Author: Andrew Barr

Jon Jones: What’s Next for the UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Following UFC 152

UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones retained his belt at UFC 152—as oddsmakers all but guaranteed he would, giving the champ 13-1 odds—submitting UFC legend Vitor Belfort via submission in the fourth round.It was yet another dominant perf…

UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones retained his belt at UFC 152—as oddsmakers all but guaranteed he would, giving the champ 13-1 odds—submitting UFC legend Vitor Belfort via submission in the fourth round.

It was yet another dominant performance from the young champion who controlled virtually the entire fight, the exception being when Belfort locked up an armbar in the first round.

The attempted submission is by far the closest we’ve seen someone come to defeating Jones in the UFC (exception: Matt Hamill’s disqualification victory over Jones).

Apart from that little slip-up, Jones was able to keep Belfort at bay standing and bring the fight to the ground repeatedly, consistently landing effective ground-and-pound when he did so.

In the fourth, Jones passed to side-control, moved to a mounted crucifix position, and then locked up an Americana that forced Belfort to tap.

With the win, Jones has now defended his belt four times and is only one win away from tying the all-time record for defenses of his belt. The current record holder is Tito Ortiz.

So, what’s next for Jon Jones?

First, we need to figure out if he’s injured. That’s was a deep armbar he got caught in and Jones was wearing a sling at the post-fight press conference.

If his arm isn’t seriously injured, it’s likely that we’ll see Jones fight again soon, as has been the trend since he became champion.

The names being tossed around right now are Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida, with the two men possibly meeting in a title eliminator.

Another fight to pay attention to is Mauricio Rua vs. Alexander Gustafsson. Gustafsson has been making waves at light heavyweight for a while now and if he beats Rua, there will be droves of people calling for him to get a crack at Jones.

These are all possibilities, but nothing is clear yet. We’ll have to play the waiting game and see how things shape up.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

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Benavidez vs. Johnson: What’s Next for Demetrious Johnson?

Demetrious Johnson defeated Joseph Benavidez via split decision at UFC 152 in order to become the UFC’s first ever flyweight champion.It was an exciting back-and-forth bout that saw Benavidez come the closest to finishing the fight, but Johnson was the…

Demetrious Johnson defeated Joseph Benavidez via split decision at UFC 152 in order to become the UFC’s first ever flyweight champion.

It was an exciting back-and-forth bout that saw Benavidez come the closest to finishing the fight, but Johnson was the more consistent fighter. He landed more shots with higher accuracy and dominated the wrestling game late in the match.

It was a tough loss for Benavidez, who is now 0-3 in major title fights, and a satisfying victory for Johnson, who was unsuccessful in his first UFC title fight at 135 pounds versus Dominick Cruz.

Acclaimed MMA trainer Matt Hume once told Demetrious Johnson to quit his job and train MMA full time because he could be a world champion—at UFC 152 that prophecy came true.

So, fresh off his championship victory, what’s next for Johnson?

That is difficult to say because flyweight is the UFC’s newest division and still lacking in viable contenders. Ian McCall is the only fighter other than Johnson and Benavidez who has any name value, and he lost to Johnson too recently to receive a shot.

What likely makes the most sense is for Johnson to face the winner of the bout between John Dodson and Jussier Formiga.

Dodson is the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 14 and is 2-0 in the UFC. Formiga has no UFC fights, but has a 14-1 MMA record with his sole loss coming from Ian McCall.

Facing the winner of Dodson vs. Formiga doesn’t exactly spell a high-profile title fight for Johnson, but until his division fills out, it seems like his best option.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

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UFC 152: What We Learned from Mitch Gagnon vs Walel Watson

Mitch Gagnon gets the Canadians off to a good start at UFC 152 in Toronto!UFC commentator Joe Rogan was talking early about how Gagnon needed to get on the inside if he wanted to land on the taller, longer Walel Watson, and Gagnon did just that it. Les…

Mitch Gagnon gets the Canadians off to a good start at UFC 152 in Toronto!

UFC commentator Joe Rogan was talking early about how Gagnon needed to get on the inside if he wanted to land on the taller, longer Walel Watson, and Gagnon did just that it. Less than a minute into the fight Gagnon landed a big left hand, countering a superman punch from Watson, that dropped his opponent.

From there, Gagnon was able to capitalize on Watson being separated from his senses, taking his back and sinking in the rear-naked choke.

Quick fight and a big in for Gagnon.

 

What we’ll remember about the fight

The punch and the finish.

It wasn’t a long fight (1:09), so there isn’t really much that you can forget. Good, short fight and a definite crowd-pleaser.

 

What we learned about Mitch Gagnon

He has good power and solid composure.

Not only did Gagnon land a big punch that dropped his opponent, but he also remained calm afterwards, capitalizing on his advantage quickly, but without making mistakes.

 

What we learned about Walel Watson

His chin is susceptible to being really hard?

Unfortunately Watson didn’t get to show us much in this fight. Coming off three UFC losses in a row, there’s a good chance he’ll be released from the promotion.

 

What’s next for Mitch Gagnon

Johnny Eduardo is also 1-1 at bantamweight. Hook ’em up.

 

What’s next for Walel Watson

Cut ’em!

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

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UFC 150: What We Learned from Jake Shields vs. Ed Herman

Much to the disapproval of the Denver crowd, Jake Shields walked away from UFC 150 with a unanimous decision victory over Ed “Short Fuse” Herman.It wasn’t the prettiest fight, but Shields managed to spend most of it in top position, and that was enough…

Much to the disapproval of the Denver crowd, Jake Shields walked away from UFC 150 with a unanimous decision victory over Ed “Short Fuse” Herman.

It wasn’t the prettiest fight, but Shields managed to spend most of it in top position, and that was enough to pull out the win. Although he did control most of the fight, Shields was unable to come close to finishing Herman, only putting him in notable danger once with a kimura.

Herman looked good on the feet and in the clinch, but was unable to stuff Shield’s takedowns.

 

What We’ll Remember about This Fight:

Um…that Shields won it, I guess.

No particular moment in the fight stood out as memorable. This is a bout that will be remembered more as a statistic than a performance.

 

What We Learned about Jake Shields:

Middleweight is the right place for him.

Shields fought four times at welterweight in the UFC and looked unimpressive in all four fights. He didn’t have a totally impressive performance against Herman either, but he definitely looked more comfortable than at 170 pounds, and his cardio looked better than it has.

 

What We Learned about Ed Herman:

He might not be a threat for this title, but Herman could wind up being a top-10 middleweight. He didn’t fight smart tonight, and that cost him, but he is well-rounded and hung in there on the mat with one of the sports best Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners.

 

What’s Next for Shields:

I know the UFC doesn’t like to do winner vs. loser matchups, but I think Shields vs. Hector Lombard would be a good fight.

 

What’s Next for Herman:

Court McGee makes sense.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

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UFC on Fox 4 Video Highlight: Lyoto Machida Knocks Out Ryan Bader

Did you miss UFC on Fox 4, or did you like Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida’s knockout over Ryan Bader so much that you want to see it again?UFC.com has your back. Just hours after the conclusion of UFC on Fox 4 in Los Angeles on Saturday, they have uploaded…

Did you miss UFC on Fox 4, or did you like Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida‘s knockout over Ryan Bader so much that you want to see it again?

UFC.com has your back. Just hours after the conclusion of UFC on Fox 4 in Los Angeles on Saturday, they have uploaded Machida‘s highlight-reel KO to YouTube.

Bader was a game opponent, but Machida was a tough stylistic matchup for him. He was unable to figure out The Dragon’s elusive style and paid the price. In the second round, Bader gave in to frustration and decided to charge recklessly at Machida.

Given that Machida is primarily a counterstriker, this move played right into his hands. Machida was able to move back just slightly to avoid Bader‘s assault, while launching a straight right hand of his own. The punch was enough to put Bader out, and shortly after the referee stepped in and saved Bader from taking any more damage.

Before the event, UFC president Dana White announced that the light heavyweight who put on the most impressive performance at UFC on Fox 4 would receive the next crack at the belt. After the fights, White confirmed that he was most impressed with Machida‘s performance and that the karate master would meet the winner of Jon Jones versus Dan Henderson, which takes place at UFC 151.

In the event that Jones wins at UFC 151, Machida will get the chance to avenge his loss to the current UFC light heavyweight champ, who defeated Machida by submission at UFC 140.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

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Shogun Rua vs. Brandon Vera Results: Keys to Victory for Shogun

It wasn’t as easy as most believed it would be, but Mauricio “Shogun” Rua left UFC on Fox 4 with a TKO victory over game competitor Brandon Vera Saturday in Los Angeles.It was a hard-fought contest and Vera surprised many, showing that he was capable o…

It wasn’t as easy as most believed it would be, but Mauricio “Shogun” Rua left UFC on Fox 4 with a TKO victory over game competitor Brandon Vera Saturday in Los Angeles.

It was a hard-fought contest and Vera surprised many, showing that he was capable of standing and trading with one of the sport’s greatest strikers in Shogun. Even more surprising than Vera’s ability to trade with Shogun was Shogun’s ability to take down the Greco-Roman expert Vera.

Indeed, Shogun’s grappling wound up being a big key to his victory. He was able to take Vera down multiple times and keep him there for minutes at a time, keeping himself ahead on the scorecards and frustrating Vera simultaneously. Though he ended up winning TKO, Shogun’s takedowns would have been useful if the fight had gone to the scorecards.

Another factor that helped Shogun win was his aggression. Late in the fight, Shogun seemed a touch too submissive at times, allowing Vera to back up and not controlling the Octagon. However, when Shogun would turn the heat up and decide to blitz Vera, he often had success.

It’s no secret that Shogun fights his best when he’s fighting aggressive, and there are few men on this planet that can deal with the storm that he brings.

Shogun’s cardio wasn’t where it needed to be, but fortunately his skills were enough to pull him through.

The last key to Shogun’s victory—and this is probably the least significant—is errors made by Brandon Vera. For some reason, right before Shogun knocked him out, Vera chose to adjust his mouthpiece, while still sitting in Shogun’s striking range. Shogun capitalized immediately and ended the fight.

It was a strange decision from Vera, who must have believed that Shogun was taking a breather and wasn’t going to pounce. Either way, it cost him big.

That’s not to say, though, that Shogun only won because of a mistake by Vera. Shogun was winning the fight at that point anyway.

It was a great main event to top off a great night of fights.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com