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Anderson Silva: Should He Finish His Career at Light Heavyweight?

At UFC 168, Anderson Silva broke his leg upon having one of his kicks checked by the current middleweight champion, Chris Weidman.
After undergoing surgery to repair the former champion’s left tibia and fibula and months of rehabilitation, one of…

At UFC 168, Anderson Silva broke his leg upon having one of his kicks checked by the current middleweight champion, Chris Weidman.

After undergoing surgery to repair the former champion’s left tibia and fibula and months of rehabilitation, one of Silva’s managers, Ed Soares, predicted the Brazilian’s return. According to Elias Cepeda of Yahoo Sports, Soares stated:

We won’t see him (Silva) back any earlier than the end of this year or, most likely, the beginning of next year…There’s always a chance (he comes back in 2014), but as of right now I think his mind is set on fighting at the beginning of next year.

As the longest-reigning middleweight champion in UFC history, Silva’s reappearance at 185 is nonsensical at this point.

In fact, given the former champion’s dominance at light heavyweight, stemming back to 2008, finishing his career in this division is logically sound and could finally result in a super matchup against current 205-pound phenom and champion Jon Jones.

The Anderson Silva/Jon Jones Saga MAY STILL Continue…

At light heavyweight, Silva is undefeated. In 2008, even as the reigning middleweight champion, Silva stepped up to 205 pounds and fought James Irvin in the main event at UFC Fight Night 14. The Brazilian quickly finished his opponent, knocking out “The Sandman” one minute and one second into the first round.

Silva went on to compete at light heavyweight two more times, defeating UFC Hall of Famers in former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar at UFC 101 and UFC 153, respectively.

The former champion finished both of the previously mentioned opponents in the first round.

His ability to make heavier opponents appear amateurish and slow in their fighting efforts spoke volumes and exemplified Silva’s elite combative skills from one division to the next.

Previous to Silva’s championship loss to Weidman, there was a great amount of talk among the MMA world that revolved around a super fight between Jones and the former champion. Of course, since the loss of Silva’s middleweight title, the chatter has all but died down.

However, according to former longtime welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, Silva walks around at 230 pounds. Therefore, at 39 years old, a return to the light heavyweight division makes sense and would revitalize the conversation regarding a title fight between the current light heavyweight champion and Silva.

If Silva returned to the UFC and made the 205-pound division his home, his presence would inject even more excitement into the division, invigorate fans and may even yield another championship title for the Brazilian before he finally retires.

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Lyoto Machida: A Win over Chris Weidman Would Forever Cement His Legacy (Video)

At UFC 175, No. 3 middleweight contender Lyoto Machida will attempt to strip the championship title away from the division’s reigning champion, Chris Weidman. With the win, the Brazilian would set himself up to become the third mixed martial artist in UFC history to acquire a belt from two separate divisions. However, Machida’s opportunity to wrest the title away from Weidman does not come without its own set of challenges.

Weidman is a NCAA Division I All-American wrestler who has transitioned well into the world of MMA. He is currently undefeated and is a well-rounded fighter. Five of his 11 wins have come by knockout. Some of his victims include Mark Munoz, Uriah Hall and the man who many believe to be the greatest MMA fighter of all time, Anderson Silva.

However, heading into UFC 175, Machida isn’t greatly concerned with Weidman’s accolades. According to Dave Dolye of MMA Fighting, the Brazilian stated:

Chris Weidman is a tough guy, he’s well rounded. He’s known for being a wrestler, he’s very good on the ground, he can knock people out standing up. But I’m not too worried about Chris Weidman‘s strong points. I’m focused on what I do well and that’s what I’ll focus on when I’m in the Octagon.

Machida, who now finds himself reinvigorated and undefeated at middleweight, is a former light heavyweight champion himself. He sports a respectable 21-4 record, and is known for outpointing his foes by employing tremendous footwork and an elusive fighting style to secure many of his wins. In fact, due to the latter, 11 of the former champion’s victories have come by way of decision.

Nevertheless, the great counter striker that is Machida has knocked out a barrage of top-level fighters as well. They include, but are not limited to Mark Munoz, Ryan Bader, Thiago Silva and three former world champions in Randy Couture, Rashad Evans and Rich Franklin.

Even though Machida is faced with the opportunity to become the third fighter in the UFC’s history to attain a championship title from two different weight classes (Randy Couture and B.J. Penn are the other two), the Dragon is currently more focused on his victory this Saturday night. In an interview with Bas Rutten on Inside MMA, Machida stated:

I just put my focus on my fight, on my technique. For sure, I want to be the third guy with two belts in different class [sic], but my focus is on different things now…

…I can beat him (Weidman) 100 percent.

On July 5, Machida will attempt to become immortalized in the annals of mixed martial arts history by defeating Weidman and securing his second championship title. A victory would not only leave him hall-of-fame bound, it would all but solidify him as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.

Lyoto Machida Speaks with Bas Rutten on Inside MMA

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The UFC vs. Jon Jones: Did the UFC Win by Forcing Rematch with Gustafsson?

At UFC 178, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will once again face off against his most difficult opponent to date in Alexander Gustafsson. Since the end of their first Octagon meeting at UFC 165, in which Jones won by unanimous decision, the UFC and the majority of MMA fans had been pining for a Jones/Gustafsson rematch. Eventually getting their wish, the champion will defend his title for a second time against his Swedish counterpart on September 27.

The Champion’s Reluctance

After his seventh title defense and dismantling of Glover Teixeira at UFC 172, Jones wasn’t interested in a rematch against Gustafsson. In fact, Jones wanted to put his championship title on the line against undefeated and highly touted MMA fighter Daniel Cormier. In response, on June 2, UFC President Dana White stated to UFC.com (h/t MMA Junkie):

Just to clear up a couple things, people think we’re in contract negotiations with Jon Jones – we’re not. Jon Jones still has five fights left on his contract. So what we’re doing right now is trying to get him to sign the bout agreement for Gustafsson. He doesn’t want to fight Gustafsson.… Lorenzo and I have a meeting with Jones on Thursday to get him to sign the bout agreement, and he’s asking to fight Cormier instead.

Jones eventually relented and signed on to fight Gustafsson. However, in response, according to Andrew Ravens of MMA Frenzy, Jones stated:

Who’s more deserving? I would say Daniel Cormier has better accolades and the better record. He’s undefeated, and he’s beaten former world champions before…

…He was a world champion in the Strikeforce organization, so I would say Cormier. But, I think the fans want to see me fight Alexander more, and I think that’s what’s most important.

Irrespective of Cormier’s dominance and undefeated streak, the former Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion will realistically have to wait for a title shot until late 2014, at the earliest.

In the end, the UFC wins, utilizing heavy media tactics to get Jones to fight Gustafsson. A lot of hype surrounds this fight, as the champion struggled against his Swedish counterpart in their last meeting, having to be hospitalized immediately following the bout. Monetarily, the UFC capitalizes greatly on a rematch that the fans desire to see. Therefore, UFC 178 will most likely become one of the UFC’s highest-grossing pay-per-views to date.

Winner: The UFC & the Fans

Alexander Gustafsson’s Desperate Need to Secure the Title the Second Time Around

Gustafsson will enter UFC 178 as the underdog. If Gustafsson loses to the champion again, especially if it occurs in dramatic fashion, the consequences will be significant. The Swede would realistically be presented with two options: Move to another weight class or wait until the champion loses and fight for the championship once more (assuming he doesn’t lose in the interim).

Both are difficult options, putting him into the same class as Urijah Faber and Junior dos Santos, who are seemingly better than everyone else in their respective divisions, except the champion.

According to David St. Martin of MMA Fighting, Gustafsson recently exclaimed:

He (Jones) knows now, it’s a bad fight for him. I think I’m a little bit in his head. I know that I can beat him. I can take that belt and that’s what I’m looking forward to do. It’ll be a finish. I’ve done the distance thing before and I don’t [sic] do it again. A finish and I’m taking that belt. Get ready. Get ready, man. It will happen.

Gustafsson is more than confident in his abilities as he prepares for UFC 178. However, a second loss to the champion would prove profound and force the Swede to take major steps in reanalyzing his career.

Possible BIG Loser: Alexander Gustafsson

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2 Things Jon Jones Needs to Do Differently in Rematch with Alexander Gustafsson

In one of the most epic battles in UFC history, at 165, Jon Jones fought to retain his light heavyweight title against No. 1 contender Alexander Gustafsson. Although the champion successfully defended his title, he was badly beaten and hospitalized immediately following the bout. If Jones wishes to not just win in a rematch with Gustafsson, but to do so unscathed, it would serve him well to minimize damage and maximize his talents.

Jones has mastered the art of dominating his opponents in the clinch and taking them down. However, much to Gustafsson’s credit, Jones struggled to do hardly any of the latter during their last faceoff. The light heavyweight champion commented on his opponent’s toughness and even acknowledged his own shortcomings following the fight. According to Dann Stupp of USA Today, Jones stated:

He was just a tough fighter. I spent a lot of time on my boxing in this camp. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea. I should have been like water and used more versatility. But hat’s off to Alexander. That was by far my toughest fight, and I really got to exercise my warrior spirit tonight. That makes me happier than getting the win.

If Jones is able to capitalize on his strengths and appeal to Gustafsson’s weaknesses, the clinch and ground game, the light heavyweight champion may not only win in their second outing, but do so in dramatic fashion.

The Clinch

Jon Jones embraces the close-quarter game with his opponents. Even though he enjoys an incredible reach advantage, which he uses to keep his opponents at bay, Jones’ grappling is second to none as well.

At UFC 140, Jones grabbed on to an elusive Lyoto Machida and choked him into unconsciousness with a standing guillotine. At UFC 172, against the hard-hitting Glover Teixeira, Jones surprisingly remained in the pocket, clinching and exchanging blows with the No. 3 light heavyweight contender for a large majority of the fight. Jones went on to win all five rounds on the judges’ scorecards.

However, against Gustafsson, Jones wasn’t able to close the distance at will. This was mainly due to Gustafsson’s own height (6’5”) and reach (79 inches), which are similar to those of Jones (6’4”, 84.5-inch reach).

Closing the distance and executing has produced incredible results for the champion countless times. If Jones wishes to emerge victorious and possibly finish Gustafsson, remaining inside and breaking his opponent’s will may be the answer.

The Ground Game

Jon Jones has made a career off taking down his opponents and either submitting or decimating them with a barrage of strikes from the top. In this fashion, the champion has manhandled the likes of Matt Hamill, Brandon Vera, Vladimir Matyushenko, Ryan Bader, Chael Sonnen and even former world champions Quinton Jackson and Vitor Belfort.

Jones, however, was unsuccessful in this area against Gustafsson, scoring just one takedown during the whole fight. Jones himself was even taken down for the first time in his professional mixed martial arts career during the bout.

Needless to say, at UFC 165, Jones was faced with his most difficult challenger and barely scraped by with the win, scoring 48-47 on two of the judges’ scorecards.

The light heavyweight champion possesses all the tools to emerge victorious against Gustafsson again. However, if becoming hospitalized for a second time is not a part of Jones’ post-fight plans, finding ways to neutralize Gustafsson in their sophomore effort would be ideal.

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What Can Jose Aldo Do to Become More of a Star in the UFC? (Video)

Jose Aldo has reigned as the featherweight king since winning the World Extreme Cagefighting title in 2009. When Zuffa, LLC, absorbed the mixed martial arts organization in 2011, Aldo was brought into the UFC as the company’s inaugural 145-pound …

However, irrespective of his long win streak and highlight-reel knockouts, Aldo lacks the star power of other champions. At this point, becoming a bigger commodity in the UFC appears to include facing the winner of the lightweight title matchup between Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez, with the intention of becoming champion of two greatly talented divisions.

Since his debut as champion at UFC 129, Aldo has remained undefeated within the UFC and has defended the featherweight title six times. At 24-1, the Brazilian phenom holds the organization’s No. 2-ranked pound-for-pound spot. Aldo is on a 17-fight win streak and sports 14 devastating knockouts to his credit.

Nevertheless, with regard to popularity (determined by those who pay to witness him fight), the last three bouts in which Aldo participated in either the main or the co-main event garnered only 730,000 pay-per-view buys in all. In contrast, the last three fights that starred Cain Velasquez, Jon Jones (the three preceding UFC 172) and Ronda Rousey produced 1.3 million, 1.31 million and 1.81 million pay-per-view buys in total, respectively.

If Aldo successfully advocates for a fight between him and the lightweight division’s reigning champion in Pettis, this matchup of champion vs. champion would more than likely exceed any pay-per-view in which Aldo has been previously involved and ensure the elevation of his star power.

Pettis mentioned this super bout immediately after winning the lightweight title at UFC 164 in August 2013. In an interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, he stated, “Jose Aldo, we got unfinished business. My belt or your belt?”

Aldo mirrored Pettis’ interest in a bout between the two in a title matchup following his victory over Ricardo Lamas at UFC 169. Excited about the fight, according to Mike Whitman of Sherdog.com, UFC president Dana White soon thereafter stated:

Sounds like we’ve got a fight. I’ve been talking about that fight. I like Jose at 155 [pounds]. The weight cut is much easier for him. But again, he’s the king at 145. If he wants to move to 155, I think it’s a huge fight with Pettis.

However, Pettis injured both knees in 2013, and with the lightweight champion’s long recovery time, the matchup of champion vs. champion was placed on hold. Then, the two became occupied with other contenders.

Now, Pettis will coach opposite the former Strikeforce lightweight champion in Melendez on The Ultimate Fighter 20, and the two will face off later this year with the 155-pound title on the line. Aldo will face Chad Mendes in his seventh UFC title defense at UFC 176 on August 2.

Assuming he successfully defends his championship belt against Mendes, Aldo will be presented with the grand opportunity of holding two separate divisional belts simultaneously—a feat that has never been achieved in the UFC.

Only Randy Couture and B.J. Penn have seized two divisional UFC belts, only not at the same time. With a win in his next title defense, challenging the lightweight champion in Pettis or Melendez would place Aldo in a category all by himself and solidify him as one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time.

Anthony Pettis‘ call out of Jose Aldo at UFC 164 (2:35):

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Miesha Tate Wants to Welcome Gina Carano to the UFC (Video)

Ever since Gina Carano expressed interest in returning to the Octagon after almost six years of absence, the news has generated a tremendous amount of buzz. Her announcement has sparked rumors regarding whom the mixed martial arts fighter-turned-a…

There are those who believe, including UFC president Dana White, that Carano should receive an immediate title shot and face the current bantamweight champion. However, the former Strikeforce bantamweight champion, Miesha Tate, feels that she would be best suited to welcome the former “face of women’s mixed martial arts” to the Octagon.

In a recent interview with Chael Sonnen and Kenny Florian on UFC Tonight, when asked whom she would like to fight next in the Octagon, Tate immediately named Carano as a possible opponent. She stated (full video below):

I would love a fight with Gina Carano. Honestly, you know, she’s gonna make her comeback to MMA after five and a half years, and I don’t think it makes sense to go straight for the title. So, I think I’d be a great matchup for her to come back on.

A Carano/Tate matchup would be nothing less than stellar. Although Tate has only yielded a 1-2 record since her UFC debut, she is still the division’s No. 3 contender. In addition, “Cupcake’s” feud with the current bantamweight champion is a major reason that women’s mixed martial arts exists in the UFC today, giving further credibility to the Washington native’s comments regarding a possible matchup with Carano. In fact, there is reason to believe Tate would actually beat Carano if a matchup was to occur.

“Cupcake” holds a major advantage over Carano with her deep grappling background. The 2008 second-place no-gi FILA grappling world champion’s strength lies in her ability to out-grapple many of her opponents. Almost half of Tate’s victories have come by submission, with her most notable tapout victory over former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen.

Previous to Carano’s extended absence from mixed martial arts, her ground game was highly suspect. That, plus nearly six years of ring rust could leave Carano defeated in her first UFC appearance—facts that Tate is willing to exploit.

Conversely, Carano has grounds in Muay Thai, and has established a successful career off her stand-up game. A win over Tate would speak volumes and put her on the map with respect to the female’s 135-pound division. It could possibly even grant her a title shot against the undefeated MMA phenom and former Olympian Ronda Rousey.

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