Author: Donald Wood

UFC 160: Breaking Down Heavyweight Title Picture Moving Forward

After a wild UFC 160 pay-per-view from Las Vegas, the focus on Cain Velasquez, the UFC Heavyweight Championship and the entire title picture moving forward is the talk of the MMA world.Not only did Velasquez successfully retain his title, Junior Dos Sa…

After a wild UFC 160 pay-per-view from Las Vegas, the focus on Cain Velasquez, the UFC Heavyweight Championship and the entire title picture moving forward is the talk of the MMA world.

Not only did Velasquez successfully retain his title, Junior Dos Santos dominated Saturday and proved to everyone that he is the unquestioned No. 1 contender.

This is how the entire heavyweight title scene shakes out after an amazing night of UFC.

 

The Champion: Cain Velasquez

After beating challenger Antonio Silva via a first-round knockout on Saturday, it is clear that Cain Velasquez is the cream of the heavyweight crop in the UFC.

While a tough loss to Dos Santos in 2011 temporarily derailed the star’s assault on the division, huge victories over Brock Lesnar, Silva (twice), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and a redemption win against Dos Santos has Velasquez sitting as the king of the mountain.

The only loss on Velasquez’s record is to Dos Santos, and after the Brazilian knocked out Mark Hunt in the co-main event Saturday, Dana White made it clear that the third part of this trilogy was already in the works (h/t USA Today).

 

The No. 1 Contender: Junior Dos Santos

The new No. 1 contender to the UFC Heavyweight Championship is the former champion Junior Dos Santos, and after knocking out Hunt in his big chance to find glory, it’s clear that the battle between Dos Santos and Velasquez is going to be an absolute war.

Velasquez is the better wrestler—dominated the last meeting on the ground and held on for a decision victory—but as seen in the duo’s first meeting, Dos Santos’ striking is better than anyone in the heavyweight division.

Now that the third bout is imminent (barring an injuries during training), the hype around what could be the most explosive main event in the last five years of UFC has already started to build.

This is going to be a megafight for MMA.

 

The Rest of the Heavyweights

While the next championship fight has been set, the heavyweight division is arguably the deepest in the sport right now with more than a few worthy fighters looking for a shot at being the No. 1 contender.

Former Strikeforce champion Daniel Cormier’s jump to UFC has been a success thus far, and it’s about time the undefeated champion—who never lost his Strikeforce belt—gets a chance at the gold from his new employer.

Add in the talents of fighters like Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem and Roy Nelson, and the hunt for fighters to become the next No. 1 contender is on.

White and the UFC officials in charge of match making have the unique opportunity to make some very intriguing heavyweight fights over the next few months.

 

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UFC 160 Results: Cain Velasquez and Saturday’s Biggest Winners

While the expectations for UFC 160 weren’t as high as many MMA fans thought they would have been from a card featuring two heavyweight co-main events, the exciting event resulted in a fair amount of big-time winners.Not only did Cain Velasquez su…

While the expectations for UFC 160 weren’t as high as many MMA fans thought they would have been from a card featuring two heavyweight co-main events, the exciting event resulted in a fair amount of big-time winners.

Not only did Cain Velasquez successfully retain his title, Junior Dos Santos won his fight to earn the No. 1 contendership for Velasquez’s UFC heavyweight championship.

Add in the stellar showing by fresh face T.J. Grant, and there were a few major winners from the results of UFC 160.

 

Complete UFC 160 Results

Cain Velasquez defeats Bigfoot Silva via knockout at 1:21 in Round 1

Junior dos Santos defeats Mark Hunt via knockout at 4:18 of Round 3

Glover Teixeira defeats James Te Huna via submission at 2:38 of Round 1

T.J. Grant defeats Gray Maynard via TKO at 2:07 of Round 1

Donald Cerrone defeats K.J. Noons via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Mike Pyle defeats Rick Story via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Dennis Bermudez defeats Max Holloway via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Robert Whittaker defeats Colton Smith via TKO at 0:41 of Round 3

Khabib Nurmagomedov defeats Abel Trujillo via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Stephen Thompson defeats Nah-Shon Burrell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)

George Roop defeats Brian Bowles via TKO at 1:43 of Round 2

Jeremy Stephens defeats Estevan Payan via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

 

Cain Velasquez

While Antonio Silva was coming into UFC 160 as the winner of two straight fights—including a huge upset over Alistair Overeem—it was heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez that was the biggest winner of the night when he knocked out the challenger just over a minute into the first round.

With Dos Santos winning his fight as well, the title rematch is inevitable.

Velasquez looked as dominant as he ever has been in the Octagon Saturday night, bullying Silva around and taking the fight to the challenger like the last time the duo met.

Fans that wanted a real challenger for the champion were disappointed, but the utter dominance from Velasquez proves he’s back to the elite form that helped him win the title the first time.

 

Junior Dos Santos

Junior Dos Santos was already viewed as one of the top heavyweights in MMA, but after knocking out the heavy-handed Mark Hunt with a kick to the face, it’s clear that the former champion wants his belt back.

Velasquez proved his domination against Silva, but Dos Santos showed with his knockout victory over Hunt that he has the kind of ability to avenge to loss to the current champion and regain his title.

Dos Santos proved that he is unquestionably one of the best strikers in any division, and with the ability to knock someone out with the assist of a spinning kick and use his improved ground game, there is no doubt that the former champion is ready for his rematch.

After such a convincing win, it’s a matter of when Dos Santos gets a title shot, not if.

 

T. J. Grant

While Gray Maynard was the favorite in this fight, it was T.J. Grant that emphatically made a statement to the UFC shot-callers that he is one of the bets fighters in the lightweight division today.

Maynard had his time to shine, but at 34 years old, the former Fight of the Year winner has become nothing more than a divisional gatekeeper. If Dana White and UFC officials view Maynard as a gatekeeper, Grant’s domination proved he’s a serious title contender.

And yes, Grant’s TKO of Maynard at 2:07 of Round 1 made this a dominant win.

Grant was awarded his chance at Benson Henderson and his title by White after the fight according to Yahoo! Sports, and after utterly dominating Maynard, the Canadian star will be ready for anything and everything Henderson will throw his way. That fight will be an all-out war.

 

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UFC 160: The Good, Bad and Ugly from Saturday’s PPV

After a wild night in Las Vegas at UFC 160, there are mixed reactions about Saturday night’s pay-per-view.While there were unquestionably some great fights during the event, there were a few bad portions of the broadcast and a few ugly moments th…

After a wild night in Las Vegas at UFC 160, there are mixed reactions about Saturday night’s pay-per-view.

While there were unquestionably some great fights during the event, there were a few bad portions of the broadcast and a few ugly moments that marred the perception of this PPV.

The card was unpredictable—but not in a good way, though—and this is the good, bad and ugly of UFC 160.

 

The Good: Junior dos Santos’ Knockout of Mark Hunt

Junior dos Santos is one of the most dominant fighters in the heavyweight division and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but many thought he would meet his match against the heavy hands of Mark Hunt.

Not only did dos Santos knock Hunt out, he did it in convincing fashion.

Dos Santos used a spinning kick to the face to knock Hunt to the mat and landed a towering right hand that ended the fight right there. The Samoan star tried to stand up, but fell to the mat once again.

The dominating win for dos Santos makes him the clear No. 1 contender to Velasquez and the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

 

The Bad: Gray Maynard’s Effort

Gray Maynard was one of the toughest fighters in the UFC for years and involved in some of the best fights of the last decade. While what he has accomplished can’t be disputed, getting TKO’d at 2:07 minutes into the first round by T.J. Grant marked the end of his time as a legit contender.

Grant is a great fighter who is reaching the prime of his career, and he thoroughly outclassed Maynard Saturday, out-striking the notoriously accurate boxer and sending him to the canvas much earlier than anyone could have anticipated.

Maynard is now 34 years old, and while his fights against Frankie Edgar and other top contenders will go down as some of the best in the lightweight division’s history, Maynard himself has become nothing more than a divisional gatekeeper.

 

The Ugly: The Main Event

When the rematch between UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and Antonio Silva was booked for UFC 160, the matchup was met with minimal excitement because of the way the last match ended up being a one-sided blood bath.

Dana White and the matchmakers did a great job promoting the fight by telling the fans that it wouldn’t happen that way again, but after just 1:21 in the first round, Velasquez knocked out Silva.

While it wasn’t bloody, the fans saw this movie before.

Velasquez is obviously the better fighter, and with Silva struggling against wrestlers, this was a matchup that never had a chance to be interesting. White and UFC officials must start delivering more entertaining main events if UFC wants to dominate the mainstream like the other major sports.

 

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UFC 160 Results: Cain Velasquez Defeats Antonio Silva

In the main event of UFC 160 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez (12-1) defeated No. 1 contender Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (18-5) via first-round TKO to retain this title.After a brief feeling-out …

In the main event of UFC 160 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez (12-1) defeated No. 1 contender Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (18-5) via first-round TKO to retain this title.

After a brief feeling-out period, Velasquez landed a fluid one-two combo that sent Silva to the canvas. After a flurry of follow-up punches, referee Mario Yamasaki came in to end the fight just one minute and 21 seconds into the first round.

This marks the second time that Velasquez beat Silva, winning the first meeting at UFC 146 in a bloody battle that was mercifully stopped by the referee before it got too out of control.

Once again on Saturday, the UFC heavyweight champion asserted his dominance on his opponent and pulled out the hard-fought victory.

When Velasquez originally lost the heavyweight title to dos Santos at UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos in November of 2011, the fight sent shockwaves across the sport of MMA.

This was supposed to be one of the best all-around fighters to ever grace the Octagon, but a first-round knockout loss for Velasquez was an embarrassing moment.

That kind of disappointment led to a refocused champion, and as dos Santos found out at UFC 155 and Silva found out Saturday night, Velasquez is back to his old form and looking to dominate the heavyweight division once again.

Velasquez’s successful title retention is a great sign of the work the champion has put in to get to this level, but the UFC heavyweight division is arguably the toughest in the sport.

There will be no chance to rest for Velasquez when everyone is chasing the strap he’s wearing.

The battle between Junior dos Santos and Mark Hunt produced a clear No. 1 contender—the co-main event was won by dos Santos—but the division goes beyond that.

With Alistair Overeem still lurking and Roy Nelson looking for his big break, Velasquez’s victory celebration must be cut short if he wants to beat any of these stellar fighters.

A win over Silva was great, but it’s already time to move on for the champion.

 

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UFC 160 Fight Card: Complete List of Matchups and Predictions

UFC 160 will be live Saturday night, May 25, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and with such a wonderful venue for the show, the card had to be just as amazing.With Cain Velasquez fighting Antonio Silva for the UFC Heavyweight Championship …

UFC 160 will be live Saturday night, May 25, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and with such a wonderful venue for the show, the card had to be just as amazing.

With Cain Velasquez fighting Antonio Silva for the UFC Heavyweight Championship and two possible No. 1 contender’s fights, Dana White and the company’s officials have done an amazing job building a card worthy of the venue.

Now let’s hope fight night goes off without a hitch.

 

Facebook Preliminaries

Starts at 6:35 p.m ET

Matchups

Weight  (lbs)

My Pick

Jeremy Stephens vs. Estevan Payan

155

Stephens via Sub.

Brian Bowles vs. George Roop

135

Bowles via TKO.

Stephen Thompson vs. Nah-Shon Burrell

170

Thompson via Dec.

 

FX Preliminaries

Starts at 8 p.m. ET

Matchups

Weight  (lbs)

My Pick

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Abel Trujillo

155

Trujillo via Dec.

Colton Smith vs. Robert Whittaker

170

Whittaker via Dec

Dennis Bermudez vs. Max Holloway

145

Bermudez via TKO.

Mike Pyle vs. Rick Story

170 

Pyle via KO 

 

Main Card

Only on PPV, starts at 10 p.m. ET

Matchups

Weight  (lbs)

My Pick

Donald Cerrone vs. KJ Noons

155

Cerrone via KO*

T.J. Grant vs. Gray Maynard

155

Maynard via Dec.***

Glover Teixeira vs. James Te Huna

205

Teixeira via Dec.

Mark Hunt vs. Junior dos Santos

265

Dos Santos via Sub.**

UFC Heavyweight Title

Cain Velasquez (c) vs. Antonio Silva

265

Velasquez via TKO

* Knockout of the Night

** Submission of the Night

*** Fight of the Night


Fights You Can’t Miss

PPV Main Card: T.J. Grant vs. Gray Maynard

While the two heavyweight main events will steal all the hype on the PPV card, the best fight of the night will be the war between T.J. Grant and Gray Maynard.

Both men love to exchange heavy shots in the middle of the ring and abuse their opponents, but it will be the stellar wrestling of Maynard that makes the difference in this even matchup.

As arguably the most decorated wrestler in the division, look for Maynard to shoot early and often, and if he gets Grant to the ground, expect plenty of elbows and ground strikes.

Grant has the power and the speed to knock Maynard out—something Frankie Edgar proved was possible at UFC 136—and will be looking to stop the wrestling onslaught coming his way Saturday night.

This is a top Fight of the Night candidate and can’t be missed.

Predicted Winner: Gray Maynard

 

FX Prelims: Mike Pyle vs. Rick Story

If you are looking for the best fight on the FX Prelims, look no further than the all-out war between veterans Mike Pyle and Rick Story.

While Story hasn’t been fighting as well as he should—lost three of his last five fights—he will be facing off with the 37-year-old Pyle who is coming off three straight TKO or KO victories.

As much as Pyle’s age looks like a disadvantage, the in-ring smarts of the older fighter allows him to conserve energy and not waste any of his motions. As talented as Story is inside the Octagon, Pyle will win this fight in convincing fashion.

Predicted Winner: Mike Pyle

 

Facebook Prelims: Brian Bowles vs. George Roop

While this bout has been relegated to the Facebook Prelims, there is no doubt that this is a marquee fight that will undoubtedly steal the show on the social media platform.

Both George Roop and Brian Bowles are MMA veterans, and at over 30 years old each, this could be one of their last chances to make a huge impact on UFC officials and prove they deserve higher billing.

As talented as Roop is—beat Reuben Duran in his last fight at UFC 158—Bowles is a wild striker that can knock out almost any fighter he faces. Bowles hasn’t fought since 2011, but the more talented fighter will begin his ascension back to the top of the division Saturday.

Predicted Winner: Brian Bowles

 

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Velasquez vs. Silva 2: Breaking Down UFC 160’s Heavyweight Championship Bout

In what should be the most brutal fight of the night, UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will defend his title against Antonio Silva in the main event of Saturday night’s UFC 160 pay-per-view.This is a rematch from UFC 146 that featured Vela…

In what should be the most brutal fight of the night, UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will defend his title against Antonio Silva in the main event of Saturday night’s UFC 160 pay-per-view.

This is a rematch from UFC 146 that featured Velasquez brutalizing Silva from the start of the fight and bloodying the giant fighter. It ended just 3:36 into the first round when the referee had no other choice but to stop the assault.

Silva will be looking for redemption after being utterly embarrassed in the duo’s last meeting.

With Velasquez not wanting to lose his title again and Silva determined to redeem himself, this battle will be much better than fans are expecting. This won’t be a repeat of the fight we saw before; it will be much more interesting this time.

This battle could be just as bloody, though.

 

Cain Velasquez’s Keys to Victory

Velasquez avenged his only career loss in his previous fight against Junior Dos Santos, winning back the title the Brazilian fighter stole from him.

Now Velasquez is determined to keep the championship.

There has never been a question about Velasquez’s power and wrestling ability—one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division and arguably the best wrestler—but it was the stamina and conditioning he showed during his previous five-round decision victory over Dos Santos that proved just how well rounded the champion has become.

Silva has only faced a decision three times in his 22 fights, with the last coming in 2010. He only went past the first round seven times and has never gone five rounds in any fight.

Championship bouts are five rounds.

The heavy-handed Brazilian has a tendency of getting worn out over the course of longer fights—despite using his conditioning to beat Alistair Overeem—so if Velasquez cannot finish him early, expect the champion to drag this fight out using his wrestling to wear Silva down.

Once Silva is tired, the ground-and-pound prowess of Velasquez could turn this into a blood bath like the last time these two men met.

 

Antonio Silva’s Keys to Victory

Silva is a smart fighter with a great team, but he must understand the advantages Velasquez has and do his best to avoid mixing it up on the ground with the champion.

As the No. 1 contender learned in his last meeting with Velasquez, he’s too dangerous on the mat.

Since the Brazilian star took the defeat against the current champion at UFC 146, Silva has been on an absolute tear in the company. Not only did he dominate Travis Browne via first-round TKO, his upset KO win over Overeem earned him this chance to fight Velasquez Saturday.

Silva knows where his strengths are—his ability to strike and use his heavy hands in combinations to knock out his opponents early—and will come out at UFC 160 swinging for the fences.

There is no questioning that Velasquez has the better stamina, but if Silva attacks early and at a furious rate, the hope is that this fight won’t last long enough for conditioning to play a role in the outcome.

Silva knows that he is the underdog, and learning from the last fight against Velasquez, the challenger understands that his only real chance of beating the champion will be via knockout early in the fight.

If this becomes a wrestling match, it will get ugly for Silva.

 

Prediction: Cain Velasquez via Second-Round TKO

 

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