Adam Hill | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

UFC on FOX 7: What’s Next for Daniel Cormier

At UFC on FOX 7, Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champ Daniel Cormier made a definitive statement in his promotional debut with a one-sided thrashing of Frank Mir. Cormier was able to implement his game plan and simply overpower the bigger fighter e…

Cormier and Mir were set to meet under the Strikeforce banner back in November; however, Mir was forced off the card due to an injury. In the five month interim, the war of words escalated between the two fighters, but it was Cormier who backed up the talk with amazing clinch work and brutal shots against the cage.

The dominating 30-27 unanimous-decision win over Mir, a former two-time heavyweight titleholder, solidifies Cormier as a force in the division and puts him on the fast track to get a crack at the strap.

Without question, Cormier will continue to be paired against high-caliber competition, though it remains unclear whether he will stay at heavyweight or drop down to light heavyweight.

If Cormier does stay at heavyweight a matchup with Alistair Overeem seems like a good possibility. Yes, Overeem is coming off of a surprise KO loss to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC 156 and is currently nursing a torn quad muscle, but it only seems fitting that he and Cormier square off in the Octagon.

It’s a classic striker versus wrestler matchup. Overeem would be hunting for the knockout while Cormier would try to use his Olympic-level wrestling to neutralize the Dutchman’s superior striking.

A win against “The Demolition Man” would put Cormier up for a title shot, but his adamant refusal to fight AKA teammate and current heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez only muddies the divisional waters.

Given this conflict, Cormier may drop to light heavyweight where a fight with kingpin Jon Jones could be in the cards. That’s if Jones can get past Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 on April 27.

Cormier has expressed a desire to fight Jones on multiple occasions and considering how few contenders remain at light heavyweight, he may just get his wish.

The most interesting aspect of this fight would be to see if Cormier could get Jones to the ground and hold him there. No one has ever seen Jones fight off of his back and if Cormier can do that then he may just be able to wrest the belt from the young champ.

Now that may be looking a little too far ahead into the future, but it is clear that Daniel Cormier stands to have a promising UFC career regardless of which division he competes in.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

5 Exciting UFC Fights for Uriah Hall

The victory didn’t come quickly, but the finish was still impressive.
Uriah Hall took one step closer to winning the six-figure UFC contract with a TKO stoppage of Dylan Andrews in the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter tournament.
For the m…

The victory didn’t come quickly, but the finish was still impressive.

Uriah Hall took one step closer to winning the six-figure UFC contract with a TKO stoppage of Dylan Andrews in the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter tournament.

For the majority of the fight, Hall was content to take his time and use his reach advantage to pick Andrews apart. He effectively used his jab to batter Andrews’ face. By the end of the fight, Andrews’ right eye was swollen shut, his nose was broken and he had to be taken to the hospital.

Hall will next take on fellow teammate and season dark horse Kelvin Gastelum at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on April 13. A win for Hall is far from a certainty, but his strength, speed and power definitely make him a heavy favorite.

And while Hall is careful not to look too far into the future, it’s difficult for a fight fan not to get excited about the many possible matchups for his early UFC career.

The middleweight division may be stacked, but there’s no reason to throw Hall to the wolves in his first official fight with the promotion. As such, these opponents were chosen for how their style matches up with Hall’s. They are all strikers who are not afraid to engage on the feet and get into a good scrap.

All of these matches have the potential for Knockout of the Night or Fight of the Night honors.

Begin Slideshow

Why TUF’s Uriah Hall Is a Middleweight Contender Right Now

Uriah Hall is the best prospect to ever emerge from any of The Ultimate Fighter’s 17 seasons. He’s equal parts talent and determination. It also doesn’t hurt that Hall’s got more killer instinct than an executioner.
UFC President Dana White said that h…

Uriah Hall is the best prospect to ever emerge from any of The Ultimate Fighter’s 17 seasons. He’s equal parts talent and determination. It also doesn’t hurt that Hall’s got more killer instinct than an executioner.

UFC President Dana White said that he “is the nastiest guy in Ultimate Fighter history” (via Cagepotato .com).

It’s hard to argue with that, considering both of Hall’s fights on the show ended with his opponents in the back of an ambulance.

Most recently, Hall systematically dispatched Team Jones member Robert “Bubba” McDaniel in the quarterfinals of the TUF tournament. The fight lasted a mere nine seconds. Hall connected with a well-timed short right that not only put Bubba to the canvas, but also broke his face in three different places.

The swift and violent victory led TUF coach Chael Sonnen to boldly state that he believed Hall was a title contender in the middleweight division. That’s high praise coming from a fighter who challenged for that belt on two separate occasions.

In the past, Sonnen has been known to speak in hyperboles, but in his role as a TUF coach he’s been very realistic in tapering fighter expectations. So when Sonnen says Hall is a contender, it’s safe to assume that “The American Gangster” isn’t just blowing smoke: Uriah Hall is the real deal.

Someone else who thinks quite highly of Hall is current No. 1 middleweight contender Chris Weidman, who takes on Anderson Silva at UFC 162. He decided to bring Hall in to help emulate the champ’s style during training camp. In an appearance on Chokes and Jokes, Weidman said plainly why he thought Hall was a good analog for Silva:

[Uriah Hall] is another guy, if you stand there with him, he’s going to kick your head off. It has to be the same strategy. You move forward, you punch him and go for takedowns.

Weidman should know this firsthand, since he’s already been in the cage with Hall and defeated him at Ring of Combat 31 back in 2010. Hall’s other professional loss came against UFC top-10 middleweight and feared-striker Costa Philippou. After the back-to-back losses, Hall rattled off three straight wins before joining TUF and beginning his reign of destruction.

While Hall’s wins on the show have been beyond impressive, it may be easy to write them off as not being an accurate representation of his ability. One of the big complaints about The Ultimate Fighter series has been that the competition is pretty average with a majority of TUF alums fizzling out in the UFC. However, that is hardly the case this season; both teams are stacked with quality fighters.

Can you seriously remember another season of the show that’s had so many highlight-reel finishes?

With that said, Hall has mowed through every guy put in front of him and has looked better and more confident in each outing. This alone has gone a long way in establishing him as a fighter whose name can sell tickets. That marketability is vitally important to securing that title shot down the road.

The biggest component to his success will be his training. Hall already has a great work ethic, but it is imperative that he find the right team to train with. In all honesty, he’d be crazy not to stick with Sonnen and join him at Team Quest. The two have had a really good rapport on the show. Sonnen could be just the right coach/mentor to help steer Hall through the shark-infested waters that make up the middleweight division.

Aside from his obvious talent, Hall has also been blessed with amazing physical attributes. He’s a big, powerful 185-pound fighter, but is fast, with lightning-quick reflexes. At 80 inches, Hall has the longest reach of any fighter currently on the middleweight roster. Combine all of these things and the fact is that Hall is a tough night out for any fighter. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, Hall still has to get through The Ultimate Fighter tournament.

Next he’ll be taking on Team Jones member, and overall last pick, Dylan Andrews in one of two semifinal matchups on tonight’s episode. If the MMA gods are feeling generous, Uriah Hall will win his fight and hopefully collide with heated rival Josh Samman at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on April 13.

When Uriah Hall makes his way through the next two rounds of the tournament in similarly spectacular fashion and claims the mantle of The Ultimate Fighter, it will assuredly put him in line for a fight with a top-10 middleweight in his official UFC debut.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The 6 Craziest MMA Fights Ever

Since the days of gladiators gracing the sands of the Coliseum and competing for throngs of cheering plebs, fight sports have always been about spectacle. Audiences relish seeing the outlandish. In ancient Rome, it might have been watching a glad…

Since the days of gladiators gracing the sands of the Coliseum and competing for throngs of cheering plebs, fight sports have always been about spectacle.

Audiences relish seeing the outlandish. In ancient Rome, it might have been watching a gladiator armed with nothing more than a net and trident take on a man-eating tiger. And as much as we might hate to admit it, our human curiosities and interests really haven’t changed in 2000 years.

While MMA is tame in comparison to gladiatorial combat (no one is executed on a whim), it still operates on the same principles. Fans buy tickets and order expensive pay-per-view events hoping to witness something amazing or better yet…crazy. That’s why you’re reading this article.

So with that I’ll end the anthropological musings and allow you to sit back, relax and read about these six fights guaranteed to satiate your appetite for crazy MMA action. These fights are brimming with so much awesomeness that they would have left our ancient Roman brethren slack-jawed.

Enjoy.

Begin Slideshow

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Gegard Mousasi: Sizzle or Fizzle at UFC on Fuel TV 9

Although the UFC almost exclusively airs fights with title implications on Fox or pay-per-view, the promotion has surprisingly relegated the April 6th matchup of top 10 light heavyweights, Alexander Gustafsson and Gegard Mousasi, to the headliner …

Light heavyweight has always been one of the most talent-rich divisions in the UFC, but with Jon Jones sitting atop the heap, it has left the other fighters the unenviable task of jockeying for that No. 1 contender spot.

Swedish striker Alexander Gustafsson will be entering the cage riding a six-fight win streak, with his most recent victory coming against former UFC light heavyweight champ, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, back in December.

For Gegard Mousasi, this fight marks his first appearance inside the Octagon, but don’t expect there to be any fight-night jitters. Mousasi is a true veteran of the game, having previously competed in Pride, Dream and Strikeforce. In his MMA career, he has racked up 33 wins, most notably over the likes of Mark Hunt, Hector Lombard and Renaldo “Jacare” Souza.

There is little doubt that Gustafsson and Mousasi will put on a Fight of the Night-caliber performance, though it remains unclear what a win will do for each fighter’s standing in an already crowded division.

In a February 13th MMAjunkie.com article, UFC President Dana White made an effort to clarify exactly what’s at stake for both fighters.

“If Mousasi beats Gustafsson, he skyrockets right to the top of that division,” White said, “And as far as Gustafsson goes, if he beats Mousasi in that fight, he’s in line for a title shot.”

However, as is usually the case, the promise of being next in line for a title shot is not the same thing as a guarantee. Gustafsson knows this all too well having recently found out that Lyoto Machida leapfrogged him and will get the next crack at the belt.

Even though Machida is 3-3 in his last six fights and is coming off a less-than-stellar split decision win over Dan Henderson at UFC 157, he still got the nod to fight the winner of Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen, who are scheduled to lock horns at the end of April.

This situation underlines the fact that title shots in the UFC aren’t always solely awarded on the basis of fight performance. This poses a serious problem for Gustafsson and Mousasi, who are both dynamic fighters but lack the name recognition or presence outside the cage needed to sell a pay-per-view main event.

With their fight airing on Fuel TV, which is currently only available in 36 million American households, it is all the more imperative that the fighters make a definitive statement that will reverberate throughout the MMA community.

And while a highlight-reel knockout or submission victory will definitely move either Gustaffson or Mousasi up the divisional ladder, it will still probably leave the winner needing to defeat one more top 10 opponent before truly securing that elusive title shot.

But, then again, even that isn’t a guarantee.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com