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UFC 183 Results: 3 Fights for Miesha Tate to Take Next

Miesha Tate is as savvy as they come. The former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion might have fallen short against current division champion Ronda Rousey, but her ability to grind and scrape together wins against the rest of her peers is as remarkable as it is unspectacular. Tate’s winning mentality was on full display at UFC 183 this weekend, as she gutted out a decision against Sara McMann.

However, Cupcake finds herself in an unusual position. Despite being in the top three of the division, it’s doubtful the UFC brass will be eager to offer another title shot until more time has passed since her last bout with Rousey.

What are Tate’s options? Let’s engage in some speculation.

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UFC Fight Night 59: B/R Main Card Staff Predictions

With all the hype surrounding Conor McGregor and a potential meeting with featherweight king Jose Aldo, we could forgive you for thinking that the Irishman is headlining against a punching bag at UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston.
No one has given poor old …

No one has given poor old Dennis Siver hasn’t much of a chance. The German is headlining his first UFC event, yet his coverage in the build-up has been so comically sparse that some fans might only get their first glimpse of him on Sunday night.

While the main event has the potential to be a short affair, there are plenty of other reasons to tune in. We can look forward to Benson Henderson taking on Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone for the third time, Uriah Hall taking on short-notice replacement Ron Stallings and the ever-improving Norman Parke versus UFC veteran and human fire hydrant Gleison Tibau.

Realising that you good people might need some guidance on fight night, I called up my crew and asked for their thoughts on Sunday night’s event. Read on for the views of Scott “Ginger Luke Thomas” Harris, Riley “Kobra” Kontek, Craig “Famous” Amos, Sean “The Salmon” Smith and yours truly, James “Jimmy MacDaddy” MacDonald.

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Jon Jones and the 4 Most Creative Fighters in MMA

It’s tempting to think that mixed martial arts has reached its final form. Once dominated by specialists of one fighting style or another, the sport has evolved to require at least a basic understanding of several core disciplines.
Despite what Royce G…

Despite what Royce Gracie thinks, the notion that anyone can succeed at the highest level of MMA with an exclusive expertise in Brazilian jiu-jitsu is eye-rollingly silly. Indeed, this fact applies to any single style of martial arts.

It has been the general consensus for many years now that a combination of wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing, Muay Thai and kickboxing is required to compete at the elite level. There are certainly other relevant disciplines, but the basic goal is to become proficient at striking and grappling, both vertically and horizontally.

As I argued back in 2013, this combination proved so successful that MMA “theory” was rendered largely stagnant. Settling down to watch a UFC pay-per-view in the mid-to-late 2000s yielded very few technical surprises. There were great fights galore, but game-changing creativity was far from abundant.

It is only in the last few years that MMA has started to move beyond this period of developmental dormancy. “Different” is so commonplace now that it’s debatable whether the current preponderance of creativity can even be called different.

Fighters are more willing than ever to take creative risks; styles that were previously dismissed as fantasy martial arts have been adapted to MMA in unique and interesting ways; techniques that were only ever successfully employed by Jean-Claude Van Damme in ’80s action flicks are now a firm fixture of reality.

With that in mind, let’s take a few minutes to celebrate those fighters who continue to push the creative envelope with their aptitude for violence.

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UFC on Fox 13 Results: 3 Fights for Stipe Miocic to Take Next

It’s rare to see a fighter’s stock rise after a loss, but that is precisely what appears to have happened to Stipe Miocic after his career-shortening slugfest with Junior Dos Santos at UFC on Fox 13.
Few gave the part-time firefighter much …

Few gave the part-time firefighter much of a chance leading up to the bout, reasoning that the former UFC heavyweight champion’s considerable strengths would likely prove to be a stylistic nightmare.

However, the opening two rounds for the 32-year-old Miocic were less a nightmare and more a dream of the damp variety, as he dictated the pace of the bout and landed a number of crunching shots that soon had his Brazilian foe resembling Sloth from The Goonies. I half-expected Dos Santos to scream, “Hey you guys!” to his corner in between rounds.

Miocic appeared to be leaning heavily on the strategy successfully employed by heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in his second and third bouts with Dos Santos. Unfortunately, such a lung-bursting approach would likely challenge the cardio of Kenyan distance runners, never mind a UFC heavyweight.

By the third frame, Miocic had slowed down considerably, and the former champion wasted no time in taking advantage, punishing his foe with heavy shots to the body and head.

The pair went back and forth through the championship rounds, producing one of those rare occasions when the audience would feel satisfied by almost any outcome.

Dos Santos was given the nod by the judges, but few would have complained had the decision gone the other way. There were a couple of inexplicable 49-46 scorecards, but that’s almost par for the course at this point.

Having come away from a narrow defeat smelling like roses, what’s next for Miocic once his bruises have healed? Feel free to read on and indulge my speculation.

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UFC 181: Bleacher Report Main Card Staff Predictions

Even the UFC’s most loyal supporter would likely concede that stacked cards are rare in the current MMA climate. Relatively speaking, UFC 181 is quite a treat for the fans, then.
With two titles fights and a stellar supporting cast, there’s…

Even the UFC’s most loyal supporter would likely concede that stacked cards are rare in the current MMA climate. Relatively speaking, UFC 181 is quite a treat for the fans, then.

With two titles fights and a stellar supporting cast, there’s a lot to look forward to on Saturday night.

Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler will go at it again for the welterweight crown. Anthony Pettis returns after a lengthy layoff to defend his lightweight title against Gilbert Melendez. Brendan Schaub takes on Travis Browne, and there’s much more besides.

As ever, Bleacher Report’s MMA team is on hand to guide you through the event. Read on for the views of Scott Harris, Craig Amos, Sean Smith, Riley Kontek and me, James MacDonald.

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UFC 180 Results: 3 Fights for Fabricio Werdum to Take Next

Heading into UFC 180’s main event between Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt, the smart money was certainly on the Brazilian. “Vai Cavalo” wasn’t just physically and mentally more prepared, he also presented significant matchup issue…

How the fight actually unfolded was a little surprising, though. Despite the knockout, Werdum wasn’t as competitive on the feet as some had anticipated. He looked hesitant from the opening bell, and each right hand from Hunt only reinforced his hesitance.

Even when the fight went to the floor, Werdum didn’t get an awful lot done with his ordinarily potent guard. In fairness, Hunt did a surprisingly good job of keeping the Brazilian pinned against the cage, limiting his offensive options.

When Werdum eventually landed the knee that signaled the beginning of the end of Hunt’s interim title bid, it’s fair to say that it was against the run of play.

“Outclassed” is too strong a word for what happened prior to the knee, but Hunt was winning the fight, and it wasn’t particularly close. This should be cause for concern for anyone who believed Werdum had a realistic shot against Cain Velasquez.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the immediate options for the UFC’s new interim heavyweight champion.

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