Author: Donald Wood

UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

There are many mixed martial arts events each month, but April’s biggest show will be UFC 172 from Baltimore headlined by the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship fight between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira.
Saturday will mark Jones’ first ti…

There are many mixed martial arts events each month, but April’s biggest show will be UFC 172 from Baltimore headlined by the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship fight between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira.

Saturday will mark Jones’ first title defense since he was involved in a five-round war with Alexander Gustafsson in September of last year—the bout won the Fight of the Night and Fight of the Year awards—and he will face an incredibly tough test against Teixeira.

While Jones will inevitably be the favorite in this matchup, Teixeira has won 20 straight bouts, including his first five fights in the UFC. Teixeira beat the likes of Quinton Jackson and Ryan Bader to earn a spot in the main event.

Even UFC public relations director Dave Sholler is ready for the main event:

Here is all the vital viewing information for Saturday’s pay-per-view, the entire face card and a preview of the main event.

 

Where: Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, Maryland

When: Saturday, April 26 at 10 p.m. ET

Watch: Pay-per-view (check local cable provider)

Live Stream: UFC.tv (subscription required)

 

 

Main Event Preview: Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira

While there is no doubt that this is one of the deepest UFC fight cards in a long time, the main focus for fans is the light heavyweight title bout between defending champion Jon Jones and No. 1 contender Glover Teixeira.

Jones comes into the fight on a 10-bout winning streak that includes huge victories over stars like Chael Sonnen, Rashad Evans and the next challenger for the title, Alexander Gustafsson.

As exciting as the main event should be, UFC president Dana White has already announced that the winner of the light heavyweight title fight would take on Gustafsson next, according to Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com:

After an incredible-five round brawl that was forced to the judges’ scorecards, Jones will be looking for another chance to take down Gustafsson, but the champion understands that he can’t overlook Teixeira.

Jones spoke during the UFC on FOX 11 broadcast about Saturday’s battle, via FightLine.com:

Glover is a phenomenal opponent with power in both hands, is a great wrestler and hasn’t lost in five years. I am totally up for this amazing challenge. I am confident. My versatility (is key). I have a very unpredictable game. Half the time I don’t know what I’m going to do.

The fight is so exciting that even United States Senator John McCain will be ordering the PPV, according to FoxSports.com’s Marc Raimondi:

Both fighters have 30 combined victories in a row, and the resulting battle in the middle of the Octagon will be one of the fiercest this year. With each fighter willing to stand and exchange shots, this has all the earmarks of an instant classic.

Jones is one of the most technically gifted fighters in the sport. Not only does he have the power in his hands and his feet to knock his challengers out with one well-placed strike, but he also has the technical skills to sink in a submission and force his opponents to tap out.

Teixeira is no slouch, though.

During Teixeira’s 20-fight winning streak, 12 victories came via knockout, six came via submission and only two battles have gone the distance.

As strong as Jones has proved to be, he has not squared off against a fighter as willing and able to stand toe-to-toe with him.

Jones has the better wrestling abilities, and that will likely be the difference in this bout. With Teixeira posing a serious threat standing up, Jones understands that his best chance of winning is taking the fight to the ground.

While fans won’t be happy, this should be a long fight that features the champion dominating on the ground and grinding away on his opponent for a decision victory.

Predicted Winner: Jones via unanimous decision

 

*Stats via UFC.com.

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Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale: Bisping vs. Kennedy Fight Card and TV Schedule

The UFC has developed a hardcore following over the years, and Wednesday’s The Ultimate Fighter Nations finale, which features the likely war between Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy in the middleweight division, is the perfect main even…

The UFC has developed a hardcore following over the years, and Wednesday’s The Ultimate Fighter Nations finale, which features the likely war between Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy in the middleweight division, is the perfect main event.

While the top fight on the card is must-watch television, many fans are focused on the next crop of young talent that has showcased its skills on The Ultimate Fighter. With two fights to determine which men get UFC contracts, these brawlers will be battling for their livelihood.

Add the coach for Team Australia, Kyle Noke, going head-to-head with the coach from Team Canada, Patrick Cote, and this edition of UFC Fight Night will make Wednesday the best day of the week.

Here is all the vital viewing information for The Ultimate Fighter Nations finale.

 

Where: Colisee Pepsi, Quebec City, Canada

When: Wednesday, April 16

Time: 7 p.m. ET (3:15 p.m. ET for prelims)

Watch: Fox Sports 1

Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass

 

Breaking Down the Main Event

When Michael Bisping (24-5) squares off against Tim Kennedy (17-4) on Wednesday night, each man will be looking for the definitive knockout that will help solidify his case for an eventual title shot.

Even MMA Insider and oddsmaker Adam Martin is torn about who will win this fight:

Kennedy has won three straight fights. He submitted Trevor Smith, won a decision over Roger Gracie and knocked out Rafael Natal, and he is looking to assert himself as one of the best middleweights in the sport.

This will be Kennedy’s third fight in the UFC after coming over from Strikeforce, but the veteran Bisping will not make earning a victory on Saturday easy for Kennedy. With Kennedy falling short in both career fights for the Strikeforce middleweight title, this will be his opportunity to show he can raise his game in pivotal moments.

While Kennedy has put together a solid career in the sport, Bisping told Damon Martin of FoxSports.com about his perception of his challenger heading into their fight: “This is Tim Kennedy’s big shot. He’s fighting me, they’ll be more people watching it so he’s trying to get as much as he can out of it. He’ll get a few more Twitter followers and then everybody will forget who Tim Kennedy is.”

Bisping is a talker, and he shared more of his thoughts on Kennedy via Vine:

The English star is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport and one of the biggest names born out of The Ultimate Fighter series. It’s fitting that he will headline the finale of The Ultimate Fighter Nations.

Despite two losses in his last four fights, Bisping is still regarded as one of the toughest fighters in the division and a gatekeeper for championship contenders. The biggest issue will be how well he has healed since enduring an eye injury in late 2013.

With both men hungry to get back on the right track and willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen, this main event should be a bitter battle that embodies the true spirit of the sport.

For the young athletes trying to enter the sport as part of The Ultimate Fighter, there will be no better teaching tool than the battle between Bisping and Kennedy.

 

*All stats via UFC.com.

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UFC 171: Breaking Down Welterweight Division After Hendricks vs. Lawler

UFC 171 was highlighted by the fight between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler for the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship, but there were several important divisional battles on the card.
Not only did Hendricks capture the title via unanimous decisi…

UFC 171 was highlighted by the fight between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler for the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship, but there were several important divisional battles on the card.

Not only did Hendricks capture the title via unanimous decision, but Tyron Woodley was victorious over Carlos Condit (via a knee injury) to likely earn the spot as the No. 1 contender.

Add in several other welterweight fights and several viable challengers rising through the ranks, and the blow from the loss of former champion Georges St-Pierre has been softened by the depth of the division.

Here are my latest divisional rankings after a wild night of welterweight fights.

 

 

Breaking Down Who Should Be No. 1 Contender

While Tyron Woodley was able to take home the victory on Saturday against UFC’s No. 2 ranked welterweight Carlos Condit, the knee injury to Condit that ended the fight early has cast a shadow of doubt on the win.

Woodley dominated Condit for much of the fight and likely would have won if the bout had continued. The challenger rocked Condit with heavy punches throughout and used his elite wrestling skills to take him down before Woodley could sustain much damage.

After the fight, Woodley spoke to Steven Marrocco of MMAJunkie.com about his desire to win the world championship in his division:

I asked for this fight because I didn’t think I was going to lose it. You guys fail to realize I’m in this to be a world champion, and I went after the top guy, and everybody was so quiet, and I blew [Dana White‘s] phone up until he probably couldn’t take it any more, because I want to be the world champ, and I think that alone, the persistence, warrants me a world title shots. Me and Johny Hendricks have some unfinished business from the big-12 days of wrestling, and I would love to get my hands on him.

Fighters like Hector Lombard, Rory MacDonald and the other top contenders will all claim that they deserve a shot at the newly crowned Hendricks, but Woodley proved he was better than the former No. 2 fighter in the division.

Hendricks’ first title defense should come against Woodley.

 

Saturday’s Biggest Winner: Hector Lombard

Woodley was ranked 11th before Saturday’s pay-per-view, and right behind him was Hector Lombard in 12th. It’s amazing how fast the rankings can change after just one show.

While there are some questions surrounding the outcome of Woodley’s fight, it was the unanimous-decision win over Jake Shields that helped Lombard catapult himself into the title conversation.

MMAFighting.com’s Shaun Al-Shatti was quite impressed by Lombard’s performance:

Shields was the sixth-ranked contender in the division coming into Saturday’s PPV, but Lombard proved to be the superior fighter in almost every aspect of the bout. After his split-decision loss to Yushin Okami last March, Lombard has knocked out Nate Marquardt and beaten Shields.

With the status of Condit’s knee a long-term concern for UFC, Lombard has thrown his hat into the mix for a future title shot. At the very least, the veteran has earned a spot in a title eliminator.

 

*Stats via UFC.com.

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Hendricks vs. Lawler Results: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis

With the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship on the line, it was Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks who was victorious over Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 171 at the American Airlines Center …

With the vacant UFC Welterweight Championship on the line, it was Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks who was victorious over Robbie Lawler via unanimous decision on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 171 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole shows the judges cards and Hendricks’ reaction to the victory:

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto shows how the cards broke down:

Iole also shows how he would have scored it:

UFC fans who watched Saturday night’s fight won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. Hendricks and Lawler went toe-to-toe for five rounds with each fighter having his chance to take the match over.

Hendricks’ performances are expected at this point, but, as ESPN’s Okamoto points out, Lawler‘s ability to keep Hendricks off kilter was equally as impressive:

Without a takedown in the fifth round, this fight may not have gone Hendricks’ way, but in the end “Bigg Rigg” was able to obtain the vacant Welterweight Championship.

Lawler kept it simple after the fight (per Iole), saying “Hats off to him because he fought a hell of a fight.”

Hendricks was coming off a tough split-decision loss at the hands of former champion Georges St. Pierre, but St. Pierre’s decision to walk away from the UFC and vacate the title provided Hendricks the opportunity to gain the highest achievement in the sport.

Since he lost to Rick Story on the The Ultimate Fighter 12 finale in December of 2010, Bigg Rigg has been an absolute force in the welterweight division. Before the controversial loss to St. Pierre, Hendricks had strung together six wins over some of the biggest names in the weight class.

While Hendricks was handed the defeat against St. Pierre, it was clear from his performance and the damage he did to the then-champion that the decision was questionable and that the challenger would eventually get another shot at the title.

Most fans wanted to see Hendricks avenge his loss and take the title from GSP, but beating Lawler and winning the belt under the bright lights of a UFC pay-per-view main event is a great accomplishment regardless of who he fought.

Marc Raimondi of FOX Sports notes that Hendricks would like to see Lawler again in the future:

“I promise you I’ll be facing him again and when we do, I hope I can come out with a better performance,” Hendricks said.

With Tyron Woodley squaring off against Carlos Condit earlier on the PPV card in a title eliminator—Woodley won via second-round TKO—MMA fans were treated to a new champion and a new No. 1 contender all in one night.

After turmoil following the departure of welterweight mainstay St. Pierre, the victory for Hendricks and the clear future of the division has reestablished stability.

Fight Grade: A

The welterweight division has always been known for its exciting action, but the title fights in this weight class have been boring at times over the last several years due to the game plan of former champion St. Pierre.

Now that GSP has left the sport, the vicious battles that result in abrupt endings will become the norm once again, especially with fighters like Hendricks and Lawler around. That’s great news for a large contingent of fans who were tired of seeing St. Pierre grind out five-round decision victories.

Hendricks and Lawler ushered in a new era in the welterweight division, and the brutality in this matchup is exactly what the sport of MMA needs. While GSP was a name the company could build around, the quality of his fights led many fans to push for talented guys like Hendricks to unseat him.

Hendricks proved once again how much skill he possesses in the wrestling aspect of MMA, but there is no denying that the power he has (in his left hand especially) makes him one of the most dangerous one-punch knockout artists in the UFC.

Lawler deserves immense credit for stepping into the Octagon and giving his all, showcasing his own array of power strikes across all five rounds. The decision didn’t fall his way, but there’s no doubting that he gained a few new fans after his impressive showing.

 

 

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Condit vs. Woodley Results: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis

In the co-main event of UFC 171 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, it was Tyron Woodley who beat former welterweight champion Carlos Condit via second-round TKO to earn the No. 1 contendership in the division.
Despite earning the…

In the co-main event of UFC 171 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, it was Tyron Woodley who beat former welterweight champion Carlos Condit via second-round TKO to earn the No. 1 contendership in the division.

Despite earning the victory, most will remember how he won more than the actual win. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto explains:

That’s not to say Woodley didn’t hold his own in this fight, though. He came out active from the opening bell, peppering Condit with several stiff punches. Condit was able to take the punishment and eventually rally a bit at the end of the first round, but nothing would help him when his knee gave way early in the second round.

After the fight, Woodley paid respect to Condit (via UFC on FOX):

Nonetheless, Woodley‘s victory is huge for one of the brightest stars in the division. With the retirement of Georges St-Pierre, the welterweight class is now wide open, and there are several top contenders looking to get their hands on the belt.

Instead of MMA fans understanding that a title eliminator was nothing more than a coin flip to decide who would lose via decision to GSP, there is no clear-cut top fighter in the division anymore.

While Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler in the main event will decide who the new king of the welterweights is, Woodley now has a one-way ticket to a main event where he will challenge for one of the company’s top prizes.

The hope now for Woodley is that Hendricks is able to pull out the victory and will be the man he faces in his title shot. With the chance to fight in the most high-profile fight possible, Woodley will have the unique opportunity to make a name for himself and cement his status as one of the best fighters in the sport, regardless of weight class.

As for what’s next for Condit, the most likely next fight would be a challenge against the loser of the main event matchup. If Lawler goes on to take the loss as many experts expect, the timing for a fight would be perfect.

Condit vs. Lawler would be a very intriguing undercard matchup.

 

Grade: C-

From a strictly in-ring point of view, this was an ideal matchup of two contrasting styles.

While Condit has been known as an explosive striker who will make his challengers pay for being too aggressive, Woodley also showed that he can hang by throwing some powerful punches of his own.

This fight showed a ton of promise after the first round, but Condit‘s injury brought things to an abrupt close. Not only is that disappointing for UFC fans, but this injury should also linger in Condit‘s mind as Woodley moves on to presumably fight the winner of UFC 171’s main event.

This fight wasn’t a total failure from a fighting standpoint, but the injury definitely knocks it down the grading scale.

 

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Ronda Rousey Needs Elite Challenger Following KO Victory at UFC 170

Women’s bantamweight champion Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey was able to secure a knockout victory over Olympic wrestling silver medalist Sara McMann after just 66 seconds of first-round action on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 170.
After yet another do…

Women’s bantamweight champion Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey was able to secure a knockout victory over Olympic wrestling silver medalist Sara McMann after just 66 seconds of first-round action on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 170.

After yet another dominant performance, it’s clear that Rousey needs an elite challenger.

Rousey now has a 9-0 MMA record and has successfully defended her title in all three matchups in the UFC. While she was not able to use her patented armbar submission on Saturday—the move that helped her win the first eight fights of her career—the devastating body shots that landed near McMann’s liver dropped the challenger and forced the early stoppage.

McMann is one of the brightest stars in the sport, but Rousey made short work of her and proved that she needs some viable competition that will force her to perform in adverse conditions.

At this point, Rousey has fights mentally won before her opponents ever step into the Octagon due to the fear the champion instills. That’s what the champion’s reign of terror has done to the women’s bantamweight division.

While there is no easy answer for the lack of elite depth, a fight against Alexis Davis is exactly what Rousey and women’s MMA needs next.

Davis beat Jessica Eye in a controversial split decision, but her performance on Saturday proved she can go the distance with anyone and contend for the victory. She has dominated her competition since coming over to the UFC, winning each of her first three fights via decision, but it will be her durability and tenacity that make her a viable foe for Rousey.

There is a legitimate intimidation factor for many of the challengers that step into the Octagon with Rousey, but Davis’ ability and willingness to stand toe-to-toe with her opponents and throw heavy shots makes her a serious threat.

Davis is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. With Rousey using her judo and wrestling ability to dominate her challengers, the champion will struggle to take down Davis.

Even when Rousey takes the bout to the ground, though, Davis’ ability to defend from the bottom position and mount offense via submissions makes her incredibly dangerous.

With both women handling top contender Liz Carmouche in convincing fashion in 2013—Rousey won via submission and Davis was victorious via a unanimous decision—the two former Strikeforce stars are on a collision course for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship.

After dominating everyone who has stepped inside the Octagon with her, Rousey needs a serious challenger to legitimize her reign as champion.

There is no better answer right now than Davis and her five-fight winning streak.

 

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