Sometimes you don’t need to be the best to make a career in the UFC. By having the ability to promote athletes without conforming to a set playing schedule, matchmakers in combat sports like boxing and MMA have a lot of control over who gets promo…
Sometimes you don’t need to be the best to make a career in the UFC.
By having the ability to promote athletes without conforming to a set playing schedule, matchmakers in combat sports like boxing and MMA have a lot of control over who gets promoted and who gets ignored.
Time and time again, the most talented, fan-friendly fighters—the Manny Pacquiaos, Mike Tysons and Chuck Liddells of the world—become the biggest names in their respective sports.
These guys are the perfect blend of athletic dominance and non-stop action, and for fans, it only makes sense. If you’re shelling out big bucks for a pay-per-view event, you want to watch athletes who consistently deliver the goods.
But what happens to a legitimate sport when mediocre fighters are kept around and heavily promoted only because they put on fun, exciting fights?
Nowhere is the conflict between sport and entertainment more evident than in the UFC. And why not?
If you’re looking to fill upwards of 40 events in a calender year (as the UFC has been planning since its partnership with Fox), it only makes sense to keep around fan-friendly scrappers like Dan Hardy and Leonard Garcia—guys who bring it every night, despite prolonged losing streaks.
The UFC will always need these fun fighters to help sell their pay-per-views. And even though I love a good technical matchup, I just go nuts for a brawl.
Really, that’s the type of fight the UFC has prided itself on.
Keep in mind, it was a sloppy slobber-knocker of a brawl between Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin on the first season of the The Ultimate Fighter that everyone credits for launching a dying sport into the limelight. Neither fighter has ever been considered particularly talented, but both men made it their bread-and-butter to fight with heart and determination as a way of overcoming their lack of natural skill.
For UFC brass, they know it’s that kind of blood-and-guts war that helped make the UFC what it is today.
And from a business perspective, it makes a lot of sense for the UFC. It pays to keep exciting “stand-and-bang” fighters around, since they help fill up preliminary cards and get fans’ blood pumping with gutsy fistfights.
On the other side of things, fans have steadily turned against world-class champions like GSP, who has been labelled more boring and conservative with each passing title defence.
An upcoming fight between a well-past-his-prime Tito Ortiz and the empty husk of Forrest Griffin is a good example of how the UFC differs from other traditional sports.
Neither man has been world-class for a few years, but they are still stars and will help bring eyeballs to the UFC 148 PPV. These blood-and-guts fighters won’t be title challengers in the near future, and they definitely aren’t the best in the world at what they do, but none of that really matters in the fight business.
Whatever way you cut it, there’s one thing you can’t deny: These “Just Bleed” fighters try to make an exciting fight every time they step into the Octagon.
And in the end, isn’t that all that really matters?
Let me know what you think, fight fans. Does the UFC have an obligation to place rankings above entertainment, or should entertainment value dominate the sport?
Although Yuri Alcantara vs. Hacran Dias hasn’t been gaining a lot of press, it probably should be. Both fighters are high-grade featherweight prospects, and either man could make some serious waves in the division sometime down the road. Let’s have a …
Although Yuri Alcantara vs. Hacran Dias hasn’t been gaining a lot of press, it probably should be. Both fighters are high-grade featherweight prospects, and either man could make some serious waves in the division sometime down the road.
Let’s have a look.
The Fighters
Despite a great record, Brazilian featherweight Yuri Alcantara (28-3-1) was relatively unknown to North American fans until he dominated highly-touted Japanese sensation Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 142 back in January. Alcantara rocked his opponent and nearly finished him via submission en route to an impressive unanimous decision victory.
As he demonstrated in his breakout battle with Omigawa in only his second featherweight bout, Alcantara works a very technical stand-up game, with nice counter-strikes, knees and flashy spinning elbows. In his WEC debut back in 2010, he knocked out a very game Ricardo Lamas in the first round with a sickening left hook.
On top of his stand-up skills, Alcantara also owns a very solid ground game, which makes him a tough test for any fighter in the UFC’s burgeoning featherweight division.
A proven finisher, only four of Alcantara’s 28 career wins have come by decision, and he has amassed an equal amount of knockout and submission victories in career.
The man is one heck of a well-rounded fighter, and he’ll be dangerous wherever this fight goes. As for his flaws, he might have tendency of fading late in fights, although this has not been a big issue for him up to now since so few of his matches have actually made it to a decision.
Before signing with the UFC, Shooto champion Hacran Dias (20-1-1) was widely considered one of the best featherweight prospects in the world, boasting an impressive record and martial arts pedigree. A very skilled grappler, Dias employs stifling ground control and is known for technically dominating opponents on the mat.
Right away the UFC knew they had something special.
Dias had originally tried out for TUF: Brazil, but the promotion signed him to an immediate UFC contract instead.
There are good reasons for this.
Training out of the famed Nova União jiu-jitsu academy with Marlon Sandro and Jose Aldo, Dias has garnered himself a lot of hype because of his highly-refined ground game. If he can bring the fight to the mat, he should be able to stifle Alcantara’s very dynamic attack and tough out a decision victory in his promotional debut.
He comes at you with a frantic ground attack, employing solid ground-and-pound work and an almost dizzyng amount of slick submission attempts. Still, there are a lot of question marks with Dias, but if he can find a way to implement his game with the big boys in the UFC, he could be a real force in the featherweight division.
What to Expect
This is a very intriguing matchup between two promising featherweight prospects. While Dias is probably the more hyped of the two fighters, Alcantara has the superior resume, having fought much stiffer competition over the past few years.
Of the two men, Alcantara is the more consistent finisher. But if Dias can take Alcantara down and keep him down, he should be able to pull out a win.
On the other hand, if Alcantara can find his range, he might be able to derail Dias’ considerable hype and score his first stoppage in the UFC. If he’s smart, he’ll try to keep this standing and keep from rolling with Dias for too long.
The Bottom Line
Even through this bout between two relatively unknown fighters won’t exactly light the world on fire, it has the potential to be a great fight between a pair of featherweight up-and-comers. It’s a great matchup between two promising Brazilian prospects in the UFC’s burgeoning featherweight division.
And looking at the rest of the card, I wouldn’t be surprised if it steals Fight of the Night honours.
This is a hard fight to pick, especially when you consider Dias relatively sheltered career. Really it could go either way.
You have to admit: UFC 147 has officially become a promoter’s worst nightmare.As of yet, with the June 23rd event being less than two weeks away, there are only three officially confirmed main card bouts for UFC 147. And when a fading Wanderlei Silva a…
You have to admit: UFC 147 has officially become a promoter’s worst nightmare.
As of yet, with the June 23rd event being less than two weeks away, there are only three officially confirmed main card bouts for UFC 147. And when a fading Wanderlei Silva and an all-but-retired Rich Franklin are your headliners for a pay-per-view event, you have a serious problem on your hands.
After all, this current, withered version of UFC 147 is nothing more than the leftovers of what was supposed to be a huge Brazilian show, featuring the highly-anticipated rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen in an Olympic-sized stadium.
Of course, the Silva-Sonnen rematch was eventually moved to UFC 148 on July 7th due to scheduling issues, and instead of a huge fight, the UFC is stuck with last minute scrap between Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin, a decent enough match-up, although both of whom are well past their expiry dates.
The problem for the UFC, at least in terms of North American sales, is that their upcoming June 23rd card is chock full of lesser known Brazilian fighters that even some of the sport’s most hardcore fans do not recognize.
So after the break, we’ll take a look at whether or not UFC 147 is actually worth your hard earned dough.
For more in-depth analysis of some of the card’s major fights, view the articles below (more will be added in the weeks leading up to the fight):
(click here for a breakdown of the UFC 147 event)The Fighters Felipe Arantes (14-4-2) has made himself a mainstay of the UFC’s frequent trips to Brazil.Making his promotional debut at the UFC’s much-hyped return to Brazil, Arantes lost a split decis…
Felipe Arantes (14-4-2) has made himself a mainstay of the UFC’s frequent trips to Brazil.
Making his promotional debut at the UFC’s much-hyped return to Brazil, Arantes lost a split decision to fellow UFC 147 fighter Yury Alcantara in an unspectacular affair.
Then, he picked up his own decision versus Antonio Carvahlo at UFC 142 in January. Now he stands at 1-1 in the UFC.
Arantes only has one submission loss in his career, being finished by a triangle choke in 2009, by TUF: Brazil alumni Rony Mariano.
Even so, he will have to be careful of Vieira’s strong jiu-jitsu game if he hopes to come out victorious.
Arantes is a tough fighter with crisp striking and a questionable game off his back, having been controlled for most of the first round during his most recent win against Antonio Carvalho.
If all goes in his favour, he should be able to use his superior striking to keep Vieira at bay— controlling the distance and winning the fight.
Milton Vieira has fought most of his career on the regional circuit in Brazil, and he is probably most well-known as the inventor of the anaconda choke. Vieira has a fairly ho-hum record of 13-7-1 and, even worse, he lacks wins over any high-quality opponents.
It isn’t good news for fight fans that his most relevant win is a submission victory over current UFC fighter Johnny Eduardo. It came back in October of 2006.
Nevertheless, he is a strong grappler, even if he hasn’t fought many high-level fighters over the last several years. Even so, Vieira is a very dangerous fighter on the ground and will be looking to lock in a submission victory in his UFC debut.
What to Expect
This should be a fairly spirited contest, with Vieira looking to exploit his submission skills. Nine of his 13 wins come by way of submission.
Arantes will try to keep the fight standing in hopes of landing a knockout blow.
Vieira-Arantes is shaping up to be a classic striker versus grappler matchup, and the fighter who can get the fight where he wants it will likely come out on top.
If Arantes can use his striking to keep his opponent at bay, Vieira will be in for a long night. Likewise, if Vieira gets this to the ground, Arantes will have to be careful not to get caught in a submission.
The Bottom Line
Frankly, this is the sort of fight you would expect to see on a regional promotion, not on a UFC main card (although the fight might be relegated to the preliminaries once the schedule is shored up).
This match-up reminds me of the random throwaway fights between low-ranked Canadian fighters. They always seem to litter the preliminaries of every Toronto card.
As it stands, the UFC 147 card is still not confirmed with less than two weeks to go.
Still, Vieira-Arantes could certainly end up being a spirited fight, especially if both men are looking to put on a good show for the hometown crowd.
Remember—sometimes these under-the-radar fights end up being mini-classics.
When former 155-pound Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar fights Ben Henderson this August, it will be his third straight rematch involving UFC gold. The numbers are pretty staggering.The lightweight title has been up for grabs a total of f…
When former 155-pound Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar fights Ben Henderson this August, it will be his third straight rematch involving UFC gold.
The numbers are pretty staggering.
The lightweight title has been up for grabs a total of five times since April 2010, with the Edgar-Henderson rematch this August being the sixth. By the time the dust settles on Edgar-Henderson 2 later this summer, Edgar’s trilogy of title rematches will have consumed the Lightweight title for nearly two-and-a-half years.
That in itself is not such a big deal—especially when you consider that Edgar has put on some highly entertaining fights lately.
But here’s the condemning part for “The Answer.”
In his four title defenses, Frankie Edgar has managed only two victories.
For the life of me, I can’t think of another MMA fighter with three straight rematches, let alone three do-overs involving a much-coveted UFC title. But looking at the history of Edgar’s last three fights, his rematch three-peat becomes less and less surprising.
When Edgar defeated “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn for the title back in 2010, he didn’t win himself many fans. By stifling Penn, “The Answer” dethroned an ever-popular champion with a shifty boxing style pejoratively labelled as point fighting.
I once heard his style called “Foxy Boxing.”
Supporters of “The Prodigy” were confident that the first fight was a fluke, and that Edgar would be outclassed in the rematch. Of course, Edgar would go on to dominate Penn-Edgar 2, this time controlling the fight from bell to bell in late 2010.
Fast forward four months to January 1st, 2011, and Frankie Edgar is ready to defend his title against Gray Maynard.
Despite the lack of fan interest, Edgar-Maynard 2 turned out to be an instant classic. After getting dropped multiple times in the opening round, Frankie Edgar exhibited one of the most striking displays of heart in the history of MMA, surviving Maynard’s early onslaught before winning enough of the next four rounds to force a draw.
Edgar’s passion was incredible—he absolutely refused to be knocked out. Bleeding from every hole in his face, “The Answer” found a way to keep answering the bell.
That night, Frankie’s heart became legendary.
Of course, the controversial nature of Maynard-Edgar 2 led to Frankie’s second straight rematch involving the 155-pound title.
Their third fight opened just like the second, with Maynard once again battering “The Answer” on the feet. Edgar’s prospects looked grim, but somehow the champion remained conscious.
What followed was one of the sport’s greatest moments of poetic justice.
In the fourth round, Edgar miraculously stunned his rival with some quick punches and then swarmed his way to a rare TKO-stoppage. It was the only finish in nearly 12 hard-fought rounds between the two men.
For the second straight fight, Edgar showed the kind of guts that can define a fighter’s career. There were comparisons to another comeback king, the late Arturo Gatti, and UFC-boss Dana White began mentioning Edgar among the sport’s P4P bests.
That was his second immediate rematch in a row, and when Edgar lost to Ben Henderson on the scorecards four months later, it should not have been a surprise when the UFC opted for yet another rematch atop the 155-pound heap.
Now I love a good rematch as much as the next guy, but in my mind, Henderson controlled enough of their first fight to secure a pretty solid unanimous decision victory.
Sure, it was a close fight, but not all close fights deserve an immediate rematch. The decision was reasonable enough that the promotion could provide Henderson a new challenger without much public backlash.
But what choice did the UFC really have?
Besides a rematch with Edgar, the UFC could have matched Henderson against fellow-WEC alumni Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, a young fighter who was making some serious waves by finishing the ever-tough Joe Lauzon via a highlight-reel headkick.
As some added incentive, Henderson and Pettis had already competed once before, battling over the WEC Lightweight title in a back-and-forth fight in December, 2010 that saw Pettis win a Unanimous Decision victory, topping off a solid performance with a Mortal-Kombat-esque flying headkick at the end of the fifth round.
So why did the UFC opt for yet another rematch atop the 155-pound ladder, besides believing that Edgar had actually won the first fight?
Pettis-Henderson 2 was probably not the best choice for a promotion that has been struggling with dwindling pay-per-view sales (keep in mind that none of Edgar’s title fights have sold that well, either).
On top of this marketing aspect, Pettis is still a relatively unknown, and unproven, commodity.
But Pettis will have to wait in line in the UFC’s crowded lightweight division.
After obliterating perennial-challenger Jim Miller at UFC on FOX 3, Nate Diaz has officially been named the next title-challenger, with the Stockton bad-boy slated to face the winner of Edgar-Henderson 2 sometime in the fall (providing a three-month turn around).
Nate would make for a great, and highly-marketable, first defence for Henderson’s newly-minted title, but up until he became the first man to finish Jim Miller, many questioned Diaz’s level of high-quality victories.
Now the increasingly-popular Diaz will be sitting on the shelf for up to six months, which is not the best tactic if you’re trying to develop a fighter’s star power.
The only logical reason for having Diaz wait out a shot is that the UFC sees superstar potential in the younger Diaz brother and doesn’t want to risk him losing before he can fight for a title.
But what if Edgar pulls off a close decision: Does the UFC push Henderson-Edgar 3?
Probably not.
In the end, keeping the Lightweight title picture congested is a smart long-term decision for UFC matchmakers (especially since there was no clear-cut Lightweight challenger at the time of Edgar’s defeat, although Diaz has since become everybody’s favorite Huckleberry).
Unfortunately for fight fans, many promising—and marketable—155-pound fights have tumbled down the mountain while four lucky men have repeatedly battled for the title over a span of two years.
Booking Edgar-Henderson 2 kept the belt rolling while the UFC takes their time developing prospects like Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz.
What makes the most sense for the UFC right now is to schedule a true No. 1 Contender’s match between Nate Diaz and Athony Pettis sometime this summer, and potentially promoting the match alongside the Henderson-Edgar rematch at UFC 150 this August.
It’s about time UFC gets things moving in their 155-pound division, and keeping Nate Diaz on the shelf for six months is not the answer.
Now that UFC on FX 3 is officially in the books, let’s take a look at the outcome of another under-promoted and star-starved UFC event on cable television. Despite a lack of big names, the night provided plenty of great fights, including a very relevan…
Now that UFC on FX 3 is officially in the books, let’s take a look at the outcome of another under-promoted and star-starved UFC event on cable television.
Despite a lack of big names, the night provided plenty of great fights, including a very relevant rematch between Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall, thanks to a frustrating judging error back in March that temporarily had “Mighty Mouse” winning a decision at UFC on FX 2.
Of course, this rematch was never supposed to happen. When the UFC devised the rules for their four-man flyweight tournament, they made a new a new stipulation meant to ensure a definite winner, proposing a fourth sudden death round should the fight end in a draw.
Unfortunately, a horrible judging error temporarily named Johnson the winner over a very game McCall in a fight that should have been decided in overtime.
So here we are, three months later, to finally decide what should have been finalized months ago.
But how did each man fare in the rematch of their Fight of the Night battle for a chance to face Joseph Benavidez to be the UFC’s first flyweight champion?
We’ll take at look at the rematch and the rest of the action from a very solid night of fights.
