Author: Levi Nile

3 Reasons Why Alistair Overeem Should Fight Junior Dos Santos

When Alistair Overeem came into the UFC, it looked like he was on the fast track to a title shot. As a notable heavyweight, it looked like he could bring new life to the division that was ruled by then-champion Junior dos Santos.
Overeem made a success…

When Alistair Overeem came into the UFC, it looked like he was on the fast track to a title shot. As a notable heavyweight, it looked like he could bring new life to the division that was ruled by then-champion Junior dos Santos.

Overeem made a successful Octagon debut, crushing Brock Lesnar and sending him into retirement. While it was an impressive performance, everyone was really looking forward to a bout that would pit him against the other top striker in the division: dos Santos.

As with many things that wither on the vine during bad weather, the bout has never been realized. In some ways, it seems needless now; Overeem is 1-2 in his last three fights, and dos Santos had suffered two thorough beatings at the hands of reigning champion, Cain Velasquez.

Now that the proverbial dust has settled, both stand as fighters on the rebound. Overeem no longer looks like the wrecking machine of old, and dos Santos no longer looks unbeatable.

With Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne fighting to determine the next title contender, Daniel Cormier roaming the land of the light heavyweights and men such as Frank Mir and Roy Nelson waiting to prop up the next big wave of contenders, Overeem and dos Santos are looking at each other once again.

So, why should Overeem sign to fight dos Santos? There are three very basic reasons why.

It’s Long Overdue

With so much talk of fights that should have been in the combative sports, Overeem could show the world that he’s a man with the courage of his former convictions.

He talked a lot about fighting dos Santos in the past, going to far as to say the Brazilian was afraid of fighting him (around 8:35 in the video).

Much has changed since then; according to Dana White (h/t Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com), after Overeem defeated Frank Mir at UFC 169, he was offered two options to fight dos Santos and turned them both down.

Overeem tweeted that he declined the fight due to injury. White responded to this in a negative way, saying: “I have a feeling this rib injury is going to last as long as it takes until dos Santos has another opponent. That’s what I’m willing to bet.”

Now matter if his reasons are legitimate or not, the appearance is that it is Overeem who is scared, not dos Santos.

A fight with the former heavyweight champion makes good on an early promise despite the risk, and that would do wonders for the cause of Overeem, win or lose.

It Puts Him Right Next Door to a Title Shot

Even though he has been run over twice by Velasquez, dos Santos is still very high up on the totem pole; he is arguably the No. 1 fighter in the division.

While talk of a fourth fight with Velasquez makes some people groan or wince, dos Santos is still just one or two wins away from making that a reality. If Overeem really wants to become the champion, a victory over dos Santos would put him within arm’s reach of a title shot.

It’s More Than He Deserves

As it stands now, dos Santos is arguable the No. 2 or 3 heavyweight in the UFC, where as Overeem is barely in the top 10. The fact that dos Santos would even entertain the notion of fighting Overeem is a gift that should not be ignored.

This is a situation where the reward far outweighs the risk for Overeem; if he wins, then his career is revitalized. Should he lose, then at least he loses daring to be a great fighter, rather than a middling one.

The UFC has proven in the past that when dealing with big names, they are more forgiving of losses when such fighters deliver on the promise of big fights. If Overeem is not willing to take advantage of such a big opportunity, it might leave them wondering why they are spending money on him in the first place.

For as long as Overeem wants to be a true title contender, he cannot afford to turn down fights with big name opponents who are higher up the ladder than he is.

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Will a Win over Melvin Guillard Give Michael Johnson the Respect He Deserves?

Coming off just two wins, it’s understandable why fans are skeptical of declaring Michael Johnson as a fighter of note in the UFC’s lightweight division.
It’s a weight class overflowing with talent. More than a few incredibly gifted f…

Coming off just two wins, it’s understandable why fans are skeptical of declaring Michael Johnson as a fighter of note in the UFC’s lightweight division.

It’s a weight class overflowing with talent. More than a few incredibly gifted fighters have found out that athleticism and power alone don’t carry you to a title shot. If anyone knows this, it should be Johnson given that he is facing one of those fighters: Melvin Guillard.

Guillard is an odd commodity for fans: He’s one of the most explosive and dangerous underachievers in the sport today. He’s great fun to watch when he’s on, but there are enough holes in his game to make him very beatable.

Johnson in many ways was looking like the second coming of Guillard after he dominated Jonathan Brookins in the first round during The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale. During those first five minutes, he was running all over Brookins and looked like he was about to stop him at any moment.

Brookins remained calm, absorbed a great deal of punishment, then came back out and took it all away from Johnson during Rounds 2 and 3, leaving the then-Springfield, Mo., based fighter as the runner-up.

From there on out, his career showed him as a fighter with great potential and great deficiencies. He went 4-1 in his next five fights, losing via inverted heel hook to Paul Sass while defeating the likes of Shane Roller, Tony Ferguson and Danny Castillo.

Out of those four victories, only two came via stoppage.                      

Then, just as it seemed like he was building momentum, he dropped two fights in a row—a decision to Myles Jury and a submission loss to Reza Madadi. Like Guillard, submissions seemed to be the major chink in Johnson’s armor; of his eight defeats, six had come by submission.

What follows next, on the surface, does not seem all that uncommon for men like Johnson and Guillard. He bounced back, winning his last two bouts in dominant fashion.

But when you look a little deeper, you can see that there is something more going on with Johnson than the simple ebb and flow often associated with talented yet inconsistent fighters.

Where as the earlier versions of Johnson would simply plow forward in a straight line, intent upon forcing his strikes like a man trying to pound a square peg into a round hole, he now circles and moves much more, remaining active while using his weapons intelligently.

In his fights against Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau, Johnson was fleet of foot, many times scoring first and last with his strikes while avoiding most of the counters that flew his way. He displayed far more patience than we are used to seeing with him, using his athleticism to maximum effect with minimal effort, conserving his energy while scoring well and often.

Against Lauzon, Johnson looked to be the far superior fighter. He was landing with strong counters, lead left hands, uppercuts—basically with whatever he wanted—and he was doing damage as well.

He had Lauzon hurt for most of the first round, knocking him down with heavy shots and from that point on, Johnson dictated when and where the fight was fought. If he wanted to take Lauzon down, he did. And if he wanted to keep the fight standing, then the fight stayed standing. It was a full 15 minutes of Johnson landing well—be it leading or countering—leaving Lauzon unable to get anything started.

It was much the same story against Tibau, but Johnson ended the fight early in Round 2 via knockout.

They were two very impressive performances that showcased a new and vastly improved Johnson—yet they were not against top-10 competition. As that is where Johnson wants to be, should anyone be surprised that MMA fans are still reluctant to sing his praises?

To be honest, no.

While it seems that Johnson finally has his head in the right place and has dedicated himself to his craft, two good performances does not a top-10 fighter make. He still has some work to do before he proves himself to be on the level of fighters like Anthony Pettis, Benson Henderson, Gilbert Melendez and others.

Now he’s slated to face the up-and-down Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 37 in a fight that is all risk and little reward. Should he lose, any and all momentum is going to amount to a cannonball shot into the ground.

To be blunt, the only real way Johnson raises his stock and earns respect in this fight is if he blows Guillard off the map. We’re not talking about a close victory or a dominant performance like he enjoyed in the Lauzon fight.

What we are talking about is the kind of one-sided destruction that Frank Trigg suffered against Georges St-Pierre, or Pete Sell suffered against Matt Brown. This would speak to just how much better Johnson is and would do so with a conviction that shuts down the idea that he isn’t ready for a top-10 fight.

If he cannot overwhelm Guillard, utterly and totally, then he will have to wait a while to announce his graduation from top 20 prospector to something greater.

In a sport that sees so much change, so quickly, the longer he waits outside of that coveted group, the harder it’s going to be to get through the door.

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Will a Win over Melvin Guillard Give Michael Johnson the Respect He Deserves?

Coming off just two wins, it’s understandable why fans are skeptical of declaring Michael Johnson as a fighter of note in the UFC’s lightweight division.
It’s a weight class overflowing with talent. More than a few incredibly gifted f…

Coming off just two wins, it’s understandable why fans are skeptical of declaring Michael Johnson as a fighter of note in the UFC’s lightweight division.

It’s a weight class overflowing with talent. More than a few incredibly gifted fighters have found out that athleticism and power alone don’t carry you to a title shot. If anyone knows this, it should be Johnson given that he is facing one of those fighters: Melvin Guillard.

Guillard is an odd commodity for fans: He’s one of the most explosive and dangerous underachievers in the sport today. He’s great fun to watch when he’s on, but there are enough holes in his game to make him very beatable.

Johnson in many ways was looking like the second coming of Guillard after he dominated Jonathan Brookins in the first round during The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale. During those first five minutes, he was running all over Brookins and looked like he was about to stop him at any moment.

Brookins remained calm, absorbed a great deal of punishment, then came back out and took it all away from Johnson during Rounds 2 and 3, leaving the then-Springfield, Mo., based fighter as the runner-up.

From there on out, his career showed him as a fighter with great potential and great deficiencies. He went 4-1 in his next five fights, losing via inverted heel hook to Paul Sass while defeating the likes of Shane Roller, Tony Ferguson and Danny Castillo.

Out of those four victories, only two came via stoppage.                      

Then, just as it seemed like he was building momentum, he dropped two fights in a row—a decision to Myles Jury and a submission loss to Reza Madadi. Like Guillard, submissions seemed to be the major chink in Johnson’s armor; of his eight defeats, six had come by submission.

What follows next, on the surface, does not seem all that uncommon for men like Johnson and Guillard. He bounced back, winning his last two bouts in dominant fashion.

But when you look a little deeper, you can see that there is something more going on with Johnson than the simple ebb and flow often associated with talented yet inconsistent fighters.

Where as the earlier versions of Johnson would simply plow forward in a straight line, intent upon forcing his strikes like a man trying to pound a square peg into a round hole, he now circles and moves much more, remaining active while using his weapons intelligently.

In his fights against Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau, Johnson was fleet of foot, many times scoring first and last with his strikes while avoiding most of the counters that flew his way. He displayed far more patience than we are used to seeing with him, using his athleticism to maximum effect with minimal effort, conserving his energy while scoring well and often.

Against Lauzon, Johnson looked to be the far superior fighter. He was landing with strong counters, lead left hands, uppercuts—basically with whatever he wanted—and he was doing damage as well.

He had Lauzon hurt for most of the first round, knocking him down with heavy shots and from that point on, Johnson dictated when and where the fight was fought. If he wanted to take Lauzon down, he did. And if he wanted to keep the fight standing, then the fight stayed standing. It was a full 15 minutes of Johnson landing well—be it leading or countering—leaving Lauzon unable to get anything started.

It was much the same story against Tibau, but Johnson ended the fight early in Round 2 via knockout.

They were two very impressive performances that showcased a new and vastly improved Johnson—yet they were not against top-10 competition. As that is where Johnson wants to be, should anyone be surprised that MMA fans are still reluctant to sing his praises?

To be honest, no.

While it seems that Johnson finally has his head in the right place and has dedicated himself to his craft, two good performances does not a top-10 fighter make. He still has some work to do before he proves himself to be on the level of fighters like Anthony Pettis, Benson Henderson, Gilbert Melendez and others.

Now he’s slated to face the up-and-down Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 37 in a fight that is all risk and little reward. Should he lose, any and all momentum is going to amount to a cannonball shot into the ground.

To be blunt, the only real way Johnson raises his stock and earns respect in this fight is if he blows Guillard off the map. We’re not talking about a close victory or a dominant performance like he enjoyed in the Lauzon fight.

What we are talking about is the kind of one-sided destruction that Frank Trigg suffered against Georges St-Pierre, or Pete Sell suffered against Matt Brown. This would speak to just how much better Johnson is and would do so with a conviction that shuts down the idea that he isn’t ready for a top-10 fight.

If he cannot overwhelm Guillard, utterly and totally, then he will have to wait a while to announce his graduation from top 20 prospector to something greater.

In a sport that sees so much change, so quickly, the longer he waits outside of that coveted group, the harder it’s going to be to get through the door.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Rousey vs. McMann Early Stoppage: Does It Warrant an Immediate Rematch?

When considering the quick finish to the fight between Ronda Rousey and Sara McMann, given the hype and significant nature of the bout, it seems natural to declare an immediate rematch necessary.
Yes, the knee that caught McMann was damaging, without a…

When considering the quick finish to the fight between Ronda Rousey and Sara McMann, given the hype and significant nature of the bout, it seems natural to declare an immediate rematch necessary.

Yes, the knee that caught McMann was damaging, without a doubt. Yet an argument could be made that the stoppage came far too soon.

But did it really?

Obviously, on a historic night like tonight, the idea that a fight this heavily promoted could be stopped almost before it began seems like a crime. We never got to see the grappling contest we were expecting; thus we are left with many questions unanswered.

But that knee was hard, and the damage it caused great enough to drop a committed competitor like McMann to her knees.

When couched in terms of damage, it is hard to argue that McMann wasn’t in a bad situation.

Could she have possibly survived the onslaught that would have surely followed? It is of course possible, but given how hard WMMA has worked to gain respect in a sporting world that still seems reluctant to accept women fighting each other with the end to do serious harm, perhaps the stoppage was really a blessing in disguise.

Now that we have acknowledged how things might have looked had they gone on longer, we can focus on the question of should rather than could.

The one thing that strikes me about this situation is that in many ways, Rousey and McMann is very similar to Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.

After UFC 155, the new heavyweight champion was so far beyond the rest of the pack that his closest rival was clearly dos Santos, even after Velasquez had run him over for five full rounds.

Next came a needless rematch against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva—a fighter who Velasquez had previously disposed of inside of a single round. Once again, history repeated itself, and Velasquez defended his title for the first time against an opponent he had trounced one year prior. And once again, it was a one-sided bout ending in Round 1.

When you look at the competition available to Rousey, the clearest threat to her title within the UFC remains McMann hands-down. Do we really need to see the champion fight lesser competition when McMann could be given an immediate rematch?

I certainly hope not.

While the stoppage isn’t so groundless that it can be dismissed as purely a case of unnecessary intervention, the idea of giving the champion a lesser opponent when a much better one is available is needless.

None of this is to say the other women waiting in line are less than deserving; they are excellent fighters who have fought hard and earned every accolade they have received.

But a champion should fight the opposition that poses the greatest threat to the title, and no other woman within the UFC represents that kind of threat save McMann.

It may have ended too quickly to be considered a close fight, but it is still as close to a great title fight as we are apt to see for Rousey in the near future.

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Rousey vs. McMann: Did the Fight Help the Cause of Olympic Combative Sports?

When Ronda Rousey and Sara McMann locked up at UFC 170, it was a night of fists and firsts.
Two Olympians coming together from different sports could really only happen in MMA, and that’s a glorious thing. When you add to that the fact that they …

When Ronda Rousey and Sara McMann locked up at UFC 170, it was a night of fists and firsts.

Two Olympians coming together from different sports could really only happen in MMA, and that’s a glorious thing. When you add to that the fact that they were both undefeated, it was without a doubt a very big night not only for WMMA but Olympians of the combative sports.

Before MMA began to take off, athletes who were drawn to sports such as judo or wrestling could not see anything beyond an Olympic birth. It seemed to be their highest aspiration, and there would be no competitive life beyond the world’s stage, save as a coach perhaps.

Kevin Jackson, a gold-medal winner in wrestling, is a perfect example of this. He entered the UFC under the wing of Mark Coleman, who won the middleweight tournament at UFC 14 and then was quickly defeated by Frank Shamrock in a stunning upset.

One more defeat, via armbar, at the hands of Jerry Bohlander set Jackson out of MMA and back to the wrestling mats, where he went on to great success as a coach of note.

But had the sport been as big back then as it is now, Jackson may have given it another run.

Before Zuffa bought the UFC and began to grow it with any significance, MMA simply wasn’t a viable option for Olympic-caliber athletes. In the early days, many Olympians who entered the sport seemed to do so upon the assumption they would dominate with relative ease and in doing so establish a kind of secondary income.

When this failed to materialize, they would simply move on, putting it in their rearview mirror and going back to their roots, where there truth waited for them.

As the sport began to make a resurgence in the early 2000s, competitors like Matt Lindland tried to parlay their success from the Olympics to MMA. Lindland had a modestly successful MMA career, but he failed in his bid for UFC gold, losing to Murilo Bustamante via submission.

Hidehiko Yoshida, a gold-medal Judoka for Japan, fought with his fair share of success as well, entertaining his countrymen in Japan. Then, Pride FC pitted him against another gold-medal winner in Rulon Gardner—Olympic judo versus Olympic wrestling.

Gardner won the fight in uninspired fashion, then disappeared from the scene as quickly as he arrived. It was a big night for Olympics on paper, but it was nothing compared to UFC 170, which put the Olympians on the biggest stage ever.

And then, just as a true contest was beginning, the bout was stopped thanks to a hard knee to the body of McMann. Up until that moment, it was a high-pace fight that saw both ladies fighting aggressively and with passion.

Whenever there is a quick stoppage in a spirited contest, questions remain; it is simply unavoidable. The blow that ended the bout was significant, but a clear argument can be made that the bout was ended too early.

But for as long as it lasted, it did showcase the talents of Olympians in MMA. In fact, that was nearly unavoidable given the historic nature of the bout.

Obviously, it would have done more for legitimizing the cause of combative sports in the Olympics had the fight lasted longer and seen both women employ their incredible grappling skills. Given that wrestling was removed from the Olympic program for a short period of time, UFC 170 gave both Olympic-caliber judo and wrestling some much-needed exposure.

To that end, both sports were served, no matter how short the fight was or where it was resolved.

It will also probably garner a rematch that is apt to attract just as many viewers and will likely be much more dramatic the second time around. Competitors like McMann are loath to be remembered in such a fashion, and it will drive her that much more in the sequel.

There are still questions to be answered as to who is the better grappler, and that question is still compelling. The buildup to UFC 170 was firmly grounded in the notion that Olympians are the cream of the crop, and Saturday night’s results have not changed that.

Rousey is still the champion, representing Olympic-level judo with a passion and polish that speaks to the worth of her bronze medal without question.

McMann is still the closest threat to Rousey’s title in the UFC, her worth as a silver medalist undiminished.

And when the rematch occurs, the events of UFC 170 will serve as the ultimate preamble—proof positive that Olympians from the combative sports have more options after the Olympics, the drama of competition still theirs to enjoy.

And to that end, the sport of MMA may just find future footing on the Olympic stage. If that becomes the case, then it may be due to the first fight between female Olympians at UFC 170.

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UFC 170 Results: Rory MacDonald Steals the Show

Make no mistake about it; anyone looking to stand out from the pack at UFC 170 had a big task ahead of them.
The headlining bout alone was destined to be hard to top given the principals involved: two undefeated Olympians, women, putting it all on the …

Make no mistake about it; anyone looking to stand out from the pack at UFC 170 had a big task ahead of them.

The headlining bout alone was destined to be hard to top given the principals involved: two undefeated Olympians, women, putting it all on the line following a level of hype and attention that only a superstar like Ronda Rousey could bring.

Then, there was the upstart, Patrick Cummins, in the ultimate underdog role; if he could pull off a highly improbable upset, he would go from the coffee house to light heavyweight spoiler and a prime contender in the Jon Jones sweepstakes.

After the smoke from the event had cleared Saturday night in Las Vegas, more than a few fighters had made a case for themselves. Erik Koch scored a first-round stoppage against the overmatched Rafaello Oliveira, Stephen Thompson displayed his striking prowess by finishing Robert Whittaker inside of five minutes and Mike Pyle earned a brutal finish over TJ Waldburger late in Round 3.

But amid all the hype, talk of upsets, decisions and stoppages, one fighter re-established himself against a very tough opponent and stole the show: Rory MacDonald.

After being thoroughly dominated on the ground in the first round, MacDonald came out strong and looked very much like a man who realized he was going to have to fight for all he was worth in order to avoid a second straight loss.

In Round 2, he managed to stuff the takedown attempts of Demian Maia as if the discouraging events of the first frame had never happened. Not only that, but he took advantage of the fatigue of his opponent, landing a good jab and a hard kick to the body.

As Maia continued to try to press forward, MacDonald went to work, wobbling the Brazilian with stiff punches while turning the tide in convincing fashion.

As the third and final frame began, it looked like MacDonald had all the momentum until Maia got a takedown. Suddenly, MacDonald was exactly where he didn’t want to be—under a submission wizard who had forgotten more about grappling than he was likely to learn.

Once again, MacDonald proved he wanted the victory by fighting hard, defending himself on the ground until he landed an excellent sweep that saw him regain his feet.

From there, MacDonald fought to get back the advantage, landing well on the feet with good strikes, including a hard uppercut.

It was exactly the kind of performance he needed in order to put him back into title contention. He rallied back from serious adversity on two occasions, fought hard, pressed the action and looked every bit like a man who wanted to win more than anything.

On a night that saw decisions and first-round finishes, MacDonald defeated a very dangerous opponent in an exciting fight that reminded us just what he is capable of when he puts his mind to it.

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