On Saturday, UFC on Fox 17 will feature a lightweight title tilt between champion Rafael dos Anjos and No. 2-ranked contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
Dos Anjos stunned the division with his defeat of Anthony Pettis at UFC 185 earlier in 2015. He was t…
On Saturday, UFC on Fox 17 will feature a lightweight title tilt between champion Rafael dos Anjos and No. 2-ranked contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
Dos Anjos stunned the division with his defeat of Anthony Pettis at UFC 185 earlier in 2015. He was thought to just be a warm body against the flashy American, but the Brazilian walked right through him en route to the gold. Now, he makes his first defense on national network television.
Cerrone earned his title shot with eight consecutive victories. His last came against John Makdessi in May.
The two lightweights are sure to put on an entertaining affair in the main event, but who walks out with the belt?
Bleacher Report finds out who holds the edge with the head-to-toe breakdown of Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone. Let’s go.
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo is still struggling to process his knockout loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 194.
It was one of the biggest fights in UFC history and had an emotional build for nearly a year. Unfortunately for Aldo, it was over…
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo is still struggling to process his knockout loss to ConorMcGregor at UFC 194.
It was one of the biggest fights in UFC history and had an emotional build for nearly a year. Unfortunately for Aldo, it was over in just 13 seconds. McGregor did exactly what he said it was going to do and leveled the champion with his famous left hand.
Aldo told SporTV (translated by MMAJunkie), “We trained hard, did everything right, and the result wasn’t positive. It takes a while for us to digest, but it’s part (of the sport). It’s a sport, and we have to accept.”
In spite of the result being quick and emphatic, the longtime champion wants his rematch.
Aldo recalled that he spoke to White following UFC 194, but it was too soon to talk about the rematch as emotions were too high following the defeat.
A rematch may be difficult to get. McGregor ended the fight without any controversy, and it came on the heels of the lengthy buildup. Following the win, McGregor has a variety of options open and available to him that include Frankie Edgar and moving up to 155 pounds to challenge the winner of Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone.
McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour (h/t MMAFighting) that McGregor is already looking at going after the lightweight strap in March or April before challenging Edgar at UFC 200.
Aldo may have a case for the immediate rematch as a long-reigning champion, but with the options available to McGregor, he may be left on the outside looking in while McGregor goes after other challenges. It would force the ex-champion to take a fight, reestablish himself and become the No. 1-ranked contender.
The Brazilian is right. It is too soon to talk about his rematch. Not because of emotions but because the ball is 100 percent in McGregor’s court. He is the captain of the UFC’s ship right now, and he will get to pick the direction in which it sails in 2016.
Conor McGregor ousted the reigning featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, in just 13 seconds at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night. It is a new record for the quickest finish in UFC championship history.
What was the previous…
ConorMcGregor ousted the reigning featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, in just 13 seconds at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night. It is a new record for the quickest finish in UFC championship history.
What was the previous record?—14 seconds. Ronda Rousey defeated a rambunctious Cat Zingano at UFC 184 on February 28. Ten events later, that record has fallen. UFC 194 delivered in a big way and was capped off with an astonishing knockout that had to be seen to be believed.
One little second put McGregor in a league of his own.
The UFC put together three events spanning three days, and the move of the weekend was the left hook—something the Irish star excels at. He showed it off right out of the gate against Aldo. McGregor timed it perfectly, and the left hook put the Brazilian out like a light.
A new reign began in Las Vegas.
Rousey capitalized on a mistake—whereas McGregor finished on his own accord. Either way, both finishes were extremely impressive.
Aldo’s loss marked the third title loss by three of the most dominant champions in the UFC. And it happened in a 30-day span. Holly Holm upset Rousey, Luke Rockhold knocked off Chris Weidman and McGregor made history with a broken record.
It is quite something to have that record broken twice in a year, especially when you reflect on how difficult it is to finish a fight within 15 or 25 minutes—let alone 15 seconds. ConorMcGregor and Ronda Rousey did that in 2015.
McGregor talks the talk and walks the walk. He is truly special, and he has backed everything up in the cage. UFC 194 was another example of what true belief in oneself can bring.
In McGregor’s case, it brought him 12 pounds of gold.
At the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, middleweights Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (22-4, 1 no-contest) and Yoel Romero (11-1) took each other to the limit in their three-round UFC 194 contest.
But on Saturday, it was the Cuban Romero…
At the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, middleweights Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (22-4, 1 no-contest) and Yoel Romero (11-1) took each other to the limit in their three-round UFC 194 contest.
But on Saturday, it was the Cuban Romero who walked away with a very contentious “W” and a likely title shot.
It was a result that will surely be a talking point with MMA fans for some time.
It was a tense few seconds, but Jacare got it started with a right hand. The Brazilian was content, working his striking as he kept Romero on the outside. Near the halfway mark of the first round, Romero got Jacare off-balance with a strong right hand of his own. Out of nowhere, Romero connected with a spinning backfist, but Jacare recovered with Romero going into his guard.
The power of Romero on top was a big difference-maker on the ground. Jacare did well to defend the brutal shots reigning down while remaining dangerous with his submissions. It was an electric first round.
The second round started with errant strikes from both men. They were being tentative while seeking their openings. But a Romero fight is not a Romero fight without controversy. The Cuban held the cage on a Jacaretakedown attempt that resulted in him gaining top position.
Referee Marc Goddard stood them up immediately but did not take a point.
It looked like it would all come down to the third round.
Round 3 saw some inaction at the beginning, but Jacare started to tee off on Romero at the halfway point, which resulted in a big takedown. Jacare used the remaining two minutes to work his ground game—and keep Romero on his back until the final few ticks of the clock.
While the fight was not action-packed from bell-to-bell, it did offer fans spurts of high-level excitement in each of the three frames. It provided a compelling middleweight title eliminator before the two championship main events. Perhaps, it just didn’t have the proper outcome.
What’s Next?
Romero will almost assuredly receive a title shot.
Jacare looked very good in this fight, and given the result, it is hard to imagine he will fall far. He should still have a top-five level opponent for his next fight, and that could very well end up being a title eliminator itself should it happen.
Romero is moving up the ranks for being an all-time controversial fighter. This loss did not help him in that regard. The point not being taken away in Round 2 directly affected the decision. This will be a talking point for some time.
The middleweight division is aging, but these two showed they still have what it takes to compete at an elite level. However, one must question how much longer they can go with the top two fighters being in their prime—and a few youngsters coming up. They need to capitalize on their shot sooner than later. For Romero, he’ll at least get his chance in 2016.
At the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, middleweights Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (22-4, 1 no-contest) and Yoel Romero (11-1) took each other to the limit in their three-round UFC 194 contest.
But on Saturday, it was the Cuban Romero…
At the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, middleweights Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (22-4, 1 no-contest) and Yoel Romero (11-1) took each other to the limit in their three-round UFC 194 contest.
But on Saturday, it was the Cuban Romero who walked away with a very contentious “W” and a likely title shot.
It was a result that will surely be a talking point with MMA fans for some time.
It was a tense few seconds, but Jacare got it started with a right hand. The Brazilian was content, working his striking as he kept Romero on the outside. Near the halfway mark of the first round, Romero got Jacare off-balance with a strong right hand of his own. Out of nowhere, Romero connected with a spinning backfist, but Jacare recovered with Romero going into his guard.
The power of Romero on top was a big difference-maker on the ground. Jacare did well to defend the brutal shots reigning down while remaining dangerous with his submissions. It was an electric first round.
The second round started with errant strikes from both men. They were being tentative while seeking their openings. But a Romero fight is not a Romero fight without controversy. The Cuban held the cage on a Jacaretakedown attempt that resulted in him gaining top position.
Referee Marc Goddard stood them up immediately but did not take a point.
It looked like it would all come down to the third round.
Round 3 saw some inaction at the beginning, but Jacare started to tee off on Romero at the halfway point, which resulted in a big takedown. Jacare used the remaining two minutes to work his ground game—and keep Romero on his back until the final few ticks of the clock.
While the fight was not action-packed from bell-to-bell, it did offer fans spurts of high-level excitement in each of the three frames. It provided a compelling middleweight title eliminator before the two championship main events. Perhaps, it just didn’t have the proper outcome.
What’s Next?
Romero will almost assuredly receive a title shot.
Jacare looked very good in this fight, and given the result, it is hard to imagine he will fall far. He should still have a top-five level opponent for his next fight, and that could very well end up being a title eliminator itself should it happen.
Romero is moving up the ranks for being an all-time controversial fighter. This loss did not help him in that regard. The point not being taken away in Round 2 directly affected the decision. This will be a talking point for some time.
The middleweight division is aging, but these two showed they still have what it takes to compete at an elite level. However, one must question how much longer they can go with the top two fighters being in their prime—and a few youngsters coming up. They need to capitalize on their shot sooner than later. For Romero, he’ll at least get his chance in 2016.
The Brazilians got off to a hot start at UFC 194 on Saturday.
Leonardo Santos (15-3, 1 NC) cashed in as the second biggest underdog on the stellar UFC 194 fight card.
Santos entered at plus-400 on the MGM Grand sportsbook, just behind plus-425 und…
The Brazilians got off to a hot start at UFC 194 on Saturday.
Leonardo Santos (15-3, 1 NC) cashed in as the second biggest underdog on the stellar UFC 194 fight card.
Santos entered at plus-400 on the MGM Grand sportsbook, just behind plus-425 underdog Frankie Saenz.
Opposite of Santos in the cage was rising star Kevin Lee (11-2). He entered with all the hype following his four-fight win streak inside the Octagon. The young gun came in at minus-600, the biggest favorite on the card, as the lines closed.
Santos leveled Lee in the first round and finished with more strikes on the ground. His strike-heavy performance was a departure, as he is primarily a submission specialist. After the fight, Santos told Joe Rogan that he was thinking about the choke but kept up with the punishment he was already delivering.
Santos leaped from the cage and took off running in celebration. The big win on a big stage sent the adrenaline rushing through his body.
The next bout kept the night rolling for the Brazilians.
Warlley Alves (10-0) took out Colby Covington (8-1) in the first round as well. He did so with a guillotine despite his dangerous striking. Alves and Santos effectively switched roles for UFC 194.
Covington left his head out, and Alves tightened the guillotine quickly like a boa. The submission kept his record clean and will push him forward as one of the hottest prospects at welterweight, a division full of killers.
Alves made a mark in winning the third season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, and he continues onward with another outstanding performance.
Both Santos and Alves are making marks in their respective divisions as forces to be reckoned with, but only time will tell how far they can go in the deep waters of the UFC. If they accomplished nothing else, aside from getting win bonuses, they fired up the Brazilian contingent in the MGM Grand Garden Casino in the early stages of UFC 194 with two spectacular finishes.
Former UFC featherweight champion