Tag: UFC 134 (Page 2 of 3)

UFC 134 Preview: Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

August 25, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Forrest Griffin put his name on the map with a win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua back at UFC 76 in 2007.

Was it a fluke?

Or does Griffin have Rua’s number?

That is what we will find out this Saturday when the two meet again in the co-main event of UFC 134.

Here is a breakdown of this contest.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-5) – The former Pride and UFC champion is coming off a loss to Jon Jones at UFC 128 where he was overwhelmed by the young phenom. Rua was coming off a lengthy layoff due to a knee surgery, and looked tired early in the fight. When Rua fought Griffin the first time, he also looked winded early in the fight and was nearly lifeless in the closing moments before being choked out. Rua is an intense striker that likes to push forward and he has some solid submission skills on the ground.

Forrest Griffin (18-6) – Griffin is also a former UFC champion but is at a bit of a stand still in his career. He has won two straight fights, but been somewhat unimpressive in both outings. Griffin was a huge underdog against Rua the first time, and is an underdog again this time. Griffin will look to use his boxing against Rua and again tire him out by pushing a furious pace. Griffin has an under-rated ground game, which he has shown over the years. If he can stay on top of Rua, he should put himself in position to win.

Who Will Win: Griffin has all the chance in the world to win this fight. He tends to do better as an underdog than a favorite, but he is entering the hostile crowd of Brazil. Rua tends to struggle when he can’t start quickly and I think Griffin will be smart and keep Rua off-balance. I look for Griffin to win a decision this time around.

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Forrest Griffin Mauricio “Shogun” Rua UFC 134

Not surprising news: Chael Sonnen not going to Brazil

August 25, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Chael Sonnen has made an enemy of Brazil.

His numerous jabs, insults, and stereotypical comments about the host country of UFC 134 have apparently done a little more damage than he anticipated.

According to MMAJunkie.com, Sonnen will no longer be attending UFC 134 due to Brazil’s growing hatred for the former No. 1 contender in the UFC middleweight division. He was originally supposed to corner Yushin Okami in his title fight with Anderson Silva.

Sonnen said a major sponsor of Okami’s requested he not attend the pay-per-view event, which takes place Saturday at Rio’s HSBC Arena.
A source with knowledge of the situation told MMAJunkie.com that Praetorian, a Brazil-based MMA brand, threatened to pull the Japanese fighter’s sponsorship if Sonnen attended.
“There’s a line of people that want to kick his ass,” the source said.
And that could be the least of problems for the expert trash-talker. Sonnen said friends in the country forwarded him a local-media report in which a police chief threatened to arrest him on sight if he showed. The official cited a law that makes disparaging the national identity a crime.
“You don’t have freedom of speech in Brazil; put it like that,” Sonnen told MMAjunkie.com after a workout at Team Quest Tualatin.

It probably is for the best. I didn’t see Sonnen leaving Brazil without incident after his rants as of late.

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Anderson Silva Chael Sonnen UFC 134 Yushin Okami

UFC already looking to Silva vs. Henderson II prior to UFC 134

August 24, 2011 / Drew Ellis

Did the UFC bite off more than it can chew with scheduling a live event on FOX in November?

The premiere MMA organization wants to put on the two best fights possible for its premiere on the broadcast network on Nov. 12, but reports from Tatame have the UFC setting up a possible rematch between Anderson Silva and Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, Dan Henderson.

Problem is, Silva is fighting Yushin Okami this Saturday at UFC 134.

Anderson Silva will put his belt on the line this Saturday, but the organization is already thinking on his next title defense. According to sources close to the situation, the middleweight champion is in talks with the UFC to fight Dan Henderson at UFC’s first show on FOX, scheduled to November 12, in California.
Anderson, who already defeated the former Pride champion in his long UFC career, tapping him in a rear-naked choke at UFC 82, fights the highly underdog Yushin Okami this Saturday, at UFC Rio, while Henderson waits to define his future with the end of his contract with Strikeforce.
Sources also indicated that if Henderson didn’t agree to move down to middleweight months after a heavyweight showdown against Fedor Emelianenko, Chael Sonnen is the option to replace him against Silva.
Sonnen is set to fight Brian Stann at UFC 136, and if Henderson doesn’t take this fight, he’d be taken out to fight Anderson. Stann, on the other hand, would potentially fight Vitor Belfort.

While Silva is the clear favorite to win this Saturday, we have seen in the past that it is never smart to schedule a match before another one is completed.

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Anderson Silva Chael Sonnen Dan Henderson Dana White Fox Lorenzo Ferttita UFC 134 Yushin Okami

UFC 134 Preview: Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami

August 23, 2011 / Drew Ellis

The main event of Saturday’s UFC 134 is a middleweight championship contest with Anderson Silva defending his title against Yushin Okami.

Okami is actually the last man to beat Silva, as he won by DQ over “The Spider” back in 2006 as part of Rumble on the Rock. Silva threw an illegal upkick that forced Okami to stop fighting.

Here is a look at both fighters, more than five years since their last meeting.

Anderson Silva (30-4) – Widely considered the best single fighter in the world in any weight class, Silva is the most lethal striker in all of MMA. Both of his hands and feet have one-strike KO power and he also has a jiu-jitsu black belt under the Nogeuira brothers. Silva is on a 14-fight win streak and is coming off an impressive KO of Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. Silva seems unbeatable, but his one weakness appears to be wrestling, where Okami is at his strongest.

Yushin Okami (26-5) – “Thunder” has had a long road to a title fight, as this is his 12^th fight in the octagon. Since a tough decision loss to Chael Sonnen, Okami has won three straight, including decision wins over Nate Marquardt and Mark Munoz. Like Sonnen, Okami is a grinder that fights a very ugly style. He likes to clinch and grapple, using his strength to keep his opponent from going on the attack. If Okami can get the fight to the ground, he can win. If the fight remains on the feet, I don’t see him coming out on the winning end.

Who Will Win – It’s hard to see any scenario where Silva doesn’t win, but Okami does have the style that has given Silva the most problems. Sonnen, Dan Henderson, and Travis Lutter were all able to score takedowns on Silva. Sonnen has some very strong wrestling skills, but he isn’t an aggressive fighter. He must be aggressive early and not allow Silva to find his flow. Eventually, I see Silva getting a KO in the second round against Okami, as Silva is just too fast for Okami to get his hands on.

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Anderson Silva Chael Sonnen Dan Henderson Travis Lutter UFC 134 Vitor Belfort Yushin Okami

UFC 134 Betting Odds: Silva, Rua favored

August 21, 2011 / Drew Ellis

UFC 134 takes place on Saturday, and has one of the better cards the UFC has put on in a while.

Our friends on at BetOnFighting.com have released odds for four of the main card bouts.

In the main event, Anderson Silva is the favorite (-450) to retain his UFC Middleweight Championship over Yushin Okami (+350). Silva (28-4) is looking to avenge a DQ loss to Okami (27-5) from 2006. Silva threw an up kick to Okami, when he was on his knees, which ended the fight. Okami is a big, strong wrestler, but not as aggressive as the likes of Chael Sonnen. Still, if Okami can get his hands on Silva, he could find a way to win the fight.

In the co-main event, Maurico “Shogun” Rua will look to avenge a loss to Forrest Griffin from back at UFC 76 in 2007. Rua (19-5) is considered the favorite to win this time, with odds of -220. Griffin (18-6) comes in with odds of +180. It should be noted that Rua was a heavy favorite the first time these two met, but Griffin managed to push a pace that Rua couldn’t handle and went on to score a submission in the closing moments of the third round.

For the available odds for UFC 134, including Schaub vs. Nogueira and Barboza vs. Pearson, check out the jump.

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Anderson Silva Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Brendan Schaub Edson Barboza Forrest Griffin Mauricio Rua Ross Pearson UFC 134