Along with trying to establish mixed martial arts in American sports culture, MMA promoters like the UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator are competing against the excepted assumptions of the sport in today’s mainstream media, including news outlets, uneducat…
Along with trying to establish mixed martial arts in American sports culture, MMA promoters like the UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator are competing against the excepted assumptions of the sport in today’s mainstream media, including news outlets, uneducated fans, ill-advised combat followers and more.
With obvious aspects of MMA weighing on the first impressions of ordinary sports fans, such as rules, how fighters train and how barbaric it really is, the potential for growth heading into the future becomes somewhat limited.
However, people need to understand that MMA is only getting stronger, so by subjecting yourself to the truths about the sport and companies like the UFC, you’re only giving in to the inevitable.
With that said, here are the top-10 things that mainstream media misunderstands about the sport of MMA and the UFC included.
As we approach the end of December, more specifically UFC 141, it’s important to remember how we got here.This year may have offered the best fights ever in a 12-month span.From Anderson Silva and Jon Jones KO title defenses, to two championship bouts …
As we approach the end of December, more specifically UFC 141, it’s important to remember how we got here.
This year may have offered the best fights ever in a 12-month span.
From Anderson Silva and Jon Jones KO title defenses, to two championship bouts between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, this year has encompassed unbelievable knockouts, submissions, comeback victories and legendary showdowns.
To be honest with you, constructing this list was a lot harder than I initially expected, considering the magnitude of fights and depth of talent that the UFC gives its fans on a monthly basis.
With that said, along with the expectations of UFC 141 being a legitimate PPV event to ring in the new year, here are the top 10 UFC events of 2011.
I apologize in advance if anybody is offended because their favorite fighters, or fights, fail to make this list. There were simply too many jaw-dropping events.
And a quick heads up. George St. Pierre and BJ Penn are not on this list. Probably the only time over the past five years in which you can’t call me crazy for not throwing them on here. Enjoy.
Do you now believe?Between the massive tweets and eccentric fans who tuned into UFC 140, the MMA community witnessed Jon Jones’ deciding victory over the aggressive Lyoto Machida Saturday night.Whether it was the nasty gash on Machida’s forehead, compl…
Do you now believe?
Between the massive tweets and eccentric fans who tuned into UFC 140, the MMA community witnessed Jon Jones’ deciding victory over the aggressive Lyoto Machida Saturday night.
Whether it was the nasty gash on Machida’s forehead, compliments of a Jones elbow, or the out-of-this-world standing guillotine that ended the fight in the second round, Jones’ decisive win over a top contender was everything justifiable.
Heading into UFC 140, many people, whether they wanted to or not, disregarded Jones as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, considering he had only defended his UFC light heavyweight championship once.
But following this victory, one that came after a first-round barrage of Machida strikes, what’s left to say about Jones?
Honestly, not much. I mean, what can you say?
He is, right now, the best fighter in the world. Whether you disagree in respect for middleweight champion Anderson Silva, or if you just don’t want to crown a 24-year-old the “great one,” Jones’ dominance reigns true in any fashion.
The guy has only been training MMA for four years, and he has already captured glory at the grandest scale. To think that his victory over Machida Saturday night wasn’t part of some glorious UFC destination seems unrewarding and unfair to a guy who has done everything—in and out of the Octagon—to perfection.
At this point in his career, with his striking ability, quick reactions to limit damage and his unorthodox submissions, Jones has simply transformed into a younger Silva.
Not only because he resembles Silva through length, speed and demeanor, but because his attitude and success in the cage proves too valuable to pass up.
Think about it this way. Can you imagine what the UFC would witness is Silva was currently 24 years old?
It’d be madness.
One fighter who has the power to take over the sport. One athlete who can transcend his predecessors at every level. One man who can shift the sport into mainstream America and rule mixed martial arts for the next decade.
Well, look no further. Imagination or not, Jon Jones is currently that guy.
Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC 140. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the December 10 fight card, from pre-fight predictions toin-fight coverage, resultsand post-fight analysis.
The UFC is more stacked than it’s ever been.With the emergence of Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz as perennial champions, a lot of fighters are being overlooked heading into 2012.But along with the UFC’s dynamic capitalization of the WEC’s B…
The UFC is more stacked than it’s ever been.
With the emergence of Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz as perennial champions, a lot of fighters are being overlooked heading into 2012.
But along with the UFC’s dynamic capitalization of the WEC’s Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions, the sheer evolution of the modern day mixed martial artist has given fans and experts the privilege in witnessing top-notch bouts on an event-to-event basis.
With that said, beyond the explosive knockouts, come-from-behind victories, unprecedented upsets and toe-to-toe battles of 2011, it’s time to reign in the new year.
Wily veterans, top prospects and near-contenders are continuously fighting for their chances to revenge a championships loss, or spark a new era of excellence in their respective divisions.
Here are 15 fighters who have the opportunities to shock the UFC community and capture 2012 gold.
At this point, your jaw is probably still unhinged after witnessing Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua’s epic fight Saturday night at UFC 139.An absolute instant classic.Neither guy slowed down or shut down, proving that will and a good chin can do wonders i…
At this point, your jaw is probably still unhinged after witnessing Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua’s epic fight Saturday night at UFC 139.
An absolute instant classic.
Neither guy slowed down or shut down, proving that will and a good chin can do wonders in a five-round UFC bout. But beyond the obvious highlight-reel punches, a bloodied face and a stacked bank account, how exactly does Henderson stack-up against the likes of UFC champions Anderson Silva and Jon “Bones” Jones?
Regardless of what you may think a 41-year-old power wrestler is capable of against some of the world’s best fighters, Hendo has enough left in the tank to make a run at one of these UFC work horses.
Silva is currently the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the universe, and Jones isn’t too far behind him. Both have similar unpredictable offenses that have proven deadly for nearly every top-contender in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.
With that said, Henderson has always been regarded as one of the best fighters in the world, so why change that notion now?
Henderson has already faced-off with Silva for middleweight superiority back at UFC 82, ultimately losing in the second round via submission. However, he was able to disrupt Silva on the feet to the point where he scored a take-down.
The first round was ultimately a split, but Silva’s ground game proved more worthy than Henderson’s submission defense.
As far as Jones is concerned, it seems as if he’s poised to run the 205 lb. division for the foreseeable future, but his chin has never really been tested. Henderson landed some vicious strikes on Rua this weekend, ones that could have knocked the light heavyweight champion off his block. (Jones did toy with Rua back at UFC 128, resulting in him becoming the youngest UFC champion ever.)
But almost every fan knows that the past doesn’t necessarily tell the future. Henderson had Rua rocked in the first round Saturday, earlier than Jones had done. Henderson also took a bunch of shots stretching over five rounds, something that Jones really hasn’t experienced throughout his UFC career.
Think about it this way. Over his past three fights, Jones has been exposed to a total of 30 strikes.
Now that proves two things. One is that Jones is that darn good. To avoid serious damage from top-fighters like Rua, Rampage Jackson and Ryan Bader immediately secures his title as the most elusive fighter in the division.
The other outlook is that Jones’ chin and ability to offensively attack after being smashed in the grill hasn’t been tested. With Henderson being known as powerful striker, sometimes deliberately wild, his abilities could match up well with the light heavyweight champ.
On the other side of things, a rematch with Silva would be pretty damn entertaining.
After four years removed from their first battle in the Octagon, Henderson could fare better this time around. Chael Sonnen proved that taking down Silva is the best plan possible, using wrestling and a crisp ground game to secure points by the bunches.
Sonnen is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC, but so his Henderson. Although, that was not the case Saturday as Henderson usually gets sucked into slug fests when it would benefit him more to bring the fight to the canvas.
So by standing and trying to land a heavy strike to Silva’s chin, which has been impossible to do, Henderson’s chances of capturing a revenge-win doesn’t look so good.
However, if the wrestler is able to bring Silva to the ground, similar to Sonnen’s destruction of the champ at UFC 117, he may be able to secure a win early, something that would be much harder to do against a better ground specialist like Jones.
Whichever UFC champion you match Henderson against, they’ll easily surpass him in the stand-up department.
Jones and Silva are easily two of the most prolific strikers in the world, using unorthodox kicks and quick punches to unload on their opponents. Now while Henderson posses a lot of power in his hands, his inability to swiftly move around the ring and throw strikes with consistency would realistically diminish his opportunities to knock either guy down.
By calculating how good Jones and Silva are on their feet, Henderson’s chances of beating either one of them would seemingly come down to his ability to score takedowns. Silva’s ground game has been sort of suspect (at least what we’ve seen), while Jones’ has proved helpful in the past.
However, Silva is simply too good all-around to keep him on his back once you get him there, using his long reach to land strikes in the guard or lock in a submission using his top-notch Brazilian Jiu-Jistu.
What it would come down to is Henderson sticking to his game plan of bringing the fight to the mat. While he does have the power to land a one-punch KO, Jones and Silva are too elusive on their feet to get into a tactical brawl with.
So when you add into the mix that Jones is a stronger and bigger wrestler than Silva, it would likely benefit Henderson to take on the middleweight champion in a rematch for UFC gold.
Let’s hope he gets a chance to prove me right, or wrong.
UFC 139 was downright awesome.It should have been the card featured on the UFC’s debut on FOX, but let’s just agree that Dana White dropped the ball on that one.Regardless, Saturday proved that even without a title bout on the main card, fireworks can …
It should have been the card featured on the UFC’s debut on FOX, but let’s just agree that Dana White dropped the ball on that one.
Regardless, Saturday proved that even without a title bout on the main card, fireworks can still go off.
Beyond the immediate showdowns that featured an epic fight between Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua, a submission victory for Urijah Faber and a KO by Wanderlei Silva, the Spike prelims showcased one of the best prospects that the UFC has to offer.
Twenty-year-old Michael “Mayday” McDonald.
I’ve written about this kid a few times in the past, and everything I thought he’d be, he is.
McDonald has easily become one of the most explosive fighters in the bantamweight division, and with his age and room for improvement, he’s currently on the fast track to UFC supremacy.
With that said, alongside McDonald, here are the top 10 prospects in the UFC today.
Do you now believe?