Jan 312013
Dec 092012
Dec 082012
(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
—MAIN CARD (on FOX @ 8:00pm ET)—
Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz: Henderson via Unanimous Decision (50-43, 50-45, 50-45), Round 5, 5:00
Mauricio Rua vs. Alexander Gustafsson: Gustafsson via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26), Round 3, 5:00
BJ Penn vs. Rory MacDonald: MacDonald via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27), Round 3, 5:00
Mike Swick vs. Matt Brown: Brown via KO (Punches), Round 2, 2:31 Continue reading »
Dec 072012
—MAIN CARD (on FOX)—
Nate Diaz (155*) vs. Benson Henderson (154.6)
Alexander Gustafsson (205.4) vs. Mauricio Rua (205)
Rory MacDonald (170.2) vs. BJ Penn (168.2)
Matt Brown (170.2) vs. Mike Swick (170) Continue reading »
Dec 062012
Dec 052012
Dec 052012
Former two-division champion BJ Penn (black shorts) hones top-notch submission skills, which, when paired with his utter determination to once again be a dominant force in the UFC, could spell big trouble for the young Rory MacDonald. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
Seattle, Washington’s Key Arena plays hosts to mixed martial arts action as the UFC returns to deliver its latest installment: UFC on FOX 5. The night’s main card kicks off with welterweight action as “Quick” Mike Swick (15-4) and “The Immortal” Matt Brown (15-11) face off. In the co-main event a fighter of the Old Guard, “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (21-6) is pitted against an up-and-coming light heavyweight in “The Mauler” Alexander Gustafsson (14-1). Lightweight champion “Smooth” Ben Henderson (17-2) and Nate Diaz (16-7) get five rounds in the night’s main even to stake their claim to the lightweight title. The card’s anchor is worthy of the headliner as well as “Ares” Rory MacDonald (13-1) meets veteran of the sport “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (16-8-2). MacDonald has become a force to be reckoned with at 170lbs. and has yet to hit his prime, but Penn has fought the best the sport can offer from lightweight, welterweight, and even light heavyweight. Now with two fighters of two different times colliding, will it be youth that prevails or will experience prove to trump all? Continue reading »
Dec 022012
Sep 252012
Aug 122012
Ben Henderson (white shorts) and Frankie Edgar (black trunks) fought another five hard rounds to a second razor thin decision at UFC 150. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The Zuffa brass must be very pleased with the showings at UFC 150. Following an electrifying UFC on FOX card and featuring a rematch of one of the most exciting title fights in UFC history, UFC 150 had a lot to live up to and it seems to have done so with ease. The card opened with a striking war between “Blessed” Max Holloway (6-1) and “The American Kid” Justin Lawrence (4-1). The TUF alum started strong but much like in his losing effort in the reality show, his stamina became an issue and Holloway put him away late in the bout. “Thunder” Yushin Okami (27-7) returned to his roots by dragging hot prospect Buddy Roberts (12-3) to the mat and pummeling him with ground-and-pound until the referee saved him. Jake Shields (28-6-1) fought his fight against an over-matched “Short Fuse” Ed Herman (20-9) in a grueling ground battle. The Shields/Herman fight may have slowed things down, but it may have been good for fans to have a reprieve in their excitement prior to the 76-second affair between “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (19-4) and “The Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (30-11-2). The fight was brief, but it delivered in a huge way as is evidenced by Cerrone’s matching $60,000 “Fight of the Night” and “Knockout of the Night” checks. The main event was every bit as even as “Smooth” Ben Henderson (17-2) and “The Answer” Frankie Edgar’s (14-3-1) first bout. The champion and former champion went toe-to-toe for five rounds with Henderson retaining the title. The fans and the UFC came out as big winners at UFC 150, but the just like the bouts in the cage, there are always losers too. Continue reading »
Aug 112012
(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
—MAIN CARD (on Pay-Per-View @ 10:00pm ET)—
Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar: Henderson via Split Decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47), Round 5, 5:00
Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard: Cerrone via KO (Head Kick and Punch), Round 1, 1:16
Jake Shields vs. Ed Herman: Shields via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27), Round 3, 5:00
Yushin Okami vs. Buddy Roberts: Okami via TKO (Strikes), Round 2, 3:05
Justin Lawrence vs. Max Holloway: Holloway via TKO (Punches), Round 2, 4:49 Continue reading »
Aug 112012
Roufusport fighter Chico Camus is primed to make an impressive showing in his UFC debut against fellow battle-tested fight-finisher Dustin Pague. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
This evening the UFC will return to the city where the world’s premier mixed martial arts promotion was born, the city where Royce Gracie (14-2) won the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship in November of 1993, Denver, Colorado. The Mile High City will host UFC 150 and 214 fight cards later they continue to bring some of the best fights to their birth city, with the highly anticipated rematch between current UFC Lightweight Champion “Smooth” Benson Henderson (15 -2) and “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (14-2) as Henderson looks to defend his title for the first time against the man he took the belt from. The co-main event of the evening sees dangerous striker “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (18-4) go to war with another man who is known for his knockout power, “The Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (47-11) in a lightweight fight that is already a frontrunner for “Fight of the Night”. In the 185lbs. division, former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields (27-6) will battle it out with “Short Fuse” Ed Herman (20-7) where spectators will most likely see Shields’ Jiu-jitsu going against Herman’s wrestling skills. Also in the middleweight division, “Thunder” Yushin Okami (27-7) will take on Buddy Roberts (12-2) as both look to move their way up the middleweight ladder. Former 155er “The American Kid” Justin Lawrence (4-0) of The Ultimate Fighter: Live will make his featherweight debut against “Blessed” Max Holloway (5-1) in the card’s opening bout. Before the main card takes the stage, FOX network FX once again boasts a stellar UFC preliminary card, including a fighter making his promotional debut in Denver, much like Royce Gracie did 19 years ago, “King” Chico Camus (11-3). Continue reading »
Aug 112012
Aug 102012
(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
Tomorrow night the UFC returns to the place where it all began, Denver, Colorado, to present UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II to the 20,000-plus capacity Pepsi Center and millions viewing worldwide via Pay-Per-View. The first of five main card fights sees IKF National and Pan-American Kickboxing Champion “The American Kid” Justin Lawrence (4-0) pitted against fellow 145lbs. striker “Blessed” Max Holloway (5-1). Former top middleweight contender “Thunder” Yushin Okami (26-7) squares off with Jackson’s MMA fighter Buddy Roberts (12-2) in the sophomore slot, followed by a card-anchoring bout between former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields (27-6-1) and resurging TUF alum “Short Fuse” Ed Herman (20-8). Co-main event honors go to a pair of lightweight title contention hopefuls, WEC veteran “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (18-4) and heavy-hitting “The Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (30-10-2), in what is certain to be a fight to the finish. If the MMA community isn’t already on the edge of their proverbial seats after the first four action packed match-ups of UFC 150. that is sure to change once the arena lights snap off, signaling the start of the evening’s marquee match-up. UFC Lightweight Champion “Smooth” Ben Henderson (16-2) is primed to face the man whom he stripped of the 155lbs. title, “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (14-2-1), in a highly anticipated rematch with UFC gold on the line. Who will come out on top? Only time will tell, but for now the staff of MMA Gospel takes a stab at predicting who will reign victorious and who will be sent packing. Continue reading »
Aug 092012
Frankie Edgar’s (front) first meeting with Ben Henderson (back) was about as close a contests as they come and the rematch should be no different. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to its birthplace this Saturday when it storms the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado for UFC 150. Opening the card is a featherweight affair between two youngblood prospects as “The American Kid” Justin Lawrence (4-0) goes head-to-head with “Blessed” Max Holloway (5-1). Next out, former 185lbs. title challenger “Thunder” Yushin Okami (26-7) battles Buddy Roberts (12-2), and former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields (27-6-1) anchors the card in a bout against “Short Fuse” Ed Herman (20-8). The co-main will prove a face paced lightweight war as Thai boxing specialist “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (18-4) meets powerhouse slugger “The Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (30-10-2). The featured attraction is, as usual, what has the MMA media world abuzz. “Smooth” Benson Henderson (16-2) captured the lightweight crown from “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (14-2-1) at UFC 144 in a bout that the judges scored as a one-sided decision. The pundits and fans, however, felt the bout was much closer with many respected outlets scoring the bout in favor of Edgar. Now the pair rematch to settle their business and determine the rightful owner of the UFC Lightweight Championship belt. Continue reading »