Author: Andrew Saunders

UFC 147: Why Silva vs Sonnen Being Moved Is Great News for Hatsu Hioki

With today’s official announcement that Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen will now take place at UFC 148, instead of UFC 147 as originally planned, there is no bigger benefactor than featherweight contender Hatsu Hioki.While Hioki is not directly affected…

With today’s official announcement that Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen will now take place at UFC 148, instead of UFC 147 as originally planned, there is no bigger benefactor than featherweight contender Hatsu Hioki.

While Hioki is not directly affected, a replacement main event will be added. You see, along with the news that Silva/Sonnen has been postponed, Dana White stated that featherweight champion Jose Aldo will likely be added to the card.

Hioki has gone 2-0 inside the Octagon and is riding the momentum of a six-fight winning streak. Normally, he would be the natural choice to face Aldo, the champion of a division with few clear-cut contenders. However, there are two other dogs that have been in the chase.

Fellow contenders Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung have each made a sizable impact within the division as of late, with the Korean Zombie knocking out Mark Hominick and Poirier riding his own five-fight streak. With all three men laying a legitimate claim to a title shot, Aldo’s opponent was still up in the air.

Poirier and Zombie are currently scheduled for a May 15th encounter at UFC on FUEL TV 3 in Fairfax, VA. The winner of the contest would potentially have the time to recuperate and challenge Aldo at his previously scheduled UFC 149 title defense.

Now that Aldo is being relocated to UFC 147, it does not appear that the Zuffa boys will have time to wait for a contender to emerge. Unless they plan to do some major shuffling to UFC on the FUEL event (which is unlikely), Hioki is the logical choice to step in and fight for a chance at glory.

Keep in mind that all of this is contingent on Frankie Edgar not dropping down to Featherweight.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updates on all things UFC as they become available.

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UFC on Fox: Nate Diaz and 5 Fighters Who Have Turned Their Careers Around

Despite starting his career in the Octagon with five straight victories, it appeared as if Nate Diaz was destined for gatekeeper status after losses to Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson and Gray Maynard back in 2009 and early 2010.The younger brother of welter…

Despite starting his career in the Octagon with five straight victories, it appeared as if Nate Diaz was destined for gatekeeper status after losses to Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson and Gray Maynard back in 2009 and early 2010.

The younger brother of welterweight stud Nick Diaz has earned his stripes on his own and has continued to grow as a fighter with every bout. Who would have predicted that Diaz would outclass Takanori Gomi in the striking portion of their September fight? With the breakout year that Donald Cerrone had, it was surprising to many that Nate would spend three rounds dismantling the former WEC star. 

When Nate Diaz takes on Jim Miller in the main event of UFC on Fox 3, he has the opportunity to show the world that he has completely turned his career around. 

Here is a look at some current UFC fighters who, like Nate, have been able to put their careers back on the right track.

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UFC 145 Results: Recapping the Fight of the Night Bonuses

UFC 145 was an action-packed evening that included some incredible finishes and enjoyable fights. Many underdogs were able to overcome the odds, including Eddie Yagin and Ultimate Fighter veteran Matt Brown, while some favorites did what they do best: …

UFC 145 was an action-packed evening that included some incredible finishes and enjoyable fights. Many underdogs were able to overcome the odds, including Eddie Yagin and Ultimate Fighter veteran Matt Brown, while some favorites did what they do best: win.

The traditional fight night awards were given out at this event and each winner earned an additional $65,000 check.

 

Knockout of the Night: Ben Rothwell

While Rothwell surprised many by winning this fight via KO, his triple left hook combination was enough to send Brendan Schaub to la-la-land.

Did it Deserve the Award?

On most nights, this knockout would have been deemed the best. I’m not sure how the UFC overlooked the spectacular knockout that Michael McDonald put on former WEC champion Miguel Torres. In my opinion, that fight was the rightful winner.

 

Submission of the Night: Travis Browne

With an impressive arm triangle choke, Travis Browne remains undefeated in the UFC. His victory over Strikeforce import Chad Griggs was both quick and decisive.

Did it Deserve the Award?

As the only submission on the card, it wins by default. However, the submission was well executed and certainly worthy of the honor.

 

Fight of the Night: Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin

Many analysts, myself included, expected Mark Hominick to make quick work of Eddie Yagin. Yagin fell flat in his first UFC outing, and on paper, this looked like nothing more than an attempt to get Hominick back in the win column. Credit Joe Silva on this matchup though, because very few could have expected the fireworks we witnessed.

Did it Deserve the Award?

Absolutely. Yagin nearly finished the contest on two occasions and Hominick never gave up. A late charge from Hominick nearly caused a stoppage, and this fight certainly made us take notice of the up-and-coming Yagin.

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UFC 145 Results: Dana White Confirms Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson Is Next

At the post-fight press conference in Atlanta, GA, after Jon Jones’ dominant decision victory over Rashad Evans at UFC 145, UFC president Dana White confirmed our suspicions that Dan Henderson will be the next man to challenge champion Jones for the UF…

At the post-fight press conference in Atlanta, GA, after Jon Jones’ dominant decision victory over Rashad Evans at UFC 145, UFC president Dana White confirmed our suspicions that Dan Henderson will be the next man to challenge champion Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship.

No timeline for the contest was given, but we should expect it to be sometime between July and September.

Dan Henderson is current riding a four-fight win streak that includes a knockout over legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, and a decision win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua that Dana White has called one of the top three fights in MMA history.

Henderson was a dual-division champion in PRIDE and the most recent Strikeforce light heavyweight champ.

The 24-year-old Jones, meanwhile, defeated Shogun Rua at UFC 128 to win the belt last March, and has now successfully defended his championship three times against Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans.

If Jones can get past Henderson, he will have cleaned out the stacked light heavyweight division, minus rising contender Alexander Gustafasson (though conversations regarding Gustafsson being thrust into the title picture seem premature at the moment).

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UFC 145 Results: What’s Next for Jon Jones

Jon Jones successfully defended the UFC light heavyweight championship for a third time Saturday night when he won a unanimous decision over former champion Rashad Evans at UFC 145 in Atlanta.Despite tremendous animosity between the two heading into th…

Jon Jones successfully defended the UFC light heavyweight championship for a third time Saturday night when he won a unanimous decision over former champion Rashad Evans at UFC 145 in Atlanta.

Despite tremendous animosity between the two heading into the contest, Jones was able to keep his composure and not allow himself to get emotional at any point during their 25-minute affair. Although the entire contest occurred on the feet, it was shocking how easily Jones was able to shuck off Evans’ rare takedown attempts.

At this point in the game, Jones has defeated the four light heavyweights who have sat atop the division for years. This undeniable success is helping Jones make the case that he is the greatest light heavyweight of all time. The only sensible fight to make at this point in time is putting him against another man who has a claim to that title: Dan Henderson.

Stay tuned for Bleacher Report’s coverage of the post-fight press conference for information on what’s next for our reigning champion.

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UFC 145 Results: What’s Next for Mac Danzig

At UFC 145, Mac Danzig needed to come out on top in his bout with Efrain Escudero. After winning only two of his last seven fights, there is no question that his job was on the line.The fight was competitive and enjoyable from start to finish, and both…

At UFC 145, Mac Danzig needed to come out on top in his bout with Efrain Escudero. After winning only two of his last seven fights, there is no question that his job was on the line.

The fight was competitive and enjoyable from start to finish, and both men have name value, so it’s possible that neither man is on his way out of the door, but that’s neither here nor there.

It didn’t take long for the Ultimate Fighter winners to give us an exciting moment when Efrain nearly locked in a heel hook early in the first round. The move caused Danzig’s ankle to swell tremendously through the course of the fight. 

Danzig would tough it out and go on to outstrike the younger Escudero, using superior clinch work and dirty boxing to score points. The gutsy performance earned him a deserved unanimous decision.

Now, Danzig has improved his UFC record to 5-5 and has gone 2-0 against fellow Ultimate Fighter winners. A bout with Tony Ferguson would be enjoyable for fans and give Ferguson the much needed step-up in competition that he deserves. Other possible opponents for Danzig include Thiago Tavares or Sam Stout.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for continued coverage of all things UFC 145.

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