Author: Ben Fowlkes

Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC on Versus 2

Filed under: UFC
If you’re among the people who think Vladimir Matyushenko was the victim of an early stoppage in his loss to Jon Jones at UFC on Versus 2 last night, perhaps you should go back to the video and take a look at the expression on Matyushe…

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If you’re among the people who think Vladimir Matyushenko was the victim of an early stoppage in his loss to Jon Jones at UFC on Versus 2 last night, perhaps you should go back to the video and take a look at the expression on Matyushenko’s face after the bout was halted. What you see there is disappointment, but not indignation.

The fight may have been just under two minutes long, but that was long enough for Matyushenko – and referee Herb Dean – to see where it was headed. Matyushenko had no answer to Jones’ flurry of elbows, and he knew it. Taking a few more of them would have proved nothing, except perhaps the Belarussian’s willingness to take an unnecessary beating for his cash.

The win was a fairly predictable one for Jones, but still impressive. There’s simply no one quite like him in the light heavyweight division right now. That’s the good news. The bad news is, any more fights against outmatched opponents and fans are going to start getting bored. The guy’s so exciting to watch, it’d be great to see him in a televised bout that goes longer than a few minutes.

Now that that’s out of the way, on to the winners and losers from last night’s fights:

Jon Jones May Not Have Asked for the Hype, but He’s Stuck with It

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsA year ago, Jon Jones was what you might call an up-and-comer in the MMA world. He had a couple UFC wins under his belt, mostly on the unaired prelims of pay-per-view cards, and primarily against middle of the …

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A year ago, Jon Jones was what you might call an up-and-comer in the MMA world. He had a couple UFC wins under his belt, mostly on the unaired prelims of pay-per-view cards, and primarily against middle of the pack opponents. He’d only been in the sport for a little over year, and people were just starting to come around to the idea that he was someone worth watching.

All that’s changed now. After demolishing Matt Hamill (okay, so he lost via disqualification, but we all saw where that fight was headed) and then Brandon Vera, he has since been officially upgraded from up-and-comer to bright prospect. Instead of asking if he might one day fight for a title, fans have started asking when.

The hype is growing, and with it, the expectations. Only now that Jones has got the MMA world’s attention, he’s not entirely certain that he wants it.

UFC on Versus 2: By the Odds

Filed under: UFCWith another UFC event making its way on to Versus tonight we once again confront mankind’s oldest question: If the fight’s on free TV, how can I ensure that I still throw some money away on it?

One easy solution is to shove that hard…

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With another UFC event making its way on to Versus tonight we once again confront mankind’s oldest question: If the fight’s on free TV, how can I ensure that I still throw some money away on it?

One easy solution is to shove that hard-earned cash into the depressing void of gambling. Or you could take it and buy something nice for your favorite MMA writer. You know, whichever one sounds like an idea that might make someone happy.

But before you decide, why not check out the betting odds for UFC on Versus 2 to see who oddsmakers think will win, and who they think will spend the night in the hospital and miss tonight’s episode of ‘Mad Men’ entirely.

The Cut List: Who’s Facing Unemployment With a UFC Loss?

Filed under: UFCLet’s face it, UFC on Versus 2 is not the most star-studded fight card the UFC has ever rolled out, even on cable TV. You’ve got also-rans taking on almost-weres, and has-beens facing off against probably-won’t-ever-bes.

That means se…

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Let’s face it, UFC on Versus 2 is not the most star-studded fight card the UFC has ever rolled out, even on cable TV. You’ve got also-rans taking on almost-weres, and has-beens facing off against probably-won’t-ever-bes.

That means several men will most likely be fighting for their jobs on Sunday night, and the Cut List is here to tell you who they are and what their chances for continued employment look like. Let’s start from the televised portion of the card and work our way down:

70-Year-Old MMA Fighter John Williams Got in the Cage to Feel Alive Again

Filed under: FanHouse ExclusiveThe first thing John Williams wants you to know about his record-breaking MMA fight this past weekend is, it wasn’t a gimmick. It wasn’t a novelty act, some cheap ploy to sell tickets or attract headlines.

Well, maybe a…

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The first thing John Williams wants you to know about his record-breaking MMA fight this past weekend is, it wasn’t a gimmick. It wasn’t a novelty act, some cheap ploy to sell tickets or attract headlines.

Well, maybe attracting the headlines was important, but for a good reason.

The 70-year-old from New Brunswick, Canada became the oldest person to ever compete in a professional MMA bout when he took on 49-year-old former pro wrestler Larry Brubaker on July 24 in Moncton. On paper it sounds like a carnival act, but the fight was serious business, Williams said, done to prove a serious point.

“I was trying to bring attention to the fact that when a person becomes a senior, society kind of pushes them out of the loop. The attitude toward them is that they’re dumb, they can’t do anything, physically they’re just vegetables, and they’re sort of shunned by society,” Williams told MMA Fighting. “I wanted to find a way to show that life isn’t over at 55 or 60 years old. You’re not useless or obsolete. We live in a use-oriented society, and you get told that enough that even you start to believe you’re useless.”

Surgery Brings Out an Emotional, Reflective Wanderlei Silva

Filed under: UFC

It’s easy to forget that Wanderlei Silva is only 34 years old. After the wars he’s been in, competing in over 40 pro fights over the course of a 14-year career, he seems to have the body (and the scar tissue) of a much older man. Bu…

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It’s easy to forget that Wanderlei Silva is only 34 years old. After the wars he’s been in, competing in over 40 pro fights over the course of a 14-year career, he seems to have the body (and the scar tissue) of a much older man. But as this oddly touching video documenting his recent knee surgery shows, he also has the wisdom of someone far beyond his mid-thirties.

The occasion of the surgery seems to bring out the reflective side of “The Axe Murderer.” He thinks back to his childhood spent working in his parents’ bar and his days as a young, poor fighter before making it big.

As Silva points out, “Who sees Wanderlei Silva today, with all the marketing, with a good gym and getting paid well to fight, they don’t know the difficulties I went through. I went through a lot of hardships in my life.”