Author: Richard Langford

UFC Fight Night 33: Highlighting Event’s Most Exciting Matchups

For the first time in a year, UFC action is headed Down Under, as the Octagon will see a full night of action for UFC Fight Night 33 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia. 
Fight fans won’t get a chance to watch a title …

For the first time in a year, UFC action is headed Down Under, as the Octagon will see a full night of action for UFC Fight Night 33 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia. 

Fight fans won’t get a chance to watch a title fight, but it is a solid card nonetheless. Headlined by Mark Hunt (9-8) taking on Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (18-5), this will be a good night for some knockouts.

Check out the full fight card, and then I’ll highlight the three bouts I’m most looking forward to. 

 

Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva

We may as well start with the headliner. Both of these veteran fighters enter this bout coming off knockout losses and need a strong showing to remain relevant. 

Mark Hunt was a logical choice for this event. He was born in New Zealand and currently lives in Australia. The 39-year-old was also a star on the rise before Junior dos Santos knocked him out in his last time in the Octagon. Prior to that, however, Hunt had won four straight. 

As for Silva, he suffered a knockout to heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. There is no shame in that, of course. Velasquez is arguably the best in the business right now. Prior to that, Silva had won two straight, and both were knockouts. 

Both of these powerful fighters will attack with the urgency that comes along with the pressure of avoiding a losing streak. This sets up for what will be a brutal battle that stands almost no shot of going the distance. 

 

Mauricio Rua vs. James Te Huna 

It is easy to get excited for a Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (21-8) fight. His intense style has thrilled fans for years. He should be especially fierce for this fight, as he is trying to get his career back on track following two losses.

In fact, going back to his loss against Jon Jones in March 2011, Shogun has won just two of his last six fights. If he loses to a fighter like Te Huna, his career will be at a serious crossroads. 

For Te Huna (16-6), this is the biggest fight of his career. 

He can catapult himself into the Top 10 with a win over Rua. No one understands the opportunity that this fight presents better than Te Huna. 

Both of these guys are game competitors and will be highly motivated. This should be a great fight. 

 

Soa Palelei vs. Pat Barry

This one will feature some big blows. Soa Palelei (19-3) has earned 15 of his 19 victories by stoppage. The Australian will have the support of the fans to help propel him to an attempt at a 16th stoppage. 

He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, but he isn’t one to go for the submission, which is unfortunate for him in this matchup. 

Pat Barry has a tough time guarding against submissions and struggles against wrestlers. 

He is, however, a passionate fighter with a propensity to produce highlight-reel knockouts. Of course, he is just as likely to be on the receiving end of a knockout as the giving end. 

Given the two aggressive fighters with striking power, this fight is sure to pack the highlights. 

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UFC Fight Night 32 Results: Vitor Belfort Deserves Title Shot After KO

Vitor Belfort (24-10 mixed martial arts, 13-6 UFC) stopped Dan Henderson (29-11 MMA, 6-5 UFC) 77 seconds into their UFC Fight Night 32 bout with a knockout via a kick to the head on Saturday night at the Goiania Arena in Brazil. 
In the proce…

Vitor Belfort (24-10 mixed martial arts, 13-6 UFC) stopped Dan Henderson (29-11 MMA, 6-5 UFC) 77 seconds into their UFC Fight Night 32 bout with a knockout via a kick to the head on Saturday night at the Goiania Arena in Brazil. 

In the process, the 36-year-old Belfort loudly proclaimed his case for a title shot. 

The victory was impressive, entertaining and thorough. 

In the entirety of his career, the 43-year-old Henderson had never been stopped by strikes. Not even his chin could withstand a head kick from Belfort, however.

This fight started slowly with each veteran using the first minute to get a feel for the other. Shortly after that, however, Belfort landed a huge left uppercut that stunned Henderson and sent him to the mat.

Henderson withstood Belfort‘s attack initially, as Belfort let fly with left and rights, but Belfort found a hole and landed a viscous head kick to end the fight.  

For those keeping track at home, that is the third straight time Belfort has ended a fight with a highlight-reel head kick. 

Back in January, Michael Bisping was the victim of a Belfort head kick, and in May, Luke Rockhold found the same fate.

These kinds of knockouts are quickly increasing Belfort‘s drawing power, and the veteran has now won 10 of his past 12 bouts.

UFC head honcho Dana White was impressed:

Silva would be UFC legend Anderson Silva, and The Spider will be trying to reclaim his middleweight title against Chris Weidman next month in Las Vegas.

Belfort and Silva have battled before. That came in 2011, and that fight also ended with a head kick. Of course, Belfort was on the receiving end of that one.

While that rematch would be thrilling, Belfort deserves better if Silva loses. He deserves a title shot, and even White seems to acknowledge that fact: 

I understand White’s desire to have Silva and Belfort get in the Octagon together. However, that can’t get in the way of allowing Belfort to have the title shot he has earned.  

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UFC 164 Live Stream: Where to Catch Exciting Main Card Action Online

With the lightweight title at stake, UFC 164 on Saturday, Aug. 31, from Milwaukee should be a great show.
Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis will clash in the co-main bout, and the whole card is solid. Pettis earned a unanimous-decision victory over H…

With the lightweight title at stake, UFC 164 on Saturday, Aug. 31, from Milwaukee should be a great show.

Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis will clash in the co-main bout, and the whole card is solid. Pettis earned a unanimous-decision victory over Henderson the last time the two met, and Henderson is looking to turn the tables. 

That fight was one of the best of 2010, and it’s custom made for highlight reels with Pettis’ “Showtime Kick.” 

As enticing as that rematch is, there are more reasons to tune it. Check out how you can stream the action, and then I’ll take a further look at the more exciting bouts. 

 

Live Stream

Preliminary fights can be streamed on the UFC’s Facebook page. 

The pay-per-view portion is available at UFC.tv and UStream.

 

Chad Mendes vs. Clay Guida 

Clay Guida enters as the No. 9-ranked featherweight, but his controversial win over Hatsu Hioki has left him with a fair amount of skeptics.

He will be able to send a resounding answer to any skeptics by winning this bout over No. 1-ranked Chad Mendes. 

The 28-year-old Mendes lost his title bid in January 2012, but he’s been impressive in his three bouts since. If he can pick up this win, another title shot will likely be just around the corner. 

Both of these guys will be supremely motivated. I expect a long fight with Mendes using his superior attacks to earn a win.

 

Frank Mir vs. Josh Barnett

With two former heavyweight champs going toe-to-toe, this fight shouldn’t hurt for action or intrigue. 

It’s surprising that Frank Mir and Josh Barnett have been around as long as they have and never met—especially considering this is such a fun matchup of styles. 

We have the catch wrestling of Barnett against the jiu-jitsu of Mir. Both men are masters of their styles. Barnett will likely try to win this one with his top game by wearing down Mir. However, Mir is a cagey veteran with a good bottom game.

Of course, going for some ground-and-pound will not be without risk for Barnett. Mir is excellent on the mat and will be angling for a submission to put an end to this fight. 

I’m leaning toward Mir emerging with the win, but this is truly anyone’s fight. 

 

Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis

It’s hard to believe it has taken these two so long to get back into the Octagon together. However, it has been a long journey for both since Pettis’ Showtime Kick. 

Pettis struggled with injuries following his bout with Henderson, losing to Guida in his next fight. He’s been on a roll since. He’s won three straight and will look to keep that streak going against this familiar opponent. 

Meanwhile, Henderson has been in the Octagon seven times since his loss to Pettis and hasn’t done anything but win. That streak includes four title defenses. This should be his toughest challenge to that title yet. 

Pettis is a Milwaukee native. He will have the crowd behind him and the confidence of his past victory. I believe he will take the title on Saturday.

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UFC 162: Chris Weidman Will Prove Upset of Anderson Silva Was No Fluke

Chris Weidman is coming off the biggest fight of his career, yet his work is just beginning.Going against the legendary Anderson Silva at UFC 162, the 29-year-old was at the ultimate proving ground, and he proved himself in a way that no one else over …

Chris Weidman is coming off the biggest fight of his career, yet his work is just beginning.

Going against the legendary Anderson Silva at UFC 162, the 29-year-old was at the ultimate proving ground, and he proved himself in a way that no one else over the past seven years had been able to do by beating Silva. 

However, instead of answering questions about Weidman‘s greatness, it has only raised more. 

We’ll chalk it up to the long shadow of Silva. No matter what transpired in this fight, the man who has a strong case to be called the greatest MMA fighter of all-time was going to be the story. 

So, when Silva got caught by a left hook when he was prancing around with his guard down and wound up losing the fight, all the talk centered around Silva losing the fight through his arrogance. 

Very little credit is being given to Weidman for the win. 

However, as we move away from the shock of Anderson’s loss, attention must be turned to Weidman and his merit as champ. And, as Weidman moves his career away from this breakthrough win, he will prove that he is not just the man who caught Silva in a moment of vulnerability, but an outstanding champion who took the torch. 

Even as we look at the fight against Silva, Weidman‘s talent starts to shine through. 

Weidman is a fantastic wrestler, and he showed this by coming through on one of his three takedown attempts. After the takedown, he went to work with his ground-and-pound and used all that in an excellent first round. 

His effectiveness in this style should be credited for Silva’s taunting attempts. He wanted to pull this fight into a stand-up battle. 

While Weidman was at a disadvantage in that style, he was no pushover. He landed 37 percent of his strikes (according to fightmetric.com) and of course, he landed the huge blow that no fighter before him had been able to land. 

Of course, this is not how the typical fight with the undefeated Weidman will end. He is a wrestling-schooled, jujitsu-trained fighter. His wrestling is elite, and he has the submission game to go with it. 

He is far more likely to end a battle with a submission, ground and pound or a decision after controlling the match with his wrestling.

He earned the title fight with wins over Demian Maia and Mark Munoz, and he’s proven he’s a force to be reckoned with. 

Now he will go to work on proving his merit with the massive spotlight that comes with being the man who beat Anderson Silva. 

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UFC 162 Results: Highlighting Biggest Lessons Learned from Silva vs. Weidman

With Anderson Silva laying on the mat defeated, it quickly became clear that UFC 162 was the end of an era. For the first time in his career, Silva was knocked out and the champ who has spent the past seven years leaving the Octagon victorious had…

With Anderson Silva laying on the mat defeated, it quickly became clear that UFC 162 was the end of an era. 

For the first time in his career, Silva was knocked out and the champ who has spent the past seven years leaving the Octagon victorious had lost his unbeatable air and title. 

The UFC passed along this Vine of Chris Weidman as he captured the momentous victory:

It all made for an unforgettable bout. Here are the three biggest lessons I’ve taken away from it. 

 

Even Silva Has to Respect His Opponents

Over the years, Silva has taunted countless opponents. He will dance around, leave himself exposed and try to do any and everything to get them to engage in stand-up fighting. 

With his counter-punching ability, it had always worked. 

It didn’t work against Weidman. 

Silva, undoubtedly frustrated with the wrestling skills of Weidman, was up to his usual tricks in this fight. This time, when a left hook caught him clean, he paid the price. 

This has to factor into Silva’s in-fight attitude going forward. It’s not that he has to completely quit his antics—obviously, they have worked very well for him—however, he has to realize that even fighters not known for their striking can lay him out with one good punch. 

 

Weidman Will Have to Continue to Prove Himself

Following his career-defining win, Weidman was not getting a lot of attention. The bulk of the chatter and focus was on the fall of Silva. 

This is certainly understandable. Silva is arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time. He was going to be the story from this fight no matter what happened. 

Also, by landing the punch that led to victory when Silva’s guard was down, it is easy to say Silva lost this fight rather than Weidman won it. 

In other words, there is no one yet rushing to call Weidman a great champion. To do that, he is going to have to go on his own impressive run as champ and start carving out a legacy away from this bout. 

 

We Need a Rematch, But Might Not Get One

If UFC president Dana White has his way, we’ll get a rematch. White told Jack Kuhlenschmidt of Fox Sports, “I guarantee you there is nothing I want more than a rematch with Chris Weidman.” 

Also, Weidman, according to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, offered Silva a rematch.

So, we should be all set, right? After all, the only other party we need to hear from is Silva, and considering he just lost his title, he should be all for the rematch. 

He isn’t. In fact, he doesn’t care if he ever has the title again. 

“I won’t fight [again] for the belt. I had the belt for a long time,” Silva told ESPN.com’s Franklin McNeil after the fight.

Well, that’s unexpected. I suppose, using Silva’s map for his future, if Weidman were to lose the title, the door would be open for a rematch.

However, this needs to be the next fight. I, and I’m sure most fight fans, want to see Silva try and conquer the only man who has ever beaten him in the UFC. 

I’m still not ruling it out. Silva certainly wouldn’t be the first fighter to change his tune on post-fight comments. 

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Miesha Tate Must Dominate Next Bout to Get Career Back on Track

Miesha Tate missed out on a golden opportunity in a controversial loss to Cat Zingano at the The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale on Saturday night.Had she won, she would have had a chance to coach opposite Ronda Rousey on Ultimate Fighte…

Miesha Tate missed out on a golden opportunity in a controversial loss to Cat Zingano at the The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale on Saturday night.

Had she won, she would have had a chance to coach opposite Ronda Rousey on Ultimate Fighter. Instead, it is Zingano who now gets the opportunity. 

That opportunity obviously means lots of extra airtime and the ability to increase a fighter’s brand and earning power. It also means a title shot against Rousey. 

While it is hard to fathom why Tate wants another shot at Rousey, considering what happened the first time they fought, she did want that opportunity, and she feels she got cheated out of the chance. 

Tate won the first two rounds against Zingano. However, Zingano got the upper hand in the third, and the fight was stopped via a TKO. 

In a post-fight presser highlight, Tate made it abundantly clear that she felt the fight was stopped too early, and she certainly has a case. Even Rousey felt the fight was ended too early. 

Stopped too early or not, it is clear that the former women’s Strikeforce bantamweight champion needs to quickly get her career back on track. 

Heading into this bout, Tate had just one loss in her last eight fights. That was the loss to Rousey. 

She was in a position to solidify her status as Rousey‘s main rival. As women’s fighting grows, this promises to be a lucrative, albeit painful position. 

With this loss, however, Tate quickly finds herself on the wrong side of the relevancy scale. Tate must reverse this trend and do it quickly. 

Tate remains a high-profile fighter in the industry, and her next bout will surely garner interest. 

This affords her the opportunity to show everyone she is still a force to be reckoned with. She must get back in the Octagon as quickly as possible and be absolutely dominant in the process. 

Anything less than that, and the perception will quickly turn to Tate being a fighter slipping from her prime, and that is not an easy perception to change. 

This will allow her to stay relevant in the industry and keep her career on the upswing. 

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