Author: Nathan McCarter

Megumi Fujii: Legend Wants in UFC, Promotion Should Create Strawweight Division

Megumi Fujii wants to compete in the UFC. That will not happen, but it should. 
I will do a good job too in UFC!— 藤井惠 Megumi Fujii (@MegaMeguCat) March 3, 2013
 UFC President Dana White has been adamant that the or…

Megumi Fujii wants to compete in the UFC. That will not happen, but it should.

 

 

UFC President Dana White has been adamant that the organization is looking to add a 115-pound men’s division. In theory, that sounds fine. However, the strawweight division is nowhere near what it needs to be in terms of depth or talent to be considered for inclusion in the UFC. Women’s strawweight is a different story.

The strawweight division is arguably the deepest division in all of women’s MMA, and Fujii stands alone in that division. This is a prime opportunity to bring her in as the poster child of the new division.

Why wait years for the men when the women are ready now?

Now, I know what you are thinking: “The UFC is cutting the roster as it is right now, so why add a new division?”

The UFC’s partnership with Invicta FC would allow them to create a new women’s division with ease without hampering their current roster. Any overflow they may have can be easily placed on an upcoming Invicta FC card. It’s the perfect situation as they continue to help grow the women’s game.

The upper echelon fights can be placed on Fuel and FX cards. Title fights can happen on FOX or as the co-main event on lesser pay-per-views.

Bellator has had a women’s tournament at 115 pounds, but there is no concrete division. The No. 1-ranked female, Jessica Aguilar, is signed to Bellator, but she has next to no one to fight unless she moves up to 125 pounds. The sea of talent below her is up for grabs and easily available for the UFC to take.

Even Aguilar is seemingly interested in the potential UFC strawweight division.

The second place MMA promotion only lists five total fighters on their website, and only three are at 115 pounds. Fujii is listed, but judging by her tweets and most recent fight, she is able to be signed by the UFC if they decided to venture deeper in to women’s MMA.

Fujii has two blemishes on her record, but both are controversial decisions. Her 26 wins consist of 20 finishes. She is an exciting and beloved fighter, and would be a great asset as an ambassador of the sport in Asia.

If the UFC is seeking to add a 115-pound division, it only makes sense to make it a new women’s division, and not wait on the men. It is still years away while the women are able to start right now. Flyweights wanting to compete in the UFC will move up to bantamweight, and atomweights would try their luck at strawweight. All the while, they could compete at their natural weight classes in Invicta.

Fujii wants to compete in the Octagon, and she should be given that chance. If White and company are serious about adding a strawweight division, they should contact Fujii and introduce their second women’s division to the masses. It would be a shame if they let this opportunity pass.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Getting to Know All 11 Women Signed so Far to the UFC

The UFC kicked off their women’s division with the first-ever championship bout at UFC 157.Ronda Rousey continued her streak of first-round armbars by submitting Liz Carmouche in the evening’s main event. The event was covered from bell to bell, and th…

The UFC kicked off their women’s division with the first-ever championship bout at UFC 157.

Ronda Rousey continued her streak of first-round armbars by submitting Liz Carmouche in the evening’s main event. The event was covered from bell to bell, and the crowd was on fire, showing the women can draw.

Prior to the event, UFC President Dana White said they have already signed 10 women to the roster, and that five more were on their way. With the signing of Sheila Gaff, that number is down to four.

Here is your introduction to the newly minted UFC women’s bantamweight division.

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UFC on Fuel TV 8: Live Reaction for Every Fight

UFC on Fuel 8 is just hours away with a light heavyweight main-event clash between Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann.Ten more fights round out the card. The first five bouts of the evening will be broadcast on Facebook, and the six-fight main card is fea…

UFC on Fuel 8 is just hours away with a light heavyweight main-event clash between Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann.

Ten more fights round out the card. The first five bouts of the evening will be broadcast on Facebook, and the six-fight main card is featured on Fuel TV.

This is the UFC’s first time back in Japan since UFC 144 in February of 2012. The Octagon is once again set up in the Saitama Super Arena. It is one of the most classic MMA venues. Stick around Bleacher Report for live reactions for every fight.

 

Weigh-In Results

Wanderlei Silva (204 lbs.) vs. Brian Stann (206 lbs.)

Mark Hunt (266 lbs.) vs. Stefan Struve (260 lbs.)

Takanori Gomi (156 lbs.) vs. Diego Sanchez* (158 lbs.)

Yushin Okami (185 lbs.) vs. Hector Lombard (186 lbs.)

Mizuto Hirota (146 lbs.) vs. Rani Yahya (146 lbs.)

Dong Hyun Kim (171 lbs.) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (171 lbs.)

Riki Fukuda (186 lbs.) vs. Brad Tavares (185 lbs.)

Takeya Mizugaki (136 lbs.) vs. Bryan Caraway (135 lbs.)

Cristiano Marcello (156 lbs.) vs. Kazuki Tokudome (155 lbs.)

Alex Caceres (136 lbs.) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (135 lbs.)

Marcelo Guimaraes (171 lbs.) vs. Hyun Gyu Lim (171 lbs.)

 

*Diego Sanchez did not make weight and will forfeit 20 percent of his purse.

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UFC on Fuel 8: Which Fighter Has the Most to Gain?

UFC on Fuel 8 features several fighters on the card who have a lot at stake. The heavyweight co-main event between Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve will give the winner a claim to one of the top spots in the division, with four in a row for Hunt and five st…

UFC on Fuel 8 features several fighters on the card who have a lot at stake.

The heavyweight co-main event between Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve will give the winner a claim to one of the top spots in the division, with four in a row for Hunt and five straight for Struve. Those streaks will make them contenders in the shallow division.

Unfortunately for both men, UFC 160 features a co-main event between Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem that will likely produce the next title challenger. Hunt and Struve will still likely have to win one more bout.

The lightweight scrap between Takanori Gomi and Diego Sanchez can elevate the winner in the 155-pound division. However, the title picture is a bit crowded at the moment.

Dong Hyun Kim and Siyar Bahadurzada mix it up in the crowded welterweight division. The winner may crack the Top 10, but that is about it. Neither are close to a title shot.

The fighter with the most to gain on Saturday is Hector Lombard.

Lombard got off to a disappointing start in the UFC by dropping a boring decision to Tim Boetsch. He more than made up for that performance by knocking out Rousimar Palhares in his second fight. Now he gets to face the No. 4-ranked fighter Yushin Okami.

Lombard is currently ranked eighth. A win over Okami should put him in the Top Five.

What gives Lombard even more to fight for is the apathetic views Anderson Silva has in fighting Chris Weidman. That leaves the door open for another middleweight to challenge the champion.

When Lombard was outside of the UFC, this was a fight that the fans wanted to see—Lombard’s power and judo against Silva’s brilliance. If Lombard can brutally dispatch of Okami, then the luster the fight lost in Lombard’s UFC debut will likely return.

With superfights, Weidman and other unknown factors, it is unlikely he will leapfrog directly to a title shot. However, the possibility is there, which is why this is a big fight for Lombard.

The key is to win impressively, a not-so-easy task against Okami.

Stylistically, this can be a drab affair. However, Lombard is an aggressive fighter with big power. That gives him the chance to have a spectacular and exciting finish. As we all know, that is of vital importance in the UFC.

Many fighters on this card are battling for positions in the UFC rankings, but only Lombard has a realistic chance of parlaying this fight in to a title bout. That means he has the most to gain from Saturday’s fight.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Takanori Gomi vs. Diego Sanchez: Will It Be a “Fight of the Year” Candidate?

Put two of the most exciting lightweights in the cage against one another and you have a recipe that could lead to a fight of the year candidate. Takanori Gomi and Diego Sanchez are two of the most exciting fighters in MMA history. UFC on Fuel 8 pits t…

Put two of the most exciting lightweights in the cage against one another and you have a recipe that could lead to a fight of the year candidate.

Takanori Gomi and Diego Sanchez are two of the most exciting fighters in MMA history. UFC on Fuel 8 pits them against one another.

Gomi has had numerous exciting bouts throughout his career. His scraps with Tatsuya Kawajiri and Nick Diaz are memorable affairs that still are remembered today. While some of his skills have seemingly diminished, he posted another Fight of the Night in his most recent outing against Mac Danzig.

Sanchez has won the Fight of the Night bonus in four of his last six bouts. Throw in his early UFC wars against Nick Diaz and Karo Parisyan and one could make the claim that Sanchez has been the most exciting fighter in UFC history. Recent fights against Clay Guida and Jake Ellenberger have been just as exciting.

Sanchez has shown a penchant for delivering entertaining fights throughout his career, but the bar has already been set high for 2013.

At UFC 157 Dennis Bermudez and Matt Grice put on a show. It is already being talked about as a fight of the year candidate, and will be tough to top. Two months in to the new year and the competition for the best fight is already stiff.

The advantage this fight has over Bermudez vs. Grice is that fans care about these two fighters. That will heighten the level of anticipation and excitement of the fight. That is something that lacked in the Bermudez and Grice battle.

In a perfect world fights would be ranked on their merit alone, but we do not live in a perfect world. Good fights featuring two fighters fans care about will be equal or trump great fights between two lower-level fighters. However, Gomi and Sanchez can post more action in 15 minutes than most others. That gives them a great chance to have the fight of the year.

Fans love slugfests, and this should be nothing short of an all-out brawl.

Gomi loves to go for the knockout. He has serious power in his punches, and does not prefer to take the fight down. Sanchez is similar. He does not necessarily carry the same power in his fists, but he makes up for that with his high output.

Another important factor is that neither fighter backs down. They are aggressive. Two fighters who seek to take the fight to their opponent and not to counter in a less than exciting fashion.

If this fight misses out on Fight of the Night it would be a shock. Expectations are high. If these fighters can exceed those on Saturday that will go a long way to making it a memorable affair.

Sanchez and Gomi are perfect styles to put against one another if you want to create fireworks. That is the right mix for a potential fight of the year contender.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA Stock Projection for March: Who to Bet On, Who to Avoid

March has five top-level MMA cards coming your way in March. The UFC brings you the first this Saturday from Japan.Bellator will chime in with three more of their weekly events, and the highlight of the month will be UFC 158.Oddsmakers will be busy set…

March has five top-level MMA cards coming your way in March. The UFC brings you the first this Saturday from Japan.

Bellator will chime in with three more of their weekly events, and the highlight of the month will be UFC 158.

Oddsmakers will be busy setting lines for the list of fights hitting this coming month. Some fighters may be worth taking a gamble on, and some of the favorites will be who you will want to avoid laying your money on.

Here are some fighters to bet on and some to avoid.

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