The Ultimate Fighter 22 finale will be the second of three fight cards taking place in Las Vegas, and it will be the first of two major featherweight encounters.
No. 2-ranked contender Frankie Edgar meets No. 3-ranked Chad Mendes in the main event…
The Ultimate Fighter 22 finale will be the second of three fight cards taking place in Las Vegas, and it will be the first of two major featherweight encounters.
No. 2-ranked contender Frankie Edgar meets No. 3-ranked Chad Mendes in the main event in what appears to be a title eliminator.
Also in action, No. 6-ranked lightweight contender EdsonBarboza squares off against No. 7-ranked Tony Ferguson, and The Ultimate Fighter 22‘s finale is set with ArtemLobov vs. Ryan Hall.
Full coverage of the event will begin at 8 p.m. ET live from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. Keep it locked right here at Bleacher Report.
Michael Chiesa (13-2) and Jim Miller (25-7) competed in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 80, and it was the young gun who finished the fight.
Chiesa got a rear-naked choke to elicit the tap in the second round after some quality ground work.
The t…
Michael Chiesa (13-2) and Jim Miller (25-7) competed in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 80, and it was the young gun who finished the fight.
Chiesa got a rear-naked choke to elicit the tap in the second round after some quality ground work.
The two noted grapplers began the fight with some quality exchanges, but it wasn’t long before Chiesa got Miller to the ground. Chiesa controlled the position for some time, but Miller was able to reverse position to get on top. It was the fight most fans thought would happen: a high-level grappling exchange.
Miller was able to get the most dominant position of the first round when he got Chiesa’s back, and he closed the round in that position, which looked good on the judges’ scorecards.
The second round started largely the same way: an exchange and a Chiesa takedown.
Chiesa was doing a good job of maintaining top position, but Miller went for a leg. The former contender nearly had the kneebar, but Chiesa defended well. Soon after, Chiesa moved to Miller’s back and sunk in the rear-naked choke for the finish.
This is undoubtedly the biggest win of Chiesa’s career and could signal a passing of the torch for these two fighters. Chiesa out-Millered Miller.
Chiesa is a threat on the ground, and his hands are continually improving. He took to the microphone after the fight to say that he is a Top 15 fighter and that by the end of 2016, he will be in the Top Five. That is a tall order, but he has the talent to get it done.
What’s Next?
Chiesa said that he is a Top 15 fighter, and while he may not crack into the Top 15 when the next rankings are released, he has assuredly earned the right to challenge another ranked fighter after toppling No. 14-ranked contender Miller.
Miller is past his prime. As much fun has he has been to watch, it is time to realize that he is no longer an elite lightweight. That doesn’t mean he should retire, but it should put things into perspective as to what his role will be in this incredibly deep division.
Chiesa brought up one ranked fighter who does not have a fight—No. 8-ranked contender Beneil Dariush. That is an intriguing fight that would be worthy of five rounds.
Miller is going to be a gatekeeper, and there are plenty of talented lightweights to match him up against inside the cage. The UFC should take its time in figuring out whom that will be, but expect another young prospect to stand opposite Miller in 2016.
Thiago Santos (12-3) came into Thursday’s fight against Elias Theodorou (11-1) as an underdog, but he stopped the hype train of the Ultimate Fighter winner with a unanimous-decision victory.
Theodorou came out aggressive from the opening bell but …
Thiago Santos (12-3) came into Thursday’s fight against Elias Theodorou (11-1) as an underdog, but he stopped the hype train of the Ultimate Fighter winner with a unanimous-decision victory.
Theodorou came out aggressive from the opening bell but did not open himself up too much to a counter. He was active with leg kicks, and the Brazilian had some of his own. It was Theodorou who would come away with more offense in the first frame of action.
That would be the final round going in his direction.
Santos landed solidly on Theodorou early in the second, and The Spartan took the fight to the ground shortly afterward. Santos worked his way back to his feet, but the takedown allowed Theodorou to win some of the round back.
Santos began to light up Theodorou’s body with knees and punches from the clinch with just around 90 seconds to go in the round. With under 30 seconds left, Santos got a takedown of his own to win the round.
Theodorou wanted to get right back to the clinch in the third. Santos got a bit of separation and started to tee off on Theodorou. The Canadian forced Santos back to the fence to get relief from the onslaught. The Brazilian did not get the finish but closed the fight by using Theodorou as a punching bag.
The victory makes three straight for the Brazilian, who has only lost to very solid competition inside the Octagon. It will be interesting to see what the next move will be for Santos.
It was a solid victory in the first fight of the main card of UFC Fight Night 80.
What’s Next?
Theodorou could have propelled himself into the discussion for a ranked spot with a victory, but that won’t happen now. This was a particularly damaging loss, as he didn’t show much offense. His takedowns were ineffective, and Santos beat him up on the feet.
Santos put another “W” in the win column, but is he worthy of getting a ranked opponent? Possibly. It all depends on the matchup and where they put the fight. However, I think he is another win away from that level of fight given what is going on in the middleweight division right now.
Theodorou needs a step down in competition as he tries to get back on the right track. He is a talented, fresh face. The UFC needs him to stick around, but he has a ways to go.
Chris Weidman (13-0) and Luke Rockhold (14-2) will take to the cage at UFC 194 this Saturday to determine who is the top dog at 185 pounds. The MGM Grand Garden Arena plays host to the phenomenal middleweight title tilt but also features two highly ran…
Chris Weidman (13-0) and Luke Rockhold (14-2) will take to the cage at UFC 194 this Saturday to determine who is the top dog at 185 pounds. The MGM Grand Garden Arena plays host to the phenomenal middleweight title tilt but also features two highly ranked middleweights.
No. 2-ranked contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (22-3, 1 no-contest) and No. 3-ranked Yoel Romero (10-1) meet on the main card.
The two fights are simply stellar, but when stepping back to look at the division as a whole, there is something very glaring. It’s old. Very old.
The champion and challenger at UFC 194 are in their prime (Weidman, the champion, is 31, as is Rockhold), but few else are in the same boat.
The co-main event participants both also have extensive wear and tear on their bodies from years and years of grappling. Before the 36-year-old Souza and the 38-year-old Romero made they transition to MMA, they were competing at elite levels, putting their bodies through rigorous training and matches. Neither man is a spring chicken.
Why is this an issue? It speaks to a larger problem the middleweight division has. Its biggest contenders and stars are aging.
The average age of the top 10 middleweights is 34, and that number is only brought down substantially by No. 8-ranked Robert Whittaker (15-4), who is 24. Everyone else in the division is 30 or older. This has to be concerning to the UFC. Where are the up-and-comers?
Jacare vs. Romero is a fight many fans are looking forward to, but looking down the line, it doesn’t appear that either man has a long future in this sport. It would be a marvel if either of them turned out to be a long-term champion. The UFC is in constant need of young stars, and other than Whittaker, there doesn’t appear to be any at 185 pounds.
It was a division ruled by Anderson Silva for nearly a decade, and as his dominance grew, so did interest in the weight class. The talent pool certainly deepened during his reign. Weidman has benefited from The Spider’s reign but still cannot break off into his own. In each of his four title defenses, including UFC 194, the UFC has paired him with another title tilt, including twice with Ronda Rousey.
The UFC continues to put Weidman, and the division as a whole, on a big stage. Given that one would have hoped that the division would have had an influx of interesting young fighters that were clear-cut, top-tier prospects. And that has not happened.
This may be a harsh realization because many of the aging fighters are fan favorites and still put on exciting performances. It’s a quality division on the whole. But there is no getting around the lack of prospects on their way up the ranks.
Enjoy UFC 194—it may be the last time you get to see two men in their physical prime compete for that title for some time. And that’s a shame because whoever comes out on top in the main event deserves to have athletes in their prime to defend their crown against each time out—and the fans deserve that too.
UFC 193 had one of the most shocking results of any sporting event this year, and the photo that captured the moment was selected by TIME as one of its top 100 photos of 2015.
It was the head kick heard around the world. Holly…
UFC 193 had one of the most shocking results of any sporting event this year, and the photo that captured the moment was selected by TIME as one of its top 100 photos of 2015.
It was the head kick heard around the world. Holly Holm connected with the high kick and dropped Ronda Rousey before finishing her off the on the ground. Paul Crock of AFP and Getty Images snapped the photo TIME selected for its year-end list.
The list was compiled by the TIME photo editors.
Noted MMA photographer Esther Lin, of All Elbows and MMA Fighting, grabbed a nearly identical photo of the moment that went viral in the wake of the finish.
Both photographers captured the moment we will never forget not only as MMA fans, but as sports fans.
TIME‘s selection of Crock’s photo puts into perspective how big this moment was for sports in 2015. In past years, MMA has had a number of iconic photos—perhaps none more so than James Law’s amazing photo of Anderson Silva’s front kick landing flush on Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. But Law’s photo did not get this level of recognition because it was not on a similar stage.
Rousey’s star power helped draw the eyes of the world to Melbourne, Australia, on that night, and Holm’s incredible upset knockout performance helped keep fans and media talking for days and days. The selection by TIME just adds to the lore of the fight.
UFC 193 will go down in history, and Holm’s KO is the reason why. She stopped the unstoppable in shocking fashion. Even in MMA, with so many amazing moments, it is a rare feat to capture the attention and imagination of the world.
As talk of a rematch continues moving forward, you can be sure that you will continually see what is now one of TIME’s top 100 photos of 2015 on your screens for the foreseeable future.
A grand UFC fight week is underway. Three events with several top-10-ranked matchups are flooding Las Vegas, and the downside is that some fights are being overlooked during this time of excitement. One of those fights is No. 7-ranked lightweight conte…
A grand UFC fight week is underway. Three events with several top-10-ranked matchups are flooding Las Vegas, and the downside is that some fights are being overlooked during this time of excitement. One of those fights is No. 7-ranked lightweight contender Tony Ferguson (19-3) vs. No. 6-ranked EdsonBarboza (16-3).
The fight was originally supposed to pit Ferguson against No. 3-ranked KhabibNurmagomedov, but an injury forced Nurmagomedov off the card. Regardless, the fight will still be a top-10-level matchup with possible title implications.
Especially for Ferguson. And next to nobody is discussing that possibility.
Ferguson is everything you would want from a contender: well-rounded, exciting, finishes fights and active. It’s a rarity in the lightweight division these days.
“El Cucuy” has yet to break into the top five, but he holds the third-longest win streak in the division at six. Only upcoming title challenger Donald Cerrone (8) and Nurmagomedov (22) have longer active streaks. And it is not as if Ferguson has padded his streak with mediocre competition. He has fought very talented opponents and finished four of them.
Ferguson is coming off a destruction of Josh Thomson back in July—a fight Ferguson told Damon Martin of Fox Sports wasn’t even his best work:
Josh was a perfect opportunity for me to go out and demonstrate a lot of the practice that I needed to get. I didn’t really give a s–t who was watching it. You guys all got a good treat because I was fighting, but I was actually practicing for my next fight.
A freighting assertion.
If Ferguson truly has not reached his peak, then he is a serious threat to dethrone whoever the champion may be after Rafael dos Anjos defends against Cerrone on December 19. And when looking at the possible title contenders waiting in line, Ferguson’s name stands out already, but an emphatic win over Barboza could highlight it even more.
From a promotional aspect, Ferguson should be everything the UFC wants in a contender.
The UFC can point to Ferguson as an alum of The Ultimate Fighter who made his way up the ladder—an increasingly scarce example it can use to validate its reality series. And Ferguson isn’t one to shy away from a microphone. He can sell himself and the fight when given the opportunity.
Ferguson has a great chance to cement his claim to being next in line with a win over Barboza, and no one is talking about it. The UFC could be promoting his comeuppance better as a key part of its big fight week.
Even with a week of massive fight after massive fight, do not let this one slip through the cracks. You could be witnessing the next UFC lightweight champion of the world in action when Ferguson steps through the cage doors at The Ultimate Fighter 22 finale.
Michael Chiesa (13-2) and Jim Miller (25-7) competed in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 80, and it was the young gun who finished the fight.