Author: Mike Chiari

UFC 183: Winning Predictions for Silva vs. Diaz and Top Undercard Fights

After more than a year away due to injury, Anderson Silva will make his highly anticipated return to the Octagon when he faces Nick Diaz at UFC 183 Saturday night, but MMA fans have plenty more to be excited about as well.
In addition to Silva and Diaz…

After more than a year away due to injury, Anderson Silva will make his highly anticipated return to the Octagon when he faces Nick Diaz at UFC 183 Saturday night, but MMA fans have plenty more to be excited about as well.

In addition to Silva and Diaz locking horns, 11 additional undercard bouts will take place on pay-per-view, Fox Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass. Although there will be no titles on the line, every UFC 183 fight will be hugely important in terms of sorting out the contendership picture across multiple divisions.

Ahead of Saturday’s action-packed event, here is a full rundown of predictions for the biggest contests on the UFC 183 slate.

 

Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz

There is no doubt that Saturday night’s headliner is the middleweight clash between Silva and Diaz. With 59 career wins between them, they are two of the most accomplished fighters in recent memory. With both combatants riding two-fight losing streaks, though, some are questioning if they are on the decline.

Silva is 39 years of age and is coming off of a broken leg suffered against Chris Weidman. Nobody is certain how well he will rebound, but he is so confident that he is healed that he no longer desires to discuss the injury, according to Damon Martin of FoxSports.com.

“So, this is part of my life I won’t talk to any more because my leg’s good now,” Silva said. “I train hard now and everything is newer. I don’t talk any more on this because this is the past. Sorry.”

As for Diaz, he is only 31, but consecutive defeats at the hands of Carlos Condit and Georges St-Pierre have left him in flux. In addition to that, his erratic behavior leading up to Saturday’s fight could be a sign that he isn’t 100 percent up for the fight from a mental standpoint.

In addition to initially missing his flight to Las Vegas, Diaz decided against taking part in open workouts, per UFC on Twitter:

His behavior has been so flaky, in fact, that fellow UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy somewhat jokingly suggested that he would step up if Diaz doesn’t show up for the fight:

That shouldn’t be an issue since Diaz has been accounted for, but there is reason to wonder about his mental preparation for the fight.

Both fighters have question marks that they must overcome, and that is part of what makes this bout so intriguing. Picking a winner is extremely difficult, but there is something to be said about The Spider’s desire to bounce back from what could have been a career-ending injury.

Silva and Diaz will empty the tank and push each other to the limit; however, the Brazilian veteran will emerge victorious by decision in the end.

 

Tyron Woodley vs. Kelvin Gastelum

While Silva and Diaz will main event the UFC 183 card, a catchweight contest between Tyron Woodley and Kelvin Gastelum has a chance to steal the show.

The 23-year-old Gastelum is a perfect 10-0, but there is no question that Woodley represents his toughest competition to date. The 32-year-old T-Wood boasts a 14-3 record, with victories over big-name fighters such as Josh Koscheck and Condit.

Some extra intrigue has been added to the tilt as well since Gastelum didn’t make weight. In fact, he wasn’t even close, as he weighed in an incredible nine pounds over the agreed-upon limit, according to Mike Bohn of USA Today:

The bout will proceed as a catchweight fight, but it can be argued that Gastelum has a big advantage in terms of size and power. That may be true, but Woodley should have the edge in terms of quickness, especially with Gastelum ailing.

Per Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, Gastelum became ill and was rushed to the hospital due to dehydration Friday:

According to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, everything appeared to be in order concerning Gastelum‘s health after getting checked out:

With that said, the hospitalization had to take its toll on him to some degree. It may very well be something that Woodley can take advantage of, and he likely won’t hesitate to do precisely that.

Gastelum can’t possibly be 100 percent, and Woodley will prey on that by knocking his younger opponent out in the second round.

 

Miesha Tate vs. Sara McMann

In the preliminary card main event on Fox Sports 1, Miesha Tate and Sara McMann will go head to head in a women’s bantamweight fight as they both look to position themselves for another shot at Ronda Rousey.

Tate is the more experienced mixed martial artist, with a career record of 15-5, but McMann is a fighter on the rise at 8-1. As expected, Tate has been the much more vocal fighter during the lead-up to their meeting.

According to Martin, Tate has used her experience advantage to downplay McMann‘s ability to beat her in multiple ways.

When I see her fight, I see a lot of myself when I was less developed. Now I’m a little bit more well rounded, a little more seasoned to take a punch, to give a punch, I’m comfortable in the striking game now. I have a pretty well versed ground game. 

It’s interesting when I watch some of her footage and tapes and I’m like “I remember when I used to not be so comfortable on the feet.”  When somebody would hit me, I would be like “I have to wrestle, I better wrestle because I don’t think I can out strike them” and I see that in her a little bit.

While Tate acknowledged McMann‘s wrestling prowess, she may be underestimating it a bit too much. McMann was a freestyle wrestling silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games, and her excellence in that area has led her to a great deal of success.

Tate is riding a two-fight winning streak after losing three out of four, so she appears to be back on track. She hasn’t encountered anyone with the grappling excellence of McMann, though, which is why the 34-year-old former Olympian will persevere and win via decision.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier: Latest Twitter Hype Before UFC 182

The light heavyweight bout between Jon “Bones” Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 is arguably the most highly anticipated fight ever, and there has been no shortage of hype leading up to it.
MMA fans have had an extra long wait for this contest since …

The light heavyweight bout between Jon “Bones” Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 is arguably the most highly anticipated fight ever, and there has been no shortage of hype leading up to it.

MMA fans have had an extra long wait for this contest since Jones was forced to pull out of the original fight at UFC 178. That has only served to build even more excitement, though, and things are finally set to come to a head Saturday in Las Vegas.

The importance of this fight is lost on no one, but it becomes even clearer when looking at the combatants’ respective resumes, as provided by Bleacher Report MMA:

In addition to that, Jones and Cormier simply don’t like each other. They have made disparaging remarks and even nearly come to blows, which is why so many fans can’t wait to see what happens when they finally get their hands on one another.

As seen in this photo at UFC 182 media day, there is no love lost between two of the best fighters the sport has to offer:

Jones and Cormier dislike each other so much, in fact, that they even argued during the UFC 182 fighter meeting, courtesy of UFC president Dana White Instagram account (Some language NSFW):

It is blatantly obvious that neither Jones nor Cormier are afraid to talk trash to each other, but they have both made their feelings known in the media as well.

Jones is widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, but he’ll be facing an opponent who never lost. Cormier has deservedly received plenty of praise, however, Jones intends to make him seem ordinary, according to UFC’s official Twitter account:

Cormier clearly doesn’t like Jones, but he acknowledged that both he and his opponent are winners, and neither of them intend to go down at UFC 182:

At the same time, though, DC made it clear that Jones’ usual tactics of trying to get in the his opponent’s head won’t work on him:

From a technical perspective, this fight is quite appealing due to the fact that Jones and Cormier have very different styles. Jones is an excellent striker with some submission chops as well, while Cormier is a mat mauler who draws on his amateur wrestling experience.

Despite the fact that most assume Cormier has a significant advantage when he and his opponent are grounded, Jones wants to prove that he can excel in that area as well, per Jon Anik of Fox Sports 1:

Jones is favored to defeat Cormier, according to OddsShark, but this has the feeling of a bout that could truly go either way.

With that said, James Lynch of Sportsnet leans toward Jones due to the fact that he has a more versatile skill set than his undefeated counterpart:

Regardless of who ultimately wins the fight, though, there is no doubt that this rivalry has been great for the sport. Jones and Cormier are both elite competitors, and they have done a great job of generating interest in UFC 182.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden believes that Jones vs. Cormier is a fight that every true MMA fan absolutely must watch:

Similarly, Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com feels as though this particular contest is a perfect example of why UFC has become so popular over the years:

Jones and Cormier have a lot to live up to based on the lofty expectations for their clash, but both fighters always seem to be up to the challenge.

They have an opportunity to elevate their company and their sport to another level if they perform to their potential, and every indication is that they will do precisely that.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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Hendricks vs. Lawler 2 Results: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis from UFC 181

 “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler atoned for the past in a big way Saturday night as he defeated Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks via split decision at UFC 181 in a highly anticipated rematch.
MMAJunkie tweeted out the result:

From the very outset is was app…

 “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler atoned for the past in a big way Saturday night as he defeated Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks via split decision at UFC 181 in a highly anticipated rematch.

MMAJunkie tweeted out the result:

From the very outset is was apparent that these two were looking to pick up right where they left off at UFC 171. Lawler’s frenetic pace to start the bout was matched by Hendrick’s combinations and wrestling as the round progressed. 

Hendrick’s ability to put together combinations in the stand-up department wasn’t limited to just the first round, either. The former All-American wrestler continually strung together combinations while also utilizing more takedowns than his first effort against Lawler. 

However, it was Lawler who was landing the more powerful blows. And that made all the difference. 

Hendricks beat Lawler in a unanimous-decision classic at UFC 171 in March to win the UFC Welterweight title, but Lawler obviously learned from that loss, which resulted in him seizing UFC gold for the first time in his career.

The 31-year-old Hendricks fell to 16-3, while Lawler improved to 25-10. Lawler has been on a tear aside from his UFC 171 loss to Hendricks, and he entered Saturday’s bout with all the confidence in the world, according to UFC’s official Twitter account:

After losing to Hendricks at UFC 171, Lawler went on to beat both Jake Ellenberger and Matt Brown in decisive fashion. Despite the fact that he fell to Hendricks previously, the 32-year-old veteran was of the belief that things would be much different at UFC 181, per Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports.

I’m looking to make it one-sided, plain and simple. My coaches have done a good job of preparing me in a lot of situations that Johny is really good at. I feel powerful. I’m a better fighter than the last time. I’m stronger, I’m faster and I’m more technically sound. I’m looking to dominate. I’m not looking to go back-and-forth with Johny.

As seen in this video of their initial meeting nine months ago, courtesy of UFC United Kingdom, Hendricks had a game plan for defeating Lawler and managed to execute it:

Lawler was confident that he would be able to flip the script Saturday night, though, and it turns out that he was prophetic in that regard.

As sure as Lawler was that he would perform well at UFC 181, Hendricks felt the same about himself. During the lead up to Saturday’s clash, Hendricks discussed the notion that he was making strides with each passing fight, according to UFC on Twitter:

Unfortunately for Hendricks, that momentum came to a screeching halt. He was quickly developing into one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and while that may still be the case, Lawler certainly exposed some deficiencies.

Both Hendricks and Lawler are solid draws at this point, and there is little doubt that other fighters are lining up to face them. With that said, it is difficult to imagine Dana White and UFC passing up Hendricks vs. Lawler III.

They have already put on two exciting fights and proved to be evenly matched, so both Hendricks and Lawler deserve an opportunity to prove who the better fighter is once and for all.

There is no question that Lawler has knocked Hendricks from his perch for the time being, but this epic rivalry is just getting started.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis from Bellator 131

Tito Ortiz settled the score with Stephan Bonnar Saturday night, as The Huntington Beach Bad Boy prevailed in the light heavyweight main event of Bellator 131. Ortiz used his superior wrestling skills to score a split-decision win over Bonnar.

Ortiz …

Tito Ortiz settled the score with Stephan Bonnar Saturday night, as The Huntington Beach Bad Boy prevailed in the light heavyweight main event of Bellator 131. Ortiz used his superior wrestling skills to score a split-decision win over Bonnar.

Ortiz came up with huge takedowns in the first and second rounds. Two judges saw him winning all three rounds, while one judge saw Bonnar taking two of three frames.

After the bout was over, Ortiz was still fuming at some of the comments Bonnar had made leading into the fight. As Bonnar played the pro wrestling-like heel as the decision was read, lying face-first on the mat, Ortiz doused him with water and flipped him the bird to rub the victory in his rival’s face.

Ortiz and Bonnar have been at odds for quite some time, and everything finally came to a head at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. In the end, it was the 39-year-old Californian who got the last laugh.

This was one of the most anticipated fights in Bellator history for several reasons. Both Ortiz and Bonnar enjoyed a ton of success in UFC, and this happened to be The American Psycho’s first bout outside UFC since 2004.

It also marked the end of Bonnar‘s two-year stint away from the Octagon. He picked Ortiz as his return opponent, and the self-proclaimed People’s Champ intended to make him pay, according to MMAJunkie.com.

“I take it very personally, and I can’t just let it slide by,” Ortiz said. “This guy wants to come out of retirement and fight me? He got his wish. He’s a fake. He’s a phony. The guy’s a joke, and he’s an embarrassment to the sport.”

Ortiz didn’t try to hide his disdain for Bonnar during the build toward their encounter, but Bonnar wasn’t shy about reciprocating either, per MMAJunkie.com.

“I think if I tried to like him, it wouldn’t work out,” Bonnar said. “They’d put us together, (and) everything that came out of his mouth would be like, ‘Agh, blarf. This guy’s an (expletive).'”

Amid the verbal barbs being fired in every direction, Ortiz made sure to reaffirm his commitment to excelling in the cage:

It was extremely difficult to predict how either combatant would fare in this particular fight due to the amount of variables involved. While Bonnar is two years Ortiz’s junior, nobody was quite sure how he would react to being out of the game for two years.

In addition to that, Bonnar entered Bellator 131 nursing a toe injury. He broke his toe just a few weeks prior to the bout but downplayed its significance, according to MMAWeekly.com (h/t Submission Radio):

I broke my toe a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t missed a work out. It just hurts. Tape it up and push through it and that’s how it’s always been. It’s really no problem. … I made it through the worst. Really, after you break the bone—whether it’s a little foot bone, a hand, or toe—those first few weeks after you break it, oh those are the worst. But after those two weeks, it just keeps getting better.

There is no telling how much that toe injury may have impacted Bonnar, but one can only assume that it made facing a difficult opponent that much tougher.

Nobody is going to feel sorry for Bonnar, though, and there is no question that Ortiz has little compassion. He was able to pull off the victory, and the circumstances surrounding it don’t matter much at this point.

Ortiz and Bonnar delivered with a hard-hitting affair Saturday night. Both men figure to be reaching the twilight of their respective careers soon, but their performance at Bellator 131 suggests that they can be key cogs for the company moving forward.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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Werdum vs. Hunt Results: Winner, Recap and Analysis from UFC 180

Fabricio Werdum took care of business as expected Saturday in Mexico City by defeating Mark Hunt to become the interim UFC Heavyweight champion at UFC 180, but it didn’t happen the way most would have expected.
After a shaky first round that saw him h…

Fabricio Werdum took care of business as expected Saturday in Mexico City by defeating Mark Hunt to become the interim UFC Heavyweight champion at UFC 180, but it didn’t happen the way most would have expected.

After a shaky first round that saw him hurt by a few hard  shots from Hunt, Werdum picked the perfect spot to land an immaculate flying knee to Hunt’s face.

The shot sent the Super Samoan to the mat. Werdum pounced and pounded out the fallen Australian. Referee Herb Dean called an end to the fight in the second round.

Hunt seemed to be dictating the pace and walking Werdum down, but the Brazilian set a trap and sprung on his opponent to claim the win and the interim title.

Vai Cavalo entered the fight as a heavy favorite, according to Odds Shark, and he made good on that advanced billing by getting past the Super Samoan to keep an eventual meeting with Cain Velasquez alive.

Werdum was initially supposed to take on Velasquez at UFC 180, but a knee injury knocked him out, per Marc Raimondi of FoxSports.com. Even without his headline opponent in the fold, the 37-year-old Brazilian star made the most of his revised matchup.

“I’m definitely a little disappointed and this will take a little bit from the fight, because Cain has such a big following there and support,” Werdum said. “It’s disappointing Cain won’t be there, but it’s still a historic, great event.”

While the fight likely ended up being a bit easier for Werdum than it would have been with Velasquez standing across from him, the main event change definitely impacted the star power of UFC 180 significantly.

The company did its best to sell Werdum vs. Hunt as a marquee bout, but Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter wasn’t buying it:

Although the fight may have been somewhat lacking in terms of drawing power, both Werdum and Hunt increased interest by being vocal in the media during the weeks leading up to their clash.

Hunt was especially boisterous despite entering UFC 180 with a pedestrian record of 10-8-1. Even as a substantial underdog, he announced his intention to stop his accomplished opponent, according to Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com:

Werdum was undeterred by the trash talk, though, and he made it clear that he had an all-business mentality regardless of his opponent, per UFC’s official Twitter account:

After defeating Hunt, Werdum now has five straight wins to his credit. An eventual clash with Velasquez seems inevitable, but the former champion has an uphill climb as he works his way back from a ruptured MCL.

That means Werdum may have to fight again before getting a crack at Velasquez, but that is most definitely the fight that MMA fans are waiting for.

As for Hunt, this may have marked the last big opportunity of the 40-year-old heavyweight’s career. He was unable to take full advantage of it, which means a precipitous fall down the card is likely.

Werdum and Hunt did everything they could to salvage UFC 180 by putting on a good show, but the predictable result prevented the event from living up to expectations.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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Aldo vs. Mendes 2 Results: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis

Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes locked horns for the second time Saturday at UFC 179, but the result was ultimately the same as Aldo retained the UFC featherweight title in front of his home fans in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The judges all scored the fight 49-…

Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes locked horns for the second time Saturday at UFC 179, but the result was ultimately the same as Aldo retained the UFC featherweight title in front of his home fans in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The judges all scored the fight 49-46, per Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole:

The 28-year-old Brazilian star improved his career record to 25-1, while Mendes fell to 16-2 in suffering his first loss since getting knocked out by Aldo nearly three years ago. Aldo’s unbeaten streak also grows to nearly nine years, per Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer:

Mendes started off the fight well, hitting Aldo with a nice left hook in the first. However, Aldo regained his composure and control of the bout. That round set the tone for what was a thrilling back-and-forth affair.

The fight nearly ended in the third, with Mendes connecting on a massive uppercut on Aldo that had the champion reeling. Aldo responded in kind with an uppercut of his own and attempted to end things right then and there, but Mendes avoided the danger.

The fourth round was Mendes’ best of the fight. He peppered Aldo with strikes but couldn’t find the combination that would put the champion out. The fifth was another close round, with each fighter getting some offense in. But Aldo didn’t make any major mistakes and sealed the victory.

Although there was quite a bit of time between their first and second fights, the bad blood between Aldo and Mendes didn’t wane at all. Shots were fired in both directions during the lead-up to the bout, although “Money” Mendes was largely the aggressor in that regard.

According to UFC on Fox, Mendes wasn’t shy about announcing his intentions prior to Saturday’s clash:

He even went so far as to suggest that Aldo would struggle to beat him due to recent changes in his personal life, per Damon Martin of FoxSports.com.

I think lately he’s just got a lot on his plate. He just got married and had a baby recently. Those two things are very, very time consuming. Those extra days you’d be spending those extra hours in the gym, now he’s rushing home to be with his wife and baby. So those extra hours that he’s missing out on, those are the hours I’m putting in, in the gym. … I think I’ve caught up and passed him up. I truly believe this is my time. We’ve seen his reign for a while, but I’ve studied him, I’ve fought him. I truly believe it’s my turn.

In addition to criticizing Aldo as a fighter, Mendes also bashed him in the media for a perceived lack of effort regarding the promotion of their encounter at UFC 179, according to Mike Bohn of USA Today:

Rather than sitting idly by, Aldo decided to fight fire with fire. The Brazilian champion had bragging rights after beating his American opponent decisively in 2012, and he made it clear that he didn’t believe Mendes has improved significantly since then, per Combate.com (h/t Fernando Arbex of BloodyElbow.com).

I see no difference in his game. He’s still the same person with the same game. He’s maybe more confident but there is nothing that I can see to tell: ‘Oh, the guy has a better striking now.’ No. He has never had a bout with a good striker and fought three rounds against him. In the cage we’ll see who evolved more.

With so much vitriol being spewed between two of the best fighters in the world, Marc Raimondi of FoxSports.com was one of many who eagerly anticipated their rematch:

Aldo and Mendes didn’t disappoint, but now that their bout has come and gone, the focus shifts toward where they each go from here.

The champion has already defeated many of the top contenders within the featherweight division, including Cub Swanson, Frankie Edgar, Ricardo Lamas and Chan Sung Jung. That leaves controversial Irishman Conor McGregor as the next logical opponent.

It has long been assumed that McGregor would fight the winner of this contest, and Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter views it as a virtual lock:

If that is the case, then Mendes will likely have to work his way back through the ranks against the likes of Edgar, Lamas and other skilled featherweights.

Perhaps Mendes will get another shot at Aldo or even a match against McGregor down the line, but Aldo definitely proved Saturday that he is still the king of the featherweight division.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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