Author: Matt Fitzgerald

UFC 182: Latest Fight Card Predictions and Projected Winners

UFC 182 offers plenty of excellent MMA action, but the big attraction on the main fight card will be the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship showdown between Jon “Bones” Jones and challenger Daniel Cormier.
Thursday was media day, and Jones and Cormier …

UFC 182 offers plenty of excellent MMA action, but the big attraction on the main fight card will be the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship showdown between Jon “Bones” Jones and challenger Daniel Cormier.

Thursday was media day, and Jones and Cormier had the chance to face each other in front of the cameras before they enter the Octagon. UFC President Dana White had to intervene to make sure the fighting was confined to the designated time and date:

Heated pre-fight commotion has been stirring between Jones and Cormier for some time now, which will only add to the excitement of Saturday’s event at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. 

Below is a look at the complete main card and predictions for every bout, along with a more detailed breakdown of the Jones vs. Cormier title fight.

 

Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier Preview

As can be ascertained from a gander at this card, the lineup is loaded, but the impassioned battle to cap it all off between Jones and Cormier has the makings of an instant classic.

Bleacher Report MMA highlights just how prolific both UFC stars have been leading up to their date on Saturday:

Jeremy Botter of Bleacher Report and the Houston Chronicle weighed in on the championship clash:

Cormier is a rare threat for Jones to deal with on the ground. Both are phenomenal in takedown defense, though, with Jones at 96 percent and Cormier at 100, per FightMetric.com. Thus, it remains to be seen just how much wrestling both will do, despite how effective they are at that facet of fighting.

Even if Jones can take Cormier to the canvas, he may not want to dive down after him, because his true advantage lies in his lethal punching combinations.

It’s evident that Jones isn’t worried about being thrown to the ground; he’s seemingly intent to remain in attack mode against his underdog adversary, via the UFC’s official Twitter account:

Supreme confidence, stamina, superior reach and unique striking angles all give Jones leverage. His spinning elbows, 84″ reach and amazing awareness limit Cormier and the damage his 72″ reach will be able to inflict.

However, Cormier is a perfect 15-0 in MMA, is coming off an impressive victory over Dan Henderson and can harness his Olympic wrestling skills to make this a compelling bout.

That task of pulling Jones down and keeping him there will be tricky. It’s a tough test for Cormier against a more agile foe in Jones, whose powerful, punishing blows ought to prove too much for his wrestle-dependent counterpart to handle.

No one can discount Cormier‘s competitive fire, athleticism, wrestling expertise and track record of UFC success. That will carry him the full distance in Saturday’s fight, but Jones’ diverse arsenal will help him to a clear-cut triumph to retain his title and improve to 21-1.

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Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More

The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale airs Friday evening on Fox Sports 1 from Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Major TV coverage of the season’s conclusion commences at 9 p.m. ET and runs till midnight.
Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas will be squaring…

The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale airs Friday evening on Fox Sports 1 from Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Major TV coverage of the season’s conclusion commences at 9 p.m. ET and runs till midnight.

Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas will be squaring off for the first ever Women’s UFC Strawweight title belt in the main event. This marks the first time, too, that women’s fights are the majority of an Ultimate Fighting Championship card, with eight of the 11 bouts in the women’s strawweight division.

Additionally, the fight card features an interesting men’s featherweight bout between Jeremy Stephens and Charles Oliveira, along with a consolation matchup of sorts between Randa Markos and Jessica Penne.

Here is a closer look at the complete lineup, along with predictions for each bout and a more detailed breakdown of the men’s and women’s marquee showdowns.

Note: Statistics courtesy of FightMetric.com.

 

Predictions For Top Fights

Carla Esparza vs. Rose Namajunas

Esparza was quite impressive in her unanimous-decision victory over Penne, but she will have a far different style of fighter on her hands when she takes on Namajunas.

Like Penne, Esparza‘s championship opponent is dangerous on submissions. While Namajunas has successfully submitted her prior three adversaries, she may be even more lethal with her kick combinations.

“Rose, I would say, probably has some of the best submissions in the division, and her striking is very good, as well,” said Esparza, per MMAJunkie.com’s John Morgan. “She is a very well-rounded fighter, maybe my toughest opponent to date. … I think it will be a war. I think it will be who can impose their will more.”

But as UFC president Dana White implied after Esparza‘s most recent victory, the favorite is a force to be reckoned with for her own technical brilliance:

It will be interesting to see how Namajunas‘ immense skill set matches up with Esparza‘s exceptional jiu-jitsu background, as this will be a strength-on-strength type of fight that should be close.

There is a reason Esparza was the top seed on the Ultimate Fighter 20 to begin with. It was a well-deserved designation, and she’s lived up to the hype thus far. However, Namajunas will bring an end to her run with a hard-fought triumph in a fight that will go the distance.

Prediction: Namajunas via Unanimous Decision

 

Jeremy Stephens vs. Charles Oliveira

Though it appears on paper that Oliveira is the favorite by both record (18-4) and current career trajectory against Stephens (23-10), this may be the latter’s chance to thrive in the underdog role.

An unfortunate, unanimous-decision loss at the hands of Cub Swanson gives Stephens plenty of fuel to prove himself on this big stage.

The cliche of styles making fights definitely applies here. Stephens is a hard striker and has superior defense to his less powerful Brazilian counterpart. If Oliveira packed a stronger punch or had a better takedown accuracy than 35 percent, his superior reach (74″ to 71″) would offer a far greater advantage.

All that Stephens really has to worry about is avoiding getting knocked down, as he hinted in his pre-fight comments, via FoxSports.com’s Damon Martin:

I’m more dangerous and deadly. I feel like I’ve got the skills to pay the bills with this fight…I don’t want to get too overconfident, but I definitely feel like this plays right into my ballpark.  This is an MMA fight, not a grappling match, and I feel like I win in all areas.  If I touch his chin, he will go to sleep.

Stephens boasts a 63 percent major strike defense and a 61 percent takedown defense, better in both areas than Oliveira‘s respective numbers of 58 and 52 percent.

Thus, if this turns into the slugfest that it should, the odds favor Stephens to pull off a knockout.

Prediction: Stephens via TKO

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War Machine Faces Trial After Pleading Not Guilty: Latest Details and Reaction

Former MMA fighter War Machine pleaded not guilty to a multitude of felony charges on Thursday during an appearance in Clark County District Court in Nevada.    USA Today’s MMAjunkie.com reported the latest details on the fighter’s …

Former MMA fighter War Machine pleaded not guilty to a multitude of felony charges on Thursday during an appearance in Clark County District Court in Nevada.    

USA Today‘s MMAjunkie.com reported the latest details on the fighter’s legal status. War Machine continues to be incarcerated while he awaits a ruling on his alleged transgressions, as the trial date is scheduled for February.     

War Machine’s ex-girlfriend Christy Mack and her friend Corey Thomas were allegedly attacked by War Machine on Aug. 8, leaving Mack with a lacerated liver and severe injuries to her face. It led to War Machine’s Aug. 15 arrest at a Simi Valley, California, hotel.  

War Machine, 32, carried out a failed suicide attempt on Oct. 14, the day he was meant to appear in court to negotiate terms of a plea deal (h/t CNN.com). He faces 34 felony counts for his alleged crimes, including attempted murder and domestic battery.

The last time War Machine fought was at Bellator 104 in a loss to Ron Keslar. War Machine had won his two previous Bellator fights but lost his only UFC fight in an appearance at UFC 84 to Yoshiyuki Yoshida, comprising part of his 14-5 career MMA professional record.

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Jon Jones’ Nike Endorsement Officially Terminated: Latest Details and Reaction

After Jon Jones declared that his Nike endorsement deal was terminated because of his brawl with fellow UFC fighter Daniel Cormier, the prominent corporation confirmed it is no longer backing the MMA star.Darren Rovell of ESPN reported Tuesday that Jon…

After Jon Jones declared that his Nike endorsement deal was terminated because of his brawl with fellow UFC fighter Daniel Cormier, the prominent corporation confirmed it is no longer backing the MMA star.

Darren Rovell of ESPN reported Tuesday that Jones was indeed no longer endorsed by Nike, and also analyzed the potential reasoning behind the decision:

The brawl between Jones and Cormier occurred Aug. 4 in a promotional press conference for UFC 178 at Las Vegas‘ MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. As reported by ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto on Tuesday, both fighters were fined and ordered to complete community service.       

Okamoto cleared up a key stipulation of Jones’ punishment, which was determined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission:

Jones, who was assessed a $50,000 fine and 40 hours of community service, took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the commission’s decision, along with his Nike endorsement termination—which wasn’t confirmed until Wednesday:

Rovell alluded to some of the other scandals in the sports world that have caused Nike to part ways with several big names in recent weeks:

January’s UFC 182 is when Jones and Cormier are set to tangle in a highly anticipated showdown that has only been hyped more by their prior animosity and hostility toward each other.

Cormier is 15-0 in his MMA career, while Jones (20-1) has just one loss to Matt Hamill by way of a disqualification from December 2009. Something will have to give in the fight, and it figures to be among the most intense in recent UFC memory.

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Demetrious Johnson vs. Ali Bagautinov: Analyzing Mighty Mouse’s UFC 174 Win

Demetrious Johnson confirmed his flyweight division dominance at UFC 174’s main event, defeating Ali Bagautinov by unanimous decision on Saturday.
Mighty Mouse is definitely among the best pound-for-pound MMA fighters on the planet, and he showed a div…

Demetrious Johnson confirmed his flyweight division dominance at UFC 174‘s main event, defeating Ali Bagautinov by unanimous decision on Saturday.

Mighty Mouse is definitely among the best pound-for-pound MMA fighters on the planet, and he showed a diverse arsenal with no discernible weaknesses against an outmatched Bagautinov. With more challengers at his weight bound to eagerly step forward, Johnson figures to have plenty of takers to further prove himself in his current weight class.

“I’m the king,” said Johnson after the bout, per MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco. “I’ll stay the king as long as I can, and I’ll keep knocking them down.”

This fight was so one-sided—Johnson won each of the five rounds on all three judges’ cards—that fans at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada, even headed for the exits early. Fans didn’t want to even see Johnson cap off an outcome that was well in hand from the beginning.

MMA Show News’ David Kano shared a similar sentiment with regard to flyweights as the headliner:

MMA analyst Robin Black couldn’t get enough of Johnson’s virtuosic display, though:

There is also still room for Johnson to improve, as devastating as he’s been. Sometimes his footwork isn’t the best, not quite matching up with his splendid speed. He also has enough force on his strikes to not even need devastating punch combinations.

Bagautinov simply played into Johnson’s hands, not requiring him to adjust his game plan. UFC on Fox noted how Bagautinov‘s best strategy didn’t work even in the first round, which was a bad sign of things to come:

Backpedaling frequently toward the edges of the Octagon, the Puncher King didn’t quite live up to his moniker. Johnson capitalized by pummeling him against the cage and giving Bagautinov little opportunity to counter. According to FightMetric, Johnson landed 61 percent of his significant strikes compared to Bagautinov‘s meager 29 percent.

Considering that Bagautinov had won with relative ease in his previous 11 fights before facing Johnson, there aren’t many more candidates capable of even giving Johnson a stiff test.

But the fact that fans left early suggests Johnson isn’t quite the main event draw that UFC president Dana White was looking for.

Now that Johnson has successfully defended the UFC Flyweight Championship for the fourth time, he should disprove any of his doubters that he has the ability to step into the bantamweight threshold. Perhaps fighting at a heavier weight will help Johnson’s profile.

Johnson seems to be on a different level in improving his MMA record to 20-2-1. With how much of a world-class fighter Bagautinov is reputed to be, anyone keen on tangling with Johnson next should be at least slightly fearful. One strike could change everything, yet Johnson appears too fast to allow a knockout blow to come his way.

The UFC’s official flyweight rankings have John Dodson as the best option to square off with Johnson next, but he lost to Mighty Mouse by unanimous decision in January 2013. Although Dodson is a compelling personality, even a career performance may not be enough to knock off Johnson.

There is almost nowhere for Johnson to go but down, or to stay stagnant, barring a move to bantamweight. However, dominating at the highest level of a sport can’t be getting old just yet. Johnson figures to make good on his post-fight testimony and be crowned as the perpetual UFC flyweight champion.

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Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira: Analysis and Prediction for UFC 172 Main Event

The UFC 172 main event promises to be a thriller as Jon “Bones” Jones seeks to successfully defend his light heavyweight title for a record seventh time against Glover Teixeira.
Jones enters this bout at 19-1 and is ranked as the best pound-for-pound f…

The UFC 172 main event promises to be a thriller as Jon “Bones” Jones seeks to successfully defend his light heavyweight title for a record seventh time against Glover Teixeira.

Jones enters this bout at 19-1 and is ranked as the best pound-for-pound fighter while Teixeira hasn’t lost since his fourth MMA fight and sports a record of 22-2, including 13 knockouts. Teixeira should be a worthy adversary, but given Jones’ exceptional resume, it’s hard to fathom he will let his title slip this time around even against such a strong adversary.

Here is a closer look at the marquee clash during Saturday’s action at Baltimore Arena, including a final prediction as to how the fight will play out.

 

When: Saturday, April 26 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, Maryland

Watch: Pay-per-view (check local cable provider)

Live Stream: UFC.tv (subscription required)

 

Analysis and Prediction

Teixeira is showing no shortage of confidence, as he’s been an outstanding force and a challenger who Jones has willingly embraced to take on in his latest fight. Although will and desire can’t be measured—and both of these men have plenty of it—the physical measurables seem to suggest Jones has a big advantage.

At age 26, Jones has an outstanding, complete MMA repertoire and is a little quicker than the heavy-hitting Teixeira. That will be key because Jones already has an edge in reach at 84.5″ to Teixeira’s 76″, per CBSSports.com’s Gregg Doyel.

Jones made some recent remarks about his last brutal showdown with Alexander Gustafsson that are sure to stir controversy, as he implied that he gave only 80 percent effort, per Yahoo Sports’ Elias Cepeda:

I think for the first time in my career I really started to feel myself. I really started to think, “Maybe I’ve got this extraordinary talent and maybe I just can’t be touched.” I went 80 percent [against Gustafsson]. I’m not making any excuses. Gustafsson did a great job in the fight but I know that I had a lot more in me.

That candor is admirable, but it also implies that Jones thinks he’s rather indomitable. The question is whether Jones will put forth what he considers 100 percent effort versus Teixeira. If Jones loses, those comments will raise questions and may impact his psychological approach to the Octagon.

There’s no question that Jones is the favorite, but UFC president Dana White feels Teixeira’s chances to pull off the improbable upset are being underestimated:

ESPN’s Josh Gross is rather confident that Jones will be in for a serious bout, and he believes that Teixeira has all the tools and none of the pressure Jones will be feeling to come out on top:

This should be an absolute slugfest no matter what type of effort Jones is putting out because Teixeira is simply not wary of or intimidated by Jones. Fox Sports’ Mike Chiappetta logged a key quote from Teixeira, who essentially guaranteed he’d take the title belt from Jones:

Both fighters are capable of wrestling well, delivering crushing knockout blows and are strong enough to submit opponents. It is a dream matchup that should go its full length, with neither Jones nor Teixeira giving much ground, thanks to their ability to absorb punishment and play defense when necessary.

The momentum should swing on counterstriking, which will play into Jones’ favor and be enough to give him a unanimous decision triumph.

Prediction: Jones via unanimous decision

The perception is that Jones has more to lose in this fight than Teixeira, and that’s true to an extent. But if he indeed is having issues staying in peak condition and giving maximum effort, nothing could galvanize him more moving forward than suffering his first true MMA loss as a professional at the hands of Teixeira. 

Since Jones is far younger than the 34-year-old Teixeira, he has plenty of career left to recover. On the other hand, Teixeira has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the UFC, and losing this fight would be a devastating setback. There’s no shame in losing to Jones since everyone who’s faced him has had such limited success, but it’s hard to argue that the Brazilian has no pressure on him at all.

All those factors figure to create compelling storylines to serve as the backdrop for this grand-finale fight at UFC 172. A win by either fighter would be a big boost for the promotion company, as it should be an epic clash regardless of the victor.

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