Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen II. Undeniably the biggest fight of the summer and maybe even the year.First set to be fought in a soccer stadium in Brazil, now to be fought at MGM Grand, this grudge will come to a screeching halt. We all know what happ…
Undeniably the biggest fight of the summer and maybe even the year.
First set to be fought in a soccer stadium in Brazil, now to be fought at MGM Grand, this grudge will come to a screeching halt.
We all know what happened the first time around. Chael took the fight to Anderson like no one ever had before. Dominating him not only on the ground but also getting the best of him during standing exchanges. The incredible performance by Sonnen was quickly soiled by his inability to defend the triangle choke. Eight seconds is what separated crowning a new Champion from witnessing MMA‘s version of The Immaculate Reception.
What makes this rematch so intriguing is that both men have to make adjustments. Silva definitely doesn’t want to be carrying Chael’s body weight for 20 minutes, and Chael doesn’t want to get caught up in Silva’s tricky triangle.
So what is set to change for the next bout? Who’s made the proper adjustments and necessary changes needed in order to secure a victory? Well here’s everything that you need to know about the main event of what’s sure to be one of the most successful UFC PPV events of the year.
Have you ever looked at a recently announced matchup in the UFC and wonder to yourself, “How did they come up with that?”Or have you ever heard a story where one guy refuses to fight another, and you think to yourself, “Why would the…
Have you ever looked at a recently announced matchup in the UFC and wonder to yourself, “How did they come up with that?”
Or have you ever heard a story where one guy refuses to fight another, and you think to yourself, “Why would they even ask that legend to fight that guy?”
Well, if you have, then you too agree that the UFC should have rankings for each weight division.
We hear all the time that fighter X is a top ten fighter or that if this guy beats that guy, then he’s in the mix for a title shot. But in retrospect, whose top ten truly counts?
One way in which having rankings in the UFC would help the sport is in regard to Dana and Lorenzo’s match making.
In the near future, fight cards are decimated with injuries. Having a top ten would help match making when a scheduled fighter can’t perform on a certain card. Official rankings would make things easier because they would have a list of where guys are and who could possibly step in.
Another positive result of the implementation of rankings would be the avoidance of dust ups like the one which involved Glover Teixeira and Shogun Rua.
If an official ranking system in the UFC had Teixeira at third and Rua at fourth, what reason would Rua have had to not take that fight?
He’d want to take it to move up in the rankings and potentially face the winner of the Jon Jones/Dan Henderson fight. There would have been no stories about Shogun preferring to be cut rather than facing Teixeira and no back and forth between Shogun’s camp and the UFC powers.
So, rankings would help the fighters too.
Another way that this would truly help is in regards to the fans.
Not only hardcore fans but also the casual fans watching on TV. The UFC actually teased us back at the first UFC on FOX show when they displayed their top five heavyweights. It showed who was where and made it easier to do what we all love to do—play matchmaker at home. Their top five looked like this:
Think what you want about those rankings, but it was easy for the viewers to see where everybody stood in the eyes the UFC.
Not only that, but it allowed the fighters to see who they had to knock off to get to the top. All around it was a great concept to utilize, even though we have not seen it since.
So, do the right thing for everyone involved, Zuffa. Bring official rankings to the UFC.
Amidst the story of yet another Ultimate Fighter coaches bout having a replacement fighter and then moving from the co-main event to the main event after Aldo’s injury, the competitiveness of this bout was lost.To many casual fans, it’s a no-brainer th…
Amidst the story of yet another Ultimate Fighter coaches bout having a replacement fighter and then moving from the co-main event to the main event after Aldo’s injury, the competitiveness of this bout was lost.
To many casual fans, it’s a no-brainer that Faber is going to win and set up a title unification bout with Cruz. However many people are overlooking the skill set that Barao brings to this fight.
In this slideshow I’m going to break down the fight based on several key areas:
They call him Mighty Mouse for a reason…..Maybe they should’ve called him Scrappy Doo. In 18 career fights, Demetrious Johnson has lost just twice. He holds a 60% finishing rate among his wins, and has never been knocked out or submitted. Guys …
They call him Mighty Mouse for a reason…
..Maybe they should’ve called him Scrappy Doo.
In 18 career fights, Demetrious Johnson has lost just twice. He holds a 60% finishing rate among his wins, and has never been knocked out or submitted. Guys like that just can’t be counted out.
Demetrious Johnson is not going to be favored going into a bout with Joseph Benavidez, who is hungry and ready for Flyweight gold. He possesses a very high skill level, and has only been defeated twice—both times by Bantamweight king Dominick Cruz.
However, going into this fight, Johnson is going to have a significant grappling advantage, as he scores takedowns at a clip of 54 percent and stops 55 percent; while Benavidez is only 22 percent successful with takedowns yet 48 percent at stopping them.
On the surface, this may look like the makings of a five round unanimous decision for Benavidez, but before it’s all said and done Mighty Mouse will show Benavidez what a fight truly is. Johnson has power in both hands, rocking both Dominick Cruz and Ian McCall in their respective bouts. He has a solid wrestling base and may be the fastest fighter in all of the UFC.
Benavidez has shown somewhat of a weakness to quicker fighters such as Cruz with his unorthodox quick striking and great wrestling; and while Johnson isn’t quite on that level, he’s definitely close enough to give Benavidez a run for his money. With the power and speed of his hands coupled with the always important wrestling base, it’s very possible that Johnson will take home the gold.
In any case, it would be a mistake to count him out.
Eddie Wineland is a hot commodity right now. Fresh off of an excellent 2nd round KO of Scott Jorgensen to end his two fight losing streak, Wineland has shot himself up the Bantamweight ladder.Jorgensen is no pushover, either. Just four fights earlier, …
Eddie Wineland is a hot commodity right now. Fresh off of an excellent 2nd round KO of Scott Jorgensen to end his two fight losing streak, Wineland has shot himself up the Bantamweight ladder.
Jorgensen is no pushover, either. Just four fights earlier, Jorgensen took top ten pound-for-pound fighter Dominick Cruz the full five rounds in a hard fought loss. Yet he couldn’t get to the third round against Wineland.
Showing excellent boxing and showcasing a nice jab and cross, Wineland picked Jorgensen apart, which is especially impressive since in 19 fights it’s the first time Jorgensen has been stopped by strikes.
So after a great win who’s next for Wineland? Let’s take a look at the top five possibilities.
Bad Boy Garcia. With two of his four UFC fights earning “Fight of the Night” honors, it’s no secret why he’s a fan favorite. He personifies the word “brawler.” He’s a 145-pound version of Wanderlei Silva.But with all of those things c…
Bad Boy Garcia. With two of his four UFC fights earning “Fight of the Night” honors, it’s no secret why he’s a fan favorite. He personifies the word “brawler.” He’s a 145-pound version of Wanderlei Silva.
But with all of those things come the bad. And sadly, as much as I enjoy watching him as a fighter, it’s time for him to retire. There’s very little doubt that he’ll get cut from the UFC, as he’s lost his last three fights, and an argument could be made that he’s lost his last six. As exciting as he is, he just doesn’t win anymore.
Combat sports may be the hardest to retire from, being that for most of these guys, they’re fighters at heart. Garcia seems to be one of those guys. You know when you see a Bad Boy Garcia fight that he’s going to come out swinging—literally. When the bell rings, it’s wild haymakers, spinning backfists, head-kick attempts and little regard for getting hit himself. This guy is a fighter.
What makes his style even more remarkable is the fact that he trains at Jackson’s MMA, which is notorious for game-planning for opponents and staying true to that game plan. You may see Bad Boy game-plan for the first minute, then once he gets hit, it’s all out the window. The switch is flipped and he’s coming after you.
He fights the way you should fight. Impose your will, and go out on your shield. Win or go home. Unfortunately for the Bad Boy, he hasn’t been winning lately.
So what’s next for one of my all-time favorite fighters? He should go home.
