An enticing lightweight encounter between Anthony Pettis and Edson Barboza has been added to UFC 197 in Las Vegas on April 23rd.
A major fight announcement has been made for an upcoming UFC PPV in Las Vegas, Nevada. Former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will face Brazilian striker Edson Barboza at UFC 197 on April 23rd. UFC Tonight confirmed the news on Wednesday.
BREAKING: Anthony Pettis vs. Edson Barboza set for lightweight bout on April 23rd at UFC 197. Location TBA.
Pettis (18-4) is on a two-fight losing streak, having lost his lightweight title to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185, then dropping a lackluster split decision to Eddie Alvarez last month at UFC Fight Night in Boston. It’s virtually a must-win for Pettis if he has aspirations of re-gaining the title back. “Showtime” has been plagued by injuries, which is why he hasn’t fought twice in a calendar year since 2013, which saw him stop Donald Cerrone and capture the LW belt by tapping out Ben Henderson.
Barboza (16-4) suffered a d’arce choke loss to Tony Ferguson in an absolutely enthralling FOTN contest at the TUF 22 Finale in Las Vegas. The 30-year-old, best known for his wheel kick KO vs. Terry Etim in 2012, bested Paul Felder by unanimous decision last July, but lost a decision to Michael Johnson last February. Barboza is one of the most entertaining fighters at 155, having racked up 6 Fight of the Night bonuses over the course of his 14-fight career inside the Octagon.
UFC 197 is headlined by a pair of championship bouts, as Daniel Cormier rematches Jon Jones for the light heavyweight belt, while Demetrious Johnson defends his flyweight title against Henry Cejudo in the co-main event.
An enticing lightweight encounter between Anthony Pettis and Edson Barboza has been added to UFC 197 in Las Vegas on April 23rd.
A major fight announcement has been made for an upcoming UFC PPV in Las Vegas, Nevada. Former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will face Brazilian striker Edson Barboza at UFC 197 on April 23rd. UFC Tonight confirmed the news on Wednesday.
BREAKING: Anthony Pettis vs. Edson Barboza set for lightweight bout on April 23rd at UFC 197. Location TBA.
Pettis (18-4) is on a two-fight losing streak, having lost his lightweight title to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185, then dropping a lackluster split decision to Eddie Alvarez last month at UFC Fight Night in Boston. It’s virtually a must-win for Pettis if he has aspirations of re-gaining the title back. “Showtime” has been plagued by injuries, which is why he hasn’t fought twice in a calendar year since 2013, which saw him stop Donald Cerrone and capture the LW belt by tapping out Ben Henderson.
Barboza (16-4) suffered a d’arce choke loss to Tony Ferguson in an absolutely enthralling FOTN contest at the TUF 22 Finale in Las Vegas. The 30-year-old, best known for his wheel kick KO vs. Terry Etim in 2012, bested Paul Felder by unanimous decision last July, but lost a decision to Michael Johnson last February. Barboza is one of the most entertaining fighters at 155, having racked up 6 Fight of the Night bonuses over the course of his 14-fight career inside the Octagon.
UFC 197 is headlined by a pair of championship bouts, as Daniel Cormier rematches Jon Jones for the light heavyweight belt, while Demetrious Johnson defends his flyweight title against Henry Cejudo in the co-main event.
Bloody Elbow’s analytic coverage of UFC Fight Night this February 21, 2016 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Donald Cerrone will be taking on Alex Oliveira in a top 10 lightweight showdown with the usual assortment of veterans and prospects rounding out the main card cast.
A bunch of fights you’ll barely remember get the UFN 83 party started this February 21, 2016 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Alex Garcia -105 Sean Strickland -135 Daniel Sarafian -210 Oluwale Bamgbose +160 Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes +120 Anthony Smith -160 Jonavin Webb -260 Nathan Coy +180 Ashlee Evans-Smith +150 Marion Reneau -190 Anthony Hamilton +100 Shamil Abdurakhimov -140
The Rundown
Welterweight Alex Garcia vs. Sean Strickland
Strickland is still somewhat of a prospect. At 24 years of age, he’s got growing to do but at this point you have to wonder just what his ceiling projects to be. He doesn’t have the raw speed to be a sudden and violent fighter. And he doesn’t seem to have the cage personality to fight like an ‘Alpha Male’.
Across from him will be the 28 year old Dominican out of Tristar, Alex Garcia. Garcia has had a solid career for himself thus far. His only blemish outside of the UFC is to a UFC fighter in Seth Baczynski. And even in defeat, he displayed a talent that might have been able to overcome Seth had he used a better strategy.
Both guys will engage in the clinch, and potentially find their way into scrambles at some point. Garcia isn’t an active striker, but he’s a strong interval puncher. As in, he’s aware of his limitations, and strings punches together in pockets at a time. It’s not his bread and face melting butter, but he’s not lost on the feet even if he’s more uncomfortable there than he should.
It’s hard to say how these two will respond to each other’s styles. Strickland is the more fluid grappler while Garcia is the more invasive. What’s unfortunate about Strickland’s development is that his striking has, at least in my opinion, regressed. Before he had good counterpunching qualities and excellent clinch tactics via strikes. Now he’s trying to simplify his game too much and it’s constipating instead of liberating. I can’t glean much from Garcia’s win over Swick, as Swick is done. But I feel like Garcia’s strength should gain just enough advantages through the fight to offset Strickland’s conservative style.
Middleweight Daniel Sarafian vs. Oluwale Bamgbose
Sarafian missed all of last year thanks to injuries. The year before wasn’t exactly a holiday. He couldn’t put away Belfort’s protege, who everyone has been putting away, and he got ‘caught’ by Kiichi Kunimoto.
Sarafian seemed like a decent prospect but it’s clear he’s a gatekeeper at best. Being a gatekeeper isn’t a bad way to make a living. And he’ll try to continue making a living against the freewheeling Bamgbose. Bamgbose was last seen losing to Uriah Hall because a) Bamgbose is kind of limited and b) it was an awful stylistic matchup.
Bam likes to position himself below sea level, and then unleash winging shots with both hands. Theoretically, Sarafian should be able to close the distance and deal with Bamgbose on the ground. He’s a solid fighter on the ground when he’s able to close the distance, and find himself in top control. I actually expect him to have a little trouble early going (Bam isn’t a mindless striker even though his strikes look mindless at times), but once the five minute mark hits, I expect Sarafian to take over with his grappling.
Middleweight Anthony Smith vs. Leonardo Augusto Guimarães
Anthony Smith is a 27 year old veteran fighter who has had some nice tilts with Josh Neer. He’s coming in on very short notice to take on Leleco. Both guys are fighters who can sort of switch things up wherever they see fit. Leleco is capable on the ground, where I’d argue he’s more comfortable. Yet he fights in a way that betrays his ability. For example, he looks comfortable on the feet, yet his skills are pretty average. He’s got decent pop in his hands, and is more than willing to make the fight as dirty as possible. But he needs to fight to his strengths. Smith, short notice or not, is a big middleweight who can chamber that right hand quick enough to catch Leleco getting too comfortable.
Welterweight Jonavin Webb vs. Nathan Coy
Good fight. Both guys fight with conviction in their respective areas so it’ll be interesting to see who goes full tilt. Coy has been around for awhile, and his strength is the grappling department, where he’s all about top control wrestling. He has a few sneaky, quick, even powerful punches from his southpaw stance, but he tries to sneak them in rather than threaten, counter, or pressure with them.
On the other side is Webb. He’s an excellent grappler, but he’s an opportunistic one. He has a good pedigree outside of MMA, but in the cage it hasn’t translated to steady control throughout his bouts. He’ll have the edge in striking. Like his grappling, he’s opportunistic. He strings his punches together quickly, and with relative animus. He’s particularly good at winging shots in the pocket, but part of this comes from efficiency via bludgeoning. Both fighters are still somewhat raw. It’s a close fight. I don’t like the way Coy seems to eat shots despite how quickly he’s able to swoop in for takedowns, which tells me that he’s telegraphing too much. He’s a solid bet, but Webb has the advantages on the whole.
Women’s Bantamweight Marion Reneau vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith
I felt like Holly Holm wasn’t given enough credit for beating Reneau, who is probably one of the more underrated female fighters in the division. Marion put up a decent fight against Holm, all things considered (ignoring the obvious comparison to their respective outcomes). Well, not sure I’d use the word ‘decent’, but she was durable.
Reneau is 2-1 in the UFC thanks to her stout posture. She chambers strong kicks low, middle, and high. While she’s prone to chasing with her punches, her technique is serviceable in combination with her stature. I expect her to be able to deal with Evans-Smith, who fights a little too raw. Ashlee puts together punches in bunches, and showed serious moxie against Fallon Fox. But I don’t expect her brand of barfly besieging to get it done.
Heavyweight Anthony Hamilton vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
Finally, a Heavyweight fight! Wait. Oh right, a heavyweight fight. If one of these guys should fight for a title before Conor McGregor gets a shot at the belt. I want you guys to have totally expected it.
Shamil is a big guy who is much quicker than he looks. He paws with his left jab and lands good, lightning fast right hands at midrange. He mucks it up in the clinch pretty good as well. He’ll be facing off against Hamilton, who likes to sungraze with his right hand. Shamil is the more durable fighter, and should be able to land his right hand quicker than Todd Duffee did.
Predictions
Garcia by Split Decision
Sarafian by RNC, round 2
Smith by Decision
Webb by TKO, round 3
Renau by Decision
Abdurakhimov by TKO, round 1
Bloody Elbow’s analytic coverage of UFC Fight Night this February 21, 2016 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Donald Cerrone will be taking on Alex Oliveira in a top 10 lightweight showdown with the usual assortment of veterans and prospects rounding out the main card cast.
A bunch of fights you’ll barely remember get the UFN 83 party started this February 21, 2016 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Alex Garcia -105 Sean Strickland -135 Daniel Sarafian -210 Oluwale Bamgbose +160 Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes +120 Anthony Smith -160 Jonavin Webb -260 Nathan Coy +180 Ashlee Evans-Smith +150 Marion Reneau -190 Anthony Hamilton +100 Shamil Abdurakhimov -140
The Rundown
Welterweight Alex Garcia vs. Sean Strickland
Strickland is still somewhat of a prospect. At 24 years of age, he’s got growing to do but at this point you have to wonder just what his ceiling projects to be. He doesn’t have the raw speed to be a sudden and violent fighter. And he doesn’t seem to have the cage personality to fight like an ‘Alpha Male’.
Across from him will be the 28 year old Dominican out of Tristar, Alex Garcia. Garcia has had a solid career for himself thus far. His only blemish outside of the UFC is to a UFC fighter in Seth Baczynski. And even in defeat, he displayed a talent that might have been able to overcome Seth had he used a better strategy.
Both guys will engage in the clinch, and potentially find their way into scrambles at some point. Garcia isn’t an active striker, but he’s a strong interval puncher. As in, he’s aware of his limitations, and strings punches together in pockets at a time. It’s not his bread and face melting butter, but he’s not lost on the feet even if he’s more uncomfortable there than he should.
It’s hard to say how these two will respond to each other’s styles. Strickland is the more fluid grappler while Garcia is the more invasive. What’s unfortunate about Strickland’s development is that his striking has, at least in my opinion, regressed. Before he had good counterpunching qualities and excellent clinch tactics via strikes. Now he’s trying to simplify his game too much and it’s constipating instead of liberating. I can’t glean much from Garcia’s win over Swick, as Swick is done. But I feel like Garcia’s strength should gain just enough advantages through the fight to offset Strickland’s conservative style.
Middleweight Daniel Sarafian vs. Oluwale Bamgbose
Sarafian missed all of last year thanks to injuries. The year before wasn’t exactly a holiday. He couldn’t put away Belfort’s protege, who everyone has been putting away, and he got ‘caught’ by Kiichi Kunimoto.
Sarafian seemed like a decent prospect but it’s clear he’s a gatekeeper at best. Being a gatekeeper isn’t a bad way to make a living. And he’ll try to continue making a living against the freewheeling Bamgbose. Bamgbose was last seen losing to Uriah Hall because a) Bamgbose is kind of limited and b) it was an awful stylistic matchup.
Bam likes to position himself below sea level, and then unleash winging shots with both hands. Theoretically, Sarafian should be able to close the distance and deal with Bamgbose on the ground. He’s a solid fighter on the ground when he’s able to close the distance, and find himself in top control. I actually expect him to have a little trouble early going (Bam isn’t a mindless striker even though his strikes look mindless at times), but once the five minute mark hits, I expect Sarafian to take over with his grappling.
Middleweight Anthony Smith vs. Leonardo Augusto Guimarães
Anthony Smith is a 27 year old veteran fighter who has had some nice tilts with Josh Neer. He’s coming in on very short notice to take on Leleco. Both guys are fighters who can sort of switch things up wherever they see fit. Leleco is capable on the ground, where I’d argue he’s more comfortable. Yet he fights in a way that betrays his ability. For example, he looks comfortable on the feet, yet his skills are pretty average. He’s got decent pop in his hands, and is more than willing to make the fight as dirty as possible. But he needs to fight to his strengths. Smith, short notice or not, is a big middleweight who can chamber that right hand quick enough to catch Leleco getting too comfortable.
Welterweight Jonavin Webb vs. Nathan Coy
Good fight. Both guys fight with conviction in their respective areas so it’ll be interesting to see who goes full tilt. Coy has been around for awhile, and his strength is the grappling department, where he’s all about top control wrestling. He has a few sneaky, quick, even powerful punches from his southpaw stance, but he tries to sneak them in rather than threaten, counter, or pressure with them.
On the other side is Webb. He’s an excellent grappler, but he’s an opportunistic one. He has a good pedigree outside of MMA, but in the cage it hasn’t translated to steady control throughout his bouts. He’ll have the edge in striking. Like his grappling, he’s opportunistic. He strings his punches together quickly, and with relative animus. He’s particularly good at winging shots in the pocket, but part of this comes from efficiency via bludgeoning. Both fighters are still somewhat raw. It’s a close fight. I don’t like the way Coy seems to eat shots despite how quickly he’s able to swoop in for takedowns, which tells me that he’s telegraphing too much. He’s a solid bet, but Webb has the advantages on the whole.
Women’s Bantamweight Marion Reneau vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith
I felt like Holly Holm wasn’t given enough credit for beating Reneau, who is probably one of the more underrated female fighters in the division. Marion put up a decent fight against Holm, all things considered (ignoring the obvious comparison to their respective outcomes). Well, not sure I’d use the word ‘decent’, but she was durable.
Reneau is 2-1 in the UFC thanks to her stout posture. She chambers strong kicks low, middle, and high. While she’s prone to chasing with her punches, her technique is serviceable in combination with her stature. I expect her to be able to deal with Evans-Smith, who fights a little too raw. Ashlee puts together punches in bunches, and showed serious moxie against Fallon Fox. But I don’t expect her brand of barfly besieging to get it done.
Heavyweight Anthony Hamilton vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
Finally, a Heavyweight fight! Wait. Oh right, a heavyweight fight. If one of these guys should fight for a title before Conor McGregor gets a shot at the belt. I want you guys to have totally expected it.
Shamil is a big guy who is much quicker than he looks. He paws with his left jab and lands good, lightning fast right hands at midrange. He mucks it up in the clinch pretty good as well. He’ll be facing off against Hamilton, who likes to sungraze with his right hand. Shamil is the more durable fighter, and should be able to land his right hand quicker than Todd Duffee did.
Bloody Elbow’s analytic coverage of UFC Fight Night this February 21, 2016 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Donald Cerrone will be taking on Alex Oliveira in a top 10 lightweight showdown with the usual assortment of veterans and prospects rounding out the main card cast.
A bunch of fights you’ll barely remember get the UFN 83 party started this February 21, 2016 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Alex Garcia -105 Sean Strickland -135 Daniel Sarafian -210 Oluwale Bamgbose +160 Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes +120 Anthony Smith -160 Jonavin Webb -260 Nathan Coy +180 Ashlee Evans-Smith +150 Marion Reneau -190 Anthony Hamilton +100 Shamil Abdurakhimov -140
The Rundown
Welterweight Alex Garcia vs. Sean Strickland
Strickland is still somewhat of a prospect. At 24 years of age, he’s got growing to do but at this point you have to wonder just what his ceiling projects to be. He doesn’t have the raw speed to be a sudden and violent fighter. And he doesn’t seem to have the cage personality to fight like an ‘Alpha Male’.
Across from him will be the 28 year old Dominican out of Tristar, Alex Garcia. Garcia has had a solid career for himself thus far. His only blemish outside of the UFC is to a UFC fighter in Seth Baczynski. And even in defeat, he displayed a talent that might have been able to overcome Seth had he used a better strategy.
Both guys will engage in the clinch, and potentially find their way into scrambles at some point. Garcia isn’t an active striker, but he’s a strong interval puncher. As in, he’s aware of his limitations, and strings punches together in pockets at a time. It’s not his bread and face melting butter, but he’s not lost on the feet even if he’s more uncomfortable there than he should.
It’s hard to say how these two will respond to each other’s styles. Strickland is the more fluid grappler while Garcia is the more invasive. What’s unfortunate about Strickland’s development is that his striking has, at least in my opinion, regressed. Before he had good counterpunching qualities and excellent clinch tactics via strikes. Now he’s trying to simplify his game too much and it’s constipating instead of liberating. I can’t glean much from Garcia’s win over Swick, as Swick is done. But I feel like Garcia’s strength should gain just enough advantages through the fight to offset Strickland’s conservative style.
Middleweight Daniel Sarafian vs. Oluwale Bamgbose
Sarafian missed all of last year thanks to injuries. The year before wasn’t exactly a holiday. He couldn’t put away Belfort’s protege, who everyone has been putting away, and he got ‘caught’ by Kiichi Kunimoto.
Sarafian seemed like a decent prospect but it’s clear he’s a gatekeeper at best. Being a gatekeeper isn’t a bad way to make a living. And he’ll try to continue making a living against the freewheeling Bamgbose. Bamgbose was last seen losing to Uriah Hall because a) Bamgbose is kind of limited and b) it was an awful stylistic matchup.
Bam likes to position himself below sea level, and then unleash winging shots with both hands. Theoretically, Sarafian should be able to close the distance and deal with Bamgbose on the ground. He’s a solid fighter on the ground when he’s able to close the distance, and find himself in top control. I actually expect him to have a little trouble early going (Bam isn’t a mindless striker even though his strikes look mindless at times), but once the five minute mark hits, I expect Sarafian to take over with his grappling.
Middleweight Anthony Smith vs. Leonardo Augusto Guimarães
Anthony Smith is a 27 year old veteran fighter who has had some nice tilts with Josh Neer. He’s coming in on very short notice to take on Leleco. Both guys are fighters who can sort of switch things up wherever they see fit. Leleco is capable on the ground, where I’d argue he’s more comfortable. Yet he fights in a way that betrays his ability. For example, he looks comfortable on the feet, yet his skills are pretty average. He’s got decent pop in his hands, and is more than willing to make the fight as dirty as possible. But he needs to fight to his strengths. Smith, short notice or not, is a big middleweight who can chamber that right hand quick enough to catch Leleco getting too comfortable.
Welterweight Jonavin Webb vs. Nathan Coy
Good fight. Both guys fight with conviction in their respective areas so it’ll be interesting to see who goes full tilt. Coy has been around for awhile, and his strength is the grappling department, where he’s all about top control wrestling. He has a few sneaky, quick, even powerful punches from his southpaw stance, but he tries to sneak them in rather than threaten, counter, or pressure with them.
On the other side is Webb. He’s an excellent grappler, but he’s an opportunistic one. He has a good pedigree outside of MMA, but in the cage it hasn’t translated to steady control throughout his bouts. He’ll have the edge in striking. Like his grappling, he’s opportunistic. He strings his punches together quickly, and with relative animus. He’s particularly good at winging shots in the pocket, but part of this comes from efficiency via bludgeoning. Both fighters are still somewhat raw. It’s a close fight. I don’t like the way Coy seems to eat shots despite how quickly he’s able to swoop in for takedowns, which tells me that he’s telegraphing too much. He’s a solid bet, but Webb has the advantages on the whole.
Women’s Bantamweight Marion Reneau vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith
I felt like Holly Holm wasn’t given enough credit for beating Reneau, who is probably one of the more underrated female fighters in the division. Marion put up a decent fight against Holm, all things considered (ignoring the obvious comparison to their respective outcomes). Well, not sure I’d use the word ‘decent’, but she was durable.
Reneau is 2-1 in the UFC thanks to her stout posture. She chambers strong kicks low, middle, and high. While she’s prone to chasing with her punches, her technique is serviceable in combination with her stature. I expect her to be able to deal with Evans-Smith, who fights a little too raw. Ashlee puts together punches in bunches, and showed serious moxie against Fallon Fox. But I don’t expect her brand of barfly besieging to get it done.
Heavyweight Anthony Hamilton vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
Finally, a Heavyweight fight! Wait. Oh right, a heavyweight fight. If one of these guys should fight for a title before Conor McGregor gets a shot at the belt. I want you guys to have totally expected it.
Shamil is a big guy who is much quicker than he looks. He paws with his left jab and lands good, lightning fast right hands at midrange. He mucks it up in the clinch pretty good as well. He’ll be facing off against Hamilton, who likes to sungraze with his right hand. Shamil is the more durable fighter, and should be able to land his right hand quicker than Todd Duffee did.
Predictions
Garcia by Split Decision
Sarafian by RNC, round 2
Smith by Decision
Webb by TKO, round 3
Renau by Decision
Abdurakhimov by TKO, round 1
Bloody Elbow’s analytic coverage of UFC Fight Night this February 21, 2016 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Donald Cerrone will be taking on Alex Oliveira in a top 10 lightweight showdown with the usual assortment of veterans and prospects rounding out the main card cast.
A bunch of fights you’ll barely remember get the UFN 83 party started this February 21, 2016 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Alex Garcia -105 Sean Strickland -135 Daniel Sarafian -210 Oluwale Bamgbose +160 Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes +120 Anthony Smith -160 Jonavin Webb -260 Nathan Coy +180 Ashlee Evans-Smith +150 Marion Reneau -190 Anthony Hamilton +100 Shamil Abdurakhimov -140
The Rundown
Welterweight Alex Garcia vs. Sean Strickland
Strickland is still somewhat of a prospect. At 24 years of age, he’s got growing to do but at this point you have to wonder just what his ceiling projects to be. He doesn’t have the raw speed to be a sudden and violent fighter. And he doesn’t seem to have the cage personality to fight like an ‘Alpha Male’.
Across from him will be the 28 year old Dominican out of Tristar, Alex Garcia. Garcia has had a solid career for himself thus far. His only blemish outside of the UFC is to a UFC fighter in Seth Baczynski. And even in defeat, he displayed a talent that might have been able to overcome Seth had he used a better strategy.
Both guys will engage in the clinch, and potentially find their way into scrambles at some point. Garcia isn’t an active striker, but he’s a strong interval puncher. As in, he’s aware of his limitations, and strings punches together in pockets at a time. It’s not his bread and face melting butter, but he’s not lost on the feet even if he’s more uncomfortable there than he should.
It’s hard to say how these two will respond to each other’s styles. Strickland is the more fluid grappler while Garcia is the more invasive. What’s unfortunate about Strickland’s development is that his striking has, at least in my opinion, regressed. Before he had good counterpunching qualities and excellent clinch tactics via strikes. Now he’s trying to simplify his game too much and it’s constipating instead of liberating. I can’t glean much from Garcia’s win over Swick, as Swick is done. But I feel like Garcia’s strength should gain just enough advantages through the fight to offset Strickland’s conservative style.
Middleweight Daniel Sarafian vs. Oluwale Bamgbose
Sarafian missed all of last year thanks to injuries. The year before wasn’t exactly a holiday. He couldn’t put away Belfort’s protege, who everyone has been putting away, and he got ‘caught’ by Kiichi Kunimoto.
Sarafian seemed like a decent prospect but it’s clear he’s a gatekeeper at best. Being a gatekeeper isn’t a bad way to make a living. And he’ll try to continue making a living against the freewheeling Bamgbose. Bamgbose was last seen losing to Uriah Hall because a) Bamgbose is kind of limited and b) it was an awful stylistic matchup.
Bam likes to position himself below sea level, and then unleash winging shots with both hands. Theoretically, Sarafian should be able to close the distance and deal with Bamgbose on the ground. He’s a solid fighter on the ground when he’s able to close the distance, and find himself in top control. I actually expect him to have a little trouble early going (Bam isn’t a mindless striker even though his strikes look mindless at times), but once the five minute mark hits, I expect Sarafian to take over with his grappling.
Middleweight Anthony Smith vs. Leonardo Augusto Guimarães
Anthony Smith is a 27 year old veteran fighter who has had some nice tilts with Josh Neer. He’s coming in on very short notice to take on Leleco. Both guys are fighters who can sort of switch things up wherever they see fit. Leleco is capable on the ground, where I’d argue he’s more comfortable. Yet he fights in a way that betrays his ability. For example, he looks comfortable on the feet, yet his skills are pretty average. He’s got decent pop in his hands, and is more than willing to make the fight as dirty as possible. But he needs to fight to his strengths. Smith, short notice or not, is a big middleweight who can chamber that right hand quick enough to catch Leleco getting too comfortable.
Welterweight Jonavin Webb vs. Nathan Coy
Good fight. Both guys fight with conviction in their respective areas so it’ll be interesting to see who goes full tilt. Coy has been around for awhile, and his strength is the grappling department, where he’s all about top control wrestling. He has a few sneaky, quick, even powerful punches from his southpaw stance, but he tries to sneak them in rather than threaten, counter, or pressure with them.
On the other side is Webb. He’s an excellent grappler, but he’s an opportunistic one. He has a good pedigree outside of MMA, but in the cage it hasn’t translated to steady control throughout his bouts. He’ll have the edge in striking. Like his grappling, he’s opportunistic. He strings his punches together quickly, and with relative animus. He’s particularly good at winging shots in the pocket, but part of this comes from efficiency via bludgeoning. Both fighters are still somewhat raw. It’s a close fight. I don’t like the way Coy seems to eat shots despite how quickly he’s able to swoop in for takedowns, which tells me that he’s telegraphing too much. He’s a solid bet, but Webb has the advantages on the whole.
Women’s Bantamweight Marion Reneau vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith
I felt like Holly Holm wasn’t given enough credit for beating Reneau, who is probably one of the more underrated female fighters in the division. Marion put up a decent fight against Holm, all things considered (ignoring the obvious comparison to their respective outcomes). Well, not sure I’d use the word ‘decent’, but she was durable.
Reneau is 2-1 in the UFC thanks to her stout posture. She chambers strong kicks low, middle, and high. While she’s prone to chasing with her punches, her technique is serviceable in combination with her stature. I expect her to be able to deal with Evans-Smith, who fights a little too raw. Ashlee puts together punches in bunches, and showed serious moxie against Fallon Fox. But I don’t expect her brand of barfly besieging to get it done.
Heavyweight Anthony Hamilton vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov
Finally, a Heavyweight fight! Wait. Oh right, a heavyweight fight. If one of these guys should fight for a title before Conor McGregor gets a shot at the belt. I want you guys to have totally expected it.
Shamil is a big guy who is much quicker than he looks. He paws with his left jab and lands good, lightning fast right hands at midrange. He mucks it up in the clinch pretty good as well. He’ll be facing off against Hamilton, who likes to sungraze with his right hand. Shamil is the more durable fighter, and should be able to land his right hand quicker than Todd Duffee did.
Cody Garbrandt and Augusto Mendes will collide this Sunday (Feb. 21, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 83 inside Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In a match up of knockout artist and submission fighter, what adjustments must be made …
Cody Garbrandt and Augusto Mendes will collide this Sunday (Feb. 21, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 83 inside Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In a match up of knockout artist and submission fighter, what adjustments must be made for either man to claim victory? Find out below!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight prospects Cody Garbrandt and Augusto Mendes will clash this Sunday (Feb. 21, 2016) at UFC Fight Night 83 inside Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Unbeaten as a professional, Garbrandt was set to receive an important step up in competition against his first ranked opponent, John Lineker. However, the brawler fell ill to Dengue Fever, setting up Garbrandt to instead scrap with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu master.
Also undefeated, Mendes is just five fights into his mixed martial arts (MMA) career, but has a deep background in jiu-jitsu competition. Taking the fight on just six days notice, “Tanquinho” is looking to make an immediate name for himself.
Let’s take a look at the keys to victory for each fighter:
Cody Garbrandt Record: 7-0 Key Wins: Marcus Brimage (UFC 182), Henry Briones (UFC 189) Key Losses: None Keys to Victory: A rather successful amateur boxer and wrestler, Garbrandt was picked up by UFC after just five fights. Thus far, the 24-year-old fighter has lived up to his “prospect” label, defeating both of his UFC opponents without much issue.
Outside of his most recent win, Garbrandt has won each of his fights via knockout.
In this bout, it’s important that Garbrandt remains patient and fights smart early. Luckily, Garbrandt’s game plan is fairly obvious, as this is a definite sprawl-and-brawl situation.
His opponent only has one path to victory, and that’s to tie “No Love” up and force him to the mat. Therefore, Garbrandt should focus on utilizing his footwork and strikes to maintain distance, keeping his opponent uncomfortable with quick strikes.
“Tanquinho” is not yet a developed striker and is taking this on short notice, so attempting to trade with and track Garbrandt down will he tire him out and cause his takedown attempts to become less effective. Once that happens, the Team Alpha Male representative can up the aggression and look for another knockout victory.
VS.
Augusto Mendes Record: 5-0 Key Wins: None Key Losses: None Keys to Victory: Mendes is one of the most decorated jiu-jitsu fighters on the roster, having won both the gi- and no-gi worlds and placed in the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) grappling tournament. That said, how the rest of his game stacks up against top competition remains to be seen.
However, this isn’t the fight to find that out.
On short notice against another top prospect, Mendes needs to stick to his roots and look to overwhelm his opponent with his grappling. Even if he did have a full camp, that’s his best chance at success anyway.
In this situation, Mendes needs to start quickly. If he comes out slowly and lets his opponent find his range and start getting off on punches, he’s making his own life more difficult.
Instead, “Tanquinho” has to rush his opponent and force the issue. If he’s unable to score with traditional takedowns, rolling for a leg lock or attempting to skip some steps and jump onto the back from the clinch should be considered.
To win this bout, Mendes has to find a way to make it a jiu-jitsu battle.
Bottom Line: This is an important battle between two of the Bantamweight division’s finest up-and-comers.
Originally, this was a far more high-profile bout for Garbrandt, as Lineker is a fairly well-known and proven fighter. Because of that, the reward for victory would’ve been far greater. Regardless, this is tough opponent and on the main card, so Garbrandt can make the most of it by reminding fight fans of his knockout ability.
On the other hand, a loss would place Garbrandt in a strange position. It obviously wouldn’t help him move up the divisional ladder, but Mendes is pretty much the stylistic opposite of Lineker. Along with the short notice of the bout, that would earn “No Love” some lenience.
While Mendes is young in his MMA career, he is 32 years old. Therefore, he likely doesn’t have the longest career ahead of him, so making an impact early is vital for the Brazilian.
There’s no better way to do just that then by taking a short-notice victory over a top prospect.
Alternatively, a loss is definitely excusable. Facing Garbrandt on less than one week’s notice is a tough task for anyone in the division, so “Tanquinho” will not be judged too harshly if he comes up short in his debut.
At UFC Fight Night 83, Cody Garbrandt and Augusto Mendes will throw down. Which fighter will have his hand raised?
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo is still speaking his mind when it comes to UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor. Aldo, who lost to McGregor in just seconds at UFC 194, believes that McGregor will lose to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196 when they fight for the lightweight title. “I expect a win from
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo is still speaking his mind when it comes to UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
Aldo, who lost to McGregor in just seconds at UFC 194, believes that McGregor will lose to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196 when they fight for the lightweight title.
“I expect a win from dos Anjos,” Aldo said. “I’m a patriot Brazilian, and I will always root for a Brazilian no matter what. I will root for him. I wish him all the luck, I hope he wins.”
McGregor is rumored to move up to welterweight if he beats Anjos and challenge Robbie Lawler for the title. Aldo told media in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday that McGregor will not hold a title by the end of 2016.
“I think it’s tough,” Aldo said when asked if he thinks McGregor can beat dos Anjos and go after the welterweight title next. “And I’ll say this: I don’t think he will have any belt by the end of the year. And everyone will forget him. He has this dream, this goal, but you can be sure that he won’t have any (belt) by the end of the year.”
“A fight is a fight, and you have to respect the other side,” Aldo added, “but I see Rafael with the (lightweight) belt and the (featherweight) belt back to me. That’s a fact.”
The UFC is expected to give Aldo rematch with McGregor later this year.
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Hey everybody, thanks for reading MMANews.com. We’re in the process of shaking up our writing team to improve our coverage of this unique sport we all love and to better serve our audience.
If you love MMA and want to get paid to write about it, email [email protected]. Send writing samples if available.
Thank you again for reading MMANews.com, leave a comment below to give us feedback on the site.
