Author: Joe Chacon

UFC on Fox 8: Which Fighter Has the Most to Lose?

The UFC heads back to Seattle on Saturday night for UFC on Fox 8: Johnson vs. Moraga. The card is filled with recognizable names from top to bottom, but many of the fighters participating on Saturday appear to be on the proverbial hot seat.
When it com…

The UFC heads back to Seattle on Saturday night for UFC on Fox 8: Johnson vs. Moraga. The card is filled with recognizable names from top to bottom, but many of the fighters participating on Saturday appear to be on the proverbial hot seat.

When it comes down to figuring out who has the most to lose, it’s never as plain and simple as just picking someone who is defending their belt. In this case Demetrious Johnson, should he lose to John Moraga, would still be fine. He’d either get an immediate rematch, or he’d be one win away from fighting for the belt again.

There are also scenarios like Bobby Voelker, who is taking the fight on late notice due to an injury. Voelker was one of the few Strikeforce fighters who lost their UFC debut and was not released by the organization. One would have to believe that, win or lose, Voelker will still have a job with the UFC since he’s doing the company a favor by filling a hole in their card.

For this event on Saturday my attention will be on Melvin Guillard, as I believe he has the most to lose.

It was only two years ago that Guillard knocked out Shane Roller en route to his fifth consecutive UFC win and we were touting him as the next great thing in MMA. Not only was he successful, but he did it with a flare and excitement that the fans of the sport crave.

At the time Guillard was 28-years-old and looked to be on the cusp of something special. Then came UFC 136, where he was submitted by Joe Lauzon in just 47 seconds. Three months after that he was submitted by Jim Miller in only two minutes.

Somewhere along the line Guillard lost his focus.

Perhaps the buzz from the media fed his ego a bit too much and he got comfortable in his training camps. Perhaps the competition he was beating was far below the caliber of the guys he has faced over the last couple of years. Whatever the reason, Guillard now finds himself clinging to a spot on the UFC roster.

Should “The Young Assassin” lose to Mac Danzig, it would be his fifth loss in his last six fights. Unless he gets robbed of a decision after an exciting fight, I’d have to believe Guillard would be cut shortly after the event.

Danzig hasn’t been faring much better lately, and he needs a win to keep himself far above the chopping block.

The ones who have the most to lose typically have their jobs on the line. The fact that Guillard had such a bright future just a couple of years ago and now finds himself one loss away from being out of the organization puts him at the forefront of this list for the UFC on Fox 8.

Guillard has his back up against the wall. If we don’t see the true “Young Assassin” on Saturday night, we may never see him again.

 

Joe Chacon is a contributor to Bleacher Report, The MMA Corner and Operation Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.

 

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UFC on Fox 8 Preview: Liz Carmouche vs. Jessica Andrade Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC on Fox 8: Johnson vs. Moraga takes place this Saturday night in Seattle. While there hasn’t been a tremendous amount of buzz surrounding the card, it truly is one that is well-rounded from top to bottom.
One of the highlights is Liz Carmouche’s fir…

UFC on Fox 8: Johnson vs. Moraga takes place this Saturday night in Seattle. While there hasn’t been a tremendous amount of buzz surrounding the card, it truly is one that is well-rounded from top to bottom.

One of the highlights is Liz Carmouche’s first fight since nearly stunning the MMA world in February when she took on Ronda Rousey. Carmouche came within inches of wearing the championship belt around her waist when she cranked the neck of Rousey in a thrilling standing guillotine.

With the fight in Anaheim behind her, Carmouche now takes on a 21-year-old up-and-comer in Jessica Andrade. Andrade holds a professional record of 9-2 with all of her wins coming by knockout or submission.

Carmouche is considered the biggest favorite on the card based on the latest odds, and for good reason. Let’s take a look at the head-to-toe breakdown of Carmouche vs. Andrade.

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Why Anderson Silva’s Legacy Will Be on the Line in Chris Weidman Rematch

What entails a legacy?
For many, a legacy is what one remembers another by. For an athlete, it’s how the fans will reflect on their career. More specifically, for an MMA fighter, a legacy is the legitimacy of their career.
More often than not, a f…

What entails a legacy?

For many, a legacy is what one remembers another by. For an athlete, it’s how the fans will reflect on their career. More specifically, for an MMA fighter, a legacy is the legitimacy of their career.

More often than not, a fighter will say they aren’t concerned about their legacy. They say they take it one fight at a time and for the most part are at peace with how their career wraps up. This is especially true if one were to retire with an outstanding record.

Take, for example, the man many consider to be the greatest MMA fighter of all-time, Anderson Silva. Silva has compiled a professional MMA record of 33-5 (16-1 UFC) and holds the record for the most consecutive title defenses with 10. In addition, he also holds the record of the longest winning streak in UFC history with 16.

Of course, both of those streaks ended on July 6 at UFC 162 when Silva let his guard down a little too much and Chris Weidman capitalized by knocking him out after a minute and 18 seconds of the second round.

Almost immediately, it appeared that talks of a rematch were already buzzing around, and within a week the date for Silva vs. Weidman II was set for December 28 at UFC 168 in Las Vegas.

We’ve seen what happens when Silva gets angry, he gets as locked-in and becomes more dominant than anybody in the sport. What we really haven’t seen is how he responds after being humbled. My guess is that we’re going to see the best performance of his career when he steps in with Weidman once again.

Although Silva is at the tail-end of his career, he still has a lot left in the tank. If he beats Weidman, there will no doubt be a Silva vs. Weidman III. He will first need to show fans on December 28 why so many consider him the greatest.

For those who aren’t sold on Silva’s legacy, it’s because they don’t feel as if he has faced the best fighters the sport has had to offer. That’s why so many were hoping for him to steamroll Weidman and finally setup a fight with Jon Jones or Georges St-Pierre.

In an essence, it is reminiscent of how so many people discount boxing’s Floyd Mayweather Jr’s career. The difference here, however, is Silva doesn’t appear to be dodging opponents like Mayweather—it’s simply just the timing of the competition from within the UFC.

When one scrolls through the people Silva has beaten during his illustrious career, there are definitely wins against quality opponents that include:

  • Rich Franklin (twice)
  • Dan Henderson
  • Forrest Griffin
  • Chael Sonnen (twice)
  • Vitor Belfort
  • Yushin Okami

The problem for Silva is that fans compare the names he has beaten in 16 years of being a professional to those that Jon Jones has beaten in just five. The wins for Jones in those five years include:

  • Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
  • Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
  • Lyoto Machida
  • Rashad Evans
  • Vitor Belfort
  • Chael Sonnen

These six wins for Jones were actually his last six fights that have taken place in just the last two years. You can see how the argument for Jones having more competition than Silva can weigh heavily towards favoring Jones.

This is precisely why Siva’s legacy is going to be on the line. He will forever be linked with Jones in every discussion about who had a better career. Should Silva lose, Jones is going to win the debate hands down. Especially considering Jones is just 25 years old and still evolving as a fighter. Of course, there is always time for Jones to stumble as well—that’s just the nature of any sport.

Silva’s legacy now relies on the success of him avenging his loss to Weidman and being dominant in winning his belt back. Will he ever have to face Jones or St-Pierre to truly cement himself as being the best ever? I’m not so sure of that. The fact is he has faced the best opponents from within his division for quite some time now. And until recently, we didn’t think he could be beaten.

It’s rare when we see any athlete go out on top. Anderson Silva, although in the midst of a long-term fight contract, could step out at any time. Should he get knocked out again, I don’t think many of us would be surprised to see him call it a career. Ending his career on back-to-back losses would, however, deteriorate the lasting image fans have on his career.

If Silva wants to restore his legacy as being the greatest MMA fighter of all time, he needs to beat Weidman and become a champion once again. 

 

Joe Chacon is a contributor to Bleacher Report, The MMA Corner and Operation Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.

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Court McGee to Face Robert Whittaker at UFC on Fox Sports 1: 2

Former winners of The Ultimate Fighter will come together in Indiana on August 28 when Court McGee (Season 11) takes on Robert Whittaker (TUF: The Smashes) as part of the UFC on Fox Sports 1: 2 card. The bout was announced on the UFC’s official Tw…

Former winners of The Ultimate Fighter will come together in Indiana on August 28 when Court McGee (Season 11) takes on Robert Whittaker (TUF: The Smashes) as part of the UFC on Fox Sports 1: 2 card.

The bout was announced on the UFC’s official Twitter feed.

McGee rebounded from a two-fight skid at UFC 157 with a convincing unanimous decision victory over Josh Neer. The fight marked McGee’s welterweight debut and he couldn’t have looked better. The upcoming fight with Whittaker will mark the seventh UFC fight for the 28-year-old.

Whittaker will be making his third appearance inside the Octagon and has been successful in his first two fights for the organization.

The Aussie is an explosive fighter who has finished 10 of his 11 wins. He’s very well-rounded and can end a fight quickly on the ground or standing up.

McGee has a ton of heart and is best-known for grinding out wins with effective striking and timely takedowns. In all fairness, he should have a 5-1 record with the UFC, but was robbed of a win in 2012 at UFC 149.

His inspirational journey of coming from the absolute rock bottom of a drug addiction to where he is today is enough to make a fan out of anybody. Take the strength he portrays in that daily struggle and combine that with the grit he shows in the Octagon and you can bet you’ll see a great fight whenever McGee steps into the cage.

The matchup makes for a very interesting fight and one that figures to be one of the most exciting on the UFC on Fox Sports 1: 2 card.

Other notable fights for the night include Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann, Sara McMann vs. Sarah Kaufman and Donald Cerrone vs. Rafael dos Anjos.

 

Joe Chacon is a contributor to Bleacher Report and can be followed on Twitter @JoeChacon.

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What’s at Stake for Chael Sonnen Against Mauricio Rua?

Relevant as defined by Merriam-Webster is as follows:”Having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand”This is precisely what’s at stake for Chael Sonnen in his fight with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at the just announced, via Fox Sports,&nb…

Relevant as defined by Merriam-Webster is as follows:

“Having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand”

This is precisely what’s at stake for Chael Sonnen in his fight with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at the just announced, via Fox Sports, UFC on Fox Sports 1 1 card on August 17 in Boston, MA. 

Sonnen appears to be the trend setter for fighters who lose and fall backwards into main events and title-fight pictures. Somehow, some way, Sonnen‘s career continues to climb with every loss. Granted, the three losses he has had in his last five fights have come against Anderson Silva (twice) and Jon Jones, but isn’t a loss supposed to bump others into the lucrative position that Sonnen finds himself in?

The outrageous trash talking has cooled a bit from Sonnen as he transitions into the twilight of his career. All the talk about being the real champion and the nonsense he gave everyone leading up to his fights with Silva were fun for fans and media alike. There is one major difference between then and now: he is losing.

One of the common questions being thrown around each time Sonnen is mentioned for a big fight is why he continues to get these opportunities. The answer to that is simple; he is a company man who will promote the UFC brand, and regardless of whether or not he wins a fight he will show up and try to give the fans something to talk about.

As exciting as it might be for Sonnen to jump into big-name fights, he has to beat Rua in August to sustain credibility with fans. His post-fight career appears to be set as he is one of the best MMA analyst in the business, but even Dana White will have to question the decision to give Sonnen another main event fight should he get blasted by Rua.

The 36-year-old fighter no doubt understands his “act” only holds value if he gets a win. Without getting back into the win column, his strategy of picking a battle with other UFC fighters on Twitter and during press conferences will only continue to look cheesy.

I believe the sport needs characters like Sonnen, and I say “character” with the utmost respect. In addition to putting on great events, the UFC also needs to have fighters with the spontaneity and charisma that Sonnen has. Perhaps not to the extreme that he projects his words, but good enough to keep fans interested in story lines without having to script it.

Give Sonnen credit, he steps up to fight when others don’t. For the sake of Sonnen‘s MMA career and the entertainment for fans all over the world, he needs to win on August 17. In seeing how deflated he appeared after his loss to Jones, my instinct tells me Sonnen will hang it up for good if he’s beaten badly by Rua.

The upcoming fight is always the most important one for a fighter, and this couldn’t be more true for Sonnen. Yes, being relevant is at stake for him, but when it all comes down to it, his career is what he is really going to be fighting for in Boston.

 

Joe Chacon is a Contributor to Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.

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UFC: Chuck Liddell Talks What Led to His Retirement

Over the last few years, we’ve seen some of our favorite UFC fighters decline inside the Octagon or retire completely. Less than three years ago, in December 2010, it was Chuck Liddell who made his retirement official.For many fans, it appeared Liddell…

Over the last few years, we’ve seen some of our favorite UFC fighters decline inside the Octagon or retire completely. Less than three years ago, in December 2010, it was Chuck Liddell who made his retirement official.

For many fans, it appeared Liddell was going to continue fighting until he was yanked out of the cage by UFC President Dana White. Although perception from some of White’s statements backed up this thought, Liddell didn’t need the boss to tell him his career was over. Liddell said the following at a recent fan Q&A session in Brazil:

I talked to my family, my coaches, and then I went to Dana. I talked to Dana. Dana and I actually went to dinner, and he thought I was going to ask him to fight again. I came to dinner, and I said, “You know what? I’m done.” He was relieved.

The UFC Hall of Famer amassed a professional record of 20-3 before being knocked out in four of his final six fights.

Going into his final fight with Rich Franklin, there were some rumblings that Liddell was going to go back to his roots and try to project a more well-rounded game against Franklin. He did just that and looked good against “Ace,” until the last 10 seconds of the fight.

Much like Liddell fared against Quinton Jackson, Rashad Evans and Shogun Rua, “The Ice Man” was hit on the chin and collapsed in a heap onto the Octagon canvas. Even the biggest Liddell fans knew that this should spell the end to an iconic career.

Although Liddell knew he had to retire, that didn’t mean it wasn’t something he went back and forth with.

“I love fighting, and I didn’t want to stop, but it was the right decision at the time between my coaches and my family.”

If there is one thing Liddell fans can never get enough of, it’s reliving the highlights of him putting a beating on Tito Ortiz. Judging by Liddell’s comments, Ortiz would be about the only thing to lure him back into another fight.

I’d always like to hit Tito. “That would always be fun, so that’s a possibility, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think I made the right decision in retiring. Unless something changes, I’ll stay retired.

While Liddell does drop comments every now and then about getting one more fight against his rival, I think it’s safe to say that the majority of fans would rather Liddell stay behind the scenes and not risk having a loss to Ortiz at the end of his fighting resumé.

Looking back on Liddell’s last five losses, it is easy to say he should have retired a bit sooner, but nobody, especially fans and those in the media, should tell a fighter when it is time to hang it up.

 

 

Joe Chacon is a contributor to Bleacher Report and can be followed on Twitter @JoeChacon.

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