UFC fighter Brad Pickett has given up the ghost battling flyweights and is moving back to bantamweight forthwith, reckoning that contests with the likes of Takeya Mizugaki are what could give the fans the entertainment the seek.
Pickett also…
UFC fighter Brad Pickett has given up the ghost battling flyweights and is moving back to bantamweight forthwith, reckoning that contests with the likes of Takeya Mizugaki are what could give the fans the entertainment the seek.
Pickett also wants clarification from judges in what they are looking for after the controversial judging in the welterweight title fight between Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks last weekend in Las Vegas. Pickett was mystified by the scoring, he told Telegraph Sport.
“I’m going to go back up a weight class [back to bantamweight],” Pickett revealed, havi … Read the Full Article Here
Becoming a star and gaining a following isn’t easy in mixed martial arts, and it isn’t always based on pure skill. If skill was the only requirement to get fans to love you, people would be running into arenas during Demetrious Johnson’s fights i…
Becoming a star and gaining a following isn’t easy in mixed martial arts, and it isn’t always based on pure skill. If skill was the only requirement to get fans to love you, people would be running into arenas during Demetrious Johnson’s fights instead of out.
Certain fighters, though, have the ability to earn the hearts and minds of the MMA masses and attract a cult-like following. The phrase “Don’t be scared, homie” is almost a cliche at this point, ever since Nick Diazuttered the famous words in the EliteXC cage/Strikeforce cage.
Impromptu nicknames, catchphrases and other famous moments in time set a fighter apart in the minds of MMA fans, and once a guy has earned the fandom of the diehards, it’s hard to lose it.
Chris Weidman emphatically put away Anderson Silva twice, and people still thought they were both flukes. Sometimes, fighters can establish themselves as so over with fans that nothing can stop their momentum.
ConorMcGregor has had the fastest rise in UFC history next to Brock Lesnar, and a lot of it is due to his rabid Irish fanbase. He has proven himself to be a legitimate contender, but his fans preceded him.
Let us take a look at the five fighters with the biggest cult followings in mixed martial arts.
Before the UFC crowns its inaugural women’s strawweight champion on Friday night, two exciting lightweights will square off on the main card of The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale. Season 15 veteran Daron Cruickshank takes on Strikeforce and DREAM vet…
Before the UFC crowns its inaugural women’s strawweight champion on Friday night, two exciting lightweights will square off on the main card of The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale. Season 15 veteran Daron Cruickshank takes on Strikeforce and DREAM veteran K.J. Noons. The two are both known for their knockout power, and this fight should bring the violence.
Cruickshank is a second-degree black belt in taekwondo and is comfortable rushing forward with barrages of punches and kicks. He started off his professional mixed martial career in 2009 with a bang, winning by KO with a first-round spinning back fist, and hasn’t let off the gas since then. “The Detroit Superstar” has gone 3-1 inside the Octagon in 2014 and will undoubtedly be looking to close out the year with another highlight-reel performance.
Karl James Noons has been competing in martial arts since he was a teenager. He was an amateur Sanshou champion at age 17 and also has a professional boxing record of 11-2. He competed in both MMA and boxing until 2009, when he signed with Strikeforce as an MMA fighter. He went 3-4 in the Strikeforce cage but became a fan favorite for his fighting style and his part in the infamous “Don’t be scared homie” scene with Nick Diaz.
Noons is coming off a thunderous first-round knockout over Sam Stout back in April and will be looking for his third straight UFC win against Cruikshank. Before even making his UFC debut, he’s shared the cage with some very formidable foes in Nick Diaz, Yves Edwards, Jorge Masvidal and Josh Thomson, so he’s no stranger to tough competition.
Noons proved to any remaining skeptics in his UFC debut against Donald Cerrone that he certainly can take punishment. Against Cruikshank, we’re sure to find out just how much. Because if the fight goes all three rounds, he’s sure to eat some of Cruikshank’s best shots.
Nearly every strike Cruikshank throws is meant to finish the fight. He knocked Henry Martinez out with a superbly placed walk-off head kick in his second UFC fight back in 2012. He mauled Erik Koch with ground-and-pound back in May, and prior to that he wheel-kicked Mike Rio right off the UFC’s roster.
Cruikshank’s kicking game is some of the best in the division, and his offense is extremely high-volume. Plainly put: He fires off kicks like it’s going out of style. This is a matchup tailor-made for striking fans. A kickboxer with a black belt in kempo vs. a taekwondo black belt with several highlight-reel knockouts already on his resume. What more could UFC fans ask for?
In a crowded lightweight landscape, which currently houses the largest amount of fighters of any division in the UFC, it’s tough for unranked fighters to gain traction among fans. This fight is sure to provide the requisite amount of fireworks to keep both men in the consciousness of MMA fans and could be a breakout performance for one of them.
Merry Christmas from Wanderlei Silva.
In the MMA legend’s latest video, he announces his plan to help young fighters who stand to lose out on sponsorship money with the UFC’s new uniform contract with Reebok. Silva said he will open up his s…
In the MMA legend’s latest video, he announces his plan to help young fighters who stand to lose out on sponsorship money with the UFC’s new uniform contract with Reebok. Silva said he will open up his social media accounts to UFC athletes who send him videos pitching their sponsors.
“What can a young fighter offer to his sponsors, if not the space on their shorts?” Silva said. “To help, I am giving space on all my social media, which reaches millions of people.”
Silva said to make sure the videos sent are “good and creative” and he will select them to be posted to his Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts.
“Show your sponsors and I will post it to my friends,” Silva said. “That way you can offer a lot more exposure to your sponsors and even get new ones. And I want to ask the other fighters, our icons in the sport, to do the same as me and offer their space to up-and-comers.”
“The Axe Murderer,” who has been on an outspoken campaign against the UFC in recent months, didn’t outright rip the organization’s endorsement deal with Reebok. He just wants to make sure the fighters get 100 percent of the contract’s worth, as promised by UFC president Dana White. Silva said maybe his smear videos have helped change the UFC’s ways.
“They can see that it’s not working and maybe they’ve decided to do things different,” Silva said. “And hopefully they’ll start paying the athletes better. It’s a good attitude they are taking and I hope this is a good thing for the athletes. But it can’t only be good for the top fighters, it has to be good for the up-and-comers, too.”
Silva announced his retirement from MMA in September, but his hand was forced when the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) issued him an indefinite ban for evading a May drug test. In several videos Silva has put out since then, he has bashed the UFC for being a monopoly, underpaying fighters and ruining his love for the sport, among other things.
This latest video is the most positive Silva has put out and actually offered somewhat of a solution for the things he has been criticizing the UFC for.
“It’s the minimum we can do and for me it’s a pleasure to help the next generation,” Silva said. “I know what a fighter goes through until he can make a name for himself.”
UFC 181 ended on an extremely contentious note. Robbie Lawler became the first team member of American Top Team to earn a UFC title, and much of the MMA community is questioning the validity of that victory.
With their second close fight to close out 2…
UFC 181 ended on an extremely contentious note. Robbie Lawler became the first team member of American Top Team to earn a UFC title, and much of the MMA community is questioning the validity of that victory.
With their second close fight to close out 2014 now in the books, the UFC could score big by booking a trilogy fight between these two men in 2015.
Hendricks and Lawler provided fight fans with two of the biggest moments of the year. UFC 171 and UFC 181 were two of the closest title fights in the sport this year. As a result of the bouts, both men have gained fans for their rousing performances.
Fans know that they will get a fight that is exciting in different ways each time these men face off within the Octagon. With that in mind, UFC President Dana White has already started leaning toward that third bout.
If the action presented in their first two bouts is any indication, then White is 100 percent correct.
The UFC 171 fight ended with 308 significant strikes landed (via Fight Metric). UFC 181 closed out with 228 significant strikes landed but much more of a wider MMA offering, as Hendricks brought more out of his wrestling background (via Fight Metric).
The action in both fights went back and forth as the fight community was given the opportunity to see each competitor shine. They were the exact type of fights that build the fanbase for fighters at this level, and the UFC can capitalize by putting them together for the third time.
But what about Rory MacDonald? The Canadian fighter has made a strong string of performances and White seemed to indicate that MacDonald was in a position to receive a title shot.
“It’s pretty impossible to deny Rory that,” White told the Canadian Press in October. “Whoever comes out of that Hendricks-Lawler fight, [MacDonald] is the next guy in line.”
But that message changed during Saturday’s press conference, as White answered with “I have no idea” when questioned if MacDonald would still get the shot (via MMA Junkie). If MacDonald’s title shot is put on the back burner, the UFC should immediately move toward the third fight between Lawler and Hendricks with MacDonald getting a shot at the winner.
From a business standpoint, the third fight would strengthen what is already a strong slate of events to start 2015. According to Fight Parrot, UFC 171 ended with 300,000 PPV buys at a time when the UFC is struggling to keep steady above that rate.
The numbers for UFC 181 are still weeks away from being revealed, but if there is an increase, then booking the third fight would be justified further. Giving the two men 25 more minutes to work would benefit both their stock and the UFC brand as a whole.
Mixed martial arts has a few examples of rivalries that ended in trilogy bouts. Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler should be added to that list in 2015.
As UFC 181 came to a close it is clear that these two men have unfinished business when it comes to that welterweight title. The UFC would benefit and both fighters would grow if they’re given the opportunity to face each other once again.
Francisco Rivera will appeal his submission loss to Urijah Faber on Saturday night at UFC 181 in Las Vegas with the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC), Rivera told MMA Fighting.
Rivera said after discussing the situation with his manager Jason House, it was something he felt like he needed to do. In the second round, Faber clearly poked Rivera in the eye, sending Rivera up against the cage, covering his face noticeably in pain. Faber swarmed, landed punches and eventually cinched in a bulldog choke for the tapout victory at 1:34 of the round.
“When I felt it, I covered myself,” Rivera said. “I was trying to tell the ref: ‘My eye! My eye!’ I felt Faber hitting me. I couldn’t see. He was on my left side and I couldn’t see out of my left eye.”
Rivera said he had a hard time seeing anything for a while after the poke, even the replay of the finishing sequence while he was still in the Octagon. Doctors told him he has a laceration inside his eye and Rivera remained in pain hours after it happened Saturday night.
“I don’t know what the hell happened,” Rivera said. “It felt like all his fingers were in my eyes. That’s how bad it is.”
Eye pokes are obviously not allowed in MMA and when an illegal maneuver leads directly to a finish, the fight is usually ruled a no contest. There seemed to be some discussion among Yamasaki and officials after the Faber submission. In cases like this, a referee in Nevada is unable to use instant replay to change his decision. Referees’ rulings are also very rarely overturned by athletic commissions.
Rivera said he doesn’t think Faber intentionally poked him in the eye, but he’s positive that Faber felt it after it happened. That did not stop Faber from pouncing on a clearly disadvantaged opponent, not that Rivera blames him for it in the heat of battle.
“Everybody is making a big deal about how many [submissions] he has,” Rivera said. “It sucks for me. It’s not like he dropped me and subbed me. He really, really poked my eye. Accidental or not, what am I supposed to do, fight with my eyes closed?”
Rivera said he has already asked UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby for a rematch with Faber. Rivera said Shelby told him that possibility remains on the table and they would talk more Monday.
What makes the result even more agonizing for Rivera is that he was fighting very well against one of the best bantamweights in the world. All three judges scored the first round for Faber, but it was close and many media members thought Rivera won it. Faber was unable to execute his strategy of taking the knockout artist down and Rivera was gaining confidence.
“I thought that I was heading toward one of the best performances of my life,” Rivera said. “I was stuffing takedowns, using my movement, slowly picking him apart.
“I felt like I won that first round. I stuffed a few of his takedowns. I think he was freaked about that.”
Faber said afterward that he didn’t realize initially that it was an eye poke. “The California Kid,” who remained undefeated in his career in non-title fights, was somewhat apologetic.
“I just saw (the eye poke) on the replay,” Faber said. “I didn’t know it the minute I got him in the eye. That’s unfortunate. You don’t wish that on anyone. It’s unfortunate for him, but I go out there to finish fights.”
Rivera isn’t sure the appeal will work. If that fails, he’s still hoping for a rematch.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” Rivera said.
Francisco Rivera will appeal his submission loss to Urijah Faber on Saturday night at UFC 181 in Las Vegas with the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC), Rivera told MMA Fighting.
Rivera said after discussing the situation with his manager Jason House, it was something he felt like he needed to do. In the second round, Faber clearly poked Rivera in the eye, sending Rivera up against the cage, covering his face noticeably in pain. Faber swarmed, landed punches and eventually cinched in a bulldog choke for the tapout victory at 1:34 of the round.
“When I felt it, I covered myself,” Rivera said. “I was trying to tell the ref: ‘My eye! My eye!’ I felt Faber hitting me. I couldn’t see. He was on my left side and I couldn’t see out of my left eye.”
Rivera said he had a hard time seeing anything for a while after the poke, even the replay of the finishing sequence while he was still in the Octagon. Doctors told him he has a laceration inside his eye and Rivera remained in pain hours after it happened Saturday night.
“I don’t know what the hell happened,” Rivera said. “It felt like all his fingers were in my eyes. That’s how bad it is.”
Eye pokes are obviously not allowed in MMA and when an illegal maneuver leads directly to a finish, the fight is usually ruled a no contest. There seemed to be some discussion among Yamasaki and officials after the Faber submission. In cases like this, a referee in Nevada is unable to use instant replay to change his decision. Referees’ rulings are also very rarely overturned by athletic commissions.
Rivera said he doesn’t think Faber intentionally poked him in the eye, but he’s positive that Faber felt it after it happened. That did not stop Faber from pouncing on a clearly disadvantaged opponent, not that Rivera blames him for it in the heat of battle.
“Everybody is making a big deal about how many [submissions] he has,” Rivera said. “It sucks for me. It’s not like he dropped me and subbed me. He really, really poked my eye. Accidental or not, what am I supposed to do, fight with my eyes closed?”
Rivera said he has already asked UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby for a rematch with Faber. Rivera said Shelby told him that possibility remains on the table and they would talk more Monday.
What makes the result even more agonizing for Rivera is that he was fighting very well against one of the best bantamweights in the world. All three judges scored the first round for Faber, but it was close and many media members thought Rivera won it. Faber was unable to execute his strategy of taking the knockout artist down and Rivera was gaining confidence.
“I thought that I was heading toward one of the best performances of my life,” Rivera said. “I was stuffing takedowns, using my movement, slowly picking him apart.
“I felt like I won that first round. I stuffed a few of his takedowns. I think he was freaked about that.”
Faber said afterward that he didn’t realize initially that it was an eye poke. “The California Kid,” who remained undefeated in his career in non-title fights, was somewhat apologetic.
“I just saw (the eye poke) on the replay,” Faber said. “I didn’t know it the minute I got him in the eye. That’s unfortunate. You don’t wish that on anyone. It’s unfortunate for him, but I go out there to finish fights.”
Rivera isn’t sure the appeal will work. If that fails, he’s still hoping for a rematch.
Before the UFC crowns its inaugural women’s 
