Author: Jordy McElroy

UFC 141 Results: Was Brock Lesnar Pushed Too Far Too Fast Through His Career?

At UFC 141, the curtains closed on one of the most fascinating careers in MMA history.Former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar officially announced his retirement from the sport following a first-round TKO loss to heavyweight phenom Alistair Overeem.As…

At UFC 141, the curtains closed on one of the most fascinating careers in MMA history.

Former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar officially announced his retirement from the sport following a first-round TKO loss to heavyweight phenom Alistair Overeem.

As the dust finally settles on his fight career, Lesnar leaves a plethora of questions behind that will never be answered. Was he pushed too fast through his career? Could more experience and a shake-up in coaching help patch obvious holes in his overall fight game? Did his full potential go unrealized?

Upon entry into the promotion, the UFC didn’t waste any time in matching Lesnar up against the upper-echelon sharks of the heavyweight division.

With only one professional bout to his name, Lesnar was pitted against former heavyweight champion Frank Mir in his UFC debut in February 2008. He was submitted in the first round, but it was still a very impressive performance that turned heads in the MMA community.

Lesnar wasn’t just some random celebrity with hopes of cashing in on his fame. He was a legit competitor with the right athletic background to be something special in the sport.

After the loss to Mir, the UFC opted to keep the Lesnar train at full speed and paired him with wily MMA veteran Heath Herring. It was a stiff test for the MMA rookie, but he passed with flying colors, earning a lopsided unanimous decision.

The point of no return for Lesnar came when he defeated MMA legend Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight title in November 2008.

Looking back on Lesnar’s career, he never got the opportunity to rise through the ranks and truly develop as a fighter. His current fight record stands at 5-3, but his experience against upper-echelon opposition makes that number feel somewhat distorted.

Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, who are widely considered the top dogs in the heavyweight division, competed inside the octagon for over two years before finally receiving title shots.

Physically, Lesnar was blessed in many ways. It’s rare to see a heavyweight of his size move around with such explosiveness and fluidity.

Unfortunately, he never developed into the striker he needed to be to realize his true potential. Was it coaching, or was it an innate fear of getting hit?

Lesnar is the only person who can truly answer that question.

Still, it’s interesting to ponder the kind of fighter Lesnar could be if he were able to stand his ground in the pocket and amount some form of an offensive threat.

It may not be a case of whether or not Lesnar was pushed too fast. Lesnar was kind of in the wrong place at the wrong time. The UFC heavyweight division was in a dark place during Lesnar’s arrival. There weren’t many household names, and the world was searching for that next breakout heavyweight superstar.

Whether he wanted to be or not, Lesnar quickly became that guy.

No one can predict the future. If we turned back time and slowed Lesnar’s progression, it could’ve helped or hampered his MMA career. As a former world champion, he leaves the sport knowing he achieved more than anyone ever thought he could.

There are all-time greats that go uncrowned throughout their respective careers.

To his fans, Lesnar will always be “The Baddest Dude on the Planet.”

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Chael Sonnen Snubs Anderson Silva, Calls out Jones, GSP and JDS Again

Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre and Junior Dos Santos––Uncle Chael is coming for you.A few weeks out from his No. 1 contender’s bout with Mark Munoz, former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen sat down with Michael Landsberg on OTR to talk about …

Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre and Junior Dos Santos––Uncle Chael is coming for you.

A few weeks out from his No. 1 contender’s bout with Mark Munoz, former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen sat down with Michael Landsberg on OTR to talk about the middleweight title picture and possibly going up in weight.

Since losing to Anderson Silva at UFC 117, Sonnen has been hell-bent on securing a rematch, but the opportunity has continued to elude him. Despite hordes of verbal jabs from Sonnen, Silva has yet to step up and accept the challenge.

Is the UFC middleweight champ “ducking,” or is he merely refusing to give in to Sonnen’s “disrespectful” demands?

Whatever the reasoning, it no longer matters to Sonnen, who has finally decided to move on from Silva and seek challenges elsewhere.

“The bottom line is, I’m done with the guy. He and I have no business. This guy is cold product man. He’s like Jerry Curls and Pepsi Clear. He’s yesterday’s news,” said Sonnen. “I destroyed this guy back when he was tough, and that was years ago. He’s so far over the hill and past his prime, it’s not worth talking about.

“I’m going to become the No. 1 contender on January 28, but despite what you think, I am not going to use that voucher to fight Anderson Silva. I’ll be looking at Dos Santos, Jones, and possibly St-Pierre. I will take that voucher to Dana White, and I will pick one of those three guys. My time with Anderson is done.”

Sonnen came within two minutes of earning a lopsided unanimous decision in the first bout, but Silva’s perseverance and late fight heroics enabled the proposed pound-for-pound kingpin to secure a triangle choke that sent the challenger packing.

Even though Sonnen tapped, he still doesn’t believe he lost the fight. To this day, he claims to be the true UFC middleweight champion.

“Undefeated and undisputed. You can either believe me or your lying eyes,” said Sonnen.

With Silva no longer in his crosshairs, Sonnen turns his attention towards light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who could be the greatest talent the sport has ever seen.

“I’m going after a championship match,” stated Sonnen. “Anderson Silva is no more of a champion than the man on the moon and trying to pretend he is is a waste of my breath. Jon Jones is a real man that’ll accept challenges.”

If he chooses to move up in weight, Sonnen will be giving up a significant size advantage compared to what he enjoyed at 185-pounds. Jones is already a physical specimen at light heavyweight, but many believe he has the size to overtake the heavyweight division.

“I don’t get caught up in weight. When I became a fan of the sport was in the early 90’s, and we didn’t even have weight classes,” said Sonnen. “Everybody just kind of went out and competed with each other. I’ve never got caught up in weight. That’s something that was put in after I had already agreed, so whatever a guy weighs, I don’t pay attention to it.”

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King Mo on Jon Jones: "Many People Could Beat Him"

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal is keeping everything in perspective, including the excessive hype surrounding UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.Since defeating Ryan Bader in February, Jones has kept the ball rolling in 2011, dispatching of legendary l…

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal is keeping everything in perspective, including the excessive hype surrounding UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

Since defeating Ryan Bader in February, Jones has kept the ball rolling in 2011, dispatching of legendary light heavyweights Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida.

While the world sees Jones’ potential to be a future all-time great, some have already likened the young lion to Muhammad Ali and propelled him past Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre in the pound-for-pound ranks.

“Jon Jones is doing his thing, but he’s new on the scene. It’s funny because [MMA fans] are quick to forget people,” King Mo said in an interview on MMAWeekly Radio.

“Two years ago, Jose Aldo was on top of the world, and a year before that, Miguel Torres, ‘Oh, no one can beat him.’ Before that, Urijah Faber, ‘No one’s touching him.’ The fans want to be analysts, and they’re just fans, so they get excited easily.”

Aldo is an interesting example of how quickly opinions can change amongst MMA fans. The UFC featherweight champ hasn’t lost a professional bout since November 2005 and has defended his WEC/UFC title four consecutive times.

After destroying former champion Urijah Faber in April 2010, the MMA world hoisted Aldo on its shoulders and proclaimed him as the No. 3 best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, behind only GSP and Silva.

Now, the champ would be lucky to crack into the top five of most rankings, despite his continued dominance over the 145-pound division.

“No one is unbeatable. People get excited about the biggest thing. MMA is almost like a trend,” said Lawal. “People in MMA follow trends, even the fighters and the styles. What style is hot? Tapout and Affliction. ‘Oh, this fighter is hot, so he’s unbeatable.’ And the first person to beat him is unbeatable.”

Jones may not be invincible, but it’s tough to fathom anyone derailing him at this point in his career. In every bout, he seems light years ahead of the competition. King Mo sees Jones as a special talent, but he also understands that a slip up could come at any time.

“Many people could beat him. Jon Jones can beat himself by buying into the hype or just not training. Mike Tyson beat himself. There’s other guys out there stylistically that could be bad matchups. I’m not going to say who because I know. I’m not going to let the cat out the bag because I know.”

As far as pound-for-pound rankings are concerned, King Mo isn’t quite ready to hand the top spot over to Jones just yet. He doesn’t see the rankings as merely dominating a specific division. The top spot belongs to fighters who find success in multiple weight classes.

“Pound-for-pound, I’d probably say Anderson because he’s fought at 185 and 205,” said King Mo. “When I think of pound-for-pound, I think of guys that can go up in weight and be able to do just as good.”

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MMA Pound-for-Pound Rankings

Jon Jones is shining like Leroy Green from “The Last Dragon.”The reigning UFC light heavyweight champion capped off an already historic year with a submission victory over former champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 141.With the win, Jones now finds himself i…

Jon Jones is shining like Leroy Green from “The Last Dragon.”

The reigning UFC light heavyweight champion capped off an already historic year with a submission victory over former champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 141.

With the win, Jones now finds himself in the middle of a pound-for-pound debate, which also includes all-time greats Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre.

In 2011 alone, Jones has defeated three former world champions and MMA legends in Shogun, Machida, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

The light heavyweight division, which was once considered the most stacked weight class in the entire sport, is now running on fumes thanks to Jones’ dominance.

Has the young lion done enough to overtake the pound-for-pound rankings?

Also, the pound-for-pound list will never be the same again as it welcomes its first ever female addition to the rankings.

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Lyoto Machida Considering Move to Middleweight

Lyoto Machida is considering a move to 185 pounds.Fresh off his UFC 140 submission loss to Jon Jones, “The Dragon” is contemplating whether or not to drop to the middleweight division, which is headed by his teammate and close friend Anderson Silva.”I …

Lyoto Machida is considering a move to 185 pounds.

Fresh off his UFC 140 submission loss to Jon Jones, “The Dragon” is contemplating whether or not to drop to the middleweight division, which is headed by his teammate and close friend Anderson Silva.

“I don’t want to change, but if I am not the light heavyweight champion, it really could happen,” Machida told Fighters Only.

“I lost but I still have three more fights at UFC. My main goal is to be the champion of the weight class and bring the belt back to Para. Now, it is a challenge to beat Jones and bounce back. We already know the path to get to him, and in the next fight, things should happen with more ease.”

Since entering the UFC, Jones has stormed to the top of the division, dismantling every world-class fighter in his path. Machida’s awkward style and tricky footwork presented Jones with perhaps the toughest test in his young career.

After a strong start, Machida found himself in trouble in the second round after giving up a takedown that allowed Jones to posture up and unload on damage from top position. A few seconds trapped underneath Jones was all that was needed for Machida to emerge with a massive gash on his forehead.

The cut was the tide changer in the bout.

When the two light heavyweights returned to their feet, Jones landed a short left hand that dropped the Brazilian. The young champion wasted no time in pouncing on his hurt opponent and locking up a modified guillotine choke that solidified his second consecutive title defense and Machida’s first submission loss.

“I think we always have to be learning something out of this, and it is through the loss that we learn more than with the victory,” Machida said. “I am a professional, and it is part of my career to win or lose.”

With ongoing Silva retirement murmurings, a move to middleweight seems plausible for Machida.

Machida and Silva have stated on various occasions that they aren’t interested in fighting one another.

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Lyoto Machida: "Jon Jones Did His Job, You Can’t Ask Him to Make Love to Me"

Lyoto Machida wants no part of any pity parties following his UFC 140 loss to Jon Jones.The former light heavyweight champion has gathered a small crowd of supporters after he was choked unconscious by the current champ.After choking Machida out with a…

Lyoto Machida wants no part of any pity parties following his UFC 140 loss to Jon Jones.

The former light heavyweight champion has gathered a small crowd of supporters after he was choked unconscious by the current champ.

After choking Machida out with a modified guillotine from the standing position, Jones merely released the hold and allowed his opponent’s body to crumple to the canvas.

While there are a plethora of fans condemning Jones’ actions, Machida sees nothing wrong with the way things went down. He felt like Jones did what he was supposed to do.

“It was totally respectful to me,” Machida told SPORTV.com (via Google translation). “It was a shocking [end] to the story. Sometimes, those who hear may [wonder] if there was any disrespect, but he did his job, choked me and won. You can’t ask him to make love to me, right?”

Before the choke, Machida did a tremendous job of making the seemingly invincible Jones look human for a change. He made things tough on the champion with great timing and pinpoint accuracy in the stand-up exchanges.

“My first round showed that there are loopholes in the game of Jon Jones. I knew that you could find the way to these gaps. I was just waiting for the right time,” said Machida. “It’s good for the future opponent because no one is invincible.”

Jones may not be invincible, but as of now, he seems virtually unstoppable in the light heavyweight division. In 2011 alone, he has decimated three former world champions and MMA legends in Machida, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Despite being stopped the earliest, Machida came the closest out of all three in figuring out a way to deal with Jones’ otherworldly abilities.

Looking back, there are things “The Dragon” admits he would do differently. The tide turned completely in the fight when Jones secured a takedown in the second round and opened up a nasty gash on Machida’s forehead with a well-placed elbow.

“I would’ve used more of my recovery time,” admitted Machida. “After he hit the elbow and the referee stopped the fight, I could not see, had so much blood in eye. I was entitled to it, but [I didn’t give myself enough time to come back]. Of course, the fight was live, and I had to press, but I could have had more time.”

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