Author: Mike Hodges

UFC 139 Predictions: Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles

Two former WEC champions are set to face-off when bantamweights Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles meet each other on the main card. A victory for either Faber or Bowles will re-enter them back into the title picture at 135 pounds. Faber will be c…

Two former WEC champions are set to face-off when bantamweights Urijah Faber and Brian Bowles meet each other on the main card. 

A victory for either Faber or Bowles will re-enter them back into the title picture at 135 pounds. 

Faber will be coming into this bout looking to prove that he remains a competitive force in the bantamweight division since falling short to the champion, Dominick Cruz, earlier this year in a close, hard-fought bout at UFC 132.

Despite the loss, “The California Kid” showed a lot of heart and skill, as he came close to putting the champion in danger on a few occasions. Possessing quickness, unorthodox striking and solid wrestling credentials, Faber will hopes to utilize his skills in order to claim the win. 

Bowles, who previously held the bantamweight title while competing in the WEC, has made a successful transition thus far in the UFC, currently holding a two-fight winning streak. Bowles showed off his skills to UFC fans, showing technical striking and a strong submission game, proving that he belongs among the elite competitors in the bantamweight division. 

Coincidentally, both Faber and Bowles have suffered losses to Cruz, so it is very likely to see both competitors put on a performance and enter the bout determined to earn the victory. 

While both fighters possess speed and technique in their striking skills, it is Faber who is much more well-rounded and the more dynamic striker. Faber will want to keep this bout remaining on the feet as much as possible, so he can utilize his speed to force Bowles to commit to striking and pick him apart with his unorthodox counter-striking. 

Bowles is efficient on the ground, however, Faber’s wrestling skills and submission defense should prevent the former WEC bantamweight champion from gaining an advantage. Faber is a more accomplished grappler and is the superior fighter overall. 

Look for Faber to dictate the fight with his speed and pick apart his opponent with his dynamic offense en route to a unanimous decision.

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Junior Dos Santos Returns Home to Brazil Following UFC on FOX

Following his knockout victory over Cain Velasquez, newly-crowned UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos returned to his homeland of Brazil.The Brazilian received a hero’s welcome as he entered through a crowd of people, with a rendition of the fam…

Following his knockout victory over Cain Velasquez, newly-crowned UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos returned to his homeland of Brazil.

The Brazilian received a hero’s welcome as he entered through a crowd of people, with a rendition of the famed Rocky theme playing in the background (his walkout music).

Overwhelmed by the media and fans, “Cigano” was visibly happy and eager to celebrate his well-deserved victory with fans in attendance. 

Dos Santos remains undefeated in the UFC, boasting a 8-0 record, and he is expected to make his first title defense against the winner of UFC 141’s headliner between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem.

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UFC 139: Cung Le Is Confident in His Skills To Knock Out Wanderlei Silva

After spending nearly a year away from mixed martial arts, Sanshou specialist Cung Le prepares to make his anticipated debut at UFC 139. In his upcoming bout, he faces aggressive Muay Thai striker Wanderlei Silva, whose career has declined since 2…

After spending nearly a year away from mixed martial arts, Sanshou specialist Cung Le prepares to make his anticipated debut at UFC 139. 

In his upcoming bout, he faces aggressive Muay Thai striker Wanderlei Silva, whose career has declined since 2007. Silva has gone 2-4 in his last six appearances. 

But despite Silva’s decline, Le isn’t taking his opponent lightly.

“I definitely can’t look past Wanderlei. People say ‘Oh, he’s got no chin’ or whatever, but a lot of people rise to the occasion,” Le told MMAWeekly.com. “When a fighter’s back is against the wall, they’re the most dangerous.”

After spending time away from the Octagon to appear in movies, the former Strikeforce middleweight champion found himself getting back into shape and training on a regular basis. After enlisting the services of fellow teammate Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal from the American Kickboxing Academy, Le is ready to compete once again. 

Le said he has always admired the Brazilian for his aggressive style and is aware that Silva plans to put on a performance for the fans on Saturday night. Le intends to do the same.

“Why hold back? If I hold back he’s going to come at me anyways, so you might as well throw something at him, because if it catches him, it could be goodnight,” he said. “In the fight, I get to throw hard and let go.”

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UFC 139: Shogun Rua Says Dan Henderson Is Still a Dangerous Fighter

Although these competitors never crossed paths during their tenures in PRIDE FC, an anticipated bout between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson was bound to happen at some point.Thankfully, the bout will materialize this weekend when both Rua and …

Although these competitors never crossed paths during their tenures in PRIDE FC, an anticipated bout between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson was bound to happen at some point.

Thankfully, the bout will materialize this weekend when both Rua and Henderson headline UFC 139 in front of a sold out arena at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. A win for either Henderson or Rua will catapult one of them into the title picture at 205 pounds.

And in a bout that has taken nearly five years to setup, Rua is just happy to face the former PRIDE champion. 

“Back in the PRIDE days, I always thought that this fight could happen,” Rua told MMAJunkie.com. “But PRIDE collapsed, and the fight never happened. But here we are now.”

Both fighters have endured separate career paths since the Japanese-based promotion was acquired by the UFC in 2007.

Rua would begin his UFC career with a disappointing loss to Forrest Griffin, but rebounded with wins over fighters like Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman and Lyoto Machida, capturing the UFC light heavyweight title in the process. 

After dropping both the PRIDE light heavyweight and middleweight titles in back-to-back losses to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Anderson Silva, Henderson would go on a three-fight win streak, which included a highlight reel knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100.

Henderson was acquired by Strikeforce in 2009, where he would earn victories over Renato Sobral, Rafael Cavalcante and Fedor Emelianenko. It’s evident that Henderson has a handful of experience to his name at the age of 41, yet Rua still considers him a legitimate threat in the light heavyweight division. 

“He was always an aggressive fighter and he still is,” he said. “He has very heavy hands and very heavy strikes. He’s evolved, but he’s always been a dangerous fighter.”

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Dana White’s Criticism of Cain Velasquez Hurts The UFC’s Image

While the UFC’s inaugural event on Fox Sports appeared to be a success with fans, UFC President Dana White continues to be a hit or miss with critics. Following the event, White publicly criticized former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez af…

While the UFC’s inaugural event on Fox Sports appeared to be a success with fans, UFC President Dana White continues to be a hit or miss with critics. 

Following the event, White publicly criticized former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez after his performance against Junior dos Santos. The highly anticipated title bout served as the main event, which saw dos Santos knock out Velasquez in only 64 seconds to be crowned the new UFC heavyweight champion. 

Needless to say, White wasn’t impressed and did a poor job of promoting either competitor during the post-fight press conference:

“Listen, I’m no strategist and I’m nobody’s coach but I don’t understand why they didn’t go for the shot early. They should have shot in on Junior Dos Santos knowing that he has the power early in the fight and tries to knock you out. But the truth is that Junior Dos Santos gets tired at the end of fights, you know? Here he is standing right in front of him trying to trade and bang with Junior Dos Santos and gets hit with that big right hand right behind the ear and down he goes. Down goes his heavyweight championship. I’ll say it again, not saying that I’m some strategy coach but I don’t know why they wouldn’t take the shot on him and wrestle early.” 

White’s remarks certainly indicate as if Velasquez had no real game plan in mind and that dos Santos is not as credible as he looks; he ultimately hurt both fighters’ reputations—and credibility—among the media and fans.

Not to mention, White is one of the central figures of the company and while the UFC did their best efforts to attract a new fanbase, the UFC boss’ words are able to sway the casual fans opinion’s in order to become less invested into two of the company’s attractive stars. 

This isn’t the first time White’s comments have come into question regarding his professionalism as a promoter. If the UFC expects to attract a new fanbase and become accepted by mainstream media, the outspoken boss should reaffirm his stance and focus on other priorities of his job than just being seen as a public figure. 

Although White’s colorful personality might offend some people, it is part of his image. His image has helped the UFC gain a national fanbase. It has earned the company a reputation for being edgy and real. 

However, if White is unable to remain unbiased and create a positive outlook to help build the fighters into stars, and allow fans to become interested for themselves rather than influencing them with his opinion, then maybe White isn’t the right man to lead the company in the right direction. 

White should step back and control the UFC how he envisions it, but leave the promotional aspect to the fighters because his current position is hurting the company’s image.

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Wanderlei Silva Says Anderson Silva Helped Him Prepare for Cung Le

Walking into what might possibly be his final bout, Wanderlei Silva has prepared himself to walk into UFC 139 with one intention: to win. The Brazilian has gone 1-1 since dropping down to 185 lbs, but he has yet to score a decisive victory inside …

Walking into what might possibly be his final bout, Wanderlei Silva has prepared himself to walk into UFC 139 with one intention: to win. 

The Brazilian has gone 1-1 since dropping down to 185 lbs, but he has yet to score a decisive victory inside the Octagon since knocking out Keith Jardine in 2008.

To help get prepared and familiarized with Cung Le and his unorthodox style, Silva has enlisted the services of some the sport’s top fighters, including UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

In an interview with TATAME.com, Silva said he enjoyed his time training with “The Spider” and he praised the champion for his skills and intelligence as a martial artist.

“He’s got a pretty evolved way of seeing martial arts. His coaches must be congratulated, they’ve built a super athlete,” Silva said. “Back there we noticed his potential, he knew great Boxing and how to move, but he overcame himself and became one of the best of all time.”

Silva’s career has been on the decline for a few years and UFC President Dana White has made it clear that “The Axe Murderer” should no longer continue fighting. Silva has accumulated a UFC record of 2-4 since his acquisition from Pride FC in 2007. Despite his boss’s wishes, Silva doesn’t see a reason to retire momentarily, although there will be a lot of pressure on him to perform well this weekend. 

“The training makes you more confident, so I’m feeling fine. It’s normal to be under pressure,” he said. “I’m fighting professionally for 15 years, and it’s always been like that.”

While he does hold a lot of experience to his name, Silva will look to put on an entertaining bout for the fans, regardless of the outcome. His skills might have diminished over time, but his passion for the sport is still alive and well and it is what makes him still want to fight and compete. 

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