Author: Levi Nile

Henderson vs. Edgar Results: What Went Wrong for Frankie Edgar at UFC 150

Frankie Edgar has accomplished a great deal in the lightweight division, especially considering that the division looks to be too big for a man his size. For the longest time, Edgar has been fighting and beating the best the lightweight division has to…

Frankie Edgar has accomplished a great deal in the lightweight division, especially considering that the division looks to be too big for a man his size.

For the longest time, Edgar has been fighting and beating the best the lightweight division has to offer, grabbing the title and defending it three times along the way, and all the while he could have been contending as the bigger man in a lower weight class.

Up until his fights with Benson Henderson, Edgar could say he was fighting at lightweight because his size made him the faster, more mobile fighter, and for sure his style of fighting is built upon those very things.

He uses an in-and-out style of striking that takes advantage of his speed and angles, and he’s just at about the right height for the division to make ducking under strikes and getting in deep on those doubles and singles a matter of timing alone.

But Benson Henderson changed all of that for some very simple reasons.

For the first time in a long while, Edgar found himself fighting someone with the same kind of frantic, high-energy style. Henderson was every bit as active as Edgar, both offensively and defensively, and they both covered a great deal of square footage in the cage last night.

Mobility has always been an advantage for Edgar, but Henderson was just as fleet of foot, or at least just as much as he needed to be to utilize one of his greatest weapons: his kicks.

In facing Henderson, the main thing that went wrong for Edgar was as timelessly profound as it was innocent: he lost the clash of styles.

To be brutally honest, I think Edgar could continue to fight with a high degree of success in the lightweight division.

He would have a mobility and style advantage against fighters like Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone and others, and if Jose Aldo moves up to lightweight, I see Edgar as being one of the only men who could give him a true contest.

But against Henderson, he was fighting a man with a longer reach who was his equal in speed and output.

Edgar has proven through his career that he’s got all the tools to overcome almost any perceived disadvantage, but the one thing he cannot do is make his limbs any longer than they already are.

When two swordsmen of equal skill and speed meet up, it’s usually the man with the longer blade who wins, and that’s what we saw at UFC 150. Yes, Edgar had success getting inside and doing damage, but he just didn’t have enough.

Perhaps he should head south of the lightweight border and start mixing it up with men of his height and reach. Given how well he’s done against men larger than himself, it’s hard to imagine anyone (save perhaps Jose Aldo) defeating him at 145.

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Is Jake Shields a Title Contender at Middleweight?

Now that UFC 150 is in the books and Jake Shields is relaxing with a victory over the always tough Ed Herman under his belt, we as fans and devout followers assess last night’s performances and look to the future. When considering Jake Shields, w…

Now that UFC 150 is in the books and Jake Shields is relaxing with a victory over the always tough Ed Herman under his belt, we as fans and devout followers assess last night’s performances and look to the future.

When considering Jake Shields, who clearly has his sights set on a title fight with Anderson Silva, a dark cloud can be seen gathering on his horizon.

Make no mistake about it: Jake Shields is a true fighter. He’s been a champion in lesser organizations and he’s also defeated some damn fine fighters: Dan Henderson, Martin Kampmann, Robbie Lawler, Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami to name a few.

Any division he’s fighting in, he’s aiming to win the belt; that’s just how champions think.

He’s a fantastic grappler who finds a way to win, and he’s shown that when the going gets tough, he’s still in it to win it, and that is a very rare thing.

And none of that would be enough to see him defeat Anderson Silva.

As good as Shields is—and he’s very good—he is still the fighter who was defeated by the jab of Georges St-Pierre, and that does not bode well for him.

Yes, GSP and Anderson Silva are very different champions with vastly different styles. But the fact remains that Shields is not going to be bringing anything to the table that Anderson Silva hasn’t had to contend with yet.

In many ways, a fight between Silva and Shields would be reminiscent of Silva’s fight with Demian Maia as Shields doesn’t possess the long-range takedown skills needed to get Silva down to the mat and he’s light years behind Silva in every area of the striking department.

Could Shields take Silva down and submit him? Of course, it is possible—just highly doubtful. It’s not that his grappling isn’t better than Silva’s once the fight hits the floor; it’s getting the champ down that would be so very hard.

Shields would be the smaller man in the fight, at a reach disadvantage, against the best striker in the sport, and like Maia found out, getting close enough to get the takedown is far easier said than done.

If he thought being on the end of GSP’s jab was bad—and it was clearly bad enough that it ruined his welterweight title aspirations—then he’s going to think being strafed at long range by Silva is a nightmare.

If there’s any good news for him at middleweight, it’s that Silva may very well be retired by the time Shields is in any kind of position for a title shot. If that ends up as the case, then he may very well wear UFC gold.

But until then, should Shields want to take the title from Silva by force, he’s going to find that his reach has exceeded his grasp.

Still, when you’re reaching for the stars, falling short still sees you well above just about everyone else.

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Henderson vs. Edgar Results: What Went Right for Benson Henderson

Ever since Frankie Edgar won the lightweight title against the great BJ Penn at UFC 112, things have not been easy for him. He fought two fights, back to back against BJ Penn, then two more against Gray Maynard, and now he’s lost his second strai…

Ever since Frankie Edgar won the lightweight title against the great BJ Penn at UFC 112, things have not been easy for him.

He fought two fights, back to back against BJ Penn, then two more against Gray Maynard, and now he’s lost his second straight bout against Benson Henderson.

During his time as champion, Edgar faced some daunting challenges (especially two brutal first-round beatings at the hands of Gray Maynard) and managed to hold on to the belt thanks to his grit, determination, heart and in-and-out style of striking mixed with his explosive takedown ability.

Still, even with all of those attributes and skills, Edgar lost his second straight title fight to Benson Henderson, leaving the New Jersey great and his camp to ponder what went wrong as they head for home, sans title strap.

Perhaps the question isn’t what went wrong for Edgar, but what went right for Henderson.

Both fights were close and could have gone either way; it’s not like Edgar got blown out of the water either time. If you compiled both fights and watched them as one 10-round affair, you’d still be left with a hard decision as to who won most of the rounds, not to mention the whole thing.

But at the end of the night, Benson Henderson is still the UFC lightweight champion, and he will next defend his belt against Nate Diaz.

So, what really went right for Henderson that he got the decision yet again?

Well, for starters, he didn’t let Edgar beat him to the punch (or kick) every time. In all the ways that count, Henderson was just as offensive as Edgar: both men lashed out at each other in equal measure with strikes.

But the kicks of Henderson were an ongoing theme from the first round, and they landed more often than not.

Granted, Edgar landed the biggest punch when he put Henderson down in the second round. It was a beautiful shot that landed flush and won the round for Edgar, but he wasn’t able to finish Henderson as he did Maynard in their rubber match.

Henderson survived and frame after frame landed hard kicks to Edgar’s legs and body while scoring occasional knees and punches to the head—one of which knocked out Edgar’s mouthpiece.

For every 10 kicks that Henderson launched, he seemed to land six to seven of them flush—usually on the legs of Edgar, but also to the body—and that kind of consistency is something judges remember.

Of course, fights like this are always hard to judge, given that Edgar seemed to give as good as he got. But time and again, when it looked like Edgar was starting to get the upper hand, Henderson would start chopping away with those kicks.

At the end of the night, it seemed to be a tale of reach; Henderson’s longer legs allowed him to connect first and from greater distance.

As cliché as it sounds, at UFC 150, Henderson just seemed to have a leg up on Edgar, and according to the judges, that was all that Henderson needed.

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Who Should Anderson Silva Fight Next?

After 10 successful title defenses, Anderson Silva is probably letting his mind wander a bit, contemplating a life after a career that has seen him become the greatest fighter in the history of MMA. He’s earned every accolade that’s come hi…

After 10 successful title defenses, Anderson Silva is probably letting his mind wander a bit, contemplating a life after a career that has seen him become the greatest fighter in the history of MMA.

He’s earned every accolade that’s come his way, not to mention some of the criticism, and no one can honestly deny the fact that he’s put in his time and given a great deal of to the sport. You don’t accomplish what Silva has on sheer talent alone; it takes considerable dedication and desire to just get into the UFC, but to become the best of the best?

It takes more than we will probably ever know.

So, while he sits back and enjoys some of the more benign comforts of home and family, the rest of us wait and wonder, pondering but a single question: Who’s next?

When considering this question honestly, we must first decide who is being served: Silva as champion, we as fans or the sport as a whole.

And as always, if we want to be fair, the answer is clear: The sport (in this case the middleweight division) must be served, and that means deciding who is the top contender for a title shot.

There are a lot of names floating around, and an argument could be made for any one of them, but out of that fog, only Chris Weidman stands out as a fighter who is not only available but seemingly injury free.

Weidman’s on a hot streak, sitting in the top five after his brutal finish of Mark Munoz, and he is honestly a more dangerous version of Chael Sonnen in the fact that both men have a very similar style, but Weidman is a much harder puncher.

Chris Weidman is one of those fighters who do their best and rise to the moment instead of being dwarfed by it. He’s fought on short notice, and his battering of Mark Munoz (who was honestly the clear choice for a title shot before running into Weidman) was very impressive.

In Silva vs. Weidman we have experience vs. youth, speed vs. strength and stylistically we have a great striker and submission artist vs. a great wrestler with powerful ground-and-pound and underrated submission skills.

But is Weidman hungry enough to do what is necessary?

Granted, Chael Sonnen gave many fighters what they see as the ultimate blueprint on how to defeat Silva: Take him down, keep him down and let the punches fly. However, Sonnen had something that most don’t—the courage of his convictions and smack talk—and that saw him dare to be great.

But during the second round of their rematch, even the self-acclaimed great Chael Sonnen broke under the pressure—deciding to sit against the cage with hardly any defense in mind after trying a risky spinning back fist that saw him fall flat on his backside.

Sonnen could have gotten up, but for some reason he didn’t, and he paid the price.

Now, should Weidman remain healthy and get the call, can he use the same game plan with greater success?

And that’s what makes Weidman the clear choice, at least for this writer: Weidman poses questions that Silva will have to contend with, where it is normally the other way around. Could Silva deal with Weidman’s takedowns and once again find a way to defeat a superior wrestler who punches much harder than most?

Silva fans (of which I am one) will declare that there is no question because Silva defeated Sonnen twice, Henderson once, etc. It’s understandable to think that way, but it’s also not in keeping with realism.

There are only so many kinds of fighters out there, stylistically speaking, and to think that Silva hasn’t seen his toughest moments when facing strong wrestlers is contrary to our experience.

Weidman would rightly be a big underdog in a fight with Silva, because Silva is the best in the sport right now. His detractors can take to the rooftops and shout all they want about how Sonnen was robbed or that Silva is a cheater or coward—whatever they are screaming this week—but the simple fact is that Silva has beaten everyone the UFC has put in front of him since 2006, and there is no one in the organization who can say the same.

And while it’s true that Silva has more than a few advantages over almost anyone he faces, Weidman has advantages over Silva that Sonnen didn’t: Weidman’s good enough to take Silva down as Sonnen did, but Weidman has the power to not only bruise and bloody Silva, but potentially knock him out on the ground, whereas Sonnen could not.

Weidman is also much better at submissions than Sonnen is, and he’s a very confident young man right now, as he should be. It’s doubtful that would change if he were to fight Silva, because all the pressure would be on the champion, not Weidman.

Yes, Weidman would be an underdog, but as Randy Couture has proven on more than one occasion, sometimes being the underdog is a great place to be.

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UFC ‘Team EDGE’ Preview and Career Predictions for All 4 Fighters

As the Team Edge competition comes to the straight away, it all boils down to the fighters and the fights. And it should. As fans, you get to vote and enter the Team Edge contest, where weekly winners receive an impressive prize pack (a UFC gym bag and…

As the Team Edge competition comes to the straight away, it all boils down to the fighters and the fights. And it should.

As fans, you get to vote and enter the Team Edge contest, where weekly winners receive an impressive prize pack (a UFC gym bag and a pair of UFC gloves, for starters). The grand-prize winner gets not only a weekly prize pack, but two tickets and accommodations to attend a UFC event live.

Then there are the fighters themselves. They are stoked about being chosen for the Team Edge competition. The exposure the winner will enjoy is a sure signpost of great things to come—not to mention the year-long sponsorship agreement that comes with it.   

This year’s contestants will be mentored by reigning UFC champion Dominick Cruz.

“No matter who you are in this sport, you know what it’s like to crave success and that you need an edge to make it to the top,” said Cruz, as reported by Missouri Sports Magazine. “That’s why I’m so excited to work with ‘Team Edge’ and help these four great athletes become the next UFC stars. I encourage all UFC fans to go online and vote for the fighter they want to see rise to the top.”

But this is about more than just a contest for fans or a fighters name and face on a can of shaving cream; it’s about what those fighters can do with such exposure—how they can make the most of it.

And all of that is done first in the gym, then in the cage.

Rory MacDonald, Chris Weidman, John Dodson and Joseph Benavidez are more than just pretty faces. They’re fighters aiming to be nothing less than UFC champions.

So, for your consideration, we humbly present four fighters worthy of your vote and the Team Edge Championship for 2012.

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Anderson Silva: A Champion Whose Name Is Worth More Than His Title

After 10 successful title defenses, the longest undefeated winning streak in UFC history and countless other well-earned accolades, Anderson Silva has become more than a champion; he’s become the greatest fighter in MMA history. Now, when fighter…

After 10 successful title defenses, the longest undefeated winning streak in UFC history and countless other well-earned accolades, Anderson Silva has become more than a champion; he’s become the greatest fighter in MMA history.

Now, when fighters look at entering his division, they don’t think about the belt he has held since 2006, they think about him: the man that can’t be beat.

Of course, he can be beat, but it hasn’t happened in so long that it seems this version of “The Spider” is so complete that were he to go back in time and step in for the younger version of himself—the version who tasted defeat on four occasions—the result would be the utter destruction of those who bested him.

Make no mistake about it, when a fighter faces Anderson Silva, what they dream about isn’t “winning the title,” it’s defeating the man, and should they be able to do that, years after they retired, they would talk about the night they beat Anderson Silva, not about the night they won the title.

That’s not to say the title is worthless; far from it. It is to say that it has been around his waist so long that it has, as BJ Penn so aptly put it, become an accessory, second to the man who wears it.

Yet none of that stops the next man in line, nor should it. This is a fight sport, and every fighter who steps into the cage should want to be the best.

That has, in turn, led to Silva being called out by everyone under the sun. Some of them are quite deserving of their shot, while the rest lay claim to being next because of various other reasons, most of which revolve around the number of pay-per-view buys their name, when attached to Silva’s, could generate.

So let’s take a look at matchups that should happen, could happen and would have happened had the stars aligned, the good, the bad and the bizarre.

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