Category: Fighters (Page 22 of 58)

      Cruz vs. Johnson title fight to headline UFC on Versus 6

      July 21, 2011 /

      nullThe UFC will air its first live title fight in the history of the organization.

      According to NBCSports.com’s Ariel Helwani, the UFC will have Dominick Cruz defending his UFC bantamweight championship against Demetrious Johnson at UFC Live on Versus 6, which will take place from the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. on Oct. 1.

      There was much speculation about who would be next up for Cruz following his hard-fought decision win over Urijah Faber at UFC 132. Many felt Brian Bowles was in line to get a rematch, but it appears the UFC felt otherwise.

      Johnson (9-1) has won four straight, including a decision win over Miguel Torres at UFC 130. His short size and speed could pose a problem for Cruz, who relies on his movement to win fights.

      The UFC once aired a light heavyweight title fight between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Dan Henderson on free television, but that was on tape delay. This will be the first live on TV title fight in UFC history.

      With this fight announced, the UFC will be putting on four title fights in the month of October with Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard and Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian taking place on Oct. 8 and Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz taking place on Oct. 29. It should be quite a month of fights.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Top 10 MMA Pound-for-Pound Rankings

      July 21, 2011 /

      nullIt has been two months since my last pound-for-pound rankings list, and only one fighter on the list has competed in that time.

      Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz made his UFC debut, and successfully beat Urijah Faber, but his win wasn’t strong enough to move him ahead of Frankie Edgar. So, my top 10 is the same, but there could be some serious shakeups in the next few months with the UFC putting together a number of big fights in the fall and early winter.

      1. Anderson Silva (28-4): Silva is still the most feared opponent of anyone in MMA due to his devastating and unique striking ability. Chael Sonnen is the only man to make him look beatable, but Silva still found a way to beat him by submission despite a serious rib injury. Yushin Okami is next up for “The Spider” at UFC 134, which will be a good test for Silva, who has an obvious weakness in wrestling.

      2. Georges St. Pierre (22-2): GSP will return to action in October to take on Nick Diaz. The welterweight kingpin hasn’t been challenged much in his recent fights, but he also hasn’t been that impressive either. St. Pierre is in need of a dominant win with a finish to really be considered for the top spot.

      3. Jose Aldo (19-1): Aldo is set to face off with Kenny Florian in early October, defending his featherweight title for the second time in the UFC. Aldo is similar to Silva in the fact that his striking is so strong that many opponents have a hard time coming up with a game plan that they can stick to when they face off with him. Florian will provide a good test for Aldo, but it may not be enough to beat “Junior.”

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      Fighters, News, Rankings, UFC

      UFC 138 announced for England, Munoz vs. Leben headlines

      July 19, 2011 /

      nullThe UFC announced today that UFC 138 will take place from Birmingham, England with a main event of Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz.

      The card will air live via tape delay on cable TV, likely Spike TV, unless a new deal is reached.

      Leben (AP Photo) has won four of his last five fights, including a 27-second KO of Wanderlei Silva back at UFC 132.

      Munoz is coming off a win over Demian Maia at UFC 131 and his lone loss at middleweight was a decision to current No. 1 contender, Yushin Okami.

      This fight should be a good mixture of striking and grappling, but which one has the ability to push through and get another big victory?

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Overeem booted from Strikeforce Grand Prix

      July 18, 2011 /

      nullZuffa wanted the Strikeforce Grand Prix to continue in September.

      Alistair Overeem wanted it to continue in October.

      Looks like Zuffa won.

      MMAFighting.com is reporting that Overeem’s decision not to fight in September has caused him to lose his spot in the tournament altogether.

      UFC president Dana White, who as a Zuffa co-owner oversees the Strikeforce brand, told MMA Fighting that Overeem is out. White’s confirmation backed up an original report from Tatame, which reported that Overeem was out and Daniel Cormier will replace him.

      But while there was speculation as to whether this meant the end of Overeem’s run in Strikeforce, White also told MMA Fighting that while Overeem is out of the tourney, he is still employed by the company.

      A September 10 semifinal would have been a three-month turnaround, and Overeem said that he could not be ready after taking vacation and nursing some injuries. He added that Zuffa had threatened to remove him from the tournament if he would not participate.

      A heavyweight Grand Prix doesn’t make sense without Overeem taking place. It seems like Zuffa is trying to rush this Grand Prix through in order to develop bigger plans, but making one of the top heavyweights in MMA an outcast isn’t really going to help the cause.

      Events, Fighters, Strikeforce

      Top 10 Bantamweight Rankings

      July 17, 2011 /

      nullUFC 132 established who the top bantamweight in the world is.

      The rankings haven’t changed too much in the last few months, but here is the latest top 10 in the 135-pound division.

      1. Dominick Cruz (18-1) – Cruz (AP Photo) avenged his only loss in the division by taking a decision win over Urijah Faber. Cruz controlled the style and pacing of the fight and landed a lot more strikes. The bout was close, but Faber didn’t show me much to think he deserved to get the title.

      2. Urijah Faber (25-5) – Faber gave Cruz the toughest fight he has to date in the division. He landed a few big punches and avoided the takedowns of Cruz. Faber proved he still has something left in the tank, but he needs to make some adjustments to beat Cruz. It will be interesting to see who is next for “The California Kid.”

      3. Joseph Benavidez (14-2) – Benavidez has been relatively quiet as of late as he hasn’t fought since UFC 128, but he will take on Eddie Wineland at UFC Live 5. Benavidez has been in a tough spot as his teammate, Faber, has been contending for the title. Benavidez now has a chance to get back into the spotlight, but he needs an impressive showing.

      4. Brian Bowles (10-1) – Bowles has earned a rematch for his title as he has two solid wins since coming back from his injury. Bowles lost to Cruz because of a broken hand, not because he was clearly beaten by the champion, so there is some question as to what he could do against Cruz. Given the way he lost the title, I think he deserves the next shot at it.

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      Events, Fighters, Rankings, UFC

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