UFC 153: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 Posted by at 2:09 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Oct 142012
 

Anderson Silva (black shorts) further cemented his claim to the title of Greatest Of All Time by effortlessly finishing Stephan Bonnar (red trunks) at UFC 153. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The UFC returned to Brazil for UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar and they were met with resounding success as a sold out arena played witness to a night of electrifying bouts. Demian Maia (17-4) opened the card with a dominant submission win over “The Horror” Rick Story (14-6). Next out, “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (10-1) finished his business with “Caldeirao” Wagner Prado (8-1) with a beautiful gator roll in the second frame. Jon Fitch (24-4-1) tacked another decision on to his list of wins by dominating blue chipper “Indio” Erick Silva (14-3), winning “Fight of the Night” in the process. Brutal light heavyweight beatdown machine Glover Teixeira (19-2) put a beating on Fabio Maldonado (18-6) that left fans cringing and calling for a stoppage early on. The co-main event saw long-time heavyweight superstar “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (34-7-1) feed “Pee Wee” Dave Herman (21-5) his words by handing him his first ever submission loss. Finally, in the main event, the GOAT, “The Spider” Anderson Silva (33-4) did in five minutes what no one else in the UFC has been able to do: finish “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (15-8). The night was filled with solid MMA showings and the fans were definitely big winners, however, not everyone can come out ahead. Continue reading »

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UFC 153 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar

 Posted by at 9:27 AM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Oct 122012
 

Anderson Silva’s (yellow shorts) speed, power, versatility, and well-deserved title of the greatest MMA fighter of all time have “The Spider” entering the Octagon at UFC 153 as a 13-1 favorite over Stephan Bonnar. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Saturday night the HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil once again plays host to the Ultimate Fighting Championships for UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar.  Savvy submission specialist Demian Maia (16-4) hopes to find continued success at welterweight against the always dangerous “Horror” Rick Story (14-5). “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (9-1) and “Caldeiro” Wagner Prado (8-0) hope to redeem their unfortunate No Contest from UFC on Fox 4 while Jon Fitch (23-4-1) looks to rebound from a knockout loss against fast-rising Brazilian powerhouse “Indio” Erick Silva (14-2). “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-7-1) looks to rack up two wins in Rio against “Pee Wee” Dave Herman (21-4). The co-main event was saved as Fabio Maldonado (18-5) stepped in to replace “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (32-10) against the man few want to face in Glover Teixeira (18-2). The main event pits two unlikely foes against each other as the affable “American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (15-7) takes on the man many consider the pound-for-pound best Mixed Martial Artist in the world, “The Spider” Anderson Silva (32-4). This bizarre late replacement fight has many scratching their heads, but do not be fooled: both men bring a particular set of skills (thanks, Liam Neeson) that can make this fight one that will be talked about for a long time.

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UFC on FOX 2: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 Posted by at 2:03 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Jan 292012
 
Rashad Evans (black shorts) clearly controlled every aspect of the fight against Phil Davis (pink shorts), winning a 50-45 decision on all three judges’ scorecards. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The UFC on FOX 2 card went down at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois and the fans of MMA around the world were treated to a night of solid mixed martial arts on Fuel TV and FOX. Unfortunately for the UFC, all of the fight bonus winners and the most casual fan friendly bouts aired as part of the prelims on the much smaller Fuel TV network and the FOX network showed three technical but less than entertaining fights that went the distance. “All American” Chris Weidman (8-0) used superior wrestling and solid stand-up to edge out Demian Maia (14-4) with a Unanimous Decision. The consensus number one contender Chael Sonnen (26-11-1) stamped his ticket to another showdown with middleweight king “The Spider” Anderson Silva (29-4) by earning a Unanimous Decision over top British middleweight “The Count” Michael Bisping (22-4). In the main event, “Sugar” Rashad Evans (17-1-1) put on a dominant five-round performance against “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (8-1) to earn himself a unanimous nod from the three judges cageside. The card may have fallen short of the UFC’s expectations, but the story may be different for the fighters themselves. Continue reading »

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UFC on FOX 2 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis

 Posted by at 10:53 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Jan 272012
 
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Sugar” Rashad Evans (right) has the advantages of a more solid striking game and experience on his side in his UFC on FOX 2 match-up against Phil Davis, who, though undefeated, has only half the number of fights to his credit and is predominantly a ground fighter. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The UFC takes its second FOX Network fight card to Chicago, Illinois’ United Center tomorrow night for UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis. The national broadcast network will feature three fights this outing, including a newly shuffled fight between budding middleweight prospect “All American” Chris Weidman (7-0) and crafty submission veteran Demian Maia (15-3). The new co-main event features not only a battle for #1 contender to “The Spider” Anderson Silva’s (31-4) title, but also the crown for the most polarizing figure in MMA as Chael Sonnen (26-11-1) squares off against “The Count” Michael Bisping (22-3) in what is sure to be an all out war of skill and words. The main event is also a title eliminator as “Sugar” Rashad Evans (16-1-1) and “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (9-0) vie for the next crack at 205lbs. phenom “Bones” Jon Jones (15-1). This fight is not being as hyped as it should be, as both fighters are highly skilled and pose very interesting problems to each other. The winner will also be heavily compared to the dynamic champ so a good showing here is a must for either fighter.

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UFC on FOX 2 Weigh-In Results

 Posted by at 4:54 PM  UFC  No Responses »
Jan 272012
 

Tomorrow night's UFC on FOX 2 main event sees Rashad Evans (left) and Phil Davis (right) face off, with the winner getting the next shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship title. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

—MAIN CARD (on FOX)—

Rashad Evans: 205lbs.
Phil Davis: 205lbs.

Chael Sonnen: 185lbs.
Michael Bisping: 185lbs.

Demian Maia: 186lbs.
Chris Weidman: 185lbs. Continue reading »

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UFC on FOX 2 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping

 Posted by at 6:48 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Jan 262012
 

Chael Sonnen (white trunks) represents a very dangerous threat to Michael Bisping, who has given up what would have been a much less risky fight against Demian Maia for a chance at a UFC title shot. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis will take place Saturday at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois as the UFC delivers its second official offering of its multi-year deal with FOX. Chris Weidman (7-0) will face Demian Maia (14-3) on short notice to open the night’s broadcast with what will likely develop into a ground battle between wrestler and submission artist. Two title shots will also be on the line as “Sugar” Rashad Evans (16-1-1) squares off with “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (8-0) in the main event and “The Count” Michael Bisping (22-3) replaces an injured “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz (10-2) against Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) in the co-main. With a potential title shot up for grabs, Bisping jumped at the chance to bow out of his previously scheduled bout with Demian Maia and face the Team Quest fighter. However, Chael Sonnen has made no secret of the fact that he will let nothing stand between him and the “12 lbs. of gold” around “The Spider” Anderson Silva’s (29-4) waist. Continue reading »

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UFC on FOX 2 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Demian Maia vs. Chris Weidman

 Posted by at 7:31 AM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Jan 262012
 

Chris Weidman (blue trunks) may not have Demian Maia's submission skills, but his high level wrestling coupled with the fact that Maia's original opponent Michael Bisping prefers to stand should allow him to edge out the Brazilian. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The UFC will present its first full card on the network TV giant FOX’s flagship station as UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis looks to name the number one contenders for not one but two UFC titles. Headlining the card is a light heavyweight contest between “Sugar” Rashad Evans (16-1-1) who will face “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (8-0) for a chance at UFC gold in the 205lbs. division. Serving as the co-main event, “The Count” Michael Bisping (22-3) will replace an injured “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz (10-2) against Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) with a middleweight championship bid hanging in the balance. Opening things up for the televised card, Chris Weidman (7-0) will step in on short notice to face Demian Maia (14-3). The bout will represent a chance for Weidman to expose casual fans to his breed of high octane wrestling and top game submissions, but also poses the most serious threat to his undefeated record to date.   Continue reading »

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Spilled Bag of Fights: Super-Size Bag

 Posted by at 8:23 PM  Spilled Bag of Fights  7 Responses »
Jun 202011
 

 

UFC 131: Dos Santos vs. Carwin

Michihiro Omigawa vs. Darren Elkins really, what can you say? Not only did the judges rob Omigawa with a Unanimous Decision nod for Elkins. One of these crackheads scored it 30-27. That’s like scoring the first round of Edgar/Maynard II 10-9 for Frankie Edgar. How do people that fuck up that bad still have jobs? Continue reading »

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UFC 131 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Donald Cerrone vs. Vagner Rocha

 Posted by at 7:58 AM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Jun 082011
 

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Vagner Rocha (top) has the kind of submission grappling skill that has proven lethal to Donald Cerrone in the past. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)

Just one week after the close of The Ultimate Fighter’s thirteenth season, the UFC fires off its third card in as many weeks as heavyweight championship contenders “Cigano” Junior Dos Santos (12-1) and “The Engineer” Shane Carwin (11-1) square off for the main event at UFC 131. With appearances from fighters like “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz (8-2), Demian Maia (13-2), “Ken-Flo” Kenny Florian (13-5), “The Gun” Diego Nunes (15-3), Jon Olav Einemo (6-1), and “Pee Wee” Dave Herman (18-2), the card is sure to be a submission grappling fan’s dream come true. Continuing with the theme of submission fighting excellence, the evening kicks off with a bout between a pair of respected ground fighters in “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (13-4) and Vagner Rocha (5-1). The match will be a strong test for both men as each represents something they haven’t truly overcome in their careers. On the line is a chance to establish a name for themselves as a main card performer with a place among the 155ers fighting for a shot at the lightweight belt. The result is a fight fans won’t want to miss to start the night off right. Continue reading »

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