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Luke Rockhold vs. Michael Bisping: Keys to Victory for Each Fighter

Friday night’s main event in Sydney, Australia will play host to more than just a fight between two of the best middleweights on the planet.
It’ll give Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping an opportunity to put a stamp on their ongoing feud and help give …

Friday night’s main event in Sydney, Australia will play host to more than just a fight between two of the best middleweights on the planet.

It’ll give Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping an opportunity to put a stamp on their ongoing feud and help give us a better idea of who’ll be standing across the middleweight champion as they duel for the crown.

Rockhold will step into the cage to prove himself a worthy candidate and give everybody reason to forget about the unfortunate night he had with Vitor Belfort in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil.

Bisping will look to finally overcome his title-eliminator misfortunes along with a very similar night with Belfort in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

With all that’s been said, neither man can afford to lose this bout. Here’s how they avoid shouldering the shame:

Luke Rockhold: Use Your Length and Get the Fight to the Ground

Save for two fateful nights during his seven-year career, Rockhold has always been above average at recognizing his opponent’s weaknesses and capitalizing on said weaknesses.

He did it when he fought Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza for the Strikeforce middleweight title in 2011. Rockhold avoided hitting the mat with the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and saved himself from suffering the first submission loss of his career. He kept the fight standing, shining a bright light on the champion’s shortcomings as a striker.

He did it again in defending his title against a smaller, better wrestler in Tim Kennedy. With four inches of height and three inches of reach on his challenger, Rockhold utilized his height to stifle Kennedy from his second opportunity at the middleweight title.

Stepping in against Bisping—who’s proven to struggle against grapple-heavy fighters like Kennedy and Chael Sonnen—Kennedy should have his game plan set: Out-grapple his British counterpart en route to handing his opponent with first submission loss.

Michael Bisping: Utilize Your Jab Often and Circle Away

It’s hard to blame Bisping for the Belfort loss—just about anybody would have lost to Belfort that night.

You can certainly blame him for the Kennedy loss, though—he wasn’t able to establish his patented Bisping-jab or avoid getting smothered into a five-round, unanimous-decision loss. It wasn’t the Bisping we’d gotten used to seeing since he joined the UFC’s ranks.

If The Count wants to see his hand raised, he’ll have to do just that: Establish his jab against a more well-rounded striker and avoid getting smothered by the longer grappler.

Peppering the former Strikeforce champion should be plenty to give Bisping room to move around, which he’ll need to do early and often in order to avoid Rockhold‘s liver kicks. The Count would be wise to learn from his loss to Dan Henderson and realize that circling toward a fighter’s strength—especially one named after an atom bomb—all but ensures his demise.

Kristian Ibarra is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. He also serves as the sports editor at San Diego State University’s student-run newspaper, The Daily Aztec. Follow him on Twitter at @Kristian_Ibarra for all things MMA.

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UFC: 1 Fight to Book Now in Every Division

2014 has been a chaotic year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Nearly every event the UFC has put on has been in one way or another impacted by injury. The end of the year is shaping up nicely though, as is the first qu…

At The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale on December 12, we will see the crowning of the inaugural women’s strawweight champion and the unofficial launch of the UFC’s newest division. Over the next three months, we’ll (hopefully) get to witness eight UFC title fights, as well as the Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz superfight.

As the UFC gears up to unveil its schedule for 2015, now is the perfect time to look at each division and zero in on one fight that would be just fun to watch.

Most of the fighters occupy spots on the UFC.com Top 15 rankings, but for a few matchups, I strayed a bit outside the top of the heap to find intriguing matches.

The only real criteria I used when deciding these fights was that as of this writing, these fighters are not currently matched up with anyone.

Let’s take a look at one fight in every division (sans women’s strawweight) that the UFC should book right now.

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John Lineker vs. Ian McCall: Great No. 1-Contender Fight for Flyweight Division

On Saturday night in Uberlandia, Brazil, Ian McCall and John Lineker will go at it in a fight that will likely produce the next challenger for Demetrious Johnson’s UFC flyweight championship. McCall’s ultra-quick footwork and Lineker’…

Ian McCall’s first two fights in the UFC were against “Mighty Mouse.” He went to a draw in their first outing, and came up short in a unanimous-decision loss in the rematch three months later. After one more loss, to Joseph Benavidez, he’s turned things around with back-to-back victories over Illarde Santos and Brad Pickett.

The Pickett fight was where McCall really seemed to open the eyes of his detractors. He used his fast-paced footwork to leave Pickett punching at air, and he mixed in a few takedowns as well. In that fight he proved that he could implement a game plan that capitalizes on his strengths while muting those of his opponent.

Lineker has also stepped his game up recently. He probably already would have gotten a title shot if he hadn’t missed weight on numerous occasions. The 24-year old simply couldn’t cut to 125 pounds, and his mistakes cost him the opportunity to fight for the title.

In his last fight, a three-round thriller against Alptekin Ozkilic, Lineker made the contracted weight and didn’t show any signs of wear from the cut during the fight. It makes sense that the UFC would want to seem him make weight twice before putting him in such a high-profile spot opposite Mighty Mouse.

The last few challengers for the flyweight title haven’t had a lot of steam behind them. Ali Bagautinov earned a shot at Mighty Mouse by posting up three consecutive victories inside the Octagon, but only one of those was against top-level competition.

Chris Cariaso, who most recently challenged Johnson at UFC 177, also won three fights to earn his title shot, but none of those wins were over Top 10 fighters.

Since its inception in 2012, the flyweight division hasn’t gained a lot of traction among the less-than-hardcore MMA fanbase. A lot of possible reasons for this have been kicked around. Perhaps it’s because the pool of contenders are often featured on the prelim portion of the cards they fight on. Maybe it’s the persistent myth that flyweights don’t have the same level of power in their hands as their heavier counterparts.

Whatever the reason, fans just haven’t gravitated towards the little guys. This fight has the potential to reverse that course, at least partially. The bout is in the co-main event slot on Fox Sports 1, which means the focus for the show is at least partially on the flyweights.

Another reason why this fight is a great No. 1-contender bout is because it can produce a true adversary for Demetrious Johnson. He’s nearly cleaned out the division, and he’s been so thoroughly dominant that fans actually leave the building during his fights.

A third fight with a rejuvenated Ian McCall would be a lot more intriguing than the last few fights Johnson has been in. And all Lineker has to do is put those hands on you a few times before you start seeing stars. A fight between Lineker and Johnson has been talked for quite a while, and a win over McCall would seemingly put the two on a collision course.

With No. 1-ranked John “The Magician” Dodson out of action until late 2015 after suffering a torn ACL, these two are at the front of the line for a shot at Mighty Mouse. It’s a fantastic matchup, and both men have the potential to give the flyweight division, and its champion, some much-needed attention.

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Despite Long Absence, T.J. Grant Is Doing the Right Thing

Professional sports careers are marred with a multitude of injuries. Often times, the athletes are forced to suffer from their effects for years after their time competing is over.
The controversy surrounding brain injuries has jumped to the forefront …

Professional sports careers are marred with a multitude of injuries. Often times, the athletes are forced to suffer from their effects for years after their time competing is over.

The controversy surrounding brain injuries has jumped to the forefront in recent years. Mixed martial arts is not without its own concerns for head injuries. This is why the slow return of T.J. Grant is a positive move, not only for his career, but for future fighters who are dealing with serious head injuries.

For those of you who may have forgotten, T.J. Grant was, at one time, the No. 1 contender to the UFC lightweight title. After defeating Gray Maynard at UFC 160, Grant was slated to face then-champion Benson Henderson at UFC 164. Instead, Grant suffered an injury that forced him from the card.

The UFC would then give Grant a second opportunity to fight for the title. This time he was placed against Anthony Pettis for UFC on Fox 9, but again he would be put on the shelf because of a continued battle with post-concussion syndrome (via Sherdog). Nearly 17 months after his last fight, there still isn’t a timetable for Grant’s return.

“It’s definitely difficult,” Grant told Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie. “The whole year’s been difficult. Being a professional fighter, you need to be at another level and I’m optimistic going forward that I’ll get better.”

While it is obviously hard for Grant to sit on the sideline while his peers compete, doing so is the best step for his long-term health. Across sports, there are multiple stories of athletes being more aware of the serious nature of head injuries. Sidney Rice, age 28, became the most recent player to step away from the NFL at a young age due to multiple bouts with concussions (via SB Nation). As more information emerges about the potential for long-term damage from concussions, time has become a vital component to the care of athletes who sustain these injuries.

In a sport that involves such violence as mixed martial arts, Grant is taking the right steps to protect his health. Missing a year of competition is a tough position for any fighter, however Grant could sustain further damage that will not only end his career, but harm his personal life as well.

“I could fight tomorrow – I just know it wouldn’t be good for my long-term health,” Grant continued in his interview with MMA Junkie. “Physically, I can do everything I need to, it’s just my brain. I want to make sure that’s OK, because it’s a lot more important than the other stuff. I know I can fight. I just want to be smart about it.”

Mixed martial artists are in a tough position when it comes to dealing with concussions. Time away from fighting means a loss of money and big opportunities in the future. However, rushing back has the potential to damage their health beyond repair. T.J. Grant has sat out for more than a year and while his career may suffer, his health—which is the most important factor—will benefit.

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Personal doctor explains Anderson Silva’s lower back pain

UBERLANDIA, Brazil – News that Anderson Silva was hobbled by severe back pain during a jiu-jitsu session may have caused some concern among fight fans. But the former UFC middleweight champion will resume training in just over a week, and he remains on schedule for his Jan. 31, 2015 fight against Nick Diaz at UFC 183, his personal doctor told UFC.com.br. In an exclusive interview, Silva’s coaches and the Brazilian Athletic Commission doctor, Dr. Marcio Tannure, said the training incident that sent Silva to a Rio de Janeiro hospital for an exam and treatment is not serious, and will … Read the Full Article Here

Anderson Silva Sustains Back Injury; Fight with Diaz Still On

Anderson Silva sustained a scare on Monday when the former UFC middleweight champion felt severe back pain after training jiu-jitsu in XGym Academy in Rio de Janeiro.
Hobbled by what he described as lower back pain, Silva reported that he could not feel his legs. He was transported to Barra D’Or Hospital, where he underwent several exams.
Silva was diagnosed with lumbago (pain in the lumbar region) by orthopedic spine specialist Dr. Sergio Gurgel, Combate.com reported.
The former king of the middleweight division has a history of back pain and this is not the first time he has sustai … Read the Full Article Here