The UFC has had a fast start to 2015. Quality event after quality event has given the fans the best MMA action on the planet and several exciting bouts to remember.
In all of the early hoopla, there have been several fighters who have jumped onto the s…
The UFC has had a fast start to 2015. Quality event after quality event has given the fans the best MMA action on the planet and several exciting bouts to remember.
In all of the early hoopla, there have been several fighters who have jumped onto the scene with an impact. The new blood only helps strengthen the roster from top to bottom and offers fans more fights to get excited about in the future.
Who are some of those fighters? That is what we are here to look at.
These are five standouts from the early goings of 2015.
Roy Nelson is a fan favorite. He is articulate, funny and has a crowd-pleasing fighting style. However, he only has one win in his last five bouts.
Has Nelson thrown in the towel on being a top-tier heavyweight?
Nelson was a noted grappler before he be…
Roy Nelson is a fan favorite. He is articulate, funny and has a crowd-pleasing fighting style. However, he only has one win in his last five bouts.
Has Nelson thrown in the towel on being a top-tier heavyweight?
Nelson was a noted grappler before he became known for his knockout power. It was seen as wise to stand and exchange with the heavyweight. He then started to catch fans’ eyes when he was knocking out his opposition in the IFL before making the move to the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter.
After winning the 10th season of the show, Nelson moved into a significant tilt against Stefan Struve. Another KO win. Then the UFC pitted him against Junior dos Santos at UFC 117, where he was beaten for 15 minutes. That served as an eye-opener. Sure he had KO power, but he was still out of his depths against the upper echelon of strikers.
Virtually every time Nelson has tried to take that next step up the ladder, he has been defeated. He has taken a lot of punishment in the process.
The question of Nelson giving up is not posed because of the losses. He has taken on elite competition. The question arises because Nelson has made little to no strides in improving, and his tactics in the cage are highly questionable.
Much has always been made about Nelson’s physique. Nelson embraced it. He started coming out to Weird Al Yankovic’s “I’m Fat” for his fights. However, it is hard to imagine that, over the years, he would not have dedicated the time in the gym to become more fit and reach the next level.
Having a slim physique is overrated in the Octagon, but in most of his losses, he was at a clear physical disadvantage. His punching was slower, he did not have the ability to quickly change levels for a takedown and he struggled to keep pace with his opponent.
Nelson landed only 23 significant strikes over the course of three rounds against both Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem, with his round-by-round numbers falling significantly after the first frame. For all of his power, Nelson’s striking accuracy stands at only 33 percent. He is tough as nails, but even though he keeps walking forward, his output is dropping quickly.
The most glaring reason this question comes up is his performance against Mark Hunt.
Hunt is a stellar striker, but his ground game is awful. He has fallen victim to the most basic of submissions by the lower end of the talent pool. He has shown some defensive improvement in recent fights, but once the fight hits the turf, it should be game over against someone like Nelson.
But it wasn’t.
For all of Nelson’s grappling acumen, he wasn’t able to keep Hunt down on the mat. The “Super Samoan” defended all three first-round takedown attempts and two of three in the second round. Hunt was even a bit tired in the second when Nelson completed the lone takedown of the fight.
In Nelson’s career, he’s only 15 percent accurate on takedowns. That is horrendous for a grappler.
Nelson may be eyeing bigger things. He has taken up acting. Maybe that’s a good thing, because what is happening to his career inside the cage is not very fun to watch.
A fighter with a very solid, well-rounded skill set has been reduced to a haymaker-throwing heavyweight who is really only good for three minutes of action. If the fight goes beyond that mark, we are often treated to watching him lose brain cells as a punching bag.
At some point over the last couple of years, we should have seen some kind of improvement, but we have not.
I love Nelson, but I am not sure he is even trying anymore.
Mixed martial arts is still a young sport, and that means there should be more flexibility to changing rules.
All sport change their rules to make their games more exciting and more safe. The major sports all convene on a yearly basis to discuss rule c…
Mixed martial arts is still a young sport, and that means there should be more flexibility to changing rules.
All sport change their rules to make their games more exciting and more safe. The major sports all convene on a yearly basis to discuss rule changes. MMA should follow suit in having swifter action toward the rule changes. The sport follows the unified rules set by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).
So what should the ABC reexamine for MMA? Here are four areas the governing body should look into the next time they meet.
Knees to a Grounded Opponent
This is one of the more popular suggestions from fans. It used to be allowed in MMA and was a popular rule in PRIDE.
Knees to a grounded opponent can lead to more finishes, but more importantly, it leads to more movement on the ground. A fighter in a precarious position would not be able to stall with an impending knee on its way.
The overriding question would be about safety. It is an honest question to ask. Does a knee to a grounded opponent pose greater risk than typical stiff ground-and-pound? Is it more dangerous than your average stand-up attrition? Judging the health effects is above my pay grade, but the ABC should listen to fighters and doctors alike to reach a conclusion on this hotly debated rule.
Definition of a Grounded Opponent
So knees to a grounded opponent may be too dangerous. Even if so, the one rule they absolutely must look into is the definition of what constitutes a grounded opponent.
Of course, you know exactly what I am talking about. The asinine notion that a fighter putting his hand down should absolve him of eating a knee to the face.
Under the current rule structure, I am OK with fighters doing this. It’s gamesmanship. It’s smart. But it is a dumb rule. The difference in taking a knee with their fingertips on the mat is null. Instead you end up playing a dangerous game of the offensive fighter trying to time a knee perfectly. If he does, it could mean a victory. If he does—a disqualification? That’s just plain stupid.
There is no rule in MMA today that needs change quicker. The ABC should make a downed opponent someone on their knees and/or elbows—not their fingertips.
12-6 Elbows
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan routinely expresses his displeasure about 12-6 elbows being outlawed and the ignorance of why it is banned to begin with. Brick breaking is what Mr. Rogan always cites as that reason being.
We know enough now to change this rule. They should be legal. If the ABC is scared to make that change even in today’s MMA world, then they should at least begin testing it in certain test areas. Then they can make the widespread change after their fears are eased.
Clarification on Judging and Referee Criteria
This is the biggest, and the most difficult, area the ABC needs to address. The current criteria ambiguity is off the charts. Fans, fighters and executives never truly know what is going to happen in a fight with the referee or the judges.
That should not be the case in a sport.
The UFC posts the unified rules on its website. A quick read of them quickly highlights some of the subjectivity of the rules and how judges routinely ignore some of the criteria. More commissions need to review the quality of their judges or provide more education to them.
As for refereeing, there needs to be a stricter guidelines to taking points for infractions.
Some refs will give you one warning, and some refs will give you infinity warnings with no punishment at all. Having a standard practice of taking points for infractions of the rules will ultimately play a role in curtailing the infractions to begin with. Fighters know they can grab the cage without repercussion the vast majority of the time.
There is set criteria, and judges and referees need to begin abiding by it in a stricter manner.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the new strawweight world champion, capturing the gold with a stunning destruction of Carla Esparza at UFC 184. It was a fast rise to the top of the 115-pound division for the Polish striker.
How fast? Her UFC debut was her first …
Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the new strawweight world champion, capturing the gold with a stunning destruction of Carla Esparza at UFC 184. It was a fast rise to the top of the 115-pound division for the Polish striker.
How fast? Her UFC debut was her first fight at 115 pounds. Her previous six wins all came at flyweight. After defeating Juliana Lima, Jedrzejczyk was put opposite Claudia Gadelha in a title eliminator. With another win, her title fight was set.
But who’s next for the new champion?
The strawweight division has long been the deepest division on the women’s side of the sport, but it is still in its infancy in the UFC. The leaves the field for Jedrzejczyk‘s first defense wide open. Of the Top Six contenders, five are booked. The lone unbooked fighter is No. 1-ranked Esparza, who just lost her title.
The UFC has options, but two names jump off the page should they win their respective bouts: No. 6-ranked Joanne Calderwood and No. 2-ranked Claudia Gadelha.
Gadelha is set to fight Aisling Daly, and Calderwood is slated to square off against MarynaMoroz. Both fights will happen on April 11th in Krakow, Poland, at UFC Fight Night 64. The champion will be in attendance. It seems clear that one of the two, with victories, will be the next challenger for the gold.
Gadelha would be the logical choice. She is a higher-ranked contender with bad blood toward Jedrzejczyk. In their tightly contested fight, Gadelha took a swing after the bell on Jedrzejczyk. The fight was determined by the judges in a split decision. The contentious ending and close decision would make it seem as if Gadelha is the leader in the clubhouse.
Calderwood, however, has merits of her own that make her a credible choice for the UFC.
The Scottish striker is undefeated in her professional MMA career. Her lone loss came on The Ultimate Fighter and is considered an exhibition. If the UFC wants a more exciting stylistic matchup for Jedrzejczyk‘s first title defense, they can do no better than Calderwood.
The striker vs. striker matchup would be electric. They have contrasting striking styles, but both love to mix it up in close. The Calderwood vs. Jedrzejczyk matchup is the more stylistically pleasing of the two options, but Gadelha is the more sporting contest due to her standing in the division.
What is interesting about the card placement of UFC Fight Night 64 in Poland is that Gadleha will be in the featured preliminary bout while Calderwood is in the opening fight of the main card. Is that telling of who the UFC is eyeing for Jedrzejczyk? Possibly.
I believe the right move is to give Calderwood the title shot with a win. Gadelha deserves it more, but the UFC is trying to establish a division.
Jedrzejczyk vs. Calderwood is an exciting stylistic affair that can headline a European card later in 2015.
It is a more important fight to continue deepening ties across Europe by giving fans there a great title fight. As the better action fight, it will continue to get the casual fans excited about the strawweight division. It is more beneficial to the UFC, and the division, to side with the more exciting matchup at this time. Gadelha will still be a viable title contender at a later date. Calderwood would have more work to do. This is an opportune time to make this fight.
The UFC cannot go wrong with either fight, but I suspect it is actually the No. 6-ranked strawweight who has the inside track to the title shot. Ultimately, whomever has the more exciting performance on April 11th will face off with Jedrzejczyk.
It is the Scot who also has the more favorable draw that day also.
UFC Fight Night 62’s main event was a grappler’s affair, and Demian Maia came out on top against Ryan LaFlare.
Maia got early takedowns to establish his grappling dominance, while LaFlare was not able to muster any offense of note to win…
UFC Fight Night 62’s main event was a grappler’s affair, and Demian Maia came out on top against Ryan LaFlare.
Maia got early takedowns to establish his grappling dominance, while LaFlare was not able to muster any offense of note to win the rounds. LaFlare did well enough to defend the submission attempts, but he was not able to stay off his back.
Late in the fight, Maia tired significantly more than LaFlare. The Brazilian tried to stall on the ground and eventually fell to his back in the waning seconds to waste time. Referee John McCarthy took a point from Maia for that tactic, but Maia was up on all scorecards regardless of the deduction.
The 25-minute grind capped off a fun night of fights in Brazil, and this is what we learned from the main event.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
The Maia takedowns were the most memorable portions of this fight. The fight dragged on in the final two frames as the fighters began to gas out.
LaFlare was not prepared for just how good Maia’s takedowns can be. He is not known for his wrestling, but his timing is impeccable, which makes his takedowns hard to defend. And once Maia has top position, it is difficult to get back up.
Maia went five full rounds with excellent ground control.
What We Learned About Ryan LaFlare
That he is not ready to be a part of the elite of the division.
LaFlare earned this shot with a perfect 11-0 record. His UFC career was decision after decision—but dominant decisions. This was the step up in competition he needed to prove he truly is a top-15 welterweight. He is not. At least not yet.
This will be a good learning experience. LaFlare can go back and fix some of the holes in his game that led to him being dominated by Maia. When LaFlare returns to action, we should see some improvements to his game that will likely make him a danger to finish the fight.
What We Learned About Demian Maia
We learned that he is not done yet. He looked very good.
This was a favorable matchup for Maia, in that LaFlare is a fellow grappler and lacks the elite athleticism of some of the other welterweights in the division. Maia was not forced into a fast-paced fight and was not out of his depth in the striking exchanges.
If Maia was truly done, then LaFlare would have put him out early—or at the very least controlled him for five rounds. That isn’t what happened. Maia was the better fighter. He looks the part of a top-10 welterweight.
What’s Next for Ryan LaFlare
This was a setback for LaFlare, but he shouldn’t go back to fighting the cellar dwellers of the division. For my money, I would like to see him fight Tim Means.
Means has looked great since returning to the UFC and also represents a good stylistic choice for LaFlare. Means is well-rounded but loves to make fights gritty. He will continually come forward and force LaFlare into a fight.
It makes sense to test both against one another, and it makes sense in relation to where they are in the division at present. The winner of a Means-LaFlare fight could then challenge a top-15 fighter later in 2015.
What’s Next for Demian Maia
Maia will want to make a move to a title shot, but the top end of the division is logjammed. That leaves Matt Brown.
Brown is still ranked in the top five of the division. A win over Brown should put Maia into a title eliminator at the very least. The other option UFC has is to not give Johny Hendricks the next title shot. If that happens, then a title eliminator between Maia and Hendricks makes sense.
I would rather see Hendricks get the title shot he earned and for Maia to draw Brown for his next outing. It has to be one of the two.
Erick Silva and Josh Koscheck got after it in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 62.
Both fighters threw a variety of haymakers early and often. Both Koscheck and Silva failed to connect, but it was clear their intent was to put on a show and end the…
Erick Silva and Josh Koscheck got after it in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 62.
Both fighters threw a variety of haymakers early and often. Both Koscheck and Silva failed to connect, but it was clear their intent was to put on a show and end the fight early. The fight did not make it past the first round. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden noted Koscheck’s contribution to the sport of MMA:
Koscheck went for a desperation takedown, and Silva got a guillotine sunk in. He dropped down with the choke, and Koscheck was forced to tap. It was a big win for Silva and a closing of a chapter on Koscheck’s UFC career.
This is what we learned from the UFC Fight Night 62 co-main event.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
The guillotine was not all that memorable, but the wild overhand rights by both were. We will remember the wind those two generated by throwing the heavy strikes.
If either man had landed flush, it would have been a big KO of the Night bonus-check winner. Unfortunately for the fans, but fortunately for their health, they didn’t land. Other than that, it was not a particularly memorable fight.
They went out to put on a show. They accomplished that even with missing the bombs they threw.
What We Learned About Erick Silva
FightMetric’s Michael Carroll highlights a key stat that Silva achieved with this win which ironically ties him with Koscheck in the history books:
He still fought a bit wild, but this looked to be a more tame Silva. We learned Silva is ready for another serious test in the division.
He exploded on the scene, but he quickly fizzled out. He shows all the tools to be a major threat in the division, but he needs to fight smarter. Saturday he fought smart. He got a bit wild, but he got wild at the same time Koshceck did. He didn’t risk position.
Silva defended the takedown well and finished the fight. It was a solid performance from a fighter who could have big things in his future.
What We Learned About Josh Koscheck
We learned he is finish being a top welterweight.
He spent a lot of time away from the cage, and when he returned a lot of eyes were focused on how good he could be. Two submission losses in quick order prove that his time is done. Father Time waits for no man, and while Koscheck made big strides in his MMA career, he cannot make a final push up the ladder at 170 pounds.
What’s Next For Erick Silva
How about Jake Ellenberger?
The UFC cannot treat Silva like a 20-year-old prospect at this point, and with two exciting fights against Matt Brown and Koscheck, he has earned another name in the division. A fight against Ellenberger sets the winner up for a big fight in the division.
Ellenberger and Silva both submitted Koscheck. This fight makes sense. It would make for a good co-main event for a future Fight Night event.
What’s Next For Josh Koscheck
UFC president Dana White discussed his respect of the Season 1 participants on The Ultimate Fighter, which includes Koscheck:
The UFC Hall of Fame.
His active fighting career is most likely over, and he has nothing left to prove. The sport is passing him by, but he should be inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame. He helped solidify the organization as a member of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter and was one of the shining examples of how the show can develop talent.
He was a top-tier welterweight for many years. He was involved in numerous exciting contests. He deserves that honor.
