Nov 262012
Nov 072012
Sep 302012
Stefan Struve (red gloves) used his reach to come up in a big way against Stipe Miocic (blue gloves) at UFC on Fuel TV 5. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The UFC put out another high quality showing last night as UFC on Fuel TV 5 hit the airwaves with several extremely exciting bouts from the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England. The night opened with what started as a stand-out performance by “Beautiful” Che Mills (15-5-1) and ended in a bizarre knee injury that resulted in “Bang” Duane Ludwig (21-14) losing his third straight fight. What followed was a three-round tilt that saw “Hitman” John Hathaway (17-1) outpoint John Maguire (18-4), though the entertainment value was so lacking that Maguire himself admitted to falling asleep while watching the tape. “Handsome” Matt Wiman (15-6) shocked no small number of MMA pundits in the anchor bout when he locked in an Armbar against submission machine “Sassangle” Paul Sass (13-1) to hand the Brit his first defeat. Next out, hometown hero “The Outlaw” Dan Hardy (25-10-1) literally walked across the street from his house to arrive at the arena where he put on one of his absolute best performances to shut down TUF winner Amir Sadollah (6-4). “One Punch” Brad Pickett (22-6) lived up to his namesake when he landed an uppercut that ended an exciting stand-up affair with “Tiger” Yves Jabouin (18-8), and in the main event, Stipe Miocic (9-1) fell short for the first time in his career when “Skyscraper” Stefan Struve (25-5) survived an early deficit to score a TKO after finding his range in the second. MMA Gospel is here with a breakdown of the night’s action. Continue reading »
Sep 292012
(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC. and Fuel TV)
—MAIN CARD (on Fuel TV @ 4:00pm ET)—
Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic: Struve via TKO (Punches), Round 2, 3:50
Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah: Hardy via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27), Round 3, 5:00
Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin: Pickett via KO (Punches), Round 1, 3:40
Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman: Wiman via Submission (Armbar), Round 1, 3:48
John Hathaway vs. John Maguire: Hathaway via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), Round 3, 5:00
Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig: Mills via TKO (Knee Injury), Round 1, 2:38 Continue reading »
Sep 282012
—MAIN CARD (on Fuel TV)—
Stefan Struve (251) vs. Stipe Miocic (239)
Dan Hardy (169) vs. Amir Sadollah (169)
Brad Pickett (135) vs. Yves Jabouin (136)
Paul Sass (156) vs. Matt Wiman (156)
John Hathaway (169) vs. John Maguire (169)
Che Mills (170) vs. Duane Ludwig (169) Continue reading »
Sep 262012
Just three fights into his UFC career, Stipe Miocic (top) has blazed through his heavyweight opponents and shows no signs of slowing down – not even for Stefan Struve at UFC on Fuel TV 5. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
It is another tour of destruction when the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to follow up UFC 152 with its latest installment of UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic live from Nottingham, England. Welterweight bangers set the main card’s pace with “Beautiful” Che Mills (14-5) taking on “Bang” Duane Ludwig (21-13). It all goes bedlam when native countrymen “The Hitman” John Hathaway (15-1) and “The One” John Maguire (18-3) collide. Paul Sass (13-0) will look to lock his signature triangle offensive when he tangles with the ever-grinding pressure of “Handsome” Matt Wiman (14-6). For all the WEC aficionados, fight promoters heard their cries and lined up “One Punch” Brad Pickett (21-6) and “Tiger” Yves Jabouin (18-7) in the card’s anchor. “The Outlaw” Dan Hardy (24-10) will look to prove England belongs to him when he stands across fellow striker Amir Sadollah (6-3). “Skyscraper” Stefan Struve (24-5) and Stipe Miocic (9-0) are two heavyweight freight trains and will look to derail one another in the card’s main event. Here in the second segment of the Fuel TV breakdown, we’ll take a deeper look into the latter half of the night’s proceedings: Struve versus Miocic, Hardy against Sadollah, and Pickett with Jabouin. Anything can happen once that cage door closes, but here a few keys to victory are brought to light and give better insight on who could come out on top. Continue reading »
Sep 252012
Both Duane Ludwig (red trunks) and Amir Sadollah (grey trunks) will have big career implications riding on their performances at UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The UFC reloads and delivers again a week after the highly successful UFC 152 event by putting burgeoning heavyweight striker Stipe Miocic (9-0) in the cage with young UFC standout “Skyscraper” Stefan Struve (24-5). Leading the heavyweights to the cage is a welterweight battle between two men who have fallen on hard times, but who have the hearts of the fans and thus continued employment in the UFC, “The Outlaw” Dan Hardy (24-10) and Amir Sadollah (6-3). Anchoring things is “One-Punch” Brad Pickett (21-6) against “Tiger” Yves Jabouin (18-7). Of special interest to those looking for the next big thing are the three opening bouts of the evening. “Beautiful” Che Mills (14-5) looks to keep his UFC dream alive against a long-time UFC staple, “Bang” Duane Ludwig (21-13) who himself is struggling for an identity in the division. Undefeated “Sassangle” Paul Sass (13-0) looks to continue his rash of brutal submission wins against TUF 5 alum and UFC mainstay “Handsome” Matt Wiman (14-6), and “The Hitman” John Hathaway (15-1) looks to continue rebuilding from his first career loss against “The One” John Maguire (18-3). Continue reading »
Sep 072012
Jul 312012
Mike Swick’s (black trunks) quick hands and knockout power have been the source of many of his victories, but come Saturday the AKA prodigy will have to battle two years of ring rust as well as TUF alum Damarques Johnson. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The UFC returns this Saturday with a highly Pay-Per-View worthy fight card to be broadcast for free in their fourth installment on the FOX network. “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (21-7) and former WEC champion Jamie Varner (20-6-1) will meet in a promising lightweight match-up. The 205lbs. division is bound to get a new change in scenery as “Darth” Ryan Bader (14-2) meets former champion “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (17-3) in the co-main event. PRIDE veteran and former UFC champ “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (20-6) and “The Truth” Brandon Vera (12-5) battle it out to close the night’s proceedings in the main event. As if three big fights were not enough, the card will begin with a welterweight showdown between previous The Ultimate Fighter titans as “Darkness” Damarques Johnson (15-10) welcomes “Quick” Mike Swick (14-4) back to the eight-sided cage. Each man is in dire need of a win and with the same task to set the pace for the main card, Swick and Johnson are poised to draw fireworks come fight night. Continue reading »
May 272012
"Big Country" Roy Nelson (left) about knocked Dave Herman (right) into next week with a brutal right hand that earned him one of the two "Knockout of the Night" bonuses. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The following fight bonuses were awarded for UFC 146: Dos Santos vs. Mir
Submission of the Night:
Stefan Struve (over Lavar Johnson) receives $70,000
Paul Sass (over Jacob Volkmann) receives $70,000
Knockout of the Night:
Roy Nelson (over Dave Herman) receives $70,000
Dan Hardy (over Duane Ludwig) receives $70,000
Fight of the Night:
No “FOTN” bonuses were awarded this time.
Click here for the full list of UFC 146 results.
May 262012
(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
—MAIN CARD (on Pay-Per-View)—
Junior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir: Dos Santos via TKO (Punches), Round 2, 3:04
Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva: Velasquez via TKO (Elbows), Round 1, 3:36
Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman: Nelson via KO (Punch), Round 1, 0:51
Shane Del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic: Miocic via TKO (Strikes), Round 2, 3:14
Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve:
Struve via Submission (Armbar), Round 1, 1:05
May 252012
Weigh-ins start at about 19:30 mark. (Video courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
—MAIN CARD (on Pay-Per-View)—
Junior Dos Santos: 239lbs.
Frank Mir: 261lbs.
Cain Velasquez: 240lbs.
Antonio Silva: 264lbs.
Roy Nelson: 254lbs.
Dave Herman: 233lbs.
Shane Del Rosario: 246lbs.
Stipe Miocic: 245lbs.
Lavar Johnson: 248lbs.
Stefan Struve: 255lbs. Continue reading »
May 242012
Paul Sass (bottom) has flown under the radar in the UFC so far, but his top-notch submission game and double-digit undefeated record certainly deserve a closer look. (Photo courtesy of Sherdog)
With the stacked UFC 146 heavyweight card on the horizon for this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas being possibly the best card in recent memory, MMA Gospel once again looks to the preliminary card in search of the most promising prospects. Typically it isn’t a difficult task to find a fighter on the undercard that offers something special and is lesser known among MMA fans, however, when an undercard offers the high caliber talents usually reserved for Pay-Per-Views, including a bout destined to be a war between “The Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-10) and “Bang” Duane Ludwig (29-12), it was no easy feat. While the world is focused on the main event between “Cigano” Junior Dos Santos (14-1) and Frank Mir (16-5) for the UFC Heavyweight Title, many may miss out on the undefeated British submission artist “Sassangle” Paul Sass (12-0). The Liverpool, England native does offer something special, and it’s more than just an undefeated record.
Feb 192012
Dominique “Fallen Angel” Robinson is the man. We’ve had him and his friend and training partner, fighter James “9 Knuckles” Chaney on the radio show and they were both awesome cats. I’ve kept in touch with them on Twitter and when I heard they’d be out here in Vegas for Dom’s fight with Anderson Silva’s student Paulo Bananada at Superior Cage Combat 4, I had to go. The rest of the card had some impressive names too – like UFC vets Kendall Grove vs. Jay Silva in the main event.
Anyway, the kind folks at SCC gave me a press pass, despite my frequent assertions that I’m not a journalist. Hey, I’m better than a journalist; I’m a social media juggernaut. In fact, to their immense credit, when I offhandedly suggested via Twitter that they give a ticket to my Twitter friend and ammy fighter Jeff Wright, they did! All he had to do was live tweet the event and keep me company… and buy me a beer. Those last two were my stipulations. And for the record, he only lived up to the first two. He still owes me a beer. Continue reading »
Feb 072012
It’s been three days since Nick Diaz lost to Carlos Condit for the interim UFC welterweight title. Three days of controversy, outrage and suffering…Well, for me it was suffering. I wanted Nick to win. I wanted Nick to fight Georges St. Pierre and to beat him. I wanted the fearless, scrappy kid from Stockton to overthrow the Canadian golden boy and bring some excitement and “fuck you” attitude back to MMA.
However, unlike most Nick Diaz fans, I couldn’t find solace in thinking that the loss was a “robbery” or that Condit just “ran away” the whole fight because both of those sentiments are ridiculous. I’m blessed and cursed with having the ability to see things from a lot of different angles and perspectives and not just the ones that fit into my desired reality. So, it’s not so easy for me to come to terms with certain things without that ability to just ignore certain facts. But after days of absorbing everything that I saw Saturday night as I sat in my awesome seats at Mandalay Bay like a pimp and all the different points of view that fans have shared via that beautiful yet diseased harlot I like to call “the internet”, I’ve got some things worked out. I suffer, struggle, and come up with answers and now share them with you so that you may be saved. Kinda like Jesus… okay, exactly like Jesus. Continue reading »