Author: Jordy McElroy

Frank Mir: Brock Lesnar Beats Alistair Overeem 99 Times out of 100

Frank Mir may have been unimpressed with Brock Lesnar’s TV debut as an MMA analyst on Fox, but he fully expects the former UFC heavyweight champion to take care of business against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.MMA Weigh-In caught up with Mir on the red …

Frank Mir may have been unimpressed with Brock Lesnar‘s TV debut as an MMA analyst on Fox, but he fully expects the former UFC heavyweight champion to take care of business against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.

MMA Weigh-In caught up with Mir on the red carpet of the World MMA Awards to get his thoughts on bad commentating and the upcoming heavyweight showdown between Lesnar and Overeem.

“You know how bad it was? I felt bad for watching it,” said Mir, when asked about Lesnar’s commentating skills at UFC on Fox. “I’m sitting there going like man, somebody cut the mic, pull [the camera] over, do a three shot.

“I think I could pull it off a little bit better. Obviously, it’ll be competitive when we fight each other, but as far as speaking terms, not so much.”

There is still unfinished business between Lesnar and Mir, who both own a victory over one another.

Despite their ongoing rivalry, there still remains a certain level of respect between the two heavyweight superstars.

At UFC 141, Lesnar is slated to face a fellow behemoth in Overeem, who is a former Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Dream Interim Champion and K-1 World Grand Prix Champion.

Mir may not see eye to eye with Lesnar on most issues, but he feels strongly about his adversary’s chances of stopping “The Reem” and moving on to challenge Dos Santos for the UFC title.

“I think Overeem doesn’t move his feet well enough to get out of the way. I think that he might think the guys he’s wrestling with, their doubles are something he can sprawl on. He’s not stopping Brock’s shot,” Mir said.

“I think he has to come out with the mindset that he better land a shot and knock Brock out before he gets going. I just don’t see that happening. Percentages say that when a striker and grappler, and they are pretty much as pure as we’re gonna get in this sport. A pure grappler versus a pure striker, you’ve got to go with the grappler.”

This entire bout will likely be decided by whether or not Lesnar is able to secure takedowns and control from top position.

Despite being arguably the best striker in the heavyweight division, Overeem’s submission skills shouldn’t be overlooked. People tend to forget that the vast majority of his wins have come by submission.

Still, Mir doesn’t see submissions being much of a factor in this bout. It will depend on the takedowns, which Lesnar shouldn’t have problems securing according to Mir.

“The takedown is so much higher percentage than trying to land a one punch knockout. They fight each other 100 times, and I think Brock’s gonna get the takedown 99 times, and I don’t see how Alistair’s gonna get up,” Mir stated.

“I know that everybody looks at [Overeem’s] traps and arms, and they see a big guy. I look at the guy’s waist, and legs and I see a guy who’s just a well-muscled up light heavyweight.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dan Henderson Suggests Anderson Silva Is Faking Injuries to Avoid Certain Fights

Chael Sonnen isn’t the only fighter accusing UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva of faking injuries and dodging fights.Coming off a major victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139, MMA legend and former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion D…

Chael Sonnen isn’t the only fighter accusing UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva of faking injuries and dodging fights.

Coming off a major victory over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139, MMA legend and former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson is also skeptical of the champ’s recent injury claims.

“All the ‘injuries’ that keep Anderson from a rematch with me or Chael will heal real fast if they offer Bisping to him,” Henderson posted on his Twitter account.

Following his win over Yushin Okami at UFC 134, Silva was reported to have bursitis in his shoulder. There were hopes that he could return to action in early 2012 and take on Sonnen in a highly anticipated rematch of their August 2010 bout.

Unfortunately, the shoulder issues for Silva continue, and he’ll likely be sidelined until June 2012.

Sonnen’s inquiries that Silva is ducking stems from the champ’s refusal to accept his challenge for a rematch. The former UFC title contender has insulted Silva in every way possible, but still, “The Spider” remains quiet and firmly entrenched in his nest.

Since joining the UFC, Silva has tore through the MMA ranks and ascended to pound-for-pound supremacy. His black-belt level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and otherworldly striking has set him apart from every other fighter in the entire sport.

With that said, wrestling has always been a glaring weakness in Silva’s game. Henderson was one of the first to exploit Silva’s grappling woes back in March 2008.

In the first round, Henderson dominated Silva by pressuring him with takedowns and maintaining control from top position. The second round didn’t go over so well for the future Hall of Famer, as he abandoned his initial game plan and opted to stand and trade with arguably the greatest striker the sport has ever seen.

While Henderson saw one round of success, Sonnen took four rounds in his UFC 117 bout with Silva.

Like Henderson, he dominated the fight with persistent takedowns and strong top control, but in the waning minutes of the final round, Silva was able to muster up a triangle choke to retain his world title in dramatic fashion.

There has been no official word from the UFC, but after stopping Jason “Mayhem” Miller at The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 Finale, Michael Bisping could indeed be in the hunt for a middleweight title shot.

It’s hard to ever accuse a world champion with Silva’s résumé for ducking and dodging, but from an outside perspective, things aren’t looking too good for “The Spider.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem Staredown in Official UFC 141 Promo

The next No. 1 contender will be decided in the UFC 141 main event when gargantuan heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem go toe to toe.The official promo video for the highly anticipated bout was recently uploaded to Lesnar’s YouTube page.Sinc…

The next No. 1 contender will be decided in the UFC 141 main event when gargantuan heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem go toe to toe.

The official promo video for the highly anticipated bout was recently uploaded to Lesnar’s YouTube page.

Since returning to the heavyweight division, Overeem has been on a tear. He is currently on a 10-fight win streak, and his résumé includes a Strikeforce heavyweight title, Dream Interim heavyweight title and K-1 World Grand Prix title.

It has often been debated whether or not Overeem is the best heavyweight in the world. MMA fans will finally get the answer to that question as “The Reem” enters the mix with world class opposition including UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos and former champion Cain Velasquez.

Before Overeem gets a crack at another world title, he’ll have to find a way to get past a monumental test in Lesnar, who should make things interesting with his explosive takedowns, strong top control and underrated cardio.

It’s been over a year since Lesnar last competed inside the UFC octagon. After losing his UFC heavyweight title to Velasquez at UFC 121, the former WWE superstar suffered a second case of diverticulitis, which forced him to undergo a major surgery.

There were concerns about Lesnar’s future in the sport, but after months of hard work and rehabilitation, he is once again competing on the big stage against one of the most fierce heavyweight contenders in the world.

Can Lesnar bounce back from a career-threatening illness and prove the Overeem hype as merely a façade, or Will Overeem continue his path of destruction in winning every major world title in combat sports?

UFC 141 is set to take place on December 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The card also features a heavyweight tilt between MMA legends Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and a light heavyweight battle between Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Chael Sonnen Nominates Michael Bisping for Ring Girl of the Year at MMA Awards

With Anderson Silva sidelined until June, Chael Sonnen has seemingly fixed his attention on The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 coach Michael Bisping.LayzietheSavage recently caught up with Uncle Chael at the World MMA Awards, and the former title contender…

With Anderson Silva sidelined until June, Chael Sonnen has seemingly fixed his attention on The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 coach Michael Bisping.

LayzietheSavage recently caught up with Uncle Chael at the World MMA Awards, and the former title contender proposed an interesting nominee for “Ring Girl of the Year.”

“Is Michael Bisping in the running?” Sonnen responded when asked on the red carpet whom his pick was for “Ring Girl of the Year.”

If Bisping gets past Jason “Mayhem” Miller at the TUF 14 finale on Saturday night, he could be in for a showdown with Sonnen to decide the next No. 1 contender for the UFC middleweight title.

Sonnen was rumored to be facing Mark Munoz at UFC on Fox 2 in January, but along with throwing a verbal jab at Bisping, he debunked those rumors on the red carpet.

“I have no fight with Mark Munoz,” Sonnen sid. “My next fight will be based on…I don’t know how much I can say, but I’ll be watching the TV Saturday night. Put it that way.”

With Sonnen slated to face the winner of Bisping and Miller, Munoz is seemingly left out in the cold of the middleweight title mix. He could face the winner of the upcoming scrap between Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson, but a possible title shot seems to be much further off than “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” initially expected.

The TUF 14 finale will go down on Saturday night at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Sonnen most likely won’t be the only person watching with invested interest. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva should be paying close attention to his next potential opponent.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Lyoto Machida: "Jon Jones’ Rise Doesn’t Impress Me"

Jon Jones may be the “Fighter of the Year” and the youngest champion in UFC history, but even with all of those accolades, former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida is still not impressed.Since suffering back-to-back losses to Mauricio “Shogun” R…

Jon Jones may be the “Fighter of the Year” and the youngest champion in UFC history, but even with all of those accolades, former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida is still not impressed.

Since suffering back-to-back losses to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Machida’s stock has tumbled quite a bit.

People tend to forget that a little over a year ago, Machida was considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He boasted the same mysterious aura Jones possesses now.

“Jon’s rise doesn’t impress me. I had my moment in the UFC too,” Machida said in the video preview for UFC 140.

Sporting an unblemished record, fighters and coaches worked day and night in attempting to formulate a game plan to counter Machida’s unique and elusive karate-based style.

Due to Machida’s success, karate, an often frowned upon art in MMA, was given new light as a multitude of dojos began popping up all over the globe.

“Lyoto Machida presents a lot of unique problems to anyone he faces,” said UFC commentator Joe Rogan. “His footwork and his ability to move in and out almost like a fencer is really like no one else possesses in the entire division.”

At UFC 140, Machida will receive an opportunity to once again reign over the light heavyweight division as UFC champion, but he’ll have to get through the seemingly unstoppable Jones, who is coming off back-to-back wins over MMA legends Jackson and Rua.

“When I lost the belt, it was difficult for me, but I learned a lot,” said Machida. “Now, I feel more prepared to fight for the belt. I’ve learned to work better under pressure.”

There will be plenty of pressure on December 10 when Machida steps into the cage with Jones. Stylistically, Machida presents a lot of interesting problems for the young champion, but it will be an uphill battle for the elusive Brazilian.

Jones exudes a quality of greatness that is rarely seen in any sport. Can Machida overcome one of the fastest rising stars in MMA history?

“I want to feel it again, that belt around my waist,” Machida said.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Georges St-Pierre Not Impressed with Shogun vs. Henderson

The vast majority may believe the UFC 139 main event bout between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson was an instant classic, but Georges St-Pierre didn’t walk away all that impressed.During an autograph session in Toronto, the UFC welterweight cha…

The vast majority may believe the UFC 139 main event bout between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson was an instant classic, but Georges St-Pierre didn’t walk away all that impressed.

During an autograph session in Toronto, the UFC welterweight champion spoke with QMI Agency about the bout some are proclaiming as “the greatest fight in UFC history.”

“I didn’t see the fight [live]. I saw it after,” St-Pierre said. “No, for me, it was not the greatest fight. It was a fight that displayed a lot of determination and heart, but I believe on the technical points, especially at the end of the fight, the guys were too tired to be able to make a display of technique. But it was an interesting fight for a lot of the fans because…it showed a lot of heart and courage.”

After dominating early, Henderson faded in the championship rounds, which allowed Shogun to secure takedowns and rack up points from top position.

Despite success in the later rounds, Shogun was obviously running on fumes as well. He sustained the mounted position for extended periods of time, but he wasn’t able to really threaten Henderson with significant damage or submissions.

While the overall bout was far from a technical masterpiece, many will likely be baffled by St-Pierre being unimpressed with such a dramatic and highly entertaining fight.

If Shogun versus Henderson didn’t impress St-Pierre, what bout has?

“In the UFC? I don’t know; Clay Guida’s fight with Benson Henderson was pretty good,” he said. “That was a good fight. It was a display of courage, determination and technique as well. So they had everything in one [fight]. At the end of the fight, they were still able to deliver, and the pace was high.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com