Category: UFC (Page 8 of 55)

What did we learn this week? For May 6, 2012

May 7, 2012 / Drew Ellis

It has been a while since I have posted on here, but I am back with weekly looks at MMA, mainly the UFC.

So, here is a look at what we learned this week.

– Nate Diaz may be an unsolvable problem for 155 pounders – Nate Diaz looked more than impressive against Jim Miller in the UFC on FOX 3 main event on Saturday. Miller had the kind of style that I expected to give Diaz some trouble, but he ran right through him. Diaz’ long reach has really been a problem for his opponents and he seems to be a vastly improved fighter since moving back from welterweight to lightweight. Miller was one of the top fighters in the division and Diaz made him look like a first timer. Diaz could legitimately become the UFC champion as I don’t know that a Benson Henderson or Frankie Edgar will be able to outwork him or deal with his jabs.

– Where does Josh Koscheck go from here? – Certainly it would be hard to say that Josh Koscheck was dominated by Johny Hendricks and you could maybe make the argument that he beat Hendricks on Saturday. Regardless, Koscheck certainly didn’t dominate Hendricks either. Koscheck seems to have become a fighter that refuses to go back to his roots when needed. He is one of the top wrestlers, and perhaps most explosive wrestler, in the 170 pound division. Koscheck is relying on his big swings and limited striking to try and win fights, even when it is clear he is not winning. Koscheck has only been out-wrestled one time in his career, and that was by Georges St. Pierre. In a fight like Saturday’s, I would have liked to see him take Hendricks down and work his ground striking as opposed to hoping for a knockout punch. Now Koscheck is lost in the welterweight division and not capable, in my mind, to make a run at middleweight. He needs to reinvent himself if he hopes to ever win UFC gold.

– Where would Alan Belcher be if he never got injures? – Belcher had about as good of a performance as Diaz, as he stopped Rousimar Palhares in the first round with some vicious ground and pound. Belcher was on a nice run in the UFC prior to an eye injury that nearly ended his career and sidelined him for over a year. Since his return, Belcher has first round finishes of Jason MacDonald and Palhares and he has won four straight overall. The middleweight division has quickly become very competitive with the addition of Hector Lombard. With Chael Sonnen, Brian Stann, Mark Munoz, and Michael Bisping all in the mix, Belcher should be right there with them.

Events, Fighters, News, Results, UFC

Alan Belcher Belcher vs. Palhares Benson Henderson Brian Stann Chael Sonnen Diaz vs. Miller Frankie Edgar Georges St. Pierre Hector Lombard Hendricks vs. Koshceck Jim Miller johny Hendricks Josh Koscheck Mark Munoz Michael Bisping MMA Nate Diaz Rousimar Palhares UFC ufc lightweights ufc middleweights UFC welterweights

UFC returns to Atlantic City

March 19, 2012 / Staff

UFC is returning to Atlantic City for the first time since 2005 for an event on June 22nd. Ranked lightweights Gray Maynard and Clay Guida will headline the event. Maynard and Guida are both coming off losses to the men who fought for the 155-pound title last month, Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson. This lightweight bout will go for five rounds.

This should be a huge event in Atlantic City as it’s packed over the summer and there’s nothing like a fight to get the town buzzing. People will be lining up to bet the fights of course, and if you can’t make it you’ll be check out sportsbook reviews to join in the fun.

It’s also important for the UFC and MMA to spread its wings and keep hitting more cities in order to bring this sport to the masses. Both of these fighters really need a win to get back in contention, so it should be a real battle.

Events, UFC

Clay Guida Gray Maynard

UFC 144 from Japan on February 25th

February 24, 2012 / Staff

The lightweight championship will be on the line as MMA betting action from Tokyo will feature Frankie Edgar, the defending champion, matched up with Ben Henderson for the title belt.

The lightweight championship is not all as there will be six other bouts on the main card to make for a phenomenal evening of MMA betting action that will take place on Saturday, February 25th. A total of seven main card bouts will make for an expected four hours of pay per view action compared to the standard three hours that is the norm.

From the light heavyweight class Ryan Bader will take on Quinton Jackson while in heavyweight action Cheick Kongo will face Mark Hunt. Japan’s own Yoshiro Akiyama will take on Jake Shields in welterweight action, while another Japanese fighter, Yushin Okami, will take on Tim Boetsch in a middleweight bout. In featherweight action, Japan’s Hatsu Hioki will face Bart Palaszewski and in lightweight action, Anthony Pettis will take on Joe Lauzon.

Frankie Edgar is the champion of the lightweight class. He first won the belt over BJ Penn at UFC 112 in April of 2010 in a highly disputed unanimous decision that was coupled with Penn not fighting at his best and coming off as unprepared. But four months later the duo met again in a highly anticipated rematch in which Edgar scored yet another unanimous decision to erase any doubts about his legitimacy as the champ. Since then he has defended the lightweight belt twice with a draw and a win over Gray Maynard in another rematch scenario. Edgar has an overall career record of 14-1-1 and fights out of Toms River, New Jersey. Edgar has gone from being scoffed at to being a respected lightweight since he has kept the belt for two years after that initial win over Penn.

Ben Henderson fights out of Glendale, Arizona and makes for a formidable challenger to Edgar. Henderson has won his last three bouts to stand with a record of 15-2 for his career. Henderson was the WEC lightweight champion from 2009-2010 before moving to the UFC where he has a 3-0 career mark. He is coming off a unanimous decision win over Clay Guida on November 12th which was an elimination bout for a title shot at Edgar. Henderson was an All American NAIA wrestler and fights for the MMA lab.

UFC

Japan MMA UFC 144

UFC 143 Set for Vegas on Saturday, February 4th

January 25, 2012 / Staff

MMA betting odds excitement is set to resume on Saturday, February 4 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada with UFC 143 Diaz vs. Condit, which headlines a main card that totals five bouts.

The feature bout for UFC 143 has Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit for the Interim Welterweight Championship. Also on the Main Card MMA betting odds board will be a Heavyweight Bout between Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum, a Welterweight Bout between Josh Koscheck and Mike Pierce, a Bantamweight Bout between Renan Barao and Scott Jorgensen, and a Middleweight Bout between Ed Herman and Clifford Starks.

There are also a total of six Preliminary Card bouts that will be featured on FX Network. Dustin Poirier will face Max Halloway in a Featherweight bout, Matthew Riddle will face Jorge Lopez in a Welterweight bout, Alex Caceres will take on Edwin Figueroa in a Bantamweight bout, Matt Brown will face Chris Cope in a Welterweight Bout, Dan Stittgen will fight Stephen Thompson in a Welterweight fight and Rafael Natal will matchup with Michael Kuiper in a Middleweight fight.

Nick Diaz has one of the most diverse backgrounds in all of the UFC. In his first UFC bout since coming back to the circuit from Strikeforce he defeated BJ Penn in a unanimous decision last October 29 at UFC 137 in a bout that earned Fight of the Night honors. Diaz was the Strikeforce Welterweight Champion that vacated the belt in order to return to UFC. He left UFC after a Technical Knockout win over Gleison Tibau at UFC 65 on November 18, 2006. He has also had success fighting in the Dream and Elite XC circuits after beginning his career in the IFC Warriors in August of 2001. To further add to his strong and diverse background Diaz also has experience as a boxer. Diaz is about an 8-5 favorite in MMA betting odds to defeat Condit.

Carlos Condit fights out of Albuquerque, New Mexico and has been fighting in UFC since April of 2009. He is riding a four-bout winning streak and he is coming off a knockout win over Dong Hyun Kim on July 2, 2011. His last two bouts have earned him Knockout of the Night honors. Condit also has a diverse background that includes a WEC Welterweight Championship and Rumble of the Rock experience.

Betting Odds, Events, Fighters, UFC

UFC 143

Jose Aldo defeats Chad Mendes

January 16, 2012 / Staff

Every once in a while you see an MMA fight that really highlights of brutal nature of mixed martial arts. This fight between Aldo and Mendes had a devastating finish.

Jose Aldo stopped Chad Mendes with one devastating knee to the head with a second left in the first round Saturday night, defending his featherweight title in his homeland at UFC 142.
Aldo (21-1) spun and knocked the previously unbeaten Mendes senseless on his back with a perfectly timed right knee that caught Mendes (11-1) flush in the face.
Aldo then landed two punches to Mendes’ defenseless head before referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the bout before the bell.
Aldo then bolted from the octagon and sprinted into the HSBC Arena crowd, which raised him on its shoulders to cap the UFC’s second event in Brazil in six months after a 13-year absence.

Wow. A knee to the head. That’s just crazy!

This is one reason this sport has become so popular and has surpassed boxing. There are so many different strategies and styles. In the end though, one powerful shot can change everything.

The UFC is on a roll, and this is becoming very popular with all sorts of fans. UFC betting is getting more and more attention as well. More and more people are also having house parties to watch these fights. It may not rival the Super Bowl but it’s starting to rival other more traditional sports.

Betting Odds, Events, Fighters, Jose Aldo, UFC

Chad Mendes UFC 142