Author: Antwyn Jackson

UFC 137 Fight Card: 3 Things BJ Penn Must Do to Beat Nick Diaz

No Georges St-Pierre, no problem.  We still have the Prodigy.BJ Penn is a former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion. BJ Penn is a World Jiu-Jistu champion in the black-belt division.  BJ Penn is a tremendous boxer with a solid chin.&nb…

No Georges St-Pierre, no problem.  We still have the Prodigy.

BJ Penn is a former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion. BJ Penn is a World Jiu-Jistu champion in the black-belt division.  BJ Penn is a tremendous boxer with a solid chin. 

There isn’t much that BJ can’t do inside an octagon. That includes spoiling the return of the former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz at UFC 137.

BJ has all the tools and attributes to make it a tough night for Nick.  But will he? 

It really depends which BJ Penn shows up.  We’ve known him to come ill-prepared from time to time, but if he brings his “A” game, most pundits say he should walk away with a victory. 

Here’s a list of what he should try to do to put another “W” on his record…

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UFC 140: Does Lyoto Machida Really Deserve a Title Shot vs. Jon Jones?

We all know the light heavyweight division is very talented, yet very muddy with the contenders within the division.  Everyone is aiming to climb the ladder to get to Jon “Bones” Jones, the UFC’s reigning, defending champion.  The issue that …

We all know the light heavyweight division is very talented, yet very muddy with the contenders within the division.  Everyone is aiming to climb the ladder to get to Jon “Bones” Jones, the UFC’s reigning, defending champion.  The issue that seems to be coming up is that there’s no clear road to a title shot in the division.

Imagine this.  You are 1-2 in your last three fights.  You lost one via a brutal knockout in the first round and another to a split decision.  The one fight you did win was against a 48-year-old man.  After this, not only are you not cut, but you get a title shot.

That’s life for Lyoto Machida.

I’m sure I know what you’re saying.  “You think Machida should be cut?”  No, of course not.  However, I’m just not sure if he should get a shot based on his last few fights.  In most cases, the challenger to a title comes into the fight hot, on a win streak.  In this fight Machida comes in with the momentum of a tortoise.  

Machida was just chosen out of default.  UFC wants Jones to fight again, but everyone is either hurt or scheduled to fight already.  Jones can’t fight Dan Henderson because he’s fighting Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, whom Jones beat for the belt.  Jones can’t fight Thiago Silva because he’s on suspension.  Jones also can’t fight fellow phenom Phil Davis because of Davis’ knee problems.  

The only solution was either Machida or wait for Rashad Evans‘ thumb to heal.  

Had the decision been left to the majority of people, they probably would’ve talked to Evans to see how long it would take for a 100 percent recovery of the thumb and hopefully just wait until then instead of giving an undeserving title shot.  

Let me know your thoughts. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 136 Fight Card: What a Win Would Mean for Jose Aldo

Before UFC 129 the fighting world had nothing but positive things to say about Jose Aldo.  He was, after all, the reigning WEC champion and had beaten everyone he faced in spectacular fashion.  He even dismantled the face of the WEC, “The Cal…

Before UFC 129 the fighting world had nothing but positive things to say about Jose Aldo.  He was, after all, the reigning WEC champion and had beaten everyone he faced in spectacular fashion.  He even dismantled the face of the WEC, “The California Kid” Urijah Faber.  All was good in Aldo’s world.  Until he met Mark Hominick. 

At UFC 129 Mark Hominick showed the world that Jose Aldo was not invincible.  Even with a grapefruit sized hematoma on his head, Hominick showed the world that the champion could be out-worked if you can survive the first couple of rounds.  In fact, had the fight gone another round, Aldo may have ended up with a loss.  He was visibly gassed and looked to minimize damage and hang on until the final bell.  Luckily for him, what he did in the early rounds gave him the decision victory. 

At UFC 136, Aldo faces a wiley veteran in Ultimate Fighter alum and ESPN Analyst Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian.  Florian is a student of the game and he undoubtedly watched the Hominick fight to study what made Hominick successful.  Florian will attempt to capitalize on counter opportunities left after aggressive strikes from Aldo. 

Aldo should stay aggressively cautious.  Florian has finished nine opponents via submission, so Aldo doesn’t want to put himself in a bad position with a reckless strike attempt.  If he manages his striking and uses good takedown defense, he should win this fight.

A win in glorious fashion wouldn’t put to bed the demons of the Hominick fight; they would only create a public outcry for a rematch between the two provided that Hominick gets past Chan Sung Jung at UFC 140. 

A loss would only solidify the fact that Jose was a one trick pony.  It would show that he’s only a knockout artist that can’t make it through the latter stages of a championship fight.  This may not be true, but it’s up to Jose Aldo to prove that.

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UFC 136 Fight Card: What a Win Would Mean for Anthony Pettis

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis closed out the WEC organization’s existence with a bang and a loud announcement: I’m a threat to anyone and I will end fights in a spectacular fashion. Since capturing the WEC lightweight championship at WEC 53 with the k…

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis closed out the WEC organization’s existence with a bang and a loud announcement: I’m a threat to anyone and I will end fights in a spectacular fashion. 

Since capturing the WEC lightweight championship at WEC 53 with the kick heard around the world against Ben Henderson, Pettis stumbled into UFC competition. 

Pettis was slated to be the No. 1 contender for the lightweight title that was supposed to be settled at UFC 125.  In light of the draw that happened between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, a monkey wrench was thrown in Pettis’ plans.

Since those two were occupied in preparing for a rematch, Pettis elected to stay busy and fought Clay Guida at the Ultimate Fighter 13 finale.  Guida dominated with his wrestling and ignored the submission attempts from Pettis en route to a unanimous decision victory. 

No longer the No. 1 contender in a muddled lightweight division, Pettis has to fight his way back to the top.  Jeremy Stephens stands in his way on Saturday night.  In order for Pettis to get back into title contention, he probably needs two or three solid wins while the title picture clears up. 

A win versus Stephens won’t put Pettis in a title fight, but it will put him up against one of the top-tier fighters to get himself back in the talk for a title fight.  Perhaps he can be the introduction into the UFC for Gilbert Melendez?  Who knows, but a win will do a lot for his title aspirations and his psyche.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 136 Fight Card: What Nam Phan Must Do to Beat Leonard Garcia

First off, this fight won’t be like the last fight.  A lot of people don’t remember, but Leonard Garcia took the previous clash at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 12 on short notice, as a replacement for Alex Caceres.He didn’t have a training camp, so…

First off, this fight won’t be like the last fight.  A lot of people don’t remember, but Leonard Garcia took the previous clash at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 12 on short notice, as a replacement for Alex Caceres.

He didn’t have a training camp, so most of his eight days leading up to the fight were spent trying to get from 172 pounds down to 145 pounds.

In light of this, Nam Phan should come into the fight knowing that this isn’t the same guy that he lost to in an extremely controversial decision. Garcia will have better conditioning, and, undoubtedly, his striking will be sharper.  

Garcia knows that Phan is looking to take him down to neutralize his powerful striking and will look to get out of the wild exchanges that Garcia loves. Phan will need to disguise his takedowns and set them up with technical striking.  

Since he will be looking for takedowns, Phan should look to apply some ground and pound, but not tire himself out too much. Garcia can definitely take a punch—as evidenced in all of his fights, including the fight-of-the-night classic against Chan Sung Jung at WEC 48.  

Garcia has never been knocked out in 23 professional fights, and Phan should think that he has the knockout power to be the first to do it.

Phan should instead utilize his takedowns, transition on the ground and do damage in close quarters.  

With this in mind, Nam Phan should be able to avenge his loss against the “Bad Boy” Leonard Garcia at UFC 136.

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3 Reasons the Heavyweight Division Is the Weakest in the UFC

We’ve heard Dana White say, “this division is stacked” many times, but rarely, if ever have we heard him say that about the heavyweight division.  This actually is time to point out why MMA (the UFC in particular) have overwhelmed their principal …

We’ve heard Dana White say, “this division is stacked” many times, but rarely, if ever have we heard him say that about the heavyweight division.  This actually is time to point out why MMA (the UFC in particular) have overwhelmed their principal rival, boxing.  

Let’s admit it, boxing has two things going for it right now:  Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. These guys have fought a total of five times in two years.  That’s not enough to keep fight fans satisfied.

When boxing was king, Heavyweights ruled.  

The popularity of boxing can be directly linked with the success and prosperity of the heavyweight division.  Be honest, who wants to see the Klitschko brothers beat up another terrible opponent?  This establishes my point.  

MMA (once again the UFC in particular) is wildly successful in spite of it’s heavyweight division.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there are no good fighters in the heavyweight division, because there are. There just aren’t the number of good fighters that are in the light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, and lightweight divisions.  

(Notice I left out bantamweight…We’ll save that for another article)

The point is this:  MMA is successful in spite of its overall heavyweight division.  Why is it weak?  I’m glad you asked…    

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