Category: News (Page 39 of 40)

Apparently everyone wants to get beaten by Jose Aldo

April 5, 2011 / Drew Ellis

null There seems to be a growing trend in the UFC as of lately: lightweights dropping down to featherweight.

It all started with Kenny Florian, who decided to make the drop following knee surgery this last winter. Florian makes his debut in his new weight class at UFC 131 on June 11 against Diego Nunes. Florian has already lost two lightweight title fights and recently lost a No. 1 contender’s match to Gray Maynard. I think it’s safe to say that a chance at a lightweight title fight anytime soon would not have been likely.

Then word came that Tyson Griffin was making the drop to 145 pounds in hopes of breaking out of his current funk. Griffin will make his featherweight debut on June 26 at UFC Live 4 against former No. 1 contender, Manny Gamburyan. Griffin lost his last three fights inside the octagon but immediately has to be considered one of the top threats for Aldo’s belt due to his wrestling ability.

Now, Joe Stevenson is throwing his hat into the featherweight mix as Sherdog’s Brian Knapp announced that he will take on Javier Vazquez also on June 26. Stevenson lost five of his last seven UFC bouts, but is hoping for a fresh start at 145 pounds.

Prior to the merger with the WEC, lightweights had no other place to go in the UFC, so perhaps these moves were long overdue. But, I have to laugh at the idea that fighters may believe there is an easier road to the title by going through Jose Aldo as opposed to Frankie Edgar.

While the road to a title fight may be easier in the featherweight division, getting through the champion is another story.

Fighters, News, UFC

Diego Nunes featherweight division Javier Vazquez Joe Stevenson Jose Aldo Kenny Florian Manny Gamburyan Tyson Griffin UFC

Silva vs. Leben set for UFC 132, can it live up to the hype?

April 5, 2011 / Drew Ellis

If you were going to have a blue print for an exciting slugfest, you would probably put down Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben to participate.

Well, that dream fight appears to be a reality as UFC President Dana White made the announcement on UFC.com on Monday.

“Two fan favorites will go to war as Chris ‘The Crippler’ Leben has verbally agreed to face Wanderlei ‘The Axe Murderer’ Silva in Las Vegas July 2^nd.”

This fight has been rumored since Leben stepped in for Silva to submit Yoshihiro Akiyama back at UFC 116. This clash has all the makings for a classic. Both guys are strikers who aren’t afraid to stand up with any opponent.

However, there have been plenty of fights in the past that were billed as “fight of the decade” in terms of two guys expected to slug it out and the end result was anything but. Need I remind you of the recent Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson wrestle-fest?

I don’t think that will be the case in this bout as both fighters are more concerned about putting on a show than winning. I expect plenty of leather to fly and likely a knockout finish for one of the two.

Leben is coming off a loss and is in need of an impressive victory. Silva has now been off for well over a year and has to be hungry to have an exciting fight.

This bout is a great addition to an already impressive UFC 132 card as Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber will meet for the bantamweight title while Tito Ortiz will put his career on the line against Ryan Bader.

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Chris Leben MMA UFC UFC 132 Wanderlei Silva Yoshihiro Akiyama

Sonnen a TUF 14 coach & other ideas to help the series

April 4, 2011 / Drew Ellis

The debut of The Ultimate Fighter 13 wasn’t quite the ratings boom that the UFC or MMA fans in general were expecting.

The debut of the new season pulled between 1.4 and 1.5 million viewers, which isn’t bad, but it still wasn’t what was expected given Brock Lesnar’s drawing ability.

And, there is already talk of who is going to coach the next season. ESPN is reporting that the UFC is targeting middleweights Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen.

While Sonnen is an interesting character who will be fun to watch, I don’t know that his trash talk will draw in anyone outside of the hardcore UFC fans. Bisping has already done the show and is somewhat of a villain in the UFC, but again, he isn’t much of a draw.

My guess is that the UFC is looking for controversy to increase ratings—Bisping and Sonnen will most likely do just that. But, if Brock Lesnar can’t bring fans into the series, maybe nobody can. On a side note, how many fans will begin to lose interest in the reality show before the next season even airs?

It isn’t surprising that a show may be running its course through 13 seasons, but I still think there are some options the UFC could explore to help the series and its longevity.

Fighters, News, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

Anderson Silva Brock Lesnar Chael Sonnen Dana White Jon Jones Michael Bisping UFC Ultimate Fighter

Jones vs. Evans set for fall 2011

April 2, 2011 / Drew Ellis

The drama between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans will come to a head this fall.

According to Fighters Only, UFC President Dana White posted on an online forum that the two will square off for the UFC Light Heavyweight title in “September or October.”

This fight was quickly put together following Jones’ UFC 128 win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. After the victory, the bad blood that had been brewing between Jones and Evans quickly spilled on the octagon floor and it is only likely to get worse in the months leading up to the fight.

Aside from the hype that will surround this bout, the fight itself should be pretty interesting.

While Jones seems unbeatable right now, Evans has trained with him enough to have picked up some weaknesses in his game. The challenge facing Evans will be getting inside the reach of Jones and handling his slightly larger frame.

Jones will have to contend with Evans’ quickness and explosiveness. Evans is arguably the best athlete Jones will have faced in his MMA career. Staying out of Evans’ punching range and off his back will be a must for Jones.

My personal prediction for this bout (which is still five to six months away mind you) is Jones to beat Evans like he has everyone else. I don’t think Evans will succeed at getting Jones to the ground and I feel that Jones is the better overall striker.

But, only time will tell.

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Dana White Jon Jones Mauricia “Shogun” Rua Rashad Evans UFC

Bellator fighters still competing for national respect

April 2, 2011 / Drew Ellis

With all the media buzz over Zuffa’s purchase of Strikeforce last month, many media pundits were left to wonder what competition was left for the premiere company in MMA—the UFC.

Cleary Zuffa owns the two most notable promotions, but there are still plenty of other organizations that are trying to establish MMA stars.

One of those promotions is Bellator, which will be hosting another card tonight featuring a lightweight championship bout with Eddie Alvarez defending his title against Pat Curran. The show will air live on MTV2 at 9 p.m.

Alvarez is 21-2 in his MMA career with 19 stoppage wins. Some feel he is earning his spot in the top 10 of the lightweight rankings, but as Alvarez told Sherdog.com’s Mike Whitman, rankings are “nonsense”

“I understand that in order to get in the rankings, you have to first gain popularity. And I’ve been saying this over and over. There are going to be guys in the next couple of years from Bellator who are going to be ranked in the top-10, and that’s not necessarily because they are better than the UFC guys,” said Alvarez during Wednesday’s media conference call.
“[The rankings] are very subjective and very political. I think it’s more of a popularity contest than a talent contest. Rankings, to me, are just a way to negotiate my money with a promotion. Other than that, they hold no bearing. It’s all nonsense. A No. 1 guy can lose to a No. 10 guy any day of the week.”

Looking at his career, Alvarez does hold recent wins over former UFC contenders Roger Huerta and Josh Neer, but he also has suffered losses to Shinya Aoki and Nick Thompson.

A lot of times we like to look at a guy’s record and deem him a certain caliber, but that won’t satisfy my eye test.

Bellator, Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Bellator Clay Guida Eddie Alvarez Gilbert Melendez Gray Maynard Josh Neer MMA Pat Curran Roger Huerta Strikeforce UFC