We are only one week away from witnessing one of the most anticipated UFC events of the year.Fans will finally see the culmination of a back-and forth trilogy between lightweights Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, as they are set to headline UFC 136.Edga…
We are only one week away from witnessing one of the most anticipated UFC events of the year.
Fans will finally see the culmination of a back-and forth trilogy between lightweights Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, as they are set to headline UFC 136.
Edgar and Maynard have fought on two previous occasions. Their latest encounter ended in controversy, as both competitors fought to a unanimous draw at UFC 125. After reoccurring injuries and setbacks to both fighters, Edgar and Maynard now look to square off in a rubber match to determine the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.
Also on the card is a co-main event matchup that will see UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo defend his title against Kenny Florian, plus a middleweight bout featuring Chael Sonnen and Brian Stann.
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan previews the upcoming card with a complete breakdown of the two title bouts, along with in-depth analysis and exclusive interviews.
UFC 136 is next weekend, live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Let the trash talk begin. Ever since Jon Jones’ ascension to the top of the light heavyweight division, there has been a rift between him and former teammate Rashad Evans. The tension between the two rivals ultimately divided the camp and forced E…
Let the trash talk begin.
Ever since Jon Jones’ ascension to the top of the light heavyweight division, there has been a rift between him and former teammate Rashad Evans. The tension between the two rivals ultimately divided the camp and forced Evans to leave. He now resides in Boca Raton, Florida and trains at Imperial Athletics.
The two competitors have continuously traded verbal jabs at each other, but now that both of them will meet in a future title bout, the tension between them couldn’t be anymore real.
Evans was a guest on ProMMA Radio and discussed Jones’ recent win and the opportunity of facing his former teammate.
“He looked like his stand-up got a little better and it got a little crisper,” Evans said regarding Jones’ performance at UFC 135. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to try to switch up the game plan and try and come with something different that he don’t think I’m going to be ready for.”
Jones’ victory over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was another effortless performance put on display by the 24-year-old champion, which saw him pick apart Jackson, while utilizing distance with strikes and leg kicks, before submitting him in the fourth round.
Evans was nothing but complimentary towards Jones, but despite his dominant performance, Evans said he saw he weaknesses in the champion’s game, which he thinks he can exploit.
“Right now, this dude is on cloud nine. He thinks he’s God’s gift to the fight game,” he said. “Now that he’s beat ‘Rampage,’ he’s gonna think that there’s nothing I could do. He’s seen my style and he’s gonna think there’s nothing I can do. He’s gonna go out there and just try and embarrass me. He thinks it’s gonna be an easy fight, but he’s gonna find out different.”
As the debate continues to wage on regarding Jon Jones’ competition, there is no question that he is the best fighter in the 205-pound division. Fresh off of his victory over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135, few would wonder who could actuall…
As the debate continues to wage on regarding Jon Jones‘ competition, there is no question that he is the best fighter in the 205-pound division.
Fresh off of his victory over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135, few would wonder who could actually challenge the champion and end his title reign.
While discussing Jones’ recent win on the MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo, trainer Mike Winklejohn spoke of the light heavyweight champion’s progression thus far in his career.
“The game plan was definitely break Quinton down: Let’s break his legs down, let’s break his body down, let’s slow him down and stay away from his big bombs and then anything you want to do,” Winklejohn said. “Jon just comes from a wrestling background so all this is new, so he’s still trying to figure out all the striking out and doing really well with it.”
Jones’ recent success inside the UFC is something very few fighters can accomplish in that short amount of time. With dominant victories over such fighters as Ryan Bader and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Jones has solidified himself as one of the premier fighters in mixed martial arts today. Not to mention, he just turned 24 years old. Combined with athleticism, intelligence and an unprecedented 84.5 inch reach, it’s quite easy to imagine just how much Jones is capable of accomplishing in his career.
Most recently, fans have requested to see Jones square off against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. And while the thought of seeing both fighters face off seems intriguing, stylistically, Winklejohn doesn’t believe the Brazilian would fare well.
“With his stand-up I think Jon brings many more strikes to the table than Anderson has, a lot more variety,” he said. “I think, you know, Anderson would use his length and pick his shot against people. With Jon coming in at so many different angles from a long range, I definitely don’t think that’s a good fight for Anderson.”
While speculation continues to grow regarding Jones’ next opponent, Winklejohn said they’re taking it one day at a time, hoping to establish a legacy in the light heavyweight division.
“I think we’re here to stay in the Light Heavyweight division for a while and build a legend, something that hasn’t been done in a little bit of a while,” he said.
As 2011 comes full circle, the UFC has provided fans with some exciting title bouts. Each title bout had its own storyline and implications for its respective division, and each fighter put on a great performance. And as we near the end of an…
As 2011 comes full circle, the UFC has provided fans with some exciting title bouts.
Each title bout had its own storyline and implications for its respective division, and each fighter put on a great performance. And as we near the end of another memorable year in mixed martial arts, there are still more title bouts to be seen.
We’ll look at the rest of the title bouts scheduled this year, power ranking them in order of importance, impact and relevance.
Despite his best efforts, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was unsuccessful in his attempt to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title against Jon Jones at UFC 135. However, Jackson appears to have moved past his recent loss and now looks to the future. H…
Despite his best efforts, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was unsuccessful in his attempt to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title against Jon Jones at UFC 135.
However, Jackson appears to have moved past his recent loss and now looks to the future. He requested a rematch with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua shortly after the Jones bout and hoped to face him when the UFC returns to Japan next year.
But after learning that Rua is already scheduled to face Dan Henderson in November, Jackson redirected his focus on another opponent.
“I’ll fight Forrest [Griffin] in Japan, me and Forrest just lost, put two losers in there together,” Jackson told Fightline.com.
Jackson and Griffin previously met for the UFC light heavyweight crown at UFC 86 in 2008. The bout was met with controversy after Griffin upset Jackson in a narrow split decision, which the former champion still believes he won.
Considering Jackson’s popularity and success during his tenure in Pride FC, it would make sense to include him on the event.
The UFC plans to make its return to host an event at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan in February 2012.
When one fighter stands superior to everyone else, it is easy to make comparisons to other great fighters. And after another effortless performance put on display from Jon Jones (his opponent), Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was quick to compare him to…
When one fighter stands superior to everyone else, it is easy to make comparisons to other great fighters.
And after another effortless performance put on display from Jon Jones (his opponent), Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was quick to compare him to UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva.
“He’s good at keeping range, keeping you from him. When I was getting close and trying to throw some haymakers, he was good at evading me,” Jackson told Fightline.com following his title bout with Jones last weekend at UFC 135.
“I don’t think nobody can beat him right now; he’s going to be the next Anderson Silva in that weight class, I’m telling you.”
Of course, there are many similarities in both Jones and Silva, which has led to fans requesting a super-fight between them, but UFC President Dana White has shot down the idea.
Jones’ win over Jackson was another stellar performance from the 24-year-old, who now already holds back-to-back victories over him and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua—two of the sport’s most successful and popular fighters.
While Jones might be just beginning his reign over the light heavyweight division, it seems very premature to compare his recent success to that of the Brazilian’s. And with a much more competitive division in his sights, Jones has a lot more to worry about than accolades and legacies at this point of his career.
Jones will look to continue establishing his legacy when he makes his next title defense against Rashad Evans next year. The two former training partners have been continuously throwing verbal jabs at each other since Jones captured the light heavyweight title earlier this year, and their animosity doesn’t look to slowing down anytime soon.
Fans should expect an intense and personal build-up prior to the title bout, and an even more exciting matchup.
We are only one week away from witnessing one of the most anticipated UFC events of the year.