Page 59 of 65

Rua-Griffin 2 to go down at UFC Rio

April 15, 2011 / Drew Ellis

In a fight that could be a big step forward for two light heavyweights who are drifting along right now, Forrest Griffin and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will have a rematch at UFC Rio in August, which will carry the label of UFC 134.

Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting.com was first to report the bout.

These two originally met at UFC 76 back in September of 2007. Rua was making his UFC debut and largely considered as the top light heavyweight in the world. In an underwhelming performance, Rua gassed early and was controlled by Griffin before being choked out in the final minute of the third round.

That win propelled Griffin to a title shot, which he won, while Rua slowly made his road back and also went on to win the light heavyweight title.

Rua is coming off a title loss to Jon Jones at UFC 128 in which he was dominated by the 23-year-old phenom.

Griffin is coming off a decision win over Rich Franklin at UFC 126. He has won two straight since his embarrassing loss to Anderson Silva back in August of 2009.

This fight will be big for both men as a loss could put an end to any future title considerations. Griffin hasn’t been considered a top 5 light heavyweight for a while now and Rua has been very inconsistent in the octagon.

The UFC is clearly building up UFC 134 in Brazil to be a mega show. Anderson Silva will take on Yushin Okami at the same event and other Brazilian-born fighters are expected to take part.

Uncategorized

Nick Diaz looking into boxing future

April 14, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Really?

That is about all that comes to mind when I read Steven Marrocco’s report that Nick Diaz is eying a boxing bout in the near future.

I respect Diaz and his skills. He has an iron chin, a lot of heart, and some decent boxing ability. But, stepping into the cage and having boxing ability is a lot different than stepping into a boxing ring and being a “good boxer.”

It is no different than thinking that James Toney can step in the UFC and just knock people out. That idea worked for all of about two seconds.

If Diaz fights a legit boxer and isn’t fed a jobber, I don’t expect things to end very well. He doesn’t have a tremendous amount of punching power and that power will be limited even more by the bigger gloves. I know Diaz has a pretty good reach, but an experienced boxer will know how to get inside that.

I really do like Nick Diaz as a fighter and hope he changes his tune on this idea to box. If he is embarrassed in the ring, it will only hurt his status in MMA.

Diaz is a rising start right now as the Strikeforce welterweight champion, let’s hope he doesn’t set himself up for a crash landing.

Uncategorized

Marquardt moving down to 170, faces Anthony Johnson at UFC on Versus 4

April 14, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Does this look like a guy that can make 170 pounds?

Well, that is the future for former UFC middleweight Nate “The Great” Marquardt.

After losing two of his last four bouts, Marquardt has decided to move down to the UFC welterweight division where he will debut against Anthony Johnson at UFC on Versus 4 on June 26 from Pittsburgh, Penn.

Marquardt was one of the bigger middleweights in the division and strength was something that was always a positive for him in his fights.

Now, Marquardt will be a massive 170-pounder that will pose problems for anyone, including current champion and teammate, Georges St. Pierre.

The key will be for Marquardt to make the weight, as that first weight cut will probably be a test of his will.

On the other side of things, the UFC on Versus 4 card is looking pretty impressive considering it is on free TV.

Aside from the Marquardt vs. Johnson main event, the card is also slated to have a heavyweight clash between Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry, a welterweight showdown between Martin Kampmann and John Howard, and another heavyweight collision between Matt Mitrione and Christian Morecraft.

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Anthony Johnson Georges St. Pierre Nate Marquardt UFC on Versus 4

Top 10 Light Heavyweight Rankings

April 13, 2011 / Drew Ellis

After having released my pound-for-pound and heavyweight top 10 rankings, it is time to unveil my first light heavyweight top 10 list.

1. Jon Jones (13-1): Jones is the easy pick as he has destroyed everyone in his path on his way to the UFC championship. Media pundits are quick to label Jones as an unstoppable champion, but those same words were spoken about Lyoto Machida two years ago. Jones has been unbelievable thus far, but we have still yet to see him overcome adversity in the octagon.

2. Rashad Evans (15-1-1): I put Evans in my No. 2 spot as he has just one loss in his career. It was an embarrassing loss to Machida, but I think it was more due to a poor game plan as opposed to the lack of skills to beat him. Evans has quickness with his hands and feet and has a sturdy base with great wrestling ability. He is a hard opponent to game plan for and really his only weakness may be his confidence in his hands. He is next in line to try to figure out the Jones puzzle and reclaim his spot on top of the division.

3. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (31-8): Rampage has been a hard guy to figure out over the last few years. He seems to be suffering slightly from the evolution of MMA into more of a wrestling style. His grappling skills cost him a decision to Evans and were still lacking in his win over Machida. Jackson still has arguably the most powerful hands in the division and his aggressive nature makes him difficult for anyone. Rampage takes on another wrestler next in Matt Hamill at UFC 130, and a win could put him in line for a title shot.

4. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-5): Despite being the guy that dethroned Machida, I still haven’t seen anything real special from Rua in his time at the UFC. He has certainly not been the guy that fought his way to the PRIDE championship. Rua has really struggled with his conditioning in the octagon, and that was a big problem in his loss to Jones. Rua’s edge on Machida may be more about fighting style than talent.

Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

Dan Henderson Forrest Griffin Jon Jones Lyoto Machida Matt Hamill Mauricio “Shogun” Rua Phil Davis Quinton “Rampage” Jackson Rashad Evans Ryan Bader Strikeforce UFC

MMA: the other offseason workout

April 13, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Just like mixed martial arts has quickly become one of the top mainstream sports in America, the training regimen of other pro athletes is becoming geared more toward MMA.

Joe Brescia of The New York Times did an article about baseball players Adam Dunn, Brad Penny, and Russell Martin preparing for the 2011 MLB season by going through MMA training.

Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox, Brad Penny of the Detroit Tigers and Russell Martin of the Yankees have used the sport’s punches and kicks to improve their throwing and swinging. In addition to improving overall fitness, Martin said, mixed martial arts can make an athlete mentally tougher.
“You tolerate the pain and get through it,” he said. “Mentally, I know I’m in a good place because I worked hard.”
Unlike Martin, Dunn and Penny guard the secrets of their workouts as if they were team signs.
Penny acknowledged training with Dan Henderson, a star MMA. competitor, but he declined through a Tigers spokesman to discuss his training. Dunn declined through the White Sox media-relations office.
Henderson said that he had had Penny practice the kicks and punches used in MMA., but there was no sparring.

MMA training has actually become a big part of offseason training for NFL players. Noted Fox NFL analyst, Jay Glazer, helps train Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews during the football offseason and now other players like Jacksonville’s Mercedes Lewis have gotten in on the act.

It’s no surprise that athletes are going this route and it backs up the idea that mixed martial artists are some of the best athletes in the world.

Fighters, News, UFC

Clay Matthews Dan Henderson Jay Glazer MLB NFL training