Author: Kyle Symes

UFC Fight Night 49: Benson Henderson vs. Rafael Dos Anjos Headlines Main Card

If all roads to a UFC lightweight title shot go through Benson Henderson, then Rafael dos Anjos is next in line to punch his ticket.
That’s according to Tulsa World (subscription required), which reported that the two Top Five lightweights will he…

If all roads to a UFC lightweight title shot go through Benson Henderson, then Rafael dos Anjos is next in line to punch his ticket.

That’s according to Tulsa World (subscription required), which reported that the two Top Five lightweights will headline UFC Fight Night 49 Aug. 23 from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Henderson is fresh off a submission win against Rustam Khabilov at UFC Fight Night 42. The win was Henderson’s first finish of his UFC career and also marked the seventh straight time that “Smooth” has headlined a UFC card.

Dos Anjos also picked up a win at UFC Fight Night 42, finishing Jason High by TKO in the second round. It was a nice way for the Brazilian to bounce back after seeing his five-fight winning streak snapped by Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC on Fox 11.

Henderson will look to secure another title shot as he faces Dos Anjos in what will be Smooth’s third fight since dropping the belt to Anthony Pettis at UFC 164. Interestingly enough, Henderson will have competed three times since UFC 164, while Pettis has yet to defend his title.

Dos Anjos has struggled with upper-tier talent but gets another shot at putting himself in the mix for a title shot. The Brazilian sports a well-rounded game that could provide matchup troubles for Henderson on the feet and on the ground.

Fans widely consider Henderson to be the best lightweight outside of Pettis, and Smooth recently issued an open challenge to all potential lightweight title challengers.

If he can win and/or finish Dos Anjos, it will be tough for the UFC to hold him back from another title shot even if Pettis is still champ, despite the fact that Henderson is 0-2 against Pettis. Dos Anjos, meanwhile, can virtually guarantee himself a title shot by defeating the top-ranked Henderson unless Nurmagomedov picks up another high-profile win in the meantime.

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UFC Fight Night 47 Gets Ryan Bader vs. Ovince Saint Preux as Main Event

Two light heavyweights who picked up wins at UFC 174 will be headlining the UFC’s trip to Maine later this summer.
The Bangor Daily News is reporting that Ryan Bader and Ovince Saint Preux will be the main event for UFC Fight Night 47.
Bader has w…

Two light heavyweights who picked up wins at UFC 174 will be headlining the UFC’s trip to Maine later this summer.

The Bangor Daily News is reporting that Ryan Bader and Ovince Saint Preux will be the main event for UFC Fight Night 47.

Bader has won three out of his last four, including dominant performances against Rafael Cavalcante at UFC 174 and against Anthony Perosh back in December. Even in the loss to Glover Teixeira, Bader nearly pulled off the upset as he rocked the Brazilian.

Saint Preux is also on a roll. Winner of five in a row, OSP has gone from an intriguing prospect in Strikeforce to a top-10 light heavyweight. Four out of his five wins during that streak have come before the final bell.

Both men will be looking to make an impact in the light heavyweight division with the spotlight on them.

Bader is a former Ultimate Fighter winner but has struggled to remain in the light heavyweight title picture. He seems to have turned a corner, however, as he has learned to combine his powerful wrestling game with his knockout power rather than depending on just one of the two. 

OSP will look to validate his claims as a top prospect from his Strikeforce days. He is a former collegiate athlete, having played Division I football for the Tennessee Volunteers. The fight with Bader will be OSP‘s first against the upper half of the division, as he has mainly feasted on mid-tier or lower-level fighters.

UFC Fight Night 47 takes place Aug. 16 at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. The main card is expected to air on Fox Sports 1.

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Yoel Romero and the Most Physically Imposing Fighters in the UFC

Some fighters are strategic masterminds, others are technically sound, and a few are just physical freaks.
MMA athletes tend to be some of the best-conditioned athletes in the world, and those in the UFC represent the top percentage of that group.
Roy …

Some fighters are strategic masterminds, others are technically sound, and a few are just physical freaks.

MMA athletes tend to be some of the best-conditioned athletes in the world, and those in the UFC represent the top percentage of that group.

Roy Nelson would obviously be given a pass.

Guys like UFC middleweight Yoel Romero represent true physical specimens who likely put some doubt into an opponent’s mind even before the showdown.

MMA fans of course love a good scrap, but there’s something about watching a fighter who defies the logic of nutrition and physics. Whether it be with a near-perfect physique or the ability to overpower their opposition, these fighters are the most physically imposing competitors to step foot in the Octagon.

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UFC 174 Results: Fights for Tyron Woodley to Take Next

Tyron Woodley had the opportunity to put his name in the hat for title contention at UFC 174 but came up flat. He was thoroughly outclassed by Rory MacDonald for three rounds and was sent back to the shark tank of the welterweight division.
The Wo…

Tyron Woodley had the opportunity to put his name in the hat for title contention at UFC 174 but came up flat. He was thoroughly outclassed by Rory MacDonald for three rounds and was sent back to the shark tank of the welterweight division.

The Woodley hype train has been effectively derailed, and he is now a meager 3-3 in his past six fights. There are some game-plan issues that Woodley needs to work on when he heads back into the gym that hopefully will present a more well-rounded attack from the former amateur wrestling All-American.

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UFC 174 Results: Fights for Andrei Arlovski to Take Next

UFC 174 saw the return of former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. Unfortunately for “The Pitbull,” there aren’t a lot of fans that are too happy that he’s back following UFC 174.
Arlovski fought Brendan Schaub for the full three rounds in what ca…

UFC 174 saw the return of former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. Unfortunately for “The Pitbull,” there aren’t a lot of fans that are too happy that he’s back following UFC 174.

Arlovski fought Brendan Schaub for the full three rounds in what can only be politely called a lackluster fight. Even worse, for some fans the fact Arlovski won was as bad as Diego Sanchez beating Ross Pearson by split decision.

Still, the bottom line says Arlovski won which means he’s likely to get another shot in the Octagon. With a thin division, there aren’t a lot of viable options for a heavyweight who is struggling to stay relevant.

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UFC 174 Results: Did Demetrious Johnson’s Win Sell Fans on the Flyweights?

Demetrious Johnson did what he always does at UFC 174. But was it enough to sell fans on buying future pay-per-views featuring him and the flyweight division?
Well, judging from the comments on the Internet, it depends on who you ask.
There are plenty …

Demetrious Johnson did what he always does at UFC 174. But was it enough to sell fans on buying future pay-per-views featuring him and the flyweight division?

Well, judging from the comments on the Internet, it depends on who you ask.

There are plenty of fans who enjoy Johnson for what he is: one of the most technical fighters in the game today. Much in the manner of former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, Johnson’s performances tend to be very one-sided with little doubt as to who won.

But being such a dominant champion (Joe Rogan called him perfect during the UFC 174 broadcast) has its drawbacks as well. Fans not only expect Johnson to run over his competition, but they act displeased when it happens.

He was in complete control of Ali Bagautinov throughout the fight. Johnson would win a unanimous decision, not losing a single round to his challenger. But as dominant as the performance was, it was still missing something.

A definitive finish.

Everyone knows Johnson is better than Bagautinov, but the fight still went to the distance. On a night where the fights seemed to drag to a decision, Johnson could have used another finish. He has shown he’s capable of finishing top-level fighters, knocking out Joseph Benavidez and tapping out John Moraga in his previous title defenses.

I can appreciate what the champ brings to the cage; he’s one of the best fighters in all of MMA without a doubt. He brings a well-rounded game to the cage, but he, along with the rest of the flyweight division, has struggled to catch on with MMA fans.

If the fighters on the UFC’s roster don’t respect the flyweights, why should fans care?

The UFC has tried very hard to build up the flyweight division by featuring Johnson on national television. He was a big part of three consecutive UFC on Fox broadcasts, which in theory should have built up his name to sell a pay-per-view.

The only problem is that UFC 174 is likely to do terrible in terms of buys and suffered from a complete lack of promotion. But still, he had the opportunity to show people who didn’t care to watch UFC 174 what they would be missing.

Instead, he put on a lackluster, albeit dominant, performance against Bagautinov.

Johnson isn’t into hyping up fights with trash talk, and that’s fine. But if you’re going to be a top pound-for-pound fighter who doesn’t like to talk, you better give fans a reason to watch you in the cage. There comes a point when simply being dominant isn’t enough.

The UFC flyweight division desperately needed a finish from Johnson at UFC 174 to help create another pay-per-view draw. Instead, he offered a typical performance where he won decisively on the judges’ scorecards.

If that’s your cup of tea, then good for you. But for a lot of fans, that isn’t enough to make them drop 50 dollars on a pay-per-view.

Johnson had a great chance to put the flyweight division on the map at UFC 152 in September 2012 and failed to do so. It’s not often that you get a second chance to make an impact for an entire division while headlining a pay-per-view card, and he squandered his opportunity at UFC 174.

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