Before the long-awaited third act of the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos trilogy plays out, two of the UFC’s most grizzled lightweight veterans will look to capture Fight of the Night honors.
As well-oiled and well-conditioned machines, former Str…
Before the long-awaited third act of the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos trilogy plays out, two of the UFC’s most grizzled lightweight veterans will look to capture Fight of the Night honors.
As well-oiled and well-conditioned machines, former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez and former top contender Diego Sanchez have all the tools to make their fight a bloody, memorable war of attrition.
For Melendez, a victory over a well-known tough man like “The Dream” could lead to another shot at the lightweight title sometime next year, maybe even in Mexico.
For Sanchez, a former top dog who has struggled to compile only three decision victories since 2009, a victory over one of the best fighters in the promotion could lead to a career resurgence.
Here’s how the initial head-to-toe breakdown stacks up entering UFC 166 this Saturday.
Demian Maia’s torrid pace atop the welterweight division has come to an abrupt halt. The world-renowned submission specialist fell victim to former No. 1 contender Jake Shields last night in Brazil.
The split-decision loss was somewhat uncharacte…
Demian Maia’s torrid pace atop the welterweight division has come to an abrupt halt. The world-renowned submission specialist fell victim to former No. 1 contender Jake Shields last night in Brazil.
The split-decision loss was somewhat uncharacteristic for a grappling guru like Maia, but nonetheless his impressive three-fight win streak since making his welterweight debut has come to an end.
Ultimately, a decision loss doesn’t completely knock Maia out of the division’s top 10, but it’s not going to help his case for a title shot sometime in 2014.
Instead, a man who has already tasted a heartbreaking championship defeat at the hands of Anderson Silva will be forced back to the drawing board. It’s a step in the wrong direction for a 35-year-old, but potentially only a minor hiccup for a fighter who has only been finished once in his career.
So who’s next for one of the UFC’s best jiu-jitsu practitioners? Who can Maia match up with who offers him a chance to win and pad his growing welterweight resume?
Look no further.
Rousimar Palhares
As a fellow welterweight who thrives on grabbing his opponents and imposing his strong grappling, Palhares would be an excellent choice for Maia’s next opponent.
Both fighters are excellent at utilizing transitions, hip control and guard work, so you can count on a ground war. Now, while that may deter certain fans from watching, it’s still a versatile battle that offers some of the best Octagon action around.
A decisive victory over a submission savant like Palhares would certainly instill some confidence into Maia after his recent collapse against Shields. Of course, if he happened to get caught or whittled down by the bigger Brazilian, then Maia would most definitely drop out of the division’s top 10.
Martin Kampmann
Even after dropping back-to-back fights to some of the division’s most prolific names, Kampmann still possesses enough pizazz and respect to be an outstanding notch on Maia’s belt.
It would be a matchup that would not only showcase the Brazilian’s ability to get in close on a precise kickboxer with strong hands, but it’d be interesting to see if Maia could muscle down one of the better takedown defenders in the weight class.
Kampmann is also still ranked fairly high in the division, so a finish over him would put Maia right back where he needs to be to contend for a title sometime late next year.
Nick Diaz
Why not, Diaz?
With speculation swirling about a possible return, albeit an undetermined one at that, Diaz would essentially be a lottery ticket for Maia’s title hopes.
A fighter like Diaz commands a certain popularity that only a few athletes in today’s MMA have the privilege of showcasing. So even though he hasn’t captured a victory inside the Octagon since 2011, the hard-nosed Californian can still promote the heck out of a fight.
If Maia was to ever fight Diaz, an impressive victory would once again supplant him atop the welterweight crop heap. Of course, this is assuming he can escape the penetrating presence of Diaz’s suffocating boxing and in-fight antics.
Fighters come in all different shapes and sizes. From a heavy-handed Irish featherweight to a 240-pound Brazilian submission specialist, the vast pallet of UFC talent never ceases to forge masterpieces.
Over the years, these elite athletes have b…
Fighters come in all different shapes and sizes. From a heavy-handed Irish featherweight to a 240-pound Brazilian submission specialist, the vast pallet of UFC talent never ceases to forge masterpieces.
Over the years, these elite athletes have been tagged and bagged in order to secure the future of a promotion challenging the world for supremacy. As a result, the UFC has reaped the benefits.
Timely title threats, infamous rivalries and explosive young phenoms have been the foundation for nine growing weight classes.
But as it is in any sport, things are bound to change. Revered champions, perennial challengers and boastful finishers are all destined to fall. Luckily, each durable and self-regenerating division supports itself from within.
Here is a breakdown of each UFC weight class and which key names play increasingly intricate roles within their respective divisions.
This year has been full of historic fights. From Chris Weidman knocking out Anderson Silva to Jon Jones narrowly escaping the onslaught of a Swedish mauler, 2013 has delivered through and through.
But what makes the next three months even more en…
This year has been full of historic fights. From Chris Weidman knocking out Anderson Silva to Jon Jones narrowly escaping the onslaught of a Swedish mauler, 2013 has delivered through and through.
But what makes the next three months even more enticing for mixed martial arts fans around the world is the fact that the UFC has once again perfected the art of scheduling.
Championship trilogies, storied grudge matches and detrimental divisional showdowns are all on the docket to close out the calendar year. Lucky for us, many of these bouts will be decided in a matter of weeks.
Being an ex-UFC champion these days isn’t easy. In a youth-injected era recently overtaken by evolutionary talent and skill, the ins and outs of being an elite mixed martial artist are becoming more intricate by the day.
So when you falter, thing…
Being an ex-UFC champion these days isn’t easy. In a youth-injected era recently overtaken by evolutionary talent and skill, the ins and outs of being an elite mixed martial artist are becoming more intricate by the day.
So when you falter, things tend to fall apart, especially for a tenured titleholder.
Critics are the first to jump ship at the sight of a potential fall-off, followed by a fanbase often depicted by the always unfair “what have you done for me lately?” motto.
But through all of the hardship and experiences endured by ex-champions looking to reclaim their throne, the future is still bright. They still have a chance to reboot the system, work out the kinks, settle into a new mode of offense and aim for greatness.
Here’s how each current ex-champion ranks amongst their peers. Enjoy.
Sometimes expectations are shattered in the eyes of human will. Sometimes that will reaches heights better left for gods. Sometimes it takes a mysteriously clad Stockholm brawler to push an otherwise immortal champion to his breaking point….
Sometimes expectations are shattered in the eyes of human will. Sometimes that will reaches heights better left for gods. Sometimes it takes a mysteriously clad Stockholm brawler to push an otherwise immortal champion to his breaking point.
But through all the instances of sheer excellence displayed during Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson‘s epically brutal showdown at UFC 165, the pound-for-pound king remained atop his throne.
In what many now consider the greatest fight in UFC history, both light heavyweight phenoms forged carnage in front of thousands of astonished Canadian onlookers. Some previously discredited a towering dynamo aiming to fuse crisp boxing and hard-nosed conditioning to challenge the sport’s most prolific figure.
From the opening bell to the last, war was the only option. By stuffing numerous takedown attempts by one of the division’s most elite wrestlers, the Swedish mauler satisfied his appetite with his own bread and butter.
Whether it was slick combinations, rangy leg kicks or excellent fluency around the cage, Gustafsson was just as dangerous as the champ.
Jones on the other hand, a man who’s been known to dominate every minute of every round, struggled to maintain potency.
Sure the champion did his damage with ill-willed elbows and spinning strikes from nowhere, but he was far from his usual frame of mind. Chalk it up to the challenger’s ability to hit him at will.
With all of that said, Jones still prevailed. What he lacked in precision and counter-ability he more than mirrored with something unseen before.
It was Jones’ unparalleled tenacity and inhuman perseverance that overcame the world-class effort and natural grit put forth by a previously overshadowed predecessor.
It was a timely combination of the two that truly dispelled any speculation about the champ’s toughness and willingness to battle through a bloody state. Because for one instance, the most physically gifted and skillfully equipped athlete in the sport was transformed into a mere fighter.
He was no longer “Bones” Jones. He was no longer the youngest champion in UFC history. He was no longer the quintessential untouchable name in the sport.
For those lone 25 minutes of Octagon greatness, Jones was simply a man surviving a hungry pit bull off its chain.
Even though the brutal affair will forever be remembered as the day the pound-for-pound greatest fighter on the planet met his equal, the overall outcome holds much more power.
In a division recently riddled by aging veterans blazing their second or third title trails, top-tier youth seemed unattainable. But after witnessing the skill and blatant brutality of Gustafsson opposite a polarizing champion, the division’s future has transformed overnight.
It has sparked the newest and the biggest rivalry in the sport—one that hasn’t surfaced in over a decade. Sure you can make the case for Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen’s media-driven clash, but they weren’t even close in the talent department.
Jones and Gustafsson on the other hand resembled that of a throwback Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz fight. It resembled that of a championship collision heard around the world—one that garnered more than just glitz and glamour.
On their own account, neither Jones or Gustafsson played the perfect game. Each fighter took a calculated licking, often crippling any chance they had to swing the ever-changing momentum pendulum completely their way.
But together, joined at the hip by determination and moxie, Jones and Gustafsson were flawless. They mastered the art of fighting by overcoming every imperfection. For what was truly a back and forth affair, the everlasting battle was mixed martial arts at its finest.
So say what you will about the unexpected five-round turnout that had the MMA world on its heels. Jones and Gustafsson performed like legends. One man was trying to forge a legacy based on divisional title defenses and the other was looking to cement himself as the man who took down the champ.
In a time when past generational stars like Silva and Georges St-Pierre are either on their way out or capping off a storied career, the sport needed a fight just like this. One that re-energizes a generation occupied by fighters often depicted as the “new breed.”
In other words, it put the whole sport on notice.
The five-round melee was simply one of those perfected moments that made being an honest and fair combat fan worthwhile. Just two guys slinging leather and hoping for the best—the fact that both Jones and Gustafsson are only 26 years old and destined to tangle again is just icing on the cake.
Demian Maia’s torrid pace atop the welterweight division has come to an abrupt halt. The world-renowned submission specialist fell victim to former No. 1 contender Jake Shields last night in Brazil.