Ronald Young Jr.

Looking for the Underdog: Gray Maynard

 Posted by at 8:12 AM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Jan 012011
 

Using his world class wrestling skills and keeping the fight on the ground affords Gray Maynard the best chance of dethroning lightweight champ Frankie Edgar. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

Today marks the first day of the new year. While most will be celebrating a fresh start and making a valiant attempt at what probably will result in another failed resolution, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will be continuing its own New Year’s tradition by ushering in another top notch fight card with UFC 125: Resolution. The UFC Lightweight Champion “The Answer” Frank Edgar (13-1) will face off against the only man to ever defeat him, “The Bully” Gray Maynard (10-0).  The storyline leading up to this fight is quite exciting in that Edgar will have the opportunity to defend his belt a second time and avenge the lone loss on his record in the same fight. However, this is where the excitement ends, because neither of these fighters are known for finishing fights.

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Looking for the Underdog: Georges St. Pierre

 Posted by at 7:21 AM  MMA News  No Responses »
Dec 082010
 

UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre will utilize his well rounded fight game to overcome his trash-talking opponent Josh Koscheck at this UFC 124 this Saturday. He also fights to retain his title and extend his current seven fight win streak and fifth consecutive title defense. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

This Saturday at UFC 124 the welterweight championship belt will be up for grabs again when “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (20-2) faces off against Josh Koscheck (15-4). This match-up will be an attempt to extend a seven fight winning streak for 170lb. division king GSP which includes and would lengthen his current count of consecutive title defenses from four to five. Much of the The Ultimate Fighter Season 12 was marked by Koscheck attempting to get under GSP’s skin and GSP ignoring him completely. All of St. Pierre’s animosity for Koscheck has been channeled into his training, creating one of the most dangerous weapons on the planet – a motivated Georges St. Pierre.

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Looking for the Underdog: Josh Koscheck

 Posted by at 8:25 PM  MMA News  1 Response »
Dec 072010
 

Josh Koscheck will have his work cut out for him in backing up his trash-talk against rival TUF 12 coach and current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre in their rematch at UFC 124. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

Josh Koscheck (15-4) is not in the habit of making friends. Much of his career has been built on getting under the skin of his opponents outside of the Octagon. As coach on The Ultimate Fighter Season 12 he had no qualms about antagonizing anyone and everyone in his path.  This Saturday at UFC 124 Josh Koscheck will get the opportunity to face his most frequent target of ire in the TUF house in UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (20-2). Their first meeting was marked by Koscheck getting beaten at his own game and being out-wrestled by the stronger St. Pierre.  A cast member on the very first season of The Ultimate Fighter, “Kos” became known to the UFC fans as the resident smack-talking tough guy – who at the time focused most of his efforts on continuously heckling fellow castmate “The Crippler” Chris Leben (21-7) – and for being what many considered a one-dimensional fighter whose main focus was wrestling. The Pennsylvania native went to college on an athletic scholarship where he became an NCAA Div. I Champion as well as a four-time All-American collegiate wrestler. “Kos” also is a three-time recipient of the PSAC Wrestler of the Year Award and was honored with the Eastern Wrestling League Achievement Award twice. Since becoming a prominent member of the UFC’s 170lb. division Koscheck has worked diligently on expanding his skills beyond wrestling.  Koscheck has gone 6-2 since his first match-up with GSP in August 2007, taking out premiere talent including Dustin Hazelett (15-6), “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (30-17-5), “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (8-3), and “Semtex” Paul Daley (23-10-2), and has shown a vast improvement in his stand-up game. Koscheck has repeatedly mentioned that this will be his edge on Saturday night and his key to unseating the champ.

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Looking for the Underdog: Lyoto Machida

 Posted by at 1:19 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Nov 202010
 

"The Dragon" Lyoto Machida has been a formidable opponent in the UFC light heavyweight division since joining the promotion in February 2007. His eight-fight winning streak screeched to a halt after being TKO'd by "Shogun" Mauricio Rua at UFC 113. Tonight he faces "Rampage" Quinton Jackson in an effort to get back into title contention. (Photo courtesy of Jon Kopaloff and Getty Images)

A year ago the dynamics of the UFC looked quite different. “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-7-1) was unstoppable in the lightweight division. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (20-2)  was the master of his domain, making all his opponents seem amateurish. “The Spider” (27-4) Anderson Silva was the puzzle no one could solve, and it was thought that Brock Lesnar’s (5-2) short fighting career might be over. The light heavyweight division was also at a pivotal point, as the shroud of mystique that enveloped the then unbeaten “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-1) had just been uncovered through the punches and kicks from an opponent few thought would have the skill set to beat Machida: “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (19-4). Though Machida maintained his unbeaten status and championship title via a highly contested Unanimous Decision after their first meeting, he would  later succumb to Rua’s fists in their rematch in May, dubbing “Shogun” the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.  Tonight at UFC 123, Machida returns to the Octagon for the first time in over six months to face PRIDE veteran “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-8) in the climb back up the ladder to title contention.

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Looking for the Underdog: Quinton Jackson

 Posted by at 1:17 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Nov 202010
 

"Rampage" Jackson will need to stalk Lyoto Machida into a close quarters fire fight to make use of his short punch counterstriking style. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

2010 told the story of the fallibility of the champion, as spectators witnessed every champion in every division falter, and in most cases, fall. “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida’s (16-1) knockout win over then champion “Sugar” Rashad Evans (15-1-1) in May 2009 rendered him the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and ushered in what was dubbed “The Machida Era”,  a testament to how fans and critics alike expected Machida to dominate the 205lb. division for a long time to come. The era was much shorter lived than expected. Machida fought and successfully defended his belt once in the year that he held the title before before knocked out by “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (19-4) in the rematch following their controversial first bout. The loss was a devastating one for Machida, whose perfect record and eight fight winning streak were ground to a halt. Continue reading »

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Looking for the Underdog: Brock Lesnar

 Posted by at 12:39 AM  MMA News  No Responses »
Oct 222010
 

UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar has shown incredible progress in his growth as a mixed martial artist, but will it be enough to stop red hot competitor Cain Velasquez? (File Photo)

The UFC plays host to the top MMA fighters in the world. On top of them all holding the heavyweight crown is Brock Lesnar (5-1). This Saturday at UFC 121 he will face off against Cain Velasquez (8-0) in what will be a true test to the skill set of both competitors as mixed martial artists. If Lesnar wins he looks to continue a growing winning streak which includes two title defenses and wins against some of the toughest competition in the heavyweight division. With the contested number one heavyweight Fedor Emilianenko’s (31-2) defeat by the hands of Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1) in the main event at Strikeforce’s June card, some have questioned whether or not Brock could truly be dubbed the top heavyweight in the world. A win against Velasquez would solidify his status as the “Baddest Man on the Planet”.

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Looking for the Underdog: Cain Velasquez

 Posted by at 7:24 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Oct 192010
 

Cain Velasquez looks to maintain his undefeated record and walk away the UFC Heavyweight Champion with a victory over current champ Brock Lesnar at UFC 121. Here, Velasquez lands a solid left hook to the face of "Minotauro" Antonio Nogueira at UFC 110. (Photo courtesy of Sherdog)

This Saturday at UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez, the newly dubbed “Baddest Man on the Planet” UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar (5-1) puts his belt on the line against perhaps his toughest competitor yet – the undefeated heavy hitter Cain Velasquez (8-0).  Both men will face new challenges in each other, and both Lesnar and Velasquez will more than likely have to exhaust their skill sets in order to pull off a win. If he beats Velasquez, Lesnar will have two consecutive wins against previously undefeated opponents, the first of which being Shane Carwin (11-1).  MMA fans across the world will be watching and wondering if the “Brown Pride”-adorned Velasquez will pull off what Carwin seemingly came oh-so-close to accomplishing at UFC 116 in July – stripping the champion of his belt.  Perhaps watching even more closely will be their fellow heavyweight competitors, as the Lesnar vs. Velasquez outcome will have a direct effect on the division match-ups for months to come.


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Strikeforce Diaz vs. Noons II: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

 Posted by at 7:39 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Oct 112010
 

Fans are being treated to a high dose of quality MMA with so many promotions holding fights so close together. While some may still be digesting WEC 51, Strikeforce put forth a valiant effort to stay relevant with a decent night of fights. While much remains to be desired as it comes to the quality of Strikeforce events as a whole, and this writer won’t dwell on the bad and the ugly of the commentating and other common points of concern with the event, there are a few points to be made about the fights themselves. We’ll cover areas of improvements and points of pride with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly:

Photo courtesy of Strikeforce

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WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

 Posted by at 3:30 PM  MMA News  2 Responses »
Oct 012010
 

Whether by default or design, Zuffa always manages to make up for lackluster showings by its respective organizations.  As if to repay any dissatisfied fans for their fifty bucks spent on the highly criticized UFC 119, they delivered an outstanding card with WEC 51: Aldo vs. Gamburyan. There were impressive submissions and brutal knockouts and the fights that went to decisions  kept fans on the edge of their seats with no room for complaint. There were plenty of exciting story lines on last night’s card as well, including the re-emergence of a former champion, a tutorial on how to effectively stop a zombie, the continuation of a grudge match, and the patience of an evolving champion. The WEC 51 card was presented for free on Versus, however many a fan would have received their money’s worth had this entire card been on Pay-Per-View. Let’s take a closer look at WEC 51, Clint-Eastwood-style, with The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

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A Look Ahead: WEC 51

 Posted by at 7:18 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Sep 302010
 

"Junior" Jose Aldo takes on "Pitbull" Manny Gamburyan as the main event in WEC 51 (Photo courtesy of MMA Weekly)

Tonight, the UFC’s  little brother strikes again. This, of course, refers to the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) 51 card featuring the featherweight title match-up between the champion “Junior” Jose Aldo (17-1) and “Pitbull” Manny Gamburyan (11-4). This bout is touted as the main event but has all but been forgotten in light of another main card bout, a grudge rematch between “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (15-3) and Jamie Varner (16-3).  As has become the norm, the WEC has put together an action packed card full of former TUF competitors, former title holders and contenders, UFC veterans, and all around crowd pleasers.  This card promises to be full of fireworks and, more than likely, several exciting finishes.  It wouldn’t even be surprising if there’s at least one candidate for Fight of the Year by the end of the night. After putting on a very lackluster card on Saturday with UFC 119, Zuffa may want to pay close attention to their smaller promotion and take notes on how to make on a successful and exciting card out of lesser known talent.

This is arguably one of the best cards a fan could ask for without having to pay.  Earlier this year the WEC took its first steps into the world of Pay-Per-View with WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber. Six of the fighters featured on that card will be fighting on tonight’s card, including both participants of the early candidate for Fight of the Year “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung (10-2) and Leonard Garcia (18-5-1).  However, all of the focus seems to be on the long awaited grudge match between Cerrone and Varner.   Those casual fans who turn off the TV following the hate filled battle between the “Cowboy” and his arch-rival will be in for quite a shock when they learn that the main event they had all but written off was the most exciting bout of the night. Continue reading »

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Looking For the Underdog: Mirko Filipovic

 Posted by at 12:55 AM  MMA News  No Responses »
Sep 232010
 

On Saturday at UFC 119 “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (28-7-2) will face off against two time former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir (13-5) in a battle that may not determine a contender, but will bring more clarity to the pecking order of the UFC Heavyweight division. Cro Cop is coming off an impressive submission victory over “Hype or Die” Pat Barry (5-2) and is hoping to keep the streak going with a victory over Mir.

“Cro Cop” is a very experienced MMA fighter who has found the majority of his success in the ability to out strike his opponents. Many fans know him for his seemingly unstoppable head kick that has ended the night for many an opponent. Recently he has demonstrated that he’s still dangerous with four of his last five wins coming by TKO. At first glance, it could be easily said that he has the striking advantage over Mir. He throws a good combination of punches and kicks and has solid takedown defense. All of his strikes have knockout power, and he throws them in bunches, which tends to be a problem for most of his opponents. Top that off with solid footwork and this is a very complete pure kick boxer. Continue reading »

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UFC 118: Looking for the Underdog in Frank Edgar

 Posted by at 3:38 AM  MMA News  No Responses »
Aug 272010
 

If there’s a true underdog in this Saturday night’s lightweight title fight it is “The Answer” Frank Edgar (12-1-0). This may seem strange to some because in his first matchup with “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-6-1) Edgar was able to defeat a man who has dominated his division for the past three years. Now Edgar has the unfortunate position of having to prove his worth by defeating Penn for a second time.

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UFC 118: Looking for the Underdog in BJ Penn

 Posted by at 6:01 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Aug 252010
 

Underdog and BJ Penn in the lightweight division are typically two things that aren’t necessarily synonomous. However at UFC 118 the lightweight title will be on the line when “The Answer” Frank Edgar (12-1-0) faces off against “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-6-1) and Penn won’t be the one defending it. Penn lost the title in a shocking five round decision lost against Edgar when the two first met at UFC 112 admist a small wave of controversy mostly spawned by Penn believing that he didn’t necessarily lose every round.

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Back to the Grind: Positional Wrestling Replacing Ground and Pound in MMA

 Posted by at 6:13 PM  MMA News  1 Response »
Aug 122010
 

Ground and Pound is a method that has been used since the early days of MMA. It was used in many victories by Mark Coleman, and some could argue that it was perfected by Tito Ortiz who added the submission defense factor in order to combat against the occasional tricky Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specialist. Today the ground and pound has evolved into something that has to be used in a lot more calculating manner than it ever has before. Today’s ground and pound has been combined with not only submission defense but with technical grappling, fighters that use this style are typically described as using a “grinding pace” or “willing to grind it out”. This style has pros and cons.

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UFC 117: Looking for the Underdog in Junior Dos Santos

 Posted by at 2:59 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Aug 062010
 

In the past two years Dana White has been able to change the UFC’s heavyweight division from bloated and overrated, to relevant and exciting. UFC 117 promises just that, a relevant and exciting bout between top contenders. When “Big Country” Roy Nelson (15-4-0) faces off against rapidly rising knockout artist “Cigano” Junior Dos Santos (11-1-0) much more will be revealed about the depth of the UFC heavyweight division. While Roy Nelson is quite obviously the seasoned veteran and former IFL champion he will face his toughest test yet against a very game Dos Santos.

If you ever need a bathroom break during a UFC event the most innappropriate time to go would be during a Junior Dos Santos fight. He has had only one fight go past the first round in his career and that was mostly because Mirko “Cro Cop” wasted a lot of time not engaging Dos Santos in their fight. In this fight I saw no issues with the cardio nor the takedown defense of Dos Santos. He was able to keep the fight standing, and go into the later rounds without slowing down. I mention all of this because this is more than likely the situation he will face when it comes to Roy Nelson.

Nelson will more than likely be looking for the takedown with Dos Santos, but don’t look for this to turn into another Leites-Silva matchup. Nelson has a capable standup game and as long as he believes he can stand with Dos Santos this is where he’ll be most vunerable. If Dos Santos does what he is good at and uses his power and ability to throw “punches in bunches” he will be able to put Nelson away quickly and with relative ease.

This fight will be a true test of Junior Dos Santos as a mixed martial artist. We already know that he can knock people out seemingly at will however we haven’t seen extensive use of his brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I’m sure many fans would love to see Dos Santos show another dimension of his MMA game in a submission victory over Nelson. He will have the opportunity to show his skill, if he chooses to engage Nelson if and when the fight goes to the ground. In past fights we have seen Dos Santos stand up quickly when put on the ground and more so look to keep the fight standing with superior takedown defense. Both fighters have skills on the ground and standing so there is no guarantee as to where the fight stays on Saturday.

I truly believe that if Dos Santos can effectively stifle Nelson’s takedowns then the fight will stay standing. He will more than likely settle into his bread and butter game and stand and bang with Nelson. If Dos Santos can execute this gameplan, I believe he can edge out Nelson on the scorecards if not put him away early.

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