Author: Nick Caron

Cain Velasquez and the 12 Moments That Defined MMA in 2012

Another year is in the books, and the world of MMA has never been bigger. 2012 was filled with highs and lows. The UFC and its brand dominated but went through perhaps the most unfortunate streak of injuries in the history of the company. From Georges…

Another year is in the books, and the world of MMA has never been bigger.

2012 was filled with highs and lows. The UFC and its brand dominated but went through perhaps the most unfortunate streak of injuries in the history of the company. From Georges St-Pierre to Jon Jones, Dominick Cruz to Jose Aldo, it just didn’t seem like fans or the UFC itself could catch a break.

It wasn’t all that bad, though. The good far outweighed the bad as 2012 will go down as one of the most memorable years the sport of MMA has ever seen.

As we begin 2013, I thought it’d be fun to look back on the year that was. These are the 12 moments that I believe defined MMA in 2012.

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UFC 155 Results: Fighters React to Dos Santos vs. Velasquez Fight Card

The UFC heavyweight title is back in the hands of the baddest man on the planet, Cain Velasquez, after his dominant victory over Junior dos Santos at UFC 155. The former champion earned even more respect than he had before from his fans and experts, bu…

The UFC heavyweight title is back in the hands of the baddest man on the planet, Cain Velasquez, after his dominant victory over Junior dos Santos at UFC 155. The former champion earned even more respect than he had before from his fans and experts, but it’s the approval from his fellow fighters that likely means the most to him.

Twitter has become the place that the world goes to discuss fights live and UFC 155 was no exception. The Twittersphere was on fire on Saturday night, particularly with fighters who all seemed to be tuning into perhaps the biggest fight of the year.

The following Tweets came from fighters (and prominent UFC personalities) during the main card for the UFC 155: dos Santos vs. Velasquez fight card.

Derek Brunson vs. Chris Leben

We got started with Derek Brunson vs. Chris Leben in what turned out to be a lackluster bout. Twitter was fairly quiet during this one, at least from fighters who generally don’t like to bash one another for having “boring” fights.

Brunson showed his happiness in the cage immediately after the fight when he screamed out in happiness. He later got on his phone to let everyone know who he thanks for the victory.

UFC President Dana White was not quite as happy, however.

Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami

Up next was Alan Belcher, who had been on a four-fight winning streak as he battled perennial top UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami.

Belcher put up a valiant effort, even dropping Okami numerous times. But in the end, it was Okami’s frustratingly strong grappling that was able to contain Belcher and earn him the win.

UFC announcer and former multi-divisional contender Kenny Florian was impressed with both fighters.

The legendary Bas Rutten agreed, noting that it was the Japanese star’s ever-improving wrestling that secured the win.

Costa Philippou vs. Tim Boetsch

The third fight on the card was one that featured one of the fastest-growing fighters in terms of popularity, Tim Boetsch, as he looked to increase his undefeated streak at middleweight to five wins against Costa Philippou.

Former UFC middleweight Jorge Rivera gave a quick breakdown on the bout before it started, explaining what Costa would need to win.

Boetsch appeared to break his hand early in the fight, which cost him dearly as Philippou systematically broke him apart throughout the contest.

Top Strikeforce and Invicta FC female contender Sarah Kaufmann believed the fight was close going into the third round, but didn’t think one of the fighters was ready to continue.

Philippou eventually earned a TKO victory.

Jorge Rivera’s former rival and current top UFC contender Michael Bisping apparently made a bet with a fan in attendance who was confident that Boetsch would win. The fan put his money where his mouth is but ended up handing over a $20 bill to the Brit.

Joe Lauzon vs. Jim Miller

The co-main event included two of the UFC’s most exciting lightweights as Jim Miller battled Joe Lauzon in a bout that could vault the winner very close to a title fight in 2013.

English fighter John Maguire echoed the thoughts of many fans who were excited for this one.

Mike Swick concurred.

Jim Miller started the fight out with a ferocious pace, attacking Lauzon with a barrage of strikes, including a short elbow against the cage that opened up Lauzon’s forehead.

As blood poured down Lauzon’s face, he began to look less like a UFC fighter and more like a Halloween mask. The hard-hitting Bart Palaszewski was even shocked at the amount of blood Lauzon was losing.

UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste looked away in horror.

Top UFC flyweight contender John Dodson even joked about the amount of blood that had made its way onto the top of Lauzon’s head, turning his hair a bright shade of red.

Lauzon battled back, however, and gave the fans the type of performance that only he can give in the cage. Wearing a crimson mask for about 13 minutes of the 15-minute bout, Lauzon made it close enough on the scorecards that Jon Fitch couldn’t call a winner.

The exciting bout was universally loved on Twitter, with most agreeing that even with the main event remaining, the “Fight of the Night” bonus should be awarded to Miller and Lauzon.

Brad Tavares and others were right as the fight was later officially given the reward and accompanying bonuses. This fight night bonus now gives Joe Lauzon the UFC record for most fight night bonuses achieved by a fighter in the history of the company as he surpassed Anderson Silva.

Velasquez vs. dos Santos

The main event had finally arrived and Twitter was buzzing from the amazing co-main event as we prepared to head into the UFC heavyweight title fight. Predictions flooded in at this moment, and there were a few notable prognostications including former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.

Velasquez’s teammate Ryan Bader showed his support from afar.

The fight began and the chess game that was the standup battle between these two got underway. That didn’t last long, though, as Velasquez shot in, obviously wary of dos Santos’ power after being knocked out the last time he fought the champ.

As Velasquez began to pull away with his wrestling and surprising dominance in the striking game, Twitter began to turn from the expectation that this would be a close fight to the sudden realization that we were looking at a new champion.

Pat Barry, who is known for having some of the most epic slugfests in UFC history, has been talking about how great Velasquez is for some time, but he knows better than anyone that fights can change in the blink of an eye.

With only moments left in the bout, dos Santos’ face looked like it had been stung by hundreds of bees at once. Former Strikeforce champion and current UFC top contender Alistair Overeem took to Twitter to talk a little smack about the fighter who had been placed above him on the MMA rankings for the past few months.

Overeem will fight Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC 156. If he is able to win that bout, Overeem is expected to get his chance against Cain Velasquez, who on Saturday night became the new UFC heavyweight champion.

Although Velasquez won the fight with a combination of his skills, it was really his advantage in one area that stood out the most. Two of the best MMA fighters in that area were quick to give props to their fellow fighter.

 

 

— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) December 30, 2012

With that, a fun night of fights had come to a climactic end. A new champion has been crowned and we move onward and upward to 2013! 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA Prospect Zach Juusola Wins Pro Kickboxing Debut, Eyes UFC in 2013

Minnesota MMA prospect Zach “Juice” Juusola was victorious in his K1 kickboxing debut this past Saturday night when he defeated Deangelo Curtis in Minneapolis. Juusola, primarily known as a wrestler, used his ever-improving skills in the …

Minnesota MMA prospect Zach “Juice” Juusola was victorious in his K1 kickboxing debut this past Saturday night when he defeated Deangelo Curtis in Minneapolis.

Juusola, primarily known as a wrestler, used his ever-improving skills in the standup game to control and ultimately decision Curtis, fellow MMA fighter, in one of the more lopsided fights of the night.

Though he got the win, Juusola wasn’t entirely satisfied with his performance and saw some areas where he could improve.

“I thought that I was going to knock him out but I didn’t get that,” Juusola told Bleacher Report MMA. “I didn’t connect cleanly like I wanted to with my boxing. I kind of got heavy on the knees and for the K1 fight, our rules were that there were no knees or elbows to the face. So he was bending down and his head was down there. I was trying to knee him in the shoulder and collarbone, trying to get as close to his face as I could without hitting it.”

In hindsight, he wishes that he would’ve been a little more loose with throwing his hands versus the knees, which did damage but were unable to finish the fight.

A member of The Academy gym, Juusola trains with a number of high level strikers but has been improving his boxing specifically at the Circle of Discipline gym with former multi-time Golden Gloves national champion Robert Brant.

Juusola and his opponent both took the fight on just a few days’ notice, which certainly played a part in him not being quite as strategically prepared as he otherwise would have been.

“Usually I would just be doing Muay Thai sparring and kickboxing sparring, with some additional pad work. But for this fight, I really didn’t have time to prepare too much differently than I do my MMA fights,” he said. “It doesn’t go against my MMA record, so I was just out there having fun.”

The K1 experience was definitely positive for Juusola, who said he would recommend giving it a shot to other young fighters who are looking to improve their craft.

“It’s awesome. Especially for guys who come from a wrestling background, it will help you stay comfortable on the feet and not just automatically shoot in for that takedown,” he said. “I think taking a kickboxing fight is really beneficial. I want to do more kickboxing fights, I even want to take some boxing fights. All of that. I need to do it while I’m still in organizations that will allow it.”

While smaller promotions will typically allow their fighters to compete in other martial arts, the UFC historically hasn’t allowed that, even from their top-level competitors. For Juusola, competing on the national stage of the UFC is his ultimate goal.

“I know the UFC probably wouldn’t allow me to do boxing or kickboxing, but that’s my goal…to be in the UFC in the next year,” he said.

After an impressive victory over Billy Christianson in September, Juusola now sits with an impressive 9-2 pro record. His next fight is being worked out for sometime in early March, with the CFA in Miami, Fla.

“I don’t know who I’m going to be fighting yet, but I just want tough opponents,” Juusola said. “I’m trying to get to the big show.”

Prior to his victory over Christianson, Juusola actually went through a two-fight losing streak in the second half of 2011 when he fell short against Trent McCown and recent UFC The Ultimate Fighter cast member Mike Rio. At just 25 years old though, Juusola feels that his best days are still ahead of him and that he is currently the best he has ever been.

“I feel like I’ve just started getting good and my fight game’s really started to click in the past seven or eight months,” Juusola said. “[In 2011], I kind of was just a tough wrestler that just kind of knew how to fight. Lately, everything’s been clicking. My wrestling, my boxing, my kickboxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu…Coach Greg Nelson has been helping me a ton with my ground game and of course my standup.”

In addition to Nelson’s world renowned skills as an MMA coach, Juusola and his teammates at The Academy recently welcomed one of the highest-profile fighters in the sport to their gym when Pat Barry started training there.

“Pat Barry is a great addition to The Academy,” Juusola said. “He just knows everything there is to know about striking. He can read everything, he can tell you different things. The way he looks at things is a little different than everybody else. I really like his style.”

With his gym now better than ever and his skills ever-improving, Juusola looks like a fighter to watch in 2013. If he can string together a couple wins, fans could be seeing “Juice” achieve his goal of competing in the Octagon in the very near future.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Driller Promotions Minnesota MMA Results: Matt Veal Submits Morgan Sickinger

Driller Promotions and the Sterling Entertainment Group were back on Saturday night, this time in a new venue: High Five Bar & Grill in Burnsville, MN for “Lockout.”The event featured 10 professional and amateur bouts, including two women’s fights …

Driller Promotions and the Sterling Entertainment Group were back on Saturday night, this time in a new venue: High Five Bar & Grill in Burnsville, MN for “Lockout.”

The event featured 10 professional and amateur bouts, including two women’s fights and a main event between Bellator veteran Matt Veal and “Captain” Morgan Sickinger, two of the area’s most entertaining fighters. 

Veal was coming off of a tough loss at May’s Bellator 67 when he suffered a TKO at the hands (and knees) of Will Romero and was looking to get back in the column against a game opponent back in the Midwest. 

Also on the card was local favorite Ben “The Baker” Neumann who had suffered back-to-back losses coming into the night, but was widely considered one of the top prospects in the state earlier this year. The 26-year-old also needed a big win to get back on track.

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UFC on FX 5: Dana White Tells "Jeremy Stephens’ Side of the Story" on Arrest

UFC on FX 5 featured the main event between heavyweights Antonio “Big Foot” Silva and Travis Browne, but it was a fight that didn’t happen that has taken over much of the story in Minneapolis.Just hours before he was set to step into the Octagon a…

UFC on FX 5 featured the main event between heavyweights Antonio “Big Foot” Silva and Travis Browne, but it was a fight that didn’t happen that has taken over much of the story in Minneapolis.

Just hours before he was set to step into the Octagon against Yves Edwards, UFC lightweight Jeremy Stephens was arrested by local police on Friday morning on out-of-state charges stemming from an arrest in 2011. 

Despite UFC President Dana White tweeting throughout the day that the fight was still on, when Stephens was unable to be bailed out of jail, the UFC was forced to cancel the bout.

White spoke briefly about the situation in the post-fight press conference and within an online message board, but more details surfaced following the press conference in the post-fight media scrum.

“Jeremy Stephens’ side of the story is that he never hit this guy. It was one of his friends and they were all together,” White told a group of reporters including Bleacher Report MMA. “The guys were accusing him of doing it because they’re trying to get money out of him. Because he’s a UFC guy, they think they can make money off of him or whatever. That’s his side of the story.”

Stephens has competed in the UFC since 2007 when he was just 21 years old. Now 26, Stephens and White have gotten to know one another, which leads White to believe his guy.

“I like Jeremy Stephens. He’s a good kid, I’ve known him for years and if that’s what he tells me, I take grown men for their word,” White said. “These guys are in business with me and if that’s what he tells me the story is, am I going to call him a liar?”

Unable to speak to Stephens throughout the day, White was forced to go through Stephens’ corner as a means of communication. 

“[Jeremy’s] manager talked to him in the couple calls he got to make,” White said. “I tried to leave him a note to say, ‘Be ready. You’re fighting tonight.’ “Thank [God] that law enforcement people love the UFC because everywhere I go, the police are so cool to us and treat us so well. When I was down at the place today, they couldn’t have been any nicer. I mean, there’s certain things they can’t do, but the Sheriff’s department here in town could not have been nicer to us.”

Dana wouldn’t divulge the final number that the bail was set at, but did say that he was ready to pay just about any number, fully expecting that Stephens would show up for the eventual court date.”

“I was going to pay the bail…and if he didn’t show up in court, I’d send Dog the f^%*ing Bounty Hunter after him.”

As a fight promoter, White was intent on making the fight happen, if for no other reason than to shove it in the faces of premature reports that the fight was off.

“It started off that there were two charges,” he said. “One was a $1,000 bail and the other one was $20,000.”

Things quickly spiraled out of control, however.

“Where we ended, it was f*%^in’ insane,” White said. “I mean, I could’ve got [Charles] Manson out for what they wanted me to pay for [Jeremy Stephens].”

As of now, Stephens is still in jail and no further news has surfaced regarding the situation.

“What’s going to happen now is that, they have to figure out whether or not he’s going to be extradited,” White said. “Then they’re going to have to come and get him.”

I’ve seen situations like this before. If they really don’t like this kid, this kid could be in jail here for three months until they extradite him. Then he goes to jail there and they’ll have him sit in jail until he has a hearing.”

Although White and the UFC just found out that the legal issue was still a problem today, White does recall hearing the news when it first was reported. 

“Everybody remembers when this came out. It came out last year sometime. [At the time] He said it wasn’t him. ‘I didn’t do it,’ ” White explained. “And then supposedly, this is what his manager says, is that he has a lawyer down there who said that everything was handled. Then they talked with the lawyer today and the lawyer said, ‘Yeah, I just put all the paperwork in and all that sh*^.” And I’m like, ‘He’s full of sh*^! This guy’s full of sh*^ because I’m dealing with this thing right now and he hasn’t done anything!”

According to White, not only did he not know about the situation, but Stephens himself swears that he did not know about the warrant for his arrest.

“As far as [Jeremy] tells me, he absolutely did not know that he [had a warrant out for his arrest],” White said. “And the stupid thing would be, if he did, why would you let it go for over a year when you’re on TV?”

This confusing situation has only added to the UFC’s recent issues which have included injuries and legal problems to many of the promotion’s top stars. For now, Stephens remains in police custody and while he will eventually have his day in court, it’s looking as though he may be spending some time behind bars before that date, as well.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Minnesota MMA Results: Raphael Butler Wins MN Heavyweight Title, Moret Subs Hill

The very best of MMA in Minnesota was on display on Saturday night as Driller Promotions/Sterling Entertainment Group provided what might have been the event of the year in St. Paul’s Crowne Plaza hotel. Throwdown at the Crowne&nbsp…

The very best of MMA in Minnesota was on display on Saturday night as Driller Promotions/Sterling Entertainment Group provided what might have been the event of the year in St. Paul’s Crowne Plaza hotel. 

Throwdown at the Crowne featured co-main events including the long-awaited bout between Dan Moret and Damion Hill, as well as a battle of giants between Brett Murphy and Raphael Butler for the brand new Minnesota heavyweight championship.

The Driller/SEG shows have been getting rave reviews all year, but none were better than this.

From beginning to end of the 14-fight card, fans got their money’s worth and then some. The co-main events delivered in exciting fashion and the undercard might have been the best we’ve seen in quite some time.

If you’re interested in watching the event for yourself, check out the Driller Promotions/Sterling Entertainment Group Throwdown at the Crowne live stream replay. Be advised, though, that the commentary is “extra colorful” for this one. 

If you’d rather read play-by-play of the event, continue here!

Big thanks to Kasey Noll of Kasey Jean Photography and Sandy Hackenmueller of Fight to Finish Photography for the awesome photos you’ll see in this slideshow! 

For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron: .

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