Author: Adam Wells

UFC on Fuel TV 5: Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions & More for Struve vs. Miocic

Another busy weekend in the world of mixed martial arts and UFC takes the action inside the Octagon across the pond for a special UFC on Fuel card that features a heavyweight clash between Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic.The 6’11” Struve is looking to p…

Another busy weekend in the world of mixed martial arts and UFC takes the action inside the Octagon across the pond for a special UFC on Fuel card that features a heavyweight clash between Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic.

The 6’11” Struve is looking to prove that he is much more than just a gatekeeper in UFC. He has won his last three fights to run his UFC record to 8-3 (24-5 overall). His ability to use his size, long limbs and strength to get opponents down makes him a nightmare to prepare for. 

Miocic is slowly making a name for himself in the heavyweight division. He’s not on the verge of stardom, but he does have a career record of 9-0 and has won his last two fights with impressive knockouts. This will be, literally and figuratively, the biggest test of his career. 

 

Where: Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England

When: Saturday, September 29. Main Card Fights start at 4:00 p.m. ET. Facebook Preliminary Fights start at 1:30 p.m. ET

Watch: Fuel TV (Main Card); Facebook (Preliminary Card)

 

MAIN CARD ON FUEL TV
 Heavyweight Bout: Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic
 Welterweight Bout: Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah
 Welterweight Bout: John Hathaway vs. John Maguire
 Bantamweight Bout: Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin 
 Welterweight Bout: Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig
 Lightweight Bout: Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman

 

PRELIMINARY CARD ON FACEBOOK
 Light Heavyweight Bout: Kyle Kingsbury vs. Jimi Manuwa
 Middleweight Bout: Tom Watson vs. Brad Tavares 
 Featherweight Bout: Andy Ogle vs. Akira Corassani
 Featherweight Bout: Jason Young vs. Robbie Peralta
 175-Pound Catchweight Bout: DaMarques Johnson vs. Gunnar Nelson

 

Struve‘s Keys to Victory

Use kickboxing skills to grind Miocic down; dominate the ground

Struve‘s game is dependent on being able to work the ground, but he does have strong kickboxing skills and should be able to land some hard strikes to get Miocic out of his element. 

Once Struve finds his rhythm and figures out what Miocic wants to do, he will be able to shoot for takedowns and use his abnormally long limbs to hold his opponent on the ground to work for a submission or go for the ground-and-pound. 

 

Miocic‘s Keys to Victory

Let speed and precision frustrate Struve

Miocic has a strong boxing background that will keep him in any fight. Make no mistake, though, he is not a pushover. He is not a great all-around fighter, but he can trade with anyone in the division.

He is a lot more comfortable keeping the fight standing, so he has to avoid Struve‘s takedowns at all costs. 

This is the biggest test of Miocic‘s career so far, and easily the most high-profile fight he has had. Don’t underestimate the nerves he will have in this spot. When the fight really gets into its groove, he should be fine. But the question is, will he be around long enough for it to reach that point?

 

What They Are Saying

Stefan Struve is slowly moving up the heavyweight ranks and has a lot on the line in this fight. Like Miocic, this is his first main event. He has to prove that he can fight any style if he wants to be taken as a serious contender in the near-future. 

Here is what he told reporters leading up to the fight about his preparation and strategy going into uncharted territory. (via Sports Illustrated)

“I want to show everyone what I can do on my feet,” said Struve.  “I want to show that I know how to make use of my reach advantage and that I have finishing power. I want to show that I’ve put it all together and show everyone I’ve become a complete fighter.”

Standing up has always been the knock on Struve, though he has gotten a few knockouts in his UFC career against lesser talents. 

 

Undercard Fight to Watch: DaMarques Johnson vs. Gunnar Nelson

Johnson is one of those fighters that looks a lot better than he really is. He enters this fight with a 15-11 career record and consecutive losses against John Maguire and Mike Swick. He was put in this fight just over a week ago after Pascal Krauss went down with an injury. 

Nelson is making his UFC debut after a 9-0-1 record in various promotions, most notably BAMMA. Given that he had to change his preparation after his original opponent went down, it will be interesting to see how he handles himself in this spotlight. 

 

Main Event Prediction

Struve and Miocic is a tremendous clash-of-styles bout. You can make a legitimate argument for either based on how well they do what it is they do—Struve on the ground, Miocic standing up. 

History has told me that, when in doubt, always go with the puncher, because he can strike at a moment’s notice. 

Miocic wins via third-round KO



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Jon Jones: Breaking Down Best Opponents for Bones After UFC 152 Victory

As everyone who knows the sport of mixed martial arts predicted, Jon Jones made easy work of Vitor Belfort at UFC 152.The light heavyweight champion has become a pariah of sorts in the sport after the fiasco involving UFC 151, but no one can deny he is…

As everyone who knows the sport of mixed martial arts predicted, Jon Jones made easy work of Vitor Belfort at UFC 152.

The light heavyweight champion has become a pariah of sorts in the sport after the fiasco involving UFC 151, but no one can deny he is still the most talented fighter in mixed martial arts right now. 

And because Jones is so good and so dominant, he has made it difficult to keep coming up with challengers for his title. Frankly, when you get right down to it, the list of potential opponents doesn’t inspire much confidence. 

But we know that Jones is going to fight again, and there are a few names out there who at least deserve the shot to compete for the light heavyweight title. 

Here are the fighters we would like to see at least get considered for the next light heavyweight title shot against Jones. 

 

Dan Henderson

Henderson is the easiest name to put on the list. He is currently the No. 2 light heavyweight in the world, according to Sherdog. He has won four consecutive fights, the last two under the UFC banner. (His July 2011 Strikeforce fight with Fedor Emelianenko was after UFC purchased the rival promotion.)

And, oh by the way, Henderson was supposed to challenge Jones at UFC 151 before suffering a knee injury that forced him to withdraw. 

Even though Henderson is a popular fighter with one of the strongest chins in the history of the sport, he is still a 42-year-old who would be going against the best athlete in the sport, who is also 17 years younger. 

I don’t see Henderson having much of a chance, unless he can breach Jones’ huge wall he can create due to his ridiculous reach and land hard punches. Even if Henderson doesn’t win, he has earned the right to prove himself. 

 

Alexander Gustafsson

UFC is giving Gustafsson a chance to prove himself against the best the 205-pound division has to offer with a showdown against former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC on FOX in December. 

A victory in that fight should propel Gustafsson into title contention. He has a career record of 14-1, including a 6-1 mark in UFC. He can’t quite match Jones’ natural athleticism or physical attributes, but he is long and lanky with a good stand-up game and power. 

Given the way that Jones has manhandled all the other top contenders in the division, such as Rua, Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida, it is time for some new blood to step up and provide a challenge for the champion. 

Still, Gustafsson does have to prove himself against Rua. His best win, at least against a name opponent, was against Matt Hamill, who has had a solid career but isn’t exactly in the top tier of light heavyweights. 

 

Chael Sonnen

I went back and forth with who I wanted to put in the final spot on the list. The choices came down to Sonnen and Lyoto Machida. 

UFC president Dana White made it abundantly clear that Machida would get a title shot after the Jones-Henderson fight.

However, after Machida rejected a title shot against Jones after Henderson withdrew, White made it sound like he was going to put the Dragon through the wringer before putting him in the spotlight.

On the other hand, Sonnen was more than happy to offer his services for the fight on short notice. A move up in weight for Sonnen will be a difficult adjustment, and throwing him to the wolves right away might not be the smartest move, but think of the marketing possibilities. 

Trying to find anyone who will give Jones a challenge is hard on its own, so why not go with the fighter you know is going to put himself out there in order to sell the show?

Sonnen is a marketer extraordinaire. He wants to be on television, telling the world why he is going to win, why his opponent is garbage, and what he wants to do in the fight. 

Plus, Sonnen is one of the best pure wrestlers in the sport. He held Anderson Silva on the ground for an entire round in their second fight. Of course, Sonnen got knocked out in the second round, but still, a round win over Silva carries a lot of weight. 

Jones has handled every challenge put in front of him with ease. Sonnen wouldn’t necessarily be the biggest test of Jones’ career, but he would certainly make the fight far more entertaining than anyone else. 

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UFC 152: Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More for Jones vs. Belfort

After the cancellation of UFC 151 just weeks ago, mixed martial arts returns to the spotlight on Saturday night with a big event from Toronto, Canada, as Jon Jones defends his light heavyweight title against Vitor Belfort. Jones became a pariah in…

After the cancellation of UFC 151 just weeks ago, mixed martial arts returns to the spotlight on Saturday night with a big event from Toronto, Canada, as Jon Jones defends his light heavyweight title against Vitor Belfort. 

Jones became a pariah in the sport after he refused the offer to fight Chael Sonnen when his original opponent, Dan Henderson, went down with an injury. Since UFC still needed him to market the show, the outrage has calmed down and everyone can focus on watching him do what he does best. 

Belfort is a surprise challenger for the title. We know he was at least fourth on the totem pole—Henderson pulled out, Sonnen‘s offer was rejected, and Lyoto Machida didn’t take the fight—so it will be interesting to see how he reacts. His track record in big fights isn’t great, so he has a lot of work to do. 

 

Where: Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada

When: Saturday, September 22 at 10:00 p.m. ET

Watch: Main Card starts at 10:00 p.m. ET on pay-per-view; FX Preliminary Card starts at 8:00 p.m. ET; Facebook Preliminary Card starts at 6:30 p.m. ET

 

Fight Card

Pay-Per-View Card

Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones (c) vs. Vitor Belfort

Flyweight Championship: Joseph Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson

Middleweight Bout: Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann

Light Heavyweight Bout: Matt Hamill vs. Roger Hollett

Featherweight Bout: Cub Swanson vs. Charles Oliveira

 

FX Preliminary Card

Light Heavyweight Bout: Igor Pokrajac vs. Vinny Magalhaes

Lightweight Bout: TJ Grant vs. Evan Dunham

Welterweight Bout: Sean Pierson vs. Lance Benoist

Featherweight Bout: Jimy Hettes vs. Marcus Brimage

 

Facebook Preliminary Card

Welterweight Bout: Seth Baczynski vs. Simeon Thoresen

Bantamweight Bout: Mitch Gagnon vs. Walel Watson

Welterweight Bout: Kyle Noke vs. Charlie Brenneman

 

What Jones Must Do to Win

Attack Belfort early; establish unique offense

Jones’ biggest strength happens to play right into Belfort‘s greatest weakness. Jones is going to attack an opponent with a unique style of offense from the opening bell, and because he is so long and lanky. he can get away with things few fighters can. 

Since Jones has no problem experimenting when he gets in the octagon, he needs to stay on top of his offensive game in order to frustrate Belfort and get him to curl up into that shell he so often lives in. 

 

What Belfort Must Do to Win

Stay focused: don’t try to match Jones punch-for-punch

Belfort has a habit of folding when the pressure is at its peak. He sets up a game plan, but when someone comes along who can disrupt Belfort‘s thought process, Belfort goes into hiding before it is too late to do anything. 

Since we know that Jones is going to try something strange early, Belfort must find a way to take advantage by finding an opening to pounce on. 

 

What They Are Saying

Though I have talked about Jones’ offensive attack being too difficult for Belfort to overcome, the champ is giving credit where it is due to the challenger, though he did tell reporters that he is ready for the battle. 

Via Yahoo Sports and MMA Weekly:

“He’s a very powerful striker, but in this situation, I feel I am the more versatile striker in the fight,” said the champ. “I won’t shy away from a striking battle just because he has a punch. He’s got a unique style and I enjoy matching up against guys like that.”

Belfort will always have a puncher’s chance in a fight, but Jones is so different from anyone else in the sport right now that you can’t plan for him. He is the kind of fighter who can experiment with something in a round, have it fail, and still not miss a beat because he does so many things well. 

 

Under-the-Radar Fight

Cub Swanson vs. Charles Oliveira

For reasons not entirely clear to me, other than the fact the division is still relatively new to UFC, the featherweight division does not inspire a lot of buzz among fans. Sure, the hardcore people understand it, but for the most part, the smaller fighters don’t get the recognition they deserve. 

Swanson vs. Oliveira is probably going to open the pay-per-view portion of the card, but could easily be the best fight on the show. 

Swanson is one of the most complete featherweight fighters in UFC right now, mixing in a strong stand-up game with a good ground style that allows him to work an opponent into a submission. 

Oliveira is still a baby by MMA standards at just 22 years old, yet he is building an impressive resume for himself. He has 16 career wins, including two straight submission victories. 

Neither fighter is in the title picture right now, but this could be the kind of fight that elevates one or both to the next level. 

 

Main-Event Prediction

The question isn’t, Will Jones win? No, instead the question is going to be about all about how it ended so quickly. We will all have our theories, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. 

Belfort is past his prime and unable to stay energized in the most high-profile of match of his career, at least in 2012. 

Jones wins via first-round TKO



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UFC 150 Results: Why Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson Must Be a Trilogy

When UFC decides to make a trilogy out of a feud, usually it requires that both fighters have each won one match and at least one of them had a close result. In the case of Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar, the fights have been so close that eve…

When UFC decides to make a trilogy out of a feud, usually it requires that both fighters have each won one match and at least one of them had a close result. 

In the case of Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar, the fights have been so close that even despite Henderson’s two wins, this feud needs to become a trilogy. 

Henderson has defeated Edgar twice this year. The first time was at UFC 144, with Henderson ultimately prevailing in a competitive bout. The judges sided with Henderson, and he was awarded a unanimous decision victory and the UFC lightweight championship. 

At UFC 150, things were much closer between the two. In fact, watching the fight, it did appear that Edgar did more to warrant a decision victory. Henderson did win the first round—that much was obvious. 

After that, it was anyone’s guess. It never felt like one fighter had a decided advantage over the other, so if you want to make a case for Henderson winning, there is certainly not much of an argument to be made against that. 

But when the scores were announced—with Henderson winning a split decision—Edgar exploded with rage because he felt that he did enough to win. Again, it was so close that no one could argue that what the judges said was wrong. 

Yet when you have two fighters who are so evenly matched, and they have two fights that end up being victories for one person by the slimmest of margins, the temptation is always there to settle any debate once and for all. 

Fans love trilogies, even if they aren’t between the biggest-name fighters in the sport. There is an easy story to tell in order to market a third fight to the fans. And, most importantly, there is a legitimate reason to do a third fight. 

Edgar is at a point right now where he will probably have to win a fight before he gets a title fight, but when he does, Dana White can’t shy away from making the right match for the sport and the fighters just because it has happened twice before. 

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UFC 150 Start Time: Where and When to Watch Epic PPV

On paper, UFC 150 could be one of the best pay-per-view events of the year.It may not have the star power of a marquee event to make casual fans excited, but it is a very good card with a sure-to-be-great main event featuring Benson Henderson defending…

On paper, UFC 150 could be one of the best pay-per-view events of the year.

It may not have the star power of a marquee event to make casual fans excited, but it is a very good card with a sure-to-be-great main event featuring Benson Henderson defending the UFC lightweight championship against Frankie Edgar. 

In order to get you ready for the big event, here is a preview of the show, including a look at start times for the preliminary and main card. Plus, we will take a look at what to expect from the main event. 

 

Where: Pepsi Center in Denver, CO

When: Saturday, August 11 

Watch: Facebook Preliminary Fight starts at 7:30 p.m. ET; FX Preliminary Card starts at 8:00 p.m. ET; Main Card starts on pay-per-view at 10:00 p.m. ET

 

Main Event Preview

Henderson and Edgar had a memorable battle at UFC 144 in February. It was not the best fight of the year, or anything like that, but these two always manage to bring the best out of their opponents. Putting them together is like a gift from the mixed martial arts gods. 

Henderson is a difficult matchup for Edgar because of his size. I know everyone is bigger than Edgar, but Henderson is so much longer than the former champion. On paper it doesn’t appear that way, as Henderson is only three inches taller, with two more inches of reach to play with. 

Edgar can’t stand with Henderson if he wants to win. He needs to figure out a way to wrestle Henderson to the ground and keep him there, which is a problem because of the size difference. 

I would never sell Edgar short, but I don’t see a way he wins this fight. It will probably go five rounds and be a great fight. 

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UFC 149: Preview, Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More for Faber vs. Barao

Even though the match was changed due to injury and the date was delayed by two weeks, UFC 149 will feature the first bantamweight championship match since last October, as Urijah Faber and Renan Barao battle for the interim title. Faber was origi…

Even though the match was changed due to injury and the date was delayed by two weeks, UFC 149 will feature the first bantamweight championship match since last October, as Urijah Faber and Renan Barao battle for the interim title. 

Faber was originally supposed to take on Dominick Cruz at UFC 148. A knee injury to Cruz forced a change in the main event, but Faber still gets his shot at the gold. With a victory in this match, depending on when Cruz is able to return, Faber will get his rematch with the Bantamweight Champion. 

Meanwhile, Barao will have the chance of a lifetime. He was pushed into this spot sooner than expected. He has a perfect record in WEC and UFC combined (5-0), and only one loss in his 30 career fights, so it is not like he isn’t ready for this opportunity. 

 

Where: Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

When: Satuday, July 21 at 10:00 p.m. EST

Watch: Main Card starts at 10:00 p.m. EST on pay-per-view; FX Preliminary Card starts at 8:00 p.m. EST; Facebook Preliminary Card starts at 7:00 p.m. EST

 

Fight Card

Main Card (PPV)

Interim Bantamweight Championship: Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao

Middleweight Bout: Hector Lombard vs. Tim Boetsch

Heavyweight Bout: Cheick Kongo vs. Shawn Jordan

Welterweight Bout: Brian Ebersole vs. James Head

Welterweight Bout: Chris Clements vs. Matt Riddle

 

Preliminary Card (FX)

Middleweight Bout: Court McGee vs. Nick Ring

Bantamweight Bout: Roland Delorme vs. Francisco Rivera

Light Heavyweight Bout: Ryan Jimmo vs. Anthony Perosh

Bantamweight Bout: Bryan Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon

 

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

Featherweight Bout: Antonio Carvalho vs. Daniel Pineda

Lightweight Bout: Mitch Clarke vs. Anton Kuivanen

 

Faber’s Keys to Victory

Force Barao to stand early; use wrestling in the later rounds

Faber’s evolution as a fighter has been fascinating to watch. While I don’t believe him to be as good as he was in his peak years, he is still one of the handful of bantamweight fighters who can carry the division. 

Barao does present interesting challenges because they are stylistically similar. Both excel on the ground, but Faber’s stand up is better than Barao’s. I think we are going to see Faber pepper Barao with punches early to wear him out before taking things to the ground late. 

 

Barao’s Keys to Victory

Work the ground and submissions early; don’t give Faber any opening

Barao is not completely without power in his striking, it just isn’t his strong suit. Against a fighter like Faber, who has proven to have a strong chin, Barao needs to use his best assets to win this fight. 

Throughout his career, Barao has shown himself to be more adept at fighting on the ground. His submission game is very good, and he is one of the strongest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters in the sport. 

 

Undercard Fight To Watch: Roland Delorme vs. Francisco Rivera

I am not sure how much upside either fighter has, but Delorme vs. Rivera is going to be a great clash of styles that provides a lot of fireworks. 

Delorme has eight career victories, all finishes. He is a submission expert with a little bit of power in his striking. 

Rivera also has eight victories, five coming via knockout. He is an all-or-nothing type—he is either going to win via knockout, or go to a decision. He doesn’t like to fight on the ground, nor does he want to fight there. 

I give Delorme the advantage because he has more dimensions, but Rivera just needs that one shot to end it in the blink of an eye. 

 

What They Are Saying

Urijah Faber had to change his preparation for this fight, going from Cruz to Barao, but he is expecting to see something exciting happen when he gets in the cage on Saturday night. 

Here is what Faber said during a UFC 149 conference call last week (via Sports Illustrated):

This matchup is two guys that are finishers. We’re both big for the weight class. We both like to fight. I feel like Dominick tries to win more than he is trying to beat someone up. And Barão and I are the type of guys who like to beat each other up and try to win, so it’s going to be a knock-down, drag-out. And that’s what I like.

This seems like the stage for Faber to get the gold that he so covets. He wants to be the best fighter in the biggest organization. He will still have to deal with Cruz to prove he is the best, but at least he will get a taste of gold if he wins. 

 

Main Event Prediction

This just feels like Faber’s fight. Everything that Barao can do, Faber can match. Faber is a better, more well-rounded fighter. If this goes to the ground, things will get interesting, but I think Faber is going to win. 

Faber wins via unanimous decision


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