UFC 153: How Jose Aldo Can Defeat Frankie Edgar in October

Jose Aldo has dominated the featherweight ranks since 2009. Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will make his much anticipated featherweight debut. The long-awaited superfight between the UFC featherweight champion and Edgar will finally come…

Jose Aldo has dominated the featherweight ranks since 2009. Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will make his much anticipated featherweight debut. The long-awaited superfight between the UFC featherweight champion and Edgar will finally come to fruition on October 13 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The HSBC Arena will once against play host to the UFC.

This fight has been talked about for some time. Edgar had always been a small lightweight even in spite of carrying the division’s top prize for an extended period of time, but after falling to Benson Henderson for the second straight fight he finally decided to drop to featherweight. And an unfortunate injury to Erik Koch opened the door for Edgar to receive the immediate title shot.

Edgar’s style poses a new and intriguing matchup for the UFC champion. How can Aldo get past his toughest opponent to date?

One of Edgar’s biggest assets is his movement. His impeccable movement has led him to great heights and will be tough to game-plan for.

Aldo will have to use his brutal leg kick ability to slow down and make Edgar a sitting duck. The champion has showcased this ability in the past, most notably against Urijah Faber. In that fight, Aldo hammered Faber with leg kicks early and prevented him from using his quickness. On one wheel, Faber was useless for the next four rounds.

That is what Aldo must do to Edgar in Rio.

The champion is the more dynamic and powerful striker between the two athletes. By taking away one of the legs of Edgar he will further establish his dominance on the feet and be able to pick him apart until he is able to finish the fight.

It will also affect Edgar’s wrestling game.

Aldo has excellent takedown defense, but has not been perfect in the area. Edgar is able to mix up his game well and take down most of the fighters he faces. If he is able to do that against Aldo, he will be able to dictate when and where the fight takes place, and have much greater odds of picking up the title.

Aldo has shown his leg kicking power in his fights. In the case of the aforementioned Faber fight, after only a couple of clean legkicks Faber was done. The champion must be able to do the same to Edgar.

Edgar is far too talented to be given all five rounds to implement his game. He mixes his strikes and wrestling far too well, with his movement and footwork the key. For Aldo, the key is effective leg kicks. It will take away the base of Edgar and force him to stand in front of the ferocious champion.

The much anticipated superfight will be a battle of game plans. Whichever fighter is able to implement their game more will exit the HSBC Arena as the UFC featherweight champion. Expect that man to be Jose Aldo. He will incapacitate Edgar and finish him shortly afterwards.

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UFC: Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le: Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC on Fuel TV: Le vs. Franklin will be the first ever UFC event in China.The landmark event will emanate from Cotai Arena in Macau, China on November 10, and air live in the United States on Fuel TV.The main event of the evening features two craf…

UFC on Fuel TV: Le vs. Franklin will be the first ever UFC event in China.

The landmark event will emanate from Cotai Arena in Macau, China on November 10, and air live in the United States on Fuel TV.

The main event of the evening features two crafty veterans coming off big victories.

UFC 147 saw Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva square off for the second time in their  illustrious careers. Once again, the judges saw it for Franklin. Each judge handed in a 49-46 scorecard for “Ace”.

Cung Le defeated Patrick Cote at UFC 148. It was one of the featured bouts on the star-studded card, and Le took home a unanimous 30-27 win for his first ever UFC victory.

Now they meet in China in Franklin’s return to the middleweight division. Let’s break the fight down to see who holds the edge in this intriguing matchup.

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Nate Diaz: 3 Reasons He Will Wear UFC Gold Before His Brother

The Diaz brothers are two of the best fighters in the world in their respective divisions.Nate Diaz is the current No. 1 contender for the UFC Lightweight Championship, and he will get his title shot against Benson Henderson in December.His brother, Ni…

The Diaz brothers are two of the best fighters in the world in their respective divisions.

Nate Diaz is the current No. 1 contender for the UFC Lightweight Championship, and he will get his title shot against Benson Henderson in December.

His brother, Nick, is still on the sidelines from his positive drug test at UFC 143. Yet he remains one of the top contenders of the welterweight division.

Both men are at the top of their games and could claim a title in the very near future. Which will get to that holy grail first?

These are the three big reasons Nate will wear the UFC championship before his brother.

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UFC 151: Predictions You Can Take to the Bank

UFC 151: Bones vs. Hendo will hit pay-per-view on Sept. 1. Jon Jones will defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against one of the most accomplished fighters of all time, Dan Henderson.This fight will likely decide who is the greatest light hea…

UFC 151: Bones vs. Hendo will hit pay-per-view on Sept. 1. Jon Jones will defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against one of the most accomplished fighters of all time, Dan Henderson.

This fight will likely decide who is the greatest light heavyweight in mixed martial arts history. Jones will attempt to successfully defend the championship for the fourth time, and Henderson will try to add one more marquee name to his list of victims.

Henderson comes in on a four-fight win streak that includes a one-off fight at Heavyweight against the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. His knockout power will make him a consistent threat throughout the bout.

The undercard features several well-matched and exciting fights.

Jay Hieron returns to the UFC in the co-main event of the evening as he challenges Jake Ellenberger. The winner of the fight will catapult themselves in to the upper echelon of the welterweight division.

Throughout the evening’s action, here are five predictions you can count on for UFC 151.

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Tate vs. Kedzie: One of the Best MMA Fights of 2012

Miesha Tate and Julie Kedzie put on a show on Saturday. Their battle will go down as one of the best fights of 2012, and quite possibly the fight of the year. Former Strikeforce Bantamweight Champion Tate entered looking for an impressive performance t…

Miesha Tate and Julie Kedzie put on a show on Saturday. Their battle will go down as one of the best fights of 2012, and quite possibly the fight of the year.

Former Strikeforce Bantamweight Champion Tate entered looking for an impressive performance that would lead to a rematch against Rousey. Kedzie was trying to put her name back out in the forefront of the bantamweight division.

Kedzie surprised many by opening up an onslaught on Tate in the first round.

She caught Tate with a headkick where her foot connected to the face and hurt Tate. The strike seemed to catch Tate by surprise, and the subsequent strikes from Kedzie shook her confidence. The jovial demeanor from Tate was being beaten out of her by Kedzie.

When Tate recovered and tried to bring the fight to the mat with her wrestler there was Kedzie defending well. The first round went to Kedzie.

Tate was able to rebound in the second round. Kedzie continued to pepper her with shots and defend some takedowns, but the former champion had much more success in the second frame of the fight. All things looked to be even after two rounds of excitement.

Kedzie went back to work in the third round and dropped Tate with a brutal headkick. Her shin connected flush against Tate’s face. It looked like the fight was about to end as Kedzie went in for the kill.

Tate proved she was tough as nails as she survived and recovered as Kedzie went to the mat looking for the finish. Then in dramatic fashion, Tate transitioned to an armbar, surprising Kedzie. With the clock ticking away she fought for the submission as Kedzie battled to avoid being tapped.

Kedzie continued to stack Tate while she tried to pry her arm off. When Kedzie was put to the mat she used her foot to keep Tate from completing the submission, but it would not last. Tate finally extended the arm and forced the tap out from Kedzie.

The fight stole the show. It was an instant classic.

Tate showed incredible resolve and heart, and Kedzie put together one of the best performances of her long career.

Seven plus months into the year and we have not seen many battles that can rival what they did at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman. It was a special fight between two warriors.

It likely tops another fight of the year candidate that happened earlier this month. Joe Lauzon and Jamie Varner put on a great fight on the UFC on FOX card earlier in August. While it was a great fight as well, there was something special about Kedzie vs. Tate.

Showtime will be re-airing the preliminary card and showcasing the incredible fight. It marked yet another Strikeforce event where the women stole the show with a dramatic back-and-forth battle.

There are still a lot of fights left to go in 2012, but Kedzie vs. Tate will surely still be in the discussion for fight of the year. Hats off to the two fantastic fighters who left it all in the cage on Saturday.

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Ronda Rousey: Why Her Next Fight Needs to Be on a UFC Card

Ronda Rousey is a star, and that is why her next fight should be inside the Octagon.However, there appears to be a massive roadblock in the way. Strikeforce fighters cannot sign with Zuffa, the UFC parent company, even after their deal expires. UFC pre…

Ronda Rousey is a star, and that is why her next fight should be inside the Octagon.

However, there appears to be a massive roadblock in the way. Strikeforce fighters cannot sign with Zuffa, the UFC parent company, even after their deal expires. UFC president Dana White said this at the UFC 149 pre-fight press conference:

“There’s not a list of protected fighters – (Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champ Ronda) Rousey and this one and that one,” UFC president Dana White said at a pre-event press conference for UFC 149. “The reality is, and I’ve said this a million times, (it’s) the entire Strikeforce roster.”

The last time I checked, Rousey was a member of the Strikeforce roster, unfortunately.

That does not negate the fact that her next fight needs to happen in the UFC. Can Showtime Networks and Zuffa work out a deal that would allow Rousey to compete in the eight-sided cage? I believe it to be possible, because at the end of the day, it is a business.

Using Rousey on MMA‘s biggest stage can only help women’s MMA as a whole. It will show that women’s MMA has a place among the elite in the sport. As for the UFC, it gives them another star to promote.

The Strikeforce schedule seems to be complete for 2012, and the opportunity for Rousey to find a home on one of those cards seems unlikely. She is a main event-caliber star, and they are not going to waste that as a co-main event.

The list of potential contenders to her crown also is incredibly short. Strikeforce needs time to get another contender for Rousey.

If the UFC can bring Rousey over to the big show, it will be a landmark event for women’s MMA, and that is the biggest reason of all to have her compete under the Zuffa banner.

From Showtime’s perspective, it would be hard to let such a star like Rousey go, but it is doing her and the sport a disservice by keeping her locked up to the Strikeforce roster. If the UFC wants to commit to a women’s bantamweight division, then Rousey should be afforded the opportunity to leave Strikeforce. It is the right thing to do for her and the sport.

The casual fanbase that only follows the UFC would finally be able to see what kind of monster Rousey is and just how exciting women’s MMA can be.

When Rousey’s face is shown on the big screen at UFC events, the crowd responds with loud ovations. At UFC 148 she received a huge welcome from the weigh-in crowd, and she was mobbed for autographs and pictures. The media hype surrounding her has already transcended, but putting her in the Octagon is the ultimate goal so the fans can see her incredible talents.

Rousey is a star in the sport, and putting that star on display inside the Octagon will have a lasting impact on the future of women’s MMA. That should be the ultimate goal. Strikeforce and Showtime have a limited audience, and it has done a lot for the sport, but it is time to let Rousey go.

Allow the Zuffa machine to elevate Rousey and the sport. Her next fight needs to happen under the UFC banner.

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