Donald Cerrone, ranked No. 3 in the lightweight division, returns to the UFC’s Octagon after just 15 days away from the structure.
Cerrone defeated young gun Myles Jury at UFC 182 and then got the call to replace Eddie Alvarez for a fight with No…
Donald Cerrone, ranked No. 3 in the lightweight division, returns to the UFC’s Octagon after just 15 days away from the structure.
Cerrone defeated young gun Myles Jury at UFC 182 and then got the call to replace Eddie Alvarez for a fight with No. 5-ranked contender Benson Henderson. It will be the third meeting for the two former WEC standouts.
Their first meeting was an epic encounter for the interim WEC lightweight title. The back-and-forth battle put both lightweights on the map. Henderson got the edge on the scorecards after 25 minutes of fantastic MMA action. Their second fight was a bit shorter as Henderson locked up a tight guillotine and got the tap from Cerrone.
Nearly five years later, here we are.
UFC Fight Night 59 will see the two top-five-ranked lightweights go at it again, but this time it will only be a three round co-main event bout. Will that make a difference? Let’s break it all down for this incredible matchup that fell into our laps.
January kicked off with UFC 182, but the month certainly isn’t over. It’s just getting started.
The UFC brings three more cards to your television screens before the month concludes. This includes a Fight Night on Fox Sports 1, a Fight Night on Fox and…
January kicked off with UFC 182, but the month certainly isn’t over. It’s just getting started.
The UFC brings three more cards to your television screens before the month concludes. This includes a Fight Night on Fox Sports 1, a Fight Night on Fox and another pay-per-view event. And with all this action there are can’t-miss fights on the docket.
Why are these can’t-miss fights?
Some of them will move the victors into title contention, and other scraps will prove to be exciting clashes between top-tier talents. Fans of mixed martial arts are lucky to be treated to the UFC’s offerings this month.
Without further ado, these are seven can’t-miss bouts coming your way throughout January.
CM Punk, real name Phil Brooks, has already created a stir in the world of mixed martial arts following his signing to the UFC.
The talented professional wrestler has begun training with Duke Roufus at Roufusport and plans to debut somet…
CM Punk, real name Phil Brooks, has already created a stir in the world of mixed martial arts following his signing to the UFC.
The talented professional wrestler has begun training with Duke Roufus at Roufusport and plans to debut sometime in 2015. The details of his professional MMA debut are still very much up in the air, but the UFC is hoping Punk can bring in fresh eyeballs to the product.
There is plenty of interest surrounding Punk, but he will never come close to what Brock Lesnar accomplished as a draw for the UFC. That is just a fact.
First and foremost, it is important to note that CM Punk, while one of the absolute best professional wrestlers of his generation, was never a huge draw for the WWE. Cageside Seats took a look at the buyrates of WWEPPVs throughout the years, and when Punk held the WWE championship from 2011-2013, you can look at the low totals the shows drew.
Punk was not even the top draw on most of those cards. It is important to note that there is no direct correlation between WWEPPVbuyrates to UFC buyrates, but what it does show is that Punk will not be bringing in a massive audience with him. Without a huge influx of new eyes, that is the first issue in Punk bringing in a mass of new viewers.
That is not the biggest reason why Punk will not match Lesnar‘s box-office success. That reason is simple—Lesnar is an attraction.
In the days of wrestling having territories, attractions were common. Haystacks Calhoun, Kamala and the great Andre the Giant are just some examples. They went to new territories and drew large crowds because of their unique size and look. Lesnar is the modern-day version of an attraction.
Lesnar is a monster. An extremely athletic monster. An NCAA Division 1 champion monster.
His look appealed to the masses. That is why he moved so quickly up the WWE ladder years ago. When fans first laid eyes on him and what he was able to do, it blew their minds. It made them want to see him more. Never had fans seen someone with his size be able to blend speed and strength so effectively inside the squared circle.
When Lesnar left the WWE, he tried to make it in the NFL, and that drew the interest of mainstream media. Why? Because of his athleticism. If it had been a different professional wrestler, it would have been a sideshow story, but with Lesnar, there was a curiosity about whether he could actually make a roster. After barely missing the cut, he tried MMA, a sport more suited to his abilities.
Once again, much like his explosion onto the pro wrestling scene, he jumped right to the top of the sport. He didn’t waste his time working his way up while developing his all-around skills. He challenged the best of the best, and with his wrestling credentials, no one batted an eye. Punk doesn’t have the background or athleticism to generate the same kind of interest from fans.
Lesnar was an attraction that captivated us to shell out just to watch him compete. He was can’t-miss television. Punk is an attraction, but one we are not willing to pay to see at the top of the card. And to Punk’s credit, that is not what he is trying to do. It just highlights that he will never be the type of draw that Lesnar was.
Punk is missing pieces to the puzzle that make an MMA draw. Lesnar had all those pieces before he even stepped into the Octagon. Punk is a work in progress. And at 36 years old, he does not have the time to develop into the headlining draw that Lesnar was when he first debuted in the UFC.
2014 saw fight card after fight card after fight card—almost to the point of tiring some fans out on the product, but having relentless events at least gives us finishes.
MMA certainly gave us plenty of fantastic knockouts this year, but which wa…
2014 saw fight card after fight card after fight card—almost to the point of tiring some fans out on the product, but having relentless events at least gives us finishes.
MMA certainly gave us plenty of fantastic knockouts this year, but which was the best?
Determining a year-end list like this is very unscientific and has no set criteria. Do the more violent knockouts rank higher, or do knockouts in fights that meant more go to the top of the list? It’s a judgment call.
You will see a mixture of both on this list. Circumstances helped elevate some KOs, while it hurt others. The UFC dominates this list, but there is one knockout featured from a promotion other than the sport’s leader. The list also features knockouts in two title fights.
Without further ado, here are your top 10 knockouts of 2014. Here’s hoping 2015 keeps delivering moments that make us leap out of our chairs.
Jon Jones continues to embrace the role of the heel. It will continue to pay off at the box office.
At UFC 182, the light heavyweight champion defended his crown against No. 2-ranked contender Daniel Cormier in an expert performance. He continues to es…
Jon Jones continues to embrace the role of the heel. It will continue to pay off at the box office.
At UFC 182, the light heavyweight champion defended his crown against No. 2-ranked contender Daniel Cormier in an expert performance. He continues to establish himself as one of the greatest of all time and has already cemented himself as the best light heavyweight ever.
With all of his physical skills, Jones has never reached the heights of other stars. There was some disconnect with the average UFC fan. In the lead-up to UFC 182, he played the role of the villain, fake or not, and it helped anchor this PPV as one of the hottest for the UFC in a long time.
In the closing seconds, Jones generated more heat with fans, and he closed out the show with a crotch chop directed toward Cormier. The post-fight interview did not do anything to help Jones come around to being a humble champion that fans could rally behind. But this is combat sports, and nice guys finish last.
Heels create the cash.
Mike Tyson’s antics raised his profile. Folks tuned in to his press conferences and fights just to see what he would do next. Floyd Mayweather is boxing’s current bad boy, and fans shell out for high-priced pay-per-views just to see him lose—something that has yet to happen.
In MMA, Anderson Silva struggled to reach a big number in PPV buys until ChaelSonnen came along playing the role of a professional wrestling heel. Sonnen‘s ability to cut promos helped generate a lot of interest in their two fights. Silva’s in-fight antics also rubbed many the wrong way.
To be a draw in combat sports, you have to be divisive. Jones has definitely developed into being just that. The light heavyweight champion of the world is loved by his fans and hated by everyone else. It is exactly what the UFC needs.
Jones’ in-cage abilities and status as one of the pound-for-pound best ever will keep fans coming back for more and more. His out-of-cage abilities to be a heel in all of his promo work will bring in more PPV buys, and Jones will soon become the UFC’s most bankable star in quite some time.
The UFC had a rough year in 2014, and the Jones-Cormier beef was exactly what they needed to kick off 2015 in the right direction.
Jones is the face of the UFC. His name is their best meal ticket.
The UFC may or may not have a rebound year in 2015 as a whole, but expect to see each of Jones’ fights to see big numbers. He is becoming the guy fans love to hate. He will need to continue to play the role of the heel and let his opposition create the angle that they could be “the one” to upend him.
Being the “good guy” in MMA rarely works, and even if you are a popular good guy, you need a foil to help you draw. Jones is embracing his new role as the heel, and it is great for the sport.
Jon Jones continues to cement himself as the greatest light heavyweight in the world. His UFC 182 performance against Daniel Cormier was just the next step in his legacy as one of the greatest of all time.
What is on the horizon? If the UFC ponies up,…
Jon Jones continues to cement himself as the greatest light heavyweight in the world. His UFC 182 performance against Daniel Cormier was just the next step in his legacy as one of the greatest of all time.
What is on the horizon? If the UFC ponies up, Jones is open to a superfight with heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
This is both a great idea and a terrible idea.
On one hand, this fight will do massive business. Taking two top-tier fighters is always a good thing, but add in their status in this sport, and it creates something special. The potential business this could bring the UFC is likely even greater than what Jones-Cormier did Saturday night.
Jones will still have physical advantages, and that is his greatest asset. He has all the skill to compete with most of the elite at heavyweight. He is just that good.
But why is this a terrible idea?
Velasquez isn’t most of the heavyweight division. He is a different animal.
Ask Brock Lesnar. Ask Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Ask Junior Dos Santos.
Velasquez’s style is a good way for Jones to get mauled in the cage. Jones needs time to acclimate himself to the heavyweight division before taking on the likes of Velasquez. We have seen what the heavyweight champion can do, and it’s violent. Subjecting Jones to that would not be good in the long term.
This isn’t Anderson Silva moving up in weight against middling fighters. This isn’t like a potential fight between Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis. It’s different. It’s heavyweight.
Velasquez is still out with an injury, and when he returns, he will take on Fabricio Werdum. If Velasquez wins, he is without a challenger. If Jones defeats the winner of Alexander Gustafsson vs. Anthony Johnson, he will be without a top contender as well. On the timeline of the UFC, this potential fight could line itself up for a year-end fight card.
It would make business sense.
If Jones truly wants to test himself and establish himself as the greatest of all time, this is the man to do it against. It is a phenomenally tall order, but it’s the fight that would put him as the greatest of all time in this young sport. It would also line his pockets with green while the light heavyweight division gets its next contender.
Without credible challengers, the money Jones can make at 205 is minuscule compared to what he could do against Velasquez. It also has the benefit of keeping Cormier in the mix as the captain of AKA and Velasquez’s training partner. The heat only helps. Perhaps that is why Jones has an eye on the possibility.
It makes sense for Jones’ bank account, but for his fighting career, it just should not happen right now. As these two dominant figures in the sport go through 2015, we will all have to keep an ear to the ground for anymore rumblings of this fight.
