunts

Fun with futility

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Don’t you dare disparage Dan Henderson!

Henderson went from a Hall of Very Good fighter to one discussed among the all-time greats after he started TRT.

— Mike Fagan (@ItsMikeFagan)

June 7, 2015

I don’t get much in the way of hate responses lately, but the above tweet did it. The responses ran the gamut: douche, asshole, clueless, troll, “this is why I stopped following,” etc. I live for this.

Anyway, I felt like I should explain myself.

My tweet wasn’t written with a ton of finesse. I was tired and edged a little too into hyperbole to make a point. As @GrabakaHitman pointed out to me, Henderson was likely a Hall of Famer prior to his TRT use (which began leading up to Pride 33). I’m not sure he’s a slam dunk like some of his contemporaries, but the argument for him is convincing.

But I don’t think that takes away from the point I was trying to make. Henderson’s TRT use coincided with a major shift in his results and elongated his fight career. Both of these things helped transcend Henderson from probable Hall of Famer to a guy that people are putting into Greatest of All Time talk:

Top 5 all time. Maybe Top 3. https://t.co/0WICnbCKYJ

— Josh Gross (@yay_yee)

June 7, 2015

Now, I don’t care about PEDs/TRT/doping. Dan Henderson seems like a great example of a guy who used responsibly and benefited greatly from it. Henderson probably made good money in Pride, and TRT extended his career another eight years (and more?) during the American boom.

So, I’m not trying to disparage Dan Henderson when I point these things out, but rather the hypocrisy of people like Gross. That is, people who railed against TRT exemptions, who celebrated the UFC’s new drug policy, who questioned Anderson Silva’s legacy because of his failed test, but have no problem forgiving and/or ignoring Henderson's use for whatever reason.

And how did Henderson’s TRT use effect his career? Let’s take a look:

PRE-TRT (through Pride 32) 26 fights | 3 KO | 3 TKO | 23.1% (T)KO rate KO: Gono, Chonan, Renzo TKO: Bustamante, Oyama, Shoji

ON TRT (Pride 33 through Shogun 2) 15 fights | 3 KO | 3 TKO | 40.0% (T)KO rate KO: Wanderlei, Bisping, Babalu TKO: Fedor, Feijao, Shogun

FIGHTMETRIC STATS

PRE-TRT (through Pride 32) 21 fights | 7 knockdowns | ~0.45 knockdowns/15 minutes

ON TRT (Pride 33 through Shogun 2) 15 fights | 9 knockdowns | ~0.69 knockdowns/15 minutes

We can’t say - with certainty - that TRT was the sole cause for Henderson’s late-career transformation, but the implication is strong. Both his (T)KO and knockdown rates jumped while on TRT despite fighting better competition. This occurred between the ages of 36 and 43. 

I had someone argue with me that knocking out Tim Boetsch was somehow proof that TRT didn’t help Henderson all that much. That’s a real strong reach, but: 1) Tim Boetsch is not Fedor, Wanderlei, Bisping, etc. 2) If TRT didn’t help Henderson’s career/he didn’t really need it, that makes his use even more suspect. 

Is Dan Henderson one of the all-time greats? Yes. Was he one of the all-time greats before 2007? Yes. Is he one of the top 3-5 of all time? Not unless we erase GSP, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Jose Aldo, and Fedor Emelianenko from the history books. Is he one of the top 10 of all time? FightMatrix suggests he is, and I think that’s a fair argument. Would he be had he not used TRT? I have a hard time believing so.

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How many times will a fighter compete in the Octagon?

This data is UFC debuts, so WEC and Strikeforce fighters that came in with the merger are included. I might try to rerun the numbers accounting for all “Zuffa fights.”

I chose the year 2010 as a starting point to give enough time for careers to play out. Fighters who debuted in 2013 or 2014 may only have three or four fights in a career just blossoming. Unfortunately, the UFC’s schedule has exploded in the last few years, which is why I included the two- and three-year debut ranges as well.

The median for all three data sets is 4, which suggests 50% of debuting fighters will never get out of the first tier of the Reebok payscale. Also, outside of Donald Cerrone, nobody reached more than 12 fights over a period of 2-5 years. To hit the max pay tier, you’re gonna have to spend 8-10 years with the promotion.  A less rigid pay scale at the 1-10 range seems more beneficial for the roster as a whole.

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On Marshawn Lynch and the Media

My friend Luke Thomas and I have engaged in a bit of a Twitter back-and-forth on the "Marshawn Lynch vs. the media" drama that's played out over the last few weeks. Seeing as Twitter is not the best medium for these sorts of things, we agreed to take to Tumblr to expand our thoughts. He opened here.

I agree with Luke on a few points. First:

This idea, though, that media is enduring obsolescence is just demonstrably false.

Media isn't dying. It's changing, consolidating, evolving. Traditional media may be shrinking, but new media is growing. Given the means of productions, it's likely that the growth of media has been net-positive.

Two, the racial component:

Greg Popovitch is slightly more accommodating to press, but not by much. Yet, media just laugh at Greg whereas Lynch is subject to stern lectures. It’s worth acknowledging even among those reluctant to take part in required media obligations, Lynch is treated differently and that’s profoundly unacceptable.

I'm glad Luke brought this up, because I didn't want to try to untangle that web. Suffice to say, there's some element of truth to this.

And three:

Lynch has every right to not take part in the media process. He can eat the fine. He can show up and simply repeat the same pithy phrase.

Given the current collective bargaining agreement, yes. (I also agree with his summary conclusion that Lynch is the winner so far in all this.) Our major divergence comes here:

Third, any job requirement that can be fulfilled in the way Lynch is fulfilling them cannot credibly be presented as burdensome beyond the scope of personal annoyance. In other words, if Lynch is able to meet requirements that allow him to time 4 or 5 minutes on his phone and repeat the basic premise of his objection ad nauseum to doting press, then I struggle to understand how this is encumbering Lynch in any way.

Now, I agree that Lynch isn't really burdened by any significant measure having to spend five minutes repeating an answer over and over. But I view it from the other side: If Lynch can fulfill his obligations by repeating a short phrase ad nauseam, what's the point of the media policy? And if Lynch is determined to fulfill the barest of minimums, why are beat writers/reporters so determined to get something more out of him? This is insane.

It's not as if Lynch isn't doing what most every other athlete does almost all of the time. He's just more opaque about it. Bull Durham satirized this stuff 30 years ago:

There may be some generational (though Luke and I are only five years apart) and/or occupational differences (while Luke is probably mostly known for his work at new-media SB Nation, he's also expanded into more traditional media) in play here as well. In that regard, I've never - either as a consumer or as a quasi-member of the media - put much value into a press conference quote (or the more recent in-game interview quote) when 99% of those quotes are variations on the above Bull Durham material.

And in today's media, a beat reporter's access to athletes is redundant. Fans have more direct access to athletes thanks to Twitter and Instagram than ever before. The beat reporter is being squeezed out. 

In addition, the leagues (with the possible exception of the NHL in some markets) don't need their stars "out there" to promote the league. People are consuming sports more than ever before, and a beat reporter's access to the athletes has, in my estimation, almost nothing to do with it. 

In my eyes, the NFL's media policy is antiquated, and the reaction from a certain segment of the sports writing world is pushback on losing access that they'd otherwise have to work for.

To illustrate that, I regularly read three non-MMA team blogs: the Committed Indian (Blackhawks), South Side Sox (White Sox), and Blog A Bull (Bulls). None of them use athlete quotes in their game previews or recaps. They analyze the game, coaching decisions, player performance. I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

Ultimately, I don't lose sleep over Lynch being fined or the NFL threatening with additional fines that may or may not be kosher with the CBA. As Luke says, it's a battle one-percenters. But the whole situation is inane because of an inane media policy that offers little value to the consumer.

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Min: 250k | 1Q: 500k | Med: 600k | 3Q: 700k | Max: 950k

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Some Thoughts in Response to Kevin Iole's UFC/Reebok Article

There are a few excerpts from Kevin Iole's report on the UFC's uniform deal with Reebok that I wanted to highlight and respond to. 

The UFC is less than 25 years old, but in its current incarnation, under the Zuffa ownership of White and Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, it's less than 14 years old. There is still much room to grow, and these are the kinds of deals that growing businesses are eager to strike.

It's easy to forget that the UFC is still a rookie in the pro sports business. In 1968, the 99th year of Major League Baseball, the minimum salary was just $6,000 and the average salary was only $20,632.

For starter's, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' inflation calculator, $6000 in 1968 has the same buying power as nearly $41,000 in 2014. A fighter on an $8k/$8k deal could make $48,000 going 2-2 during a year (ignoring any potential escalators), though that fighter would also lose a large chunk of that to paying out managers, gyms, trainers, etc. 

Regardless, I'm not sure what point is being made here, unless it's "Hey, the UFC's labor relations are pretty on par to pre-free agency MLB," which is not a point in the UFC's favor.

Fertitta pointed out that major sports leagues in the U.S. require athletes to wear a sponsored uniform. That means in the NFL, all uniforms are made by Nike. It's adidas in the NBA, Majestic Athletic in Major League Baseball, and Reebok in the NHL.

Just as Penguins star Sidney Crosby isn't allowed to sell space on his uniform pants to Tim Horton’s Donuts, neither will Miesha Tate be allowed to sell space on her fight shorts to Dynamic Fastener.

Fighters no longer are going to be permitted to wear logos of sponsors on their outfits after the partnership with Reebok begins in July.

Sidney Crosby is an employee of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Miesha Tate is an independent contractor. This is an important distinction as uniforms are one of the distinctions of employment-vs.-contractor status. 

It's also important to note that Sidney Crosby is a card-carrying member of the NHLPA, which collectively bargains on behalf of its members with the NHL owners with regards to revenue issues. Miesha Tate has no one representing her when it comes to either this deal with Reebok or the cut of money she receives from said deal.

If the sport continues to grow as it has in the first nearly 14 years of Zuffa's ownership, it's a good bet that by the end of the next 14 years, there will be a lot more Fortune 500 companies paying Zuffa a lot more money than they currently do to sponsor the UFC and its athletes.

It takes a leap of faith to assume that a company that grew exponentially between 2000 and 2009 will continue to do so, especially considering the UFC's plateauing over the last few years.

Major League Baseball players earn money from the licensing deals based upon their service time in the majors, not from their performance or star status. That's not the case in the UFC.

While it's true that all fighters will make money to wear the uniform, they won't all be paid the same. Their success in the cage and their ability to market themselves outside of it should be reflected in their salaries, without question. The most successful should make the most money.

But given that those at the bottom end struggle to make it on their own – the minimum salary is $8,000 a fight, so a fighter could fight four times and still be guaranteed just $32,000 in salary – a more even distribution of the Reebok money would be fairer.

Iole's on to something here. Here are some problems with ranking/merit-based Reebok pay:

1. Fighters in crowded divisions (featherweight through middleweight, maybe bantamweight?) lose out. The difference between the 5th and 15th best lightweight is much smaller than the difference between the 5th and 15th best heavyweight or woman's bantamweight. 

2. The "independent" UFC media rankings are bad and now an even greater conflict of interest.

3. Fighters who lose bad decisions now face a financial double whammy (losing their win money plus a drop in ranking).

A payout system based on service time would alleviate most of these concerns, though it would provide even more incentive for the UFC to cut the Jon Fitches and Yushin Okamis of the world. (It would also create an interesting question of whether Zuffa-promoted Strikeforce and WEC fights count.)

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The NBA wants to mess with the draft odds to prevent teams from tanking, which got me to thinking. My old fantasy baseball league had a minor league/prospect draft separate from the major league auction draft. The minor league draft was determined by the following process:

1) Teams who finished out of the money were placed by descending point total, then 2) Team who finished in the money were placed in ascending point total.

(This was a roto league.)

In a twelve-team league, the top four placed in the money. The team in fifth place had the first pick, sixth had the second trip, etc. The ninth slot went to fourth place, tenth to third, etc.

There are a lot of issues you'd have to parse through to make this work in the real world. Specifically, you'd want to avoid punishing the legitimately bad teams. You could take the records at some mid-point of the season and/or divide the final records into tiers. So, like the top 5 picks are determined, in descending order of record, by the bottom 5 teams. Then hold a lottery for the teams who missed the playoffs and finished above the bottom five.

This idea would still make it difficult for the teams in the middle to get out of "basketball hell" with the majority of the value in the draft coming at the very top. 

Regardless, you need to incentivize winning somehow if you want the worst teams to stop using the tank strategy.

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The 2014 MMA Tournament of Bad Worst of the Worst Winner

The tournament favorite pulled through. Congratulations to "Adam Hunter, MMA's premiere comedian" on a dominant run through the tournament. We all look forward to your new interview with Dana White later today.

YOUR 2014 MMA TOURNAMENT OF BAD BRACKET

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The 2014 MMA Tournament of Bad Worst of the Worst Voting

...and then there were two.

YOUR 2014 MMA TOURNAMENT OF BAD BRACKET

"Adam Hunter, MMA's premiere comedian" was the shoo-in. The tournament favorite, MMA Roasted did not disappoint, taking an 80+ share in the first three rounds before winning its Two-Thirds of Twelve and Futile Four matchups with 74 and 60 scores.

On the other side of the bracket, "UFC to Askren: Win some fights" was the tournament dark horse. Coming out of nowhere to not only make the finals, but win big on its way. Can it continue its unexpected run and knock off the tournament juggernaut? That's for you to decide.

I asked what changes you would make to the Unified Rules. The highlights:

-Nut shots -Penis grabs -More fights against bears.  -Additional route to victory: making your opponent have an orgasm. -one ridin dick...one lickin ma toesssss -be allowed to leave cage to scrounge for weapons in the crowd, fans encouraged to wrap two by fours in barbed wire -If a guy gets kneed in the balls, let him have a break instead of asking him, "Are you ok?" every two seconds. It's your balls. It hurts to get kicked there. -More stone cold stunners

No more region guides because really you're an adult and figure out the internet.

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The 2014 MMA Tournament of Bad Futile Four Voting

Is this thing over yet?

YOUR 2014 MMA TOURNAMENT OF BAD BRACKET

We entered the Two-Thirds of Twelve, or Eight, round with three number one seeds. We're now left with just one. Adam Hunter remains; the tournament's odds-on favorite looks posed to take it down. It will face late-charing upstart "Bloodstain Lane sponsorship." On the other side of the bracket, the Cinderella dark horse "UFC to Askren: Win some fights" (a seven seed) against "Dana White's UFC 167 rant" (a three seed). It's a surprising and interesting Futile Four, and we could be in line for a surprising and interesting Worst of the Worst matchup.

In my last anti-robot discriminator, I asked who your least favorite fighter was. The highlights:

-"There is just something about Keith Jardine I absolutely abhor." -"Tim Sylvia because he made a rude remark about my Helwani Nose shirt." -"Ben Rothwell. He's even dimmer than you'd expect and an absolute ass. Like talking to a spoiled 8 year old." -"Bob Sapp probably doesn't count as a fighter, does he?" (Good to see Ariel participating.) -"Subo. He's fighting for the UFC CONSTANTLY." -"Clay Guida looks like he's bouncing up and down on an invisible horsecock mid-fight." -"Matt Hughes, for bringing bibles onto the set of TUF." -"Fallon Fox cuz sje use 2 has peener." -"Probably one of the rapist ones; not a fan of that"

War Machine got the most support, so congrats to him.

By now, you should know the drill. If you (somehow) don't understand (really?) one of the entrants (seriously, we're almost done with this thing), here are the region guides (but, honestly, find Thiago Silva and tell him you fucked his ex-wife in the middle of a jiu-jitsu class and everyone cheered you on and called Thiago a bitch):

Jon Hess Region Harold Howard Region Art Jimmerson Region Steve Jennum Region

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The 2014 MMA Tournament of Bad Two-Thirds of Twelve, or Eight, Voting

Bloodstain Lane Andy Hug/Hoog/Hog kicks his way into a regional final...

YOUR 2014 MMA TOURNAMENT OF BAD BRACKET

Our first number one seed falls as no. 4 "Bloodstain Lane sponsorship" knocks off "The Transphobic Triumvirate." The three other one seeds still stand, though no. 12 "Eric Holden, creepy MMA media dude" gave "Anderson Silva's left leg" a scare. "UFC to Askren: Win some fights" is the lowest seed (no. 7) left in the tournament. Does it have what it takes to take down top-ranked "Rampage vs. Ortiz on Bellator PPV"? VOTE AND FIND OUT.

As always, if you don’t know what an entrant is, check out the region guides:

Jon Hess Region Harold Howard Region Art Jimmerson Region Steve Jennum Region

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The 2014 MMA Tournament of Bad Sweet and Sour Sixteen Voting

And now for something completely the same...

YOUR 2014 MMA TOURNAMENT OF BAD BRACKET

With the white light of the tunnel in sight, let's look at the tournament highlights thus far:

-Internet Cinderella darling no. 13 "Tomas Rios: UFC slavedrivers" gets bumped in the first round by no. 4 "TUF: China's fighting yogi." -All four number one seeds are still alive. -The first two seed was bumped in the Round of 32 when "Beatus, fighting Fox robot" fell to no. 7 "UFC to Askren: Win some fights." -No. 12 "Eric Holden, creepy MMA dude" was found to have had some ballot stuffing in the Round of 32. He still won, but the Tournament Committee will keep an eye out for further shenanigans. -UFC Fight Pass still has two representatives.  -In a battle of promotional failures, no. 2 "UFC 168: YOUUUU AND MEEEEE" meets no. 3 "UFC 165: Holy Shit, Long Arms!" -"'HELWANI NOSE' t-shirts" is now the lone Ariel Helwani-themed entrant.

As the ballot size dwindles, the ease to cheat the system grows. So, you'll now notice an anti-cheating mechanism at the bottom of your ballot. Say something funny or nice or whatever and you'll get by.

As always, if you don't know what an entrant is, check out the region guides:

Jon Hess Region Harold Howard Region Art Jimmerson Region Steve Jennum Region

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The 2014 MMA Tournament of Bad Round of 32 Voting, Part Two

The Round of 64 results are in. You can view them here:

YOUR 2014 MMA TOURNAMENT OF BAD BRACKET

Points of interest:

-Favorites in the Art Jimmerson Region swept their matchups. -Three upsets in the Steve Jennum Region: no. 12 "Eric Holden, creepy MMA dude" over no. 5 "UFC 165: Exploding Heads"; no. 13 "Christy Mack on the MMA Hour" over no. 4 "Kid Nate's bath robe and fedora"; and no. 10 "Maiquel Falcao's gas station rumble" over no. 7 "Miesha Tate goes to the gas station." -Eric Holden meets Christy Mack in the Round of 32. 

Voting in Part One of the Round of 32 will stay open until tomorrow around noon CT.

Before we get to the first part of Round of 32 voting, remember that region guides are available:

Jon Hess Region Harold Howard Region Art Jimmerson Region Steve Jennum Region

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The 2014 MMA Tournament of Bad Round of 32 Voting, Part One

The first half of the Round of 64 voting is over, and we've got some surprises.

YOUR 2014 MMA TOURNAMENT OF BAD BRACKET

All four of the one and two seeds advance, though "UFC Fight Pass" battled tooth and nail to pick up a 56-44 win over "Ilir Latifi, UFC main eventer." Biggest upset of the round is no. 12 "Mike Kogan: House niggas" giving it to fifth-ranked "Jon Jones' big toe." And tenth-ranked "Ariel Helwani's winged shoes" sneaked by no. 7 "Marc Raimondi's Nicco Fertitta puff piece."

In what may be the biggest surprise of the first round, touted internet dark house pick "Tomas Rios: UFC slavedrivers" fell to fourth-ranked "TUF: China's fighting yogi." Someone get Derek Suboticki a bowl. Nevermind.

Voting in Part Two of the Round of 64 will be open until tomorrow.

Before we get to the first part of Round of 32 voting, remember that region guides are available:

Jon Hess Region Harold Howard Region Art Jimmerson Region Steve Jennum Region

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The 2014 MMA Tournament of Bad Round of 64 Voting, Part Two

And now for something completely different...

YOUR 2014 MMA TOURNAMENT OF BAD BRACKET

Part one of the Round of 64 voting is still open. It closes tomorrow morning at some time of my choosing. Go get on that. We move on to voting in the Art Jimmerson and Steve Jennum regions.

Confused by an entrant? Check out our region guides:

Jon Hess Region Harold Howard Region Art Jimmerson Region Steve Jennum Region

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The 2014 MMA Tournament of Bad Steve Jennum Region Guide

1. Anderson Silva's left leg - Words have no use here.

2. "HELWANI NOSE" t-shirts - Ariel Helwani, self-proclaimed Howard Cosell of MMA, hawks his own t-shirts. Real people wear this shit.

3. Dana White's UFC 167 rant - Georges St-Pierre, long-time welterweight champion and perennial cash cow, won a controversial decision over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167. St-Pierre's post-fight interview insinuating the champ might need to take some time off sent Dana White off the rails.

4. Kid Nate's bath robe and fedora - Nate Wilcox wears fedoras, does something called a "bath robe review," and calls himself "Kid." Nate Wilcox is a grown-ass man.

5. UFC 165: Exploding Heads - A byproduct of two other entrants, the UFC released this viral video to complement the "holy shit, long arms!" promotion of UFC 165. The absurdity could have been worked had it been original. Turns out it ripped off some meme:

6. Bellator: No UFC castoffs, wink - After distancing themselves from Jon Fitch and not wanting to look like a dumping ground for the UFC's sloppy seconds, Bellator goes on a spending spree, signing Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Cheick Kongo, Tito Ortiz, and others to contracts.

7. Miesha Tate goes to the gas station - Miesha Tate went to the gas station to pay for some gas and a spicy pickle. Then the attendant lady had to give her a little attitude about a receipt. Miesha kept it real.

8. Bigfoot Silva, literally buried - When a retired Georges St-Pierre spoke up about MMA's drug testing problems, Dana White reminded every of what they did to Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva: "We buried 'Bigfoot' Silva. We literally buried him for it." 

9. #RallyForMarkHunt - Mark Hunt rebounded from six straight losses with a four-fight winning streak in the UFC. Some boob started the #RallyForMarkHunt hash tag. It was cute for a while, but holy shit, people, you need to cut this shit out.

10. Maiquel Falcao's gas station rumble - Maiquel Falcao, pro MMA fighter, assaults a woman in line at the gas station, then gets his ass beat:

11. Jason Miller vs. Uriah Hall - Jason Miller, MMA's KONY 2012, chided Uriah Hall with "bitch nigga" before Hall throws a couple punches. MMA is so stupid.

12. Erin Holden, creepy MMA dude - Adam Hunter isn't the only creep in the MMA world. Eric Holden, an MMA writer for Examiner, asked two fighters bizarre sexually suggestive messages and told the two (who are in a relationship) a photo of them kissing "gave him a boner." He generally seems like a weird dude.

13. Christy Mack on the MMA Hour - Christy Mack is a porn star. Christy Mack dates irrelevant fighter, sort-of relevant Twitter cultural figure, War Machine. On these grounds, Ariel Helwani invited Ms. Mack (with Mr. Machine) on to the MMA Hour. 

14. Jon Jones' Gatorade "sponsorship" - Malki Kawa made a big deal of the, uh, deal he made for Jon Jones with Gatorade. Then Darren Rovell had to show up and ruin all the fun.

15. Josh Rosenthal, marijuana felon - Josh Rosenthal, the man behind Brock Lesnar's comeback against Shane Carwin, was sentenced for 37 months in prison for conspiracy to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. Tournament of Bad? More like Tournament of Sad.

16. Drunk Peter Berg - Director Peter Berg showed up at UFC 168 to promote his new movie, Lone Survivor. Berg, along with Marcus Luttrell, the marine whose story Berg turned into a major motion picture, was interviewed live on the telecast. Berg, well, let's let MMA Twitter Superstar GFKonMMA explain: "peter berg drunk, soldier with the unbelievable story makes the go usa pick. shout out to mma for bein too real yall."

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The 2014 MMA Tournament of Bad Art Jimmerson Region Guide

1. Rampage vs. Ortiz on Bellator PPV - Bellator, MMA's de facto number two promotion, decided to enter the PPV market. Their plan? Sign two aging, ex-UFC stars for big money and throw them in the main event. Oh, and throw them into a pro wrestling feud. (Skip to 3:45 of the video.)

2. Beatus, fighting Fox robot - The UFC's deal with Fox brought a lot of the Fox branding with it: theme songs, graphics packages, the roundtable pre-show format. It also brought Beatus, the MMA equivalent to Cleatus, the Fox Sports/NFL robot. When Beatus showed up on a UFC on Fox broadcast, Joe Rogan made what may be his greatest contribution to MMA:

Joe: Throw that thing in the garbage.

Mike: Don't say that about the girls, that isn't nice.

Joe: That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about that stupid robot.

Beatus hasn't been seen since. RIP Beatus

3. Tyrone Spong's Boost Mobile burner - Some promotions hand out trophies. Other promotions hand out belts. Pride used to hand out those oversized golf checks. World Series of Fighting? World Series of Fighting hands out Boost Mobile phones.

4. Ronda Rousey, MMA's biggest star - Heading into UFC 170, Dana White proclaimed to the media that Ronda Rousey was the biggest star in UFC history. Rousey would end up drawing the first sub-$2M gate at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in nearly a decade. Brock Lesnar and Georges St-Pierre shared a laugh.

5. Ariel Helwani vs. Bob Sapp - How does MMA's number one journalist get to the bottom of things? Why, setting his sights on an irrelevant shell of a sideshow act, of course! (Video is from 2012, feud has continued through 2014, including recent developments!)

6. Alexander Gustafsson on Fight Pass - Alexander Gustafsson took UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones to the brink. So what's next? A tuneup fight on a digital subscription network! Gustafsson's reaction: "Well, that sucks a little bit."

7. UFC to Askren: Win some fights - The UFC, home to the world's greatest fighters. Ben Askren, one of the world's greatest fighters. The UFC, refusing to sign Ben Askren. Ben Askren, relegated to beating up jobbers in ONE FC. 

8. Nick Diaz's WAR MMA - Nick Diaz "retired" from MMA and entered the promotion business, but it really seems like Jonathan Tweedale's baby with Nick Diaz's name slapped on it. This short documentary features a Nick Diaz no-show, a broken web stream, and shirtless dudes smoking a bong.

9. UFC burns Johny Hendricks - Heading into one of the biggest shows of the year, the UFC asks Johny Hendricks to film some promos. This is the result:

10. Patrick Cummins, legitimate threat - Rashad Evans' knee injury forced the UFC into a difficult scenario: Daniel Cormier still wanted a fight, but no one wanted to take it. So, the promotion turned to Patrick Cummins, a barista with a 4-0 MMA record. Instead of selling the fight for what it is - namely, Cormier not wasting his weight cut - the UFC tries to sell Cummins as a legitimate threat. Cormier wins by TKO in 79 seconds.

11. GSP/Hendricks VADA debacle - Georges St-Pierre and Johny Hendricks verbally agreed to VADA testing for their UFC 167 title clash. Hendricks didn't go through VADA testing. Why? Long story short: VADA's relationship with St-Pierre, GSP's lawyer going on vacation, and Keith Kizer not wanting to bother.

12. UFC's DCMA child porn request - The UFC is pretty aggressive about attacking piracy. Turns out, a little too aggressive:

13. Brian Stann's heroic retirement - Brian Stann, by all accounts, seems like a pretty good guy. Brian Stann, by all accounts, was a solid, if mediocre, pro MMA fighter. Yet, his retirement was covered with gravity normally reserved for long-time champions.

14. Ronda Rousey's digital autograph - MetroPCS, as part of their tie-in marketing for UFC 168, offered a free digital autograph from Ronda Rousey. That leads to things like this:

15. UFC "viral" videos - Every so often Dana White finds a great video promoting an upcoming card. They're often goofy, absurd, and borrow heavily from pop culture. And they're always from Youtube users like CainFan376 and SpiderSilva12. It's pretty amazing that White is always in on the ground floor.

16. King Mo, Brent Brookhouse truther - When Bloody Elbow's Brent Brookhouse disparages King Mo's Mayweather-inspired shoulder roll boxing, Mo responds by questioning whether Brookhouse even exists and instructs the latter to not raise his unborn child a "hater."