(Photo courtesy of FOX Sports and Zuffa, LLC.)
Mauricio Rua vs. Brandon Vera: Rua via TKO (Punches), Round 4, 4:09
Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader: Machida via KO (Punch), Round 2, 1:32
Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner: Lauzon via Submission (Triangle Choke), Round 3, 2:44
Mike Swick vs. Damarques Johnson: Swick via KO (Punches), Round 2, 1:20 Continue reading »
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Shogun” Rua (left) and Muay Thai specialist Brandon Vera (right) are slated for battle in Saturday night’s UFC on FOX 4 main event. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
Mauricio Rua (205.0) vs. Brandon Vera (203.8)
Lyoto Machida (201.0) vs. Ryan Bader (205.0)
Joe Lauzon (155.8) vs. Jamie Varner (156.0)
Mike Swick (170.0) vs. Damarques Johnson (171.0) Continue reading »
He might have stumbled a few times in past performances but George Roop (left) has always made it a point to win until stopped otherwise. He will face a daunting challenge when he faces UFC newcomer Hatsu Hioki in the main card's opener. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The card has undergone many changes but UFC 137 still comes at full force come Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Young Guns” Scott Jorgensen (11-3) welcomes back “Big Frog” Jeff Curran (35-13-1) in a bantamweight match-up. The potential for knockouts is always high when the heavyweights are involved, especially when Cheick Kongo (16-6-2) meets “Meathead” Matt Mitrione (5-0) and “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (27-10-2) clashes with “Big Country” Roy Nelson (15-6). The main event is a dream match for those who love a good old fashioned scrap, as “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (16-7-2) and “Diablo” Nick Diaz (24-8) are set to lock horns. In the card’s opener, George Roop (12-6-1) welcomes top featherweight Hatsu Hioki (21-4-2) into the Octagon. Roop has always been the featherweight division’s underdog but when he meets a high-level grappler in Hioki, the moniker might seem fitting more than ever. Continue reading »
Dear Dana White,
I like to consider myself an intellectual. Not in a pretentious way but more in the sense that I don’t think being smart or educated is something to be ashamed of or mocked. Early on in high school I was picked on by a couple of jocks. By in large most of them, like most of everyone else didn’t really notice my existence but a couple of jock douchebags decided to pick on me and my indifference to sports became a seething hatred for meathead jocks. Granted, it was unfair of me to judge a whole group of people, namely athletes, by the actions of a couple of assholes but when you’re fifteen you’re generally not blessed with a philosophical and objective perspective. Even to this day, despite being intellectually evolved and more open-minded, that knee-jerk prejudice against jocks is still there. I make a distinction here between “jocks” and athletes, which doesn’t erase my prejudice, just makes it more selective.
When I first became aware of MMA I didn’t know it was MMA. I, like a lot of people saw it for how it was marketed at the time, as a brutal, no rules, barbaric bloodsport. Unfortunately, this angle repulsed me. It seemed to be everything I hated: dumb, meathead, uber-agro jock dicks that thought bashing someone’s face in and sending them to the hospital was cool. If they didn’t market it like that, I likely would’ve become a big fan of Royce Gracie – this little Brazilian beating much bigger and stronger guys with technique, with brains. I would’ve eaten that shit up at the time, if I had known and understood more about the sport; if it was marketed as mixed martial arts and not “No-Rules Cage Fighting”. It was your doing with The Ultimate Fighter that showed me that this was a real sport with athletes who trained. Martial artists rather than blood-thirsty barbarians. Not to say it’s not violent and primal and occasionally brutal and not to deny the visceral appeal of that element but it’s also a lot more. And we also got to see that most fighters weren’t typical jocks. They’re athletes but most of them had to be a little bit nuts to want to do this for a living. Continue reading »
(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
Tony Ferguson vs. Ramsey Nijem: Ferguson via KO, Round 1, 3:54
Anthony Pettis vs. Clay Guida: Guida via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), Round 3, 5:00
Tim Credeur vs. Ed Herman: Herman via TKO (Strikes), Round 1, 0:48
Fabio Maldonado vs. Kyle Kingsbury: Kingsbury via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), Round 3, 5:00
Chris Cope vs. Chuck O’Neil: Cope via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), Round 3, 5:00 Continue reading »
Tim Credeur (left) has had a rough two years since his last time in the Octagon but is still better off than his opponent, Ed Herman, who has been sidelined by serious injuries. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
This Saturday, June 4 the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada will welcome the final event in the current season of The Ultimate Fighter as ten men step into the cage to make a statement to the Zuffa management team. Opening the broadcast TUF Season 3 finalist “Short Fuse” Ed Herman (15-8) seeks to reverse his ill fortunes against TUF Season 7 middleweight Tim Credeur (21-3) who has spent almost as much time on the disabled list as Herman himself. Next, “Kingsbu” Kyle Kingsbury (11-2) looks to add a fourth win to the streak he started after going 0-3 on Season 8 of TUF at the expense of internationally experienced Fabio Maldonado (7-1). The night prefaces the main event with the final bout of the thirteenth season of the UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter reality show as Team Dos Santos wrestler Ramsey Nijem (4-1) steps up to face “El Cucuy” Tony Ferguson (10-2) for a coveted spot on the UFC roster . Then, for the main event of the evening, should-be title contender “Showtime” Anthony Pettis (13-1) puts the title shot he won by securing the WEC lightweight belt on the line against “The Carpenter” Clay Guida (28-11), a man who has always fallen just short of contention. The card is by no means a star studded affair, but it does possess quite an interesting storyline as many of the bouts feature fighters who highlight the arguments against the relevance of The Ultimate Fighter as they strive to regain the respect of the fans even as two new finalists join their ranks.
Continue reading »
The UFC's inaugural featherweight champion Jose Aldo (black shorts) will make his first title defense at UFC 129 tomorrow night opposite "The Machine" Mark Hominick. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
In front of a sold out crowd of 55,000, ten men plan to make the Octagon their stomping ground as UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields takes place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the main event, welterweight champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (21-2) puts his title on the line against former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields (26-4-1) who is currently on a six-year, 15-fight winning streak. “The Natural” Randy Couture (19-10) hopes to end his seasoned career with a superb performance when he challenges former light heavyweight champ “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-2). In another 205lbs. affair, goliaths “The Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (25-5) and “The Hitman” Jason Brilz (18-3-1) step into the cage, and former WEC 155lbs. king “Smooth” Ben Henderson (11-2) makes his UFC debut against Jiu-Jitsu stand-out Mark Bocek (9-3). In the co-main event, the hometown favorite “The Machine” Mark Hominick (19-7) welcomes “Junior” José Aldo (17-1) with every intention of taking his newly acquired UFC featherweight title. While both Hominick and Aldo have the ability to bring fights to a screeching halt, putting a championship up for grabs guarantees that both men will go tooth-and-nail to ensure that title goes home with them. Continue reading »
Josh Grispi (left) was defeated by Dustin Poirier (right) via Unanimous Decision at UFC 125. The loss will likely have a detrimental effect on Grispi's race for the featherweight title. (Photo courtesy of Scott Petersen and MMA Weekly)
UFC 125: Resolution ended with many shocking results – “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) coming to a Draw with “The Bully” Gray Maynard (10-0-1), underdog Brian Stann (10-3) TKOing “The Crippler” Chris Leben (21-8) in the first round, “The Carpenter” Clay Guida (27-11) getting Submission of the Night and completely overtaking “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (29-8), and Judoka “The Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (10-4-2) catapulting his way into welterweight title contention after dominating the always rambunctious Nate Diaz (12-7). The real Earth shaker though came in the unexpected Unanimous Decision loss by the former top contender “The Fluke” Josh Grispi (14-2) to Dustin Poirier (9-1) in the prelims, which leaves a question as to who will face “Junior” Jose Aldo (17-1) for the first UFC featherweight title bout. Continue reading »
Happy New Year, kids. And here we are with the very first column of the new year. The pressure, man… the goddamn pressure! So, back last year we had the DREAM: Dynamite!! 2010 card that had about thirty-eight fights. Holy shit, just thinking about it makes me want to take a nap. Granted, most things make me want to take a nap and it may also be the fact that the card started at like 1am and was almost three days long. Luckily, the place I was staying in Vegas had Direct TV and HDNet so, I didn’t have to watch it hunched over a laptop for three days. I didn’t make it through the whole card in one sitting but I did make it to daybreak and I didn’t have to kill anything for food or drink my own urine but it did test my dedication to MMA. Continue reading »
(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
—PRELIMS—
Jacob Volkmann vs. Antonio McKee: Volkmann via Split Decision, Round 3, 5:00
Daniel Roberts vs. Greg Soto: Roberts via Submission (Kimura), Round 1, 3:45
Mike Brown vs. Diego Nunes: Nunes via Split Decision, Round 3, 5:00
Phil Baroni vs. Brad Tavares: Tavares via TKO (Knees and Punches), Round 1, 4:20
Josh Grispi vs. Dustin Poirier: Poirier via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00
Marcus Davis vs. Jeremy Stephens: Stephens via KO (Punch), Round 3, 2:33
—PPV—
Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi: Guida via Submission (Guillotine Choke), Round 1, 4:27
Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim: Kim via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00
Brandon Vera vs. Thiago Silva: Silva via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00
Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann: Stann via TKO (Punches), Round 1, 3:37
Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard: N/A, the contest is ruled a Draw (48-46 Maynard, 48-46 Edgar, and a 47-47), Round 5, 5:00*
—BONUSES—
Submission of the Night: Clay Guida awarded $60,000
Knockout of the Night: Jeremy Stephens awarded $60,000
Fight of the Night: Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard each awarded $60,000
*Frankie Edgar retains his UFC Lightweight Championship belt
(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
—PRELIMS—
Jacob Volkmann: 156lbs.
Antonio McKee: 156lbs.
Daniel Roberts: 171lbs.
Greg Soto: 171lbs.
Mike Brown: 146lbs.
Diego Nunes: 146lbs.
Phil Baroni: 186lbs.
Brad Tavares: 185lbs.
—LIVE on ION TV—
Josh Grispi: 146lbs.
Dustin Poirier: 145lbs.
Marcus Davis: 156lbs.
Jeremy Stephens: 156lbs.
—PPV—
Brandon Vera: 205lbs.
Thiago Silva: 206lbs.
Clay Guida: 156lbs.
Takanori Gomi: 155lbs.
Nate Diaz: 170lbs.
Dong Hyun Kim: 171lbs.
Chris Leben: 186lbs.
Brian Stann: 186lbs.
Frankie Edgar: 155lbs.
Gray Maynard: 155lbs.
"Bones" Jon Jones (black shorts) is one of the fastest rising stars in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Come January 1, Jones will collide with fellow rising star Ryan Bader to see who will be launched into the higher levels of the 205lbs. weight class. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC)
The year 2010 showcased a wealth of fights and events for the mixed martial arts world to marvel over. “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (13-1) defeated one of the greatest lightweights of all time in “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (16-7-1). Boxing great “Lights Out” James Toney (0-1) stepped into the the cage to face UFC Hall of Famer “The Natural” Randy Couture (19-10) in what was intended to determine the superior combat sport, MMA or boxing. Couture pummeled Toney for nearly three minutes of pure fan delight before submitting him via Arm Triangle Choke. The MMA world was shaken and the heavyweight rankings sent into a state of disarray when the top ranked “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-2) was handed his first legitimate loss via first round submission to Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1).
To follow up with the 2009 roster exchange agreement between the Strikeforce, DREAM, and M-1 Global MMA promotions, the UFC ended 2010 with the intake of the WEC organization. With all the memorable fights and events that have taken place in the last 12 months, 2011 is the year where prospects can become contenders, fighters inflicted with injury or tribulations return to fight their way to a title, and champions become legends.
Here are some of the top fighters to look out for in 2011. Continue reading »
UFC President Dana White presents "Junior" Jose Aldo the very first UFC Featherweight Championship belt. Aldo is slated to face Josh Grispi in a title fight at the premiere WEC/UFC merger card on January 1, but may be forced to drop out due to injury. (Photo courtesy of MMA Junkie)
Reports began circulating today that newly crowned UFC Featherweight Champion “Junior” Jose Aldo (17-1) may be forced to pull out of his first UFC title defense with number-one contender “The Fluke” Josh Grispi (14-1) at UFC 125 on New Year’s Day. Aldo reportedly sustained a compacted vertebrae which resulted in tingling in both of his arms. ESPN.com’s Josh Gross learned from Aldo’s management that the injury will sideline Aldo for “at least a month for therapy.” Continue reading »