Author: Hunter Homistek

Gilbert Melendez Replaces Bobby Green, Faces Al Iaquinta at UFC Fight Night 71

Gilbert Melendez apparently needs to get the taste of his loss to Eddie Alvarez at UFC 188 out of his mouth.
Just four days after losing a split decision to Alvarez in Mexico City, Melendez agreed to step up and replace an injured Bobby Green (h/t…

Gilbert Melendez apparently needs to get the taste of his loss to Eddie Alvarez at UFC 188 out of his mouth.

Just four days after losing a split decision to Alvarez in Mexico City, Melendez agreed to step up and replace an injured Bobby Green (h/t Bloody Elbow) against Al Iaquinta at UFC Fight Night 71 in San Diego, according to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani.

The event takes place on July 15 and features a main event between heavyweight combatants Frank Mir and Todd Duffee.

While Melendez and Iaquinta are currently enjoying opposite runs in their careers, this matchup makes a whole lot of sense from a rankings standpoint.

Despite the fact that Melendez dropped his last two contests, he’s still a former title contender who is currently ranked No. 5 in the 155-pound class. He’s a big name, Fox Sports analyst and has been around the game for well over a decade.

He will be Iaquinta‘s toughest test to date.

Ranked No. 13 in the lightweight division, Iaquinta is on an absolute tear, winning his last four fights (three via knockout).

The Team Serra-Longo product faced some adversity in his most recent bout against Jorge Masvidal, though, narrowly squeaking out a split-decision win. The result sparked controversy inside the cage.

Against Melendez, he’ll likely need to be better if he wishes to exit the cage with his fifth straight win.

That’s the beauty of this matchup. On one hand, a longtime veteran gets the chance to snap a losing streak and reestablish himself as a threat for the title in the lightweight division. Melendez has been to the top before, and a win over Iaquinta would tell the world he may get there again.

Iaquinta, meanwhile, can silence the critics of his last outing and prove he is ready for the big show. If he finishes Melendez or whoops him for three solid rounds, he’ll rocket up the rankings and thrust himself into the title picture at the ripe age of 28.

This, more than the fight with Green, affords him the opportunity to make a name for himself.

The risk for him is that Melendez is a tough, well-rounded opponent who has seen and done it all inside the cage. This will not be an easy win by any means.

For Melendez, meanwhile, a loss to Iaquinta could shut the door on any possibility of him ever ascending to the lightweight throne again.

This is why we watch. While losing a fighter due to injury is never ideal, Melendez vs. Iaquinta is an intriguing matchup with plenty at stake.

The UFC Fight Night 71 card is as good—or better—than before, indicating the depth of talent the UFC has to offer.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for more breaking news in the MMA world.

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Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic Wants to Avenge His Losses Inside the UFC Octagon

Forty-year-old heavyweight mixed martial artist Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic does not forget his defeats. 
He clings to them, obsessing over those fighters who bested him in the past. 
Now, he wants his revenge. 
According to a post on his …

Forty-year-old heavyweight mixed martial artist Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic does not forget his defeats. 

He clings to them, obsessing over those fighters who bested him in the past. 

Now, he wants his revenge. 

According to a post on his official website (translation via MMAFighting.com), Cro Cop eyes some rematches in his future, and he wants to right his past wrongs.  

“This [fighting in rematches] is something I really want to do,” Cro Cop said. “It’s something I owe to the sport and I owe it to myself to beat some of those guys.”

Cro Cop, who is 31-11-2 with one no-contest, has plenty of options. Of his 11 defeats he has yet to avenge, six came against fighters who are still active in the UFC’s heavyweight division. A seventh—his 2008 no-contest against Alistair Overeem—can also be added to the mix. 

Alongside Overeem, Cop Cop holds losses to Frank Mir, Roy Nelson, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brendan Schaub, Junior dos Santos and Mark Hunt, all fighters who are still going strong today under the UFC banner.

Schaub recently announced he would try his hand at light heavyweight moving forward, but he’s also said he’s mainly interested in superfights, and a rematch against Cro Cop could potentially fit the bill. 

Of these opponents, though, Cro Cop singled out a few in particular that he’d love to run back sooner than later. 

“[Antonio Rodrigo] Nogueira is definitely there, Roy Nelson is definitely there, and some other fighters,” Cro Cop said. “Junior dos Santos is definitely there. And perhaps [Alistair] Overeem too.”

Perhaps this idea took root after Cro Cop’s most recent outing, a third-round TKO of Gabriel Gonzaga in April. Gonzaga and Cro Cop previously met at UFC 70, where the Brazilian shocked the world and delivered a picture-perfect head kick that ended Cro Cop’s night. 

Apparently, Cro Cop liked the taste of revenge, and now he’s after more. 

Who would you like to see him face next? Do you like any of those options for him moving forward? 

Sound off, and we’ll discuss the Croatian legend’s future inside the UFC Octagon. 

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Joanna Jedrzejczyk: ‘I’m Going to Be a Ronda Rousey in the Strawweight Division’

UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk envisions all-time greatness. 
As a lifelong devotee to combat sports, Jedrzejczyk feels her time spent cracking shins, fists, elbows and knees to pads is now beginning to pay off inside the UF…

UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk envisions all-time greatness. 

As a lifelong devotee to combat sports, Jedrzejczyk feels her time spent cracking shins, fists, elbows and knees to pads is now beginning to pay off inside the UFC Octagon. She found muay thai as a teenager, first taking up the sport as a hobby but quickly realizing it was something much more than that. 

“It was my hobby, my passion, and after six months of training, I started to compete, then I knew I wanted to do it for the rest of my life, that I want to be a fighter,” Jedrzejczyk told Bleacher Report. “I like to compete. I always want to work hard and show to everyone that I am the best. I like the good part of the sport, the sport side of the fighting.” 

While few inside the realm of MMA recognized the budding Polish star as a legitimate threat prior to her breakout championship performance against Carla Esparza at UFC 185, her preparation already took root, and now we are all witnesses to its germination. 

“People don’t know how much work you have to do before the fight, so it’s not like you’re getting the title shot for free, you know?” Jedrzejczyk said. “I did my job before when I was starting with muay thai and MMA. Step by step, you’re going for the bigger trophy. I’m the real champion. I didn’t get it for free, and on Saturday, I’m going to stay the champion.” 

Her second-round knockout victory in that fight against Esparza left MMA fans and critics wondering just how far Jedrzejczyk‘s muay thai skills could carry her inside the cage.

Her hands looked as sharp, quick and powerful as any female competitor’s in the division’s history. And now she will need to build on that near-perfect performance Saturday in Berlin, Germany, where she will face Jessica Penne in her first title defense at UFC Fight Night 69. 

Jedrzejczyk recognizes the magnitude of this moment, but she refuses to get caught up in the hype. There is no pressure in something she loves to do. 

“No pressure. It’s my hobby. I know I am a professional athlete, and I know there will be one day when I say ‘Stop,’ you know? It’s a fight,” Jedrzejczyk said. “Anything can happen in the Octagon, so of course, we all want to win, but I know it’s a sport, so one punch can make you lose. I know about that, but there’s no pressure. I’m enjoying fighting. I like it so much.”

Before her fight against Esparza, Jedrzejczyk launched some unintentional psychological warfare that seemed to faze the former champ before the fight even began. At weigh-ins, Jedrzejczyk presented Esparza with a cookie—an act of kindness or a jab at Esparza‘s Cookie Monster nickname?—and the Polish striker exuded confidence in every media event and interview before the fight. 

She was not scared, and she let Esparza know. However, she says, she was not trying to get in Esparza‘s head at all. She was just calling it like she saw it, and Esparza couldn’t handle the truth. 

“I was not acting. It was natural, that’s all,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I broke her mentally, but I didn’t want to do it. She wasn’t ready for me. It’s my life, it’s my job, you know? I must be hungry. I must be 100 percent in my preparations and in the fight.

“Last time when I was looking at the pictures from when I beat Carla, I couldn’t recognize myself, you know? I’m an easygoing person, but not in the fight!” 

Now, Penne must deal with Jedrzejczyk‘s laser focus. As the UFC strawweight champion, Jedrzejczyk said she’s become even more devoted to her training and to her pre-fight preparations. If she was good before, she will be great Saturday. 

Beyond that, she might even become a legend, following in the footsteps of UFC women’s bantamweight champion and UFC superstar Ronda Rousey. 

“Rousey’s great. She’s an amazing person, the greatest fighter, and I wish that I’ll be ‘JJ,'” Jedrzejczyk said. “I’m going to be a Ronda Rousey in the strawweight division. They’ll call me ‘JJ’ instead of ‘RR.'” 

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Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira to Main Event UFC’s Saskatoon Debut

The UFC will make its inaugural trip to Saskatchewan, Canada, Saturday, August 23, according to a report from The Star Phoenix’s Dave Deibert. 
The UFC Fight Night 74 event, which will be held at Saskatoon’s SaskTel Center, features a ma…

The UFC will make its inaugural trip to Saskatchewan, Canada, Saturday, August 23, according to a report from The Star Phoenix‘s Dave Deibert. 

The UFC Fight Night 74 event, which will be held at Saskatoon’s SaskTel Center, features a main event between two surging young featherweights, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira.

Ranked No. 5 and No. 7 in the 145-pound division, respectively, Holloway and Oliveira can make a strong case for a title shot with a big win north of the border in August. 

Holloway, a 23-year-old mixed martial artist from Waianae, Hawaii, owns an impressive six-fight winning streak, his latest masterpiece coming against former top contender Cub Swanson at UFC on Fox 15. 

With dynamic striking and slick, sneaky submissions, Holloway has quickly become a can’t-miss fighter in the UFC’s featherweight class. Since losing to Conor McGregor in August 2013, Holloway has continually improved, looking better and better with each outing. 

If he continues this trend and delivers another emphatic finish against Oliveira at UFC Fight Night 74, it’d be hard to deny him a chance at UFC gold. 

Oliveira, on the other hand, is on a four-fight winning streak, with three of those victories coming via submission. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Oliveira figures to have the advantage on the ground in this bout, but he is certainly not infallible there. 

Longtime UFC veteran Jim Miller shocked many experts at UFC 124 when he finished Oliveira with a nasty kneebar in the bout’s opening frame. Following that defeat, Oliveira lost three of his next six, notching a no-contest against Nik Lentz during the same stretch. 

Since that rough patch, though, Oliveira found his stride in the featherweight division, kicking off his current winning streak against Andy Ogle at UFC Fight Night 36 in February 2014. 

His matchup against Holloway serves as a sensational main event for the UFC’s maiden voyage to Saskatchewan, as each man possesses fight-ending power on the ground or on the feet. Even better, they’re young, they’re hungry and they can sense the title looming just ahead. 

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as this UFC Fight Night 74 card continues to develop. 

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Fabricio Werdum: Can the Newly Minted Champ Make UFC Heavyweight History?

The UFC’s heavyweight title is an undomesticated beast.
The sport’s biggest, baddest fighters have tried to tame her, and again and again, they’ve failed.
When a heavyweight seizes the belt, it’s inevitable he will cough it up within two fights. That’s…

The UFC’s heavyweight title is an undomesticated beast.

The sport’s biggest, baddest fighters have tried to tame her, and again and again, they’ve failed.

When a heavyweight seizes the belt, it’s inevitable he will cough it up within two fights. That’s a fact. The most consecutive title defenses in UFC heavyweight history is two, a mark held by Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture and Tim Sylvia.

Tim Sylvia.

Sorry, I just wanted to throw that name out there a second time to really hammer home the feral nature of the heavyweight strap.

Velasquez was the latest victim of the two-and-out curse, losing the title to Fabricio Werdum in an attempt to break the spell and notch his third consecutive defense on Saturday.

He couldn’t do it.

While shooting for a takedown on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, Velasquez found himself trapped in a guillotine, and the fight was done. In a flash, Velasquez tumbled back down the heavyweight mountain and handed over his precious title.

Now, Werdum looks to make history and chase the elusive three-peat in the heavyweight division. Title defenses No. 1 and No. 2 come first, of course, but right now, Werdum looks well positioned to perform the impossible.

His striking, once his downfall, is not only serviceable now—it’s elite. He’s battering opponents on the feet and leaving them with literally nowhere to go.

No heavyweight can hang with Werdum on the mat—save for perhaps Frank Mir and Josh Barnett, but they’re a bit out of the title picture—and it’s slowly looking like no heavyweight can strike with him, either.

But there are some takers who could make things interesting.

The most obvious choice to end Werdum’s reign before title defense No. 3 is Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos. Werdum previously lost to Dos Santos at UFC 90 via knockout and was subsequently cut from the promotion, so a rematch is intriguing on several levels.

Dos Santos’ hands are powerful and precise. Twelve of his 17 victories came via knockout, and the only man in the UFC to trouble him to date is Velasquez. With Velasquez now off the throne, Dos Santos could get another title shot and regain what was once his.

With that said, I do not favor Dos Santos in a rematch with Werdum.

Perhaps controversially, I think Werdum underestimated Dos Santos the first time around, and I also think Werdum has grown much more than Cigano since that first encounter.

Werdum’s striking still might not be as good as Dos Santos’, but it’s much better than it was when they previously fought in 2008. Dos Santos will no longer have a clear-cut advantage in the stand-up department.

Furthermore, Dos Santos’ losses to Velasquez shaved years off his fighting life. Since losing to Velasquez the second time, Dos Santos has competed only once, defeating Stipe Miocic via controversial decision. In that fight, he looked to have a lost a step or two from the time he ruled the heavyweight roost.

Werdum should handle him in a rematch.

After that, we’re likely looking at a rematch with Velasquez, a rematch with Andrei Arlovski, a fight with Ben Rothwell or a grudge match with Alistair Overeem for Werdum’s second title defense.

Each of those fighters presents unique challenges for the champ, but he should still be favored in all of those potential bouts.

Right now, it’s hard to picture anybody in the division defeating Werdum, but we’ve seen how that whole “unbeatable” story plays out too many times in this sport. Let’s not get carried away. Literally any of the challengers mentioned in this article could end Werdum’s reign in an instant.

Maybe it’s not likely, but if the heavyweight division has shown us anything, it’s that the only certainty is chaos—and chaos reigns in the big boys’ division.

Werdum can make UFC history by securing just three title defenses, and his skill set and current list of challengers say he’ll do it.

History, however, tells us he won’t.

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Fabricio Werdum Reminds Us, Once Again, That No Man Is Unbeatable in MMA

Undefeated records travel to the world of MMA to die. 
Auras of invincibility routinely perish in this sport, disappearing in a flash of punches, kicks, elbows and submissions. 
Yesterday’s “best ever” is today’s “overrated” is tomorrow’s “fo…

Undefeated records travel to the world of MMA to die. 

Auras of invincibility routinely perish in this sport, disappearing in a flash of punches, kicks, elbows and submissions. 

Yesterday’s “best ever” is today’s “overrated” is tomorrow’s “forgotten relic,” and so it goes. 

At UFC 188 Saturday evening in Mexico City, Fabricio Werdum completed the circle of life in MMA, becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world by submitting former king Cain Velasquez via guillotine choke. 

Werdum knows the cycle as well as anyone. In 2008, the current champ was cut from the UFC following a first-round knockout loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 90. At that point, Werdum was a world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist who was still figuring out this little thing called striking, and dos Santos flattened him. 

Poof. Werdum disappeared. 

All his upside and all his potential vanished. He was just another could-have-been who would never put all the pieces together and succeed in this sport at the highest level. Some guys have it, others don’t. 

As it turns out, though, Werdum had “it” then, and he has it now. He might even have it tomorrow. As the ultimate example in the fickle nature of invincibility, Werdum shocked the MMA universe in 2011 when he submitted Russian MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum via triangle choke in Round 1. 

To that point, Emelianenko was 31-1 in his career with one no-contest, his lone loss coming via doctor’s stoppage. The man was as invincible as they come, and Werdum sent him tapping into the sunset in less than five minutes. 

When Werdum challenged Velasquez at UFC 188, then, it should have come as a surprise to exactly no one when the Brazilian again cinched up a fight-ending choke against a more highly regarded opponent. 

Velasquez was the heir apparent to Emelianenko‘s throne as the greatest heavyweight mixed martial artist of all time. With his cardio, power and pressure, nobody could stop him, and he was only getting better with time. Injuries slowed his ascent, but when he fought, there was no questioning his talent. 

Until Saturday when Werdum questioned—and answered—it with authority, that is. 

It’s crazy to think we need to be reminded of this fact in this sport. Massive upsets happen all the time, yet we seem to forget. Renan Barao, on his 32-fight undefeated streak, was untouchable as the UFC bantamweight champion. The division was shallow, and there was no threat in sight. 

T.J. Dillashaw starched him at UFC 173. 

Anderson Silva clowned and got knocked out, then he broke his leg in a rematch against Chris Weidman. He was entirely vincible—twice. 

When Velasquez’s name and “unbeatable” started popping up in close proximity, we should’ve known better than to think such a conviction could actually hold true. 

We needed a refresher, and Werdum provided it by placing Velasquez’s crown in the crook of his elbow and squeezing until it popped off. 

Yesterday’s king is today’s second-guessed. 

Werdum is the best heavyweight running right now, but he could suffer a knockout loss in his next outing. 

In MMA, sustained perfection is just a little too much to ask.  

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