Author: Mike Hodges

UFC 144 Final Predictions: Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch

Yushin Okami looks to rebound off his recent loss to Anderson Silva when he returns to his homeland to face middleweight contender Tim Boetsch.Despite his loss to Silva at UFC 134, Okami still is one of the top middleweight contenders in the division. …

Yushin Okami looks to rebound off his recent loss to Anderson Silva when he returns to his homeland to face middleweight contender Tim Boetsch.

Despite his loss to Silva at UFC 134, Okami still is one of the top middleweight contenders in the division. Utilizing a strong wrestling base, Okami imposes his size on his opponents and also displays an improved stand-up game.

Winning three of his last five bouts, Okami will look to continue his success at 185 pounds and work his way back to a title shot.

In his second stint inside the Octagon, Boetsch is 3-1 since re-signing with the organization in 2009.

The 31-year-old recently moved down to the middleweight division and has been undefeated so far, with victories over respectable fighters like Kendall Grove and Nick Ring. Boetsch will hope to remain undefeated when he faces his next test in Okami. 

Boetsch has fared well against the middleweight competition. However, he meets a big step-up in Okami. 

Okami’s wrestling should prove to be the difference in this bout. He should look to take down his opponent and control him with his size and position.

Boetsch should fare well on his feet and mix up his attack to keep Okami hesitant about the takedown. But Okami should overwhelm him fairly easily with his superior grappling to earn the victory via unanimous decision.

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Tito Ortiz Recalls His Bout Against Wanderlei Silva in Japan

As the UFC makes its return to the Saitama Super Arena this weekend, some of the company’s prominent stars shared some of their past experiences since the last time the UFC made a trip to Japan for UFC 25 and UFC 29.Competing on that was former UFC lig…

As the UFC makes its return to the Saitama Super Arena this weekend, some of the company’s prominent stars shared some of their past experiences since the last time the UFC made a trip to Japan for UFC 25 and UFC 29.

Competing on that was former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz, who headlined the event against Wanderlei Silva. 

Ortiz recalled his bout with Silva and said the atmosphere was different from fighting on his home soil in the United States. But the biggest difference to Ortiz was the Japanese crowd.

“You can literally hear a pin drop in between rounds,” Ortiz told ESPN.com. “There, everything was so quiet. I could hear my elbows bust off Wanderlei Silva’s face [at UFC 25].” 

Ortiz would defeat the Brazilian to capture the 205 pound crown on that night, and would eventually go on to cement his legacy as one of the greatest light heavyweight champion’s of all-time.

Now, over 12 years later, the Japanese fans will get another chance to witness another monumental event in UFC 144, which will be headlined a lightweight title fight between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson. 

Ortiz also spoke on how the lifestyle might have an affect on some fighters, especially trying to adapt to the culture.

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” said he wasn’t too keen on Japanese cuisine at the time, but he said some of the food can be beneficial to a fighter’s health, especially when trying to prepare your body prior to the event.

“A lot of fighters may think they don’t want to eat sushi or Japanese food after they weigh in. I’d remind them that’s an option,” he said. “My weight got back up to where I wanted it to be, and my energy was through the roof — I think because the food was so clean.”

UFC 144 is scheduled for this weekend, live from the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo.

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UFC 144: Dana White Says It Was a "Long, Hard-Fought Battle" to Return to Japan

It’s been over a decade since the UFC made their last trip to Japan, but they finally return this weekend with one of the most anticipated cards of the year.However, like most of their international-expansion efforts, it wasn’t necessarily an easy task…

It’s been over a decade since the UFC made their last trip to Japan, but they finally return this weekend with one of the most anticipated cards of the year.

However, like most of their international-expansion efforts, it wasn’t necessarily an easy task.

UFC President Dana White spoke to MMAFighting about the upcoming event this Saturday and admitted the company’s hopes of a Japan return were jeopardized at one point.

“There’s a lot of obstacles you have to jump over when you go and do business in other countries,” White said. “This is a tough place to do business, and especially when the MMA scene just all of sudden collapsed here.”

Mixed martial arts has been a mainstay in Japan for many years, with organizations such as PRIDE FC and DREAM  becoming a fixture within the culture. For a short period of time, PRIDE FC was arguably considered the best organization in the sport, boasting world-class talent such as Wanderlei Silva, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Fedor Emelianenko.

UFC 144 will feature seven fights on the main card, headlined by a lightweight championship bout between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson. And on such an occasion as this weekend, the UFC is hoping to not only promote some of their own talent, but also to attract a new fanbase and begin a long-lasting relationship with the Japanese fans.

White said it’s only a matter of time before they generate the same success in Japan, as they did in other countries such as Canada, England and Brazil.

“Japan has been a long, hard-fought battle,” he said. “Look at us in the United States. Look how long we were around before we got on television there. The same thing is going to happen here.” 

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Rampage Jackson Says He’s "Kinda Tired" of MMA, Focused on a Boxing Career

When the UFC was seeking an opponent for Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to face at UFC 144, it was unlikely that Ryan Bader was high on his list.The former PRIDE star will be just one of the many fighters to be featured on the highly-anticipated card in Jap…

When the UFC was seeking an opponent for Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to face at UFC 144, it was unlikely that Ryan Bader was high on his list.

The former PRIDE star will be just one of the many fighters to be featured on the highly-anticipated card in Japan this weekend. Jackson, who is recently coming off a loss to Jon Jones, looks to reaffirm his stance in the light heavyweight division when he meets up-and-coming prospect Ryan Bader.

While Bader might not be the most appealing name to attract Jackson, he told MMAWeekly.com that he is content on competing against Bader, for the purpose of putting on an entertaining bout for the Japanese fans. 

“Sometimes it is hard to get motivated (for a fight),” Jackson said. “When I fought Matt Hamill, I really wasn’t motivated for that fight, but at the end of the day, it’s my job to fight.”

Originally, “Rampage” had intended on facing Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The Brazilian was the last fighter to defeat him in Japan, and Jackson was hoping to face someone who had instant recognition and could help make their fight more marketable. 

Jackson has not picked up a knockout victory since 2008, and his past performances against Matt Hamill, Keith Jardine and Rashad Evans have left fans a little unsatisfied, and Jackson possibly considering a career change.

Honestly, I am kinda tired of fighting a bunch of wrestlers who want to take me down, I would like to face more striker-based fighters, he said. That’s why I said I’m going to go into boxing and try it out because actually I’m getting kinda bored fighting with guys who just want to take me down all the time. 

It is almost certain Jackson will hope to make the best of his situation on Saturday night, win or lose.

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UFC 144 Fight Card: Questions We Have About Benson Henderson

From the moment he made his UFC debut last year, Benson Henderson put the rest of the lightweight division on notice. His victory over Mark Bocek at UFC 129 was just a glimpse of what fans could expect out of the 28-year-old, as dominant performan…

From the moment he made his UFC debut last year, Benson Henderson put the rest of the lightweight division on notice. 

His victory over Mark Bocek at UFC 129 was just a glimpse of what fans could expect out of the 28-year-old, as dominant performances over Jim Miller and Clay Guida would follow and translate into an opportunity to challenge for the UFC lightweight title.

Now Henderson will get his chance to prove his worth when he meets Frankie Edgar this Saturday at UFC 144.

Edgar is unlike any opponent Henderson has met before, but the same could be said for the champion as well. Henderson is one of the bigger fighter competing at 155 pounds and possesses great wrestling, outstanding submission defense and a well-rounded stand-up game, all of which can give his opponent potential problems.

However, whether he is able to utilize his game plan effectively is entirely different.

Edgar is arguably the best striker in the lightweight division. He has fast hands, quick footwork and makes great use of his angles. The champion also has a great chin and is notorious for starting his bouts slow and being vulnerable. 

One of the questions heading into the bout is how is Henderson going to be able to handle Edgar’s speed and footwork?

Gray Maynard was able to use his wrestling and controlled Edgar en route to a unanimous decision in their first bout in what was Edgar’s first and only loss. 

Henderson is going to have to mix up his attack with a combination of strikes and takedowns, while trying to pressure his opponent and cut off the angles to neutralize his striking. He will compete with Edgar on the feet but his main strength will be in his wrestling, and he’ll want to utilize his grappling as early and as often as possible to tire out his opponent.

Also, will Henderson possess the tools to finish Edgar early in the fight?

The challenger’s striking isn’t as polished as the champion’s but Henderson brings a more versatile set of striking to put his opponent in trouble at any point during the bout.

Henderson is unquestionably the biggest threat to Edgar’s title reign thus far, and while he has a lot of momentum entering the bout, dethroning Edgar is a tougher task than one can imagine.

Henderson will no bigger opportunity than to try and walk away with the lightweight crown when he and Edgar headline the main card.

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Nick Diaz Expresses Disgust After UFC 143 Loss to Carlos Condit

In a recent video blog featuring UFC president Dana White, the UFC gave fans an exclusive look at UFC 143.Following the event, fans were shown backstage footage of both Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit after their main event bout for the UFC interim title. …

In a recent video blog featuring UFC president Dana White, the UFC gave fans an exclusive look at UFC 143.

Following the event, fans were shown backstage footage of both Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit after their main event bout for the UFC interim title. Diaz was visibly upset at the results and voiced his frustration with his camp while being attended to by medical staff.

The Stockton, California native subsequently didn’t appear at the post-fight press conference.

“Ha, I’m not going to no press conference,” Diaz said when ordered by UFC staff to attend the press conference.

Diaz lost a controversial decision to Condit, but will now face disciplinary action after it was revealed he tested positive for marijuana.

As for Condit, he will now meet UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre later this year in a unification title bout.

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