Biggest Issues Facing the UFC in the 2nd Half of 2013

The first half of 2013 has come and gone, and the first sixth months of this year went fairly smoothly for the UFC.Now, with the final event of the the second quarter, UFC 161, in the books, the promotion looks ahead to its first event of July, UFC 162…

The first half of 2013 has come and gone, and the first sixth months of this year went fairly smoothly for the UFC.

Now, with the final event of the the second quarter, UFC 161, in the books, the promotion looks ahead to its first event of July, UFC 162, featuring middleweight champion Anderson Silva and top contender Chris Weidman.

But with the Fourth of July event and the latter half of 2013 comes a list of issues and concerns the UFC must face. 

From putting together a bantamweight title fight to figuring out whom Daniel Cormier should fight in his final tilt at heavyweight, here are the biggest issues the sport’s leading promotion must face in the next six months.  

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Biggest Issues Facing the UFC in the 2nd Half of 2013

The first half of 2013 has come and gone, and the first sixth months of this year went fairly smoothly for the UFC.Now, with the final event of the the second quarter, UFC 161, in the books, the promotion looks ahead to its first event of July, UFC 162…

The first half of 2013 has come and gone, and the first sixth months of this year went fairly smoothly for the UFC.

Now, with the final event of the the second quarter, UFC 161, in the books, the promotion looks ahead to its first event of July, UFC 162, featuring middleweight champion Anderson Silva and top contender Chris Weidman.

But with the Fourth of July event and the latter half of 2013 comes a list of issues and concerns the UFC must face. 

From putting together a bantamweight title fight to figuring out whom Daniel Cormier should fight in his final tilt at heavyweight, here are the biggest issues the sport’s leading promotion must face in the next six months.  

Begin Slideshow

Biggest Issues Facing the UFC in the 2nd Half of 2013

The first half of 2013 has come and gone, and the first sixth months of this year went fairly smoothly for the UFC.Now, with the final event of the the second quarter, UFC 161, in the books, the promotion looks ahead to its first event of July, UFC 162…

The first half of 2013 has come and gone, and the first sixth months of this year went fairly smoothly for the UFC.

Now, with the final event of the the second quarter, UFC 161, in the books, the promotion looks ahead to its first event of July, UFC 162, featuring middleweight champion Anderson Silva and top contender Chris Weidman.

But with the Fourth of July event and the latter half of 2013 comes a list of issues and concerns the UFC must face. 

From putting together a bantamweight title fight to figuring out whom Daniel Cormier should fight in his final tilt at heavyweight, here are the biggest issues the sport’s leading promotion must face in the next six months.  

Begin Slideshow

5 Fighters Poised to Make a Run in the UFC’s Heavyweight Division

The UFC heavyweight division is as exciting as it’s ever been.The top 10 features a list of competitive, competent fighters, and the top two guys, champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, are currently in the process of penning one the greatest r…

The UFC heavyweight division is as exciting as it’s ever been.

The top 10 features a list of competitive, competent fighters, and the top two guys, champion Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, are currently in the process of penning one the greatest rivalries in heavyweight history; they’ve already surpassed Andrei Arlovski-Tim Sylvia (by a long shot), and their third meeting, which takes place this October, should set them ahead of Brock Lesnar-Frank Mir.

But there’s a major problem: Velasquez and dos Santos are in a league of their own.

“Cigano” is currently ranked the No. 1 heavyweight contender following his knockout win over Mark Hunt at UFC 160, while Fabricio Werdum is ranked No. 3, though he is really No. 2 considering Daniel Cormier won’t fight Velasquez (his teammate) and is on the way down to light heavyweight. The trouble is, the numbers don’t truly represent the disparity that exists between dos Santos and Werdum. 

At least for now, the heavyweight division is Velasquez and dos Santos, and then everybody else. And unless the UFC plans on having those two fight one another exclusively over the next two or three years, it’s going to need some young talent to climb up the heavyweight ranks. 

Fortunately, there are several guys who are young enough, or new enough to the UFC scene, that are capable of making a run into or up the top-10 ranks in the next year. 

 

Striking/takedown statistics courtesy of FightMetric.com.

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UFC: Top Five Least Surprising Upsets of 2013

MMA fans, and generally fans of any sport, love an underdog. There’s something refreshing about a competitor defying the odds by pulling out the improbable victory against an assumed-to-be greater, more gifted opponent. But sometimes, an unde…

MMA fans, and generally fans of any sport, love an underdog. 

There’s something refreshing about a competitor defying the odds by pulling out the improbable victory against an assumed-to-be greater, more gifted opponent. 

But sometimes, an underdog’s victory in mixed martial arts is not so shocking. On occasion, the oddsmakers get the betting line wrong. 

2013 has already yielded a great deal of upsets, including Robbie Lawler’s unlikely knockout victory over Josh Koscheck, and Jake Shields’ split-decision win over Tyron Woodley. But neither of those fights make the list for the “Top Five Least Surprising Upsets” for this year. 

Check out the five “underdogs” who flipped the odds and walked away clear winners against their favored opponents. 

Final note: no, pick ’em fights are not included, so very slight upset wins, like Shawn Jordan’s knockout over Pat Barry at UFC 161, won’t make this list. 

 

Odds courtesy of Bovada Sportsbook, stats courtesy of FightMetric.com

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Five MMA Fighters Who Peaked Too Early in Their UFC Careers

The ultimate goal for any fighter in mixed martial arts is simple: Earn a world title. More specifically, a UFC title.The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the premier organization in this sport, and the vast majority of competitors want their nam…

The ultimate goal for any fighter in mixed martial arts is simple: Earn a world title. 

More specifically, a UFC title.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the premier organization in this sport, and the vast majority of competitors want their name on the promotion’s roster. Once that is accomplished, next comes the more long-term goal of earning a UFC title.

Some fighters will spend the entirety of their UFC career in mediocrity, never coming close to a title shot; Sam Stout is a perfect example of this. Others will take a long path to becoming contenders, and then remain contenders for a good portion of their careers. Rashad Evans is one of those fighters, having come up through The Ultimate Fighter house and won seven UFC fights before fighting for a title. 

Then there is a unique bunch of fighters that rise to contention in a matter of a couple of fights, or without defeating any top competition. These are the fighters that peak too early—fighters that the UFC brought along too quickly. And we have the top five right here. 

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