Who’s the only man in UFC history to skip out on two pre-fight press conferences and subsequently have his title shot yanked?Well, that would be Nick Diaz, of course.The welterweight phenom has gone from promising prospect to one of the best fighters i…
Who’s the only man in UFC history to skip out on two pre-fight press conferences and subsequently have his title shot yanked?
Well, that would be Nick Diaz, of course.
The welterweight phenom has gone from promising prospect to one of the best fighters in his class, all the while making headlines thanks to his unapologetic demeanor which has endeared him both to the fans and media alike.
The greatest thing about Diaz, much like the rest of these fighters, is that he’s chosen not to assimilate with the rest of the herd and instead is considered to be a genuine and unique figure in the MMA world.
At UFC 144, Ryan Bader scored unarguably the biggest win of his career.Before the sold-out crowd at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, Bader defeated former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson over the course of three rounds, taking an uncontested de…
At UFC 144, Ryan Bader scored unarguably the biggest win of his career.
Before the sold-out crowd at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, Bader defeated former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson over the course of three rounds, taking an uncontested decision win against a formidable and world-renowned opponent.
Now, Bader has now asserted himself once again as a top contender in the light heavyweight division with that pivotal performance and will likely be just a few wins away from a shot at the title.
UFC 144 will hit Saitama Super Arena in Japan tomorrow night with a vicious slate of action, topped with a talent-laden seven-fight main card.
In the main event, ligthweight champion Frankie Edgar looks to defend his title for a third time against…
UFC 144 will hit Saitama Super Arena in Japan tomorrow night with a vicious slate of action, topped with a talent-laden seven-fight main card.
In the main event, ligthweight champion Frankie Edgar looks to defend his title for a third time against the surging Benson Henderson, while a light heavyweight collision between heavy hitters Quinton Jackson and Ryan Bader takes the co-main event slot.
A batch of other fights grace the main card. Many of the fighters wield opposing styles that will make for interesting fights. Here’s a breakdown of their strengths and weaknesses.
This Saturday, the UFC returns to the Japan for the first time in over a decade, as a lightweight title tilt pitting champion Frankie Edgar against Benson Henderson is set to rock the Saitama Super Arena.Thought the 155-pound class is eclipsing the tal…
This Saturday, the UFC returns to the Japan for the first time in over a decade, as a lightweight title tilt pitting champion Frankie Edgar against Benson Henderson is set to rock the Saitama Super Arena.
Thought the 155-pound class is eclipsing the talent-laden event, many notable matchups deserve to garner high praise, most notably a heavyweight collision pitting touted striker Cheick Kongo against Pride veteran Mark Hunt.
Both men have produced tantalizing knockouts over the years and are widely regarded as two of the best strikers in their division, though many other combatants deserve that same distinction.
The biggest threat to the UFC’s onward and upward movement in the mainstream world is itself.Over the years, many would-be competitors have looked to rival the premier mixed martial arts promotion. EliteXC, the IFL and Affliction have all fallen by the…
The biggest threat to the UFC’s onward and upward movement in the mainstream world is itself.
Over the years, many would-be competitors have looked to rival the premier mixed martial arts promotion. EliteXC, the IFL and Affliction have all fallen by the wayside, with the UFC remaining at the top of the mantle, positioning itself further and further away from the rest of the pack.
Since signing an exclusive seven-year deal with a sports broadcast juggernaut in the FOX network, the promotion has graced the FX, Fuel and FOX channels, with many battles garnering praise both amongst the fans and media alike.
However, with all this new content and exciting endeavors, one has to wonder: Who is getting lost in the shuffle? Well, it’s the fans.
Last Wednesday, welterweight contenders Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez engaged in a memorable three-round thriller, which earned both men Fight of the Night honors for their fan-friendly performance, though many of MMA‘s enthusiasts failed to watch the live broadcast, since Fuel TV’s providers extend only to a small populace.
It’s a dilemma that will look to remedy itself as the UFC helps garner the burgeoning channel more and more viewers with more exciting battles, which will elicit program providers incentive to pick up Fuel as a partner.
Though free television programming is always the right call, the UFC has become the juggernaut promotion of the MMA industry because of their avid pay-per-view model.
Stars like Georges St-Pierre, Brock Lesnar, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz have proven to be strong draws in the PPV realm.
Many of these aforementioned combatants have exited the sport, while GSP remains sidelined due to injury and Ortiz, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” has lost his allure, having tasted defeat in five of his last six outings.
The organization has made a continued effort to produce fights on an almost every-weekend basis, which has proven detrimental to the casual onlooker who can’t always ante up the 50-plus dollars time and time again.
There’s no direct correlation, however, the UFC’s PPV numbers have struggled to regain momentum as of late. Aside from a blockbuster battle between Alistair Overeem and the aforementioned Lesnar last December (which garnered over 800k in buys), many pivotal battles that have graced the Octagon have failed to produce the numbers they deserve.
An epic rubber match between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, which headlined a double-championship card at UFC 136, produced a subtle 225,000 buy rate. The event came just one week after UFC on Versus 6 and just a few weeks before UFC 137.
With so many shows and so many fights underway, many fans could find themselves in a frenzy, being lost in the fray of over-saturation.
It’s a good problem to have if you have the means to order PPV’s time and time again, keep up to date with all the impending battles to grace the Octagon and follow the sport almost religiously. But for the casual and pedestrian fan, it can be daunting.
It’s become commonplace in the mixed martial arts world that everyone cuts weight.For some fighters, they see the ability to shed pounds of water as a science and added advantage come fight time. Don’t believe me? Ask Anthony Johnson. “Rumble…
It’s become commonplace in the mixed martial arts world that everyone cuts weight.
For some fighters, they see the ability to shed pounds of water as a science and added advantage come fight time.
Don’t believe me? Ask Anthony Johnson.
“Rumble” regularly competed as a welterweight, where he dwarfed all of his opposition. Several times, Johnson struggled to make the required 170-pound weight limit, prompting a move to the middleweight division, where his weighty concerns have followed him.
Johnson’s not the one who should take the full brunt of the backlash, so here are others who in the past have showed blatant disregard in making weight for their respective weight classes.
The biggest threat to the UFC’s onward and upward movement in the mainstream world is itself.