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UFC 143 Fight Card Complete Collection: Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa

Welcome back, fans and friends! It’s now time for my second day of “UFC 143 Complete Collection” postings.I’m counting down and covering all of the major fights on the UFC 143 card, which features an interesting cast of cha…

Welcome back, fans and friends! It’s now time for my second day of “UFC 143 Complete Collection” postings.

I’m counting down and covering all of the major fights on the UFC 143 card, which features an interesting cast of characters from top to bottom.

Yesterday I covered the “UFC Prelims LIVE” Facebook broadcast and the first of four scheduled “UFC on FX” prelims, and today I will wrap up the other three prelims scheduled to air on FX.

First off, we have Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa.

For an entire season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, Alex Caceres was known by another name: “Bruce Leroy”. Competing on the twelfth season of the popular UFC reality TV show, Caceres fit the mold of the reckless bad boy with a big mouth who actually had some skill.

Caceres would end up losing to teammate and rival Michael Johnson, but not before getting his fifteen minutes of fame.

Currently, Caceres has fought three times in the UFC. Caceres made his UFC debut in March of last year, and has a respectable record of 5-2. That record immediately plummeted to 5-4 after a two-fight losing streak with both losses coming by submission.

Even though they were entertaining fights, the writing was certainly on the wall when Caceres signed to fight Cole Escovedo in November as part of the UFC’s landmark and inaugural “UFC on Fox” event. Luckily for Caceres, he wound up winning that fight by unanimous decision.

His opponent, Edwin Figueroa, made some big waves in his UFC debut in March 2011.

Tasked with fighting hot prospect Michael McDonald after an injury sidelined McDonald’s original opponent Nick Pace, Figueroa fought McDonald for three fantastic rounds of all-out action, eventually losing by unanimous decision. The fact that Figueroa had less than two weeks to train made the fight even more special, and it was awarded “Fight of the Night”.

In his most-recent performance, Figueroa proved what he could do when given a full training camp to prepare for his opponent. Figueroa fought Jason Reinhardt, a ten-year veteran of the sport with over twenty professional Mixed Martial Arts bouts, and beat him by TKO in Round 2.

This is one of those fights that have the potential to be a “sleeper hit” or even even the Fight of the Night.

I really like the UFC 143 prelims. That’s one of the major reasons I decided to do my “Complete Collection” for UFC 143, and this is my favorite fight of all of the prelims.

I’m not sure how entertaining it’ll be if this fight goes to the ground, but on the feet it should be a mile-a-minute encounter that will be a lot of fun to watch.

Figueroa is one of those “kill-me-to-beat-me” fighters. There’s not an ounce of quit in him, and he constantly pushes the pace to try and finish his opponents. Caceres, meanwhile, has shown some good stand-up even though he seems susceptible to the ground game.

Bottom line: if this turns into the kickboxing match I think and hope it will become, we’re in for a real treat.

Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 143 Fight Card Complete Collection: Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope

Hello again, fans and friends, and welcome back to “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”This third entry into my special 11-part miniseries covering the entire UFC 143 card officially brings to a close the first day of “Complete Collection&r…

Hello again, fans and friends, and welcome back to “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”

This third entry into my special 11-part miniseries covering the entire UFC 143 card officially brings to a close the first day of “Complete Collection” postings.

So far, I’ve covered both fights scheduled for the UFC’s UFC Prelims LIVE Facebook broadcast. Now it’s time to dive into the first fight of a scheduled four-fight UFC on FX prelims broadcast. It’s a clash of Ultimate Fighter standouts in Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope, so let’s dive right in.

A former training partner of Rich Franklin and Jorge Gurgel, Matt Brown has led an interesting life both inside and outside of the Octagon. A former drug addict, Brown found his calling as a mixed martial artist, although he honestly didn’t find much success.

With a record of 7-6 and with his career more or less over due to money problems, Brown successfully made it onto the seventh season of the popular UFC reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter.

Brown would end up making it to the quarterfinals of the show and losing to Amir Sadollah, the eventual winner of the season.

Since then, Brown has competed in the UFC a remarkable 10 times. Brown’s hit-and-miss history unfortunately followed him to the UFC: he went 1-1 before winning three straight, and followed that up by immediately losing three straight.

After that, he won one and then lost one, meaning that Brown has lost four out of his last five fights.

Brown’s opponent, Chris Cope, gained his fair share of fame and infamy as part of the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter. Known for his bizarre practice of yelling “WOO!” at random times and for seemingly no reason, Cope found himself at odds with many of his TUF housemates.

Cope would end up making it to the semifinals of his season, eventually losing to Ramsey Nijem via TKO. At the TUF 13 finale event, Cope fought and beat fellow TUF 13 alum Chuck O’Neil. Most recently, Cope was made short work of by the debuting Che Mills, a much-feared and heavily-hyped international veteran who TKO’d Cope in 40 seconds.

In describing Matt Brown as hit-and-miss, I hope it’s not misconstrued that I don’t like him or that I consider him a bad fighter. I actually think Matt Brown is pretty entertaining usually.

But the facts don’t lie, and neither does his official MMA record. With 11 of his 12 wins by stoppage and nine of his 11 losses by stoppage, Brown comes to finish or get finished. And while that’s always entertaining, it’s more or less a coin flip as to whether or not Brown will be doing the finishing or getting finished.

Chris Cope, meanwhile, has a smaller but more stable record of 5-2.

I don’t fault Chris Cope for losing to Che Mills, Che Mills is an underground favorite of mine, and I knew he’d make an example out of somebody whenever the UFC finally decided to give him a shot.

I think Cope is a fighter who honestly fools his opponents into thinking that he sucks, when in actuality he’s good at most things, albeit not great at any one thing.

All factors considered, I think Cope is going to outlast his opponent and get the decision despite Brown’s best efforts to put Cope away. Brown will swing for the fences but keep missing, and Cope will tire him out and then grind him out to get the decision victory.

Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan, and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews, and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 143 Fight Card Complete Collection: Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper

Hello once more, fans and friends, and welcome back to my special series, “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”I’ll be counting down and covering every single fight on the UFC 143 card—from the first preliminary fight all the way to th…

Hello once more, fans and friends, and welcome back to my special series, “UFC 143 Complete Collection.”

I’ll be counting down and covering every single fight on the UFC 143 card—from the first preliminary fight all the way to the pay-per-view main event.

With one entry already under my belt, it’s time to dive into the second fight of the scheduled “UFC Prelims LIVE” Facebook broadcast: Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper.

Natal vs. Kuiper

Rafael Natal has been competing in mixed martial arts since 2005.

Since his debut, he has compiled a more than respectable record of 13-3-1. Ten of his 13 wins have come by stoppage, with seven submissions. Natal began his career with a perfect 7-0 record, earning stoppage victories in his first five fights.

By the time September 2010 rolled around, Natal’s record stood at 10-2 and he was coming off of a major KO victory over Travis Lutter, the fighter who once famously won season four of “The Ultimate Fighter” and then failed to make weight for his shot at Anderson Silva’s UFC Middleweight Championship.

In his UFC debut, Natal would lose a tough decision to Rich Attonito. He then fought Jesse Bongfeldt to a draw. In his most recent performance, at UFC 133, Natal finally scored a win inside the Octagon when he beat Paul Bradley by unanimous decision.

Natal’s opponent, Michael Kuiper, will be making his UFC debut at UFC 143.

Kuiper has been a professional mixed martial artist for less than three years, but in that time he’s already fought 11 times. Kuiper began his career in 2009 by fighting seven times that year, winning all seven bouts. Only one of those wins was a decision.

Currently, Kuiper’s record stands at an unblemished 11-0, those bouts coming mostly overseas in Belgium and the Netherlands.

In his time spent outside of the Octagon, Kuiper has displayed some interesting versatility, knocking out six of his 11 opponents and submitting four of them. And unlike some strikers—whose “submissions” are often submissions “due to punches”—Kuiper’s submission wins are all by legitimate submission holds: one triangle choke and three armbars.

This fight has some interesting potential, depending on how much of Kuiper’s hype is justified.

I don’t really have anything negative to say about Natal, but I think I’m justified in pointing out that he’s had a bit of trouble adjusting to UFC-caliber opponents. His 1-1-1 UFC record isn’t the best way to start a run, but to his credit, Natal has displayed some skills inside the Octagon and I’m certainly not counting him out of this fight.

And when it comes to talented, upstart, unbeaten rookies nowadays, it’s getting tougher and tougher to find out whether or not they’re all hype. The UFC is getting so good that the gap in quality between fighters in regional promotions and UFC-caliber fighters just keeps growing.

Coming in undefeated with a long winning streak is definitely enough to get your foot in the door, but it’s simply no longer enough to guarantee instant success inside of the Octagon.

If Kuiper lives up to his hype, he’s going to take out Natal by the end of Round 1 or in the opening minutes of Round 2. If he doesn’t, Natal is going to grind on him, expose some weaknesses, and take the decision. Either way, this should be a pretty fun fight to help start off the night.

Oliver Saenz, also known as PdW2kX, is a freelance journalist, opinion columnist, hardcore MMA fan and lifelong video game nerd. For more news, views, previews and reviews on all things Mixed Martial Arts as well as video games, be sure to visit FightGamesBlog.net.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 143 Fight Card Complete Collection: Dan Stittgen vs. Stephen Thompson

Hello fans and friends, welcome to the beginning of another entry into my on-again, off-again series “Complete Collection.” Every once in a while, to highlight a big upcoming event, I’ll break down a major MMA card, fight by fight, giving you all the details you need to know as well as some preliminary commentary on who I think will win. And it doesn’t get much bigger than UFC 143, which sees the crowning of a UFC Interim Welterweight Champion. But that’s the finale: let’s begin “UFC 143 Complete Collection” by focusing on two tough prospects making their UFC debuts against each other: Dan Stittgen vs. Stephen Thompson.

Daniel “The Anvil” Stittgen just recently celebrated his third year of active competition as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. Stittgen started his MMA career by winning four straight fights, all by stoppage, all within Round 1, and one within the first minute of action. Stittgen would then lose to Justin Edwards, who would go on to find fame as part of the 13th season of “The Ultimate Fighter”.

Since that fight, Stittgen has chained together three straight wins with one decision victory. With an overwhelming majority (five of seven) of his wins by submission, Stittgen should be a tough opponent for Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, who is also making his UFC debut at UFC 143.

Stephen Thompson has spent even less time as a pro MMA fighter than Dan Stittgen: Thompson will celebrate his two-year anniversary sometime in February. Thompson’s pro record stands at 5-0, and he began his MMA career with three straight stoppage victories before fighting to a decision twice.

It’s always interesting when you put two tough prospects in the Octagon against each other for their UFC debuts. I really don’t know that much about either man, but from what I’ve been able to find online they both seem to have a lot of potential. I think there’s a formula to these types of matches, and whoever breaks free from that formula will be the one to win this fight.

The formula is simple: a talented prospect will nevertheless show signs of UFC jitters, and that will affect his performance. His striking may not be as on point as it was back when he was fighting in smaller venues and not full-fledged arenas. His cardio may take a hit because he’s nervous about being watched by tens of thousands of people. His confidence may sag a little when he finds out that a “UFC-caliber” opponent doesn’t buckle under the pressure he’s used to buckle his other opponents, even if that UFC fighter is also making his UFC debut.

A hot prospect coming into the UFC is not a hot UFC prospect, and I think that’s a distinction a lot of hot prospects seem to forget when they come into the UFC. The second you walk into the Octagon, what you did in the past becomes irrelevant and you exist in a world of “what have you done for me lately?” Whoever realizes this and uses it to their advantage should win this fight.

So while I may not know much about either of these fighters, I’m always interested in seeing if my thoughts on “the formula” hold true or not.

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UFC on Fox 2: What’s Next for the Winners and Losers?

UFC on Fox 2 was a mixed bag, for better or worse.The preliminary card had several good fights and entertaining finishes, but three straight decisions in the main Fox show has MMA fans asking, “Was this show a success?”And now once again it…

UFC on Fox 2 was a mixed bag, for better or worse.

The preliminary card had several good fights and entertaining finishes, but three straight decisions in the main Fox show has MMA fans asking, “Was this show a success?”

And now once again it’s time to ask: What’s next? What does the future hold after what could be considered a step back in the UFC/Fox relationship?

Here’s my answer to just that: a new edition of my “What’s Next for the Winners and Losers” series of articles, now featuring “UFC on Fox 2.”

What’s Next for Demian Maia?

Although this was a big win for Chris Weidman, it wasn’t that big of a loss for Demian Maia.

Maia’s status in the UFC remains mostly unchanged after this bout, in my opinion. Maia will continue to be a good, but not great, UFC fighter, and he’ll continue to be the UFC’s go-to gatekeeper at Middleweight.

What’s Next for Chris Weidman?

There’s a chance that Weidman will draw Michael Bisping, just to see if Weidman can go from “the bottom of the top” to a top-ranked athlete. Then again, it’s more likely that Bisping will get a top opponent as recompense for what many believe to be a bad decision.

If that’s the case, Weidman may find himself against a returning Mark Munoz once Munoz gets healthy from his injury.

What’s Next for Michael Bisping?

With Sonnen getting his shot at Anderson and with Mark Munoz on the sidelines healing an injury, the only fight that makes sense for Bisping right now is a fight against Vitor Belfort.

A big KO win over Bisping would be the one final push Belfort needs to convince everybody that he’s ready for a rematch with Anderson Silva, and a big win over Belfort would immediately put Bisping right back into title contention.

It’s a win-win for all involved and it’d be a fantastic fight, so I hope it happens.

What’s Next for Chael Sonnen?

Anderson Silva, of course.

It’ll be the biggest rematch in years, and my money is on it taking place inside of a soccer stadium in Brazil. My money is also on Anderson Silva removing the only blemish of his spectacular UFC run and making Sonnen eat his words.

The first fight had the odds stacked against Silva, what with Silva’s broken ribs and Sonnen on steroids.This rematch is going to end the way all us Silva fans expected their first fight to end: Silva will make Sonnen eat his words by making Sonnen eat a whole lot of kicks and fists.

What’s Next for Phil Davis?

I like Phil Davis. My prediction for Phil Davis remains mostly unchanged: He’ll be a star in two years, maybe even one.

Trust me, this loss will be one of the best things that’s ever happened to Phil Davis if he learns from it correctly. Davis will get a rebuilding fight against a Light Heavyweight gatekeeper, and depending on the outcome of that fight, we’ll know for sure where Phil Davis is headed in 2012 and beyond.

What’s Next for Rashad Evans?

The much-hyped, long-delayed showdown with Jon Jones.

This is the fight we’ve all been waiting for, and I can say with confidence that I know it’s going to live up to the hype. Evans is going to attack Jones at all angles, and he won’t stop attacking. It’ll be a war, and it may end up going the full five rounds.

At this point, my promise to never again bet against Jon Jones remains unbroken. But I will say this: If anyone can beat him, it’ll be Rashad.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

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UFC on Fox 2 Results: Why It’s Not as Bad as You Think or as Good as You Hoped

Last night the UFC presented its second-ever event on the nationally-broadcast Fox network, “UFC on Fox 2: Evans vs. Davis.” The main event between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis was actually supposed to be a main event of a Pay-Per-View a few…

Did it deliver? The answer to that, and even the question itself, is open to interpretation. So here’s what I think: Here are the full results as well as some early commentary for “UFC on Fox 2: Evans vs. Davis”.

Rashad Evans defeats Phil Davis by unanimous decision. Chael Sonnen defeats Michael Bisping by unanimous decision. Chris Weidman defeats Demian Maia by split decision. Evan Dunham defeats Nick Lentz by TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2.

Mike Russow defeats Jon Olav Einemo by unanimous decision. Cub Swanson defeats George Roop by TKO (punches) at 2:22 of Round 2. Charles Oliveira defeats Eric Wisely via submission at 1:43 of Round 1.

Michael Johnson defeats Shane Roller by unanimous decision. Lavar Johnson defeats Joey Beltran by knockout (punches) at 4:24 of Round 1. Chris Camozzi defeats Dustin Jacoby by submission (front choke) at 1:08 of Round 3.

Note: According to reports just released today, Weidman actually won by unanimous decision while Sonnen actually won by split decision.

Due to some scheduling conflicts on my part, I came into the “UFC Prelims” mini-event rather late, and in fact was only able to see the excellent Evan Dunham/Nick Lentz fight.

I’ve since caught a few of the matches on the web, and I can say that once again the prelims live up to the hype I’ve given them: they really are “the best MMA you’re not watching.” So watch!

In particular, I really wanted to highlight Nik Lentz as someone that did a complete 180 on me. After Nik Lentz’s supremely boring decision win against Andre Winner a while back, I was ready to write him off as just another lay-and-pray wrestler too afraid of getting KO’d to do anything with his takedowns or to risk the fight staying on its feet for more than a few seconds.

That’s certainly not the Nik Lentz that showed up at the UFC prelims last night.

I don’t know what lit a fire under his ass, but I hope it stays lit. Win or lose, Nik Lentz has been very entertaining lately. His wrestling is still good, but he’s gotten a lot of confidence in his striking and he’s no longer afraid to stand and bang.

He even hit Dunham with some good clean shots a few times. I hope this tough loss doesn’t rattle his confidence, because I’d hate to see him revert back to lay-and-pray tactics now that I’m this close to legitimately calling myself a Nik Lentz fan.

In regards to the main card…I got two out of my three picks right, but I still had a very mixed bag of emotions. I don’t fault Chris Weidman for gassing in his fight against Demian Maia—I actually expected him to.

I just didn’t think Maia would gas as badly and as quickly, given the fact that he did get a good training camp in. Then again, he got a good training camp in preparing for a striker, and not a wrestler like Weidman. It is what it is…it was certainly a lackluster bout, but these things happen in MMA.

In regards to Bisping/Sonnen…my early reaction is that Bisping got robbed. I had Sonnen winning this fight and I still think Bisping got robbed.

Bisping really impressed me with his ability to neutralize Sonnen’s takedowns for two out of the fight’s three rounds. I think Bisping won the first two rounds due to his stand-up and his ability to neutralize Chael against the cage.

And in the main event, Rashad Evans proved to me that he’s ready for Jon Jones even though he didn’t dramatically finish Phil Davis as expected.

Evans put on a mostly-complete performance, and I think Evans could possibly be the biggest threat Jon Jones has ever faced.

Overall, it’s tough for me to brand “UFC on Fox 2” as a letdown. It certainly wasn’t Pay-Per-View quality, but I’ve seen worse UFC events, whether they were “Fight Night Live” events or even full-fledged Pay-Per-Views.

This was a mediocre event, but mediocre doesn’t mean bad. Hopefully everyone, from the Fox fanbase to the MMA fanbase to the folks pulling the strings behind the curtain, realizes and remembers this fact.

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