Author: Andrew Saunders

UFC on FX 3 Results: What We Learned from Mike Pyle vs Josh Neer

UFC on FX 3 kicked off the main card with an excellent scrap between bantamweights Eddie Wineland and Scott Jorgensen. With Wineland pleasing the crowd by landing an enormous right hand to drop the colorful Jorgensen, Mike Pyle and Josh Neer had a toug…

UFC on FX 3 kicked off the main card with an excellent scrap between bantamweights Eddie Wineland and Scott Jorgensen. With Wineland pleasing the crowd by landing an enormous right hand to drop the colorful Jorgensen, Mike Pyle and Josh Neer had a tough act to follow.

Not only did they follow the action, but Mike Pyle may have stolen the Knockout of the Night bonus right out of Wineland’s grasp.

Going into this fight, Pyle had gone 5-2 in his most recent fights, with his only losses coming at the hands of Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald.

Although Neer is riding a six-fight winning streak, oddsmakers have the wily veteran as a 2-1 underdog heading into the contest.

The Dentist did a good job of lighting Pyle up with various strikes, including some clinch knees and hooks to the body. Late in the first round, he got caught with a punch that sent him to the ground and ended his night rather quickly.

Here’s what we learned from the bout.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

The epic knockout. This fight gave us some thrilling moments both standing and on the ground, but Mike Pyle scored a big right hook while Josh Neer was turning it on.  

 

What We Learned About Josh Neer

How much can you learn about a 45-fight veteran? When you’ve seen someone so many times, not many new things pop out. 

Neer has very good striking, but also a very active guard. He threatened with a handful of various submissions while on his back, and kept Pyle on his toes. 

 

What We Learned About Mike Pyle

That his striking-game is dangerous, even at the age of 36. Despite being paired up with a more proficient standup artist, Pyle delivered a nasty knockout that was one of the best of the year.

Pyle has strong grappling, and we knew this. He was able to defend the many submission attempts of Neer.

Quicksand has great sportsmanship. When he recognized that Neer was out, he could have landed followup punches until the referee pulled him off, but he chose to walk away.

 

What’s Next for Neer?

Neer was doing a great job in this fight before getting caught. He was able to avoid eating too much damage while threatened with submissions on the ground, and was winning the standup exchanges. He will come back strong, but it would be nice to see him against another well-rounded fighter.

Neer should look for a matchup with DaMarques Johnson or Lance Benoist.

 

What’s Next for Pyle?

This marks two consecutive knockouts for Pyle, who improved to 6-2 in his last eight bouts. He has done a great job of crushing the lower ranked fighters, but had trouble with the top guys. This fight should have earned him another chance at someone in the top 15.

A bout with Brian Ebersole or Rick Story would be an interesting test.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Michael Bisping and the 25 Best Gatekeepers in MMA

A gatekeeper is not a negative or derogatory term. Some may even find the term endearing. For example, if defeating a gatekeeper catapults you into title contention, then the gatekeeper in question is clearly a worthy and legitimate foe. Another import…

A gatekeeper is not a negative or derogatory term. Some may even find the term endearing. For example, if defeating a gatekeeper catapults you into title contention, then the gatekeeper in question is clearly a worthy and legitimate foe.

Another important point that you must understand is that some gatekeepers have earned their title by consistently coming up short in big fights, while others have recently fallen into the role based on recent performances.

The false impression that many fans have about the term gatekeeper has been the cause of many intense debates.

This is a look at the different types of gatekeepers, and the 25 fighters who best fit the description.

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UFC on FX 3: Can Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall Recreate the Magic?

While it’s doubtful that Mighty Mouse and Uncle Creepy can recreate the controversy of their first fight, fans are hopeful that Ultimate Fighter semi-finalists Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall can put together the same level of thrilling entertai…

While it’s doubtful that Mighty Mouse and Uncle Creepy can recreate the controversy of their first fight, fans are hopeful that Ultimate Fighter semi-finalists Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall can put together the same level of thrilling entertainment that they did in their March confrontation.

Is it a pipe dream? 

I’m not suggesting that these caged warriors won’t put on an entertaining fight. If anything, I expect them to try and outdo their previous performance. But, this would not be the first time that matchmakers have tried to have lightning strike twice. 

Rematches of exciting fights don’t always turn out smelling like roses. Do you remember Griffin vs Bonnar II? Or Shamrock vs Severn II? 

The original battle between Johnson and McCall made history. As the first flyweight battle in UFC history, both men knew that they were part of something magical. With intensity and pugnacity, the 125 pound fighters gave us a 15 minute battle that nearly saw McCall take home the victory and move one step closer to the inaugural UFC Flyweight Championship.

Should we be skeptical about this fight? Probably not. McCall and Johnson are two fighters with incredible heart and the desire to become champions. When they square off on Friday night, make sure you are tuned in because we should expect nothing less than fireworks.

UFC on FX 3 takes place on Friday, June 8. The main card airs on FX and features four battles that will be contested at 170 pounds or lower. An eight-fight preliminary card will air on Fuel TV.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: BJ Penn Comes out of Retirement to Accept Challenge of Rory MacDonald

According to BJPenn.com and the official Twitter page of BJ Penn, he has decided to come out of retirement to square off with Rory MacDonald.MacDonald has torn through tough competition like Nate Diaz, Mike Pyle and nearly defeated Carlos Condit. …

According to BJPenn.com and the official Twitter page of BJ Penn, he has decided to come out of retirement to square off with Rory MacDonald.

MacDonald has torn through tough competition like Nate Diaz, Mike Pyle and nearly defeated Carlos Condit. When he called out BJ Penn yesterday on MMAFighting.com’s The MMA Hour, it seemed unlikely that anything would come from it.

The young welterweight was respectful in his request, and did not badmouth the former dual-division champion. 

“Right now I feel there’s a guy that I want to fight before he leaves the sport and that’s BJ Penn… He’s a legend and I think it’d be a really good matchup for me to have that fight in Toronto.”

Penn surprisingly retired from the sport after a disappointing loss to Nick Diaz back in October. He has recently rejected the goading of Josh Koscheck, who attempted to call “The Prodigy” out on Twitter in May.

“@joshkoscheck I know it costs a lot of money to live that lavish lifestyle, big house, fast cars & you need big fights but sorry I’m not coming back anytime soon!” 

Did Penn have a quick change in heart? Or did simply not want to fight Koscheck? One thing is for sure, and that is the fact that MacDonald is a powerful welterweight who cannot be taken lightly.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for more on this story as it breaks.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: Firing Jeff Curran Was a Mistake

With today’s announcement that the UFC has released 10 fighters, including former Ultimate Fighter winner Efrain Escudero, independent promoters must be salivating at the thought of adding former UFC stars to their upcoming events.
There was one name o…

With today’s announcement that the UFC has released 10 fighters, including former Ultimate Fighter winner Efrain Escudero, independent promoters must be salivating at the thought of adding former UFC stars to their upcoming events.

There was one name on the list hit me as surprising: former WEC competitor Jeff Curran.

Curran is a journeyman fighter who holds a respectable record of 33-15-1. Under the Zuffa umbrella, he has competed as a lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight, although he claims that his true home is in the newly established flyweight division.

Sure, Curran hasn’t torn up the bantamweight division. “Big Frog” went 0-2 in his most recent UFC run, and his final four fights in the WEC were losses. However, Curran was able to stay competitive against the best featherweights in the world, including Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, Joseph Benavidez and Takeya Mizugaki.

When you look at the terribly shallow roster pool of the UFC Flyweight division (11 fighters total), it seems odd that they would release a veteran who has competed against world-class fighters and is interested in making the transition.

Outside of the tournament fighters, the biggest star in the flyweight division is Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson, who has exactly two fights for any notable organizations. Can the UFC really afford to throw away talent at 125 pounds?

Considering that Curran squared off with such high level fighters in a weight class 20 pounds above his own, it is impressive that Faber was the only man able to finish him.

There are a few roses hidden beneath the thorns, however, as Curran was able to defeat notables Wagnney Fabiano, Rafael Assuncao and Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett throughout his career.

From a business aspect, you can look at Curran’s salary as another reason why he should remain on the roster. Garnering a mere $8,000 per fight (without locker room bonuses), a veteran like Curran was making the same as a lot of Ultimate Fighter losers and assorted promotional newcomers. If that low price tag is all it costs to help boost your weakest division, it’s an incredible bargain.

I’m not suggesting that Curran is a world-beater, or that he would ever become champion, but the guy has a name and the kind of experience that can only be earned through 14 years of grueling competitive MMA action. He would have made an excellent addition to the budding flyweight division and it’s a shame that he wasn’t given a chance to prove it.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF Live Finale: 5 Fights for Jake Ellenberger to Take Next

Last night at the TUF Live finale, Jake Ellenberger was moments away from stopping Martin Kampmann after landing a lead left hook that sent the Dane to the canvas.Ellenberger would swarm his opponent, but Steve Mazzagatti wasn’t ready to call a stop to…

Last night at the TUF Live finale, Jake Ellenberger was moments away from stopping Martin Kampmann after landing a lead left hook that sent the Dane to the canvas.

Ellenberger would swarm his opponent, but Steve Mazzagatti wasn’t ready to call a stop to the action.

Many feel that the stoppage on Ellenberger was premature, and I’ll admit that I’m one of them. However, he took his loss with class and should be praised for not complaining like a lot of fighters do.

A win for Ellenberger would have made seven in a row, and marked the third in a row over a top-10 opponent. There is no question that Ellenberger should be competing with the best in the world, but who should he sign up to fight next?

Here is a look at five potential opponents for Jake Ellenberger to take next.

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