Author: Pete Schauer

Aldo vs. Edgar: 3 Things to Watch in Super Fight

Frankie Edgar (15-3-1) will be looking to make history on Saturday night when he squares off against current featherweight champion Jose Aldo (21-1).If Edgar beats Aldo at UFC 156, he’ll become just the third fighter in UFC history to win a championshi…

Frankie Edgar (15-3-1) will be looking to make history on Saturday night when he squares off against current featherweight champion Jose Aldo (21-1).

If Edgar beats Aldo at UFC 156, he’ll become just the third fighter in UFC history to win a championship in two different divisions.

With Edgar dropping down to the 145-pound division, he’ll be at a disadvantage against an opponent in Aldo who has experience fighting at the lighter weight.

With Aldo having not fought in more than a year, it’ll be intriguing to see how this fight plays out.

Here are three things to watch for in Aldo vs. Edgar at UFC 156.

 

Aldo’s Striking Abilities

When Aldo is right, he can contend with the top fighters in the UFC.

He’s got deadly striking combos, especially with his feet, meaning Edgar will have to be on the lookout for swift shin kicks that can be devastating.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Aldo has outlanded his opponents by 106 strikes in WEC/UFC fights, which doesn’t translate into good news for his opponent.

If this becomes a primarily stand-up fight, Aldo will be retaining his title on Saturday night.

 

Edgar’s Wrestling History

Born and raised at the Jersey Shore, Edgar was a stud wrestler at Toms River High School East and Clarion University of Pennsylvania, and has carried those skills into the UFC.

Using his background as a wrestler and possessing excellent ground moves, Edgar undoubtedly has the advantage if he can get Aldo on the ground and into submission.

Edgar also has the advantage in cardio, as Aldo hasn’t fought since Jan. 14, 2012 after missing most of the season, partially due to a motorcycle crash.

If Edgar can take this thing to the ground and keep it there, he’ll come out with the victory.

 

Aldo’s Eye Injury

It’s never good to give your opponent an area to hone in on, but Edgar may be looking to do some further damage to the left side of Aldo’s face on Saturday night to make this fight a bit easier for him.

According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Aldo will enter this fight already sporting some wounds:

Given the fact that Aldo already has a significant wound on his face, you can bet Edgar will be looking to bust it wide open.

With the speed and strength that Edgar possesses, Aldo will need to keep his hands up and utilize his blocks to keep himself in this fight.

 

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Aldo vs. Edgar: Why Frankie Edgar Is Poised for Upset at UFC 156

When Frankie Edgar (15-3-1) and Jose Aldo (21-1-0) step into the ring on Saturday night, Edgar will be looking to become the third fighter in UFC history to win a championship in two different divisions.Edgar will drop down to the 145-pound division fo…

When Frankie Edgar (15-3-1) and Jose Aldo (21-1-0) step into the ring on Saturday night, Edgar will be looking to become the third fighter in UFC history to win a championship in two different divisions.

Edgar will drop down to the 145-pound division for the UFC 156 card, where a lot of experts are pegging Aldo as the favorite to win.

I, on the other hand, disagree.

While Aldo has won his last 14 fights—highlighted by a first-round knockout of Chad Mendes in his most recent bout—Edgar enters this match in better shape.

Aldo missed basically all of last year, partly because of a foot injury that occurred in a motorcycle accident. He hasn’t fought since Jan. 14, 2012.

In a sport where consistent training and competition are a must, this gives Edgar an edge heading into Saturday’s fight.

Also going for Edgar is his extensive background as a successful wrestler at Toms River High School East and Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

Often dubbed as the underdog entering most of his fights, Edgar again enters this fight as an underdog following a split-decision loss to Benson Henderson on Aug. 11.

Despite being the underdog, Edgar is both strong and fast enough to give Aldo one of the best fights of his career. ESPN Stats & Info gives us some inside numbers on Edgar.

Edgar averages 8.9 takedown attempts per fight while opponents are landing just 28 percent of their strikes against the Jersey native.

The 31-year-old fighter is used to fighting with the pressure on, since his last six fights have come with a title on the line.

There’s no doubting Aldo’s ability as a fighter—he’s defended 95 percent of takedowns during his career—but Edgar isn’t phased by the underdog tag and enters this fight more battle-tested and conditioned than Aldo.

As one of the most underrated and unappreciated fighters in the UFC, look for the Answer to make history at UFC 156.

 

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UFC on Fox 6: Glover Teixeira Proves He’s Legit Contender After Win over Rampage

Move over, Rampage. Glover Teixeira is here to stay.With the heavy flow of trash talking leading up to the showdown between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Glover Teixeira, there was a lot of hype surrounding Saturday night’s card.In what was likely Ramp…

Move over, Rampage. Glover Teixeira is here to stay.

With the heavy flow of trash talking leading up to the showdown between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Glover Teixeira, there was a lot of hype surrounding Saturday night’s card.

In what was likely Rampage’s last fight (via USA Today), Teixeira earned his 18th straight victory (three in the UFC) in a unanimous-decision win over Jackson, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.

He’s not well-known in the UFC realm as of yet, but following a big victory over one of UFC’s most-recognized fighters, Teixeira looks like he’s here to stay.

Teixeira used a multitude of body punches and uppercuts to down Jackson, who repeatedly taunted the Brazilian fighter.

Even after Teixeira handed Jackson the loss, MMA Junkie reports of the mutual respect between the two fighters, as Rampage reportedly told Teixeira to “Go get the title.”

Teixeira even took to Twitter to show his respect for Jackson:

UFC President Dana White also touched on Teixeira’s brilliant performance on Saturday night, as well as Rampage’s toughness (via MMA Junkie):

I honestly believe that tonight if Glover was fighting anyone else he would have knocked them out in the first round. Rampage’ got hit with that shot, and not only can he punch hard, he can take a punch.

Obviously Jackson is at the end of his career and isn’t the cream of the crop in the UFC, but Rampage entered this fight in great shape and was still no match for the Brazilian.

I’m obviously not going to dub Teixeira the new king of the UFC until I see him in the ring against Jon Jones, Chael Sonnen or Rashad Evans, but it’s hard to ignore how forceful Teixeira was on Saturday night.

The premier fight will be Teixeira versus Jones, but that won’t be happening anytime soon, as Jones is slated to fight Sonnen in April.

Nonetheless, Teixeira’s convincing win over Rampage helps prove his worth in the UFC world.

 

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UFC 153: Why Anderson Silva Is the Best Fighter in the Sport

Following his first-round technical knockout of Stephan Bonnar, there’s no doubt that Anderson Silva is the best fighter in all of the UFC.After putting himself in a position to be pounded against the fence, Silva moved his opponent back, applied a kne…

Following his first-round technical knockout of Stephan Bonnar, there’s no doubt that Anderson Silva is the best fighter in all of the UFC.

After putting himself in a position to be pounded against the fence, Silva moved his opponent back, applied a knee to Bonnar‘s solar plexus and proceeded to TKO his opponent, propelling his overall record to 33-4.

After the fight, UFC president Dana White showed his appreciation for Silva and his fighting style (via MMA Weekly).

Elaborating on his comments, MMA Weekly is reporting that White spoke highly of Silva after the press conference.

“He’s the greatest of all time. I think he’s the greatest in any combat sport. Anderson Silva just does amazing things that nobody else can do. Watch every fight that he has. Enjoy every moment that he’s here, because when he’s gone, you’re gonna regret it (if you don’t). Anderson Silva is the guy you want to watch when he’s fighting.”

Words like that from the president have to be extremely humbling for Silva, especially given the fact that we all know White doesn’t have a problem speaking his mind to other fighters (see Jon Jones).

Silva basically toyed with Bonnar for the first few minutes of the fight before finally delivering the blow that would end the fight in its first and only round.

Silva has done it all. He’s claimed the UFC middleweight championship and has moved up and defeated fighters at light heavyweight. After watching him in UFC 153, I’m not sure there’s anything this guy can’t do. 

Honestly, I’m not sure who you could put in the Octagon against Silva to prove his standing in the UFC as the best fighter. Perhaps Georges St-Pierre, as my colleague Rick Weiner notes. A matchup of Silva vs. St-Pierre would pin one of the best strikers against one of the better grapplers in the sport and would undoubtedly make for a thrilling fight.

We’ll monitor that situation, but for now, I think we can all agree that there’s no better fighter right now than Anderson Silva.

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UFC 152 Results: Why Jon Jones Is Still Despised by Many Fans

Jon Jones may have forced Vitor Belfort to submit in the fourth round of Saturday night’s UFC 152 event to retain the title, but Bones Jones isn’t out of the woods yet.Jones entered Saturday’s fight as the most despised man in the UFC, and despite defe…

Jon Jones may have forced Vitor Belfort to submit in the fourth round of Saturday night’s UFC 152 event to retain the title, but Bones Jones isn’t out of the woods yet.

Jones entered Saturday’s fight as the most despised man in the UFC, and despite defending his title in Toronto, Jones’ reputation hasn’t been fully restored.

In case you live under a rock, you know that Jones pulled out of the UFC 151 event, in which he was scheduled to fight Dan Henderson after Henderson removed himself from the card.

Henderson was replaced with Chael Sonnen, which Jones didn’t like, resulting in the 25-year-old refusing to fight Sonnen, which in turn led to the cancellation of the UFC 151 events.

What ensued next has been a war of words between Jones and Sonnen, and Jones and UFC president Dana White.

For a sport that demands toughness, Jones came off as pretty weak by removing himself from the UFC 151 card, thus putting himself in the doghouse with the UFC president.

If Jones wasn’t physically or mentally prepared to fight Sonnen, he should have said so, instead of backing out of the fight and ruining what looked like to be a promising event.

Jones had the obvious reach advantage and was supposed to defeat Belfort and retain his title, so he’s not going to get the credit and respect he so covets for winning that fight.

At this rate, he’ll likely be favored in any match, but I’m not sure he’ll ever live down the Henderson fight (or lack thereof).

Perhaps, if Jones completes each task requested of him by White and the rest of the UFC commission, fans will start to forget about the UFC 151 drama.

But until then, Jones is still the man who was afraid to fight Dan Henderson.

 

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UFC 152: Why Jon Jones Will Silence the Critics with Win over Vitor Belfort

Jon Jones is the most hated man in the UFC heading into his fight against Vitor Belfort in UFC 152 after the stunt he pulled in what was supposed to be UFC 151.Jones was scheduled to fight Dan Henderson at UFC 151, but after Henderson pulled out of the…

Jon Jones is the most hated man in the UFC heading into his fight against Vitor Belfort in UFC 152 after the stunt he pulled in what was supposed to be UFC 151.

Jones was scheduled to fight Dan Henderson at UFC 151, but after Henderson pulled out of the fight, Jones unexpectedly refused to fight Chael Sonnen, Henderson’s replacement, resulting in a war of words between Jones and UFC president Dana White.

While White has publicly stated he doesn’t “hate” Jones, it’s obvious he’s upset and has a strong disliking for the man who ruined what was a highly anticipated fight.

Jones’ cancellation propelled him into a fight with Belfort in Toronto, where he will have an opportunity to regain popularity among the MMA community.

According to ESPN’s Frank McNeil, Jones believes winning this fight is the first step to moving past the UFC 151 debacle.

“I’m looking forward to putting on a great fight at UFC 152 and putting this past us. I’ve trained very hard for this Vitor Belfort fight, and I do believe that, with a good performance, I can help put this behind me.” 

The 25-year-old fighter has accomplished a lot more in the octagon than he has relinquished outside of it, which is why his win against Belfort will silence his critics and allow him to continue his climb to the top of the UFC.

Lost in the shuffle of the cancellation of UFC 151 and the battle between Jones and White is the fight itself, in which Jones is believed to be a heavy favorite.

Belfort is a blitzkrieg fighter, which isn’t going to work out in his favor, as Jones likes to remain patient and strike at the right time.

Belfort is known for an excellent combination of power and speed, but after gaining weight for this fight, the odds are that he’s not going too look fast to Jones, whose last opponent was Rashad Evans.

A win for Jones on Saturday night should silence his critics and put the UFC 151 mess behind him.

Expect Jones to be patient but take advantage of any opening Belfort gives him. I’m guessing that this one goes three rounds at the most, but Jones will come out victorious and begin to clear his name among the UFC community.

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