Tag: UFC (Page 15 of 17)

      Top 10 Heavyweight Rankings

      April 6, 2011 /

      nullEach week I will post my rankings for a respective weight class or my pound-for-pound top 10.

      This week is the heavyweights, which has seen its stable significantly improve over the last few years.

      So, without further ado, here are my top 10 heavyweights in MMA.

      1. Cain Velasquez (9-0): The UFC Heavyweight Champion has a great combination of wrestling and striking and he has been quick to finish some of the top guys in the sport, including Brock Lesnar. His speed and agility are tough for most opponents to deal with and his strength is on par with anyone despite having only a 245-pound frame.

      2. Junior dos Santos (12-1): I was having trouble with the next in line as each remaining fighter seems to have some clear negatives against them. Junior has torn through the UFC, winning all six of his bouts, but he has yet to face an elite-level competitor. Dos Santos clearly has the punching power and striking ability, but the question with him is his takedown defense. He has yet to face a truly great wrestler in the UFC, but that issue will be addressed when he takes on Brock Lesnar at UFC 131.

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      Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      Despite White’s claims, Daley may still have a UFC future

      April 6, 2011 /

      nullIt was just about 11 months ago that Paul Daley made the biggest mistake of his MMA career.

      Following a clear decision loss to Josh Koscheck at UFC 113, Daley threw a punch at Koscheck well after the bell for the third and final round.

      There was no doubt it was a sucker punch as Daley was frustrated by Koscheck’s ability to out-wrestle him for three rounds. Add to that Koscheck’s trash talk during the bout, and Daley was a little hot under the collar.

      The sucker punch combined with clear eye gouging late in the fight got Daley cut from the UFC and President Dana White stated that Daley would never fight for the promotion again.

      However, things have gotten interesting as Zuffa, the owner of the UFC, has now purchased Strikeforce, Daley’s current home. Daley will be fighting Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship on Saturday night.

      The general feel is that eventually the UFC will bring Strikeforce fighters in once the promotion runs it contract out with Showtime. But, would the UFC take in Daley?

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      Events, Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      Apparently everyone wants to get beaten by Jose Aldo

      April 5, 2011 /

      nullThere seems to be a growing trend in the UFC as of lately: lightweights dropping down to featherweight.

      It all started with Kenny Florian, who decided to make the drop following knee surgery this last winter. Florian makes his debut in his new weight class at UFC 131 on June 11 against Diego Nunes. Florian has already lost two lightweight title fights and recently lost a No. 1 contender’s match to Gray Maynard. I think it’s safe to say that a chance at a lightweight title fight anytime soon would not have been likely.

      Then word came that Tyson Griffin was making the drop to 145 pounds in hopes of breaking out of his current funk. Griffin will make his featherweight debut on June 26 at UFC Live 4 against former No. 1 contender, Manny Gamburyan. Griffin lost his last three fights inside the octagon but immediately has to be considered one of the top threats for Aldo’s belt due to his wrestling ability.

      Now, Joe Stevenson is throwing his hat into the featherweight mix as Sherdog’s Brian Knapp announced that he will take on Javier Vazquez also on June 26. Stevenson lost five of his last seven UFC bouts, but is hoping for a fresh start at 145 pounds.

      Prior to the merger with the WEC, lightweights had no other place to go in the UFC, so perhaps these moves were long overdue. But, I have to laugh at the idea that fighters may believe there is an easier road to the title by going through Jose Aldo as opposed to Frankie Edgar.

      While the road to a title fight may be easier in the featherweight division, getting through the champion is another story.

      Fighters, News, UFC

      Silva vs. Leben set for UFC 132, can it live up to the hype?

      April 5, 2011 /

      nullIf you were going to have a blue print for an exciting slugfest, you would probably put down Wanderlei Silva and Chris Leben to participate.

      Well, that dream fight appears to be a reality as UFC President Dana White made the announcement on UFC.com on Monday.

      “Two fan favorites will go to war as Chris ‘The Crippler’ Leben has verbally agreed to face Wanderlei ‘The Axe Murderer’ Silva in Las Vegas July 2nd.”

      This fight has been rumored since Leben stepped in for Silva to submit Yoshihiro Akiyama back at UFC 116. This clash has all the makings for a classic. Both guys are strikers who aren’t afraid to stand up with any opponent.

      However, there have been plenty of fights in the past that were billed as “fight of the decade” in terms of two guys expected to slug it out and the end result was anything but. Need I remind you of the recent Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson wrestle-fest?

      I don’t think that will be the case in this bout as both fighters are more concerned about putting on a show than winning. I expect plenty of leather to fly and likely a knockout finish for one of the two.

      Leben is coming off a loss and is in need of an impressive victory. Silva has now been off for well over a year and has to be hungry to have an exciting fight.

      This bout is a great addition to an already impressive UFC 132 card as Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber will meet for the bantamweight title while Tito Ortiz will put his career on the line against Ryan Bader.

      Events, Fighters, News, UFC

      Sonnen a TUF 14 coach & other ideas to help the series

      April 4, 2011 /

      nullThe debut of The Ultimate Fighter 13 wasn’t quite the ratings boom that the UFC or MMA fans in general were expecting.

      The debut of the new season pulled between 1.4 and 1.5 million viewers, which isn’t bad, but it still wasn’t what was expected given Brock Lesnar’s drawing ability.

      And, there is already talk of who is going to coach the next season. ESPN is reporting that the UFC is targeting middleweights Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen.

      While Sonnen is an interesting character who will be fun to watch, I don’t know that his trash talk will draw in anyone outside of the hardcore UFC fans. Bisping has already done the show and is somewhat of a villain in the UFC, but again, he isn’t much of a draw.

      My guess is that the UFC is looking for controversy to increase ratings—Bisping and Sonnen will most likely do just that. But, if Brock Lesnar can’t bring fans into the series, maybe nobody can. On a side note, how many fans will begin to lose interest in the reality show before the next season even airs?

      It isn’t surprising that a show may be running its course through 13 seasons, but I still think there are some options the UFC could explore to help the series and its longevity.

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      Fighters, News, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

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