Author: Michael Cahill

Matt Wiman Challenges Dennis Siver At UFC 132, Is This His Big Break?

Matt Wiman has had a solid career in mixed martial arts. He has won 13 fights in his career, including victories over Mac Danzig, Cole Miller and Thiago Tavares, but he hasn’t had that one fight that elevates him into title contention, or even into the upper tier of lightweight fighters.

For me, UFC 132 is being set up to elevate Dennis Siver, Wiman’s opponent, into a lightweight title contender. He is coming off the impressive win over George Sotiropoulos at UFC 127 and has a three fight win streak.

Wiman, meanwhile, has his own three fight win streak. His victories haven’t been over guys as high profile as Siver, which is why Siver is on his way to being a championship contender and Wiman is not.

 

But if Wiman were to win this fight, what would happen to him? He would not get the next title shot, that’s for sure. He would be given a shot against someone in the upper tier of the division, though. Most likely it would come against someone like Anthony Pettis or Ben Henderson.

I don’t expect Wiman to win because Siver is a more complete fighter than he is. He has legitimate knockout power and very good takedown defense, as he showed against Sotiropoulos. Wiman’s only real skill is his wrestling.

Wiman is not going to be anything more than a placeholder in UFC. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I am sure he has made a lot of money as a placeholder working for this organization. But to think that he will ever be anything more than that is just a pipedream.

UFC 132 fight card features a brawl on the main card

For those of you who are interested in a UFC fight that features great skill and strategy, look elsewhere. For those of you who are looking for a fight that features two beasts throwing fists in the octagon like they were fighting for their lives, then Silva vs. Leben is the fight for you.

This contest is going to be one of the ages. Part of the appeal to this fight is the fact that it could go either way. You could have a first round knock out, which is always a possibility, or you could have a decision that leaves both men battered and bruised. It sounds like a marketing plow to talk about what an epic battle it’s going to be, but when you have guys who rely on brute strength it’s exactly what you get.

Must Read: 25 Greatest Bantamweight Fights In MMA History 

The smart money is on Silva in this contest. These guys don’t need as long as boxers to train and recover, but a little extra rest would certainly help him as he’s about to get into a fast paces, high energy throw down.

Silva is a great fighter, and he is just too good to lose to Leben. This will be entertaining, but ultimately, disheartening to Leben. 

Will A Victory Over Tito Ortiz At UFC 132 Mean Anything For Ryan Bader’s Budding MMA Career?

Four months ago, Ryan Bader was battling Jon Jones to determine who would be the next great light heavyweight fighter.

At the time of the fight, Bader was undefeated (12-0) and Jones had one DQ loss. But there was no doubt that these two men were going to carry the torch for the 205 pound division for a long time to come.

Jones prevailed in that fight and went on to win the light heavyweight title six weeks later at UFC 128, and is the toast of the MMA world right now

Bader, meanwhile, has been off for four months following that loss. He returns to the octagon this weekend at UFC 132 against Tito Ortiz.

Must Read: 25 Greatest Bantamweight Fights In MMA History

Ortiz still has the name recognition, but he is not the fighter that he once was. He is a shell of his former self, and a win over him just doesn’t mean what it once used to.

I expect Bader to win. He is the better fighter and has much more talent than his opponent does. But I am struggling to figure out what he gets if he wins this fight. It looks good to a casual fan because they just hear the name Tito Ortiz and think “Wow, that’s impressive.” But when they dig deeper they will see that it’s not as big of a deal as you would think.

Bader should be in more high profile fights against guys who are contenders or on the verge of being contenders in the light heavyweight division, not against an over-the-hill guy who hasn’t won since 2006.

This fight means a lot more for Ortiz, who is fighting to save his job, than it does for Bader.

Hopefully this is just a fight that UFC sees as a stepping stone for Bader, who is a good fighter and deserves to be challenging more prestigious fighters than what he is getting at UFC 132.

Dominick Cruz Is One Of The Best Fighters In The World, But Will He Ever Get The Kudos He Deserves?

Dominick Cruz has one of the best records of any fighter in mixed martial arts (17-1). He has one of the most interesting personalities in the sport, though he isn’t very well liked because he comes off as too cocky and arrogant. He was the last WEC bantamweight champion and first UFC bantamweight champion.

So why does this guy still feel under-appreciated by the fans?

His attitude is part of it, but I think the bigger issue for fans is the way that he fights. If you have seen a Cruz fight, it’s not always pretty. In fact, some of them are downright ugly. He does not have a traditional style. He moves all over the place and just uses a combination of speed and precise striking to wear down his opponents over the course of a fight.

Must Read: 25 Greatest Bantamweight Fights In MMA History

It’s a style that you can’t really do justice with words. It’s just something that you have to see to understand.

He doesn’t finish a lot of fights, which seems to be a big problem for a lot of people when evaluating fighters. My thinking is that it shouldn’t matter how you win fights, but just that you are winning fights.

His fight with Urijah Faber will be his first as a member of UFC, and if he is able to put on a great performance, there should be no doubt that his name belongs up there with the likes of his fellow UFC champions.

Cruz is a great fighter, whether you agree with how he fights and how he wins is irrelevant. The results are all that matters. And there aren’t a lot of fighters out there that can match his combination of raw talent and success.

Don’t focus on what he doesn’t do. Pay attention to the things that he does do when he steps inside the octagon on July 2nd.

Tito Ortiz Challenges Ryan Bader At UFC 132, Is This His Last Chance To Prove Himself In The Octagon?

Tito Ortiz is one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts history. His rivalry with Ken Shamrock is one of the best in history even though Ortiz won all three times they fought each other. He was at one time one of the very best light heavyweight fighters in the world.

Unfortunately for Ortiz, those days are long gone. Since he defeated Shamrock for the third time in October 2006, his record is 0-4-1.

At first you could justify some of the losses because he was going up against some of the best fighters in the world. He lost to Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida and Forrest Griffin. He would have beaten Rashad Evans via decision if he hadn’t been docked a point for holding the fence, so he had to settle for a draw.

Must Read: 25 Greatest Bantamweight Fights In MMA History

His last loss was to Matt Hamill, who is a decent fighter but nothing special, at UFC 121. It was believed that Ortiz was going to be released following that loss, but he was given another shot.

Now, he challenges Ryan Bader, who is one of the best wrestlers and a rising star in the sport, at UFC 132. No one expects Ortiz to win this fight, and if all things are equal he shouldn’t win this fight because Bader is just a better fighter.

That would be five losses in six fights for Ortiz. He is popular, yes, but if he can’t compete against the guys in UFC, he has no business still fighting in this organization.

I expect Ortiz to lose in a slaughter. Bader will put on a wrestling clinic, and Ortiz will be looking for a new job.

It’s sad to say because of how great he once was, but it’s the sad reality of the situation.