Jamie Varner's Blogs
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Thursday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Thursday
4:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Greatest KO's 2
Devastating knockouts that changed the history of MMA.
4:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 1
4:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
5:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC From All Angles
Middleweight Mark Munoz and welterweight Jake Ellenberger.
5:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC From All Angles
Middleweight Michael Bisping.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Fuel for the Fire Long Island native Chris Weidman tours the town he loves; Alexander Gustafsson sits down with Jon Anik; Nate Diaz's submission game; Chad Mendes' dominating performance.
6:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Alexander Gustafsson's San Diego training; Joe Lauzon's signature moves; Arianny Celeste poses.
7:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
7:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 1
8:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Benson Henderson vs.Nate Diaz Prelims
Nam Phan vs. Dennis Siver; Henry Martinez vs. Daron Cruickshank; Joe Proctor vs. Ramsey Nijem; Mike Easton vs. Raphael Assuncao; Jeremy Stephens vs. Yves Edwards; Marcus LeVesseur vs. Michael Chiesa. From Seattle.
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 1
4:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC Rio Jose Aldo defends his Featherweight title against undefeated Chad Mendes.
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 1
8:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
9:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: Best of PRIDE Fighting Championship
Countdown of the fastest fights.
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 14: Finale Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier; Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Guillard; Shane del Rosario vs. Pat Barry; Mike Ricci vs. Colton Smith; Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson. From Las Vegas. (Card subject to change)
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet East: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news. Read more -
Wednesday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Wednesday
3:30 a.m. ET MavTV: The Conventioneers
UFC Fan Expo Jason and Matt jump into the trade show octagon at the UFC: Ultimate Fighting Championship Fan Expo.
5:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC 101: The Moves
Learn the secret moves of the best fighters in the world.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 12: Semifinal Showdown Two semifinal fights determine which two men will move on to fight in the finale for a UFC contract.
7:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 14: Finale Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier; Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Guillard; Shane del Rosario vs. Pat Barry; Mike Ricci vs. Colton Smith; Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson. From Las Vegas. (Card subject to change)
10:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Alexander Gustafsson's San Diego training; Joe Lauzon's signature moves; Arianny Celeste poses.
10:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
11:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 1
2:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 1
2:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
3:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 14: Finale Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier; Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Guillard; Shane del Rosario vs. Pat Barry; Mike Ricci vs. Colton Smith; Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson. From Las Vegas. (Card subject to change)
6:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Presents Benson Henderson: Rising Up
Benson Henderson's mother, brother, girlfriend, coach and Benson, himself, reveal the motivations and desires that drive him.
6:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage
Steel Curtain 2
7:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 1
7:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
Flashback Seattle; Heavyweights Collide Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
8:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Classics Vol. 4
A historic collection of match ups.
8:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
UFC Rio: Jose Aldo defends his Featherweight title against undefeated Chad Mendes.
9:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Greatest KO's 2
Devastating knockouts that changed the history of MMA.
10:00 p.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage
Steel Curtain 1
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unrestricted
An unprecedented and exclusive look deep inside the tense 36 hours leading up to UFC 148.
12:00 a.m. ET MavTV: King of the Cage: Greatest KO's 2
Devastating knockouts that changed the history of MMA.
12:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson
Rousimar Palhares vs. Hector Lombard; Norman Parke vs. Colin Fletcher; Bradley Scott vs. Robert Whittaker; George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson. From Queensland, Australia. (Card subject to change) Read more -
Tuesday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Tuesday
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Submissions
The best submissions by UFC superstars.
1:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: Ultimate Answers
UFC fighters' takes on topics from the hard-hitting to the totally random.
2:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Reloaded
Relive UFC 141, Brock Lesnar versus Alistair Overeem.
7:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 14: Finale Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier; Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Guillard; Shane del Rosario vs. Pat Barry; Mike Ricci vs. Colton Smith; Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson. From Las Vegas. (Card subject to change)
10:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Tonight
Top 50 UFC Moments in 2012 Part 1
10:30 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Ultimate Insider
EPISODE: 89 Experience UFC on FOX 5 from a new perspective; The comeback of Cain Velasquez; Randy Couture analyzes the Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez championship fight.
11:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson
Rousimar Palhares vs. Hector Lombard; Norman Parke vs. Colin Fletcher; Bradley Scott vs. Robert Whittaker; George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson. From Queensland, Australia. (Card subject to change)
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet Ontario: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news.
11:30 p.m. ET Sportsnet East: UFC Central
Hosted by "Showdown" Joe Ferraro. UFC highlights and news. Read more -
Saturday MMA: A TV Viewer’s Guide
By: Jeff Sherwood
Saturday
4:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights.
5:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights.
6:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights.
7:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights.
8:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: Training Day
The Blackzilians Go behind the scenes with the Blackzilians, Rashad Evans's elite Florida team.
8:30 a.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Post-Fight Show
George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Featuring Jay Glazer and MMA analysts recapping the lightweight battle, including interviews and highlights.
12:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC Unrestricted
An unprecedented and exclusive look deep inside the tense 36 hours leading up to UFC 148.
1:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: UFC: George Sotiropoulos vs. Ross Pearson Prelims
Cody Donovan vs. Nick Penner; Mike Wilkinson vs. Brendan Loughnane; Manuel Rodriguez vs. Benny Alloway; Seth Baczynski vs. Mike Pierce; Joey Beltran vs. Igor Pokrajac; Yaotzin Meza vs. Chad Mendes. From Queensland, Australia. (Card subject to change)
4:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 11: Fight the Perfect Fight Joey Rivera and Jon Manley face-off to stay in the competition; the tension builds between Michal Hill and Mike Ricci before they enter the octagon; the last two match-ups before the finale are revealed.
5:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 12: Semifinal Showdown Two semifinal fights determine which two men will move on to fight in the finale for a UFC contract.
6:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 13: Finale Weigh-in Mixed martial artists from Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson and more weigh in ahead of the finale.
7:00 p.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 16: Finale Prelims Nick Catone vs. TJ Waldburger; Rustam Khabilov vs. Vinc Pichel; Marcos Vinicius vs. Johnny Bedford; James Head vs. Mike Pyle. From Las Vegas. (Bouts subject to change)
9:00 p.m. ET FX: The Ultimate Fighter Season 16 Episode 14: Finale
Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier; Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Guillard; Shane del Rosario vs. Pat Barry; Mike Ricci vs. Colton Smith; Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson. From Las Vegas. (Card subject to change) 12:00 a.m. ET FuelTV: The Ultimate Fighter
Season 16 Episode 15: Finale: Post Fight Show Jay Glazer and analysts recapping the battle between Team Carwin and Team Nelson sharing interviews and highlights.
12:00 a.m. ET FX: The Ultimate Fighter Season 16 Episode 14: Finale
Jonathan Brookins vs. Dustin Poirier; Jamie Varner vs. Melvin Guillard; Shane del Rosario vs. Pat Barry; Mike Ricci vs. Colton Smith; Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson. From Las Vegas. (Card subject to change) Read more -
Podcast: Cormier, Hawn, Varner
By: Jared Koll
Greg Savage and TJ De Santis were back Wednesday for another edition of 'The Savage Dog Show' on The Sherdog Radio Network.
Read more
The two spent two hours discussing the latest news and notes surrounding the world of mixed martial arts action.
Don't miss a second of analysis. Tune in now.
TJ De Santis and Jared Koll were back Wednesday for another edition of 'Beatdown' on The Sherdog Radio Network with a bevy of mixed martial arts interviews.
Strikeforce heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, fresh off his decision victory over Josh Barnett, discussed what's next in his career.
Bellator lightweight tournament winner Rick Hawn stopped by and chatted about his pending title fight with Michael Chandler.
Jamie Varner got back onto the UFC docket with a short notice fight against Edson Barboza, which saw him defeat the highly touted prospect and rejuvenate his MMA career.
Check out "The Savage Dog Show" here.
Check out "Beatdown" here. -
Constantino Welcomes Varner to AMA
By: Sherdog.com Staff
Mike Constantino, on “The Savage Dog Show,” discussing Jamie Varner’s decision to join AMA Fight Club:
Read more
“We basically came to the decision that it’s in the best interest of Jamie to come here full time, and I’m willing to take on Jamie as a manager and a trainer. I think he’s extremely talented. The kid’s 26 years old, only, and you already know what he’s accomplished. By having him full-time training with all my fighters and all our trainers here at AMA and doing everything right, I truly believe that not only could he be back in the UFC shortly, he could go straight to the top and win a championship.” -
Varner Headed Back to School for Pre-Med
By: Chris Nelson
Jamie Varner | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
“That’s it, I’m dropping down to 145,” read the message from Jamie Varner’s Twitter account Sunday.
“Look out jose,” it added, presumably in reference to UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
However, the former WEC lightweight champion later wrote, the message was not from himself, but from a “buddy who thought it would be funny to tweet that garbage.
“My twitter got hijacked last night! I’m not going to 145,” Varner clarified in a later message. “I’m goin back to school for pre-med... then gonna figure it out from there!” Read more -
WEC 51 Postmortem: Eight not Enough for Aldo, Torres Revived
By: Jake Rossen
Jose Aldo file photo: Sherdog.com
Every time I see Jose Aldo perch himself on the top of the cage and perform a back-flip, I cringe.
It would be an incredible waste of ability to see the guy trip, fall, or land in a way that interrupts what’s becoming a very notable career. The commissions might want to consider fixing that, possibly by shooing offenders off with brooms.
Maybe Aldo is putting himself in a little bit of trouble with the acrobatics because he’s not getting too nervous in the fight itself. For the eighth consecutive time in the WEC, Aldo more or less made a meal out of an opponent, stunning Manny Gamburyan with an uppercut Thursday and then knocking him unconscious with ground and pound. Gamburyan had no chance of getting him down and failed to discover any tricks for getting inside Aldo’s range. Has the guy ever even been in radical trouble? If he has, it hasn’t been worth remembering.
Every time a dominant champion is established, the same question comes up: do audiences like seeing a man operating clearly above his competition, or do they grow bored if the suspense is leaking out of the bouts? Considering the purpose of titles is to find the best, it makes more sense that people would enjoy a clear and concise answer. Aldo is providing it.
The follow-up: when champions are this dominant, do they get too complacent? Anderson Silva, with 12 wins in the Octagon, has turned in several bizarre performances; Georges St. Pierre walked into a fight with Matt Serra giving him only the same respect fans did, which wasn’t much. If Aldo ever develops similar boredom, he’s vulnerable. If he insists on using the cage as a pommel horse, he might one day feel very stupid. Either way, Aldo’s biggest threat in the WEC’s featherweight division will probably remain himself. Read more -
WEC 51 Primer
By: Jake Rossen
Jose Aldo (left) file photo: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com
Watch mixed martial arts for any length of time and you’ll discover how dizzying its effects can be on your enthusiasm. A fight like Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic/Frank Mir, which dogged the weekend, can sink hearts; Thursday’s Jose Aldo/Manny Gamburyan match is likely to make everyone forget all about it.
Aldo is in that amazing physical and emotional space where he’s old enough to have power and skill but young enough to not realize he’s mortal. He’s fast, he’s aggressive, and his “strategy” consists of not appearing to have any strategy. He just moves and reacts faster than everyone he fights. One day, he’ll be defeated and his ego will leak. Until then, he’s not going to put on a bad show.
The same is true for the WEC itself, which is populated almost exclusively by fighters who can’t depend on overwhelming physical strength: that usually means a surplus of technique without the cage-clinching that’s becoming a significant part of big-guy MMA.
What:WEC 51, an 11-bout card from the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colo.
When: Thursday, Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. ET on Versus
Why You Should Care: Because Gamburyan is a fireplug with feet that’s done an incredible job since dropping to 145; because, dumb Twitter comments aside, Donald Cerrone and Jamie Varner bring out the best in one another; because Miguel Torres is trying to halt a recent career slide and hungry fighters usually equal exciting fighters; and because anything has to be better than Filipovic/Mir, including a loss of signal. Read more -
Donald Cerrone’s PR Nightmare
By: Jake Rossen
Donald Cerrone file photo: Jeff Sherwood | Sherdog.com
Donald Cerrone, cowboy hat usually perched over a charming smirk, seems like the kind of guy who doesn’t take a serious sport so seriously: He’s got that horse-wrangler ease of manner that Don Frye created a cottage industry out of.
That vibe made Cerrone’s comments during a Web radio broadcast earlier this week even more striking -- Cerrone vowed to murder opponent Jamie Varner in their late-September rematch. He also used a verbal slur usually reserved for the gay community.
Naturally, Cerrone was immediately contrite and issued some damage control via Twitter to minimize the impact; the WEC later released their own statement distancing themselves from Cerrone’s comments. (My own morbid sense of humor would be more satisfied if they had said, “Boy, he sure got Varner right!” But of course, this is no time for jokes.)
While obviously politically and morally reprehensible, those comments might be best censored by reminding fighters that big-time sponsors aren’t usually advocates of murder threats. It is not a coincidence that Georges St. Pierre, easily the most well-represented fighter thanks to deals with Gatorade and Under Armor, is also the most carefully controlled personality in the sport.
Unfortunately, he might be the exception proving the rule. This is the problem of MMA’s rise to mainstream and corporate America: The same mentality that allows fighters to overcome a natural aversion to being beaten up in front of witnesses is the same attitude that encourages them to speak without a filter. You buy the bull and get the horns, as they say. Cerrone’s wound up poking him in the eye. Read more
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