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UFC on FOX 2: Phil Davis Only Worries About What He Can Control

Phil Davis meets Rashad Evans this Saturday in the main event slated for UFC on FOX 2. Although UFC president Dana White made it clear to Fuel TV’s Ariel Helwani that Evans will get his long-awaited title shot against Jon Jones should he come out victorious against Davis, the same cannot be said for Davis. Dan Henderson appears to be title contender No. 2 should Evans lose or get injured, but Davis isn’t phased by it one bit.

“Whoever the UFC decides to give me next is fine with me,” Davis told Bleacher Report. “All I’m really worried about is winning the fight, and I don’t really care what comes after this. I don’t care if they have me fight the Goodyear tire guy after this. I don’t care, you know?”

Davis knows he has work to do and he was humble enough to tell MMAjunkie.com back in April 2011 that he wanted to take some time off to improve his game before returning to the Octagon after what was deemed by some a disappointing victory over veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira last March.

Time off is what Davis got but, as with most things in life, it didn’t work out exactly as planned. Davis injured his knee and was forced to pull out of two fights against Evans at UFC 133 and Lyoto Machida at UFC 140.

“I definitely got laid off for awhile, but it’s definitely been good for me, though. I picked up a lot as a fighter, so it’s good,” Davis said.

A fight with Evans is a huge opportunity for the man that calls himself Mr. Wonderful. Previous wins over Nogueira, Brian Stann and Alexander Gustafsson are nothing to balk at, but Evans has been the consensus No. 2 light heavyweight in the division for quite some time now. A win over Evans would place Davis very close to the top of the division.

Davis recognizes the opportunity he has in front of him. Being able to fight the No. 2 contender in an event that will be broadcast to millions of homes through the FOX Network is the biggest opportunity afforded to Davis in his young career. When asked if this is the biggest fight of his career, Davis responded emphatically, “Absolutely!”

Along with being the biggest fight of his career, the fact that he is in a main event on FOX, the promotion and media buzz surrounding it comes with the territory.

“Definitely a lot more media and a lot more attention being paid to this event—as it should be,” Davis said. “This fight’s a big deal and so far that’s the way it’s been, getting a lot of media, a lot of coverage, and hopefully a pretty big turn out at the United Center as well.”

Evans is an interesting opponent for Davis, since they are both from an NCAA Division I wrestling background. Davis is aware of the fact their wrestling bases may negate each other, but he is prepared to do whatever it takes to put Evans away and doesn’t count out the idea that wrestling may play a big role in the fight.

“I don’t know, that might happen [that wrestling is canceled out], but then again it might not. There is a good possibility that will not happen as well,” Davis said. “I’m going to use whatever I can to put him away; I don’t care what I use, punches, kicks, elbows, brass knuckles, whatever—if someone throws a fold-up chair in to the Octagon, I’m using it.”

A little comedy from Davis, but all that to say it sounds like he is going to leave it all inside the cage this weekend.

Being a former NCAA national wrestling champion, we got to talking about another wrestler in the heavyweight division: freshly retired Brock Lesnar. Lesnar’s legacy and time in mixed martial arts has always been called in to question because of how hard and fast he was pushed by the UFC due to his notoriety in the WWE. Despite the differing opinions on Lesnar, Davis is a guy that was in the big man’s corner.

“I do think Brock Lesnar was good for the sport, he’s just a big mammoth person with big giant hands and he had the ability to beat the crap out of people,” Davis said. “It’s crazy because people don’t understand that in a lot of ways Lesnar isn’t as technical as other fighters in the heavyweight division, but he can beat your head in. That’s why he won, ’cause he is good at doing that. That’s what it’s about—he was great at it. I enjoyed watching him.”

Davis wants to get a title like Lesnar and his quest for it starts with a win over Evans this Saturday. Davis admits to bringing in new guys and changing up his camp in preparation for this fight, but he didn’t want to get in to the details.

“I’m not one for kissing and telling or preparing people for what they are about to see. All I can say is please don’t change the channel, it’s going to be nonsense,” Davis said. “That is what I can say. It will be quite exciting.”

Quite exciting is what this fight will have to be should Davis want a chance at being granted a title shot. As stated earlier, Henderson is the front-runner should Evans lose and some people even put Davis’ training partner Alexander Gustafsson ahead of him on the list of title contenders, despite the fact Davis submitted him back at UFC 112. As far as Davis is concerned, he couldn’t care less—in fact, he hopes Gustafsson gets a shot.

“I think Alex will be a big problem for Jones going forward. I say this with all honesty: I don’t care if he gets the title shot before Hendo. I hope he gets the title shot in Sweden,” Davis said. “At the end of the day, I’m rooting on my teammates and if I’m winning and my teammates are winning, that is all I really care about. Why would that bother me?”

A lot of fans are probably hoping to see Evans come away with the victory against Davis, not because they dislike Davis, but because they want to see the drawn-out bitter rivalry between Evans and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones come to fruition. When asked whether he’d feel pressured to hype a potential matchup with Jones to the extent that the Evans vs. Jones fight has been hyped, Davis doesn’t feel it.

“No that doesn’t so much matter to me, I’m just going to go out there and do what I do,” Davis said. “Obviously I would love to see—I kind of want to see those two fight myself, but at the same time I’ve got a job to do.”

Doing that job involves beating Evans this Saturday night anyway he can to continue to build upon his 9-0-0 record and work towards UFC gold.

It’s rare that you talk to a fighter who can take criticism in stride and not be bothered by the things that are out of his control, but Davis appears to do an excellent job of this. Despite not being promised a title shot with a win, if the fight is as exciting as he says it will be, maybe the UFC won’t have a choice, but to grant him that shot.

If people want to stay up to date on what’s going on with Davis, follow him on Twitter @PhilMrWonderful.

Leon Horne is a writer for Bleacher Report and is part of the B/R MMA team. Follow @Leon_Horne on Twitter.

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Dana White on Anthony Johnson: "Three Strikes and You’re Out"

Anthony Johnson was fighting for his UFC career last night when he made his middleweight debut against top-ranked veteran Vitor Belfort in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for UFC 142. Win or lose, Johnson’s career was on the line and he knew it.”Three strikes a…

“Three strikes and you’re out,” were the words UFC president Dana White had to say about Johnson on Fuel TV’s post-fight show and no, three losses weren’t the strikes White was talking about.

Johnson, a former welterweight, has missed weight three times in his UFC career. The third time being the last, according to White, who announced the release of Johnson shortly after he was submitted by Belfort in the second round.

Although Johnson has missed weight on three occasions, the most recent miss for UFC 142 against Belfort was the most bizarre.

Being a former welterweight, a huge one at that, people didn’t understand why Johnson was fighting at 170 pounds despite walking around at a weight close to 50 pounds heavier.

When Johnson made the move up to middleweight, many thought it was a smart move for a guy who could probably compete in the light heavyweight division, no problem.

Here is where it got weird. After making 170 pounds on numerous occasions during his career, the middleweight limit (for some reason) was out of reach for Johnson this weekend.

The last time Johnson came in overweight he was six pounds over the welterweight limit, and he was 7.5 pounds over the limit the time before that. Now, with an extra 15 pounds to play with, Johnson came in a whopping 11 pounds over the 185-pound middleweight limit.

Belfort, who had no trouble making weight, took 20 percent of Johnson’s fight purse and accepted the fight as long as Johnson was under 205 pounds come fight night. Johnson stayed below the 205-pound limit and Belfort put the former welterweight away with ease.

Johnson had the following to say on his Facebook account,

I’m already laughing at what ppl [SIC] are saying. Yeah it was for medical reason and I did what the UFC Dr Told me to do. Believe it or don’t I give a [expletive] cuz [SIC] the ppl [SIC] close to me were freaking out but I’m still alive and something like this has never happen before. Say what you want I’m still gonna do my thang [SIC]. You try not having feeling in your legs and can’t move then and see how you look at life after that.

Not very unapologetic, and he doesn’t seem too worried about what his bosses think. If the weight cut was dangerous for his life, which it seems it was, maybe it’s because he didn’t take the cut to 185 pounds seriously enough.

One would figure that with an extra 15 pounds to work with, making weight should have been a breeze for Johnson. Maybe Johnson thought it would be so easy that he didn’t think anything of it, and that’s what got him in to trouble.

On a conference call 10 days out from the fight, Johnson let people know he was weighing in at around 218 pounds. I’m no professional, but cutting 33 pounds in a little more than a week seems like a big cut, and in Johnson’s case, it looks like it was.

Freshly released from the organization, Johnson will have to find work elsewhere for the time being, which is unfortunate for the promising fighter. Johnson has a lot of upside, good wrestling, powerful striking and great athleticism.

He’s struggled when fighting top competition, but many have said it is because of the weight cut he puts himself through that impacts his endurance in a fight, and last night against Belfort was no different.

Johnson came out swinging and was aggressive. Referee Dan Mirgliotta was quick to stand Johnson up when he took Belfort down on two occasions, which was surprising, but by the end of the first round, it was clear that Johnson had nothing left in the tank.

Going forward, Johnson needs to figure out what weight class he really wants to fight in. He has the frame to fight at middleweight or even light heavyweight, but once he has made his decision, he needs to start working with the right people to ensure that making weight is an afterthought.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Johnson back in the UFC at some point, but not until he has fought and won a few times while making weight outside of the Octagon. The winning part shouldn’t be too hard, as Johnson seems to have a knack for putting away inferior competition in spectacular fashion. It’s making weight that will be hard.

He has all the tools and skills to go far in the sport. Let’s hope he realizes that and starts making the necessary changes to get on track.

Leon Horne is a writer for Bleacher Report and part of the B/R MMA interview team. Follow @Leon_Horne

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Jacob Volkmann Wrestled with Lesnar and Breaks Down Lesnar vs. Overeem

Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann (13-2-0) is going for his fifth straight win inside the Octagon at UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem. Despite the nickname, fighting during the holidays is a bit of a balancing act for the lightweight prospect, but s…

Volkmann is pitted against former Ultimate Fighter reality show competitor Efrain Escudero. He also talked about the main event between his former wrestling teammate Brock Lesnar and Dutchman Alistair Overeem.

“It gets to be a little overwhelming,” Volkmann, a father of three, chiropractor and wrestling coach, told Bleacher Report on preparing for a fight scheduled during the holiday season.

Everybody in a sense has to deal with these pressures, but not at the same level: having three kids, coaching high school wrestling, running a chiropractor practice in addition to preparing for a fight around the holiday season certainly isn’t a workload the average person is used to dealing with.

Despite the pressure of everyday life, Volkmann isn’t ready to welcome Escudero back to the UFC with open arms. The young Escudero was cut by the UFC with a record of 1-2 last year.

Despite having fought six times and winning five times in less than a year since leaving the UFC, Volkman doesn’t believe Escudero will have any new tricks this coming Friday.

“…I think he [Escudero] is still going to be an arrogant little punk,” said Volkmann. “He’s gonna try and shoot, if he doesn’t get a shot he will get a front head lock and try and guillotine. He doesn’t really have too much on the feet or too much on the ground.”

Two of Escudero’s three losses, at the hands of Evan Dunham and Charles Oliveira, came by way of submission and Volkmann has taken note.

“I’m expecting a long drawn out war just because that’s the way I’m trained,” Volkmann said, “but, I’m hoping to get a submission, my goal is to get a submission.”

The lightweight division is probably the most stacked division in the UFC, particularly since it was merged with the WEC’s lightweight division in 2010.

Volkmann is 4-0 in his last four fights, but they have all gone to decision and he has been fighting on the undercard. Five straight wins would be nothing to balk at should Volkmann beat Escudero this weekend, but moving up the lightweight ranks takes more than just a winning streak, just ask Jim Miller.

Volkmann doesn’t know exactly when he’ll get on the main card, but has an idea of what is holding him back.

“The main thing that is keeping me from the main card is my stand-up,” Volkmann said. “I might have to take a short notice fight against a good top 10 guy, I am not really sure what their plans for me are.”

Main card or not, Volkmann is fighting on a card that features arguably the most anticipated fight of the year, Lesnar vs. Overeem. Two heavyweight behemoths combining for over 500 pounds once the octagon door closes, Lesnar a former NCAA division I champion and Alistair Overeem the most recent K1 Heavyweight Grand Prix winner.

This fight is a classic striker vs. grappler matchup in its purest form. For Volkmann it’s a pleasure to be on the end of the year card with a main event of such epic proportions.

“It’s pretty exciting I get to fight with someone [Lesnar] I used to wrestle with,” Volkmann said. “I was a freshman and he was a senior at U of M.”

When asked how he sees the fight going down between Lesnar and Overeem, Volkmann isn’t shy to side with the wrestler and his former team-mate in Lesnar.

“I expect Lesnar to steer that one down to the mat, it is going to be a ground battle,” Volkmann said. “If Overeem can figure out a way to stop his [Lesnar’s] takedowns, he has a chance, but if he doesn’t stop his takedowns he doesn’t have a prayer.”

Overeem’s stand-up is far superior in terms of credentials than anyone else Lesnar has fought thus far in his career. Against Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, Lesnar’s stand-up didn’t look up to snuff so the thought of him exchanging with Overeem seems like a tall task for the wrestler.

Volkmann on the other hand, seems to think that Lesnar’s wrestling base will be enough for him to take the fight to the mat where he shouldn’t have a problem winning.

After Lesnar’s fights with Carwin, Velasquez and Randy Couture, many people have wondered if Lesnar’s wrestling is overrated. Against these three, Lesnar won against Carwin and Couture, but lost to Velasquez. The common theme in all three fights was that Lesnar had trouble keeping the fight on the mat.

Against Couture, it wasn’t a problem because his reach and power were enough to keep Couture at bay. Against Carwin, Lesnar survived a first round beating, but was able to capitalize on an exhausted Carwin in round two.

Against Velasquez, Lesnar wasn’t able to implement his wrestling and Velasquez’ cardio and stand-up were enough to put Lesnar away.

What people don’t realize is that Couture is a former Olympic alternate for the US wrestling team, Velasquez is an NCAA division I standout wrestler himself and Carwin is a former NCAA division II champion. These guys all have great wrestling credentials.

When Lesnar fought guys without a solid wrestling pedigree he dominated them on the ground; watch his second fight with Frank Mir and his fight with Heath Herring for evidence. Even though he did have difficulty keeping the fight on the mat against Carwin, Couture and Velasquez, he still secured takedowns in all three of those fights.

When asked about Lesnar’s caliber of wrestling, Volkmann snickers at the people who doubt the big man’s abilities.

“[laughs] He’s a national champion, he was a national runner up the year before, if you haven’t wrestled you might want to keep your mouth shut,” Volkmann said. “He’s got a lot of power, he’s technical and he is a great wrestler.”

Overeem doesn’t have the wrestling pedigree of Lesnar’s most recent opponents, but despite being good off his back with 19 submission victories, Volkmann doesn’t think Overeem will be ready for the top game that Lesnar brings to the table.

“He doesn’t have a clue, he better practice his takedown defense against semis because that is what it is going to feel like,” Volkmann said.

Whoever the winner is between Lesnar and Overeem, they will be the next one to get a shot at the heavyweight strap against Junior Dos Santos.

Volkmann, like any fighter, would eventually like to get his chance at a title and, seeing as how fellow lightweights Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone are fighting on the same card with him, he wouldn’t mind taking one of them on to move himself up the ladder.

“I would love to fight those two, that’d be a great fight,” Volkmann said. “I think Cerrone is going to win it, I think he is more aggressive, he’s better on the feet, Diaz I don’t think he has got very good takedowns and Cerrone he works with a lot of wrestlers so he has decent takedown defense.”

Prior to a fight with Diaz and Cerrone, Volkmann first has to take care of business against Escudero and do so in convincing fashion. If he does that, either of these two fights would make sense for the UFC.

Celebrating Christmas didn’t wait until after the fight for Volkmann and with three young kids at home it would have been hard to tell them to wait I’m sure.

“I’m actually celebrating [Christmas] the day before I leave. I leave on Monday and I’m celebrating on Sunday with my family, my wife’s family is down here. My family will be the following couple weeks after the fight.” Volkmann said.

Fans can catch Volkmann vs. Escudero on Facebook prior to the main card for UFC 141 this Friday. We’ll see if having the nickname “Christmas” pays off for Volkmann inside the octagon during this holiday season.

Leon Horne is a writer for Bleacher Report and part of the B/R MMA interview team, Follow @Leon_Horne

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Kajan Johnson Talks Transition to Tristar Gym and the Ultimate Fighter 15

Mixed martial artist Kajan Johnson (19-10-1) is ready for big things. Despite 10 losses, the Canadian lightweight has only lost twice in his last 16 fights. His most recent victory was a first round rear-naked choke over Team Quest product Ritchie Whit…

The last time we talked, Johnson made it clear that he wanted to fight and win as much as possible to get himself in to the UFC. The goal hasn’t changed and a permanent move to the home of current UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre (GSP), Tristar Gym, will certainly help him reach that goal.

“Its going really good man, it’s going really good. I am fitting in really well,” Johnson told Bleacher Report. “I’ve been friends with a lot of these guys for a long time, but it’s good to get in here and kind of see where I fit in. There are a lot of really good names out here, I find I fit in pretty well within the upper echelon of this team, I am really happy with that.”

In the vibrant party city that is Montreal—the setting for Tristar—it is easy for young adults to get caught up in the night life. Canadian fans see it all the time with young rookie hockey players getting caught staying out late and abusing certain “luxuries” of life. Johnson, however, hasn’t let the atmosphere steer him off his current path.

“No, I’m not huge on the big party scene [in Montreal]. I know why I’m here, I’m here for one reason and that’s to become champion of the world so I just make sure that every decision I make is aligned with that goal and everything is perfect,” Johnson said.

Becoming champion of the world has to start somewhere and although winning in the smaller mixed martial arts promotions is a feat in and of itself, getting a shot to make a run in the UFC is the dream of any professional mixed martial artist.

There is usually two ways for a fighter to get in to the UFC. The first one is to perform really well on the local/regional circuit and hope UFC talent scouts take note. The second is to try out and hope they get on the reality television show The Ultimate fighter.

Johnson has the record and experience to make a case for getting his shot in the UFC, but the lightweight division is a stacked division and they haven’t come calling yet. The Ultimate Fighter it is for Johnson.

“Hopefully I get on the show [The Ultimate Fighter] and If I do, maybe I’ll get to show the world what real martial artists are like, not crazy freakazoids,” Johnson told B/R.

Johnson is a lightweight, but he won’t be trying out at lightweight for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter being coached by Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber. Johnson will be trying out at welterweight even though lightweights will be the other featured weight class.

“On The Ultimate Fighter, I’m not actually going to be in for the 155-pound weight class because just making weight that many times in that short time span will be too difficult on my body,” Johnson said. “I’m going to be going on the show for the welterweight division and I think it will be a lot easier for me to deal with he stresses of the house and the stresses of the weight cut.”

Fighting up a weight shouldn’t be too much of a problem for Johnson though, as he is a pretty big lightweight to begin with.

“Now I would be cutting to make 170 [pounds], like I walk around anywhere between 180 to 185 pounds, it’s a big cut for me to get down to 155 pounds,” Johnson said.

To give you an idea as to how big of a lightweight Johnson is, current UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre is walking around at a weight close to Johnson’s.

“Georges is small man. Me and Georges are almost the same size dude,” Johnson said.

This helps shed some light on the concerns St-Pierre has around a potential superfight with middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Silva is a big middleweight who is rumored to walk around at 220 pounds and St-Pierre is a small welterweight, especially when you consider there are lightweights in similar size to GSP.

Johnson likes to make the cut to lightweight not necessarily because of a strength advantage, but because of the reach advantage it provides him.

“I don’t want to not have reach on people man, that’s my biggest thing,” Johnson said. “The majority of lightweights are going to be around 5’8″ to 5’10″…so I have reach on all those guys. I like to stay outside… stay away from me I kick you in the head.”

Although he may not have the reach advantage at 170, hopefully he gets a chance to display his skills on The Ultimate Fighter. Johnson’s manager Darcy McBride told B/R that Maximum Fighting Championships released him from his contract, so maybe there is something behind that, as there are not many other reasons for MFC to release a fighter of Johnson’s caliber unless he is being solicited by bigger promotions. Enough people have given Johnson their blessing to help get him in.

“I do have a couple aces in the hole. My strength and conditioning coach John Chaimberg is putting in a word for me, Firas Zahabi is putting in a word for me as well as Georges St- Pierre putting in a good word for me and then of course my record, my skill set, my marketability, my look, it’s all good,” Johnson said. “For them not to pick me I think they’d be kind of crazy not to pick me, but once again I realize it’s a television show.”

It would definitely be a welcome Christmas present for Johnson and great way to start the New Year to get his shot with the UFC. Whether he gets in on The Ultimate Fighter or continues to work his way up, it would be hard to imagine him not making it in to the big show if he keeps on the winning track

*** Update, just got word that Kajan didn’t make it on TUF 15, but like so many other past fighters to try out on the show, maybe he will get a chance to go straight in to the UFC especially if he wins a couple under the MFC banner. ***

Leon Horne is a writer for Bleacher Report and part of the B/R MMA Team, Follow @Leon_Horne

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UFC 140: John Makdessi Ready to Get Past Dennis Hallman

John “The Bull” Makdessi (9-0-0) a product of Tristar gym, the home of Georges St-Pierre, has taken full advantage of the opportunity afforded to him in his first two UFC fights. A spinning-back-fist-knockout victory over Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck alumnus Kyle Watson in front of a record breaking 55,000 fans at Toronto’s Rogers Centre for UFC 129 signaled this young lightweight’s arrival in one of the toughest divisions in the sport.

“It was textbook perfect, I was happy I was able to showcase that in the fight,” Makdessi said on his spinning-back-fist knockout of Watson.

Makdessi is ready to continue building on his momentum as he is slated to take on mixed martial arts veteran Dennis Hallman in Toronto once again for UFC 140 this December 10.

Makdessi has showcased his stand up thus far in the UFC and now he has a chance to go up against one of the better wrestlers and submission guys in Hallman.

“I’ve fought some good wrestler before” Makdessi told Bleacher Report. “Fighting is fighting, everything I train at the gym with great grapplers, I had Mark Bocek come down, he’s an excellent ground guy and I spar with him.”

Makdessi does come from a kickboxing base and despite not having seen his grappling skills, he feels he is ready to go wherever the fight goes. Tristar training partner and MFC fighter Kajan Johnson doesn’t even know if Makdessi will have to showcase his ground skills because his takedown defense is so good.

“Makdessi wins [against Hallman] for sure, he’s looking really good, his takedown defense is retarded,” Johnson told Bleacher Report. “When I do go against him man, that guy’s legs are so heavy, it’s unreal.”

Although he works his ground game extensively and is ready to go wherever the fight takes him, he is a stand up fighter at heart.

“I can do Jiu-Jitsu every day for the next 10 years and I know that in my heart I am a striker,” Makdessi said. “I’m there to entertain the crowd and you do what you’re good at I guess.”

“I always want to give a good exciting fight for the fans,” Makdessi said.

Looking for the knockout at all costs isn’t want Makdessi is all about. He wants to fight smart, but if he sees an opening he’ll take it and his attitude and style of fighting is one that the fans will always appreciate. The same cannot be said for some of the other styles out there.

“A lot of guys they stall you know? That’s why me I find it frustrating,” Makdessi said.

When asked about bringing in rules like the yellow card that used to exist in Pride Fighting Championships, Makdessi agreed.

“It makes sense, if it makes a fight more exciting, if it pushes the pace and gives the fans what they want, of course why not?”

Obviously grappling has its place in the sport and if you are a true fan of mixed martial arts you have to appreciate the art of grappling. When a grappler is working towards getting dominant positions to do damage or look for submissions, there is obviously no problem.

Makdessi was getting at the situations where a solid wrestler, for example, just holds you down and does nothing to inflict damage or look for the finish. This depends on the referee because some refs will allow guys to stall a lot longer than others.

This hasn’t been a problem yet for Makdessi thus far, sporting seven finishes in his nine victories and I’m sure he expects to keep it that way as he continues to build himself in the UFC and work towards an eventual title shot.

The lightweight division is a bit of a log jam right now with a lot of guys hovering around the top looking for a shot at UFC gold, but that doesn’t phase Makdessi.

“My management team, that’s their job, my job is to train and to fight,” said Makdessi. “They know my goals.”

Makdessi is going to keep winning and taking the fights his management sets up for him, which will eventually lead to his shot for the top.

“Right now my focus is on Dennis Hallman,” Makdessi said.

It is still early in his UFC career and in life it is usually a good thing to worry about the task at hand as oppose to thinking too far ahead.

The bottom line is, if Makdessi keeps winning and continues to do it in the way that he wants, which is to put on exciting fights, the UFC will notice and the fans will appreciate it. It won’t be too long before we see him in the upper echelons of the division.

“I really appreciate everybody’s support, every time I fight they are always in my heart,” Makdessi said to the fans, sponsors and everyone who has supported him throughout his career.

Leon Horne is a writer for Bleacher Report and is part of the B/R MMA interview team Follow @Leon_Horne

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Dan Henderson Won’t Be Too Much of a Challenge for Jon Jones

Dan Henderson continued his revitalized run in the light heavyweight division as he beat former UFC champion Mauricio Rua in a five-round war that saw both men take an absolute beating. At 42, Henderson is showing fans that an old dog can learn new tri…

Dan Henderson continued his revitalized run in the light heavyweight division as he beat former UFC champion Mauricio Rua in a five-round war that saw both men take an absolute beating.

At 42, Henderson is showing fans that an old dog can learn new tricks.

Henderson had the nickname “Decision Dan” for a little while, and although his fight with Rua tonight went to a decision, it was far from boring. He came close to finishing on more than one occasion. Prior to tonight’s fight, Henderson had four knockouts in his last six fights, including knockouts over the likes of Fedor Emelianenko and Rafael Calvancante.

Henderson found a home for his right hand on numerous occasions against Rua in the first three rounds, but Rua showed his resolve and managed to fight through them despite being hurt badly.

What was concerning: Last night Henderson was completely gassed for the second half of the fight, and spent most of Rounds 4 and 5 hanging on to the three rounds he won at the beginning of the fight.

Despite the beating Rua took early on, he was the fresher of the two fighters after the mid-way point in the fight, and Rua isn’t a guy who is known for his conditioning.

Henderson was also vulnerable to Rua’s takedowns. Rua isn’t a wrestler and Henderson is a former Olympian, yet Rua was able to take Henderson down on a few occasions in the fight. In the latter rounds he really capitalized on those opportunities.

Of course, Rua is a formidable opponent, and just being able to beat him in a fight is good enough. However, if Henderson is truly in line for a light heavyweight title shot, then he’d better hope Lyoto Machida finds a way to beat light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 140 on December 10.

Jones has the longest reach in the UFC and uses kicks to keep his opponents at a distance. That’s something that will make it difficult for Henderson to land his patented right hand.

Couple that with the fact that Jones has a very solid Greco-Roman wrestling game, and probably better endurance than Henderson, it seems like this could be a very difficult matchup for Henderson.

Henderson is the fighter most deserving of a title shot next to Rashad Evans right now. But stylistically, Evans poses a much bigger threat to Jones than Henderson does.

Quinton Jackson is known for his power punching, but Jones made it impossible for Jackson to land and should Henderson end up fighting Jones, one should expect much of the same.

Obviously if Machida finds a way to beat Jones at 140, a Machida vs. Henderson fight becomes a very intriguing matchup.

I have to remember though, that Henderson is always one punch away from discrediting my opinion. The “H-Bomb” has spelled the end for many opponents, particularly late in his career.

Leon Horne is a writer for Bleacher Report, Follow @Leon_Horne

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