Author: Ethan Grant

Evans vs. Henderson: Complete Preview for UFC 161 Main Event

With Jon Jones dominating talk at the top of the UFC light heavyweight division, Saturday night’s UFC 161 card will be headlined by two men looking for a shot to move up the division ladder—Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson. Evans already has a…

With Jon Jones dominating talk at the top of the UFC light heavyweight division, Saturday night’s UFC 161 card will be headlined by two men looking for a shot to move up the division ladder—Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson. 

Evans already has a loss at the hands of Bones Jones, but Henderson’s shot was missed after the debacle that was the cancelled UFC 151. 

Saturday night’s main event offers an opportunity for both to climb up the light heavyweight ladder, and a chance for the UFC to profit in a high-caliber event that doesn’t have the usual muster of a title fight.

UFC president Dana White is doing his best to keep the hype for the fight high:

Mere hours lie between now and the start of the latest UFC installment, so check out the sections below for a last-second preview for what should be an exciting match against potential championship fight suitors. 

 

UFC 161 Main Event Information

What: Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson

When: Saturday, June 15

Where: MTS Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Division: UFC Light Heavyweight

Full Card: Click here (via UFC.com)

Watch: Pay-Per-View, FX, Facebook

Live Stream: UFC.tv

 

Tale of the Tape (h/t ESPN)

Rashad Evans   Dan Henderson
33 Age 42
5’11” Height 6’1″
206 Weight 204
75″ Reach 74″
17-3-1 Record 29-9
UD Loss to Antonio Nogueira
(UFC 156) 		 Last Fight SD Loss to Lyoto Machida
(UFC 157) 
No. 6 LW Contender Rank No. 3

 

Complete Evans vs. Henderson Preview

The big right hand of Henderson is the X-factor in this fight, with Evans facing the reality of a two-fight losing streak against Jones and Little Nog. Hendo, on the other hand, is desperate to go out on top with one more shot at the title in his twilight years. 

Although Henderson has one of the longest per-fight time averages in UFC history (16:10, per Sports Illustrated’s Jeff Wagenheim), three of his last four wins have been by the KO/TKO variety. 

Henderson is also a two-time Olympic wrestler and will look to take this fight to the ground at times against Evans, who has very solid takedown defense and will try his best to use speed and quickness to overmatch the elder Hendo. 

But as UFC Canada noted on Twitter, he can also take the fight to the ground when he needs to:

With both fighters talented and well-rounded for this bout, there’s a good chance the outcome will come down to the subtleties that cost both men in their last losses. 

Henderson has a title shot on his mind, and a win over Evans just might be enough to make White seriously consider scheduling a Jones-Henderson bout in the near future. On the flip side, Evans would likely need another win—maybe two—before the marketing department decides a rematch would be in the best interest of the sport. 

The decision could likely change the fortunes of both men in either direction, with the aging Henderson a candidate to retire in the near future and Evans needing a win to stave off the dreaded three-fight losing streak. 

In what should live up to the hype generated, expect both of these veteran UFC names to give each other a great fight through the three rounds that the company decided upon for the main event card. 

A knockout is just as likely as a decision on Saturday night, so make sure you tune in to see what the flow and the strategy for both fighters is, and which fighter will pick up the ladder-moving victory at UFC 161. 

 

Follow Bleacher Report FC Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter. 

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UFC 159: What Big Wins Mean for Top Fighters Moving Forward

The UFC put on a show in New Jersey on Saturday night, starting with the preliminary bouts and moving all the way to Jon Jones’ fifth straight light-heavyweight-title defense against Chael Sonnen. Jones, Roy Nelson, Phil Davis, Michael Bisping and…

The UFC put on a show in New Jersey on Saturday night, starting with the preliminary bouts and moving all the way to Jon Jones’ fifth straight light-heavyweight-title defense against Chael Sonnen. 

Jones, Roy Nelson, Phil Davis, Michael Bisping and Pat Healy are among those that move up the MMA latter after the conclusion of UFC 159, as most of the main-card fights went the way we all expected them to in this 11-fight showcase of the company’s top talent. 

What does it all mean?

The winners and losers from Saturday’s card now have different opponents lined up within the minds of those who are in charge of making fights, a theme that continues every Sunday morning after a UFC event. 

With respect to the top fighters in the company who were on display at UFC 159, let’s take a look at what big wins mean for their statuses moving forward. 

 

UFC 159 Full Results

Class Fight Method RD
Light Heavyweight*  Jon Jones def. Chael Sonnen TKO 1
Middlewight Michael Bisping def. Alan Belcher Stoppage
(UD, eye)		 3
Heavywight Roy Nelson def. Cheick Kongo KO 1
Light Heavyweight Phil Davis def. Vinny Magalhaes UD 3
Lightweight Pat Healy def. Jim Miller Submission 3
Lightweight  Rustam Khabilov def. Yancy Medeiros TKO 1
Light Heavyweight Ovince St. Preux def. Gian Villante MD 3
Women Bantamweight Sara McCann def. Sheila Gaff TKO 1
Bantamweight Bryan Caraway def. Johnny Bedford Submission 3
Featherweight Cody McKenzie def. Leonard Garcia UD 3
Featherweight Steven Siler def. Kurt Holobaugh UD 3

*Designates Title Fight

For complete look at UFC 159 results, click here (courtesy UFC.com). 


What Wins Mean for Top Fighters

Jon Jones

Jones had maybe his most impressive victory to date on Saturday night, using the best part of his opponent’s game—wrestling—to completely dismantle Sonnen by the end of the fight. 

Although Jones ended up breaking his toe during the fight and virtually had to win in the first round to avoid being medically disqualified at the start of the second round, this was a huge win for both his status as one of the company’s top three fighters and his place as the biggest rising star in the UFC. 

Jones will now be the subject for three different fights. 

The first one is the most logical as intradivisional rival Alexander Gustafsson has been waiting for a title shot for quite some time now. With Lyota Machida already dispatched by Jones in his title defense, Gustafsson should jump the No. 1 contender for a shot at the title in this scenario. 

Jones responded to Gustafsson‘s “Harlem Shake” video earlier in the week, claiming that he would love to get a chance to beat the Swedish high-riser (h/t MMA Junkie). 

While that fight exists as the strongest possibility for Jones when his toe fully heals, another could be the dip of Daniel Cormier to the light heavyweight division for a shot at the champion. Cormier is listed as the No. 1 contender in the heavyweight division, but Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem are two guys that might get a title shot first. 

In Cormier, Jones would face one of his toughest tests of both power and raw strength, as the challenger would be cutting weight to take that fight. 

The last fight, and maybe most important one for the UFC, is with middleweight champion and undisputed UFC king Anderson Silva. Dana White hinted after the match that Silva called and asked for Jones after the conclusion of his stomping of Sonnen, but at this point it’s all purely speculation (h/t UFC on Twitter):

With a commanding victory and some time to recover from his nasty toe injury, Jones is sitting pretty atop the UFC mountaintop. He continues to demolish opponents, and at this point the company is doing its best to mention fighters that could last more than one round against him in a title fight. 

 

Roy Nelson

“Big Country” Nelson was part of one of the most embarrassing fights in MMA history if you listen to White talk about UFC 130, where he and Frank Mir put on a terrible show in what looked more like sumo wrestling than mixed martial arts. 

My my, how things have changed. 

Nelson (20-7) wasn’t guaranteed a fight after that Mir blowout, but he has dropped only one fight since then and has taken out Dave Herman, Matt Mitrione and now Cheick Kongo in first-round fashion in his last three fights. 

Taking down Kongo with a big right hook was the Knockout of the Night at UFC 159. 

While fans of Big Country are clamoring for a title shot with Cain Velasquez, the big man with the big beard has at least one fight to go before he’ll get a shot at the heavyweight belt. If you listened to White at the post-fight press conference, that man will either be Cormier or Mark Hunt (h/t ESPN). 

Those are two big-time opponents for Nelson, in large part because he’s faltered in fights against the company’s top stars at this weight class (Mir, dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum) when given an opportunity to assert himself as a star.

He’ll get another chance to do just that in his next fight, and a win could mean a title shot in the near future for a fighter that took a big leap forward on Saturday night. 

 

Michael Bisping

Bisping was so close to a shot at Silva when he lost to Vitor Belfort at the pair’s UFC on FX event, but he bounced back against Alan Belcher without any lingering effects of that second-round TKO. 

Moving 24-5 in his professional career, Bisping continued to prove that he’s in the conversation for ascension to the top of his weight class if he can put together a string of fights against top opponents in big venues.

As one of the fighters than fans love to hate the most, Bisping is a huge draw no matter who his opponent is, and that makes him a valuable asset in a division in which Silva’s dominance has precluded us from respecting the rest of the fighters underneath him. 

Bisping is expected to undergo minor neck surgery (h/t Sherdog) in the coming days, meaning he’ll likely be out for a few months as he recovers and preps for his next fight. Although he won on a technical decision against Belcher, it was clear he was in control of the fight and the unanimous judges card proved just that. 

To gain a shot at the title, Bisping will have to win at least two more fights, and his next opponent could be another fighter in the mix for said appearance in a five-round fight. 

 

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Jones vs. Sonnen: Bones Victory Will Push Challenger to Retirement After UFC 159

Chael Sonnen wasn’t the most deserving fighter when it came to the light heavyweight division title fight, but that’s exactly the position he’s claimed after stepping up in Dan Henderson’s stead and agreeing to challenge Jon Jones at the much-anticipat…

Chael Sonnen wasn’t the most deserving fighter when it came to the light heavyweight division title fight, but that’s exactly the position he’s claimed after stepping up in Dan Henderson’s stead and agreeing to challenge Jon Jones at the much-anticipated UFC 159 main event.

Sonnen needs to make the most of his chance against Jones, because another loss in a title fight could force his hand to hang up the gloves for good.

The main event fight between Jones and Sonnen is a long time coming.

Scheduled to face Henderson back in August, Jones was at the middle of the biggest—and only—UFC cancellation of our time. Sonnen stepped up to replace the injured Hendo at UFC 151, but Jones refused to fight Sonnen after he lost to Anderson Silva a month prior and didn’t have time to prepare for the bout (h/t Los Angeles Times).

Jones then defended his title at UFC 152 by easily taking out Vitor Belfort before agreeing to coach The Ultimate Fighter with a mind toward taking the UFC 159 main card fight against co-coach Sonnen.

That road has led to this April clash.

Sonnen will put his career on the line in Newark, and he’ll have to find a way to overcome the same disadvantages the rest of Bones Jones’ other 17 defeats have found out firsthand to have any shot at surviving this fight and earning a win.

In fact, Sonnen is a huge underdog for this caliber of a fight.

Part of that stems from the marketing value of his name—and more importantly, his mouth. Sonnen is a noted UFC bad boy, never afraid to stake his claim to a fight regardless of his standing as a contender that has never taken that next step up the ladder.

As noted by Matt Erickson of USA Today, Sonnen is a 10-1 dog on Saturday but is really embracing his role to not have a chance against Jones. In a fight that some (i.e., Dana White) feel would be the biggest upset in UFC history, Sonnen has one more chance to change his career trajectory.

To do so, expect him to recall his experience in his most-recent loss—Silva.

Not that specific loss, but the five-round thriller back in 2010 that started his current rivalry with the Spider. Sonnen managed to keep Silva off-balance, took advantage of the fact that Silva was considered to be coasting for much of the fight and likely would have taken home some sort of decision if not for getting submitted in the latter stages of the final round.

It was, to date, the biggest fight of his UFC career.

However, Sonnen tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone after the fight (h/t MMAFighting.com) and hasn’t done anything to affirm his place as one of the sport’s top fighters.

His rematch against Silva was indicative of what the first matchup might have been if Silva had really been engaged, and his place in this fight is the result of a marketing ploy to drum up a “rivalry” between Jones and Sonnen that didn’t really exist until Jones refused to fight him on short notice.

Now, Sonnen is fighting for his MMA career.

It’s an idea that David King of Yahoo! Sports also sees as a possibility, since Sonnen‘s MMA career has been largely based on his ability to out-wrestle lesser opponents. Don’t get me wrong—Sonnen is one of the sport’s premier wrestling talents, and his wins over Yushin Okami, Brian Stann and Michael Bisping cement that fact.

However, the clock is winding down on his career if he can’t reach the top of the podium with a win over Jones. Ironically, he got this title shot with virtually no light heavyweight experience, mainly because the company was desperate to fill the void at UFC 151 before Jones backed out.

If he loses a second straight title fight, where do you send him? Back to middleweight, where Anderson Silva has already beaten him twice? In a talented group of light heavyweight contenders that includes Lyoto Machida, Hendo and Rashad Evans?

Sonnen‘s been a professional fighter since 1997. This will be his 41st professional fight on Saturday, and we could be seeing a changing of the guard with respect to his place in the UFC. Though he’s never been one to duck or dodge a fight, going down to the middle of either division and having to work his way back up at age 36 is a tall task indeed.

Couple that with what King notes is a successful stint as a broadcaster and seller of different brands, and he could choose to put the gloves away for the luxuries of his fame.

While one realizes Sonnen has a “never say die” attitude toward the ring, this is truly a do-or-die fight to back up the talk he’s so proudly stated over the course of the buildup for this fight.

It makes him a dangerous opponent for Jones, as he really has nothing to lose if you look at his career resume.

Bones will have the length and reach advantage over Sonnen all night long. He won’t, however, have the luxury of no pressure to defend his title. He is joining Georges St-Pierre and Silva in terms of title defenses, and that can take its toll on an athlete.

However, a sound victory over Sonnen would be a huge disappointment for the challenger. We’ll see what that kind of decision does to the headstrong Sonnen, and if Jones can be the final strike to an otherwise against-the-odds career for Chael Sonnen.

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Transgender Fighter Fallon Fox Presents Huge Decision For Dana White

Since MMA fighter Fallon Fox announced that she is transgender on March 5 (via the Huffington Post), many have weighted in on whether or not that part of one’s life should impact their place in a specific-gender division.Everyone from Fox to UFC commen…

Since MMA fighter Fallon Fox announced that she is transgender on March 5 (via the Huffington Post), many have weighted in on whether or not that part of one’s life should impact their place in a specific-gender division.

Everyone from Fox to UFC commentator Joe Rogan (Note: sensitive language in video) have weighed in, but only one man’s opinion matters when it comes to Fox’s future in the newly-created women’s division of the world’s best MMA league.

That man is UFC president Dana White.

Fox, who is 5-0 with five KOs in her MMA career, is a legitimate candidate to tryout for the UFC if White has interest in expanding the women’s roster. Her license is currently under review by the Florida State Boxing Commission.

The UFC has added talented fighters Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche to its women’s roster in an attempt to diversify the sport and announced that ‘The Ultimate Fighter 18’ tryouts would be open to both men and women in the 135-pound division over the weekend (via USA Today).

After the Rousey-Carmouche fight pulled good ratings and drew a level of intrigue equaled to that of some other UFC cards, there’s no doubt expansion is on White’s mind when it comes to his newest division.

While those developments are paving the way for history in the sport, Fox’s story is causing some stop and pause about her potential inclusion to the growing women’s roster.

Tate, for one, doesn’t want to take a fight with Fox (via MMA Blog on Twitter):

Other fighters might feel the same way, and they are perfectly entitled to that right. While certainly one of the more unique and inspirational stories we’ve ever seen about an MMA fighter over the existence of the sport, the fact remains that Fox has had extensive surgery and therapy to change her body and psyche from that of a man’s into a woman’s.

White has already spoken out about Fox’s place in his league, and surprisingly, he had no comment about whether or not the athletic commissions should sway one way or another in determining Fox’s status as a female fighter.

Instead, he wants to see Fox face legitimate competition.

Here’s what White had to say about Fox, courtesy of MMAJunkie.com:

Here’s the other thing … All this other hype about Fallon Fox fighting in the UFC or whatever, understand this first and foremost: Everyone that Fallon Fox has fought has a losing record.

So before you even think about fighting in the UFC or whatever – he was a man and now he’s a woman – he’s fighting girls who have losing records. Before you get too crazy about him being in the UFC, he’s so freaking far from being in the UFC that it’s not even funny.

While the prospect of Fox joining the UFC is certainly exciting for proponents of her long journey to MMA stardom and especially juicy for the drama it would create within the women’s decision, White is taking a careful approach to his next move.

With a story holding as much cultural impact as this one, it’s probably not a bad move.

On one hand, Fox would be a big draw for a different audience of the sport. Transgenders don’t exactly have huge representation right now in professional sports, and Fox’s place in the UFC could be a major selling point for a new group of fans.

On the other hand, if fighters like Tate that are already on the roster are complaining about potential fights with Fox because of the history of being a man, then it could be a public-relations nightmare for both White and his current roster.

Whatever your opinion on Fox and which division the 37-year-old should be fighting in, one thing is very clear about her future in the UFC: Dana White calls the shots, and he’ll have a tough set of pros and cons if the athletic commissions rule in Fox’s favor over the next few weeks.

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UFC on Fuel TV 7: Renan Barão Win Sets Up Epic Showdown with Dominick Cruz

A title unification is afoot in the UFC bantamweight division.After Renan Barão took care of Michael McDonald in the fourth round (via Yahoo! Sports) of the pair’s interim title fight at UFC on Fuel TV 7, he set up what will be an epic showdown …

A title unification is afoot in the UFC bantamweight division.

After Renan Barão took care of Michael McDonald in the fourth round (via Yahoo! Sports) of the pair’s interim title fight at UFC on Fuel TV 7, he set up what will be an epic showdown against currently injured Dominick Cruz for the full title of bantamweight championship.

The potential title fight hasn’t gained as much press with Anderson Silva‘s name in the news for both Georges St-Pierre and Jon “Bones” Jones and Cain Velasquez taking the world by storm in the heavyweight division.

Attention, UFC fans: It should.

For starters, Barão moved to 30-1 in his MMA career and is currently riding a 20-fight win streak that now includes title-fight wins over Urijah Faber and McDonald.

He and McDonald traded jabs for most of the afternoon on Saturday, but Barão managed to get McDonald in position for an arm-triangle that ended things with three-minutes-and-change left in the fourth round.

UFC president Dana White was asked about the potential match, and he responded positively to what could be one of the better UFC title fights in recent memory (from MMA Weekly via Yahoo! Sports).

“Hopefully Cruz is healing up well and we can do that fight,” said UFC president Dana White when asked what was next for Barão. “That’s the fight I want to do and hopefully we can do that this summer.”

Cruz has had a long absence from competition. 

He hasn’t fought since October 2011, when he defended his title against Demetrious Johnson. Since then, knee surgeries and delays from a potential return have clouded Cruz’s future in the UFC.

If the company can get this fight together, it will be a potentially huge match.

Cruz (19-1 in his own right) has plenty of pedigree, and his last loss came as a member of the WEC. Since then, he won the title outright from Faber and then defended it against Johnson in late 2011. However, knee injuries threaten to claim his existence and have allowed Barão to take over the division.

From the Brazilian’s dominance to the comeback story Cruz would provide, this is a cash-cow for a potential pay-per-view showdown. Barão defended the title on Fuel on Saturday, but he likely won’t have another fight on cable TV as long as he’s the champ.

The one with Cruz certainly wouldn’t be, and as long as the rehab and therapy continue along the right way, the UFC has an epic title fight on its hands.

 

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Barao vs. McDonald: Interim Brazilian Champ Staking Claim as One of UFC’s Best

UFC on Fuel TV 7 was headlined by Renan Barao and Michael McDonald’s clash for the bantamweight championship.After Barao reigned victorious following a fourth-round arm triangle submission (via ESPN), one thing became painfully clear (especially for Mc…

UFC on Fuel TV 7 was headlined by Renan Barao and Michael McDonald’s clash for the bantamweight championship.

After Barao reigned victorious following a fourth-round arm triangle submission (via ESPN), one thing became painfully clear (especially for McDonald): Barao is one of the UFC’s best—interim titleholder, or not.

He’s proved that with a 5-0 record in Dana White‘s league, taking his career record to 30-1 (1) (20 straight wins in the process) and placing the “interim” part of his title as an afterthought before remembering that Dominick Cruz is actually the current titleholder. It was the first official defense of the title after defeating Urijah Faber to win the interim belt.

If Barao performs like he did on Saturday in any match against Cruz, we’ll get to remove the “interim” part for good.

The Brazilian announced that he hoped Cruz’s current knee rehab was going well, and proclaimed to the entire London crowd that he was ready for that fight when the right time comes.

Although Barao was clearly the big winner on Saturday, McDonald performed quite well. He managed to keep the fight very competitive through the first three rounds by showing some nice moves to avoid keeping the fight on the ground, but Barao took hold in the fourth round and ended up submitting the challenger for the victory.

That was that for the card, and it brings about a fierce debate that is really flying under the radar in the UFC right now. Sure, Jose Aldo is dominating, Jon “Bones” Jones and Georges St. Pierre both will likely get a shot at Anderson Silva and Cain Velasquez has been impressive in the heavyweight division.

But Banao vs. Cruz is a storyline that isn’t getting enough press right now in the UFC airwaves.

Cruz managed to throw some fuel on the fire during his match commentary on Saturday, saying that he presents an entirely different fighting style to what other opponents have done in losing to Banao (via Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports):

I’ll tell you the difference: I fight different than anybody else. I’m not going to stand in front of you. I’m not just looking to counter you, and I’m mixing things up. On top of that, you take away range with angles. That beats range every day of the week. And I can wrestle. I’m going to wrestle this guy.

That’s all true, but if Cruz can’t return from his knee injury in the near future, Banao could remain on top.

It’s a conclusion that Ariel Helwani noted on Twitter following Banao‘s victory:

For now, Banao is the best bantamweight fighter on the planet. Cruz will eventually have a chance to dispel that theory, but rising through the ranks is a hard thing to stop when you get on a roll.

Banao is on a roll.

While we heap praise on Jones, Silva and the rest of the UFC roster for winning in dominating fashion, make sure to notice what the current bantamweight titleholder is doing while holding the “interim” designation.

If he’s not careful, he might do something crazy and unify this thing in his favor in the process.

 

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