Author: By E. Spencer Kyte

After fighting four times in 2013, Joseph Benavidez has only stepped into the cage once this year, picking up a first-round submission win (and Performance of the Night bonus) over Tim Elliott back at UFC 172 in April.“I’m sure I would have gotten a fight earlier if I wasn’t in the position that I got myself in by losing twice to the champion, but apparently that’s just a position I love. I’ve been there twice,” Benavidez, whose four career losses have come against just two fighters – former bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and reigning flyweight tit … Read the Full Article Here

Fresh off a thrilling debut in Mexico City at UFC 180 on Saturday, the UFC is rolling out the red carpet today in Las Vegas for a collection of elite talent that will step into the Octagon over the next three months to kick off its The Time is Now campaign.Though there are several tremendous events and pivotal fights that will take place in the next four weeks, it’s difficult to not look ahead to the headlining acts that close 2014 and kick off 2015 and not get fired up.From the return of an icon and series of pivotal divisional matchups to three of the biggest championship fights in U … Read the Full Article Here

You can’t blame Ross Pearson for wanting to get back into the Octagon as soon as possible following his June matchup with Diego Sanchez.After controlling the action with his movement and slick boxing over the duration of the three-round fight, the former Ultimate Fighter winner stood in the center of the Octagon, waiting to be announced as the winner. Instead, “The Real Deal” was handed a split decision loss, a verdict that was immediately panned across social media and left the Sunderland, England native with a sour taste in his mouth.That’s why Pearson happily jumpe … Read the Full Article Here

Fighting in front of a partisan crowd inside the River Center in Davenport, Iowa, flyweight champion Barb Honchak did not disappoint, putting forth a blue-collared, grinding effort to retain her title against veteran Takayo Hashi in the main event of Invicta FC 9 on Saturday night.While not the most action-packed contest of the evening, the champion played to her strength and controlled the action for the vast majority of the contest, picking up the unanimous decision win via scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 50-45.“She’s so tough and she’s so strong,” Honchak said afterward o … Read the Full Article Here

Age and experience are always going to be a topic of discussion whenever Jake Matthews prepares to set foot in the Octagon, as the 20-year-old lightweight with just eight professional fights to his credit is the second youngest fighter on the UFC roster.It doesn’t help that the emerging Australian could easily be cast as a high school student – his baby face suggesting “Prom King,” not professional mixed martial artist. Fifteen years from now when he still looks like he’s in his mid-20s, Matthews might consider his youthful appearance a blessing, but for now, he … Read the Full Article Here

Saturday, January 14, 2012 was both the best and worst night of Chad Mendes’ career as a professional fighter.That night, inside the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a then-unbeaten Mendes stepped into the Octagon to challenge Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title on his home turf. Having rattled off 11 consecutive victories to begin his career, the former All-American wrestler had quickly climbed the ladder to stand as the top contender in the 145-pound ranks and was tabbed by many as being the fighter with the best shot at dethroning the dominant Brazilian champion.Until the … Read the Full Article Here