Author: Andrew Gould

Anderson Silva Must Consider Retirement After Gruesome Leg Injury

No esteemed athlete wants to call it quits on a low note, but Anderson Silva must consider ending his career after suffering a devastating leg injury at UFC 168.
During his rematch against middleweight champion Chris Weidman, Silva’s leg snapped o…

No esteemed athlete wants to call it quits on a low note, but Anderson Silva must consider ending his career after suffering a devastating leg injury at UFC 168.

During his rematch against middleweight champion Chris Weidman, Silva’s leg snapped out of place during the second round. As a result, Silva suffered the second loss of his UFC career.

His last bout with Weidman ended unceremoniously, but that was due to the former champion’s own hubris. Silva was dealt a knockout blow while taunting Weidman, perhaps a fluky ending, but a justified one considering his actions.

Watching a man’s leg, and subsequently his livelihood, crumble with a vicious and nauseating crack of his leg was a horrifying sight for anyone watching. It’s an unfitting conclusion to a brilliant career, but Silva likely has no other choice.

Silva, who was rumored to be contemplating retirement regardless of the fight’s outcome, is already 38, and a fighter’s shelf life is small in the first place. Conservatively speaking, Silva would probably need at least a year to recuperate from such a gruesome injury. In all likelihood, that’s on the low side.

At that point, is it worth Silva fighting to return at age 40 in hopes of competing once or twice more? In the perfect world, “The Spider” could have hung up his gear on his own terms, preferably after obtaining a victory.

But he’d be rusty, and rightfully cautious after such a horrific leg break. Instead of redeeming himself, he would risk furthering his losing streak. Unfortunately, the Silva of old will never come back.

Even though he technically lost, nobody is questioning Silva’s legacy after suffering a freak injury. It could have happened to anyone, but it sadly happened to a legend nearing the end of his career.

We tend to overvalue the end. If a two-hour movie is brilliant right up until the lackluster conclusion, should that discredit the entire film? Silva’s apparent final chapter is tragic, but consider his full body of work. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Silva held the title for seven years, UFC’s longest reign ever.

This is a decision that Silva must make with his doctors after ample thought and medical evaluation, but he has accomplished all he can achieve in the Octagon. Nobody will blame Silva for never returning to the ring.

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UFC 168 Fight Card: Previewing Saturday Night’s Marquee Bouts

UFC 168 looks poised to end 2013 with a mighty thump. Tensions are running high with two mega rematches headlining the night.
During July, Chris Weidman snatched the middleweight title from an overly complacent Anderson Silva. While “The Spider” was bu…

UFC 168 looks poised to end 2013 with a mighty thump. Tensions are running high with two mega rematches headlining the night.

During July, Chris Weidman snatched the middleweight title from an overly complacent Anderson Silva. While “The Spider” was busy mocking his opponent, Weidman sent him to the ground with a knockout blow in the second round.  

There’s also animosity brewing between Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, who faced off in March. Rousey made quick work of “Cupcake,” earning a first-round submission that has become the norm for “Rowdy.” While the disdain for one another is evident, Tate still must prove she can hang with the lock-down master.

Las Vegas’ pay-per-view features a full card with plenty of notable bouts to watch. Here’s a look at what’s on tap for Saturday night.

 

Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva

It seemed like something snatched from a scripted WWE conclusion.

The storied, yet pompous champion lost hold of his title because he was too busy taunting his opponent. Weidman capitalized, knocking Silva to the mat as he let his guard down.  

As USA Today’s Ben Fowlkes noted, Weidman realized that Silva’s attempts to belittle him wasn’t totally the best tactical fighting approach.

“At that point,” Weidman said, “it was like, ‘Yo, you’re doing all this playing around, but you’re not hitting me.'”

Yep, hitting the opponent is typically important in mixed martial arts. 

One would think Silva will take his competitor more seriously this time, hungry to prove their last meeting as a fluke. But not clowning around the ring is just a start for Spider.

His striking style clashes with Weidman‘s thirst for takedowns and submissions. For all the talk of Silva throwing this match away, Weidman still boasts a perfect 10-0 mark in UFC.

 

Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate

Tate’s dislike of Rousey is a horribly kept secret.

Most people wouldn’t like someone who made them beg for mercy while trapped in an arm lock, but Tate’s resentment stems further than that. As FOX Sports’ Marc Raimondi reported, Tate said the former Judo Olympian and current UFC Bantamweight champion “did not pay her dues.”

Every single woman that fights MMA has done just as much work as Ronda has, we just haven’t gotten as much turnaround. Those women who came before her haven’t been on magazine covers, they weren’t plastered everywhere by the UFC. They didn’t get the same reward back. She got 10 times back what she was putting in and maybe everyone else was getting 1 to 1.

Perhaps the promotion capitalized on her outside fame to rapidly market her as its new star, but Rousey has certainly earned it. In five fights, she has forced her opponents to tap out in the first round in bouts that lasted an average time of two minutes and 15 seconds (per FightMetric). 

If Tate doesn’t think Rousey deserves her fame and success, the former champion will have to prove it at UFC 168.

 

Josh Barnett vs. Travis Browne

While the two title fights take the center stage, Josh Barnett and Travis Browne will look to steal the show in Nevada.

Browne has risen up the ranks with two early knockouts, mostly recently a first-round victory over Alistair Overeem in August. He’ll have his toughest task to date in Josh Barnett, an experienced veteran in the octagon.

Barnett’s nickname of “The Warmaster” is a tad misleading. That creates the picture of a super villain trying to knock everyone’s head off, but Barnett’s game is much more nuanced. According to FightMetric, he absorbs just 1.66 strikes per minute by successfully defending 60 percent of opposing strikes.

That could frustrate Browne, a more aggressive brawler who is more prone to take a punch to land one of his own. “Hapa” might need one big blow to conquer the master of war, er, UFC.

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UFC 166: Cain Velasquez’s Decisive Win Eliminates Need for Another Rematch

Cain Velasquez closed the book on his rivalry with Junior dos Santos at UFC 166, wiping the floor with him during a dominant victory on Saturday.
After splitting the first two bouts, Velasquez broke the stalemate with a convincing win over his foe…

Cain Velasquez closed the book on his rivalry with Junior dos Santos at UFC 166, wiping the floor with him during a dominant victory on Saturday.

After splitting the first two bouts, Velasquez broke the stalemate with a convincing win over his foe on Saturday night. He won via TKO during the fifth round after thoroughly controlling the fight throughout its course.

According to UFC.com, he converted 274 strikes in 378 attempts, for an efficient success rate of 73 percent. Dos Santos hit on just 44 percent of his opportunities, landing 62 out of 140 strikes. Velasquez also secured two takedowns, eliminating any doubt over which heavyweight is the superior competitor.

For the second straight time, his aggressive style proved too much for Dos Santos to handle. But Dos Santos offered a better description of the evening, per ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto. 

“He’s very—what can I say? He beat me up.”

Yes, he did.

Now that the champion has upped the head-to-head scorecard to 2-1, it seems like an appropriate time for each fighter to move on to different challengers.

Bad things happen when stories are dragged on for too long. Ask any Star Wars fans for their thoughts on the prequels. Try to see if anyone acknowledges The Godfather 3’s existence.

Instead, these fighters should take a page from Christopher Nolan, who ended his Batman films after the third installment. He could have made 10 more of them if he so desired, and many more new iterations will probably spawn during the next decade.

But he ended the series on his terms, defying the odds with a poignant ending to the trilogy, whereas most movies would have stumbled. We can now look back on those films fondly without remembering a weird fourth one where Dane Cook plays The Joker and ruins everything.

As for Velasquez, he has nothing more to prove after getting his hand raised twice. While Dos Santos offers fierce competition, it will appear as if the champion is playing it safe against an opponent he knows he can defeat.

While Dos Santos may relish the chance to even the series at two apiece, he can’t afford to take another beating. “Cigano” must return to the win column as soon as he can, and Velasquez is rolling too much to let that happen against his adversary.

The two rivals have had a great run, but it’s time to move on. An entire field of fighters with different styles and sizes offers new ring partners for both men. They can stand to freshen things up to avoid turning this exciting rivalry into just another stale showdown.

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UFC 165: Alexander Gustafsson Shines Despite Falling Short to Jon Jones

Jon “Bones” Jones left UFC 165 with a victory, but Alexander Gustafsson took the champion to his absolute limit in a match that proved the Swedish striker’s merit.
Jones was supposed to win by a landslide, cruising to 19-1 while solidifying his st…

Jon “Bones” Jones left UFC 165 with a victory, but Alexander Gustafsson took the champion to his absolute limit in a match that proved the Swedish striker’s merit.

Jones was supposed to win by a landslide, cruising to 19-1 while solidifying his stronghold over the light heavyweight class. Nobody other than Gustafsson thought that Gustafsson stood a chance at pulling off a monumental upset.

And they were all technically right, as Jones won by a unanimous decision after five thrilling rounds to maintain his title. That, however, does not give due diligence to his opponent’s gutsy effort in an evenly-contested bout that will go down as an instant classic.

The mauler fought Jones strike for strike, landing just four hits less than his opponent during the final three rounds. Although Jones connected his strikes with more accuracy, producing a 62 percent success rate to Gustafsson‘s 38, Gustafsson generated the first takedown of Jones’ career.

Jones fell to the mat while struggling to take down his foe, succeeding in one of his 11 tries. Used to bullying his opposition, Jones was evenly matched all night.

The 6’5″ fighter was promoted as a threat over UFC’s top dog due to his large stature, but Gustafsson showed strength, agility and tenacity to match his lofty height. Jones boasts the longest reach of any UFC fighter, and his freakish athleticism was enough to score him the slightest of victories against a worthy adversary.

Looking at the carnage Gustafsson inflicted, it’s hard to remember that Jones won. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Bones celebrated his big win by going to the hospital.

The underdog, on the other hand, exited Toronto’s Air Canada Centre with several more supporters in his corner. He gained respect from many of his peers, including fellow UFC fighter T.J. Grant.

Only 26, Gustafsson has a bright future ahead of him, one that will include a rematch if everyone gets their wish. He wasted no time calling for another go-around. According to Sherdog’s Mike Whitman, after the fight Gustafsson told Fox Sports that he’s ready to take another shot at Jones.

“I’m down whenever. I want a rematch right away if I can,” Gustafsson said. “It’s up to the UFC. It’s an honor to fight Jones, and I will be ready whenever they call me.”

He demonstrated that same refusal to back down before the fight, remaining confident in his chances while showing no fear of his favored opponent.

That unabashed mentality serves him well in the octagon. Shortly after going to hell and back against Jones, he’s yearning to take another spin. 

 

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UFC 165: Previewing Pat Healy vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov Clash

Although not the main feature on tap for Saturday’s UFC 165, Pat Healy and Khabib Nurmagomedov could very well steal the show.
The two intense lightweights will commence the main card with what promises to be a bruising, unforgiving battle between forc…

Although not the main feature on tap for Saturday’s UFC 165, Pat Healy and Khabib Nurmagomedov could very well steal the show.

The two intense lightweights will commence the main card with what promises to be a bruising, unforgiving battle between forceful grapplers.

Both fighters are relatively new to the UFC scene, but each man brings an array of MMA experience with them into the Octagon. Healy was stripped of a victory in his only UFC bout while Nurmagomedov has yet to lose regardless of the locale.

Here’s what you need to know heading into this massive showdown.

 

When: Saturday, Sept. 21 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

Watch: Pay-Per-View

 

The Book on Healy

Healy made an impressive debut to UFC, handling Jim Miller last April. The 30-year-old landed 53 strikes to Miller’s 27, besting an experience competitor with a 22-4 record.

It was all for naught, however, as Healy tested positive for marijuana during the drug test. He was forced to abdicate his victory.

Healy, who won his last six fights before facing Miller, is 29-16 over the course of his career. And let’s ace it, marijuana is not exactly a performance-enhancer that embedded his submission victory at UFC 159.

The submission specialist has generated 10 tapouts and should look to increase that mark to 11 to handle another ferocious fighter. While the No. 10 lightweight contender is skilled at controlling a bout, he’ll face a tougher task in staying on top of Nurmagomedov.

As Healy attempts to avenge his last embarrassing win-turned-no-contest, look for him to attempt to utilize his veteran savvy over his younger opponent.

 

The Book on Nurmagomedov

The Russian beast’s unblemished 20-0 mark should scare anyone, but his sheer dominant style is even more terrifying.

Nurmagomedov has a takedown average of 8.17 per 15 minutes of fighting with 49 percent accuracy. During his last bout with Abel Trujillo, “The Eagle” dominated with a 21-1 takedown advantage, winning by unanimous decision.

He’s competed so well thus far that there’s little sampling on how he handles adversity. While Healy is counting on landing a submission, Nurmagomedov has never been placed in a situation to tap.

Nurmagomedov is actually a strikingly versatile fighter, having notched seven victories via knockout and seven by way of submission. He can win a technical fight but often doesn’t need to due to his strength as a grappler.

Getting his hand raised during UFC 165 would catapult the young fighter’s career trajectory. A win on the grand stage prompts him up the lightweight ladder and lifts him one fight closer to highlighting the main event one day. 

 

Prediction

This match will feature some crushing blows between two fighters looking to make a major name for themselves as a perennial main-carder. Healy holds the experience edge, but Nurmagomedov is a freight train that has not yet been derailed. Although Healy will hang tough and prove he belongs, he’ll fall short and become Nurmagomedov’s 21st victim. 

 

Note: All statistics courtesy of FightMetric.com.

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Jones vs. Gustafsson: Champion Will Capture Decisive Victory at UFC 165

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will prove why he enters UFC 165 as the prohibitive favorite when he demolishes Alexander Gustafsson.
Jones will headline the festivities at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre by facing Gustafsson, whom the UFC is desp…

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will prove why he enters UFC 165 as the prohibitive favorite when he demolishes Alexander Gustafsson.

Jones will headline the festivities at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre by facing Gustafsson, whom the UFC is desperately trying to promote as the man ready to give Jones a run for his money.

Don’t let the marketing fool you: Jones will cruise to his 10th straight win in dominant fashion.

Jones has not lost a fight since his disqualification against Matt Hamill in 2009. While he was well on his way to getting his hand raised, “Bones” was punished for an illegal elbow that stopped him from piling up a gaudy undefeated record.

Besides that one hit deemed dirty, Jones has proven time and time again why he is the sport’s fiercest competitor and why nobody should expect to see fall down on the mat this Saturday.

The 6’4″, 205-pound New Yorker boasts freakish athleticism in the ring. He possesses the quickness of a lightweight with the strength of a burly heavyweight. No other UFC fighter can match his 84.5″ reach.

He can beat his opponents anyway imaginable. With four wins via knockout, Jones typically defeats his foes through a war of attrition, but he succeeds when he tries to bring his victims down. According to FightMetrics.com, he has produced a deadly combination of 3.94 strikes landed per minute and a 62-percent takedown accuracy.

Gustafsson is no slouch, having bounced back from a loss to Phil Davis during his first fight to win his last six. Standing at 6’5″, the Swedish lightweight is one of few fighters that can challenge Jones’ size.

But Gustafsson does not possess the athletic grace of Jones, who closely resembles what scientists would produce if they were tasked with assembling the perfect fighter.

Height is just one factor in the equation. Jones still has a larger reach along with more agility and power than his opponent. Now Bones finally found an adversary that can stare him in the eyes before receiving a beating.

Jones is yet to have been taken down, and the champion has only defeated himself with a questionable call. 

Another win would give Jones the sport’s longest active winning streak as well as the biggest stretch of wins ever for a man in his weight class. A win further proves that Jones is a man among slightly less capable men. (You call a professional UFC fighter a boy.)

Gustafsson is a solid competitor but will be no challenge for Bones in Toronto. Expect a one-sided fight that firmly solidifies Jones’ greatness. 

 

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