Author: Adam Osterkamp

UFC 140 Fight Card: What Lyoto Machida Needs to Do to Beat Jon Jones

If you’re not extremely excited for Jon Jones versus Lyoto Machida at UFC 140, you’re either wildly confused or you’re new to the sport of MMA. Jones and Machida are both very successful fighters. With Jones’ highly unpredictabl…

If you’re not extremely excited for Jon Jones versus Lyoto Machida at UFC 140, you’re either wildly confused or you’re new to the sport of MMA.

Jones and Machida are both very successful fighters. With Jones’ highly unpredictable striking and Machida’s unique defensive fighting style, it’ll be an interesting tactical battle.

Many people will have Machida as the underdog going into this fight, but he actually stands a very good chance of winning.

Many of us MMA fans can suffer from having very short-term memory. Not long ago, Machida was an undefeated light heavyweight champion and we were all caught up, and warned to be in a prolonged “Machida Era.”

Machida needs to come out strong against Jones; doing so will give him a very good chance of throwing Jones off of his game plan.

Everyone expects Machida to use his speed and karate to fight a defensive battle against Jones. That’s the way Machida fights, and it’s been mostly successful.

However, one of Jones’ biggest strengths as a fighter is his ability to create a game plan for each of his opponents and stick to it. If Machida comes out and does the unexpected, it’ll be something Jones isn’t expecting.

Machida has the skills to fight an aggressive battle in this bout. It wouldn’t be the first time a fighter has come out and fought the fight no one expected.

No matter what happens in their title match at UFC 140, us fans will win. But if “The Dragon” comes out looking for the kill, he stands a great chance of upsetting Jones.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 137 Fight Card: 5 Things Carlos Condit Must Do to Upset Georges St-Pierre

On October 29th the former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit will face his most challenging opponent yet in Georges St-Pierre. Condit is a great fighter, but he’ll be going up against one of the most dominant champions in UFC history. While…

On October 29th the former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit will face his most challenging opponent yet in Georges St-Pierre.

Condit is a great fighter, but he’ll be going up against one of the most dominant champions in UFC history. While St-Pierre’s ability to finish fights has been under question as of late, there is no denying his ability to control his opponents and win fights.

Read on to see what Condit must do in order to stop St-Pierre.

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3 Reasons Rashad Evans Is the Biggest Threat To Jon Jones

Before it was announced that Jon Jones would be facing Lyoto Machida at UFC 140, fight fans were expecting the long-awaited showdown between Jones and Rashad Evans. Machida is a fighter who has already defeated Evans. If Jones defeats Machida many peop…

Before it was announced that Jon Jones would be facing Lyoto Machida at UFC 140, fight fans were expecting the long-awaited showdown between Jones and Rashad Evans.

Machida is a fighter who has already defeated Evans. If Jones defeats Machida many people will argue he can defeat Evans, too. That isn’t necessarily the case as Evans is a different fighter than he was when he faced Machida.

Read on to see why Rashad Evans is the best equipped light heavyweight to dethrone Jon Jones.

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UFC 136 Results: Is Frankie Edgar the Greatest Lightweight Ever Now?

After Frankie Edgar defeated Gray Maynard at UFC 136 on Saturday night, Dana White referred to him as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.  There is no doubt that Edgar’s performance against Maynard was amazing. Coming back from t…

After Frankie Edgar defeated Gray Maynard at UFC 136 on Saturday night, Dana White referred to him as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. 

There is no doubt that Edgar’s performance against Maynard was amazing. Coming back from the brink the way he did showed incredible heart. 

In addition to that, Edgar displayed great head movement, awesome striking and knockout power! But does that make him the greatest lightweight ever?

Not yet.

Don’t get me wrong, Edgar is a great fighter, but when we take a look at his career victories there aren’t as many wins over top-tier talent. 

Edgar is absolutely on his way to becoming one of the greatest lightweights of all time, he just isn’t there yet. 

The first time Edgar defeated B.J. Penn, no one could believe it. Then the two fought again and Edgar took a decisive decision victory away with him. Those two fights took up a considerable amount of Edgar’s time as the lightweight champ.

Then Edgar cam up against Maynard, the only man to have defeated him. The fight ended in a draw, and an immediate rematch was scheduled. 

It’s no fault of Edgar, but he’s only defended his belt against two men. Granted he’s defended it four times, but one of them ended in a draw.

Within the next few years Edgar will further cement his status as not only the greatest lightweight ever, but one of the greatest fighters to have ever competed. But crowning him the greatest lightweight ever directly after his performance at UFC 136 is a bit premature.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 136 Weigh-in Results: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard

The official weigh-ins for UFC 136, an event that is shaping up to be perhaps the best card of the year, will be held today at 5 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. In an event with two title fights, there are some other bouts on the c…

The official weigh-ins for UFC 136, an event that is shaping up to be perhaps the best card of the year, will be held today at 5 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. 

In an event with two title fights, there are some other bouts on the card that very likely could steal the show from either one of the main events.

Chael Sonnen is set to go up against war veteran Brian Stann. Many people have Stann losing this fight, but he doesn’t see it that way. Sonnen has uncharacteristically had only positive things to say about Stann and is anticipating a tough fight on Saturday night. 

UFC featherweight champion José Aldo is set to go up against Kenny Florian, who is in only his second fight at featherweight. It’s sure to be a fight that demonstrates an incredible pace and is likely to go all over the cage.

In their third bout, UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will try to finally defeat the only man to have a win over him in Gray Maynard. “The Bully” will look to walk away with the belt that he thinks is his, and will likely be looking to put Edgar away rather than go to decision.

Stay tuned for a complete analysis of each weigh-in at 5 p.m ET. 

 

Main Card

Frankie Edgar (154.5) vs. Gray Maynard (155)

José Aldo (145) vs. Kenny Florian (145)

Chael Sonnen (185.5) vs. Brian Stann (186)

Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Nam Phan (145)

Melvin Guillard (155.5) vs. Joe Lauzon (155.5)

 

Preliminary Card

Demian Maia (185) vs. Jorge Santiago (185)

Anthony Pettis (154.4) vs. Jeremy Stephens (156)

 

Under Card

Joey Beltran (245)  vs. Stipe Miocic (236)

Zhang Tie Quan (146) vs. Darren Elkins (145)

Aaron Simpson (186) vs. Eric Schafer (185.5)

Steve Cantwell (186) vs. Mike Massenzio (185)

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 136 Fight Card: Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard Head-to-Toe Breakdown

On Saturday night at UFC 136, Gray Maynard, a man who has yet to lose to Frankie Edgar, will do everything in his power to walk away with what he believes to be his belt.The entire card for UFC 136 is stacked and will culminate with what could very wel…

On Saturday night at UFC 136, Gray Maynard, a man who has yet to lose to Frankie Edgar, will do everything in his power to walk away with what he believes to be his belt.

The entire card for UFC 136 is stacked and will culminate with what could very well be the best fight of the year.

Any hardcore UFC fan already knows they don’t want to miss this fight, but for some newcomers it may seem underwhelming. It won’t be.

Read further to see how Edgar and Maynard stack up.

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