Category: Fighters (Page 30 of 58)

      UFC Live 4 Preview: Nate Marquardt vs. Rick Story

      June 21, 2011 /

      nullDespite making his 170-pound debut this Sunday, there is a lot of buzz about where Nate Marquardt fits into the UFC welterweight division.

      Rick Story just recently proved at UFC 130 that he isn’t someone to be taken lightly after beating Thiago Alves by unanimous decision.

      Now, the two will meet, and there is only room for one to climb up the contender ladder.

      Here is a look at both fighters heading into this contest.

      Nate Marquardt (31-10-2): Nate “The Great” has been one of the top middleweights in the UFC for years but has now decided to make the drop down to welterweight. Marquardt is well rounded, but uses his striking and strong wrestling to win his fights. Marquardt likes to bully his opponents, which is something that Story likes to do as well. His weakness in the new division could be speed and conditioning, as his opponents may be able to push a faster pace.

      Rick Story (13-3): Rick Story is on a six-fight win streak as he has worked his way up the 170-pound division. Story is a fearless fighter that will bring the fight to his opponents and not be afraid to let the fight go anywhere. He has strong wrestling and respectable striking. He is pretty much a mauler that just tries to smother his opponents and not let them get comfortable. While his strength has been his wrestling, he may struggle with the size and strength of Marquardt in this fight.

      Who Will Win: Story is a tough fighter, but Marquardt has a style that I think will pose problems for him. Grapplers that weren’t as strong as Marquardt have struggled with him and I think that will be the case in this fight. I don’t think Story will be able to get him to the ground and that is when Marquardt’s striking will take over. I look for Marquardt to overwhelm Story and get a clear decision victory.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      The highs and lows of Nate Marquardt

      June 20, 2011 /

      nullIt is hard to find a more storied career than Nate Marquardt.

      Despite never having won a championship, he has prominently been in the title picture for nearly four years now.

      Marquardt has a great all-around game, but “The Great” has never been able to come through with the big victory to send him over the top.

      As he gets set to return to action on Sunday in his 170-pound debut against Rick Story, I thought I would look at the three biggest wins and losses in his lengthy career.

      High – KO win over Demian Maia at UFC 102 – In what was billed as a No. 1 contender’s match in the UFC middleweight division, Marquardt and Maia faced off. It didn’t last long though, as Marquardt recorded a one-punch KO of Maia in just 21 seconds. It was the most devastating finish of his career and one that seemed to have him on track for his second title shot.

      Low – Decision loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 – Following the win over Maia, Sonnen was then placed in front of Marquardt and the two had a war, but Marquardt wasn’t able to stay off his back, which is normally a strength for him. Sonnen dictated the location and pace of the fight, which set Marquardt back once again.

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      Events, Fighters, UFC

      Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

      June 19, 2011 /

      nullWe have reached Sunday night once again, which means it is time for your MMA on TV update.

      This week has a pretty solid amount of content, with Bellator, Strikeforce, and the UFC each have events.

      – This week’s MMA on TV gets started on Friday with Strikeforce Challengers 16. The event takes place from the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. The main card airs live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET. Friday’s main event is a lightweight clash between Carlos Fodor (8-2) and James Terry (10-2) and lightweight Ryan Couture (2-0) will also make his return to action when he takes on Matt Ricehouse (4-0).

      – On Saturday, Bellator 46 takes place to start the newest season of the fight promotion. The event will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino from Hollywood, Florida. The main card airs live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET. The quarterfinals of the featherweight tournament will take place with fighters Marlon Sandro, Pat Curran, and others taking part.

      – On Sunday, UFC on Versus 4 takes place from the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The card will air on Versus at 9 p.m. ET. The main event of the card is a welterweight clash between Rick Story and Nate Marquardt. Marquardt is making his 170-pound debut. Pat Barry and Cheick Kongo meet in a heavyweight bout while Tyson Griffin and Manny Gamburyan face off in a featherweight contest. Matt Mitrione, Joe Stevenson, and John Howard also have bouts on the night.

      Bellator, Events, Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum recap and analysis

      June 19, 2011 /

      nullI didn’t buy the idea that Fabricio Werdum was as good as his win over Fedor Emelianenko made people think he was.

      That showed on Saturday when he lost a decision to Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Alistair Overeem, in the first round of the Heavyweight Grand Prix (Photo courtesy of Tracy Lee at Yahoo! Sports)

      While Overeem wasn’t that impressive either, I never enjoy watching a guy flop to his back and beg his opponent to come to the ground.

      This is MMA, not a grappling tournament. If you can’t get your opponent to the ground, then you better find a way to beat him on your feet.

      Do you ever think you would see Cain Velasquez begging his opponent to do anything? I don’t. It is pretty clear that Werdum doesn’t have a ton of confidence in his striking, and to truly be considered one of the best in the heavyweight division, he needs to be more well-rounded and be willing to exchange.

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      Events, Fighters, News, Strikeforce

      Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum Picks & Predictions

      June 18, 2011 /

      nullStrikeforce puts on one of its biggest events in the history of the promotion when the second half of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix takes place from the American Airlines Arena on Saturday night at 10 p.m. ET.

      Here are my picks for the four bouts that will be on the main card.

      Heavyweight Grand Prix – Alistair Overeem (34-11) vs. Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1) – Overeem doesn’t have a match in this weight class in Strikeforce in my opinion. He has really beefed up and continues to have the same striking ability he has always had. Only a true wrestler has the skill set to take him out, and Werdum isn’t a wrestler. I look for Overeem to pick apart Werdum and earn a second round TKO.

      Heavyweight Grand Prix – Josh Barnett (29-5) vs. Brett Rogers (11-2) – Barnett is the better fighter but Rogers does have knockout ability with one punch. Look for Barnett to play it safe early on and survive the storm from Rogers before scoring some takedowns and eventually choking out his opponent in the second round.

      Lightweight Bout – K.J. Noons (10-3) vs. Jorge Masvidal (21-6) – Masvidal is tough but he hasn’t quite slugged it out with the talent that Noons has in recent years. If this is going to be a slugfest, I look for Noons to come out on top. Strikeforce would like to get Noons and Gilbert Melendez in a fight together, and I think an impressive second round KO for Noons will do just that.

      Heavyweight Bout – Daniel Cormier (7-0) vs. Jeff Monson (42-11) – Cormier has had a nice little start to his MMA career, but Jeff Monson is a smart fighter that will find a way to get Cormier to the ground. Once it hits the mat, Monson will dominate the fight and eventually score a submission in the first five minutes of action.

      Events, Fighters, Predictions, Strikeforce

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