Author: Adam Wells

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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UFC 146: Bold Predictions for All-Heavyweight Main Card

Taking a page out of the professional wrestling handbook, UFC is going with an all-heavyweight gimmick pay-per-view for UFC 146 to celebrate the Memorial Day holiday. While they are not the most nimble or technically sound fighters in the sport, h…

Taking a page out of the professional wrestling handbook, UFC is going with an all-heavyweight gimmick pay-per-view for UFC 146 to celebrate the Memorial Day holiday. 

While they are not the most nimble or technically sound fighters in the sport, heavyweights are always exciting to watch because you are almost guaranteed to see a knockout. 

With five main card fights featuring 10 heavyweights, including Junior dos Santos defending the heavyweight championship for the first time against Frank Mir, the action will be fast and furious. 

Here are bold predictions for all five main card fights at UFC 146. 

 

Stefan Struve (23-5, 6 KOs, 15 Subs) vs. Lavar Johnson (17-5, 15 KOs, 2 Subs)

Johnson is taking this fight on just 10 days’ notice, after Struve’s original opponent Mark Hunt had to withdraw due to a knee injury. Having just fought Pat Barry at UFC on FOX earlier this month, Johnson should still be in top shape for this fight. 

However, the stress of having two fights in such close proximity to each other is going to be incredibly taxing. 

Struve is a rising star in the heavyweight division and is starting to come into his own with two straight wins, one via knockout and the other via submission. He is going to find the winner’s circle for the third consecutive fight thanks to a strong ground fighting style and Johnson overtaxing his body. 

Prediction: Struve wins via second-round TKO

 

Stipe Miocic (8-0, 6 KOs, 1 Sub) vs. Shane del Rosario (11-0, 8 KOs, 3 Subs)

Neither fighter has a lot of UFC experience. In fact, del Rosario is making his UFC debut after fighting in Strikeforce the previous two years. 

Miocic is very much a one-dimensional fighter—he wants to stand and trade with anything that moves. It has been an effective style for him so far, but he will have to show more against del Rosario. 

While del Rosario is not the most dynamic fighter in the world, he does have enough of a ground game to cause problems for Miocic if he can get him down. Even if he doesn’t, del Rosario has enough power to end this fight with one punch. 

Prediction: del Rosario wins via third-round Submission

 

Roy Nelson (16-7, 9 KOs, 5 Subs) vs. Dave Herman (21-3, 15 KOs, 5 Subs)

I am going to go out on a not-very-long limb and say that this is going to be the best and most exciting fight of the night. 

Nelson, while not the best fighter in the world, is going to give you every drop of sweat and blood he has each time he steps in the cage. He has one of the best chins in the sport, which will serve him well against a knockout artist like Herman. 

Herman is in that tweener area. He has a nice record with a lot of knockouts, but he doesn’t have a signature win. He is not a crisp striker. He relies more on his power to get knockouts than actually using good technique to attack an opponent. 

Nelson gets the slight edge in this contest, just because I don’t see how Herman is going to knock him out. 

Prediction: Nelson wins via second-round TKO

 

Cain Velasquez (9-1, 8 KOs) vs. Antonio Silva (16-3, 11 KOs, 3 Subs)

Silva got put in a prime spot for his UFC debut after Frank Mir was moved up to the main event. He will be looking to get back on track following a quick loss to newly-minted Strikeforce heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the semifinals of the Heavyweight Grand Prix. 

Velasquez is coming off the first defeat of his career. He was embarrassed by Junior dos Santos at the first UFC on FOX special, losing the heavyweight title in the process. 

This is a combat sport and anyone can be beaten on any given night, but it is hard to envision a scenario where Velasquez loses. He is a better all-around fighter than Silva and has the incentive of a potential title shot to push him over the edge. 

Prediction: Velasquez wins via first-round TKO

 

Heavyweight Championship: Junior dos Santos (c) (14-1, 10 KOs, 2 Subs) vs. Frank Mir (16-5, 3 KOs, 9 Subs)

Like the Velasquez-Silva fight, dos Santos vs. Mir should not be close. Mir is talking a great game, but as far as skills go, he is no longer in the elite class of heavyweight fighters. He was getting destroyed by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira before catching Big Nog in a kimura. 

On the other hand, dos Santos just keeps getting stronger with each fight. He is the best pure striker in the division and one of the best in the sport. His boxing has carried him to this point, but his wrestling and defense have made him what he is. 

Mir should be thanking his lucky stars that he is in this spot, because it will be the last time he is fighting for the heavyweight championship. 

Prediction: dos Santos wins via second-round TKO



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