Changing weight classes has become a mainstay in today’s MMA culture. Much like the Hollywood reboot, changing divisions remains one of the most valuable cards any fighter holds in his or her back pocket when things get rough.
Far too often are fighter…
Changing weight classes has become a mainstay in today’s MMA culture. Much like the Hollywood reboot, changing divisions remains one of the most valuable cards any fighter holds in his or her back pocket when things get rough.
Far too often are fighters plagued by simple things beyond their control.
Frankie Edgar saw that he no longer had a place amongst the UFC’s elite lightweights after dropping two-straight losses to former lightweight champion Benson Henderson. A change in division afforded him an immediate title shot, and a sea of fighters who would no longer dwarf him inside the cage.
Even fighters who’ve had sustained success in their natural weight classes have their own personal reasons to drop down. Take Daniel Cormier, for example, who dropped 30 pounds to challenge for the light heavyweight crown while his training partner Cain Velasquez holds onto his heavyweight crown.
Whether it’s because of competitive reasons or friendships, some fighters just need to create some ripples. Read on to see the top five fighters who should change divisions today.
Fresh from his victory in Dublin earlier this month, Ilir “The Sledgehammer” Latifi will step into the Octagon in front of his home fans to meet Jan Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night Stockholm.
Blachowicz will be making his UFC debut having been…
Fresh from his victory in Dublin earlier this month, Ilir “The Sledgehammer” Latifi will step into the Octagon in front of his home fans to meet Jan Blachowicz at UFC Fight Night Stockholm.
Blachowicz will be making his UFC debut having been a former light heavyweight champion in his native Poland. Latifi has finished his last two opponents inside the first round but Blachowicz will be eager to make his mark inside the UFC and silence the Swedish fans.”Last time I fought in Stockholm my preparations were minimal, but the audience was amazing. This time will be even better, and after … Read the Full Article Here
Whether you’re of the brand who only tunes in when Anderson Silva steps into the cage or the type that watches every single MMA event regardless of the shape of the cage, one thing is almost certain: most fight fans prefer their cage wars to be t…
Whether you’re of the brand who only tunes in when Anderson Silva steps into the cage or the type that watches every single MMA event regardless of the shape of the cage, one thing is almost certain: most fight fans prefer their cage wars to be the standup kind.
Most fans don’t want to see the LyotoMachida who picked his spots during the first three rounds in his title fight against Chris Weidman at UFC 175; they want to see the guy who threw caution to the wind in Rounds 4 and 5. They want the Machida who knew the only manner in which he could possibly walk out of the Octagon with Weidman’s gold would not come by way of an official’s objectivity, but by the most subjective method any ultimate fighter knows: the finish.
Really, there’s a reason most casual fans would rather watch any of the following fighters than sit through Demetrious Johnson’s next bout. For as undeniably skilled as Johnson is in every facet of the MMA game, he simply doesn’t have what it takes to captivate fans on a consistent basis.
Scroll on to see what fighters prefer to bite down on their mouthpiece and move forward than sit back and pick opponents apart.
Daniel Cormier will be stepping into the cage at UFC 178 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to face off against Jon Jones. Jones is the greatest pound-for-pound fighter the sport has ever seen, Cormier told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.&n…
Daniel Cormier will be stepping into the cage at UFC 178 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to face off against Jon Jones. Jones is the greatest pound-for-pound fighter the sport has ever seen, Cormier told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.
Facing off against the greatest fighter ever will be no easy task regardless of Cormier’s pedigree as an amateur wrestler in the Olympics and his impressive accomplishments in MMA. He’ll look to lean on longtime training partners at the American Kickboxing Academy to help prepare him for the biggest challenge of his MMA career.
I tell Jon Jones, show me two guys who can beat my two main training partners, Cain Velasquez and Luke Rockhold. You show me your two who are going to prepare you better than my two. So I’m going to rely on my guys, man. I’m going to rely on Cain, I’m going to rely on Luke to help me become the UFC champion. I’m going to reach out a little bit, but I’m not going to stray very far from my comfort zone.
Even with all of the talent that the American Kickboxing Academy has to offer, Cormier feels it would be in his best interest to seek out talent outside of the San Jose, California, gym—the “former champion” kind of talent.
“I’ve got some friends, and they put me in contact with some of the guys down in Southern California, with Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida,” Cormier first told Helwani. “I may down go there for a week.”
Long before fans became eager to see Cormier and Jones battle it out, they dreamed of the superfight that should have been—a bout between Silva and Jones that would have the true pound-for-pound king triumph against his greatest challenge.
It never happened.
Then came Machida, the only man before Alexander Gustafsson to challenge Jones inside of the cage (albeit for one round). He was quick enough to get past Jones’ pterodactyl-like reach and connect chin to leather. The champion’s force fields were penetrable, his demise was on the horizon.
That never happened, either.
Cormier steps in at UFC 178 to accomplish both—a superfight between the former Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix champion and the current UFC light heavyweight champion, and the opportunity to get past the reach before knocking the king off his throne.
Whether Cormier will be able to accomplish what is currently known as the impossible has yet to be determined—that reach really is no joke. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that Cormier’s knee holds up in the weeks before the bout, and Jones does his part in keeping this social media war alive.
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.
And just like that, July is coming to an end.
We were greeted with a highly anticipated title bout between the new middleweight emperor Chris Weidman and a valiant challenger in Lyoto Machida at UFC 176, only to be sent off toward August with an …
And just like that, July is coming to an end.
We were greeted with a highly anticipated title bout between the new middleweight emperor Chris Weidman and a valiant challenger in Lyoto Machida at UFC 176, only to be sent off toward August with an equally anticipated bout between Robbie Lawler and Matt Brown to determine the first man who will contest Johny Hendricks’ reign as the welterweight champion.
But, before we get to another action-packed month of ultimate fighting, it’s important we look back on the great month that was and acknowledge the great performances that were. Scroll on to see who receives performance bonuses for July.
