Calling The Shots: Frankie Edgar vs. Urijah Faber

The UFC makes its debut in the Philippines this Saturday as Frankie Edgar, and Urijah Faber will tango in the main event. While the card boasts what should be some fun fights, the five-round featherweight attraction between the two former WEC and UFC champions could very well be MMA’s version of the Thrilla in Manila.

Fight night is a term that encapsulates the evening’s combative festivities. However, this event has the unusual distinction of airing in the early a.m. to compensate for the twelve-hour time difference. One would wonder why such a big fight would be booked for this particular show, but the UFC’s aggressive push in the Asian market probably answers that question. Continue reading “Calling The Shots: Frankie Edgar vs. Urijah Faber” →

Calling The Shots: Paige VanZant vs. Felice Herrig

The opening bout of this Saturday’s UFC on Fox 15 main card features a women’s strawweight showdown between the experienced veteran in Felice Herrig and divisional prospect Paige VanZant. While I used the word prospect in regards to VanZant, she is being promoted as anything, but a prospect as the UFC machine along with a Reebok endorsement deal are promoting her as the belle of the octagonal ball. Continue reading “Calling The Shots: Paige VanZant vs. Felice Herrig” →

Remember The Name: Joanna Jedrzejczyk

UFC 185 produced an interesting night of fights that not only provided some divisional clarity but crowned two new champions. One of the new titleholders became a star on Saturday night as she pummeled her way towards straw-weight gold and her name is Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

The first straw-weight title defense in UFC history hadn’t gained a lot of fanfare even though an entire season of The Ultimate Fighter was used as a vehicle to usher in the division. Carla Esparza seemed to have a firm lock on the title since her wrestling appeared to be unstoppable. Continue reading “Remember The Name: Joanna Jedrzejczyk” →

Bellator Opening Pandora’s Box With Shamrock vs. Slice

Ken Shamrock vs. Kimbo Slice will headline the Bellator MMA event on June 20 inside the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The bout is scheduled to take place at heavyweight and will air on Spike TV. This is a rematch of the fight that never was from October 4, 2008, when they were booked to headline an Elite XC show on CBS.

The day of their initially scheduled bout, Shamrock suffered a cut over his left eye and withdrew. There was controversy surrounding this since Shamrock was upset when he learned how much more Slice was being paid and asked for an increase in salary, which was denied.

Seth Petruzelli, who was already fighting on the card, accepted the change of opponent to Kimbo on the shortest of notice and knocked out the backyard brawler in 14 seconds. Allegations from Petruzelli stating he was told not to take Kimbo down, along with substantial money losses from the advertised main event falling through, caused Elite XC to file for bankruptcy and then close their doors seventeen days later. Continue reading “Bellator Opening Pandora’s Box With Shamrock vs. Slice” →

Calling The Shots: Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz

Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz main event at UFC 183 is a fight that was never supposed to be made. A middleweight that walks around at 220 lbs. and a thinly framed welterweight doesn’t make sense in the combative sphere of the MMA. However, a gruesome injury, along with the eclectic desire to only vie for a high valued prize, suddenly made this bout go from impractical to something that makes complete sense.

Silva is coming off a thirteen-month layoff after recovering from a broken leg he suffered in his bout with Chris Weidman. Diaz emerges from a 22-month retirement where a seven-figure payday in a loss to Georges St. Pierre made him very selective on who he does business with inside the confines of the Octagon. Continue reading “Calling The Shots: Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz” →

Thoughts On CM Punk Signing With UFC

This past Saturday at UFC 181 in Las Vegas, it was announced that former WWE Superstar CM Punk has signed to fight in UFC and will make his Octagon debut sometime in 2015.

Punk was interviewed at cage side by Joe Rogan and said he is done with professional wrestling and that MMA is his full-time career now because it’s now or never for him.

Punk said that the weight class he will fight at is up in the air, but he is looking at middleweight (185 lbs), but welterweight (170 lbs) is a possibility. He also said that he will not fight at light heavyweight (205 lbs)

When asked who he was going to train with, Punk said he didn’t want to tip his hat just yet and that he is making inquires with a few camps. Continue reading “Thoughts On CM Punk Signing With UFC” →

Calling The Shots Of UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II

UFC 181 features two championship bouts to close out the promotion’s pay-per-view calendar for the year. With an unprecedented 45 events scheduled for 2015, this card will go a long way in bringing clarity at the top of the welterweight and lightweight divisions. From top to bottom, this looks to be the most intriguing and action-packed card of the year.

– Tony Ferguson vs. Abel Trujillo

This is a fight of technique versus raw aggression. Ferguson is very skilled, and Abel Trujillo made some serious noise with his win over Jamie Varner, which turned into a violent slugfest. Ferguson cannot win a firefight and has to dictate the pace with takedowns. I believe that Trujillo will land big shots, thus forcing Ferguson out of his wheelhouse.

The Pick: Abel Trujillo Continue reading “Calling The Shots Of UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II” →

Werdum Denies Hunt The Glass Slipper

As an MMA fan, sometimes we pay for stories instead of fights. Last Saturday night, I didn’t plop down $54.95 to watch the first heavyweight title fight in thirteen months. I paid to see Mark Hunt shock the world and topple Fabricio Werdum on three weeks’ notice to become the interim champion as the UFC made their maiden voyage into the hardened fight mecca of Mexico. Unfortunately, Hunt would be denied his glass slipper.

Continue reading →

Calling The Shots: Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar

Under the leadership of Scott Coker, Bellator MMA will hold its biggest event to date on Saturday night when Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar clash at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, CA. This fight should have happened in the UFC. However, the stars never aligned for a plethora of reasons.

Both fighters have been vocal about their disdain for one another, which has garnered a lot of attention to the bout. Bonnar is coming out of a two-year retirement, while Ortiz is fresh off a win over Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko. Continue reading “Calling The Shots: Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar” →

Phil Baroni vs. Karo Parisyan: A Link To The Past

Phil Baroni and Karo Parisyan recently clashed in a welterweight bout, at Bellator 122, that instantly brought me back to the infancy of my MMA mega fandom. In 2003, Baroni took the UFC by storm with his “New York Bad Ass” persona and brutal knockout power, and Parisyan made his UFC debut with an impressive display of Judo that shook the welterweight division. I was surprised I hadn’t heard about this fight until the morning of the event. Baroni and Parisyan are nowhere near the top ten today, but they are recognizable names from an era that ushered in the sport’s boom period. Continue reading “Phil Baroni vs. Karo Parisyan: A Link To The Past” →