Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is considered by many as the second best heavyweight in the history of MMA, yet many were not giving him a chance against rising star Brendan Schaub.The skepticism was understandable.For a man who built his reputation off of du…
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is considered by many as the second best heavyweight in the history of MMA, yet many were not giving him a chance against rising star Brendan Schaub.
The skepticism was understandable.
For a man who built his reputation off of durability as much as skill, Nogueira was looking decidedly less durable in his recent TKO loss to Frank Mir and KO loss to Cain Velasquez.
Not only that, but Nogueira was heading into the Schaub fight after a lengthy lay-off and three surgeries—one for his knee and one for each hip.
Instead of his admittedly rushed rehab working against him, Nogueira looked born anew in dispatching his younger foe.
After working through some good shots landed by Schaub, Nogueira maintained steady pressure and eventually landed a barrage of fight-ending shots against the cage.
The Brazilian legend has fought all around the world, but this actually marked his first time fighting professionally in his home country.
With the brutal KO coming at three minutes into the fight, the entire crowd erupted in celebration.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is a hero in Brazilian MMA, and with UFC bringing the sport to prominence never before seen, the ride is not yet over.
The only man to hold championships in both Pride and the UFC has some more gas in the tank, and is once again a very important factor in the heavyweight division.
Luiz Cane was building a reputation as one of the most fearsome strikers and promising light heavyweights that the sport had seen in a while.After fighting UFC newcomer Stanislav Nedkov at UFC 134, however, Cane has now suffered three TKO defeats in fo…
Luiz Cane was building a reputation as one of the most fearsome strikers and promising light heavyweights that the sport had seen in a while.
After fighting UFC newcomer Stanislav Nedkov at UFC 134, however, Cane has now suffered three TKO defeats in four fights.
Starting off, Cane looking sharp. He was backing his Bulgarian opponent down, landing solid strikes and looking to close in on a finish.
Nedkov remained dangerous. One of his powerful counterstrikes clipped Cane’s temple, sending him reeling backwards. Cane tried to regain his wits, but Nedkov followed him with a barrage of unanswered strikes.
The upset came at 4:20 into the very first round.
The relatively unknown Stanislav Nedkov is now a name that will attract some interest in his next matchup, while Luiz Cane falls into a very precarious situation.
Does he get released and try to rebuild his confidence in smaller shows or can he turn things around with another chance in the big leagues?
At 29 and 30 years of age, it is far too soon to draw sweeping conclusions about the trajectory of the rest of their careers, but fans can certainly be happy that they came to fight and put on a hell of a show.
UFC Live: Hardy vs Lytle delivered the goods. Out of 12 total bouts, only five went to a decision.Heading into the main event, I was sure some of the earlier scraps would earn “Fight of the Night”, but low and behold, it was the main event that o…
UFC Live: Hardy vs Lytle delivered the goods. Out of 12 total bouts, only five went to a decision.
Heading into the main event, I was sure some of the earlier scraps would earn “Fight of the Night”, but low and behold, it was the main event that officially earned the UFC’s “Fight of the Night”.
Chris Lytle vs Dan Hardy was an excellent battle, but was it the best fight of the night?
Which fights got overlooked by the glitz and glamour of the main event?
These are the five best fights from UFC Live on Versus 5: Lytle vs Hardy.
Ole Laursen is all set to star in the main event of ONE Fighting Championship against fellow Filipino Eduard Folayang. The winner of this high-profile bout will no doubt be receiving speculation about being matched up against the best lightweight…
Ole Laursen is all set to star in the main event of ONE Fighting Championship against fellow Filipino Eduard Folayang. The winner of this high-profile bout will no doubt be receiving speculation about being matched up against the best lightweights in the world.
Folayang currently boasts an impressive 9-1 professional record, but it is Laursen, who is 5-2 and has won all of his last five fights, who has really got the MMA community talking.
One of the reasons is that his only two losses were in his first two professional bouts and came at the hands of two of Japanese MMA’s leading lightweights, Genki Sudo and Caol Uno. Laursen’s warrior spirit was evident in those two battles, and they took place back in 2006.
Another reason that Laursen is drawing attention is because of his truly elite stand-up skills. MMA’s lightweight division is especially populated with adept wrestlers and grapplers, discouraging elite strikers to start making the transition to round out their game. Laursen accepts the challenge and provides us one of the few opportunities to see world-class strikers compete in MMA.
He has fought some of the best K-1 and Muay Thai fighters on the planet including Andy Souwer, Buakaw Por Pramuk and Jomhod Kiatadisak.
Souwer and Por Pramuk are both K-1 Max winners which puts them in an elite group of stand-up fighters which contains virtually no MMA fighters other than Alistair Overeem.
As a longtime K-1 and Muay Thai contender, Laursen could bring this type of talent into the Octagon, and he has also proven time and time again that his skills are clearly good enough to survive the often times disorienting transition from the boxing ring to the cage.
He could certainly be an attractive proposition for the UFC as there are perhaps no other lightweight contender candidates with Laursen’s striking prestige. The only question mark is over Laursen’s takedown defense, because if that is a weakness it will be ruthlessly exposed if he chooses to come and fight here in the US.
Anthony Pettis, who is a current stand-up standout amongst the UFC’s lightweights, found himself outwrestled and outmuscled by Clay Guida on his UFC debut, and a similar fate could await Laursen if Joe Silva were to sign him up. It will be interesting to see how he fares against Folayang who has strong Wushu-based wrestling skills, and may very well base his strategy around takedowns.
For a fighter who is supposed to want to stay on the feet, Laursen is actually extremely competent on the ground and boasts two submission wins. Last year he submitted the highly-experienced Eduardo Pachu, who has a purple belt in BJJ, in a performance which must have caught the eyes of astute UFC prospect watchers.
Anyone who has won legitimate world titles in Muay Thai, kickboxing, or K-1 and is good enough to submit a BJJ purple belt in an MMA fight is going to be a strong candidate for a UFC contract. A win over Folayang, who has only lost once in 10 professional fights, would probably see Laursen leap to the top of the heap of potential UFC lightweights.
Although speculation about a relationship with the UFC could become warranted, it might not be very high on Laursen’s “to-do” list. His fights with Folayang will be the main event in a show which is taking place in the biggest indoor arena in South Asia and will be broadcast by ESPN Star Sports to 24 countries, shown on domestic TV in Singapore and streamed live on the internet all over the world.
His contract details are unknown, but it is suspected he has a multi-fight deal with ONE FC. The organization would probably not stand in a fighter’s way if they received a lucrative offer from the UFC, but what would it take for Laursen to jump ship?
At ONE Fighting Championship Laursen is at the top of the fight card from where he can look down at the names of high-calibre fighters such as Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Phil Baroni and Gregor Gracie.
If he can extend his five-fight winning streak with an impressive win over Folayang, then Laursen may soon see his stock in high demand. The question then is, where will Laursen be looking?
Last night at UFC 132, Carlos Condit proved that he really is “The Natural Born Killer” with his first round knockout of the previously undefeated Dong Hyun Kim.With 13 submissions and 13 KO/TKOs in 27 career victories, it made me start wondering who a…
Last night at UFC 132, Carlos Condit proved that he really is “The Natural Born Killer” with his first round knockout of the previously undefeated Dong Hyun Kim.
With 13 submissions and 13 KO/TKOs in 27 career victories, it made me start wondering who are some of the other most dangerous fighters in MMA.
Here is Carlos Condit and the most dangerous fighters in MMA broken down by division
Out of 27 career victories, 27-year-old Carlos Condit has finished 26 of them. Only one of his 27 victories did he go to a decision.I do not think there is anyone out there with that kind aggression and killer instinct to show for on their record.For m…
Out of 27 career victories, 27-year-old Carlos Condit has finished 26 of them. Only one of his 27 victories did he go to a decision.
I do not think there is anyone out there with that kind aggression and killer instinct to show for on their record.
For my money, Carlos Condit is the most dangerous fighter in the welterweight division.
That finishing ability was on full display as Condit knocked out the previously undefeated Dong Hyun Kim in the first round at UFC 132.
That marks two first-round knockouts in a row for Condit, where he is the only man to have ever KO’d his opponent.
Then, stop to consider that he has just as many wins by submission as he does by knockout.
Since joining the UFC and dropping a controversial split-decision to standout Martin Kampmann, Condit appears to just be getting better and better with each outing.
It is at the point now where it is more difficult making an argument as to why he shouldn’t be getting a title shot.
Yet despite his refinement and caliber, Condit proved against Dong Hyun Kim that he is very much still “The Natural Born Killer.”
If Kim and Hardy cannot last a round in the cage with Condit, then who is going to get in his way?
The only fighters left for Condit to fight are the durable and elite welterweight stalwarts that are notoriously hard to finish, and I bet Condit is just chomping at the bit.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is considered by many as the second best heavyweight in the history of MMA, yet many were not giving him a chance against rising star Brendan Schaub.