Author: Nedu Obi

Anderson Silva: Is He the Most Marked Man in the UFC Middleweight Division?

First, it was Chael Sonnen, and then along came Mark Muñoz, and now Dan Henderson has also joined the pack and thrown down the gauntlet to the UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.  […] “All the ‘injuries’ that keep Anderson fro…

First, it was Chael Sonnen, and then along came Mark Muñoz, and now Dan Henderson has also joined the pack and thrown down the gauntlet to the UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

 […] “All the ‘injuries’ that keep Anderson from a rematch with me or Chael will heal real fast if they offer Bisping to him.” Henderson said.

What the master rhetorician Sonnen started over a year ago seems to have become contagious to some degree.

Following his triumphant return to the Octagon at UFC 136 against Brian Stann, Sonnen immediately took to the mic to call out Silva, who was in attendance that night.

“Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck. Super Bowl weekend … the biggest rematch in the history of the sport. I’m calling you out, Silva, but we’re upping the stakes. I beat you, you leave the division. You beat me, I’ll leave the UFC forever.” Sonnen said.

Silva’s response was silence, much to the chagrin of Sonnen, however, when Silva eventually responded sometime later, he mentioned his native Brazil as the perfect setting for both fighters to settle their scores.

“I don’t like [Chael Sonnen]. This guy [wants to] fight me? Go to Brazil,” Silva told MMANation.com. “No problem. Chael talks too much. I’m ready to fight Chael. But you have the chance…go to Brazil to fight me.”

Next up was his friend (most likely a foe now) and former training partner Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Muñoz, who was on fire after dispatching Chris “The Crippler” Leben at UFC 138.

“I paid my dues in this weight class and I think I deserve a title shot. Anderson Silva is by far the best pound-for-pound fighter. I give him all the respect and honor, but I think I deserve a title shot right now. I consider him a friend, but right now I’d love to get a title shot.” Muñoz said.

He would later recant the call out, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

At present, Hendo must be on cloud nine after his successful return to the Octagon at UFC 139.

In what was a battle for the ages in a to-and-fro affair with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, the H-Bomb prevailed to take home a unanimous points victory.

Now he’s set his sights on something much bigger and lucrative—UFC gold.

The same gold that has eluded the former Pride and Strikeforce champion, on two separate occasions—once to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for the 205 belt and once to the man who submitted him more than three years ago, Silva.

Hendo seems determined to have UFC gold strapped around his waist, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s the light heavyweight title or The Spider’s coveted middleweight crown.

Though Hendo has thus served the first volley, it’s left to be seen whether Silva returns the complement.

Be that as it may, at this point in time in the UFC’s middleweight assemblage, Anderson “The Spider” Silva is a marked man and he knows it.

The question is can he fend off the challenges flying his way to reign supreme continually over the 185-pound division?

Only time will tell.

As things stand, no matter how uneasy his head may lay at present, he’s still the king who wears the crown.

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Dan Henderson Does a "Chael Sonnen" on Anderson Silva

Dan Henderson, fresh off one of the most titanic battles in UFC history against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, has taken a Chael Sonnen-esque approach to UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva. Henderson’s victoriou…

Dan Henderson, fresh off one of the most titanic battles in UFC history against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, has taken a Chael Sonnen-esque approach to UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva.

Henderson’s victorious return to the Octagon at UFC 139 could not hide the fact that he’s spoiling for a war and a rematch with middleweight supremo Silva.

According to MMAmania.com, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion took a searing swipe at Silva—insinuating that the champ may be faking his injury to avoid a rematch with himself and Sonnen.

Hendo also alluded to the fact that The Spider’s injuries would miraculously heal if TUF 14 Finale coach and winner Michael “The Count” Bisping was given a title shot against him by the UFC brass.

Henderson tweeted:

“Looked like one guy hadn’t fought in a long time & the other guy cut too much weight. Kinda like the JV team. Not hating. Just not a great night for either guy–weren’t there physically so they looked more like TUF cast than coaches. All the ‘injuries’ that keep Anderson from a rematch w/ me or Chael will heal real fast if they offer Bisping to him.”

The last time these two met was at UFC 82 where Hendo suffered a submission loss via rear naked choke.

Since that loss nearly four-years ago, Hendo has amassed a 7-1 record whilst capturing the Strikeforce light heavyweight title in the process.

A title no less, that he was willing to relinquish for one last shot at UFC glory—either at the 205-pound weight or middleweight.

So now that he’s back in the UFC fold and with a successful return to boot, his comments suggest that he wants to redeem that loss, and is willing to take whatever measures to goad Silva into a rematch.

Nonetheless, Silva, who at present is convalescing back in his native Brazil following an injured shoulder which he sustained prior to his match with Yushin Okami at UFC 134, will be out of action until sometime in mid-2012.

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Jason "Mayhem" Miller and the 5 Biggest Busts in the UFC

Jason “Mayhem” Miller was on the wrong end of a lopsided blitzkrieg at the TUF 14 Finale courtesy of Michael “The Count” Bisping. In so far as one-sided trouncings go and UFC hype trains being derailed, Mayhem isn’t the fi…

Jason “Mayhem” Miller was on the wrong end of a lopsided blitzkrieg at the TUF 14 Finale courtesy of Michael “The Count” Bisping. In so far as one-sided trouncings go and UFC hype trains being derailed, Mayhem isn’t the first and most definitely won’t be the last fighter to fail miserably when much was expected in a sport as unforgiving as MMA.

Don’t get me wrong, Mayhem isn’t just all hype and no substance—he’s a decent enough fighter, however, sometimes the pomp and pageantry as well as the eliteness of UFC combatants can overwhelm even the best of them.

Even though it’s not overly momentous (it could be if the rumours are true that he’s on the verge of being cut), Mayhem’s unsuccessful return to the Octagon since UFC 52 has to count as a bust.

At present, there are some fighters who have jumped ship to the UFC or have been head-hunted on the pretext of being something out of the ordinary, only to suffer ignominious defeats and sometimes a fast exit out of the Zuffa-based company.

Here’s a look at the five biggest busts currently residing in the UFC.

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The Ultimate Fighter 14: Can TJ Dillashaw Still Make It in the UFC?

Fresh from a TKO loss at the hands of The Ultimate Fight 14 winner John “The Magician” Dodson, TJ Dillashaw must be thinking whether he’s really cut out for the Zuffa-based company. “The Viper” should fret not. Before he m…

Fresh from a TKO loss at the hands of The Ultimate Fight 14 winner John “The Magician” Dodson, TJ Dillashaw must be thinking whether he’s really cut out for the Zuffa-based company.

“The Viper” should fret not.

Before he made his entry into TUF 14, Dillashaw had compiled a decent enough record of 4-0 in various fighting establishments—one unanimous decision, one stoppage and two submission victories to the good.

To book his place on the show, he took on and impressively defeated Matt Jaggers via first-round TKO.

Next up for the bantamweight was Roland Delorme, whom he defeated by way of rear naked choke to progress on to the semifinals where he dominated Dustin Pague to win a unanimous decision.

Nevertheless, The Viper met his demise in the finals of the TUF 14 series which is nothing to be overtly shamed about, as he lost to the exuberant and somewhat dangerous Dodson, a fighter who could be destined for great things in the UFC.

On the night in question, Dillashaw just got caught cold, and I don’t think he ever really recovered.

It was a bad night, but it was also a night for experiences—and he’ll learn from those experiences and move forward.

Also, he’s shown that he has some good MMA pedigree and that can only count as a good thing.

Still, at 25, there’s a vast amount of room for improvement and his next fight should tell us more about the potential of the Team Alpha Male trained fighter.

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Breaking Down Jason Mayhem Miller vs. Nick Diaz Post-TUF

Coming off an utter annihilation at the hands of Michael Bisping, the last person Jason “Mayhem” Miller would want to throw it down with at this point is Nick Diaz. Be that as it may, a drop down to 170 pounds might prove dividends for the …

Coming off an utter annihilation at the hands of Michael Bisping, the last person Jason “Mayhem” Miller would want to throw it down with at this point is Nick Diaz.

Be that as it may, a drop down to 170 pounds might prove dividends for the former coach of TUF 14.

Diaz himself is more than one month removed from steamrolling B.J Penn.

The likelihood of these two combatants meeting in the Octagon in the future is distant at best—Diaz has a date with destiny and Miller needs to rebuild.

After last year’s Nashville brawl, Miller conveyed his intentions to fight Diaz, but the fight never came to fruition.

Due partly to the fact that both parties couldn’t agree on a suitable weight class—Diaz wanted the fight at 170 or 181 catchweight, while Miller wanted a catchweight of 183.

Nevertheless, a matchup between Diaz and Mayhem would be intriguing to say the least—they could settle that Nashville score once and for all.

Concerning the bout, both fighters possess extreme jiu-jitsu skills, with 22 submissions between them. Even though Mayhem has six more submissions than Diaz, I give Miller the edge in that department if the fight hits the ground.

Striking-wise, Mayhem isn’t known for his punching prowess whilst Diaz is.

Diaz has proven he has potent punching power—knocking out Paul Daley in an improbable come-from-behind victory and putting an absolute clinic on “The Prodigy” at UFC 137.

And even if Diaz was to make the jump to middleweight, his overall skill set will still overwhelm Miller.

Diaz wins this matchup at welterweight or 185 pounds all day, every day.

I’m not saying that Miller is a chump, but Diaz would be a top-tier fighter in most divisions.

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Junior Dos Santos: The Things That Changed His Life

Less than a month removed from his 64-second decimation of Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1, Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos is now basking in the glory of the heavyweight division’s holy grail—UFC gold. Nonetheless, speaking to Gracie…

Less than a month removed from his 64-second decimation of Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1, Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos is now basking in the glory of the heavyweight division’s holy grail—UFC gold.

Nonetheless, speaking to Graciemag.com, Cigano (14-1) cites his first loss as the catalyst to his rise to the top of the MMA world.

Prior to his one and only defeat, Cigano was riding a five-fight win streak—two via (which included a win over Joaquim “Mamute” Ferreira) submission and three by way of TKO/KO.

In his sixth professional bout, however, in a rematch against Ferreira, he was submitted via armbar in 73 seconds of the first round.

That was the night he had his “Road to Damascus” moment—in one fell swoop his career was to change as well as his inner psyche with regards to MMA in general.

[…] “After my defeat (against Joaquim Mamute), I became a totally different fighter”, he admits. “That submission freed me of the responsibility of being undefeated, and I stopped being afraid there. I had no fear in my next challenges”, he says.

After that defeat, Cigano went on a tear—destroying almost everything in his path.

Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum was the first to feel his wrath, Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović, Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel and Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga all fell.

Cigano also won unanimous decisions over both Roy “Big Country” Nelson and Shane Carwin, the latter culminating in his eventual showdown with Velasquez.

 

 

 

Needless to say, the Velasquez fight was the other turning point in his career and his most defining moment to date—becoming the 16th fighter in UFC history to attain the heavyweight title.

For the 27-year-old Cigano, the impact of defeating Velasquez and achieving his goal was a dream come true and, at the same time, implausible.

“It took me some time to believe it. And when I saw Velasquez falling, I couldn’t believe it, you can notice it took me a while to go after him,” said Junior Dos Santos.

A word of warning to the heavyweight hitters of the division—Cigano has somewhat of a slight penchant for getting struck in the face, and for good reason.

“I get hit in the face and don’t get upset because I have years of boxing training. A good fighter knows how to take a hit. I think in my case to be punched on the face works to make me more alert.”

At present, the new champ is nursing a knee injury, but should make his return to the Octagon sometime in 2012 against the winner of the UFC 141 event that will be contested by Brock Lesnar and Alistair “The Reem” Overeem.

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