Fuel TV cards never get the marquee names but they always seem to get the most exciting matchups.UFC on Fuel TV 7 is a prime example. Just take a look at this card and see for yourself. With Matthew Riddle facing Che Mills, Dennis Siver fighting Cub Sw…
Fuel TV cards never get the marquee names but they always seem to get the most exciting matchups.
UFC on Fuel TV 7 is a prime example. Just take a look at this card and see for yourself. With Matthew Riddle facing Che Mills, Dennis Siver fighting Cub Swanson and Renan Barao defending his interim bantamweight championship against Michael McDonald, this fight card has a little bit of everything.
And if those fights don’t get you excited, then you might not need to call yourself a fight fan any longer.
Because these fights are so intriguing, it’s not too early to start hyping this fantastic main card. Let’s pray that they stay intact.
An unsung hero is a person who makes a substantive, yet somewhat unrecognized contribution.An unsung hero in MMA terms is a fighter or promoter that goes above and beyond the call, yet doesn’t receive the amount of credit that he or she deserves. You b…
An unsung hero is a person who makes a substantive, yet somewhat unrecognized contribution.
An unsung hero in MMA terms is a fighter or promoter that goes above and beyond the call, yet doesn’t receive the amount of credit that he or she deserves. You better believe 2012 was filled with many of them.
Immediately you start to think of UFC matchmaker Joe Silva or Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez. These men embody those characteristics
But who else embodied those attributes in 2012? Who were MMA’s top unsung heroes?
Georges St-Pierre is not running from Johny Hendricks.In fact, the only running GSP will be doing is running up MMA fans cable bills for March, as every hardcore fan must order UFC 158. Why?Well, GSP will finally settle his long feud with Nick Diaz. In…
Georges St-Pierre is not running from Johny Hendricks.
In fact, the only running GSP will be doing is running up MMA fans cable bills for March, as every hardcore fan must order UFC 158. Why?
Well, GSP will finally settle his long feud with Nick Diaz. In the past year-and-a-half, most of the drama in the UFC took place in the welterweight division. It all started when Diaz no-showed a few press conferences leading up to a title bout with GSP, and the hits just kept on coming.
You all know the story by now. Diaz eventually fought B.J. Penn, won by decision and called out GSP after the fight: “Where you at, George?!” The fight was then rescheduled, replaced because GSP had to repair his torn ACL and Carlos Condit beat Diaz. Seriously, this is a really long story.
To make it shorter, Diaz would eventually earn himself another title shot by not fighting as a result of a suspension (go figure?), and while all of this was taking place, Hendricks was ripping through studs.
Since UFC 141, which took place last December, Hendricks has knocked out Jon Fitch, won a decision against Josh Koscheck and knocked out Martin Kampmann. Oh, and both of those knockouts occurred in the opening minute of the fight.
Yeah, safe to say we have a new legitimate contender for the welterweight title. But St-Pierre doesn’t want to fight him right now.
A serious argument could be made that GSP is ducking him because Hendricks does pose problems for GSP. Hendricks is an outstanding wrestler with true knockout power. Unlike most GSP fights, St-Pierre won’t be able to just take it to the ground if he’s in trouble. Hendricks is that good of a wrestler.
So honestly, is it a coincidence that GSP doesn’t want to fight Hendricks yet, or is St-Pierre dodging this knockout artist?
It’s undoubtedly a coincidence. St-Pierre has a personal vendetta with Diaz, as he feels he was disrespected and humiliated publicly by him. GSP wants to shut him up and prove to everyone that he’s the better fighter.
And you know what? It’s actually refreshing to see GSP show this kind of fire. A hungry, motivated GSP is a very scary thing, and after his outstanding performance against Condit, who knows how good he will look against Diaz in February?
As for him ducking Hendricks, it’s just not so. Hendricks could give him a run for his money, but when you get down to it, GSP is a better striker than him.
Both fighters’ wrestling abilities should cancel each other out, and though Hendricks has the knockout power advantage, St-Pierre is more crisp and fluent in his striking.
In fact, when these two eventually fight down the road, it should look a lot like St-Pierre vs. Koscheck II. With a precise jab and excellent foot movement, GSP will likely pick Hendricks apart on the feet and win a decision.
So before anyone starts to call the champ a coward, look deeper into the story. You just might find that the simple questioning of GSP running from Hendricks is downright comical.
A Super Bowl-caliber card for the UFC on FOX has to be massive.The news broke last month that FOX wanted to put an event on right before Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014.The event would have to provide fans with not only exciting matchups, but it has to give …
A Super Bowl-caliber card for the UFC on FOX has to be massive.
The news broke last month that FOX wanted to put an event on right before Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014.
The event would have to provide fans with not only exciting matchups, but it has to give them title fights that create a buzz in the MMA community. The buzz has to be so large that it gets casual fans interested, and then the ratings should skyrocket.
So if the UFC lined up a card on FOX right before the Super Bowl, the UFC would need to try to top the UFC on FOX 5 card it just showcased. Easier said than done.
So in a hypothetical situation, allow me to play matchmaker Joe Silva and put together a card worthy to take place on network television during Super Bowl weekend. This is what that main card would look like.
The climax of Nate Diaz’s career is merely days away, as anticipation for his first championship bout with Benson Henderson continues to grow.The UFC saved its best card of the year for UFC on FOX 5. From B.J. Penn vs. Rory MacDonald to Mauricio “Shogu…
The climax of Nate Diaz‘s career is merely days away, as anticipation for his first championship bout with Benson Henderson continues to grow.
The UFC saved its best card of the year for UFC on FOX 5. From B.J. Penn vs. Rory MacDonald to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Alexander Gustafsson, the card is rich full of intriguing matchups.
But there’s none more intriguing than the main event.
Overview
The lightweight division is the most stacked division the UFC has to offer, with Henderson and Diaz standing alone at the top.
Henderson, who’s 17-2, recently defended his lightweight championship belt against former champ Frankie Edgar in an immediate rematch to solidify his claim as best in the division. Both of his wins against Edgar were hard-fought, and some people believe Edgar was robbed of the judges in their last encounter.
But don’t let that take anything away from Henderson. He is, without a doubt, one of the best fighters on the planet, with 15 wins in his last 16 fights against tough, durable fighters such as Edgar, Mark Bocek, Clay Guida, Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller.
And while Henderson’s victories against Cerrone and Miller were impressive, they weren’t near as impressive as Diaz‘s victories over those same opponents.
Though Diaz is on a three-fight win streak, he’s impressed more with the way he’s won.
Unlike Henderson’s quick guillotine victory and grind-em-out decision against Cerrone, Diaz beat Cerrone from pillar to post for three consecutive rounds last December. With pinpoint boxing and an unrelenting pace, Diaz gave Cerrone a beatdown no one would soon forget.
This set up the UFC on FOX 3 main event, Diaz vs. Miller. Simply put, Diaz didn’t disappoint. After picking him apart on the feet and dropping him in the first round, Diaz became the first fighter ever to finish Miller. Diaz submitted Miller in the second round by guillotine choke.
Now here we are. This Saturday will undoubtedly be the biggest fight of Diaz‘s career, and with a prime-time matchup set against Henderson, fans are anticipating a fight of the night performance.
Keys to Victory for Henderson
Unfortunately, if Henderson does what he needs to do, this fight will not excite fans. In order to win this fight, Henderson must lean on his size advantage.
Muscling Diaz against the cage should become the top priority for Henderson.
This will lead to a decision victory that will not excite the fans, but it will ensure Henderson that he leaves town with the belt. At the end of the day, which is more important?
Don’t be surprised if this is the game plan in place for Henderson.
Keys to Victory for Diaz
Oddly enough, the key to victory for Diaz is to make this fight exciting. Diaz needs to make this a real scrap so he can utilize his great boxing skills against Henderson.
Furthermore, he needs to make this a war of attrition. The Diaz brothers are all about going full-throttle for the entire length of the fight.
With countless body shots and counter shots, Diaz must take it to the champion and not allow him to grab a hold of him. If Henderson takes it to the ground, Diaz must work off of his back and try to become the first man to submit Henderson under the Zuffa brand.
What Will Likely Happen
When it comes down to the fight, expect both Henderson and Diaz to find success. Diaz will implement a flurry of punches on the feet that will eventually lead to Henderson clinching and muscling around the much weaker Diaz.
But Diaz should have enough technique to cause some separation and light Henderson up. Henderson will then be tempted to engage with Diaz, and fans will be treated to some nice exchanges.
But they will be short-lived. As smart as Henderson is, he’ll clinch up and take it to the ground if he has to, where he must avoid being submitted by Diaz. If any man is up to that task, it would be Henderson.
Though he gets caught in submissions quite frequently, Henderson is nearly impossible to submit. Take a look back at Henderson’s first fight with Cerrone to see exactly what I’m talking about. It’s as if Henderson is made of rubber, and he’ll need his flexibility in this fight, undoubtedly.
Henderson should do enough to win each round, and though Diaz will have his moments in the fight, Henderson will win another close decision when it’s all said and done.
For The Ultimate Fighter to remain relevant and continue to reach the masses in the United States, Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen must come through.They must be a draw, much like Kimbo Slice was for the 10th season of TUF. The debut of that season dr…
For The Ultimate Fighter to remain relevant and continue to reach the masses in the United States, Jon Jones and ChaelSonnen must come through.
They must be a draw, much like Kimbo Slice was for the 10th season of TUF. The debut of that season drew 4.1 million viewers, while the this past season of TUF, featuring Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin as coaches, is averaging 869,500 viewers as of the ninth episode, according to MMA Junkie.
So let’s face it—TUFis running out of gas. Sure, it’s on Friday nights and that has a reason for its lackluster ratings, but just look at the formula of the show.
The drama in the house is childish, and the fights are mostly boring. Why is that? Well, fighters have smartened up and realized that the best way to get through a tournament format is to stay as healthy as possible. Therefore, fighters fight with caution.
Wrestlers will dominate the competition by taking their opponents down and earning a decision with control. That’s not exactly can’t-miss television.
So the UFC and TUFhas to change its model. It can no longer advertise the fighters and try to get people to tune in for the bad blood between these no-name fighters living with each other. That obviously isn’t working.
Instead, the UFC needs to bring in the top guns as coaches and market that. Developing a feud on camera between two popular UFC fighters is a great way to not only build a title fight but get ratings for the reality show.
Using Jones and Sonnen is a perfect way to get fans back interested in TUF and tune in. Who isn’t going to want to watch Sonnenharassing Jones for an hour and uttering ridiculous comments throughout the show?
And who isn’t going to want to watch Jones to learn more about his mannerisms and attitude. People who hate him will tune in to try and find more reasons to hate him, while his fans will tune in because they love him. You could actually say that for both men.
Well done UFC, but if this fails, TUFcould very well be on its way out. It’s as if the UFC put all of its eggs in one basket here.
The company is bringing two of the most polarizing individuals in the sport, and with them interacting with one another, it should make for compelling television.
But will the people take the bait? After going through 16 seasons, have people finally had enough of this repeated format? The recent ratings certainly suggest it. So now, it’s up to Sonnen and Jones to bring the UFC’s reality show back in the limelight.
Georges St-Pierre is not running from Johny Hendricks.