It took Dan Henderson 28 seconds to prove the naysayers wrong on Saturday night in New Orléans as he dispatched of Tim Boetsch. The catalyst for Boetsch’s demise came in the form of an H-bomb special that crumbled the barbarian, causing him to count the lights in the Smoothie King Center. Continue reading “Big Easy Win for Old Man Hendo”
The middleweight showdown between Dan Henderson and Tim Boetch will headline the latest UFC Fight Night card from Louisiana on Saturday evening. Both fighters are coming off losses, but the bigger story here is that Henderson, a legend in the sport, has won only one of his last six fights.
With his 45th birthday right around the corner, could this be the last time we see ‘Hendo’ grace the cage? Continue reading “Henderson’s Last Ride?”
They say styles make fights in Mixed Martial Arts. I like to think that stories make fights, too. Last night, Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua engaged in a rematch from their 2011 War of Attrition, which is considered one of the greatest fights of all time. This time, instead of a wild brawl, we were treated to a tactical affair that produced a different type of excitement that kept fans on the edge of their seat.
Continue reading “H-Bomb Saves Dan Henderson in Brazil”
Vince McMahon couldn’t have booked a better finish as Ronda Rousey did what many debuting fighters, with a lot of press, fail to do. She lived up to the hype. Rousey’s 7-0 record brings her tally to seven armbar finishes in the first round. Liz Carmouche deserves a ton of credit after having the champion in trouble early and has undoubtedly increased her stock in defeat. Dana White said it best “She will get her kitchen table now.”
Ronda Rousey’s armbar is officially the first finishing move of Mixed Martial Arts. Like Ric Flair’s Figure Four Leg Lock and Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter, you know it’s coming, and you can’t do anything about it. Unlike the worked nature of professional wrestling, Rousey can’t put all of her eggs in the armbar basket and will have to add new weapons to her arsenal. If not, it will be a bad day when someone eventually breaks her grip.
Continue reading “Ronda Rousey armbar’s her place in UFC History”
If you have been living under a rock, you are unaware of the story that has engulfed the MMA landscape. For the first time in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a pay-per-view event has been canceled. This unprecedented move has caused a firestorm of controversy, with venom being spewed in several directions.
Everyone has their own opinion on the subject, but the big question underneath all the chaos is: who’s to blame? Do we blame Jon Jones for refusing to fight with Chael Sonnen, who accepted the bout on eight days’ notice? Does the blame belong to Dan Henderson, who suffered the injury in the first place? Or, perhaps, the blame falls on some other element that is hiding in plain sight. Continue reading “Jones vs. UFC”
UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans
Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
– Facebook Prelims
Marcus Brimage over Maximo Blanco via split decision
Chris Clements over Keith Wisniewski via split decision
– FX Prelims
Mac Danzig (TUF 6 Winner) over Efrain Escudero (TUF 8 Winner) via unanimous decision
Anthony Njokuani over John Makdessi via unanimous decision
Matt “Immortal” Brown over Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision
Travis Browne over Chad Griggs via submission by arm triangle in Round 1
– Pay-Per-View Main Card
Mark Bocek defeated John Alessio via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28): The story of the fight was Mark Bocek implementing his game plan with superior wrestling and solid ground and pound in the first two rounds. Alessio picked up the pace in the third with some effective punches but Bocek’s grappling was just too much. One judge scored the third round for Alessio.
Eddie Yagin defeated Mark Hominick via split decision (29-28 across the board): First round saw Yagin drop Hominick with a right uppercut and connected with a left hook on the way down and landed some vicious ground and pound that produced a cut on Hominick’s left eye. Hominick got back up and connected with some body shots while Yagin was swinging for the fences. Yagin dropped Hominick in the second round with a right hook and landed some vicious shots to Hominick’s left eye. Hominick got back up and they engaged in the center of the cage where Hominick landed a solid shot to Yagin’s nose which is caused a lot of blood to pour out. It appears he is having a hard time breathing. The third round was the Mark Hominick show as he found his range and picked him apart with his superior striking while using good head movement to avoid Yagin’s wild clothesline haymakers. I scored it for Hominick but it could have gone either way as the second round was the difference-maker.
Michael McDonald defeated Miguel Torres via KO @ 3:18 of the 1st Round: McDonald pushed the pace by overwhelming Torres with strikes until he landed a vicious left hook that knocked the former bantamweight champion out and hit him with three more punches to seal the deal.
– They skipped entrances for the first three fights since there are six fights including a title fight.
Ben Rothwell defeated Brendan Schaub via TKO @ 1:10 of the 1st Round: Schaub went in for the kill right away as both fighters got into a wild firefight with neither man backing down. Rothwell connected with a right hook that knocked Schaub down and out. Post-fight interview Rothwell thanked the fans and said he would be nothing if it wasn’t for them.
Rory MacDonald defeated Che Mills via TKO @ 2:20 of the 2nd round: Rory MacDonald just obliterated Mills with strikes on the ground in the 1st round and Mills ended up with a bloody face and a busted cheekbone. The second round told the same story with MacDonald taking down Mills and taking his back to finish him with some vicious punches. This was hyped as MacDonald’s coming out party and he delivered in spades as Mills never had a chance.
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans:
Round 1: Jones kept Evans at bay by mixing up his strikes and used his reach to his advantage. Evans rocked Jones with a partially blocked right head kick with 17 seconds left in the round and attacked with caution and Jones caught him with a punch to the mouth right when the bell rang.
Round 2: Jones stayed in Evans’ range while they exchanged well-placed strikes. Jones connected with an overhand right and Evans walked away and make an ass wiping gesture. Jones connected with two elbows to the mouth that rocked Evans ad Jones went in for the kill. Evans tied him up against the fence while working body shots. The end of the round saw Evans catch a kick but Jones hits Evans with a left hook right at the bell.
Round 3: Jones did an amazing job of cutting off the cage and connecting with anything he wants while staying in Evans’ range. Evans attempted two takedowns but failed. Jones kept switching his stance throughout the round and is fighting with utter confidence. Jabs and elbows from Jones close out the round. Evans went to his corner taking some deep breaths.
Round 4: Jones lands some elbows to the head as a knot is starting to form over Evans’ right eye. Evans is breathing out of his mouth but connects with a stiff jab but Jones sticks his tongue out at him. Evans shoots for a takedown but Jones stuffs it and they clinch in the center of the cage and Jones connects with some shoulder shots to the jaw of Evans. The round ends with Jones shooting for the takedown. Evans’ walked back to his corner with his head down and dejected.
Round 5: This round was all Jon Jones with repeated jabs. Evans circles on the outside, but can’t find his range. The crowd is not happy with the pace but this is the Jon Jones show at this point. Jones connects with a mixture of jabs and low kicks. They clinch in the center of the cage and Jones hits Evans with more shoulder strikes. Jones sweeps Evans to the floor but Evans gets right back to his feet. Jones pulled guard from the stand up position in the closing seconds of the round but Evans couldn’t do anything with it.
Winner: Jon “Bones” Jones via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45)
Post-fight interview: Jones said this was his most satisfying victory. He went on to say he threw a lot of elbows in the fight which you never do to a training partner and felt a lot stronger in his wrestling. Evans said Jones was pretty crafty and creative and he could not get his timing right. He did say he felt that Jones did some things better in practice than he did tonight in the fight.
Fight Stats: Jones landed 114 strikes with 71 of them to the head while Evans landed 48 strikes with 22 of them to the head
Fight of the Night: Eddie Yagin vs. Mark Hominick
Submission of the Night: Travis Browne
Knockout of the Night: Ben Rothwell
$65,000 to each fighter
Dana White confirmed at the UFC 145 Post Fight Press Conference that Dan Henderson will get the next shot at Jon Jones.
Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was one of the greatest fights in the 22 year organized history of mixed martial arts. Years from now, historians will chronicle this epic encounter as one of the sports legendary nights. This fight had everything you could ask for. It was a brutal symphony of action, excitement, suspense, and drama between two veteran warriors with an undeniable will to win. Hendo was awarded the unanimous decision victory as all three judges scored the bout 48-47.
Continue reading “The War of Attrition: Henderson vs. Shogun”
Saturday’s UFC 88 event is headlined by Chuck Liddell as he takes on the undefeated Rashad Evans. Rich Franklin will also compete as he moves back to light heavyweight for one night only and fight wrestling powerhouse, Matt Hamill. One fight that is not getting much attention is involving former Pride welterweight & middleweight champion Dan Henderson. Henderson’s opponent, Rousimar Palhares, is getting less attention despite the hype on his potential in the division. Palhares made his Octagon debut at UFC 84 in May. He dominated the highly regarded Ivan Salaverry and is looking to impress once again and take out the war-tested veteran in Henderson.
Continue reading “Rousimar Palhares is looking for his own breakthrough”
Ringside Logic 