Finding the Underdog: Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva

 Posted by at 9:25 AM  UFC  No Responses »
May 252013
 
Antonio Silva (blue trunks) is no stranger to scoring dark horse victories which he can do again if he can manage to touch Cain Velasquez's chin. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Antonio Silva (blue trunks) is no stranger to scoring dark horse victories which he can do again if he can manage to touch Cain Velasquez’s chin. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

For the UFC 160 main event this weekend, MMA fans will get to see Cain Velasquez (11-1) defend his belt against the man he had to beat in order to get his second title shot, although this time when he meets “Bigfoot” Antonio Silva (18-4) the UFC Heavyweight Championship will be on the line.  The first time they faced each other Velazquez was able to cut “Bigfoot” early in round one and cruise to an easy TKO victory.  Some believe that Velazquez cutting Silva is what won him the fight, however, even before the elbow from Cain, Silva was unable to mount any significant offense or defense to slow or stop Velasquez.  Surely for their rematch Silva will have evaluated where he went wrong the first time around and find a way to slow the attack of Cain Velasquez – or won’t he? Continue reading »

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UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot II Weigh-Ins Results, Video

 Posted by at 8:39 PM  UFC  No Responses »
May 242013
 

(Video courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

—MAIN CARD (on Pay-Per-View @ 10:00pm ET)—

Cain Velasquez (240.0) vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (263.0)

Junior dos Santos (239.0) vs. Mark Hunt (264.0)

Glover Teixeira (205.0) vs. James Te Huna (206.0)

Gray Maynard (155.0) vs. T.J. Grant (156.0)

Donald Cerrone (155.0) vs. KJ Noons (156.0) Continue reading »

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UFC 160 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva

 Posted by at 5:07 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
May 242013
 
With his powerful takedowns and brutal ground and pound, Cain Velasquez (red trim) is the worst possible match-up for Antonio Silva. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

With his powerful takedowns and brutal ground-and-pound, Cain Velasquez (red gloves) is the worst possible match-up for Antonio Silva. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

When the UFC returns to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 25, it will be packing quite a punch. The UFC 160 main card is loaded top to bottom with ground-and-pounders, knockout artists, and stand-up killers starting with former Muay Thai champion “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (19-5) against professional boxer and kickboxer “King” KJ Noons (11-6). Following the two lightweight sluggers is the night’s only grappling-heavy pairing as TJ Grant (20-5) puts his submission skills against a wrestler who has shown that he too has a nasty right hand, “The Bully” Gray Maynard (11-1-1). Raw power returns in the anchor match as Glover Teixeira (20-2) looks to make James Te Huna (16-5) his fourth UFC victim. The co-main pits two of the deadliest stand-up fighters in the heavyweight division against each other as “Cigano” Junior Dos Santos (15-2) meets “The Super Samoan” Mark Hunt (9-7). Capping it all off is a battle for heavyweight gold. Cain Velasquez (11-1) has been an animal ever since first setting foot in the Octagon, finishing seven of ten UFC bouts with his vicious ground-and-pound. One of his victims was Strikeforce transplant “Bigfoot” Antonio Silva (18-4), who is back for revenge following a stunning upset win to get a chance at the belt. Continue reading »

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UFC 160 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Glover Teixeira vs. James Te Huna

 Posted by at 7:17 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
May 222013
 
Glover Teixeira (white trunks) has the advantage on the mat and can go blow for blow with James Te Huna standing as well. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Glover Teixeira (white trunks) has the advantage on the mat and can go blow-for-blow with James Te Huna standing as well. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada hosts UFC 160 Saturday night. The heavyweight title is up for grabs when champion Cain Velasquez (11-1) meets “Bigfoot” Antonio Silva (18-4) in the main event. “The Super Samoan” Mark Hunt (9-7) has been making a resurgence and hopes to keep it alive when he battles the former heavyweight king, “Cigano” Junior Dos Santos (15-2). “The Bully” Gray Maynard (11-1-1) will test his mettle against TJ Grant (20-5) in a lightweight showdown with the victor earning the right to a title shot. KJ Noons (11-6) makes his Octagon debut as he is set to tango with “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone” (19-5). The card’s anchor, however, is a light heavyweight shoot-out between Glover Teixeira (20-2) and James Te Huna (16-5). Both men have been unstoppable in their recent outings, but one man’s rise to the top will take a slight dive when the cage door closes. Continue reading »

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UFC 160 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Gray Maynard vs. TJ Grant

 Posted by at 11:46 AM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
May 222013
 
Gray Maynard (bottom) is a world-class wrestler who's advancing his skills in every other area of the MMA game, but his almost year-long lay-off could prove detrimental in his UFC 160 bout. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Gray Maynard (bottom) is a world-class wrestler who’s advancing his skills in every other area of the MMA game, but his almost year-long lay-off could prove detrimental in his UFC 160 bout. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

UFC 160 broadcasts live from Las Vegas, Nevada’s MGM Grand Garden Arena this Saturday and has a main card like no other for the fight capital of the world to display. KJ Noons (11-6) makes his UFC debut against “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (19-5) in the card’s opener. A pair of light heavyweight sluggers grace the card with Glover Teixeira (20-2) meeting James Te Huna (16-5) in the anchor. In the co-main event, “Cigano” Junior Dos Santos (15-2) will look to bounce back from his recent loss as he’s paired against “The Super Samoan” Mark Hunt (9-7). “Bigfoot” Antonio Silva (18-4) will try to avenge a 2012 loss when he challenges Cain Velasquez (11-1) for the heavyweight title. In the middle of all the action, a lightweight title eliminator is set between “The Bully” Gray Maynard (11-1-1) and TJ Grant (20-5). Maynard is once again inching closer to a title shot while Grant has never been close to the same chance until now. Come Saturday, there will be a new lightweight challenger waiting to make his claim for 12 pounds of gold. Continue reading »

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UFC 155: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 Posted by at 5:38 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Dec 302012
 
Cain Velasquez (black trunks) started the New Year right with a dominant win over rival Junior Dos Santos (blue trunks) to re-capture the heavyweight crown. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Cain Velasquez (left) started the New Year right with a dominant win over rival and now former champion Junior Dos Santos (right) to re-capture the heavyweight crown. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The UFC returned to the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the first time in six months to deliver their traditional New Year’s card. This time, the fans were treated to a five-round war of attrition between Cain Velasquez (11-1) and “Cigano” Junior Dos Santos (15-2) for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Leading up to the main event was the “Fight of the Night”, a bloody three-round battle between elite lightweight grapplers “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (22-8) and “The Mongoose” Jim Miller (22-4). Unfortunately for both the UFC and the fans, the opening three bouts were nowhere near as exciting. Constantinos Philippou (12-2) scored a third-round TKO over “The Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (16-5) in the anchor fight. “Thunder” Yushin Okami (28-7) used his Judo and wrestling to shut down “The Talent” Alan Belcher (18-7), but he also shut down the audience as the fight dragged on at an abysmally slow pace. “The Crippler” Chris Leben (22-9) returned to the Octagon to face Strikeforce transplant Derek Brunson (10-2) in the opening bout, but his lay-off appeared to have greatly affected him and the combined performance of Brunson and Leben prompted Dana White to apologize for putting the fight on the main card. The main event was good, the anchor was bad, and the opening bout was just ugly, but the fighters themselves and how they fared may be a different story. Continue reading »

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UFC 155 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez II

 Posted by at 2:18 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Dec 282012
 
Many expect to see Cain Velasquez (black and red trunks) return to his trademark ground-and-pound assault in this rematch against Junior Dos Santos. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Many expect to see heavyweight title challenger Cain Velasquez (black and red trunks) return to his trademark ground-and-pound assault in this rematch against Junior Dos Santos. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

As MMA’s 2012 calendar year draws to a close, the UFC returns from its globe-trot to its home in Las Vegas for UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez II on December 29. The MGM Grand Garden Arena plays host to a night of thrilling fights including  “The Crippler” Chris Leben (22-8) returning to the Octagon against Derek Brunson (9-2). “The Talent” Alan Belcher (18-6) looks to stake his title claim at middleweight against “Thunder” Yushin Okami (27-7). Another surging middleweight, “The Barbarian” Tim Boetsch (16-4), takes on Serra-Longo prospect Constantinos Philippou (11-2). “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (22-7) looks to keep his win streak alive against the always-tough Jim Miller (21-4). The marquee fight closes out the year perfectly as the UFC Heavyweight Championship is put on the line in a rematch of arguably the two toughest heavyweights on the planet in champ “Cigano” Junior Dos Santos (15-1) and the man from whom he took the title, Cain Velasquez (10-1). Continue reading »

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