September is all about the heavyweights in the UFC, and it gets started on Saturday, when Andrei Arlovski (25-12, 1 NC) meets Josh Barnett (34-8) at UFC Fight Night 93.
The Hamburg, Germany, event is headlined by the heavyweight clash, and both men are…
September is all about the heavyweights in the UFC, and it gets started on Saturday, when Andrei Arlovski (25-12, 1 NC) meets Josh Barnett (34-8) at UFC Fight Night 93.
The Hamburg, Germany, event is headlined by the heavyweight clash, and both men are looking to get back in the win column.
Arlovski will try to avoid a third straight loss. His prior two, to now-champion Stipe Miocic and current title challenger Alistair Overeem, were both knockout losses. A loss to Barnett would be detrimental to Arlovski’s fading title hopes.
Barnett was upended by Ben Rothwell in January. He has not lost back-to-back fights since dropping two in a row to Mirko Cro Cop in 2004 and 2005.
The pair of former UFC champions are seeing their window of opportunity slowly close. Saturday’s main event will be a pivotal bout, but who has the edge? Bleacher Report breaks down the matchup from head to toe in the preview of UFC Fight Night 93’s main event.
Take a peek at the heavyweight tilt coming your way this weekend.
UFC on Fox 21 was a fun-filled event with six of the 10 fights ending with a finish, none more impressive than the main event.
Demian Maia made Carlos Condit tap out within the first two minutes of their scheduled five-round affair. Maia secured an ear…
UFC on Fox 21 was a fun-filled event with six of the 10 fights ending with a finish, none more impressive than the main event.
Demian Maia made Carlos Condit tap out within the first two minutes of their scheduled five-round affair. Maia secured an early takedown, advanced position and sunk in the rear-naked choke. Condit now faces serious internal questions while Maia has his eyes on the ultimate prize.
The highlight of the evening came when Paige VanZant landed a jumping switch kick to the noggin of BecRawlings. The kick put Rawlings on the mat and VanZant finished with a swarm of hammerfists.
Anthony Pettis made a statement in his featherweight debut, and Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon put on another event-stealing scrap. It was a main card to remember.
UFC matchmakers have their work cut out for them in determining what fights will be made next. Never fear because help is here. The recommendations are just a click away, Mr. Silva and Mr. Shelby. Send that “Thank You” card in the mail.
Hit next to find out where the UFC should go for all their matchmaking quandaries for the UFC on Fox 21 participants.
Paige VanZant took a round to find her rhythm, but she ousted Bec Rawlings with a highlight-reel TKO in the second round Saturday night in Vancouver at UFC on Fox 21.
The fight started with VanZant darting out to meet Rawlings. She then employed low-pe…
Paige VanZant took a round to find her rhythm, but she ousted Bec Rawlings with a highlight-reel TKO in the second round Saturday night in Vancouver at UFC on Fox 21.
The fight started with VanZant darting out to meet Rawlings. She then employed low-percentage strikes such as a jumping switch kick. Rawlings was well out of range, but VanZant was showing off her skills. Rawlings looked like the more composed fighter and was forcing VanZant to circle on the outside.
But “12-Gauge” finally clinched up with Rawlings and landed a good knee in her center. Rawlings responded with a knee of her own when the two broke free. Each time VanZant tried to close the distance, Rawlings scored with crisp punches.
VanZant showed plenty of movement, but getting inside her opponent’s range proved difficult.
Rawlings came forward toward the end of the first round, and VanZant scored. The last meaningful exchange saw VanZant score on a kick-punch combination. She seemed to find her range at the end of the frame.
The start of the second confirmed that notion.
VanZant opened the round with a low leg kick. Then the aforementioned jumping switch kick found its mark. Rawlings hit the canvas in a heap, and VanZant pummeled her with hammerfists until the referee stopped the fight at just 17 seconds into the second round.
Here’s a look at the final blow, courtesy of Fox Sports: UFC, and a sampling of reaction to it from around Twitter:
The loss puts Rawlings back at the end of the pack, but she didn’t look bad in the opening round. She simply got caught by a rare technique that cleaned her clock.
Fightmetric.com’s Michael Carroll put VanZant’s win in context:
Aside from the numbers, this was an important victory for VanZant. After Rose Namajunas submitted her last December, she needed a big performance to keep momentum as a top-end prospect for the strawweight division.
This performance accomplished that goal.
VanZant told Brian Stann in the cage, during the post-fight interview, that she is angling for a spot on the December card in Sacramento. That seems as good a spot as any to continue the forward trajectory of VanZant’s hype train.
On the heels of UFC 202 the leader in mixed martial arts heads to Vancouver, British Columbia for a welterweight showdown between two of the top contenders at 170 pounds.
No. 4 contender Demian Maia (23-6) meets No. 5 Carlos Condit (30-9).
Maia is…
On the heels of UFC 202 the leader in mixed martial arts heads to Vancouver, British Columbia for a welterweight showdown between two of the top contenders at 170 pounds.
Maia is riding a five-fight win streak into the main event on Saturday, and a win over Condit would make his resume the most accomplished of the list of contenders for the welterweight strap. The Brazilian is seeking his first title shot since challenging Anderson Silva at UFC 112 more than six years ago.
Condit comes off a failed title bid at UFC 195. He dropped a split decision to then-champion Robbie Lawler. A Condit victory moves him back into position to lay claim to a future title shot.
The newly minted UFC welterweight champion, TyronWoodley, will have his eyes set on this matchup.
Will Condit end Maia’s hopes and dreams, or will Maia continue his dominance with a watermark victory?
Want the answer? Hit the next slide to get started with the head-to-toe breakdown for the UFC on Fox 21 main event.
UFC 202 delivered on all fronts.
Nine of the 12 fights ended with finishes, and the main event between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz went five full rounds of back-and-forth fisticuffs. Every fan should be pleased after Saturday’s slate of fights.
McGreg…
UFC 202 delivered on all fronts.
Nine of the 12 fights ended with finishes, and the main event between ConorMcGregor and Nate Diaz went five full rounds of back-and-forth fisticuffs. Every fan should be pleased after Saturday’s slate of fights.
McGregor got the majority decision over Diaz, but it was not easy. Diaz perhaps came closest to finishing the fight with his third-round flurry before the bell. Regardless, McGregor evened up the series at one apiece.
Also victorious were Anthony Johnson and Donald Cerrone. Each put on a fantastic showing against top-level competition in Glover Teixeira and Rick Story, respectively.
UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby now have the difficult task to match each of the 24 fighters with another opponent for later this year.
Bleacher Report is here to help.
Who is the right fit for each athlete following the UFC’s latest event? Dear readers, click on the next slide button for the answer.
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone was victorious at UFC 202 with a stellar performance against one of the toughest outs in the entire welterweight division. He dispatched Rick Story inside of two rounds with a blistering combination that caused the r…
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone was victorious at UFC 202 with a stellar performance against one of the toughest outs in the entire welterweight division. He dispatched Rick Story inside of two rounds with a blistering combination that caused the referee to step in to stop the beating.
According to FightMetric’s Michael Carroll, the win would be his 18th in the UFC, putting him second all-time just behind Georges St-Pierre and Michael Bisping.
It’s a staggering mark to reach. To be successful for as long as he has been, and now to be doing it against the welterweight elite, is impressive. The UFC 202 win was his third straight at 170 pounds and moves him into being a key contender in the division.
However, Cerrone wants to go back to lightweight to challenge for the title.
His 18th win is not the only mark he tied on Saturday. Cerrone’s TKO performance also puts him third all-time on the list of most finishes in all of the major promotions (UFC, PRIDE, WEC and Strikeforce). There, he is tied with Anderson Silva, Shogun Rua and VitorBelfort with 16 finishes. He only trails Mirko Filipovic (21) and Wanderlei Silva (20).
Cerrone is continually adding to his legacy in this sport, but there is still one elusive piece missing in that incredible record—a championship belt.
Cowboy had three opportunities to claim gold in the WEC but came up short in all three instances. His first attempt ended in a technical decision that went the way of Jamie Varner, and his second was a narrow decision loss to Benson Henderson.
The Jackson-Winkeljohn product got his chance at UFC gold in December 2015, but Rafael Dos Anjos blew through him in the first round, which led Cerrone to hop right back in the cage two months later at welterweight.
While Cerrone is missing gold from his legacy, it should not be needed for him to be recognized as one of the greats in this sport. He has been an elite-level fighter for nearly a decade and now is elite in a weight class above his normal classification. There are very few who are able to make those claims.
Racking up 18 UFC victories and 16 major MMA finishes puts him in elite company. Gold or no gold, that can never be taken away from him.
Cerrone will go down as one of the best fighters to set foot inside of the cage. Period.
He is a fighter’s fighter and a fan favorite. He’ll fight anybody, at any weight, anywhere. He deserves the recognition he will most assuredly get for a career’s worth of spectacular performances.
Paige VanZant took a round to find her rhythm, but she ousted Bec Rawlings with a highlight-reel TKO in the second round Saturday night in Vancouver at UFC on Fox 21.