The sport of mixed martial arts is constantly evolving. Fighters who once relied on a single skill in the octagon are becoming phased out and replaced by well-rounded martial artists.In order to succeed in the UFC, fighters have been forced to adapt th…
The sport of mixed martial arts is constantly evolving. Fighters who once relied on a single skill in the octagon are becoming phased out and replaced by well-rounded martial artists.
In order to succeed in the UFC, fighters have been forced to adapt their skills, or risk having their weaknesses exposed.
This constant evolution and the influx of new talent have changed the landscape of the UFC dramatically. A new generation of fighters is beginning to dominate. Here is what they will have in common.
Georges St-Pierre has run through a laundry list of challengers during his title reign, most recently defeating the tenacious former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit via unanimous decision. Fans are left wondering what it will take to dethrone t…
Georges St-Pierre has run through a laundry list of challengers during his title reign, most recently defeating the tenacious former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit via unanimous decision. Fans are left wondering what it will take to dethrone the seemingly unstoppable kingpin.
St-Pierre’s next scheduled title defense comes this Saturday night at UFC 158 against an accomplished striker and Jiu Jitsu specialist in Nick Diaz. However, many critics are writing off the challenger in this matchup. Instead, they believe that rising contender Johnny Hendricks is a greater threat to the champion.
Let’s take a look at why he’s considered the next best thing.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre ever since a torn ACL on his right knee has left him unable to defend his title. With a targeted return date of November 2012, many are wondering which fighter w…
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre ever since a torn ACL on his right knee has left him unable to defend his title.
With a targeted return date of November 2012, many are wondering which fighter will show up in the octagon; the hungry, motivated Georges or a fighter who has fallen behind the hungry pack of newcomers occupying the upper echelon of the division.
Here is a look at what we can expect when the defending champion returns to action.
The UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones, has improved drastically with each victory inside the octagon, creating an aura of invincibility.Many fans are left wondering who is left to challenge Jones, while others point to the fact that he has yet …
The UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Jon Jones, has improved drastically with each victory inside the octagon, creating an aura of invincibility.
Many fans are left wondering who is left to challenge Jones, while others point to the fact that he has yet to face Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson, and a slew of other potential contenders.
Should Jones dominate 2012 in a similar fashion to his remarkable run the year before, the question of which contender can dethrone the champion will remain.
The blueprint to defeating this young phenom rests in five different aspects of mixed martial arts. The fighter that is able to utilize these factors successfully will be the next UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
Between the two heaviest divisions in the UFC exists an enormous gap. The weight limit for a fighter competing in the UFC Light Heavyweight division tops out at 205 pounds (93.0Kg), while the UFC Heavyweight division limit stands at a colossal 265 poun…
Between the two heaviest divisions in the UFC exists an enormous gap. The weight limit for a fighter competing in the UFC Light Heavyweight division tops out at 205 pounds (93.0Kg), while the UFC Heavyweight division limit stands at a colossal 265 pounds (120.2Kg).
When this difference is compared with the remaining divisions in the UFC, the weight limits range from a 10 pound difference all the way up to a 20 pound difference between Middleweight and Light Heavyweight. The inclusion of a Cruiserweight division at 205 pounds, and a shift of the Light Heavyweight limit to 230 pounds would solve a lot of the problems plaguing the higher weight classes.
The fans would begin to see more competitive fights among the higher weight classes, simply because of the buffer zone created in between the 205 pound and 265 pound limit. The current heavyweight fighters that usually fight in the ballpark of 230-250 pounds could easily cut weight to compete in the new Light Heavyweight division.
Fighters like Cain Velasquez could move down a weight class with relative ease, while fighters that are making progress in cleaning out their division (i.e. Jon Jones) could make a smoother transition to a higher weight class to test their skills against new opponents.
The inclusion of a Cruiserweight division would fix a lot of the issues that exist for fighters that are too big for Light Heavyweight, but not big enough to deal with the mammoth size of heavyweights such as Shane Carwin or Alistair Overeem. The heaviest of the heavyweights usually have to cut down to the 265 pound limit, and come fight time they have often ballooned far past the heavyweight limit.
This leads to one sided beat downs where the size of the opponent plays an immense role in determining the outcome of the fight.While size is a factor in determining who will win a fight, it should not be the main factor. The inclusion of this new division would create an even playing field among the higher weight classes.
It would even encourage some of the lighter heavyweight fighters to drop down a weight class to re-establish themselves and avoid gatekeeper status. However, the most exciting result of adding this new weight class would be the increased likelihood of fantasy fights. The idea of champion versus champion fights in the higher weight classes has not worked out well for the UFC.
A 205 pound champion trying to dethrone a heavyweight behemoth is unrealistic with the weight limit gap that currently exists. After the inclusion of the Flyweight division, serious consideration should be given by the UFC to include the Cruiserweight division. Give the fans what they want—a leveled playing field that will generate exciting fights and matchups with the higher weight classes.
The beauty of mixed martial arts is that the unexpected can happen at any moment. One second, you’re dancing around the octagon, dominating your opponent with an arsenal of attacks, and just when you think everything is going your way—when you tr…
The beauty of mixed martial arts is that the unexpected can happen at any moment. One second, you’re dancing around the octagon, dominating your opponent with an arsenal of attacks, and just when you think everything is going your way—when you truly believe that you’ve somehow obtained faster-than-human reflexes—you’re staring up at the ceiling.
What happened? Well, mixed martial arts did. In this sport, it only takes a momentary slip of concentration to taste bitter defeat; sometimes, you can’t even comprehend that you were knocked out cold, Jet Li style by a move that shouldn’t have worked but did.
Here are six standout moments in MMA when moves traditionally reserved for Hollywood actually worked against professional mixed martial arts fighters.
Between the two heaviest divisions in the UFC exists an enormous gap. The weight limit for a fighter competing in the UFC Light Heavyweight division tops out at 205 pounds (93.0Kg), while the UFC Heavyweight division limit stands at a colossal 265 pounds (120.2Kg).