The card for UFC on FX 7 is pretty impressive for a non-pay-per-view event. It is highlighted by a high-stakes middleweight clash between Michael “The Count” Bisping and Brazilian MMA legend, “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort.Many have weighed in with predict…
The card for UFC on FX 7 is pretty impressive for a non-pay-per-view event. It is highlighted by a high-stakes middleweight clash between Michael “The Count” Bisping and Brazilian MMA legend, “The Phenom” VitorBelfort.
Many have weighed in with predictions: B/R’s Hunter Homistek, and ChaelSonnen (via The Telegraph) believe “The Count” will earn his title shot in the clash to determine the No. 1 contender to Anderson Silva’s middleweight crown.
I happen to agree, but as usual, I thought it would be fun to see what the premier UFC simulation video game would predict.
THQ won’t be producing UFC games moving forward, (EA Sports and the UFC agreed to a multi-year licensing deal in June, per MMA Junkie) but for now, UFC Undisputed 3 is still the most current sim-style MMA game available.
Apparently, Bisping is the favorite of man and machine.
In the simulation, he out-boxed and out-grappled the popular Brazilian en route to a third-round knockout. Belfort was dazed on more than one occasion in the simulation before he was put to sleep in the third.
The simulated fight was pretty exciting, and Bisping was in control for most of it.
You may notice, the simulation was done for only three rounds—which isn’t on par with the five-round main event standards—but a hard left hook from “The Count” made the round specification a moot point.
Both men looked like they had been in a fight afterwards, but Belfort was bloodied a bit more, and surprisingly, Bisping controlled him on the ground.
Could this be an example of the game underestimating Belfort‘s grappling skills? We’ll probably find that out on Saturday night when the men meet in real life.
I’m not sure Bispingwill knock outBelfort on Saturday, but a unanimous decision victory would still get the job done for him.
Check out UFC on FX 7 live on Saturday, January 19 at 9 PM ET.
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UFC on FX 7 is set up to be an exciting card with high stakes for some of the combatants.The San Paulo, Brazil crowd will be filled with energy for a main event that features a matchup worthy of a pay-per-view headliner.One of Brazil’s MMA heroes, Vito…
UFC on FX 7 is set up to be an exciting card with high stakes for some of the combatants.
The San Paulo, Brazil crowd will be filled with energy for a main event that features a matchup worthy of a pay-per-view headliner.
One of Brazil’s MMA heroes, VitorBelfort, will take on Michael Bisping in an epic middleweight clash, and that bout epitomizes the urgent nature of the card.
Bisping‘s Must-Win Situation
The Count has been on the cusp of a title shot in the past, but he’s always lost the bout that would have catapulted him into a run at the title. Most recently, ChaelSonnen defeated him at UFC on Fox 2 with a shot at challenging Anderson Silva hanging in the balance.
Bisping is 33 years old, and though he’s still performing at a high level, he may not have time to rise from another demotion in the middleweight rankings.
He’s been competing in the UFC since December 2006, but a shot at championship glory has eluded him. This is possibly a now-or-never situation.
He has fallen short against premier talent like Sonnen, Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans. Can he come through this time?
Belfort‘s Last Hurrah?
Not many fighters have accomplished more than Belfort in the sport. His UFC exploits date back to 1997 when he won the heavyweight tournament at UFC 12, and he’s the former light heavyweight champion of the world.
However, at 35 years old, Belfort is long in the tooth.
He fought spiritedly against Jon Jones at UFC 152, but one has to wonder how long he can continue to fight at a high level.
If Bisping defeats him—especially if it’s an easy victory—Belfort would be wise to consider retiring. There is no need to stain an otherwise noteworthy career.
KhabibNurmagomedov Looks to Go 19-0
Three undefeated fighters are scheduled to battle in San Paulo, but the Eagle has the most impressive unbeaten streak.
He brings an 18-0 MMA record into his bout with ThiagoTavares (17-4-1). This is only Nurmagomedov‘s third UFC bout, so he’s still proving himself in the lightweight division.
Most recently, Nurmagomedov defeated GleisonTibau by unanimous decision at UFC 148 in July.
He holds a three-inch height advantage over Tavares, and he brings a well-rounded game into the Octagon. No fighter ever wants to see his first loss, but Nurmagomedov definitely doesn’t want to see his record blemished so early in his UFC career.
A win could put him in position to challenge for the title in his next three fights. A loss would put him near the middle of the pack in the division.
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UFC 155 was a solid pay-per-view with spirited and competitive fights from top to bottom. Even with nearly every fighter involved delivering solid efforts, there were a handful of performances that really stood out.Here are the fighters that put on the…
UFC 155 was a solid pay-per-view with spirited and competitive fights from top to bottom. Even with nearly every fighter involved delivering solid efforts, there were a handful of performances that really stood out.
Here are the fighters that put on the most impressive showings at the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday night.
Myles Jury
Jury’s absolute domination of Michael Johnson was very impressive. He completely battered and controlled him on the ground, and he was effective in stand-up as well.
Johnson was considered a top 10 lightweight coming into this matchup. The way Jury handled him has to do wonders for his stock.
I loved Jury’s ground game. He could be a force in the next two years in the division.
Erik Perez
I picked Perez to win this fight, but even I was a little surprised by his first-round KO. Perez disposed of Byron Bloodworth, keeping his great momentum in the bantamweight division.
He showed great striking and ground and pound skills. Bloodworth is clearly not a top bantamweight—judging by his two performances in the UFC—but this is the third straight solid performance from Perez.
He is one to watch at bantamweight.
Jim Miller
In the best fight of the night, Miller outlasted fellow submissions specialist Joe Lauzon. Miller showed surprisingly good striking skills and he opened a nasty cut over Lauzon‘s right eye.
He controlled Lauzon during their time on the mat, but the best part of Miller’s win was the overall balance he showed.
His combination of striking, grappling, submission defense and cardio delivered this win.
YushinOkami
I admit, I doubted Okami in this fight, but he proved me wrong. He completely befuddled Alan Belcher with his grappling. I thought once Belcher nailed him with the stiff right hand, Okami would fade.
He did nothing of the sort.
In fact, he seemed to increase the body pressure from there. This was the way Okami should have finished his performance against Tim Boetsch at UFC 144.
Cain Velasquez
Last but not least is the performance of the new UFC Heavyweight Champion. It is rare that you’ll ever see a champion dominated the way Junior Dos Santos was on Saturday night.
Dos Santos did KO Velasquez in their first fight, but it wasn’t as impressive as Velasquez’s reciprocating performance.
He out-fought Dos Santos in stand-up and used his strength to control him against the cage for the entire night. From the moment Velasquez landed the huge over hand right on Dos Santos’ chin in the first round, he was in complete control.
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The rematch between Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez takes place Saturday, Dec. 29 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. I’m so excited to see two top-notch, healthy heavyweights clash, I couldn’t wait until Saturday night. As I&r…
The rematch between Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez takes place Saturday, Dec. 29 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
I’m so excited to see two top-notch, healthy heavyweights clash, I couldn’t wait until Saturday night. As I’ve done with several other major sporting events, I simulated the matchup as a bit of a preview on my YouTube channel.
Hopefully, the real thing lives up to the simulation.
I used the latest licensed UFC game available for a gaming console as the platform, UFC Undisputed 3. In case you haven’t heard, the UFC license now belongs to EA Sports, per EA Sports, so this title is the last UFC game that will be published by THQ.
The simulated match was a mixture of exciting stand-up fighting and some grappling. In the end, Junior Dos Santos came out on top again.
He used some excellent takedown defense to thwart Velasquez’s attempts to shoot his legs. The two behemoths traded top position when they did go to the ground. Dos Santos more than held his own there.
He actually opened up a nasty gash over Velasquez’s eye with an elbow from top position.
That spelled bad news for Velasquez in the simulation, and I believe it would equate to doom for him in the real-life clash. Dos Santos’ reach and boxing ability is too advanced for Velasquez in the stand-up game.
If Cain can’t control him on the ground, he’s going to be in major trouble.
Such was the case in the simulation. After two-and-a-half spirited rounds, Dos Santos stopped Velasquez in the third round.
I didn’t alter any of the abilities as each man has only competed once since their initial meeting. I cranked the difficulty to the max to ensure that each virtual fighter was at his best.
It was a cool simulation to watch.
We’ll have to wait and see if the real thing is as exciting. If it is, MMA fans will get their money’s worth with this pay-per-view.
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Nate Diaz and Benson Henderson are the featured attraction on Fox, but the UFC’s night of free action begins online.Three bouts will be live streamed on Facebook starting at 4:20 p.m. ET on December 8. The next step of the card moves to FX at 5 p.m. ET…
Nate Diaz and Benson Henderson are the featured attraction on Fox, but the UFC’s night of free action begins online.
Three bouts will be live streamed on Facebook starting at 4:20 p.m. ET on December 8. The next step of the card moves to FX at 5 p.m. ET and then the main card will be on Fox at 8 p.m. ET.
Highlighting the live stream action will be a bantamweight bout between John Albert and Scott Jorgensen. The latter is a UFC veteran who has compiled a record of 13-6 in his MMA career.
This will be Jorgensen‘s fifth UFC bout, but he’s dropped his last two fights. He began his UFC career with an exciting first-round KO of Ken Stone at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 13 in June of 2011, but the results have been mixed since. He needs to make a strong impression.
At only 5’4″, he’s a little dynamo, but at times he has problems getting inside of his opponent’s reach.
Albert hasn’t exactly been tearing things up in the UFC, either.
He’s 1-2 in Dana White‘s world, and one has to wonder if he’ll be allowed to stay with another loss. A defeat would be his third in a row and could spell the end of his time in the UFC.
Like most of Jorgensen‘s opponents, Albert will have a significant reach advantage. Jorgensen‘s only hope is to be able to shoot the legs and make this a wrestling match, but as you can see in this video prior to his time in the UFC, he can be had on the mat as well.
He doesn’t pack a significant enough punch to compensate for his size disadvantage. Expect to see him run his losing streak to three.
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The return of Georges St. Pierre comes at a great time for the UFC.Fresh off event cancellations (per Sports Illustrated), steroid suspensions (per New York Post) and sub par replacements in main events, it’s great to see one of the sport’str…
The return of Georges St. Pierre comes at a great time for the UFC.
Fresh off event cancellations (per Sports Illustrated), steroid suspensions (per New York Post) and sub par replacements in main events, it’s great to see one of the sport’strue stars return to face a really good opponent.
In other words, GSP to the rescue.
When the UFC Welterweight Champion takes on Carlos Condit on Nov. 17 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the entire MMA world will be watching.
No one in their right mind doubts the skill and ability of GSP, and Condit has proved he deserves a shot to remove the interim title from the beginning of his championship classification. Being the interim Welterweight Champion just means he’s keeping the belt warm for GSP.
Condit wants to take full possession of the title.
As good as Condit is at 28-5, he still deals with critics and disrespect. He addressed the criticism and marijuana in MMA with Kimura:
It’s going to be a great fight and by the time the event is over, the welterweight picture will be a lot clearer.
Recently, GSP did a spot on ESPN’s E:60 program. He discussed his childhood, his training methods and his recovery from the torn ACL that has kept him out of action since April 2011 when he defeated Jake Shields.
Here’s the video:
A potential superfight with Anderson Silva looms as an option for GSP—should he defeat Condit. Steve Marrocco of USA Today has reported that Dana White is already setting things in motion for the two greats to battle in the near future.
Silva may even show up for UFC 154 to cheer GSP to victory with hopes of taking him on afterwards. GSP told Marrocco:
“I don’t care about Anderson Silva. He can do whatever he wants. He can go to Florida or stay in Brazil if he wants. I’m focused on Carlos Condit right now. That’s all that matters to me.”
GSP tweeted this quote from Sun Tzu on Nov. 9:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.” -Sun Tzu
Hopefully, the opponent he knows is Condit, and he doesn’t get caught looking ahead to the Spider.
Besides the GSP-Condit main event, there are a few intriguing bouts on the UFC 154 card. Here’s the latest on those bouts:
Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann vs. Johny “Big Rigg” Hendricks
I’m convinced Johny “Big Rigg” Hendricks has eight surgically implanted weights in his knuckles. This guy has some heavy hands.
He’s a very good wrestler, but recently I’ve been impressed with his power. He stopped Jon Fitch and TJ Waldburger in the first round over the past 18 months, but perhaps even more impressive than those wins was his defeat of Josh Koscheck in May.
Koscheck is one tough cookie and a tremendous boxer, but Big Rigg fought off mono to win the fight by split decision, per Sherdog. I’ve never had mono, but I can only imagine that fighting a world class fighter while inflicted with it is fairly tough.
With that behind him, he readies for a tough challenge from Kampmann.
He tweeted that his camp was done training, but he sounds ready:
My camp is officially over. Just finished my last practice. I feel great & I’m ready for WAR! Many thanks to my team! twitter.com/JohnyHendricks…
In a separate interview with Sherdog, Hendricks discussed his signature beard and why it won’t be a presence much longer. He said:
“The goal is November 17. After November 17 it’s going to get shaved definitely because man, it’s been so hot down here. … The beard will definitely come off and I’ll be clean-shaved for at least a little bit.”
Will Kampmann send Hendricks to a happy or sad grooming session?
The Hitman has been on the welterweight scene longer than Hendricks, and he feels as though this is his time. He makes that abundantly clear in the interview below:
There is no doubting Kampmann‘s striking and submission ability. Just as impressive as Kampmann‘s offense is his overall toughness. This dude has no quit in him, and he will battle tooth and nail to come out with a victory.
The winner of this fight deserves to fight for the welterweight title, no matter who has it.
“Limitless” Francis Carmont vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor
Carmont looks the part of a stud MMA fighter, but the beginning of his career rendered mixed results. He picked up seven defeats in his first 18 bouts, but has recently won seven in a row. That includes his last three fights in the UFC.
His opponent is a grimy, tough fighter, hence the nickname Filthy. Need more proof, his UFC bio states:
“I usually wake at the crack of dawn and drink 14 raw eggs, sometimes two entire chickens.”
and..
“My nights are spent throwing and punching people in the face at either Lauzon MMA/Team Aggression or Tri-Force MMA in Pawtucket, RI.”
On that note, Filthy has become one of my favorite MMA fighters in the world.
He’s only 8-4 in his MMA career, but he has shown some devastating power in the UFC. He earned the $40,000 bonus for his KO of the NIght over Jason McDonald at UFC on Fuel 3 in May. His post-fight interview was awesome.
I thought Michael Cole or Jerry Lawler were going to take over the interview, or Chris Jericho might come in for the ambush as he cut his promo. Love it or hate it, the sport needs personalities like this.
It’s even better after they score such an impressive victory:
Judging by this tweet and attached picture, Filthy has picked up a new sponsor and haircut:
For the good of the sport, I’m hoping Filthy wins, but Carmont‘s three-inch height advantage could be an issue. That would seem to support the thought that he could take advantage of Lawlor in the stand-up game, but he certainly doesn’t strike as well as Filthy.
Carmont‘s best attribute is his grappling and submissions. If he can make this a wrestling match, he’ll have an edge, but don’t be surprised to see Filthy take home another impressive KO victory.
Nick “The Promise” Ring vs. Constantinos “Costa” Philippou
Costa is the next great fighter at 185 pounds.
Were it not for an inadvertent eye-poke from Riki Fukuda, he would have stopped the tough Japanese fighter in July. If you’ve ever seen Fukuda fight, you know stopping him is no easy task.
As it was, Costa won by an easy unanimous decision.
At UFC 154 he’ll be facing Nick Ring and quite honestly, he should smoke the Promise. I wasn’t overly impressed with Ring against Court McGee. I felt that fight should have been a draw, and I watched him lose to Tim Boetsch in another less-than-impressive showing.
For what it’s worth, he seems like a really nice guy. Besides his 13-1 record, he gained a touch of fame by breaking up a mugging in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (per Fox Sports). That’s all well and good, but The Promise can’t derail Costa’s ascension to a title shot at 185 pounds.
Costa has tremendous striking ability and he is improving on the ground. This should be his coming-out party.
The other fights on the card are as follows:
Mark “The Machine” Hominick vs. “The Scarecrow” Pablo Garza
“The Predator” Patrick Cote vs. Alessio “Legionarius” Sakara
Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate vs. “The Grave Digger” Chad Griggs
Mark Bocek vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout vs. John “The Bull” Makdessi
Antonio “Pato” Carvalho vs. Rodrigo Damm
Matthew Riddle vs. John Maguire
Ivan Menjivar vs. AzamatGashimov
“Super” Steven Siler vs. Darren “The Damage” Elkins
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