Author: bgoldstein

UFC Confirms Michael Johnson’s Arrest for Battery Following ‘Domestic Dispute’ in April


(Johnson’s booking photo, via mugshots.com)

Just two days after announcing that Michael Johnson would face Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night 61, the UFC has revealed that his long layoff in 2014 was due to an April arrest for domestic battery, not an injury. Here’s the official statement posted last night on UFC.com:

UFC lightweight Michael Johnson was ineligible to compete in the UFC organization following his arrest regarding a domestic dispute in Palm Beach County, Florida in April 2014. Given that the allegations against Johnson constituted a potential violation of the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy, the UFC organization temporarily barred Johnson from competition pending the completion of a third-party investigation. Following a thorough review and investigation—including personal interviews with Johnson and independent confirmation that he has satisfied all obligations required by the UFC—Johnson is once again eligible to compete and will begin training for his next fight at UFC Fight Night: Evans vs. Teixeira in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The UFC will continue to monitor Johnson’s status. He must fully comply with the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy and all other contractual and additional obligations in order to continue competing in the UFC.

All UFC athletes are required to comply with the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy they signed along with their fight contract. The UFC organization will not tolerate any violation of its Fighter Conduct Policy. The organization is committed to thoroughly investigating all allegations and taking the appropriate action when warranted.

Johnson was booked in Palm Beach County, Florida, at 2:30 a.m. on April 9th on a charge of “battery – touch or strike.” Johnson reportedly has other domestic violence charges pending, and already has a court date scheduled for February 25th — three days after his scheduled fight with Barboza in Brazil — for driving on a revoked license.

A few thoughts…


(Johnson’s booking photo, via mugshots.com)

Just two days after announcing that Michael Johnson would face Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night 61, the UFC has revealed that his long layoff in 2014 was due to an April arrest for domestic battery, not an injury. Here’s the official statement posted last night on UFC.com:

UFC lightweight Michael Johnson was ineligible to compete in the UFC organization following his arrest regarding a domestic dispute in Palm Beach County, Florida in April 2014. Given that the allegations against Johnson constituted a potential violation of the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy, the UFC organization temporarily barred Johnson from competition pending the completion of a third-party investigation. Following a thorough review and investigation—including personal interviews with Johnson and independent confirmation that he has satisfied all obligations required by the UFC—Johnson is once again eligible to compete and will begin training for his next fight at UFC Fight Night: Evans vs. Teixeira in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The UFC will continue to monitor Johnson’s status. He must fully comply with the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy and all other contractual and additional obligations in order to continue competing in the UFC.

All UFC athletes are required to comply with the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy they signed along with their fight contract. The UFC organization will not tolerate any violation of its Fighter Conduct Policy. The organization is committed to thoroughly investigating all allegations and taking the appropriate action when warranted.

Johnson was booked in Palm Beach County, Florida, at 2:30 a.m. on April 9th on a charge of “battery – touch or strike.” Johnson reportedly has other domestic violence charges pending, and already has a court date scheduled for February 25th — three days after his scheduled fight with Barboza in Brazil — for driving on a revoked license.

A few thoughts…

– The timeline of this whole thing is bizarre. Johnson gets arrested in April, the UFC books him for a fight against Josh Thomson in May, then the UFC announces he’s “injured” in July…but doesn’t reveal the truth about his arrest until late December, two days after announcing his next fight? Maybe the UFC figured it had enough domestic-violence-related publicity for the year, between Thiago Silva, Anthony Johnson, and the horrific headlines produced by ex-UFC fighters War Machine and Josh Grispi.

– I wonder how often “undisclosed injury” really means “embarrassing arrest that we’d rather not publicize”?

– The UFC claims to have a “zero tolerance policy” on domestic violence…except Michael Johnson and Anthony Johnson were welcomed back to the UFC following “third-party investigations.” Meanwhile, Jason High’s lifetime ban for shoving a referee has remained in effect. Cool priorities, bro.

The 58 Most Incredible MMA Photos We Posted on Facebook in 2014


(January 6th: Andy “Ice Cold” Eichholz might have broken his nose this weekend.)

At the time of this writing, CagePotato’s Facebook page is within spitting distance of 50,000 fans, so we figured we’d drop you a friendly reminder — PLEASE “Like” OUR PAGE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!! Honestly, it’ll be worth your time. We don’t just use our FB account to spam links to our articles; we also share some amazing photos and videos that you might not find elsewhere in your MMA media diet.

To give you a sense of what the non-followers might be missing, we went through our Facebook photo gallery today and selected 58 of the most memorable images that we posted in 2014, which we’ve laid out below along with their original descriptions. (Yeah, we did this last year too.)

Enjoy the pics, join CP’s Facebook Militia if you haven’t already, and invite your friends to follow us too! Or at least the ones who watch MMA and have a sense of humor.


January 21st: You know that photo of Fedor at the beach that’s been floating around? Well, we improved it. (Props: @ChrisColemon) #GloriousThongOfAbsoluteVictory


(January 6th: Andy “Ice Cold” Eichholz might have broken his nose this weekend.)

At the time of this writing, CagePotato’s Facebook page is within spitting distance of 50,000 fans, so we figured we’d drop you a friendly reminder — PLEASE “Like” OUR PAGE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!! Honestly, it’ll be worth your time. We don’t just use our FB account to spam links to our articles; we also share some amazing photos and videos that you might not find elsewhere in your MMA media diet.

To give you a sense of what the non-followers might be missing, we went through our Facebook photo gallery today and selected 58 of the most memorable images that we posted in 2014, which we’ve laid out below along with their original descriptions. (Yeah, we did this last year too.)

Enjoy the pics, join CP’s Facebook Militia if you haven’t already, and invite your friends to follow us too! Or at least the ones who watch MMA and have a sense of humor.


January 21st: You know that photo of Fedor at the beach that’s been floating around? Well, we improved it. (Props: @ChrisColemon) #GloriousThongOfAbsoluteVictory


January 27th: Early kick-face of the year candidate, from the Cowboy/Martins fight. It’s hideous…and yet I can’t look away. http://bit.ly/M5oKUv #UFConFOX


February 4th: Jon Jones and John McCain joined forces today for a great cause: http://bit.ly/LMRqSn


February 6th: Ronda Rousey. Holy moly. (Photo by @brianbowensmith)


February 20th: Throwback Thursday: UFC 3′s Emmanuel Yarborough and a pre-Bangerz Miley Cyrus. #wtf #tbt


February 25th: Vitor Belfort’s new haircut. Your thoughts, please. (props: realvitorbelfort on Instagram)


March 10th: “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung got married this weekend. Obviously, he had to represent in his wedding photos. (props: r/MMA)


March 17th: Carlos Condit Suffered Meniscus Tear, Possible Torn ACL in UFC 171 Loss to Tyron Woodley http://bit.ly/1cQiY5z


March 23rd: Whoa…best tattoo ever? (via Inked Magazine)

A Loving Photo/Video Tribute to Jade Bryce, Former (!?) Bellator Ring Girl

(“MMA Impressions With Jade Bryce, Part 2: The Thrill of Victory” — The greatest original video we’ve ever published.)

By now, you’ve probably heard the sad news: Longtime Bellator ring girl Jade Bryce has been released from the promotion. “Super sad to announce that I am no longer with Bellator,” Jade wrote on Instagram over the weekend. “They have chosen to go in a different direction for the new year. I worked exactly 99 fights for them over the past 4 years, & it truly was the best 4 years of my life.”

If Bellator’s “new direction” involves getting rid of all of its ring girls — even the other one that you never really hear about — because the use of ring girls in combat sports is a sexist tradition or whatever, we will grudgingly accept that. (Also, if Bellator is cutting Jade to make room for a ring boy, we will also accept that, because CagePotato has always supported equality and absurdity.)

Any other explanation makes no sense. Jade Bryce is a more beloved and respectable figure than 90% of Bellator’s actual fighter-roster. So yeah, we’re a little bitter today, because we love Jade; she’s beautiful, kind-hearted, and any MMA ring girl who doesn’t recoil in horror around us is aces in our book.

To help you process your own grief about Jade’s firing, we’ve collected her all-time greatest videos, photos, and assorted miscellany that we’ve ever posted on this site. Enjoy these two jam-packed pages of Classic Jade, click all the images for larger versions, and show her some love on Twitter @thejadebryce. We’ll let you know where she ends up.



(From: “Order Jade Bryce’s 2015 Calendar, And Support a Great Cause“)


(“MMA Impressions With Jade Bryce, Part 2: The Thrill of Victory” — The greatest original video we’ve ever published.)

By now, you’ve probably heard the sad news: Longtime Bellator ring girl Jade Bryce has been released from the promotion. “Super sad to announce that I am no longer with Bellator,” Jade wrote on Instagram over the weekend. “They have chosen to go in a different direction for the new year. I worked exactly 99 fights for them over the past 4 years, & it truly was the best 4 years of my life.”

If Bellator’s “new direction” involves getting rid of all of its ring girls — even the other one that you never really hear about — because the use of ring girls in combat sports is a sexist tradition or whatever, we will grudgingly accept that. (Also, if Bellator is cutting Jade to make room for a ring boy, we will also accept that, because CagePotato has always supported equality and absurdity.)

Any other explanation makes no sense. Jade Bryce is a more beloved and respectable figure than 90% of Bellator’s actual fighter-roster. So yeah, we’re a little bitter today, because we love Jade; she’s beautiful, kind-hearted, and any MMA ring girl who doesn’t recoil in horror around us is aces in our book.

To help you process your own grief about Jade’s firing, we’ve collected her all-time greatest videos, photos, and assorted miscellany that we’ve ever posted on this site. Enjoy these two jam-packed pages of Classic Jade, click all the images for larger versions, and show her some love on Twitter @thejadebryce. We’ll let you know where she ends up.



(From: “Order Jade Bryce’s 2015 Calendar, And Support a Great Cause“)


(From: “Watch These Jade Bryce Workout Videos, And You Will Have the Best Ass on the Block“)


(Props: Jade’s Facebook page)




(From “Ring Girl Booty-Shot of the Day: Jade Bryce Offers Bruce Lee Some Pizza“)




(From: “26 Amazing MMA Ring Girl GIFs That You Probably Haven’t Seen Before“)

My first video attempt. You’re welcome.

A video posted by Eric Coleman (@ericcoleman1) onSep 9, 2013 at 4:12pm PDT


(Jade Bryce is distracting.)


(From “Jade Bryce Rolling Around in Spandex Eating Pizza Is Something We Can Always Get Behind“)

Click the “next page” link for the rest of our MMA Impressions series with Jade, her Playboy photos, and even more pizza erotica.

Edson Barboza vs. Michael Johnson Added to UFC Fight Night 61 in Porto Alegre

(Barboza doing some of that spinnin’ stuff during his last fight against Bobby Green.)

The UFC announced yesterday that a fight between highly regarded lightweight contenders Edson Barboza and Michael Johnson will serve as the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 61, which goes down Sunday, February 22nd at Gigantinho Gymnasium in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The event apparently will be headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Glover Teixeira, and it is expected to air on FOX Sports 1.

Barboza has been victorious in his last two Octagon appearances, scoring a first-round TKO of Evan Dunham in July and out-pointing Bobby Green at UFC Fight Night 57 last month. Johnson has won three straight against Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau, and Melvin Guillared, but hasn’t competed since March due to injury.

The current lineup for UFC Fight Night 61: Evans vs. Teixeira is…


(Barboza doing some of that spinnin’ stuff during his last fight against Bobby Green.)

The UFC announced yesterday that a fight between highly regarded lightweight contenders Edson Barboza and Michael Johnson will serve as the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 61, which goes down Sunday, February 22nd at Gigantinho Gymnasium in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The event apparently will be headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Glover Teixeira, and it is expected to air on FOX Sports 1.

Barboza has been victorious in his last two Octagon appearances, scoring a first-round TKO of Evan Dunham in July and out-pointing Bobby Green at UFC Fight Night 57 last month. Johnson has won three straight against Joe Lauzon, Gleison Tibau, and Melvin Guillared, but hasn’t competed since March due to injury.

The current lineup for UFC Fight Night 61: Evans vs. Teixeira is…

Rashad Evans vs. Glover Teixeira
Edson Barboza vs. Michael Johnson
Sam Alvey vs. Cezar Ferreira
Rustam Khabilov vs. Adriano Martins
Matt Dwyer vs. William Macario
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Sean Strickland
Ivan Jorge vs. Josh Shockley
Wendell Oliveira vs. T.J. Waldburger

Watch the Full “Bad Blood: Jones vs. Cormier” UFC 182 Hype Video Right Here

(Props: UFC on YouTube)

Though the UFC has already given us its “Hey Pussy Are You Still There” PPV promo, a UFC 182 extended trailer, and a Jones vs. Cormier “Countdown” segment, here’s one more video package about the mutual distaste between light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones and his upcoming challenger Daniel Cormier. They are beating this horse to death, homey.

Narrated by CNN personality/BJJ aficionado Anthony Bourdain, the half-hour “Bad Blood: Jones vs. Cormier” special aired recently on FOX Sports 1, and begins with a quick retrospective of some of the UFC’s other great rivalries. The Shamrock/Tito “living death” moment shows up within the first 10 seconds, which I appreciated. But also, we’ve got BJ Penn explaining to Georges St-Pierre that he wants to kill him — “and I’m not joking about this” — and clips of Brock Lesnar and Rampage Jackson acting rather unprofessional. The implication is, Jon Jones may have threatened Daniel Cormier with actual death, but look, sometimes these things happen in MMA.

Anyway, it’s worth a look if you have any patience left for Jones/Cormier pre-fight hype. There aren’t too many surprises here, but we do get an interesting look at Cormier’s training relationship with Khadzhimurat Gatsalov, the phenom Russian wrestler who defeated Cormier at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Plus: Some never-before-heard insults (“How much you weigh right now, fat fuck?”).

It also makes me wonder: If Jones and Cormier never brawled on stage, and never cursed each other out during that SportsCenter interview, how would the UFC promote this fight? Would it be enough that the two greatest light-heavyweights in the world were facing each other on January 3rd? How badly do we need bad blood?


(Props: UFC on YouTube)

Though the UFC has already given us its “Hey Pussy Are You Still There” PPV promo, a UFC 182 extended trailer, and a Jones vs. Cormier “Countdown” segment, here’s one more video package about the mutual distaste between light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones and his upcoming challenger Daniel Cormier. They are beating this horse to death, homey.

Narrated by CNN personality/BJJ aficionado Anthony Bourdain, the half-hour “Bad Blood: Jones vs. Cormier” special aired recently on FOX Sports 1, and begins with a quick retrospective of some of the UFC’s other great rivalries. The Shamrock/Tito “living death” moment shows up within the first 10 seconds, which I appreciated. But also, we’ve got BJ Penn explaining to Georges St-Pierre that he wants to kill him — “and I’m not joking about this” — and clips of Brock Lesnar and Rampage Jackson acting rather unprofessional. The implication is, Jon Jones may have threatened Daniel Cormier with actual death, but look, sometimes these things happen in MMA.

Anyway, it’s worth a look if you have any patience left for Jones/Cormier pre-fight hype. There aren’t too many surprises here, but we do get an interesting look at Cormier’s training relationship with Khadzhimurat Gatsalov, the phenom Russian wrestler who defeated Cormier at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Plus: Some never-before-heard insults (“How much you weigh right now, fat fuck?”).

It also makes me wonder: If Jones and Cormier never brawled on stage, and never cursed each other out during that SportsCenter interview, how would the UFC promote this fight? Would it be enough that the two greatest light-heavyweights in the world were facing each other on January 3rd? How badly do we need bad blood?

Brandon Vera and Pablo Garza File New Class-Action Lawsuit Against UFC


(Photo by Paolo Seen/Rappler.com)

According to a Christmas Eve report from BloodyElbow, former UFC fighters Brandon Vera and Pablo Garza have filed an antitrust class-action suit against UFC parent company Zuffa, LLC. The complaint was filed in the California Northern District Court, and assigned to Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins.

This is the third such antitrust lawsuit filed against the UFC, following the high-profile first attack from Cung Le, Nate Quarry, and Jon Fitch, and the quieter follow-up from Dennis Hallman and Javier Vazquez. BloodyElbow reports that the fighters in all three suits are being “represented by legal counsel from the Joseph Saveri Law Firm, Inc, Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC, and the Law Office of Frederick S. Schwartz.”

Brandon Vera spent the bulk of his (mostly disappointing) MMA career competing for the UFC, compiling an 8-7 record with one no-contest from 2005-2013. News of his UFC release was officially announced in June of this year, although he hadn’t fought under the UFC banner since his TKO loss to Ben Rothwell the previous August. Earlier this month, Vera spoke out about the lack of respect he felt during the end of his relationship with the UFC, then soccer-kicked the bejesus out of some dude in the Philippines.


(Photo by Paolo Seen/Rappler.com)

According to a Christmas Eve report from BloodyElbow, former UFC fighters Brandon Vera and Pablo Garza have filed an antitrust class-action suit against UFC parent company Zuffa, LLC. The complaint was filed in the California Northern District Court, and assigned to Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins.

This is the third such antitrust lawsuit filed against the UFC, following the high-profile first attack from Cung Le, Nate Quarry, and Jon Fitch, and the quieter follow-up from Dennis Hallman and Javier Vazquez. BloodyElbow reports that the fighters in all three suits are being “represented by legal counsel from the Joseph Saveri Law Firm, Inc, Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC, and the Law Office of Frederick S. Schwartz.”

Brandon Vera spent the bulk of his (mostly disappointing) MMA career competing for the UFC, compiling an 8-7 record with one no-contest from 2005-2013. News of his UFC release was officially announced in June of this year, although he hadn’t fought under the UFC banner since his TKO loss to Ben Rothwell the previous August. Earlier this month, Vera spoke out about the lack of respect he felt during the end of his relationship with the UFC, then soccer-kicked the bejesus out of some dude in the Philippines.

Pablo Garza cobbled together a 3-3 record in the UFC from 2010-2013, earning a Knockout of the Night bonus in his first fight against Fredson Paixao, a Submission of the Night bonus in his second fight against Yves Jabouin, and an upset decision win against Mark Hominick back in November 2012. He was cut from the promotion after being choked out by Diego Brandao in April 2013.

At the time, Garza’s release seemed somewhat premature — but it’s possible that the UFC was looking for a reason to get rid of him. Garza posted an update on Facebook last week that included this damning accusation: “Back in 2012 all ufc fighters were asked to sign a petition saying that the Ufc isnt a monopoly and that fighter are treated fairly. I was one of the few who chose not to sign it.”

And now, Vera and Garza join the legal mass-attack against the UFC that will become a major storyline in 2015. More ex-UFC fighters will surely file similar class-action suits (or join existing ones) in the near future, and we’ll keep you posted as that happens.