UFC Fight Night 25 Recap: Jake Ellenberger has arrived Posted by Drew Ellis (09/18/2011 @ 6:29 pm)  If anyone had doubts about Jake Ellenberger being a top contender in the UFC welterweight division, they were put to rest on Saturday night.
The rising star knocked out Jake Shields in under a minute in the main event of UFC Fight Night 25, giving him the biggest win of his career over the recent No. 1 contender in the division. It was an explosive victory, as Ellenberger used a big knee to set up a flurry of punches from the ground to finish the fight. But, in that short time, Ellenberger showed the tools he needs to be a star. Early in the fight he threw an uppercut that would have ended the fight if it landed. Clearly he found a hole in Shields game in terms of his ability to defend inside punches. Also, Shields had a few weak takedown attempts that Shields easily defended. In this division, takedown defense is going to be a big thing for Ellenberger. His striking is on par with anyone in the division and his aggression is up there with anyone, which makes him a dangerous opponent. He is a fighter that is willing to fall on his sword in hopes of winning a fight, but he has all the skills to avoid that fate. It will be interesting to see what is next for Ellenberger as he awaits the UFC welterweight Final Four that is coming up at UFC 137 in late October. I will also be interested to see what is next for Shields. His drop to welterweight in the UFC has been anything but stellar, as he is now 1-2 and his one win was razor thin. Perhaps a move back to 185 pounds will be in order. Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Results, UFC Tags: Battle on the Bayou, Georges St. Pierre, Jake Ellenberger, Jake Shields, knockout, MMA results, mma welterweights, shields vs. Ellenberger, top 10 welterweights, top 5 welterweights, UFC 137, UFC Fight Night 25, ufc results, UFC welterweights
UFC Fight Night 25 Picks & Predictions Posted by Drew Ellis (09/17/2011 @ 2:00 pm) UFC Fight Night 25 takes place on Saturday night from New Orleans with a solid card of four free fights. Here is a look at which fighters I like on Saturday, and why. UFC Welterweight Bout – Jake Shields (26-5-1) vs. Jake Ellenberger (25-5) – Shields is coming off the loss of his father, which may affect his performance, but I think this is his fight to lose. Ellenberger is a rising star and clearly the better striker, but he is taking a big step up in competition. I see Shields being able to work in his takedowns and grappling control to earn a tough decision victory. UFC Middleweight Bout – Court McGee (12-1) vs. Dongi Yang (10-1) – This is a classic striker vs. grappler match up, and I like the grappler to prevail. Yang has big punching power, but I see McGee getting this fight up against the cage where Yang will be neutralized. From there, look for McGee to grind out a few takedowns and eventually secure a choke in the later rounds. UFC Featherweight Bout – Jonathan Brookins (13-3) vs. Erik Koch (12-1) – Koch is considered the favorite according to the oddsmakers, but my pick goes with Brookins. He needs a lot of work in his striking, but his grappling takes a back seat to nobody in the division. I see Brookins taking a few punches early, but eventually getting inside Koch and using a judo throw or roll to get the fight to the ground. From there, I expect Brookins to work in a choke to get the win. UFC Middleweight Bout – Alan Belcher (15-5) vs. Jason MacDonald (26-14) – Belcher makes his return after more than a year off and he has a lot to fight for. He was a rising star in the division prior to his eye injury and he should have the skills to get past MacDonald, who is somewhat one dimensional, with a great submission skill set. Look for Belcher to pick apart MacDonald on his feet and avoid the ground game as he gets a decision win. Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Predictions, UFC Tags: Alan Belcher, Battle on the Bayou, belcher vs. macdonald, betting lines, brookins vs. koch, court mcgee, dongi yang, Erik Koch, Jake Ellenberger, Jake Shields, Jason MacDonald, jonathan brookins, mcgee vs. yang, mma betting odds, mma matchups, mma odds, mma picks, mma predictions, mma welterweights, shields vs. Ellenberger, spike tv, top 10 welterweights, ufc betting odds, UFC Fight Night 25, ufc matchups, ufc odds, ufc picks, ufc predictions, UFC welterweights, Ultimate Fight Night
UFC Fight Night 25 Weigh-In Results Posted by Drew Ellis (09/16/2011 @ 8:22 pm) Weigh ins for UFC Fight Night 25 took place on Friday night and all of the main event fighters made weight for the card. In the main event, welterweights Jake Shields (171) and Jake Ellenberger (170) came in on weight. The two are both fighting for a top-5 spot in a very stacked 170-pound division. Shields is hoping to bounce back after a loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 129, while Jake Ellenberger is taking on the biggest challenge of his MMA career. In the co-main event, Court McGee (184.5) and Dongi Yang (186) came in on weight for the 186-pound limit. This fight lacks some name power, but the UFC must feel they will put on a good show. Both guys leave it all in the cage, with Yang being an explosive striker and McGee being a relentless grappler that likes to scrap on occasion. McGee would be wise to stick to making this an ugly fight in hopes of avoiding a big knockout punch. For full weigh-in results for Saturday’s card, check out the jump. Results are courtesy of Sherdog.com. Read the rest of this entry » Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Results, UFC Tags: Alan Belcher, Battle on the Bayou, belcher vs. macdonald, brookins vs. koch, court mcgee, dongi yang, Erik Koch, Jake Ellenberger, Jake Shields, Jason MacDonald, jonathan brookins, mcgee vs. yang, mma betting odds, mma matchups, mma weigh ins, mma welterweights, shields vs. Ellenberger, spike tv, top 10 welterweights, UFC Fight Night 25, ufc matchups, ufc weigh ins, UFC welterweights, Ultimate Fight Night
UFC Fight Night 25 Betting Odds – Shields Favored Posted by Drew Ellis (09/15/2011 @ 7:24 pm) UFC Fight Night 25 – Battle on the Bayou takes place this Saturday night on Spike TV and features a solid card for a free MMA event. When looking at the betting odds for this card, Jake Shields finds himself as the favorite against Jake Ellenberger in the main event of Saturday’s event. Shields has a money line of -185 while Ellenberger comes in at +155. This is a pretty classic striker vs. grappler matchup. Shields has the experience and grappling edge while Ellenberger is the better striker and has more to gain in this contest. It should be an explosive fight that will pave the way for the winner to become a top 5 contender. Alan Belcher makes his return to the UFC after more than a year away due to a career-threatening eye injury. Belcher will face off with UFC veteran, Jason MacDonald in a middleweight bout. The local hero, Belcher, is the favorite in the fight with odds of -275. MacDonald comes in with a money line of +215. Belcher is a guy that enjoys using his striking and clinch game to beat up opponents. MacDonald is more of a submission specialist that will want to get the fight down to the ground. In other featured bouts, Jonathan Brookins (+165) opens as an underdog to Erik Koch (-205) in his first fight since winning The Ultimate Fighter last December. Another TUF winner, Court McGee (-165) opens as a favorite in his contest with Dongi Yang (+135). Posted in: Betting Odds, Events, Fighters, News, UFC Tags: Alan Belcher, Battle on the Bayou, belcher vs. macdonald, betting lines, Jake Ellenberger, Jake Shields, Jason MacDonald, mma betting odds, mma matchups, mma odds, mma welterweights, shields vs. Ellenberger, top 10 welterweights, ufc betting odds, UFC Fight Night 25, ufc matchups, ufc odds, UFC welterweights, Ultimate Fight Night
Penn to now face Diaz at UFC 137 Posted by Drew Ellis (09/08/2011 @ 8:26 pm)  Now that the dust has settled in on the change to the UFC 137 main event, with Carlos Condit replacing Nick Diaz to face Georges St. Pierre for the welterweight championship, the next biggest question was who was B.J. Penn facing that night?
Penn was originally scheduled to face Condit in the co-main event, but UFC President Dana White said he was working on something crazy for Penn, and he hoped that it still take place at UFC 137. Well, the UFC decided if it could move one fighter, why not just move the other. Dana White released on his Twitter that Penn will now fight Nick Diaz in the co-main event. This is crazy but here we go again! Penn vs Diaz 10/29 in Vegas
This should be a tremendous bout as both men have a warrior mentality and they will certainly leave everything in the octagon. Diaz still gets his shot at a high-profile bout while Penn gets a chance to land a marquee win in the welterweight division. I think from a matchup standpoint, the changes to both fights make each one more interesting. Posted in: Events, Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC Tags: 170 pounds, BJ Penn, Carlos Condit, Georges St. Pierre, Las Vegas, mma events, mma matchups, Nick Diaz, penn vs. condit, penn vs. diaz, st. Pierre vs. condit, St. Pierre vs. Diaz, top 10 welterweights, UFC 137, UFC events, ufc matchups, Ultimate Fighting Championship, Welterweight Division
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