Author: Mike Chiari

Johnson vs. Cariaso Results: Winner, Recap and Analysis

Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson entered his UFC 178 bout with Chris Cariaso as a massive favorite, and Mighty Mouse didn’t disappoint as he successfully defended his title via second-round submission.
UFC on Fox tweeted the result:

The reigning …

Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson entered his UFC 178 bout with Chris Cariaso as a massive favorite, and Mighty Mouse didn’t disappoint as he successfully defended his title via second-round submission.

UFC on Fox tweeted the result:

The reigning champion took control of the fight from the outset. His ability to dictate the fight whether standing, in the clinch or on the mat showed he was the better fighter from the start. The flurry that rocked Cariaso at the end of the first round showed Mighty Mouse could finish it.

The second round was all about domination in the grappling department for Johnson. From the outset he was able to take the challenger to the ground and do what he wanted. After landing some ground-and-pound from the crucifix, the champion added the submission victory to his record via kimura.

The 28-year-old Johnson improved his career record to 21-2-1 and hasn’t lost since falling to Dominick Cruz nearly three years ago. Cariaso, on the other hand, is now 17-6 and unlikely to receive another title shot in the immediate future.

This win also marks Johnson’s fifth successful title defense since becoming the inaugural UFC flyweight champion. He is quickly becoming one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.

There wasn’t much belief among MMA pundits that Cariaso had a legitimate shot to win on Saturday. He was on a bit of a roll with three straight wins entering the fight, but Greg Savage of Sherdog.com didn’t view him as a true threat:

That feeling was ultimately confirmed, but Johnson made it clear prior to the fight that he didn’t intend to take the underdog lightly. According to Bleacher Report’s Duane Finley, Johnson was extremely complimentary of his opponent before their encounter.

He is a good matchup, and Chris (Cariaso) is a tough guy. He always comes to fight and is a very durable guy. He’s able to take a lot of punishment and is always game. He’s always up to fight, and I think it is going to be a good one. My camp and I are prepared, and we are ready to go out there and fight.

Cariaso didn’t exactly offer up the same level of respect. In fact, Kamikaze dismissed his underdog status and insisted that he would take it to the champion, per Marc Raimondi of FoxSports.com.

“He’s going to get dominated,” Cariaso said. “Everybody has always been beatable. Looking at Mighty Mouse, yeah he’s been dominant in his last couple of fights, but I definitely see holes in his game, and I definitely think he’s beatable.”

Perhaps Johnson is beatable, but Cariaso simply didn’t have the tools necessary to get the job done. This fight was his big break; however, he’ll have to make way for a new challenger the next time Johnson puts the title on the line.

Johnson has taken on and defeated all comers during his run as flyweight champ. According to UFC.com, John Dodson, Joseph Benavidez and Ian McCall are the next three in line for a shot at the title, but Johnson has already defeated all of them.

He has also beaten No. 5 John Moraga, so it is possible that No. 4 Jussier Formiga could be an option. Cariaso has already lost to Formiga, so that bout would make sense to some degree.

Regardless of who Johnson faces next, it is safe to assume that he will be a significant favorite. Much like Jon Jones has dominated the UFC light heavyweight division, Johnson is starting to do the same in the flyweight ranks.

Even if nobody can pose a legitimate threat to Johnson’s crown, he has quickly developed into one of UFC’s top fighters due to his transcendent ability. Cariaso experienced it firsthand at UFC 178, and he will hardly be the last.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Alvarez vs. Cerrone Results: Winner, Recap and Analysis

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s ascent up the lightweight ranks continued Saturday night with an impressive unanimous decision victory over UFC newcomer Eddie Alvarez at UFC 178.
MMA Junkie tweeted the scores for the fight:

After an extended feeling out pe…

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s ascent up the lightweight ranks continued Saturday night with an impressive unanimous decision victory over UFC newcomer Eddie Alvarez at UFC 178.

MMA Junkie tweeted the scores for the fight:

After an extended feeling out period for both fighters highlighted by leg kicks, Alvarez showed the explosiveness that created the hype surrounding his debut. The former Bellator champion rocked Cerrone with a flurry of dirty boxing.

But putting away a veteran contender like Cerrone is not an easy task. Cowboy not only survived the flurry, but rebounded to mount some offense as the first frame came to its conclusion.

Round 2 opened with Cerrone maintaining the distance and utilizing leg and body kicks to seize the momentum. With Alvarez lead left leg clearly affected by Cerrone’s kicks, Alvarez looked to take the fight to the mat, but was unsuccessful.

With each fighter seemingly claiming a round, the final round provided the stage for a dash to the finish. Neither fighter failed to live up to their end of the bargain. Despite apparent limited motion due to the leg kicks Alvarez put together some combinations, but it was once again Cowboy who was able to land the more impressive strikes.

With 1:30 left in the final frame another leg kick from Cerrone buckled Alvarez and finish the fight with top control.

Alvarez made quite a name for himself at 155 pounds with Bellator, but some were skeptical about his ability to make the transition to a higher level of competition. The Silent Assassin was thrown into the fire immediately and ran into a buzz saw in the form of Cerrone.

The Alvarez vs. Cerrone encounter was one of the most highly anticipated fights in quite some time. Both combatants have a penchant for exciting the crowd, and they didn’t disappoint in that regard. According to UFC Tonight, Alvarez knew what he was getting himself into when he signed up to fight Cerrone:

While Alvarez was stepping into a difficult situation against someone as aggressive as Cerrone, it was a high-reward fight for both men with the winner potentially getting a future shot at the UFC Lightweight title in the near future.

Cerrone represents a rare breed of fighter, which is likely why much of the focus was on him prior to Saturday’s event. The 31-year-old star doesn’t hesitate to fight anyone put in front of him, and he competes far more frequently than any other top fighter.

As pointed out by TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, the Alvarez fight marked Cerrone’s ninth in a little over two years:

Alvarez entered Saturday’s bout as the fresher fighter having competed just thrice in the same amount of time that saw Cerrone fight on nine occasions. That is clearly a routine that works for Cerrone, though, as he didn’t appear to be worn out whatsoever.

Cerrone also isn’t much for strategy or game planning. Prior to UFC 178, Cerrone even admitted to Damon Martin of FoxSports.com that he had never previously seen an Alvarez fight.

I’m familiar with him. I’ve never seen the guy fight, which is crazy I know. I hear that all the time ‘you’ve never seen him fight?’ The only video I’ve seen of Eddie is this little pre-clip they showed for the fight. That’s it. I haven’t Googled him, I don’t care. On my radar? Not really. I don’t give a (expletive). Just whoever they give me.

Cerrone has had a lot of success with that care-free attitude, and it worked to his advantage yet again at UFC 178. Perhaps Cerrone was playing coy to create the illusion that he wasn’t worried about Alvarez. Regardless of his true motivations, Cerrone was obviously well prepared. 

 

Alvarez is now 0-1 in UFC and 25-4 overall. He was the Bellator Lightweight champion before moving up to UFC, so the 30-year-old native of Philadelphia knows what it takes to win gold, but he’ll now have to wait his turn in line behind Cerrone and others.

Conversely, the win makes Cerrone to 25-6 with one no contest. It also extends a five-fight winning streak that has him on track to potentially get a rematch with Anthony Pettis should he defeat Gilbert Melendez later in the year.

If nothing else, this fight proves that the lightweight division may very well be the crown jewel of UFC. There are so many viable contenders capable of putting on fight of the year candidates on any given night. Alvarez and Cerrone are two of the best in that regard, and they will continue to anchor pay-per-views for a long time to come.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Weidman vs. Machida Results: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis

Chris Weidman continued his impressive run through the best competition MMA has to offer, as he successfully retained his UFC Middleweight Championship Saturday against Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 via unanimous decision.
MMA Junkie tweeted out the result…

Chris Weidman continued his impressive run through the best competition MMA has to offer, as he successfully retained his UFC Middleweight Championship Saturday against Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 via unanimous decision.

MMA Junkie tweeted out the result:

Round 1 of the title fight came and went without too much action. While Machida appeared content to sit back in his karate stance and wait on Weidman, The All-American’s leg and body kicks were the only thing to stand out in the round.

As the fight progressed into the second, it appeared that it would be the same song and dance until Weidman scored a takedown with just under a minute left. The Dragon would ultimately make his way back to the feet but not before the champion scored some ground-and-pound.

Although Machida showed more signs of life in the second round, the third round would be much more in the champion’s favor. After securing a takedown early in the round, he also tagged Machida multiple times in the stand-up department. With Machida’s face bloodied and battered, Weidman once again went to work on the ground.

But defending the belt against a contender like Machida is never easy. Weidman’s first career fourth round was a difficult one, as The Dragon rallied behind a clean left hand that stunned Weidman and opened up more and more scoring opportunities as the round carried on.

Jeremy Botter of Bleacher Report noted the apparent exhaustion of Weidman:

The fifth and final frame gave fans fireworks as both combatants looked to earn the finish. However, it was Weidman who highlighted the round with a timely takedown that appeared to have sealed the round for the champion.

Weidman entered the fight as the favorite after defeating UFC legend Anderson Silva twice. Weidman proved that he isn’t a flash in the pan by beating another of the biggest names the sport has ever seen.

The All-American improved his perfect record to 12-0 and continued to establish himself as the class of the middleweight division. The 36-year-old Machida put up a fight, but he had a difficult time keeping up with a younger and sprier opponent.

For Weidman, this win is very much about validation. While it isn’t quite fair to say that his wins over Silva were considered a fluke by some, there were definitely reservations regarding his status as an elite fighter. 

According to Mark La Monica of New York Newsday, Weidman set out to prove that he deserved that designation, and that is precisely what he did.

After becoming champion and then beating Anderson Silva a second time, a hundred percent I had to change my mindset. But it happened naturally, right away.

All these new goals started coming up inside me, boiling up to where instantly I had something else to search for and I wasn’t able to feel comfortable with what I’ve already accomplished. I moved on to “I have to dominate everyone in my weight class.”

This next fight, I want to set myself apart from everyone else, let everybody know that I’m going to be the guy here for a while.

With Weidman looking for respect, and Machida hoping to knock off the fastest-rising star in MMA, there was plenty to like about this fight going in. Although the bout seemingly wasn’t as hyped as most, those within the sport knew that it would be a good one.

Fighter Cathal Pendred pointed to Weidman vs. Machida as the fight to watch during a stacked week of MMA action:

Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter echoed those sentiments as well:

While there is no question that Machida entered Saturday’s contest with confidence based on everything he has accomplished over the course of his career, he was well aware of the caliber of opponent he was about to face, per Marc Raimondi of FoxSports.com.

“There’s no doubt he’s the champion,” Machida said. “He’s the best there is in the weight class right now. He won those fights. You can’t take away those merits.”

Machida learned firsthand just how good Weidman really was as the 30-year-old champion was able to take down yet another big name. With several massive victories in a row now on his resume, it is difficult for anyone to call Weidman a fluke at this point.

From Machida’s perspective, it will be interesting to see where he goes from here. He is still capable of competing with some of the very best fighters in the world, but he is getting up there in age, and there is no doubt that retirement will become a hot topic.

Weidman has no such worries. Intriguing contenders will line up to get a shot at him, with Vitor Belfort potentially leading the way. Belfort was originally supposed to take on Weidman rather than Machida, but the banning of testosterone replacement therapy caused the can to be kicked down the road since Belfort was a beneficiary of that, according to Damon Martin of FoxSports.com.

Beating a guy like Belfort would be another feather in Weidman’s cap, but doing so won’t be easy if UFC decides to go in that direction. It is a fight that fans would unquestionably love to see, though, especially after Weidman proved his worth at UFC 175.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Rousey vs. Davis Results: Winner, Recap and Analysis

Ronda Rousey once again proved to be the class of women’s MMA Saturday night at UFC 175, as she defeated Alexis Davis to retain the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship for the fourth time.
And it didn’t even take her 20 seconds. As soon as the bell r…

Ronda Rousey once again proved to be the class of women’s MMA Saturday night at UFC 175, as she defeated Alexis Davis to retain the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship for the fourth time.

And it didn’t even take her 20 seconds. As soon as the bell rang, Rousey wasted no time in judo tossing Davis to the mat and finishing her in 16 seconds. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani tweeted the result:

With the victory, Rousey is a perfect 10-0 with no real signs of slowing down. Davis was riding a five-fight winning streak of her own entering the bout, but Rousey was clinical as usual and strengthened her standing atop the sport.

At this point, perhaps the only thing that can slow her down is herself. According to UFC on Fox, Rousey intends to take a hiatus from UFC in the wake of her latest triumph:

As vicious as Saturday’s fight was, there was certainly mutual respect between the two combatants. Rousey has done a lot to bring women’s MMA to the mainstream due to her dominance in the Octagon and her success in other realms. Per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, Davis is grateful for Rousey’s contributions in that regard:

Ronda is great for this sport and for women’s athletes in general. She’s a very talented person and it’s great that she’s been able to not only do all of these movies, but to bring attention not only to herself but to women’s fighting. She’s helped all of us because she’s helped (the media) understand how good these athletes are.

Rousey reciprocated kind words leading up to the fight. She has already faced many of the biggest names in women’s MMA, but she lauded Davis for her preparation and overall skill set, according to Fighters Only:

Despite the challenges that Davis posed, Rousey was ultimately able to come out on top as she had each and every time prior. With Rousey continuing to dominate all comers, one can’t help but wonder what needs to be done in order to provide a true challenge.

When push comes to shove, no one might be able to push Rousey to the limits in a UFC fight. She’s an Olympic bronze medalist in judo and well-schooled in other forms of fighting as well. In fact, Rousey recently made a controversial statement regarding her ability to potentially adapt to jiu-jitsu, per MMAFighting.com via Damon Martin on Fox Sports’ The Great MMA Debate podcast.

One thing that I couldn’t stand when I was just watching MMA and coming from Judo was all these people talking about how the Jiu Jitsu people would beat any Judo player. It was such a stereotype that I thought, and still think, that I could beat any girl in the world, any weight division, gi or no-gi, black belt and in any rule set they want, in just pure Jiu Jitsu.

Rousey has conquered everything she has put her mind to thus far, so it would be quite interesting to see how she would fare in such a scenario. Rousey has become such a massive draw for the UFC, though, that one can only assume she will be with the company for a long time to come.

Even if she continues to mow down the competition, there is still plenty of appeal. In many ways, her run is reminiscent of what Mike Tyson did in boxing during the mid-to-late 1980s.

Although nobody offered up much resistance against Tyson during that period, boxing fans were riveted and wanted to see him turn aside challenger after challenger in dominant fashion.

That is what Rousey has done to this point, and all signs point toward her continuing to do it in the immediate future. The fact that she has increased the popularity of women’s MMA may ultimately breed bigger and better challenges down the line, but Rousey is still the queen of the sport for now.

Based on her performance at UFC 175, she doesn’t plan on surrendering her throne anytime soon.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Faber vs. Caceres: Winner, Recap and Analysis

Urijah Faber bounced back from his crushing UFC 169 loss to Renan Barao in a big way Saturday as he defeated Alex Caceres in a UFC 175 bantamweight bout via submission in the third round.
MMA Junkie tweeted the result:

Faber went right to work in the …

Urijah Faber bounced back from his crushing UFC 169 loss to Renan Barao in a big way Saturday as he defeated Alex Caceres in a UFC 175 bantamweight bout via submission in the third round.

MMA Junkie tweeted the result:

Faber went right to work in the first round. The Team Alpha Male fighter wasted no time in dragging Caceres to the ground and holding him there for the duration of the round, setting the tone for a one-sided affair. 

The second round saw Caceres experience a little more success but nothing to write home about. He worked his way up to the feet after a pair of takedowns, but the moments in which he tagged his veteran opponent were few and far between. 

By the third round, the young Caceres had played with fire too long. As many opponents have found out, you can’t grapple too long with Faber without being caught. A careless scramble from Bruce Leeroy led to his demise. 

The California Kid improved his record to 31-7 with the victory, while Caceres suffered his first loss since UFC 143 in 2012. Caceres entered the fight as a massive underdog against the more seasoned and successful Faber, and things held true to form.

Although this certainly wasn’t one of Faber’s highest-profile fights, many were shocked by its placement on the card. Faber and Caceres headlined the preliminary slate on Fox Sports 1, which is almost unheard of for someone with Faber’s popularity.

He is such a high-caliber fighter that the decision to put him on the prelims took Sportsnet’s Joe Ferraro by surprise:

As much as Faber seemed out of place that early on the card, Dann Stupp of USA Today was able to see the logic behind it:

One might think that Faber was put in that position against his will, but that wasn’t the case. According to Submission Radio via BloodyElbow.com, Faber actually preferred the guaranteed exposure of being on free television:

You know, for me it actually makes a little more sense. It’s the main event on the free card, the Fox Sports 1 card, so you know I think as far as exposure goes, I’ll probably get a wider view for more viewers that don’t have to pay. I think the PPV numbers haven’t necessarily been as high as they used to be, so for me it makes more sense.

I’m the featured fight on the free card right before the PPV, and I don’t get piece of that PPV anyway, so I’d rather more people watched the fights.

The fans who tuned in early got to see Faber put on a clinic against a hungry opponent. Most probably figured that Caceres was overmatched heading in, since his resume didn’t quite measure up to Faber’s.

In fact, Caceres even getting a shot at Faber was somewhat unexpected. It speaks to Caceres’ persistence, though, as he petitioned UFC President Dana White to put him up against one of the better all-around fighters in UFC.

According to Ryan Yamamoto of KXTV, however, White offered Caceres fair warning.

“Alex wanted that fight, he begged for the fight, he begged to fight Urijah Faber,” White said. “I’m weird like that if somebody wants something that bad, I’ll give it to them, but be careful what you ask for.”

Caceres’ ambition is impressive, but he may have bitten off more than he could chew. Caceres never faced someone at Faber’s level before, so it didn’t come as a particularly big surprise when Faber took control.

Perhaps the attention that Caceres received by earning this fight will help him get more high-profile opponents in the future, but it is clear that he isn’t quite ready for prime time.

Faber, on the other hand, did well to get back on a winning track. He has now won five of his past six fights and is working his way back toward title contention. He likely would have had to wait awhile for another title shot had Barao kept the strap, but the Brazilian dropped it to TJ Dillashaw.

Faber has yet to face Dillashaw, and there is no question that UFC fans would love to see that fight. White is all about drawing money and attention, so there is little doubt that he will do everything possible to set up Faber vs. Dillashaw at some point in the near future.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Ronda Rousey Must Win at UFC 175 to Maintain Women’s MMA’s Popularity

Not only is Ronda Rousey the biggest star in women’s MMA, but it can also be argued that she is the biggest star in MMA as a whole. With that in mind, a victory over Alexis Davis at UFC 175 is paramount in terms of continuing the growth of her division…

Not only is Ronda Rousey the biggest star in women’s MMA, but it can also be argued that she is the biggest star in MMA as a whole. With that in mind, a victory over Alexis Davis at UFC 175 is paramount in terms of continuing the growth of her division.

Rousey is a perfect 9-0, and she will put the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship on the line Saturday night. Rousey is a heavy favorite due largely to her devastating armbar, but Davis poses an interesting challenge with her jiu-jitsu background.

While parity is usually a good thing in sports, that isn’t necessarily the case when it comes to a growing one like women’s MMA.

There is no question that there are many skilled and talented female fighters in the UFC right now. Hardcore MMA fans are fully aware of that, but many fringe followers watch only for Rousey due to her mainstream appeal.

Having a single dominant force like Rousey is important for the sport right now. More stars will emerge over time, but nobody is ready to assume that role quite yet.

Rousey is popular not only because she is a great fighter, but also because she stars in other realms such as movies and oozes charisma as well. Some might argue that Davis might be capable of carrying the flag for women’s MMA if she hands Rousey her first loss, but they are two very different people.

As pointed out by UFC Canada, Davis isn’t a particularly boisterous individual:

According to MMAjunkie.com, that is a fact that Davis admits and views as the main thing that has held her back during her career:

I’m going to be fair: I kind of brought it on myself a lot. … Look, obviously Ronda got where she was. She’s very vocal, and she backed it up wholeheartedly. But that’s one thing I always say I’ve had to work on. I think I would have got a title shot long before if I had that ability more.

Fighters who refrain from talking trash can still be valuable assets, but they will struggle to carry the brand. Rousey is the total package in that regard, so it is important that she remains undefeated.

Purists will tune in to see a competitive fight, but casual fans want to see stars like Rousey win in dominant fashion. She will still have some level of appeal if she loses; however, a blemish on her record will definitely reduce the luster.

On top of that, Rousey is fully committed to leading the charge for women’s MMA. It was initially revealed that Rousey planned to take some time off following UFC 175 regardless of the result, according to UFC on Fox:

Despite that, Rousey admitted that she would be willing to fight again as soon as UFC’s next pay-per-view if necessary, per Marc Raimondi of FoxSports.com:

That pretty much says it all about Rousey‘s mentality. She will always have her detractors, and there will always be people gunning for her, but there is no questioning her importance to women’s MMA.

The sport was somewhat on the ascent prior to Rousey bursting onto the scene; however, she has brought it mainstream and forced the UFC to take notice. She is women’s MMA and will continue to be for as long as she remains on top of her game.

For the sake of women’s MMA, a Rousey win at UFC 175 is unquestionably the desired result.

 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com