Things have gotten a little busy outside of the cage for the crew here at MMA and let’s just say our dedicated blogging time has been practically nonexistent. Still, we will not let our faithful readers down! I’m here to hit you with 10 random thoughts about the happenings in the world of MMA. Hit the jump to read my genius!

1. I’m heartbroken that Aldo/McGregor isn’t happening.

I’m not going to call Aldo a wimp here, but damn, I have never looked forward to a fight more. You have more than one rib, right??? Being an unabashed Notorious fan, I think the Mendes fight is TOUGHER than the Aldo matchup. I also think Interim belts are useless in the grand scheme of things. Lose/lose for Conor. Either way, I’ll be glued to the TV on July 11th.

2. Fabricio Verdum is still a thing in 2015?!?

I really thought Cain would steamroll the Go Horse and I couldn’t have been more wrong. “Cardio Cain” looked like a shell of himself and Verdum rightfully laid down an old fashioned butt whupping. The fact that we are within reach of a Heavyweight Championship tilt between Fabricio Verdum and Andrei Arlovski in 2015 is just mind boggling. Still, WOULD WATCH.

3. I’m a sucker for fighter gear, but you won’t catch me rocking any Reebok unitards.

I understand the idea behind the whole Reebok uniform deal. Legitimize the sport, create an identity, yada yada yada… Whatever. Conor McGregor needs to be able to have a drastically different look than Donald Cerrone. How the heck are we going to be able to tell the difference between the plethora of Brazilian TUF finalists on the roster when they are all wearing the exact same thing?!? We’ll see how this all shakes out, but at first glance, it is a total whiff.

4. Ronda Rousey: Still the sport’s biggest star.

By the way, did you see Fast and Furious 7 yet? If you haven’t, shut down whatever device you are reading this on and go indulge in one of history’s greatest films. Ronda Rousey has a scrap in a cocktail dress that is not to be missed! It’s in Dubai and she rocks a vaguely Eastern Bloc accent. It’s freakin’ epic. With her UFC 190 media tour ramping up, her Entourage appearance, and her general appeal to the public; she needs to be the outward facing star that MMA needs to go “mainstream.” Oh yeah, she is also going to twist Bethe Correia up like a pretzel at UFC 190.

5. Did I mention how much it sucks that Aldo/McGregor isn’t happening?

Yeah? Okay, just wanted to make sure we are on the same page.

6. #HotTake: The Machida Era might need to come to an end.

Sorry, boss! The former Light Heavyweight Champion has had a ROUGH run of late at 185 lbs. Yoel Romero just bounced The Dragon’s head off the ground a few times with his elbows and it was just tough to watch. For a fighter that was once so elusive, he is really finding himself in some treacherous situations… Yoel Romero isn’t the most gifted striker in the world, and yet he was tagging Lyoto Machida at will. Does Machida need to retire? I don’t think so, hell, Hendo is still out there cracking skulls, but he can’t be anywhere near the top of the division. Stick to “fun fights” from here on out for the health and well-being of one of the vanguards of our sport.

7. Yoel Romero: He said WHAT?!?!

When Yoel dropped the Jesus bomb on us all, I admit, I thought he was spitting some classic hate speech in front of the Florida crowd. After some hardcore deciphering by the MMA blogosphere, it turns out it was just some awkward religious rambling. Dumb, just dumb. Even if you eat, breath, and sleep Jesus 24/7, there is no need to tell the public at large about him after you just had the performance of a lifetime. He just decimated a former champ, and yet, all people want to talk about are his religious beliefs.

In all, we may have learned that professional cage fighters are not the most socially aware individuals on Earth. Our boy Yoel Romero might just be the least aware of them all.

8. No one cares about the Welterweights?

Did you know that Robbie Lawler and Rory McDonald are going to touch them up and fight for the 170 pound strap at UFC 189? You would have a hard time figuring this out if you had watched any of the UFC promotional materials leading up to the event. This fight could headline any other UFC card, yet it is getting buried by the McGregor hype train. I don’t know if this is a case of promotional malpractice, but an amazing fight is falling by the wayside. That is something that the UFC cannot afford in today’s landscape.

9. Carlos Condit, eh?

Carlos Condit beat the absolute crap out of Thiago Alves at the end of May. Elbows were flying from all angles and aggression was at an all-time high. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling to see Condit back to his old ways after 15 months away from the cage. He is an immediate contender in the 170 lb. division and truthfully, he looked better than ever on that night in Brazil.

10. Less events! Please!!!

The global domination of the UFC is not making this guy right here happy. With a full-time job, it is damn near impossible to track a random week’s upcoming Fight Pass card taking place in a former Soviet nation or deep in the depths of a Brazilian jungle. Name two fighters not in the Main Event on the last two Fight Night cards, I dare ya! You can’t. The roster contains so much filler to maintain this absurd event schedule, the UFC product itself is suffering. Steve Bosse? Come on! If the UFC truly wants to be globally accepted as a legitimate sport, make sure that the best fighters in the world are actually in the cage. Don’t just fill the Octagon with warm bodies that are willing to get punched in the head for a paycheck in the latest “debut” location or budding MMA hotbed.

Alar, out!