Author: Craig Amos

UFC: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II Facing Possible Date Change

Do you have June 23 circled on your calender? If so, it might be time to start searching for a bottle of Wite-Out.That’s because the highly anticipated rematch between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and outspoken contender Chael Sonnen may have t…

Do you have June 23 circled on your calender? If so, it might be time to start searching for a bottle of Wite-Out.

That’s because the highly anticipated rematch between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and outspoken contender Chael Sonnen may have to be rescheduled.

You’re probably wondering what could possibly take precedence over a fight of this magnitude. If you guessed “soccer match,” you are incorrect.

The correct answer is a United Nations Conference.

As noted by MMAFighting.com, UFC president Dana White confirmed that the scheduling of UFC 147 is up in the air during the UFC on Fuel TV 2 post-fight presser.

The problem is, they don’t like the idea of us coming the same time this United Nations convention is going on. The other problem is hotel rooms. Most of the hotel rooms are being taken up. And we don’t think, we know that the Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen fight is one of the biggest sporting events this year, in the world.

The UN summit, which is being held to discuss sustainable development, is penciled in for a three-day duration, running from June 20 to June 22. Notably, UFC 147 is tentatively scheduled for the following day. 

So what’s the problem?

Well, in addition to the hotel occupancy overlap, the UFC was hoping to make this event a real show. The promotion was planning to take over Rio de Janeiro for the entire weekend, and the pre-fight pressers and weigh-ins were supposed to be a big part of the invasion.

Says Dana White:

I think it’s a huge sporting event. I think people will come to Rio from all over the world. I think we’re going to need hotel rooms. Hopefully we’ll get this thing done the next few days, one way or the other.

The hopes of turning Rio into a three-day UFC party took a hit with this announcement and leaves the company with two options. The event can be rebooked, or a “the show must go on” approach can be adopted. 

As White says, it shouldn’t be too long before this mess is all sorted out. 

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UFC on Fuel TV 2: Where Does Siyar Bahadurzada’s UFC Debut Rank

It’s hard to debut more impressively than Siyar Bahadurzada did Saturday night, scoring a 0:42 knockout over tough-as-nails Paulo Thiago.Why, that’s the most impressive a newcomer has looked since, well, Paulo Thiago.There are several threads linking t…

It’s hard to debut more impressively than Siyar Bahadurzada did Saturday night, scoring a 0:42 knockout over tough-as-nails Paulo Thiago.

Why, that’s the most impressive a newcomer has looked since, well, Paulo Thiago.

There are several threads linking the promotional debuts of Bahadurzada and Thiago together. Both guys arrived in the UFC with prospect status, but little fanfare. Both guys were in their late 20s. Both guys were given a difficult opponent in their first match. Both won by first round knockout. 

But that is not to say that Bahadurzada and Thiago are the only fighters to have debuted in the UFC with quick finishes. Charles Oliveira for instance, debuted with a 0:41 second submission win over Darren Elkins, besting Bahadurzada’s finishing time by a mere second.

Anthony Johnson debuted by turning out the lights on Chad Reiner in only 13 seconds, making the pace set by Oliveira seem leisurely.

Certainly, Bahadurzada’s debut is not one of a kind, nor is it the only parallel the debut of the opponent he stopped. However, its connection to Thiago’s first fight under the UFC banner is without a doubt the most useful precedent in situating the newcomer’s performance in the grand scheme of things.

After all, Paulo Thiago is not Darren Elkins, and he is certainly not Chad Reiner.

What really sets Bahadurzada’s win apart from the many other quick starters the UFC has seen come through its doors, is that Thiago is not a guy that gets finished. In fact, he had never been stopped prior to Saturday night, and he has fought some impressive strikers before. 

Thiago had battled Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck and Martin Kampmann and stayed conscious throughout.

When you consider the short cross that Bahadurzada clipped him with, it really speaks volumes about the power of “The Great.”

The cross Bahadurzada threw looked like it had less on it than the uppercut Thiago stopped Koscheck with. 

Trying to perfectly situate Bahadurzada’s debut is a subjective and ultimately impossible task, but suffice it to say, he impressed. 

When Thiago finished Koscheck, the MMA world was abuzz over the new Brazilian that knocked out a top fighter who had previously worn the distinction of having never been knocked out.

It seems Thiago, the man who surprised us all at one point, has brought us full circle. The only real difference this time around is that the hot new thing is not from Brazil, but Afghanistan.

But, you get the point.

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UFC on Fuel TV 2 Predictions: Brian Stann Will Knockout Alessio Sakara

We are now just one day away from the reprisal of the world’s largest MMA promotion.Just a day until all that pent-up longing for the UFC is sated.Just a day until Brian Stann floors Alessio Sakara.As part of UFC on Fuel TV 2’s main card, American Bria…

We are now just one day away from the reprisal of the world’s largest MMA promotion.

Just a day until all that pent-up longing for the UFC is sated.

Just a day until Brian Stann floors Alessio Sakara.

As part of UFC on Fuel TV 2‘s main card, American Brian Stann will face off against Italy’s Alessio Sakara.

The fight promises to provide no shortage of fireworks as both guys prefer throwing haymakers to trading submissions.

In his last bout, Stann saw a three-fight win streak end at the hand of Chael Sonnen. “All American” had been building momentum towards a title shot, but will will have to reset things with a win in Sweden.

Like Stann, Sakara is coming off a loss that interrupted three straight victories. “Legionarius” has been out of action for over a year since that loss and will be eager to get things back on track.

While both combatants have enough motivation and power in their fists to turn the other’s lights out, it will be Stann who ends this one in style.

Sakara is a very tough guy who is difficult to knock out, but he has succumbed to strikes by Chris Leben, Houston Alexander and Drew McFedries before.

Granted, all three of those guys hit like hammers, but then again, so does Stann. He also possesses a more technical arsenal of strikes than any of the fighters listed. 

Additionally, the former WEC light heavyweight champion has not struggled to stop tough guys in the past. His last two wins have come via knockout over Jorge Santiago and Chris Leben.

Throw in Sakara’s potential ring rust and this one spells knockout for Brian Stann.

Expect some nice exchanges in the opening moments of the fight before Stann simply pulls ahead and begins landing cleanly. Once that begins, it is only a matter of time.

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Where Pride Stars Are 5 Years After the Zuffa Purchase

This fall will mark the five-year anniversary of Zuffa’s purchase of Pride Fighting Championships, an event that reshaped the landscape of the MMA world.For the better part of the 2000s, fans of mixed martial arts debated whether it was the U…

This fall will mark the five-year anniversary of Zuffa’s purchase of Pride Fighting Championships, an event that reshaped the landscape of the MMA world.

For the better part of the 2000s, fans of mixed martial arts debated whether it was the UFC or Pride that had the better roster of fighters, which company put on better events and which organization was overall superior to the other.

These discourses ceased in 2007.

Shortly after the purchase was announced, Pride was eliminated, its operations shutdown and its stable of fighters was in part discarded, in part amalgamated into the UFC.

Here, we will take a look at what has become of some of the better-known fighters who carved out their niche in the world of mixed martial arts in Pride FC.

In addition to those who built themselves up through Pride, the organization saw lots of established, or soon to be established, talent grace its ring. Legends like Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva and Royce Gracie come to mind.

But this article will acknowledge those who spent significant time fighting under the Pride banner. Those who became stars there. Those that became legends.

Certainly, the promotion produced no shortage of either during the its golden age. 

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UFC 145: Rory MacDonald vs Che Mills: Keys to Victory for Each Fighter

Uber-prospect Rory MacDonald will look to take the next step in his career at UFC 145. To do so, the youngster will need to overcome Che Mills, who will seek to halt the MacDonald hype train.The matchup will go down on April 21 from Atlanta, Ga. B…

Uber-prospect Rory MacDonald will look to take the next step in his career at UFC 145. To do so, the youngster will need to overcome Che Mills, who will seek to halt the MacDonald hype train.

The matchup will go down on April 21 from Atlanta, Ga. 

Both MacDonald and Mills are coming off UFC victories and will look to garner some momentum to carry throughout the 2012 calendar year.

Here, we will take a look at what each fighter must do to pull out a win at UFC 145 by assigning the combatants’ three keys to victory.

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UFC: Three Fights Added to TUF Live Finale

While The Ultimate Fight Live Finale is still missing its centerpiece, the card continues to take form with the addition of three recently announced featherweight bouts.Former TUF champion, Jonathan Brookins, will match Brazilian prospect, Charles…

While The Ultimate Fight Live Finale is still missing its centerpiece, the card continues to take form with the addition of three recently announced featherweight bouts.

Former TUF champion, Jonathan Brookins, will match Brazilian prospect, Charles Oliveira. Also announced, Byron Bloodworth will battle TUF veteran John Albert, and Hawaiian, Max Holloway, will face off with Pat Schilling.

Brookins and Oliveira both look to be headed towards bright futures, so this tussle will not lack intrigue.

Oliveira is an electric fighter with good striking and advanced jiu-jitsu. He is a six-fight UFC veteran, yet is only 22-years-old.

Brookins will likely look to employ his wrestling to control the pace of the match. The 26 year old has gone 2-1 in the UFC and is fresh off a knockout win over Vagner Rocha.

The fight will mark Oliveira’s second fight at featherweight.

John Albert holds a 1-1 record inside the UFC, his most recent bout a submission loss to veteran, Ivan Menjivar.

Byron Bloodworth lost to Mike Easton in his promotional debut and is looking for his first victory inside the Octagon.

Max Holloway’s only UFC contest is a loss to Dustin Poirier. Though the result, a first round submission loss, looks unimpressive, Holloway exhibited some vicious stand-up during the opening moments of that fight.

Like Holloway’s, Schilling’s sole UFC fight resulted in a first round submission defeat. 

“Thrilling” possesses a strong ground game and will look to sink in a submission of his own against the striker, Holloway.

The three bouts will complement a rematch between surging welterweights Jake Ellenberger and Martin Kampmann, as well as the TUF Live final.

The matches were reported earlier today by MMA Weekly.

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