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UFC on Fuel 6 Results: What Went Right for Cung Le?

UFC Macao ended with a boom tonight, as veteran underdog Cung Le landed a perfectly executed counter over hand right to the button of Rich Franklin at 2:17 of the first round.It was a quick and decisive win for the 40-year-old fighter/actor, and as man…

UFC Macao ended with a boom tonight, as veteran underdog Cung Le landed a perfectly executed counter over hand right to the button of Rich Franklin at 2:17 of the first round.

It was a quick and decisive win for the 40-year-old fighter/actor, and as many predicted, the shorter the fight, the better it would be for Le, and it didn’t even last a half a round.

So what went right for Le in the two-minute tussle? (What didn’t go right?) Here are a couple of specific points that led to his victory.

It clearly looked like Franklin was cool to stick and move, use the leg kicks and get himself warmed up and into the fight as time went on in the first round. In the process, he got lazy. He repeated and telegraphed that same intro combo a few times. Le read this right away, and he took full advantage.

Once Le was able to read, recognize and make the decision to attack the Franklin approach, he chose his overhand right as the perfect counter weapon. The only question from there was if he would be able to land it and hurt Franklin in the process. Many times, you only get one crack at that big overhand counter, so you hope it does maximum damage in the process. You may only get that chance a few more times on the night at all.

Not only was Le able to execute the counter well and land it on Franklin’s head, but he was so tuned in and deadly accurate with it that he immediately shut Franklin’s lights out and sent him free falling face down to the canvas.

What went right for Le? In that moment, everything. He was able to read, counter and execute with perfect efficiency, all in a span of a few seconds, busting the China crowd into a frenzy and gaining a historic victory in the process.

Lucky punch, my ass.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca UFC.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter @wakafightermma.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fuel 6: How Far Can Alex Caceres Go in the Bantamweight Division?

From the minute we saw Alex Caceres’ grinning mug on The Ultimate Fighter Team GSP vs Team Koscheck in 2010, many wondered if he was substance or show. Due to his look and hair, he was pegged “Bruce Leroy” after the lead character from ’80s martial art…

From the minute we saw Alex Caceres‘ grinning mug on The Ultimate Fighter Team GSP vs Team Koscheck in 2010, many wondered if he was substance or show. Due to his look and hair, he was pegged “Bruce Leroy” after the lead character from ’80s martial arts musical The Last Dragon, a gimmick for entertainment to say the least. Or was it?

Virtually dismissed as a fraud by his peers in the TUF house, Caceres‘ had a surprisingly successful showing on the show gaining two upset submission wins before bowing out via decision to eventual season winner Micheal Johnson. Johnson dominated the entire fight, but Caceres survived and lost by decision, and he smiled the whole way through.

The lesson to be learned here is that Caceres proved to many, that he was not to be counted out.

After a false start with two losses in the featherweight division, Caceres moved down to bantamweight last year and has gone 2-1 in the process.

Just how far can Caceres go in the bantamweight division? I don’t think that Caceres will ever get a title shot or be the division champion, but I do think he can get into the top ten in the world and here are a few reasons why.

He is only 24 years old

He is only 24 years old and due to his personality attitude and TUF fan following, Caceres will get a lot of time and much opportunity to improve his game. He currently trains at the Young Tigers Foundation in Miami, and will have access to some of the top trainers in the world for the next few years. His potential is undeniable.

Bantamweight is a very thin division

When you glance at all the fighters in the bantamweight division, there aren’t too many that stick out as young, dominant sky’s-the-limit fighters. The two champions Dominick Cruz and Renan Berao fit that tag, but it really is a toss up after that. The next tier are names like Urijah Faber, Brian Bowles and Ivan Menjivar all men on the down side of their careers. The up-and-comers are guys like TJ Dillashaw, Mike Easton and Edwin Figueroa.

Caceres lost a split decision to Figueroa mostly because he was penalized two points for low blows.

He beat Escovedo and Page right out of the UFC

Caceres proved that he needed to be taken seriously by beating two seasoned veterans when their backs were squarely against the wall. He defeated Cole Escovedo via decision in his bantamweight debut and knocked Escovedo out of the UFC. He also upset veteran Damacio Page via submission in his last fight, and Page was released from the UFC.

The lesson here, don’t count Bruce Leroy out.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca UFC.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter @wakafightermma

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Score Fighting Series Finalizes Another Exciting Show for Hamilton

The Score Fighting Series put the finishing touches on their next show today, adding two more lightweight preliminary fights to the card to round out the November 23rd show.The Score’s seventh show is set for Friday, November 23rd, from&…

The Score Fighting Series put the finishing touches on their next show today, adding two more lightweight preliminary fights to the card to round out the November 23rd show.

The Score’s seventh show is set for Friday, November 23rd, from the Hamilton Place Theatre in Hamilton, Ontario. The venue in Hamilton has become the home base for SFS, and the month-end show will feature some very exciting match ups.

Strikeforce welterweight, and popular Canadian fighter, Jordan Mein, has been granted a temporary leave to take on former UFC veteran and current SFS stalwart Forrest Petz.

Mein is one of the most highly regarded prospects out of Canada right now. He is no stranger to the promotion as he headlined their inaugural show in June of last year. Petz is coming off one of the best fights the SFS has ever had with his win in a war over Sergej Juskevic in April.

The rest of the main card is stacked with match ups featuring local talent in relevant fights that will surely have the theatre ready and rowdy at the end of this month.

Dominant featherweight Josh Hill, looking to stay undefeated in his young career, will be on the card facing American Top Team fighter Rafael Rebello. Hill is a phenomenal athlete with speed and smarts. and he will be put to the test against the submission artist Rebello.

He dominated one of Canada’s best featherweights, John Fraser, in his last outing in August.

Jesse “The Body Snatcher” Ronson will also look to continue his current run when he takes a big step up to face veteran Ryan Healy. Ronson is on a six fight win streak with each performance looking more impressive than the last. His striking is among the very best outside the UFC, but his all-around game will be challenged by the tough veteran Healy.

Healy defeated former UFC fighter Paul Kelly via unanimous decision at Super Fight League 2 in April.

Those three fights alone are worth the price of admission, yet the excitement does not stop there. Young prospect Alex Ricci will look to bounce back from his first loss when he faces Kevin Moran. Local beast Ryan Dickson will kick off the main card against Brandt Dewsbury.

Two lightweight fights were added to the preliminary card: Jason Saggo versus Iraj Hadin and Adam Assenza vs. Tommy Cote.

The preliminary card includes: (All Fights Subject to Change)

· Jason Saggo vs Iraj Hadin (added Nov 6th)

· Elias Theodorou vs Ali Mokdad

· Adam Assenza vs Tommy Cote (added Nov 6th)

· Paul Jalbert vs Zach George

· Ahmad Kakar vs Tommy McAvoy

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter @wakafightermma

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

15 Fighters the UFC Must Bring in

With the UFC roster loaded heavily with established, aging stars of the sport, it’s time for them to consider bringing in a new wave of eager and hungry talent to round out the roster of every division.In a sport where a lot of the fanbase seems to suf…

In a sport where a lot of the fanbase seems to suffer from attention deficit disorder, it would certainly give them a jolt with some fresh, new and exciting fight possibilities.

Many of the fighters on this list have been climbing strong in organizations outside of the UFC and are ready to step in immediately and offer relevant and elite level fights with many, if not all, of the UFC fighters in their respective weight classes.

There has been much talk and speculation about the state of Strikeforce and where their best fighters should be. Due to the fact that it is already owned by UFC parent company Zuffa, all Strikeforce fighters, including the elite like Daniel Cormier, Josh Barnett, Gilbert Melendez, Luke Rockhold, Nate Marquardt, Ronda Rousey, Gegard Mousasi and Ronald Souza have been left off this list intentionally.

I have also left off fighters who have had recent stints in the UFC, but for one reason or another, were released from the promotion. Fighters that have proven they have the skill to compete with success, but have had problems outside the cage that led to their release. Names such as Anthony Johnson and Nate Marquardt fit this description and are not on this list.

Here are 15 fighters the UFC must bring in.

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Bellator 79: Ford, Lima, Richman Solid but Lacking Star Power

Bellator Fighting Championships is back in Ontario this weekend as Bellator 79 is set to take place on Friday night from Casino Rama in Orillia. Rama is the second show in Bellator’s swing through this area as they held another successful show in Windsor on October 12th that saw star Eddie Alvarez headline the show with a head kick knockout win over Patricky Friere.

This is the second time this year that Bellator has made a two stop swing through southern Ontario, and fans are enjoying and getting used to the excitement and elite level mixed martial arts that Bellator’s roster brings. This weekend’s show is very solid on the top of the card, although it lacks the star power that has been delivered to the fans in the past.

Ontario fans have been treated with headliners such as Alvarez, Ben Askren, Michael Chandler, Akihiro Gono in the last few shows and there are no names with that status on this card. However, the main card features four fights involving three fighters that Canadian fans know very well, and may be enough to fill the seats at Rama.

Popular Canadian welterweight Ryan The Real Deal Ford will be in feature fight action against the relatively unknown Kyle Baker. There is not a lot at stake in this one as it is not involved in any tournament or title climb, but Ford, who has been kicking ass north of the border for years now has a very loyal following. he is 6-1 in his last seven fights and made a successful Bellator debut in May with a TKO over Luis Santos. Ford should get the largest pop out of the crowd, and a win will keep him in contention for possible tournament entry down the road.

Mike Richman will be fighting on the card in a featherweight tournament semi-final match up against top Russian Shahbulat Shamhalaev. Richman made himself known to the local crowd in April when he knocked out local fan favorite Chris Horodecki with a lightning fast and devastating combination. The knockout shocked and silenced the crowd inside Caesars Windsor. Richman fought for the Windsor fans again last month and shocked again with a head kick knockout 23 seconds into his fight with Jeremy Spoon.

The third fighter on the main card that Canadian fans are very familiar with is Douglas Lima. Lima will be fighting Jacob Ortiz and is the former Maximum Fighting Championships welterweight champion. MFC is based out of Edmonton and is the longest standing MMA promotion in Canada. Lima dominated his opponents in his time in the MFC and his title led to his signing in Bellator. Lima then made a run through the season 5 welterweight tournament to earn a shot at champion Ben Askren. Lima fought Askren in Windsor in April and lost a lopsided, unanimous decision to the current champ.

The main card is rounded out and headlined by a heavyweight tournament semi-final bout between Thiago Santos and Richard Hale. There are also five preliminary fights on the card featuring up and coming Canadians Vladimir Starcencov and Guillaume DeLorenzi.

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter @wakafightermma

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit: A Career Timeline to UFC 154

UFC 154 is just around the corner and will mark the return of welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre after a long layoff with a knee injury. St-Pierre was out for over a year, and someone had to keep the belt warm while he was away.Carlos Condit defea…

Carlos Condit defeated Nick Diaz to earn the honor of interim title holder, and he will now get his chance to make it real by defeating St-Pierre on November 17th. Make no mistake, Condit is top of the food chain in the division and will give GSP all he can handle in his return.

Both of these men have been competing in MMA for years and at the very top wherever they were fighting throughout their careers. It seemed inevitable that these two would be on a path to clash at some point or another, and let’s take a comparative look at the career timelines of the two best welterweights in the world.

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