Author: Andrew Saunders

UFC on Fuel 8: Info and Predictions for Silva vs Stann

The last time the UFC visited the Land of the Rising Sun, fans were treated to a memorable evening of knockouts and exciting battles that remain fresh in our minds one full year later. On Saturday night, UFC on Fuel 8 brings a lineup that promises an e…

The last time the UFC visited the Land of the Rising Sun, fans were treated to a memorable evening of knockouts and exciting battles that remain fresh in our minds one full year later. On Saturday night, UFC on Fuel 8 brings a lineup that promises an equally entertaining show.

In the main event, PRIDE legend Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva meets U.S. Marine Brian Stann in a light heavyweight battle that should provide tremendous fireworks.

Silva isn’t the only familiar face returning to Japan, as fellow PRIDE stars Mark Hunt and Takanori Gomi return to the land where they gained their fame in respective matchups with Stefan Struve and Diego Sanchez.

Without any further ado, let’s take a look at the UFC on Fuel 8 fight card from top to bottom.

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Why Ronda Rousey’s Next Fight Will Be the Bigger Test for the UFC

After tremendous promotional efforts from the UFC, Ronda Rousey’s debut came and went without any major hiccups. “Rowdy” overcame adversity and kept her streak alive by scoring her signature submission hold with only 11 seconds left in the first round….

After tremendous promotional efforts from the UFC, Ronda Rousey‘s debut came and went without any major hiccups. “Rowdy” overcame adversity and kept her streak alive by scoring her signature submission hold with only 11 seconds left in the first round.

However, now that UFC fans have given women’s MMA the first look glance, they now know what they are in for. The question is, can the UFC get them to come back and watch again?

One of the biggest drawbacks of Rousey‘s dominant first-round finishes lies in the fact that many fans aren’t interested in spending $55 on a fight that is both predictable and quick.

With a talent pool that keeps the same depth as a Slip-N-Slide, Rousey is already dangerously close to competing in rematches with opponents who she already dominated.

By no means am I trying to suggest that Ronda is a big fish in a little tank. If anything, all signs point to her being a mid-sized whale in a little tank. However, trying to find new opponents for Ronda who fans are willing to pay to see is going to be tough.

At the post-fight press conference, Dana White says that it “makes sense” to grant a title shot to the winner of an April fight between Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano. If Tate is successful, fans will be treated to a fight that saw Rousey test the bending limits of the human elbow.

Who do you think Rousey should fight next? Is the winner of Tate/Zingano the best option or should Sarah McMann be given the next opportunity? 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 157 Results: Can Ronda Rousey Convince Fans to Keep Tuning in to WMMA?

Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world, and within that sport, women’s MMA is growing faster than anything else.UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is largely deserving of the credit for this expansion, as her incredibl…

Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world, and within that sport, women’s MMA is growing faster than anything else.

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is largely deserving of the credit for this expansion, as her incredible combination of physical prowess, beauty and personality have made her both appealing and accessible by fight fans across the world.

All things worked out for Dana White and Co. as the main event of UFC 157 was thrilling, competitive and not overly-violent. Critics and fans alike have praised the contest, which outshined almost every other bout on the card.

Rousey has already grabbed our attention over the course of the last year, but now that she has broken the glass ceiling and no longer has the burden of making WMMA acceptable in the mainstream, can she convince fans to keep tuning in?

Like sushi, WMMA is something that you won’t know if you like until you try it. Despite the positive reviews that came back on this event, here at Bleacher Report, we have received our fair share of comments from readers who couldn’t stomach watching women punch each other.  

The questions is whether or not those viewers will be willing to tune in again.

In addition, there doesn’t seem to be much hope of this division staying fresh.

Without a talented pool of contenders, the UFC women’s bantamweight division will soon run into the same problems that the flyweight division is having. The cream always rises to the top, and without more depth in the roster pool, we are currently destined to watch a lot of rematches at the top of the division.

In no way do I want to sound pessimistic, but I think WMMA is similar to boxing in the fact that there is only one major star whom fans are willing to pay to see. Rousey is our version of Floyd Mayweather.

Then again, Mayweather still draws more than 1,000,000 pay-per-view buys regardless of who he fights, so I guess there are worse people in which to be compared.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Where Does UFC 157 Rank Among 2013’s UFC Fight Cards

On Saturday night, the UFC brought the thunder to the Honda Center in Anaheim with UFC 157.All eyes were focused on UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey as she defeated Liz Carmouche in the first female contest in UFC history.Earlier on the m…

On Saturday night, the UFC brought the thunder to the Honda Center in Anaheim with UFC 157.

All eyes were focused on UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey as she defeated Liz Carmouche in the first female contest in UFC history.

Earlier on the main card, fans were treated to some excellent finishes courtesy of Robbie Lawler and Urijah Faber, as well as an excellent display of heart as Josh Neer somehow survived the gut-wrenching attack of Court McGee until the final bell.

But in the grand scheme of things, how does UFC 157 hold up against the other UFC offerings of 2013?

Here is a power ranking of every UFC event so far in 2013. Only main card fights were taken into consideration unless the prelims were aired during the primary telecast.

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UFC 157 Results : Why We Want Grice vs. Bermudez 2

For anyone who is the kind of viewer that tunes in for the main card of major events but ignores the prelim action, on Saturday night you missed an all-out war between featherweights Matt Grice and Dennis Bermudez, who is an early front-runner for Figh…

For anyone who is the kind of viewer that tunes in for the main card of major events but ignores the prelim action, on Saturday night you missed an all-out war between featherweights Matt Grice and Dennis Bermudez, who is an early front-runner for Fight of the Year honors.

The fight was so incredible that amid a UFC firing spree, Dana White was quick to assure the world that Grice would keep his job, despite the loss.

When you turn on your TV set and you put down your money or you buy a ticket, that’s what you expect to show up and see. As a fight fan, those are the kind of fights you want to watch. And those are the kind of fights where guys won’t get cut. It’s pretty easy—pretty simple.

Depending on how you scored the first and third rounds, this bout has been scored everywhere between 28-28 (via MMAfighting.com) and 29-27. Because of the epic nature of the brawl as well as the extremely close scoring, “rematch” is the word that is on many lips inside the industry. 

Early in the contest, Bermudez was able to mount Grice and began unleashing a series of hammer fists and short elbows that could have ended the fight were it not for Grice‘s commendable heart.

Grice would battle out of the tough position and some feel that his crisp striking and spinning back kicks stole the round, despite his early trouble.

After Grice won a fun second frame, it all came down to the third round.

When the final round began, it looked as if Bermudez was going to quickly wrap up the fight, as he dropped Grice and swarmed in hopes of a finish. Once again, Grice displayed incredible heart and returned to his feet, where the two men slugged it out.

Herb Dean looked ready to step in and stop the fight during standup exchanges on several occasions as Grice was out on his feet in a couple of moments. It was the kind of round where everyone is wondering exactly how it’s possible that Grice was still standing.

As displayed by MMAdecisions.com, the most common scoring given to this fight by pundits was a 28-28 draw. And all draws need resolution.

What do you think? Who did you score the fight for? Would you like to see this fight one more time?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

10 MMA Fighters on the Hot Seat in the Month of March

Between the UFC’s return to Japan and an ultra-hyped blood feud between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz finally coming to fruition, there is a lot of action to follow in the month of March.Some fighters compete this month in hopes of scoring a title sh…

Between the UFC’s return to Japan and an ultra-hyped blood feud between Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz finally coming to fruition, there is a lot of action to follow in the month of March.

Some fighters compete this month in hopes of scoring a title shot. Others are fighting to save their jobs in the midst of a potential roster purge.

Regardless of what each fighter has on the line, there are several stars who simply cannot afford to lose. Here is a look at 10 MMA fighters who are on the hot seat in the month of March.

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