After loss to Jon Jones, Chael Sonnen should call it a career
Posted by Drew Ellis (04/28/2013 @ 2:52 pm)
Chael Sonnen has done a good job running his mouth, but now, his mouth may not be able to support his fighting career.
After losing to Anderson Silva in an underwhelming performance back at UFC 148, Sonnen was stopped in 4:33 against UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, on Saturday night at UFC 159.
Sonnen didn’t really deserve a title fight in the first place. He hadn’t fought at 205 pounds in the UFC in over six years, yet somehow got an immediate title fight with Jones.
Sonnen can sell a fight, but even his promos are outdated and tiresome. If you really want to know where Chael Sonnen gets his material, watch tapes of pro wrestling from the 90s.
I will give credit to Sonnen for being one of the best at 185 pounds, but he had no business competing against Jones on Saturday night, and with an unimpressive loss in the first round, he finds himself without any direction for his career.
A rematch with Silva isn’t in the cards and he certainly isn’t going to talk his way into a rematch with Jones after failing to put forth much offense on Saturday night.
Sonnen should do what he does best and that is sell fights, but not for himself, for the UFC. He should stick to being a broadcaster and realize that he had a successful career, despite not winning a title.
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Results, UFC
Tags: 185 pounds, 205 pounds, Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen, Jon Jones, Jones vs. Sonnen, MMA, Silva vs. Sonnen, top 10 light heavyweights, top 10 middleweights, UFC, UFC 148, UFC 159, ufc light heavyweight championship, UFC Middleweight Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship
Women’s MMA is stealing the show in the UFC
Posted by Drew Ellis (04/13/2013 @ 10:54 pm)
Dana White once stated that he’d never have a women’s bout in the octagon that is the UFC.
White didn’t feel there was a market there.
Not only is there a market in women’s MMA, but the market is rising at a very fast pace.
Ronda Rousey put the women on the map in the UFC with her win over Liz Carmouche in the main event of UFC 157 in February. Though the fight went just one round, it was exciting from start to finish and featured great grappling and striking.
On Saturday, in the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter 17, the UFC held its second women’s bout, with Miesha Tate taking on Cat Zingano.
These two bantamweights put on an even better show than Rousey and Carmouche did, going nearly 15 minutes before Zingano finished Tate with an impressive flurry of knees and elbows.
The crowd was electric for the fight, knowing the winner would face Rousey next and get a spot coaching against Rousey in The Ultimate Fighter Season 18. The two battled it out on the feet and on the ground for the entire duration of the fight. Each showed tremendous skills and a determination to win.
When the fight ended, it felt like the fans and viewers had just witnessed the main event. It is clear that the fans appreciate a good fight, and the women have been giving the fans great fights.
White isn’t stupid either. He is trying to capitalize on the buzz surrounding the women’s bantamweight division by having Rousey and Zingano coach TUF next season. With Rousey already pulling in over 400,000 pay-per-view buys, and Zingano stealing the show Saturday night, there is a lot of evidence that the UFC should look to expand its women’s crop to more divisions.
The women have showed an aggression that has been lacking in some of the marquee men’s fights as of late. The fans always want to see two fighters leave it all in the cage, and the women are doing exactly that.
I personally am excited to see upcoming women’s bouts because the bar has been set very high by Rousey and Zingano.
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Results, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC
Tags: Cat Zingano, Dana White, Liz Carmouche, Miesha Tate, Ronda Rousey, Rousey vs. Carmouche, Rousey vs. Zingano, Tate vs. Zingano, UFC, UFC 157, Ultimate Fighter, Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, women’s bantamweight division, women’s MMA, Women’s UFC
Gegard Mousasi wins in a no-win situation
Posted by Drew Ellis (04/06/2013 @ 8:57 pm)
Gegard Mousasi faced the most dangerous situation he has faced in his MMA career on Saturday afternoon.
He faced an unknown opponent if his UFC debut and was expected to run right through him.
After preparing for months to face top UFC light heavyweight contender, Alexander Gustafsson, Mousasi would instead be forced to face Ilir Latifi after Gustafsson wasn’t cleared to fight after suffering a cut earlier in the week.
Latifi, a native of Sweden, where the fight was taking place, was making his UFC debut and trains with Gustafsson. So, Latifi had some insight on what to expect of his opponent, while Mousasi knew nothing of the man he was to face.
I give credit to Mousasi for taking the fight on such short notice, because he really had nothing to gain. Everyone expected him to win. A loss would have set his career back a great deal, especially in a crowded light heavyweight division.
Mousasi didn’t look overly impressive in a decision win over Latifi, which was to be expected, but he did escape a dangerous situation with a victory.
The win doesn’t propel the former Strikeforce champion into title contention in the UFC, but it at least gives him some experience and he can now focus on bigger things, perhaps a fight with Gustafsson.
Posted in: Events, Fighters, Results, Strikeforce, UFC
Tags: Alexander Gustafsson, Ericsson Globe Arena, Gegard Mousasi, Ilir Latifi, MMA, Mousasi vs. Gustafsson, Mousasi vs. Latifi, Stockholm, Strikeforce, Sweden, UFC, UFC card, ufc light heavyweights, UFC On Fuel TV 9
UFC 152 Results & Recap – Jones subs Belfort
Posted by Drew Ellis (09/23/2012 @ 12:58 am)
Jon Jones maintained his hold on the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on Saturday with a fourth-round submission win over Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 152.
Jones came into the fight as the heavy favorite and he dominated most of the fight. Jones did nearly get caught in an armbar in the early going, but escaped and controlled the fight from there. Jones used his grappling and elbows to bloody up Belfort, and in the fourth round, caught the challenger in an Americana for the victory.
Belfort deserves credit for his effort and taking the fight on short notice in a bigger weight class, but Jones is just the better man.
With Dan Henderson dealing with his injury, there is no clear contender for Jones in the 205-pound division. That champion is becoming as dominant in his class as Anderson Silva is at 185 pounds.
In the co-main event, Demetrious Johnson won the first ever UFC Flyweight Championship with a decision victory over Joseph Benavidez.
The fight had a fast pace and was very competitive, as expected. The difference in the bout was the array of leg kicks that Johnson landed on Benavidez. The kicks slowly wore down Benavidez and allowed Johnson to control the pace. Benavidez still did enough to earn the victory on one of the scorecards, but Johnson was the victor on the other two cards, and in the eyes of most of the fans.
Johnson now is the first 125-pound champion in the UFC. It will be interesting to see how this division grows in the near future with a thin roster of talent in the weight class.
In another big bout, middleweight Michael Bisping defeated Brian Stann by decision to improve his ranking in the 185-pound class.
Bisping was able to out-point Stann with his technical striking and wrestling ability. Bisping actually utilized some nice takedowns in the latter stages of the fight to neutralize Stann.
Looking at Bisping, his resume is pretty strong and it appears he deserves a title shot. He has never been given a crack at the gold but has steadily been near the top of the division for years.
Check out the full results after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Events, Fighters, Results, UFC
Tags: Benavidez vs. Johnson, Bisping vs. Stann, Brian Stann, Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Jones vs. Belfort, Joseph Benavidez, Michael Bisping, MMA results, UFC 152, UFC 152 results, UFC Flyweight Championship, ufc light heavyweight championship, ufc results, Vitor Belfort
UFC 150 Results & Recap: Henderson Edges Edgar Once Again
Posted by Drew Ellis (08/12/2012 @ 12:37 am)
After a close first encounter, a second fight was deemed necessary.
After UFC 150, we may need a third.
Benson Henderson managed to retain his UFC Lightweight Championship over Frankie Edgar in the main event of Saturday’s card, as two judges saw him winning a 48-47 decision, while another saw Edgar winning 49-46.
Most MMA writers feel that Edgar actually did win the fight, but most will also agree that neither man really dominated the fight.
Both fighters had high moments, but Edgar took on less damage this time around and Henderson didn’t seem to get into the same flow as he did in their first meeting.
Still, Edgar has now lost twice in a row to Henderson, no matter how close. It will be hard for the UFC to grant Edgar another title fight, as they have already committed to giving Nate Diaz the next shot.
In the co-main event, Donald Cerrone KO’d Melvin Guillard in an exciting and quick contest.
Guillard actually landed a big punch to open the fight and looked to be on the verge of an upset, but Cerrone gathered himself, and a minute later, landed a kick and right hand combo that put Guillard out cold.
The win for Cerrone keeps him in the discussion of top lightweight contenders, as his lone loss in the UFC is to Diaz by decision. Guillard now falls back out of the top 10, as he has been finished in the first round in two of his last three fights.
For complete results for UFC 150, click on the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Results, UFC
Tags: Benson Henderson, Cerrone vs. Guillard, Donald Cerrone, Frankie Edgar, Henderson vs. Edgar II, Melvin Guillard, MMA results, Nate Diaz, top 10 lightweights, UFC 150, UFC Lightweight Championship, ufc lightweights, ufc results
UFC 149 Results & Recap: Barao outclasses Faber
Posted by Drew Ellis (07/22/2012 @ 12:55 am)
UFC 149 saw a new champion crowned, an interim champ that is.
Renan Barao pushed his winning streak to 29 fights by beating Urijah Faber via unanimous decision to win the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship on Saturday night.
Barao made not have gotten the finish, but he decisively beat Faber thanks to his reach and his kicks. Each round he managed to out-point Faber and stay out of danger, leaving “The California Kid” puzzled throughout.
Barao certainly beat Faber in easier fashion than the actual champ, Dominick Cruz. It will be interesting to see if Cruz can find a way to stop the runaway train that is Barao. Barao may very well be the best 135-pounder in the world.
Faber has now lost his last five championship bouts, dating back to his time as a featherweight in the WEC. Though he is still highly competitive, he will likely not get another title fight anytime soon.
In the co-main event, Hector Lombard had a very unimpressive UFC debut.
The man considered to be a potential threat to Anderson Silva proved to be more of a threat to himself, as he was very tentative against Tim Boetsch. Neither man did much to impress, but two of the three judges believed that Boetsch did a little bit more, which earned him a split decision.
The poor showing from both men may open the door for Chris Weidman to earn the next middleweight title shot following his brutal KO win over Mark Munoz last week.
For complete results from UFC 149, check out the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Results, UFC
Tags: Anderson Silva, Boetsch vs. Lombard, Chris Weidman, Dominick Cruz, Faber vs. Barao, Hector Lombard, Mark Munoz, MMA results, Renan Barao, Tim Boetsch, UFC 149, UFC Bantamweights, UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship, ufc middleweights, ufc results, Urijah Faber
UFC 148 Results & Recap: Anderson Silva is the best
Posted by Drew Ellis (07/08/2012 @ 12:50 am)
Not that many needed convincing, but Anderson Silva is the best fighter in the world.
There was a little bit of doubt in the minds of some due to Silva’s performance against Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, but on Saturday at UFC 148, Silva removed all doubt.
Silva stopped Sonnen at 1:55 into the second round with a barrage of strikes that Sonnen couldn’t respond to, as he defended his UFC Middleweight Championship for the 10th time.
Sonnen won the first round, as he took Silva down quickly and held him down for five minutes, but Silva showed great takedown defense in the second and used his pinpoint accuracy with his striking to end the fight.
With Sonnen past him for good, there really is no viable challengers left to Silva. Sonnen seemed to have the best style to beat Silva, and the champ still ran through him.
Silva is now 15-0 in his UFC career and just adding to his legacy as the greatest UFC fighter of all time. Perhaps a change in weight class is in order to challenge him, or perhaps he should just retire on top of the world.
In the co-main event, Tito Ortiz saw his career come to an end in a unanimous decision loss to Forrest Griffin.
Ortiz (16-11-1) a former UFC champion and now Hall of Famer, seemed to tire early in the fight, which opened the door for Griffin to pepper him with strikes. Ortiz landed a few big punches and a few takedowns, but Griffin had a 3/1 edge on total strikes and was the more active fighter.
Ortiz is going out at the right time, as he clearly is not among the best in the division and this performance proves it. For knowing it was his last bout, he didn’t have much of a spirited effort to win. For a man of his stature and his talk about being the people’s champion, he sure didn’t go out on his sword.
Griffin didn’t look at that great either, but he was definitely looking to finish the fight at the end.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Results, UFC
Tags: Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen, Forrest Griffin, MGM Grand Garden Arena, MMA, Ortiz vs. Griffin, Ortiz vs. Griffin III, Silva vs. Sonnen, Silva vs. Sonnen II, Tito Ortiz, top 10 light heavyweights, top 10 middleweights, UFC, UFC 148, UFC Middleweight Championship
UFC 147 Results & Recap: Franklin Decisions Silva Again
Posted by Drew Ellis (06/24/2012 @ 1:08 am)
The sequel looked a lot like the original, only a little bit longer.
Rich Franklin once again defeated Wanderlei Silva by decision in another exciting fight to headline UFC 147 in Brazil on Saturday, but this fight went five rounds instead of three.
Each fighter had their moment in the contest, with Silva nearly finishing Franklin to end the second round following a flurry, but “Ace” survived and went on to dictate the rest of the fight with his crisp, technical striking.
The win was impressive for the former middleweight champion, as he took this bout on short notice and fought in Silva’s raucous home country.
Now, the question is, what is next for both men?
Franklin is still one of the best, but he isn’t quite enough any more to challenge for a title. Silva is clearly far from what he was in the PRIDE days, but still entertaining. He has become somewhat of a gate keeper in the middleweight division.
In the co-main event of Saturday’s card, Fabricio Werdum improved to 2-0 in his return to the octagon, as he ran through Mike Russow.
Werdum continued to show his improved striking, as he quickly overwhelmed the inexperienced Russow with an array of strikes. Once Werdum rocked Russow, he quickly finished up on the ground and earned the TKO stoppage midway through the first.
Werdum is making a strong case to be considered a top 5 UFC heavyweight with his two impressive showings since coming back to the UFC. Perhaps a battle with the likes of Frank Mir could be next in the cards.
For complete results from UFC 147, check out the jump
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Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Results, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC
Tags: Fabricio Werdum, Franklin vs. Silva II, mike russow, MMA, MMA heavyweights, MMA results, Rich Franklin, top 10 heavyweights, UFC 147, UFC heavyweights, ufc middleweights, ufc results, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva
UFC 146 Results & Recap – Junior Dos Santos Keeps Rolling
Posted by Drew Ellis (05/27/2012 @ 12:29 am)
Junior Dos Santos verified himself as the top heavyweight in the UFC as he knocked out Frank Mir in the second round of the main event of UFC 146 on Saturday from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Coming into his bout with the former UFC champion, Mir, Dos Santos was expected to win with his crisp striking, and that is exactly what led to the win.
After somewhat of an eventful first round that saw Dos Santos win thanks to his striking, the champion managed to finish off the fight in the second thanks to a big right hand that caught Mir flush on the cheek. JDS then followed up with a flurry on the ground to earn the TKO stoppage.
The win for JDS was as big for him as it was a big loss for Mir. The former champion likely won’t see another title shot anytime soon after losing his last three matches where a belt was on the line by devastating knockout.
Mir has had quite the career, but it is clear he doesn’t have the ability to contend with explosive strikers that have the ability to keep the fight standing. He has been brutally beaten by the likes of Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, and now Dos Santos.
In the co-main event, Cain Velasquez destroyed Antonio Silva in Silva’s UFC debut. The former heavyweight champ bloodied Silva thanks to a big elbow across the nose and he followed up with a number of strikes thereafter.
The win for Velasquez probably pushes him right back up to the No. 1 contender spot, as Dos Santos knocked him out in their meeting last November.
For complete results from UFC 146, check out the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Results, UFC
Tags: Antonio Silva, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Dos Santos vs. Mir, Frank Mir, Junior Dos Santos, MMA, Shane Carwin, top 10 heavyweights, UFC, UFC 146, ufc heavyweight championship, UFC heavyweights, Ultimate Fighting Championship, Velasquez vs. Silva
Is Chan Sung Jung A Threat To Jose Aldo?
Posted by Drew Ellis (05/17/2012 @ 10:03 am)
Just a matter of a week ago, it seemed as if there were no real threats to UFC Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo.
Aldo has seemingly cleaned out the division and is now preparing to face Erik Koch at UFC 149 later this year.
But, on Tuesday, some light may have been shed on the featherweight tunnel.
Chan Sung Jung put on the best performance of his career in a fourth-round submission win over Dustin Poirier.
Long thought of as just a bit of a novelty act, Jung had made a name for himself for being able to take a beating and keep coming forward, hence the name “The Korean Zombie”. Nobody really thought of him as a legit title contender.
But, on Tuesday night in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV 3, Jung showed great all-around skills and some of the slickest jiu-jitsu I have seen in a fight in quite sometime.
Jung had tremendous transitions, great execution, and he also mixed up his striking to include leg kicks and knees. It was clear that Jung has improved a great deal since joining the UFC, where he is now 3-0.
While he still needs to keep improving to beat the likes of Aldo, he does present one thing that Aldo’s opponents haven’t seemed to possess, and that is the ability to press the action.
Most of Aldo’s opponents have been very tentative against the champion and have tried to react to what Aldo does as opposed to making him react to what they do.
That won’t be an issue with Jung. He is going to fall on his sword and go with his style, win or lose. I think he could possess a real threat to Aldo because he will be able to eat some punches and kicks and keep coming forward. If the fight goes to the ground, it is hard to see anyone really out-working Jung.
Kenny Florian may have put it best on the broadcast when he said Jung “is always throwing finishing moves at you.” All of his strikes have the intent to end the fight and on the ground, he is always pursuing a submission. He doesn’t give his opponents a chance to relax.
The one area Jung may need to improve is his conditioning, but he will have a while to do that before facing Aldo. I think fans would get behind an Aldo vs. Jung bout as well, at least a lot more than Aldo vs. Koch.
Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Results, UFC
Tags: Aldo vs. Koch, Chan Sung Jung, Dustin Poirier, Erik Koch, Jose Aldo, Jung vs. Poirier, Kenny Florian, Korean Zombie, MMA, The Korean Zombie, top 10 featherweights, UFC, UFC 149, UFC Featherweights, UFC on Fuel TV 3
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