Tag: UFC

UFC 148 Silva vs. Sonnen II Preview and Predictions

The atmosphere of tonight’s big fight is unlike any other in professional sports. Casual spectators and avid followers know with absolute certainty that two veteran warriors will do battle in an encounter that’s not to be missed. This is the type of occasion that only combat sports can produce. 

The MGM Grand Garden Arena will host the biggest fight in MMA history as the UFC tries to replicate the success of its Pay-Per-View predecessor, the WWE. The promotion kicked off its inaugural International Fight Week extravaganza on Thursday, leading up tonight’s championship bout. Make no mistake about it, this event is the UFC’s equivalent to the first WrestleMania.

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MMA’s Evolution Can Be Found In The UFC’s Welterweight Division

Photography by Josh Hedges

The apples and oranges argument of MMA vs. Boxing makes me roll my eyes sometimes. Some feel caged combat is overrated and deprived of any athletic craftsmanship. In contrast, others say clashes of the pugilistic variety are too one-dimensional and archaic to be considered real fighting. It’s easy to understand how MMA can sometimes look like an uneducated brawl, but you have to remember the sport is currently in its golden years.

Boxing’s organizational roots can be traced back to 1743, and the Marquess of Queensberry rules, drafted in 1867, have governed It ever since.

The first organized Mixed Martial Arts bout took place in 1989 in Japan for the Shooto promotion, while the Ultimate Fighting Championship held its inaugural event in 1993.

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UFC on FX 4: Maynard vs. Guida Preview & Predictions

Gray Maynard (10-1-1) vs. Clay Guida (29-12)

Just like Nucky Thompson did many years earlier, Clay Guida and Gray Maynard will try their luck on the Atlantic city boardwalk in pursuit of UFC glory. While both fighters are coming off losses, they fall under a different set of circumstances. Guida’s loss to Benson Henderson cost him a title shot while Maynard’s knockout defeat to Frankie Edgar denied him the lightweight title and gave him the first loss of his career. Pre-fight drama has uncharacteristically in their case, reared its ugly head as Maynard’s camp filed a protest with the New Jersey Athletic Control Board complaining about Clay Guida’s hair. To avoid any commission entanglements to focus on the fight, Guida will braid his hair. Maynard told MMAJunkie.com “I never filed a complaint” and “This was the first I’ve ever heard about it.”

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The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale Results

– Facebook Prelim

Erik Perez defeated John Albert @ 4:18 of the 1st Round via ref stoppage: Our night begins in controversy as referee Kim Winslow called a stop to the action as Albert was positioning himself to escape the armbar. Winslow made a judgement call but Albert did not tap out. Dana White announced on Twitter that he will pay John Albert his win bonus.

– Fuel TV Prelims

Joe Proctor defeated Jeremy Larsen via TKO due to strikes @ 1:59 of the 1st Round

Sam Sicilia defeated Cristiano Marcello via TKO due to strikes @ 2:53 of the 2nd Round

Myles Jury defeated Chris Saunders by submission via guillotine choke @ 4:03 of the 1st Round

Daron Cruickshank defeated Chris Tickle via unanimous decision (29-27 across the board)

– FX Main Card

Justin Lawrence defeats John Cofer by KO via a devastating right high kick at 0:19 of the 3rd Round after losing the first two.

Max Holloway defeats Pat Schilling via unanimous decision (30-27 across the board): The story of the fight was Holloway picking apart Schilling with body punches. It got kind of bad in the later rounds where Schilling was in so much pain that he could barley keep his hands up and flinched whenever Holloway fainted a body shot.

Charles Oliveira defeats Jonathan Brookins by submission via guillotine choke @ 2:42 of the 2nd Round: Oliveira kept constant pressure on Brookins with takedowns and elbows and never allowed him to get comfortable. The finish came when Oliveira applied a modified guillotine and sat down on it and finished while going to his back and squeezing tight to force the tap.

– Season Fight Bonuses voted on by the fans where each winner is awarded $25,000

Submission of the Season: Joe Proctor for his rear naked choke over Chris Tickle

Knockout of the Season: Al Iaquinta won  for his KO over Andy Ogle

Fight of the Season: Al Iaquinta vs. Myles Jury which means Iaquinta has earned $50,000 this evening and he hasn’t even fought yet.

The Ultimate Fighter Live Tournament Final 

Michael Chiesa chokes out Al Iaquinta via rear naked  @ 2:47 of the 1st Round to win the contract: Iaquinta came out aggressive at first and kept Chiesa off balance. Chiesa caught one of Iaquinta’s kicks and grabs a body lock. Chiesa gets the hooks in while Iaquinta gets warned by the referee for holding onto the inside of Chiesa’s glove while trying to defend the choke. Chiesa gets his arm under the chin and Iaquinta tries to fight it but he refuses to tap and goes to sleep.

This has been one hell of a journey for Michael Chiesa who lost his father at the beginning of the season. Chiesa was awarded the TUF Live trophy along with the keys to his new custom Harley Davidson motorcyle and a Tap Out endorsement. Urijah Faber was also awarded the keys to his custom Harley since he was the winning coach.

 

Main Event 

Martin Kampmann over Jake Ellenberger via KO @ 1:40 of the 2nd Round: Ellenberger won the first round by using his power and landing some powerful shots against the cage. Kampmann landed a short right hand that really wobbled Ellenberger and Kampmann runs in and delivers three knees to the chin. Ellenberger falls to the canvas and referee Steve Mazzagatti rushes in to stop the bout. Kampmann should change his name from ‘Hitman’ to ‘Comeback Kid’.

Brock Lesnar’s appearance at UFC 146???

The internet is up in arms over Brock Lesnar’s appearance at UFC 146 this past Saturday. Everyone wants to know: is he ditching the WWE, once again, for Octagon glory? The answer is yes. Well, at least until Junior Dos Santos was declared the winner.

In his retirement speech, Brock stated his plan was to win the title one more time and retire as champion. It’s been proven that if you can throw a decent punch, you can beat Brock Lesnar. Cain Velasquez, Alistair Overeem & Junior Dos Santos all fit this criterion. Frank Mir? Not so much. Mir can’t take a punch either, but what if he had somehow beat JDS? Brock would have been the first person in the cage to challenge him, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why he was there.

He knows he can beat Mir, and a rubber match between the two could end up being the highest drawing pay-per-view of all time. Their first bout drew 600,000 buys and their second bout drew 1.7 million buys.

Thank goodness Mir lost because if he had won, we would be reading about Lesnar quitting WWE for the second time and all the drama that would come with it. Brock is a fickle man and can get away with what most people can’t because he draws a lot of money. The funny thing is, after all the legal rigmarole, Vince would still take him back because, in the end, money talks.

UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir Predictions

From top to bottom, the all heavyweight main card at UFC 146 has undergone many changes due to a positive drug test and a plethora of injuries. The main event features Junior Dos Santos making his first heavyweight title defense against former champion Frank Mir.

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Thoughts on The Ultimate Fighter Ratings Decline

The Ultimate Fighter Live

The Ultimate Fighter Live on FX is currently the lowest-rated season in the history of the series. The show has been missing that WOW factor for quite some time. Season 10 back in 2009 featuring Kimbo Slice and the Rampage vs. Evans feud was the last signs of worth wild television the show has produced. Faber and Cruz are two of the best fighters in the world but they do not produce that dynamic you want from opposing coaches in order to pop a rating. Also, the show hasn’t changed its look or presentation since its debut in 2005

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UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller Preview & Predictions

UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller Preview & Predictions

(Column I wrote for gerweck.net)

UFC attempts to make their “third time’s the charm” event on the Fox network. Pay-Per-View headliners take a backseat as the objective is to create new stars with talent who present a better chance of producing an exciting fight that will leave the eyes of channel surfers glued to the action in the octagon.

 

Pat “HD” Barry (7-4) vs. Lavar Johnson (16-5): Both fighters bring with them aggression and ridiculous punching power fueled by an insatiable appetite for knockouts. Johnson has a chance to catch the Duke Roufus pupil if he can turn it into a wildfire fight, but he doesn’t possess the stand up pedigree of a Cheick Kongo or Stefan Struve to confuse Barry, who’s K-1 striking repertoire will be the difference maker.

UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans Results: Jones Topples Evans

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.

Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans Preview & Predictions

– Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans  Preview & Predictions    (Column I wrote for gerweck.net)

Many elite fighters have entered Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque, NM. None of them are more reputable than Rashad Evans, however. That is, until Jon Jones became the pinnacle of the light heavyweight division. Jones’ rise to prosperity and eventual clash with Evans surprised no one. The former champion however paints a different picture of a pact not to fight forged by solidarity and friendship. The idea of them fighting each other was the elephant in the room that no one wanted to bring up. Sometimes a good friend can prove to be your fiercest rival.

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