Author: Duane Finley

The Good, Bad and Strange from UFC Fight Night 65

There is something special about seeing elite-level heavyweights throw down inside the cage. When two huge men are locked together inside the Octagon, all it takes is one clean shot to bring things to an abrupt halt. Furthermore, when those two fighter…

There is something special about seeing elite-level heavyweights throw down inside the cage. When two huge men are locked together inside the Octagon, all it takes is one clean shot to bring things to an abrupt halt. Furthermore, when those two fighters bring the amount of talent and power Stipe Miocic and walk-off knockout master Mark Hunt possess, leather-slinging fireworks are all but guaranteed.

In addition to the stylistic appeal of Saturday night’s showcase bout in Adelaide, Australia, the tilt between Miocic and Hunt provided an addition storyline. While both men were coming off losses in their most recent outings, each managed to find a boost in popularity in the process. The Cleveland native took former champion Junior dos Santos the distance in a heated scrap at UFC on Fox 13 back in December, while The Super Samoan stepped up on short notice to tangle with Fabricio Werdum for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 180 in Mexico City.

Their respective fights, and the current state of the heavyweight division, made the showdown between Miocic and Hunt at Fight Night 65 a high stakes affair. The winner would jump back into the title race, and the loser would be forced to the back of the line for the foreseeable future. Neither man wanted to take a step back in the heavyweight divisional hierarchy, and rather than being the abrupt violence most expected, the clash turned into a lopsided beating doled out by Miocic.

The Ohio representative worked an efficient game plan that put Hunt on the canvas early and often. When he wasn’t beating the former K-1 Grand Prix winner’s face to a pulp on the mat, he was peppering it with crisp boxing on the feet. While the bout should have been stopped long before, Miocic earned the TKO finish in the final round to pick up the biggest victory of his career.

It was an impressive and thorough performance from Miocic, who will become a major player in the heavyweight title race because of it.

Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from UFC Fight Night 65.

 

The Good

It’s been a while since any new blood has risen to become a serious contender in the heavyweight ranks, and Miocic solidified his arrival at UFC Fight Night 65.

The Team Strong Style put a drubbing on Hunt for the better part of five rounds until the referee jumped in to stop the bout in the final frame. Everything leading up to that point was all Miocic. He wore Hunt down with his takedowns and ground-and-pound on the canvas and kept the fight at range by using his length and superior boxing skills.

The former standout wrestler from Cleveland State University utilized those skills to not only exhaust the New Zealand native but sap his hope of winning. Hunt was in desperation mode from the early goings and never mounted any real offensive attack.

With the victory, the biggest question hovering over Miocic will be in regard to what comes next for the surging talent. He already holds wins over several notable names in the division and took former titleholder Junior dos Santos to the wire in his most recent outing before Saturday night. Miocic has found victory in four of his past five outings and has proved he deserves to be recognized as one of the best fighters in his weight class.

By defeating Hunt on Saturday, the Cleveland native could well be one win away from earning a long-awaited title opportunity.

*** Since making the move to middleweight, Robert Whittaker has been a man on a mission, and that mission received a huge boost on Saturday. The Ultimate Fighter: Smashes winner earned a lightning-quick knockout over savvy striker Brad Tavares, as he put away the scrappy Hawaiian in impressive fashion.

The Reaper caught Tavares with a sharp left hook in an early exchange and then floored the Xtreme Couture representative again with another short left before dropping a few more hammers to finish off the bout. With the win, Whittaker has now won three straight bouts inside the Octagon and two consecutive as a middleweight. It was an excellent showing and a huge win for Whittaker at Fight Night 65.

*** After a rough start where he dropped his first two fights inside the Octagon, Sean O’Connell has found some traction in the UFC with back-to-back victories against tough competition. The Real O.C. drubbed seasoned veteran Anthony Perosh on Saturday, battering the 42-year-old Australian into submission early in the opening round.

It was O’Connell’s power that made the difference as he hit Perosh early and often until the referee stepped in to stop the beating. In addition to getting the win, O’Connell stated in the postfight interview it was the biggest victory of his career. As a result, it should put the Utah native in position to face a bigger name in his next outing.

*** Someone’s zero had to go in the bout between James Vick and Jake Mathews, and it was Vick who handed the young Australian prospect the first blemish on his professional record. While the 20-year-old talent was peppering him up with big left hands in the opening minute of the round, it was Vick’s resilience and lights-out submission game that proved to be the difference. Mathews waded in too far, and the Lloyd Irvin representative latched on the fight-ending guillotine to pick up his fourth consecutive victory inside the Octagon and keep his undefeated record intact. 

*** While Dan Hooker was able to get his UFC career off to an exciting start with a highlight-reel finish in his official debut, a loss in his most recent bout served to cool off his momentum. When The Hangman landed a bout against veteran featherweight Hatsu Hioki at Fight Night 65, he suddenly had the opportunity to take a big jump back into the 145-pound picture.

And he certainly made the most of it as he knocked out the scrappy Japanese fighter in the opening round to pick up his second victory under the UFC banner. It was an impressive performance for a fighter who could have a bright future competing inside the Octagon.

*** In addition to smiling, Sam Alvey loves to knock people out. The heavy-handed middleweight added another victim to his list in Australian Dan Kelly on Saturday night when he caught the former Olympian with a right hand that spelled disaster. Kelly did his best to regain his footing but was unable to get the job done as Alvey poured on the heat until he secured the first-round finish.

While his performance at Fight Night 65 was impressive, his post-fight interview was equally so, as Alvey gave a global thanks to the mothers everywhere and called out undefeated Canadian Elias Theodorou in a proposed “hair match.” Well-done, sir. Well-done.

*** Alex Chambers gave her native Australians something to cheer about at Fight Night 65 as she earned a memorable comeback victory over Kailin Curran. Chambers was on the receiving end of a beating from the Hawaiian upstart throughout the opening two rounds until she latched onto Curran’s arm in the early goings of the third. Despite several attempts to shrug her off, Chambers held strong and locked in the fight-ending armbar late in the final frame to pick up her first victory under the UFC banner.

*** There was no technical brilliance to be found in the bout between Brendan O’Reilly and Vik Grujic, but it certainly registered in the slobber-knocker category when the two Australians stepped in to throw down. The Badger jumped out to an early lead on the strength of his wrestling, but Grujic fired back strong in the second frame as the two welterweights went toe-to-toe trading punches. O’Reilly returned to his grappling to take the advantage and ultimately the bout as he earned the unanimous-decision victory on the judges’ scorecards.

*** It took a viral video for Ben Nguyen to get a call from the UFC, and he made the most of it at Fight Night 65. The flyweight newcomer took it to Alptekin Ozkilic to kick off the card in Australia and carved out an impressive first impression by finishing Turkish Delight with one second left in the opening round. Nguyen’s striking set the tone in the early goings, and his hands sealed the deal as he picked up the victory in his first showing inside the Octagon. 

 

The Bad

There were a lot of expectations surrounding Hatsu Hioki‘s arrival to the UFC back in 2011.

The Japanese featherweight had earned acclaim competing overseas and was figured to be a threat to Jose Aldo’s reign in the 145-pound fold. Yet, nothing close to that has panned out for the seasoned veteran, and he took another step closer to obscurity Saturday night.

The 31-year-old Tokyo native came into his bout with Daniel Hooker having dropped all but one of his past five bouts and desperately needed to turn things around at Fight Night 65. The featherweight division is more competitive in 2015 than it ever was before, and Hioki was in danger of being left in the dust with a loss in Adelaide.

The pressure was high, and Hioki will now be in an unenviable position after suffering the knockout loss to Hooker. The Hangman landed the high kick on several occasions before he planted the final one on Hioki‘s neck and sparked the end of the bout. It was an impressive victory for the surging featherweight and the worst possible outcome where Hioki is concerned.

While it wouldn’t be fair to say Hioki has been a flop in the UFC, it is apt to say the versatile veteran has been a disappointment. He’s shown signs of his talent during the past four years competing on the sport’s biggest stage, but he just hasn’t been able to get the job done. 

There is always one bout on every card that makes fight fans shake their heads, and Fight Night 65 was no exception.

UFC veteran Kyle Noke and Jonavin Webb squared off in a preliminary bout where both men had plenty to gain. The Australian has suffered some rough waters over the past few years and came into his bout with the jiu-jitsu ace after being on the sidelines for a lengthy stint. On the flip side, Webb has garnered a buzz for his talents and undefeated record, and a victory over a fighter with Noke‘s name recognition would serve to be a nice addition to his resume.

When the fight got underway, Webb’s grappling made all the difference in the initial two frames, and he appeared to be clearly winning the fight heading into the final round. Noke was able to turn things up a bit in the third, but Webb kept things close and arguably could have won that round as well. When the final bell sounded, it appeared as if Webb was on his way to victory.

Yet, things are never cut-and-dried where MMA judging is concerned. And this rings especially true when one athlete is fighting in another’s home country. 

Whereas many assumed Webb would get the victory, it was Noke who earned the split-decision win. One cageside judge scored all three rounds for Webb, while the other two officials gave two rounds to Noke. To be fair, the fight was far from being a rout in Webb’s favor, but he seemed to do enough to earn the victory Saturday.

Nevertheless, he was handed the first loss of his professional career, and Noke‘s victory caused the MMA community to declare some home cooking for the Australian in Adelaide at Fight Night 65.

 

The Strange

Strange happenings have become commonplace for Dylan Andrews.

The Ultimate Fighter alum possesses obvious talent and has been able to showcase that at times inside the Octagon, but The Villain has been on the harbinger of curious circumstance as of late. Perhaps “The Unfortunate” would be a more fitting nickname for Andrews in light of the strange turns he has suffered over his past three fights.

The bad luck started at Fight Night 27 back in 2013 when a dislocated shoulder ended his bout with Clint Hester in Indianapolis. While one incident is not enough to create a stigma, his next bout also ended in strange fashion as the 35-year-old New Zealand native knocked himself silly during a takedown attempt that ultimately led to his defeat.

While Saturday’s shenanigans weren’t as gruesome or immediate, he wasn’t able to get through his bout with Brad Scott without misfortune striking. Andrews was hit with a jab in the second round that immediately impacted his ability to see out of his right eye. Where eye pokes are common in MMA, Andrews was not poked in the eye, yet he pulled away, and the referee erroneously gave him time to recover. 

That said, the allotted time did Andrews no favors and played more like the beginning of the end as he was forced to tap out to a guillotine choke shortly thereafter. It was a rough turn for a talented fighter who simply can’t seem to catch a break inside the Octagon. Furthermore, the loss to Scott is his third consecutive setback under the UFC banner. While having three straight losses doesn’t necessarily guarantee a fighter will lose his roster spot, it is never a good thing to have hanging over your profile on the sport’s biggest stage.

Andrews needs to turn things around in a big way, and finding some good vibes in the process would probably serve for the better as well. 

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Stipe Miocic: The Rising Tide of UFC Heavyweight Division

In a sport where trash-talking and constant self-promotion has become a popular trend over the past few years, there are those fighters who still prefer to let their performances do the talking. 
And while Stipe Miocic may be at the front of the n…

In a sport where trash-talking and constant self-promotion has become a popular trend over the past few years, there are those fighters who still prefer to let their performances do the talking. 

And while Stipe Miocic may be at the front of the new batch of heavyweights looking to break through into title contention, the Ohio native subscribes to the old school mentality of show and prove rather than interview rants and random fighter call-outs on Twitter.

In regard to the proving part, Miocic certainly has accomplished this task during his time under the UFC banner. The heavy-handed Cleveland representative has found victory in six of his eight showings inside the Octagon where he’s bested a collection of tough competition.

With obvious talent, the only question surrounding the 32-year-old Strong Style-trained fighter was whether he could hang with the divisional elite.

He silenced any doubt surrounding his abilities in his most recent outing, as he went toe-to-toe with former champion Junior dos Santos at UFC on Fox 13. Even though he would ultimately come out on the losing end on the judges’ scorecards, the bout was a hard-fought and gritty five-round affair that would serve to elevate Miocic‘s status, despite the setback.

His bout with JDS was proof he belongs mixing it up with the best in the world, and his next outing will provide him the opportunity to take another strong step up the divisional hierarchy when he faces recent title challenger Mark Hunt at Fight Night 65.

Miocic is set to square off with “The Super Samoan” on Saturday in Adelaide, Australia, and he believes it’s the perfect scenario for a huge statement to be made.

“I’m feeling great and ready to roll, brother,” Miocic told Bleacher Report. “This is a great fight, and I love it. I feel I match up well with Hunt. I think it’s funny he says that I have nothing for him and he’s better than me.

“That’s fine. A person can think what they want, and I personally don’t care what he thinks about me. He’s one of the best in the world, but I think I’m better. I’ll show everyone that on May 10 [local time in Australia].”

While the majority of Miocic‘s preparation for his upcoming bout took place in his home state of Ohio, he also took some time to return to the country of his heritage and train with his idol in MMA. Both of Miocic‘s parents are from Croatia, and he took a trip there to train with legendary striker Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and to help the former Pride champion prepare for his fight with Gabriel Gonzaga at Fight Night 64 in Poland.

Miocic is quick to say training with one of his personal heroes was a dream come true, but it also served to be an educational experience, as well. There are few on the current landscape of the sport who have garnered more experience than Filipovic, and Miocic returned to the U.S. confident and energized for his bout with Hunt.

“I had an amazing trip to Croatia,” Miocic said. “I learned so much and got a lot better. Cro Cop is one of the best in the world and such a great guy. It was awesome to train with him. There’s nothing better than working with him, and it was a great experience.

“It definitely was a great boost of motivation for my fight, and I’m ready to get in there and get the job done.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand, unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Mark Munoz: Family 1st and a Final Chapter at Fight Night 66

Time is a curious element.
While it is not something we can physically touch, those rules do not apply in return. Time and the impact of its passage can been felt and seen at every turn, all the while perpetually moving forward without mercy or sympath…

Time is a curious element.

While it is not something we can physically touch, those rules do not apply in return. Time and the impact of its passage can been felt and seen at every turn, all the while perpetually moving forward without mercy or sympathy to those who operate within its constructs. Time simply is, and while resisting the ever-rolling tide of it is something most attempt, the end result is the same for all.

Mark Munoz has and will always be a fighter by definition, but the focus of those efforts are in the process of changing. “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” has spent the better part of the past decade fulfilling that role in the literal sense as the former Division I national champion wrestler turned mixed martial artist has been a fixture in the UFC’s middleweight division. Yet, with the 37-year-old Orange County representative closing in on his retirement from MMA competition, the days of Munoz scrapping it out against a worthy adversary will soon come to an end.

And while the lifelong competitor admits he’ll miss the sport he’s loved intensely for the past several years, it was love in the unconditional sense that made him realize the time had come to change courses. Munoz is a family man above all else, but a career as a professional athlete requires certain sacrifices, and he feels it’s been far too long since those who matter most to him have received the attention they deserve.

He knows he cannot make up for time lost or change the past, but he’s determined to make the absolute most of the road ahead.

“I want to be there for my family,” Munoz told Bleacher Report. “I want to lead them and teach them and make sure they are going down the right direction. My family did that for me and I want to do the same for my kids. I love my family so much and they are the reason I made the decision I did. I always say they are my first priority and if I were to continue fighting they wouldn’t be that. I’d be a hypocrite. It all goes by so fast. It all goes by in the blink of an eye where one moment they are little kids and the next they are ready to venture off into their own opportunities. I’d like to know where all that time went?

“That was the catalyst that spurred on my decision. It was my kids. I also promised my wife that when my youngest gets into the first grade I’d be done. She’s been in the first grade for the whole year now and it’s time. Now it’s on to the next chapter. I look at my career and I think I did great. Obviously I didn’t accomplish my goals, but that’s okay. I can take the knowledge I garnered throughout my career and pass it on to others. I have always felt I am a better coach than I am an athlete and that’s what I’m going to do going forward.”

Although Munoz credits his family for being the inspiration behind his decision to walk away from competing in combat sports, the actual balance being tipped in the equation came down a specific moment. Munoz had just watched his son’s travel team compete in Cooperstown, New York during a national tournament where his son was the standout performer on the field. With that in mind, Munoz admits it came as a huge shock to him when his son told him not only did he want to quit baseball, but soccer as well.

In shock and confusion, he immediately set about questioning his son’s reasoning, but by conversation’s end, it would be Munoz who made the greatest change of all. 

“It’s an awesome story, and to give a little perspective on that he plays baseball on a travel team called The Roughnecks who are the best team in Orange County,” Munoz explained. “They played in Cooperstown, New York and it is similar to the Little League World Series only a notch below. He played very well out there and went 12/15 at the plate and didn’t make a single error playing third base. Right after that he tells me he wants to quit and I was so confused. Then he told me he wants to quit soccer as well, and just like baseball, he plays and starts for one of the best soccer clubs out here. 

“When he said he wanted to quit those things I was immediately against it, and when I asked him why he said, ‘Because I love wrestling.’ I asked him what he loved about wrestling and he said, ‘I love wrestling dad because I don’t have to rely on other people. I can just go out there, work hard and rely on myself. If I win, I won because of my hard work, and if I lose, it’s because of what I didn’t do and it is on my shoulders.’ I told him I could respect that. Next, I asked him what his goals in wrestling were and he told me to get a full ride scholarship to a Division I program. 

“I told him there are 77 schools and 770 scholarships available and what made him think he would be one of those to earn one? Without batting an eye he looked me dead in the face and said, ‘Because I have you dad.’ I was floored. In that moment I broke down and told him, ‘We’re going to do this, buddy.’ I knew right there in that moment what I had to do.  He has the work ethic and the sky is the limit for him, but I want to be there for the process. I already feel like I’ve missed out on so much and I’m not going to miss out on anything else.”

While he will be looking to make a triumphant exit from MMA in his bout with Luke Barnatt at Fight Night 66 in Manila on May 16, the path Munoz has traveled over the past three years has been anything but smooth. Where he was once poised to earn a shot at the middleweight title with a victory over Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2 in January of 2012, his current status in the 185-pound ranks hangs at the opposite end of the spectrum. A rash of injuries and setbacks inside the Octagon knocked Munoz from the upper tier of the middleweight fold, and he’s been unable to regain his traction over his past three fights.

Munoz is quick to acknowledge the frustration and disappointment he’s dealt with in recent years, and has spoken publicly about the depression he was forced to overcome in the lead-up to his comeback bout against Tim Boetsch at UFC 162 in July of 2013. The hovering circumstances of his struggles inside the cage would eventually combine with reoccurring injuries and the responsibilities of owning his gym Reign Training Center, and something needed to give.

Yet, rather than make excuses or point fingers at who or what went wrong in those avenues, Munoz accepted the reality of the situation and started working toward a solution.

“I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs over the past three years, but I have learned to take the good with the bad because it’s all part of my story,” Munoz said. “The past few years have been rough and through it all I was operating Reign Training Center and doing a lot of work for my community with my anti-bullying campaign. I was helping guys out with coaching and teaching at the gym. I was traveling with my wrestling team to different tournaments and all the while trying to train and be at the top of the heap in the middleweight division. 

“I was doing a lot and stressing out about the gym a lot of the times. Having to do all those things all the while still being an elite level mixed martial artist was really hard. That’s why right now I let the gym go. I shut it down and right now I’m pruning my tree. I really am. If you really think about agriculture and the principle of pruning, you prune a tree to get fruit from other places. The right places and that’s what I’m doing. I need for it to happen because my family is my first priority. I need to tend to them.

“I’m definitely at a crossroads in my life, but there are a lot of open doors I can walk through,” he added. “They say when one door closes a few open up and that’s how it is for me. There are a few doors that are opening and I’m going to step through them on faith and do the best that I can. I’m going to make the best of those opportunities and let the chips fall where they may. There are a lot of things for me to be excited about.”

If Munoz is excited about what the future will hold for him beyond competing inside the Octagon, then he could be categorized as downright ecstatic for his final under the UFC banner. For the majority of his time in the UFC, Munoz has campaigned and advocated for the promotion to hold an event in the Philippines. In addition to it being the home country for multiple generations of his family, the Philippines also have a rich history in martial arts and combat sports alike, and it was Munoz’s dream to one day be able to compete on the soil his ancestors once walked upon.

Therefore, Munoz will not only be looking to make his official exit from MMA a triumphant one against the rangy Brit in Manila, he will be attempting to do it in the most ideal setting imaginable for him. Those elements have the potential to combine for a story-book ending to Munoz’s career, and he’s not going to hold anything back once the cage door locks behind him for the final time.

“It means the world to me to be fighting in the Philippines,” Munoz said. “It’s the place of my heritage and where it all started for me. Everything from the culture, food and language…that’s all me, man. I’m excited. I went over there a while back and was trying to promote the UFC and get it on the scene over there, and now it’s finally coming to fruition. I couldn’t be more excited.

“The beast is going to come out of me in this fight. I switched my training back to the people I started with and that’s when I was an animal going in there. I have all the bases covered and I’m excited for this fight. This is my home country and I’m definitely looking to make a big splash. I’m looking to go out on top. I’m that wrecking machine is coming out again. I’m definitely ready to go.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Carlos Condit: Natural Born Killer Set to Be Unleashed at Fight Night 67

There is a quiet intensity that pulses through Carlos Condit. One that simmers just below the surface, yet is ever present and readily available when it becomes necessary to tap into. This attribute is the catalyst for his killer instinct inside t…

There is a quiet intensity that pulses through Carlos Condit. One that simmers just below the surface, yet is ever present and readily available when it becomes necessary to tap into. This attribute is the catalyst for his killer instinct inside the cage, and it is his ability to settle his opposition in brutal fashion which has made him a fan favorite over the past decade.

Nevertheless, having spent the past year on the sidelines as he’s rehabilitated a knee injury suffered in his last fight, shaping and corralling that intensity has brought his focus to new levels. The former interim welterweight champion refused to allow his physical situation to eat away at him from the inside, and instead immersed himself in the challenges of his recovery. Where getting back to fighting form may be enough for some fighters, Condit is cut from a different mold.

The Albuquerque native is a firm subscriber to the notion of progression through sacrifice, and he’ll push himself in both the physical and mental realms to ensure the results are produced.

“Recovery has been a tedious process but I always had something to challenge myself with,” Condit said in an exclusive interview. “Luckily I had a physical therapist who really put me through it, and not only helped me get my leg strong, but kept the rest of my body strong as well so I wasn’t coming into my training camp out of shape. It was certainly enough of a challenge to keep me satisfied.

“I kind of feel like I have been in camp this entire time,” he added. “While I was initially training to get back, when the fight was announced it was just shifting into another phase of what I was already doing. Once the fight was announced then it went to watching tape on a particular fighter and working on particular things, but I’ve been training pretty intensely for months and months on end.”

The former WEC welterweight champion has worked relentlessly to make sure he will return to the Octagon in peak form because relentless is the only way “The Natural Born Killer” knows how to operate. And with his long awaited return against Thiago Alves at Fight Night 67 rapidly approaching, the time will soon come for Condit to unleash.

More than 14 months will have passed by when the cage door shuts behind him on May 30 in Goiania, Brazil, and he’s eager to jump back into the fray full tilt to face an opponent who much like himself, has built a storied reputation for bringing highlight-reel-worthy violence on fight night. The American Top Team representative is a former title challenger to the welterweight crown and has remained a divisional staple for the better part of the past decade.

Furthermore, Alves always shows up to throw down and that’s precisely what Condit loves about the matchup. He knows Pitbull will be trying to put him away from the opening bell, and the 31-year-old Jackson/Winkeljohn product couldn’t be happier with those circumstances. Condit believes he’s at his best when the stakes are at their highest and sees his main event tilt with Alves as the perfect scenario to put on an exciting performance for action-hungry fight fans.

“My intensity is right on point,” Condit said. “I’ve had all that intensity bottled up for over a year and I’m ready to get in there and unleash it. This is the perfect opponent to do that with because he’s coming at me. When the bell rings it’s going to be do or die. Either he’s going down or I am. That’s the way I like it. The more dangerous my opponent is the better I fight.

“When I have that sinking feeling in my stomach before a fight and I have that dread that I’m going to step in there with a savage who is coming in there to hurt me…I have my best fights. I’m at my best under those circumstances. This is going to be a great fight. I’ve admired his fighting style for a long time. I want to be in fights the fans want to see and this isn’t going to be something the fans want to miss.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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John Dodson: ‘I Am the Savior of the Flyweight Division’

The UFC has struggled to make fight fans care about the flyweight division, but John Dodson believes he’s the solution to that problem.
While the 125-pound fold is lined with talented fighters and currently features one of the pound-for-pound best in t…

The UFC has struggled to make fight fans care about the flyweight division, but John Dodson believes he’s the solution to that problem.

While the 125-pound fold is lined with talented fighters and currently features one of the pound-for-pound best in the sport in Demetrious Johnson as champion, fan interest in the weight class has yet to take hold.

This especially rings true where “Mighty Mouse” is concerned, as the first and only UFC flyweight champion has continually failed in his efforts to connect with the promotion’s passionate fanbase. It’s unclear whether the cause of this stigma is due to a lack of push from the UFC or fans refusing to invest in the lighter weight classes, but the situation is certainly real.

Again, Dodson feels he’s the solution to the problem.

The heavy-handed former title challenger is confident he will be the fighter who shifts how fans see the flyweight division and feels he’s the only one who has the power to do it.

“The Magician” recently spoke out on the subject during an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour (h/t Alex Schlinsky of MMA Mania), and the Albuquerque, New Mexico, native pulled no punches:

We always thought it was going to be Ian McCall, but Ian McCall hasn’t been able to perform the way that he wants to. So I guess I can step up and say that I am the savior of the flyweight division. If everybody wants to have a last hope for [the division], it’d be me…

I notice when you guys bring me up to Demetrious Johnson or to T.J. Dillashaw, both of them get super butthurt about the fact that you guys ask them about fighting me. Demetrious had his toughest fight against me and he knows that he’ll have one again, another tough fight with me. I potentially could steal that title from him. And T.J. Dillashaw goes around telling everyone that when I fought him, it was a fluke, and that it never would happen again. I just keep on looking ahead, man. I’m going to be champion…

I wouldn’t want to sit there saying, “What if I wasn’t champion?” I just know that I’m going to be the champion, and that’s a fact I’m going to stay with. I’m going to go out there and bang it out with them dudes, and when I walk away with the championship, I’m going to let them know that we both knew this was going to happen.

While Dodson has battled injuries that have kept him on the sidelines for a good portion of the past two years, MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti indicates he’s been adamant about getting another another shot at Johnson’s flyweight crown.

The two fighters initially collided at UFC on Fox 6 back in January of 2013, with the Parkland, Washington, native earning victory on the judges’ scorecards.

With that said, Dodson had control of the fight in the early going, as he put the champion on the deck twice with his signature power shots.

Nevertheless, if Dodson wants to get back into title contention in quick fashion, he will have to first answer the challenge standing directly in his path back to the top.

The 30-year-old knockout artist is scheduled to square off with former Bellator champion turned UFC contender Zach Makovsky at UFC 187 on May 23 in Las Vegas. “Fun Size” has won three of his four showings inside the Octagon, with his most recent victory coming at the expense of Tim Elliott at Fight Night 60 back in February.

Both Dodson and Makovsky are within striking distance of a title opportunity, and the winner of their tilt could very well earn the next shot at the flyweight strap.

Dodson believes he’s the future of his weight class, and a victory over Makovsky at UFC 187 would bring him one step closer to backing up such a bold claim.

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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Jessica Penne: Championship Opportunity Knocks at UFC Berlin

Opportunities arise in the strangest places in mixed martial arts, but Jessica Penne was ready when the biggest moment of her career came to call.
The former atomweight turned UFC women’s strawweight contender was training for her upcoming bout against…

Opportunities arise in the strangest places in mixed martial arts, but Jessica Penne was ready when the biggest moment of her career came to call.

The former atomweight turned UFC women’s strawweight contender was training for her upcoming bout against Juliana Lima, set to take place on May 30 at Fight Night 67, when word came that there had been a change of plans. The 32-year-old Californian would no longer be traveling to Brazil with the hopes of scrapping her way into a title shot, instead, the championship opportunity she’d been envisioning since her arrival in the UFC was coming in short order.

In a quick turn, she would now be preparing to face Joanna Jedrzejczyk when the UFC returns to Berlin for Fight Night 69 on June 20. And while Penne was admittedly surprised her number was called, she has every intention of making the most out of the opportunity. She is well aware that doors of this caliber don’t often open in the fight game, and Penne is determined to capitalize by any means necessary.

“I was pretty stoked to get that call to be honest,” Penne told Bleacher Report. “I was kind of caught off guard. I got the phone call, but it really didn’t settle in until yesterday when I woke up and my phone was exploding with messages and notifications. I figured maybe after fighting in Brazil and getting a win over Juliana that a title shot would maybe be the next logical step, but you never know. You never really know how these things are decided. Let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised and excited to get the title shot.”

While getting the title shot was a turn she didn’t see coming, Penne knew she had put herself in good standing on the strength of her official UFC debut back in December. The former kickboxer with slick submission skills went toe-to-toe with Randa Markos at The Ultimate Fighter 20 finale and edged out the hard-nosed Canadian via split-decision on the judges’ scorecards to pick up her first victory inside the Octagon.

In addition to getting her hand raised at fight’s end, Penne also picked up an extra check for the tenacity of her performance inside the cage and doing her part to put on the most exciting tilt of the night. And as it would turn out, the statement she made in Las Vegas would carry through the twists and turns of promotional mapping to land a shot at the strawweight crown. 

“I thought that fight was a great way to introduce myself to the UFC,” Penne said. “I don’t think you can get a better UFC debut than getting the win and a Fight of the Night bonus. I always go out there to put on exciting fights. I’m always trying to improve myself as a fighter. I was pleased, but not satisfied. I think I am growing into this weight class.

“I came up from 105 pounds and this weight class is a bit different, but being on the show and having that last fight was a great way to get my bearings in this weight class. I’m definitely growing into it and I feel very confident here. I felt good at 105 pounds, but I think 115 is a better fit for my size and shape.”

With her focus now shifted toward Jedrzejczyk, the newly minted title challenger will be tasked with dethroning a champion who built some mystique in her last fight. The rangy Poland native battered and dominated former belt-holder Carla Esparza until she put away “The Cookie Monster” in the second round of their bout at UFC 185 in March. The beating Jedrzejczyk handed out was so thorough and lopsided against a proven veteran in Esparza, it created the idea she had the potential to reign as 115-pound queen for a long time.

Penne doesn’t see things in that perspective. She grants that the current champion deserved to win the title on that night in Dallas, but she hasn’t fallen into the mystique surrounding Jedrzejczyk. The Orange County native believes she has what it takes to steal the strawweight crown and plans to make her dream of becoming a UFC champion reality in impressive fashion.

“I feel like a lot of people are really hyped out because of Joanna and Carla’s [Esparza] fight and I think they are a little bit distracted by the results of it and how it went,” Penne said. “I’ve looked at her other fights and they haven’t been like that. I definitely see where I can capitalize and I see myself getting a submission win. I’m really looking forward to the challenge. She’s a very tough fighter. She definitely belongs in the spot that she’s in, but I believe I have the tools to beat her. 

“Becoming a UFC champion would be absolutely amazing. I’m in this sport because I believe I’m the best and I’m going to go out there and prove it. The ultimate goal in every fighter’s career is to be No. 1 and to hold that belt. I’m ecstatic and excited for this opportunity. It’s just beyond my dreams.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise. 

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