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Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson: Were Dan Mirgliotta’s Bad Standups Paid For?

UFC 142 in Rio was a great UFC card, and it produced many great fights and moments. Belfort vs. Johnson produced controversy, and I’d like to know why so many blatant bad stand-ups took place.This fight was set up to be a very entertaining contest. Bot…

UFC 142 in Rio was a great UFC card, and it produced many great fights and moments. Belfort vs. Johnson produced controversy, and I’d like to know why so many blatant bad stand-ups took place.

This fight was set up to be a very entertaining contest. Both fighters are vicious strikers, and have the ability to end fights with one shot.

When the fight started both men came out of the gate fast. Anthony Johnson was throwing huge kicks with bad intentions, and Vitor was throwing his lightning-fast hands in combinations. Johnson landed a takedown early on in the fight, and started to work in shots in Vitor’s guard.

Dan Miragliotta stood them up especially quickly considering that Johnson was actually working and landing strikes.

Shortly after, the fighters ended up in a clinch that Miragliotta broke up fast again. After watching a bunch of Randy Couture’s clinch snooze fests, I was starting to think that something might be up with the refereeing in this fight.

Belfort was able to land a good shot not too long after, and had Anthony Johnson rocked. He survived it, and was able to get the fight to the ground. Dan Miragliotta stood them up less than a minute after despite the fact than once again, Anthony Johnson was working.

Shortly after, Vitor Belfort was able to hurt Johnson and submit him with a rear-naked choke.

Fixing happens in every sport in the world, but its usually concealed very well. I don’t doubt that its happened in the UFC before, and I think that this fight should be looked into.

Vitor Belfort is a larger draw that Anthony Johnson is, that’s a fact. Belfort winning puts more money in the UFC’s pockets.

There are many scenarios and people that would have wanted Belfort to be victorious. Maybe those people gave Mr. Miragliotta a reason to make that happen. Stranger things have happened in the world of sports.

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Brock Lesnar Will Be the UFC Heavyweight Champion in 2012

Brock Lesnar is one of the best athletes to ever grace the UFC heavyweight division, and the former champion will reclaim his glory in 2012. Lesnar has had a couple of bad defeats to Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez, but he’s a winner and will be able to l…

Lesnar’s slated to face Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in Las Vegas on December 30th. It will be a huge fight, as both fighters bring an interesting dynamic to the fight.

I think it will ultimately be the superior wrestling of Lesnar that will come out on top. Overeem is an elite striker, but I doubt he will be able to stop takedowns forever.

In the past, striking has been something that Brock Lesnar has had trouble dealing with. He got caught by Velasquez in his last fight and by Carwin in their fight. Boxing has been a weakness for Brock, but I believe that he’ll get to a point where his standup game is feared.

If he’s able to get past Overem, Lesnar will most likely face Junior Dos Santos for the title, barring any injury.

Once again, I believe that Lesnar will just be too good of a wrestler for the champion to be able to stop him. He should be able to ground-and-pound his way to victory.

Lesnar is a natural athlete and a born winner. Some guys just have that X-factor that puts them on another level from other athletes. Brock Lesnar has it.

At one point he was the best college heavyweight wrestlers in the entire country, and won the national championship to prove it.

Brock has been winning his whole life and is not about to stop now. He’s been working tirelessly to get back the gold that he once lost.

Brock Lesnar will be the UFC heavyweight champion in 2012. Watch for him to start tearing through opponents the way that everybody knows he has the potential to.

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UFC on Fox Results: Was Cain Velasquez off His Game?

Junior dos Santos shocked UFC fans, and Cain Velasquez, when he landed a big right hand that would lead to a TKO stoppage. Dos Santos was in control of the fight the whole time, and was able fight to his game plan against Velasquez.When Velasquez won t…

When Velasquez won the title against Lesnar, he looked nearly unstoppable. He was able to dictate the fight, and imposed his will on Lesnar.

Velasquez looked out of his element against Dos Santos. He was hesitant with almost everything he did, and looked like he was trying not to lose instead of trying to win the fight.

Velasquez is usually an imposing striker, and I think that the skill of Dos Santos made him hold back. Velasquez didn’t look like he wanted anything do do with the boxing exchanges.

He shot only one takedown when Dos Santos tried to land a kick to the center of his body. His strength coming into this fight was wrestling, and he should have tried more to utilize it.

I think that ring rust was a big factor for Velasquez in this fight. Being out of the Octagon for more than a year definitely had some effect.

However, I think that Velasquez will bounce back. He’s a good fighter that just had an off day. Look for him to come back in a big way the next time we see him.

With all that said, I’m not taking anything away from Dos Santos. He’s a great fighter who fought a perfect fight to take out the champion.

Velasquez is still a young fighter who has yet to have his best performance. After a poor showing against Dos Santos, he will need to come back strong the next time we see him in the Octagon.

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Cain Velasquez vs Dos Santos: What Did JDS Do Right Against Cain?

Last night the UFC held its first free card on FOX Television following the multi-year deal Dana White and company just signed. They showcased two of the best heavyweights on their roster, Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos. The fight didn’t disappoi…

On paper, this fight looked like it could be going the way of the champion. His tremendous cardio and wrestling skills looked like they would be too much to handle for Dos Santos.

Dos Santos’ best skill is his boxing ability, but many questioned how much he would get to use it.

Dos Santos further cemented his ability as a top striker, and proved that his takedown defense is atop the division. JDS hit Velasquez with a big right hand in the first round, and finished off the champion methodically.

Dos Santos appears to just be a really good striker who lands knockout punches, but his gameplanning can’t be overlooked.

Velasquez is a top-level wrestler, and is a nightmare when he gets the fight to the ground. Dos Santos knew this, and used good footwork to keep at a distance. By staying a comfortable distance and going in and out with strikes, Dos Santos kept Velasquez at a place where he would have to telegraph a takedown attempt.

Dos Santos also threw a lot of straight right hands when the two fighters got close. This quicker punch made it difficult for Velasquez to counter or go for the shot. JDS also mixed punches to the head and the body, which kept Velasquez on his toes.

By being able to keep the fight standing, Dos Santos had it right where he wanted it. Less than a minute into the first round, he threw a big overhand right that knocked Velasquez down.

Once Velasquez hit the mat, Dos Santos made sure to maintain control and throw accurate shots from the top. This was very smart, because if Velasquez had managed to recover it would have been a different fight on the ground.

Dos Santos still has questions surrounding his takedown defense and ground game, but so far, it looks impenetrable. If the new champion can keep his fights standing, the UFC heavyweight division could be in for a lot more knockouts.

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC on FOX. B/R is your home for post-fight analysis of the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos fight card. Also, be sure to check out our fight card hub page for news and opinion on the entire UFC on FOX fight card.

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UFC 138: Mark Munoz Handled Himself Poorly and Doesn’t Deserve a Title Shot

At UFC 138, Mark Munoz beat Chris Leben by a TKO due to a cut over Leben’s left eye. It was a competitive fight for the first round, but Munoz started to edge away in the second round.I have no problem with the fight or the way that Munoz fought. He’s …

At UFC 138, Mark Munoz beat Chris Leben by a TKO due to a cut over Leben’s left eye. It was a competitive fight for the first round, but Munoz started to edge away in the second round.

I have no problem with the fight or the way that Munoz fought. He’s a good fighter, and showed it in the ring.

I think if it had gone to the third round, it still would have been competitive. Chris Leben is tough as nails, and is a guy to never count out. He’s a brawler who can finish a fight in any round. I wish the fight had made it to Round 3.

The problem that I have with Munoz is the way that he handled himself after the fight.

Munoz was in his corner after the second round getting ready for the third, and the fight got called. As soon as it did, he started jumping around and yelling, excited because of the stoppage. I think it was because he knew he still had a hard time ahead with Leben in the other corner.

Celebrating a submission or a big knockout is fine. Celebrating a decision victory is fine too. Celebrating a doctor stoppage is wrong.

Munoz should have had more respect for Leben and the way that the fight ended. He threw a lucky punch that just happened to cause a fight ending cut. The punch and the way that it was set up took skill, but the fact that it caused a cut was pure luck.

In the post-fight interview, Munoz was ecstatic about his victory, and continued to talk about all of the skills that he has. Then he talked about how he wants a title shot and also thinks he deserves it.

If Munoz pulled off the decision, the interview would have been justified. After a stoppage due to a cut, I don’t think that it was.

Munoz is a good fighter, and will most likely get a title shot eventually. It shouldn’t be now though.

This wasn’t a fight that testified to his skill and fighting ability. This is not a convincing win that I think should be rewarded with a chance for UFC gold.

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UFC 137: Where Does Nick Diaz Rank Among GSP’s Toughest Opponents?

Nick Diaz beat BJ Penn at UFC 137, and his next fight will be against Georges St.Pierre. GSP has fought and beat the who’s who of the division for a long time, and Diaz is one guy he hasn’t squared off against. It will for sure make for an entertaining…

St.Pierre has turned in many dominant performances, and he will look to do the same against Nick Diaz. Diaz will be one of the toughest guys that GSP has fought up till now.

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