Author: Cody Guinn

Rumor: Stephan Bonnar to Replace Sonnen, Face Forrest Griffin at UFC 155

Tuesday was a hot day for breaking UFC news as we learned that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will face Chael Sonnen in April following their coaching stints on The Ultimate Fighter, according to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.While t…

Tuesday was a hot day for breaking UFC news as we learned that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will face Chael Sonnen in April following their coaching stints on The Ultimate Fighter, according to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.

While that news is great, it left a hole at the top of the UFC 155 card when it was announced that the Jones-Sonnen booking would leave Forrest Griffin without an opponent at UFC 155. Well, the ultimate “company man” is here to save the day once again.

As reported on Twitter early Wednesday morning, Stephan Bonnar will step up and replace Chael Sonnen at UFC 155 against rival and buddy Forrest Griffin:

 

 

Now, you may ask if this is too much, too soon for Stephan Bonnar.

He is coming off a recent TKO loss to middleweight champion Anderson Silva, but Bonnar has been pleading with Dana White for one final shot at Griffin. It seems White has decided to reward Bonnar for saving UFC 153 with this final bout with Griffin.

The two men met for the first time at the first TUF finale in a fight that many consider the most important fight in MMA history (Griffin defeated Bonnar by unanimous decision to win the first season of The Ultimate Fighter).

The two would have a rematch at UFC 62, and Griffin picked up the decision victory.

With Griffin leading the series 2-0, it’s odd to see a third fight get booked. Still, it’s hard not to be excited when you consider the high-caliber fights the first two were.

It was also reported on Twitter that this will be a retirement fight for both men, which could be another reason White gave in to the fight.

Although it is a little sad to imagine two legends of the sport fighting for the final time, we can rest easy knowing we are just a couple months away from seeing two of the most exciting fighters in UFC history lay it all out on the line one final time.

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Silva vs. Bonnar Results: What Does the Future Hold for Stephan Bonnar?

UFC 153’s main event put Stephan Bonnar’s heart on full display as he stepped up to fight quite possibly the greatest fighter that ever lived on two weeks’ notice with his pregnant wife ready to deliver their baby at any time.Unfortunately, B…

UFC 153’s main event put Stephan Bonnar‘s heart on full display as he stepped up to fight quite possibly the greatest fighter that ever lived on two weeks’ notice with his pregnant wife ready to deliver their baby at any time.

Unfortunately, Bonnnar wasn’t able to pull off what would have been the greatest upset in MMA history and fell victim to Anderson Silva by first round TKO. Most of the post-fight talk was about what was next for Silva, but I wonder what is next for “The American Psycho”?

Bonnar is, in my opinion, still a big name and would still be a great test to many of the top up-and-comers in the light heavyweight division.

He’s big, strong and very dangerous inside the Octagon, which makes Bonnar a threat to everyone in the division. Fighting Stephan Bonnar would be a major fight for up-and-comers such as Ryan Jimmo or Jimi Manuwa. The only question is would he allow himself to be a division steppingstone?

Bonnar has gone on record in the past stating he’d only fight guys with “more Twitter followers than me” and also saying that he is semi-retired, except for fights against big names. If this is the case, then you really have to wonder if UFC 153 was the last time we’ll see Bonnar in the Octagon. The only logical “big” fights I can think of is maybe against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson or Forrest Griffin.

Bonnar was very interested in coaching The Ultimate Fighter against Griffin as the two could relive their glory days when they became instant starts in the sport, but Dana White quickly shot that down.

Looking at The Ultimate Fighter’s numbers this year, two exciting and well-known coaches would likely be great for the show, and even if White didn’t want Bonnar and Griffin to fight once again, the coaching pair would likely be enough to draw a larger audience for TUF.

Even if this is it for Stephan Bonnar and he calls it a career, he goes out with a bang. How many guys would step up to face a man who hasn’t lost in nearly seven years? Bonnar will always be a legend in this sport, and if his career is over, nobody can say it wasn’t one of the most exciting careers in UFC history.

 

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UFC on FX 5: Jake Ellenberger vs. Jay Hieron Head-to-Toe Breakdown

The fight was originally scheduled to co-main the cancelled UFC 151 card, but now the rematch between Jake Ellenberger and recently re-signed Jay Hieron will go down at UFC on FX 5 this Friday night in Minneapolis, Minn.The fight will once again s…

The fight was originally scheduled to co-main the cancelled UFC 151 card, but now the rematch between Jake Ellenberger and recently re-signed Jay Hieron will go down at UFC on FX 5 this Friday night in Minneapolis, Minn.

The fight will once again serve as the co-main event and a win for either man would place them in the mix so to speak at 170.

The two men faced off in IFL in 2006, where Hieron handed Ellenberger his first career loss. Now, Ellenberger has climbed the ranks and holds notable wins over top guys such as Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields.

Hieron hasn’t fought inside the Octagon since 2005, but he has spent time with both Strikeforce and Bellator, including winning the Bellator Season Four Welterweight Tournament.

Ellenberger vs. Hieron has Fight of the Night potential, but before we get to looking at possible post-fight bonuses, let’s take a look at how these two match up on paper with a head-to-toe breakdown of the UFC on FX 5 co-main event.

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UFC on FX 5: Power Ranking Every Fighter on the Card

UFC on FX 5 is coming Friday and will feature twelve exciting bouts, including a main event between two heavyweights who love to finish fights.The card also has a nice selection of lightweight bouts as well as the return of Jay Hieron to the UFC.Twelve…

UFC on FX 5 is coming Friday and will feature twelve exciting bouts, including a main event between two heavyweights who love to finish fights.

The card also has a nice selection of lightweight bouts as well as the return of Jay Hieron to the UFC.

Twelve fights mean 24 guys have a chance to either make a name for themselves and climb the rankings or find themselves wondering what went wrong and what could have been.

Let’s take a closer look at all the fighters on the card and rank the men fighting at UFC on FX 5: Browne vs. Bigfoot.

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Chad Mendes vs. Hacran Dias Added to UFC on FX 6 in Australia

At one point in time, the UFC’s featherweight division seemed very lacking of talent. All of a sudden the featherweight division is featuring some of the most awesome matchups of the year including the one announced today. It’s official like a ref…

At one point in time, the UFC’s featherweight division seemed very lacking of talent. All of a sudden the featherweight division is featuring some of the most awesome matchups of the year including the one announced today.

 

It’s official like a referee whistle! I’m fighting hacran Diaz dec 15 in Australia!

— Chad Mendes (@chadmendes) October 1, 2012

 

Hacran Dias has only had one fight in the UFC, but it was an outstanding performance against Yuri Alcantara at UFC 147. Dias is riding an impressive nine-fight winning streak and has an overall record of 21-1-1.

Dias is taking a major step up in competition when he steps into the Octagon against former title contender Chad Mendes. Mendes is coming off a first-round knockout victory against Cody McKenzie at UFC 148 with a vicious body blow.

Mendes put his undefeated record on the line when he challenged Jose Aldo for the Featherweight Championship at UFC 142. Mendes looked impressive early in the first round, but ate a nasty knee trying to gain one final takedown at the end of the round and was defeated by knockout.

UFC on FX 6 is scheduled for December 14th in Australia and will feature the finale of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes. Mendes versus Dias will likely fall on the main card of the event, which will be headlined by a matchup between the two TUF: The Smashes coaches George Sotiropoulos and Ross Pearson.

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Forrest Griffin Admits to Taking Xanax Before UFC 101

Over the past few months, the UFC has been struggling with constant injuries that have nearly destroyed a number of events. And before the injury crisis, the UFC was in a battle with drugs, with top heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem and welterweig…

Over the past few months, the UFC has been struggling with constant injuries that have nearly destroyed a number of events. And before the injury crisis, the UFC was in a battle with drugs, with top heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem and welterweight Nick Diaz being suspended due to failed drug tests.

Now, we discover that a new fighter failed a post-fight drug test, and the name might surprise you: Forrest Griffin.

As reported by MMAFighting.com. Forrest Griffin admitted to failing his post-fight drug test after taking the drug Xanax before his UFC 101 matchup with Anderson Silva.

Griffin said (via MMAFighting.com), “I had a doctor’s prescription, I was just, I didn’t do it before the fight, I did it the night before, I was nervous and I couldn’t sleep.” 

Griffin’s UFC 101 matchup against middleweight champion Silva was one of the most one-sided fights in the history of the UFC. Silva looked untouchable. He simply just dodged and swayed away from every one of Griffin’s strike attempts and finished the original Ultimate Fighter winner with a straight jab to the face.

On why the failed drug test wasn’t released to the public by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, as well as why we are just now hearing this news, Griffin said, “What’s the point? Why add humiliation to a bad situation?”

A similar situation came about following news that Nick Diaz failed his drug test. It was released that Tyson Griffin had also failed a drug test, but it wasn’t released to the media right after like it was with Diaz.

This brings up the questions of when, who and how does these athletic commissions decide to release information about failed drug test? Hopefully, we will soon learn more about Griffin’s case and why we didn’t hear about it the day Griffin found out he failed a drug test.

 

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