Author: Adam Wells

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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UFC on Fuel 4: Breaking Down Biggest Winners from Stellar Card

Following in the footsteps of UFC 148, Wednesday night’s UFC on Fuel show was put in a no-win situation. Everyone was coming off the high of seeing Anderson Silva prove once and for all that he was the better fighter. Trying to get hyped for a televisi…

Following in the footsteps of UFC 148, Wednesday night’s UFC on Fuel show was put in a no-win situation. Everyone was coming off the high of seeing Anderson Silva prove once and for all that he was the better fighter. Trying to get hyped for a television event a few days later was difficult. 

Fortunately for the fighters on the card, UFC continues to deliver the goods whenever it puts on an event. It was not an all-time classic show, nor did it have one legendary fight. But there were a lot of notable results to come out of San Jose. 

Here are the biggest winners to come out of the fourth UFC on Fuel event. 

 

Chris Weidman (def. Mark Munoz)

The middleweight division is starved for championship contenders after Silva’s TKO victory over Sonnen last Saturday. 

Munoz was on his way to becoming the next challenger. All he needed was a victory over Weidman in the main event of UFC on Fuel. 

Weidman did not comply, as he was able to score an impressive knockout victory in the second round. The win moved his record to 9-0 (5-0 in UFC). I don’t think he is ready for the spotlight yet, but he gave Dana White and Joe Silva something to think about. 

 

James Te-Huna (def. Joey Beltran)

There may not be a lot of people who remember Te-Huna’s victory over Beltran, because it was the semi-main event of a Fuel show. But it should be one of the most memorable fights of the year. 

It was a strong fight for both men, but Te-Huna particularly came out of it looking superhuman. Not only was he able to score a decision victory, but he did it with a broken hand and foot. 

Te-Huna is on the rise in the 205-pound division. At 30-years-old, I don’t know just how high he can climb in the rankings and up the card. For one night, though, he was the story on a UFC event. 

 

Andrew Craig (def. Rafael Natal)

If you are looking for a fight that is going to have serious ramifications on title pictures and various main events in the future, Craig defeating Natal is not the fight for you. 

If you are a fan of mixed martial arts who just loves to see two fighters go at it with a spectacular finish, this was the fight for you. Sadly, you have to be watching on Facebook to see it happen. 

Craig was losing the fight after the first round, though it was fairly close. In the second round, things really picked up. The finish was amazing, with Craig hitting a kick straight to Natal’s head, sending him down to the canvas in a heap. 

A great finish to a fun fight. 

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UFC 148: Chael Sonnen’s Trash Talk Is Perfect Weapon to Defeat Anderson Silva

At UFC 148, Chael Sonnen will once again have the opportunity to do something that no one else in UFC history has been able to do: defeat Anderson Silva. Yet all the talk about what will happen in this fight misses the biggest point of all—that S…

At UFC 148, Chael Sonnen will once again have the opportunity to do something that no one else in UFC history has been able to do: defeat Anderson Silva. Yet all the talk about what will happen in this fight misses the biggest point of all—that Sonnen has already won the battle. 

One of the reasons that this is expected to be the biggest UFC event of the year, aside from the amazing ending to the first fight between these two at UFC 117, is because of the talk that Sonnen and Silva have done leading up to this show. 

For Sonnen, talk is nothing new. He has made himself into a star because of his ability to cut a promo on anyone at any given moment, regardless of the situation. He made the first fight into must-see TV because of his mouth. 

Now, with Silva falling into the trap, Sonnen has the advantage that he needed for this fight. 

Silva has built a career on being unflappable. He is so smooth and effortless inside the Octagon that he doesn’t have to play into the theatrics of a fight. Sure, there have been moments in the past when he has done it, but never to this extent. 

Even Silva’s comments during the conference call last week, when he said he was ” going to break his face and every tooth in his mouth. I know he’s on the call listening to this and playtime is over. There’s no more talking from him. I’m going to beat him out of the UFC.”

Sonnen knows that on talent alone he can’t compete with Silva. He needs an advantage somewhere in order to win this fight. 

What better way to set yourself up for a victory than by getting into the head of your opponent?

Defeating Sonnen is not going to be good enough for Silva. He wants to destroy him, literally and figuratively. Silva does not want to see Sonnen walk out of the Octagon on his own. He wants to send a message in the biggest way possible. 

Fighters who enter a match feeling like they have something to prove often leave themselves open to mistakes. Silva has never done that before, but he has never looked like this leading up to a fight. 

Sonnen has set all the pins up to pull off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. He just has to knock them down on Saturday night. All of this has come thanks to a whole lot of talking, which is what makes Sonnen so brilliant. 

 

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UFC 148: Preview, Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions & More for Silva vs. Sonnen 2

Two years after one of the best and most shocking fights in UFC history, Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will do battle one more time for the Middleweight Championship. Silva’s dominance in the sport over the last six years has been well-documente…

Two years after one of the best and most shocking fights in UFC history, Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will do battle one more time for the Middleweight Championship. 

Silva’s dominance in the sport over the last six years has been well-documented. He is looking to extend his UFC winning streak to 14 and number of successful title defenses to 10. Even more than that, though, he is looking to show the world that what happened in the first 23 minutes at UFC 117 was an aberration. 

In typical Sonnen fashion, he is talking a good game leading up to this fight. He wants the world to know that he was the better man in the previous fight and that history won’t be repeating itself. 

 

Where: MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, NV

When: Saturday, July 7 at 10:00 p.m. ET

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

 

Fight Card

Main Card

Middleweight Championship Bout: Anderson Silva (c) vs. Chael Sonnen

Light Heavyweight Bout: Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz

Middleweight Bout: Cung Le vs. Patrick Cote

Welterweight Bout: Dong Hyun Kim vs. Demian Maia

Featherweight Bout: Chad Mendes vs. Cody McKenzie

Bantamweight Bout: Ivan Menjivar vs. Mike Easton

 

Preliminary Card (FX)

Lightweight Bout: Gleison Tibau vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

Lightweight Bout: Melvin Guillard vs. Fabricio Camoes

Middleweight Bout: Constantinos Philippou vs. Riki Fukuda

Lightweight Bout: John Alessio vs. Shane Roller

 

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

Lightweight Bout: Rafaello Oliveira vs. Yoislandy Izquierdo

 

Silva’s Keys to Victory: Keep the Fight Standing

For all the analysis and hype that this fight will generate, the keys to victory for both men are fairly simple. Silva is the best and most unique striker in UFC, though Jon Jones might be challenging him on that last part. 

Despite some good mat skills, Silva wants to keep Sonnen standing to punish him until he decides that he wants to end the fight. That is what he has done with virtually everyone else he has ever fought in UFC, so there is no reason to try to change that style now. 

 

Sonnen’s Keys to Victory: Get Silva to the Ground

Sonnen was able to throw Silva around like a rag doll in that first right. It was shocking to see but also provided the blueprint for him in the rematch. 

Despite his desire to knock Silva out, Sonnen is a wrestler first and foremost. He has to park any ego he has to use those skills to get Silva to the ground and keep him there until the final bell rings. 

I don’t think he can knock Silva out or submit him, so the best thing he can do is keep things as simple as possible. 

 

Undercard Fight To Watch: Melvin Guillard vs. Fabricio Camoes

This is not going to have a lot of implications on title fights in the future, but it is going to be as exciting as any bout on the card, with the exception of the main event. 

Guillard is a perpetual underachiever. He has good striking skills and a lot of power in his punches, but he has never been able to break through certain barriers for whatever reason. 

Camoes is the perfect opponent for Guillard. He is a strong grappler who wants to take things to the ground. Nothing too fancy about his style, though. 

If you want a fun fight, this should be the one to watch. 

 

What They Are Saying

Anderson Silva made headlines last week during a conference call, when he did his best Chael Sonnen impression. As much of a departure from character as that was for Silva, it should not have been unexpected. 

Silva didn’t want Sonnen to get the rematch. UFC president Dana White disagreed, saying recently that Sonnen has earned this spot and everything will be settled this weekend (via MMAJunkie.com):

My philosophy is always, if you don’t like it, handle it in the octagon. You can’t say a guy doesn’t deserve it because you think he’s mean. He definitely deserves the rematch. More than anybody. It’s true. He’s the only guy who’s ever come close to beating him in the UFC.

I agree that Sonnen may have the resume to be here, and this fight will do big business, but there are certain parts of his personal and professional life that are questionable—namely his failed drug test—to have bumped him from this spot. 

 

Main Event Prediction

I have said it before and will continue to say it: Until Silva loses, it is impossible to bet against him. Plus, he enters this fight healthy. In their first match, he was dealing with a rib injury. 

Silva will win via second-round TKO.



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Jason Miller Retires: Mayhem Miller Announces Retirement from MMA

Just two days after being released from the UFC following a loss to C.B. Dollaway at UFC 146, Jason “Mayhem” Miller announced on The MMA Hour that he has retired from the sport of mixed martial arts. From MMA reporter Jason Floyd:Jason “Mayhe…

Just two days after being released from the UFC following a loss to C.B. Dollaway at UFC 146, Jason “Mayhem” Miller announced on The MMA Hour that he has retired from the sport of mixed martial arts. 

From MMA reporter Jason Floyd:

Asked if he was leaving the door open or slamming it shut, Miller, after a long pause, said that he might as well slam it shut. 

True to his alias, Mayhem’s career has been all over the place in recent years. The veteran Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner has bounced around several promotions, including Dream, Strikeforce and the UFC. 

Since 2008, Miller has gone 4-4 with one no contest in his last nine fights. The biggest headline he made during this time was through inciting a brawl at a Strikeforce event in 2010. 

He was given a second run in the UFC last year, when he was given a coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter reality show opposite fellow middleweight Michael Bisping. 

Those two helped put together one of the more entertaining seasons to date, but Miller did not impress when it came time to face Bisping in the Octagon. An out-of-shape Miller managed to extend the fight into the third round, but he was ultimately put away in convincing fashion.

Thankfully for Mayhem, he had another fight left on his contract and his namesake was enough to warrant another fight with the UFC. 

Miller was put in the cage with Dollaway at UFC 146 and never really looked right from the start. He alluded to having some knee problems in his interview, but he didn’t go into great detail. His mysterious injury may have played some role in his decision today. 

For now, we are all left to speculate and reflect on one of the more fascinating characters to come out of mixed martial arts.  

 

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UFC 146 Live Stream: When and Where to Watch Preliminary Card for Epic Event

While the main card for UFC 146 is going to get all the attention because of the all-heavyweight gimmick and Junior dos Santos defending the UFC Heavyweight Championship in the main event, the preliminary card offers a number of appealing fights that a…

While the main card for UFC 146 is going to get all the attention because of the all-heavyweight gimmick and Junior dos Santos defending the UFC Heavyweight Championship in the main event, the preliminary card offers a number of appealing fights that are worth watching. 

As is the case with all UFC shows, you can catch most of the preliminary card on the FX Network starting at 8 p.m. ET. There will be four fights taking place on that network, but that leaves three non-main card fights you won’t be able to see.

Using a formula that appears to be working well for the company, UFC 146 will feature the first three fights streaming live on the UFC Facebook page. All you have to do is “Like” UFC and a video stream will show up.

 

Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas

When: Saturday, May 26

Start Time: Preliminary Fights Start at 6:45 p.m. ET

Live Streaming: Facebook

 

FACEBOOK PRELIMINARY FIGHT CARD 

WEIGHT CLASS MATCHUP (RECORD)
 Featherweight  Mike Brown (25-8) vs. Daniel Pineda (17-7)
 Light Heavyweight  Kyle Kingsbury (11-3) vs. Glover Teixeira (17-2)
 Lightweight  Jacob Volkmann (14-2) vs. Paul Sass (12-0)

 

One of the smart things about airing these fights on Facebook is the fighters will get the exposure they normally wouldn’t get just fighting in front of a live crowd—most of which will arrive late just to see the main card and go home. 

In order to keep the sport growing, UFC has to do all it can to make new stars. To do that, it has to make everyone’s fights easily accessible. Live streaming the preliminary card will continue to work wonders for the company and the fighters. 

 

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