UFC on FOX 2 was a night that has likely created two future pay-per-view main events. One bout will feature Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, but the more highly anticipated contest has to be the expected upcoming rematch between UFC middleweight champion An…
UFC on FOX 2 was a night that has likely created two future pay-per-view main events. One bout will feature Jon Jones and Rashad Evans, but the more highly anticipated contest has to be the expected upcoming rematch between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen.
Sonnen and Silva battled it out in the UFC 117 main event with Sonnen dominating the majority of the fight, only to have Silva slap on a triangle with only moments remaining in the fifth round, securing an impressive, come-from-behind submission victory in a bout that looked like he was surely going to lose.
Since his return to the Octagon following a suspension, Sonnen has been borderline obsessed with getting the rematch against Anderson Silva and after victories over fellow top contenders Brian Stann and now Michael Bisping, he is now set to get that rematch.
But it didn’t happen that easily. In fact, Sonnen himself wasn’t even convinced that the judges were going to award him the win over Michael Bisping.
The unanimous judges’ decision which saw two judges score the bout 29-28 and one judge score the bout 30-27 for Sonnen was met with much controversy online from fans who believed that Bisping may have been robbed.
“He hit me so hard in the first round that I didn’t fully understand what we were doing,” Sonnen added. “My body still doesn’t feel right.”
But regardless of how it was done, according to UFC president Dana White, Sonnen is now penciled in for a rematch with Silva in June. The bout will apparently take place in Silva’s home country of Brazil which has recently exploded as a venue for the UFC.
“I’d rather it wasn’t in Brazil. I prefer to fight in Las Vegas, every time,” he said. “But I won’t pass up that chance.”
Though he is still not completely convinced that the fight will take place due to supposed hesitation from the Silva camp, Sonnen is taking his boss at face value in this instance.
“Dana’s a man of his word and either way, I will be getting a title shot,” Sonnen said. “We have a major opportunity to break every record in the history of MMA and to have this fight looked at for generations to come.”
For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron: @NicholasCaron.
On a night that was headlined by six top-10 fighters in their respective weight classes, it was an undercard bout between lightweights Evan Dunham and Nik Lentz which stole the show and won a decisive “Fight of the Night” bonus from the UFC on FOX 2 ev…
On a night that was headlined by six top-10 fighters in their respective weight classes, it was an undercard bout between lightweights Evan Dunham and Nik Lentz which stole the show and won a decisive “Fight of the Night” bonus from the UFC on FOX 2 event.
Never one to back down from a challenge, Lentz stepped into the fight against Dunham on short notice, just a month and a half after his most recent bout against Mark Bocek at UFC 140. Lentz let his hands fly perhaps more than we have ever seen him do in his UFC career, but ended up on his back where he took a huge elbow from Dunham that opened up a large cut under his left eye.
The fight was eventually stopped between the second and third rounds as Dunham was declared the winner by TKO.
“I was surprised by it,” Dunham told MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani after the bout, regarding the stoppage. “Honestly, I wanted the fight to continue. I felt momentum was building majorly in my favor and I was very confident I was going to put him away in the third. I was a little bit disappointed when they stopped it because I wanted to keep fighting.”
Dunham did admit that he would have probably given the first round to Lentz if he was a judge, but it didn’t end up mattering whatsoever as he was able to finish the fight with the elbows. It will be interesting to see where this highly skilled and motivated lightweight goes in 2012.
“I’d really like to fight the winner of the [Joe] Lauzon and [Anthony] Pettis fight,” Dunham said.
Whoever his next fight is, Dunham will be riding some serious momentum after this impressive victory.
For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron: @NicholasCaron
UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis will take place this coming Saturday night, January 28th from the United Center in Chicago, IL. The main card will be featured on the FOX network while the majority of the undercard bouts can be found on Fuel TV, including…
UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis will take place this coming Saturday night, January 28th from the United Center in Chicago, IL. The main card will be featured on the FOX network while the majority of the undercard bouts can be found on Fuel TV, including a potential show-stealing lightweight bout between Evan Dunham and Nik Lentz.
Lentz replaces Paul Sass who was originally set to fight Dunham on the card, but had to pull out due to injury.
After a seven-fight streak in the Octagon where he went without an official loss, Lentz finally fell victim to the smothering wrestling of Mark Bocek at UFC 140 this past December. The loss came by a unanimous judges’ decision, but “The Carny” was not convinced that the right decision was made.
“I was the one doing all the damage and he was pretty much just holding me down,” Lentz told Bleacher Report MMA. “I think that damage should be number one when it comes to judging criteria. I think the only time when it shouldn’t be is when the damage is equal. So if damage is equal, then you go to the other criteria like ring control or things like that.”
Damage is not specifically listed under the unified rules of MMA, but the numbers certainly favored Lentz, who out-struck Bocek despite spending the majority of the fight on his back.
“I never knew just how much the takedown meant for judges,” said Lentz, who intends on learning from his game-planning mistake against Bocek. “Before every fight I have now, I’m going to ask the ref, ‘What do I need to do if I’m on the bottom and I want it to get stood up?’ Then he can tell me.”
After only taking what he described as a singular scrape on his face from his previous fight, Lentz was back in the gym the following Monday, preparing himself for his next fight. He didn’t have to wait long before the UFC gave him a call, offering the fight against Evan Dunham at UFC on FOX 2.
“I’m going to go out there and just prove to the world that the last fight was a fluke,” Lentz said of the upcoming bout. “I’m taking this fight on short notice and I’m going to make an example out of him.”
One of Lentz’s biggest advantages going into this fight is his relationship with his teammate at The Academy, Sean Sherk, who earned a victory over Dunham in his most recent Octagon appearance.
“I think, stylistically, Evan kind of fits in with the style of fighter that I want to fight,” Lentz said, noting that both he and Sherk believe that this is a very winnable fight. “I’m not much for trash talk, but I am going to say that I’m better than Evan Dunham because I am. It’s not really trash talking, that’s just the truth.”
Despite training with one of the more interesting personalities in all of MMA in Jacob Volkmann, Lentz’s approach to making a name for himself lies within his ability to win fights and simply be himself in the media. That won’t necessarily stop him from making his own political statement should he find himself standing next to fellow Ron Paul supporter, Joe Rogan, in the post-fight victory interview.
“Almost all politicians now are hypocrites, but Ron Paul is one of the few guys who you can go through his record and he’s always done what he said he was going to do,” Lentz said. “I might give a shout-out to him if I win.”
However, despite a new-found confidence in his ability to not be dominated in any fight and a belief that he will be victorious, Lentz is taking this fight more seriously than he ever has in the past.
“This fight is do or die for me,” he said, regarding his future with the UFC. “I’m going to win, whatever it takes.”
From the face of women’s MMA to the newest lead actress in Hollywood, Strikeforce’s Gina Carano can now be known as one of only a few athletes from the sport to have successfully crossed over onto the big screen. Carano joins the likes o…
From the face of women’s MMA to the newest lead actress in Hollywood, Strikeforce’s Gina Carano can now be known as one of only a few athletes from the sport to have successfully crossed over onto the big screen. Carano joins the likes of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Cung Le and Randy Couture, among others, who have put their MMA talents to use in the movie industry.
Carano plays the lead role in Steven Soderbergh’s new action film Haywire, which follows a highly trained operative named Mallory Kane (Carano) who works for a company that takes on extremely dangerous assignments that the government cannot authorize.
While on a mission overseas, Mallory is double-crossed by her own agency and has to fight to stay alive while attempting to learn the truth about why she was the intended victim of an attempted murder.
Carano stars alongside Hollywood mainstays Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas and Ewan McGregor. She even engages in a passionate kiss with heartthrob Channing Tatum.
The film itself is not without its quirks as is to be expected when an actress is taking on her first lead role, but Carano delivers quite a performance given her lack of experience. The MMA superstar shows off her real-life fighting skills, utilizing her kickboxing and jiu jitsu in a series of intense hand-to-hand battles throughout the film.
While other films have rather unsuccessfully attempted to include MMA-style fighting, Soderbergh’s Haywire might have finally hit the nail on the head with Carano utilizing everything from guillotine and triangle chokes to a violent armbar that successfully snaps a main character’s arm in half.
The choreography of the fight scenes in this film are about as good as we have seen in recent memory. While other movies with strong female leads have included fight scenes in the past, Carano brings a strong sense of realism to the screen.
At no point does the audience roll their eyes due to the unrealistic nature of a fight scene, yet somehow Haywire still delivers the same intensity as the more exaggerated action films.
Despite early comparisons to The Bourne Identity series, Haywire isn’t a remake of the successful series starring Matt Damon. Instead, it is its own unique blend of an action-thriller that simply just works.
It’s not time for Angelina Jolie to move over quite yet, but with a little polishing, Gina Carano could have herself a generous-paying second career if she does decide to hang up the gloves in Strikeforce.
Pat Schilling may not be a name that you’re familiar with yet, but this UFC newcomer is planning to make a statement in his debut for the promotion on Friday’s inaugural UFC on FX fight card from Nashville, Tenn. The 23-year-old Minnesotan …
Pat Schilling may not be a name that you’re familiar with yet, but this UFC newcomer is planning to make a statement in his debut for the promotion on Friday’s inaugural UFC on FX fight card from Nashville, Tenn.
The 23-year-old Minnesotan was the beneficiary of some untimely injuries to other fighters and will be fighting Daniel Pineda on the preliminary fight card on Fuel TV.
For Schilling, the opportunity is something he has been working toward for some time, but the news came rather unexpectedly this past week.
“It was crazy,” the full-time Best Buy supervisor told BleacherReport.com. “I’m at work and I got a call from my manager, which I couldn’t take at the time because I was on the sales floor. Then he sent me a text that said ‘Urgent!’ so I stepped off the floor and gave him a call back. When he said, ‘You’re going to be fighting for the UFC,’ it kind of leveled me. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”
Schilling and his manager had spoken to the UFC just days prior, but were instructed he still needed to get a couple more, higher-profile fights under his belt before he would get a chance in the UFC. However, the string of injuries to other fighters led to Schilling landing on the top of the alternates pile.
“I was pretty useless as a supervisor that day,” Schilling said, laughing. “I was doing laps around the store. I’m sure I gave great customer service, though, I had the biggest smile on my face!”
The contract he signed is a typical rolling UFC contract where a win will earn him additional fights. A loss could mean being cut, but the potential reward of a long-term deal with the UFC was well worth the risk of taking the fight on short notice.
“There have been a couple fights that I’ve been offered on short notice that we didn’t take,” Schilling admitted. “But when the UFC calls, you can’t really tell them, ‘Hey, wait until I get back on weight!’”
“Sure, there’s a lot to lose, but I’m gaining so much no matter what happens that night. I’m comfortable in knowing that I’m going to go out there, give it my all and hopefully put on a great performance and win.”
It’s this positive outlook on the fight which has really helped Schilling calm down in preparation for this great opportunity. While he understands that “Octagon jitters” could play some role, this confident young fighter is not feeling them quite yet.
“I really don’t feel that much pressure. I feel like this is a great opportunity that it’s a win-win situation for me,” he said. “I don’t feel like I have to go in and be crazy. If I go in there, be myself and do what I’ve trained to do, I’m going to be alright.”
Schilling’s opponent, Daniel Pineda, also took the fight on short notice and each man will be in the same boat when it comes to getting prepared for the biggest fight of their lives with significantly less than the normal amount of time to prepare.
“It’s a little comforting to know that he got the call after me,” Schilling said. “He knew that the UFC was looking at him, but he didn’t know he was going to be fighting on the 20th either. I know he cuts a little bit more weight than me, but I won’t count that as a disadvantage for him necessarily because we’re both going to be ready either way.”
One glaring difference in looking at Schilling’s record compared to his opponent’s is that Pineda has a significant experience advantage going into this bout. Not only has Pineda had about four times as many fights as Schilling, he has also competed in larger-scale fights already, including a bout in 2010 for Bellator Fighting Championships. But while Schilling acknowledges the experience difference, he also believes that it can be somewhat misleading:
Experience plays a role, don’t get me wrong, but only 15 minutes of his experience is going to count, and that’s the experience he’s getting with me. I’m not worried about his experience. He’s been fighting since I was a senior in high school so I know he’s a lot more of a veteran than I am, but in this fight, it’s going to come down to who has the better game-plan and who’s going to execute it better. That’s going to be me. I think I’m going to be able to take him where I want to and finish him.
When breaking down this fight on paper, it’s easy to see why those who have done some research believe this could potentially be a candidate for a nice “Fight of the Night” bonus. Both Schilling and Pineda are high-octane fighters constantly looking to finish and entertain the fans in the process.
Schilling said:
It’s going to be explosive and I think it’s going to end abruptly for either one of us. I think that he’s got the power to knock somebody out. I’ve got the quickness and agility, but I also think I’ve got the punching power to end it abruptly on my side, too.
But I think the way this fight is going to end is with me ending up with a submission. That’s going to be my best chance at a win. We could both try to grind out a decision and both be pretty tired by the end, but nobody wants to see that. He and I are both finishers.
The Ambition MMA prospect will be joined in Nashville by his trainer Mike Reilly as well as his girlfriend, Melanie, and his father. Others are planning on making the trip as well, but the short notice of the fight has made that difficult. Still, Schilling wanted to make sure he thanked everyone who has made this opportunity possible for him.
“I want to thank Melanie, my girlfriend, for all her support. She gets to deal with me while I’m cutting weight,” he said, laughing. “I also want to thank Mike Reilly and all of Ambition MMA for all of their support. And then thanks to my family, friends, fans…everybody who’s been writing on my Facebook wall, on my Twitter. It’s been a crazy week and the support has just been amazing.”
The ride is only just beginning for Pat Schilling and his rise up the rankings in MMA. This is the kind of opportunity that has made the careers of many fighters in the past, and Schilling could very well be the next.
Be sure to watch as he battles Daniel Pineda in a preliminary bout on Jan. 20 on Fuel TV!
ESPN brands themselves as the “worldwide leader in sports.” Typically this means coverage of huge sports like the NFL all the way down through sports as unique as Strong Man competitions and poker.Their coverage is usually interesting and e…
ESPN brands themselves as the “worldwide leader in sports.” Typically this means coverage of huge sports like the NFL all the way down through sports as unique as Strong Man competitions and poker.
Their coverage is usually interesting and even entertaining. It’s what has made them the man on campus for years now.
But ESPN should be completely ashamed of their recent story that could only be described as a hit piece on the mixed martial arts promotion known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Not only is this piece entirely one-sided despite its halfhearted attempt to include UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, it is also incredibly and I would say intentionally misinformed for the benefit of creating a more interesting piece.
There are so many ridiculous points in the ESPN piece that it would take hours to explain just how bad it really is. But there are a few things that I decided cannot wait and need to be responded to immediately.
With that said, let’s take a closer look at some of the biggest loads of B.S. that were presented in ESPN’s video on UFC fighter pay.
On a night that was headlined by six top-10 fighters in their respective weight classes, it was an undercard bout between lightweights