Author: David Daniels

Hunt vs. Silva: Bigfoot Will Stomp Super Samoan on UFC Fight Night

Antonio Silva has knocked out more talented fighters than Mark Hunt.
The two fighters will face off on Dec. 7’s UFC Fight Night in Australia. Only one will put up a fight, though. Silva will manhandle Hunt—nothing less should be expected du…

Antonio Silva has knocked out more talented fighters than Mark Hunt.

The two fighters will face off on Dec. 7’s UFC Fight Night in Australia. Only one will put up a fight, though. Silva will manhandle Hunt—nothing less should be expected due to the former’s superior body of work.

But first, speaking of body, Silva is 6’4”, 262 pounds of muscle. Hunt is not only overmatched in terms of their respective resumes, but measurables as well.

He’s 5’10”—six inches shorter than Silva (for those reaching for a calculator)—and has a 74 inch wingspan. His reach—which is the stat that actually matters, not necessarily height—is eight inches shorter than Silva’s. The cherry on top of the mismatch sundae is that Hunt is practically a Roy “Big Country” Nelson disciple when it comes to physique definition.

Silva is also five years younger than him. As if this matchup didn’t already seem overwhelming enough for Hunt on paper, the fighters’ experiences in the ring only amplify Hunt’s status as an underdog.

Don’t be fooled by Hunt’s four victories in his last five fights. None of his victories came against competitors who are currently rated in the Top 10 of UFC’s heavyweight contender rankings. The Top 10-caliber fighters that Hunt has faced—Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem and Josh Barnett—defeated him by either knockout (Dos Santos) or submission (Overeem and Barnett).

By comparison, Silva knocked out No. 5 heavyweight contender Travis Browne and No. 7 Overeem in the past 16 months. Sure, Silva can’t survive Round 1 in the octagon against Cain Velasquez, but Hunt is a far cry from the UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Hunt will enter Saturday with a mediocre 9-8 record and fall to 9-9. Silva will rise to 19-5, which should move the No. 4 heavyweight contender closer to a rematch with No. 3 Fabricio Werdum.

 

David Daniels is a Breaking News Writer for Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.

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Cain Velasquez’s Greatest Threats to UFC Champion’s Heavyweight Title

Cain Velasquez awaits any threat to his title not named Junior dos Santos.
Dos Santos is the only UFC fighter who has taken Velasquez more than one round since 2010, but he lost by TKO to the heavyweight champion on Saturday night in UFC 166. 
Vel…

Cain Velasquez awaits any threat to his title not named Junior dos Santos.

Dos Santos is the only UFC fighter who has taken Velasquez more than one round since 2010, but he lost by TKO to the heavyweight champion on Saturday night in UFC 166. 

Velasquez has now defeated the UFC No. 1 heavyweight contender two out of three times, including in back-to-back fights. He’s beaten the No. 4 contender Antonio Silva twice. Knowing that, here are the top three threats to Velasquez’s throne.

 

3. Travis Browne

Browne has plenty of momentum after earning Knockout of the Night honors in his last two fights, defeating Alistair Overeem and Gabriel Gonzalez in the first round. However, in his previous bout, he fell to Silva in Round 1—the same Silva who couldn’t survive Round 1 against Velasquez. A victory over the champ would be shocking for the No. 5 UFC heavyweight contender.

 

2. Fabrício Werdum

Werdum, the No. 3 UFC heavyweight contender, has won three straight fights, including bouts over the talented Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Roy Nelson. It’s nearly been five years since suffering a first-round knockout to Dos Santos, so he’s deserving of a shot at the title. But five career losses show he’s extremely beatable and anything other him notching a sixth loss would be a surprise against Velasquez.

 

1. Daniel Cormier

Cormier should be Velasquez’s next opponent.

He remains undefeated after 13 professional fights that include wins over UFC heavyweight contenders Silva, Roy Nelson, Frank Mir and Josh Barnett. Cormier was the No. 2 UFC heavyweight contender only behind dos Santos before the No. 1 fell to the champ on Saturday night.

Whether or not Cormier is actually talented enough to defeat—or even compete against—Velasquez, he still has the cleanest resume and is most deserving of being the next challenger to Velasquez’s supremacy.

 

David Daniels is a breaking news writer at Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.

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UFC 161: Dan Henderson Deserves Rematch with Rashad Evans After Split Decision

Rashad Evans defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 161 due to the opinion of a single judge. Evans earned the victory by split decision on Saturday night. Two judges scored the meeting 29-28 in his favor, the third 29-28 for Henderson, according to E…

Rashad Evans defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 161 due to the opinion of a single judge.

Evans earned the victory by split decision on Saturday night. Two judges scored the meeting 29-28 in his favor, the third 29-28 for Henderson, according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Like in most split-decision finishes, the loser could have just as easily been pegged the winner. To erase such doubt surrounding the result—or to raise even more—UFC president Dana White should schedule a rematch between the fighters.

Henderson told Fuel TV after the fight that he thought he won.

Henderson may have not been the only fighter in the Octagon who doubted the result. MMAJunkie.com sure couldn’t tell by Evans’ reaction to the judges’ decision that he believed he won the match.

Not only do Henderson and Evans deserve more closure between the two of them, but they aren’t ready to fight light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

Henderson hasn’t won a match since 2011. He lost his last two in split decisions against Evans and Lyoto Machida. Meanwhile, Jones boasts triumphs over both fighters, even forcing Machida to submit in the second round of their bout.

Their results against common opponents suggest Henderson doesn’t deserve a title shot. Evans doesn’t deserve one, either. He already faced off against Jones at UFC 145 and lost by unanimous decision.

Evans followed that loss up with another by unanimous decision to Antônio Rogério Nogueira. ESPN suggested the win over Henderson could put Evans back into title contention. If so, he’s several spots back on a waiting list.

Alexander Gustafsson will fight Jones at UFC 165 on Sept. 21. Machida, according to the UFC Fighter Rankings, is the No. 1 contender. Meanwhile, Glover Teixeira is 4-0 in the UFC, with each of his victories coming since May 26 of last year. He is the No. 4 contender.

Nogueira is No. 5 and he’s far more deserving of a shot at Jones than No. 6 Evans. Nogueira not only beat Evans, but he never fought Jones.

Evans and Henderson aren’t remotely ready for a title fight. They should silence the debate from their debatable decision before even thinking about a showdown with Jones. 

 

David Daniels is a breaking news writer at Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.

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Jon Jones Deserves to Be Heavily Favored over Alexander Gustafsson

Jon Jones is right. Even before it was official that the UFC light heavyweight champion will face off in the Octagon against Alexander Gustafsson in UFC 165 on Sept. 21, “Bones” already took a shot at “The Mauler.” Here is how the UFC Fighter Rankings&…

Jon Jones is right.

Even before it was official that the UFC light heavyweight champion will face off in the Octagon against Alexander Gustafsson in UFC 165 on Sept. 21, “Bones” already took a shot at “The Mauler.” Here is how the UFC Fighter Rankings’ No. 2 pound-for-pound on the planet responded to the No. 2 light heavyweight contender on Twitter three weeks ago.

Fighting Jones won’t be good for Gustafsson’s image. The champ is a heavy, 8-1 favorite over him, according to MMAjunkie.com. That’s the same probability oddsmakers gave Jones against Chael Sonnen, according to Odds Shark.

Sonnen failed to survive a single round against Jones, suffering a knockout 4:33 into their match at UFC 159. A similar, overwhelming title defense against Gustafsson wouldn’t be shocking.

The Swedish mixed martial artist has only competed against two of the UFC Fighter Rankings’ Top 10 light heavyweight fighters. Phil Davis, now No. 8, choked him out in the first round of UFC 112. Gustafsson defeated Mauricio Rua, now No. 7, this past December in UFC on Fox, but Jones beat Rua, too. He won by knockout.

Gustafsson isn’t even the No. 1 light heavyweight contender. Lyoto Machida is, and Jones defeated him in the second round of UFC 140 by technical submission.

A fan told Jones on Twitter after UFC announced the fighter’s next opponent that Gustafsson will challenge him. Jones wasn’t so sure.

Since Jones lost to Matt Hamill in 2009 for illegal elbows, he’s claimed victory by knockout or submission against every single one of his opponents not named Rashad Evans. There’s nothing in Gustafsson’s resume which suggests that trend will cease in September.

After Gustafsson and Jones’ Twitter exchange on May 24, The Mauler tweeted this at Bones the following day.

Taunting one of the world’s greatest fighters didn’t help Sonnen distract Jones. It won’t increase Gustafsson’s upset odds either.

 

David Daniels is a Breaking News writer at Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.

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UFC 160: Glover Teixeira Deserves Shot at Jon Jones

Glover Teixeira shouldn’t need to be the No. 1 contender to merit a matchup with Jon Jones for the Light Heavyweight Championship.In UFC 160, the Brazilian Wrecking Machine forced James Te-Huna of New Zealand to submit two minutes, 38 seconds int…

Glover Teixeira shouldn’t need to be the No. 1 contender to merit a matchup with Jon Jones for the Light Heavyweight Championship.

In UFC 160, the Brazilian Wrecking Machine forced James Te-Huna of New Zealand to submit two minutes, 38 seconds into the first round. He earned the Submission of the Night, his 19th straight professional mixed martial arts win and fourth straight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

His four UFC triumphs have come at an astonishing rate, all occurring since May 26, 2012. Despite the fact that he’s ranked behind Lyoto Machida, Alexander Gustafsson and Dan Henderson in the UFC Fighter Rankings, Teixeira is the competitor who deserves a shot at Jones.

Machida is only 3-3 in his last six fights, and he already fought Jones. The 34-year-old Brazilian couldn’t make it out of the second round alive in 2011. Two years older and slower, there’s no reason to believe a rematch would be anything but an instant replay.

Unlike Machida, Gustafsson is worthy of a title bid, but Teixeira is the hotter fighter. Since Teixeira’s UFC streak began, Gustafsson has only competed once. The same goes for Dan Henderson, and the 42-year-old’s one fight was a loss to Machida.

Momentum should mean something, and Teixeira is riding a ton of it. Pair that with the fact that Jones is recovering from a major toe injury, and the Brazilian could do more than give the world No. 2 a run for his money.

“Hey, if they [UFC] have any problem, I’m here,” Teixeira told Fox Sports after his fight on Saturday night. “Whatever they do, I’ll be happy to get in the Octagon again as soon as possible if they need someone. If they have trouble finding an opponent for Jon Jones, I’m here.”

Teixeira is here, and UFC President Dana White should give him a call as soon as Jones can compete.

 

David Daniels is a breaking news writer at Bleacher Report and a news editor at Wade-O Radio.

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UFC 160: Cain Velasquez Ready for Junior dos Santos After Antonio Silva Victory

At UFC 160, Cain Velasquez proved that his first-round knockout of Antonio Silva a year ago wasn’t a fluke and that he’s more than ready for round No. 3 against Junior dos Santos.Velasquez defended his UFC Heavyweight Championship by knock…

At UFC 160, Cain Velasquez proved that his first-round knockout of Antonio Silva a year ago wasn’t a fluke and that he’s more than ready for round No. 3 against Junior dos Santos.

Velasquez defended his UFC Heavyweight Championship by knocking out Silva in Round 1 once again on Saturday. UFC President Dana White announced in the post-fight press conference that the champ’s next opponent would be the only fighter to ever defeat him, dos Santos.

“No-brainer,” said White of the Velasquez-dos Santos matchup according to Ben Fowlkes of USA Today. “If there was ever a trilogy, that’s it right there. If you look at the way both fights went—Junior destroys (Velasquez) in the first fight, Cain destroys (dos Santos) in the second fight—I can’t wait to see the third fight.”

In November of 2011 in UFC on Fox, dos Santos shocked Velasquez, knocking him out with punches 1:04 into the first round. Not only was that Velasquez’s first loss, but it was only the second time he failed to knock out his opponent as a professional mixed martial artist. A year later, Velasquez got his revenge, reclaiming his heavyweight title belt from dos Santos via unanimous decision.

In Velasquez-dos Santos III, expect a result closer to their most recent bout.

Dos Santos is more than talented enough to reclaim the title belt. ESPN ranked him as the No. 2 heavyweight in the world, behind only Velasquez. Health should be a concern, though.

Following their first bout, dos Santos suffered from a potentially fatal condition, rhabdomyolysis. WebMD describes this condition as “a serious syndrome due to a direct or indirect muscle injury” which “results from a breakdown of muscle fibers and release of their contents into the bloodstream,” according to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports. He also endured major injuries against Frank Mir and prior to his first fight against Velasquez.

Injuries didn’t hold dos Santos back as he knocked out Mark Hunt in the third round of their UFC 160 bout, but his health concerns are starting to add up so it will difficult to unseat the scorching Velasquez.

 

David Daniels is a breaking news writer at Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.


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