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UFC Fight Night 32: Belfort vs. Henderson Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions, More

One of Brazil’s favorite sons will be back to fight another legend of the sport in UFC Fight Night 32 from Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil on Saturday.
Despite the fact that both Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort and Dan Henderson are past their glory days, …

One of Brazil’s favorite sons will be back to fight another legend of the sport in UFC Fight Night 32 from Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil on Saturday.

Despite the fact that both Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort and Dan Henderson are past their glory days, this rematch will still likely pique the interest of hardcore fans of the sport. Belfort and Henderson met when both were in Pride and Henderson won a unanimous decision over The Phenom.

In front of a host of fans likely cheering the Brazilian Belfort on, Henderson will be fighting an uphill battle. Here’s a look at the entire card with predictions for each bout. The main event and two other bouts feature more extensive analysis below the chart.

The Mutante Will Win by KO

Aside from a devastating KO loss in 2011 to Elvis Mutapcic, Cezar Ferreira has looked impressive. He has great quickness, power and his 78.5″ reach is usually a factor.

All of those qualities should propel him to victory against Daniel Sarafian, a tough submissions fighter. Sarafian’s striking isn’t anywhere close to Ferreira’s and, per Fight Metric, The Mutante has stuffed every takedown attempted against him in the UFC.

Ferreira will win by way of exciting KO.

Brandon “Rukus” Thatch Will Continue His Run of Impressive Wins

Thatch is one of the hottest young fighters in the UFC. He’ll be in the Octagon with a veteran in Paulo Thiago on Saturday night. Rukus has that special flair as a striker. He finishes fights promptly and with devastating kicks to the midsection or head.

His average fight time is only 5 minutes and 12 seconds, per Fight Metric. Most recently he earned KO of the Night for his win over Justin Edwards in August.

Thiago is a native Brazilian, so he’ll have the fans behind him. He also won his last fight over Michel Richard Cunha dos Prazeres in May. Still, he has lost four of his last six. His stand-up game is still lacking, and that’s not a good look heading into a battle with Thatch.

Thiago’s only hope in this fight is to take Thatch to the mat. Eight of his 15 wins have come by submission. Because of this, Thatch will be ready for Thiago’s attempts to take him down. Rukus’ kicks will set the pace and lead to a KO/TKO win.

Belfort Will Do What No Other Fighter in History Has Done

Both men are at a crucial point in their career. Belfort is 36 years old and Henderson is 43. Despite the seven-year age gap, Belfort has actually been fighting professionally longer. The Phenom’s career began in 1996 and Henderson’s in 1997.

Belfort’s skill set has evolved since he burst on the scene as an explosive, hard-punching 19-year-old. Lately, he seems just as likely to attack an opponent in search of a submission as he is to try to knock them out.

Belfort nearly submitted Jon “Bones” Jones when they met in Sept. 2012. Jones escaped and ultimately scored a submission win of his own. Since then, Belfort has forced both Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold to say goodnight with head kicks. The spinning heel kick against Rockhold was especially nasty.

Aside from the loss to Jones and a devastating defeat at the hands of Anderson Silva, Belfort hasn’t lost a fight since he dropped the decision to Henderson seven years ago. He may be on the wrong side of 30, but The Phenom hasn’t shown a lot of signs of slowing down.

Hendo’s recent fights haven’t gone over quite as well. He’s lost his last two bouts and because he’s approaching his mid-40s, the end is near. Belfort is the type of fighter who could make the end come in an instant.

This is Hendo we’re talking about, though. He is known for his amazing chin. In 39 professional fights, he’s never been knocked out—that is until Saturday night.

This may be a bold prediction, but look for Belfort to become the first man to ever stop Henderson by way of TKO/KO. Belfort’s speed and versatility are too much for Henderson. The Phenom’s explosive striking and Henderson’s age will produce the most unfavorable result for Hendo.

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Carmouche vs. Davis Results: Win Proves Ally-Gator Deserves Shot at Title

By defeating Liz “Girlrilla” Carmouche on Wednesday at UFC Fight for the Troops 3, Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis has vaulted herself into serious contention for a shot at the women’s bantamweight title.
With Cat Zingano rehabbing her injured knees, per MMA…

With Cat Zingano rehabbing her injured knees, per MMA Weekly (via Yahoo! Sports), there is no other fighter in the division more worthy of facing the winner of the Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate bout set for UFC 168.

Davis came into Wednesday night’s battle known primarily for her submission skills, but she showed other facets to her game. Seven of Davis’ 15 wins have come by submission, but her leg kicks to the inner thigh of Carmouche set the tone of the fight. She backed her up the entire night and left no doubt who controlled the center of the Octagon.

Davis even absorbed a handful of hard right hands from Carmouche. One opened up a nasty gash over her left eye, but she kept coming.

The fact that she only pursued one takedown shows how confident she was in her stand-up game. We know how solid her ground game is. Davis now looks to be one of the most well-rounded fighters in her division.

If Rousey defeats Tate again in December at UFC 168, she and Davis would be an interesting battle.

Rousey is a better athlete, but she may not enjoy the same advantage on the ground that she usually does. There is no doubt Davis would be the underdog heading into a fight with Rousey, but she did enough on Wednesday to at least make it interesting.

If Tate upsets Rousey, Davis would likely have to wait to get her shot at the belt. Rousey is one of the biggest stars in the sport. She’ll almost certainly get an immediate rematch if she wants one.

In any case, Davis improved her stock significantly. She has now won four fights in a row and owns victories over Julie Kedzie, Amanda Nunes—who also won on Wednesday—and Carmouche.

After Wednesday’s big win, Davis is ready to take the next step in her career.

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Carmouche vs. Davis Results: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis

Liz “Girlrilla” Carmouche squandered an opportunity to vault herself into the UFC women’s bantamweight championship picture. Facing Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis on Wednesday at the UFC Fight for the Troops 3 in Hopkinsville, Ky., Carmouche was out-struck…

Two of the three judges scored the fight 30-27, and one had it 29-28, all for Davis who earned a unanimous decision. She improved her record to 15-5, and Carmouche dropped to 9-4.

She has some serious questions to answer about where she stands in the division. Carmouche was part of history when she took on Ronda Rousey in the UFC’s first-ever women’s bout in February. However, with this loss, she’ll head to the back of the line of contenders with hopes of challenging for the title.

Here’s a breakdown of all three rounds.

Round 1

The first frame was a tactical battle. Davis established herself with timely and hard leg kicks. Carmouche immediately began to reposition her leg to avoid absorbing them. Just as Davis looked set to walk away with the round, Carmouche landed two hard right-hand counter shots to make the round difficult to score.

Round 2

Despite having a huge cut opened up above her left eye in the round, Davis took control of the fight in this frame. The leg kicks began to buckle Carmouche, and a late-round takedown sealed the frame. Carmouche was clearly the more athletic fighter, but she was totally unprepared for Davis’ lower-body attack.

Round 3

The last round was uneventful, but Davis’ constant pressure throughout the bout made her the fighter who controlled the Octagon in the fight. That said, she deserved the decision.

What’s Next?

Davis could very well be in position to challenge the winner of the Rousey-Miesha Tate fight scheduled for UFC 168. If Rousey wins, Davis’ submission prowess could give her a decent shot to withstand Rousey‘s arm-bar assault.

As for Carmouche, she may be in position to take on the likes of Amanda Nunes. She’s up and coming, and she scored an impressive first-round KO win over Germaine De Randamie during the preliminaries of the event.

At this point, Carmouche needs to string together some wins to avoid falling into gatekeeper status.

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UFC Fight for the Troops 3: Fighters Who Must Win to Remain Serious Contenders

The UFC Fight for the Troops 3 card isn’t stacked with big names. Many of the fighters scheduled to compete in Fort Campbell, Ky. have had opportunities at titles—or at least appeared in the title picture before.
Their failures to capitalize on t…

Their failures to capitalize on those chances have them at somewhat of a crossroads. The stakes created by these dynamics can produce great fights. Fans are hoping that will be the case Wednesday night.

Among these hopefuls is a small group of fighters who are probably faced with their last chance to be considered serious contenders.

Liz “Girlrilla” Carmouche

Carmouche battles Alexis Davis, and a shot at the UFC women’s bantamweight title could be on the line. Pickings are slim when it comes to legitimate contenders for Ronda Rousey‘s title.

With Cat Zingano recovering from knee surgery, per Yahoo! Sports (via MMA Weekly), the amount of compelling opponents is decreased even more.

Because of this, Rousey is set to take on Miesha Tate Dec. 28 in Las Vegas for a rematch of their Strikeforce bout that took place back in March 2012. Rousey dominated that fight, as Tate succumbed to the armbar—as have all of Rousey‘s opponents.

Carmouche is a work in progress. Her best attributes are power and her unrelenting will. She’s still trying to develop her grappling and submission game, but she briefly had Rousey in trouble in their battle at UFC 157. Ultimately, Carmouche also fell to Rousey‘s not-so secret weapon. However, because few women have established themselves as solid contenders, Carmouche is set up for a relatively quick shot at the title.

The flip side of this is not so promising for Carmouche. If she loses, it will be hard to ever sell her as a legitimate contender. Her losses have come to the more elite fighters in the sport (Rousey, Sarah Kaufman and Marloes Coenen). It would be easy to permanently label Carmouche as a second-tier fighter who can’t compete with the best.

Girlrilla doesn’t want to be a gatekeeper, but a loss may just relegate her to that standing.

Chris Camozzi and Lorenz Larkin

These two fighters will have tons to gain and much to lose when they square off Wednesday. Camozzi had his four-fight win streak snapped by Ronaldo Souza at UFC on FX 8 in May. Camozzi isn’t a great athlete, but he’s tough as nails and simply outworks many of his opponents.

While those intangible qualities are admirable, Camozzi may have maxed out his potential. His lack of agility, foot speed and hand speed will be a major problem against the elite fighters at 185 pounds.

Larkin may very well be an example of that concept.

He’s explosive and Camozzi‘s awesome chin may very well be tested in a major way in this bout. Larkin lost a decision to Francis Carmont in his last bout, so he can’t afford to hit a two-fight losing streak. Based on Carmont‘s last performance against Costas Philippou, there is no shame in losing a decision to him.

Carmont has won 11 fights in a row, with Camozzi as one of his victims in that string.

If Larkin loses to Camozzi, it will not only stain him with a second straight defeat, but for all intents and purposes, this is a fight he should win. Larkin is well-trained and physically more gifted than Camozzi. If he loses, it will drastically hurt his stock.

Camozzi doesn’t stand to lose as much, but a loss would clearly convey that he’s gone as high as he can go. His ability to grind out wins simply won’t work against the more elite athletes like Larkin.

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Liz Carmouche Will Be Bitten by Submission Bug Again vs. Alexis Davis

If wins were attained on heart alone, Liz Carmouche would be undefeated. The five-year veteran of the Marine corps is as tough as they come.
Despite her strength and great fighting spirit, Carmouche’s vulnerability to the submission will rear its ugly …

If wins were attained on heart alone, Liz Carmouche would be undefeated. The five-year veteran of the Marine corps is as tough as they come.

Despite her strength and great fighting spirit, Carmouche‘s vulnerability to the submission will rear its ugly head again Wednesday.

She will face submission specialist Alexis Davis at the UFC Fight for the Troops 3 event at Fort Campbell in Hopkinsville, Ky. Davis has recorded half of her 14 wins as a professional fighter by submission.

All but one of Carmouche‘s losses have come via tapout. More or less, when her attempts to come forward and physically overwhelm her opponent fail, she has found herself taken to the ground and submitted.

To her credit, she has worked to improve her submission game. After all, she nearly had Ronda Rousey in trouble in their bout at UFC 157. However, her lack of technique caused her to squander an opportunity when she had Rousey‘s back with a great shot at locking in a rear-naked choke.

There is no doubt Carmouche has worked a ton on this aspect of her game since then, but the problem for her comes when she faces fighters like Davis who have been submission-based fighters their entire careers.

The gap is too large and Carmouche‘s power edge isn’t big enough to cancel out the grappling disadvantage. On Wednesday night, Carmouche will show up ready to bang and give it her all, but she will again fall victim to her submission Achilles’ heel.

This loss may be the most costly of all. A win could very well land her another shot at the title. Carmouche is the type of fighter who needs an opponent who is willing to stand and trade to shine.

Davis will smartly take Carmouche out of her comfort zone and send her to her fourth defeat.

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UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester: Fights with KO of the Night Potential

Even though Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida could easily dominate Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz on the ground, we can’t forget about Machida’s advanced striking ability. Think back to the way Machida finished Rashad Evans, Randy Couture and Ryan Bader. He definitely has the striking prowess to land something explosive on Munoz.

On the other hand, they don’t call Munoz the Filipino Wrecking Machine for nothing. Six of his 13 professional wins have come by KO. He smashed his way through Chris Leben and C.B. Dollaway over the last two years.

Both Machida and Munoz have been victims of KO punches in their career, so it wouldn’t be unprecedented to see either man finished from strikes.

The safest bet is to pick Machida to win by decision, but the prospects of a KO are clear to see. There are two other fights that also carry potential to garner KO of the Night honors. They are as follows:

Ross Pearson vs. Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard

Anytime Guillard is in action, there is a chance the night will end explosively. Almost 46 percent (45.6) of his fights have ended in KO/TKO. Guillard himself has stopped 20 opponents and has only been knocked out once. That came in his Aug. 2012 meeting with Donald Cerrone at UFC 150.

Just before Cerrone stopped Guillard, the Young Assassin had rocked him severely. Unfortunately for Guillard, he couldn’t finish the deal. In his career, he has won KO of the Night three times. Most recently, he earned the bonus for his stoppage of Mac Danzig in July.

When he loses, Guillard usually falls victim to submissions. He’s lost nine of his 12 fights that way. Pearson would be wise to take him down as soon as he can. The longer he stands the more likely he gets caught with something big.

Pearson has the well-rounded game to employ this strategy. He has five wins by submission in his career. However, if he gets clipped in the process, Guillard could score a highlight-reel win.

Jimi “Poster Boy” Manuwa vs. “The Big Deal” Ryan Jimmo

This fight could come down to who lands the first hard significant strike. Jimmo displayed his monstrous power in his debut against Anthony Perosh in 2012. He took just seven seconds to eradicate Perosh and subsequently did the robot in his celebration dance.

The man that looks like Mr. Clean’s doppelganger can punch. If he connects with Manuwa, he might be going disco again.

Manuwa’s striking prowess is noteworthy as well. He’s 13-0 with all but one of his wins coming by KO/TKO. He has stopped both Kyle Kingsbury and Cyrille Diabate in his two UFC bouts. The Poster Boy has the artillery to make a GIF out of any opponent.

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