Author: Alex Ballentine

UFC 143 Results: Fabricio Werdum Shows Strikeforce Heavyweights Belong in UFC

At UFC on Fox 2, Lavar Johnson made a statement about the incoming Strikeforce heavyweights. At UFC 143, Fabricio Werdum put the exclamation point on that statement.The Strikeforce heavyweights are coming, and they are here to stay.Werdum, primarily kn…

At UFC on Fox 2, Lavar Johnson made a statement about the incoming Strikeforce heavyweights. At UFC 143, Fabricio Werdum put the exclamation point on that statement.

The Strikeforce heavyweights are coming, and they are here to stay.

Werdum, primarily known for his world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, used crisp striking and viscous Muay Thai to batter the always tough Roy Nelson for three solid rounds. While Nelson may not be among the elite in the heavyweight division, he is definitely a solid gatekeeper, and a dominating win over Nelson is nothing to take lightly.

Werdum was in control of the fight throughout and showed that he definitely belonged in the octagon.

The notoriously weak heavyweight division could definitely use an infusion of new talent, and if the trend continues, that is exactly what it is about to get.

Werdum has shown that he should immediately be considered a contender and could eventually get the opportunity to avenge his losses to Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem.

Will there be other contenders that come from the UFC’s sister promotion?

Daniel Cormier, Josh Barnett, Antonio Silva and Sergei Kharitnikov, among others, certainly think so. If their debuts are anything like Lavar Johnson’s or Werdum’s, the answer will certainly be a resounding yes.

With the recent retirement of long-time major draw Brock Lesnar and an overall lack of prospects in the division, the Strikeforce heavyweights certainly seem to be the shot in the arm that the UFC heavyweight division has so desperately needed.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 143 Results: A Drop to 205 Could Revitalize Roy Nelson’s Career

After Roy Nelson’s lopsided and unanimous decision loss to Fabricio Werdum at UFC 143 on Saturday night, two things became clear about the man they call “Big Country.”1. His days of being a contender in the heavyweight division are over.2. He is easily…

After Roy Nelson’s lopsided and unanimous decision loss to Fabricio Werdum at UFC 143 on Saturday night, two things became clear about the man they call “Big Country.”

1. His days of being a contender in the heavyweight division are over.

2. He is easily one of the toughest guys in the sport.

Despite being completely blasted on more than one occasion by some vicious knees by Werdum, Nelson kept on swinging for the fences and moving forward. And despite a great display of heart, Nelson was simply outmatched by Werdum’s length and striking abilities.

However, if Nelson were able to make the cut down to 205 pounds, he could revitalize his career.

During the broadcast Joe Rogan brought up an interesting point. If Roy Nelson were to get really serious about his weight, he could fight at middleweight.

While that may be some hyperbole on Rogan‘s part, with Nelson’s build a cut to 205 is not out of the picture.

Lost in the fact that Nelson is extremely tough with decent power is the fact that he is actually an excellent grappler with a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Unfortunately the heavyweight division is not the best place for him to show that off as evidenced in recent fights with stronger men in the division Nelson was unable to bring down.

A more svelte Roy Nelson at 205 would pose an interesting challenge, as he would make for a big light heavyweight and would conceivably still be able to take just as much damage. After going 1-3 in his last four fights at heavyweight, he could at least try making the cut.

At 35 years old, a move to light heavyweight is the only option at this point if Nelson wishes to remain relevant in the UFC.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 143: What Carlos Condit Must Do to Beat Nick Diaz

When Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz meet in the main event at UFC 143, it will be one of the most heavily anticipated fights of the young year. After both fighters were given title shots that were promptly taken away for different reasons, both fighters f…

When Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz meet in the main event at UFC 143, it will be one of the most heavily anticipated fights of the young year. After both fighters were given title shots that were promptly taken away for different reasons, both fighters find themselves pitted against each other for the interim belt and the first shot at returning champion Georges St. Pierre.

Given Diaz’s impressive return to the octagon against B.J. Penn, most of the hype for this fight has centered around Diaz. Diaz’s impressive combination of aggression, technical boxing, slick jiu-jitsu and cardio makes him a tough opponent for anyone.

However, Condit is only a slight underdog in the fight according to Vegas (+170) and could very well find himself as the interim champion when all is said and done. Here is what Condit must do if he wants to be wearing UFC gold by the end of the night.

Begin Slideshow

UFC on Fox 2 Results: Why Michael Bisping Was the Biggest Winner

UFC on Fox 2 will be remembered for producing two immediate No. 1 contenders. Both Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen were able to beat their opponents on the judges’ scorecards to secure the big, lucrative fights they’ve been longing for.That being said, t…

UFC on Fox 2 will be remembered for producing two immediate No. 1 contenders. Both Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen were able to beat their opponents on the judges’ scorecards to secure the big, lucrative fights they’ve been longing for.

That being said, they weren’t the biggest winners of the night. Michael Bisping was.

Bisping, who hasn’t always been the most liked fighter, especially in the United States, may not have earned a title shot but he did finally earn respect.

Besides Bisping’s brash personality and controversial post-fight actions, the knock on him has always been that he has been coddled when it came to matchmaking and didn’t win when actually challenged with top-tier opponents.

Despite losing to Chael Sonnen, Bisping took a huge step forward in shaking that reputation and proving he belongs in the conversation as a top five middleweight. The Brit was able to go the distance with Sonnen and handled Sonnen’s grappling in a way very few have been able to do.

In the postfight press conference, Sonnen himself admitted that he never felt comfortable in any position when he was on the ground, and any time he created space Bisping was able to stand back up.

While Bisping masterfully stalled Sonnen’s usually relentless ground and pound, he wasn’t able to sustain enough offense throughout the bout to win on the cards and that’s something he can work on and improve.

So while Sonnen won the fight and now claims the coveted title shot, Bisping did more for his career and standing in the division with this loss than he has with any of his previous wins in the middleweight division. Bisping went toe to toe with the No. 2 guy in his weight class and didn’t blink.

In fact, many felt that he won the fight, and being on the losing end of a controversial decision could just find him being the fan favorite for once.

Even in defeat, Bisping has punched his ticket for more marquee fights against top level competition because he has shown he can compete with the best.

That has him closer to a title shot than ever before, and while Evans and Sonnen have had shots at the belt Bisping hasn’t, that makes him the biggest winner of UFC on Fox 2.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fox 2: 3 Must-See Fights on the Undercard

The UFC’s much-anticipated return to network television features three bouts on the main card that will no doubt be entertaining and make an impact on their respective weight division’s title picture.Lost in the hype of the main card is an interesting …

The UFC’s much-anticipated return to network television features three bouts on the main card that will no doubt be entertaining and make an impact on their respective weight division’s title picture.

Lost in the hype of the main card is an interesting undercard featuring rising prospects, fighters with their back to the wall and some UFC newcomers.

While these fights may not hold as much importance to their division’s immediate title picture, it’s sometimes the fights that mean less that are the most entertaining. Thanks to the UFC’s new FOX deal, fans will get to enjoy the vast majority of these fights on the FX channel.

Here are four fights you must tune in early to watch at UFC on FOX 2’s undercard.

Begin Slideshow

UFC on Fox 2: Why the Winner of Bisping vs Sonnen Is a Legit Threat to Silva

UFC on FOX 2 may be headlined by Phil Davis and Rashad Evans, but Chael Sonnen or Michael Bisping may just steal the show come Saturday. The two brash and talkative middleweights will be fighting for a shot at reigning middleweight champion, Ander…

UFC on FOX 2 may be headlined by Phil Davis and Rashad Evans, but Chael Sonnen or Michael Bisping may just steal the show come Saturday. 

The two brash and talkative middleweights will be fighting for a shot at reigning middleweight champion, Anderson Silva. While Sonnen has his doubts that the match will ever come to fruition, Dana White has assured fans that the winner of this match will definitely get a fight against Silva, most likely in the summer.

So while Davis and Evans claim main event status, Bisping vs Sonnen is more important. The winner could very well be the next middleweight champion.

Sonnen is the heavy favorite (at least according to Vegas) going into the fight and his first fight with the champion has been well-documented.

Sonnen was able to challenge Silva in a way that no one has before, dominating the champ for the large majority of the fight before succumbing to a triangle choke/armbar submission late in the fifth and final round.

A rematch would be, as Sonnen himself called it, “the biggest rematch in the business” and a fight that many have clamored for since their first fight in August of 2010.

The question is, can Sonnen do it again?

Obviously Sonnen’s submission defense is questionable at best and his return matchup against Brian Stann didn’t do much to show improvement in that area as Stann isn’t much of a submission artist.

However, Sonnen was able to remain busy against Stann and continually looked to improve position, a stark difference from his fight against Silva when he was content to sit in Silva’s guard—something that cost him in the end.

Should Bisping pull the upset, Silva will probably breath a sigh of relief. However, Bisping could present a threat to the champion.

For years it has seemed like Bisping has been kept away from upper-echelon opponents and has failed to find success against good competition when he has had the opportunity. A win over Sonnen would show major improvement.

A year ago, this fight would be a no brainer. You could bet your house that Silva would easily dispose of Bisping, probably in spectacular fashion. The times they are a-changing though and SIlva’s age may finally be catching up to him.

With Silva’s repeated retirement talk and continuous issues with injuries it is hard to tell if his skills will decline over the last fights of his career.

As Fedor Emelianenko has shown, even legends can have their skills diminish and when it happens, it happens quickly.

Bisping is a huge middleweight and he would have to work extremely hard on his wrestling but if he shows to be skillful enough to get past Sonnen it is feasible he could give Silva a run for his money, especially if Silva has retirement on the brain.

Either way, Anderson Silva will have a legitimate threat emerge from UFC on FOX 2.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com