I know Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche are the headline fight for UFC 157, but the co-feature of Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida will potentially be one of the best fights of the year.If Henderson wins, it seems that nothing should be standing in the wa…
I know Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche are the headline fight for UFC 157, but the co-feature of Dan Henderson and LyotoMachida will potentially be one of the best fights of the year.
If Henderson wins, it seems that nothing should be standing in the way of him finally getting a shot at Jon Jones, assuming Jones defeats ChaelSonnen at UFC 159.
Machida is definitely no easy win, though. He completely destroyed Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox 4, but prior to that, Jones had outclassed Machida at UFC 140.
Because we’ve already seen Jones-Machida, most MMA fans have to be hoping Henderson comes out on top. When a champion has been as dominant as Jones, fans want to see him challenged by fresh faces.
Henderson is a 42-year-old veteran of 37 professional fights, so his face isn’t all that fresh, but at least he hasn’t been steamrolled by Jones yet.
His dynamic power, experience and granite chin is a great match for Machida‘s excellent striking skills. Machida has lost three of his last five fights, but all three losses came against major names (Quinton Jackson, Shogun Rua and Jones).
Rarely will you get an opportunity to see two legendary fighters compete against each other, but this is one of those events.
Both men have the power to create a spectacular finish, but Henderson definitely has the better chin. That will be the key factor in this fight.
What does Machida do when he lands a major shot and Henderson is still there throwing bombs?
An injury cost Henderson a shot at Jones previously (per Yahoo! Sports), but he won’t be denied in this one. The fight will be entertaining, but when we look back on it, we’ll call this the fight that symbolized the end of The Dragon’s career.
My prediction is a third-round KO by Henderson.
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Who doesn’t love an exciting KO? Aside from the guy getting knocked out, the answer to that question is just about no one.UFC on Fuel 7 has a few bouts on the schedule that have tremendous KO potential. Some feature two KO artists, and others look like…
Who doesn’t love an exciting KO? Aside from the guy getting knocked out, the answer to that question is just about no one.
UFC on Fuel 7 has a few bouts on the schedule that have tremendous KO potential. Some feature two KO artists, and others look like mismatches that won’t end well for one of the participants.
Here is a look at the fights that I predict will end in a KO.
Ryan “Big Deal” Jimmo (17-1) vs. James Te Huna (17-5)
Both of these man pack a huge wallop as strikers, but Jimmo‘s UFC debut in his native Canada had MMA fans talking.
Jimmo flattened Anthony Perosh in seven seconds—he proceeded to do the robot and a split as a celebratory dance.
Ladies and gentleman, a star may have been born at that moment. He bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Clean, and I predict he wipes the floor with yet another opponent.
Te Huna is no slouch, but Jimmo is more than a flash in the pan. He trains with the Blackzilians, and he has an excellent grappling background to augment his immense punching power.
The KO won’t happen in seven seconds, but it will happen.
“Beautiful” Che Mills (15-5) vs. Matthew “Deep Waters” Riddle (7-3)
Mills was the victim of a gruesome beating in his fight against Rory MacDonald at UFC 145, but he bounced back with a KO win over Duane Ludwig in September.
He has another tough fight on his hands with the dynamic and talented Matthew Riddle.
Mills is a premier striker that has an advantage over most if the fight takes place in the stand-up. Riddle could take Mills down, but he’s proven to be a little too daring for his own good at times.
His striking ability is developing, but is not on Mills’ level. In an effort to prove himself and make a statement, he will be stopped by the man they call Beautiful.
Mills will make a mess of Riddle.
Cub Swanson (18-5) vs. Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier (13-2)
Swanson is a gamer, but I don’t see him as an elite fighter. He’s prone to carelessness in the ring. This is what cost him in his UFC debut against Ricardo Lamas at UFC on Fox 1. He was actually winning the battle in the stand-up, but he initiated a takedown which led to his submission loss.
During his time in the WEC, I saw Swanson allow himself to be lured into his opponents’ style as well.
Meanwhile, Poirier is on his way to stardom. He is a very balanced fighter that has the ability to finish in a variety of ways.
On Saturday night, we will see the Diamond display his KO power. Swanson has only been stopped by KO or TKO once, and that came at the hands of Jose Aldo.
Poirier will join some select company in this one. Swanson’s aggressive nature will cause him to press the action as usual, but this time he’ll run into a strike that will put him in peril.
Poirier is ready to bust out, and he’ll KO Swanson.
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UFC action is upon us again as the Fuel TV 7 card is set to kick off on Saturday night from historic Wembley Arena in London. The main event is a battle for the interim bantamweight title.Interim champion Renan Barao (31-1) will face Michael McDonald (…
UFC action is upon us again as the Fuel TV 7 card is set to kick off on Saturday night from historic Wembley Arena in London. The main event is a battle for the interim bantamweight title.
Interim champion RenanBarao (31-1) will face Michael McDonald (15-1) for the gold. The winner will likely get an opportunity to face champion Dominick Cruz to settle the dispute as to who is the best bantamweight in the world.
The rest of the card is modest in terms of star power, but there are still some very interesting fights.
Here is how you can catch the action, and my predictions for each bout.
Harris is the far more experienced fighter in this matchup of 125-pounders. Both men are coming off losses, but Gomez was a victim of a nasty KO at the hands of John Moraga at UFC on Fox 4.
Harris’ experience and power will be too much for him.
Prediction: Harris by KO
Josh Grispi (14-4) vs. Andy Ogle (8-2)
Grispi‘s career in the UFC is hanging by a thread. He has lost his last three fights and he figures to be in for a tough match with Ogle.
Ogle will be fighting in front of his hometown fans, and to make matters worse for Grispi, Ogle’s quickness and grappling will give him another advantage.
The string Grispi is hanging from will likely be cut.
Prediction: Ogle by Submission
Vaughan Lee (12-8) vs. MotonobuTezuka (19-5-4)
Tezuka has a chance to make some noise at 135 pounds. I thought he won his last fight, though he came up on the short end of a split decision against John Caceres at UFC Macao.
In this fight, he will out-strike and out-grapple Lee for the victory.
Prediction: Tezuka by unanimous decision
Terry Etim (15-4) vs. Renee Forte (7-2)
I still really like Etim at 155 pounds. He was stopped by the dynamic EdsonBarboza in his last fight at UFC Rio, but he has a decent future.
He is too skilled as an all-around fighter for Forte.
Prediction: Etim by submission
Danny Castillo (14-5) vs. Paul Sass (15-1)
Style makes fight, but things are stacked against Castillo in this one. Sass is three inches taller, and he fared better against the two men’s common opponent.
He defeated Michael Johnson by submission, while Castillo was KO’d by Johnson at UFC on FX 5 in his last fight.
Sass’ submission skills are noteworthy, and they will lead him to victory in this one.
Prediction: Sass by submission
StanislavNedkov (12-0) vs. Tom Watson (15-5)
Nedkov got to keep his undefeated record when his submission loss to Thiago Silva was overturned when Silva failed another post-fight drug test, per UFC.com.
This time marijuana metabolites were found, and it marked the second time he has been dinged for drug use.
Generally, one wouldn’t attribute that drug as an aid for a fighter, but with Silva’s history, the outcomes of his fights will be forever doubted. Thus it leaves Nedkov‘s reputation a little cloudy.
Against Watson, he’ll have a chance to prove the loss was a fluke. If he can get the fight to the ground he’ll have a huge advantage, but Watson is very strong.
I predict Nedkov picks up another loss, but this one will stick.
Prediction: Watson by KO
Che Mills (15-5) vs. Matthew Riddle (7-3)
This has the potential to be a spectacular fight. Both men are dynamic fighters, and Riddle’s passion makes all of his fights entertaining.
Mills is far more experienced, but he needs to avoid be taken down by Riddle. He has a clear edge in the stand up game, and that is where he’ll win this fight.
Prediction: Mills by TKO
Jorge Santiago (23-10) vs. Gunnar Nelson (10-0)
Santiago is a former Strikeforce champion, but he has been steamrolled by two quality 170-pounders (Brian Stann and Demian Maia) since joining the UFC.
Unfortunately for him, he’s running into another quality fighter in Nelson.
The man from Iceland has heavy hands and a proficient ground game. He’ll hand Santiago yet another loss in the UFC.
Prediction: Nelson by TKO
Ryan Jimmo (17-1) vs. James Te Huna (17-5)
If you’re looking for a fight that has potential to produce the KO of the Night, this is a prime candidate. Both men are lethal strikers, but Jimmo scored one of the most memorable KOs in MMA last year when he flattened Anthony Perosh at UFC 149.
Te Huna has won three fights in a row, and two of them have come by first-round KO.
This should be good and short, but there is something explosive about Jimmo. He could be the sports next big star and his rise will continue on Saturday.
Prediction: Jimmo by KO
Cyrille Diabate (20-8-3) vs. JimiManuwa (12-0)
Diabate is 6’6″ and he uses his length very well. His challenge in this fight will be to keep Manuwa at a distance with jabs and leg kicks.
Manuwa has good power, but Diabate has proven he can punch effectively as well. The length will be too much for Manuwa to overcome.
Prediction: Diabate by KO
Dustin Poirier (13-2) vs. Cub Swanson (18-5)
Swanson has won three fights in row since losing to Ricardo Lamas at UFC on Fox 1 and he’s looking to earn a title shot, but Poirer is one of the best young fighters in the world.
He will again show Swanson to be a really good fighter, but not quite elite.
Prediction: Poirier by decision
RenanBarao (31-1) vs. Michael McDonald (15-1)
Barao is exceptionally talented as a grappler and submissions artist. He defeated Urijah Faber to earn the interim title, which is no small accomplishment.
But McDonald is a different animal.
He’s a solid wrestler and grappler, but he’s a truly special striker. Barao absolutely cannot win this fight if the men stand for a prolonged period, but I don’t think he’ll be able to have his way with McDonald on the ground.
McDonald will win this fight, setting up an exciting clash with Cruz.
Prediction: McDonald by TKO
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UFC 156 looks like it’ll turn out to be a great show. The preliminary bouts offer some intrigue and immediately recognizable names, while the main card is stacked with meaningful and potentially competitive bouts.Top it all off with a legitimate feathe…
UFC 156 looks like it’ll turn out to be a great show. The preliminary bouts offer some intrigue and immediately recognizable names, while the main card is stacked with meaningful and potentially competitive bouts.
Top it all off with a legitimate featherweight superfight for the title, and the UFC’s strong run of events for 2013 should continue. The fights start at 6:30 p.m. ET on Facebook, but the main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET.
Featherweight champion Jose Aldo will take on the exciting and tough Frankie Edgar in the feature bout. This is one of the most anticipated fights in the sport. Edgar has been great at lightweight, but it is widely believed that he’ll be at his best at featherweight.
This could be one of the year’s best fights.
The action begins on Facebook as usual, and transitions to FX before the main card hits pay-per-view. Here’s a look at the confirmed bouts and the favorites for event bonuses.
Full Card
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Bantamweight – Chico Camus vs. Dustin Kimura
Bantamweight – Edwin Figueroa vs. Francisco Rivera
Preliminary Card (FX)
Lightweight – GleisonTibau vs. Evan Dunham
Welterweight – TyronWoodley vs. Jay Hieron
Lightweight – Jacob Volkmann vs. Bobby Green
Lightweight – Yves Edwards vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
Main Card PPV
Flyweight – Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall
Welterweight – Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia
Heavyweight – Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva
Light Heavyweight – Rashad Evans vs. Antônio Rogério Nogueira
Featherweight – José Aldo (c) vs. Frankie Edgar
Favorite For Submission of the Night
Fitch vs. Maia
Any fight with Maia has the potential to be the source of submission of the night. He is perhaps the best submission artist in the sport. Nine of the 35-year-old’s 17 victories have come by way of submission.
He started his career with five-straight tap-out victories.
Fitch has only been submitted once in his career, which is why Maia tapping him out will be so spectacular.
Favorite For KO of the Night
Overeem vs. Silva
This isn’t likely to be a one-shot KO because of Silva’s chin, but that could make the stoppage all the more brutal.
Bigfoot is too slow to avoid Overeem’s stand-up assault, and with The Reem eager to endear himself to the UFC faithful, he will be on a mission to destroy.
Expect him to score the most impressive stoppage of the night.
Favorite For Fight of the Night
Aldo vs. Edgar
Fights that are billed as superfights rarely live up to the billing, but this one could very well turn out to be an exception.
I’m convinced it is nearly impossible for Edgar to participate in a boring fight. If you factor in the balanced brilliance that Aldo brings to the table, this could begin another memorable fighting series for Edgar.
I’m picking Aldo to win, but I can guarantee it won’t be easy.
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Main cards in the UFC don’t get much stronger than the one UFC 156 will deliver on Saturday from Las Vegas.The night of fights is highlighted by the amazing featherweight title match between champion Jose Aldo and former lightweight king Frankie Edgar….
Main cards in the UFC don’t get much stronger than the one UFC 156 will deliver on Saturday from Las Vegas.
The night of fights is highlighted by the amazing featherweight title match between champion Jose Aldo and former lightweight king Frankie Edgar.
Rarely do you find a main event that requires no pardon of recent fall-off for either combatant. Aldo is 21-1 and hasn’t lost a fight in more than seven years. Edgar is 14-3-1, and although he did drop his rematch with Benson Henderson, many believe he deserved to win the decision.
TV:FX for prelims and several PPV options detailed here
Full Card
Facebook Preliminary
Edwin Figueroa vs. Francisco Rivera, Bantamweights
Chico Camus vs. Dustin Kimura, Bantamweights
FX TV Preliminaries
Yves Edwards vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg, Lightweights
Jacob Volkmann vs. Bobby Green, Lightweights
TyronWoodley vs. Jay Hieron, Welterweights
GleisonTibau vs. Evan Dunham, Lightweights
Predictions for the Main Card
Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall, Flyweights
Benavidez is beginning his trek back up the flyweight mountain after losing to Demetrious Johnson in the inaugural Flyweight championship bout at UFC 152.
He is incredibly skilled, but he lacks the speed to knock off Johnson. McCall has also come up short against the featherweight champion. He lost a unanimous decision to him at UFC on FX 3, and he drew with him at UFC on FX 2.
It’s easy to imagine the winner of this fight getting another shot at Johnson in the near future.
I’m taking Benavidez in this one. I’ve always been impressed with the way he improves from fight to fight, and I see him winning a close decision over McCall.
Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia, Welterweights
Fitch has always been a bit overrated. He has a sparkling 24-4 record, but he has routinely come up short against the top fighters.
Most recently, Johny Hendricks knocked him out at UFC 141. Fortunately for him, Maia isn’t a major striker. He is, however, one of the premier submission artists in the sport.
Fitch will want to keep this fight standing, but he’ll be unsuccessful. Maia will get him on the mat and tap him out.
Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva
This is where the card gets really good. Silva is a massive man with a great chin, but Overeem is one of the most devastating strikers in MMA.
Silva has to get Overeem on the ground to have a shot, but he doesn’t have the quickness to slip and shoot the Reem’s legs.
Perhaps Silva’s best trait is his chin. That will probably protect him from the huge one-punch KO, but he’ll be punished and pounded out via ground and pound.
Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Noguiera
Nogueira is incredibly experienced and a legendary grappler, but let’s not forget how talented Evans is. Jon Jones dismantled him, and LyotoMachida knocked him senseless, but both possess the elite striking ability that Nogueira doesn’t.
Look for Evans speed to be the difference in this one. He’ll win by unanimous decision.
(c) Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
Scarface is perhaps the most complete fighter in the world. He’s quick and dynamic as a striker. He’s more than proficient in grappling and submissions. By most accounts, he doesn’t really have a weakness.
Most believe featherweight is the best weight class for Edgar, but he’ll still need to be at his best to handle Aldo.
Both of these men can handle themselves on the ground, but I expect this to be a stand-up battle. In that world, very few can keep pace with Aldo.
He’ll out-strike Edgar and stop him late in a great fight.
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If UFC events were still carrying colorful tag lines like “Vendetta,” or “Onslaught,” UFC on Fox 6 from the United Center in Chicago would be called “Redemption.”Of the 22 men scheduled to scrap on Saturday, 12 of them lost their last fight. This dynam…
If UFC events were still carrying colorful tag lines like “Vendetta,” or “Onslaught,” UFC on Fox 6 from the United Center in Chicago would be called “Redemption.”
Of the 22 men scheduled to scrap on Saturday, 12 of them lost their last fight. This dynamic is especially apparent throughout the preliminary bouts.
Don’t take that to mean that the action will be subpar, as there are some very talented fighters slated to perform before the main card gets underway.
This event will largely serve as a means to separate the true contenders who have hit bumps in the road and the pretenders who need to rethink their career choices.
Here is a breakdown of the event.
When: Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, preliminaries start at 4:30 p.m. ET, main card begins at 8 p.m. ET
Simeon Thoresen (17-3-1) vs. David Mitchell (11-2), Welterweights
FX TV Preliminaries
TJ Grant (19-5) vs. Matt Wiman (15-6), Lightweights
Clay Guida (29-13) vs. Hatsu Hioki (26-5-2), Lightweights
Mike Stumpf (11-3) vs. Pascal Krauss (10-1), Welterweights
Ryan Bader (14-3) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (26-6), Light Heavyweights
Mike Russow (15-2) vs. Shawn Jordan (13-4), Heavyweights
Rafael Natal (14-4-1) vs. Sean Spencer (9-1), Middleweights
Predictions for the Main Card
Erik Koch (13-1) vs. Ricardo Lamas (12-2), Featherweights
These two dynamic, young featherweights could put on a show. Koch’s explosiveness and Lamas’ poise and strong grappling make for a great style mix.
If there is a major weakness in Lamas’ game, it is his ability in stand-up. Against Cub Swanson at UFC on Fox 1, Lamas was being outfought on his feet before he submitted the veteran via arm-triangle choke.
He lacks the hand speed to stand and fight with skilled strikers, as both of his losses have come by TKO from punches.
Koch is very explosive, and his quickness will lead to a spectacular KO victory.
Anthony Pettis (15-2) vs. Donald Cerrone (19-4), Lightweights
I’m very excited to see this fight.
I believe that Pettis is the only lightweight in the world with the quickness and length to challenge Benson Henderson.
Pettis is the last man to beat Henderson, which happened back when both men were competing in the WEC.
Cerrone is a tough, well-rounded fighter, but Pettis’ athleticism, unpredictable attacks and underrated ground game will be too much for Cerrone.
In what should be an entertaining bout, Pettis will defeat Cerrone by decision.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-10) vs. Glover Teixeira (19-2), Light Heavyweights
Rampage is set to leave the UFC after this fight (ESPN), so it would be great to see him in an old-fashioned slugfest to culminate his time with the promotion.
Teixeira certainly has the stand-up game to bang with Rampage, but he’d be smart to take the fight to the mat.
Jackson has become increasingly ineffective because he doesn’t have any offense on the ground. Superior grapplers take him down and control position for easy victories.
Teixeira won’t risk an opportunity to score a win over a huge name for the sake of entertaining the crowd. He’ll use the aforementioned tactics to beat Rampage by decision.
(c) Demetrious Johnson (16-2-1) vs. John Dodson (14-5), UFC Flyweight Championship
Johnson doesn’t get the attention that he deserves because many fight fans are biased against the smaller weight classes. But make no mistake, if you are compiling a pound-for-pound list in MMA, Mighty Mouse deserves a spot in your top five.
He’s one of the most well-rounded fighters in the world.
Dodson is very explosive and nearly as quick as Johnson, but the difference in this fight will be the champion’s grappling ability.
He’s so quick, strong and technically sound when the fight hits the mat, it is a perfect balance for his speedy attacks and defense in the stand-up. This will be entertaining, but Johnson will capture the win by submission.
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I know Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche are the headline fight for UFC 157, but the co-feature of Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida will potentially be one of the best fights of the year.