Author: Nathan McCarter

UFC 182: Hector Lombard Looks to Be Fighting for a Faceoff with Rory MacDonald

UFC 182 will be Hector Lombard’s chance to prove his spot in the welterweight rankings.
Everything leading up to the event looked like it would be Rory MacDonald, the UFC’s No. 2-ranked contender, who would be next in line for the championship. However…

UFC 182 will be Hector Lombard‘s chance to prove his spot in the welterweight rankings.

Everything leading up to the event looked like it would be Rory MacDonald, the UFC’s No. 2-ranked contender, who would be next in line for the championship. However, another close battle between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler has seemingly pushed MacDonald back down the ladder.

Per a report on UFC Tonight by Ariel Helwani, the UFC called to inform MacDonald that he would not be getting his title shot.

With a glance at the official UFC rankings, it would appear that a win on Saturday would set up a Lombard-MacDonald title eliminator in 2015.

Winner of eight of his last nine, MacDonald has cemented his spot near the top of the rankings. Any fight featuring MacDonald would be a title eliminator. He is that close to earning a shot at gold. For Lombard, he is undefeated, 2-0, since dropping to welterweight. He currently sits as the No. 6-ranked contender.

Those ranked above Lombard are not in a position to challenge for the belt, or to challenge MacDonald for that opportunity. No. 5-ranked Matt Brown has not had a fight since losing to Robbie Lawler, No. 4-ranked Carlos Condit is coming off an injury in a loss to No. 3-ranked Tyron Woodley and Woodley has a recent loss to MacDonald.

That leaves Lombard and MacDonald as the only two logical choices, sans a GSP return, for the fighter next in line after Hendricks.

Lombard is very marketable. No, he doesn’t speak out often. He isn’t the super charismatic figure of a Chael Sonnen. Lombard is the fighter who embarks fear in fighters and fans alike. The fighter the fanbase knows brings violence into the cage. That is a very sellable aspect and has worked to elevate combat sports throughout its history.

Getting to the potential showdown with MacDonald will not be an easy task. Talented welterweight Josh Burkman makes his return to the Octagon more than six years after being cut with three straight losses.

Since leaving the UFC, Burkman has improved drastically. He posted a 9-2 record outside of the organization. He will not be a pushover for Lombard.

Burkman has brought his striking along quite nicely, and he has fight-ending power. He also has an underrated submission attack. An attack that turned out Jon Fitch’s lights in less than a minute of work in 2013. This is not a cakewalk for Lombard.

The 170-pound division is not light on contenders. The upper echelon of the division beats up on each other, making it difficult for anyone to earn a title shot. And even when one gets there, as MacDonald has, a title fight rematch forces them into another fight.

Lombard-MacDonald seems to be the next title eliminator on tap.

It is always possible the UFC matchmakers throw a curveball at us all, but if UFC 182 plays out with a Lombard victory, the only logical fight for him is that potential title eliminator with MacDonald. Neither fighter is one to wait, and they are at the same place in the division.

Lombard seemingly has his chance to reach serious title contention on Saturday.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jones vs. Cormier Preview: Don’t Sleep on DC’s Striking

Saturday night is the night we have all been waiting for—Jon Jones defends the UFC light heavyweight championship against Daniel Cormier.
Cormier is an elite-level wrestler, and that skill is seen as his path to victory this weekend. He has to ge…

Saturday night is the night we have all been waiting for—Jon Jones defends the UFC light heavyweight championship against Daniel Cormier.

Cormier is an elite-level wrestler, and that skill is seen as his path to victory this weekend. He has to get inside, use his wrestling and beat up Jones on the canvas. While that is his best path to capturing gold at UFC 182, no one should be sleeping on what he can do with his hands.

The former Olympian is in his fifth year as a pro. He has had a long time to develop his striking at AKA, one of the premier camps for MMA fighters to hone their striking skills. He got to show off his power in the heavyweight division with several knockouts. His knockout of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is what put him on the map as a top-tier heavyweight.

The concern with Jones is how well he can manage distance. Jones will not want Cormier in close because of his wrestling disadvantage, but this also plays to his advantage in striking, as he will have a substantial reach advantage. Cormier has a 72.5-inch reach, while Jones’ reach comes in at 84.5.

Jones has been touched before. His striking defense is not impenetrable. According to official UFC statistics provided by FightMetric, Jones only has 66 percent in the area of striking defense. He has been hit by plodding strikers like Glover Teixeira and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson—just at a lower rate than Cormier.

The champion’s striking accuracy is just over the halfway mark at 54 percent. Jones’ significant strikes landed per minute is only marginally better than Cormier. The challenger has an underrated boxing game, and has big power in his hands. If he can land a few on Jones, it could be a quick night.

Cormier‘s main striking success comes from in close, and has been achieved against slower heavyweights. That has to be noted. It will not be nearly as easy against Jones. It is just worth noting that he is not entirely out of his depth.

AKA prepares their fighters extraordinarily well. We have seen Cain Velasquez blossom from a collegiate wrestler into a fighter who out-struck Junior dos Santos with ease in their last two meetings. His hands looked outstanding. Cormier is likely on that same path.

All of the stats and video show that Cormier is a solid striker who continues to get better standing, but this is MMA. The effect of his wrestling on Jones will only assist his success on foot.

The more he can get the champion’s back against the fence, the more success he can have with dirty boxing, an area where Cormier has proven to excel. It will also help him fight at distance as Jones focuses on defending takedowns.

Jones is without question the more diverse striker in this matchup, but there is no reason to completely whitewash Cormier‘s chances on foot. He has good boxing technique, excellent power and possesses the ability to slip and counter effectively.

If Cormier goes in to stand and exchange with Jones, he will lose. If Jones can manage the distance effectively, he will retain. But Cormier has the ability to hold his own standing, and that will give him chances to either end this fight with one shot, or to capitalize on openings Jones leaves to turn this fight into a grappling affair.

No one should completely overlook Cormier‘s chances on foot. That is where the fight starts each round, and he will be prepared for Jones’ physical gifts. Saturday will be a very interesting day to see what the game plan is for Cormier on foot.

Is he at a disadvantage standing? Absolutely. Is he completely outclassed in that aspect? That video and those statistics say you may be surprised on Saturday night.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko: Bellator Chasing After Dream HW Fight?

During the holiday week, Scott Coker, President of Bellator MMA, told MMAFighting.com that they have reached out to Brock Lesnar to show interest in his services. Now, just before the new year, Coker speaks of another great heavyweight the company is i…

During the holiday week, Scott Coker, President of Bellator MMA, told MMAFighting.com that they have reached out to Brock Lesnar to show interest in his services. Now, just before the new year, Coker speaks of another great heavyweight the company is interested in bringing in.

His hame is Fedor Emelianenko.

According to a report from Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog, Coker will be in attendance at the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014 in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve, and he expects to have discussions with the former PRIDE and WAMMA heavyweight champion. Coker said:

I’ve heard mixed signals. The last time I talked to [his people], they were basically saying he’s retired and he’s working for the government supporting MMA, the growth of MMA in Russia. I’m going to the New Year’s Eve show in Japan, so I’ll be over there and I’ll be talking to him and seeing if there’s any interest.

The Bellator heavyweight ranks are incredibly thin, and with Coker sending out feelers to both Lesnar and Emelianenko it looks clear that the company has eyes on potentially booking the greatest heavyweight fight that never was.

When Lesnar was the UFC champion, the one fight that was always brought up in discussions was a fight between Lesnar and Emelianenko. It was the “It” fight. It was the I Ching of mixed martial arts. However, the two sides could never put pen to paper and put Emelianenko inside the notorious Octagon.

UFC President Dana White spoke in January 2013 during a UFC on Fox 6 media scrum about how close the fight was coming to fruition.

Now it appears Bellator is playing for that fight in 2015.

Coker and Emelianenko already have a working relationship. Coker was able to snag the Russian heavyweight for Strikeforce in 2009. The two saw good success with their co-promoted shows—even with Emelianenko coming up on the losing end three consecutive times. Coker has an in with Emelianenko that the UFC never did: a successful and amicable relationship.

Bellator and Viacom are clear in their intentions to compete with the UFC. Signing both Emelianenko and Lesnar would be a massive grab for the company, and it would send a major message to the UFC that it is here to be a force in any and all negotiations moving forward.

At this juncture, it is only speculation. There is no word from Emelianenko‘s camp to suggest he is ready and willing to return to action. Likewise, there are only rumors that Lesnar is ready to step back in the cage. All of the dominos would have to fall into place for this heavyweight showdown to happen, but Coker and Bellator are starting to eye the matchup.

We are a long way off from anything being signed by any party, but here we are again. Excitement is rebuilding for Lesnar vs. Emelianenko. Only this time, it appears that it is Bellator that seems to be the prospective home for the extravaganza.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA in 2014: The 10 Biggest Upsets

MMA is notorious for giving us upsets. It’s the beautiful nature of the sport. 2014 continued that tradition with some stunning upsets.
Some of the most famous MMA moments were upsets—Gabriel Gonzaga’s head-kick KO of Mirko Cro Cop, Matt Serra’s …

MMA is notorious for giving us upsets. It’s the beautiful nature of the sport. 2014 continued that tradition with some stunning upsets.

Some of the most famous MMA moments were upsets—Gabriel Gonzaga’s head-kick KO of Mirko Cro Cop, Matt Serra’s chasing down a wobbly Georges St-Pierre and Fabricio Werdum’s frantic celebration after submitting Fedor Emelianenko.

For 2014, we have narrowed down the field by taking the betting lines from oddsmakers. All of the finalists were more than 3-1 underdogs in their respective bouts. Ranking them came from a combination of betting odds, stylistic matchups and quality of competition. That is what gave us the final list of 2014’s biggest upsets.

Bellator, Invicta FC and the UFC are all represented on this list.

Without further ado, let’s get started with the 10 biggest upsets from the past 12 months of in-cage action.

Begin Slideshow

UFC Fight Night 58: Main Card Betting Odds and Predictions

UFC Fight Night 58 comes to us this Saturday with a top middleweight matchup leading the charge.
No. 4-ranked contender Lyoto Machida takes on No. 10-ranked CB Dollaway. Machida is coming off a loss to champion Chris Weidman, and Dollaway has won two s…

UFC Fight Night 58 comes to us this Saturday with a top middleweight matchup leading the charge.

No. 4-ranked contender Lyoto Machida takes on No. 10-ranked CB Dollaway. Machida is coming off a loss to champion Chris Weidman, and Dollaway has won two straight to jump up the division’s rankings. The winner will enter the title picture in 2015.

Also in action is former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao. The now No. 1-ranked contender takes on No. 14-ranked Mitch Gagnon in the co-main event in Brazil.

Before heading off to make a few plays with your hard-earned money, you should take a peek at the matchups as we try to help you make better-informed decisions. The six-fight main card has some interesting lines on the bouts.

This is the final UFC card of 2014. Let’s close out the year by helping you get some positive flow into your accounts.

Begin Slideshow

Machida vs. Dollaway: A Complete Guide to UFC Fight Night 58

UFC Fight Night 58 hits Sao Paulo, Brazil this Saturday for your enjoyment.
Headlining the event will be middleweights Lyoto Machida and CB Dollaway.
The American has surged into the divisional rankings in the past two years with surprising performance…

UFC Fight Night 58 hits Sao Paulo, Brazil this Saturday for your enjoyment.

Headlining the event will be middleweights Lyoto Machida and CB Dollaway.

The American has surged into the divisional rankings in the past two years with surprising performances, and the UFC is now giving him his chance to enter the title picture against Machida. The Brazilian is coming off a failed bid to capture the championship from Chris Weidman, and he will want to get right back into the mix at 185 pounds.

Co-main eventing will be former bantamweight champion Renan Barao. He takes on another fast-rising, unlikely challenger in Mitch Gagnon.

Ten other bouts will round out the card in Brazil, and the UFC will wrap up the year with an exciting event that many are overlooking. The fight card has several underrated matchups, and that is what we take a look at today.

This is your complete guide to UFC Fight Night 58. Hang your mistletoe over this event and be prepared to kiss the final card of 2014 goodbye.

Begin Slideshow