They may not see eye to eye on most things, but Michael Bisping does see Chael Sonnen beating Anderson Silva.In an appearance on HDNET’s “Inside MMA,” Bisping weighed in on the upcoming UFC 148 main event and gave his thoughts on where he ranks amongst…
They may not see eye to eye on most things, but Michael Bisping does see Chael Sonnen beating Anderson Silva.
In an appearance on HDNET’s “Inside MMA,” Bisping weighed in on the upcoming UFC 148 main event and gave his thoughts on where he ranks amongst the middleweight elite.
“Chael Sonnen’s fighting Anderson Silva, and I think Chael wins that fight to be honest. I think the first fight is going to give him a lot of confidence. The way he fought handily for four and a half rounds. I think he’s going to go in there with a lot of confidence and do the same thing, but not get submitted in the last round.
After that, Chael’s going to need someone to challenge him, and I mean, who is there? Vitor Belfort’s injured. I mean, who are the challengers? I was fighting Chael for the number one contender. Just because I narrowly lost that fight doesn’t mean I go to the back of the pile. So I’m hoping to fight for the title. Hopefully, I’ll get the knee correct, and then they’re going to need a challenger. I’m here, ready and waiting.”
Bisping was expected to fight Tim Boetsch at UFC 149, but a knee injury sustained during training forced him to have to undergo surgery and withdraw from the bout. He hopes to be ready to return as early as September.
Upon his return, Bisping has one request for the UFC:
“UFC, come on, hook a brother up. Come on, where’s the title shot? Six years, fighting the best, I’m ready to rock. Alright, I can’t walk properly right now, but as soon as I get that minor detail out the way, I’ll fight for the world title.”
Throughout his dominant reign as UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva has managed to instill fear into every opponent, except for Chael Sonnen.The Oregon native shocked the world back in August 2010 at UFC 117 in a five-round dismantling of arguab…
Throughout his dominant reign as UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva has managed to instill fear into every opponent, except for Chael Sonnen.
The Oregon native shocked the world back in August 2010 at UFC 117 in a five-round dismantling of arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history.
Silva, who was used to effortlessly dominating every opponent, looked lost throughout most of the fight as Sonnen proved he was made for more than just spewing memorable punchlines.
In the end, Silva was able to dig himself out of a massive hole in the waning minutes of the fifth round with a submission. While the victory was owed to “The Spider” that night, Sonnen walked away with increased confidence.
There wasn’t anything abnormal or “superhuman” about Silva. He is beatable, and Sonnen may be the only man that can do it.
In an interview with ProMMANow, UFC president Dana White chimed in on why he believes Sonnen is different than any opponent Silva has ever faced:
“The thing I like about Chael…He’s nutty as hell, I mean half the [expletive] the guy says is like what, right? But, he backs it up. When the guy goes in there and fights man he fights. I know this, most guys go in and they’re scared when they fight Anderson. They’re intimidated. He’s got like that Tyson aura. People are scared and afraid. Chael Sonnen is not afraid of Anderson Silva. He’s not. And that makes it a completely different fight than anybody else he fights.”
Sonnen has had plenty to say since his UFC 117 loss to Silva. He has been bold enough to not only call out the champ, but he has also taken verbal jabs at Silva’s teammates, family and the entire country of Brazil.
The Silva and Sonnen rematch is already being billed as one of the biggest grudge matches in UFC history. As usual, White has opted to stay away from making any predictions, but he is admittedly looking forward to this blockbuster fight.
“Well, I don’t ever make predictions but a lot of people don’t like Chael or like Chael, whatever the case may be. I do believe that Anderson Silva is the greatest fighter ever in MMA history, and not just the UFC, I think he’s the greatest ever. He’s broke every record in UFC history, and Chael Sonnen is the only guy to almost ever beat him. I think it’s going to be a fun fight. It’s either going to be an absolute war, Anderson is going to go out and destroy him quickly, or who knows. It’s definitely interesting.”
One of the biggest grudge matches in MMA history will fall directly on the shoulders of veteran referee Yves Lavigne.MMAJunkie was the first to break the news of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s decision to go with Lavigne to call the rematch bet…
One of the biggest grudge matches in MMA history will fall directly on the shoulders of veteran referee Yves Lavigne.
MMAJunkie was the first to break the news of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s decision to go with Lavigne to call the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen at UFC 148.
“I was kind of shocked because I didn’t expect that one,” Lavigne told Mauro Ranallo on Friday during an appearance on The MMA Show. “To be honest, it’s a privilege when a commissioner asks you to go into his jurisdiction to go ref. Normally, I’m just happy to be a part of the show because it’s a privilege to be there.”
Lavigne certainly isn’t new to working major UFC title bouts, particularly grudge matches. He has called a pair of high-profile grudge title matches including Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 113 and Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Serra at UFC 83.
While Lavigne lacks the notoriety of a Herb Dean or “Big” John McCarthy, he has enough experience to ensure confidence in the NSAC that he is capable of calling such a high-profile bout.
UFC 148 is scheduled to take place on July 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. There will be a lot of emotion heading into the main event considering some of things that have been said between Silva and Sonnen.
On a side note, UFC president Dana White won’t have to worry about Steve Mazzagatti ruining his night, unless Lavigne is also hit with the injury bug.
Dana White’s historic feud with Tito Ortiz may be forgiven, but it certainly isn’t forgotten.From a memorable weigh-in confrontation to a proposed boxing match, it’s fairly easy to say Ortiz and the UFC President haven’t had a typical boss-and-employee…
Dana White‘s historic feud with Tito Ortiz may be forgiven, but it certainly isn’t forgotten.
Despite their personal disdain for one another, the pair have managed to maintain a working relationship over the years to ensure the continued growth of the UFC.
White recently announced the upcoming induction of Ortiz into the Hall of Fame prior to his final professional bout against Forrest Griffin at UFC 148.
In an interview with MMAWeekly, the UFC President had plenty to say about his former nemesis, and most of it wasn’t good.
Tito’s never been about the company of the UFC. Tito’s been about his own brand, Punishment, and Tito Ortiz. I think he’s a guy who pound-for-pound—at the time we were hurting—tried to do more damage to [the UFC] than anyone in the history of this company.
If White truly feels this way, one has to question his reasoning for inducting Ortiz into the Hall of Fame to begin with.
Legendary fighters like Frank Shamrock have been shafted in the past when it comes to the UFC Hall of Fame, but Ortiz, who is being labeled a brand killer, is set to walk across the stage and receive a plaque to join a short list of all-time greats.
What gives?
White weighs in:
“At the same time, I think that the storylines played out, and it’s a part of our history, between me, Chuck [Liddell] and Tito. It is definitely a part of the history of this sport.”
If MMA bouts were five minutes long, BJ Penn could be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.The former two-division UFC champion is already regarded as one of the most talented fighters to ever step foot in the Octagon, but even so, fans are le…
If MMA bouts were five minutes long, BJ Penn could be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
The former two-division UFC champion is already regarded as one of the most talented fighters to ever step foot in the Octagon, but even so, fans are left with the impression that Penn never quite lived up to his full potential.
Cardio issues have plagued Penn throughout his career, which has caused outsiders to question his overall work ethic and motivation.
In the first five minutes of a fight, Penn is easily one of the most dangerous fighters in the world. Unfortunately, longtime fans have become accustomed to seeing him open up strong and wilt as the bout drags into deeper waters.
It’s easy to forget how sharp Penn can be in the first round of a fight. His loss to Nick Diaz serves as a great example. From the looks of Penn’s face and the final two rounds, it’s hard to fathom the fact that he actually won the first round of that fight.
What about the draw with Jon Fitch?
Penn surprised the perennial welterweight contender with takedowns and suffocating top control to steal the first round of their fight.
The conditioning woes for Penn go as far back as 2006, when he suffered back to back losses to Georges St-Pierre and Matt Hughes. Penn won the first round of both of those bouts fairly handily, but his momentum began to taper in the later rounds.
As fans of the sport, it’s easy to become disillusioned by the outcome and propose misguided solutions. Penn isn’t some washed up scrub hanging on well past his prime.
At 33 years old, he still has one of the best chins in all of MMA, and his skill set remains world class across the board.
Whether or not you believe he’s the best first-round fighter in MMA history, it doesn’t take a trained eye to see the untapped potential lying within Penn.
What if he could sustain his first-round pace over the course of an entire fight?
If that were the case, “The Prodigy” would be sitting in a much better place than he is now.
Jon Jones may be the current UFC champion and future all-time great, but Tito Ortiz still holds the record as the longest reigning light heavyweight champion in UFC history.Sure, Ortiz is light years from being the fighter he once was, but some tend to…
Jon Jones may be the current UFC champion and future all-time great, but Tito Ortiz still holds the record as the longest reigning light heavyweight champion in UFC history.
Sure, Ortiz is light years from being the fighter he once was, but some tend to forget just how dominant “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” was back in the days.
In an interview with “Fighters Only,” the former UFC champion reminisced about his glory days and the plethora of injuries that shortened his time on top.
“Me around 2000, when I was fast and I was strong and my confidence was through the roof, I could beat anyone. I could’ve beat anyone in the world man. Now, 15 years later, look at me. I’m still competing against top guys in the world —like I always have done —but the injuries have taken their toll.”
Reoccurring back issues have plagued Ortiz throughout the latter part of his career. He credits his training camp for Randy Couture back in 2003 as the beginning of his injury problems.
According to Ortiz, the injuries led to a slippery slope that he was never able to fully recover from.
In his last eight bouts, Ortiz is 1-6-1. As the clichéd saying goes, “You’re only as good as your last fight.”
Most fans simply weren’t around long enough to remember Ortiz’s elongated dominance over the light heavyweight division. Some will point to a lack of quality opposition, but like so many other all-time greats, Ortiz didn’t have any control over who he fought.
He fought whoever the UFC put in front of him.
Now, there’s a new kid on the block, and his name is Jonny “Bones” Jones. The UFC light heavyweight division has never been more crowded with talent than it is now. Even so, Jones has made numerous world class fighters look like amateurs.
How would a prime Ortiz fare against Jones?
“The People’s Champ” weighs in:
“Pressure. Don’t let him use that reach, try to close down the space with tons of pressure. Use my strength, use my wrestling. An injury free Tito Ortiz is very, very dangerous, and Ryan Bader was the last guy who got a close up of that one. When I’m injury free, I’m very dangerous.
If I was the same guy, but without the surgeries, then I’d still be the champion. When I look back at my loss to [Randy] Couture, that’s when I had my first back problem. I was suffering right through that fight camp, and I suffered for seven years with that back problem.”
People can say a lot about Ortiz, but they can never question his heart. Despite being 37-years-old and well past his prime, Ortiz still competes against world-class fighters on a consistent basis.
He isn’t turning down fights or seeking any give-me bouts. The injuries may have taken a toll on his fighting career, but they have never hampered Ortiz’s undying belief in himself.
“After the [Lyoto] Machida fight, I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t eat any more pain killers, so I ended up getting the surgery, and despite operations like the ones I’ve had on my back and my neck, I’m still competing at the top.
The secret is always staying positive, and everybody in every aspect of life can learn from that. You just have to tell yourself that you can do it, get through and you can —I’ve proved it.”
One of the biggest grudge matches in