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UFC 142: Gabriel Gonzaga Makes His Octagon Return in Rio

UFC 142 is stacked with intriguing stories. Featherweight champion Jose Aldo is facing the toughest test of his career. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson will make his much-anticipated middleweight debut. Brazil will play host to its second UFC event in the las…

Perhaps the most intriguing story is the return of a former UFC heavyweight title challenger—Gabriel Gonzaga.

The inconsistent Gonzaga was once a highly-touted prospect in the organization who even fought for the title against Randy Couture in 2007 after his upset victory over Mirko Cro Cop.

After posting a pedestrian 3-5 record after the win over Cro Cop, Gonzaga was cut from the organization and largely forgotten as a serious threat in the division.

With heavyweight Rob Broughton a late scratch in his scheduled matchup against UFC newcomer Edinaldo Oliveira, Gonzaga became an obvious injury replacement for the UFC and got the call.

With the addition of the Strikeforce heavyweights coming, the heavyweight division landscape will dramatically change in 2012. If Gonzaga plans on ever being relevant again, he will need to capitalize on the opportunity.

Gonzaga’s opponent, Edinaldo Oliveira, won’t be an easy out.

Oliveira has an impressive 13-0-1 (1 NC) record while fighting exclusively in Brazil. Oliveira has the power to pull off an upset knockout of his own and will force Gonzaga to use his impressive jiu-jitsu to win the fight.

Will UFC 142 be Gonzaga’s first step back to relevance? Or his last stand in the organization?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 143: Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce Early Breakdown

With Georges St. Pierre out indefinitely and many questions surrounding his return, the welterweight division is now as up in the air as any.UFC 143 will go a long way in clearing up the title picture with a pair of important fights at 170.While Carlos…

With Georges St. Pierre out indefinitely and many questions surrounding his return, the welterweight division is now as up in the air as any.

UFC 143 will go a long way in clearing up the title picture with a pair of important fights at 170.

While Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz is sure to get plenty of hype as the main event and the interim title on the line, Josh Koscheck‘s bout with Mike Pierce will also play a role in the current landscape of the division.

Koscheck, a name everyone is familiar with, looks to get his second victory on the comeback trail after being thoroughly battered by Georges St. Pierre.

Pierce, a highly underrated opponent, looks to finally get some of the recognition he deserves and make a case of his own that he is a threat in the welterweight division.

With so much on the line and the interesting clash of styles that exists, Koscheck-Pierce is sure to be an interesting fight.

Here’s how they stack up.

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Brock Lesnar: 7 Reasons the UFC Needs Him as Their Poster Boy

After a great year of fights, 2011 will end with one of the most anticipated matchups of the year, Brock Lesnar-Alistair Overeem. Questions surround the bout and the fight should really show if either of these guys can truly contend in the heavyweight …

With Lesnar’s health concerns and questionable chin and Overeem’s organizational debut, each of these guys certainly come into the fight with many questions to answer.

While it is hard to tell what will happen in this fight it is very clear who the UFC should be rooting for: Brock Lesnar.

As 2012 begins, the UFC is in a better position than ever to break into the mainstream.

With the new partnership between FOX and the UFC the organization will have more exposure than ever before. Along with that exposure is the need for marketable stars who can become household names.

For many reasons Brock Lesnar is the perfect candidate to be the UFC’s poster boy.

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UFC 141: Breaking Down Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

UFC 141 is sure to be a great night of fights, and while the collision of titans Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem is the main attraction, there are plenty of potentially entertaining fights for fans on December 30th.Among those fights is the light hea…

Among those fights is the light heavyweight fight between grizzled veteran Vladimir Matyushenko and promising prospect Alexander Gustafsson. At the very least, it will have the most syllables of any matchup at UFC 141.

Matyushenko comes into this fight with an impressive 4-1 streak in his last five fights (the one loss was to Jon Jones). A win for him would surely take him higher than he has ever been in the UFC, and potentially set him up with a big-name opponent.

Gustafsson, one of the most intriguing prospects in the UFC, looks to continue his dominance by improving on his 12-1 record, and move one step closer to being considered a serious contender for Jon Jones’ belt.

Much like Jones, Gustafsson brings a freakish frame to the table. Standing at 6’5″ and sporting a 76.5″ reach, it will be interesting to see how the 6’1″ Matyushenko handles Gustaffson’s length.

Here’s how Matyushenko and Gustafsson measure up:

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UFC on FOX 2: Why Michael Bisping Can’t Handle Demian Maia’s Jiu-Jitsu

On a card stacked with important matchups, Michael Bisping-Demian Maia may be the most interesting matchup of the evening when the UFC holds its second event on FOX.The controversial Bisping has been on a roll of late, dispatching of Dan Miller, Yoshih…

On a card stacked with important matchups, Michael Bisping-Demian Maia may be the most interesting matchup of the evening when the UFC holds its second event on FOX.

The controversial Bisping has been on a roll of late, dispatching of Dan Miller, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Jorge Rivera and Jason “Mayhem” Miller en route to a four-fight win streak that has Bisping in title contention talks.

The most impressive of those wins was his demolition of Mayhem Miller. A fight that many thought would give the controversial Brit a hard time.

There is no doubt of Bisping’s skill as a fighter in the stand-up department. Bisping’s mix of quickness and technical boxing are difficult for any fighter to handle. The question for Bisping has always been how he can handle high-level ground fighters.

Many expected Miller to be the one that could test Bisping on the ground and see if he is truly worthy of his contender status. That wasn’t the case.

Bisping was able to batter Miller, never really being tested on the ground and earning a third-round stoppage victory.

At UFC on Fox 2, Bisping may finally be tested on the ground because Maia has some of the best Jiu Jitsu in all of MMA.

A 2007 ADCC champion, Maia is a third-degree Jiu Jitsu black belt with smooth transitions and the ability to completely control opponents on the ground. Over half of Maia’s wins in his MMA career have come by way of submission.

Maia’s Jiu Jitsu goes far beyond just submissions though, and that is why he poses a huge threat to Bisping’s run at the title. Once opponents hit the mat with Maia, it is almost guaranteed they are going to be out-grappled.

Maia’s controlling and smothering style of Jiu-Jitsu allows him to win on the scorecards, too. While most submission artists do most of their work from the bottom in full guard and often lose decisions for lack of top control, Maia’s Jiu Jitsu works much like a wrestler’s ground game.

Many have discredited Maia as a legitimate contender after his lop-sided decision loss to champion Anderson Silva, but the truth is Maia has vastly improved since their meeting in April 2010. Most notable is the improvement in Maia’s striking game.

Should this fight hit the mat Maia should be able to dominate, despite Bisping’s impressive size and strength for a middleweight. Maia’s Jiu Jitsu is that good.

The question will be just how improved Maia’s striking is. Can he strike with Bisping enough to take the fight to the ground? Mayhem couldn’t.

If Maia can, Bisping’s road to a title shot could come to a screeching halt.

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5 Reasons Jon Jones Should Be Ahead of GSP in the Pound-for Pound Rankings

With 2011 coming to a close, it’s very clear who the fighter of the year is—Jon Jones.Jones began the year with an impressive victory over fellow prospect Ryan Bader then parlayed that momentum into a title shot against Shogun Rua in which he bat…

With 2011 coming to a close, it’s very clear who the fighter of the year is—Jon Jones.

Jones began the year with an impressive victory over fellow prospect Ryan Bader then parlayed that momentum into a title shot against Shogun Rua in which he battered the champ for two rounds before earning the belt with a third-round TKO stoppage.

Jones’ continued his impressive year by easily dispatching of one of the biggest names in the division—Rampage Jackson.

Then came the most pivotal win of the year for Jones—an impressive victory over Lyoto Machida in which we saw Jones rally from the most trouble he’s ever been in—which wasn’t much.

With Jones’ meteoric rise to the top, the question now comes up: Where does Jon Jones belong among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport?

Pound-for-pound rankings are always a point of contention and debate, however, they serve as a great way to compare fighters across weight divisions and get an idea of who the best fighters are regardless of weight.

For the longest time, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre have battled for the top spot on the pound-for-pound lists across the sport.

With 2011 now coming to a close, it’s now time to put Jon Jones firmly ahead of the welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

At this point Silva tops most lists—and with good reason. However, Jones has done enough to take GSP’s spot in the pound-for-pound rankings for a couple reasons…

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