Our resident MMA expert Turd Ferguson addresses the recent retirement of MMA legend Chuck Liddell.

Nor will this: the unofficial has been made official: Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell has called it quits after years of taking beatings that would make Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa clamor for Obamacare.

For most of his career, Liddell doled out punishment that would make “Zed” from “Pulp Fiction” proud.  Known for his knockout power, Liddell tore through the light heavyweight division when he first broke into the UFC in 1998. Unfortunately, after dropping the light heavyweight belt to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in 2007, Liddell has never really looked the same, kinda like Pam Anderson.

Liddell last fought in June against Rich Franklin, who won the bout despite breaking his arm (BREAKING NEWS: MMA fighters are tough). On a more serious note, Liddell is a legend in UFC, and his battles with Randy Couture did more to raise the profile of UFC than almost any other fight, except perhaps Shamrock v. Ortiz. Still, it was a little painful to see Liddell getting pounded in the octagon his last couple outings as Dana White vowed he would not promote another Liddell fight again. Considering Liddell was never someone who took his training too seriously, it’s amazing his career has lasted this long.  Even though he changed his workouts later in his career, Liddell’s hard-charging style became obsolete in a sport that is quickly evolving into an elite discipline; much like that sex scene in “Eyes Wide Shut” (where can I get masks like what Tom Cruise was wearing?).

Liddell is sticking around the sport because Dana White takes care of “his” guys (I’m looking at you Randy!). Officially, his title will now be “Vice President of Business Development,” but don’t be surprised if you also see Liddell doing commentary at future UFC PPVs, or conducting interviews. Best of luck to the Iceman, and here’s a good example of my expectations for Liddell’s interviews moving forward:

Coming off of an impressive run-down of UFC 120 and a delayed trial, Deuce of Davenport resident MMA expert Turd Ferguson is back with another in-depth look at Saturday’s UFC 121 pay-per-view.

We get a lot of questions about old T.F.  Is he really the miscreant he makes himself out to be?  How can he know so much about MMA when he’s constantly on the run from the law?  Are the rumors true that he’s really a 120-pound hipster living in solitude in a friend’s shed in Cleveland?  I was given special access to T.F.’s lair this past weekend and let me tell you: the answer to these questions is pretty much, “yes.”  Or maybe not.  Possibly.  We just don’t know.  But I do know this: he gets it done.  Back by popular demand, your UFC 121 run-down:  

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Let’s face it: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is no longer a niche sport.  Head to any sports bar on a fight night and you’ll see hordes of men and women crowded around televisions watching tatted-up behemoths grapple with each other.  The combat is brutal, just like UFC founder Dana White.  Through a series of shrewd business moves and a ruthless marketing campaign, he’s methodically crushing the remnants of boxing. 

Fresh out of rehab, we asked guest writer and MMA die-hard Turd Ferguson to give us his expert summation of Saturday’s “UFC 120.”  His recap is after the bump:  Read the rest of this entry

Deuce of Davenport reached out to MMA die-hard Turd Ferguson to provide another UFC PPV recap.  Yeah, I know it’s late.  I was on vacation.  So sue me.  With my apologies to TF, his expert take is below:

Like any movie will tell you, the Fourth of July holiday is about spending time with your family and celebrating America’s big “F-U” to the British that kick-started this whole crazy nation.  Thus, we have a duty to set off illegal fireworks, drink too much, and be detained for operating a jet ski without ownership or a license while intoxicated (Word up, Kenny f’n Powers!)

In a similar vain, I feel like I have an obligation to watch UFC 116.  So, I wasn’t about to let a small thing like a court order from D.C. family court prevent me from fleeing the District for the thug mansion of deadbeat dads: South Florida.  

I have been with UFC since the early days and when UFC 116 finally rumbled about, I knew I had to be there to hold its hand during the contractions, celebrate its birth, cut the chord, and then brazenly take off after pretending to go down the hall to get a cup of coffee.  

UFC 116 was holding some serious cards, specifically the heavyweight showdown between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. This fight was huge, as if Poseidon and Zeus fought on Mount Olympus while the other gods took shots of Ouzo, nailed their lonely relatives, and interfered in foreign wars.   

Going into this bout, undefeated Shane Carwin, who was 12-0 and never took a fight into the second round, faced Shrek look-alike Brock Lesnar, who when not dying from life-threatening diseases, probably punishes his wife Sable like only a real man can (That’s a sex joke!  Not domestic violence!).

Clap slow for me, Mel Gibson, while the women in the room take pictures on their phones for evidence… Before the police come for me, here’s what I was able to recap:  

Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricardo Romero
The guy who single handedly destroyed EliteXC, Seth “Kimbo Killer” Petruzelli got put down by Ricardo Romero with an arm bar in the 2nd round.  

And somewhere, Kimbo Slice was nursing an appletini in a South Florida establishment in between accompanying Reality Kings talent to a bat mitzvah at $75 an hour.  

Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer
Slice’s former co-star for Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Brendan Schaub, made his return to UFC to make very quick work of Chris Tuchscherer, basically beating this guy silly until the referee intervened and spared Dana White of having to pay out another wrongful death claim.  

Gerald Harris vs. Dave Branch
Since Schaub finished faster than me with a new copy of Hustler, we were quickly on to match #2 on the night.  Gerald Harris took on Dave Branch in a fight that doubled as a dance recital in the early going.  Things looked pretty even until Harris basically pulled a “Rampage” on Branch, who may now be eating apple sauce for dinner.  Harris received praise from commentators for holding a fist after the slam knocked out Branch but then he took his wallet and keys and left the arena through the men’s bathroom window. 

Stephen Bonnar vs. Krystof Soszynski
Pirouetting to the next bout, Stephen Bonnar fought Krystof Soszynski in a rematch from an earlier fight I never knew happened but was thoroughly entertained by.  Both fighters came out teeing off on each other like groupies in Kanye’s hotel suite, and when the dust settled, “The American Psycho” Bonnar took the W at 2:08 in the second round.    

Chris Lytle vs. Matt Brown
Chris Lytle took out his aggression for (likely) being made fun of for having a stupid name on Matt Brown, catching him with a beautiful arm bar at 2:02 in the second round.  

As a side note, by this point in the night, I was so drunk that the pizza delivery place around the corner from me had hung up thrice, assuming each time that it was a crank call. My previous attempts to exchange a phony bomb-threat for a large double pepperoni and 2-liter of coke were to no avail… My notes are similarly unhelpful…

Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
The co-main event for this evening was easily the best bout of the night as Chris “The Crippler” Leben took on Yoshihiro Akiyama in a bout that Leben needed for redemption after some questions arose about his control and focus.  Leben also took this fight on short notice after last fighting during the TUF 11 Season Finale a couple weeks ago.  Great back and forth for these two fighters with Leben getting woozy on his feet before catching Akiyama with a triangle that ended the fight deep in the third round.

CELBRITY UPDATE: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sat ringside for UFC 116 because he’s trying to keep his job.  Reid later challenged Sharron Angle inside the octagon for UFC 117.  Angle’s camp has yet to respond.  By the way, Lesnar’s not a fan of the healthcare bill, Harry, so best to keep close to the exits…    

Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin
The main event to unify the heavyweight championships saw two behemoths duking it out like a pair of besmirched mothers on a Saturday afternoon in a Toledo Chuck E. Cheese’s (raise your hand if you’ve been in one of those corners before).  Give Carwin credit for rocking Lesnar immediately and taking him to the limit like we have not seen before.  Oh, side note to Carwin: switch pit crews.  You looked like a NASCAR driver who ran out of gas after a few laps.  As Carwin looked ready for a nap at the beginning of the second round, Lesnar helped him get to sleep by locking on a choke and getting the tap for the victory.  

Although Lesnar didn’t indicate whether or not he planned on being intimate with his wife (like at UFC 100) or denounce any major corporate sponsors, he did declare himself “still the toughest SOB around.”  I would have to agree.  Sorry I said you looked like “Shrek,” sir.

Let’s face it: Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is no longer a niche sport.  Head to any sports bar on a fight night and you’ll see hordes of men and women crowded around televisions watching tatted-up behemoths grapple with each other.  The combat is brutal, just like UFC founder Dana White.  Through a series of shrewd business moves and a ruthless marketing campaign, he’s methodically crushing the remnants of boxing. 

Back by popular demand, we asked guest writer and MMA die-hard Turd Ferguson (seriously, what is up with poop-related things and this website?) to give us his expert summation of Saturday’s “The Ultimate Fighter” finale.  His recap is below:  Read the rest of this entry