They may not be the best of the best, or maybe they are currently title holders, but some fighters just don’t get the credit they deserve for whatever rhyme or reason.Some fighters just go about their business, without making a lot of noise. Other figh…
They may not be the best of the best, or maybe they are currently title holders, but some fighters just don’t get the credit they deserve for whatever rhyme or reason.
Some fighters just go about their business, without making a lot of noise. Other fighters may make so much noise, that their accomplishments get swept under the rug. Some haven’t competed inside the Octagon, so it’s hard to know just how great they are.
Whatever the reason, here is one man’s list of the fighters who deserve more credit then they get. And if there are other fighters you feel got overlooked, be sure to name drop.
In politics, recounts are called for if an election is especially close or if there is reason to suspect foul play.But what about if the candidate everyone voted for somehow ended up losing? It begs the question, if Fabricio Werdum upends Alistair Over…
In politics, recounts are called for if an election is especially close or if there is reason to suspect foul play.
But what about if the candidate everyone voted for somehow ended up losing?
It begs the question, if Fabricio Werdum upends Alistair Overeem this Saturday night, will the citizens of MMA take to the streets and shout “shenanigans?”
Because it seems like just about everyone is rooting for the man affectionately referred to at “horsemeat” to win this tournament and ride into the Octagon on a…well “white horse” and challenge the UFC heavyweight champ to a duel with a four ounce glove across the face.
Werdum already broke the hearts of countless MMA fans when he swindled Fedor into leaping into the guard of a two-time ADCC world heavyweight champion and European Jiu-Jitsu champion. The loss by Fedor was his first in over 10 years—his only true loss at the time.
If “Vai Cavalo” were to go on to knock Overeem out of the Strikeforce HW Grand Prix it might be safe to assume he would secure his place as one of the most hated fighters amongst MMA fans.
Somehow I think Werdum would sleep just fine at night knowing he had knocked off two very different types of legendary fighters back to back.
Awhile back you could have made a case for the Strikeforce HW Grand Prix winner laying claim to the title of No. 1 heavyweight in MMA. UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez was sidelined with a serious shoulder injury and we didn&rsqu…
Awhile back you could have made a case for the Strikeforce HW Grand Prix winner laying claim to the title of No. 1 heavyweight in MMA.
UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez was sidelined with a serious shoulder injury and we didn’t know when he would be back. Brock Lesnar had lost his aura of invincibly and Junior dos Santos was lacking a signature win.
But that was in a time bubble.
Plus you were probably punch-drunk on the coolness of the tournament and forgetting just how long it would be before a winner was crowned, if ever.
Josh Barnett recently came out saying that the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix will determine the best heavyweight in the world.
“I absolutely believe that the winner of this tournament is the No. 1 heavyweight in the world. Anybody that comes out on top of this has the experience, or got the track record, and it will be proven without a doubt,” Barnett told MMAWeekly Radio.
“I think I’m fighting in the toughest collection of heavyweights just about ever assembled. To say otherwise would be a real travesty and would definitely show bias.”
While the winner of this tournament will have certainly gone through some stiff competition and racked up three consecutive wins in the process, can they really lay claim to No. 1 heavyweight in MMA?
Let’s take a closer look at what the man many consider the favorite would have to do:
If Alistair Overeem wins the tournament he will have collected wins over Fabricio Werdum, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and whoever emerges from the other side of the tournament (betting odds would say that man would be Josh Barnett).
Again, if the tournament actually plays out, the finals would likely take place sometime in the first half of 2012. By then, Cain Velasquez will have put his belt on the line against Junior dos Santos and the champion will be looking for their next opponent (my money is on Brendan Schaub…who you got?).
So let’s assume Cain Velasquez defends his belt just for comparison’s sake.
Cain Velasquez (last 5 wins) Alistair Overeem
Junior dos Santos Josh Barnett
Brock Lesnar “Big Foot” Silva
Antonio Nogueira Fabricio Werdum
Ben Rothwell Todd Duffee
Cheick Kongo Brett Rogers
Obviously there are many ways this could play out.
Dos Santos could beat Velasquez and Barnett could win the tournament—then you’d have to compare their previous wins. While it may not be so clear cut as to who the No. 1 heavyweight in MMA might be, you at least have to take a look at the merits of the Strikeforce Grand Prix winner.
And if the tournament does actually play out to its natural conclusion, the one thing that absolutely must happen is the Grand Prix Winner challenge the UFC champion and leave no doubt as to who the best heavyweight in MMA is.
It is probably unfair to ask this question so far in advance as there are still 74 days until UFC 134 in Rio takes place. The main event of that fight card will feature Anderson Silva defending his middleweight belt for the ninth time, this time agains…
It is probably unfair to ask this question so far in advance as there are still 74 days until UFC 134 in Rio takes place. The main event of that fight card will feature Anderson Silva defending his middleweight belt for the ninth time, this time against Yushin Okami.
But when you aren’t completely satisfied with a fight, your mind will tend to wander. Nothing against Okami who is a perfectly adroit fighter, boasting an impressive 10-2 record inside the Octagon with his only losses coming to Rich Franklin and Chael Sonnen.
And technically, he was the last man to beat Silva. But we all know that is “fools gold” as Silva was on his way to victory before being disqualified because of an illegal upkick. So assuming all goes according to plan, Silva will extend his record for most consecutive victories in the UFC to fourteen.
So, without sounding too disinterested, what’s next?
With the surge in the amount of UFC events over the last few years, one downside is that less and less PPV events are being anchored with a title fight. While the UFC usually does a good job putting together PPV cards worth the price of admission, many…
With the surge in the amount of UFC events over the last few years, one downside is that less and less PPV events are being anchored with a title fight. While the UFC usually does a good job putting together PPV cards worth the price of admission, many fans are feeling a bit slighted.
With that said, fans of title fights may be in store for an embarrassment or riches during the second half of 2011 where, if the stars all align, we could bear witness to all seven UFC belts being defended. Four title fights are already on the books, with one being tentatively booked, while three others are likely to happen as long as all the fighters in question heal from their respective injuries.
UFC 130 lost its main event earlier today when it was announced that both Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard had sustained injuries. MMA Junkie is reporting that the pair will both be out for six to eight weeks and the match could be re-booked for either a…
UFC 130 lost its main event earlier today when it was announced that both Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard had sustained injuries. MMA Junkie is reporting that the pair will both be out for six to eight weeks and the match could be re-booked for either an August for September fight card.
Jeremy Botter at Heavy.com added an interesting twist to the storyline when he reported that the UFC asked Anthony Pettis if he would be interested in accepting the bout with Maynard. He eagerly agreed only to lose out on the opportunity when Maynard himself sustained an injury.
Pettis will remain in his originally scheduled fight opposite Clay Guida—that fight is serving as the main event for the TUF 13 Finale show which is set to take place June 4.
That leaves UFC 130 without a proper headliner thus forcing the UFC to promote the “Rampage” Jackson vs. Matt Hamill fight to lead billing while Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson will serve as the co-main.
While Edgar vs. Maynard III does not carry with the same PPV gravitas of a Brock Lesnar anchored card, their come-to-blows match was much anticipated following their epic clash at UFC 125. It anchored what many were branding a very “stacked” fight card.
Beyond Rampage vs. Hamill and Mir vs. Nelson, it featured intriguing bouts like maturing heavyweight Stefan Struve taking on Travis Browne, the UFC return of Jorge Santiago vs. All-American Brian Stann and welterweight stud Thiago Alves vs. a very game challenger in Rick Story.
It is amazing what the loss of one fight, all be it the main event, can do to the dynamic of a card.
Will people still shell out their hard-earned dollars to see UFC 130 in its revamped form? How will Rampage vs. Hamill sit with fans that aren’t already committed to buying every event?
The last time Rampage headlined a fight card—when it didn’t involved Rashad Evans—was at UFC 123 when he took on Lyoto Machida. That card was anchored with B.J. Penn vs. Matt Hughes III and did a respectable 600K PPV buys.
Before that, it was UFC 96 when Rampage picked up a decision win over Keith Jardine and Shane Carwin waxed Gabriel Gonzaga. That fight card brought in a meager 350K PPV buys. It is imperative that the UFC starts hyping up the laurels of Rampage, along with the dueling heavyweights, although Rampage hasn’t always been reliable to properly market a fight.
Mir vs. Nelson is a fairly compelling co-main event (for namesake alone) even though there are no immediate implications to the heavyweight title picture. Mir was involved in one of the worst performing PPVs of all time when he took in Mirko “Cro Cop” at UFC 119, but overall Mir is a solid draw.
While UFC 130 will likely not do great numbers at the box office, don’t sleep on this event. Some of the best events are the ones that people end up passing on.
Let’s just hope that the UFC can get Rampage, Mir and Nelson out in full force and talking up the value of this event because they have some of the best mouths the sport has to offer.
