Author: Brian Mazique

UFC Fight Night 28: Ryan Bader and Fighters in Must-Win Situations

No fighter competing at UFC Fight Night 28 needs a win more than Ryan Bader. He faces No. 1 contender Glover Teixeira on Wednesday night in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in a fight that is set up to prove whether Teixeira is indeed worthy of a title sho…

No fighter competing at UFC Fight Night 28 needs a win more than Ryan Bader. He faces No. 1 contender Glover Teixeira on Wednesday night in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in a fight that is set up to prove whether Teixeira is indeed worthy of a title shot.

Bader was once in that position, but his consistent failures against elite fighters have him playing the role of gate keeper. A win would put him back into the mix as a serious contender. A loss would likely remove him from main-card status.

Ultimately, he could see himself cut from the promotion if he strings too many losses together. Quite honestly, he’s fortunate to have this opportunity. He isn’t ranked, yet he’s getting a shot at the No. 1 contender.

Bader has handled the less-heralded light heavyweights in the UFC but fallen short against the likes of Lyoto Machida, Tito Ortiz and Jon Jones. Where does Teixeira fit in that list? We will soon found out.

Teixeira’s striking and grappling background gives him an edge over Bader, but this is far from an open-and-shut case. Bader can thump and he’s also an accomplished wrestler; he’s still a very dangerous opponent for any light heavyweight.

The key to this fight could be the chins of the fighters.

Bader has only been stopped once in his career. It came at the hands of Machida in August 2012. Teixiera has heavy hands and could possibly test Bader‘s beard again in this fight. It will be interesting to see if he tries to entice Bader into a slug fest or take the fight to the mat to utilize his jiu-jitsu.

The stakes are high for both fighters, but the consequences are more dire for Bader. 

Here are two other fighters competing with their backs against the cage.

 

Yushin Okami

Yushin Okami is ranked third among middleweights and has won his last three fights. Yet even with his recent success, he’s 32 years old and can ill afford to slip in the rankings. The middleweight division is suddenly quite competitive, and dropping his fight against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza could lead to a long and uncertain wait at another shot at the title for Okami.

Jacare is a newcomer to the UFC, but he is already ranked fifth at 185 pounds. He arrived with a great reputation as a grappler and validated that rep with a submission win over Chris Camozzi in his debut. It is beginning to look as if he’ll have a solid future in the UFC.

If he beats Okami, he’ll likely jump to third in the official rankings. Meanwhile, Okami would probably drop out of the Top Five. If Okami were to dip that low in the rankings at this stage of his career, it is unlikely he’d ever ascend into the Top Three again.

 

Rafael “Sapo” Natal

If Rafael Natal is going to make himself a factor in the middleweight division, he has to do it now. He was seemingly on his way up when he was knocked out by Andrew Craig in July 2012.

At 30 years old, Natal isn’t in the serious title-contention picture at 185 pounds as he’s not ranked in the Top 10. On Wednesday night, Natal faces Tor Troeng, a fighter who won his UFC debut by submission over Adam Cella in April.

If this fight were part of a pay-per-view event, it would probably be a Facebook preliminary. If Natal wants to raise his level on future cards and earn a Top 10 ranking, he needs a win against Troeng.

Though a victory alone won’t get him ranked, it would give him an opportunity against a more heralded fighter the next time out.

 

Rankings references per UFC.com.

 

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UFC Fight Night 28: Teixeira vs. Bader Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

Glover Teixeira seems to be next in line for a shot at the light heavyweight title, but he’ll have to knock off a perennial contender who is looking for another shot first. Ryan “Darth” Bader has been considered a top-flight fighter at 205 pounds for t…

Glover Teixeira seems to be next in line for a shot at the light heavyweight title, but he’ll have to knock off a perennial contender who is looking for another shot first. Ryan “Darth” Bader has been considered a top-flight fighter at 205 pounds for the past two years, but losses to Lyoto Machida, Tito Ortiz and Jon Jones have left him short of his goal to become champion.

In the main event of UFC Fight Night 28 from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, the two men will meet to see who takes a step forward and who has to go to the back of the line.

Bader vs. Teixeria is the main event, but there are five other fights on the main card and five preliminary bouts scheduled for the evening. Here’s a look at the complete card, predictions and viewing information.

Below the table is an in-depth prediction for the main event and co-featured bout pitting veteran Yushin “Thunder” Okami against UFC newcomer, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

 

Jacare Will Steal Okami‘s Thunder

Jacare is one of the most exciting newcomers in the UFC. Though he’s had just one fight in Dana White‘s promotion, the 33-year-old is a well-known and respected mixed martial artist with a record of 18-3. He’s a marvelous submissions artist as evidenced by his victory over Chris Camozzi in his UFC debut in May.

Jacare slapped on the arm-triangle choke and defeated the rugged Camozzi en route to earning Submission of the Night honors.

His battle with veteran Yushin Okami should render another impressive win. Okami hasn’t always demonstrated the best stamina, and against a skilled grappler like Jacare, his conditioning will be tested. I’m betting Okami can’t keep up the pace and Jacare seizes the opportunity to earn his second straight submission victory.

 

The Dark Side Won’t Prevail in the Main Event

Forgive my Star Wars reference in the subheadline; I couldn’t resist. Bader looks the part of a champion. He’s a big, physical light heavyweight with toughness, power in his fists and a strong wrestling background, but he has always failed to get it done on the biggest stage.

His career is starting to look a lot like Michael Bisping‘s.

Both Bisping and Bader are well-respected competitors who haven’t taken advantage of their opportunities. Teixeira has been a wrecking ball for the last seven years, and he hasn’t lost any momentum since his UFC debut in May 2012. 

He’s a skilled and powerful striker with a strong jiu-jitsu background. His combination of skills should be good enough to hand Bader yet another disappointing defeat.

Just for kicks, I created Teixeira on UFC Undisputed 3 and put him in a simulated bout against Bader to see who would come out on top. Teixeira’s ratings were based on his FightMetric.com statistics.

In the simulation, Bader knocked out Teixeira in the third round. It was a brutal, back-and-forth battle. Fans can only hope the real fight is as thrilling.

 

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UFC Fight Night 28: Ryan Bader vs. Glover Teixeira Simulated on UFC Undisputed 3

Sandwiched between the Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis super rematch at UFC 164 and Jon Jones’ battle with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, the Ryan Bader-Glover Teixeira scrap at UFC Fight Night 28 isn’t getting its due.
These two…

Sandwiched between the Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis super rematch at UFC 164 and Jon Jones’ battle with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, the Ryan Bader-Glover Teixeira scrap at UFC Fight Night 28 isn’t getting its due.

These two fighters are among the best at light heavyweight. I’m especially eager to see if Teixeira can continue to ascend up the rankings at 205 pounds. He hasn’t lost a fight in over eight years, and Bader has only lost to future Hall of Famers Lyoto Machida, Tito Ortiz and Jones.

This should be a good scrap, but I expect Teixeira to win by KO. Bader has shown the ability to knock off fighters who can’t handle his wrestling. Teixeira would definitely prefer to stand and trade, but his takedown defense is good enough to keep him from being manhandled by Bader.

In anticipation of the bout, I took to UFC Undisputed 3 again to simulate the fight. The game has a pretty expansive roster, though it will almost certainly be topped by the new EA Sports UFC due out in the spring—but Teixeira hadn’t quite made his mark in the UFC when the game was released.

That means I had to flex my create-a-fighter muscles to bring Teixeira to life in the game. I did the best I could recreating his face and body type. His stats are based on his career record, KOs, submissions and his stats at FightMetric.com.

The skill level for the simulation was set at Ultimate, and the stamina was set to Simulation. For those who are interested in watching the highlights of the fight, you can stop reading now.

If you just want to know the result, Bader won after a back-and-forth battle saw both men stunned and in trouble. A vicious counter left hand knocked Teixeira out cold in the third round.

 

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Henderson vs. Pettis 2: Showtime’s Win in Rematch Proves He Has Bendo’s Number

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and Benson Henderson could fight five times, and though the specifics would differ, the bottom line result would probably still be the same. Pettis is officially Henderson’s kryptonite.
After defeating Henderson in 2010 primar…

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis and Benson Henderson could fight five times, and though the specifics would differ, the bottom line result would probably still be the same. Pettis is officially Henderson’s kryptonite.

After defeating Henderson in 2010 primarily on the strength of the Showtime kick, Pettis proved his dominance over his rival with an expertly-executed armbar to capture the UFC lightweight title on Saturday night.

Pettis gets so much love for his dynamic striking ability.

His kick of Henderson in 2010 and back-to-back KO of the night performances against Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone may have caused some to forget how good of a grappler Showtime is.

On Saturday night, he reminded us.

Henderson usually has an edge in athleticism over his opponents. Pettis is one of the few—if not only—fighters in his weight range that is superior to Henderson in this category. Almost no fighter will enjoy an advantage over their opponent on every level. When it isn’t beneficial to engage an opponent in one area, a fighter must take a different approach.

But what happens when Plan B doesn’t increase your chances of winning?

Bendo’s tree-trunk legs would normally lead to dominance in the grappling/ground game, but Pettis‘ dexterity, technique and instincts eliminated this benefit as well.

Of all the ways to lose to Pettis, losing by submission was the most demoralizing for Henderson. It only served to show Pettis as the superior fighter in yet another aspect of the sport.

Who could blame Hendo if he’s somewhere thinking “what now” to any attempts to challenge Pettis again. Styles make fights in every combat sport and it is clear Henderson simply doesn’t match up well with Pettis.

At this point in both men’s careers, it is difficult to see a scenario that would change this. Neither man is still considered an up-and-coming talent and neither is near the end of their career.

At their best, Pettis is simply better. For a respected, proud and gifted fighter like Henderson, that is a tough pill to swallow.

 

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UFC 164 Results: Anthony Pettis and Fighters Who Dramatically Raised Their Stock

Before his win at UFC 164 on Saturday night, new UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis wasn’t even ranked in the Sherdog.com pound-for-pound top 10. After scoring his second decisive win over Benson “Smooth” Henderson—who was ranked …

Before his win at UFC 164 on Saturday night, new UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis wasn’t even ranked in the Sherdog.com pound-for-pound top 10. After scoring his second decisive win over Benson “Smooth” Henderson—who was ranked fifth—I’d say Pettis deserves a spot amongst the elite.

After injuries (Franklin McNeil of ESPN) and personal hardships (MMA Junkie), Pettis is bound to finally get the respect he deserves. The fact that he earned the victory over Henderson via submission was even more impressive.

Pettis‘ dynamic striking ability usually gets most of the attention, but he proved on Saturday night just how well-rounded his game is.

There aren’t many fighters in the world who can claim without dispute that they are superior to Showtime.

Who else boosted their stock?

 

Ben Rothwell

It seems like Big Ben is pushing 40 years old, but he’s just 31. With a good four or five years of prime performance still on the horizon for him, Rothwell‘s impressive KO of Brandon Vera on Saturday has him set up for big things.

Vera tried to employ movement to stay away from Rothwell‘s power, but to hearken back to an old Joe Louis saying, “he could run, but he couldn’t hide.” In the third round, Rothwell took advantage of his opportunity and stopped Vera with an uppercut and well-placed knee. 

Rothwell is a big, powerful man that knows how to use his weight and strength. He’ll likely be too slow to strike with the likes of Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, but he has established himself as one of the top second-tier heavyweights in the UFC.

After the win, Rothwell called out Travis Browne. That would be an interesting bout.

 

Chad Mendes

Mendes was knocked out by Jose Aldo in Jan. 2012 and it seemed his tremendous momentum had been stymied. Since the loss, Mendes has been even more impressive than he was before he fell to Aldo in Brazil. On Saturday, he became the first man to TKO/KO Clay Guida.

Mendes earned KO of the Night for his performance. It was his fourth-straight KO/TKO win and has seemingly put him in position to get another shot at the featherweight champion.

 

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UFC 164: Fights That Will Make Saturday’s PPV One of the Year’s Best

UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson’s rematch with Anthony Pettis is going to be intense. Rarely will you see a main event with more electricity. If you combine the history between the two, the young age of the combatants and the combined skill l…

UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson’s rematch with Anthony Pettis is going to be intense. Rarely will you see a main event with more electricity. If you combine the history between the two, the young age of the combatants and the combined skill level, this fight has the potential to become one of the biggest fights in UFC history.

Pettis is fighting in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He owns a win over Henderson in their first bout, but the champion is hungry for revenge. It is almost as if Henderson needs to beat Pettis to validate his place among the greats of the sport.

A win over Pettis would avenge a bitter defeat after becoming the victim of one of the sport’s most famous kicks. It would also warrant a rise in the pound-for-pound standings in the sport for Henderson. He is currently fifth on Sherdog’com‘s list, but a win over his nemesis should vault him ahead of Anderson Silva.

Henderson’s power and defensive skills matched against Pettis‘ strong ground game and dynamic striking created one classic already. The rematch could ignite a trilogy.

There are so many story lines in this one and so much combined skill, it is hard to imagine it not being good.

The card in Milwaukee is one of the strongest of the year, because the other fights on the main card are compelling as well. Here’s a look at two other bouts that are must-see fights.

 

Clay Guida vs. Chad Mendes

Guida has built his reputation on participating in classic bouts. He’s been in five matches that won Fight of the Night honors in their respective events. Only Frankie Edgar (7), Chris Lytle and Sam Stout (6) have been in more.

Mendes hasn’t been in any Fight of the Night bouts; this is primarily due to the ease in which he’s handled his opponents. His only loss came at the hands of Jose Aldo at UFC 142 in Jan. 2012. Since then, Mendes has stopped three-straight opponents in the first round.

In 43 fights, Guida has lost 13 times, but he has never been stopped. Does Mendes possess the power and explosiveness to do the job?

 

Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier

Contrasting styles sometimes make the best fights. Koch is similar to Pettis in that he’s an athletic and potentially lethal striker. The two train together and are teammates with Roufosport, so that is no surprise.

Poirier has a few facets to his game, but his base is in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. This could turn into a classic example of striker vs. grappler with a twist. Koch is also quite accomplished on the ground in his young career. He has already scored seven submission victories.

Aside from the main event, this bout could have the most at stake. The two young fighters are both coming off a loss in their last bout.

Koch was the victim of a brutal TKO stoppage at the hands of Ricardo Llamas, while Poirier was bested by veteran Cub Swanson. Both men are 24 years old and viewed as up-and-coming prospects in the sport.

Neither wants to absorb a second-straight loss. At this point in their careers, moving to the back of the line would be a huge letdown. This is my pick for Fight of the Night.

 

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