Author: Matthew Hemphill

UFC 142 Results: Where Does Vitor Belfort Rank Among the All-Time Greats

At one point in time, Belfort was considered a fast rising star in MMA and the UFC. At only 19, Belfort had already won a fight in the UFC.  He seemed like was on the fast track for a successful career.Even with two losses in his first few fights,…

At one point in time, Belfort was considered a fast rising star in MMA and the UFC. At only 19, Belfort had already won a fight in the UFC.  He seemed like was on the fast track for a successful career.

Even with two losses in his first few fights, both in the UFC and PRIDE, he was doing well. The defeats came by the hands of Randy Couture and a prime Kazushi Sakuraba.  

In between those losses, he had wins over Wanderlei Silva, Gilbert Yvel and Heath Herring.

The problem was that Belfort kept having that big win elude him. After stringing together a few good victories together, he lost to Chuck Liddell. Then, he finally beat Randy Couture in their second match because of a cut that Couture suffered during the fight.  

It was a little over a month after his sister had been abducted and later killed.

The fact that he was able to continue training for the fight and then win shows what a professional Belfort is. That same professionalism is what helped him beat Anthony Johnson when Johnson came in overweight for their fight.

Still, it affected him in a way that losing a loved one always does. He lost a rematch with Couture and then lost his next two matches after that. It can’t be proven that the loss of his sibling affected him, but it would explain his failures in the cage.

In 2007, Belfort finally got his career back on track and was able to string a couple wins together again, though the competition was middle- and second-tier.  

When rival MMA company Affliction was bought out, he got a second chance in the UFC.

Belfort took the chance to knock out former middleweight champion and Octagon veteran Rich Franklin in spectacular fashion. And then he proceeded to get knocked out in the same way against middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Those two fights, along with the Johnson victory at UFC 142, sum up Belfort’s career in a nutshell. He is a professional who will overcome most odds and face down giants, but he lacks the power and ability to make it to the very top. He is someone who, while great, will never be the greatest no matter how fans try to view it.

It’s a shame that someone who is so talented and who started so young will always be a shade less then the best. But that is the very essence of combat and martial arts—someone will always be better and there always has to be a loser.

Belfort has always shown class inside and outside the cage, and in MMA, that is always something to be applauded. So, even though Vitor Belfort might not get a Hall of Fame career, Vitor will always be a Victor.

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UFC on FOX 2: Why Chael Sonnen Must Fight Lyoto Machida Win or Lose

If Chael Sonnen wins his fight on January 28 he should immediately get a rematch with Anderson Silva, after which he should fight Lyoto Machida.If he loses he should face Machida anyway.If he does win on Saturday and does beat Silva, many fans would cl…

If Chael Sonnen wins his fight on January 28 he should immediately get a rematch with Anderson Silva, after which he should fight Lyoto Machida.

If he loses he should face Machida anyway.

If he does win on Saturday and does beat Silva, many fans would claim to want a rubber match so the two could have a proper trilogy, but a fight between Sonnen and Machida would be a little more fun to watch.

The fans have heard everything Sonnen has to say about Silva. He can’t come up with any new material with the amount of insults he has thrown out since before their first fight happened.

On the other hand, Sonnen hasn’t even scratched the surface of what he could say about Machida.

Machida, who is usually polite and quiet, even threw out some insults of his own.

The fight is fascinating enough on its own merits. Machida’s elusive style that even gave Jon Jones issues would stack up well against Sonnen’s relentless pressure style, which emphasizes takedowns.

Machida would try to keep the fight standing while Sonnen would try to put the karateka on his back.

The fight makes sense on a marketing level as well.

Machida is the polite martial arts expert, raised from birth in the ways of Shotokan Karate and proper etiquette. He is a symbol of the classic warrior who is untainted by today’s social mores and attitudes.

Sonnen is a pro wrestler in everything but name. He is a decent fighter, but most fans don’t even notice that as it has taken a backseat to his trash talk.

One man lets his actions dictate how he is seen while the other uses his mouth to dictate how others view him. They are polar opposites that clash and the immediate contrast would easily sell pay-per-views and the fight without either man needing to talk much.

Of course it would be a fight with Sonnen, so that would be too much to ask for. Still, it would be a great balance between not just two different styles, but two different attitudes, cultures and ways of belief when it comes to the essence of martial arts.

It is the closest a fight might get to what the UFC was in spirit.

And sometimes that is enough.

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UFC on FOX 2: Why Chael Sonnen Must Fight Lyoto Machida Win or Lose

If Chael Sonnen wins his fight on January 28 he should immediately get a rematch with Anderson Silva, after which he should fight Lyoto Machida.If he loses he should face Machida anyway.If he does win on Saturday and does beat Silva, many fans would cl…

If Chael Sonnen wins his fight on January 28 he should immediately get a rematch with Anderson Silva, after which he should fight Lyoto Machida.

If he loses he should face Machida anyway.

If he does win on Saturday and does beat Silva, many fans would claim to want a rubber match so the two could have a proper trilogy, but a fight between Sonnen and Machida would be a little more fun to watch.

The fans have heard everything Sonnen has to say about Silva. He can’t come up with any new material with the amount of insults he has thrown out since before their first fight happened.

On the other hand, Sonnen hasn’t even scratched the surface of what he could say about Machida.

Machida, who is usually polite and quiet, even threw out some insults of his own.

The fight is fascinating enough on its own merits. Machida’s elusive style that even gave Jon Jones issues would stack up well against Sonnen’s relentless pressure style, which emphasizes takedowns.

Machida would try to keep the fight standing while Sonnen would try to put the karateka on his back.

The fight makes sense on a marketing level as well.

Machida is the polite martial arts expert, raised from birth in the ways of Shotokan Karate and proper etiquette. He is a symbol of the classic warrior who is untainted by today’s social mores and attitudes.

Sonnen is a pro wrestler in everything but name. He is a decent fighter, but most fans don’t even notice that as it has taken a backseat to his trash talk.

One man lets his actions dictate how he is seen while the other uses his mouth to dictate how others view him. They are polar opposites that clash and the immediate contrast would easily sell pay-per-views and the fight without either man needing to talk much.

Of course it would be a fight with Sonnen, so that would be too much to ask for. Still, it would be a great balance between not just two different styles, but two different attitudes, cultures and ways of belief when it comes to the essence of martial arts.

It is the closest a fight might get to what the UFC was in spirit.

And sometimes that is enough.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on FOX: 10 Reasons to Be Excited for This Event

UFC is back on network TV for the second time in the history of the company and the first time in 2012.Instead of one fight this time fans get three.  Even though none of them is a championship bout they are all co-main event quality fights with m…

UFC is back on network TV for the second time in the history of the company and the first time in 2012.

Instead of one fight this time fans get three.  Even though none of them is a championship bout they are all co-main event quality fights with marquee names.

From Rashad Evans to Chael Sonnen the card is stacked with names.  The fights are not only going to be some of the best seen for free since the UFC started, they are also going to tell fans different things about fighters and potential fights that can be made afterward.

The show may take place only two Saturdays from now, but the anticipation is already boiling for not just the fights, but the implications for MMA in general.

Starting with…

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UFC 142 Results: Jose Aldo Just Became a Superstar

Jose Aldo just might have become as big a star as Urijah Faber. That is doubly true if the reaction of the Brazilian crowd he threw himself into is any indication.UFC 142 is the first time that Aldo headlined a pay-per-view, and even if the numbers are…

Jose Aldo just might have become as big a star as Urijah Faber. That is doubly true if the reaction of the Brazilian crowd he threw himself into is any indication.

UFC 142 is the first time that Aldo headlined a pay-per-view, and even if the numbers aren’t incredible, they don’t mean everything. This was the first time the champion had to take the lead as a headliner, and he couldn’t have asked for it to go better.

Aldo was able to get the fight in his home country, win dominantly and get a great crowd reaction right after. The only thing that could hurt him is his inability to speak English.

It didn’t hurt Anderson Silva, who had trouble speaking in the beginning, but Silva is a remarkable talent in the cage—one which fans will have to wait a long time before they see again.

Who knows?  Aldo might just be on the same level—though it’s going to take a few years of learning and evolution before that shows.

For now, it’s just impressive to see how Aldo won.  

It started with his patented leg kicks that damage his opponent’s base. Then it went to him defending multiple takedown attempts or successfully getting up when taken down quickly.

After Mendes finally got in a good position and took Aldo’s back, the champion was able to peel his challenger off and knock him out.

There were eight seconds left in the round.

Finishes like that get fans talking, and Aldo’s name will be mentioned around a few offices this coming Monday.

Combined with the amount of press that main-event fighters get after they win, Aldo should go to the next level after this. If the media puts his name out there, it should get him all the extra attention he needs.

It also depends on what the UFC does next. If they continue to push Aldo, he could help build up the featherweight division and what smaller fighters mean to the casual fan.

Aldo has done his part.

Now those around him just need to take notice and put him on the pedestal he deserves.

Here’s hoping it happens.

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UFC 142 Results: Chad Mendes Has a Long Climb Back to the Top

Chad Mendes was one of the best possible challengers Jose Aldo could have faced Saturday night.  He was undefeated and had beaten serious opposition to get to where he was.  He may not have been much of a finisher when it came to his victorie…

Chad Mendes was one of the best possible challengers Jose Aldo could have faced Saturday night.  He was undefeated and had beaten serious opposition to get to where he was.  

He may not have been much of a finisher when it came to his victories, but Mendes did try to get his opponents out of the cage as fast as possible.  He never once laid back and let the fight come to him or just used his wrestling to control the match without trying to work in a submission or knockout.

He was the perfect man to help Aldo sell a pay-per-view as the main event.  The only other person who could have done better is Urijah Faber and that would be on name recognition alone.  As a contender for the title, he was great on paper.

It just didn’t turn out that way in the cage.

It isn’t so much Mendes’ fault as it is that Aldo was just that dominant.  The featherweight champion can just blow through elite competition at the drop of a hat.

The problem is that when champions like Aldo finish their opponents so quickly, it ends up hurting the challenging fighter.

If the fight had been close, then Mendes could have argued himself to a rematch or at least gotten a high-profile fight in which a win would have gotten him back into title contention.

Instead, he got shut down in only one round.

Mendes had the right game plan for the fight.  As a wrestler, his best bet was to take Aldo down and control him.  Unfortunately for Mendes, that never happened as Aldo showed a great ability to stuff takedowns and recover from any time that he spent on his back quickly.

When an opponent gets beaten like Mendes did, most fans don’t want to see them in a rematch because the champion beat them and proved that they are the better fighter.

Of course, it makes more sense that Mendes just got beaten on one night.  If they had a rematch it could turn out completely different.  It may be an unfair assessment, but MMA is governed by money and fans’ opinions as much as it is what happens in the cage.

So Mendes is going to have to heal his image in the eyes of the fans.  For the hardcore fans that love featherweights and know that in fighting you can always get caught it won’t take more than a fight or two.

He is a talented fighter and an impressive return will be noticed.

For the casual fans, it is going to take a bit more. 

At only 26, Mendes has the time to do it as long as he can shake off his first loss.

He’ll need it as he has a long way back to the top.

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