The UFC’s latest trip to Canada is in the books, and the Winnipeg crowd bore witness to a less-than-stellar card, which suffered heavily from a ruthless injury bug, on June 15. Instead of a main event between bantamweight champion Renan Barao and …
The UFC’s latest trip to Canada is in the books, and the Winnipeg crowd bore witness to a less-than-stellar card, which suffered heavily from a ruthless injury bug, on June 15.
Instead of a main event between bantamweight champion RenanBarao and top contender Eddie Wineland, a light heavyweight bout between Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson served as a three-round headliner. And a co-main event between Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was downgraded to a heavyweight matchup between Roy Nelson and StipeMiocic.
Although the replacement fights still garnered moderate interest, the card as a whole failed to deliver, especially in comparison to the last event, UFC on Fuel 10, which featured 10 stoppages out of 12 fights and did not come with a price tag.
Regardless of how entertaining (or not entertaining) the card was, there were some key statistics coming out of Winnipeg.
The stats included focus on individual performances, such as most significant strikes and takedowns, while also focusing on the event and its place in comparison to past cards in 2013.
Alexis Davis entered her UFC 161 contest in Winnipeg looking to set herself up in contention for the women’s bantamweight title, owned by undisputed champion Ronda Rousey.The bout, which took place against Rosi Sexton on the pay-per-view portion of the…
Alexis Davis entered her UFC 161 contest in Winnipeg looking to set herself up in contention for the women’s bantamweight title, owned by undisputed champion Ronda Rousey.
The bout, which took place against Rosi Sexton on the pay-per-view portion of the event, marked Davis’ debut in the UFC, though her submission prowess was well known from her time in organizations such as Invicta FC and Strikeforce.
Against a very game Sexton, however, the heavy favorite struggled. She grabbed hold of a triangle in the first round, and held it for some time before the attempt failed. Throughout the second and third rounds, she continued to seek out submission opportunities, but Sexton proved too tough.
But Davis still managed to walk away with the unanimous decision Saturday night. Here’s what we learned from the fight.
What We Learned about Alexis Davis
Davis is obviously a versatile grappler, and she’s plenty dangerous from a submission standpoint. However, we saw her struggle to get the finish, even though she had a handful of opportunities to do so.
One of those opportunities came in the first round with a triangle choke attempt, while another opportunity came at the end of the second round. Each time, Davis seemed to have the fight right where she needed it to be in order to get the finish. Then, when the fight appeared on the verge of ending, she failed to secure the stoppage.
Also, following the triangle choke attempt in the first, Davis wore down quickly, which is likely the reason she was not able to finish a damaged Sexton in the second.
Davis obviously has the grappling chops and submission prowess to be a factor in the UFC women’s bantamweight division. She had moments of brilliance at UFC 161, but she’ll have to be sharper in future outings if she hopes to hang with the division’s elite.
What We Learned about Rosi Sexton
Sexton was a steep underdog in this fight, and at certain moments that was obvious. But one thing we know for sure: Rosi Sexton is one tough fighter.
Several times, including early in the first round and at the end of the second round, Sexton was on the brink of losing the fight. Davis was either squeezing her neck, advancing to a dominant position or finding holes in her ground striking defense. Yet, after 15 minutes of actions, we went to the judges’ scorecards.
Sexton is never going to be a contender in the UFC women’s bantamweight division; fighters like Davis are simply more talented than she is. But the fact that she could fight through the submissions of a grappler of Davis’ caliber is an impressive enough accomplishment, especially considering she was a 3-1 underdog.
Sexton won’t win too often in the UFC, but she probably won’t get finished either.
What’s Next for Davis
Davis has already fought and defeated several women in the top 10 of the UFC women’s bantamweight rankings.
However, Sara McMann and Sarah Kaufman are two women she has not defeated, and the latter even holds a majority decision win over her. McMann and Kaufman fight at the end of August, and I can’t think of a better matchup than placing the winner of that fight against Davis.
Of course, if that timetable doesn’t work, Davis could face the winner of Julie Kedzie vs. Germaine deRandamie. Those two meet next month at UFC on Fox 8.
What’s Next for Sexton
Sexton was a game fighter, and she should get another fight in the UFC, though not against someone of Davis’ caliber. She could face the loser of the aforementioned Kedzie vs. deRandamie matchup, or the loser of Sheila Gaff vs. Amanda Nunes, which takes place in August.
The former sounds more likely due to the time frame.
Tyron Woodley burst onto the UFC scene with a brutal knockout victory over Jay Hieron at UFC 156, catapulting him up the welterweight ranks. The knockout was so impressive, the UFC deemed him worthy of a fight against former Strikeforce middleweig…
TyronWoodley burst onto the UFC scene with a brutal knockout victory over Jay Hieron at UFC 156, catapulting him up the welterweight ranks.
The knockout was so impressive, the UFC deemed him worthy of a fight against former Strikeforce middleweight champion and former UFC welterweight top contender Jake Shields at UFC 161. Further adding to the hype train, Woodley entered the cage on Saturday night in Winnipeg as the favorite.
However, he exited the Octagon as a disappointment.
Woodley appeared to be concerned about Shields’ takedowns for the majority of the fight, leading to an unaggressive game plan. At times, he appeared almost apathetic, throwing strikes sporadically while absorbing a fair share of kicks from the underdog.
Still, as poorly as Woodley performed—which has more to do with failing to live up to the post-UFC 156 hype than anything else—he nearly walked away with the win, as one of the judges scored all three rounds for him.
For the record, he landed far more significant strikes than Shields. The other two judges did not agree with the first, however, giving Shields the 29-28 win on both scorecards.
Here’s what we learned from the final preliminary card contest of UFC 161.
What We Learned About Jake Shields
Neither Shields nor Woodley were in the Top 10 of the official UFC welterweight rankings heading into their matchup, and even with a victory, Shields is still probably is on the outside looking in.
But he answered some questions by earning the victory and avoiding a knockout against the powerful Woodley.
Shields’ chin has been in question since Dan Henderson battered him when they met in Strikeforce, although Shields went on to win the fight. When Jake Ellenberger put him out with strikes at UFC Fight Night 25, concerns about his chin became all the more real.
After surviving for 15 minutes against a powerful welterweight, those concerns can be put to rest. Shields displayed good striking defense while using kicks to keep Woodley at a safe distance.
However, we also learned that Shields will need to improve his striking game further if he wants his wrestling to be effective. He attempted many takedowns against Woodley but couldn’t earn a single one. If he wants to break into the Top 10, he will need to get his grappling game back on point. Better striking would help him in that regard.
What We Learned About TyronWoodley
Woodley‘s knockout win over Hieron was one of the more brutal knockouts you’ll ever see, and it built a hype that he apparently was not ready to embody.
We know that Woodley has power, but on Saturday we learned that he needs to find a way to set up those fight-ending shots. Far too often, he was late on his counters, and when he decided to engage, Shields was able to avoid the brunt of the force or the strikes altogether.
If there is a silver lining, the fight was close, and Woodley proved that his takedown defense is more than enough to keep a fight on the feet. The question is whether or not he can improve his striking technique to complement his power.
Of course, just 13 fights into his MMA career, we saw Woodley‘s relative inexperience affect him against a veteran. Woodley needs a bit more time and a few more fights before we call him a contender. But make no mistake: He should manage to make the climb into the rankings within the next year or two.
What’s Next For Shields?
Shields’ next fight will be another big step on his quest back to welterweight contention. A fight against the final Strikeforce welterweight champion TarecSaffiedine makes sense, as does a fight against welterweight prospect Erick Silva.
What’s Next for Woodley?
Even with a loss on Saturday, Woodley remains a frightening welterweight, and a matchup with an equally frightening opponent makes sense for him. Robbie Lawler and SiyarBahadurzada are scheduled to meet in July. The loser of that fight would be a prime opponent for Woodley.
The late, great George Steinbrenner once said, “You can’t beat any kind of gambling because they have the odds.” Well, we’re going to try anyway. UFC 161 is set for this Saturday, June 15, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The pay-per-view main …
The late, great George Steinbrenner once said, “You can’t beat any kind of gambling because they have the odds.”
Well, we’re going to try anyway.
UFC 161 is set for this Saturday, June 15, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The pay-per-view main card is headlined by perennial light heavyweight contenders Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans, the latter being a former UFC champion. The former’s last title was that of the Strikeforce 205-pound champion before that division and eventually the promotion folded.
While the card has suffered due to the loss of the original co-main event, which featured Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, at least the main event promises to be a competitive, even matchup.
At least that’s what the betting lines across several sportsbooks suggest.
The coming slides will examine the betting line for the main event as well as the four other UFC 161 main card fights. If you’re looking for an odds piece focused on predictions, Sean Smith has it for you.
This piece will focus on the accuracy of the odds and what odds hold the most value.
All statistics are courtesy of FightMetric.com. Odds are courtesy of Bovada Sportsbook.
Following his brutal knockout victory over Cheick Kongo at UFC 159 at April’s end, Roy Nelson probably expected to enjoy some time away from the cage. Instead, less than one month later, he found himself stepping in against Stipe Miocic in the co-…
Following his brutal knockout victory over Cheick Kongo at UFC 159 at April’s end, Roy Nelson probably expected to enjoy some time away from the cage.
Instead, less than one month later, he found himself stepping in against Stipe Miocic in the co-main event of UFC 161 on Saturday. The card takes place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, featuring a light heavyweight headliner between Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson.
Nelson enters the contest looking for his second win in seven weeks. A victory over Miocic would extend his winning streak to four. Meanwhile, Miocic, who is seven years younger than Nelson, looks to avoid dropping two fights in a row.
According to Bovada, Miocic is more than a 2-to-1 underdog in this contest, as Nelson sits at a healthy -270. But is the matchup really that lopsided? Take a look at our head-to-toe breakdown for this heavyweight clash.
The UFC’s latest trip to Brazil is in the books, and what a trip it was.UFC on Fuel 10 took place in Fortaleza, Brazil at the Ginasio Paulo Sarasate, and the Brazilian crowd witnessed one of the most entertaining cards in the history of the UFC. T…
The UFC’s latest trip to Brazil is in the books, and what a trip it was.
UFC on Fuel 10 took place in Fortaleza, Brazil at the Ginasio Paulo Sarasate, and the Brazilian crowd witnessed one of the most entertaining cards in the history of the UFC.
The 12-fight card featured a record-breaking number of submissions, an intese main card void of decisions, and a heavyweight clash between jiu-jitsu legends Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum in the evening’s main event.
While those watching the card on Fuel TV had to sit through more than their fair share of commercials, making the breaks between fights seem unending, the card delivered.
Here are the top statistics from the highly successful event.
The stats included focus on individual performances, such as most significant strikes and takedowns, while also focusing on the event and its place in comparison to past Fuel TV cards and other cards in 2013. Lastly, the most impressive stat lines from all the card’s winners will be highlighted.
Alexis Davis entered her