MMA Gospel

Vitor Belfort (white shorts) shocked the world by nearly finishing Jon Jones (red trunks) with a first-round Armbar that injured the champ for the first time in his career. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

UFC 152 was a night filled with an interesting dichotomy of events. Many things went exactly as the fans expected them to but shocked them out of their seats at the exact same time. For instance, much of the MMA world expected “Bones” Jon Jones (17-1) to dominate the aging “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (21-10). He did, but not before the renowned striker locked in a deep Armbar from the bottom and did serious damage to the champion’s elbow and the nerves in his biceps. The UFC Flyweight Championship  was expected to be a lightning fast, technical affair and it delivered despite the boos of some uneducated fans. However, the manner in which “Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson (16-2-1) dismantled Joseph Benavidez (16-3) and out-wrestled the Alpha Male standout was a shock to even Johnson’s staunch supporters. “All-American” Brian Stann (12-5) was able to land some heavy leather on the supposedly glass jaw of “The Count” Michael Bisping (23-4), but the Brit was still successful in controlling the pace and winning convincingly. Perhaps the only fight that went exactly as expected in every way was “The Hammer” Matt Hamill’s (11-4) ho-hum decision victory against “The Hulk” Roger Hollett (13-4). The opening fight between Cub Swanson (18-5) and “Do Bronx” Charles Oliveira (16-3-1) was contested at a catchweight due to problems with Oliveira’s weight cut, but he seemed no worse for wear in the Octagon. Then Swanson shattered his orbital with a right hand and sent “Do Bronx” crashing to the mat and handing him his first loss at 145. Winning isn’t everything, especially in the UFC. Sometimes a winning fighter still fails to achieve his potential rewards and sometimes a loser advances his career more than he could have with a pair of back-to-back wins. To explore this, MMA Gospel has The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Continue reading »

Jimy Hettes (top) will face his third TUF alum Saturday, putting his grappling prowess to the test against the punching power of Marcus Brimage. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

With the UFC being plagued by the injury bug as of late, many fights have been either postponed or canceled entirely, leaving fans of the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization starving for action. Much to the pleasure of MMA enthusiasts across the globe, Saturday night the UFC is back in full swing and looks to bring what could be one of the most exciting cards of the year including two title fights. The main event looks to showcase “Bones” Jon Jones (16-1) defending his 205lbs. division championship belt against a late replacement for the injured “Hendo” Dan Henderson (29-8): “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (21-9). In the co-main event fans will see the first ever UFC Flyweight Champion be crowned as Joseph Benavidez (16-2) takes on “Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson (15-2). Both these fights look to be high paced and the highlight of the main card, which also has a middle weight match-up that could possibly decide number one contender status as “The Count” Michael Bisping (23-4) takes on the heavy-handed “All-American” Brian Stann(12-4). Fans will also see the return of “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (11-4) as he looks to make a comeback, taking on UFC newcomer “The Hulk” Roger Hollet (13-3). Kicking off the main card, the always exciting Cub Swanson (17-5) takes on the dangerous “Do Bronx” Charles Oliveira (16-2).  FX and Facebook will share the duties of bringing the undercard to viewers, however on the FX prelims look out for “The Kid” Jimy Hettes to be the one that makes a name for himself at UFC 152. Continue reading »