Author: Nedu Obi

Chael Sonnen Claims Chris Weidman Is the Best Middleweight in the UFC

Chael Sonnen is at it again, only this time he’s not slagging off 185-pound champ Anderson Silva, but lauding over Chris Weidman, claiming he’s the best middleweight in the UFC. “Uncle Chael’s” reason for such an affirmati…

Chael Sonnen is at it again, only this time he’s not slagging off 185-pound champ Anderson Silva, but lauding over Chris Weidman, claiming he’s the best middleweight in the UFC.

“Uncle Chael’s” reason for such an affirmation stems from the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 4, where “The All-American” put a championship-esque blitzkrieg on Mark “The Wrecking Machine” Munoz, thus bringing any hopes of a title tilt to a grinding halt…well, for the foreseeable future.

From Sonnen, originally reported by MMAMania.com:

There is no way to deny what we just saw. Weidman is on a roll, he is tapping guys out, getting Fight of the Night, and doing everything he needs to do. Now he is playing with the big boys. Now he is in the main event. The test was passed with flying colors. Chris Weidman, present company included, you are the best middleweight in the UFC.

Since becoming a resident UFC fighter, the Baldwin, New Yorker, has been on something of a tear. He’s amassed five victories in as many outings—two victories by way of unanimous decision and two via submission, one of which was merited  with Submission of the Night honors.

His latest triumph, which ended Munoz’s (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) four-fight win streak, was a second-round technical knockout that garnered Knockout of the Night honors.

The Serra-Longo-trained combatant is a two-time All-American NCAA Division l wrestler. In addition, he holds a purple belt in BJJ, but his modus operandi within that discipline suggests he could hold his own against some of art’s best exponents.

And if that’s not enough to whet the appetite, his stand-up game is ever-improving, as was evinced by the elbow that set Munoz’s demise in motion.

The word on the MMA circuit is Weidman could be the one man to dethrone perennial titlist Silva if he’s ever given the opportunity to do so.

With that in mind, Weidman (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) believes he has requisite tools to just do that—he even went so far as saying he could submit “The Spider.”

Weidman’s current middleweight ranking by various sports media sites is between seven and 10, but after last night’s showing, it’s a surefire bet he’s now officially be a top-five contender, with serious title aspirations to boot.

 

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UFC 151: Dan Henderson Says Jon Jones Has Never Fought Anybody Like Him

Seasoned campaigner Dan Henderson told Sports Illustrated that Jon Jones has never fought anyone like him and thus will prove he has what it takes to derail the young phenom when the pair go head-to-head in the main event of UFC 151. “He’s …

Seasoned campaigner Dan Henderson told Sports Illustrated that Jon Jones has never fought anyone like him and thus will prove he has what it takes to derail the young phenom when the pair go head-to-head in the main event of UFC 151.

“He’s still young and unorthodox, that’s his biggest asset, [but] he’s young and sloppy a little bit. He’s done well with his style but I feel like he’s never fought anybody like me.”

“Bones” Jones came to prominence back at UFC 128 when he decimated Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to capture the 205-pound title. At 23, it also made him the youngest-ever champion in the history of the Zuffa-based promotion.

Since attaining said title, Bones has successfully and impressively defended the belt on three separate occasions against a trio of former titlists—Rashad Evans, Lyoto Machida and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Presently, Jones holds sway over his weight class with an ironclad grip rod and no one has come close to knocking him of his perch, let alone deciphering his unorthodox style of fighting.

Another puzzle facing would-be challengers is the freakishly looking 84-inch reach Jones has at his disposal—an asset he has employed with great efficacy.

Henderson, the former Strikeforce 205-pound champion, is highly aware of Jones’ advantages, but nonetheless has his own stratagem come fight night.

“I guess the difference is he’s got arms twice as long as everybody else I’ve fought,” Henderson said. “But it’s not rocket science. I’ve been doing it a while. There’s certain things I need to be careful for that he does well. I’ve just got to be aware of that, and implement what I want to do with him.”

Jones (16-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) is the bookmakers’ favorite to make it a fourth successive title defense, which leaves Henderson (29-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in the category of underdog, a status he more than relishes.

“For me it’s about beating the top guys out there, and everybody thinks he’s unbeatable,” Henderson said. “I love having the odds not in my favor.”

When the small matter of the 17-year age gap was mentioned, the 41-year-old Henderson said, “I guess I’ll have to show him what he can look forward to.”

Henderson is also a former PRIDE middleweight and welterweight champion.

UFC 151 is scheduled for September 1, 2012, at the Mandalay Bay Event Center MGM in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

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Georges St-Pierre: Will the Long Layoff Cost Him His UFC Title?

The perennial champion of the UFC’s welterweight division, Georges St-Pierre, has been sidelined with recurring injuries since he last defended his title against Jake Shields back at UFC 129.However, once he returns to the combative fray of the O…

The perennial champion of the UFC’s welterweight division, Georges St-Pierre, has been sidelined with recurring injuries since he last defended his title against Jake Shields back at UFC 129.

However, once he returns to the combative fray of the Octagon, he will leave said arena minus his coveted belt.

Plagued by knee injuries (torn ACL and damaged MCL), “Rush” has been out of action for more than 14 months.

At present, his scheduled return is set for Nov. 17 at UFC 154 against the division’s interim champion Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit, and that’s if he doesn’t suffer another setback.

In total, St-Pierre’s inactivity will amount to 18-plus months come fight night, and that doesn’t bode well for the Canadian native, especially as Condit’s mindset is to ensure his first shot at UFC glory doesn’t go awry.

St-Pierre (22-2 MMA, 16-2 UFC) is the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

In addition, he’s also the best all-around exponent in the MMA stratosphere. However, his personal rankings and skill set will not suffice to hold onto his title.

Firstly, he’ll have to contend with cage rust, a predicament that rears its ugly head whenever a combative fighter re-emerges from such a long layoff.

On the other hand, Condit has fought twice within that period—Nick Diaz and Kim Dong-Hyun. In that respect, Condit’s sharpness and activity will be the complete antithesis of what St-Pierre brings to the table.

Secondly, he won’t throw caution to the wind—psychosomatics will play their part—St-Pierre can’t afford another injury and as a consequence will approach the bout prudently, thus giving Condit carte blanche to take the fight to him.

Finally, even if he’s recuperated fully, there’s no telling how much the injuries will have affected his movement, and that’s another area Condit can and will capitalize on to relieve the 31-year-old St-Pierre of his crown.

 

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UFC 148: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen Draws 19 Million Viewers in Brazil

UFC 148: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II, the most hyped and anticipated fight in the history of the Zuffa-based promotion, has thus far drawn 19 million viewers in Brazil. The overall interest generated by the 148 event was in no small part due to …

UFC 148: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II, the most hyped and anticipated fight in the history of the Zuffa-based promotion, has thus far drawn 19 million viewers in Brazil.

The overall interest generated by the 148 event was in no small part due to the ongoing feud between Silva and Sonnen—a grudge that was settled via second-round TKO courtesy of “The Spider.”

With MMAWeekly reporting these pay-per-view figures, it’s a surefire bet that had the event taken place in its original setting of Brazil (UFC 147 on June 23), the numbers could’ve been much higher.

However, the Silva vs. Sonnen rematch was scrapped due to a conflict of interest, as a UN conference, Rio+20, was also scheduled for that day.

Add to the equation the 47,000 capacity of Rio de Janeiro’s Estádio Olímpico João Havelange, and the attendance figures could have surpassed the promotion’s record gate turnout of 55,724 set at UFC 129.

At present, pay-per-view figures for the U.S have yet to be verified, but according to President Dana White, those numbers could easily match UFC 100: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir II, which at the time amassed a record 1.6 million buys.

With that in mind, only five other events have gone over the million pay-per-view mark. The last one to do so was UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez, back in October of 2010.

That said, the assumed buyrate for UFC 148 stands at 1.4 million.

 

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Anderson Silva Has Problems in Nevada for Chin Checking Chael Sonnen at UFC 148

The Executive Director of the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) Keith Kizer has categorically stated Anderson Silva is close to being a persona non grata in the State of Nevada for chin checking Chael Sonnen at the UFC 148 weigh-in. From Kizer, o…

The Executive Director of the NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) Keith Kizer has categorically stated Anderson Silva is close to being a persona non grata in the State of Nevada for chin checking Chael Sonnen at the UFC 148 weigh-in.

From Kizer, originally reported by Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com (h/t MMAMania.com):

“I told him if you ever do anything like that again you will not be invited to fight in Nevada again.”

Furthermore, Kizer was none too pleased with Silva’s alleged greasing prior to the opening stanza. Apparently, the middleweight titlist rubbed the customary Vaseline from his face onto his chest. However, Yvez Lavigne, the officiating referee, wiped him down before proceedings got underway.

On the whole, Kizer felt Silva’s antics before and during the UFC 148 event were wholly unacceptable, and as a consequence the Brazilian was given a severe verbal warning regarding his future conduct.

“If the next few Anderson Silva fights don’t happen in Nevada, it won’t bother me in the least,” Kizer said.

That said, MMA’s most eagerly awaited bagarre ended with “The Spider” retaining his title via second-round TKO.

Albeit Sonnen controlled the fight from the outset, his demise came as a result of an ill-advised spun backfist which landed him on the seat of his pants, thus giving Silva the opening to execute his coup de grâce—a knee to the chest followed by some vicious ground-and-pound.

However, the stoppage was initially shrouded in controversy due to the aforementioned knee strike to the chest—Sonnen’s coach is of the impression Silva had bad intentions when kneeing (video replay deemed the knee legal) his charge and as such is appealing the loss.

Nonetheless, Kizer believes the grounds for appeal are near enough non-existent.

Kizer gave four reasons for appealing an outcome:

1) Failed drug test.
2) Miscalculation of a scorecard.
3) Collusion (official paid off).
4) Referee misinterprets a rule (for example: allows soccer kick when soccer is illegal).

 

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UFC 148: Luke Rockhold Accuses Anderson Silva of Greasing and Short Grabbing

Strikeforce middleweight titlist Luke Rockhold has accused Anderson Silva of greasing and short grabbing in his UFC 148 championship title bout against Chael Sonnen. He wasn’t too happy with the knee to Sonnen’s chest either, citing bad int…

Strikeforce middleweight titlist Luke Rockhold has accused Anderson Silva of greasing and short grabbing in his UFC 148 championship title bout against Chael Sonnen. He wasn’t too happy with the knee to Sonnen’s chest either, citing bad intentions on the part of the Brazilian.

From Rockhold, originally reported by Luke Thomas of MMAFighting.com (h/t MMAMania.com):

I call it like I see it and [the win] just looked dirty to me. [Silva] greased himself again. After the Vitor [Belfort] fight I saw him grease himself. I wasn’t very fond of that first one. He did it again, blatantly. And then the shorts grab. And then finally the knee, it ended up legal, but it looked like bad intentions. All that together, it just wasn’t very champion-like for me. I want to see a respectful champion out there. I know emotions might get high with all the crap talking, but you gotta keep those separate and gotta fight clean.

It was quite obvious that Silva tugged at Sonnen’s shorts, though, whether the grabbing and/or the alleged excessive grease had anything to do with the final result is debatable. Sonnen as of yet hasn’t made a brouhaha about said infractions.

Following several years of antagonism from the Oregon native, the Silva-Sonnen II saga ended with the Brazilian’s arm raised aloft in triumphant over his arch rival.

Up until that night “Uncle Chael” is and has been the only man to have come closest to unseating “The Spider.” However, those title aspirations eviscerated via triangle-armbar in their first encounter back at UFC 117.

Apropos greasing, under the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s guidelines for MMA, Section NAC 467.598 refers to the physical appearance of unarmed combatants, but rule No. 2 specifically makes reference to the use of greasing.

2.  The excessive use of grease or any other foreign substance may not be used on the face or body of an unarmed combatant. The referees or the Commission’s representative in charge shall cause any excessive grease or foreign substance to be removed.

 

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