The UFC returns to the lesser-known airwaves of Fuel TV for tonight’s fight card from Fairfax, Virginia.Previous outings on the network have not been successful in the ratings department, but that is because the vast majority of American homes still do…
The UFC returns to the lesser-known airwaves of Fuel TV for tonight’s fight card from Fairfax, Virginia.
Previous outings on the network have not been successful in the ratings department, but that is because the vast majority of American homes still do not have access to Fuel. Fans who were actually able to tune in, however, were treated to fight cards chock-full of exciting bouts and coming-out parties for potential superstars like Alexander Gustafsson and Brian Stann.
Tonight’s event promises more of the same, with the potential crowning of a new featherweight title-contender in the main event between Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung.
With this slideshow, we are taking a different look at the Fuel card. You can think of these rankings as a sort of pound-for-pound ranking, featuring only the guys on the Fuel main card. Make sense? The goal is to get a sense of the best and worst fighters on the show, regardless of the weight class they are fighting in.
With six main-card fights, we have got a lot to get through. Let’s get started.
For all the talk of Chael Sonnen being the best in the world at building up fights—and rightly so, because Sonnen certainly is awesome at that aspect of the business—there’s one guy who often gets overlooked when it comes to the ability to …
For all the talk of Chael Sonnen being the best in the world at building up fights—and rightly so, because Sonnen certainly is awesome at that aspect of the business—there’s one guy who often gets overlooked when it comes to the ability to talk up fights.
If we ranked the top 10 guys in the world when it comes to the ability to create interest in fights, Frank Mir would be near the top of the list. He’s a highly intelligent and well-read fighter, and that gives him a different kind of vibe.
Witness his second bout with Brock Lesnar. Lesnar, ever the WWE-style showman, did a lot of red-faced promos discussing his desire to hurt Mir and get revenge for Mir beating him in his UFC debut. Mir, by contrast, was quiet and thoughtful, giving intelligent responses to everything Lesnar had to say.
But Mir did it all with a slight smirk, as if he knew something the world couldn’t fathom. That smirk did one of two things to MMA fans: It infuriated them, or it made them fall even more in Mir’s corner. In the end, the rematch with Lesnar was the biggest fight in the history of the UFC, and by a significant margin.
Mir is making the media rounds to hype his UFC 146 title fight with champion Junior dos Santos, and he’s doing what he does best: saying things that don’t make a ton of sense, but make you all the more interested in seeing his upcoming fight unfold.
Do you have to get dos Santos to the ground or can you stand up with him?
I’m going to go ahead and strike with him, probably more than Carwin wanted to and some of these other guys and try to lull him into lowering his striking defense. If I get him into a rhythm where it’s a boxing match, it will be easier to shoot or take him down. If you are shooting right off the bat and are grabbing a leg and that person’s waiting for it, it’s like any combat tactic. It’s very easy to stop what you are expecting.
See what I mean? That’s nonsense. And the beauty of the comment is that we all realize Frank is a very intelligent fighter. He’s one of the smartest guys on the UFC roster.
So of course, it’s nonsense, because Mir knows and understands that every single person who tries to stand up with Dos Santos ends up being punished in a bad way. Mir’s best path to victory goes through the grappling game, and standing around trading strikes with Dos Santos is a sure way to get yourself knocked out, even if you’re only planning on doing it to set up a takedown.
I guarantee you that no part of Mir’s game plan involves him testing Junior’s striking game. It just won’t happen. But that’s the cool thing about Frank: He’ll say things like this to keep Junior on his toes, to keep him guessing when they’re finally in the cage together.
And more importantly, he’ll create more interest in the fight for those fans who were wanted to see Alistair Overeem get the title shot. That’s the genius of Frank Mir: He sticks around, always near the top, and always has a hook to keep you interested in seeing him fight.
Nick Diaz had quite the weekend. By this point, nothing Diaz does should surprise us in the least. As Ben Fowlkes over at MMAFighting.com pointed out, you’ve only got yourself to blame if you were upset by Diaz no-showing his Saturday night jiu-ji…
That’s not entirely true. I was, in fact, just a little bit surprised. After all, this was jiu-jitsu, one of Nick’s great loves. He was doing it for the love of the art and for charity. Surely everything would go according to plan, right?
I guess not. I’m sure we’ll get an explanation from the Diaz camp today that makes sense on a certain level. And you can be sure his followers will buy into it, because that’s what they do. I really enjoy following Nick’s career as it unfolds—even through times like Saturday night, when he makes it increasingly difficult to be a fan—but dealing with his most hardcore of fans? That’s a different story entirely.
But in truth, Diaz shouldn’t be worried about what transpired on Saturday night. Not today, anyway. Because today is the day Diaz takes his marijuana failure case from February in front of a Las Vegas judge.
Team Diaz is attempting to score an injunction that would put an end to the temporary and indefinite suspension handed down by the Las Vegas commission after Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites after the loss to Carlos Condit at UFC 143.
This is a date Diaz simply cannot afford to no-show. If the judge on today’s case rules in his favor, Diaz will surely be free to come out of his faux retirement and take a fight immediately. A title rematch between Diaz and interim champion Condit could finally be booked, perhaps as the main event of UFC on FOX 4 in August. And Nick’s career—which came to a crashing and emotional halt after he lost to Condit—would suddenly be revitalized.
Nick might wake up this morning and decide he doesn’t really feel like going to Vegas, that he’d rather stay home and do whatever it is he does before triathlon training later in the day. He might just decide that his career and future aren’t worth taking the few hours he’d need to travel to Las Vegas and appear in front of a judge before returning home.
But I hope he gets out of Stockton today. I hope he goes to court. He’s got a very real chance to beat the Nevada commission and return to the cage, and that’s the one place he shines.
We’re entering yet another weekend without a big Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage on MMA programming this weekend.Bellator returns tonight with an exciting featherweight tournament finale. After that…
We’re entering yet another weekend without a big Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage on MMA programming this weekend.
Bellator returns tonight with an exciting featherweight tournament finale. After that, you’ve got an intriguing episode of The Ultimate Fighter with two scheduled bouts and then the debut of UFC Primetime: Dos Santos vs. Mir.
See? There’s plenty of MMA action, and that’s just Friday night.
Let’s take a quick look at the upcoming weekend in mixed martial arts.
A year ago, the relationship between new Strikeforce owners Zuffa and Showtime was just about as rocky as it gets.To those of us who dealt with Zuffa and Showtime on a daily basis, it seemed as though Strikeforce was living on borrowed time. As the sum…
A year ago, the relationship between new Strikeforce owners Zuffa and Showtime was just about as rocky as it gets.
To those of us who dealt with Zuffa and Showtime on a daily basis, it seemed as though Strikeforce was living on borrowed time. As the summer months wore on, that feeling was validated as Strikeforce’s biggest stars left for the greener pastures of the UFC.
Nick Diaz was shifted over by Zuffa brass for the purpose of creating a superfight with UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Alistair Overeem was suspiciously injured, removed from the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, cut from the company and then re-signed weeks later to a sparkling new UFC contract.
The end of the Showtime relationship and the disbanding of Strikeforce seemed like a certainty. We would miss Strikeforce, but we looked forward to seeing fighters like Gilbert Melendez and King Mo Lawal test their skills in the Octagon.
But, in the fall months, everything changed.
Dana White personally handled negotiations for a new deal with Showtime, signing a two-year extension to the contract and ensuring the company would live to see another day. All of the fighters who looked forward to making the jump to the UFC, to bigger fame and more money, were told they’d have to be happy sticking around Strikeforce.
And so here we are, in May 2012, and Strikeforce endures. But for how long?
The happy new relationship between White and Showtime executives didn’t last long, with White ultimately washing his hands of the promotion. Strikeforce is still running shows, but they receive far less promotion then their UFC counterparts. Melendez is still toiling in Strikeforce’s lightweight division, with few intriguing opponents remaining on the horizon.
“The heavyweight division, they all agreed that there wasn’t going to be enough athletes to support both [UFC and Strikeforce] and they wanted to bring some of the fights over there at that time,” Coker shared during Thursday’s conference call. “But now that the Showtime relationship has been renewed and it’s been solid, I think you’re going to see those great fights on the lighter weights – starting with light heavyweight on down in Strikeforce.”
“We have a great relationship with Showtime, I think we have provided great fights with great ratings. I think you’ll continue to see Strikeforce on Showtime for many years to come.”
I think this is just one of those things Coker says to divert attention from those who believe we’re watching his beloved company die a slow, painful death.
And make no mistake about it: Strikeforce is dying. When Dana White loses interest in promoting you and working with you, your days are numbered. They may reach the end of their current contract, or they may not. But mark my words: Strikeforce, as we currently know it, will not exist in two years.
The ascension of Ronda Rousey will accelerate the death of Strikeforce. Why? Because she’s becoming a true superstar, one with the ability to become a mainstream star who draws millions of new fans from around the world.
If Rousey continues winning and fans continue to latch onto her, White and the UFC will eventually bring her to the UFC. They currently don’t have female fighters on the roster, but Rousey is promotional gold and could be the catalyst for the start of a women’s division in the UFC.
I understand why Coker said what he did. It’s never a smart business idea to admit that you’re a lame-duck product. But there is absolutely no chance that Strikeforce stays on Showtime for “many years to come.”
In fact, there’s very little chance Strikeforce sticks around at all.
Nate Diaz is getting the next shot at Benson Henderson’s lightweight title. Well, the next shot after Frankie Edgar gets his shot in August, but you know what I mean.In Diaz’ mind, however, neither the current UFC champ or his challenger are the best l…
Nate Diaz is getting the next shot at Benson Henderson’s lightweight title. Well, the next shot after Frankie Edgar gets his shot in August, but you know what I mean.
I’ve been training with Gilbert and Jake (Shields) for years. They’ve shown me a lot. These are guys I look up to. Me and Gil been battling it out in here for years.
There’s no one better than him. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s the best 155′er on the planet and I think he deserves to be right there in the UFC holding the UFC belt. He’s the man.
This is nothing new in the Cesar Gracie camp. Nate also believes that older brother Nick is the best fighter in the world.
I don’t agree that Nick is anywhere near the list of top fighters in the world right now. Not after his loss to Condit, anyway. If Nick comes out of retirement, comes back from his current questionable licensing status and is able to beat both Condit and Georges St-Pierre? He’ll get consideration for the top of that mythical pound-for-pound list. But right now? No way.
I do believe that Melendez is the top lightweight in the world, however. I’ve had him ranked No. 1 on my USA Today rankings ballot for several months now.
The argument can be made that Henderson, as the kingpin of the UFC lightweight division, has faced better competition over the past year and thus is deserving of the top ranking. But I’ve seen Melendez utterly dominate all competition he’s faced over the past three years, while Henderson lost to Anthony Pettis and, at least according to the judges, barely edged Edgar.
There’s only one real way to find out who the best lightweight in the world is. Unfortunately, with Melendez stuck in a terrible Strikeforce deal, we won’t get the opportunity to find out how he’ll fare against better competition for at least another year.
For all the talk of Chael Sonnen being the best in the world at building up fights—and rightly so, because Sonnen certainly is awesome at that aspect of the business—there’s one guy who often gets overlooked when it comes to the ability to talk up fights.