Author: Nathan McCarter

UFC on FUEL TV 8: Best FUEL Card So Far?

UFC on FUEL TV 8 continues to get better and better. An already stacked and exciting return to Japan received another boost when Yushin Okami and Hector Lombard were added in a middleweight bout with major divisional significance.The main event of…

UFC on FUEL TV 8 continues to get better and better. An already stacked and exciting return to Japan received another boost when Yushin Okami and Hector Lombard were added in a middleweight bout with major divisional significance.

The main event of the evening is another middleweight clash.

Wanderlei Silva returns to the nation where he had the most success. Silva’s return to Japan will try to be spoiled by “All-American” Brian Stann.

But is this the best FUEL TV offering to date? On paper, yes.

As fans we have been fooled before. UFC President Dana White has been fooled before. Sometimes no matter how fantastic a card may look on paper the fights just do not deliver, and other times the cards that look like utter garbage to us are the ones that thrill from start to finish.

Previous FUEL TV cards have given us remarkable fights, but not really a card full of action from top to bottom.

The first offering was solid, and it was capped off with a fantastic fight between Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez. Heavyweight’s Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic stepped up to offer a couple finishes on the main card, and so did bantamweight Ivan Menjivar as well.

The second FUEL TV show may be the current leader for best on the network, and may be tough to top.

Alexander Gustafsson and Thiago Silva was the main event that evening, but it was not the fight that helped make that card so great. That distinction falls to the undercard guys. Brian Stann knocked out Alessio Sakara, Siyar Bahadurzada flattened Paulo Thiago, Dennis Siver and Diego Nunes went for three rounds, DaMarques Johnson tapped out to a John Maguire armbar and Brad Pickett finished Damacio Page.

The prelims were nothing to scoff at either. James Head, Cyrille Diabate, Francis Carmont, Reza Madadi, and Simeon Thoresen all finished their fights. The only prelim not to finish was a featherweight scrap between Jason Young and Eric Wisely.

Top to bottom that card delivered. The UFC’s return to Japan has the opportunity to do the same, but with greater impact that comes with bigger names and more significant fights.

This FUEL TV card is littered with talent who rarely, if ever, fail us.

Who else is on this card besides the two previously mentioned middleweight bouts?

Heavyweight finishers Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve will clash in the co-main event of the evening. Hunt can keep a winning streak alive and try to rally his fans with another KO performance, but he is vulnerable to submissions, which is a problem against the savvy Struve.

Diego Sanchez may be the all-time most exciting fighter in UFC history. Look at his record and look at all the remarkable battles. At UFC on FUEL he will meet another exciting lightweight in “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi. The lightweight tilt has fight of the night written all over it.

Need more? Siyar Bahadurzada takes on Dong Hyun Kim, Mizuto Hirota meets Rani Yahya, and Takeya Mizugaki returns against Bryan Caraway.

There are still three more fights that will be given to us on that early March card: Riki Fukuda vs. Brad Tavares, Cristiano Marcello vs. Kazuki Tokudome, and Marcelo Guimaraes vs. Hyun Gyu Lim.

Topping that second FUEL card is a tall task, but this card has better fighters with more divisional impact. Wins can alter rankings and future matches. We are not just getting good fights, but good fights with impact. That is what fans truly want.

And we are getting it all for free. That is important to remember.

We will not be able to judge this card accurately until after the fights have transpired and we get our fix of violence, but two months out this card looks phenomenal. UFC on FUEL TV will deliver once again with a full slate of four-ounce leather flying action.

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Invicta: A Look at How the Promotion’s First PPV Event Fared

Invicta Fighting Championships completed their fourth event over the weekend. President Shannon Knapp and company decided this would be a good time to test the waters of pay-per-view. Invicta FC would utilize the popular streaming website Ustream with …

Invicta Fighting Championships completed their fourth event over the weekend. President Shannon Knapp and company decided this would be a good time to test the waters of pay-per-view.

Invicta FC would utilize the popular streaming website Ustream with a price of $7.95. It was a reasonable price point for the 13-fight event. So, how did it go?

As an event, one could say it was a moderate success. The organization delivered another fun evening of fights.

However, as a PPV, it was a complete failure.

Fans looking to purchase the event ran into problems. Many were unable to have their payments processed even prior to the event, and it was not fixed before the show started.

 

 

Knapp went into damage control and acted swiftly. Invicta took the pay wall down and offered refunds on all payments. The “PPV” quickly turned into their fourth straight free stream, but even then things did not go smoothly.

 

 

The stream often buffered for many and made watching the event difficult. Those issues were fixed before the main card began and most fans were finally treated to the event they stayed in on a Saturday to see.

Those lucky enough to watch all 13 fights without an issue were treated to a solid event. Those who only got to see the main card without problems also cannot complain. They were able to see great fights for free.

Carla Esparza defeated Bec Hyatt to win the first ever Invicta FC strawweight championship by unanimous decision. The scores were 50-45 across the board.

However, it was the co-main event of the evening that stole the show. Third-ranked Alexis Davis took on sixth-ranked Shayna Baszler. The fight of the night did not make it the distance, as Davis choked Baszler unconscious with just a little over two minutes to go in the fight.

Invicta also had several other ladies step up and excite the card. Fans will look forward to seeing Leslie Smith, Joanne Calderwood and Tecia Torres at future events. Any time they can draw interest, it is a win for Invicta.

The fourth installment of Invicta FC was definitely a mixed bag for the promotion. The PPV was an utter failure. There is no way around that fact. Both Invicta and Ustream need to evaluate what went wrong and find a solution.

The fights themselves, however, delivered as usual. The quick decision to make the event free earned Knapp more trust and loyalty from the Invicta fanbase. That cannot be overlooked.

Invicta is still going through growing pains, but the company still continues to deliver a satisfying product to fans of the sport. That much is evident. If they attempt to make another run at running a PPV event, it will have to go off without a hitch. Fans forgive once, but not usually twice.

Invicta FC 5 is scheduled for April with two title bouts and the promotional debut of Sarah Kaufman.

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The Real Winners and Losers from Invicta FC 4

Invicta Fighting Championships made its first foray in to the world of pay-per-view, and it lasted just a couple of fights.After numerous complaints via social media that fans were having trouble purchasing the event Invicta president Shannon Knapp rem…

Invicta Fighting Championships made its first foray in to the world of pay-per-view, and it lasted just a couple of fights.

After numerous complaints via social media that fans were having trouble purchasing the event Invicta president Shannon Knapp removed the paywall and turned the event into another free showing.

In the night’s main event, Carla Esparza became the first ever Invicta strawweight champion.

The co-main event was the true main event in terms of importance. Top-10 bantamweights Shayna Baszler and Alexis Davis went at it in a thrilling encounter. With the UFC bringing the division on board, this was a big fight at 135 pounds.

Here are the real winners and losers from the fourth Invicta broadcast.

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10 Memorable Moments from the UFC’s Past Januarys

The UFC will bring two big free events to the masses in 2013, and we will undoubtedly be given more astonishing moments that will stick with us for a long time.January events are stuck between the New Year’s and Super Bowl cards that are so highly tout…

The UFC will bring two big free events to the masses in 2013, and we will undoubtedly be given more astonishing moments that will stick with us for a long time.

January events are stuck between the New Year’s and Super Bowl cards that are so highly touted, but still find a way to deliver big.

UFC 18 was the first ever event to kick off the new year for the UFC. Bas Rutten TKO’d Tsuyoshi Kosaka, Tito Ortiz stopped Jerry Bohlander, Evan Tanner debuted, and Pat Miletich defended his UFC Lightweight Championship.

Since that event in 1999, the UFC has given us many more moments as the calendar turned to a new year.

Here are 10 memorable moments from past Januarys.

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Invicta FC 4: Weigh-In Results and Pay-Per-View Preview

Invicta FC 4 will be the promotion’s first foray in to the realm of pay-per-view. For the price of $7.95, you can order the event via Ustream.The 13-fight card is headlined by the first-ever Invicta FC Strawweight Championship bout, between Carla Espar…

Invicta FC 4 will be the promotion’s first foray in to the realm of pay-per-view. For the price of $7.95, you can order the event via Ustream.

The 13-fight card is headlined by the first-ever Invicta FC Strawweight Championship bout, between Carla Esparza and Bec Hyatt. Undefeated Claudia Gadelha was forced from the main event with an injury, and Hyatt was pulled from her bout with Joanne Calderwood to fill the gap.

The co-main event of the evening will be a bantamweight tilt between Shayna Baszler and Alexis Davis. With the UFC now featuring the bantamweight division, this is even more of a significant fight in the division.

 

Invicta FC Strawweight Chamionship: Carla Esparza (8-2, 114.8 lbs) vs. Bec Hyatt (4-1, 115 lbs)

 The main event of the evening is not as anticipated as it was before. No disrespect to Hyatt, but Esparza versus Gadelha is a much more intriguing fight at this time. And one has to question why Hyatt was chosen to replace Gadelha and not Calderwood, who is in the top-10 rankings.

Esparza should look fantastic as she takes the belt. It is a lot to ask of Hyatt to jump up and take on the veteran at this stage in her career, but it could prove beneficial for her moving forward.

Unfortunately, the main event may not be as competitive as one would like. It will be up to Hyatt to prove all the doubters wrong. 

 

Shayna Baszler (15-7, 134.8 lbs) vs. Alexis Davis (12-5, 135.8 lbs)

 

 This is the true main event of the evening.

Davis is currently No. 3 in the world at the weight, and Baszler is not far behind at No. 6. The winner of this fight could be thrust in to a title eliminator inside the Octagon later this year.

The ramifications of this fight will be huge.

Stylistically this fight is also fight of the night. Two grappling aces taking on each other, and two fighters who have penchants for throwing down as well.

This fight is worth the $8 by itself. The other 12 fights are just a bonus. 

 

Leslie Smith (4-2-1, 135.8 lbs) vs. Raquel Pennington (3-2, 134.8 lbs)

 

 Smith finished off her 2012 by finishing Kaitlin Young at Invicta 3. Now she’ll battle with Pennington, who dropped her fight at Invicta 3 to the highly touted Cat Zingano.

This is a tough fight for Pennington coming off the heels of her last outing. A win over Smith would put her right back in the thick of things in Invicta‘s bantamweight division, but Smith probably has her sights set a bit higher after the UFC’s introduction of the division.

Smith has to be on the shortlist of women to watch for in the division. She’s exciting and could put together a couple of wins to earn herself a contract. She has much more to fight for on Saturday night. 

 

Amanda Nunes (7-2, 135.8 lbs) vs. Sarah D’Alelio (6-3, 135.8 lbs)

 

 This fight is another big battle in the bantamweight division.

D’Alelio upset Vanessa Porto at Invicta 2 but lost to Baszler at Invicta 3. Now she gets put against a powerhouse in the division.

Nunes is another bantamweight that could be seen inside the Octagon in 2013. She has won seven of her last eight, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Davis. A win over someone the caliber of D’Alelio would put her in a position to move up the rankings and demand bigger fights.

All three of the bantamweight scraps on the main card will have the attention of the UFC matchmakers as they look for exciting talent to fill the division with.

Fans need to tune in to take notice and familiarize themselves with these ladies. 

 

Ediane Gomes (9-2, 143.2 lbs) vs. Hiroko Yamanaka (12-2, 145.6 lbs)

 

 Yamanaka was destroyed by Cris “Cyborg” Santos, and then dropped her follow-up bout with Germaine de Randamie in Strikeforce. However, she remains in the top-10 rankings and makes her Invicta debut against sixth-ranked Gomes.

Invicta can lay claim to having the absolute best in the division. Only in the featherweight and atomweight divisions do they not have competition for talent.

If Invicta hopes to debut a featherweight crown in 2013, this could very well be a title eliminator, with the winner getting a fight with Marloes Coenen. 

 

Joanne Calderwood (4-0, 116 lbs) vs. Livia von Plettenberg (1-0, 116 lbs)

Calderwood may have missed out on a title shot this time around, but with another strong performance, she can make herself the next challenger.

Von Plettenberg steps up to battle the top-10 opponent after Hyatt was pulled for the title tilt, and it is a steep hill to climb.

It would be quite remarkable if she were to upset Calderwood. 

 

Preliminary Card

Stephanie Frausto (4-4, 105 lbs) vs. Cassie Rodish (3-3, 105.8 lbs)
Tamikka Brents (1-0, 145 lbs) vs. Amanda Bell (0-0, 145 lbs)
Liz McCarthy (1-0, 104.2 lbs) vs. Jodie Esquibel (2-0, 104.2 lbs)
Emily Kagan (2-0, 115.6 lbs) vs. Rose Namajunas (0-0, 114.6 lbs)
Tecia Torres (1-0, 115.6 lbs) vs. Paige VanZant (2-0, 113.8 lbs)
Katalina Malungahu (2-1, 145.8 lbs) vs. Veronica Rothenhausler (0-0, 146.6 lbs)
Laura Marcusse-Sanko (0-0, 105.6 lbs) vs. Cassie Robb (0-0, 105.6 lbs)

 

All rankings are courtesy of MMARising’s Unified Women’s Mixed Martial Arts rankings.

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Dan Henderson Wants 4 More Fights: Who Hendo Should Face

Dan Henderson is a legend of MMA and will be winding down his career over the next two years. He recently told TATAME that he expects to fight twice in 2013 and 2014.The former PRIDE middleweight and welterweight and Strikeforce light heavyweight champ…

Dan Henderson is a legend of MMA and will be winding down his career over the next two years. He recently told TATAME that he expects to fight twice in 2013 and 2014.

The former PRIDE middleweight and welterweight and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion is still missing a UFC championship from his collection. His title fight with Jon Jones was cancelled when he suffered an injury.

Henderson is slated to fight Lyoto Machida at UFC 157 in the co-main event of the evening.

Henderson will try to capture gold in his remaining fights—a tall task, but one the elite fighter is up to.

Here are four men that Henderson should fight in his final UFC appearances.

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