UFC on Fox 7 is in the books from San Jose, CA, and anyone who tuned in experienced one of the better cards in recent memory.The 12-fight event featured a total of eight knockout stoppages, a pair of high-profile matchups in the main and co-main events…
UFC on Fox 7 is in the books from San Jose, CA, and anyone who tuned in experienced one of the better cards in recent memory.
The 12-fight event featured a total of eight knockout stoppages, a pair of high-profile matchups in the main and co-main events and a Fight of the Year candidate in Jordan Mein vs. Matt Brown.
All in all, the card was highly entertaining.
But amid the violent knockouts and high-octane excitement, plenty of questions were answered at the event.
Take a look at the lessons learned from UFC on Fox 7.
From time to time, a fight card high in promise delivers. Saturday night was one of those nights. Following an incredible preliminary card, featuring six knockouts in eight fights, the UFC hit Fox for the four-fight main card, with Benson Henderso…
From time to time, a fight card high in promise delivers. Saturday night was one of those nights.
Following an incredible preliminary card, featuring six knockouts in eight fights, the UFC hit Fox for the four-fight main card, with Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez topping the bill in San Jose, Calif.
Prior to the evening’s main event, Matt Brown and Jordan Mein opened the card in one of the most exhilarating fights of the year, Josh Thomson joined the UFC lightweight ranks against Nate Diaz and Daniel Cormier looked to make a grand entrance against former heavyweight champ Frank Mir.
Check out how the four main card fights stacked up in our UFC on Fox 7 power rankings.
Former UFC featherweight top contender Chad Mendes blasted his way through Darren Elkins in the final preliminary card bout from UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose Saturday, taking another step toward Jose Aldo and featherweight gold.Here’s what we learned …
Former UFC featherweight top contender Chad Mendes blasted his way through Darren Elkins in the final preliminary card bout from UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose Saturday, taking another step toward Jose Aldo and featherweight gold.
Here’s what we learned from the fight.
What we’ll remember about this fight
This fight should be remembered as the fight that earned Mendes his second shot at Jose Aldo. It also should serve as a clear reminder to the division that this wrestler has some vicious power in his hands.
What we learned about Chad Mendes
Honestly, we didn’t learn much. Mendes has already displayed his strong wrestling base, his vicious striking power and his ability to defeat anyone the UFC pits against him.
Well, almost anyone.
Mendes‘ lone career loss came against featherweight champ Jose Aldo back in January 2012. The Team Alpha Male product is 3-0 since.
From his UFC on Fox 7 performance, we know he is better than the vast majority of the division. We also know he should fight for a title in his next bout. What we don’t know is whether or not he has enough to top Aldo or Anthony Pettis—whoever should walk away with the title this August.
What we learned about Darren Elkins
Elkins took a big leap up in competition, and it didn’t pay off.
According to the UFC rankings, Mendes is the best featherweight not named Jose Aldo. Elkins? Well, his name doesn’t even crack the top 10. The only conclusion: Elkins was simply not ready for such a big fight.
But hope is not lost for the Indiana native. He is 5-1 in his last six fights and still has potential. Also, he was a late replacement for this fight, for what it’s worth. We now know he should simply be fighting featherweights in the bottom half of the top 10, as opposed to the one sitting at the top of the contender mountain.
What’s next for Mendes
Jose Aldo. Mendes has wrecked the last three men to stand against him in the cage, and he surely thinks he can put Aldo away. However, Aldo is currently set to face Pettis this August.
With Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira and Chan Sung Jung vs. Ricardo Lamas booked, the only sensible next step for Mendes is a fight against the winner of Aldo vs. Pettis.
What’s next for Elkins
As stated before, hope is not lost for Elkins. He lost to one of the division’s best and a win against a solid featherweight puts him back on track.
A bout against Clay Guida would be an interesting fight for Elkins, as would a match up with Erik Koch.
A women’s bantamweight bout between UFC newcomers Julie Kedzie and Germaine de Randamie has been announced for UFC on Fox 8, according to FoxSports.com.UFC officials announced the bout on Wednesday. The two were originally set to fight back in Septembe…
A women’s bantamweight bout between UFC newcomers Julie Kedzie and Germaine deRandamiehas been announced for UFC on Fox 8, according to FoxSports.com.
UFC officials announced the bout on Wednesday. The two were originally set to fight back in September of 2011, but an injury to Kedzie forced the bout’s cancellation.
The card takes place on July 27 at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington, the same venue that hosted UFC on Fox 5 last December.
Kedzie comes over from Strikeforce to make her UFC debut, bringing a two-fight losing streak with her. She was defeated in her Strikeforce debut in July of 2011 by Alexis Davis, dropping a unanimous decision, and she lost her next bout to Miesha Tate via submission last August.
Like Kedzie, deRandamie is a Strikeforce import, though her career with the promotion was far less tumultuous. The Dutch kickboxer earned two victories in three fights with the San Jose-based promotion.
UFC on Fox 8 currently features a welterweight contest between contenders Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald, and a second welterweight matchup between Robbie Lawler and former Strikeforce champion TarecSaffiedine has also been confirmed.
Miesha Tate may have an issue with referee Kim Winslow’s decision to rescue her from further damage against Cat Zingano at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale last weekend, but UFC president Dana White believes the stoppage was justified. Following two…
Miesha Tate may have an issue with referee Kim Winslow’s decision to rescue her from further damage against Cat Zingano at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale last weekend, but UFC president Dana White believes the stoppage was justified.
Following two competitive rounds of the main card contest, Tate was on the receiving end of several knees and elbows in the final frame of her bout against Zingano. Winslow, who has been criticized for her officiating heavily by White in the past, stepped in just as Tate appeared to be shooting in for a desperation takedown.
At the post-fight press conference, the former Strikeforce champion contested that she never stopped fighting, stating, “I don’t for one second feel like it should have been stopped.”
White told MMAjunkie.com that he disagrees with his fighter’s stance.
“[Tate] was in a bad position; I think it was a good stoppage,” White said. “People can say her hand was down and everything else, but she just ate six, seven, eight knees. It was time for the fight to be stopped.”
While Tate believes Winslow’s mistake came with the timing of the stoppage, many critics of the referee feel she committed an even larger error, as one of Zingano‘s knees appeared to have possibly made contact with Tate’s head. The strike in question occurred while Tate appeared to have a hand against the mat, which would make her a downed opponent.
White isn’t buying into that angle either, even if Winslow falls well short of his list of favorite referees.
“Her hand might have been down for a second,” White continued. “First of all, it’s a stupid rule anyway. It’s the dumbest rule in the sport, number one. Number two, the referee was right there while the fight was going on. Not that that’s one of my favorite referees–there’s a lot that that referee doesn’t see–but I do not agree that was a bad stoppage. It was a good stoppage. Was it illegal, what happened? If she saw it or didn’t see it, that fight needed to be stopped either way in my opinion.”
With the victory, Zingano secured a title shot against UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, as well as a head coaching spot on The Ultimate Fighter 18.
Meanwhile, Tate falls short of regaining a shot at redemption against the champ. She met Rousey in March of 2012 at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey, losing via first round armbar to her fierce rival.
Former UFC featherweight top contender