The minds behind the UFC are determined to use foreign fighters such as Alexander Gustafsson, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dong Hyun Kim to take their product worldwide. These athletes are just three of the top five foreign fighters who will help expand the…
The minds behind the UFC are determined to use foreign fighters such as Alexander Gustafsson, KhabibNurmagomedov and Dong Hyun Kim to take their product worldwide. These athletes are just three of the top five foreign fighters who will help expand the product in new markets.
The UFC roster is comprised of many competitors from across the world. While American-born fighters are still dominating the title scene, there is great value in the competitors who are popular on foreign soil.
These top five fighters are not only the individuals who are consistently winning, but they also present the most promotional value in critical areas of expansion. These athletes are winning their bouts while promoting themselves to the desires of fight fans.
These are fighters who are not born in either the United States or Brazil, which are already highly profitable markets for the UFC.
Even before entering the Octagon at UFC 174 on Saturday, June 14 with Ali Bagautiniov, Demetrious Johnson already stands as the best flyweight the world has ever seen.
Best flyweight or not, Johnson isn’t nearly as popular as the remaining crop o…
Even before entering the Octagon at UFC 174 on Saturday, June 14 with Ali Bagautiniov, Demetrious Johnson already stands as the best flyweight the world has ever seen.
Best flyweight or not, Johnson isn’t nearly as popular as the remaining crop of heavier UFC champions.
The simple answer: He’s just a great fighter, and great fighters alone just don’t sell anymore.
The complicated answer: Keep reading.
He poses some of the best footwork of any MMA fighter. He’s arguably the fastest man to ever grace the Octagon. He’s been as dominant as any one of his heavier counterparts, but he’s 125 pounds—and casual fans just can’t find the time to tune in for a 125-pound man.
It may not just be his weight, though—he also doesn’t finish fights in the UFC.
Currently listed as the UFC’s No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Johnson is heading into his fourth-straight title defense while seeking his third-straight, and third overall, finish inside the Octagon.
At 19-2, it’s not as if Johnson doesn’t know how to finish fights—four of his victories have come by TKO and seven by submission. Johnson’s, as well as the UFC’s, biggest issue is that Johnson collected most of those inherently dominant victories on his road to the Octagon, not inside of it.
Interestingly enough, Johnson only collected three of his eight decision victories outside of the UFC. Whether it was the boost in competition or the pressure of fighting inside the Octagon, Johnson’s hardly considered a finisher inside the UFC’s flyweight division.
It’s not as if his decision victories are anywhere near as boring to fans as those by Ben Askren or Jon Fitch. Just check out his performance in the split-decision victory against Joseph Benavidez:
Casual fans are barely getting to know him as the man who submitted John Moraga in the fifth round of an already dominant performance. They’re still trying to realize if it was actually Johnson who knocked Benavidez out in the first round of their highly anticipated rematch.
Before those two flashy victories, Johnson was riding a seven-fight unbeaten streak—all of which kept the scorecards completely filled out.
Very rarely do scorecards serve as a reminder of how exciting a fight was. Fans don’t like them, the UFC doesn’t like them, and Johnson shouldn’t like them.
Whether or not Johnson is ready to assume a popular role in the UFC is hardly the issue, they’re pushing him hard. Johnson’s only fought on a UFC pay-per-view card three times in his nine fights with the promotion—he wasn’t even the main event. Now, two years after he started carrying around the strap, Johnson is finally headlining a pay-per-view event of his own.
Widely considered the favorite, Johnson likely keeps his strap on Saturday night. The UFC just has to hope that enough people fork over the money to watch this guy perform in order to sell him as somebody people want to see.
UFC Fight Night 42 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was a big night for Benson Henderson, as the former lightweight champion scored his first stoppage victory inside the Octagon. His fourth-round rear-naked choke of Rustam Khabilov showed us that Henderson …
UFC Fight Night 42 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was a big night for Benson Henderson, as the former lightweight champion scored his first stoppage victory inside the Octagon. His fourth-round rear-naked choke of Rustam Khabilov showed us that Henderson is capable of more than simply doing enough to earn a decision, cementing his spot at No. 1 in the UFC’s rankings.
Is Henderson evolving into a full-blown finisher? That much remains to be seen. While we don’t know whom he’ll face in his next outing, we know it won’t be Anthony Pettis, who is currently gearing up to coach the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Gilbert Melendez.
The two opposing coaches will face off for the lightweight title at the end of the year, leaving Henderson to continue his uphill march back to contention. With most of the lightweight heap already booked in upcoming fights, who should be next for Henderson?
Should he wait for the winner of one of the highly anticipated lightweight scraps taking place over the next two months? Or should he take on someone who doesn’t currently have a dance partner?
Should he take on someone down the ladder a bit, such as Joe Lauzon or Myles Jury? Or should he go toe-to-toe with Khabib Nurmagomedov or Rafael dos Anjos?
Let’s take a look at five options for Henderson’s next opponent.
Last Saturday marked the UFC’s first ever show in Albuquerque, the New Mexico city that has become a magnet for elite MMA fighters.
In the show’s main event, Benson Henderson further asserted himself as a top lightweight with a fourth-roun…
Last Saturday marked the UFC’s first ever show in Albuquerque, the New Mexico city that has become a magnet for elite MMA fighters.
In the show’s main event, Benson Henderson further asserted himself as a top lightweight with a fourth-round submission victory over RustamKhabilov.
The win—Henderson’s first finish in nine UFC victories—has sparked debate on exactly who is in the top tier of the lightweight division and what matches should take place between that division’s elite.
In the post-fight interview, the former UFC lightweight champion issued a challenge to fellow lightweights who want a title shot.
“The belt’s not being defended,” Henderson said. “Anybody that wants to fight for the belt, come see me.”
With Anthony Pettis, the division’s champion, currently coaching The Ultimate Fighter alongside future title challenger Gilbert Melendez, Henderson may be used as the man others may have to get past to fight for a future title shot. Like a taxi service to the title.
Bendo may also become the perennial gatekeeper due to the fact that his previous two losses came against the same man: Pettis.
Right now, those losses may make it difficult to sell a third fight against Pettis, but there are a few other solid lightweights who may be up to the task of going toe-to-toe with Bendo.
One fighter who springs to mind is KhabibNurmagomedov. Undefeated in 22 MMA fights (6-0 UFC), the Russian currently boasts one of the most stellar records in MMA and has made it no secret that he wants the belt.
Nurmagomedov is coming off a solid win against Top 10 fighter Rafael dos Anjos and has put himself in a good position for a fight to determine the No. 1 contender. Such a fight could be against Henderson, who is currently ranked first in the UFC lightweight division.
However, Bendo and Nurmagomedov are not the only fighters (besides Pettis and Melendez) in the top tier of the UFC’s lightweight division. The winner of next month’s fight between Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone will also be held in high regard.
Both Miller and Cerrone have previously fought Henderson, and both fighters lost. Cerrone, however, last fought Bendo over four years ago while Miller’s loss came nearly three years ago.
Miller and Cerrone have remained solid fighters since those losses, which makes a Miller or Cerrone vs. Bendo rematch highly viable.
The winner does not necessarily have to fight Henderson, though. Josh Thomson came off a controversial split-decision loss to Bendo in January and is set to fight Michael Johnson next month.
A dominant win by Thomson would likely put him back in the title hunt, and a win by Johnson will secure the TUF12 alumnus a place in the Top 10.
Although Pettis’s next title challenge won’t take place until the end of the year, the UFC lightweight division remains highly interesting and highly competitive.
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones should consider himself to be that much closer to mainstream star status. He’s reached a point where his every move is criticized and debated among “experts” within the world of mixed martial arts. H…
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones should consider himself to be that much closer to mainstream star status. He’s reached a point where his every move is criticized and debated among “experts” within the world of mixed martial arts. His latest social media issues has the whole MMA community talking about in him an interesting fashion. Whether it’s Daniel Cormier or Alexander Gustafsson standing across from him in his next Octagon appearance, the fact remains that Jon Jones should embrace his role as a hated champion.
In the last few days Jones seemed unable to escape controversy, even though he’s sitting on the sideline.
First, there is the situation in which the 26-year-old champion still has not signed a renewal deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The promotion hopes to have Jones face off against Gustafsson in a rematch of their 2013 critically acclaimed fight towards the end of 2014. However, the champion refuses to sign the proposed deal for reasons that have not been released.
What Jones has made public is the fact that he would like to face Daniel Cormier instead of Alexander. This move has brought about the ire of the sports’ fanbase who claim he is ducking the man that nearly beat him at UFC 165. This is where the second controversy comes into play.
Jones took to Instagram to express his disbelief in the way fans have responded to his desire to fight Cormier instead of Gustafsson. Cormier is an undefeated fighter who has come down from heavyweight and has been calling out Jones for the span of months. Jake Silver of Bleacher Report caught the video right after the champion deleted it in which he gives snide remarks towards those who have claimed he is ducking the Swedish contender.
The validity of the statement aside, this is yet another situation in which Jones has placed himself in a position to be hated by fight fans. Since winning the title back in 2011, there has been a consistent stream of criticism sent Jones’ way. Whether it’s the comments about him being “fake,” to his DUI arrest and his complaining about not being properly promoted as mentioned by Yahoo Sports’ Paul Putignano, Jones continues to mess up when it comes to becoming endeared by the fans.
That’s where the real issue lies. In the end, Jones should not care what the public thinks of him as a professional. His job is to walk into the Octagon and compete and doing everything within the rules to keep the title around his waist. What fans think of him as a person outside of the cage is a moot point. In fact, Jones should truly embrace the role of the bad guy in an attempt to maximize his earning potential as a professional athlete.
For an example of someone who’s already made such a transition, one has to look only as far as Floyd “Money” Mayweather. The boxing kingpin was once a “good guy” in boxing when he carried the nickname “Pretty Boy.” However, that never translated into financial success for the fighter. When he embraced his heel role and became the boisterous personality that he is today, the hatred for this persona grew. His bank account did at the same time. Now, Floyd is one of the highest-earning athletes each year and that trend continues to grow.
Jones doesn’t have to go to such great extents to build the same reputation, but as long as he continues to perform in the cage there isn’t any reason why he should work so hard for fans to love him. They have already proven that it will not happen no matter how dominant he is in the cage. Continuing to win while no longer trying to work so hard to say the right thing will have an impact on Jones’s career both in and outside of the Octagon.
A few weeks back, Jon Jones was complaining that he wasn’t as well promoted as athletes such as Ronda Rousey. This latest Instagram problem should be the last straw that pushes the current champion into a full heel personality. If fight fans don’t want to like him for whatever reason, then embrace it. This isn’t professional wrestling but there is value in being hated by the paying viewers. The point is for Jones to build himself into a fighter that the people will pay to see for one reason or another. There are those who will pay to see him win and those that will pay to see him lose. The end result is that he will make the most out of his career, regardless what the people say about him as a person.
The summer of 2014 will be a monumental stretch for the UFC. With 15 fight cards between now and September, the number of relevant fights taking place inside the Octagon is dizzying. MMA fans will no doubt want to leave the house this summer, so unders…
The summer of 2014 will be a monumental stretch for the UFC. With 15 fight cards between now and September, the number of relevant fights taking place inside the Octagon is dizzying. MMA fans will no doubt want to leave the house this summer, so understanding which events are “must-see” and which ones are DVR-able is very important for those who enjoy the light of day.
Ultimately, fight fans will have to decide which cards to sit inside and enjoy and which ones to skip, and all we can do here is make the case for which events matter more than the others. The criteria being used for this list include a number of factors, the most important of which is the perceived entertainment value of the fights on the main card.
Along our journey, cards with ranked fighters carry more weight than those featuring their unranked peers, and it almost goes without saying that cards with a title fight (or two) appear on this list. The main event of each card is used as a tiebreaker when needed, but at the end of it all, this is just one person’s opinion on which fights will make you yell at your television more joyously than others.
The flyweight title is on the line when the UFC returns to Vancouver, British Columbia on June 14, and UFC 175 boasts two title fights featuring undefeated champions in Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey. Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler are set to go at it on Fox on July 26 for a shot at the welterweight title in a fight that is sure to deliver.
With scraps like Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao, Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida and Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes all headlining cards this summer, the competition for the top five is steep.
Along with a few honorable mentions, here are the five best UFC fight cards of the summer.
Even before entering the Octagon at