The UFC has grown recently into one of the most known sporting organizations in the world, but it hasn’t always been that way.When the Ultimate Fighting Championship first started, it was only known to diehard fans who really went out of there way to f…
The UFC has grown recently into one of the most known sporting organizations in the world, but it hasn’t always been that way.
When the Ultimate Fighting Championship first started, it was only known to diehard fans who really went out of there way to find out more about the sport.
While most fans these days think of guys like Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, and Dan Severn from the early days or guys like Chuck Liddell, B.J. Penn, and Forrest Griffin when they think of the legends of the sport, none of these men held a UFC belt first.
Now, a key note to remember in this article is that the list doesn’t officially start until post-UFC 31 due to the fact that UFC 31 was the first event to feature the same weight classes that we have today. Also, the recently included featherweight and bantamweight divisions will be listed as well.
So, who were the first UFC champions in the weight class era of the UFC? Here they are, power ranked from the worse to the best first champions in UFC history.
As most of you already know, the UFC recently signed an exclusive deal with video-game powerhouse EA Sports. EA Sports have produced some of the best sports video games franchises, such as Madden and NCAA Football.Now, EA Sports has rights to one of th…
As most of you already know, the UFC recently signed an exclusive deal with video-game powerhouse EA Sports. EA Sports have produced some of the best sports video games franchises, such as Madden and NCAA Football.
Now, EA Sports has rights to one of the fastest-growing sports in the world’s leading organization.
Just like with many sports video games, gamers are already beginning to wonder who will be on the cover of the first installment of EA UFC? The THQ UFC Undisputed series featured the original Ultimate Fighter winner Forrest Griffin, former WWE star and UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and, most recently, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
So, who will be on the EA Sports cover of the next UFC video game? Here are my 10 picks.
This November, the UFC will feature one of the most anticipated returns in the sports history as UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre will return to the octagon.GSP is one of the most easy-going guys in the sport, and one thing is for certain: W…
This November, the UFC will feature one of the most anticipated returns in the sports history as UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre will return to the octagon.
GSP is one of the most easy-going guys in the sport, and one thing is for certain: When he returns, St-Pierre will be looking to get right back to work and add on to his already impressive nine-fight winning streak.
But, what if St-Pierre wanted to add a little style to his comeback? If that’s so, that would most likely mean changing his walkout song or wearing a cool, new walkout t-shirt.
Say that wasn’t enough, and St-Pierre wanted to take his comeback to the next level—the WWE level. While it’s not very likely and all these ideas have about a combined zero percent chance of happening, it’s still fun to think about.
With that said, here are five WWE inspired ways to bring UFC Welterweight Champion and one of the pound-for-pound fighters in the World Georges St-Pierre back to the UFC.
As Dana White announced after UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall, the UFC is targeting UFC 152 as the target date to feature the Welterweight Championship bout between George St-Pierre and current Interim Champion Carlos Condit.White also announced that the…
As Dana White announced after UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall, the UFC is targeting UFC 152 as the target date to feature the Welterweight Championship bout between George St-Pierre and current Interim Champion Carlos Condit.
White also announced that the number one contender fight would happen on the same card between Johny Hendricks and Martin Kampmann.
But, GSP is coming off one of the most serious injuries an athlete can suffer in a torn ACL, therefore there remains that uncertainty that St-Pierre will be ready by the November fight date. So, if GSP is unable to return by November, who should face interim champion: Hendricks or Kampmann?
Johny Hendricks is coming off back-to-back wins over Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck, both who are former welterweight number one contenders. Hendricks defeated Fitch with style, knocking him out in only 12 seconds. Against Koscheck, Hendricks wasn’t as impressive as the two went toe-to-toe for the entire 15 minutes resulting in a split decision win that some thought to be controversial.
Either way, only George St-Pierre has defeated both Fitch and Koscheck, which makes the feat even sweeter for Hendricks.
Hendricks is 13-1 with wins over Amir Sadollah, T.J. Grant, Charlie Brenneman, Mike Pierce, and the aforementioned Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck. Hendricks only loss was a decision to Rick Story and Hendricks has showed amazing improvements since that fight.
Has Hendricks done enough to secure a spot as the top contender in welterweight division? One fighter in particular would disagree.
Martin Kampmann continues to wow fight fans with his ability to comeback in fights where it appears he is on the verge of being finished. Earlier this month, Kampmann was rocked by fellow welterweight Jake Ellenberger, but soon gained momentum and finished Ellenberger with a vicious collection of knees.
This wasn’t Kampmann’s first rodeo though, as he was beaten up and looked like he was on his way to dropping a decision to former title contender, Thiago Alves, before locking in a guillotine with less than a minute remaining in the 3rd round.
Kampmann has a professional MMA record of 20-5 holding wins over Thales Leites, Jacob Volkmann, Paulo Thiago as well as the previously-mentioned Thiago Alves and Jake Ellenberger. Kampmann also holds a controversial split decision victory over current Interim Champion Carlos Condit.
Both men are right on the door step and it’s nearly impossible to say one guy deserves over another, but if GSP is unable to compete by November, one of these two men should fight Carlos Condit for the Interim Welterweight Championship, but which one?
Condit has gone on record stating he’d rather face Kampmann to avenge his only loss in the UFC, and I believe that if GSP isn’t ready to go, that’s the fight we will see at UFC 152. If Hendricks would have finished Koscheck, I’d say Hendricks deserves it, but what it comes down to to me is the two men’s last two victories.
Hendricks landed one huge shot and ended his fight with Fitch in 12 seconds, which is great for the fans, but we honestly didn’t get to see that fight. If that punch doesn’t land, would Hendricks still had been victorious? Comparing that and a close, split decision win over Koscheck with Kampmann’s back to back finishes over two of the toughest guys in the welterweight division goes a long way in my book.
As I’m sure you feel the same way, I hope GSP is able to return to the UFC this November, therefore we can crown a true Welterweight Champion as well as crown a true new welterweight number one contender as Hendricks and Kampmann will face-off.
One of the UFC’s busiest seasons yet is getting ready to kick off and if you’re like me, you can’t wait. Seven fights in the next three months and four of them on free TV. Injuries have attempted to ruin this huge summer of UFC events, but it has been …
One of the UFC’s busiest seasons yet is getting ready to kick off and if you’re like me, you can’t wait. Seven fights in the next three months and four of them on free TV. Injuries have attempted to ruin this huge summer of UFC events, but it has been unsuccessful as many of the most anticipated matchups in UFC history still remain.
Coming off the heels of a very explosive UFC 146 card featuring a main card of all heavyweights, The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale that saw Martin Kampmann upset Jake Ellenberger and one of the greatest Ultimate Fighter stories in history come full circle as Mike Chiesa won the Ultimate Fighter, it’s now time to start looking forward to the next seven UFC cards.
I’ll even rank them for you so you know which fights you want to see and which fights you absolutely can’t miss.
According to Adam Martin of The MMA Show, former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin is rumored to being targeted as Vitor Belfort’s replacement on June 23rd at UFC 147 against Wanderlei Silva in Brazil. The Franklin-Silva matchup would be a r…
According to Adam Martin of The MMA Show, former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin is rumored to being targeted as Vitor Belfort’s replacement on June 23rd at UFC 147 against Wanderlei Silva in Brazil.
The Franklin-Silva matchup would be a rematch from UFC 99 which seen Franklin and Silva go toe-to-toe in a Fight of the Night battle that seen Franklin pick up the win by unanimous decision.
The question that remains about this rumor actually coming true is if Franklin will be ready in time, as he is scheduled to face former-Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le at UFC 148 on July 7th.
UFC 147 is two weeks before Franklin’s scheduled bout, and seeing that Franklin is coming off of an injury and has not fought since February of 2011, it may be difficult for him to speed up his camp to be ready in time for the matchup.
If Franklin is scheduled to face Silva instead of Le, Cung Le would need an opponent for UFC 148 and we could see the likes of Alan Belcher, Tom Lawler, or Ronny Markes step in to fight Le on short notice.
Stay tuned for more details about this rumor and more UFC 147, as well as UFC 148, news.
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