Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has quickly re-emerged as a contender in the always competitive 205-pound division. The Brazilian dynamo is coming off of a huge first-round knockout victory over another former world cha…
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has quickly re-emerged as a contender in the always competitive 205-pound division.
The Brazilian dynamo is coming off of a huge first-round knockout victory over another former world champion in Forrest Griffin just a couple of weeks ago. The win allowed “Shogun” to exact revenge from their initial encounter in 2007, where The Ultimate Fighter season one winner was able to submit the PRIDE superstar with a last-minute rear-naked choke.
Rua is riding on a wave of confidence and now that he has synced back up with his self professed Master in Rafael Cordeiro, he will be looking to climb the ladder once again in order to claim back what was once his not too long ago, his status as the best fighter in his weight class.
“Shogun’s” manager in Eduardo Alonso, who spoke with TATAME.com, has expressed interest in his fighter returning to the big stage this December for the organization’s year-end banger, possibly against former champion Tito Ortiz, though the potential for Rua’s next bout is virtually limitless.
Gina Carano, once coveted as the face of women’s mixed martial arts, has teased fans about her return to the sport for quite a while now. After wrapping up her recent endeavor as Mallory Kane in the movie “Haywire” directed by the critically accla…
Gina Carano, once coveted as the face of women’s mixed martial arts, has teased fans about her return to the sport for quite a while now.
After wrapping up her recent endeavor as Mallory Kane in the movie “Haywire” directed by the critically acclaimed Steven Soderbergh, Carano was steadfast in her desires to return to the world of MMA.
Originally, Gina was hoping to make her second Strikeforce appearance—her first since a title loss to Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in August of 2009—in June of this year against the always tough Sarah D’Alelio. However, she bowed out due to last minute, undisclosed medical issues.
Now, “Crush” is back. She is scheduled to return at an announced December 17th show under the Strikeforce banner. Sources indicated to MMAJunkie.com that Carano will return action at the near year end show against an unknown opponent.
Gina’s popularity reached an all time high when she made her appearance under the San Jose based promotion just two years ago. She challenged for the organization’s first ever women’s welterweight title (145 pounds) against the dangerous “Cyborg.”
In a bout that produced fireworks from the get go, Carano ultimately succumbed to strikes late in the first-round, dropping her chances of becoming a world champion. The event, headlined by the female title bout, garnered the third highest ratings in Strikeforce history, averaging at 576,000 on the Showtime broadcast.
A win for Carano will propel her back to the spotlight and likely make her an immediate contender to the welterweight title once again.
The historic deal between the Fox television network and the UFC is already paying off in spades. Not only will fans be able to watch a heavyweight title bout on free TV, but it will pit two of the sport’s most dynamic fighters against one another…
The historic deal between the Fox television network and the UFC is already paying off in spades.
Not only will fans be able to watch a heavyweight title bout on free TV, but it will pit two of the sport’s most dynamic fighters against one another—as the heavy-handed Brazilian Junior dos Santos takes on the man Dana White dubbed “Terminator,” champion Cain Velasquez.
However, this bout isn’t without its fair share of criticisms. Will the bout be strong enough to carry over to a bigger audience? Will it deliver? Was there perhaps a main event more worthy of headlining duties?
All of these questions and more are now up for debate.
UFC 139 was originally rumored to serve as the pay-per-view event to house the heavyweight title bout between challenger Junior dos Santos and champion Cain Velasquez. However, as we have all learned earlier today, such is not the case and both men wil…
UFC 139 was originally rumored to serve as the pay-per-view event to house the heavyweight title bout between challenger Junior dos Santos and champion Cain Velasquez. However, as we have all learned earlier today, such is not the case and both men will instead take part in the organization’s first venture onto Fox.
UFC 139 takes place on Nov. 19 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Cali., and though Velasquez, a product of the famed American Kickboxing Academy, would have been a huge local draw for the event, the promotion is currently underway in developing a respectable main event to take it’s place.
Several options exist, though limited they are, could still very well pull in a decent crowd to an always burgeoning hot bed for mixed martial arts action.
The HP has served home for many Strikeforce events and now that Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, has since purchased the organization, they will use all of their new tools at their disposal in order to open to a wider audience.
So, who can fill in these big shoes come this November?
The UFC has come from pay-per-view obscurity to the spotlight that now exists only on network television. The monumental deal that was struck just a few weeks ago between the mixed martial arts juggernaut and the sports giant in Fox has already produce…
The UFC has come from pay-per-view obscurity to the spotlight that now exists only on network television. The monumental deal that was struck just a few weeks ago between the mixed martial arts juggernaut and the sports giant in Fox has already produced some gems.
Officials announced earlier today that the first UFC on FOX broadcast will feature not only a fight that is truly main-event-worthy, but it’s for the heavyweight championship no less.
Junior dos Santos, a praised Brazilian striker who has demolished all opposition in his path towards the coveted title shot, will be meeting with perhaps the most dynamic man in the division in Cain Velasquez, the organization’s reigning titleholder.
The heavyweight tilt takes place on Nov. 12 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and though the rest of the evening’s bouts will be in the dark, fans around the world will be treated to a potential five-round battle between two of the best fighters in the most coveted division in combat sports.
Velasquez first entered the Octagon as a collegiate wrestler who packed a punch, having dismissed of weaker competition along the way before stepping up to the big leagues of the division with little to no issue, save for his bout with noted kickboxing standout Cheick Kongo.
Since then, his standup has improved by leaps and bounds to the point where it’s become his equalizer of sorts. Against both Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Brock Lesnar, both former world champions, Velasquez managed to dispatch of each man inside of the first round without having to really taste any danger on the mat where the two men hold a significant advantage over most.
For dos Santos, his progression throughout his MMA career has been just the opposite. Instead of developing a competent striking base, it’s Junior who has sought tutelage under the aforementioned Nogueira in order to hone his ground skills in an effort to play catch-up with his boxing, which has rendered eight men victim to some form of knockout throughout his 14-fight career.
So who holds the advantages? This is where it gets complicated.
Striking
The edge leans towards “Cigano.” He has a proven track record of making people go to sleep with his fists, often utilizing jabs and straights in order to control the distance before landing a telling blow that puts his opponents in danger.
Although Cain, a proud Mexican American, uses more kicks than dos Santos, Junior is more comfortable in settling into a rhythm with his strikes and finds his distance relatively quickly. Cain’s chin will be tested, but it’s nothing that a 6’4″ Frenchman hasn’t already done.
Grappling
The pendulum sways towards Velasquez, but just by a hair. Opponents have rarely been able to engage dos Santos for a takedown, because by the time they bring the fight to the floor, they are looking up at the lights wondering when the fight will start after it’s already reached it’s decisive ending.
Cain is unrelenting and if his takedown of Lesnar, a 265-pound-plus man is any indication of his repertoire, he should prove effective here. It’s his blend of striking and wrestling which makes him a cut above, almost Georges St-Pierre-esque, though Cain operates at a much more rapid-fire rate.
We’ve never seen dos Santos on his back yet, but don’t be surprised if he winds up there this time, which will hopefully spur some exciting moments on the ground since Junior has since acquired his brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the Nogueira brothers.
Conditioning
This is a no-brainer, as Velasquez has starched all of his opponents through his speed and relentlessness, thanks to his otherworldly work ethic which allows him to hold a scary pace once he steps into the cage. No man has been able to match him yet, and dos Santos will not be that guy. We’ve seen in his fight with The Ultimate Fighter alumnus in Roy Nelson, that when Junior has his man hurt, he goes in for the kill.
Cain will have some moments of vulnerability during the fight, but by no means will he be down and out. Opposite of Kongo, Velasquez was dropped multiple times, but still gutted out takedown after takedown, dominating the Wolfslair product en route to a decision win. He’ll be lumped up but there is hardly a bat thick enough to crack that thick head of Velasquez’, though if anyone can, it would be dos Santos, but he’s just not fast enough to keep up.
If there was ever a pick-’em fight, this is it. Noted oddsmaker Joey Odessa of MMAOdds.com has the champ a subtle -150 favorite over the challenger.
However this bout shakes out, for UFC president Dana White to choose this fight in particular for its Fox debut speaks volumes for the level of expectations that the company is hoping this bout will produce. Needless to say, neither Velasquez nor dos Santos have been in any bouts that have garnered jeers or boos from fans, so expect fireworks.
The talent that has trickled from recent seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter” have been few and far between. The first few editions of the Spike TV reality show have helped spawn many future contenders who have vied for championships, some having cla…
The talent that has trickled from recent seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter” have been few and far between.
The first few editions of the Spike TV reality show have helped spawn many future contenders who have vied for championships, some having claimed the belt in their respective weight classes. However, the talent has been shallow as of late and is now at kiddie-pool level.
Although Alex Caceres, who’s more affectionately known now by fans as simply “Bruce Leeroy,” was viewed as a kid who’s persona superseded his skills, he’s shown in his last outing with Jim Hettes that he has improved significantly as a fighter, even if it was at the cost of another loss.
The 23-year-old Floridian was originally slated to meet former title challenger Leonard Garcia on the preliminary portion of UFC on Versus 5, which took place at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisc., this past Sunday.
“Bad Boy” Garcia bowed out due to injury and in stepped Hettes on less than two weeks’ notice. While Leonard proves to be a formidable task for anyone he faces, his glaring weakness has been his penchant for brawls and lack of stamina, neither of which Jim exhibited in this exciting featherweight affair.
The first-round was as back-and-forth as any fight that’s graced the Octagon, with UFC commentator Joe Rogan left virtually speechless, only summarizing the bout as the most “transition filled” fight in recent memory.
When Hettes was successful in putting Caceres on his back, Alex continued to show an active guard that would often lead to several submission attempts and later have him either return to his feet or end up in a more dominant position.
It’s the kind of scrambling technique that has defined former champion Urijah Faber’s career: at times it’s reckless, but it’s always exciting.
Relying on his incredible athleticism, Alex’s natural abilities carried him into the second round before his inexperience got the best of him.
Whilst Hettes had his back, Alex looked for a single leg dump to the mat, exposing his neck for Jim, an undefeated submission specialist, to lock in a tight rear-naked choke. Caceres fought only momentarily before being forced to tap.
The loss was his second in a row, twice by the same submission hold, though the TUF vet redeemed himself in defeat.
He displayed all the skills that garnered him his recent accolades which originally eluded him in his UFC debut bout against Mackens Semerzier this past March, where Alex recorded just a little over three minutes of ring time before being caught in the choke.
Is this end for “Bruce Leeroy”? Most likely. The UFC’s featherweight class is beginning to take in some depth, however it could always use the likes of Caceres, but the higher ups should realize that with a record of 5-4, there is some more work to be done.
By his own admission, Alex never intended on being in the UFC this early in his career, which began November 2008.
But now that he’s made it, he can hold his head high, knowing that in his bout with Hettes, he gave it 100 percent and it showed in a fight that was an early shoo-in for “Fight of the Night” honors.
