Spilled Bag of Ice and Patrick Guera are back to talk about UFC 145, Jon Jones, and also touch on the Alistair Overeem and PEDs in MMA issue. Throughout, be sure they make sure to complain about how much MMA fans complain about MMA. Hypocrisy or just straight up truth? You be the judge… but enjoy it either way!
Click here to listen to MMA Gospel Podcast # 2.
Jon Jones (right) finally handled the elephant in the room that was his rivalry with Rashad Evans (left), the man he replaced as challenger for the light heavyweight crown at UFC 128. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The MMA fans of Atlanta, Georgia were treated to a top-flight night of UFC action capped off by the third defense of “Bones” Jon Jones’ (16-1) UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in which he ended his rivalry against “Suga” Rashad Evans (17-2-1). Both “Ares” Rory MacDonald (13-1) and “Mayday” Michael McDonald (15-1) proved that they deserve the respect they have been given by defeating “Beautiful” Che Mills (14-5) and “Angel” Miguel Torres (40-5), respectively. “Big Ben” Ben Rothwell (32-8) and “The Filipino Phenom” Eddie Yagin (16-5) each saved their UFC careers from an almost certain end with their victories over “The Hybrid” Brendan Schaub (8-3) and “The Machine” Mark Hominick (20-11). Canadian submission master Mark Bocek (11-4) continued his rebuild against “The Natural” John Alessio (34-15) to open the evening. The UFC had a $2.3 million gate and clearly came out a winner with the Georgia fans, but to find out which fighters came out ahead, we have The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Continue reading »
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion "Bones" Jon Jones (left) puts his belt up for grabs against former friend and training partner turned bitter rival "Suga" Rashad Evans (right) in the UFC 145 main event. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans: Jones via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45), Round 5, 5:00
Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills: MacDonald via TKO (Punches), Round 2, 2:20
Brendan Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell: Rothwell via TKO (Punches), Round 1, 1:10
Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald: McDonald via KO (Punch), Round 1, 3:18
Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin: Yagin via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29), Round 3, 5:00
Mark Bocek vs. John Alessio: Bocek via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27), Round 3, 5:00
(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
One of the most hyped fights in UFC history will finally take place after what seems like years of snowballing animosity between training-partners-turned-foes “Bones” Jon Jones (15-1) and “Suga” Rashad Evans (17-1-1) as the two face off in the UFC 145 main event Saturday night. The prelude to the evening’s marquee bout is a welterweight affair between rising young prospect “Ares” Rory MacDonald (12-1) and fight-finishing Brit “Beautiful” Che Mills (14-4). The heavyweights take to cage with TUF alum “The Hybrid” Brendan Schaub (8-2) slugging it out against IFL veteran “Big” Ben Rothwell (31-8). Former WEC Bantamweight Champion “Angel” Miguel Torres (40-4) looks to earn his third UFC win at the expense of 21-year-old “Mayday” Michael McDonald (14-1), who currently enjoys a seven-fight win streak. A pair of lightweight match-ups start off the night in Atlanta with former top contender and WEC vet “The Machine” Mark Hominick (20-10) facing well-rounded Hawaii native “The Filipino Phenom” Eddie Yagin (15-5) and Tristar MMA fighter Mark Bocek (10-4) pushing the pace against seasoned veteran “The Natural” John Alessio (34-14).
In an event filled with such intriguing match-ups, the possibilities are endless. Here are those that the MMA Gospel staff find most likely. Continue reading »
After months of building animosity and hype, Jon Jones (red trunks) will put his belt on the line Saturday night against former training partner Rashad Evans. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
Atlanta, Georgia is the epicenter for mixed martial arts action this Saturday night as the Ultimate Fighting Championship presents UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans. “The Natural” John Alessio (34-14) and Mark Bocek (10-4) open up the main card with a lightweight exhibition. Featherweights make their presence known when “The Filipino Phenom” Eddie Yagin (15-5-1) faces former contender “The Machine” Mark Hominick (20-10). “The Hybrid” Brendan Schaub (8-2) tees off with fellow heavyweight behemoth “Big” Ben Rothwell (31-8). “Mayday” Michael McDonald (14-1) makes a big leap in competition when he stands across former WEC bantamweight champ “Angel” Miguel Torres (40-4). The co-main event is a showcase of promising welterweights as “Ares” Rory MacDonald (12-1) battles “Beautiful” Che Mills (14-4). In the main event, “Bones” Jon Jones (15-1) will put his light heavyweight title on the line again, this time against friend-turned-foe “Suga” Rashad Evans (17-1-1). No fight in the light heavyweight division has drawn up such a storm before now but once the cage door shuts Saturday night, the time to talk ends and the time to act begins. Continue reading »
Though seemingly lopsided, Che Mills' (right) bout with Rory MacDonald is a lot more evenly matched than it initially appears. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The UFC will return to Pay-Per-View Saturday night to follow last week’s highly successful and entertaining UFC on Fuel TV card with a night of championship MMA action. Lightweights Mark Bocek (10-4) and “The Natural” John Alessio (34-14) will kick things off followed by a striking tilt between “The Machine” Mark Hominick (20-10) and “The Filipino Phenom” Eddie Yagin (15-5). The anchor bouts of the card feature heavyweights “The Hybrid” Brendan Schaub (8-2) and “Big” Ben Rothwell (31-8) and former WEC Bantamweight Champion “Angel” Miguel Torres (40-4) against “Mayday” Michael McDonald (14-1). Before “Bones” Jon Jones (15-1) steps into the cage to tie up the loose ends with former friend and training partner “Suga” Rashad Evans (17-1-1) “Ares” Rory MacDonald (12-1) will face “Beautiful” Che Mills (14-4) in the co-main event. The two welterweights are looking to make the best of the opportunities left in“Rush” Georges St.Pierre’s (22-2) absence and a strong showing at UFC 145 is just what they need to achieve that goal.
Continue reading »
Ben Rothwell (left) has struggled with quick, athletic strikers in the past and will have to close the distance and force Brendan Schaub to clinch if he wants to score the W at UFC 145. (Photo courtesy of Sherdog)
“Bones” Jon Jones (15-1) will return to the Octagon on Saturday to finally finish the business between him and former training partner “Suga” Rashad Evans (17-1-1) as UFC 145 hits the scene from Atlanta, Georgia. “Ares” Rory MacDonald (12-1) will face “Beautiful” Che Mills (14-4) in the co-main for the card and Canadian submission specialist Mark Bocek (10-4) draws opening duties against “The Natural” John Alessio (34-14). Former WEC champ “Angel” Miguel Torres (40-4) will take on “Mayday” Michael McDonald (14-1) and “The Machine” Mark Hominick (20-10) will offer “The Filipino Phenom” Eddie Yagin (15-5) his second chance to shine in the UFC. Leading into the night’s featured entertainment is a heavyweight affair between TUF stand-out “The Hybrid” Brendan Schaub (8-2) and former top IFL heavyweight “Big” Ben Rothwell (31-8). Both men are coming off of disappointing losses in their most recent outings and desperately need a victory to find their identity in the UFC’s ever deepening heavyweight division. Continue reading »
Submission-savvy former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres (right) will face a stern test in young up-and-comer Michael McDonald at UFC 145, however Torres' experience and well-rounded skillset should allow him to stay in the driver's seat. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the States after last weekend’s showing in Sweden with the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia hosting UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans this Saturday night. Journeyman “The Natural” John Alessio (34-10) returns to the UFC for the fourth time to challenge Jiu-Jitsu artist Mark Bocek (10-4). “The Filipino Phenom” Eddie Yagin (15-5-1) will match up against fellow featherweight “The Machine” Mark Hominick (20-10). Heavyweight action graces Atlanta when “The Hybrid” Brendan Schaub (8-2) stands opposite IFL veteran “Big” Ben Rothwell (31-8). The welterweight division is bound for a change in scenery when “Ares” Rory MacDonald (12-1) meets British sensation “Beautiful” Che Mills (14-4) in the co-main event. Closing out the night is a long-awaited fight as friends-turned-foes collide as current light heavyweight champion “Bones” Jon Jones (15-1) takes on another former champ in “Suga” Rashad Evans (17-1-1). Bantamweight action anchors the main card with “Mayday” Michael McDonald (14-1) battling former WEC 135lbs. king “Angel” Miguel Torres (40-4). McDonald has been making serious waves in what is considered a young career while the tested Torres has always been a big dog in the bantamweight division’s yard. McDonald has the weapons needed to get the job done but Saturday night will be presented his stiffest challenge to date. Continue reading »
Mark Hominick (blue gloves) has fallen on rough times lately, but his high level striking should be more than enough to handle Eddie Yagin. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
One week following the return of the UFC, storied UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Bones” Jon Jones (15-1) will defend his belt for a third time against former friend and former champion “Suga” Rashad Evans (17-1-1). The amount of animosity between the two is enough to sell the Pay-Per-View on its own, but nevertheless the UFC has built a solid card to support the title fight with “Ares” Rory MacDonald (12-1) facing “Beautiful” Che Mills (14-4) after a heavyweight meeting between “The Hybrid” Brendan Schaub (8-2) and “Big” Ben Rothwell (31-8). Former WEC Bantamweight Champion “Angel” Miguel Torres (40-4) will face “Mayday” Michael McDonald (14-1) in an effort to stop the younger man’s seven-fight hot streak and Canadian submission expert Mark Bocek (10-4) will open things up against returning UFC veteran “The Natural” John Alessio (34-14). Also making a splash on the main card is “The Machine” Mark Hominick (20-10). The Canadian kickboxer is looking to snap a two-bout skid but standing in his way is “The Filipino Phenom” Eddie Yagin (15-5), a well-rounded fighter who lost his UFC debut but still boasts triumphs in seven of his last ten bouts. Continue reading »
Fight-finishing MMA veteran John Alessio (blue gloves) returns to the UFC Saturday night to face top lightweight prospect and submission specialist Mark Bocek. (Photo courtesy of Sherdog)
The UFC returns to Atlanta, Georgia this Saturday with perhaps the most hyped title fight of the year featuring training-partners-turned-bitter-rivals, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Bones” Jon Jones (15-1) and “Suga” Rashad Evans (17-1-1). Young prospect “Ares” Rory MacDonald (12-1) takes on English striker “Beautiful” Che Mills (14-4) in the UFC 145 co-main event. Returning to the Octagon searching for victory is IFL veteran “Big” Ben Rothwell (31-8) versus confident knockout artist “The Hybrid” Brendan Schaub (8-2) in a heavyweight scrap. Former UFC featherweight title challenger “The Machine” Mark Hominick (20-10) steps into the cage against “The Filipino Phenom” Eddie Yagin (15-5) with both men in a must-win situation. Starting up the Pay-Per-View action is Canadian submission expert Mark Bocek (10-5) welcoming fellow countryman and WEC, UFC, and MFC veteran “The Natural” John Alessio (34-14) back to the Octagon. Alessio, a long-time welterweight, has found a new home at lightweight and will look to show the fans, Dana White, and all of the 155lbs. division that he is here to stay, while Bocek looks to prove that his name belongs in the mix of top lightweight contenders. With both men having a lot to gain and a lot to lose from this fight, the main card opener is sure to entertain. Continue reading »
It was an amazing weekend for MMA. The UFC kicked off its flyweight division with an entertaining, non-stop, action-packed scrap between Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall and Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson on Friday night. And Saturday night saw women’s MMA reinvigorated by two great fights between Sarah Kaufman and Alexis Davis and the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Title bout between Miesha Tate and Ronda Rousey. However, it wasn’t all good…
Here on MMA Gospel, we do a column after fights called “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and I’m going to use that format with my own spin: The Epic and the WTF?! It was originally going to be “The Epic, the Shitty and the WTF?” but I found it hard to separate the shitty from the WTF. Continue reading »
Jake Nauracy built an impressive 10-0 amateur record that made other major Chicagoland MMA camps wary of putting their fighters in the cage with him. (Photo courtesy of Cut Throat MMA)
The search for aspiring young professional fighters with the skill and grit to be the next big thing continues as MMA Gospel scours the country in search of the next MMA Gospel Young Gun. The “Young Gun” is a fighter yet unnoticed by the MMA world at large who has the training, skill, and athleticism to be the next big name in the sport. This time, MMA Gospel’s search led to a young amateur fighter in northern Indiana. Torres Martial Arts fighter Jake Nauracy (0-0) has yet to make his jump into the professional ranks, but he has already made a splash on the Chicago MMA scene. The Cut Throat MMA Bantamweight Champion is 10-0 as an amateur and has submitted all but one of his opponents, defeating nine within the first three minutes of the very first round. That lone foe who escaped submission, he knocked out in just 11 seconds. Nauracy’s reputation and skill caught the eyes of the crew over at Bellator Fighting Championships, allowing Jake to skip the little leagues and make his debut as a pro with one of the three major players in North American MMA. MMA Gospel CEO and staff writer Dan Griffin caught up with Jake on Tuesday and here is what the tough young submission artist had to say.
Tonight's UFC 139 main event pits together two legends of the sport, Chute Box fighter "Shogun" Mauricio Rua (left) and fellow PRIDE star and Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion "Hendo" Dan Henderson (right) in a five-round tilt. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Dan Henderson: Henderson via Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47), Round 5, 5:00
Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le: Silva via KO (Strikes), Round 2, 4:49
Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles: Faber via Submission (Guillotine Choke), Round 2, 1:27
Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story: Kampmann via Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29), Round 3, 5:00
Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury: Bonnar via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25), Round 3, 5:00