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UFC on Fuel 5: Who Should Stefan Struve Face Next?

The UFC’s long-awaited return to the United Kingdom was met with mixed reactions leading up to the event. British fans feel that the UFC stays away for far too long, while the UFC brass points out that it is trying to cultivate new markets and it canno…

However, after the event was over, I think that the fans were pleased with the action on Saturday night. Dan Hardy won his bout to great approval and there were slugfests, submission wins and three great knockouts on the card. So, even though Paul Sass suffered a loss by submission and John Hathaway was ho-hum in his performance, the event was still a roaring success if you ask me.

I understand that the English fans might feel a bit left out after the UFC invested a lot of time and effort there from 2007-2009 to strengthen that market and now they have to begin to watch the UFC visit less and less as it continues its global expansion.

Either way, Britain still seems to get a UFC event year after year which is much more than I can say for my home state of Illinois (It is also important to note that my state is in the country of the UFC’s origin and is still largely ignored). The UFC is “going everywhere” as Dana White likes to say and they cannot be everywhere simultaneously so I think we all need to simmer down and relax a bit. Patience is part of game folks. In the current context of what Zuffa is trying to do with the UFC, this is likely to happen to a lot of markets so they are not being singled out in any way.

The biggest winner from UFC on Fuel 5, both literally and symbolically, had to be Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve. Stefan has looked increasingly good in wins over Pat Barry, Dave Herman and Lavar Johnson. All of these wins came via stoppage.

Struve looked sharp on Saturday, landing good strikes at range and finally seeming to utilize his 84.5″ reach to his advantage on his way to notching his fourth straight win in the UFC. Stipe Miocic was a game opponent and gave Stefan a good run for his money in the first round with solid standup and clinch skills, however Struve used a popping jab and some crushing uppercuts to set up a second-round TKO in Nottingham.

With this win in hand who should Stefan Struve face next? He certainly had an interesting idea when, after the fight, Struve called out Brazilian heavyweight and top contender Fabricio Werdum.

I’m not so sure I like that matchup for him right now, instead I have three other options that I think make a lot more sense for his progression while not pushing him too fast, which could be the case with booking the Werdum fight right now.

Option No. 1

Struve could face the winner of the Travis Browne-Antonio Silva bout that takes place this coming Friday in Minnesota at UFC on FX 5. This fight is appealing for three reasons.

The first is that the timing is ideal. Both fighters, if healthy, would be able to get back into the cage soon, which is usually appealing to up-and-comers.

Secondly, I think this would be a step up but not too far. Browne is undefeated but for whatever reason he doesn’t have a lot of hype behind him and neither does Silva, however, they both are solid top-10 guys like Struve.

Lastly, if Browne wins in particular a rematch of a previous fight with Struve could be an easy sell and no doubt would provide some great pre-fight trash talk.

Option No. 2

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira would be another great choice for Struve at this point in his career ascension. Big Nog is not only a legend, but he is fighting Dave Herman, whom Struve beat not that long ago to get to where he is.

When we combine this with the fact that Nogueira is a name opponent and a known commodity, this fight just makes sense. If Rodrigo emerges unscathed from his UFC 153 bout, this is a viable option for Skyscraper.

Option No. 3

Why not Cheick Kongo? Many newer fans may not think this man is a top heavyweight but he is a top-10 UFC heavyweight.

Since 2010 Kongo is 4-1-1, with the loss coming to Mark Hunt and the draw was against Travis Browne, another top heavyweight fighter. In fact, Cheick is a combined 11-5-1 in the UFC, which is much better than a lot of naysayers would think.

It is true that he has lost five times, but the only decisive losses were against Mark Hunt, Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez who are all top tier heavyweights.

Kongo could be a perfect fit for Struve because he is a top-10 heavyweight, a veteran and not too much of a step up at this point. But Kongo will test Struve‘s skills and his Octagon moxy, which Stefan needs to beat the top UFC heavyweights. In my opinion this is actually the best option right now because it moves him forward but he won’t be reaching too far and end up getting Superman punched out of the top ten again. Ouch! That one had to hurt.

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Bellator 66: Can Eddie Alvarez Defeat Aoki in Rematch?

When Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki first squared off it was Aoki who took home the victory with an inverted heel hook. Alvarez has gone 7-1 since with the only loss coming to Michael Chandler in a title-losing barnburner for Alvarez. The former B…

The former Bellator champion now sits at a crossroads. He can choose to enter another tournament and grind out three bouts to get back to Chandler, but it doubtful at this point that Eddie is going to consider going through the tournament process again.

Alvarez has now booked a significant career-boosting kind of fight with the man who defeated him at K-1 Dynamite 2008. Shinya Aoki has been a tear as of late. The Tokyo-based submission fighter has now won seven fights in a row, five by submission, since his loss to Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce Nashville in April 2010.

Aoki, however has shown a weakness to more powerful wrestlers, which was on display in his loss to Melendez in which he was manhandled and lost a one-sided decision. Eddie has a strong wrestling base like Gilbert does and this could be where he can win the bout.

The two major motivating factors that will drive Eddie Alvarez are his size and wrestling advantage coupled with his possible UFC offer that could material after a win of this caliber.

1) I can remember it like it was yesterday. I walked down to Broadway Avenue to get some barbecue and a beer before the bout. The group included a good friend, my father, myself and my sister. Skyler and I went to the strip first to get some chow and a brew. We got to the arena just before the first preliminary bout began.

It’s incredible that I remember anything else from this card besides the brawl at the end, but that is irrelevant to this story. The Aoki vs. Melendez bout was one the most anticipated of the evening, and it turned out to be a total domination that would have been a fast forward DVR moment waiting to happen. The point here is that the size and wrestling ability of Gilbert proved to be an Achilles heel for Aoki. Eddie can use similar advantages to smother Aoki and avoid getting a limb dislocated.

2) Eddie’s other major motivation in this bout will be the fact that he may be fighting for a UFC contract. He could likely get a pretty nice deal even if he loses, but it would greatly benefit his athletic stock if he wins this rematch tonight. Alvarez will use his wrestling and ground and pound to wear the smaller man out and will likely end up with a decision victory.

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UFC 145 Fight Card: Will Jon Jones and Rashad Evans Ever Be Friends Again?

Today is Monday, April 16, 2012, and finally it is fight week for UFC 145. At this point, this fight card has been broken down and discussed a million different ways. But, one of the topics that I have not heard addressed is the topic of whether Jon Jo…

Rashad Evans had already been training at Jackson-Winklejohn for years when Greg Jackson approached the former UFC light heavyweight champion to get his opinion of Jones joining them in New Mexico. Rashad has voiced that he was apprehensive from the start because both he and current UFC champion Jones fight at 205 pounds.

Evans explained on UFC Primetime that Greg Jackson told him that he would not ever have to fight the younger man.

Up until a little over one year ago, “Bones” Jones and “Suga” Rashad were friends who trained, ate and shared memories together. After an interview last year with Ariel Helwani in which Jon revealed that he would fight Evans if he needed to, their relationship took a drastic downward turn.

Then, shortly after, Jones dismantled Mauricio Rua to win the UFC light heavyweight title and Rashad left the camp for his new home in Florida.

With the two men finally set to square off this Saturday, the tension has only increased. But, even with all of the bad blood and choice words, MMA fans have grown accustomed to fighters having harsh words before a bout and then hugging and squashing their beef after.

So, can Rashad and Jon repair their friendship?

It is said that time heals all wounds and I think that same principle applies here. Plenty of men and women have had issues and have eventually been able to resolve them. This situation will be the same. Even though both of these guys have said many choice words to each other, that alone does not mean these men cannot resolve their personal problems after they finally fight each other.

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UFC 145: Rashad Evans Is in over His Head Against Jon Jones

By the time Rashad Evans and Jon Jones lace up the gloves to battle, it will have been nearly two months since the last UFC pay-per-view event. Some have suggested the delay is bleeding the life out of them. Contrastingly, I actually have enjoyed the b…

These days there seems to be no shortage of UFC cards on television and PPV. As a matter of fact, there are 11 in the span of four months from April to July alone. I vividly remember the not-so-distant past of 2004 when there was regularly a month or two break between UFC cards.

It seems these days perhaps we have become spoiled by our bounty. I like the fact that I have had to wait to see Rashad Evans and Jon Jones fight. I have had to watch UFC Primetime, listen to interviews and watch Rashad break down Jon Jones at UFC 135 last September.

The stage has been set. The Octagon has been loaded. The fighters are putting the finishing touches on their trainings. It is nearly time.

Why Rashad is In Over His Head

Jon Jones is the UFC light heavyweight champion of the world. Still the youngest champion in UFC history, Jones has already defeated Shogun Rua to capture the belt and defended that championship against none other than Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida.

Jones has shown in his bouts that he has all of the tools to beat any man at 205 pounds. Jones has great wrestling with a myriad of takedowns and trips that he uses from a distance that Rashad Evans cannot operate in.

“Bones” also has far improved striking since his first UFC bout in August 2008. He uses many strikes such as spinning elbows, flying kicks, Superman punches, stance switchups and knees to pepper the face and mid section of his opponents.

Jon Jones also has submissions that are completely original innovations of existing submissions. Because of the champion’s long limbs he is able to execute chokes and other submissions at angles and from positions that others could not attempt. In his last bout, he easily choked out Machida from a standing position with an improvised guillotine.

The UFC light heavyweight champion also has deadly weapons when he gets the fight to the ground. Mark Coleman may have started the ground and pound but Jonny “Bones” has taken it to another planet as evidenced in his brutal finish of Brandon Vera, breaking Vera’s orbital bone with a vicious elbow strike.

All of these previous advantages are key, but the one thing that makes Jon Jones virtually unbeatable is his reach advantage. A lot of folks have begun to compare Jones to Muhammad Ali lately and Jones even did an Ali-esque cover shoot for UFC Magazine. Ali fought at heavyweight and Jon Jones fights at light-heavy, yet Jones has the longer reach. Wow!

Jones uses this reach to learn when his opponent crosses the kill line. The kill line was used in prisoner of war camps starting in the Civil War. If you crossed the line, you got a bullet in the middle of the forehead. With the UFC champion, a man who crosses into his kill zone gets destroyed.

Jones will use a pawing jab to gauge his distance. He uses a front kick or a jumping knee to back up his opponents, and he can shoot for takedowns from much further away than Rashad could ever dream of.

Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson, Alexander Gustafsson and all of the other fighters in the 205-pound division are very good at what they do. What Jon Jones does is on another level. At this point in his career he is as close to unbeatable as anyone in the sport aside from the great Anderson Silva. Evans may not realize it until he is half way through round one, but he is in way over his head.

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UFC 145: Will the UFC Push Jon Jones to Move Up to Heavyweight?

Jon Jones and Rashad Evans will go to war on April 21 at UFC 145 in Atlanta, Ga. The jury is out on the true favorite. The odds will have “Bones” as the favorite, but many fans and insiders alike give Rashad some advantages.What I am proposing is the s…

What I am proposing is the scenario after a possible Jones victory. If Jon Jones is able to win this fight, there is still the challenge of Dan Henderson looming on the horizon. Henderson is a multiple-time champion and legend, but Jones is a matchup nightmare for him, as he is for 99 percent of fighters on the planet.

If Jon is able to retain his title for the fourth time against Dan Henderson, that would be the most of any UFC light heavyweight since Chuck Liddell. That is a milestone in itself. Alexander Gustafsson is another name that has been generating some buzz as an in-the-mix guy, but even the “Mauler” has to win a fight with Thiago Silva at UFC on Fuel 2 next Saturday in order to move into title contention.

And of the three men mentioned, Gustafsson poses the fewest headaches for the champion. So hypothetically, Jon Jones could finish 2012 with five title defenses on his belt. With the hyper-fast nature of Twitter and all other social media at the fingertips of the world, five title wins in convincing fashion would surely cause an outcry for Jones to move up in weight.

It’s not a certainty, nor a necessity, that Jon Jones would appeal to popular opinion about which weight he should fight at. However, Dana White and the UFC do take public appeals into account in their decisions and they could sway Jon Jones into moving up in weight to challenge the big boys at heavyweight.

They would argue that he had cleaned out the division or has no logical challengers left. Although, it is important to note that Anderson Silva and Frankie Edgar have both resisted similar pressures before, so it really is up to them to make a final decision. But that doesn’t mean the UFC brass can’t strongly encourage you with something along the lines of a contract upgrade.

Below I will present two scenarios for 2013 if Jon Jones continues his dominant run:

Scenario No. 1

This is the scenario that I would prefer. If Jones remains dominant, he will eventually be strongly encouraged to move up, most likely to heavyweight. By next year, Anderson Silva will be 38 years old. If he defeats Chael Sonnen and then the winner of Tim Boetsch vs. Michael Bisping, he will likely have no new challengers for some time.

At his advanced age, he probably won’t want to take anything less than name opponents or challengers who will push him. I know that Silva recently told SportTV he would fight for 10 more years (per mixedmartialarts.com), but you never know and I am only posing possibilities here. To add to that, the oft-fantasized Georges St-Pierre vs. “Spider” Silva superfight has yet to get close to reality.

If both of these men have essentially cleaned out their divisions, as Dana White likes to say, each man could be open to a superfight at 205 pounds. Jon Jones is a very big light heavyweight and it is highly unlikely he could even make a catchweight of 200 pounds. The responsibility would fall on Anderson Silva’s shoulders to move back up to light heavyweight for a UFC superfight for the ages.

If and when Jones does defeat Anderson Silva, his journey at 205 pounds would be complete. He could then move up to heavyweight knowing there is no greater challenge he could have faced at that weight.

Scenario No. 2

This is the scenario that is much more likely to come to fruition.

In this fantasy MMA storyline, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva are never able to come together for their superfight, much like the GSP/Silva bout never happened. The most likely reason is that Anderson realizes that Jon can defeat him and he chooses to face the next tier down in competition to keep his unbelievable winning streak going.

Jones would decide quickly to move up to heavyweight with the encouragement of the UFC, his coaches and confidence in his own skills. I cannot decide if he would be granted an immediate title shot in this hypothetical scenario; I can say that a move to heavyweight could easily secure an immediate title shot if he racked up a long winning streak, including five straight title defenses.

With the way MMA seems to change every day, there is no way to predict tomorrow, let alone two years from now. However, knowing the world I live in does give me confidence in the belief that fighters are likely to move to different weight classes to determine who is the pound-for-pound best. In the end, that is what everyone wants to see.

Isn’t that why the Ultimate Fighting Championship was created in the first place?

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UFC on Fuel TV 2: Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago Silva Preview

Alexander Gustafsson seems to be the uncrowned third contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight, according to many MMA fans, but I’m not so sure that this fight is in any way a certainty. I think people have forgotten how much of a beast Thiago Silva is …

Silva has only lost twice in his UFC career, and those losses were to light heavyweight top contender Rashad Evans, in which Thiago had a bad back injury coming in, and to former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

Silva is a tough, durable and strong light heavyweight who, at 205 pounds, is capable of knocking out any man. Admittedly, Thiago Silva is a huge question mark at this point, but if he is healthy his powerful punches could spell a short night for the “Mauler.”

Alexander Gusafsson is a rising prospect in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. His only loss in the UFC was a submission loss to Phil Davis. Since then he has rattled off an impressive winning streak, most recently knocking out tough veteran Vladimir Matyushenko in the first round.

Prediction

It seems to me that ever since Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was replaced by Thiago Silva, there has been a significant amount of the MMA fan base that has awarded Alexander Gustafsson the victory already. There are even people who feel he is the third in line to fight Jon Jones after Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson.

In part, I understand the mentality, seeing that Gustafsson had the winning streak, Silva had a long layoff and Gustafsson has his height, which could be seen as an advantage as well.

Something tells me everyone is overlooking Thiago Silva. Not to say that Alexander Gustafsson won’t get a title shot in the near future, but in this fight I think Thiago will come out aggressively, take the center of the Octagon and put pressure on Gustafsson that he won’t be able to deal with.

I see Thiago Silva winning this fight by knockout.

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