Tag: Frank Mir (Page 2 of 4)

UFC 134 Recap: Big Nog shows he still has something left

August 29, 2011 / Drew Ellis

null Was it the scene, or is Antonio Minotauro Nogueira back?

A spirited effort by “Big Nog” allowed him to pick up a win over Brendan Schaub by knockout in the first round of UFC 134.

Nogueira, who had lost two of his last three by knockout, showed an improved chin against Schaub, taking some big punches early in the fight.

The longer the fight remained standing, the more it looked like it was just a matter of time before the Brazilian legend got knocked out by the rising American star.

Instead, Nogueira flashed some of his boxing and landing a big straight punch that stunned Schaub. From there, a flurry of fists flatlined Schaub and gave Nogeuira one of his biggest wins of his career, due to the fact he was fighting in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

I would debate that the loudest roar to come from that energized UFC 134 crowd came when Big Nog knocked out Schaub.

Now, the question for Nogeuira is what is next? Is he still a legit contender in a crowded heavyweight division.

I would personally like to see him square off with the likes or Frank Mir or Shane Carwin next.

A win over someone of that caliber puts him in line to be a top-5 member of the heavyweight division.

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Antonio Minotauro Nogueira Brendan Schuab Frank Mir Shane Carwin UFC 134

Top 10 Heavyweight Rankings

July 27, 2011 / Drew Ellis

null The rankings list has made its way back to the heavyweight division.

There have been a few shake ups in this group as of late, mainly near the top. Still, the division has remained pretty solid as we work toward the big meeting of Velasquez vs. dos Sanots.

1. Cain Velasquez (9-0): Velasquez will return in November to take on Junior dos Santos. It will be a tough test for the UFC champ, as he has not fought in nearly a year and is coming off a major surgery.

2. Junior dos Santos (13-1): dos Santos tore through Shane Carwin in an impressive victory that solidified his spot as the top contender to the UFC crown. Junior has proven he can out-strike a striker and stuff a takedown, but will he be able to handle the explosiveness and speed of Velasquez?

3. Brock Lesnar (5-2): Lesnar may not return anytime soon, but I still think he deserves a high ranking as he was able to beat some of the best on this list before getting injured. Lesnar is going to need to show he can handle getting hit when he returns if he hopes to contend for the title ever again.

4. Alistair Overeem (35-11): Overeem was able to beat Werdum without too much difficulty but wasn’t impressive in his own right. Now, some debate with Zuffa has gotten him taken off the rest of the Strikeforce Grand Prix and leaves his MMA future in question. Hopefully Overeem will return and maybe someday step inside the octagon.

Events, Fighters, Rankings, Strikeforce, UFC

Alistair Overeem Antonio Silva Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Fabricio Werdum Fedor Emelianenko Frank Mir Josh Barnett Junior Dos Santos Shane Carwin

MMA Game Changers: Brock Lesnar

June 23, 2011 / Drew Ellis

This is the first in a series of posts I will be doing on game changers in MMA history.

Starting in the heavyweight division, I point to Brock Lesnar.

Love him or hate him, Lesnar’s arrival to the MMA scene changed the face of the division forever.

Despite just 7 pro fights in his career, you can clearly see a difference between how the division works now compared to how it worked when he first arrived.

Lesnar first appeared in MMA in 2007 and made his UFC debut in early 2008.

At the time, the heavyweight division had been run by the likes of Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski, two predominant strikers.

Then came Randy Couture, a man who now can’t even fight at heavyweight due to the size differential. Couture was the heavyweight champion when Lesnar broke into the octagon.

When Lesnar showed up, everyone paid attention. Not only did it seem like a gimmick that a pro wrestler would move into MMA and into the UFC, but his shear size was hard to ignore.

Fighters, UFC

Andrei Arlovski Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Frank Mir Junior Dos Santos Shane Carwin Tim Sylvia

Top 10 Heavyweight Rankings

June 2, 2011 / Drew Ellis

We have worked our way back around to the heavyweights in the rankings list.

The division has been pretty quiet for the last two months, but June will provide some big shakeups with UFC 131 and the second half of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.

So, without further ado, here is the list.

1. Cain Velasquez (9-0): The UFC Heavyweight Champion continues to await his next opponent while recovering from shoulder surgery. Newly married, Velasquez will find out whether Junior dos Santos or Shane Carwin is next at UFC 131.

2. Junior dos Santos (12-1): Junior appears to be the top contender in the UFC heavyweight division, but he has to prove it next weekend against Shane Carwin. Originally set to face Brock Lesnar, dos Santos will now face one of the toughest strikers in the division in Carwin. The fight should be explosive and end with a brutal KO.

3. Shane Carwin (12-1): Carwin had hit a bit of a funk after having back surgery following his loss to Lesnar last summer, but now he finds himself with a little bit of luck. With Lesnar injured, Carwin now immediately jumps into the title picture with a win over dos Santos at UFC 131.

Fighters, Rankings, Strikeforce, UFC

Alistair Overeem Antonio Silva Brock Lesnar Cain Velasquez Fabricio Werdum Fedor Emelianenko Frank Mir Josh Barnett Junior Dos Santos Shane Carwin

Can being a big loser make Roy Nelson a big winner?

May 31, 2011 / Drew Ellis

If anything was clear from UFC 130 on Saturday night it was that Roy Nelson can’t compete at a high level in his current physical state.

Nelson looked like he might actually pass out after 15 minutes of effortless action against Frank Mir in a decision loss to the former UFC heavyweight champ.

UFC President wasn’t too impressed by Nelson’s lack of cardio and may have put “Big Country” in his dog house.

Knowing an opportunity might be abound, noted MMA nutritionist, Mike Dolce, told MMAWeekly.com that he would like to help Nelson slim down.

“In my honest and humble opinion, I believe I could help Roy Nelson unlock his full potential as an athlete, as a fighter, but also in health potential as a human being. I used to be 280 pounds, so at five-foot-nine I walked around 20 pounds heavier than Roy weighed in at the UFC, and now I’m 188 pounds this morning at six percent body fat,” Dolce told MMAWeekly.com on Sunday.
“I can get him down easily if he wants to be a chiseled heavyweight. I can certainly do that. If he wants to be a light heavyweight I can do that. I could probably get him down to middleweight depending on what his goals are. I could do it the most healthy way possible, extend his life, extend his vitality, all of those things. But in the short term take every possible advantage to get the utmost of his ability.”

It is pretty clear that Nelson could lose a good 35-50 pounds, which would allow him to fight at light heavyweight, if he desired.

Nelson has great striking and grappling skills, so losing the weight could really turn his career around and allow him to live up to the potential that many see in him.