Twitter Mailbag: Fowlkes on surprise drug tests, DC-Hendo and the Rousey sweepstakes

This week’s Twitter Mailbag finds us in the midst of a temporary MMA lull, which means we can discuss pretty much whatever you people feel like. And, apparently, you feel like looking ahead to UFC 172, looking back at the Metamoris submission grappling event and debating just about any and everything to do with Ronda Rousey. Fine by me.

Ask your own question via the magic of Twitter, by directing it to @BenFowlkesMMA. Or just buckle up and come along for the ride.

@benfowlkesMMA in the unlikely event Glover get busted with illegal PED's does the UFC have another UFC 151 on their hands?

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David Wells (@Davidwellsj1) April 03, 2014

Good question. As we know, both Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira were subjected to surprise drug tests by the Maryland State Athletic Commission this week, reportedly after Jones and his management requested supplemental drug testing that the UFC then agreed to pay for. It seems pretty convenient that Jones’ test coincided with the pre-planned media day at his gym, but before we get all tinfoil hat on it, let’s applaud him for flexing that champion muscle to make this happen in the first place.

As Jones put it, “I want our sport to be a clean sport. I want athletes to have pride and hard work and that’s why I thought I would put my money where my mouth is and get the test for myself.”

Exactamundo. Now what happens if his attempt to lead by example ends up wrecking the UFC 172 main event?

I can’t see the UFC canceling the event the way it did with UFC 151, in part because, my God, can you imagine the awful press that would generate? I can see the headlines now: “Enhanced Drug Testing Results in Canceled UFC Event.” That would be bad, especially since UFC events are so rarely subjected to this kind of drug testing, which is to say, the potentially effective kind. If you have to call off an entire event because of it, that’s not something you’ll be able to blame on Greg Jackson.

So no, in the event of a drug test failure, I think the UFC would forge ahead with the rest of the event, either promoting Anthony Johnson vs. Phil Davis to the main event or else grasping for a last-minute substitution (Jon Jones vs. three scary dogs? I’d watch that, assuming the dogs pass a drug test) that might still convince people to pony up for the pay-per-view. Would the UFC end up taking it on the chin financially in that situation? Probably. Still better than the alternative, though.

@benfowlkesMMA Big Nog vs Big Country - not much talk about this fight, but who wins the battle of the Big's?

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Nate (@BurgersMMA) April 02, 2014

Not much talk is right. I think your question (along with your other question about why the quality of the UFC’s offerings in Abu Dhabi seem to have declined so rapidly) was the only one I received about the next event on the UFC schedule. I don’t know if that’s a sign that fans see a Fight Pass event on the calendar and roll right over it, or if it’s just that, as your other question pointed out, there’s not much in the way of big-name action here.

Instead it’s Roy Nelson, a heavyweight curiosity on a two-fight losing streak, against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, an ancient and yet somehow middle-aged relic from MMA’s past. So who wins? The smart money is on Nelson, but Nogueira has been losing one and winning the next one so consistently that I’m almost tempted to pick him just because my pattern-recognition software says he’s due to steal another fight that he has no business winning. Almost, but not quite. My prediction: Nelson wins, Abu Dhabi claps politely, North American fans reply, ‘Wait, that was today?’

@benfowlkesMMA Is it a disservice that DC's next fight will be a showcase instead of true metric against an elite, top contender? #TMB

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Michael Tse (@dafunk1184) April 02, 2014

My issue with the Daniel Cormier vs. Dan Henderson matchup isn’t that it’s a gimme fight for Cormier. I mean, yes, he should win it. He’s a better wrestler than Henderson. He’s quicker. He’s stronger. He might not have the same exact quantity of high explosives embedded in his fists, but he’s got enough to where you still want to handle with care, if you know what I’m saying. It’s not quite a showcase fight for Cormier, but it does seem like a fight that the UFC is making because it knows (or thinks it knows) who’s going to win.

Consider the blueprint that’s already been unfurled here. The winner of the Cormier-Henderson fight, according to “UFC Tonight,” will get a light heavyweight title shot. That is, he’ll get that shot after Alexander Gustafsson gets his shot at the winner of the Jones-Teixeira headliner at UFC 172. Taken on its face, it sounds like an orderly plan for the future. But then, wait, you’re telling me that if by some minor miracle Teixeira beats Jones, the most dominant 205-pound champ since Chuck Liddell will have to wait his turn while all these other title shot promises are fulfilled? Not a chance. Just ask Hendo what those title shot guarantees are worth.

This feels like a plan that the UFC will stick to only if things play out exactly the way it expects. Jones will probably beat Teixeira, setting up the rematch with Gustafsson. Cormier will probably beat Henderson, who’s been fighting nothing but killers since his return to the UFC (can a Hendo get a Pat Cummins or Jimi Manuwa up in here?), and then Cormier will probably fight the winner of Jones-Gustafsson II. That’s the plan, anyway. But as the MMA gods have taught us, the more complicated the plan is, the greater the chance that it will completely fall apart.

@benfowlkesMMA With a win on Friday, does the UFC need Holly Holm or does Holly Holm need the UFC?

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  (@joelsellsout) April 02, 2014

The UFC needs Holly Holm. She’s a talented, marketable, undefeated 135-pounder with a style that UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey hasn’t faced yet. And Rousey? She needs interesting new contenders in a bad, bad way. The fact that Gina Carano is even a topic of discussion right now tells us that much. If not Holm, then who? You think Rousey’s star-power is potent enough to convince a million fans to plop down 55 bucks to see her fight Alexis Davis? Because I don’t. As far as Rousey goes, there are two big fights out there right now: Cristiane Justino, and Holm. The UFC has seemingly ruled them both out, at least for the time being. But if it wants to sell a women’s division that’s more than just Rousey vs. TBA, it’s going to have to soften on one of those fronts – and soon.

@benfowlkesMMA #tmb Does Cyborg's loss last weekend take away from the desire or possibility of a Cyborg/Rousey fight?

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Kevin Nail (@kevin_nail) April 02, 2014

Absolutely not. Tell me, if Fabricio Werdum beats Travis Browne, then loses on points in a jiu-jitsu tournament while waiting for Cain Velasquez to get healthy, would that diminish the desire to see Werdum fight for the heavyweight strap? “Cyborg” lost a kickboxing bout, not an MMA fight. It’s a completely different sport, and one in which she doesn’t have a lot of experience. If anything, it’s admirable that she was willing to take on such a challenge against a far more experienced opponent. She took a beating in that first round, but she battled through it en route to a decision loss. There’s no shame in that.

As long as MMA is light on challenges for her, she might as well get her work in elsewhere. I still want to see her in a fight with Rousey, who weakened her own position on the weight issue by volunteering to meet Gina Carano (who Justino absolutely smashed, let’s not forget) somewhere north of 135 pounds. I know Dana White loves to talk about how mean and nasty Rousey is, but consider that while they’re both between MMA bouts, “Cyborg” is off doing kickboxing matches while Rousey is challenging Turtle from “Entourage.” I know one of those gigs probably pays better than the other, but you tell me who wants to be a [fudging] fighter.

@benfowlkesMMA UFC not casting 20y.o. Paige Vanzant for TUF 20 because there's alcohol in the house, losing sight of the point of the show?

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Kevin Thang (@Skip2MyJays) April 02, 2014

First of all, never do our laws on alcohol consumption seem more ridiculous and arbitrary than when we tell a 20-year-old professional fighter that she can’t have a drink, but can risk serious injury in a cage for our entertainment. Second, I’m not at all surprised that the UFC decided it would rather eliminate Paige Van Zant from “The Ultimate Fighter” cast than cut out the booze.

Alcohol has been one of the “TUF” franchise’s most essential stars. It almost deserves a producer credit at this point. Alcohol gave us that “fatherless bastard” moment. It gave us “let me bang, bro.” It is almost solely responsible for Junie Browning. The UFC isn’t going to tell alcohol to sit this one out just for Van Zant, who it can just as easily sign to a normal contract without the reality show nonsense. As for “TUF,” how could it turn its back on alcohol? After all they’ve been through together? As my father would say, you gotta dance with who brung ya.

@benfowlkesMMA with metamoris this past weekend, do u think mma should do away with judges, and make it a finish or draw system?

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Chris A. N. (@jokercymaos14) April 02, 2014

I love the Metamoris system for grappling, but it wouldn’t work for MMA. It works in one-off submission grappling matches because 1) It eliminates the worst thing about jiu-jitsu tournaments, which is people who get a few points early and then stall, stall, stall, and 2) These things are mostly just about bragging rights anyway. There’s no Metamoris belt that these guys are working toward. They aren’t trying to win their matches so they can move up the ladder. Metamoris is a grappling competition for its own sake, which is awesome, but which is also why it doesn’t matter if there are a whole bunch of draws.

In matches like the one between Eddie Bravo and Royler Gracie, a draw doesn’t prevent us from talking about who we think won (Bravo) and who we think is still walking funny (Gracie). It doesn’t matter whether it went down that way in the record books or not, because the official outcome of one match doesn’t necessarily affect potential future matches. MMA doesn’t have that luxury. Companies like the UFC need to maintain a consistent narrative line, so that what happens on one Saturday night feels relevant to future Saturday nights. In this way, MMA is the search for one fighter in each weight class. Metamoris – which, again, I enjoyed the hell out of – is the search for one good day of grappling. That’s all. And that’s fine.

@benfowlkesMMA How do you feel about the news that Georges has been training and getting injured behind our backs? Do you feel...left out?

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Michael Peterson (@MikeCPeterson) April 02, 2014

How do you think I feel? Betrayed. Bewildered. I thought we had an unspoken agreement with Georges St-Pierre: We would all be cool about him occasionally showing up on TMZ dancing like Van Damme from “Kickboxer” in some bro-tastic nightclub, and he would refrain from hurting himself until he was once again doing so for our enjoyment. Now GSP has violated the sacred covenant that existed only in my head, and I just don’t know if I can ever trust him again. The good news? Now that he physically can’t return to fighting for a good little while, maybe we can all stop speculating about when he will.

Nah, just kidding. We’re not going to stop doing that. Ever.

Ben Fowlkes is MMAjunkie and USA TODAY’s MMA columnist. Follow him on Twitter at @BenFowlkesMMA. Twitter Mailbag appears every Thursday on MMAjunkie.