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UFC on FOX 3 Fight Card: Keys to Victory for Johny Hendricks

This Saturday night, in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 3, decorated wrestlers-turned-KO-artists Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks will square off.Hendricks is coming off of a scintillating KO of longtime contender Jon Fitch that shot his stock through…

This Saturday night, in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 3, decorated wrestlers-turned-KO-artists Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks will square off.

Hendricks is coming off of a scintillating KO of longtime contender Jon Fitch that shot his stock through the roof. Mixing no words, Hendricks told the world that he is looking for a shot at the UFC welterweight championship. Back-to-back wins over Fitch and Koscheck is certainly a fast track to achieve that goal.

Maybe Hendricks will do it again and win with only one punch, but the chances aren’t great. If Hendricks hopes to find success this weekend, he will need to follow these keys to success.

Pepper Koscheck with Jabs

In his fight with GSP, Koscheck spent five rounds eating jabs, and it did major damage to his eye. When Matt Hughes targeted the eye with jabs in their September contest, it made Koscheck very uncomfortable.

Koscheck is going to go into this fight expecting power shots. If Hendricks starts the bout feeding Kos a healthy diet of jabs, it will take the 34-year-old slightly off his game, and leave him open for my next key.

Land the Overhand Left

If Koscheck is trying to find a way to counter that jab, he may find himself susceptible for the power strikes that are coming.

After seeing his friend and teammate knocked out by Hendricks in only 12 seconds, Koscheck is very aware of the power his opponent possesses. For Hendricks to pull off a second signature win, he’ll need to show it off once again.

Protect Your Eyes

Josh Koscheck probably lands more eye pokes than anyone in the history of the UFC. Kos ignored several warnings from Herb Dean at UFC 142 and went unpunished on the scorecards when an errant finger poked Mike Pierce.

Koscheck is a tough fighter to beat even with perfect vision. An eye poke can disorient Hendricks for several minutes, which is more than enough time for a dangerous fighter like Kos to take advantage.

For more on this, check out this article from Bleacher Report’s own Andrew Dodds.

Take Him Down

A lot of fighters who score a big knockout sometimes decide that they really like the recognition they get for the finish. Hendricks needs to make sure that he doesn’t forget that his wrestling is what brought him to the show in the first place.

If Hendricks wants to stand and bang, that’s fine, but Koscheck is aware of the wrestling pedigree that his opponent possesses. If Hendricks can score an early takedown, it will stay in the back of Kos’ mind for the remainder of the bout.

Stay Off of Your Back

Koscheck has a smothering top game that can be frustrating for any fighter. Hendricks will need to use his defensive wrestling to the best of his abilities if he wants this fight to go in his favor. After all, you can’t throw knockout punches from your back.

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MMA Fighters and Their Superhero Counterparts

In the world of mixed martial arts, you can find several fighters who are similar to superheroes and other characters from comic lore. After all, professional fighters possess traits that help make a normal person a superhero.Clearly, the UFC doesn’t h…

Clearly, the UFC doesn’t house any fighters who have been exposed to heavy doses of radiation, but here is a look at some of MMA‘s biggest figures and their superhero counterparts.

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Nick Diaz Sues Nevada State Athletic Commission over Drug Suspension

Throughout his insanely controversial career, Nick Diaz has continued a UFC bout into a hospital brawl with his opponent after fighting in the UFC. He has started a riot on national television. He has retired from the sport because he didn’t like the judges’ decision in his most recent fight. So you may be asking yourself, “How does MMA‘s reigning king of controversy outdo himself?”

He sues the Nevada State Athletic Commission for having the audacity to suspend him after failing a drug test.

At UFC 143, Nick Diaz challenged Carlos Condit for the UFC interim welterweight championship. The winner of the fight would challenge Georges St-Pierre in late 2012 when he returns from injury. Diaz lost a closely contested and hotly debated battle, and a rematch was being scheduled for the summer. That is, until Diaz was suspended by the NSAC for a positive post-fight drug test. Diaz, a medical marijuana user, tested positive not for performance-enhancing drugs, but for marijuana metabolites.

Ross Goodman, attorney for Diaz, filed suit against the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday. The suit seeks relief for his client against a temporary suspension the camp feels is unlawful.

Diaz’s camp had previously issued two prior responses on the failed drug test, citing that marijuana metabolites are not specifically banned by the commission.

A Nevada legislative statute states that the commission must rule on a case within 45 days of the a temporary suspension. Goodman invoked this statute earlier this month, as the 45-day window closed on April 6. Goodman stated that after that time, the Diaz camp would consider the state’s complaint null and void.

MMAJunkie.com reports that Nevada deputy attorney Christopher Eccles responded that the statute applied only in cases in which “the public health, safety or welfare imperatively require emergency action.” He noted that Diaz had not appeared at an NSAC hearing in which a temporary suspension was addressed and reminded Goodman that an agreement to produce Diaz’s medical-marijuana card was in place. While that card has yet to be delivered to the commission, Goodman stands by his earlier claim and is now asking the Clark County District Court to rule as such.

UFC 147: Jose Aldo vs Frankie Edgar Is the Only Option

Jose Aldo being UFC 147″ target=”_blank” href=”http://mmajunkie.com/news/28405/ufc-147-keeps-belfort-vs-silva-2-expected-to-get-champ-aldo-at-date-tba.mma”>moved to UFC 147 on June 23 gives Dana White a small time frame in which to lock down a worth…

Jose Aldo being UFC 147” target=”_blank” href=”http://mmajunkie.com/news/28405/ufc-147-keeps-belfort-vs-silva-2-expected-to-get-champ-aldo-at-date-tba.mma”>moved to UFC 147 on June 23 gives Dana White a small time frame in which to lock down a worthy challenger for the Brazilian champion.

Current rankings suggest that Hatsu Hioki, Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung are the only featherweights who are within arm’s reach of a shot at the belt.

With today’s announcement that Hioki has agreed to face Ricardo Lamas the night prior at UFC on FX 4, we can rule him out as an option.

What makes the announcement more interesting is the fact that Poirier and The Korean Zombie are scheduled to square off at UFC on FUEL 3 on May 15th.

With the common practice of issuing medical suspensions to both the winner and loser of a hard-fought battle, it’s too risky to bank on the winner of this fight being medically cleared and physically prepared with only a 40-day turnaround.

You may be thinking to yourself that the UFC will simply pick another fight to headline the May card, but the event is only three weeks away and already lacks the star power of other shows. At the time this article was written, the co-main event features Amir Sadollah vs Jorge Lopez.

With the only three candidates for the belt unavailable for June, Joe Silva will need to contact a title-worthy opponent from another weight class.

Enter Frankie Edgar.

Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has been in five championship fights and won four of them. His total time fighting with gold on the line clocks in at just under two hours. His name value and experience in big fights makes him an amazing candidate.

Worried about the weight class? Don’t be. The eternal underdog is an undersized lightweight who simply has to avoid a salty lunch to make 155. Dropping to 145 wouldn’t be a problem for Edgar and it has been advised to him for much of his career.

Although Edgar showed initial resistance to dropping to featherweight, recent comments from the former lightweight champion hint that he has had a change of heart.

Aldo has previously commented that he wants to fight Edgar so badly that he does not care what weight class at which the bout is held.

You may think that this is crazy. Why would Frankie give up a shot at a rematch with Benson Henderson? It’s simple. I point to an old saying to illustrate my point.

“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!”

If Frankie is offered a choice between a title shot now and a title shot later, he should take the one that is now. Rashad Evans expected to fight Shogun Rua after winning a No. 1 contenders bout with Rampage in May of 2010. He didn’t receive his shot at the belt until April of 2012.

Frankie is 33 years old, and doesn’t have the luxury of time in the event that Henderson gets hurt and the rematch is further delayed.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for up-to-date news on all things MMA.

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UFC 149: Antonio Nogueira’s Next Fight Announced

A heavyweight bout between veterans Cheick Kongo and Antonio Minotauro Nogueira has been added to UFC 149 in Calgary reports the Calgary Sun.The bout will likely serve as the co-main event on a card that’s also expected to host a championship bout in t…

A heavyweight bout between veterans Cheick Kongo and Antonio Minotauro Nogueira has been added to UFC 149 in Calgary reports the Calgary Sun.

The bout will likely serve as the co-main event on a card that’s also expected to host a championship bout in the light-heavyweight division when Jon Jones attempts to defend his title for a fourth time against PRIDE FC legend Dan Henderson.

Kongo and Nogueira are both coming off of stoppage losses in their most recent bouts.

Kongo was knocked out by Mark Hunt at UFC 144. Prior to that, the Frenchman had not suffered a loss since 2009.

Big Nog was submitted for the first time in his career at UFC 140 by current No. 1 contender Frank Mir. Nogueira has not found the success he wanted in the UFC, as he holds a modest 4-3 record in the organization.

UFC 149 is also expected to host an interesting welterweight matchup between Thiago Alves and Yoshihiro Akiyama.

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UFC 147: Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar Is the Right Main Event

This afternoon, the UFC confirmed that Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II has been moved to UFC 148 and a void has been left on the card. Dana White stated at the press conference that featherweight champion Jose Aldo will likely be added to …

Tentatively scheduled to fight at UFC 149 against an undetermined opponent, Aldo would be happy to fight one month sooner if it means he can fight in his home country once again. After all, we saw how well the live crowd embraced their champion after his UFC 142 title defense against Chad Mendes.

Frankie Edgar is the right opponent for several reasons.

First of all, the backstory is already written. Edgar is a undersized lightweight who has the skills to win and defend the championship against men who are vastly larger. Fans and Dana White alike have been clamoring for Edgar to drop down and fight Aldo. Even Aldo wants this fight. This matchup is an intriguing fight for fans everywhere.

Secondly, Edgar is the only quality name in the division who fans would be willing to accept as a pay-per-view main eventer. The miserable 235,000 PPV purchases for UFC 142 will show you that MMA fans are not willing to spend their hard-earned dollars on someone they don’t think can unseat Aldo. Hatsu Hioki is a very talented fighter, but a large number of fans would not be willing to part ways with $45 to see him fight for gold.

Lastly, Edgar looks like he may be ready to concede that a drop to featherweight is the right move for him eventually. Now that the stars have aligned for this fantastic opportunity, the former champion will know to strike while the iron is hot.

Not to mention that this bout would free up Ben Henderson for either a rematch with Anthony Pettis or a bout with the Jim Miller vs. Nate Diaz winner.

We want Aldo vs. Edgar. Make it happen, Dana!

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