Author: Artem Moshkovich

UFC 165 Start Time: When and Where to Watch Jones vs. Gustafsson

Greatness within reach.
On Saturday night, that hotly debated slogan penned for UFC 165 will see one of two conclusions: Either Jon Jones will decimate a similarly tall and similarly long opponent en route to his record sixth title defense, o…

Greatness within reach.

On Saturday night, that hotly debated slogan penned for UFC 165 will see one of two conclusions: Either Jon Jones will decimate a similarly tall and similarly long opponent en route to his record sixth title defense, or Alexander Gustafsson will positively shock the world by toppling the nigh unstoppable light heavyweight kingpin.

Regardless of the outcome, you’re going to want to tune in.

Factor in the epic bantamweight championship showdown between interim champ Renan Barao and Eddie Wineland and you have a fight card that’s almost guaranteed to deliver thrills.

Here’s a full breakdown of the timeline for UFC 165.

 

Fight Night 28 Key Stats

Jon Jones’ UFC record reach: 84.5 inches

Distance knockdown defense (“Chin”) shared by both Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson: 100 percent

Takedown defense rate shared by both Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov: 100 percent

Percent of time Jon Jones is in control when a fight hits the canvas: 99 percent

Average combined significant strikes per minute of Renan Barao and Eddie Wineland: 21.6 

Matt Mitrione’s total career takedown attempts: Zero

 

*Stats courtesy of Fightnomics Reed

 

Artem Moshkovich is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter for MMA news and more. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 165 Preview: Power Ranking the Main Card Fights

The UFC doesn’t necessarily need to buffer a Jon Jones title defense with anything spectacular, but on Saturday, September 21, UFC 165 will feature not only Jones looking to keep his light heavyweight championship out of Alexander Gustafsson’s reach, b…

The UFC doesn’t necessarily need to buffer a Jon Jones title defense with anything spectacular, but on Saturday, September 21, UFC 165 will feature not only Jones looking to keep his light heavyweight championship out of Alexander Gustafsson’s reach, but also a co-main event championship bout between 135-pound interim champion Renan Barao and top contender Eddie Wineland.

Though there are a few other noteworthy fighters sprinkled throughout the main card, it’s important to note that not all of the scheduled fights are worthy of the same recognition and anticipation.

Let’s take a moment to delve into the details behind the five main contests scheduled to go down in Toronto on Saturday night—perhaps a good power ranking is exactly what’s needed to jump-start the combat festivities. 

Begin Slideshow

UFC Fight Night 28 Results: Questions Answered and Lessons Learned

The UFC’s return to Belo Horizonte, Brazil should be remembered for a dismal undercard and terrific main card—namely, the three primary fights of the evening all delivered in spades.
Joseph Benavidez blitzed through another flyweight, Ronaldo Sou…

The UFC’s return to Belo Horizonte, Brazil should be remembered for a dismal undercard and terrific main card—namely, the three primary fights of the evening all delivered in spades.

Joseph Benavidez blitzed through another flyweight, Ronaldo Souza unleashed savage fury on Yushin Okami and Glover Teixeira continued his undefeated streak inside the Octagon.

Let’s take a closer look at the lessons learned from UFC Fight Night 28.

Begin Slideshow

Teixeira vs. Bader: Complete Guide to UFC Fight Night 28 Fight Card

Capping off three UFC events inside of eight days, UFC Fight Night 28 marks the organization’s awaited return to Belo Horizonte, Brazil. With emphasis on the main event showdown between Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader—a bout that could have t…

Capping off three UFC events inside of eight days, UFC Fight Night 28 marks the organization’s awaited return to Belo Horizonte, Brazil. With emphasis on the main event showdown between Glover Teixeira and Ryan Bader—a bout that could have title implications if Teixeira wins in a dominant fashion—this fight card marks the end of this recent MMA spree as we enter a few weeks of hibernation until UFC 165.

As a whole, Wednesday night’s fight card isn’t necessarily as action-packed as UFC 164 or Fight Night 26 were, but thanks to a pair of exciting fights scheduled to take place just before Teixeira vs. Bader, there’s plenty of reason to tune in.

Joseph Benavidez and Jussier Formiga will blaze around the Octagon just before Yushin Okami looks to stifle Ronaldo Souza’s renowned grappling skills with his own formidable ground game.

Thankfully, Bleacher Report has you covered with a breakdown for all the essential details for Wednesday night’s fight card.

 

 

Fight Night Belo: Teixeira vs Bader Preview

 

Fight Night 28 Key Stats

Glover Teixeira’s significant strike rate: 6.48 per minute

Glover Teixeira’s takedown defense rate: 100 percent

Percent of Ronaldo Souza’s 18 career victories that have come by way of submission: 78 percent

*Stats courtesy of FightMetric

 

Main Card Odds

Glover Teixeira -450 favorite over Ryan Bader +325

Ronaldo Souza -260 favorite over Yushin Okami +200

Joseph Benavidez -600 favorite over Jussier Formiga +400

Francisco Trinaldo -315 favorite over Piotr Hallmann +245

Rafael Natal -270 favorite over Tor Troeng +210

Ali Bagautinov -310 favorite over Marcos Vinicius +240

*Betting odds via Bovada 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 164 Results: Questions Answered and Lessons Learned

When Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson first met at WEC 53, Pettis took Henderson’s WEC lightweight championship belt. At UFC 164, “Showtime” managed to take things a step further by ripping the UFC lightweight championship right out of Henderson’s a…

When Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson first met at WEC 53, Pettis took Henderson’s WEC lightweight championship belt. At UFC 164, “Showtime” managed to take things a step further by ripping the UFC lightweight championship right out of Henderson’s arms.

It’s tough to argue that, in spite of Henderson’s dominating stint as the 155-pound king, Pettis has his number.

It wasn’t all about the main event, though. Chad Mendes reminded the world of his mad quest to get a second shot at Jose Aldo, and Josh Barnett returned to the UFC in a dramatic fashion.

Let’s take a look at some of the more valuable lessons learned in Milwaukee, Wisonsin.

Begin Slideshow

UFC Fight Night 27 Results: Post-Fight Stock Report

Wednesday night may not necessarily be ideal for cage fighting, but if Fight Night 27 was any indicator moving forward, it’s not a reason to be doubtful either.
This was a fight card that delivered—easily on pace with the kind of excitement we’ve…

Wednesday night may not necessarily be ideal for cage fighting, but if Fight Night 27 was any indicator moving forward, it’s not a reason to be doubtful either.

This was a fight card that delivered—easily on pace with the kind of excitement we’ve grown to expect from a full-blown pay-per-view.

Decision fights were either technical and composed or wild and exciting; the submissions were arguably as fast as the knockouts.

And as expected, the main event bout between Carlos Condit and Martin Kampmann didn’t fail to deliver.

Let’s take a look at the cost-effect analysis of these exchanges. Whose worth went up or down as a result of Wednesday night’s performances in Indianapolis?

Begin Slideshow