After UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar’s unbelievable performance at UFC 136, everyone seems to agree that Edgar is the No. 1 lightweight in the world today—at least, almost everyone.Edgar is coming off a huge knockout victory over the high…
After UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar‘s unbelievable performance at UFC 136, everyone seems to agree that Edgar is the No. 1 lightweight in the world today—at least, almost everyone.
Edgar is coming off a huge knockout victory over the highly-regarded Gray Maynard and, as a result, Edgar’s stock has never been higher.
However, Strikeforce president Scott Coker does not appear as high on Edgar as the rest of the MMA world.
While respectful towards Edgar, Coker believes that a different man deserves the title of No. 1 lightweight on the planet—Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez.
While speaking about Strikeforce’s upcoming event on December 10th, Coker ended up on the topic of Melendez.
“He smashed Kawajiri and proved that he is the greatest lightweight fighter in the world right now,” Coker said.
Clearly this statement grabbed the attention of the MMAWeekly interviewer, who asked Coker to follow up on that comment, referencing the fact that Dana White had recently claimed Edgar as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.
In response to being asked if he believed Melendez should be ranked about Edgar, Coker stuck by his statement.
“Of course. People talk about him [Melendez] fighting Frankie, and at some point I think that fight will happen and I think Gilbert will do hat he has to do. I think Gilbert is the greatest fighter in the lightweight division, right now.”
When asked outright if Melendez would beat Edgar, Coker seemed confident in his answer.
“Absolutely.”
Most would likely disagree with Coker’s claim that Melendez is the best in the world right now at 155 lbs., but as the president of Strikeforce, it’s not surprising that he is backing his own fighter.
Also, in this interview, Coker discusses Strikeforce’s return to San Diego, the future of the promotion, as well as the returns of Gina Carano and Cristiane Santos.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8.
Frankie Edgar just sent a huge message to lightweight fighters the world over, knocking out Gray Maynard in the fourth round of their UFC 136 title fight.With this victory, Edgar has tied the record for most consecutive defenses of the UFC Lightweight …
Frankie Edgar just sent a huge message to lightweight fighters the world over, knocking out Gray Maynard in the fourth round of their UFC 136 title fight.
With this victory, Edgar has tied the record for most consecutive defenses of the UFC Lightweight Championship with three. The record was previously held exclusively by BJ Penn.
Edgar is also unbeaten in his last seven fights and, during that streak, has earned victories over Hermes Franca, Sean Sherk, BJ Penn (twice), and now Gray Maynard.
Is all this success enough to make Edgar the greatest lightweight fighter of all-time?
Not quite.
Edgar is close to achieving that status, but the greatest lightweight ever is still BJ Penn.
Penn defended his belt the same amount of times as Edgar, but looked far more dominant while he held the championship, finishing all of his challengers—expect for Edgar, of course.
What Edgar is missing that he needs to become the best ever at 155lbs. is superman status.
Penn had that and Edgar, who has looked vulnerable in his past two fights, has not yet achieved it.
It would also help Edgar’s case for greatest of all-time if he began to finish fights on a more consistent basis; tonight was definitely a step in the right direction.
If Edgar defends his belt a couple more times, then he will definitely be the best lightweight ever, but for now he’s a close second to Penn.
The UFC’s lightweight division is absolutely stacked, so there will be no shortage of contender’s for Edgar to continue to prove himself against.
UFC 136 has just come to a close, punctuated by Frankie Edgar successfully defending his UFC Lightweight Championship against Gray Maynard.Not only did Edgar win the fight, but he finished it in impressive fashion, knocking Maynard out in the fourth ro…
UFC 136 has just come to a close, punctuated by Frankie Edgar successfully defending his UFC Lightweight Championship against Gray Maynard.
Not only did Edgar win the fight, but he finished it in impressive fashion, knocking Maynard out in the fourth round.
Edgar has now defended his championship three consecutive times, but only against two opponents: BJ Penn—who is also the man Edgar won the belt from—and Gray Maynard.
When facing both these opponents, many people counted Edgar out and, in both cases, he proved his doubters wrong.
So, did Frankie Edgar look more impressive in defeating BJ Penn or Gray Maynard?
Let’s break it down.
When Edgar fought Penn for the first time, he was a HUGE underdog.
Penn had superman status at that point and nobody thought that anyone would be able to dethrone him anytime soon.
It meant a lot when Edgar managed to edge out that first decision against Penn and even more when he won the second fight in dominant fashion.
The second win, in particular, was huge because it solidified Edgar as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
Edgar’s win over Maynard was also a giant accomplishment for the champ because Maynard is the only man ever to defeat Edgar and now he has avenged that loss.
Both the victories are important for Edgar in different ways, but I believe beating Maynard was his most impressive performance.
Against Penn, Edgar was always in control and didn’t have anything to overcome.
In defeating Maynard, he was forced to display the heart of a champion, surviving the early onslaught.
Then you weigh in the facts that Edgar was avenging his only career loss and that he finished the fight in devastating fashion and it seems pretty clear cut.
Edgar’s second win over Penn was awesome, but he’s improved since then and his victory over Maynard tonight was definitely the UFC lightweight champions most impressive win to date.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacherreport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8
UFC 135 has just passed us by.In the main event of the evening, we saw Jon “Bones” Jones successfully defend his title for the first time, submitting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the fourth-round.Jones was able to use his reach to keep Rampage at a dis…
In the main event of the evening, we saw Jon “Bones” Jones successfully defend his title for the first time, submitting Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the fourth-round.
Jones was able to use his reach to keep Rampage at a disadvantage throughout most of the fight. And once Rampage began to tire in the later rounds, Jones was able to put his grappling skills to work.
It was a remarkably impressive performance and also revealing in many ways.
Jones is still a young fighter and because of how quickly he has risen to the top of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, many questions surrounding him have been left unanswered.
Tonight, we finally received answers to many of the inquiries surrounding the UFC’s youngest ever champion.
Here’s five things we learned about Jon Jones, based on his performance at UFC 135.
His Takedowns Are Not Unstoppable
Before his fight with Rampage, Jones wrestling had looked unstoppable. Almost anytime he wanted to get a fight to the ground he was able to do so and with relative ease.
However, Rampage was able to stop most of Jones takedown attempts throughout the fight and also get back to his feet after being taken down.
Based on this fact, we can deduce that several of the elite members of the light heavyweight division might be able to contend with Jones takedowns.
Names like Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida come to mind.
He Can Take A Punch
Jones’ reach makes it nearly impossible to get inside his range, and before this evening, no one had landed a good, clean power shot on him.
This led to a lot of speculation that Jones might not be able to take a good punch. Was the secret to defeating him just landing a solid shot?
Well, that myth has been busted.
Rampage didn’t land any full-on haymakers tonight, but there were a few points where he landed cleanly and Jones didn’t seem bothered.
Am I saying that Jones has an iron chin? No.
But it’s definitely been confirmed that it’s not made of glass.
Cardio Is No Longer An Issue
Another speculative strategy for defeating Jon Jones was dragging him into the later rounds and finishing once he started to gas.
The source of this idea was Jones fight with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128.
Jones dominated the fight, but was noticeably tired by the third-round, as he was breathing heavily.
Clearly, he has devoted some time since then to upping his cardiovascular endurance because the fight tonight went to the fourth-round and Jones still looked reasonably fresh.
His Ego Is Continuing To Grow
Over the past few months it has become evident that the once humble Jones is beginning to develop a considerable ego.
His performance tonight only reinforced this sentiment.
Jones started the fight using some sort of crouch-walk, seemingly not even taking his opponent seriously.
Later in the fight, when the buzzer sounded to indicate the end of a round, Jones picked Rampage up while on his knees and sort of shoved Rampage backwards over his head—it’s difficult to describe, but trust me, it was unsportsmanlike.
There were also points in the fight were Jones dropped his hands and walked directly towards Rampage, showing no respect for Rampage’s boxing.
Jones talent is undeniable, but he should keep his ego in check, lest he risk losing fans.
Jon Jones is the Real Deal
Believe it or not, there were people still doubting the abilities of Jones heading into his UFC 135 bout.
I suppose I can see their argument.
Before fighting Shogun, Jones hadn’t beat anyone overly significant. Although he did beat Shogun, Shogun was coming off surgery and a long lay-off.
UFC 135 was the first time that Jones faced a legitimately elite opponent, without any potential excuses, and he dominated.
Now, no one can question that he deserves to be the UFC light heavyweight champion.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacherreport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones and challenger Quinton “Rampage” Jackson have done a good job of getting under each other’s skin heading into to their fight at UFC 135, but it appears that, despite their differences, Rampage’s charm is…
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones and challenger Quinton “Rampage” Jackson have done a good job of getting under each other’s skin heading into to their fight at UFC 135, but it appears that, despite their differences, Rampage’s charm isn’t completely lost on Jones.
When asked about how his opinion of Rampage might have changed over the past few months, Jones responses were surprisingly complimentary.
“I’ve gotten to know him a lot better. I think he’s actually a pretty cool guy,” Jones said.
Jones attitude towards Rampage is somewhat surprising given the noticeable tension between the two fighters, fueled by Rampage’s claims that Jones has been spying on him.
Although he harbors no ill will towards Jackson, Jones intends to pull no punches in the actual fight and knows that, once that cage door closes, it’s all business.
“I’ve still got to do my job,” Jones said, indicating that his fondness for Rampage won’t stop him from doing everything that he can to retain his UFC championship.
In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel, the UFC light heavyweight champion referred to Rampage as Frankenstein. Jones took a few moments to elaborate on that thought.
“He [Rampage] is Frankenstein for a reason; he’s a legend. I respect him a lot.”
Jones is the youngest champion in UFC history. While constantly being referred to as a young kid might frustrate some athletes, Jones seems to enjoy it.
“Well, I am a young kid. I’m 24, so I’m actually a man too. I’m a father. I’m a house owner and a tax payer. But being young is good. Everybody nowadays is doing things trying to be young. My youth helps me train. My youth bring me joy. It’s all good.”
Will Jones’ reign as the youngest-ever UFC champion be short? Or will he defeat Rampage Jackson and continue his ascent into greatness?
Tune in UFC 135 this weekend and find out.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacherreport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8
Heading into his highly anticipated fight with MMA legend Matt Hughes, set to take place this Saturday night as the co-maint event of UFC 135, the typically acid-tongued Josh Koscheck has been unusually tame when speaking about his opponent.”I’m not lo…
Heading into his highly anticipated fight with MMA legend Matt Hughes, set to take place this Saturday night as the co-maint event of UFC 135, the typically acid-tongued Josh Koscheck has been unusually tame when speaking about his opponent.
“I’m not looking to disrespect Matt Hughes. He’s been a good representative of the UFC and of this sport,” Koscheck said, when asked why he hadn’t been doing much trash talking to hype the fight.
Despite showing some respect for this fellow competitor, Koscheck did hint that, if given more time, he might have talked more smack.
“You really can’t start up much in 19 days. As much as I’d like to, just for the fun of it. You know, Matt’s a good guy and we have a lot in common. He’s a well respected fighter around the sport. It’s gonna be a fun fight.”
It’s not surprising to hear Koscheck say that he’d like to start up some trash talk, despite having no problems with Hughes; he has admitted in the past to manufacturing conflict in order to generate interest in his fights.
During the interview, Koscheck also spoke about his decision to move to the middleweight division, which was put on the back-burner when he decided to take the fight with Hughes.
“One of the reasons why I wanted to up [to middleweight] was because of the fact the everybody at welterweight was tied up. All the top guys were tied up [with other fights], so I was like, ‘What’s gonna give me some motivation to train hard and get in the gym?’.”
Koscheck would go on to reveal that the move to middleweight was exactly what he thought he needed to re-motivate himself.
“We were asking for a number of fights [at middleweight] because I wanted to have motivation to get in there and train. Chris Leben was one of the guys we asked for and Wanderlei Silva was the second guy.”
However, all this planning was going on before Koscheck was offered the fight with Hughes and it was a fight he couldn’t turn down.
“As for taking this fight with Matt Hughes, this is a fight I think should have happened a long time ago.”
Clearly, Koscheck has been hoping for some time that he would get the opportunity to face the UFC Hall-of-Famer and he’s excited to finally have that chance.
Some have expressed concern about Koscheck taking this fight on such short notice and speculated on how that could effect his performance, but he is assuring everyone that he is in great shape.
“I’ve been training for four or five months leading up to this fight. It doesn’t feel like I’m taking the fight on 19 days notice because I’ve been in [training] camp. I’m in shape and I’m looking forward to getting a big win.”
Can Koscheck take out one of the greatest welterweight of all-time? Or will Matt Hughes remind the world why he was considered the best welterweight on the planet for so many years?
Tune into UFC 135 this Saturday night and find out.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacherreport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8
After UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar‘s unbelievable performance at UFC 136, everyone seems to agree that Edgar is the No. 1 lightweight in the world today—at least, almost everyone.