Dave Batista should never be in an Octagon unless Vince McMahon decides to use one in a new gimmick match. Batista made his MMA debut Saturday night against a hefty gentleman named Vince Lucero. He was victorious by first-round stoppage, but less than …
Dave Batista should never be in an Octagon unless Vince McMahon decides to use one in a new gimmick match. Batista made his MMA debut Saturday night against a hefty gentleman named Vince Lucero. He was victorious by first-round stoppage, but less than impressive. After an underwhelming performance, I was left missing the beast gimmick from his WWE days.
Physically, Batista looked much tougher than Lucero, but as an MMA fighter, he wasn’t vastly superior. Both men were exhausted midway through the first round. This was not a top-level MMA showing by any stretch. The only thing that was more brutal than Batista’s performance was Joe Lauzon’s post-fight interview. J-Lo was like a cross between Rocky Balboa and Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley.
Lucero landed shots on Batista early, but they didn’t seem to have an effect on him. That said, were he hit with those shots by a more formidable heavyweight, Batista would have been in trouble.
He is obviously a decent athlete; he’s strong as an ox and a generally tough guy. However, it takes far more than that to be a serious MMA fighter. Batista is 43 years old, and this performance was proof that he has a lot to learn from a technical standpoint.
Lucero basically surrendered to his belly on the mat once he was gassed. Batista failed to appropriately mount his opponent. He ultimately pounded Lucero out, but the submission was there for the taking.
It was clear Batista had no clue on how to simply execute a rear-naked choke. If Batista were 23 instead of 43, my evaluation of his performance wouldn’t be as harsh. Sadly, that isn’t the case.
In the WWE, Batista has value and impact simply by walking into an arena. It isn’t as pertinent that he execute maneuvers in the ring impeccably. You can watch any of Brock Lesnar‘s recent WWE matches as proof of that.
Not executing properly in the MMA world will result in serious injury. Here is to hoping the next pay-per-view we see Batista in takes place on Sunday and not Saturday.
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Every time we see Jon Jones fight he makes us wonder if he will ever lose at light heavyweight. Some may say his close call in the first round of UFC 152’s main event is proof he can be beaten.Another way to look at Jones’ escape from Vitor Belfort’s a…
Every time we see Jon Jones fight he makes us wonder if he will ever lose at light heavyweight. Some may say his close call in the first round of UFC 152‘s main event is proof he can be beaten.
Another way to look at Jones’ escape from VitorBelfort‘s armbar is as confirmation of the champion’s grit and toughness. He had faced very little adversity up to this point, and I’d say he passed the test with flying colors.
That armbar would have caused lesser men to tap out, but Jones fought through the pain of a possibly dislocated elbow to avoid a submission defeat. He proceeded to dominate his opponent for the rest of the fight, until he himself would win by submission in the fourth round.
In this fight, Jones leaned on a sidekick to the thigh and knee to disrupt his opponent. He then used his length and technique to execute a proficient display of ground-and-pound. Part of the appeal of watching Jones is seeing what new tactic he will unveil.
This was no amateur he pounded with elbows on the ground and ultimately submitted with an americana. This was Belfort—the man known as “The Phenom,” a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, a premier striker and a UFC legend.
Yet beyond the close call with the armbar in the first round, Jones made him look as defenseless as every other opponent he’s faced. It is amazing how a champion with a target on his back, like Jones, can consistently defeat top competition. He has now defeated five straight ex-champions.
This was originally supposed to be Dan Henderson facing Jones, but an injury forced him to back out. The outcome would have been the same. There is no light heavyweight that the MMA world has seen who can defeat Jones.
It is that simple.
He is too big, too skilled and apparently too tough for anyone at the weight class to handle. If Jones is going to lose, it’ll have to be at heavyweight or years from now when he’s lost something.
Some may call my assessment biased, but it is far from that. It is simply a recognition of greatness and the rarest combination of size, talent and mettle the sport has ever seen.
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Until there is a fresh challenger for Jon Jones at light heavyweight, or until he moves up to heavyweight, Bones will continue to win.Jones is too much for any fighter we’ve seen at 205 pounds. There is no reason to believe Vitor Belfort will do anythi…
Until there is a fresh challenger for Jon Jones at light heavyweight, or until he moves up to heavyweight, Bones will continue to win.
Jones is too much for any fighter we’ve seen at 205 pounds. There is no reason to believe Vitor Belfort will do anything to change my mind. Per Maggie Hendricks of Yahoo!, Belfort will be Jones’ opponent at UFC 152.
The last week has been a whirlwind of changes surrounding Jones and his next opponent.
He was initially supposed to take on Dan Henderson at UFC 151, but that event was canceled after Henderson was injured, and Jones refused to have his opponent switched to Chael Sonnen on short notice.
Lyoto Machida, who just knocked out Ryan Bader at UFC on Fox 4, was injected as the new opponent for UFC 152, but he pulled out because he felt the fight was coming too quickly after his last bout.
In steps Belfort as the man to take on Jones.
Let me save you the drama and speculation: The outcome will be the same against Belfort as it would have been against Hendo and Machida.
None of the challengers at 205 have a chance against Jones.
He’s too big and skilled for any of them. Any Jones haters that want to see him fall will have to hope he makes the jump to heavyweight or a 205-pounder with height and striking skills comes out of nowhere to challenge him.
No man is unbeatable, but Jones at 205 pounds is about as close as it gets.
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Ronda Rousey’s 54-second beatdown of Sarah Kaufman was a glorified sparring session, exposing the lack of parity in women’s MMA.If a formidable challenger isn’t able to give Rousey a good fight, these events may quickly become run of the mill.Rousey is…
Ronda Rousey’s 54-second beatdown of Sarah Kaufman was a glorified sparring session, exposing the lack of parity in women’s MMA.
If a formidable challenger isn’t able to give Rousey a good fight, these events may quickly become run of the mill.
Rousey is a great athlete, she isn’t bad to look at and she has the whole female action hero persona down. Her star quality is undeniable. But ultimately, someone has to learn how to fight off a rather simple armbar.
In case you missed it, this video highlight is all you need to see:
This reminds me of the beginnings of the UFC when Royce Gracie was so far ahead of his opponents in regards to grappling. He simply outlasted his foes using his advanced grappling skills. And he made the more primitive fighters submit when they couldn’t conduct themselves on the ground.
The way Rousey is running roughshod over her opponents is very similar.
I’m not eager to see Rousey lose, but I’m eager to see her challenged.
Kaufman was supposed to be a good fighter. I saw her defeat Miesha Tate, and she had only one previous loss before Rousey embarrassed her on Saturday night. She was also supposed to be ready for the armbar. If she wasn’t prepared to defend anything else, Kaufman should have been ready for that.
To Rousey’s credit, she did use a nice sweep to take Kaufman to the mat, as well as some decent punching. But Kaufman seemed overwhelmed from the beginning. She was touted as a solid striker, yet the judo artist was the one who landed the significant strikes.
Honestly, I didn’t even see Kaufman make a solid attempt.
Rousey deserves credit for another spectacular victory, but if she doesn’t get a challenge sometime soon, the spectacular will turn to the ordinary quickly.
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Rowdy Ronda Rousey is officially the first true star of women’s MMA, and a win over Sarah Kaufman will only expedite her ascent to household-name status.Rousey headlining a card over male fighters is a statement in this frequently male-dominated sport….
Rowdy Ronda Rousey is officially the first true star of women’s MMA, and a win over Sarah Kaufman will only expedite her ascent to household-name status.
Rousey headlining a card over male fighters is a statement in this frequently male-dominated sport. The fact that it’s the second time she’s been in this position confirms her star level.
Kaufman is no pushover, though.
She will represent the biggest challenge Rousey has faced in her MMA career. Rousey is 5-0, and she has submitted each of her opponents in the first round. But none of her opponents have been as good in standup attacks as Kaufman.
Rousey defeated former champion Miesha Tate in her last bout, but Kaufman also owns a victory over Tate. Defeating Tate is no simple or frequent occurrence. She’s 12-3 in her MMA career, and these two ladies have accounted for two of the three losses.
This is a classic example of two different styles clashing, and the winner will be the fighter who can impose her will and style on her opponent.
Here is a look at the entire card and how you can catch the action:
Ronda Rousey (5-0) vs. Sarah Kaufman (15-1) – Women’s Bantamweight Championship
Ronaldo Souza (15-3, 1 NC) vs. Derek Brunson (9-1)
Roger Bowling (11-2) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (12-3)
Lumumba Sayers (6-2) vs. Anthony Smith (16-8)
T.J. Cook (12-4) vs. Ovince St. Preux (11-5)
Prelims
Miesha Tate (12-3) vs. Julie Kedzie (16-10)
Bobby Green (18-5) vs. Matt Ricehouse (6-0)
Adlan Amagov (9-2-1) vs. Keith Berry (11-9)
Germaine de Randamie (2-2) vs. Hiroko Yamanaka (12-1)
Card Analysis and Predictions
Prelims
The prelims have two interesting bouts on tap. The Bobby Green-Matt Ricehouse clash could be among the most exciting of the night. It features two 25-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu artists who have promising careers ahead of them.
Green has far more experience, but Ricehouse has begun his career 5-0.
Green has had the majority of his fights on the west coast, and he is the reigning lightweight King of the Cage. He was born in California and fights out of Fontana, so he’ll be enjoying a decided home-field advantage.
If Ricehouse can pull off a victory over the far more experienced Green on his home turf, it will make a significant statement.
I think this bout will be close, but I predict a decision victory for Bobby Green.
The other bout in the prelim section of the card that jumps out at me is Tate vs. Kedzie.
Tate is returning from her nasty defeat at the hands of Rousey in March. Rousey dislocated Tate’s elbow with the arm bar, as you can see below:
It will be interesting to see how Tate responds after losing her title in such a gruesome fashion. She is the superior fighter in this matchup, but nasty losses can have psychological effects on fighters.
My prediction is a win by decision for Tate over Kedzie.
Here are my predictions for the other fights on the prelim card:
Yamanaka over Randamie by submission
Amagov over Berry by TKO
Main Card
Besides the main event, I’m looking forward to one other fight on the main card. Lumumba Sayers is an exciting young fighter, and I’m eager to see him clash with Anthony Smith.
Sayers is a grappler by primary discipline, but he has KO power in his fists. He displayed that in his KO of Antwain Britt in November.
I believe he is a rising star at middleweight, and this fight will be a showcase for him.
Smith has a ton of heart, and he isn’t bashful about his attack, but I expect Sayers to handle him. This fight has spectacular KO written all over it.
My prediction is a second-round KO win for Sayers.
In the main event, Kaufman will push Rousey hard, and I believe she will be the first to land significant strikes against Rousey. I’m even predicting Rousey’s face will be marked a bit by the time this one ends.
The outcome will depend on whether Rousey can maintain her composure and stick to her game plan. If she gets hit and abandons her relentless approach to take the fight to the ground, she’ll be in trouble.
I think she’ll stay composed and pull out a hard-fought, tough, late submission victory over Kaufman. This one won’t be as pretty as her previous five fights, but a win is a win.
Here are my predictions for the other fights on the main card:
Cook over St. Preux by decision
Bowling over Saffiedine by decision
Brunson over Souza by TKO
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It seems impossible for Benson Henderson or Frankie Edgar to dominate the another. Henderson won a controversial split-decision over Edgar in their rematch at UFC 150 on Saturday night.They could fight five times and each decision would be close. Even …
It seems impossible for Benson Henderson or Frankie Edgar to dominate the another. Henderson won a controversial split-decision over Edgar in their rematch at UFC 150 on Saturday night.
They could fight five times and each decision would be close. Even though Nate Diaz is next in line for Henderson, at some point Edgar and Henderson need to meet again.
Nothing was really etched in stone with their second meeting.
I had the fight a draw, but either way Henderson would have kept the title. Still, the point of these fights is to definitively decide who the better man is, and I think there are still doubts about that.
In the first fight I had Henderson winning, and I really didn’t see what the controversy was about. He landed most—if not all—of the significant strikes, and even though Frankie was catching the leg kicks, he wasn’t countering off them.
In Saturday night’s fight, Edgar made some significant adjustments. He used skip-kicks and feints to land leg kicks on Henderson, and he used his height disadvantage to his advantage. He easily ducked under Henderson’s punches and countered with the right hand.
But you can’t ignore Henderson’s effective leg kicks—especially in the first round—his up-kick to Edgar’s head in the fourth round and the grazing head kick in the fifth factored into the decision.
Neither man hurt the other, but those strikes and counters scored.
All those details equate to a hotly-contested battle between two of the best fighters in the world. I don’t blame Dana White for plugging Nate Diaz between these two guys to cut down on redundancy, per MMA Junkie.
But Henderson-Edgar must become a trilogy.
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Dave Batista should never be in an Octagon unless Vince McMahon decides to use one in a new gimmick match. Batista made his MMA debut Saturday night against a hefty gentleman named Vince Lucero. He was victorious by first-round stoppage, but less than impressive. After an underwhelming performance, I was left missing the beast gimmick from his WWE days.