Author: Matthew Hemphill

UFC on FX 1 Results: Did Pat Barry Just Save His Job?

Pat Barry walked into the UFC’s first fight card on FX on a two-fight losing streak. He had been taken out by not just Cheick Kongo, but Stefan Struve as well.Dana White may like Barry, but three losses in a row seems to be the death knell fo…

Pat Barry walked into the UFC’s first fight card on FX on a two-fight losing streak. He had been taken out by not just Cheick Kongo, but Stefan Struve as well.

Dana White may like Barry, but three losses in a row seems to be the death knell for most competitors in the UFC. There are a few exceptions, and Barry might have been one of them.

But the UFC is a business, and with the consolidation of Strikeforce’s heavyweight stable there is a good chance it may have squeezed Barry’s spot on the roster.

The other tell-tale sign that Barry was getting his last shot with the company was his opponent. Whenever fan favorites face off against relative unknowns (or those with losing records inside the promotion) it usually means it is their last chance with the promotion.

With a 1-2 UFC record, Christian Morecraft fit that to a tee on both accounts.

Barry was able to keep his job, but it was close. As illustrated in every one of his bouts, Barry still has issues with anything outside of striking.

Barry not only got the win, but got a great knockout as well, which means he keeps his main card status. He was also rewarded the fight of the night bonus (which is debatable, considering the thrilling performance Mike Easton and Jared Papazian put on).

Still, it fills his coffers a bit more and makes him a triple bonus winner, with two having come on the same night. That makes him a little more indispensable to the UFC brass, but with more competition merging into the company he needs all the help that it brings.

Barry is likable and, like virtually all sports, in MMA that helps. Trash talking will get you only so far, as talent takes you the rest of the way. Even more, If you are an exciting fighter, fans will actually like you better if you are respecting all the while giving thrilling performances.

But, at the end of the day, fans like winners and Barry did that Friday night. Again, if he hadn’t he could have found himself holding a pink slip and in the unemployment line.

 

Matthew Hemphill writes for the MMA, and professional wrestling portion of Bleacher Report.  He also hosts a blog elbaexiled.blogspot.com which focuses on books, music, comic books, video games, film, and generally anything that could be related to the realms of nerdom.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on FOX 2: Early Main Card Predictions

UFC on FOX is right around the corner and even though the FX fights are Friday night, it isn’t too soon to start making predictions.The card has been shuffled around thanks to injuries, but that has actually led to some interesting developments.Looking…

UFC on FOX is right around the corner and even though the FX fights are Friday night, it isn’t too soon to start making predictions.

The card has been shuffled around thanks to injuries, but that has actually led to some interesting developments.

Looking at the card now, the fights are better than the ones that were originally announced. The fights also represent different possibilities for the winners.

The only question is who will win? Let’s take a look at who should triumph after the fights on the 28th.

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Forrest Griffin Would Destroy Tito Ortiz If They Fought Again

Tito Ortiz lost badly against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in their bout at UFC 140. Afterward he claimed he had one match left on his contract and he hoped Dana White would let him compete one last time.At this point there aren’t too many options left for…

Tito Ortiz lost badly against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in their bout at UFC 140. Afterward he claimed he had one match left on his contract and he hoped Dana White would let him compete one last time.

At this point there aren’t too many options left for Ortiz. He has fought almost every name in the UFC who might be competitive with him as he gets older. Everyone else is so young they would just give him another beating.

There is one option he could try: a trilogy with Forrest Griffin.

It’s a fight Ortiz has campaigned for in the past, and even with both men coming off losses it could still sell a pay-per-view based on their names.

In that fight he wouldn’t get beaten as badly as he would if he fought someone like Phil Davis or Alexander Gustafsson, though he would still get beaten terribly by Griffin. It would just be the lesser of two evils at this point.

Griffin has lost the edge that made him the winner of the first season The Ultimate Fighter and a light heavyweight champion. He is gearing up toward retirement himself, and who can blame him? He is easily a millionaire thanks to the UFC, and at a certain point your body breaks down more and more and relaxing and enjoying life makes more sense.

If they both decide to have one last match against each other Griffin will prove that for as much as he has lost, Ortiz is worse.

Griffin was able to split a decision over Ortiz in their fight at UFC 106, but that was back in late 2009.  Since then Griffin has beaten Rich Franklin by unanimous decision and then was knocked out by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in one round.

In the same amount of time since their bout, Ortiz lost a decision to Matt Hamill, rebounded with an impressive submission win over Ryan Bader, got knocked out in the second round in a rematch with Rashad Evans and lost by knockout in the first to Nogueira.

Ortiz is also four years older than Griffin at 36 years old.

Griffin has been in enough wars that at 32 his body may be stalling, but Ortiz’s has finally given out. Whatever Ortiz had left in the tank after their match at UFC 106 he left in the cage with Bader.

Now he is spent, while Griffin has a little left to beat down Ortiz and either walk out of the cage with a win or continue to fight on.

No matter what either man does, if they decide to face each other Ortiz will need to pray for a miracle. At this point, it is the only thing that could get him a win.

 

Matthew Hemphill writes for the boxing, MMA and professional wrestling portion of Bleacher Report.  He also hosts a blog, elbaexiled.blogspot.com, which focuses on books, music, comic books, video games, film and generally anything that could be related to the realms of nerdom.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Muhammad Lawal: King Mo Talks Positive Steroid Test, Says "I’m Not a Cheater"

Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal may have tested positive for steroids after his fight with Lorenz Larkin, but he isn’t admitting to it. In an article with ESPN Lawal states that he was surprised to find out he had a prohibited substance in his system.&nb…

Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal may have tested positive for steroids after his fight with Lorenz Larkin, but he isn’t admitting to it. 

In an article with ESPN Lawal states that he was surprised to find out he had a prohibited substance in his system.  Most fans take cheating in MMA very seriously and many are skeptics when it comes to those who try and clear their names.

It is hard to believe a grown man of 31 didn’t know what he was putting into his body for the upcoming fight.  This is Lawal’s job and he is paid to be a professional.  

There are plenty of other professionals who fall short in other fields as well, but when they do, they rarely get a serious assignment or part of their career stricken from the record and their pay taken away.

Most don’t get banned from their field of work for a certain time either.  That isn’t to say such punishments don’t happen, but it is something that is special to sports.

Lawal promised to get to the bottom of what happened, but there is a better chance that he is trying to save face.

Fighters are under immense pressure to always perform well and King Mo is a central draw in the depleted Strikeforce roster.

No one is perfect and this is Lawal’s first offense, so hopefully the commission won’t punish him too hard.

Lawal made a mistake.  Even if he did somehow miss a substance being introduced into his regimen the fault falls on his shoulders.  As long as he steps up and admits it he should be able to turn his career around and repair the damage to his name.

Matthew Hemphill writes for the boxing, MMA, and professional wrestling portion of Bleacher Report. He also hosts a blog elbaexiled.blogspot.com which focuses on books, music, comic books, video games, film, and generally anything that could be related to the realms of nerdom.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 145 in Montreal Officially Canceled, Showing the Company Has a Ways to Go

The UFC has had to officially call off UFC 145, which was supposed to take place in Montreal.  In an article by the Winnipeg Free Press, the UFC head of the Canadian division, Tom Wright, admitted it was because the card lacked championship-level …

The UFC has had to officially call off UFC 145, which was supposed to take place in Montreal.  In an article by the Winnipeg Free Press, the UFC head of the Canadian division, Tom Wright, admitted it was because the card lacked championship-level quality.

This isn’t a devastating blow for the UFC.  Montreal is a great fight town and when the company returns, they will generate a lot of revenue and interest.

It does tell fans something about the company itself.  Namely that the UFC has been spreading their talent and names a bit thin in the past few years and that, without fighters like Georges St-Pierre to put at the top of the card, the projected income wasn’t worth the venture.

The card had already had fights announced for it, but not a main event.  Without a marquee headline, the card wouldn’t do as well.

It was a smart business decision by the UFC to cut losses, but it shows that for all their expansion, they are having trouble finding enough talent to help sell events.

The UFC doesn’t necessarily need to sell a main event with a Canadian in it, though, it helps.  They have done it before when Lyoto Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua fought for the light heavyweight title at UFC 113.

The fact that no serious, top-level talent would be available for the event could take the UFC in several directions.  

They could shrug their shoulders and continue to surge forward.

They could choose to slow down the growth of their company.

Or in a final step, they could choose to try and acquire more talent.  The best way to do this would be to axe more divisions or fighters from Strikeforce.

The first two won’t happen and the last one isn’t likely with Strikeforce and Showtime moving forward to promote more fights in 2012, but moments like these will help shape the future of the company and help make decisions on where they go.

Matthew Hemphill writes for the boxing, MMA and professional wrestling portion of Bleacher Report.  He also hosts a blog (elbaexiled.blogspot.com), which focuses on books, music, comic books, video games, film and generally anything that could be related to the realms of nerdom.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 142 Results: Has Jose Aldo Done Enough to Earn a Place as an All-Time Great?

Jose Aldo bust onto the scene in mid-2009 with his impressive, quick KO over Cub Swanson. In a little over two years, he went from breakout star to being a champion.He shouldn’t have done enough in that time to be considered one of the best of all time…

Jose Aldo bust onto the scene in mid-2009 with his impressive, quick KO over Cub Swanson. In a little over two years, he went from breakout star to being a champion.

He shouldn’t have done enough in that time to be considered one of the best of all time, but he already has. Aldo is one of the most impressive small men to step in the cage. Some of this opinion is due to the fact that he is the first UFC featherweight champion.

With time, there will be others, and after a few more men claim the belt as their own, fans will get to see how Aldo stacks up. For now, it appears that he is going to have a lengthy run with the belt, as none of the best at 145 pounds has been able to stop him.

In fact, none of the best at the featherweight limit have been able to challenge him. He is so impressive that Dana White, head of the UFC, has admitted in an article on MMAJunkie that he is open to Aldo facing lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

Aldo is so dominant that he was even able to take out Kenny Florian, who moved down in weight to fight for the title. Florian is no joke, and the UFC’s best perennial contender was beaten handedly for five rounds by the champ.

Aldo could stick around at featherweight, but his options are starting to get limited. He already beat Urijah Faber easily in the WEC, which is the biggest opponent he could get and the biggest money fight he could have at that weight.

Pat Curran and Joe Warren are with Bellator and couldn’t fight Aldo if they tried.

Dustin Poirier is on a win streak, but hasn’t stepped up against top competition.

Hatsu Hioki might have a few victories in a row, but he struggled against George Roop in his UFC debut.

Yuri Alcantara is off to a good start, but still needs some top fights much like Poirier.

And so Aldo is stuck in no man’s land. He has a case for being considered an all-time great at featherweight.  

He hasn’t quite made it to being a pound-for-pound all time great.

He can do it one of two ways, though.

He can move up in weight and destroy a few top lightweights.

Or he can go the path of Anderson Silva and reign supreme at featherweight for years to come.

What he does and how history unfolds will be dictate what happens.

Until then, we’ll be here watching it happen.

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