Author: Adam Wells

UFC 145: Fight Card, PPV Info, Predictions and More for Jones vs. Evans

One of the most intense, personal rivalries in mixed martial arts comes to a head at UFC 145, when Jon Jones puts the light heavyweight title on the line against Rashad Evans. Jones has yet to find anyone who can challenge him inside the octagon. …

One of the most intense, personal rivalries in mixed martial arts comes to a head at UFC 145, when Jon Jones puts the light heavyweight title on the line against Rashad Evans. 

Jones has yet to find anyone who can challenge him inside the octagon. In 2011 alone he knocked off four of the best light heavyweight fighters in the world (Ryan Bader, Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida).

Evans has been waiting for a title shot since defeating Jackson at UFC 114 in May 2010. Injuries and timing have kept him from this moment, but now he has his chance to shine against the fighter he mentored while the two were in Greg Jackson’s camp. 

 

Where: Phillips Arena in Atlanta, GA

When: Saturday, April 21 at 10:00 p.m. EST

Watch: Facebook undercard fights at 7:00 p.m. EST, preliminary fights at 8:00 p.m. EST on FX, main card fights at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view; online pay-per-view streaming (must pay $44.99) at UFC.tv, Yahoo! Sports, UStream, Android or iPhone.

 

Fight Card

Main Card

Light Heavyweight Championship: Jon Jones (c) vs. Rashad Evans

Welterweight Bout: Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills

Heavyweight Bout: Brendan Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell

Bantamweight Bout: Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald

Featherweight Bout: Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin

Lightweight Bout: Mark Bocek vs. John Alessio

 

Preliminary Card (FX)

Heavyweight Bout: Travis Browne vs. Chad Griggs

Welterweight Bout: Matt Brown vs. Stephen Thompson

Lightweight Bout: John Makdessi vs. Anthony Njokuani

Lightweight Bout: Mac Danzig vs. Efrain Escudero

 

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

Welterweight Bout: Keith Wisniewski vs. Chris Clements

Featherweight Bout: Marcus Brimage vs. Maximo Blanco

 

Jones’ Keys to Victory

Use size and length to keep Evans down; don’t try to outwrestle Evans

Everyone knows about the amazing size and length of Jones. He uses his 84.5-inch reach to attack opponents who try to dance around him.

In addition to understanding the advantage Jones has with his size, he uses it to try moves and strikes that no one else can. 

As long as Jones doesn’t try to prove himself as a wrestler against a superb wrestler like Evans, he is going to be difficult to beat. 

 

Evans’ Keys to Victory

Use wrestling to frustrate Jones early; try to time strikes when Jones leaves himself open.

Evans is a smart fighter. He understands that he can’t compete with Jones from a pure athleticism standpoint. 

His best chance to walk away with the light heavyweight championship is to bring back his wrestling, which he has put on the back burner lately to prove himself as a striker, in order to keep Jones at bay. 

When Evans does try to punch, he has to be careful. If he comes out swinging, Jones is going to destroy him. Rashad needs to keep his ego in check. 

 

What They Are Saying

Evans has been handling all the promotion and talking leading up to this fight, though you might not know there has been any since most of it is happening on the little-known Fuel TV network. 

Jones has tried to remain civil, but there have been moments when he appears to be falling into Evans’ trap of trash talk. 

“I think Rashad took my interview — me saying I’d never want to have to fight him — and he used that to give himself a reason to challenge me for the belt. Our agreement was to not fight each other on any accord, by any means. The only thing I said was I would never want to fight my teammate, and the only way it was possible was if I was absolutely going to lose my job over it. That’s a pretty major extreme. But he took that and found a reason to challenge me for the belt, which totally disrespected everything we stood for, everything our team stood for, everything that me and Rashad agreed to.”

 

Undercard Fight to Watch: Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald

While the bantamweight division is very top-heavy with Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, the division desperately needs depth to get legitimacy as a drawing card in UFC. 

Torres and McDonald have a great chance to steal this particular show because of their styles and amazing speed inside the octagon. 

Torres has a huge advantage in experience, with 44 professional fights. But McDonald has proven that he is not going to be intimidated by the stage and spectacle of UFC. 

Whoever wins this fight could conceivably be in line for a title shot later on this summer. 

 

Main Event Prediction

Evans needs to win this fight. He is doing a lot of talking leading up to it; he feels slighted by his former best friend, and this is his chance to prove he is still The Man.

Unfortunately, Jones has reached a point where you can’t predict him to lose. It is just something you have to see to believe. 

Jones wins via third-round KO


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UFC on Fuel TV 2: Fight Card, TV Info and More for Silva vs. Gustafsson

After nearly a one-month break, UFC returns to the spotlight this week with the second event on Fuel TV, headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Thiago Silva and Alexander Gustafsson. Silva was named as a replacement for this fight when Anto…

After nearly a one-month break, UFC returns to the spotlight this week with the second event on Fuel TV, headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Thiago Silva and Alexander Gustafsson. 

Silva was named as a replacement for this fight when Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was forced out with an injury. He is making his return to UFC after failing a drug test following a victory over Brandon Vera, which was later made a no-contest, in January 2011. 

Gustafsson is looking to keep his momentum going. He is 13-1 overall, with his only loss coming to Phil Davis in April, 2010. This will be his first fight since a December TKO of Vladimir Matyushenko. 

 

Where: Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden

When: Saturday, April 14 at 11:00 p.m. EST 

Watch: Fuel TV

 

Fight Card

Main Card on Fuel TV

Light Heavyweight Bout: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago Silva

Middleweight Bout: Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara

Welterweight Bout: Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada

Featherweight Bout: Dennis Siver vs. Diego Nunes

Welterweight Bout: DaMarques Johnson vs. John Maguire

 

Preliminary Card on Facebook

Welterweight Bout: Papy Abedi vs. James Head

Light Heavyweight Bout: Cyrille Diabate vs. Tom DeBlass

Middleweight Bout: Francis Carmont vs. Magnus Cedenblad 

Lightweight Bout: Reza Madadi vs. Yoislandy Izquierdo

Welterweight Bout: Simeon Thoresen vs. Besam Yousef

Featherweight Bout: Jason Young vs. Eric Wisely

 

Silva’s Keys to Victory

Shake off the cage rust early and work for the knockout early.

Silva has a lot working against him in this fight, with the long layoff between fights being the biggest knock. He is not going to be in perfect fighting shape coming into this fight. He is going to have to end it early to walk away victorious. 

Fortunately, Silva has the right style to end a fight fast. He is going to come out swinging, and he will need every ounce of power against the younger, taller, more athletic Gustafsson. 

 

Gustafsson’s Keys to Victory

Make Silva work early before going on the attack.

Gustafsson has the size, speed and height advantage in this fight, so his best chance to win is to make Silva work early and often. 

There is no way Silva’s conditioning will be in tip-top condition. Gustafsson fights a similar style to Silva, though he is more well-rounded. He needs to make Silva exert all his energy early, then attack with punches late in the second round. 

 

What They Are Saying

Alexander Gustafsson is going to take center stage in more ways than one this weekend. He is in his first UFC main event and fighting in front of a very partisan hometown crowd. 

He knows what is at stake for him in this fight, but he told MMA Junkie that it is not going to change his style. 

I’m very excited. Personally, I want to fight Thiago more then “Little Nog” because I think he’s very aggressive, and he has some good power. It’s a good test for me. 

I’m just super-excited for the fight, and it’s going to be a great fight for the fans.

I don’t think about it (a title shot) now. I’ve got Thiago now. Let’s see what they put in front of me next time. 

I just take one fight at a time and win my fights. That’s the most important.

Undercard Fight to Watch: Dennis Siver vs. Diego Nunes

Both of these fighters have underrated power, particularly Siver in his legs, but their bread and butter is submissions. They attack in the stand-up early before taking things to the ground. 

Siver is trying to make his mark in the featherweight division after a successful run as a lightweight. 

Nunes has made a successful transition to UFC with two wins in his first three fights. He will look to keep moving up the featherweight ladder with a victory over one of the better lightweights in the world. 

 

Main Event Prediction

Gustafsson is going to go all-out to prove himself in front of an adoring hometown crowd. It helps that he is a better fighter than Silva right now. 

Gustafsson via first-round TKO



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Shaq vs Jose Canseco: Breaking Down Who Would Win Battle of the Behemoths

Jose Canseco likes to run his mouth on Twitter about anything and everything he possibly can, but he may have backed himself into a corner challenging Shaquille O’Neal to a mixed martial arts fight. Shaq finally decided to call Canseco out for run…

Jose Canseco likes to run his mouth on Twitter about anything and everything he possibly can, but he may have backed himself into a corner challenging Shaquille O’Neal to a mixed martial arts fight. 

Shaq finally decided to call Canseco out for running his mouth about how much he wants to fight the former NBA superstar. 

“I challenged him a long time ago,” said O’Neal. “If he wants it done, he knows where to find me. He can be high off whatever, and I’ll be high off Frosted Flakes.”

Since the challenge has been accepted, all that we need is for Canseco to stay true to his word and sign a contract. 

What we wanted to do is breakdown the battle of these two former superstars. Here is our unofficial tale of the tape for a potential Shaq vs. Jose MMA fight. 

 

Size

O’Neal: 7’1″, 325 pounds

Canseco: 6’1″, 250 pounds*

Analysis: This one is a no-contest. O’Neal is going to overpower Canseco in every conceivable way. He if a full foot taller, will have a huge reach advantage and will have more power in everything he does. 

Advantage: O’Neal

 

Style

O’Neal: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Canseco: Boxing

Analysis: Part of the problem with Canseco’s challenge for a mixed martial arts fight is that he doesn’t use all of the elements at his disposal. He is no joke, with a black belt in karate and Taekwando, but he wants to box before trying anything else. 

O’Neal, on the other hand, has spent time training at Jonathan Burke’s Gracie Gymnasium. He understands the art of MMA. He would shoot in on Canseco right out of the gate, take him down, work a ground and pound before locking in a triangle choke. 

Advantage: O’Neal

 

Fight History

O’Neal: None

Canseco: 0-1

Despite O’Neal’s training, he has yet to step inside the cage to take out his frustrations on someone. He was preoccupied with other things, like that pesky NBA career or trying to sell the sequel to Kazaam, but he is ready to go now. 

Canseco has had fights, both professional and exhibitions, in his career. The problem is, he doesn’t actually win the matches. He did have one victory against Todd Poulton in the Celebrity Boxing Federation, but other than that he has come up short. 

Still, you have to give Canseco the advantage in experience here because he has been in the ring and knows what to expect. 

Advantage: Canseco

 

Final Prediction

Canseco has backed himself into a corner asking for this fight. He is not a well-rounded mixed martial artist even though he has two black belts. He does have power to land a knockout shot, but the fact that he would have to reach his arm up a lot to land a shot on the chin is a major disadvantage. 

O’Neal has the size and weight advantage. He is probably faster than Canseco, which says more about Canseco than O’Neal. Even if he can’t finish the fight, he would just take Canseco down and hold him there for three rounds. 

Prediction: O’Neal via submission

 

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UFC on FX 2: Preview, Fight Card, Predictions and More

The UFC International Tour continues with the second UFC on FX event headlined by Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann this Friday night.Alves has had a mediocre 2-3 run since defeating Josh Koscheck at UFC 90, but two of those losses came against elite we…

The UFC International Tour continues with the second UFC on FX event headlined by Thiago Alves and Martin Kampmann this Friday night.

Alves has had a mediocre 2-3 run since defeating Josh Koscheck at UFC 90, but two of those losses came against elite welterweights Georges St-Pierre and Jon Fitch. He was successful in his last bout with a quick first-round submission against Papy Abedi. 

Kampann has had his own struggles as of late, losing two straight fights before a victory over Rick Story at UFC 139. He is headlining his third event—the most recent one being that memorable bout against Diego Sanchez last March. 

UFC on FX 2

Where: Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia

When: Friday, March 2 at 9:00 p.m. EDT

Watch: Preliminary Card starts at 6:00 p.m. EDT on FUEL TV; Main Card starts at 9:00 p.m. EDT on FX.

 

Fight Card

Main Card (FX)

Welterweight bout: Thiago Alves vs. Martin Kampann

Flyweight bout: Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani

Flyweight bout: Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall

Middleweight bout: Court McGee vs. Constantinos Philippou

 

Preliminary Card (FUEL)

Light Heavyweight bout: James Te Huna vs. Aaron Ross

Light Heavyweight bout: Anthony Perosh vs. Nick Penner

Featherweight bout: Cole Miller vs. Steven Siler

Middleweight bout: Kyle Noke vs. Andrew Craig

Welterweight bout: T.J. Waldburger vs. Jake Hecht

Featherweight bout: Mackens Semerzier vs. Daniel Pineda

 

Preliminary Card

Heavyweight bout: Oli Thompson vs. Shawn Jordan

 

Alves’ Keys to Victory

Keep the fight standing; don’t be afraid to get aggressive early.

Alves is a power fighter. He wants to knock his opponents out and has had great success in doing so throughout his career. 

His problems have come when he gets into the Octagon with fighters who aren’t afraid to wrestle and get things on the ground. Alves doesn’t like to work on the mat, so he will have to avoid Kampann’s takedowns. 

Another factor that could work for Alves is trying to force the issue early. Kampmann is a good striker and is tough as nails, so you have to stun him early to take him out of his element. 

 

Kampmann’s Keys to Victory

Follow up his offense and don’t be afraid to finish the fight.

Kampmann should have a better record than 18-5. It’s a respectable mark, sure, but he tends to fight the way that his opponents want instead of using his skills to make them adjust.

His talent works best when he is able to stand with an opponent early before taking things to the ground. He is a solid wrestler with a more-than-capable ground game, so he can take Alves out of his comfort zone. 

When he gets the opportunity to finish the fight, he needs to do it. That has been a problem in the past and cost him bouts he should have won. 

 

What They Are Saying

Martin Kampmann sees the end coming in this fight. Unlike his previous bouts, which almost always go to a decision, he has aspirations of finishing Thiago Alves when they step into the Octagon. 

From HeavyMMA.com:

I’m going to finish this fight. I’m tired of these decisions, and I’m going to finish Thiago. He’s a tough guy and he’s beaten some of the best fighters in the welterweight division. He’s defeated Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck, and I definitely believe he’s one of the better fighters in the weight class.

I think it’s a good matchup. We both like to strike and mix it up. I believe having well-rounded skills will be a factor in this fight, but Alves has pretty good takedown defense. He has been taken down a bit more in some of his recent fights and if he gives me the opportunity, I’ll take him down, too.

 

Undercard Fight to Watch: Cole Miller vs. Steven Siler

Miller will be dropping down to featherweight to begin his career anew. His first test will be against Siler, who is making his second appearance on a UFC fight card. 

Both of these fighters make their living with submissions and ground-fighting. Miller has won the Submission of the Night bonus three times and Knockout of the Night once, so he knows how to finish when he gets the chance. 

Siler is still trying to carve out his niche in UFC and as a mixed martial artist. He can make a good impression if he is able to get a victory over Miller and would do even more for himself if he can end the fight. 

 

Main Event Prediction

Kampmann has been one of the most frustrating fighters to watch because he has a lot of potential to do great things. This will be the start of his turnaround. 

Kampmann wins via third-round TKO.



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UFC 144: Preview, Fight Card, PPV Info, Predictions and More

After one week of running on free television, UFC makes its triumphant return to pay-per-view this Saturday with UFC 144 featuring seven main card fights and Frankie Edgar defending the lightweight championship against Benson Henderson. Edgar had …

After one week of running on free television, UFC makes its triumphant return to pay-per-view this Saturday with UFC 144 featuring seven main card fights and Frankie Edgar defending the lightweight championship against Benson Henderson. 

Edgar had a physically grueling year in 2011, with two epic five-round battles against longtime rival Gray Maynard. Now he goes from one extreme to the other, but that is the life of a champion in UFC. 

Henderson has fought valiantly over the last year to get back into the title picture following his loss to Anthony Pettis at the final WEC show in December 2010. He won three fights last year and is ready to lay claim to the throne in UFC. 

 

Where: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

When: Saturday, Feb. 25 at 10:00 p.m. EDT

Watch: First preliminary fight airs on Facebook at 7:30 p.m. EDT; Preliminary Card airs on FX at 8:00 p.m. EDT; Main Card starts at 10:00 p.m. EDT

 

FIGHT CARD

Main Card

Lightweight Championship: Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Benson Henderson

Light Heavyweight Bout: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ryan Bader

Heavyweight Bout: Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo

Welterweight Bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields

Middleweight Bout: Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch

Featherweight Bout: Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski

Lightweight Bout: Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon

 

Preliminary Card (FX)

Lightweight Bout: Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka

Bantamweight Bout: Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee

Middleweight Bout: Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell

Bantamweight Bout: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso

 

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

Featherweight Bout: Zhang Tiequan vs. Issei Tamura

 

Edgar’s Keys to Victory

Keep the fight on the ground and stay on top

Edgar’s wrestling and speed are his two greatest attributes. He has no power behind his strikes, but because he is so fast he wears opponents down over the course of a five-round fight. 

He proved his toughness in those two fights with Gray Maynard last year. He can take a beating and still keep coming at you. 

He will have to use his wrestling to work the fight to the ground, where he can pepper Henderson with strikes and force him to use his energy trying to escape. 

 

Henderson’s Keys to Victory

Use long limbs to force Edgar out of his comfort zone, stay on the attack

Henderson is as aggressive as any fighter in mixed martial arts. He can take an opponent’s best shot and keep coming at you. 

He is just 5’9″, but he boasts a 70-inch reach. He needs to use his long arms and legs to attack Edgar and prevent him from shooting in for a takedown. 

Edgar has a habit of taking advantage of fighters in the later rounds, after he wears them down early. Henderson is the one fighter that can match his cardio, so he will have to stay on the prowl in the later rounds. 

 

What They Are Saying

Ben Henderson has yet to win the UFC lightweight championship, but he is already looking to do everything he can to put his name up there alongside Anderson Silva. 

From MMAJunkie.com:

“I want to be the best fighter, period. That goal is still in my sights. I still wake up thinking about that. 

“I don’t think me beating Frankie gets me anywhere near the conversation. I’d have to beat Frankie and beat a couple of other guys and defend the belt – what is Anderson up to? He’s up to 12 right now? Thirteen? So after I beat whatever Anderson’s record is – whatever he stops at, 14 times, 15 times, after I beat that – then the conversation is going to begin.”

As much as you respect Henderson’s confidence in his abilities, it is going to take a lot of things going right for him to approach that record–if Jon Jones or Georges St-Pierre don’t beat him to it. 

 

Undercard Fight to Watch: Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee

While this fight is likely going to be the final one in UFC for the loser, it promises to be a memorable contest. 

Yamamoto will want to put on a great show in front of his fellow countrymen. He is an all-or-nothing fighter, winning by knockout early or losing a decision contest. 

Lee is a journeyman fighter being put in this position to act as a sacrificial lamb for Yamamoto, but he does have decent power and a solid submission game. If he can work the fight to the ground, he has a great chance to win. 

 

Main Event Prediction

It is so hard to bet against Edgar considering everything that he has done since winning the championship in 2010. However, Henderson is every bit his equal and will do whatever he can to become champion. 

Henderson wins via split decision


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UFC Undisputed 3: PRIDE Roster Makes New Game a Must-Own

UFC and THQ have pulled out all the stops for the new UFC Undisputed 3 video game. In addition to revamping the controls and moves fighters can use, the roster has been greatly expanded thanks to the inclusion of PRIDE fighters. We have all heard …

UFC and THQ have pulled out all the stops for the new UFC Undisputed 3 video game. In addition to revamping the controls and moves fighters can use, the roster has been greatly expanded thanks to the inclusion of PRIDE fighters. 

We have all heard about the inclusion of PRIDE mode, which will allow for kicks and knees to the head of a downed opponent. You get to control the fighters that made it the preeminent mixed martial arts promotion in the early-2000’s. 

The PRIDE roster gives the new game a pop that past iterations of the “Undisputed” series have been lacking. Any fan of UFC knows what PRIDE meant to the sport when it was in its prime. To be able to recreate some of those memories will drive this game.  

Some of the PRIDE fighters, like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, will be duplicates, but that’s OK since you will be able to use them when they were in their primes.

You can work submissions like Nogueira did when he defeated Mirko Cro Cop to win the heavyweight championship in 2003. You can pick someone up and slam them hard to the mat like Rampage did against Ricardo Arona in 2004. 

Plus, using the PRIDE roster allows fans to create those dream fights that have been talked about for years, but never materialized for one reason or another. 

If you want to throw Royce Gracie into the octagon against Anderson Silva to see who would come out on top, now is your chance. If you want to know which Chuck Liddell was better, PRIDE or UFC, you can have the Icemen duel. 

All of the new features are what sell the game to casual fans, but the PRIDE roster puts it over the top. It is the perfect storm of ideas and execution working together to give MMA fans everything that they need from their video game. 

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