Author: Rick Weiner

Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez: Cigano Doesn’t Deserve Rematch with Champ

After what we witnessed at UFC 155, Junior dos Santos doesn’t deserve a rematch with Cain Velasquez.He’ll probably get one, of course. Not only is it what the fans want, but a third edition of this developing rivalry would be incredibly lucrative for a…

After what we witnessed at UFC 155, Junior dos Santos doesn’t deserve a rematch with Cain Velasquez.

He’ll probably get one, of course. Not only is it what the fans want, but a third edition of this developing rivalry would be incredibly lucrative for all parties involved, none more important than UFC President Dana White.

If there’s money to be made and publicity to be gained, you can be sure that he’d be leading the charge for a rematch to take place.

But simply based on the action inside the octagon last night, Dos Santos doesn’t deserve to grapple with Velasquez anymore.

Dos Santos was dominated by Velasquez, never leading on any of the judges’ scorecards.

From the massive overhand right that dropped Dos Santos towards the end of the first round, Velasquez was able to dictate much of the match.

He looked tentative from the onset, never mounting any substantial offensive attack.

While Dos Santos was able to land a few big punches, he chose to try and fight from a distance to defend against Velasquez’ takedown attempts. That strategy didn’t work, and Dos Santos failed to adapt.

Dos Santos was unable to keep the fight upright, continually being taken to the mat, and, while he was able to get back up most of the time, he was taking tremendous abuse as Velazquez dominated the former champion in every facet of the ground game.

Perhaps the former champion was dreaming of a bout against Alistair Overeem, who couldn’t help himself and had to have some fun at Dos Santos’ expense during the fight (via Twitter): 

Whatever the reason, Dos Santos looked totally unprepared and uninterested in this fight.

While it’s admirable that Dos Santos was able to take a beating and keep getting up, being able to take a beating doesn’t make you a world-class fighter.

It makes you tough as nails for sure, but nothing more.

Velasquez was so thoroughly impressive—and Dos Santos so thoroughly disappointing— that it makes you wonder why Dos Santos would even want to tussle with the new champion for a third time.

Junior dos Santos proved two things last night—that Cain Velasquez is on another level than he is as a fighter—and that his first victory over Velasquez really was nothing but a fluke.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 155: Breaking Down Ramifications of Top Losses

UFC 155 offered something for everyone.From the preliminary card to the main event, intriguing bouts littered the landscape and bought with them the promise of some incredibly competitive and entertaining fights at all weightclasses.While some fighters…

UFC 155 offered something for everyone.

From the preliminary card to the main event, intriguing bouts littered the landscape and bought with them the promise of some incredibly competitive and entertaining fights at all weightclasses.

While some fighters lived up to and exceeded expectations, others fell perilously shy of reaching even the most modest of goals.

Who on the losing end has taken a major step backwards in their career?

Let’s take a look. 

 

Tim Boetsch

Heading into UFC 155, Tim Boetsch seemed destined for a shot at the middleweight championship—a belt that has been firmly affixed around the waist of Anderson Silva since UFC 64: Unstoppable back in 2006.

Those thoughts have been put on hold—likely permanently—after Boetsch was taken apart by Constantinos Philippou, who was filling in for his injured teammate, Chris Weidman.

Philippou didn’t just beat Boetsch, he dominated him.

From the second round on, Boetsch was unable to mount any sustained attack, instead taking a barrage of punches from Philippou and finding his attempts to bring the fight down to the mat thwarted every time.

No longer near the front of the middleweight division, Boetsch will have his work cut out for him as he tries to return to the land of contenders.

 

Chris Leben

You couldn’t help but root for Chris Leben to succeed against Derek Brunson.

Leben, who broke onto the scene after the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, was making his triumphant return to the octagon after serving a year-long suspension for a failed drug test (h/t UFC.com). But instead of proving to the world that he was back with a vengeance, Leben left us with more questions than answers.

Unable to muster any form of an attack against Derek Brunson, a fighter that Leben should have had his way with, Leben dropped a unanimous decision and is now faced with an uncertain future.

At 32, Leben is no longer a young, up-and-coming fighter, and he’s lost four of his last five fights.

Whether he wants to return to the octagon or not is something that he’ll need to figure out, but there are no title shots in his future.

Perhaps a bout against the aforementioned Tim Boetsch would be a good move for both fighters and their respective careers.

 

Michael Johnson

One of the lightweight division’s most highly-touted prospects, Michael Johnson was dominated by Myles Jury from beginning to end.

Most alarming for Johnson was his inability to do anything when on his back. 

To be fair, Johnson took a beating from Jury and kept on going. But not being able to work your way off of your back has to be a major concern.

Unlike Leben and Boetsch, Johnson still has a bright future. But he’s certainly taken a step back after this bout and has much to work on before he can be thought of as a true contender for the lightweight belt.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 153 Results: Georges St-Pierre Should Be Next to Fight Anderson Silva

Just thinking about this fight gets my juices flowing.Anderson Silva is the greatest of all-time, and at 37 years old, he’s much closer to the end of his career than any of us would care to admit.Silva was telling people before he dispatched of Stephan…

Just thinking about this fight gets my juices flowing.

Anderson Silva is the greatest of all-time, and at 37 years old, he’s much closer to the end of his career than any of us would care to admit.

Silva was telling people before he dispatched of Stephan Bonnar that he wanted to fight GSP next (h/t ESPN):

I love martial arts and the UFC. I love combat sports. I love training. I have two or three fights left in my career and after Saturday, my focus will be Georges St-Pierre. But that is for Sunday. Now my focus is only Bonnar and bringing a great show to the fans on Saturday night.

He reiterated his stance after the fight as well: “I think it’d be a great challenge for me. I prefer him (GSP) over Jon Jones. He’s smaller. It’ll be a little bit easier. I’ll be hit less.” (h/t MMAFighting)

Dana White, predictably, was all about having Silva get in the cage with Jon “Bones” Jones (h/t MMAFIghting):

I will fly down here, I’ll lock myself in a room with Jorge [Guimaraes], Ed Soares and him, and I’ll make this fight.

I know this: the Georges St-Pierre fight is a big fight. I think the Jon Jones fight is a big fight. I know my man says, ‘No, no, no,’ but the amount of money that would be offered for that fight, I guarantee you I will make Anderson Silva say, ‘Yes, yes, yes.’

A Jones/Silva bout would be epic, but considering the age discrepancy—Jones is 25 years old, while Silva is 37—it’s not unreasonable to say that Jones might have the edge.

Of course, for any fight against GSP to take place, the veteran needs to get past Carlos “The Natural-Born Killer” Condit at UFC 154, being held in Montreal on November 17.

I, for one, don’t see him losing that bout, especially in front of a Bell Center full of St-Pierre supporters.

A superior striker (Silva) against a better grappler (St-Pierre), with both fighters pretty much even when it comes to submission moves?

I’d buy that.

Sure, both fighters are older and past their prime, but that’s what makes this such a phenomenal bout.

Two legendary fighters, two all-time greats, nose-to-nose, in the Octagon.

It’d be a super-fight in more ways than one.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com