Author: Andrew Barr

Rich Franklin Talks Jon Jones’ Future in the Light Heavyweight Division

“The only person who can beat Jon Jones at this point in time is Jon Jones.”Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin spoke very highly of current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones when asked if he thought there was anyone who could dethron…

“The only person who can beat Jon Jones at this point in time is Jon Jones.”

Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin spoke very highly of current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones when asked if he thought there was anyone who could dethrone the UFC’s youngest ever champion.

Franklin seems to feel that, given Jones’ physical gifts and his natural talent, there is no one in the light heavyweight division right now who could take him out as long as he stays focused.

“He’s a young guy. The world is coming at him fast and I think his game is going to be whether or not he can maintain focus,” Franklin said.

From there, Franklin went on to talk about Jones’ size, communicating how unusual it is for a light heavyweight to be that big.

“I remember the first time that I met Jon in person. I was down in Miami doing some Super Bowl promotions for the UFC. There were a group of fighters standing in a group and I was walking up to the group and Jon’s back was to me. As I walked up to him, I was looking at him and I thought, ‘Who is this heavyweight?’. I kept walking around and then I was like, ‘Oh my word, he’s enormous’.”

To give fans a better idea of just how big Jones is, Franklin compared him to former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.

“He [Jones] has an 84-inch reach. Tim Sylvia, who is four inches taller than him, has an 80-inch reach and I’ve sparred with Tim many times and to deal with that kind of reach is just insane, so I think if he can keep his head straight, he’ll be able to run that division for a while.”

We’ll find out how accurate Franklin’s forecast for Jones’ career is on September 24, when Jones defends his light heavyweight championship for the first time against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

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Forrest Griffin Refuses to Make Excuses for Loss to Shogun at UFC 134

Forrest Griffin won’t blame anyone but himself for losing to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 134.Considering that his wife was due to give birth to their first child around the same time as his fight with Shogun, there were definitely excuses Griffin coul…

Forrest Griffin won’t blame anyone but himself for losing to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 134.

Considering that his wife was due to give birth to their first child around the same time as his fight with Shogun, there were definitely excuses Griffin could have made for his embarrassing first-round defeat this past weekend. However, according to ESPN, Griffin made no mention of any of his current life issues when speaking of the loss.

“I had a decent camp going into this,” Griffin said. “It’s been nine weeks since the last time we were [in Brazil]. It’s just setting in. I think that’s a fight that I definitely could have done a lot better. It sucks when you do poorly at your job.

“I’m not really 100 percent sure [what happened]. I had a lot of opportunities to go, and I didn’t go. The gameplan was to get off after he missed. He missed a couple of times big, and I just stood there and let him off the hook. It was partly that, and I didn’t really stay in a rhythm.”

Griffen lives his life with a lot of emphasis on “being a man,” so it comes as no surprise that he’s no looking to deflect any blame. That said, UFC President Dana White appears to be cutting Griffin some slack, expressing that a lot of other competitors might have dropped out of the fight under the same circumstances.

“Forrest is a warrior. He wears his heart on his sleeve,” White said. “I have so much respect for him for coming and taking this fight in this situation. He knew he was going to be in this situation. He was just hoping, she was supposed to be nine days later.

“I want to thank him. I appreciate the fact he took this fight. His wife is literally getting ready to deliver their baby in Las Vegas right now. So we’re going to try and get him home as fast as we can.”

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Carlos Condit Would Rather Fight Diaz Than GSP: 5 Reasons This Bout Could Happen

Carlos Condit is set to face BJ Penn at UFC 137 to determine the UFC welterweight division’s number one contender.Also on the UFC 137 fight card, UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre will be putting his title on the line against Nick Diaz.If Condit…

Carlos Condit is set to face BJ Penn at UFC 137 to determine the UFC welterweight division’s number one contender.

Also on the UFC 137 fight card, UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre will be putting his title on the line against Nick Diaz.

If Condit beats Penn, he will either face Diaz or St-Pierre for the welterweight strap. Condit has gone on record saying that he would prefer to fight Diaz, as be believes it’s a better stylistic matchup for him.

The very moment that Condit mentioned the possibility of fighting Diaz, fans began to salivate over the potential matchup.

Diaz and Condit are two of the most exciting fighters on the planet, and both come ready for war every time they step in the cage.

Indeed, this fight is a dream matchup for MMA fans and one that will hopefully come to fruition, one way or another.

Here are five reasons why this fight could happen.

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25 Must-See UFC Fights Still to Come in 2011

There’s a lot of advantages to having 90% —at least— of mixed martial art’s top talent fighting in your promotion. Perhaps the most significant of which is that there are always a ton of interesting fights on the horizon.If you’re a fan of …

There’s a lot of advantages to having 90% —at least— of mixed martial art’s top talent fighting in your promotion. Perhaps the most significant of which is that there are always a ton of interesting fights on the horizon.

If you’re a fan of MMA, there are few things as exciting as taking a look at the UFC’s upcoming events and knowing that you have months upon months of awesome fights ahead.

So, for all you MMA enthusiasts out there, in order to bring some excitement into your day, let’s take a look at the 25 most interesting fights on the UFC’s horizon…

Fights on this list are in no particular order.

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UFC News: Dana White Says Shogun Is "Back in the Title Hunt" After Win in Rio

This weekend at UFC 134 in Rio De Janeiro, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua defeated Forrest Griffin in the co-main event of the evening.It was a huge win for Shogun since he avenged a loss, won in convincing fashion, got b…

This weekend at UFC 134 in Rio De Janeiro, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua defeated Forrest Griffin in the co-main event of the evening.

It was a huge win for Shogun since he avenged a loss, won in convincing fashion, got back on track after his loss to Jon Jones, and all of this while fighting in his homeland.

According to MMAjunkie.com, UFC President Dana White was impressed with Shogun’s performance and, as far as he’s concerned, Shogun is right back in the mix for a title shot.

“[That] was a big win for him,” White said. “The guy just lost the title to Jon Jones, who many people believe–I’ve got Jon Jones ranked No. 3 pound-for-pound in the world. (He) beats Forrest Griffin, who’s one of the top light heavyweights in the world. It put ‘Shogun’ right back in the title hunt.”

This is news that likely came as music to Shogun’s ears, as it’s clear the former champ wants to avenge his loss to Jones.

“I’ve only had five losses,” Rua said in his native Portuguese. “I’ve managed to avenge all of them except Jon Jones and [Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral]. ‘Babalu’ is my friend, and he’s on my team, so I wouldn’t think of doing that. The only guy left then is Jon Jones.”

After stating that he wants to fight Jones again, Shogun made it clear that he harbors no ill-will towards to new UFC light heavyweight champ.

“Jones is a very [skilled] guy, at the top of the division,” Rua said. “He’s a guy who deserves a lot of respect, because he fights well.”

The UFC might have a tough time marketing a rematch between Shogun and Jones, given how decisively Shogun lost the first time, but with another performance like this weekend’s in Rio, fans might warm to the idea of it.

In Rio, Shogun put one of his best performances since moving to the UFC from Pride four years ago. He stated that the motivation of fighting at home helped him to put on a better performance.

“For sure they were screaming, but I found it all very motivating,” Rua said. “It gives you more energy, more motivation. So we were happy that the crowd was supporting me.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report, for more news as this story develops, and MMA news, in general.

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

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Anderson Silva, Jon Jones and the 20 Most Dominant Fighters in MMA Today

Anderson Silva defeated Yushin Okami this past weekend, at UFC 134, defending his middleweight championship for the ninth time and extending his record-setting win streak in the UFC to 14.With this win, Silva has further solidified himself as the most …

Anderson Silva defeated Yushin Okami this past weekend, at UFC 134, defending his middleweight championship for the ninth time and extending his record-setting win streak in the UFC to 14.

With this win, Silva has further solidified himself as the most dominant figure in mixed martial arts, but there are tons of fighters out there chasing after the title of “most dominant man in MMA.”

While most fighters are miles behind Silva in terms of dominance, there are still many fighters in MMA right now who are on tears of their own.

Due to the unpredictability of MMA and the many ways a fighter can lose a bout, it’s always impressive when a fighter manages to be a consistent force with their division.

Here’s a look at the 20 most dominant fighters in MMA today…

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